Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 770 They've known each other for more than just acquaintances; they've shared hardships together.

More than 100 miles east of Prague, Zhu Wenkui's army set up camp as planned.

The specific arrangements were handled by Jessica and others. Of course, he himself couldn't be idle either.

Jessica told him that his primary task at the moment was actually diplomacy.

To be fair, compared to dealing with a host of forces each with their own agendas, Zhu Wenkui felt that blacksmithing was much more comfortable. The rules in industry were much simpler than those in society. Even in the relatively difficult work of casting cannons, although there was still a lot of randomness and uncontrollable factors, there were still rules to follow overall, and it wouldn't deliberately create some illogical things every few days.

However, the accompanying officials all tried to persuade him, telling him that although the Wu King's Palace had now hired a special diplomat, he was now the highest leader here, and many important matters still required his personal involvement.

That's the nature of management: the higher the level of power, the wider the scope of involvement. Others are responsible for their respective specialized departments, managing their specific affairs, while he must deal with numerous internal and external individuals, weighing the needs of all parties and making appropriate balances and decisions. This is his position and the obligations that come with it. If he were to forcibly shirk these responsibilities, the consequences would be severe.

Especially considering the previous diplomatic approach of the old King Wu, it was rather... hard to explain. Therefore, many people placed their hopes on Zhu Wenkui, expecting him to seize this opportunity to reshape the internal and external landscape. Thus, his task was far more important than artillery.

Having no other choice, Zhu Wenkui had to delegate the management of firearms to others.

Compared to the followers that King Wu had gathered in places like Lorraine, and the armed forces that he had formed in various places, the army that Zhu Wenkui had built himself was more influenced by the Purple Horde, and of course, also by him personally.

Due to the nature of their work, these soldiers were organized differently from other infantry and cavalry. Although they also engaged in combat and underwent basic drills and encampment training, compared to other units, their artillerymen were more like armed craftsmen than soldiers.

For the Purple Horde, this was quite normal. The Purple Horde's army, aside from the nomadic peoples recruited in the past due to their service in the Golden Horde, was essentially a construction team. The large garrison in the Southern Garrison today evolved from that construction team. Many of their practices and habits had become ingrained in the army's organization and regulations.

The situation was similar for Zhu Wenkui.

At first, he simply played with Guo Kang. Guo Kang had many strange ideas, but due to the limitations of current technology, many of them couldn't be realized.

To achieve their goal, the two of them would take advantage of their spare time to visit blacksmith shops and observe blacksmithing—according to Guo Kang, the iron smelting techniques here still have a lot of room for improvement. After their observations, they would also communicate with the blacksmiths, direct them in conducting experiments, and sometimes even try to find the problems themselves.

During this process, Zhu Wenku discovered that blacksmithing was quite stress-relieving. Moreover, the blacksmiths all felt that he had a good understanding and his skills improved very quickly.

At first, Zhu Wenku thought it was just a commercial publicity stunt, since he was a friend of the benefactor. However, later, even Guo Kang said that from now on, he could just make all the parts for him. So, the two of them went further and further, eventually opening a workshop.

Others didn't quite understand these hobbies and thought they were strange. After all, most other scions of noble families had a bit of a spoiled, dissolute air about them. But these two didn't even do things like bullying men and women; they just spent their days tinkering with random machines. Therefore, even the Greek citizens in the city looked down on them.

Neither of them really cared much about it. However, to prevent his family from saying he was neglecting his duties, Guo Kang promptly used the pretext of developing military equipment and began trying to produce the gunpowder weapons he designed.

In those days, gunpowder weapons were far from mature, so their designs were incredibly diverse, and adding a few more wouldn't make much difference. Therefore, this matter progressed smoothly, and in the end, it actually gained the approval of the Ministry of War. Under the guise of the church conducting research, they managed to borrow a site from them.

The earliest firearms battalion soldiers were recruited around that time to help them develop weapons. Therefore, in addition to knowing how to use weapons, they also needed to understand some related knowledge and skills to better assist in the research.

Because of these needs, the requirements for recruiting soldiers were very high. Even as the war approached, and after several rounds of expansion, with a focus on mass production and combat readiness, some basic requirements were not relaxed.

Unlike the previous infantry, the men in the artillery battalion were not conscripts. Everyone in the battalion, even the grooms who managed the artillery carriages, were professionally hired soldiers with a high level of technical skill.

Many of them weren't even from the Wu King's controlled territory or the Purple Horde's domain, but were hired through various connections from Italy, France, and even Syria. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to gather so many people.

Therefore, their organization is not like that of infantry and cavalry, but more like a mercenary company. These professional technicians are specifically hired through contracts.

