Translator: ryangohsff Editor: Nora
Chapter 878 – Fighting and Unity
Apart from giving Di Chen and the others a clear warning, Ouyang Shuo was also considering other countermeasures.
A warning only solved the problem but not the root. When their navies were formed, the Great Xia Dynasty coal ships would still be threatened by them.
It seemed like he needed to increase the presence of the Shanhai Alliance in Bohai Sea.
Toward the Yellow River region, the Yizhou Squadron still has some influence, which was also why the Zhoushan Squadron did not try anything funny.
It seemed like Xiong Ba was not willing to have a head on conflict with the Great Xia Dynasty.
The key would be Bohai Sea. The Great Xia Dynasty’s navy was being spread thin, and the only way would be to help Stone City build a squadron.
Stone City’s territory had a Binhai Bay, which was a large-sized port that could store a huge squadron.
However, without the help of the Great Xia Dynasty, with the current situation of Stone City, they lacked the ability to build a decent squadron, much less face off against Handan Squadron.
Thinking of which, Ouyang Shuo raised his brush and wrote a letter to Wufu to ask for his opinion. If he did not have the resolve, Ouyang Shuo could not force him. If he was willing, the Great Xia Dynasty would start acting.
Stone City had coal. At most, they would just have to use coal as payment.
…
During dinner, Ouyang Shuo raised the matter of Wang Zhaojun. Song Jia’s reaction was the same as Tsing Yi’s. After a long while, she regained her senses, “You really dare to think.”
Ouyang Shuo asked, “Do you think it’s possible?”
Jokes were jokes, but when they were talking about serious matters, Song Jia would immediately focus, “We can try.”
“That’s great. I will not care about this matter anymore. I’ll leave it to you.”
Song Jia nodded.
…
The following few days were really calm.
5th month, 28th day, the Mediterranean Squadron finally acted.
Through a discussion, the Mediterranean Lords used Kalia as a middle woman to send a message to the Great Xia Dynasty – they were willing to discuss matters with regards to the Mediterranean Ocean.
When Ouyang Shuo got the news, he laughed but did not say anything.
The reactions of the Mediterranean Lords’ were as he had expected. Their relationship with America was not so strong, and they were just cooperating whilst being wary of one another.
Caesar and the others still defended against the Great Xia Dynasty like they would defend against a thief. However, no matter what, they did not want to give Jack a reason to step in.
As they say, it is easy to invite a god but hard to send him away.
Jack and the American Lords were not philanthropists. If they found a chance to enter the Mediterranean, it would not be good for the Mediterranean Lords.
In the Mediterranean, Caesar was the most active, pushing for the rights of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Henry was extremely low profile. However, that was what made people worry.
The Spanish Lords, with Casillas as their head, had once again fallen. As a result, they were busy tending to their wounds. Luckily, he was decisive, so the Invincible Squadron survived. On the other hand, the Greeks were busy trying to get close with Kalia. The other Lords had their own thoughts and the entire Mediterranean was a huge mess.
Outside the Mediterranean, there was also Portugal, England, Holland, and Germany; these parties were all looking on with interest.
Such a scenario was one that gave outsiders a good chance to enter. If they allowed a massive fish like Jack to enter at this moment, who knows how badly it would stir the situation.
Hence, during the Silver Hand internal meeting, the Europeans rejected the suggestion of Jack and the others to work together to suppress Morocco.
As a result, before the situation got totally out of hand, Caesar and the others chose to discuss and cooperate with the Great Xia Dynasty to try to reach a solution that both sides could accept.
Ouyang Shuo had seen through all of this. Naturally, he would not act arrogantly, so he accepted the request of the Mediterranean Lords.
To the Great Xia Dynasty, there were two reasons for taking down Morocco. First, they aimed to win a stable logistics base. Secondly, they wanted to ensure the smoothness of the voyage trade route.
The second goal was even more important than the first.
The ancestor had once said, “Unity is achieved by struggle and destroyed by compromise.”
Ouyang Shuo performed a series of work in the Mediterranean based on this theory. Disbanding the Mediterranean Alliance and ‘drawing the line’ with Atlantis was to advance through backing off.
Taking down Morocco was a struggle to earn the chips to ask for a compromise.
Think about it, if they did not take down Morocco, they would be unable to protect the interests of the Great Xia merchants on the voyage route with just one Jidian City.
At that time, the Great Xia Dynasty trading route would be under siege, and its position as an ocean overlord would be challenged.
Hence, if Ouyang Shuo continued to back off, he would lose all his chips.
