Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1487 Strategic Encirclement ([-])

Two hundreds of tons of Galen sailing ships anchored at the rough wharf of Yicheng Port.

Although the seabed silt has not been cleared and an eight-meter-deep boating channel has not yet been excavated, Yicheng Bay (Dragua Bay, now Maputo Bay) is not considered one of the three good ports in Africa in later generations, but the draft was common in the 17th century. For ships that are not tall, it is enough to use, and the excellent conditions of this port are always highly praised by sailors of this era.

Sir Montagu boarded the pier with a tired look, intending to rest here for a few days, replenish supplies, and then continue to set off with the ship to India.Yes, since British South Africa was officially handed over to the East Coasters by the king's envoy, he has actually been "unemployed", which made him feel very uncomfortable.However, the representative of the East India Company who came later gave him a new job: to work as a business representative at the Indian trading station, which cheered him up a little and found a new opportunity for the next stage of his life. coordinate.

Sir Montague couldn't let go of the loss of British South Africa, and he also held a fierce opposition attitude at the beginning.Because in his view, the barren New Netherland could not compensate for the pain of losing South Africa.However, if the situation is like this, there is nothing he can do. At the moment when the Dutch are besieging Fort Charles and the result of the Anglo-Dutch naval battle is not good for England, Jazz himself has gradually accepted the reality. He knows that with England's current strength, It may not really be possible to retain a key colony in South Africa.But at this time, he still hopes that the British South Africa can be handed over to the United Provinces in exchange for other interests on the negotiating table, not the pagan country on the east coast that seems to never have enough to feed.

To put it bluntly, the United Provinces are, after all, a place where Christians and even Protestants occupy the mainstream ideology, and they also have a lot of ties to England, and they have a lot of contacts.Handing over the British South Africa to the United Provinces may not be impossible to get it back in the future, and even if it cannot be taken back, there will not be too many obstacles to the use of British ships.But handing it over to the yellow-skinned pagans on the east coast is hard to say. After all, they haven’t had much dealings with them before. Nearly, England is unlikely to get it back by means of war or blackmail.Therefore, handing over British South Africa to the United Provinces is indeed much better than handing over to the East Coasters.

But all he said doesn't count!He is not the person in charge, he only has the right to make suggestions, and even suggestions are nothing in the eyes of others!Therefore, the British South Africa was handed over to the east bank by King Charles in exchange for the people on the east bank not interfering with their acquisition of New Netherland. The ongoing Anglo-Dutch peace talks have already begun, and Britain may be forced to cede The rich Guyana was exchanged for the barren and low-yielding New Netherland-this inconspicuous colony on the North American continent. The East India Company urgently needed the support of the king because it had been bombarded by many people in Congress recently. This quid pro quo was therefore agreed upon in exchange for a compensation of forty thousand pounds from the king's brother, the Duke of York.

This level of exchange is actually unacceptable in the eyes of Sir Montague.Leaving aside the extremely important geographic location of the British South Africa itself, the Guyana region, which is favored by the Dutch and is about to be ceded, is an unparalleled wealth with its annual output of several thousand tons of sucrose. This place was ceded to the United Kingdom. The province will inevitably make Britain feel heartbroken for a long time.And what about New Netherland?Some Dutch Boers, German farmers, Swedish idiots!In addition to some giant timber and furs traded from the Indians, there is only food that cannot be sold at a high price!How can such conditions attract investors and develop rapidly?

There is also the British South African colony. This place guards the gate to the East. The geographical location is critical. Once the British cannot get a foothold here, they will inevitably be in a disadvantageous position in the colonial trade in the Far East and India in the future. It is absolutely unacceptable to Sir Montagu, who pays attention to East India trade-it seems that Mr. Charles, the ambassador to the East, shares the same view with him-although the people on the east coast promised them that some of the existing ports in South Africa on the east coast will be opened to them in the future. The British ships are open, but this kind of promise has never been reliable, because the decision-making power is entirely in the hands of the people on the east coast, and it depends entirely on their mood whether to let the British ships replenish!What's more, what they promised was only opening up in peacetime. In wartime, hehe, the British East India Company will deeply understand this in the future. It's hard to be stuck in the neck.

"After all, the situation on the battlefield is unfavorable, and the country is in such a state!" Sir Montagu sighed heavily, and then strode up the creaking pier trestle.

Just a few days after Yicheng Port was turned into a commercial port, the ships of Sir Montagu and others were probably the first batch of foreign merchant ships to arrive at the port.The cabin is full of metal products, weapons and ammunition, and some precious metals purchased from the British mainland - the amount of precious metals is quite a lot, and this is one of the reasons why opponents attacked the East India Company, because this trade caused the loss of precious metals, It is inconsistent with the country's major policy (mercantilism)-preparing to exchange various specialty products in India, and then pull them back to London, or sell them in England, or re-export them abroad to earn huge profits.

Especially at the moment of fierce confrontation with the Dutch East India Company, the British East India Company paid more attention to the great treasure house of India.The reason is also very simple, they have been expelled from the East Indies by the Dutch, and now except for secretly smuggling a few spices - which takes a great risk and the quantity is limited - they basically can no longer touch this kind of spice. A profiteering business that people are extremely jealous of.Therefore, now the English East India Company pays more attention to the Indian market than ever before, and is determined to increase investment in India. No hesitation—of course, trade with local warlords and businessmen in Guangdong, China is also urgently needed. Although the total profit is far less than that of India, it is not without small supplements, and it is worth increasing investment.

The wharf area of ​​Yicheng Port has been specially opened up for trade, but at this time there are not many people, and there are only a few scattered shops.Sir Montagu looked a little disappointed, because he wanted to buy some valuable goods here, but now it seems that the plan is going to fail.

