Two hundred miles east of Egawa Castle is Fukudaura, the territory of the Omura family.

Futianpu is not big, but it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the sea on one side, the scenery is beautiful, and the waves crash on the shore, which is very eye-catching. But here the bay is open, unsheltered, and the wind is high and the waves are fast, and it is not satisfactory as a port.

However, there are two Western galleons moored in Futian Puzhong, as well as a large Chinese sailing ship. After the destruction of Yokoseura five years ago, the Portuguese who had entrenched themselves in Macau had to stop here when they came to trade in Nishikyushu. During this time, they returned to Hirado in Matsuura's territory, but the two sides soon fell out again, so the Portuguese had to return here.

The conditions in this port were so terrible that in addition to the Chinese galleons they used to load their cargo, even the relatively petite 600-ton galen could only be moored in the harbor, let alone the four-masted Karak galleon.

The 1,500-ton Karak galleon, known as the Duke of Goa, was named after Albuquerque, the great conqueror who founded Portugal's Indian Ocean colony. Although it is a little old, it is still strong and powerful, showing the power of the Portuguese Far Eastern Empire!

With its huge curved stern, its towering five-storey bow and stern, and its massive bow mast, it resembles a literal castle on the sea, moored there motionless and exuding a terrifying majesty.

Especially in the Battle of Fukuda Bay four years ago, the Portuguese had already used it and another Galen ship to teach the strongest naval army in Kitakyushu at that time, and no one would dare to question its strength anymore.

The last time the Galen ship appeared in Futianpu, the tonnage was only 400 tons, but this time, the 'Oriental Beauty', which recently sailed from the mainland and joined the Macao fleet, has a tonnage of half of the size, and its combat effectiveness is naturally stronger.

~~

On the stern of the Duke of Goa, the captain's cabin is decorated with walnut wood and ornate oriental silks. The captain of the carrack, Colonel João Pinto, was entertaining the elders of the Jesuit Japanese Diocese and Father Torres, who was in charge of the pastoral district of Omura, with his lieutenant and also the captain of the Galen ship Oriental Beauty.

Colonel Pinto and Major Alfonso both wore men's clothes in the shape of an inverted triangle with a very Renaissance character. The upper body of the two men is brightly colored, and the shoulders and upper arms are exaggerated to highlight the male strength. And the lower half of the body is wearing Holtz - commonly known as leggings. In this way, the contours of the two toned lower limbs will be vividly expressed.

What's even better is that not only are their sleeves and shoulders stuffed with padding, but even their crotch is sewn with a cloth bag stuffed with cotton, called 'kodopes', which is designed to highlight masculine features. In addition, you can keep warm in winter and hatch chicks in summer.

Father Torres wore a black gown with a cross around his neck, gray hair, sunken eyes, and an old man. He was one of the first missionaries to follow Father Xavier to Japan, and he has been here for 20 years, and he is deeply influenced by oriental aesthetics, and he is no longer used to the exaggerated costumes of the two.

"Father, you haven't been back to Europe for too long, and we've shrunk a lot to get used to the Oriental gaze. The 'cordopes' of Lisbon's aristocracy were the size of a child's head and were delicately embroidered with pearls and gemstones. ”

'Poof......' Father Torres took a mouthful of black liquid and almost sprayed Alfonso in the face. He hurriedly turned his head, covered his mouth with it, coughed repeatedly, and said: "Sorry my child, I have been away from Europe for too long, except that my heart is still in the Vatican, I have become a reserved Oriental." I can't even enjoy the taste of coffee. ”

"The sacrifice that the priest has made to spread the Gospel of the Lord is so admirable." Colonel Pinto picked up the milk jug, poured some milk into his coffee cup, picked up a small silver jar studded with gold leaf, scooped a small spoonful of white sand, and said, "Then the priest will be able to drink it." ”

Father Torres thought he was adding salt and felt like he was being tricked. But all Jesuits are strong-minded people who do not get angry easily. He picked up the Jingdezhen porcelain cup and frowned slightly, and suddenly a milky aroma mixed with a sweet taste, diluting the bitterness of the coffee. This new drink, which has a rich taste but is bitter to death, becomes extremely delicious.

"Wow, thank God, with the addition of something as sweet as milk, the bitter coffee has become delicious...... Father Torres could not help but give God a cross on his chest, and the wonderful taste hit his aging taste buds and gave him the pleasure of being blessed by the Lord.

"This is sugar, the new Chinese sugar in Macau." Pinto boasted: "It tastes so much better than those dirty Indian sugars, and the point is that it's so beautiful." ”

As he spoke, he opened the sugar jar the size of a goose egg, showed the priest the snow-like white sugar, and said, "If this thing is sold back to Europe, it will definitely be more profitable than pepper." Isn't it just that human beings are chasing sweet feelings? ”

"Hmm. I guess it's only been around for a long time, and I've never heard of it in Japan. The priest nodded thoughtfully, and carefully examined the sugar jar, only to see that the front of it was written with the eye-catching and elegant 'Su Bai Sugar', and on the back was the words 'Jiangnan Sugar'.

