The sun never sets in America

Chapter 268 African Development: Part of Eastern Company

On the coast of East Africa, a merchant ship with a mottled hull, emitting "gurgling" black smoke, was traveling at a constant speed.

It's just that every time the ship comes to an island, even a reef floating on the sea, it has to pull over for inspection and finally mark it.

Because of this matter, Deputy Ambassador Wang also asked Master Tang why he did this. After all, the charts they bought from foreigners could still be used? ?

Master Tang replied:

"Everything is difficult at the beginning. It's not a good thing to pretend to be someone else!!"

Listening to the words of chewing words, Vice Wang did not say anything, but scolded "Stinky Lao Nine" in his heart! !

Master Tang didn't care about Deputy Ambassador Wang's reaction. Whenever he encountered a reef, the island would have to find someone to draw a plan and make a thorough study.

It was also in this way that Dongfang 105 arrived at Mozambique on the coast of East Africa.

Mozambique has a long strip of terrain and is rich in natural resources, from wood from virgin forests to African savannahs and even the section close to the Mozambique Channel. There are also rich fishery resources. This is why the Portuguese landed in Mozambique. main reason.

However, Portugal is different from populous countries like Britain and France. Portugal has a relatively small population, and it is not easy to manage the huge South American region. There is no way to replicate the colonial miracles in South America, Brazil and other places in Mozambique.

Therefore, the local Portuguese mainly focus on triangular trade. What is triangular trade? ?

In fact, it is a tripartite economy based on the dumping of slaves, ivory, and industrial products.

The local tribes sold tribesmen from hostile tribes to Portuguese colonists in Mozambique, who then sold them to the tribes, such as tobacco, sugar, coffee, mirrors, and even old-fashioned muskets and ammunition.

Finally, these slaves are brought back to Mozambique for transit and transported to the world, including, of course, South America.

(Mozambique Island, also called Stone Island and Lime Island, is the center of Portuguese rule in Mozambique Island, similar to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.)

This economic model is actually not uncommon in the current world, and is even practiced in most colonial areas.

The colonists not only got rid of the cost of rule, but also gained benefits, and also reduced the local population. It can be said that they killed two birds with one stone.

…………

Mozambique Island is a small, even small island. If you evaluate the island, its location may only be commendable. It is close to the East African mainland and has a good small port that can quickly transfer wealth obtained from the mainland.

To describe it in one sentence, Mozambique Island is a wealth transfer station for the Portuguese, or a den for selling stolen goods.

When Dongfang 105 approached the port, my first thought was that it was too small. The island was like a small town, and you could see it all at a glance.

The entire Mozambique Island is only 28 square kilometers, which can be said to be the smallest among the small. It is about the size of the center of Xijing city.

(Xijing urban area covers an area of 150 square kilometers and has a population of one million)

But don't underestimate the island. In the 17th century, the Netherlands came across the sea to conquer the island. In the end, under the powerful fortress naval guns, they could only lose their troops and return in defeat.

When Master Tang and others disembarked, the whole island was in a sensation because this was the first Han merchant ship to arrive.

For a time, the entire Dongfang 105 merchant ship was surrounded, and the local Governor Cristiano also personally received Master Tang and his party.

During the conversation with the help of an interpreter, the Portuguese nobleman couldn't help but ask:

“Are you the official colonial team of Han??”

After hearing this, except Master Tang who was still smiling, Deputy Wang was almost frightened.

After all, what they are doing, at best, is to open up territory for the king, but at worst, it is actually an act of crossing the line for personal gain. What if these Portuguese people find out? ?

Deputy Wang didn't dare to think about it anymore! !

Only Master Tang replied with a smile after listening to the translation:

"Dear Governor, we are a private company. You may not understand what we mean, but I believe you understand the East India Company, right?"

After saying that, he tilted his head towards the interpreter to indicate the interpreter.

After the translator waited for Master Tang to finish speaking, he immediately translated to Governor Cristiano in Portuguese.

