In the morning, they went to buy female slaves and horses, and everything went smoothly.
In the afternoon, Zhou Qingfeng vacated the goods in the biplane and asked Guo Jiao to fly it back to Tianjin. Miss Guo was lazy and refused to go back. She asked Flat Hair to act as an autopilot and fly by itself. The reason was that Flat Hair wouldn't get tired, and could fly at night with navigation equipment and simple air pressure gauges. There was no need to worry about falling into the sea or hitting mountains. The 10,000-kilometer voyage could be completed in less than two days, day and night.
The most loyal Feathered Man accepted the difficult task without hesitation. It actually used its two thin claws to control the steering wheel and tail rudder, and took off directly.
It would be at least five days before Flat Hair returned. Guo Jiao took over the role of the mistress in the monastery, arranging the newly bought ghost servants and female slaves to work with the help of Santos's translation. There was an auction to be held in the monastery in the evening, so it had to be arranged.
After Flat Hair left, Zhou Qingfeng stared at the world map in the room and pondered. Before this long journey, he had already considered the matter of sea trade, but no imagination could compare to the feeling of seeing it on the ground.
Before departure, Zhou Qingfeng felt that the Europeans controlled a few cities in East Asia at most, and their power should not be strong. But in Macau, in Goa, the ocean-going sailing ships in the port, the missionary priests in the church, and the Arab merchants in the guild hall made him realize the strength of the competitors, and he must have a broader vision — this was the ability that a leader must have.
"Although I haven't unified the whole of China, it is still necessary to make appropriate arrangements for the world." Zhou Qingfeng stared at the map of the South Asian subcontinent. "Because of India, Britain's national strength will advance by leaps and bounds in the next few hundred years. India's grain, cotton, tea, and other crops have brought great benefits to the British.
Also because of India, the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish have all achieved unimaginable status. Portugal was not even a great power in later generations, but it still earned huge wealth by overseas interests. My time and space island and biplane work together to play a great transportation advantage. Everyone wants to eat India, so there's no reason why I can't. "
The expansion of the Revolutionary Army in the Central Plains had entered a bottleneck period. Even when they conquered Korea, they were still granted autonomy. Even when they conquered Shandong, they did not actually occupy it. But in the distant South Asia, as long as a simple trade point was set up, they would be able to reap huge benefits. There was no reason not to work hard for it. The idea of 'making a profit and leaving' was too cowardly. Zhou Qingfeng blushed at his own shortsightedness.
"Santos, is there anyone else in the city who knows so many languages like you? Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, English, French, Indian dialects, and Arabic. As long as you can speak at least three languages, regardless of age or gender, I can hire you. "Zhou Qingfeng felt that when it came to foreign trade, the first thing to do was to solve the language problem.
"Yes, yes." Santos nodded. "Goa is a port, there are many people who know many languages. But most of the people I know are children. Are you willing to hire children? "
"Didn't I hire you? One silver dollar per month, including food and lodging. Double for those who understand Chinese. Help me hire ten translators first. I hope the people you hire don't have any bad habits, or I will impose punishment. " Zhou Qingfeng threw out the Soul Stone of the Black Warrior. It should be able to create some deterrence by letting this huge and scary guy stand at the door of the monastery as a door guardian.
Santos was shocked by the two-meter tall puppet warrior, but he quickly realized that he should be happier.
"Go buy some food on the way. We will have a lot of people soon." Zhou Qingfeng was unhappy when he thought of food. India's land area was only one-third of China's, but the arable land was more than China's. God was really bullying people. The most hardworking people in the world did not have enough land. And the Indians … those untouchables were not treated as humans.
Santos cheered when he heard Zhou Qingfeng's promise to hire him. He immediately rushed out of the monastery and recruited the people he knew. Although he only followed Zhou Qingfeng for a day, he knew he met a big shot. This was his good luck, and he must hold on to it.
Santos left happily, but Father Marcelo returned dejectedly. He swore in front of Zhou Qingfeng that he knew all the big businessmen in the city, but after running around for a whole day, he could not get any Portuguese businessmen willing to participate in the auction.
When Marcelo suddenly announced that he knew an Eastern noble who could sell fine silk and porcelain, everyone thought he was talking nonsense. There were no new ships docking at the port, and even the Portuguese governor in the city did not know about an Eastern noble. How could a poor priest have this kind of luck?
"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry. Maybe your auction tonight will be a little quiet." Father Marcelo felt ashamed. He was afraid that Zhou Qingfeng would be angry, which would affect his future. "I need more time to help you advertise. Maybe I can introduce you to the local governor tomorrow."
Although he was a little disappointed, it was' unexpected but reasonable '. There was no social media these days, so it was impossible for a big shot to suddenly appear. If there was, it was likely to be a liar — an Eastern noble coming from the sky sounded abnormal.
