Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 340 Return ([-])

On October 1642, 10, the expedition fleet of the East Coast Republic of China went south along the coast of East Africa, turned eastward in the waters near the Comoros, and finally anchored in the calm New China Bay.

The return of the expedition fleet did not cause any big commotion in Fort Xinhua, all because their exploration of the eastern route was a secret operation.The middle- and lower-level officials and ordinary people didn't know what they were doing, and many people even thought they were going to the Ottoman Empire to do business.Of course, the main military and political officials of the New China colony have not forgotten their great deeds. Of course they know what Li Yi and others are doing, and of course they know what it means for the two ships to return safely.

As soon as the sailors on the two ships disembarked, they were taken to the bathhouse for a comfortable hot bath, and then Schincher's secretary, Rodrigo, led them straight to the public dining hall, where a table of sumptuous dishes Meals are waiting for them.And in the guest house just one wall away from the public canteen, Li Yi, An Chu, and several major military and political officials from the New China region were sitting around a table of the Eight Immortals, and several private chefs of Shi Qinjie were making the preparations at a low price. The food was brought to the table.

Not to mention local specialties such as steak, lobster, and tuna, Shi Qinjie even prepared a roast suckling pig to reward everyone, which can be said to have cost a lot of money.But the most attractive thing on the table is the plates of stir-fried vegetables. People who have been drifting at sea for half a year are the least likely to see fresh green vegetables.A plate of scrambled eggs with leeks and a plate of mushrooms and vegetables were eaten up within a few minutes of being on the table, leaving Shi Qinjie and others dumbfounded.

"This sailor is really not a job for humans." Shi Qinjie, who was stunned for a long time, said with a sigh: "Storm winds and waves, pirate attacks, there is no tomorrow today, alas, no wonder all domestic industries are sailors with the highest salary and welfare. Best of all, it really pays a lot.”

"You finally said something fair." Li Yi munched and ate celery, and said vaguely: "It's not like you, you stay in the office all day and have fun, go fishing at the beach when you have nothing to do at night. Then go to the guest house to find a waitress for a massage. It’s not like me, it’s been half a year since I went to sea, and I don’t know if my two little wives have run away with someone.”

"Fuck, are you talking about the native land? We in New China are all frugal and housekeepers, and we don't like those extravagant things." Shi Qinjie scolded with a smile.He has a weird temper, and is quite upright. He has been living a relatively frugal life among the hundreds of transmigrated people, just like the legendary Puritans.If it wasn't for his weakness in character, who likes to look forward and backward when doing things, he would definitely be a character with a bright future among the crowd.But fortunately, he also knows how to delegate power, that is, he has the courage to let the subordinates who are good at doing things let go at critical moments, and this is why the superiors always let him stay in the key position of the captain of the Madagascar pioneering team.

"Recently, our place is not peaceful." Shi Qinjie took a sip of the Xiangshan dry red wine produced in Xiangshan Castle, and said with some concern: "This year, a French expedition came to the Doufan Castle area in the southeast of the Falkland Island. They built a fortress immediately after they landed there, and then began to colonize. I only heard about this from the descendants of some Arabs who were exiled there. What is the purpose, I always feel that it is not a good thing."

Dofanbao Li Yi and others still know that the later generations are named Tauranalu, which is a port city in the southeastern part of the country.It’s just that the name Dofan Castle has not yet appeared at this time, because the French have not yet had time to build the famous Dofan Castle in the local area. This will not appear until 1643, but the crossing people have long used this call.

"The Frenchman didn't get much benefit from colonizing Canada, so he started to try his luck in Africa." Li Yi grabbed a big lobster and gnawed it.Lobster is a specialty of New China. Its huge body and delicious taste have almost become a standard dish for entertaining guests in New China.

"Of course, there may also be intentions to expand to the East, such as the Spice Islands, India, China, etc." Li Yi continued, "The French also want to make money. Do you think they look at the Dutch, Portuguese Don’t you envy people who make a lot of money in the east? You must have been jealous for a long time! Everyone knows the location of Fort Dofan, and it is indeed a good transit point to the east. Untargeted. As far as I know, the Dutch route passed near Doufanburg."

"Aren't the French afraid to annoy the Dutch? If they station their naval fleet here, I believe it will be easy to cut off the Dutch maritime trade line, right?" Second Lieutenant An Chu asked stupidly, holding a A pig's trotter was eating until his mouth was full of oil.

