Ancient castle in the southern Aegean Sea.
"Have you found out the information?"
Li Laosi was sitting in the center of the castle's banquet hall, feasting on barbecue, with a maid serving beside him.
After taking a sip of wine, he asked the soldier who had just come over.
"Boss, it has been found out. Now Zhao Xiucai has gone to Constantinople and has not been pursued."
The brother who spoke asked with some relief.
After being driven all the way to Europe, they could finally take a breather.
At this time, the brother next to Li Laosi said: "Boss, why should we be so afraid of him? This is no longer a place that Ming Dynasty can control."
"Now we have seven or eight hundred people here, and Zhao Xiucai only has a thousand people. If we really want to fight, we have the support of this city, so there is no need to be afraid of him."
"As long as he dares to come, let this Zhao Xiucai die in a foreign country. This will solve this serious problem and let us live a good life casually."
Li Laosi glanced sideways at the brother who spoke, then put a piece of barbecue into his mouth again and chewed it slowly.
Not getting a response made the atmosphere a little awkward. Everyone didn't dare to say anything and waited for Li Laosi to finish.
After a long while, Li Laosi finished eating the barbecue, and then he slowly said: "Lao Qi, you came to me later, and you don't know Zhao Xiucai's ability. I blame you for this, but don't say this in the future. What a stupid thing to say."
"Don't look at the fact that Zhao Xiucai now only brings two to three hundred people and collects some mercenaries, but actually standing behind Zhao Xiucai is the grandson of the Ming Dynasty."
"We cannot afford to offend His Highness, even if we are in Europe now, we cannot afford to offend him."
"As for Zhao Xiucai, we can't fight at all. If Zhao Xiucai dies, unless there is no news at all, don't think so."
"Don't underestimate the influence of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. If His Highness the Grand Sun really wants to kill us at any cost, there will be no place for us in this world, even though it is big."
The man called Lao Qi replied with some disbelief: "Boss, what you said is a bit exaggerated."
"It will take at least nearly a year to get here from the Ming Dynasty. There are so many countries in between. How can the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty come here?"
Li Laosi shook his head slightly, looked at Lao Qi with some disappointment, and asked: "If the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty rewards you with ten thousand taels of gold, and it spreads throughout Europe through the capital's newspaper, do you think we can still survive here?"
"Although I, Mr. Li, have indeed done something sorry for my grandson, my respect for my grandson has never diminished in my heart. I also advise you to maintain your respect for your grandson."
Li Laosi was once considered a group of people close to the core members of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
Therefore, he is very clear about many secrets of Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
The clearer it becomes, the more terrifying the development model of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is.
Therefore, in the pursuit of Zhao Xiucai, even if there was a chance to kill him, Li Laosi still chose to escape.
He had no intention of confronting Zhao Xiucai.
Li Laosi was under the command of Zhao Xiucai in his early days, and he became more aware of his ruthlessness, especially in terms of planning, which was almost unmatched by anyone.
Is the seemingly opportunity really an opportunity? Isn't it a loophole deliberately planted by Zhao Xiucai?
Li Laosi didn't dare to gamble. He only had one life. Now he spent so much effort to go to Europe, thousands of miles away, not just to enjoy life freely and lawlessly.
There is really no need to fight to the death with Zhao Xiucai.
"Okay, everyone should keep in mind what I just said. Since Zhao Xiucai entered Constantinople and did not come after us, it means that you don't have to worry so much for the time being. Just pay attention to the trends at all times."
"Today, Constantinople has just come out of the crisis of being besieged by the Ottoman army. Zhao Xiucai must have some plans when he passes by like this. He probably won't care about us for a while."
"What we have to do now is to start the business first. This
Traveling on the road has cost a lot of money, but there is not much income. This is not going to work in the long run. I can't support my brothers just by relying on taxes from the surrounding areas. "
"It's just for a good meal, why should we come here?"
"Hurry up and open our firearms workshop. There are wars all over the world now. No one wants our firearms."
Li Laosi was a smart man. When he left Annan, he brought several Daming firearms craftsmen stationed in Annan with him.
This is the basis for his wealth.
Although he was kidnapped, he was not treated badly on the way. When he arrived in the southern Aegean Sea, after purchasing this castle, he also provided the master craftsmen with beautiful European women, so he simply accepted it.
