unclear

Chapter 785: Lay an Egg and Run Away

If no one notices the smoke and comes to check, then it is most likely no-man's land. You can save even the sugar and wine. You don't need to say hello to anyone. Just land immediately, plant a flag and declare sovereignty.

If the land is owned by someone, they will most likely come over to check when they see the smoke. At this time, you can offer sugar and wine to gain the most basic trust, and then find a way to buy the ownership of the land from the indigenous people.

In fact, Hong Tao hopes it is the latter. Although the human groups living relatively primitively have underdeveloped technology, they are more likely to keep their promises. As long as they receive the exchanged goods, they will recognize them, thus avoiding a lot of troubles in the later stage.

After an entire afternoon and night of smoke and bonfire signals, there was finally movement in the grove by the sea in the early morning of the third day. Three black men with feathers on their heads, tiger-skin skirts around their waists and short spears in their hands came out and approached the boat very vigilantly.

"Your Majesty, these people have black and white patches on their faces and bodies, are they sick?" On the big ship a few hundred meters away, everyone with a telescope raised it and carefully observed every move on the shore. Wang Chengen had good eyesight and his focus was quite special.

"That is their kind of etiquette, representing purity and bravery, just like the Han generals having to wear Ming Guang armor." After all, Hong Tao had been to South Africa several times during the Song Dynasty, and he knew a little about the customs and habits of the local black tribes, and the Xhosa people were the largest tribe here.

"Hey! I ate, I ate... I laughed, I laughed! Your Majesty's method is really effective... Hey, how can they steal things!"

As they were talking, three Xhosa people had already walked up to the boat, making gestures with the sailors and carefully tasting the sugar and sugarcane wine. Before Wang Chengen could flatter them, they suddenly ran into the grove holding the jars of sugar and sugarcane wine, making sounds similar to the howling of animals.

"Tell them not to move and continue waiting..."

Facing this change, Hong Tao was still quite calm and planned to wait and see. That's right, anyway, it was the sailors who took risks on the shore, and he could just talk on the big ship. In this respect, he really didn't have the courage of Medini back then.

But in the end, Hong Tao succeeded in showing off. After a while, several people came out of the woods again, including the three who had just escaped. It was obvious that they took sugar and wine to report to the tribal leaders and called out the people who could make decisions.

Hundreds of years had passed, but the scene before him almost made Hong Tao think he had traveled back in time. He couldn't help but look around, always wanting to see a fat black figure.

People from two different civilizations had extremely similar communication processes after meeting each other. The only major change was that the sailors were not as fat as Medini, and their business skills were not as sophisticated as Medini, which ultimately led to the price of barter being a bit high.

The expedition fleet paid three daggers carried by the sailors, five cans of sugar and three cans of sugarcane wine, three pairs of leather sandals worn by the sailors, and a bundle of hemp rope for the small boat in exchange for such a... large piece of land. No one can tell whether it is the right to use or the ownership of the land.

In fact, the three sailors had nothing but clothes and the boat. The Xhosa leader was very satisfied after putting on leather sandals. He used the short spear in his hand to strike from the southwest cape to the northeast estuary, as if outsiders were allowed to enter this area.

"Commander, I think this method cannot last long. Their appetite will grow bigger and bigger, and once it is not satisfied, they will turn against each other." Seeing that the emperor ordered the Marine Corps to prepare for landing, Huang Nanping had to make another remonstrance.

Although he had never been to Africa, he had encountered similar situations when he was young and wandered around Southeast Asia with his father. Some islands have similar indigenous peoples, and it is not enough to gain a foothold by just relying on small favors. "Trust is not achieved overnight. This is just the initial contact and the foundation for communication. There will definitely be more exchanges in the future. They are not stupid and will soon use a carved wooden stick to mark the border. At that time, in addition to showing generosity and exchanging what you have, you can also show your strength, but it is best not to hurt anyone.

I can stay here for a few more days and will tell you how to get along with the locals and what their taboos are. Watch carefully and think seriously, because whether you can gain a foothold here after I leave will depend on you.

From the cape over there to the river mouth is the minimum requirement. Build defensive turrets and fortresses first, and then slowly communicate with them about how much land can be extended inland. Don't be in a hurry, but don't be too stingy.

If you have the opportunity, it is best to get to know the tribe and experience their lives firsthand, so that you can know what they need most. Don't underestimate yourself, and don't be arrogant. The people we like may not necessarily be loyal to us, and vice versa. "

So far, Hong Tao's purpose of this trip has been basically achieved, and the insights and knowledge he can bring to the officers and soldiers are just so much. The rest can only be left for them to see, listen, think and understand, and he must leave as soon as possible.

There are still a lot of problems at home, and each one is not easier to solve than this port. How to supply Enniao Port and how many craftsmen and ships to leave behind are what the Navy General Staff needs to consider.

As an emperor, one cannot and should not personally handle everything. One only needs to make requests, select the right executors, and wait and see the results. It is already a rare honor to be able to teach one step by step.

The meeting with the local indigenous tribal leaders was also handed over to the Naval General Staff. After all, he was the emperor of a great empire, so he had to be reserved and could not personally receive just any random person.

Three days later, on the second day of the first lunar month of the fifteenth year of Jingyang, Hong Tao commanded the flagship with three armed cargo ships, left the empty Enniao Port, and embarked on the return journey.

The return voyage was different from the coming one. In order to enable the navy to have the ability to navigate the oceans as soon as possible, Hong Tao tried his best.

It first goes north to the waters south of Madagascar Island, then turns due west, along the northern edge of 30 degrees south latitude, riding on the power of the westerly belt, heading towards the Australian continent day and night.

It crosses nearly 6000 kilometers in the middle of the Indian Ocean, turns due north near 100 degrees east longitude, and enters the Sunda Strait. There is only one advantage to this route, that is, it is fast! It avoids the equatorial doldrums and has the help of the westerly belt, so it is impossible to run slower.

The average speed was over 12 knots, and there was no need to worry about collisions or reefs. In the 17th century, there were no commercial routes or islands in this sea area, which was completely desolate. Of course, this was also a disadvantage, as no one would come to rescue us if something went wrong.

On the 26th day after leaving Enniao Island, Hong Tao's fleet had sailed out of the northern entrance of the Sunda Strait. He suppressed his curiosity and did not turn to visit Batavia Port, but continued to sail north around Kalimantan Island and arrived at Manila Port in 11 days.

(End of this chapter)