Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2522 Goa ([-])

"The port of Goa is located between the two important economic zones of Malabar and Rajput, and the fleet is stationed here, which can easily control the trade between the two places. In 1510, the area occupied by Albuquerque was still composed of some islands. They call it Inhas Island for short, with an area of ​​166 square kilometers.” On August 1704, 8, on a fort under construction outside Goa, a young staff officer was reporting to Yao Tong: “Because The Hass Islands are roughly south of the Mandovi River, north of the Zuari River, and the main island is Tisuari. To reach the inland, you need to cross or wade through the internal streams and these two rivers, which means that Inhas The island itself has a certain degree of security. The upper section of the Mandovi River from the sandbar to the old city of Goa can navigate merchant ships of less than 30 tons, but it is vulnerable to attacks by hostile Green Christians on the north bank of the river. The Zuari River on the south bank is also In this way, the south bank of the river was controlled by Bijapur’s Tubang Kingdom at that time, and the harassment activities continued, which was a headache for the Portuguese.”

Today was an open class. On the surface, it was the intelligence staff officer reporting to Yao Tong. In fact, there were a large number of military officers who attended the class, including those from the Navy and Army, and even people from the National Intelligence Agency and the Gendarmerie Command.Most of them hadn't been here very long and hadn't been properly trained in the history of Goa, so this would be taken very seriously.

"The Portuguese colonial authorities realized that they were surrounded by hostile natives, so they tried to improve the security environment." The intelligence staff continued: "In 1543, after several setbacks, the Portuguese finally obtained two lands by armed means. The lands are Badez in the north and Salcet in the south, covering an area of ​​264 square kilometers and 355 square kilometers respectively. They built forts here, stationed troops, and greatly improved Inhas Island, which is the core of commerce. The security environment in Goa. Coupled with the changes in the situation in India, the trade issue has also been resolved, and now we can say that they have a firm foothold in Goa.”

"So, the area of ​​Goa that the Portuguese really control is actually these three lands, a total of 785 square kilometers, right? Then why did they draw more than 3000 square kilometers on their map?" an officer asked.

"After understanding and field research, I can confirm that the Portuguese have not been able to actually control most of the areas on their map for many years. They have no garrisons, no officials, and no taxes. Contact. Historically, troops have been sent several times to defeat the local natives, and then claim these areas as their own, but according to my investigation, the locals themselves do not recognize the rule of the Portuguese. What the Goa authorities control is always just The three lands of Inhas, Badez, and Selmont total less than 30 square kilometers." The intelligence staff said in a relatively certain tone: "In the above-mentioned three old conquest areas, there are currently about 1000 people living in the area. Among them, there are more than 5000 Portuguese households and more than 5000 people. In addition, there are five times the number of Indo-Portuguese people, that is, 3 people. These 7 people are the core of the Goa authorities' local rule, and they are generally soldiers. , administrators, businessmen, missionaries and other identities belong to the ruling class. In addition, there are about 8 to 20 Christian Indians. These people are also relatively obedient and engaged in jobs such as agriculture, commerce, and handicrafts. It can be said to be the backbone of the Goa colonial society. The remaining less than [-] people are mostly Hindus, and a small number are Green Christians. They are not as trusted by the Portuguese as Christians, and their actual living standards are also worse, but compared with There is no essential difference in the former. Generally speaking, the Portuguese are the first class in Goan society, the Indo-Portuguese are the second class, and the Indians are the third class, and the whole society is still distinct.”

"The Portuguese just opened up the map?" An army officer laughed immediately and said, "However, 30 people are crowded in this area of ​​less than [-] square kilometers. Isn't it too much? But the commercial city , understandably, it is impossible for an agricultural city to support so many people.”

"Officer Lin is right." The young staff officer agreed: "Although the old conquest area has a large area of ​​farmland, especially the fertile Inhas Island area, there are many good fields, but it is still impossible to satisfy the 30 people in the entire Goa colony. Needs. Therefore, Goa actually relies on trade to import food to maintain its daily needs. "Golden Goa" has always had a rich reputation, and they have plenty of money to import food."

In fact, as the staff officer said, Goa is an extremely rich city.According to a Portuguese writer: "Goa was rich in trade and spoils. In the good old days of the 16th and 17th centuries, there were tall houses and beautiful churches. In the eyes of strict moralists, the city was a Another Babylon, but for earthly men, it's a paradise, full of easy, priceless goods and beautiful Eurasian women, and life is one endless round after another of pleasure."

Of course, this has been the case before in Goa, a city already struggling after being hammered by the Dutch for two years.The first is the massive loss of personnel. According to incomplete statistics, the Portuguese in Goa have lost more than 2000 people in the past two years, due to fighting, disease, etc., for any reason.The Indo-Portuguese suffered even more losses. They killed more than 500 people in one landing battle on Hass Island, and more than 2000 people were killed in successive battles. The loss may have exceeded five thousand.

