Chapter 276:

Chapter 276:

Kashapa faithfully executed Marcuss orders.

Marcus collected the first compensation from the defeated Satavahana and established extraterritorial rights in the port area.

Then he withdrew his army and returned to Ctesiphon.

Kashapa, under Marcuss protection, gathered the dissatisfied factions that had been lurking under the surface and formed a powerful organization.

Satavahana had no choice but to watch his movements helplessly.

Kashapa was Marcuss man, but he also openly involved Roman merchants in his organization.

The merchants led by Tadius brought huge capital and supported Kashapas back.

The birth of the giant trade organization that would later be called the North India Company happened naturally like water flowing.

The people in the port area where extraterritorial rights were set quickly realized that Satavahana was no longer the master of India.

The ones who used to strut around with pride as Kshatriyas also showed their powerless appearance here.

What? You want me to pay overdue interest? How dare you?

Today, as usual, the roar of a noble who could not adapt to the new change erupted.

The noble who was blushing was opposite to Tadius who stood in front of him and did not lose his smile on his face.

You broke the contract, so you have to bear the consequences. Isnt that right, Kashapa?

Of course. The contract is sacred, so no one should take it lightly. Even if you are a Kshatriya or a Brahmin, there is no exception.

Bharad, the noble who heard Kashapas words, snorted as if he was incredulous.

He was a high-ranking noble who was known by everyone in this port area.

He had never had any problems with delaying the delivery date by a day or two as he pleased while doing business.

He suppressed his emotions with superhuman patience and opened his mouth calmly.

There must have been some misunderstanding. The Vaishya who traded with you is my subordinate. That means he has my protection.

Yes. I know that.

And you still say that I have to suffer disadvantages because the deadline was delayed by a day? Dont tell me you dont know who I am?

Do you know who you traded with?

Bharad could not stand it anymore and shouted, raising his hand to his weapon reflexively.

How dare you take this attitude to me in this port? I can make this contract null and void from the beginning by my authority according to the Manu Code.

Im sorry to hear that.

Tadius gestured and the heavily armed soldiers behind him drew their weapons at once.

From now on, Roman law takes precedence over Manu Code in this place. If you want to appeal, please do so to His Majesty of your country and Shahanshah of Rome who signed this treaty.

Bharad, overwhelmed by the menacing soldiers, looked around for a helping hand.

Roman bastards dare to act as they please in this land. Kashapa! You are a Kshatriya of Satavahana, but you became a lackey of Rome.DiisCoover updated novels on n(o)v./e/lbin(.)com

Im touched that you think of me as a Kshatriya like you. But why did Manu Code specify us as lower Kshatriyas?

You harbored resentment for your treatment

Thats why you should have kept your contract faithfully. Didnt I announce it several times since a few weeks ago? When you contract with Romans, you have to follow their laws faithfully.

Kashapa gestured and the soldiers quickly beat up Bharads guards and captured him.

The street was full of spectators from foreign merchants to ordinary people because of the commotion that happened in broad daylight.

Kashapa looked around them and shouted proudly.

As you all saw, Roman law takes precedence over Satavahanas law, system, and customs here. It will not be tolerated to act recklessly by trusting your status and position as before. Of course, this has nothing to do with most of the good people, so dont worry too much. Just follow the law and system as you do now!

The foreign merchants just watched the whole process with wide-eyed faces.

He claimed that Rome had planned to harm Han from the beginning with a sophisticated design.

Shi Xian decided to push that the war with Tianzhu was also part of that plan.

Rome, especially Marcus who is in Shahanshahs position, is a man with tremendous ambition. He won the war with Tianzhu and started working on dominating it as he pleased. He might try to set up administrative districts like Military or Military Camp that we have established.

At that time, Han had established a Military Camp in modern Vietnam area and a Military in northern Korea and Manchuria area to exercise their dominance.

Among Military Camp, Im East County had lost its function, but Na Lang County, Da Fang County, and Mysterious Way County were still functioning well.

Maybe Rome also wanted to expand their dominance in a similar way to Han.

Liu Shi found Shi Xians argument quite reasonable.

So can we say that Rome revealed their ambition to expand their territory eastward? Tianzhu is their bridgehead?

That seems reasonable to me. Their greed has no end. They pretend to trade with us while stealing silk and tea.

Speaking of which, what happened to that matter? Didnt we say we would protest formally?

When Liu Shi heard that Rome was producing silk and selling it to other countries, he almost collapsed from high blood pressure.

He knew it was useless, but he sent a formal protest letter to ease his anger a little.

But strangely enough, he did not receive a report that the answer had arrived, even though quite some time had passed.

As Liu Shis questioning gaze poured down, Shi Xian hurriedly scratched his head and stammered.

Tha-that is it was so arrogant and rude

The wrongdoer gets angry instead. Tell me what the answer was, even if its a brief summary.

Yes. Tha-that is

Shi Xian closed his eyes tightly and told him the answer that came from Rome.

They said silk and tea are originally Romes

What?

And they said a great country needs dignity that does not care about such trivial matters. If you fall into a small country yourself, you will not be able to resist the great country. They beat around the bush, but in summary, they said something like this.

The center of the world, the Central Plains.

Who ever dared to say such a rebellious thing to the emperor of that place?

Liu Shi exploded with anger and rose from the throne with a red face.

How dare these lowly western barbarians!

Fearing that the sparks would fly to them, Eunuchs quickly lay down on the floor.

The military leaders also lowered their eyes and waited for the emperors wrath to subside.

Liu Shi gritted his teeth and shouted for a while.

I will cut off all trade with Roman bastards. They will feel anxious when they have no place to sell their goods.

Yo-your Majesty! But

What. Is there a problem?

Tha-that is, sugar is a luxury item, so we can cut off the import, but we dont have any substitutes for things like paper right now. If we go back to writing on bamboo slips, the efficiency will be too low

Then make paper! The Roman bastards can steal our goods well, why cant we do it?

Considering that paper was originally made in Han, it was a ridiculous farce.

But paper would not be developed properly until decades later, and even if paper was made, the quality difference was too big.

Liu Shi calmed down his emotions and sat back on the throne and sighed deeply.

I will never forget this humiliation. I will pay them back by any means.

End