At noon the next day, Zhang Yanling held a banquet to see Bishop Arthur off. Arthur was always worried and tried to keep a low profile until after the meal, Zhang Yanling sent him to the pier outside the city and saw a ship docked at the dock in the bay.
When Fo Lang flew the warship, he truly believed that Zhang Yanling was really willing to let him go.
Following Arthur, there were more than twenty clergy and their families, plus more than thirty Francois expatriates.
In addition, more than 60 Franco soldiers also became lucky ones and were selected by Arthur to escape from the sea of suffering.
Originally, Zhang Yanling promised Arthur that he would choose more than a hundred soldiers to escort him on his return journey, but after adding others, the number exceeded the limit, and there was no room for a single Franco warship.
Dozens of expats came to Arthur, and they didn't know what kind of benefits they were promised. In short, Arthur finally agreed to let them go, and reduced the number of accompanying soldiers to only sixty.
These sixty soldiers were really lucky. They had already had two burns on their faces and had to do hard labor for three years. Who would have thought that they would be freed the next day? It was beyond their wildest dreams. Although they had two burns on their faces,
The words are bad, and the appearance is disfigured. But it is better than suffering here for three years, not knowing whether I can go back alive.
Arthur's criteria for selecting people are also very simple, that is, low-level soldiers who can sail boats and row boats. The main jobs of these soldiers on the warships of the Franco Eastern Fleet are to operate boats, carry cargo, pull sails and steer the helm. In fact, they are just sailors.
.These people rarely participate in battles, so choosing this group of people will not only make the journey back smooth, but also not make the Duke of the Ming Dynasty dissatisfied.
It can be seen from this that having another skill is still very useful. The low-level soldiers and sailors who usually work like hard labor on the ship finally have their blessings.
On the pier, Zhang Yanling bid farewell to Bishop Arthur and wished him a safe journey. Bishop Arthur was very excited and repeatedly stated that he would report as agreed upon when he returned. He also promised to help Zhang Yanling find the person he was looking for.
Several soldiers carried Bishop Arthur onto the deck. After the ship set sail and left the shore, Arthur waved repeatedly. At a certain moment, he actually felt a little nostalgic for Zhang Yanling. Something about this young and handsome Duke,
Bishop Arthur felt an unspeakable attraction. This was something that those little boys did not have.
After sending Arthur and others away, Zhang Yanling led everyone back to the central castle hall. Zhang Yanling planned to go back to his room to take a nap, but was stopped by the generals.
"Please stay, sir. I have something to say." Wang Hong said loudly.
Only then did Zhang Yanling notice a group of generals standing there, all with dark faces and expressions that seemed a little strange.
"Everyone, what's going on? So serious? Do you have anything to say? Please speak!" Zhang Yanling turned around with a smile and sat down at the long table.
"My lord, I don't understand why I let the people of Franji State go. Yesterday, my lord spared the lives of those prisoners, and I already find it incredible. Today I actually let Bishop Arthur go and gave him a gift."
How could he happily take more than a hundred people away on a ship? I really can’t understand it,” Wang Hong said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling frowned and looked at Wang Hong and said, "Is this the case?"
Wang Hong said: "Exactly."
Zhang Yanling looked at the others and asked, "Are you also unhappy because of this incident?"
Chen Shiyi stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice: "My lord, I'm sorry for my stupidity. I really don't understand my lord's intentions. These Folangji people are our mortal enemies, and they all deserve to die. Even if they are spared the death penalty, they should still be spared."
They were detained and imprisoned. How could we send them away politely? The brothers were very unhappy. They all felt sorry for the brothers who died in the battle."
Zhang Yanling's face darkened.
Wang Hong simply risked his life and said in a deep voice: "Master, we also heard that you want to negotiate peace with the Folangji people. What kind of peace should we negotiate with the Folangji people? I heard that you also promised to do business with them.
Allow them to use our waterways and ports to do business in Ming Dynasty. We also need to give them special privileges. We are
On the victorious side, we destroyed the Eastern Fleet of the Franco Kingdom. They are the ones who should sue for peace. They should come to beg us, compensate us with silver coins, and obey us from now on. But we want to negotiate peace with them? Respectfully
Respectfully send their people back? I can’t figure it out, and neither can my brothers.”
"Yes, we can't even figure it out. Master, why are we doing this? Aren't we working in vain? We are also taking advantage of the Folangji people?" everyone said one after another.
Zhang Yanling frowned and said nothing. The generals suddenly felt guilty and stopped talking.
"My lord, I am not accusing my lord of his actions, but... I really don't understand why my lord would do this." Wang Hong cupped his hands and said.
Zhang Yanling suddenly laughed, and everyone was even more unsure about this smile.
"Everyone, sit down. I said why you all look so stinky, it turns out it's because you are unhappy about this matter. Sit down, everyone, sit down. Since you asked, I will simply say a few words to you." Zhang Yanling waved her hand.
