Chapter 148: The Foshan Trip, Part Fourteen

“Yes, I believe this is an excellent opportunity for the Jesuit order to serve the court. I am an old soldier myself; I fought in Europe for over a decade. While I haven’t cast cannons, I have certainly fired them. I understand the basic principles and can help you.”

“That’s wonderful! But what about the gunsmiths? No one here knows how to cast Western cannons.”

“The Portuguese will not give you their gunsmiths. It’s no use asking the Father-General,” Schall von Bell said. “If we are to find someone from Goa, we will have to wait until next year.”

“What are we to do?” Li Luoyou had thought that with the help of the Jesuits, hiring Portuguese gunsmiths would be a simple matter. He hadn’t expected it to be impossible. His gaze turned to the Englishman.

“Don’t look at me,” Quark said, raising his hands. “The East India Company’s gunsmiths are also in India. Where would I find any here?” He took out a pipe, filled it with tobacco, and began to puff away. “But I do have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Borrow the cannons!” Quark said. “Have the Jesuits ask the Portuguese to lend you a few cannons. Bring them here, have your craftsmen measure them, and then cast them to size. I have never seen craftsmen more skilled than the Chinese. If you show them, they will surely be able to replicate them.”

This was a feasible plan, but borrowing cannons from the Portuguese was a major undertaking that would require official permission. It would take some maneuvering. Li Luoyou was confident he could manage it. He had already arranged a marriage for his wife’s nephew with the daughter of a strategist in Wang Zunde’s staff. He could use this connection to lobby for the cannon manufacturing and borrowing.

“Borrowing cannons will also require the approval of the Macao Municipal Council. The Jesuit order cannot command the council.”

“I don’t think it will be a problem. As long as Viceroy Wang Zunde issues an order, the council will not dare to refuse.”

“But what kind of cannons should we borrow?” Although Li Luoyou was enthusiastic about the project, he was still a layman.

“I think the 12-pounder naval guns from last time would be very suitable,” Quark said. “I hear the Chinese army used them to kill the Tartar king.”

“He was just a barbarian chieftain. What kind of king was he!”

“If you are only concerned with defense, then large-caliber cannons are indeed the most suitable. But they cannot be used in field battles,” Schall von Bell said. “When the infantry needs fire support, these cannons are too heavy. You must cast 3-pounder and 6-pounder guns…” As a veteran of war, he had far more experience with artillery than the others.

“Light cannons, the court’s army has plenty of those…”

“I have seen the cannons the Chinese army uses to support its infantry. They move them with handcarts. The cannons are too light and not made to scientific specifications. They are not effective,” Schall von Bell said, shaking his head. “You need to build two-wheeled, horse-drawn gun carriages. Only then can you effectively support the infantry in battle and repel cavalry charges.”

Li Luoyou shook his head repeatedly, not because he disagreed, but because he knew the state of the Ming army all too well. They didn’t have enough horses, and even if they did, weren’t soldiers cheaper than horses? A soldier’s monthly pay was only one or two taels, while a horse cost at least several dozen. To equip an artillery battalion in the Western style, with seven or eight horses per cannon, was a cost no one could afford.

“Father, the court has a great demand for heavy cannons right now. And they are short on horses.”

“Not only are they short on horses, but even the draft horses they have are substandard,” Schall von Bell said. He knew that outside of the government, the army, and a few wealthy individuals, horses were rarely seen in China. And the horses here were mostly small. At first, he had thought the Chinese were accustomed to using ponies, but he later realized that was not the case.

“It seems we can only cast heavy cannons,” Schall von Bell said. “But the largest cannons on the Portuguese forts in Macao are only 18-pounders…”

That would be more than enough. Transporting the 12-pounder naval guns during the Tianqi era had already been a massive undertaking.

In the end, they decided to request the loan of an 18-pounder, a 12-pounder, and a 6-pounder cannon from the Macao Municipal Council, along with their carriages and mounts for replication. Li Luoyou still held out a sliver of hope—with Xu Guangqi’s expertise, surely he would see the importance of light artillery.

Li Luoyou took out his abacus and roughly calculated the various expenses of the venture to determine a basis for his future bids to manufacture the cannons.

“Once the foundry is established, I will first spread the gospel to the workers, and then use them to spread the word of God…” Schall von Bell transitioned from old soldier back to priest. “There is some good news recently.”

“What good news, Father?”

“The flock of God has grown. Do you remember Brother Álvaro Semedo?”

“Of course. He escorted the cannons to the capital with the Portuguese.”

“Not that one. That was João Rodrigues,” Schall von Bell shook his head. “I am speaking of Father Álvaro Semedo, who went to Qiongzhou to spread the gospel last year.”

