Chapter 1224: Landlord King, Take a Trip to India! (Please Subscribe)

"I don't know!"

The one answering Zheng Zhilong's question was Prince Dai, Zhu Cijiong, and his answer was perfectly honest — he simply didn't know!

He didn't know how much it would cost, didn't know how much revenue it could bring in, and didn't know when it would turn a profit — quite the style of a future internet giant!

"Zhu Yaofei" laughed and said, "Fine, fine, fine — not knowing is exactly what makes it a good deal! When Shanghai was first being built, who knew it would become as prosperous as it is today? When the United States of Xinzhou opened for business, who knew it would reach its present thriving state? Nobody knew!

Of course, when we built the city of Shanghai, we already knew it was a treasure of a place! Guarding the mouth of the Yangtze, and sitting at the junction of the Southern Ocean, the Northern Ocean, and the Eastern Ocean — that was Heaven's own gift. The reason it failed to develop for so many years was entirely because we kept it pinned down and wouldn't allow a great push forward.

And before the United States of Xinzhou opened, we also knew there was a vast stretch of unclaimed land across the Pacific, and we had even explored it and found it to be a rare piece of good land.

Now, reopening the Silk Road trade is much the same. Although sea transport flourishes today and the Silk Road can never regain the glory it had in Han and Tang times, it is by no means without profit!"

"Zhu Yaofei" put more weight into his tone and said, "The Western Regions, Beiting, Transoxiana, the Kazakh lands, Siberia, and the Russian domains are incomparably vast — at least ten thousand li from east to west, and no less than several thousand li from north to south! Their population numbers in the tens of millions!

Where the land is vast, its resources are abundant; where the people are many, its wealth is rich. With abundant resources and rich wealth, how could there be no profit? And yet this vast, resource-rich, wealth-rich region happens to lie far from any seaport, with no great rivers running through it, so trade can only rely on camel caravans. But since the end of the Yuan dynasty, the western nations have been locked in endless wars and bitter sectarian strife, which cut the trade routes and made travel difficult — and that is why the Silk Road was severed.

So the Silk Road was not cut off because sea routes flourished, but because of the conflicts and vicious struggles among the western nations!

And now, although war has broken out on a grand scale in the West, victory and defeat are about to be decided! Although the Celestial Empire cannot dictate to the western nations, it can certainly restore peace in the West, so that the trade routes may be reopened and commerce may flow once more!

Although Prince Dai does not know how much the Silk Road trade can earn, nor when the business of reopening the Silk Road will turn a profit —

what is certain is that the western nations are rich in resources and wealth, and that no seagoing ships can reach them. And once the Silk Road is reopened, great things are certain to be accomplished!

Prince Dai, what do you say?"

Say what? Zhu Cijiong thought to himself: You've already said everything — what am I supposed to say? And I really don't know! I'm such an honest prince; I can't blow hot air the way you do!

"Eldest Brother is absolutely right!"

Zhu Cijiong hadn't opened his mouth, but his good brother Zhu Cixuan started shouting: "This is a good deal — I have to put money in. I'll invest, invest 200,000 taels!"

"Zhu Yaofei" smiled and nodded. This Zhu Cixuan had a good eye — no wonder all the land and properties he bought kept appreciating!

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile, "Then I'll invest 400,000 taels!"

To the richest man Zheng, 400,000 taels was a small sum — he could afford to lose it!

Shen Tingyang also said with a smile, "I'll invest 400,000 taels too!"

"Zhu Yaofei" nodded and said with a smile, "I'll put in a bit more — one million taels! Prince Dai, with two million taels already raised, that would take half the shares of the Silk Road Trading Company. How about it?"

"Fine by me!" Zhu Cijiong said with a laugh. "I hadn't even figured out how to run this business, and already two million taels of investment has arrived. I can't guarantee any of you gentlemen will make money!"

"No matter, no matter — Third Brother's business is sure to make money, I firmly believe it!" What the fat man Zhu Cixuan was thinking in his heart was anyone's guess, but his words were certainly pretty.

"Zhu Yaofei" nodded and said, "It's only two million, after all — the few of us can afford to lose it! But I also believe this business can't lose!"

He paused. "It's getting late today, so let's leave it here for now! Third Brother, have your trading company's chief steward and your litigation master both come along?"

Zhu Cijiong answered, "They've both come."

"Good. Then have them go to the Royal Chamber of Commerce head office in Pukou to negotiate the contract! Once it's settled, we'll set a time to sign."

