Chapter 1370: So It Was the Great Ming Containing the West!

So it was the Great Ming containing France! No — containing the West!

The Brussels Declaration by France and Holland was nothing more than a preemptive strike, pretending to speak for the European powers to intimidate the Celestial Empire of the East.

If Zhu Cilang were cowed by France and Holland and sent envoys to Europe to explain to France and Holland his position that he had no intention of invading India, the two countries could then go a step further and demand that the Indian Ocean be recognized as a Western sphere of influence.

If the Zhu Emperor were enraged by the insolent conduct of France and Holland and dispatched troops to the Indian Ocean, France and Holland would not be afraid either. For the two countries held a certain advantage at sea in the Indian Ocean, while the Shun Empire held the advantage on land along the Indian Ocean coast.

And the Great Ming Empire, sending troops from ten thousand li away through the Strait of Malacca, would inevitably find itself at a disadvantage both at sea and on land — no matter how it fought, victory would be hard to come by.

If the Celestial Empire were defeated by France and Holland in the Indian Ocean, the two countries would win enormous prestige — of course, the Dutch had little interest in such empty fame, but the Sun King Louis XIV did not see it that way. He regarded himself as the foremost leader of European Christian civilization.

Of course, as long as there is war, there is no such thing as certain victory. But the French had nothing much to fear either — they had little in the Indian Ocean to begin with, so losing would not hurt them. As long as they could plunder a good haul on Indian soil, they would not come out at a loss.

And once the Great Ming won in the Indian Ocean, it would have to exploit India to recoup its costs — anyone who had seen what Zhu Cilang had done over the past twenty-odd years knew he would never help the Indians for free, and Princess Nisha and her dowry were plainly not worth the Zhu Emperor mobilizing an army.

So after the Zhu Emperor finished fighting in the Indian Ocean, he would certainly find a way to make money, and then the Great Ming would come into conflict with the three Islamic powers — Timurid India, Persia, and the Ottomans — and France and Holland could profit from that just the same!

"Imperial Father," Ding Yuying said after thinking it over, "how should we deal with these two Western countries, France and Holland?"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "Yuying, not deal with — contain! We must first put ourselves in the right position, and only then can we produce the appropriate countermeasures. Today the strongest nation in the world is the Celestial Great Ming, not France and Holland in Europe. So we must hold on to this position as number one under heaven. And how did our number-one position come about? Do you know?"

"Your daughter-in-law knows something of it," Ding Yuying said. "Our Great Ming is vast in land and many in people. Our land and population are both greater than all of Europe's. France and Holland, compared with us, are merely small countries."

Zhu Cilang nodded. "France and Holland are indeed small countries, but they are not weak — they can indeed put up a fight against us. However, if they want to overpower us in the world, they do not need to travel ten thousand li to fight east of the Strait of Malacca. They only need to swallow enough land and population to reach a size comparable to ours.

The land is there in the New World! The land of the New World is far larger than our Great Ming's home territory — rich, vast, and heaven-sent.

But to seize enough population, they would have to go to India! Only with population can there be production, and only with production can there be tax revenue! Princess Nisha, tell us — how much tax revenue does the Timurid Empire of India collect?"

"One hundred fifty million to two hundred million rupees," Princess Nisha said, "roughly sixty to seventy million taels of silver — more than the tax revenue of all of Europe put together!"

Zhu Cilang added, "That one hundred fifty to two hundred million rupees is not silver dug out of the ground, but tax revenue produced by real production — the same as our Great Ming!"

Silver dug out of the ground has no production behind it; it is not true wealth, merely stone. Only when there is production does silver acquire corresponding purchasing power. And production in this age is tied to population numbers — industrialization has not yet arrived, and the productivity of handicrafts and agriculture is roughly the same in East and West. So the advantage of sheer size is enormous!

The Great Ming could climb to number one in the world so easily precisely because its economic size was large enough. And the value of India is also because its size is large enough.

If the Great Ming is to contain France and the other Western countries, it must not let them seize India. As long as they cannot get India, before the Industrial Revolution arrives, no Western nation will be able to challenge the Celestial Empire.