Mercenary units are generally called "companies," but these days, large firearms are not easy to handle and require a lot of personnel and animal power. Therefore, the size of a firearms battalion is much larger than that of a regular mercenary company. As a result, the various units here are commonly referred to as "large companies."

There were quite a few of these people, and they were all supported by Zhu Wenkui through frugal living and saving. He had previously led them personally, but now he simply couldn't manage them all and had to temporarily hand them over to others.

However, Guo Kangyuan is currently in the south and doesn't have the time, so there are few people here who are knowledgeable in all aspects. He does want to help his apprentice Urban, but the guy is too young and definitely can't be managed now. He can only let the company commanders of artillery, rockets, bombs, etc. in Dalian perform their respective duties for now, and see who is more suitable to take over in the future.

After arranging these things, Lady Jeanne came to him again, saying that a secret report had arrived from Prague. The two dismissed everyone else and began to discuss it.

When he went on expeditions with Guo Kang and the others, they handled all these matters. Now that he's leading the expedition himself, he has to take care of the intelligence aspect. Fortunately, Lady Jeanne has experience in this area and is a trusted confidante who has long been in the Prince's Palace in charge of such matters, so she's quite reliable.

Initially, the Wu Prince's residence in Dadu only housed Princess Ma and her son, Zhu Wenkui. After they moved in, the Purple Tent Khanate arranged for five or six maids. However, their main duties were unrelated to the administration of the Prince's residence—and at that time, the Prince's residence didn't have any "official business." It was simply that Princess Ma was exhausted from the long journey and suffering from acclimatization issues, so her health wasn't good. Zhu Wenkui was also too young and needed someone to take care of him.

Although it sounded leisurely, and Guo Kang even joked that he could enjoy a comfortable life with a maid squad wherever he went, something even he couldn't match, the reality had nothing to do with the erotic stories circulating in the city. Maintaining and cleaning this rather large old house, as well as caring for the sick and children, were all physically demanding tasks. Therefore, these maids couldn't possibly be the delicate young girls he imagined.

For safety reasons, these servants weren't ordinary people; they were reliable individuals specially selected by the Purple Horde Khanate, chosen from the families of the Varangian Guard stationed in Dadu (Beijing). Therefore, the maids of the Wu Prince's residence were all robust Nordic and Rus' women. Each one was bold and meticulous, capable of physical labor, and skilled at caring for others; their arms were even thicker than Zhu Wenkui's legs at that time. When he was mischievous and didn't study, they could simply pick him up and throw him to Princess Ma for a scolding. Who knows what Guo Kang was thinking…

Not long after, the Imperial Guards dispatched by the Ming Dynasty arrived at his door. Zhu Wenku was initially quite nervous, but after Princess Ma negotiated with them for a while, they reached an agreement and told him everything was fine. Some time later, the Imperial Guards also began to move, planning to send several men, also claiming to be there to help. According to the Imperial Guards, they had also made contact with the Prince of Wu. The Prince of Wu was now active in Paris, reportedly doing very well. However, several leaders of the Imperial Guards remained somewhat worried, feeling that the situation might not be as good as they thought. The Prince of Wu's position might not be as secure as they believed.

Therefore, they specifically communicated with the King of Wu to send some of the people recruited from France to the Prince's residence in Dadu in advance. Firstly, to fill the most basic staff and at least maintain the appearance of the Prince's residence, to support the Princess and the Crown Prince, and to prevent it from being too shabby; secondly, it was also as a precaution, in case something happened to the King of Wu, so that they would have multiple escape routes.

After a period of preparation, the Embroidered Uniform Guard brought its first batch of personnel.

These people all came from France, mostly talented knights and priests who were frustrated by their social status and were therefore happy to come here to serve the Wu King's Palace. The vast majority were officials who had helped establish the palace and came to perform administrative work. There was only one young girl, Jeanne, the heroine.

Neither the French nor the Ming Dynasty had a tradition of appointing women to official positions, so she was certainly not there to take up a post.

According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she came from a semi-official organization with both French and Egyptian backgrounds, and had received some cultural education and intelligence training; now that their sect had lost its lord, they were eager to serve the court—in short, she was the kind of talent the Embroidered Uniform Guard needed.

Perhaps due to professional habits, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were never entirely at ease with the people assigned by the Purple Tent Khanate. They believed that no matter how good the relationship between the two sides was, and no matter how beneficial the Prince of Wu's residence was to the Khanate, it couldn't continue indefinitely. Especially later, when the Prince's residence needed to establish its own system. Therefore, key positions required more reliable people; they couldn't let others provide the personnel.

This place is too far from the Ming Dynasty, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is short-handed, making it less convenient for them to operate compared to the locals. She is a little older than Zhu Wenkui, so she can perfectly serve as his maid. It's best if everyone lives in peace; if there is any infiltration or espionage from other forces, she can also help provide early warning and counterbalance.

