Silence.
When the Siwa youth named Carlo finished speaking, not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the entire room.
No one expected that he would come up with such a crazy idea.
Carlo is different from the previous young men. He is a direct descendant of the Shiva tribe and has been known as a child prodigy since he was young.
Especially in arithmetic, he has extremely profound attainments.
At the age of twenty, he has already gained fame.
This time I came to Ming Dynasty, it was for traveling.
But no one expected that something like this would happen.
"Carlo, you're crazier than me."
The young man who had been crazy before has now become quiet. He looked at Carlo with shocked eyes and spoke with admiration.
That’s the great Ming crown prince.
The most powerful and wealthy country in the world, the ruler of the present and the future.
Just one sentence can shock the whole world.
"Attacking the Crown Prince is not something we can die for."
"If we succeed, the entire Ayutthaya Dynasty will be buried with us. If we fail, the Siva family will be destroyed."
"In matters like this, the officials of the Ming Dynasty will never be negligent and will dig deep to find the truth."
Sivadri said with a serious expression.
The other tribesmen also had sad looks on their faces. Just one simple sentence almost frightened them to death.
Carlo looked a little helpless, and spread his hands and said, "Of course it's not the kind of attack you think. I'm not stupid enough to do that."
"If others can let us take the blame, we can naturally pass the blame on to others."
"I have carefully checked the laws of the Ming Dynasty and found many interesting things. Although the laws of the Ming Dynasty have a sense of exclusion towards foreign merchants, in fact, in terms of human rights, it is fair and just."
"We have now reached a dead end. If we cannot break the deadlock, then we can only die as Lord Delhi said."
"But since we are going to die anyway, why not die meaningfully?"
After hearing this, everyone finally felt relieved and took a deep breath.
The atmosphere just now almost suffocated me.
"What do you mean?" Sivadri asked.
Carlo continued, "The Ming Dynasty's Grandson is very respected by the people. In the hearts of most people, he is like a god. The original Ming Dynasty was not so powerful and even banned maritime trade. Now everything is brought by the Grandson."
"At tomorrow's ceremony, there will definitely be a large number of officers and soldiers protecting the Crown Prince's safety. Since the Crown Prince has lifted the restrictions and allowed everyone to watch the ceremony, then they will definitely not be too far away."
"At this time, if there is an incident that could 'attack' the Ming Dynasty's grandson, it will definitely cause a huge wave."
“And this is our opportunity.”
Carlo's words left everyone confused, even Sivadri didn't understand.
"What chance do we have?" a tribesman asked.
Carlo replied: "Of course there is a chance."
After that, he took out a small wooden bottle from the bag around his waist.
"This is the powder of Datura seeds. I think you all know that if a large number of people in our Shiva family are suddenly poisoned during tomorrow's ceremony, do you think it will be considered an attack on the Crown Prince?"
Datura, a highly poisonous flower.
Just one seed can poison and kill a horse in a short time.
"You want us to commit suicide by taking poison in the palace tomorrow. The officials will definitely not let this go and will definitely find out who poisoned us. Since the Crown Prince is also here, they don't know if it will affect him."
"As the murderer, we are already dead, so naturally there will be no results. In the end, the Ming officials can only shift the blame to other businessmen."
"Because we were poisoned to death in Ming, compensation will be given to the Siva family, or even the Ayutthaya Dynasty, and our death will be very valuable."
The young man from earlier suddenly spoke after listening to Carlo's words.
After this analysis, everyone's expressions suddenly looked a little better.
Although he did not escape the punishment of death, it was the best ending after all.
Carlo shook his head and said, "You are only half right."
"A long time ago, I saw someone accidentally eat a Datura flower, but he survived. It is true that the Datura flower is highly poisonous, but as long as there is enough water to dilute it and it receives timely treatment, it is not necessarily fatal."
"There will definitely be a doctor with the Crown Prince. We will drink the diluted water. As long as they don't watch us die, we will definitely survive."
suspended animation.