After Governor Cristiano heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and his eyes became much more polite when he looked at Master Tang, Deputy Ambassador Wang and others.

Then Master Tang and Deputy Ambassador Wang were invited to have lunch at the Governor's Mansion. As for the other people on the ship, they also ordered the following to prepare meals.

"cheers……"

Master Tang changed into an old-school gray suit, combed his hair neatly, and frequently clinked glasses with the convoluted-named Governor Cristiano in front of him.

Taking a sip of red wine, Governor Cristiano took advantage of the fiery atmosphere and asked:

"Mr. Tang, what I want to know is that your company, the Oriental Africa Company, plans to colonize Africa. You know, below us is the British South Africa, and above are some small indigenous countries. These small countries look like they are not doing well, but they are actually difficult to deal with..."

The translator immediately told Master Tang in Chinese.

Master Tang drank red wine and said nothing. He already understood what the governor wanted to say. He just wanted to tell them that there is an owner here. If they want to colonize, they should go to other places. Don't do it to everyone. If it’s unpleasant, it’s bad.

As expected, Governor Cristiano continued to hold the wine glass and continued to look at the thin but bright-eyed middle-aged oriental man opposite him and said:

"Mr. Tang, I have a suggestion. I don't know if you are willing to do it. At present, the visible trade in East Africa has been monopolized by us. It is impossible to let you in again. In this case, you might as well go to West Africa. , It’s just a detour. As far as I know, there are basically no large colonies in West Africa, and your company can also flex its muscles..."

After saying that, the Governor directly stretched out the wine glass in his hand, intending to continue clinking glasses with Master Tang.

Master Tang looked at the wine glass in front of him, chuckled, and then said:

"Tell the truth, Your Majesty the Governor, we came to Africa mainly for slaves, not for the market. If it was for the market, why did we come to East Africa? Wouldn't it be better to go directly to North Africa to earn Arab money??"

Hearing this, Governor Cristiano's hand holding the red wine glass stopped a little, not knowing what the other party meant.

At this time, Master Tang continued to speak: "Your Majesty the Governor, we came to East Africa firstly for slaves, and secondly, to obtain some local products, such as ivory..."

"The reason for this is because the people behind me are all Han nobles. You know, nobles are like this. They always like flashy things!!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I said this wrong. They are not flashy things, they are art. Don't you think so, Your Excellency the Governor?"

Master Tang pretended that he had said something wrong, and even drank the red wine in the glass in front of Governor Cristiano as an apology.

On the opposite side, Governor Cristiano's mouth twitched after listening to the translator's narration. Although he was dissatisfied with the other party's cursing at him, he finally felt relieved for the time being.

After all, as long as they are here to get slaves and ivory, they are all available in the African grasslands, but the market and trade cannot be given up. If they are given up, what else will their Mozambique colony, including him as the governor, eat? , and more importantly, what are you greedy for? ?

At this time, Master Tang took a half-filled glass of red wine from the waiter's tray and raised his glass to invite Governor Cristiano. The meaning was self-evident.

Governor Cristiano looked at the red wine glass in Master Tang's hand and understood what he meant. After thinking for a few seconds, he also picked up a glass of red wine from the tray and stretched it out.

"bump!!"

"cheers……"

“Wish us a happy time together!!”

"No, you'd better stay away, otherwise I will worry about whether there will be a thief in the house!!"

"Haha... No, because we are robbers, and robbers can only rob, but not steal."

"Ha ha……"

Seeing Master Tang having a pleasant conversation with the foreign governor, Deputy Ambassador Wang knew that something was done. At the same time, he also felt that the other party was bold and dared to use the nobles of the Han Dynasty as a cover and use it as a tiger skin to scare Portugal. This kind of He wouldn't dare to do it no matter what! !

After admiration, there is deep jealousy. After all, they are also the leader of the colonization and slave-making team, and he is also the invisible supervisor. Logically, he should suppress Master Tang. Now it seems that he is suppressed by him everywhere, which is really hateful! !

