The moment Fan Bulian heard trade being used as leverage in the negotiation, he already understood that the Dutch would almost certainly agree to pay the demanded reparations, because when it came to preserving trade routes, the Dutch had proven time and time again that they were willing to make sacrifices that would seem excessive to others.
If one were to look back, there was already a precedent that made this outcome almost predictable, namely the well-known incident involving Hamada Yahyōe, an event that had once shaken trade relations between Japan and the Dutch East India Company.
The full details of that incident were long and complicated, but the essence of it could be summarized quite simply, because a Dutch official had offended a Japanese merchant, and what followed was not just a personal dispute but a chain reaction that escalated into the closure of Dutch trading posts in Hirado, forcing the Dutch into a position where they had to make significant concessions.
In the end, the Dutch had not only removed their own high-ranking official from power but had even handed him over to Japan for imprisonment, all for the sake of restoring trade relations, which was proof enough that in their hierarchy of priorities, commerce stood above pride, authority, and even the careers of their own leaders.
With that in mind, the demand for war reparations on behalf of the Dadu Kingdom, even if it might appear unreasonable on the surface, was something the Dutch would likely accept without pushing matters too far, because the alternative would be the complete loss of access to trade in this region.
Fan Bulian inclined his head slightly, his tone measured and composed.
"Very well, I will relay this matter to the East India Company, and I believe they will agree to most of your conditions."
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly, as if the outcome had never been in doubt.
"Good, then we will leave it at that."
He said nothing further, as though the matter had already been settled in his mind.
At that point, Jiang Cheng stepped forward and took over, his voice calm but firm as he addressed the missionary.
"Missionary Fan, I will arrange a ship to take you to Macau, but aside from you, none of the other prisoners will be allowed to leave, and regardless of gender, they will all be assigned to labor reform, where the men will be sent to mine and build roads, while the women will be tasked with operating textile machines, and how soon they are released will depend entirely on how quickly you return with results."
Fan Bulian was visibly startled, his composure faltering for the first time.
"Mining and road construction are dangerous tasks that could easily cost lives, so I ask that you do not mistreat the prisoners."
Jiang Cheng replied evenly, showing no sign of agitation.
"You can rest assured that our methods are relatively moderate, and we are not in the habit of working people to death, but whether those who have lived comfortable lives can endure such conditions is another matter entirely, so if you are concerned for them, then you should act quickly."
Fan Bulian nodded without hesitation.
"I understand, I will move as fast as possible."
Jiang Cheng turned slightly and gave a simple order.
"Prepare a fast ship and send him to Macau."
A voice immediately answered from not far away, carrying a youthful energy that stood out against the more seasoned figures present.
"On it, on it."
The one who stepped forward was Er'zhe, the Mongol Khan, still young enough that he had not been sent to the front lines during the battle, though the ship under his command was anything but insignificant, because it was one of the fastest vessels in the entire fleet, powered by the small electric motor provided by Dao Xuan Tianzun, capable of reaching speeds close to thirty knots when running at full capacity.
Such speed made it particularly suited to the hit-and-run tactics favored by the Mongols, even if the technology itself was something far beyond traditional warfare.
Fan Bulian boarded the ship, and the moment he settled in, he could already sense that this vessel was unlike anything he had ever encountered before, because despite having neither sails nor oars, it cut through the water with astonishing speed, leaving behind a trail of white foam as though some unseen force were propelling it forward.
He could not help but voice his confusion.
"Is this ship alive, because it moves like a great fish swimming through the sea."
Er'zhe laughed, clearly amused.
"You should stop asking questions like that, because I am not foolish enough to reveal such things to you, so just behave like a passenger and forget about playing the spy."
Fan Bulian fell silent for a moment, realizing that this line of inquiry would not lead anywhere productive.
Instead, he shifted his approach.
"Then tell me this, why are you helping the people of the Dadu Kingdom, because is it not possible that you are simply using their name as an excuse to collect this money for yourselves."
Er'zhe burst into laughter, shaking his head as if the idea itself was almost insulting.
"That amount of money is nothing to Dao Xuan Tianzun, because he would not even bother with such small gains, and what he is doing is simply taking care of the minority peoples."
Fan Bulian frowned slightly.
"Minority peoples."
Er'zhe continued, his tone carrying a sense of pride.
"In the eyes of Dao Xuan Tianzun, the people of the Dadu Kingdom are just one of the many groups that make up the Great Ming, because this land is vast beyond your imagination, and while some peoples are more advanced, like the Han, others remain poor and less developed, such as those living deep in the mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou, or the tribes of the Dadu Kingdom."
He paused briefly before adding.
"But regardless of their condition, they are all under his protection."
He did not mention the Mongols, though the omission was deliberate, because while they were not as advanced as the Han, they were certainly not as weak as the most isolated tribes.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun does not abandon people simply because they are primitive, and he does not reject them even if they have rebelled in the past, because to him, all peoples deserve care."
Fan Bulian was struck by these words, because they reminded him of a familiar idea.
In his own faith, there was a saying that God's love was unconditional, extending to all regardless of belief, race, or status, and the similarity between the two concepts left him momentarily unsettled.
"What kind of religion is this," he asked.
Er'zhe lifted his chin slightly, unable to hide a trace of pride.
"It is the Dao Xuan Tianzun Sect."
Fan Bulian silently committed the name to memory.
Western missionaries were, after all, highly adaptable, and throughout their efforts to spread their faith, they had learned to compromise and adjust in order to fit local cultures, whether by adopting the appearance of Buddhist monks when first entering China or later aligning themselves with Confucian scholars once they realized where true influence lay.
Even the very term used for God had been localized to fit Chinese understanding, reshaped into something that resonated with the concept of a heavenly ruler.
With that in mind, Fan Bulian began to consider a possibility.
If he could find a way to align the teachings of his own faith with those of the Dao Xuan Tianzun Sect, then perhaps he could establish a foothold here.
Turning to Er'zhe, he asked with genuine curiosity.
"Would it be possible for me to obtain a scripture from your sect, because I would like to study it."
Er'zhe waved his hand casually.
"That is easy."
He returned to the cabin and soon came back carrying a thick stack of books, which he dropped beside Fan Bulian with a grin.
"Here, this is the Dao Xuan Tianzun Demon-Slaying Chronicles, from volume one to volume thirty-two, all of it is here."
Fan Bulian picked up one of the books and flipped it open, only to find that it was presented in an illustrated format, making it far more accessible than he had expected.
"This is drawn like a series of pictures, which makes it much easier to understand."
Since the journey to Macau would take some time, he wasted none of it, immediately immersing himself in the material with complete focus, reading without pause as the fast ship cut through the waves at remarkable speed.
Time passed unnoticed as he continued reading, page after page, until the coastline of Macau finally came into view, and by the time the ship reached its destination, he had already gone through the entire set of the Dao Xuan Tianzun Demon-Slaying Chronicles, gaining a foundational understanding of this unfamiliar yet strangely compelling belief system.