Chapter 254 Winning Over and Striking Back
"The caste system of Zhu has evolved over thousands of years and has become a mature social division of labor system and a relatively complete ruling model."
“The divine authority was controlled by the Brahmins, the warriors came from the Kshatriyas, and the merchants mostly came from the Vaishyas. From high to low, down to the untouchables, several distinct classes were formed, which eventually led to a stable distribution of power.”
A blackboard stood against the wall, and dozens of high-ranking military officers and key personnel sat on stools, watching Qin Mo speak eloquently, their notebooks constantly taking notes of the key points. The scene resembled a high-ranking official version of a "short-term training course for cadres".
“We are outsiders. If we want to gain a foothold in India, we must unite some forces and attack some classes. The easiest people for us to unite are the merchants.”
“We have enough scarce goods to give local merchants enough wealth. Once their wealth reaches its peak, they will naturally disrupt the entire class system and put it to our use.”
"Our military force, as the backing of our wealth, must maintain sufficient deterrence, so the city-state of Masuripatnam has no need to exist! Let them find a new master!"
At this point, Lin Yongqian immediately raised his hand to indicate that he needed to ask a question.
"Yongqian, what's wrong with your management bureau?"
"Your Highness, if the merchants eventually become too powerful and replace the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, how should we control them?"
Qin Mo asked Lin Yongqian to sit down, and then drew an industrial classification diagram on the blackboard.
“Yongqian’s question is very insightful. Any class that expands to its extreme will inevitably seek more powerful rights, and the way to seek rights… can only be through force in the end.”
"The strength of a country's military ultimately depends on the level of development of its military industry."
“A country without heavy industry cannot form a strong military industry. As long as you stifle the development of heavy industry, their military strength will never be able to compete with ours. No matter how rich they are, they will be lambs in our pen, at our mercy.”
Qin Mo spoke fluently and eloquently, much like the mobilization speech given by the CEO of the steel group he worked for in his previous life, but after he finished speaking, he always felt that something was missing.
Qin Mo thought for a while and finally understood. The lack of enthusiastic applause was one thing, but the admiring gazes of the crowd gave him a sense of accomplishment.
"Your Highness, I am willing to lead the army to attack Masuripatnam!"
Wu Mingyi didn't have a deep enough understanding of this subtle, underhanded tactic, so he preferred to use the method he was best at to demonstrate his loyalty.
"Have Old Xiao cooperate with you. You have ten days to reach Masuripatnam and launch a siege, in order to cooperate with the Development Authority in pacifying other surrounding city-states."
"Yes, sir!"
Wu Mingyi excitedly accepted the order and left. Since he left Dayuan a few years ago, his subordinates' strength has continued to grow. Naturally, he had his own ideas. If he could capture Masuripatnam this time, would Qin Mo appoint him as governor?
Hassan put down his shovel and walked to his dining table, where food was already prepared. This was the only privilege he had on the construction site that distinguished him from the others; the others had to line up for their meals and eat squatting on the ground.
"Captain Hassan, how's the progress on your end? Are you able to meet Da Xia Rao's requirements?"
Hollin and the others were already waiting at the table. Everyone was now called "production team leader," and they liked to use this title to cover up their status as prisoners of war.
"Things are going relatively smoothly on my end. There aren't many large rocks underground, so the digging is progressing quickly. We can start building the stone wall tomorrow."
"The people of Daxia are indeed clever. They can build a pier that is comparable to stone using this kind of cement. Once this is completed, it will be able to accommodate ten large ships at a time."
Hollin looked at the bay in front of him. Many large ships could not dock and could only anchor at sea, relying on other ships to transport goods.
Hassan stared blankly at the large four-masted galleon in the sea, muttering, "When...when will we have a ship this big..."
"Waaaaah"
The sudden sound of the bugle startled Hassan and his men. They had heard such bugle calls several times during their battle with the Da Yuan army, and each time it had brought them immense suffering.
Messengers rode their warhorses back and forth, relaying messages. Flag bearers on the hanging baskets in the military camp began to wave their flags frequently. Squads of high-ranking soldiers arrived at the dock in an orderly fashion, boarded large ships, and left the shore. The whole process was orderly and without any chaos, exuding a strong and intimidating aura of killing intent.
When the gantry cranes on the dock hoisted the cannons, each weighing thousands of kilograms, onto the ship, the Zhu people who were watching from afar were dumbfounded. The skill of the weapons and equipment of the Da Yuan Rao shocked them, and the might of the army terrified them.
"Who...are they going to fight?"
Hassan shook his head and said, "I don't know, as long as they don't come to attack us."
Masuliparinan is 800 li north of the local area. Qin Mo's expedition did not have enough horses and vehicles. If they traveled by land, they might not be able to reach it in ten days, not to mention the troubles they might encounter along the way.
When Qin Mo formulated his colonial strategy, he aimed to penetrate inland from the coastline. Therefore, all tactical plans were based on the navy. This attack on Masuriparinan was a model of landing first and then attacking the city.
The waters outside Masuliparinan Port are shallow, preventing large ships from docking directly. Their own country's trade goods can be transported by barge, but the Dayuan army can only find a suitable landing site nearby before turning to attack the city.
In the heart of Masuriparinan lies the palace of the Walter family, one of dozens of such palaces in the region, and the person residing there is referred to as... "King".
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