And as for the Industrial Revolution — the Great Ming and the West are basically on the same starting line. The Great Ming's market and resources are both larger than Europe's; there is no reason to lose. Moreover, historically the reason Britain was able to take the lead in the Industrial Revolution was in large part because it possessed India, that treasure bowl!

So Zhu Cilang's policy now is to contain the West! Containment — not conquest, and not treating the West as colonies! But preventing them from developing too well.

"Your Majesty, the evening meal is ready." At that moment Sister Cao appeared again in the cabin, interrupting the state affairs in progress.

Zhu Cilang waved a hand and laughed. "Serve the meal! Yuying, Ahuan, Nisha — let us eat together. Tomorrow evening we shall be back at Laoshan Palace."

While the Zhu Emperor was taking his evening meal aboard ship, his two sons, Zhu Hexing and Zhu Hehao, were walking with their hands clasped behind their backs through the military household camp. These military households (former Shun garrison-farm households) who had followed the two of them all the way on foot from Sichuan were now sitting in groups by Centurion around field cook-pots, eating.

The food was rice, meat soup, and pickled vegetables — not especially good, but it let these garrison-farm households from the Land of Abundance see the Great Ming Empire's formidable wealth! The men, tired after a day's march, were ravenous, wolfing down their food and eating with great relish.

The two Zhu brothers were both career military officers by profession. They might not be able to do other things convincingly, but they were both skilled at leading troops, could mingle freely with these military households, and could share their hardships. Along the whole journey, they had indeed built up their authority.

The younger military households in particular had no idea what the Great Ming of old had been like. Now, seeing a Crown Prince and a Prince both marching with them, eating with them, eating the same rations, and being so approachable, they all felt they had been deceived — how were the Zhu family's imperial lords, Crown Prince, and princes in any way fatuous or incompetent? They clearly had the bearing of famed generals of old! No wonder the Shun could not beat them — their defeat was no injustice!

After making a circuit of the camp, the two brothers arrived at their own eating place — among Zhu Hehao's female guard soldiers. The food was still rice, meat soup, and pickled vegetables. The two brothers ate the same things as a group of young women, with no difference at all — all cooked from the same pot.

Moreover, they all served themselves and ate by themselves, and after eating they washed their own eating utensils — habits formed at the Military Academy that they had not yet shaken off.

After washing their utensils, the two brothers sat in their tent and began to talk.

"Elder Brother, what exactly does Father mean? Why does he call Old Fifteen 'Asan,' and why did he name him Hexing?" Zhu Hexing's face was full of perplexity.

The "tycoon prince" did not understand either. How could he know what "Asan" meant? Nor did he know that the "xing" in Hexing came from the "Singh" in Singh.

"Third Brother," Zhu Hehao consoled his brother, "Father means nothing by it. He is not going to replace you — otherwise why would he have gone to so much trouble cultivating Yuying? Who does not know that he is extremely satisfied with Yuying as Crown Princess?"

"That is true. Yuying is indeed very good." Zhu Hexing nodded, finding nothing wrong with it — in fact, he himself was also very satisfied with Ding Yuying.

Zhu Hehao added, "Third Brother, you need not worry about that little brat Asan either. He is not a son of the primary wife, and he has half-barbarian blood. At most he will end up as the ruler of a duchy. Back then, wasn't little Heng also doted on to the heavens by Father? And what is he now? His mother has fallen out of favor, and so has he."

Zhu Hexing sighed. "True. Our two mothers fought for more than twenty years, and in the end both ended up on the cold bench together. As for Father, everything else about him is fine, except he is too fond of women. He must take after our grandfather."

As he spoke, Zhu Hexing glanced at Zhu Hehao and suddenly laughed. "You take after the two of them too!"

Zhu Hehao laughed. "Third Brother, how about your elder brother introduces you to a young one as well?"

Zhu Hexing looked scornful. "I do not want one! I only like Yuying!"

Zhu Hehao nodded and smiled. "I knew you were devoted. All right, your elder brother has a favor to ask. Once I have gone to my fief, I entrust your sister-in-law Ahuan, Ahai, and my fat boy (Zhu Yibu has already been born; his birth mother is Wu Ahuan) to your care."

Zhu Hexing seemed startled by these words. "Elder Brother, are you really going to the New Continent? Not waiting until Ahai has given birth?"

(End of Chapter)