When they heard this plan, everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.
There were only four days left until they were expelled. During this time, Yu the Great was poisoned at the ceremony of the Ming Dynasty's grandson. The Ming Dynasty officials would certainly not say that they would be expelled.
And in this way, there is hope of staying.
There is a great possibility that the Ming Dynasty might revoke its previous punishment on them.
Then they would no longer be sinners of the Ayutthaya Dynasty, and the Siva family would be able to survive.
"What a genius idea." A Shiva man exclaimed, looking at Carlo with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
This saved their lives.
But Sivadri was not surprised.
Instead, he frowned and said, "According to your idea, not only us, but also our guards will have to take poison."
"Datura flowers are very toxic, which requires us to take them at about the same time. The best way is to mix them with water. Drinking water is a normal thing."
"But in this case, we must restrict them from drinking water before then. I believe that everyone here can keep the secret, but how can those people not reveal their flaws when they are interrogated by the Ming government?"
"If this is found out, it will be even more serious than the previous results."
Everyone was just happy to see the ending, but Sivadri saw a huge loophole in it.
Everyone's joy suddenly dimmed.
"So, they won't have another chance to speak. Someone is bound to die in this incident." Carlo added lightly.
Everyone understood immediately.
Except for everyone present here, everyone else will take the most poisonous datura flower, and the result will be death.
What a cruel idea.
But no one spoke.
Because only in this way can you survive.
The young man from before also fell silent at this time.
Siwadri sighed: "Just do as you say."
Carlo's face was calm, as if the cruel plan just now had nothing to do with him.
Although their lives were saved, all the tribesmen looked at Carlo with fear in their eyes.
The fact that he could come up with such a plan showed that he didn't care about the lives of his people at all. Even though he was their savior, they didn't have any good feelings towards him in their hearts.
Including the young man from before.
The council meeting ended and everyone stood up and left.
Carlo did not move, and neither did the young man.
After everyone had left, the young man stood up.
"I am a villain, for my own life, and you, to use the words of the Ming Dynasty, are a complete hypocrite."
"When I was in the big city, I always heard praises for you. Now it seems that it was just your performance."
"Who would have known that there would be such a scene beneath your face."
"That's brilliant, Carlo."
There was a hint of arrogance on the young man's face.
Carlo also understood what he meant.
After this matter was over, it was equivalent to that the other party had the evidence against me.
Watching the young man leave, Carlo was the only one left in the room. A faint smile suddenly appeared on his calm face.
"Lord Delhi is indeed amazing. He was able to see through it. But he has no other choice."
The corners of Carlo's mouth curled up slightly. Just now, Sivadri was the first to leave.
At the door, Sivadri turned his head and looked at himself deeply.
Carlo understood Sivadri's plan.
yes.
How is it possible that so many people survived?
The more people alive, the easier it will be for this plan to be exposed.
How could I put my life in the hands of others?
So, everyone please die.
It's enough that I stay.
…
Xin'an County.
Zhu Ying originally planned to come here after going to Hong Kong Island.
However, I didn't expect the incident with the Hong Kong dental firm to happen, so I changed my route and went directly to Guangzhou.
Tomorrow is the naval review, so Zhu Ying naturally came here from Guangzhou.
In the eyes of many people, the naval review was conducted because the Crown Prince had arrived here, and perhaps there was no other purpose.
Only Guan Xianghai, who was beside Zhu Ying, knew about it.
After this review, the Ming navy that has gathered here will leave the Ming waters and go directly to the South China Sea.
Not only will it be stationed there for a long time and firmly control the Strait of Malacca, it will also be the biggest support for the Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce.
At that time, the Chamber of Commerce will leverage the influence of the Ming Navy and begin investing in the entire South Sea coast.
This investment will have a huge impact on the future of Nanyang.
For several days, Guan Xianghai has been listening to the teachings of the Crown Prince and understood the real purpose of establishing the so-called Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce.