Zheng Zhilong and Shen Tingyang both nodded. They had long grown accustomed to Zhu Cilang's way of doing things.

The group all rose to their feet, clasped their fists toward "Zhu Yaofei," and prepared to take their leave.

"You're all dismissed. Sixth Brother, stay a moment!" By now "Zhu Yaofei" had turned back into Zhu Cilang, and he did not bother with false courtesies toward the others — he simply told Zhu Cixuan to remain.

Zhu Cixuan's heart gave another thump — he knew Zhu Cilang was a "brother-swindling fiend" who had already swindled all his older brothers, and he was the only one who hadn't really been swindled yet.

He knew something bad was coming, but he didn't dare leave, so he stayed behind in the dining hall.

"Sixth Brother, you're about to graduate from the university?"

"Almost," Zhu Cixuan answered. "I graduate at the end of the year."

Nowadays the Great Ming's schools did not start in the ninth month, but after the New Year, so graduation fell at the end of the year.

Zhu Cilang asked, "What do you plan to do after graduation?"

"Collect rent!" Zhu Cixuan answered in a low voice. "This subject has more than a dozen streets of rent to collect — very busy, no time for anything else."

"Nonsense!" Zhu Cilang glared at his brother. "Do you think I collect less rent than you? Who ever heard of someone with a dozen streets needing to collect the rent in person?"

As it turned out, Zhu Cilang was the real estate king, holding vast properties in Shanghai, Yingtian Prefecture, Yangzhou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Tianhe, and other prefectures — several hundred streets in all!

"Imperial Brother... I've just grown used to being idle," Zhu Cixuan said, his heart in his throat. He had no desire to be sent out by Zhu Cilang to become some kind of king.

"I'm not asking you to be a vassal king, so set your mind at ease!" Zhu Cilang looked at his plump younger brother. "Among all Our brothers, you are the shrewdest! Could We possibly swindle you?"

How could you not swindle me? Zhu Cixuan thought. You're the Emperor! If you want to swindle me, no matter how shrewd I am, I can only take the swindling!

Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "How about you make a trip to India?"

"To India?" The expression on Zhu Cixuan's plump face collapsed. "What would I do there?"

Zhu Cilang said, "Aurangzeb of the Timurid Empire in India wants to send his daughter, Princess Nisha, to Us as a consort, and he says Princess Nisha is both a beauty and a woman of talent.

Although We are not given to lust, We do cherish talent. So We are sending you on a trip to India to make an assessment. If Princess Nisha truly has talent, bring her back to Yingtian Prefecture."

So Zhu Cilang wanted Zhu Cixuan to go and test Princess Nisha — whether she was truly a woman of talent could only be known after an examination! Zhu Cixuan had graduated from the Imperial University's mathematics program and was quite learned, so he was just the person to go and test Princess Nisha.

"But... but how come I heard we're currently at war with this Timurid Empire?" Zhu Cixuan's little heart was trembling.

"No need to fear!" Zhu Cilang waved his hand. "By the time you reach India, Sengge will most likely have already defeated the Timurid Empire. Then you can negotiate a peace treaty with Aurangzeb."

"A peace treaty?" Zhu Cixuan asked. "What benefits does Imperial Brother want?"

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment and said, "If Princess Nisha is beautiful and talented, then We will ask for nothing. Otherwise, a trade agreement will suffice."

Emperor Zhu had no desire to colonize India just yet, because there were already plenty of colonizers around India! England, Holland, Portugal, France — everyone who could go had gone!

If the Great Ming charged in as well, it would make enemies of them all!

Moreover, this was still the golden age of the Timurid Empire in India. Even if Aurangzeb failed at Samarkand, he could still drag a crowd of Central Asian refugees back to India and continue to rule as a king and hegemon. For anyone else to conquer India would still be extremely difficult.

Historically, it was only after Aurangzeb's death that India gradually fell into total fragmentation and civil war, and was then slowly conquered by the British colonizers.

So Zhu Cilang planned to deal with the still relatively powerful India in a more realistic manner — not as a colonizer, but as an old friend of the Indian people! If he could take Princess Nisha as a consort, then he would be joined by marriage to the Timurid Empire of India.

Once joined by marriage, trade matters would be easy to handle. At worst, they could use Princess Nisha's name as a signboard, so there would be no need to sign any unequal treaty.

Furthermore, Zhu Cilang did not wish to see the Timurid Empire of India collapse. It was also a major customer! India's total economic output was second only to China's — solidly number two in the world.

Trade between China and India could absolutely surpass trade between China and Europe!

(End of Chapter)