Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1759 Indian Coast ([-])

More eels are quite free in the port of Goa these days, and they can go wherever they want. Look, a Portuguese aristocrat named Sandro who accompanied him also explained the whole process, which can be described as full of sincerity.

"This is an industrial area. It is connected with the port dockyard and produces all kinds of boats, from nails to canvas. Every year in December, the boats that leave for Lisbon will carry out their last maintenance here. It can be said that this is the foundation of Eastern trade, that’s right.” Sandro pointed to the so-called industrial area with a slightly messy layout, and introduced: “Of course there are also many craftsmen who produce various daily necessities there. Coopers, bacon makers, plumbers, etc., as we have seen in most of the country's ports."

Morie eel nodded as he listened, and then strolled along a not-so-wide gravel road by the pier.On the far left side of the road is a vast wasteland. From the densely packed crosses on the wasteland, it can be seen that there is a cemetery there.Sandro kept an eye on Morley Eel's every move, and when he saw him staring at the cemetery, he explained softly in a slightly melancholy tone: "Most of the nobles and previous governors of the city were buried there. I When I was young, I was fortunate to help my father sort out some files about Goa. At that time, it was still in 1656. I saw that among the past fifty governors, 22 died during their tenure or on the way back to China after their term of office expired, and one died in Egypt. They died together with King Sebastian in the Battle of Kebir Fort, and the death rate was almost half. If there were no sea burials for these dead governors, they would be buried here. The Goa Royal Hospital did it before their death We have made great efforts, but it is a pity that they still cannot save their lives."

"Tropical cities are such a constant source of misfortune, we should have gotten used to it long ago." Mo Lie eel sighed, and said: "But the tropics are so rich and fascinating, constantly attracting new adventurers It’s not just them who came here to grab wealth, title and fame, but why not us now?”

"Your frankness is really surprising." Maybe he didn't expect Moreel to speak so directly, Sandro was a little startled, then smiled lightly, and then said: "Yes, you didn't say anything. Wrong mr Lieutenant Colonel. We are all after wealth and fame but there is a difference. I was born in Lisbon and luckily this gave me a higher status in Goa but now me and my wife - She was born in a well-bred merchant family in Porto - has settled in Goa for many years, and has no intention of returning to Lisbon, which is also the meaning of my father, who took me across the ocean to Goa .We think differently from those who just come from Lisbon and get a vote and go. They don't have the strong determination to defend Goa, and we have!"

"Localized Portuguese aristocrats." Morie muttered silently in his heart.For this group of colonists who occupy the largest number in Goa, Morley still has some understanding. Simply put, they are all descendants of the first generation of colonists, and some of them are pure blood descendants, just like Kerry in South America. Orr was born white, while others were of mixed Indian-Portuguese descent.It is worth mentioning that native whites do not necessarily mean nobles or occupy a higher status, and Indo-Portugueses do not necessarily mean they are not nobles, but there is no doubt that they are not as wealthy as the Portuguese from Lisbon. status.

The timing of a duel that took place in 1563 clearly illustrates this point.A Portuguese nobleman who came from Lisbon beat and wounded a local white native of Goa, and was then arrested by the governor, but was soon released without charge.What happened next is very interesting, Luis da Francisco Barreto, an Indo-Portuguese, son of Barreto Sr. The injured native white boy came forward and demanded a duel with the Lisbon nobleman, but died in the duel.But the nobleman just expressed his regret in public and apologized a little, and was forgiven by the governor. This has already intuitively demonstrated the low status of native white people, which is even better than the Spanish in South America. Too much.

But the irony is that in previous battles with foreign enemies—sometimes the Dutch, sometimes the Indians, sometimes the Moors—the native whites or Indo-Portuguese were the most valiant and most morale group. Compared with those who came across the ocean from the Portuguese mainland, they are better able to defend the interests of Goa. Every time they shouted the slogan of "Santiago" and fought the enemy to the death, it was these native whites or Indo-Portuguese. With India as the foundation, there is no way out, no compromise, only fight to the end.

And I heard that several sons of the Governor of Pedro Portugal have married wives and had children in Goa. It seems that they will be based in India in the future. Sir is the same nature.In this way, the inside story is worth pondering. It is not known whether it is the intention of Lisbon to strengthen business cooperation and even further relations with the people on the east coast, or the collective will of local officials and nobles in Goa. The latter, then it is interesting.

But no matter what, since the Portuguese in Goa deliberately posted it, it is naturally inconvenient for the east coast to keep people away, isn't it?What's more, the mainland has long had a guiding ideology for this, that is, to maintain a "moderate relationship" with Goa, thinking that it will plan for the future.

This sounds a bit obscure, but let’s put it bluntly, it’s okay to do business with the Portuguese in Goa to increase their relationship, but we must grasp the scale and it’s not suitable to develop into a military alliance or a political alliance for the time being.In the future, once the East Bank and the Dutch East India Company have a bad relationship and the relationship is irretrievable, then it is reasonable to use the foundation laid before to quickly "collude" with the Portuguese and counterattack the Dutch.To put it bluntly, it is to hang the Portuguese and use them as a backup, just in case.

Of course, the Portuguese want more than that, they prefer to form an alliance with the people on the east coast—preferably a military alliance that fulfills the obligation to send troops—in order to fight against the dominant Dutch East India Company here.For this reason, it is not hesitating to transfer some commercial interests. For example, the Governor of Goa, Portugal, had implicitly proposed to Morley Eel at a previous banquet that people from the east coast could be allowed to live in Goa and Diu. Set up a business station (with no more than 100 troops stationed) to purchase a certain amount of Indian native commodities.