However, the current situation was different. With Morocco Province as his shield, the Great Xia Dynasty had the ability to fight with any enemy. Of course, Ouyang Shuo was not a rash person. Unless he was forced to, he would not want both sides to be hurt.
The road to being an overlord was one of interests.
That morning, Ouyang Shuo announced a decree: Order Honglu Temple Deputy Zi Luolan as the ambassador, Business Department Xu Zhen Chang as the assistant, bring many officials from the Honglu Temple, Financial Court, and Privy Court to build a negotiation team to rush to Atlantis City to discuss with the Mediterranean Lords there.
The representative team, apart from officials, there were real life trading, negotiation, diplomacy, and European matters experts.
Before leaving, Zi Luolan looked for Ouyang Shuo.
As the ambassador, Zi Luolan naturally needed to know the king’s bottom line.
In the Imperial Reading Room, Ouyang Shuo took the time to meet Zi Luolan. She was still so alluring and beautiful.
He chose to send her as the ambassador because of two reasons. First, she was a player and had a natural advantage in discussions with Mediterranean Lords as compared to natives. Secondly, she was a diplomatic expert and was highly skilled.
Ouyang Shuo smiled, “Merchant ships of both sides can freely pass on the voyage path. Political and military elements will not interfere.”
Currently, Ouyang Shuo did not mind the ambitions of the various Mediterranean Lords. Instead, he simply hoped for the voyage trade route to run normally.
“As for what kind of trading terms you can get from them, it will depend on your hard work and ability. If you do well, I’ll give you great rewards.” Ouyang Shuo smiled and added.
Zi Luolan nodded. Although the king’s bottom line was not overbearing, and it also lessened the pressure on the shoulders of the negotiation squad, Zi Luolan was not relaxed.
The responsibility was simply too huge this time.
Furthermore, this was the first time Zi Luolan had taken up such a heavy task. Seeing Tsing Yi, Hong Yi, and the other sisters getting their places in the dynasty and shining bright, it would be a lie to say that she was not anxious.
This trip was a chance for Zi Luolan to prove herself.
Hence, before coming to see Ouyang Shuo, Zi Luolan had done a lot of preparation work, reading a lot of information and scrolls. Before leaving, she needed answers to some crucial questions so that she would be calmer during the negotiation.
Zi Luolan asked, “What if they require us to move our troops out of the Mediterranean?”
Undoubtedly, this was a sensitive topic.
Although the Mediterranean Lords agreed to discuss with the Great Xia Dynasty, they had expressed in their words that they were not willing to allow the Mediterranean Squadron to freely sail the Mediterranean Ocean.
To them, the strong Mediterranean Squadron posed a massive problem. If the Great Xia Dynasty did not retreat from the Mediterranean Ocean, the Lords would not be able to feel at ease.
Ouyang Shuo looked at Zi Luolan with praise. She had grabbed the crux of the problem. It seemed like appointing her as the ambassador was a correct choice.
“We can express solemnly in the final agreement that the Great Xia Dynasty will not interfere in the battles of the various Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean Squadron would choose to retreat from the Mediterranean Ocean and sail in the Atlantic. At the same time, to show our good intentions, we are willing to rename it the Atlantic Squadron.” Ouyang Shuo said.
Zi Luolan stared at Ouyang Shuo. How was this showing kind intentions? It was obviously harboring even greater ambitions. The Atlantic Squadron sounded much mightier than the Mediterranean Squadron.
Of course, to the Mediterranean Lords, they could heave a sigh of relief after hearing this line.
“I understand.” Zi Luolan once again nodded her head and asked, “Do you have anything more for me?”
Ouyang Shuo said, “I predict that the Spanish will try to mess it up, so you must be prepared. Toward Spain, our attitude is neither to go against them nor work with them. Also, when you are in Atlantis, communicate more with Queen Kalia. She is an expert of the Mediterranean Ocean matters.”
Apart from Mediterranean Ocean matters, Kalia could also help to build bridges for the Great Xia Dynasty to try to recruit all the commoner Lords and neutral parties, which would help to reduce the level of resistance.
Hence, Kalia and her Atlantis City was a super contact. Regarding this matter, Ouyang Shuo had personally sent a letter to Kalia, asking for her help.
“Understood!”
Since most matters had already been said, Ouyang Shuo concluded, “That should be it. When the negotiation starts, we can keep in contact through letters. Remember, this negotiation must be smooth and swift. If they do not have sincerity, immediately stop the discussions without hesitation.”
Although the chances of the Mediterranean Ocean Lords turning on him were really low, Ouyang Shuo had made preparations for it. With Morocco Province and the teleportation formation, the Great Xia Dynasty would not be afraid of any challenge.
“Yes!”