The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 347 Cooperation
October 1734, 10, sunny, Binzet (now Porto Aguada, Tunisia).

In the bustling slave market, sellers were shouting at the top of their lungs, leading male and female slaves to the platform like livestock, fully demonstrating to the onlookers how perfect, useful, and valuable their "goods" were.

Two Catholic priests from Italy watched sadly as their compatriots were manipulated and humiliated by the pagans, but they could only grieve in secret and pray silently in their hearts, hoping for a happy ending.

Behind them followed several Italians who looked exhausted, with pale faces and fear in their eyes, as if they wanted to leave this hellish place as soon as possible.

They were undoubtedly lucky. Their families went through several channels through the church and, after paying a considerable ransom, were able to return home with the priests sent by the church and reunite with their loved ones.

But more of the Catholic people who were abducted by the Barbary pirates had no choice but to accept their tragic fate and were sold to all parts of the world by slave traders.

"At this time, the Barbary pirates are still doing this business. They are really hopeless!" Liu Renfu, the manager of the North African branch of the Mediterranean Trading Company, turned his eyes away from the slave market with a bit of disdain on his face. "They have never thought about learning from the Moroccans, managing the people's livelihood in their own territory, and running a country properly, or learning from the Egyptians, doing some re-export trade and economic planting. If they don't know how to restrain themselves and act recklessly, they will sooner or later be dealt with by the European countries along the Mediterranean coast!"

"The entire Maghreb region was nominally subject to the Ottoman Empire. Without the connivance and support of the Ottomans, do you think the Barbary pirates would have been able to take advantage of the situation, gradually grow stronger, and continue to this day?" Deng Changcheng, the head of the Maghreb Trading Company in Tunisia, said with a smile: "Although, with the improvement of the maritime strength of European countries, the business of the Barbary pirates has become more and more difficult and the risks are getting bigger and bigger, but these pirates who are used to robbing and robbing, how could they have the mind to do other livelihoods? Think about it, you can only earn a few silver coins after working hard for a year, but if you are lucky at sea and rob a merchant ship full of valuable goods, you can live happily for at least one or two years. These people are used to getting something for nothing, and they can't settle down to work seriously, let alone work hard to dig for food in the soil."

"Not really. There are always some people who want to live a peaceful life, right?"

"If we exclude the slaves who have no guarantee of survival, it can be said that there is no one in the entire Maghreb region who wants to live a peaceful life." Deng Changcheng said with a trace of contempt, "These people all dream of getting rich overnight and gaining wealth for a lifetime. The Barbary pirates lasted for more than two hundred years, and countless stories of getting rich overnight have been circulated. Everyone wants to be the next Barbarossa. Let me tell you a very cruel fact. Among the Barbary pirates, more than 30% of the pirates are actually Europeans! In addition, in the past two hundred years, among the several governors of Algiers elected by the pirates, except for the first governor who was a Berber, the others were all Europeans. Oh, by the way, the current governor is a Venetian."

"These Berbers are so lazy and unruly that they are not good laborers for developing local people's livelihood and building colonial territories. No wonder the Colonial Affairs Department and the military would rather take the risk of offending Spain and Austria to take Sicily." Liu Renfu shook his head and sighed, "But, in this way, our Great Qi's policy of keeping a low profile in Europe can no longer continue. Sicily involves several European countries and regions, and it also involves the two major countries of Spain and Austria, which will inevitably cause a stir in the whole of Europe. It may bring unnecessary trouble to our Great Qi."

"There's an old saying that goes, 'If you're not envied, you're a mediocre person.'" Deng Changcheng said disapprovingly, "With the national strength of our Great Qi, even if the European countries join forces, they may not be able to defeat us by a single point. If it weren't for the long distance, our Great Qi military would be able to crush any European power and defeat it. So, even if our Great Qi is low-key and tolerant and doesn't touch the core interests of European countries, does Brother Liu think that European countries will turn a blind eye to our Great Qi and not be on guard or afraid of it?"