So, Princess Ma kept her there.

At that time, Zhu Wenkui was quite young, so the young heroine, Jeanne, would sometimes play with him. Princess Ma didn't really want Zhu Wenkui to run around, feeling that it was too chaotic. However, the young heroine already knew quite a bit of kung fu, so she confidently assured Princess Ma that she could definitely protect Zhu Wenkui, leaving Princess Ma somewhat amused and exasperated, and she had no choice but to let them go out.

Fortunately, no one attacked them, so they didn't encounter any unexpected situations. Furthermore, Princess Ma's health had improved somewhat, and Zhu Wenku had grown a bit. Following the advice of the overly worried Imperial Guards, the "maid squad" could finally be disbanded.

However, there are still some troublesome things that are quite worrying.

At that time, rumors circulated in Dadu that the King of Wu had married a French princess and was preparing to establish a great career there. The Greeks in Dadu were also very fond of discussing politics. Many gossipy people were saying that this would raise the question of who the principal wife was, regardless of whether it was a custom in the Ming Dynasty or France—and perhaps in the future, the question of who the legitimate son would be.

Zhu Wenku was already old enough to understand things by then, and hearing these things from time to time inevitably made him a little worried. What was even more troublesome was that when he asked his good friend Guo Kang, Guo Kang stammered and couldn't answer.

By this time, Guo Kang already had a reputation as a "child prodigy." Many people said that he was knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, and could predict the general trend of the world. He was clearly a genius who was proficient in divination. So, Zhu Wenkui also went to consult him, wanting Guo the fortune teller to make a definitive prediction and see what was going on with his father and what the future held for him and his mother.

However, upon hearing that Zhu Yunwen had indeed married a Frenchman, Guo Kang was visibly surprised and then fell silent, as if he had been dumbfounded.

Zhu Wenkui hurriedly pressed him for answers, and after scratching his head for a long time, he replied that he didn't know what was going on either; this matter was truly beyond his comprehension. As for future fortune, he advised against worrying too much about it for now, suggesting that they should focus on doing their best first.

Zhu Wenkui had no choice but to go back and ponder the words. He then concluded that things must be extremely bad; even Guo Kang couldn't have imagined things would develop this way, and there wasn't even a way to avoid disaster that he could tell him. He could only offer this consolation for now.

In short, the mother and son are doomed!

Others were also quite concerned about this. Especially since previously, those who came to the palace to perform their duties were mostly French. Upon hearing the news of the Wu king's marriage alliance with their motherland, many realized what this meant. As a result, many submitted applications to return to serve the Wu king.

Knowing she couldn't stop them, Princess Ma let them leave and told the Imperial Guards not to interfere. She said she understood her husband and could comprehend his choice, so for now, everyone should leave it to the Prince of Wu to decide. She also told the officials to let them go as they pleased.

And so, the Prince's mansion became deserted again.

A few months later, the French ambassador to Dadu (Beijing) officially announced the news, also declaring that the princess was pregnant and currently receiving the best care in Paris. The city was abuzz with speculation, with many wondering if the French also wanted to establish direct relations with the Ming Dynasty, using this marriage to rival the Roman princess and prince. After all, having a Ming prince in the country would bring enormous benefits, even just from the Eastern trade routes.

After that, the few remaining French civil officials in the Prince's mansion also fled, clearly preparing to "surrender" to the new Princess. Their speed was so great that even the Imperial Guards couldn't stop them. Soon, only Princess Ma, Zhu Wenku, and the young heroine remained in the mansion.

The turn of events surprised Guo Kang and the others, who immediately came to inquire about the situation. Guo Kang also stated that he must have misspoken earlier.

He told Zhu Wenkui not to worry, because everyone was saying that the King of Wu was cooperating with the French royal family to target the high-ranking nobles. However, judging from the current situation known to the Purple Horde, the outlook was probably not optimistic.

With their help, the situation at the Wu Prince's residence improved somewhat.

As for emotional support, besides his friends, only Jeanne consistently comforted him.

Later, thanks to the efforts of Zhu Wenkui and Princess Ma, the Prince's residence gradually recovered somewhat. In particular, after the Prince of Wu's attempt to reduce the power of the princes backfired, he became much more docile. Their side also gradually developed.

Therefore, Zhu Wenku trusted Lady Jeanne completely, and even jokingly bestowed upon her a series of official titles. In truth, these titles were higher than those of the purely martial artist, Jessica.

Of course, the official positions in the Wu Prince's Mansion were really nothing special. And no one said anything. After all, for those who knew the Prince's Mansion, this was understandable.

(End of this chapter)