Manuel I, after listening to Ricardo's report, forgave him for his incompetence. But at the same time, Manuel I was very angry about the guns supplied by the North Sea State to the Kingdom of Malacca.

So Manuel I sent an envoy by land, changing horses all the way, and hurried to Auric, where he questioned Marin, who was making preparations for the trip, and asked why he had sent guns to the Malacca. And, because of the huge losses this took on Portugal, Manuel I threatened to abolish the Treaty of Lisbon, which had just been signed.

Marin had been prepared for this, so he summoned Columbus in disguise and openly questioned him in the presence of the Portuguese envoy why he was sending guns to the Malacca.

Columbus had already been instructed by Marin and naturally knew how to deal with it:

"I can't be blamed for that, Grand Duke. It was Sultan Mahmoud of Malacca who forcibly demanded from me for the guns we were equipped with. As you know, I needed someone to take me to Canton and find a route to Japan, so I agreed to send them guns. This explanation perfectly threw the pot to the Malaccan people.

"Then why is it rumored that you gave it to them on your own initiative?" The Portuguese envoy asked.

Columbus spread his hands helplessly and said:

"Mr. Emissary, this is an extortion incident that has tarnished the reputation of their sultan. Therefore, the Malaccan people will definitely say that I took the initiative to send it. Actually, they forcibly demanded it from me. Do you know? Their suzerain, the Ming Empire, has an organized gun unit, which is called the Shenji Battalion. They envy the guns and artillery units of the Ming Empire, but the Ming Empire will not sell guns to other countries. So, they're like I blackmailed ......" This explanation is flawless, and it is in vain to verify it.

For it is true that no king will admit that he has extorted others after blackmailing others. And the Ming Dynasty did have a Shenji battalion gun unit, and the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty were indeed very envious of this army of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty was very strict in controlling firearms, and listed them as state secrets, and would not easily provide guns to other countries. Therefore, all of this can stand up to scrutiny.

In the face of this perfect explanation, the Portuguese envoy was also somewhat speechless......

"But our loss ......"

Marin pretended to think about it, and then said:

"Well, don't you want to take the kingdom of Malacca? I'll give you an idea......"

"Idea?" The Portuguese envoy was a little puzzled.

"Yes, it can be guaranteed that Portugal can easily take the Kingdom of Malacca."

"Really? If it is as you say, I think our Majesty will surely forgive you for your unintentional mistakes. The Portuguese envoy said happily.

Marin rolled his eyes as if he had forgiven Manuel I......

But he still patiently told the Portuguese envoy the specific method-

"The next time you send troops to Malacca, don't rush to besiege the city of Malacca. After all, the city of Malacca was guarded by 30,000 defenders and hundreds of muskets, which was extremely difficult to overcome. So, I suggest that your army attack Kuala Lumpur directly first......"

"Kuala Lumpur? That big tin mine? ”

"Yes, that Kuala Lumpur with reserves of maybe tens of millions of pounds of tin! I think you should know the price of tin, if you occupy this huge tin mine, it is equivalent to owning a mountain of gold......"

The messenger nodded, agreeing with Marin's words, but added:

"But I heard that the city of Malacca was an important transit point for trade with the Ming Empire and the spice trade, and the wealth of the city was extremely amazing. Otherwise, they would not be able to afford to raise an army of 30,000...... So ......"

Marin's heart was suddenly filled with contempt - he was indeed a robber, and he did not forget to covet the wealth accumulated by other people for a hundred years......

But on the surface, Marin didn't show it, but went on to explain:

"I know that your country wants to occupy the city of Malacca, but I can't rush it. There are 30,000 defenders in the city, as well as guns, how many troops will your country need to send to storm it? But the ultra-long-distance sea transport army, can transport a few thousand people to the sky. Therefore, it is best not to storm the city. ”

"Moreover, if your country occupies the great tin mine in Kuala Lumpur, which is of astonishing value, the Kingdom of Malacca will certainly not be reconciled. When the time comes, your army will be able to defeat the enemy forces in Kuala Lumpur who have come to fight for the tin mines. ”

"You know, the other side is in the city of Malacca, and you can't deal with it. But if they take the initiative to come out, with the strength of your country's army, are they still afraid that they won't be able to defeat it? And the hundreds of arquebuses in the opponent's hand are not of much use in the field. After all, your country can be armed with a thousand muskets or even more......"

"As long as the main force of the army of the Kingdom of Malacca is defeated in the wild, when the time comes, it will not be easy to attack the city of Malacca?"

