Chapter 972: We Are Not Afraid of Honey Traps! (Please Subscribe)

"The troops to take cities and seize territory can be supplied by the Tokugawa shogunate," Zheng Zhilong said. "The shogunate's strength far exceeds that of Satsuma. Once we can bring troops to the gates of Satsuma Domain, victory is already decided."

Zhu Cilang nodded, agreeing with Zheng Zhilong's view. It was now 1656, not 1856 — only forty-one years since the Summer Campaign of Osaka, and the Tokugawa house had not yet decayed to the point of being unable to fight.

Even if the Tokugawa house proved inadequate, they could still have the Prince of Condé lead Ming troops across the sea to assist. However fierce the samurai of Satsuma Domain might be, once they met flintlocks and explosive shells, they would be dead men walking!

"But a naval engagement is a problem," Zheng Zhilong said. "The terrain of Kagoshima Bay is formidable. Heavy guns placed on Sakurajima alone would be enough to block our fleet.

Moreover, the Spanish fleet will not linger long inside Kagoshima Bay. Once their defenses are in place, they will sail out to plunder. We have too few warships on hand — we cannot even escort all our merchantmen!"

The Ming navy actually had quite a few warships. All told, there were three hundred vessels — in numbers alone, more than Holland and England combined.

But the vast majority of those three hundred ships were ten-thousand-dan great bird ships — these were not traditional Chinese junks, but a hybrid of Chinese and Western design, sturdy vessels built with the rib-frame technique, capable of mounting large numbers of cannon, and therefore usable as warships. Yet these ships still used hard sails, and their speed was markedly slower than Western-style soft-sailed warships.

So when carrying out escort duties, these ships found it very hard to take the initiative and chase down Spanish sailing ships; they could only guard against pirates the whole way. And that was exhausting!

Furthermore, most of the sailing ships now sustaining Ming maritime trade were these hard-sailed ten-thousand-dan great bird ships — sturdy, durable, economical, veritable money-making machines. But the problem was that these ships were slow and lightly manned; when they met pirates, they could neither easily escape nor easily resist.

That was why Zheng Sen, commanding the Dongning Army all these years, had been able to collect protection fees while lying down!

The problem was that Zheng Sen's warships — also mainly great bird ships — were sufficient against the petty pirates of Ming coastal waters, but not so easy to use against a Spanish privateer fleet.

If losses at sea grew too large, the Zheng family's Dongning Army might well end up operating at a loss!

At a loss!

That was what Zheng Zhilong feared most!

"Your Majesty, I have a proposal. You could hire the fleet of the Dutch East India Company!"

The Prince of Condé was also in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy — Zhu Cilang had already decided to ally with France and England! So the Prince of Condé was attending imperial council meetings more and more often, and today he offered the Zhu Emperor an idea.

"Hire the Dutch fleet?" Zhu Cilang thought for a moment. "Would they agree? If we ally with England, the Dutch will be very displeased, will they not?"

"As long as Your Majesty offers a suitable price, the Dutch will be most happy to oblige!" the Prince of Condé said with great certainty.

Zhu Cilang considered, then nodded. "We can pay. Prince, We hereby appoint you as envoy. Go to the Dutch East India Company's trading house in Shanghai and first inquire about the price."

"As you command, Your Majesty!" The Prince of Condé bowed, a satisfied smile on his face — this was a fine opportunity to drag the Dutch into the water!

If it succeeded, the Kingdom of Spain would have practically lost. Achieving this goal in Europe would be extremely difficult, because the Dutch and the English were deeply at odds, and so the Dutch would not help the English fight the Spanish.

But in the East — the Dutch East India Company surely would not dare offend a major customer like Zhu Cilang!

If Zhu Cilang turned instead to supporting the British East India Company in competition with the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch losses would be enormous!

Zhu Cilang paused, then gave further instructions: "The Ministry of Revenue must prepare a sum of silver for hiring the Dutch, and must also prepare a shipbuilding budget!

If we are to contend with Spain for mastery of the Pacific, slow bird ships will not do — we must build soft-sailed ships. But there is no need to build galleons like the Flying. We must design anew a 600-ton warship capable of mounting at least eight 18-pounder short guns, using soft sails, capable of high speed, with strong seaworthiness."