"However, European countries have similar cultural customs and religious civilizations. They may naturally reject and be hostile to foreign civilizations like our Qi." Liu Renfu was still puzzled by the military's occupation of Sicily. "Now, our Qi country has gone against the will of the world and ignored Spain and Austria. We have brazenly sent troops to seize Sicily. This may cause alarm among European countries, and then prompt them to unite and jointly oppose our expansion. In this way, the commercial channels and networks that our Great Qi has spent decades to develop in Europe may be destroyed in an instant."

"Brother Liu, you worry too much. The European countries are constantly in conflict of interest with each other, and wars are endless. How can they unite and form an offensive and defensive alliance to control our Great Qi?"

"Brother Deng, you are wrong!" Liu Renfu retorted, "In the past, Emperor Taizu of our Great Qi once said that there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies between countries, only eternal interests. Looking at the history of Europe in the past hundred years, there are countless examples of former enemies becoming allies in the future. If European countries feel the substantial threat from our Great Qi, there is no guarantee that they will not put aside their respective contradictions and prejudices and unite to check and balance our Great Qi."

"Why, are the European countries going to unite and start a full-scale war with our Great Qi?" Deng Changcheng said with a smile: "Where are they going to set the battlefield? The Mediterranean? Or the Atlantic? They won't dare to go to the Indian Ocean to challenge our Great Qi, right?"

"Brother Liu, don't underestimate Europe! Apart from the Indian Ocean, with the strength of the European countries, they are capable of fighting in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic." Liu Renfu said seriously: "Looking at the territories occupied by our Great Qi in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, they are either tiny pieces of land or isolated islands. If the European countries unite their forces and launch a full-scale attack, how can those overseas territories be preserved? Even the Maghreb region and Egypt, which are currently deeply controlled and influenced by our Great Qi, may suffer heavy losses and be difficult to survive!"

"Hehe..." Deng Changcheng chuckled twice and pointed at the other party. "If so, our Great Qi's territories in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean will certainly be difficult to protect, but the European continent will definitely be severely damaged by our Great Qi, and even the entire geopolitical structure will undergo major changes. Do you think that those European powers will fight with our Great Qi at the cost of losing their strength? Even if, with their full cooperation, our Great Qi is driven out of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, we can still hold on to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and continue to live our comfortable little life. All of this is due to the profound legacy left to us by several generations of ancestors of our Great Qi!"

"Haha..." Liu Renfu also laughed when he heard this. "You know, it's a bit too much for two businessmen like us to discuss whether the empire's overseas colonial expansion policy is right or wrong!"

"Brother Liu, have you noticed that since His Majesty Yonglong ascended the throne, the foreign policy of our Great Qi has become increasingly radical and tough." Deng Changcheng subconsciously looked around when talking about His Majesty the Emperor, and then lowered his voice slightly, "Whether it is the accelerated integration and digestion of the Nanyang territory, the decisive annihilation of Annan, the harsh suppression of Qin, and the current reckless advance on the European continent, all of them demonstrate Your Majesty's ambition to achieve great things."

"Your Majesty, do you want to use various practical actions to highlight the global hegemony of our Great Qi?"

"That's right!" Deng Changcheng picked up the wine pot, poured himself a glass of wine, held it in his hand, and took a sip. "Your Majesty wants to declare the dominance of our Great Qi to the world through a series of conquests. Our great Great Qi has gone through more than ninety years of conquest. Now we are no longer hiding our strength and are beginning to show the grandeur of the empire!"

"To be honest, Your Majesty is still too hasty. Our Great Qi is far away from Europe, how can we be so directly involved in the affairs of the continent?" Liu Renfu shook his head and said, "Decades ago, France almost single-handedly challenged the European countries and tried to establish European hegemony. However, after more than ten years of fighting, it was all in vain. Not only was the government heavily in debt, but the people's livelihood in the country was in decline, all industries were in ruins, and the strength was seriously weakened. Our Great Qi should take this as a warning!"

"Brother Liu, are you so sure that the European countries will definitely unite and become enemies of our Qi?" "Brother Deng, do you dare to guarantee that when faced with an invasion by an Eastern foreign power, the European countries will still act on their own and sit back and watch the growing power of our Great Qi without doing anything? Those who are not of our race must have different hearts, and this is not only inherent in our Chinese civilization!"

