Chapter 1540: Cheat Away, King Henry!

Aurangzeb was indeed full of stratagems — what he came up with was a fine plan to kill three birds with one stone!

First, the Portuguese in Goa were absolutely a scourge to the Timurid Empire of India! For they not only possessed military techniques from the West — perhaps somewhat outdated, but still highly useful — they were also utterly unprincipled, willing to accept employment from anyone. No matter what religion their employers believed in, so long as the money was enough, they were ready to sell their lives.

And the Muslim and Hindu kingdoms of India were their chief employers!

So any prince with a bit of money to spare — and Indian princes all had money — could obtain from Goa enough "rebellion services" to give Aurangzeb a headache. From arms to officers, from army to navy, so long as there was money, everything could be arranged.

Thus Aurangzeb's enemies within India could always, in a very short time and at no very high cost, put together an army of considerable fighting strength.

Moreover, Goa was also a refuge for failed Indian rebels! Once they reached Goa, they could never be caught again — unless the rebel himself returned to Indian territory.

And rebels who fled to Goa could also collude with the various Western colonizers, and who knew when they might come sweeping back with Western troops!

The reason rebels on the Deccan Plateau and the southern coastal regions of India could rise again after repeated defeats these years was, to a great extent, that they could take refuge in Goa and there make contact with outside powers willing to provide support!

Therefore, if Aurangzeb truly wished to unify India, he had to root out the Portuguese colony of Goa!

Yet he did not have the military strength to level Goa. Goa was a city of mercenaries, and it could easily obtain support from Western military powers such as France, Holland, Spain, and England. If he truly fought it out, he had no confidence of success. And if he were defeated, his strength would be grievously sapped.

Hence the arrival of King Afonso and the Ming Empire's intention to intervene in the European war gave him a heaven-sent opportunity to send Goa's scourge back to Europe!

And the second "bird" to fall into Aurangzeb's hand was to push the Ming Empire directly onto the battlefield fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Ottoman Empire!

This was something unprecedented!

Just imagine the name "the Ottoman–Ming Allied Forces," and you will know how intimidating the thing was — the Chinese and the Ottoman Empire have joined hands, so will you Europeans not hurry back to defend your home nests?

If the Europeans withdrew from the Indian Ocean, would not the Timurid Empire's enterprise of unifying India be secure?

And the third bird of the three killed with one stone was to unite the Muslims of India, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan — especially the Muslims of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The matter was actually a bit convoluted when spoken of: roughly, the Muslim "Conqueror of the World" put up money to sponsor a Prince of the Ming Empire, who went to Goa to hire Catholic Portuguese mercenaries, and then sent him to help the Ottoman Empire attack the Holy Roman Empire, the defender of Catholicism.

The thing sounded dizzying even to hear, but such legendary tales had always been very popular with the Indians.

As for the Muslims of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, they only needed to know that their master had joined with the Ottoman Sultan to wage a holy war against the Christians. The moment those people heard anything about a holy war, they would take him for the shadow of Allah on earth, and would become rather more loyal.

"Sixth Uncle, isn't this too absurd? I, a prince of the Ming, take the Indian Emperor's money, go hire a bunch of Portuguese mercenaries in Goa, and then go help the Ottoman Sultan attack the Holy Roman Empire — tell me, could it be any more absurd?"

Inside the Ming legation at Lahore, Zhu Hengli was shaking his head like a rattle-drum as he spoke with his sixth uncle, Prince Fu, Zhu Cixuan.

He defined himself as a diplomat, an envoy — not a general who went into battle to kill the enemy, still less a monarch who expanded the realm.

Prince Fu listened with a chuckle, and even nodded. "There is! Why wouldn't there be? Hengli, you also have a whole pack of Western relatives, every one of them a high official or noble, and among them even the King and Queen of the New England Kingdom! Don't you think you have quite an affinity with the continent of Europe?"

At Zhu Cixuan's words, Zhu Hengli was taken aback.

