Originally, everyone supported Kansu II's wishes and felt that the Ming Dynasty's treaty was quite good. They also felt that once the canal was excavated, it would be of great benefit to Egypt.
However, after Duer's analysis, everyone suddenly felt that the Ming people had bad intentions and wanted to take the opportunity to occupy Egypt, and they began to oppose it one after another.
Tong Yuan looked at the people in the hall. He couldn't understand what was going on because he couldn't hear Arabic. However, soon, a translator translated Duer's words to Tong Yuan.
"My Ming Dynasty is plotting Egypt?"
"They think too highly of themselves. Do we, the Ming Dynasty, need to plot something?"
"If you really think it's necessary, just send troops and capture it. There's no need for plotting."
After hearing the translation, Tong Yuan was almost furious.
These Egyptians are really shameless. You must know that many people in the Ming Dynasty have spoken out about sending troops to occupy Egypt directly, and then use these Egyptians as slaves. If the canal is built in this way, the cost can be very small, and the canal will be returned to the owner.
The Ming Dynasty did not need to be so halved with Egypt.
It's just because the senior officials of Ming Dynasty feel that the relationship between Ming Dynasty and Egypt is still very good. There is no need for this. They still need some friends.
Therefore, such an agreement was made. Ming Dynasty provided money, technology, and people to build the canal. Egypt only needed to provide some necessary support. After the canal was built, the benefits would be half.
To be honest, there are not many good things like this in the world.
But now these Egyptians actually feel that the Ming Dynasty is full of malice and want to take this opportunity to annex their Egypt.
Would you say you are angry?
"Your Majesty, because the people of Ming Dynasty have a big plan, they invested 20 million silver. This is not a small number, it is an astronomical sum. With such a huge wealth, they are just for half ownership of the canal?"
A nobleman stood up and continued.
"No, no, twenty million taels of silver is a huge amount for us, but it is nothing to the Ming Empire. Their annual tax revenue exceeds hundreds of millions of taels of silver."
"It's only thirty million taels of silver. It's nothing."
"The Ming Dynasty has a huge territory, with colonies and vassal states everywhere. If they really want to plot against us in Egypt, they don't need to bother so much and just send troops."
Soon afterwards, ministers who supported Kansu II came forward to express their opposition.
"We in Egypt are not that easy to bully, so they can't even imagine what they want when they send troops?"
"How do you think we compare to the Ottoman Empire?"
"Not even the Ottoman Empire is a rival to the Ming Empire, let alone us."
"If they really wanted to occupy Egypt, they could have easily done so long ago."
"Then why did they spend so much money digging the canal?"
"That's because Egypt and the Ming Empire have a very friendly relationship. The Ming Empire has always been very good to its friends."
"I object. There will be no pie in the sky. The people of Ming Dynasty definitely want to annex us."
"Why can't we build the canal ourselves?"
"As long as we recruit enough labor, we can build the canal on our own. There is no need to cooperate with the Ming people and bring us hidden dangers."
"Are you sure we can build the canal on our own?"
"Do we have enough money? Enough food? Or can we let those lowly farmers dig canals?"
There was a lot of discussion in the main hall, and the two sides were quarreling with red faces.
Kansu II looked extremely ugly, while Duer was smiling.
"His Majesty the King of Egypt~"
While everyone was arguing, Tong Yuan stood up and shouted very loudly.
His voice was very loud, covering all the sounds at once and drawing everyone's attention to it.
"Your Excellency Ambassador, please tell me if you have anything to say."
Kansu II looked at Tong Yuan and saw that Tong Yuan's face was not good-looking, and he understood in his heart.
Anyone who does this will be angry. The Ming Empire is clearly discussing with you to do business together. If you insist on judging a gentleman with a villain's heart, the other party will definitely be very angry.
"Our Ming Empire is a huge country, covering all parts of the world, with 150 million subjects, and the tax collected every year exceeds 100 million taels of silver."
"Our Ming Empire has millions of armored men. We only sent 200,000 troops to massacre hundreds of cities in the Ottoman Empire and wiped out more than 500,000 elite troops of the Ottoman Empire."
"Our Ming Empire is now very sincere in cooperating with Egypt to dig the canal, but you are so slanderous and speculating about our great Ming Empire."
"This is judging a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart, and looking at our Ming Dynasty with the eyes of a frog in the well. At the same time, it is also an insult to our Ming Empire."
"Your tiny Egypt has a radius of only a thousand miles and a population of only a few million. If we, the Ming Empire, really wanted to destroy you, why would we go to such trouble? Why would we find any excuse to send 100,000 troops, enough to destroy you?"