Li Luoyou vaguely remembered such a person. “Has John had great success in spreading the gospel there?”

“No, not John.”

John was the son of the famous Ming dynasty Catholic, Wang Honghui. His baptismal name was John. Wang Honghui and Xu Guangqi had always been the Jesuit’s main hopes for evangelizing in the Ming dynasty.

Schall von Bell held his rosary and looked to the heavens. “It is a miracle! Thanks be to God! The miracle we thought would happen in Ding’an City in Hainan has instead occurred in Lin’gao City. The will of God is truly mysterious.”

He then proceeded to extol Semedo’s missionary achievements in Lin’gao: he had baptized hundreds of converts and established a church and a monastery. He praised the “Australians” on the island as a flock of devout lambs of God, sparing no effort in spreading the gospel.

“Lin’gao? The Australians?” Li Luoyou’s expression turned serious. The fame of “Australian goods” had been resounding in Guangdong for the past year. He had also heard that the Australians had sailed in iron ships, landed in Lin’gao, built a fortress, and established themselves there, much like the Portuguese had done in Macao. But after landing, they had been well-behaved, only sending ships to Guangzhou to trade their exotic goods and purchase supplies, without causing any trouble.

“Yes, it is the Australians who are now in Lin’gao. I hear they have already built a castle there called Bairen,” Schall von Bell said. Due to his connection with Semedo, he was well-informed about the situation in Lin’gao.

“They probably want to repeat the old tricks of the Portuguese,” Quark said. “To be honest, I would very much like to see these strange people for myself.”

“I hear there are some of your countrymen among them,” Schall von Bell said with a smile. “Brother Semedo said he saw several English-speaking women.”

“The Australians like English women?” Quark laughed heartily. “I really must go. It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted a countrywoman.”

Schall von Bell smiled. “Perhaps they are very fond of the English,” he said. “Father Semedo wrote in his letter that some of them speak many European languages, but almost everyone speaks English.”

“That is a strange thing indeed,” Quark’s curiosity was piqued. “I can’t imagine why anyone outside of England would learn English.”

In this era, intellectuals used Latin, and common people spoke their own languages. Even French had not yet spread to the remote corners of France. That there was a group of people in the East who could all speak some English, regardless of their background, was a strange and inexplicable phenomenon that defied all social norms.

“God bless them, they are all believers in God and have not fallen into heresy…” Schall von Bell made the sign of the cross on his chest and then looked earnestly at Quark. “Mr. Quark, the gates of God are always open for the lost lambs…”

“Father—” Quark knew he was about to be persuaded to be re-baptized and renounce his national faith for Catholicism. Faith meant nothing to the Englishman. As he had once said while drunk, he could believe in any religion at any time, or none at all. The Englishman did not believe in the existence of God; he was a thorough “kingless,” “godless” materialist who only believed in glittering gold.

“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore,” Li Luoyou changed the subject. “The Australians’ goods are extremely exquisite. Some seem to be European products, but even better. I wonder what their craftsmanship is like. I would very much like to see it.”

“I would like to see it too,” Quark said. “To do business with them directly. And to see the rumored iron ships. But the Ming court does not allow us to travel deep into the provinces, and the seas are not safe.”

Li Luoyou said, “Mr. Quark, if you are willing, we can go to Lin’gao together next month. On my ship.”

“Excellent, I will definitely go.” Quark had been looking for a new trade opportunity and readily accepted.

The three men chatted late into the night. The next morning, Li Luoyou first took his birthday gifts to the Lin residence to offer his congratulations and came to an understanding with Lin Ming. Schall von Bell began to teach catechism to a few of the local branch’s clerks. Li Luoyou thought it was a good thing for his employees to be religious; at least it would give them a spiritual anchor and keep them from having idle thoughts.

In the evening, Yang Shiyi came to visit. After dinner, the two men shut themselves in the study and talked for a long time, finally sealing the deal. Yang Shiyi was grinning from ear to ear. He had bought the red ginseng from Li Luoyou for sixty taels a catty and would sell it wholesale for a hundred. The retail price to customers would be nearly two hundred taels a catty. He would profit from both retail and wholesale.

Quark, due to his appearance, had to stay cooped up in the company building. Li Luoyou was an expert at handling foreign merchants. He provided him with good food and drink daily and occasionally sent a woman for his enjoyment, which Quark readily accepted. Besides eating, drinking, and making merry, his other task was to select European-style goods from the samples that Manager Cheng brought from various shops each day. Sometimes, he would even draw his own designs and patterns and request custom orders.