A sailor who was fluent in Chinese volunteered to inquire, and then told Sir Montagu that the reason why Nisheng Port seemed so deserted might be because the last batch of fleets had just left and most of the trade activities had been completed. It's low season.Moreover, many businessmen also packed their bags and went to the inland areas to look for opportunities, because I heard that the people on the east coast had just won a military victory against the natives and seized a lot of materials, such as livestock, grain, leather, gold, Ivory - and slaves, of course, and the aborigines themselves were a valuable commodity.

As usual, these commodities are to be auctioned on the spot in Yicheng Port, and the funds will be returned as soon as possible to provide subsidies and allowances to the soldiers, pensions and burial fees to the officers and soldiers who died in battle, and soup and medicine fees to the injured officers and soldiers. It is to purchase military supplies and supplies to supplement consumption and facilitate long-term combat.And the reason why many businessmen rush to the land of the inland Swazi-speaking aborigines is not because they want to see if there is any bargain before the loot is shipped to Yicheng Port on a large scale Can be accounted for.Anyway, the army is also very supportive of their actions, because these people often do not come empty-handed, but bring a lot of goods and supplies from Ng Seng Port, which is equivalent to helping them as porters and transport teams. So what if they let them pick and choose first?Hello, hello, hello everyone!

Of course, it is generally small businessmen who do this.Their family business is not big enough to compete with some established shops—such as the Sun Chunyang South Store that Sir Montagu saw on the pier just now. A lot, obviously it cost a lot of money-then it can only be made up for by running more, breaking more, and looking more, such as the current behavior of crossing areas that may be attacked by Tonga blacks and entering the inland, It well reflects their enterprising spirit, everything is for profit and survival.

After learning that the people from the east coast were attacking the natives in the inland area of ​​South Africa, Sir Montague's face was obviously a little ugly, and at the same time he was a little puzzled.He couldn't understand that the people on the east coast launched a military conquest against the natives in South Africa with such great fanfare. Could this costly behavior really bring them enough benefits?I'm afraid not!And after so many years, the money and materials spent can almost rebuild a fleet, is it all worth it?Why are they doing this?Is it just to take all of South Africa, for the sake of future generations?If that's the case, Sir Montagu shook his head, it's terrible!The system on the east bank determines that they have an extremely powerful government. This government even "competes with the people" fiercely, and the fiscal revenue is also very strong. If they want to do something, it is probably very easy, and no one can do it. Blocking, which has brought a strong impetus to their development.

"They occupied South Africa, and at the same time extended their tentacles to New China Island. The Comoros Islands and Zanzibar Island are almost controlled by them. Is there really a force that can rival them in the southwest Indian Ocean? No, Not only the Southwest Indian Ocean, but actually the entire Western Indian Ocean is under their control." Sir Montague thought to himself, and then he discovered a new problem very keenly——

Now that the East Indies, Indian trade, and Chinese trade are increasingly valued by merchants from the Old European Continent, seeing that the lifeline of their trade is surrounded by a huge strategic encirclement circle established by the people on the east coast, everyone feels what idea?Sir Montagu thinks this question is very interesting, and there is room for manipulation. Europeans should not be led by the nose by heretics, nor should they accept the threat of heretics. They should unite, Portugal, England, the United Provinces, France and even all countries interested in eastern trade should face up to the consequences of South Africa being gradually encroached on the east coast.

"The Cape Town colony in the hands of the Dutch East India Company is so critical. It is the only window in the hands of the Lord's people. It cannot be lost. In addition, it is time for Angola and Mozambique to be taken seriously. Well, the Portuguese are really blessed by God to have such two colonies. It’s a pity that their strength is limited and they cannot effectively manage these two key places. Let’s see what the future holds. In short, the East India Company really needs a piece of land. Since there is no such place in South Africa, Angola and Mozambique are very important. Although these two places are far away from the windy and turbulent sea east of Cape Town, it is not ideal, but they are already quite good.” Sir Montague thought.

In such a short time after boarding the port, Sir Montagu, a guy who specializes in fighting against the people of the east coast, has already turned so many turns in his mind. It can be seen that this guy has studied the people of the east coast when he is usually in South Africa. Intentions and policies, and a considerable degree of vigilance against the East Bank.Now it depends on when these old colonial countries in Europe will be able to take care of the mess at home, and then turn their attention to South Africa-now it seems that the two East India companies alone cannot do this. The Christian country has become a country, and government forces must intervene—of course, the East Coast Republic may have developed to another level at that time, and Europeans may not have the guts to do it.

The British who had replenished their food and water did not stay too long.The next day they set sail and headed for Mozambique Island with a southeasterly wind.After they left, several ships from the East African Transportation Company also quietly arrived at Yicheng Bay. While bringing some supplies, they also sent more than [-] Malays here as part of the construction of the Yicheng area. source of labor.With the existence of cash cows, material cows and labor cows like Xinhua Island, many actions of people on the east coast in South Africa are indeed much more convenient, and it is no wonder that the British made a fuss about it.

After transporting so many Malays, the ships of these East African transportation companies will naturally not return empty.In fact, they will carry a large number of Swazis captured by the East Coast Army (commanded by Captain Mao Jun) in the inland area to go north to the Djibouti area to participate in a large engineering project there: that is, the East Coast People The construction of docks, forts, and fortresses in Djibouti, and the mining of salt lake potash.It is believed that after Djibouti is also built in a decent manner, the people on the east coast will control the western half of the Indian Ocean to a higher level, provided that the Ministry of the Navy strengthens the strength of the Second Fleet.

(End of this chapter)