I

Kuang Hong was ordered to pay a visit to King Wandan. As for who should be the king, this was not within his scope of consideration.

"Your Majesty the King, please allow me to introduce myself," Kuang Hong said with a smile. "My name is Kuang Lu. I am an envoy from China. On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of Datong, I have made a special trip to bring the Emperor's greetings to the King."

Sultan Ageng saluted again: "Welcome, Your Excellency, please convey my gratitude to the Emperor of your country on my behalf."

"This is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor." Kuang Hong turned around and pointed at the two boxes.

The envoy immediately handed over the gift list, and the navy soldiers carried the box over.

Sultan Ageng was even more happy. He had just succeeded in seizing the throne today and received a gift from the Chinese emperor.

He knew about China. It defeated the Dutch fleet last year, and this matter spread a lot in Southeast Asia. What's more, there are many Chinese in Banten itself. Even the minaret of the Banten Grand Mosque was designed and built by the Chinese.

Ageng said: "Your Majesty, please come in!"

"Please." Kuang Hong returned the greeting with a smile.

The envoys were arranged to stay in the palace and were treated very well because Wandan Kingdom was very rich.

Banten Port is the maritime trade center of the entire Southeast Asia, and its cargo trading volume far exceeds that of Malacca and Batavia. This is because both Malacca and Batavia were controlled by the Netherlands for exclusive business. Banten Port is a free port. Except for the Dutch, any country can come to trade.

That evening, Sultan Ageng hosted a banquet in honor of the envoys.

Before the banquet even started, everyone received an exquisite gift. Sultan Ageng also held out a sword: "This is the royal collection of Banten. Please pass it on to His Majesty the Emperor of China. It only represents my personal respect for the Emperor."

"I'll definitely bring it to you." Kuang Hong stood up and took it.

This sword has a peculiar shape, it is a Malay snake pattern sword. As for its specific appearance, please think of the Golden Snake Sword of the Golden Snake Man.

Moreover, the body of the sword is made of Damascus steel, and the scabbard is wrapped in shark skin and inlaid with rubies and sapphires.

Bandan Port has ships from all over the world, and its culture and art are also very inclusive.

Although Banten Kingdom is a religious country, the religion here is very unique, absorbing and integrating Hinduism, Buddhism, All Souls Religion and other contents. The architectural style of the minaret designed by the Chinese for the Banten Grand Mosque is neither Arabic, Persian, or Chinese, but a fusion of Mughal style and Malay-Hindu style.

The same is true for this sword. The sword body is Malay style, but the scabbard decoration is Persian style. I think Emperor Zhao of Nanjing would like it very much.

"Bah bang bang!"

Sultan Agung clapped his hands, the band and dancers came on stage, and the palace servants came with various kinds of food.

Alcohol is prohibited here, only fruit drinks are consumed.

Sultan Ageng raised his glass: "This glass is dedicated to the great Chinese Emperor!"

"Your Majesty!"

Kuang Hong stood up quickly, led all the envoys, and turned to bow to the northeast.

After sitting down again, Ageng pointed to a Chinese man at the table: "Your Majesty the Messenger, this is Mr. Skbanka, advisor to the Banten royal family, a profound scholar, and an excellent architect."

This Chinese man, who was about fifty years old, stood up and raised his hands and said, "Chen Lian, an overseas Chinese citizen, pays homage to the Lord Angel!"

"You're polite," Kuang Hong raised his hands and asked, "Where are you from?"

Chen Lian replied: "I am from Xiangshan County, Guangdong. I was born in a poor family when I was a child. I attended a village school for several years, and had to give up school and make a living by fishing. When I was thirteen years old, I followed my elders to go to sea and came to Java Island. My uncle died in Jakarta. I was wandering around and was taken in as a servant by a fireman. Seeing that I was smart, the fireman asked me to join the religion and learn some knowledge from him."

Kuang Hong said with a smile: "You and I are from the same hometown. I am from Nanhai County."

"I see. No wonder your accent is so friendly." Chen Lian suddenly became more enthusiastic.

Immediately, Chen Lian spoke to Ageng Sultan again in Malay, probably translating the conversation just now.

Sultan Ageng smiled even more happily. While drinking juice, he said: "What a coincidence. The advisor of the Banden royal family is actually from the same country as His Excellency the Ambassador. Your Excellency the Ambassador, you are a very talented countryman. More than ten Years ago, he designed and built the minaret for the Banten Grand Mosque, which was unanimously praised by religious believers."

Chen Lian chatted next to him: "Thanks to the great love of the old Sultan, otherwise how would I have a chance?"

After some small talk, the atmosphere became more harmonious.

Sultan Ageng picked up the opium and smoking utensils and said: "Your Majesty, please taste it. This is the best stuff. The Dutch are very bad. The opium they sell is always shoddy. Banten's friends, the British, are the real ones." With integrity, the opium sold by the British is always of high quality.”

Kuang Hong had seen opium a long time ago, and each person had a copy in front of the case. He handed over his hand and said: "Your Majesty, opium is banned in our country, just like wine in Wandan. His Majesty the Emperor of China said that opium is poisonous and will cause harm to people." It becomes addictive and ultimately maddening."

"Is that so?" Sultan Ageng was confused. "In Bandan, only nobles can enjoy opium. Smoking it will make people feel a hundred times more energetic."

Kuang Hong said: "The emperor of our country has banned the smoking of opium, so thank you for your highness's kindness. All envoys are not allowed to touch this substance."

Ageng Sultan said: "That is really a pity. I originally wanted to share the best opium with your envoy."