Everyone sat down one after another. Zhang Yanling glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Brothers, it has been more than a year since we set out on the expedition. The purpose of this expedition is to open up maritime trade routes, drive away the Folangji people, and establish
Ports and bases. So far, we have basically accomplished our goals
The capture of Goa Port is also just around the corner. I must remind you that we are not here to conquer the world, and we are not here to fight endlessly. We annihilated Folanji’s Eastern Fleet and cut off their reach to the east.
Minions, after we have achieved our goal, we need to consider the next step."
Everyone looked at Zhang Yanling silently and listened carefully as he continued to speak.
"Brothers, you must understand that what I have always emphasized is that we do not have any grudge against the Francois. We do not need to hold any special hatred towards them. Anyone who blocks our way is an enemy, and whoever
The country has nothing to do with it. If you think that we are facing only the Francois, then you
Wrong. Those who covet this route to the East and want to occupy the land of the Eastern Kingdom are not only the Francois, but also Hollywood, Thailand, Britain and other countries. When we win, we will drive away the Francois.
, what we have to face is greater dangers and challenges. Not only from the Folangji people." Zhang Yanling said.
"My lord, I still don't understand. What does this have to do with what you did to the Folangji people? Do you want to let them go and show your kindness to them? Will the Folangji people be grateful?" Wang Hong said in a deep voice.
.
"Grateful? I don't want them to be grateful to me. Besides, there is no grudges to talk about between countries, only interests. They don't care how many people died or how many ships were sunk. What they care about is how much is missing.
Profits are what they value most. So, I asked the bishop to take me back
Let him report this idea to the people of the Franco Kingdom, and I will allow their merchant ships to trade with us, and use their capital Lisbon port as the only transit trade port in the West. As long as trade can develop, it will be profitable.
.Fo Langji people will stabilize." Zhang Yanling said.
"But why should we let them gain? They are our defeated generals. Are we afraid that they will provoke us? Another fleet will come and destroy them all." Chen Shi said.
Zhang Yanling smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Chen, are we going to keep fighting the war endlessly? Maybe we can win, but how much will it cost? What's the point of opening sea trade channels? Not only will it not bring wealth to the Ming Dynasty, but it will consume a lot of money.
Money and materials will kill more brothers.
So what's the point? You have to remember that wars have a purpose. Fighting without a purpose becomes a simple act of bravery and ruthlessness. War is for the purpose of achieving interests and is just a means. If it can be used without
War is the best choice to solve problems."
The generals nodded slightly, they somewhat understood.
"Besides, you all know the situation in our Ming Dynasty. There is chaos in the country, and Zhu Chenhao is rebelling. Under this situation, we can only solve the problem here as soon as possible. Whether it is materials or troops, we have no capital to continue the fight.
You all know,
The imperial court did not give us a tael of silver or any supplies. In this case, if the Franco Kingdom united with the Western countries to attack in an all-out attack, it would be difficult for us to win. Once defeated, everything would be in vain. So we must
We need to use smarter means to deal with the aftermath."
The generals began to twist uneasily. They all knew the situation. Basically all the supplies, firearms and ammunition for this expedition were provided by the Duke. Chen Shiyi knew best. If he hadn't squeezed some from the hands of the dead ghost Liu Jin,
Oil and water, coupled with the Duke's own savings, and some money obtained from the hands of the Marquis and other princes, it was impossible to sustain it.
The Ming Dynasty is currently in chaos. Even two newly built armored ships have been requisitioned. What supplies and reinforcements can be provided? At present, the Armada only has five warships left. The ammunition, firearms and grenades are almost consumed.
French supplies. How to meet the enemy after this?
"Of course, even so, I will not show weakness to those white-skinned pigs. If you think that what I do is to seek peace and favor from them, you are totally wrong. I am using Fo Lang
The robots come to contain other countries and divert hatred. This move is called diverting misfortune from the east."
The generals looked at Zhang Yanling blankly. Some didn't quite understand, while others thought to themselves: I knew it wasn't that simple.
"I gave the Francoji people an irresistible temptation, and they will get huge benefits from it. In this way, not only will they not be able to form an alliance, and they will not be able to jointly send troops to attack us, but they will have internal divisions because of the huge benefits that Francoji will monopolize.
.On the contrary, they will hate the Franco Kingdom. As the saying goes, it does not worry about the scarcity but the inequality. If the Franco Country wants to monopolize huge trade profits and make money from other countries, it will become the target of public criticism.
You see, what the Fo Langji people got is a hot potato. I can even boldly predict that these countries will fight endlessly within themselves. And what we have to do is to support the Fo Langji people to fight with them and let them fight.
We can even send troops to station in the Franco Kingdom to guard them. You can call this an 'offshore balancing hand'. It's a good way to make them internally ineffective and fight endlessly."
Zhang Yanling leaned on the chair, put her hands on the table and tapped it gently, with a very proud look on her face.