Zhou Qingfeng chuckled a few times and said, "As far as I know, your country's Admiral Haijiada Gama forced the local king to surrender by bombarding the city directly during the conquest of India. He also slaughtered the Indian natives along the way and plundered their wealth. When he returned to Portugal, he received great honor, but spread the disaster to the route he discovered. "
Marcelo was suddenly speechless. He did not know what Zhou Qingfeng meant by this.
Zhou Qingfeng continued to sneer, "I understand the mentality of your country's businessmen. They will not care too much about a so-called Eastern noble who suddenly appeared. Before I show my power, the local governor will not pay attention to my existence. "
"No, no, no, sir. As long as you can show your goods, my compatriots will be happy to contact you. Of course, this needs some time and opportunity. " Marcelo tried to explain, "His Excellency Joao Cordino has just been appointed as the governor of Goa. He will definitely be happy to meet a distinguished guest like you soon after arriving in India."
"This matter is not urgent. I have already contacted the Arab businessmen. The party tonight will not be too quiet. Let's change the topic. "Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand. He originally only wanted to do some business and leave, but now he had changed his mind. "I refused to hire you last night, but I have a new idea. Maybe you are a good butler. Let's talk about the salary you want. "
Zhou Qingfeng felt that Marcelo knew a little Chinese, which was a talent at the current time. It was not impossible to recruit him. This was a pleasant surprise for Father Marcelo. He bowed excitedly and humbly and said, "I would be happy to serve a noble like you. As for the salary, how about fifteen silver dollars a month? "
Not bad. Zhou Qingfeng nodded and agreed. But he had a question. "If I have a conflict with the Portuguese governor, which side will you stand on?"
Marcelo was instantly embarrassed. He hesitated for a while and said, "Sir, actually I am a Moor. My ancestors were Arabs who believed in the Green Religion. But after centuries of war and mixed blood, I …. In short, I am not trusted by the orthodox Portuguese, so I can only stay in this shabby monastery. "
"You are a Moor, but you believe in the Virgin Mary?"
"This is all for the sake of living." Marcelo shrugged and looked at Zhou Qingfeng with an extremely longing gaze, indicating that he was willing to pledge his loyalty.
The history of Europe is a hodgepodge, a jumble of races tossed and turned in it. Zhou Qingfeng could not figure out the mess, so he took Marcelo as his subordinate for the time being.
On the second day of his arrival in Goa, Zhou Qingfeng's thoughts changed by almost 180 degrees. The auction that he expected to be very lively did not cause any sensation. Although the Arab businessmen in the city were very respectful, and Master Mohammed brought people to support the auction, the Portuguese who truly ruled Goa did not make a move.
After adjusting his mentality, Zhou Qingfeng did not care much about it. He spread out the map of Goa and looked for where he should place his first base in India. The place could not be too remote. He had to make use of Goa's existing trade network. But it could not be directly under the nose of the Portuguese. Otherwise, before the base could be built, the other party would definitely retaliate strongly.
In the following three days, with Marcelo as a guide, Zhou Qingfeng took Guo Jiao to run almost 20 kilometers around Goa. Goa was a port city near the West Arabian Sea. It was actually in a very broken state. A large number of rivers had cut the land into pieces.
Limited by the construction ability of the early seventeenth century, although Goa was already an important trading city in India, the size of the city and its area of control were not large. The main city area was on the bank of a river, and it was about 1.5 kilometers long.
Outside the city, there was a large number of farmland and wasteland. Zhou Qingfeng very harshly chose a bay area by the sea about seven kilometers to the east of the Portuguese territory. He did not inform anyone, nor did he get any permission. This meant that …
This land belongs to me.
Marcelo did not have any reaction to Zhou Qingfeng's blatant act of seizing territory. He even said approvingly, "Sir, you have a very good eye. The locals call this bay area Panjim. It can really be built into a good port. "
Of course, Panjim was the new city center of Goa in the future.
"Go contact the Arabs. I need some slaves to build the port." Zhou Qingfeng hoped that after the port was built here, he could have a steady stream of horses from the Arabs nearby. He could also purchase food and cotton from the Indian king, and sell the products of the Revolutionary Army to the Europeans.
As long as he had this port as a distribution center for goods, Zhou Qingfeng could use the special environment of the Blessed Enclave to transport people, livestock, and materials on a large scale. Then, he could use biplanes for long-distance transportation. This was more convenient than shipping by sea. After he had a firm foothold, he could use shipping to solve the problem.
Marcelo, on the other hand, was immersed in his role as a butler. He quickly gave a better suggestion, "Sir, if you want to build a port, don't buy slaves from the Arabs. We should buy indigenous black slaves from the local king. Those untouchable slaves are very honest. As long as you give them some food, they'll work very hard, and it's very cheap. "
Regarding Marcelo's thoughtfulness, Zhou Qingfeng patted his shoulder approvingly and said, "Very good, I like your suggestion very much. Loyalty will bring you great benefits. "
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