In the case of a large loss of personnel, what made the Portuguese even worse was that the Dutch blocked trade, and the blockade lasted for two full years.The trade blockade led to a sharp loss of wealth. The Portuguese and Indo-Portuguese may be better off. Life is not so difficult and they can always survive.But the life of ordinary Indians is very difficult. Disease and hunger have always plagued them, and a large number of people died or fled.The remaining people who did not want to escape chose to riot, and were eventually suppressed and strangled by the Portuguese. Counting the innocents implicated by the angry Portuguese army, more than 3 people were massacred before and after, which was extremely bloody.

After such a toss, the Indian population in the entire three regions of Goa has dropped rapidly, from 10 to 30 to less than 180 at the peak. All devastating blows.In order to deal with the Dutch East India Company, the governor of Goa had to borrow heavily from Portuguese and Indian merchants in the city, with a total amount of [-] gold cruzados (approximately [-] million East Coast French currency). The army, at the same time, let the "Master of the East Bank" come to help in the battle.But there is no doubt that this kind of behavior will greatly damage Goa's business environment in the long run, because this so-called debt is not much different from forced apportionment.

"Everyone, according to our calculations, Goa's annual merchandise trade volume has reached 80-90 Kruzado, including overseas trade and internal trade. According to the current tax rate in our country, only import and export duties, business tax, and consumption tax are collected. , personal income tax, unified tax and so on, the income is nearly one million yuan a year. Goa is the commercial center of the Portuguese in India, and the two cities of Daman and Cochin are far behind. If we can Eat it, and then replace it with our own smart and capable officials and modern management awareness, Goa can definitely become a hen that lays golden eggs." At this time, Yao Tong also spoke, just listen to him continue to preach: " Let’s take a look at the geographical location of Goa. To the south is the fertile Malabar coast, to the north is the densely populated Cambay Bay, which is very close to Diu. Let’s not hide it, the Portuguese asked us to help in the battle, it’s easier to ask God than to send God away.”

Director Yao's words made everyone laugh.The Portuguese Governor had now given over the barracks in Old Goa to the Diu Garrison Regiment, which had quelled the riots in the city, and had prepared sufficient supplies to keep them going for a long time.Moreover, the Dutch are only retreating temporarily, which does not mean that they will never come again. The governor of Goa has not yet made up his mind to let the people on the east bank withdraw now, so it seems that for a long time in the future, the Diu garrison will be Old Goa is home.

The longer the delay, the more complicated the local situation will be.At present, people from the National Intelligence Agency have been operating secretly in the local area, buying some native white families and letting them serve the east coast.Although these people are white, they are not of high status in the white group, far inferior to white people born in Portugal.There was once a son of a big family who fought with a small nobleman from Lisbon because of jealousy and was killed.The governor tried his best to favor the nobleman who was born in Portugal, so that in the end he only offered a statement of apology, and at the same time paid a small amount of money to be fine, exempt from any punishment.Therefore, the contradiction between native whites and peninsula whites is actually very deep. After the people on the east coast promised to give them equal rights, there are still quite a few native whites who are moved. The king is disloyal. In fact, you discriminate against us too much. What's more, the East Coast government can provide stronger protection. The Dutch East India Company will never dare to openly provoke.

"In the future, the Diu garrison will still be stationed in the old city of Goa. As for the coastal defense forts and land defense forts that are being rebuilt, I have decided to let the Goa garrison, which is under preparation, be in charge. The garrison has already arrived three times. One-third, and the rest will arrive one after another at the end of this year and early next year. They are all good guys from Denglai, who have combat experience, not bad!" Yao Tong said: "The two regiments of Goa and Diu, one in front and one in front. Finally, one east and one west, the core Inhas Island area can be firmly controlled in the hands. Inhas Island has won, and the Badez and Selmont areas are counted as balls, which are not easy to capture. As for the Portuguese Let them go to Cochin or Daman, Goa doesn’t need them anymore. At most, we will give them a little compensation in the future, which is almost a few hundred thousand French currency. Now the situation in India is getting more and more chaotic, we can’t take our eyes off It is limited to Northwest India, and it is necessary to expand its new influence appropriately. Goa can be regarded as the fourth largest city in India (in terms of economic income, it is actually the top three, but if you count the geographical area and population, the top three are It is Delhi, Agra and Lahore), and if we control here, we will have enough nutrients to establish a new sphere of influence. Therefore, I will decide on Goa, whether the Portuguese like it or not!"

Speaking of this, Yao Tong looked at the land defense fortress under construction, feeling complacent for a while.Now, it depends on how many people Denglai can support him, there are many competitors!

(End of this chapter)