The envoys sent by Portugal were also knights and still knew military affairs. After listening to Marin's plan, he thought about it for a while and then approved of Marin's plan. Then, he also wrote down Marin's advice and brought it back.

……

Marin looked at the back of the departing Portuguese envoy and breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he had a very clever idea for the Portuguese. The siege of Malacca was indeed difficult because it required a lot of troops.

But if he controls the Kuala Lumpur tin mine, Sultan Mahmoud of Malacca will definitely be reluctant to fight for this piece of fat and will send troops to fight for it. And fighting in the field, the army of Malacca was certainly no match for the Portuguese army. Because, the combat effectiveness of the Malay soldiers is indeed very scummy. Originally, the 30,000 Malay soldiers of the Kingdom of Malacca were defeated by 1,200 Portuguese soldiers and 200 Indian soldiers of the Portuguese. Moreover, it failed while defending the fortified city. If it was a field battle, it was estimated that the Malaccans would lose faster.

After this defeat, the Portuguese would certainly have learned their lesson and sent thousands of regular troops to Malacca. Kuala Lumpur is a wild mine that the Portuguese will surely be able to capture easily. Then, it was possible to wait for the destruction of the army sent by the Malacca. By the time the Malacca army was almost weakened, the Portuguese could besiege and take the city of Malacca.

……

The reason why Marin was willing to help Portugal seize the city of Malacca was that he hoped that Portugal would deal a devastating blow to the Kingdom of Malacca. Then, the Kingdom of Malacca sent envoys to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help, and at that time, the Portuguese would have no possibility of peaceful exchanges with the Ming Dynasty. After all, Malacca is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty and is a very respectful little brother.

And taking advantage of the fact that the Portuguese could not enter the Ming Dynasty for a long time, Marin could also eat enough benefits. By the time the Portuguese reacted and obtained the right to do business in Macao through bribery, Marin had already eaten up the benefits, and the Portuguese had eaten some leftovers at most......

……

Moreover, Marin came up with another idea to pit the Portuguese......

What's the idea? Marin intended to make it impossible for the Portuguese to reap the riches of the city of Malacca......

According to historical records, after the Portuguese conquered the city of Malacca, the sultan and prince of Malacca fled the city with a large army and fled into the interior to continue to survive.

During the retreat, the Sultan of Malacca took with him a small amount of his treasure. And the huge wealth accumulated in the city of Malacca for hundreds of years was hastily left behind to cheapen the Portuguese invading army. According to historical records, the treasures seized by the Portuguese in the city of Malacca are tens of thousands, which is difficult to count, almost two-thirds of the wealth accumulated by the Kingdom of Malacca over the past hundred years.

The Kingdom of Malacca, as a transit point for trade between the East and the West and an important distribution center for the Spice Islands to India, has accumulated a huge wealth over the past hundred years. So, the Portuguese were full at one time.

This is not like the mining of tin ore in Kuala Lumpur, even though Kuala Lumpur tin ore has huge reserves and is incredibly valuable. However, it is not easy to mine and smelt tin ore, which will take at least a few decades. In the late 19th century, there were as many as 20,000 miners in the Kuala Lumpur tin mine and smelt tin here. Then, after decades of mining, a Malaysian capital was created.

In this era, it was difficult for the Portuguese to use tens of thousands of miners. Moreover, the tin mining and smelting technology of this era certainly cannot be compared with the late 19th century.

Therefore, although the Kuala Lumpur tin mine is valuable, it cannot be discounted in a short period of time. But the wealth in the city of Malacca can be obtained immediately, as long as the city is conquered......

……

And the way Marin thought of making trouble for the Portuguese was to send someone to secretly remind the Malacca that if the war did not go well, they could transfer their wealth to the inland cities as soon as possible. In this way, even if the Portuguese break through the city of Malacca, they will not be able to grab much wealth......

Moreover, the interior of the Malay region is basically off-limits to the Portuguese. Because, it's all rainforest. Portugal will be able to play tricks on the coast, deep into the rainforest, and they will be instigated.

Therefore, after going to Daming this time, Marin planned to secretly hire someone to go to Malacca City to remind the Sultan of Malacca to secretly transfer his wealth in advance. When the Portuguese conquered Malacca, they found out that they didn't get much benefit......

Of course, the Portuguese did not know in advance how much wealth there was in the city of Malacca. Even if they are shaded, they may not know about it......