To be fair, the conditions promised by the Portuguese are very tempting. Everyone knows the potential of India's trade. This country has vast land, rich products, and a huge population-population itself can create wealth, especially in the case of a very large population.Therefore, they are willing to let another foreign force enter India and settle on the land they have been operating for many years-most of these lands are left over from history, that is, the land acquired before the Mughal dynasty was unified. It is also a good time to catch up. Now It is very difficult, because the Mughal dynasty is powerful-in fact, it is very generous. Of course, this is also related to the situation they are facing now, and it has to be so.

Of course, Morie is willing to use the influence of the Portuguese to gain a foothold in India first, but according to the local guiding spirit, he knows that the military alliance that the Portuguese most want to see is impossible, because the members of the executive committee have not yet The plan to get involved in a pointless conflict, much less interested in stimulating the powerful Dutch East India Company, was bound to disappoint the Portuguese in this regard.

But there is no need to discuss this matter with the Portuguese in detail now, just talk to them about other things first, such as opening a business station to do business.Therefore, after visiting the commercial area of ​​the pier, Morie, together with Sandro and others, returned to the Governor's Palace in the city to discuss business cooperation with the Portuguese Governor.

"We need a lot of weapons, mainly muskets, rapiers, armor, spears and other supplies. We can produce artillery ourselves. The cannon foundry in Goa was established at the beginning of this century and is still functioning today. , Even the British East India Company sometimes comes to buy artillery from us.” The Portuguese governor asked for military funds as soon as he opened his mouth, only to hear him say: “The reason for this is mainly because of the hateful Dutch. Over the years, Almost every summer, they organize a fleet of more than ten armed merchant ships to come near the coast of Malabar, hang a black flag, and attack Portuguese merchant ships traveling between Lisbon and India, Indian-driven trading ships, and ships from the west. The Moorish ships that came to trade, and that caused us great trouble."

When the Portuguese governor said this, Morie understood.Although people from the east coast are active in the western Indian Ocean all year round, it does not mean that they are ignorant of things in the eastern Indian Ocean, especially these things that have caused quite a lot of battles, not to mention that such things have lasted for more than 20 years.In the confrontation of more than 20 years, the Dutch East India Company sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed, but it must have caused a lot of trouble for the Portuguese in Goa, including weapons and military supplies, labor tools, Old World goods, books and letters. It was passed to India in time, and even some local personnel were often killed in the sea or captured by the Dutch attack-the captives generally ended badly, and they would work in tropical plantations in the East Indies For many years, they often died unexpectedly. Of course, on the other hand, the Dutch side who were captured by the Portuguese may end up worse, because they often accept cruel religious trials.

Under such circumstances, it is easy to understand that the Portuguese governor asked the people on the east coast to sell some necessary weapons and military supplies, key machinery and equipment (used by the Goa Cannon Foundry) and other commodities from the Old World.For this reason, they will provide all kinds of Indian specialty products that people on the east coast are very interested in. If these things are shipped back to the mainland on the east coast, they will be a lot of profit if they change hands, whether it is for the New China Development Team or the Third Fleet of the Navy. , not without minor supplements.

Of course, this kind of trade is also a big deal for the Portuguese, because they can sell Indian goods in batches to the East Coast Republic to make money.You must know that in the East China Republic with a population of 400 million, the gap between the rich and the poor is small, the per capita income is not low, and after years of social development, the people are more willing to consume than before, so there are still some concerns about rare commodities from overseas. There is a small market demand, which can be seen from the fact that the tropical specialties of Xinhuaxia Island are always selling well in the local area.As for the commercial development capabilities of the Portuguese, to be honest, they are a bit poor. In the past, they could only sell such tropical products and printed products to Italians, and then sell some to Spain and southwestern France when they were exhausted. The Dutch East India Company, which is doing business, is far behind, and even the British East India Company is far behind.

Therefore, if we take the opportunity to connect with the people on the east coast this time, we can obtain a stable supply of industrial products from the people on the east coast—the Dutch East India Company may not openly attack the merchant ships of the people on the east coast at this stage—and at the same time It is also possible to open up an emerging market that has been lost for many years since the last war. It is simply a profitable business. It is no wonder that they have always been so enthusiastic and even respectful to Morie and his team.People must ask for something under courtesy, the old ancestor's words are really right!

"Of course we are willing to establish a good trade relationship with Goa. There is no obstacle to this. It's just that I hope that our East African transportation company can get the exclusive agency of Indian goods." Mo Lieel only thought for a while, then A decision has been made, and at the same time, a hen that lays golden eggs has been won for the East African Transportation Company, which has a large share of the New China Pioneering Team. Of course, this company is also closely related to the Third Fleet of the Navy, and everything is unspoken. middle.

Of course, the Governor of Portugal, Pedro de Almeida, would not go against the small request made by Moreel, and happily accepted his proposal.Next, the two sides recruited their own entourages, and began to discuss the details one by one, and formed a text to fix them.This is not a short process, but it is mostly a matter for the people below. It has little to do with the Governor of Portugal and Lieutenant Colonel Moreel. The two can get away and drink coffee.

"Mr. Mo, how do you think about the fact that we form a military alliance and jointly clean up the pirates every winter?" In the garden of the Governor's Mansion, the Portuguese Governor suddenly asked as they sat and chatted with each other after relaxing.

"I can't give you an affirmative answer to this, because it has exceeded my authorization, but I am happy to report this to my superiors." Moreel avoided this question, which obviously disappointed the Portuguese governor.

(End of this chapter)