The southern Aegean Sea was once an area belonging to the Byzantine Empire. It was an important trading intersection and fortress. Once the firearms were made, they could be sold faster.
I have to say that Li Laosi's time in Qunying Chamber of Commerce for so long was not in vain.
Of course, this has something to do with Zhu Ying's training method.
When Zhu Ying was in the Western Regions, in addition to focusing on ideological education, he was also very concerned about the training of his subordinates, especially in the field of talent reserve.
Thanks to this kind of training, Li Laosi also learned a lot.
Especially after Zhu Ying entered the palace, these former backbone members also began to receive cultural influence.
Li Laosi went from being illiterate to having some literary talent.
When I was in Daming, I didn't think it was anything. On the contrary, many people complained that what they learned was useless and they were exhausted all day long.
I would rather go to war and fight for life and death on the battlefield than read hard in front of those big words.
Now that I have arrived in Europe, I realize how important the things I learned back then are. Even recalling some of the things I did at the Qunying Chamber of Commerce, my mind feels like it has opened up and I understand a lot of truths.
This made Li Laosi more aware of how prescient their former employer was, and the gap between him and his employer was really huge.
Although learning Latin is not as good as Zhao Xiucai, at least now Li Laosi and several others do not have much problem in daily communication. Even if they occasionally say the wrong word, the basic meaning can be expressed.
.....
Constantinople.
Zhao Yuanhong's thoughts were obviously not entirely focused on Li Laosi.
Because he feels that there are really huge opportunities in Europe now.
He seemed to have found the feeling of secretly lurking in Annan to seek the country.
Compared with Annan, Byzantium is much easier now.
"Dear Mr. Zhao, I really didn't expect to meet you here again. Please allow me to express my highest respect for you."
"This is the patriarch of our Heins family, Serge Heins. He comes here specifically to visit you, noble Lord Zhao."
Inside the Holy Palace of Constantinople.
A European man in his forties saluted Zhao Yuanhong while stroking his chest and bowing his head, and introduced the old man beside him.
The Hines family is considered a noble family, and the family's main industry is maritime trade.
In fact, Zhao Yuanhong didn't know the person he was talking to. It was the person who conveyed the message that he had an acquaintance from afar.
After introducing myself, I learned that when Zhao Yuanhong was inspecting the dock and port in Annan, this businessman was not far away.
Immediately bring the family patriarch over for a visit.
The businessman didn't know how high an official Zhao Yuanhong was in the Ming Dynasty. He could just see from a distance that those powerful and mighty soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, without exception, lowered their proud heads in front of the noble Lord Zhao.
"Sel Hines would like to express my respect to the noble Lord Zhao. Being able to meet the distant Eastern nobles is something I never imagined in my life."
Serge Hines is about sixty years old. His rosy face looks very energetic, and his clean face shows that he pays great attention to maintenance.
Zhao Yuanhong could tell at a glance that he had
What he is wearing is silk made from Daming Dynasty.
Being able to wear such silk in Europe is itself a symbol of wealth.
Europe's sea trade has not yet reached its peak. It is not something that ordinary families can do across the entire European region and have the strength to trade to the distant east.
In addition to ships that can go to sea, you also need to be familiar with the entire route, and even the pirates on the route, including officials from various countries.
After paying a large amount of fees, it will take two or three years to sail, and there will be various unknown risks.
But the trade that comes down can often bring huge wealth to the family.
The Hines family is a family that has the ability to sail the oceans.
After some simple familiarity.
Serge Hines is also very direct.
"I heard that the noble Mr. Zhao has become the imperial minister. I don't know what Mr. Zhao's plans are. If there is anything my Heins family can do to help, please feel free to tell me."
At this point, it is a matter of interests.
The Heins family wanted to cling to Zhao Yuanhong, of course, because they wanted to get more benefits.
After all, this has a lot to do with their maritime business. The only thing they are not sure about is that they don't know whether Zhao Yuanhong's coming to Europe is his own intention or the intention of Ming Dynasty.
Zhao Yuanhong first took out the general documents again and showed them to the two of them.
Then he said, "The Byzantine Empire is the ancient Roman Empire. Although it is very far away from the Ming Dynasty, there have always been trade exchanges between the two sides."