It really did seem to be the case! He did seem to have some affinity with the continent of Europe. Otherwise, why, of all his father's many sons, had none been sent but him, to India?

Prince Fu, Zhu Cixuan, went on: "And you also have an affinity with that Maria."

Zhu Hengli glared at his sixth uncle. "Sixth Uncle — what are you saying? Where is this affinity between me and Maria?"

"There isn't?" Zhu Cixuan lowered his voice. "Hengli, don't think your sixth uncle knows nothing. When you were in Goa, weren't you running over to her place every few days?"

"Stop, stop it." Zhu Hengli waved his hands repeatedly, on the verge of going over to clap his hand over Zhu Cixuan's mouth.

Seeing Zhu Hengli growing flustered, Zhu Cixuan hastily changed tack: "I'll stop, I'll stop talking about that. But you still have to go recruit troops in Goa, and you must lead them to the Ottoman Empire to lend support! This is a task handed down by my eldest brother — that is, your father! You must carry it out well!"

"But — but my father never said to recruit mercenaries in Goa!" Zhu Hengli was growing anxious.

He was no professional soldier! He and Zhu Cixuan were both Imperial Academy students, and he had no idea how to lead troops in battle, let alone manage a pack of Portuguese mercenaries. When the time came, he might well provoke a mutiny and get his own life thrown away!

"That's easily handled!" Zhu Cixuan waved a hand. He knew what Zhu Hengli was worried about, and so said with a smile, "Isn't that Shi Baoluo one of your men? He's in Goa right now, and many people from the Portugal-Macau Company are in Goa too. Those people can surely be relied on, can't they? Besides, I'll write to Galdan and your third uncle and have them send some men over. That will be enough to keep you safe!"

"But — but the people in Goa are all Catholics!" Zhu Hengli shook his head. "How would they be willing to help the Ottoman Sultan fight the Holy Roman Empire?"

"That's easily handled too!" Zhu Cixuan laughed. "You can hand out offices and promises! After the victory, you can carve out a piece of land over in Europe, become a king yourself, and make them your vassals — wouldn't that do? Anyway, you look quite like a Westerner, and you've got a whole pack of Western relatives, all of them powerful and noble, and some have even become kings and queens. Where do you fall short of them? Why couldn't you become a king?

As for Catholicism and all that, it's even easier — you just join too! Didn't your mother believe in it as well? Do you really not believe a bit of it?"

"I — I don't believe. How could I believe in things like God creating the world in six days and a virgin giving birth?" Zhu Hengli said with a straight face. "Of course, Heaven exists, and all things in the world originate from Heaven. But that Catholic set of doctrines I will not believe."

Zhu Hengli was not an "atheist" — the term "godless" is actually imprecise, because the Western God is similar to the Eastern Heaven, not to those immortals cultivated through Daoist practice — but he did not believe in divine revelation, nor in the unity of Heaven and man. What he believed in was the separation of Heaven and man; he believed that Heaven and Earth were not benevolent, and treated all things as straw dogs.

In his view, the universe was so vast, living beings nearly infinite — how could the hidden principle of Heaven possibly concern itself with the good and evil, merits and faults of human beings?

To the principle of Heaven that created the universe and all things, what difference was there between human beings and ants?

Zhu Cixuan waved a hand and laughed: "Don't drag me into that. What you need to consider now is how to carry out the task your father handed down. First coax the men into going to the Ottoman Empire; as for whether you become a king later, we'll talk about it when the time comes!

Besides, the Holy Roman Empire is no weakling. Whether Vienna can even be taken is hard to say!"

Zhu Hengli thought it over, and still could not make up his mind. "Sixth Uncle, I'll have to go discuss this with Shi Baoluo. If he thinks it feasible, then I'll give it a try. If he says no, then forget it!"

"Fine," Zhu Cixuan laughed. "We'll go together — make a trip to Goa with that King Afonso!"

(End of Chapter)