The Wandan nobles and officials present lit the smoke and started puffing on the smoke on the spot. Chen Lian, the royal adviser, was also smoking. After a while, everyone felt comfortable, and their words and actions became more casual.

This foreign hero instantly turned into an opium ghost.

The next day, the British obtained the Sultan's approval and came to the palace to contact the Chinese mission.

The UK focuses its main efforts on India and has set up 28 factories in India. The so-called factory is actually an office responsible for buying, selling, transporting, and packaging goods. The entire process is tax-free, which was authorized by the Mughal emperor.

On the Banten side, the British only had one trading post, buying goods from Chinese maritime merchants and storing them in warehouses waiting for merchant ships to transport them back to Europe.

By the way, the British East India Company finally started importing Chinese tea in the past two years.

I didn’t buy tea in the past because the British didn’t drink tea. Thanks to the vigorous promotion of Dutch businessmen, Chinese tea was not only popular in the Netherlands, but also spread to the British aristocracy.

"Nice to meet you, your distinguished envoy to China," the British man saluted. "My name is Thomas, and I am the head of the Banten Trading Post of the British East India Company."

The British guy brought his own translator, and he was Chinese.

Kuang Hong smiled and nodded: "Nice to meet you, Your Excellency."

Thomas asked directly: "China defeated the Netherlands in a naval battle last year. Is it going to attack Batavia this time? If so, Britain will be happy to help, and we will send troops together with China. Moreover, I will convince King Banten Also send troops.”

Kuang Hong said with a smile: "I have not received the king's order whether to attack Batavia. I came here to establish diplomatic relations with the Banten Kingdom and was ordered to reprimand the Dutch. As punishment, China will ban sales. Yun brocade is given to the Dutch. Is the UK interested in Yun brocade?"

"Is it the kind of Chinese imperial silk that is as beautiful as clouds?" Thomas' eyes widened with excitement.

Yunjin is currently only produced in Nanjing, with nearly 20,000 employees, and the annual output is limited. More than half of it is consumed in the domestic market, and very little is exported overseas. Yunjin's European market is completely monopolized by the Netherlands.

A few years ago, the Dutch auctioned Yun brocade at an unprecedented high price. Now only the top nobles or the rich can afford it.

Kuang Hong said: "When I came to Banten this time, I brought a boatload of brocade. If you are interested, you can sell half of it to the British East India Company."

"I'm interested, I'm interested. The price can be negotiated." Thomas was afraid that Kuang Hong would regret it.

This kind of scarce commodity is a pure seller's market, and you can make a lot of money as long as you buy it.

Kuang Hong added: "The Netherlands is too rampant. Our emperor has a good impression of Britain and is willing to conduct long-term friendly maritime trade. Please tell your king that he can send an envoy to visit China."

"Be sure to bring the emperor's words."

The King of England, who Thomas talks about running a train, has been imprisoned for a long time - in fact, the King has been beheaded, but the news has not yet reached Banten.

A few days later, Datong Navy began selling goods, many of which were scarce products that had been rounded up by the Netherlands.

In addition to Yun brocade, there are also imitation Ru porcelain and the like, and there are also a lot of cigars.

The name "Cigar" was given by Emperor Zhao himself.

Gray and white like snow, its shape is like an eggplant, it is a cigar.

The raw materials for making cigars are all high-quality tobacco leaves, and the customers are also wealthy people. Now they are gradually selling well in the south, and they can contribute a lot of tax revenue to the court every year. The tobacco leaves left over from making cigars are used to make shredded tobacco.

Currently, Jiangxi cigars are the most expensive, followed by Hunan cigars. However, Yunnan cigars are developing rapidly and have great potential to catch up.

In fact, this thing has been available in Europe for a long time, but Zhao Han still wanted to make a fortune. He ordered a large purchase of cigars and packaged them in lacquer boxes lined with imitation Ru porcelain or multicolored porcelain. He also carved patterns on the lacquer boxes and wrote Chinese characters "for the exclusive use of the Chinese royal family".

Then, this time the navy was asked to bring Wandan, and the price kept going up.

It only makes money once or twice. After the product becomes popular, there will definitely be counterfeit goods, and European businessmen will make their own packaging. Of course, this kind of packaging depends on Chinese businessmen to do it well.

While the civil servants of the Navy and the Ministry of Commerce were selling goods, Kuang Lu was conducting formal diplomacy with the Sultan in the palace.

"Sovereign country?" Sultan Ageng hesitated.

Kuang Hong said: "The predecessor of your country, Danmu Country, is actually a vassal state of China."

The founding monarch of the Banten Kingdom was originally a local noble of the Danmu Kingdom. He seized the country through rebellion and continued to grow.

Sultan Ageng asked: "If you become a vassal state of China, what obligations do you need to fulfill?"

Kuang Hong said: "China is going to war in Nanyang. If Wanden is needed to cooperate, Wandan should send troops. Chinese people in Wandan, even if they do not believe in religion, are not allowed to impose additional taxes."

"That's all?" Sultan Ageng was quite surprised.

Kuang Hong said with a smile: "That's all. If His Highness wants to pay tribute, you can go to Nanjing with the tribute. Of course, you will definitely not suffer. These tributes are paid. If Datong China becomes the suzerain of Wandan, it will ensure that The security of Banten. Any country that attacks Banten without authorization is equivalent to going to war with China! Of course, if Banten takes the initiative to attack other countries and other countries are forced to resist, China will not care about it."

"good!"

Sultan Ageng was overjoyed: "Wandan Kingdom is willing to honor the Chinese Emperor!"

Kuang Hong's real mission is to come to Nanyang to take in his younger brother.