Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 89 New Development ([-])

After several months, Blanco Almeida once again set foot on the land of Oriental Port.Apart from a few cargo ships from La Plata berthing in the port, there are no ships from any other country, and everything seems deserted.Several cargo ships flying the flag of the Rodriguez Chamber of Commerce were unloading beef cattle, which kept the sailors on board and the workers on the dock very busy.In the isolation area on the right side of the pier, a large group of men in linen uniforms are undergoing military training. They are new immigrants.People on the east coast always seem to like to play these tricks, and Blanco has long been used to it.

Blanco's fleet consisted of three large ships loaded with the finest Brazilian mahogany.These tall trees have high density, hard material, wear resistance and excellent resistance to seawater corrosion, making them ideal shipbuilding timbers.The Spanish shipyards in Havana used Brazilian mahogany produced in Brazil and Suriname in large quantities. With the increasing consumption of ship materials in the Old World, even the flagship of the Spanish Navy was made of Brazilian mahogany by the Havana shipyard in the future.

Of course, these woods are not cheap at all, because at this time this kind of Brazilian mahogany was used as a dye by Europeans, which made its price high, and few people were willing to dry it in the shade as a ship material.The average price of each of these high-quality timbers carried by Blanco is about 80 yuan, which is still a friendly price, and it is difficult for ordinary people to buy at this price.

"Fifty high-quality Brazilian mahogany, some iron ore, high-quality coal and a lot of cotton should satisfy the people on the east coast." Blanco thought secretly.He has come to Dongfang Port many times, but never has he been able to make his mood so complicated like today. The East Coast people who rose like comets defeated the Spaniards who were in the sky. Their dazzling light It even hurt the eyes of the Brazilians, represented by Blanco, who were silently watching them.

You know, at this moment Portugal and Brazil are still being defeated by the Dutch in the Pernambuco area.Their performance on the battlefield is like clowns. Compared with the newborn Netherlands, Portugal is too old.The magnificent era of geographical discovery was the apex of the Portuguese glory, and since then, they have declined rapidly.Not only was the monopolized Eastern trade divided between the Spaniards and the Dutch, but even Brazil, a colony in the New World, lost a large area of ​​territory due to the Dutch invasion.

The mainland is controlled by the Spaniards, Brazil is coveted by the Dutch, everything looks so bad.Blanco was a little depressed, but he cheered up because he was going to face the cunning Foreign Minister Gao from the East Coast, and Brazil needed the weapons in the hands of the East Coast people.

The sailors on the cargo ship of the Rodriguez Chamber of Commerce finished unloading the beef cattle, and then met to go to the city for a stroll. These rude sailors talked and laughed loudly, and then surrounded each other and left.Although there are no enthusiastic girls in the city, there are intoxicating alcohol and exquisite goods, and they will definitely not let them go in vain.

"Rude Italian." Merchant Carlos muttered.

"Don't say that, Marcos." Blanco was not very interested, "Everyone is a poor creature under the Spanish rule. Besides, it is clear that we are in more trouble now, damn the Dutchman! Captain Ricardo, You stay here to negotiate with the people on the east coast, the price of the goods has already been negotiated, you just need to cooperate with the people on the east coast to store the goods. Marcos, let's go."

The streets of Porto Oriental are as clean and tidy as ever, and the dirty and smelly streets of Rio de Janeiro are completely incomparable.It was afternoon, and the not-so-broad streets were crowded with after-get off work workers.These workers walked leisurely, chatting and laughing in low voices as they walked towards the restaurants opened on the street.Although the government of the people on the east coast provides three meals a day for almost all citizens, there are always some people who do not want to eat the free food provided by the public canteen, and call friends and friends to drink and chat in restaurants every now and then.

"Goodbye, teacher!" A jagged child's voice sounded from the front.Blanco looked around and saw a group of children no more than five or six years old carrying small cotton schoolbags, lined up in a neat line and bowing to an adult man in front of a courtyard.The man waved his hand to the children with a smile, and said in his mouth: "When you get home, remember to practice the words you taught today. As a teacher, you will be tested tomorrow. If you can't write well, you will be beaten with a ruler." myself."

The primary school students burst into laughter, and then organized the queue again under the leadership of two police officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Come on, start singing, the national anthem "Ode to the Motherland", 'The majestic national flag is fluttering in the wind, how resounding is the song of victory...'Get ready...to sing!" A policeman from the Ministry of Internal Affairs shouted loudly.Soon, the group of elementary school students sang along with their immature voices.

