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Chapter 1275 Farewell 3
"Your Majesty knows everything!" These words hit Cohen's heart, but what made him panic was not the danger he faced, but the Ming emperor's inference about the East India Company. What is shirking responsibility? Why find someone to take the blame?
"In this land, it is difficult to hide what I want to know. I can say with full responsibility that the East India Company was finished when the Prince of Orange visited the Royal Academy and still did not reject Cornelis' proposal.

I will not allow hostile organizations to survive in Asia. In fact, this company cannot continue to operate without the supply of goods from Asia. In addition, there is no place for this company in the new world order I envision.

It is a freak, and has gone beyond the commercial scope. The reason why it was allowed to exist before was because the conditions were not mature. Now it has come to my door, so I will give it a ride.

But I am very worried about you. To be honest, you are very talented. The reason why the East India Company was allowed to continue operating in the Spice Islands and has not been squeezed out for so many years is mostly because of mutual need, and a little bit because of you.

I don't want to see you buried with me, so I invite you again and for the last time. I hope you can stay and join the team that builds a new world order. I will create opportunities for you to have a stage to fully display your talents.

You can rest assured about this. Look at the professors in the Royal Academy. They were not taken seriously in Europe, and even their lives were in danger. But after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, everyone was rejuvenated, with endless things to do, and they all loved to do them. There will be countless honors in the future, and they will be respected as they deserve.

Eventually their names and achievements would spread back to Europe, and even the most conservative churches would be forced to admit their excellence in the face of facts.

They will also become VIPs that all countries will invite! Of course, this depends on whether I agree or not. Once you get on my ship, it won’t be easy to get off, so you have to think about this clearly first. "

Having said that, Hong Tao no longer concealed his intentions, but this time was different from the previous times. In addition to temptation, there were also deterrence and warnings, which seemed more formal and serious.

"...Can you give me some time to think about it?" Unlike the previous times, Cohen did not immediately decline. It was not because he was persuaded, but because there were too many parameters to measure and they were too critical, and he couldn't figure it out for a while.

"Of course, the decision can be made at any time before the Prince of Orange leaves. Come, take a look at my new office first. When I was a child, I longed to come here very much. Whenever I had the chance, I would get close and look hard, and I fantasized in my mind that one day I would be able to sit in the highest position and command the world."

It is a good thing to think. You can't just change your workplace without thinking, let alone change your job and country. We won't talk about such serious topics for the rest of the time. Let's take a look at the inside of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Not to mention that it was a foreign envoy, even Hong Tao himself didn't take a close look.

"Your Majesty, this time is different from the past. In addition to Spain and England, there are also France, the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish Confederation, Denmark and Sweden. It covers almost the entire Europe. The strength is unfathomable."

With such a big event, Cohen was in no mood to visit the emperor's new office. After a period of sorting, he grasped the key point of the problem, who is the winner.

If Europe won, he would not have such a tragic ending. At most, he would lose his position and salary in the East India Company. With his connections and abilities, even if he could not make it in the Netherlands, he could run to Manila or Guangzhou to set up a warehouse and hire sailors to continue shipping.

But if the Ming Empire wins, and they don't make changes in advance, they are likely to become scapegoats. So who will win? We need to listen to the emperor's opinion. "It's not unfathomable. They have been fighting in Europe for so many years. I have been standing aside and watching. I have seen who has what weight. In fact, you didn't say much. The Ottoman Empire and Russia will most likely join the European coalition, and the scale will be larger than that of the Crusaders.

But in my eyes, they are just a bunch of rabble. Fighting a war is a science, and it cannot be a simple comparison of numbers. It also includes many factors such as weapons, resources, terrain, climate, beliefs, luck, etc.

In fact, even if we compare numbers with the European coalition, we are no match. If I want, I can arm two million troops within a year. You have been in Batavia for so many years and often visited Manila Port. You must be aware of the combat capabilities of the Ming army.

I can order my army to go through Central Asia from the north to the Polish-Lithuanian Federation, and go around the Cape of Good Hope in the south to attack any city on the Atlantic coast, turning Seville, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Rome, and Venice into ruins.

As a result, the Ming Empire exhausted its strength, and the European countries were left half dead. No one benefited from it. What was the point? This was a stupid war, but things are so strange. Sometimes you know it is stupid but you have to do it, and you have to work hard to do it well. "

Hong Tao had no doubt about the outcome of the war. The Ming Empire would definitely be the winner. Now he was just unsure about the price he had to pay. If it was too high, it would seriously affect the future development of the Ming Empire. However, in the current situation, neither side would back down. They had to fight even though they knew there was no profit to be made.

"If Your Majesty can convince the Prince, can this fearless war be avoided?"

Cohen did not think the emperor's conclusion was biased. The Ming Empire did have the strength to do so. Not counting overseas territories, the local population and resources alone were enough to reach Europe in one go.

However, as the emperor said, fighting is a losing battle for both sides, what's the point? Control is one thing, but if the price is too high, what's the point of gaining control?

The world is too big and the oceans are too vast to allow a few countries to control the world. In other words, even if one side is defeated, the other side will not be able to take over the whole thing and will still have to be ruled by local people.

Isn't this just a waste of time? Once the army withdraws, it will be the same in a few years. The army does not withdraw? How can we command the army thousands of miles away from the mainland? It takes several months to issue an order one way? The Ming Empire is not as easy to conquer as the Inca Empire. From strength to population to culture, it will not be willing to be ruled by foreign races.

Therefore, this war is best avoided, and the key lies in the outcome of the negotiations between the Prince of Orange and the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

With his understanding of Emperor Jingyang, it is not impossible to persuade the Prince of Orange. As long as the United Provinces Republic does not participate, the European coalition will not have so many ships for combat and transportation.

(End of this chapter)