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Chapter 784: Enniao Port

"Set sail and continue heading east!" After spending two days and mobilizing two teams of 2 people to search ashore, Hong Tao's face was full of disappointment.

There are rocky coasts with enough water depth to build ports, but there are no rivers entering the sea within a radius of dozens of kilometers, which is a serious flaw. Whether it is developing agriculture or building factories in the future, no rivers means no sufficient water and power sources.

"Commander, are you leaving just like that?"

Huang Nanping couldn't help it anymore. He risked his life to travel thousands of miles. He finally arrived, but he gave up because there was no river. It was too hasty. Looking at the vegetation on the shore and the lush forests in the distance, there should be no shortage of water here, and it is possible to survive without a river.

"Why are you in such a hurry? You have to compare prices before buying something. Building a port requires a large investment, so a solid foundation must be laid." Before seeing Mossel Bay, Hong Tao already had several alternative locations in his mind. He decided to take a look around first.

"Hey, Commander Huang, how is it? It's not a good deal to rush forward. Isn't this place much better?"

After searching for more than 300 kilometers to the east, Hong Tao finally smiled. In his memory, there must be more than one or two bays in the Cape of Good Hope that are suitable for medium-sized and large ports. Now he has come across a suitable one.

This bay is located more than 300 kilometers east of Mossel Bay. It has a similar shape and can effectively block the violent westerly winds. The water depth and geological structure are also suitable. Less than 10 kilometers north of the port is a large river estuary. The water quality is very clear and the flow rate is also good.

"Commander Shengming!"

Faced with the reality, Huang Nanping could only bow his head and admit defeat. No matter if he was guessing or knew the truth, the emperor's words were too reliable and left no room for rebuttal.

"Come on, give this place a name."

"I dare not act rashly..."

"Get up if I tell you to. Think hard and think of something better!"

"…Enniao, why not call it Enniao Port?"

Huang Nanping was really overwhelmed by the sudden grace. His brain was about to boil, but he still had no idea. At this time, the sound of calling a donkey sounded in the distance, and he suddenly had an idea. He might as well follow suit and learn from it. Whether it sounds good or not, the most important thing is safety!
"Enniao Port... that's interesting... hahahaha... OK, then let's call it Enniao Port. Immediately find someone to carve a stone tablet and put up the flag of the Ming Dynasty. From this moment on, this place is the territory of the Ming Dynasty!"

Hong Tao was really happy. He thought that Huang Nanping's literary skills were not very good, so he asked him to come up with a name so that he could regain some confidence. But he didn't expect the effect to be so good. Not only did he regain his confidence, but he also felt like a literary giant. The ancients were right. When you compare yourself to others, you will die!
Port Enniao, according to Hong Tao's speculation, should be the later Port Mandela, or Port Elizabeth, which is the second largest port in South Africa and an important industrial town in South Africa. At the end of the 18th century, the British occupied this place and established a naval base.

It is said that great minds think alike. There must be a reason why it can become an industrial base and a naval base. The river should be one of the key factors, as industry cannot be separated from water.

"Hehehe... The commander is right, this is the territory of the Ming Dynasty. I will immediately arrange for the Marine Command to go ashore and search, and try to select a campsite tomorrow!" No matter how suspicious the emperor's smile was, it was a great honor to be able to name a port. Huang Nanping decided to work harder to show his performance and try to leave a good impression on the emperor.

"Wait, don't rush... Let's send two men ashore first, bring some sugar and sugarcane wine, and find more branches to light a bonfire at a high place. The smoke should be big, and after it is lit, return to the small boat on the beach and wait for the next order!"

But his flattery did not go the right way. The emperor suddenly became very cautious, as if he knew there was some danger on the shore. Not only did he refuse to send troops to search the shore on a large scale, he also lit a beacon to warn the other side.

"Don't ask too many questions, just follow your orders!" Seeing that Huang Nanping didn't move, Hong Tao raised his eyebrows and was about to be unreasonable again.

This time, it was not that Hong Tao was deliberately looking for trouble because he saw Huang Nanping was feeling awkward. Enniao Port has a good geographical location, and there seems to be no sign of Europeans setting foot there at the moment, but there are still a lot of troubles.

The reason why this place was called Mandela Port in later generations was because of a person, not the discoverer, but the founding father of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Doesn’t the name look a bit weird? The Nelson and Mandela in his name are very European, but the Rolihlahla in the middle has a kind of indigenous flavor, like an American name with an Indian name added in the middle.

Yes, Mandela is an indigenous South African, and was born in this port city. His father is a tribal chief. His ancestors have lived in this area for generations and are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa, the Xhosa.

In addition to being large in number, this ethnic group is also very warlike. They suffered a lot when the British invaded South Africa, and the fighting lasted for decades.

If there hadn't been a Xhosa charlatan who predicted the coming of the gods and called on the Xhosa people to burn their livestock and food so that they could take them with them to heaven, the resulting famine would have killed hundreds of thousands of Xhosa people and the war would have probably continued for decades.

Now the British are facing the same problems they once faced, and they also have lessons to learn. History has proven with bloody facts that it is a bit difficult to conquer the Xhosa people by force alone. If you don't want to turn the port into a battlefield, you'd better think of another way.

What should he do? Hong Tao thought that the charlatan was a good choice. If someone could make up a story in the 19th century and deceive millions of Xhosa people, why couldn't he accomplish the same feat two centuries earlier?

Of course, that grandson almost caused the extermination of the Xhosa people, but Hong Dashan would not do that. At most, he would exploit some of the surplus value and get some free soldiers. Anyway, the Xhosa people admire bravery, so it would be a pity if they didn't join the army. It was also in line with public opinion.

But how to make initial contact with the Xhosa people? Chatting is definitely not an option, as we don't speak the language. Asking acquaintances to introduce us is also not an option, as this place doesn't seem to have any technological remains, and I'm afraid Europeans haven't set foot here either, so there's no way to find a third party.

At this time, we have to learn from the ancients. For example, in a certain time and space, there was an Arab businessman named Maitini in the Southern Song Dynasty. With a can of sugar and a can of rum, he gained the trust of the indigenous black people near Cape Town, and then became a friend of the tribe, then the governor, and finally almost unified South Africa.

In terms of lifestyle, there seems to be no big difference between South Africa in the 13th century and South Africa in the 17th century. So Hong Tao wanted to copy Governor Maitinee's method and use campfire smoke to test whether there are any indigenous communities nearby.

(End of this chapter)