1563, London.
John Hawkins was slumped in his chair, looking gloomy.
In his mind, he recalled his experience when he asked to see Her Majesty the Queen not long ago. No, to be precise, he did not see Her Majesty the Queen at all.
He only met Elizabeth I's personal attendants.
"Her Majesty is very dissatisfied with your behavior and has publicly condemned you in the presence of many ministers, Honorable Mr. Hawkins." The attendant said to him:
"This is immoral behavior, so she refuses to meet you. Please go back."
Whenever he thought of this, John couldn't help but feel frustrated.
He just grabbed some slaves from the island and sold them. This was obviously a hugely profitable business, and many countries were doing it. Why couldn't he?
Unexpectedly, he would be scolded by the Queen because of this, and some of his political friends with keen sense of smell decided to stay away from him at this time.
Although his wealth is still the same and his status as a British businessman is not low, he is still inferior to those politicians at the center of power. If he just wants to be a businessman, why should he curry favor with the queen? His ambitions don't stop there.
However, the current situation made John feel a little discouraged.
At this moment, his servant walked in and reported:
"Sir, there are several guests claiming to be from the East requesting to see you."
Oriental? John was stunned, did he have any friends in the East?
"Invite them in." He decided to see what the purpose of these people was.
After a while, the servant led three people in. They were dressed in gorgeous dresses and walked at a leisurely pace, just like those of the upper class.
Seeing this, John's expression became serious and he sat upright unconsciously.
The leading young man took off his hat and smiled at him.
Although he had a standard oriental face, he spoke in standard London accent. He bowed slightly and said:
"Hello, my dear Mr. John, I am Richard, the director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Governor-General of Luzon. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Of course, he is not a real director, but a Qianhu who is in charge of the Yinlong British District London Station. For the purpose of planning, Yan Ling temporarily gave him the status of a director, and this so-called Richard is naturally a pseudonym. How could an intelligence officer reveal his true name like this? Even his face was covered in makeup.
The purpose of their trip was naturally to poach John away.
John Hawkins, designer of Galen's ship.
At this time, the main warships in Luzon and other places were Guangzhou and Fuchuan.
These two types of ships, which the Westerners call Junk ships, have excellent navigation capabilities in offshore waters. However, they also have great disadvantages, such as slow speed, the inability to build multi-layer decks for firing cannons, and so on.
Although in the original historical naval battles of Xiamen and Liaoluo Bay, the Ming army was still able to rely on lucky ships to win, but in terms of casualties and losses, the Ming army was also not small. This is because the Ming Dynasty had an absolute numerical advantage and used a large number of In the case of Western Franchise.
To be precise, Junk ships are more suitable as merchant ships. They are the best cargo ships in the offshore. Even after Western colonists came to the East, they were still used in large quantities. However, at that time, they were most suitable for warships or long voyages. Indeed, It's a Galenic ship.
The scope of the family's rule was expanding step by step, and it was gradually moving away from the sea. The collision with the West was also increasing day by day. Yan Ling knew that the time had come to change his clothes.
So he ordered Yinlong to go find the inventor of Galen's ship.
The Hawkins family is a merchant family that has been passed down from generation to generation. They have accumulated considerable wealth through shipping, and they actually have a certain reputation in the local area. Yinlong found them without any effort.
It was just that at that time, John had inherited his father's business and was in full swing. They estimated that the other party would not agree, so they tolerated it for the time being.
Not long ago, news came out that John was reprimanded by Elizabeth I, and Qianhu was keenly aware that the opportunity had come.
So John met Qianhu and his party.
"You are from the Luzon Governor's Palace? What do you want from me?"
His eyes were full of surprise. Ever since the "Portuguese God of War" was defeated by them in Goa, this force has completely become famous in Europe. He has heard about it, but he is just wondering why they came to him.
Qianhu smiled slightly and said:
"Mr. Hawkins, I heard that you were reprimanded by the Queen just now and were not even given a chance to meet. Your Majesty is really harsh!"
"I think you can see that your Majesty may have a bad impression of you. It will be difficult for you to achieve anything big in the UK."
"Our Lord Governor heard about this. He appreciates you very much and wants to invite you to serve in our territory. He promised that you will get the power and status you want there."
John was silent for a moment. He didn't expect that the other party actually came to invite him.
And his eyes soon became shaken.
Of course he didn't know that in the original history, after he told the Queen of England how profitable his business was, the queen, who was in debt of millions, immediately changed her attitude, and John rose to prominence. Judging from the current situation, there is not much possibility for him to be reused now.
But after all, he had lived here for a long time and had all his connections here. After all, he was still reluctant to let go and was a little hesitant.
Qianhu saw his hesitation and continued to add:
"As long as you are willing to go to the east with us, our Lord Governor promises that you can choose from all official positions below the third rank in our Luzon Governor's Mansion."
"Whether you want to become an officer in the navy or go into politics, it's up to you."
"Talents like you shouldn't be buried in the dust."
"Oh, by the way, your Finance Minister is considered to be the second rank among us."
Is the Chancellor of the Exchequer considered a second-grade person?
The comparison was very vivid, and John instantly understood the conditions offered by the other party.
He compared the concept of official positions in the UK with the concept of the fourth rank in the other country, and suddenly discovered that if he could serve as a fourth-rank official there, he would instantly enter the upper class society. This was because he had just arrived.
The other party obviously has something in mind for him, which means that as long as he can fully demonstrate his value, this official position can still be promoted.
And the other party's evaluation of him made him feel warmer. Talented people often have their own arrogance. Of course, he felt that his current status was far from worthy of his own strength. The Queen's rebuke made him sad, and The affirmation from the Luzon Governor's Mansion was like the warm sun in the snow.
Qianhu's words seemed to be whispers from the devil, possessing the power to confuse people's hearts. The defense in John's heart was defeated in an instant.
Power and status, he can have them all after arriving in the East.
As for wealth - in his eyes, the East is a place where gold and silver flow, and many merchants from Europe are also active there. It is not an unfamiliar area, and he can do business there as well.
Not to mention that now that navigators and colonists are roaming the world, it is not unusual for him to go to the East.
John finally made up his mind.
He stared into "Richard's" eyes and asked:
"How do you prove that what you say is true?"
Qianhu smiled, knowing that things had basically been successful:
"You can first arrange for one of your confidants to go back with us..."
(End of chapter)