Jiangnan Sugar Industry is the sugar farm where Zhao Hao came out with the recipe and Miss Jiang came out with other sugar farms. After the establishment of Jiangnan Group, Jiang Xueying moved the sugar farm to Xishan Island, so as to make use of the group's first-class security capabilities and enjoy the monopoly profits for a long time.

Zhao Hao naturally agreed with both hands to this move, you must know that white sugar is the most lucrative and hot-selling product in the Age of Discovery, and there is no one!

~~

"Yes, it was about the beginning of the year that this kind of 'Su white sugar' appeared in Macau, and I heard that it came from the Jiangnan area." Pinto said with regret: "It's a pity that the trade in the Jiangnan area is cut off, and we can't buy it directly, so we can only be blackmailed by those damned Cantonese merchants - they sell this thing for more than gold, just such a small bottle, and actually ask me for six ducats, it's a robbery!" ”

The Ducat, a pure gold currency minted in Venice, weighs 3.56 grams each and is the most widely circulated currency in Europe due to its high value and portability.

In Daming, two Ducats can be exchanged for one or two silver. It seems that it is much cheaper than what Tang Fatzi sold at the beginning, but Jiangnan Sugar has a large amount of shipments, how can it still be according to the original selling price? However, the current price is also profitable, and it is a year to make a steady profit of three or five hundred thousand taels of silver.

This is also because Miss Jiang deliberately made white sugar a mass luxury and deliberately suppressed shipments.

Therefore, genius is genius, and if you don't need to teach, you will be self-taught. Jiang Xueying naturally used the strong influence of the Ming Dynasty in the East to lead the trend and create demand. Instead of dumping as soon as it comes up.

When the sea trade opened, the fame of white sugar also sounded - the favorite of Damingda officials and nobles, high-quality white sugar produced in China and made in Suzhou, you see how much you can earn by adding this overlord to the costumes? !

~~

"What does this Jiangnan Sugar have to do with Jiangnan Group?" Even if Torres is not interested in business, his pupils still shrink when he sees the word 'Jiangnan'.

"Hmm, I've inquired, it seems to be a company under Jiangnan Group." Pinto slapped his hands and smiled, "I think about it, after defeating them this time, let them use white sugar to compensate us for our losses!" ”

After a pause, he smiled again: "But the premise is that they dare to come to Futianpu." ”

"I bet they won't come." Alfonso also smiled: "Our two warships are invincible in this East Asian sea, and the Ming Dynasty people will not have the courage to fight hard." ”

"It should come." Father Torres looked worried when he heard this, put down the fine sugar jar and said, "The purpose of my coming today is to inform you that the Church has received news from Don Barthes Romeo, the faithful servant of the Lord, that the Jiangnan fleet of the Ming Kingdom has sailed to Japan and razed Jiangchuan Castle to the ground three days ago. ”

According to the people who fled back to the Five Islands, the Ming Dynasty used hundreds of cannons and thousands of rockets to destroy and collapse the city, and the entire town was razed to the ground. The ships on the docks were all burned, and the warriors launched a desperate charge, but they still couldn't get close to the Ming Dynasty ships. The priest said emphatically:

"The Ukuya family, who owns the Wudao Naval Army, was wiped out by the Ming Dynasty without seeing anyone on the ship from beginning to end!"

Pinto and Alfonso's expressions couldn't help but become solemn. They were entrusted by Don Romeo, the head of the Omura family, to stay in Omura's territory for a while after completing the trade to help him deter potential enemies.

For this reason, Omura Juntada said that after the matter is completed, they can be allowed to move to Fukaepo, which is in their hearts.

Fukaeura was also in the territory of the Omura family, and the Portuguese had suffered enough in Fukudaura, and had long set their sights on Fukaeura, which had better conditions, and after the missionaries' survey, it was finally confirmed that the port of Nagasaki there was indeed a rare good port. The local lord, Junkei Nagasaki, also happened to be a fanatical Catholic, and was one of the retainers who was baptized with Omura Juntada, and his Western name was 'Ronaldo'.

So the Portuguese merchants, through the local church, asked the dear Romeo to open the port of Nagasaki.

However, Omura Juntada still has lingering feelings about the tragedy of the destruction of Yokoseura, so he let these Nanban merchants trade with Japanese merchants in the inaccessible Fukudaura. Nagasaki is very densely populated, and another 'Yokoseura Change' will toss him to death.

This time, under tremendous pressure, Omura finally relented...... Not only the Jiangnan clique's punitive actions, but the Omura family's situation in the country is also a mess, and they urgently need to rely on the strong strength of the Portuguese to consolidate their rule.

So, of course, the Portuguese had to hold him up, keep the faithful Cheechitan daimyo and take the opportunity to seize a piece of territory like Macau, so that Japan could take root completely.