Chapter 68

"Don't be sad. Since you chose to become a knight, you knew that one day you would die in battle. But it seems God has some mercy on you, not only sparing your life but also bringing you to me. Isn't this a good thing for you?" Hong Tao didn't even need to turn around to know that Karl was missing home again. Sometimes, he would sit on the beach, looking at the sea and shedding tears.

"Sir, please tell me responsibly, can we really return to my country? I asked the merchants at the dock, and they said it's impossible to reach the Holy Roman Empire by sea. If we go by land, we will surely be captured by the Sultan's army and executed as heretics." Karl turned his head, expressing doubt for the first time, which went against his oath.

"You still don't trust me... The Arabs are nothing. Their rickety ships can barely hug the coastline. Let me tell you, south of Egypt, there is a vast land where people with black skin, even darker than the Egyptians, live. They are as black as coal. If we have a large and sturdy sailing ship, I can take you and a load of Song Dynasty silk back to your country. Then it will be your day of freedom. If you want to stay with your wife and children, that silk will be my gift to your family." Hong Tao wasn't worried about Karl betraying him. At this point, Karl was like a drowning man who would cling to any straw, no matter how thin, unless a thicker one appeared. The problem was that in this era, Hong Tao wasn't worried about a thicker straw appearing. Even if he beat Karl every day, Karl would have to endure it.

"Then what about you? Aren't you staying? I can introduce you to the king, who is my cousin. He will give you a large piece of land and make you the most respected lord in the empire." Karl was quite loyal and didn't forget who had brought him back to his country.

"Idiot, is your country as prosperous as the Song Dynasty? Zhenzhou is just a place where the Song Dynasty exiles criminals; it doesn't even count as a real city. If I want to be rich, can't I do it here?" Hong Tao felt like a sparrow trying to understand a swan's ambition.

"What are you going to do then?" Karl really couldn't understand what Hong Tao was planning. He wouldn't even become a lord?

"I'm going to be the master of all the world's oceans! Whoever builds the largest ships, transports goods at sea, or goes to certain places will have to listen to me. Otherwise, I'll make sure their ships can't return, including those from your country!" Hong Tao started to fantasize, speaking with great enthusiasm as if it were a real thing.

"God, you want to be a pirate!" Karl finally understood, realizing he had escaped from the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair.

"What pirate? That sounds so crude. This is called power! Do you understand? Why is your cousin the emperor? Isn't it because he has the power? If others don't listen to him, he kills them. The same principle applies to me on the sea. If someone doesn't listen to me, I'll kill them. What's the difference? You can collect taxes on land; why can't you collect them at sea? I've opened a new route that will benefit millions. Shouldn't they pay taxes to me?" Hong Tao had a lot of twisted logic ready for Karl. If you wanted to discuss theories about countries and governments, Hong Tao was the top theorist of his time, capable of writing books and theories.

"But... but the sea is free..." Karl's voice lacked confidence. If Hong Tao's theory were correct, land could be occupied, so why couldn't the sea be occupied?

"Who says the sea is free? Did your God decree it? If I don't believe in God, can he control me? The Persians and Arabs fight you. Why? Your Crusaders, full of energy, travel far to fight the Arabs. Why? It's all about who has the power to speak. The one with the most power makes the rules, right?" Indeed, Hong Tao's mouth started to twist. Every time the topic of royal or divine authority came up, Karl would inevitably get a beating from Hong Tao, and it wouldn't be for nothing. After the beating, Hong Tao would tell him, "This is power! I can beat you, so I make the rules. You can't beat me, so you listen to me!"

"But you don't have an army, no land, no city, no power!" Karl was stubborn. No matter how many times he got beaten, his temper never changed. In modern terms, he was a stubborn person, like a turtle that wouldn't let go once it bit. He had a good master in Hong Tao, who taught him jujitsu, albeit with a bit of personal vendetta. However, Hong Tao didn't restrict his arguments; if Karl made a good point, Hong Tao would acknowledge it.

"That's why you're an idiot. Do you need cities at sea? Do you need fortresses? Do you need a large army? What are you standing on?" Hong Tao's mouth twisted even more, his face full of contempt.

"Deck... oh, a ship!" Karl said this casually, but seeing Hong Tao pick up the spear beside him, he quickly added.

"Exactly, a ship is a city at sea, a territory at sea, an army at sea! With enough fast and numerous ships, no one can beat me at sea. What do you think of this ship compared to the ones from your country?" Hong Tao wasn't afraid of Karl understanding his thoughts. He hoped more people would understand and agree with his ideas. Even if he couldn't achieve it, someone else would, and eventually, it would succeed.

"It's the most beautiful sailboat I've ever seen. If my cousin had such a ship, I wouldn't have been captured. But it's a bit too small." Karl was still an honest person. No matter whether he agreed or not, he would admit the truth and argue when necessary.

"That's the problem, and why we haven't set sail for your homeland yet. I can build good ships, large ships, but it requires money, a lot of money." Hong Tao was a bit helpless. Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of funds.

"Can we earn enough money from fishing to build a large ship?" Karl felt his hope was fading.

"We fish to live. No matter what you want to achieve, you must first survive. Money alone isn't enough to become the emperor of the sea. Your cousin doesn't rule the country alone, right? People need a hierarchy. Your cousin united the noble class. I don't have that condition, so I have to unite the people around me. I give them a decent life, educate their children, and tie my interests to theirs. Then I have my own class." Hong Tao had to let Karl understand part of his thinking. He was a well-educated person, not as easily deceived as the boat people. He would think. If Hong Tao told him nothing, he would say nothing but would definitely act against him.

PS: Click, collect, and recommend! Throw them all at Hong Tao...

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