"The reason why I came to Europe is to hunt down a traitor in the name of my grandson of the Ming Dynasty."
"I just feel a little sorry to see what the Byzantine Empire is like now."
"When I was in the Ming Dynasty, I often listened to His Highness Taisun's teachings and knew that His Highness Taisun was very interested in the ancient Byzantine Empire."
"Now I have written a letter back to the Ming Dynasty to tell His Highness Taisun all the news about this place. I believe that it won't be long before His Highness Taisun will send a fleet to Europe."
Looking at the seal on the document, listening to Zhao Yuanhong's story.
The eyes of the two members of the Hines family suddenly lit up.
If the Ming Dynasty has a fleet coming to Europe, even if it only reaches the Persian Gulf, this will herald huge wealth.
The two looked at each other, and the old man Serge said: "Honorable Mr. Zhao, the ship you sold in the Persian Gulf happened to be bought by our Heines family."
"The shipbuilding technology inside has been a great inspiration to us."
"I didn't expect this to be Mr. Zhao's ship. I am willing to return it to Mr. Zhao again to help Mr. Zhao's career."
When Zhao Yuanhong himself did not go to sea, he did not carry a large amount of cargo.
So after arriving in the Persian Gulf, the only option was to sell the ship and use it to recruit mercenaries to hunt down Li Laosi.
After hearing what Serge said, Zhao Yuanhong shook his head and said, "Since it has been sold, this boat belongs to the Heins family. There is no use for me to hold it now."
"But your family can sail this ship to the east. I can provide your family with a document stating that I sold this ship to your family."
"If your family can reach the East, with my seal, we should be able to gain some convenience in the Nanyang region."
Zhao Yuanhong's words filled the two of Hines with surprises.
This was originally their purpose.
The first is to find out whether Zhao Yuanhong came to Europe to escape the Ming Dynasty or for other reasons.
Now it seems that it was under the orders of the Ming Emperor.
This shows that Zhao Yuanhong still has great influence in the East.
You must know that there are great restrictions on foreign businessmen who want to purchase goods in Ming Dynasty, and they cannot even get low prices. Even so, they can still make huge profits.
The most important thing is that with Zhao Yuanhong's documents, they can go to Nanyang and even to the Far East.
Daming, all can be protected by the Daming maritime army.
This is the most important reason.
Maybe many European kings don't understand it, but these maritime merchants know very well that among the maritime armies in the world today, the Ming Dynasty is absolutely invincible.
Because the sea area near Daming is a restricted area for pirates from all over the world, and there are no pirates at all.
All ships at sea must abide by the rules of the Ming Dynasty when they arrive in the Ming Dynasty.
"Thank you, Lord Zhao, for your help to our Heins family. Our Heins family will be Lord Zhao's most loyal allies in Europe."
"If you need to use our Heins family, please don't be polite, Mr. Zhao."
Serge said solemnly, this was his oath.
Zhao Yuanhong was not polite and polite, and said frankly: "It is an honor for me to be a friend of the Heins family. I also hope that the Heins family can become my Ming Dynasty friend."
"Now I really need the help of the Hines family. You should also know that Constantinople is in a mess today. The residents can't even get a sip of porridge, and the soldiers haven't been paid for a long time."
"I hope that the Heines family can help me now and help the Paleoleg Dynasty. I believe that our great grandson of the Ming Dynasty will be very happy after knowing the help of the Heines family."
Having said this, Zhao Yuanhong paused slightly and said, "I have many industries in Annan Kingdom, and now the commander-in-chief of Annan Kingdom is my best friend."
"I will not make it difficult for your family. I will write a letter and hope that your family will help me bring it to Annan. I need to sell all my properties in Annan and bring my wealth to Europe."
At this point, Zhao Yuanhong's words were already very obvious.
He wanted to borrow a large amount of gold coins and grain from the Hines family to support the expenses of the army and the living security of the residents of Constantinople.
Thus achieving a firm control of Constantinople.
Serge Heines, the patriarch of the Heines family, was silent for a while, then sighed and said, "It is his honor for Constantinople to be valued by Mr. Zhao."
"This matter is of great concern, and it is difficult for our Heins family to maintain it with all our strength, so I hope Lord Zhao can give me a few days to unite with several other powerful families to support Lord Zhao."
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