Chapter 247 Hubaye, Who Cuts Off People's Source of Wealth
Rana Singh and Ujiya Modi didn't believe what had happened until they boarded a ship and left Singapore. Looking at the ship full of Chinese goods, they were both filled with hope for their future.
Both enjoyed the rights of being "peripheral members" of the Development Authority, owing a whole ship of goods on credit, and in return, fulfilled the obligations of being "peripheral members," leading at least a dozen Development Authority ships to their hometown.
"Zhu" is the collective name used by the Bactrian Kingdom and other Southeast Asian countries for the Indian subcontinent. However, it is not actually a unified country today. The Mughal invaders from the north defeated their last sultan and established the Mughal Empire, which has occupied a large part of northern Zhu.
The entire kingdom of India is now leaderless, and can be described as a loose, chaotic, anarchic organization composed of hundreds of large city-states.
Rana Singh's hometown is Kolkata in the north. This city, belonging to the state of Bengal, became an important trading hub with Southeast Asian countries due to its coastal location. Ujiya Madi's hometown, Cochin, is located at the southernmost tip of India and is one of the pepper-producing areas. Therefore, the two would part ways after crossing the Strait of Malacca, each going their own way.
"Rana, we'll be parting ways tomorrow. There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time. You're smarter than me, so you'll definitely be able to answer my question."
That evening, the fleet found a spacious anchorage. Uguia boarded Lana's ship to bid farewell to his fellow sufferer.
"Ugia, are you trying to ask... whether those pirates have any connection with the Great Xia people?"
Ujiya quickly peeked outside, and seeing no one around, he started to count the small change.
"Don't be nervous, my friend. We don't need to care who those pirates are anymore. Just remember... we will be loyal to whoever can bring us wealth and status."
Ujiya nodded. He wasn't as smart as Lana, and it wasn't until now that he considered whether he had been tricked by the Great Xia people. But Lana's words made him quite agree. In any case, only the Great Xia people could bring him wealth now.
“Rana, you are a Kshatriya, so you should be able to protect your property. But I am a Vaishya. Although doing business is my duty, I don’t know if I will be oppressed if I suddenly acquire such a large fortune.”
"No, Ugia, those accompanying merchants are no ordinary people. They will give you the help you need."
Rana Singh looked at the dozens of large ships anchored on the shore and gave Ujiya a positive answer.
This time, the two men each led more than a dozen merchant ships, each with nearly a hundred caravan "guards." However, Ugia and Lana felt that those guards were more elite and terrifying than the army of their own city-state.
Director Lin once told them, "As long as you fulfill your responsibilities, the Administration Bureau will not hesitate to reward you and will certainly help you form a 'protection team'."
Looking at the elite guards in full armor, both of them showed envy. If they had such a guard, wouldn't they be able to do whatever they wanted in their city-state? Even the city lord wouldn't dare to treat them too badly.
The rum was strong, and the liquor was even more intoxicating. The two men dreamed about their future and gradually got drunk, eventually falling into a deep sleep together.
A commotion woke Lana up. Seeing that it was already bright outside the cabin, he quickly shook Ugia awake. If he didn't get back to his ship soon, he would miss the departure.
The crew on the ship had started arguing, but the two men spoke Daxia dialect in broken English and couldn't understand what they were saying, so they quickly went out of the cabin to see what was going on.
As soon as the two stepped out of the cabin, they saw a huge fleet of ships passing in front of the merchant ships anchored at the harbor, numbering at least fifty or sixty. Unlike the merchant ships of the Development Bureau, most of these ships were significantly longer and more agile, escorting the dozen or so large ships in the middle, which were the true merchant ships, each a four-masted sailing vessel.
"I...have seen ships like those from the Great Xia Dynasty before. They can carry at least ten thousand shi of cargo, and six or seven hundred people if they're carrying passengers...Are they also a caravan like ours?"
Ugia remembered his last night on Zengmu Island, when the Great Xia caravan had one such four-masted ship, and now there were more than a dozen. Just how big was this caravan?
“Ugia…this isn’t a merchant fleet, this is…an army. No merchant would use these ships to transport goods, although they are certainly fast…” Rana explained to Ugia, pointing to the group of slender frigates.
Where...are they going?
The fleet is too large. If the ships are indeed an army, they will be an enormous force that cannot be stopped, no matter where they land.
"Hehe! I actually hope they go to my hometown. We Bengalis are fighting the Mughals and desperately need reinforcements. As long as I can get to know some important figures in Great Xia, I can revive the glory of my family." Rana had figured it out; attaching himself to Great Xia was the fastest way to revitalize his family.
Unfortunately, Lana was destined to be disappointed. The fleet was not going to Calcutta, but to the southern part of the country, and the most important person, Qin Mo, was on one of the ships.
"Your Highness, I have already dispatched a liaison ship. Hubaye should have received the message by now, and we five should be able to reach the local area by now. This is the intelligence I have recently gathered. Please take a look, Your Highness."
"Yongqian, you don't need to call me 'Your Highness' when we're not together. We're all family, so just be casual with me."
"Your Highness, you mustn't. The proper etiquette between superiors and inferiors must not be disregarded. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
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