"..." Deng Changcheng was stunned when he heard this. "Damn it, are the European devils really going to unite?"
-
Qi State's Chief Representative to Europe, Xie Daoren, glanced at the Spanish and Sardinian envoys standing behind him, and then took a diplomatic note from French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Etienne-Louis Choiseul.

"Mr. Ambassador, this note is jointly issued by the Kingdom of France, the Kingdom of Spain, and the Kingdom of Sardinia," Count Choiseul said with a serious expression. "We three countries earnestly hope that after receiving this note, you can complete the withdrawal of troops from Sicily by the end of December, so as to restore peace and stability in Italy and the entire Mediterranean region."

"Mr. Count Choiseul, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Christant, as the Great Qi Empire's chief representative in Europe, after receiving this diplomatic note, I will consider the corresponding matters requested in the note very carefully." Xie Daoren said calmly, "However, in the name of the Great Qi Empire, I protest against the impolite wording of the ultimatum in this note. Disputes in diplomatic affairs should be effectively communicated and negotiated with a fair, just and reasonable attitude, and should not be required to meet certain preconditions in the form of warnings and threats."

As he spoke, Xie Daoren gently placed the diplomatic note jointly issued by the three countries on the table beside him, then took a step back, politely bowed slightly to the other party, and solemnly said: "Our Great Qi Empire will never accept any diplomatic note in the form of an ultimatum, let alone humiliate itself to follow it. So, I am very sorry, as the chief representative to Europe, I reject this note that does not conform to diplomatic etiquette."

"Mr. Minister, are you in Qi country going to ignore the well-intentioned reminders from our three countries and insist on doing whatever you want in Sicily?" Hugo Guillamón Garcia, the Spanish Minister to France, asked with a suspicious look on his face.

We, the Kingdom of Spain, have held several rounds of consultations with your Kingdom of Qi, but were rudely rejected by you each time.

Now, we, Spain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia, are jointly putting pressure on you. Can't this force you to change your mind?

Why would you, an Eastern country, get involved in European affairs?
"Mr. Minister," Count Choiseul stopped the Spanish envoy's provocation and said, "If we jointly send a diplomatic note to your country again that does not mean an ultimatum, are you willing to accept it and discuss the affairs of Sicily with our three countries impartially?"

"Mr. Count Choiseul, I think we should invite representatives of the Holy Roman Empire to the meeting when discussing Sicily affairs." Xie Daoren said with a smile: "After all, the Kingdom of Sicily is still a part of the empire in legal terms. How can we exclude them from the four-party talks?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Count Choiseul and others were stunned.

Our Triple Alliance is still at war with the Austrians and is dividing up the Austrians' Italian territories. How can we invite them to the negotiating table at this time to discuss the ownership of Sicily?

However, the Qi people's suggestion was not wrong. The Kingdom of Sicily was still legally part of the empire. How could it be excluded?

"Damn it! I think the Qi people are stalling for time. They have no sincerity in discussing the Sicily issue with us."

After Xie Daoren, the chief representative of Qi in Europe, left, the Spanish envoy Garcia said angrily: "Therefore, our three countries should unite to show our determination to Qi. Otherwise, they will think that our inaction is a kind of weakness and even a shameful cowardice."

The Sardinian ambassador, Bellanova Cristante, glanced at the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Choiseul, and wisely remained silent.

The people of Qi are not easy to mess with. With their powerful naval strength, since they can capture Sicily, they can also easily capture Sardinia.

Moreover, the people of Qi claimed that they entered Sicily at the invitation of the Austrians, specifically to defend this imperial territory.

Although this excuse is very suspicious, what if it is true?

"Since the Qi people are making all sorts of excuses and have no intention of discussing the Sicily issue, then..." Count Choiseul showed a resolute look on his face, "Then, I suggest that our three countries immediately form a joint fleet and sail to the Sicilian waters to demonstrate our determination and strength."

(End of this chapter)