"Stupid!" Li Yi patted his greasy right hand on Anchu's head, and cursed: "Do the Dutch dare to provoke the French? If you provoke the French, they will take the Dutch's lair directly from the land! Don't you Forget, France is a great power in continental Europe, and now is the time when it is starting to rise, so don't mess with it."

France only began to intervene in the European War in the latter part of the Thirty Years War, and it was obviously the idea of ​​​​playing for the benefit of the fisherman.In fact, France was also one of the few countries that reaped the dividends of the war in the 30-year war. Li Yi vaguely remembered that France seemed to have invaded the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire, such as Alsace-Lorraine and Strasbourg. The territory of the northeast and southeast regions has also expanded, which really earned a vote.At this time, France was ruled by the famous Cardinal Richelieu, and its population had reached an astonishing size of 30 million. The rising trend was very obvious, so outward expansion and colonization seemed natural.

"Damn it, the Netherlands dares to mess with us, who made us a small country." An Chu felt a little depressed when he heard it. After traveling through so many years, he created such a big family business from scratch, and sometimes he is really proud when he thinks about it. .However, compared with those old European countries, this country is so weak that it is not a heavyweight opponent at all, and it is not even qualified to challenge at this stage.

"The Dutch have officially established a stronghold near Tulare." Shi Qingjie was in a bad mood, and he swallowed the red wine in the glass, and then said: "These Dutch scum are cutting down everywhere." Trees, slave capture, predatory exploitation, even I can't stand it anymore."

Shi Qinjie has always regarded Madagascar as his private land.Although the current national strength of the East Coast Republic may not be able to develop much of the Falkland Islands even if it takes another 20 years, but it is certain that I feel uncomfortable seeing other countries dangling around in their sphere of influence.

"It seems that the sweet pastry of Ma Island has been targeted by many people." Li Yi finally finished eating his lobster, but he quickly picked up the second one in a frustrating way, and ate it while eating. Mo Hengfei said: "Let's not talk about the French, they have no fundamental conflict of interest with us at present, and there is even a possibility of cooperation in a sense. But it is worthwhile for the Dutch to build a stronghold near Tulare." Be vigilant. I remember that they did not establish a formal stronghold here in history, but now that they have, I personally feel that our military presence in South Africa and New China may have made them feel a little uneasy. Therefore, they are in these two places Set up a colony, while consolidating the safety of your own routes, while monitoring our development nearby, if possible, it would be even better to squeeze us out and monopolize these two places."

"Although our conflict with the Dutch is fundamental and irreversible, it should not have deteriorated to such an extent at this stage, right? It seems to be on the verge of war. Well, we need to cool down. We have not yet Get ready to go to war. Time is on our side, and if it can be delayed for a day, we will have a better chance of winning." Liao Meng, the company commander of the army, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said slowly: "According to the diplomatic terms of later generations, we We need to increase understanding with the Netherlands, seek common ground while reserving differences, increase bilateral mutual trust, and jointly maintain maritime order in the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans.”

Liao Meng's words surprised everyone around him.This argument doesn't sound like what the communists said, well, it seems that this guy is a rare moderate in the army.Also, it would be a tragedy if the army was full of sex zealots full of horse shit.

"If you want to maintain the maritime order in the South Atlantic Ocean and the South Indian Ocean, you need the Dutch to look at you." Li Yi said with a self-deprecating smile: "Our current situation, at best, has caused some troubles to the Dutch, but far from It is not fatal, because this is determined by the huge gap in national strength between the two sides. Our weak navy is destined to prevent us from confronting the Dutch for a long time. We will have to pay a heavy price for losing in Brazil, losing the Cape colony, and sinking merchant ships to the Spice Islands. I think the Dutch will seriously consider their policy against us. I am optimistic because they are merchants , not politicians. Businessmen are there to make money, not to serve the national interest, and this is our opportunity."

Li Yi's words are not without reason.In fact, the Dutch East India Company is a group of profit-seeking businessmen from top to bottom. When the Netherlands and Portugal went to war, their domestic businessmen were still selling weapons to the Portuguese.In many cases, the interests of capitalists and the interests of the country are not consistent, which gives people on the east coast a lot of room for maneuver.If the Dutch are replaced by the French at this time, then I am afraid that the situation of the people on the east coast will be very bad, so it is better to prepare for war earlier.Because France is a feudal and centralized country, everything is decided by the king and the nobles. Once they see you unhappy, they will come to your door to declare war on you the next day!

(End of this chapter)