After a few months, Blanco Almeida once again set foot on the land of Port Oriente. Except for a few cargo ships from La Plata, there were no ships from any other country in the harbor, and everything seemed deserted. Several cargo ships flying the flag of the Rodrigues Chamber of Commerce are unloading beef cattle, keeping the sailors on board and the workers on the docks busy. A large group of men in linen uniforms in the quarantine area on the right side of the dock are undergoing military training, new immigrants. The East Coasters always seem to like to play with these tricks, and Blanco has long been out of the question.

Blanco's fleet consisted of three large ships, laden with the finest Brazilian mahogany(1). These tall trees are dense, hard, abrasion-resistant, and seawater-resistant, making them ideal timber for shipbuilding. The Spanish shipyards in Havana used Brazilian and Surinamese mahogany in large quantities, and with the increasing consumption of shipyards from the Old Continent, even the flagships of the Spanish Navy were later made of Brazilian mahogany in the Havana shipyards.

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

"50 fine Brazilian rosewoods, some iron ore, good coal and a lot of cotton should satisfy the people of the East Coast." Blanco thought to himself. He had been to Port Oriente many times, but never had he been so complicated by the comet-like rise of the East Coasters who had defeated the Spaniards in the middle of the day, and their dazzling light even pierced the eyes of the Brazilians, represented by Blanco, who were silently watching them.

You must know that at this moment, Portugal and Brazil are still being defeated by the Dutch in the Pernambuco area. They behaved like clowns on the battlefield, and the Portuguese were too old compared to the newborn Netherlands. The glorious Age of Discoveries was the pinnacle of the glory of the Portuguese, and since then they have been in a rapid decline. Not only was the monopoly of trade in the East divided between the Spanish and Dutch, but even the colony of Brazil in the New World lost a large part of its territory to the Dutch invasion.

The land was controlled by the Spaniards, Brazil was coveted by the Dutch, and everything seemed so bad. Blanco was a little discouraged, but he was in good spirits, because he was up against the cunning Foreign Minister of the East Coast, and Brazil needed the weapons in the hands of the East Coasters.

The rude sailors on the Rodriguez Chamber of Commerce unloaded their cattle and then went into town for a stroll, laughing loudly before hugging each other and leaving. There are no enthusiastic girls in the city, but there are intoxicating alcohol and fine goods, and they will not be allowed to run in vain.

"Rude Italians." Businessman Carlos muttered.

"Don't say that, Marcos." Blanco's interest was not very high, "Everyone is a wretched creature under the rule of the Spaniards. And, apparently, we are in more trouble at the moment, damn the Dutch! Captain Ricardo, you stay here to negotiate with the East Coasters, the price of the goods has been negotiated, you just need to cooperate with the East Coast people to put the goods into storage. Marcos, let's go. ”

The streets of Port Oriente are as clean and tidy as ever, and the dirty and smelly streets of Rio de Janeiro are nothing short of that. It was afternoon, and the streets were full of after-work workers. The workers walked leisurely, chatting and laughing in low voices, as they walked towards the restaurant that had opened on the street. Although the government of the East Coast now 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 canteens, and call friends to the restaurant to drink and chat every now and then.

"See you again, teacher!" A jagged children's voice sounded ahead. Blanco looked around and saw a group of children no more than five or six years old, carrying small school bags made of cotton, in a neat line in front of a courtyard bowing to an adult man. The man smiled and waved his hand to the children, and said, "When you go home, remember to practice the words you taught today, for the teacher will definitely test you tomorrow, if you can't write, you will be beaten." ”

The schoolchildren laughed, and then the queue was again sorted out under the leadership of two Ministry of Internal Affairs policemen. "Come, sing, the national anthem 'Sing the Motherland', 'The solemn flag flutters in the wind, how loud the victory song is...' Sing! A Ministry of Internal Affairs policeman shouted. Soon, the group of elementary school students sang along with their immature voices.