Thinking of this, Deputy Wang's eyes changed when he looked at Master Tang, who was still chatting and laughing with Governor Cristiano, showing undisguised vigilance and jealousy hidden under the vigilance.

.............................................

Woohoo...

Black smoke billowed into the sky, staining everything it passed with a hint of gray before disappearing again. "Master Tang, is this Madagascar island really here? Why does it seem so close to the Portuguese??"

Vice Ambassador Wang was sitting in the captain's cabin, looking at the chart given by the so-called Portuguese in front of him. There were a lot of foreign characters on it that he couldn't understand. It was like an insect crawling, making people dizzy.

Master Tang was chewing dried fruits purchased from Mozambique. They tasted good and seemed to be made from wild fruits somewhere in Africa.

"It's better to be close, because it makes those Portuguese foreign devils feel at ease!!"

Master Tang said nonchalantly while chewing dried fruits.

When Deputy Ambassador Wang heard this, he asked with some confusion:

"We are so close to them, if we have harmful intentions, are they not afraid??"

Deputy Wang looked at Master Tang with doubts in his eyes. He suspected that Master Tang had done something he didn't know about. Maybe this Madagascar was a trap.

"Ha ha……"

"What are you afraid of? If we go to the East African continent, they are really afraid. On this island, just clearing away the local indigenous people and occupying the territory will be enough for us to cause trouble. It is said that there are French people on the small island next to it, so But it’s even more lively...” (The French Moro Islands, as for the upper part of the original island, due to the chaos in France, there was no time to occupy it, and it is still under the jurisdiction of the local indigenous tribes)

Master Tang spoke so eloquently that Deputy Wang couldn't help but nod.

"You mean, the Portuguese let us come here with the idea of letting us fight the French, but they are sitting on the fishing boat?"

After Deputy Wang figured it out, he asked.

"Of course!!"

"The so-called way of the country is all about balance. Governor Cristiano, although he seems to have no brains, he still has some brains..."

Master Tang made a "swish" sound and fanned out the "Benevolence and Righteousness" fan.

Looking at the word "Benevolence and Righteousness" on the fan, Deputy Wang's mouth twitched, and then asked: "Since the Portuguese have tricked us so much, why are we still fooled? Just listen to them and go to West Africa. It's safe." Are you so angry??"

When Master Tang heard this, he glanced at Deputy Wang, flapped his folding fan a few times, and then replied: "Why are you going to West Africa? Not to mention taking a detour, and you have to be monitored by the British again. Have you forgotten that last time we We’re in Malacca, good guy, there are so many warships, if we really want to go there, coming and going in South Africa, it’s inevitable that the British won’t have bad intentions..."

"On the contrary, this place is different. This Madagascar is close to the Indian Ocean and is located at a strategic location. It can go up to West Asia and connect to East Africa and the African continent. The interior is also vast, not inferior to the size of Borneo. Our Lanfang occupies half of Borneo. With such power, if our Eastern Company occupies this island, in less than ten years, we can advance with the Portuguese barbarians and compete with the vast East African continent, and retreat to defend ourselves and wait for the right time, which is still a foundation..."

"What's more, if such a large island is fully occupied, whether it is dedicated to the imperial court to benefit generations of descendants, or it can be granted as a self-defense, wouldn't it be another Mu family in southern Yunnan..."

Speaking of this, Master Tang became excited, as if he had seen the grand scene in the future.

And Deputy Ambassador Wang’s last words turned into one sentence: “High, really high!!”

Master Tang was shaking his folding fan, and Deputy Wang was drinking tea. The map of Madagascar behind him was shining brightly, and the sunlight was shining in, making it even more dazzling.

…………

Southwest Madagascar, near Mozambique.

A merchant ship emitting black smoke was traveling along the coastline of the island, traveling extremely slowly because it was still drawing pictures.

Although there was a map given by the Portuguese, Master Tang did not believe it. He only believed what he saw.