Tong Yuan raised his head very high and his voice was very clear. At the same time, he had no intention of leaving any dignity to the Egyptians.
The translator on the Egyptian side translated Tong Yuan's words, and suddenly the entire palace was silent. Everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Who would have thought that everyone was just discussing whether to build the canal and felt that the Ming people were plotting against Egypt, but they never expected that the Ming envoy would have such a big reaction.
What's more important is that the other party didn't give him any face. It can almost be said that he slapped the Egyptian hard in the face and despised the Egyptian hard.
The meaning is obvious. Our Ming Dynasty is very powerful. To destroy your Egypt is just like crushing an ant. If your Egypt is a big place, what is it worth for our Ming Empire to plot?
I really shame you.
Regarding Tong Yuan's words, no one had the slightest doubt. If the Ming Dynasty sent 100,000 troops, it could really easily destroy Egypt. Compared with the huge Ming Empire, Egypt was indeed very small. It was a small country and weak.
Twenty million taels of silver was an astronomical figure to Egypt, but it was nothing to the huge Ming Empire.
"Your Majesty, don't be angry!"
After a long while, Kansu II thought about it and said.
"We are not speculating on the Ming Empire's intentions. We all know how powerful and wealthy the Ming Empire is. We also believe that the reason why the Ming Empire cooperated with Egypt in digging the canal is entirely because of the friendship between our two countries."
"The Ming Empire thinks highly of Egypt, so it is willing to treat us so fairly and give me such favorable conditions. For this, I am deeply grateful."
Kansu II put himself too low, and he also put Egypt too low.
To be honest, he was really scared.
If the Ming Empire really directly sent troops to attack its own Egypt, I am afraid that Egypt would really not be far from destruction.
There is no need to doubt whether Ming Dynasty has the ability to attack Egypt.
Just around the Indian Ocean, the Ming Dynasty had many colonies and vassal states. The emperor of Ming Dynasty could recruit troops from these places to attack Egypt with a single order.
In addition, the Ming Dynasty had garrisons in Nanyun Province and here on the Mediterranean, so it was easy to mobilize large armies.
When that day comes, the already precarious and crumbling Mamluk Kingdom will definitely not be able to escape the fate of destruction. All it takes is to add fuel to the fire and a peasant uprising within Egypt will be enough to destroy everything now.
"Yes, yes~"
"Don't be angry, angel. This is just a small group of people within me. They are arrogant and frogs in the well. How could they know the power and wealth of the Ming Dynasty? How could they covet our little Egypt?"
"The Ming Dynasty is our best friend in Egypt. The people of the Ming Dynasty have always treated their friends sincerely. It can be seen from this agreement. We can imagine that His Majesty the Ming Emperor has a mind as broad as the sea."
"..."
When the other ministers heard this, they immediately followed suit.
At this moment, even the people on Duer's side became silent.
There is nothing to argue about internally, but once it provokes Ming's attack and offends the powerful Ming Empire, no one will get any good results.
As Tong Yuan said, did Ming Dynasty need to use these methods?
No, there was no need to resort to any means at all. The Ming Dynasty could have simply sent troops to occupy Egypt. There was no need to use the canal as an excuse to send troops.
Did Ming Dynasty need an excuse for its external expansion?
unnecessary?
The colonies in Tianzhu, the vassal states in East Africa, and the local indigenous people in these places, who can they talk to for explanation?
Did Ming Ming play tricks on them?
No, just send troops to attack, it's that simple.
"The Ming Empire and Egypt have a profound friendship. We are each other's most sincere friends. We should not doubt our friends' sincerity and friendship!"
"As for cooperating with the Ming Empire to dig the canal, everything is in accordance with the agreement. Do you have any other opinions?"
Upon seeing this, Kansu II immediately seized the opportunity and asked the ministers very formally.
"I have no objection~"
The first person to answer was naturally the people of Kansu II, and then the diehards headed by Durr looked at each other, and in the end they could only express in unison that they had no opinions.
If this matter continues like this, it will upset the people of Ming Dynasty, and everyone will really not get any benefits. If they really wait until the army of Ming Dynasty comes to kill them, they will lose everything.
"Since no one has any objections, the matter will be passed."
“We in Egypt officially cooperate with the Ming Empire to dig the Egyptian canal!”
Seeing that everyone had no objections, Kansu II stood up and said very domineeringly.
To be honest, he had never felt as comfortable as he did today. He finally took the lead in completing something he wanted to do. In the past, he would have been opposed by Duer and others, and nothing could be done.