Blanco stared intently at this group of elementary school students who were blond or blue-eyed, or black-haired, red-skinned, or black-haired and yellow-skinned, singing this song with a simple but pleasant melody with serious expressions. A strange magic.On a tall flagpole in the yard, a brightly colored flag fluttered in the wind.The main colors of the flag are red, blue and white, and there are twelve gears in the red area in the upper left corner.Twelve gears are arranged in a ring, and in the middle of the gear circle is a ship; the upper right corner of the flag and the entire lower area are wavy blue and white stripes.

"It seems to be the national flag of the people on the east coast." Blanco looked at it enviously, and then thought of Portugal and Brazil still under the Spanish rule, and shook his head sadly.

As the sky gradually darkened, Blanco finally arrived in front of the administrative building of the Executive Committee with two entourages.In front of the building are 8 policemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with guns in black uniforms. The 8 policemen stand on the left and right. In the middle is an iron fence gate. A huge shield-shaped national emblem with a white background hangs under the eaves above the gate.On the national emblem is a double-headed eagle with teeth and claws standing on the Yin-Yang fish pattern. The double-headed eagle is holding a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, which seems to imply that the people on the east coast are expanding in both north and south directions at the same time.

The police at the gate carefully checked the entry documents submitted by Blanco, and then sent someone in to question them. Then they stamped their documents and let them go. After unloading their weapons, they handed them over to the administrative staff inside. Security in the building.These security guards led them to the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the administrative building before leaving.

The decoration in the office is still as simple as before. On the limewashed wall hangs a hand-painted latest map of the East Coast Republic of China, and there is nothing else.

Gao Mo greeted him enthusiastically, Blanco shook hands with him, and then sat down opposite Gao Mo's pine desk.Blanco noticed that the chair under his buttocks and the desk in front of him were covered with a layer of doilies. Judging from the texture, it seemed to be cotton cloth.The cotton was not dyed or patterned, but the words "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" were embroidered on the corner.

"The cotton cloth produced by yourself?" Blanco asked casually.

"Yes, we call it 'East Coast Cloth'. Except for the imported cotton, the rest from cotton yarn to cotton cloth are all self-produced. Maybe it won't be long before we can sell this product to you." Gao Mo Introduced.

"That's really good news." Blanco smiled, a little far-fetched.

"Come, taste the tea from the East." Gao Mo ordered the secretary to make a cup of tea for each of them, "I would like to thank the respected Captain Eduardo Asuncao, who brought this delicious tea from the far east. The drinks were brought to the east bank. Captain Assuncao, is he all right, I heard he went to Rio de Janeiro."

"He is very good. He recently bought a sugar plantation in the Rio de Janeiro area. He made a lot of money in the process of transporting immigrants, thanks to you," Blanco said.

"Haha. We have always been generous to our friends." Gao Mo laughed, "Well, friends, let's not go around in circles. Maybe I know why you are here. Why, the Dutch are very unfriendly to you?"

Blanco was a little embarrassed. "Yes, the Dutch West India Company has made frequent moves recently. While transporting a large number of Boer (meaning peasants in Dutch) from the country, they organized the army to launch offensives again and again. The incompetent and stupid General Maranion and the cowardly and shameless Irish mercenaries The army made us lose face, and the situation deteriorated very quickly. I said, Gao, you really don’t consider accepting our employment to go to Brazil to fight in the war?”

"Not considering it for the time being." Gao Mo said, "The East Coast Republic of China has its own interests, and the current war in northeastern Brazil is too far away from us. Maybe we will intervene in the war when it is appropriate, but not now. Well, Blanco, your sense of smell is very keen, and you know that our warehouse is about to be burst with weapons. 1005 matchlock guns, 112 flintlock guns, 16 cannons, 450 pairs of breastplates, plus more than 1000 pieces of light swords , give me 2 yuan, and you take it all."

"Add another 100 pieces of bulletproof plate armor. Without these equipment, our boys will not have enough courage to fight, because the damn Dutch have some such equipment in their hands." Blanco looked at Gao Mo with expectant eyes, and added Said.

"Well, we are friends. The principle of our east coast people is not to let friends suffer. For the sake of the Brazilian mahogany you brought, I will give you a cheaper price. Let me add 5000 yuan, and I will give you all 100 pairs of plate armor. You. This is an emergency transfer from the active army, Blanco, you are really honored." Gao Mo said with a smile.

"Deal." Blanco didn't think about it at all, and the two held hands together.

Blanco and Gao Mo breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.The former is because they bought enough weapons to supplement the war damage, and the latter is because they finally disposed of the spoils occupying the warehouse, and at the same time added a large amount of income to the empty treasury. It can be said that everyone is happy.

①The country name of Brazil (Brazil) means mahogany.Brazilian mahogany contains a water-soluble red dye, which was in great demand in the West at that time.At the same time, this kind of wood is a very good shipbuilding material, second only to teak, and better than oak commonly used in Europe.

(End of this chapter)