Master Tang looked at the huge continent-like Madagascar across the coast, and a golden light burst out in his cloudy eyes.

Deputy Ambassador Wang got tired of watching it and went back to the cabin to play ball with the Persian beauty.

After waiting for a long time, Master Tang couldn't see Deputy Wang's person. There was a smile on his lips, and the sarcasm disappeared briefly.

"It seems we can dock..."

"What do you mean, let's explore again!!"

"It can dock, it really can."

Outside the boat, a small wooden boat rowed to a bay. After a rough visual inspection and mental calculation, he roughly calculated the possibility of being able to stop broadcasting.

Woohoo...

The merchant ship with black smoke slowly docked. On the shore at this time, there were only some traces of indigenous activities, but no indigenous people were seen. However, Master Tang had already asked people to open the second-hand naval guns purchased from the Nanyang Fleet. He took off his gun jacket and aimed it at the shore, ready to let the dear natives of Madagascar experience the gift from Lanfang.

The ship docked slightly, the cabin was opened, and a group of escort members holding muskets and bayonets ran down first to stand guard.

Several war horses bought from the Portuguese were driven out of the cabin, and several members of the Imperial Guard who were proficient in riding skills were searching around on horseback.

Half an hour later, the first cavalryman returned the same way and reported to Master Tang and Deputy Ambassador Wang:

"Tell Master Wang, there is a native tribe five miles ahead. This tribe grows rice..."

After hearing that there was rice, Master Tang and Deputy Wang looked at each other, and they could see a hint of joy in each other's eyes.

Master Tang struck while the iron was hot and directly issued an order: "Inform the brothers that the opportunity to attack the natives has arrived..."

"After this battle is successful, the woman will take it for herself, the wealth will be taken for herself, and everyone will share the profits together!!"

After the announcement, those members of the escort team who were still hesitant and listless suddenly became energetic.

In this way, Master Tang led four hundred members of the escort team to fight the first battle to destroy the country.

bang bang bang...

Several volleys of guns were fired, and a group of young natives fell in front of them.

Zhang Jun didn't even know how many people he had killed. Three or five? ?

The little five next to him was flushed and crazy, as if he was still in the pleasure of killing.

"Ugh……"

Zhang Jun looked at Xiao Wu, who was only seventeen years old, and sighed in his heart, then followed the large army with a bayonet and charged into the tribe.

For a while, there was a lot of excitement, and from time to time, women's yells and cries could be heard.

There were even sounds of children crying. The whole family was fine in the morning, but disappeared in the afternoon.

Master Tang stood in front of a statue carved from stone and inlaid with gems in the tribal capital, and smiled.

Deputy Wang next to him was smiling broadly and kept talking about how much property he had robbed.

He even pretended to be generous and asked Master Tang to share it first.

Master Tang just said: "Deputy Envoy Wang leads the troops first, and the troops should be divided first", which made the wealthy Deputy Envoy Wang happy.

After taking some time at night, Master Tang suggested to Deputy Ambassador Wang, who had already adapted: "This place is wild and remote, far away from the indigenous kingdoms, and has a natural harbor. It is suitable for building a sea city, built along the sea, like the Dutch Basin. Davia, the Mozambique Island of the Portuguese, the Golden Mountain of our Han..."

Deputy Ambassador Wang, who had long been overwhelmed by the huge wealth, just replied: "Master Tang can do the small things of building the city on his own, just do it yourself!!"

Master Tang smiled and looked at Deputy Ambassador Wang beside the bonfire. He didn't say a word, but he quickly used Deputy Ambassador Wang's name to inform everyone that they would enslave the natives to build earthen kilns and bake earthen bricks during the day tomorrow. Build an earthen city and build it later.

Two weeks later, a seaside earth city called Wanghai City stood on the west coast of Madagascar. Including the recently captured natives, there were more than 3,000 people in the city, 500 of whom were colonists from the Eastern Company.

(Near the port of Toliara in southwest Madagascar)

　Asking for monthly votes and rewards

　　

　

(End of this chapter)