Blanco watched the group of blonde, black-haired, red-skinned, or black-haired and yellow-skinned elementary school students sing this simple melody but melodious song with serious expressions, and he felt a strange magic. On a high flagpole in the courtyard, a brightly colored flag fluttered in the wind. The flag is red, blue, and white, with twelve gears in the red area in the upper left corner. Twelve gears are arranged in a circular shape, and in the middle of the gear circle is a ship; The upper right corner of the flag and the entire lower area are blue and white stripes in the shape of water waves.

"It seems to be the flag of the East Coast." Blanco looked at it enviously, and in a moment he thought of Portugal and Brazil, which were still under the rule of the Spaniards, and couldn't help but shake his head gloomily.

As it darkened, Blanco and his two entourage finally arrived in front of the Executive Committee's administrative building. In front of the building are eight armed Ministry of the Interior police officers in crisp black uniforms, eight police officers standing on the left and right, in the middle of which is an iron fence gate, and a huge shield-shaped national emblem on a white background hangs under the eaves of the porch above the gate. The national emblem shows a double-headed eagle with teeth and claws standing on a yin-yang fish pattern, with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, which seems to imply that the people of 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 people inside to inquire about them, and then stamped their documents and let them go, and after unloading their weapons, they handed them over to the security guards in the administrative building inside. The security guards led them to the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the administration building, where they left.

The décor in the office remained as simple as ever, with a hand-drawn map of the latest Republic of China hanging on the plastered walls, and nothing else.

Gaumore greeted him warmly, and Blanco shook his hand, and then sat down across from Gaumore's pine desk. Blanco noticed that the chair under his butt and the desk in front of him were covered with a layer of padded cloth, which looked like cotton cloth to the texture. The cotton cloth was not dyed and there were no patterns, but the words "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" were embroidered in the corners.

"Cotton cloth of your own production?" Blanco asked casually.

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

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

"Come, taste the tea from the East." Gaumo instructed his secretary to make a cup of tea for each of them, "thanks to the honorable Captain Eduardo Assunsan, who brought this delicious drink from the far east to the eastern shores. Captain Assunsão is he okay, I heard that he went to Rio de Janeiro. ”

"He's good enough to have recently bought a sugar plantation in the Rio de Janeiro area. He made a fortune in the process of transporting the migrants, thanks to you. Blanco said.

"Ha Lu Ha. We have always been generous to our friends. Gomo laughed, "Okay, friend, let's not go around in circles." Maybe I know what you mean, but why, the Dutch are very unfriendly to you? ”

Blanco was a little embarrassed. "Yes, the Dutch West India Company has been making a lot of moves lately, bringing in large quantities of boer (Dutch for peasant) from the country, and organizing an army to launch a series of offensives. The incompetent and stupid General Marangnon and the cowardly and shameless Irish mercenaries have disgraced us, and the situation deteriorated quickly. I said, high, you really don't consider accepting our hire to fight in Brazil? ”

"Not for now." "The East Coast Republic of China has its own interests, and the war that is taking place in northeastern Brazil is too far away. Maybe when the time is right we will intervene in the war, but not now. Well, Blanco, you have a keen sense of smell, and you know that our warehouse is about to be blown up by weapons. 1,005 arquebuses, 112 flintlock pistols, 16 cannons, 450 cuirasses, and more than 1,000 light swords. ”

"Plus 100 armor plates. Without this equipment, our lads would not have had enough courage to fight, because the damned Dutch had some of this in their hands. Blanco looked at Golmore with expectant eyes and added.

"Well, we are friends, and our principle on the East Coast is not to let our friends suffer. For the sake of those Brazilian mahoganyes you brought, I'll give you a cheaper price, add another 5,000 yuan, and give you all 100 pairs of plate armor. This is an emergency transfer from the active army, Blanco, and you are truly honored. Gao Mo said with a smile.

"Deal." Blanco didn't think about it in the slightest, and the two of them shook hands together.

Blanco and Gaumo breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The former was due to the purchase of enough weapons to replenish the battle damage, and the latter was due to the fact that the loot that had been occupied by the warehouse was finally disposed of, and at the same time, a large amount of income was added to the empty treasury, which can be described as a great joy for all.

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

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