"After tomorrow, you will go with the navy. This will be the first stop for the Ming Ocean Trade Chamber of Commerce."
"The staff at Uncle Zhang's place have already been arranged for you. Just take a look at what you need to bring."
Zhu Ying said to Guan Xianghai with a smile.
He believed that with Guan Xianghai's ability, he would be able to run the Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce after knowing his ideas.
Guan Xianghai smiled bitterly and said, "I will definitely not let His Royal Highness down. However, I would like to ask His Royal Highness for a favor at the end."
Zhu Ying nodded slightly: "Go ahead."
Guan Xianghai said: "In my life, there are only two people I care about the most."
"One is my good-for-nothing sons, and the other is my own reputation."
"So I would like to ask His Royal Highness to allow me to change my name after entering the Chamber of Commerce."
After learning about the real Ming Ocean Trading Chamber of Commerce, Guan Xianghai knew that this was doing dirty work for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
What will inevitably follow is damage to reputation.
Having lived for most of his life, this hard-earned reputation is Guan Xianghai's last concern.
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Of course there is no problem with that. Tell the public that you have retired from the army and returned to the countryside."
Hearing the Crown Prince's agreement, Guan Xianghai breathed a sigh of relief.
This is equivalent to hiding one's identity and actually working in the Chamber of Commerce.
…
Hong Kong Port.
Dozens of ships have gathered here.
Although there are several treasure ships docked, there will be no treasure ships on this voyage.
The treasure ship was too big, and without the power provided by the strong monsoon in the ocean, it had no way of sailing.
It will take at least a few months until the monsoon arrives.
"I heard that Jin Kaishan was living a very comfortable life in Champa. Damn it, how come he had to go out to sea that time?"
"Hey, things change over time. I'm finally here this time, so I have to go over and enjoy myself."
In the cabin of the main ship, three men dressed as generals gathered together.
They were the commander-in-chief and two deputy commanders of this voyage.
The orthodox leader who was speaking was named Gan Ping. He and Jin Kaishan, who was stationed in Champa, were obviously colleagues who had worked together for a long time.
The Crown Prince's decree has been issued. After tomorrow's inspection, their navy of more than 20,000 people will set sail for the Strait of Malacca to station.
Deputy Commander Xu Cheng took a sip of wine and said, "I don't know what the Strait of Malacca is like. I heard there is a small country called Malacca there. I hope they can be obedient so that we don't have to take action."
The right deputy commander Shi Xu smiled and said, "I hope they don't know better. Otherwise, how can we show the strength of our Ming navy? When we get here, we have to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys first, otherwise others will look down on us."
Gan Ping drank a large bowl of wine fiercely: "Shi Xu is right. When we go there this time, we must find something to do even if we have nothing to do."
"The Ministry of War sent a message to me secretly this time, saying that our higher-ups mean that we must not weaken the prestige of the Ming Dynasty when we go out to sea this time, and no matter what the hidden dangers are, we must nip them in the bud in the bud."
"Most of us on this ship are combat soldiers. Of course, we are invincible on the sea, but we have to divide our forces to control both sides of the strait, which is not so easy."
Xu Cheng couldn't help but ask: "Sir, this time we go to sea, has the Ministry of War said how long we will be gone?"
Gan Ping shook his head and said, "No specific time was mentioned. We probably have to wait until Duke Cao returns."
"I heard that our Ming Dynasty's ocean-going fleet passed through the Strait of Malacca a long time ago and has now sailed to the Middle East."
"Hey, I wanted to go and take a look too, but it was a pity that it wasn't my turn."
Gan Ping's eyes revealed a strong sense of regret.
Then he finished the wine in the cup and said, "That's all for today. Let's rest early. The Crown Prince will come to inspect us tomorrow, so we can't make any mistakes."
"Tell the brothers below to raise their spirits and spirits for me, and don't let the Crown Prince be dissatisfied."
Xu Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. When those bastards heard that the Crown Prince was coming to inspect, they were all very excited. We don't need to give them any orders at all."