The naval revolution had already begun!

In the Battle of Dinghai Anchorage, two or three explosive shells had been enough to cripple a large ship of several hundred tons burden. So the future surely belonged to explosive shells!

Warships therefore had to be redesigned. Those wooden sailing ships of the line capable of mounting a hundred cannon would probably never again have the chance to dominate the seas.

A small number of large-caliber "bombardment guns" were the main guns the future naval ship of the line would need.

So the Ming navy had to seize the opportunity of the naval revolution and complete its transformation first.

Two days after Zhu Cilang resolved to launch the naval revolution, his most capable Prefect, Luo Dagong, escorted the Anglo-French "gift delegation" to Nanjing.

After settling the delegation in, Luo Dagong immediately entered the palace to request an audience and report to the Zhu Emperor the discovery of the little foreign filly.

"Marie Mancini? Is she very beautiful? How old? What is her background?"

When Zhu Cilang heard there was a French honey trap, he immediately grew interested, and the expression on his face turned quite animated.

He was of course not lecherous, and his harem was not large — but that did not mean he feared honey traps! The Emperor of the Celestial Empire naturally feared nothing in heaven or on earth — how could he fear a Western beauty?

"Your Majesty," Luo Dagong said with a smile, "this young Frenchwoman has a face to make fish sink and geese fall. She is about seventeen or eighteen, said to be the niece of Cardinal Mazarin of France, and comes from Italy. Everything about her is fine, except that she is a Catholic."

"Mazarin's niece? He is certainly willing to spend blood and treasure." Zhu Cilang laughed. "Good, good. We shall meet this Marie Mancini! As for her Catholicism, We do not care. We practice religious tolerance."

"Your Majesty, this subject has always understood that Catholicism practices monogamy." Luo Dagong showed a trace of worry, as if concerned on the Zhu Emperor's behalf. "I fear she will not be willing to become a consort!"

Already a consort — when she was clearly here to study!

"That is not a problem," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "Western Catholic countries may practice monogamy, and their kings may not take consorts, but they do have the institution of the royal mistress."

"Mistress? And a royal mistress at that." Luo Dagong was stunned again and again. Was a mistress not just an affair? That was adultery!

"What, you do not believe it?" The Zhu Emperor was in a good mood and asked Luo Dagong with a chuckle.

"Oh, this subject was only thinking that in the West there are queens," Luo Dagong said. "When a queen reigns, can she keep a male lover? Would that lover be called a royal male lover?"

"Hahaha." Zhu Cilang was amused by Luo Dagong. "We did not expect you could tell jokes! We will ask Marie when We see her. But before We meet Marie, you will have to trouble yourself to go and negotiate terms on Our behalf.

Go and tell her that We are, after all, the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming, and must consider the dignity of the imperial house. If she wishes to become Our royal mistress, We can agree — but she cannot be as free and unrestrained as the mistresses of those European monarchs. Do you understand?"

The meaning, of course, was that she could not cuckold the Zhu Emperor! And she would have to accept being kept under watch, with no personal freedom.

Zhu Cilang was stating the ugly truths first. If the little foreign filly Marie Mancini was willing to accept them, then she could come to the Zhu Emperor's side. As long as she won his favor, what need she fear lacking glory, splendor, and wealth? If she was unwilling, then she could consider it a sightseeing trip to China, and go back wherever she came from!

"This subject understands, this subject understands." Luo Dagong nodded with a smile. "This subject will certainly speak with her properly and do his utmost to persuade her to enter the palace as a consort."

He was, in fact, full of confidence — the little foreign filly had gone all out to carry out a honey trap, so how could she shrink back now? Besides, this little foreign filly truly had the assets to monopolize imperial favor — what was there to shrink from?

"That will not be necessary," Zhu Cilang said with a laugh. "A royal mistress is quite fine — there is a special flavor to it!"

Zhu Cilang was unwilling to let the children of this Western beauty have succession rights — he was not even willing to let them be enfeoffed as princes. It was not a matter of race, but of faith.

Mazarin's niece was certain to be a devout Christian.

"Your Majesty is supremely wise!" Luo Dagong's face was all smiles as he spoke — at a glance one could see he was happy for the Emperor. What a loyal subject!

(End of Chapter)