Ever since he had attacked the Oriental man in São Tomé, it was as if he had lost his trace, never to be found again. According to Luanda's eyeliner, it seems that there was a guy who looked very much like an Oriental who was sent there to Hong Kong, and then disappeared, and every time he thought about it, he always felt unsure. But looking back, what could he do if he was far from home?

Admiral Frank Kempes of the Spanish Navy's Fifth Fleet thought so.

At the beginning, in order to cultivate Nuno Santos, he invested a lot of energy, money and manpower in East Africa, after all, this guy is nominally Portuguese, and he is congenitally deceptive - although I have been in Spain for nearly four years through marriage, I have always thought that those guys on the edge of the Iberian Peninsula are not of the same clan as me.

It is said that after this Oriental surnamed Sun came to East Africa, it was Nuno Santos who attacked first, and the other side was forced to fight back - this is understandable, although our power in the Far East is limited, but as of the Indian Ocean, it is already mostly our Spanish sphere of influence! As an officer of the Far Eastern Empire, pray that our navy will not invade your homeland in your lifetime, and dare to extend its tentacles to our territory!

It is said that he just wanted to pass the ...... Who knows? Maybe it's just a pretense, and besides, it won't work to pass! To put it bluntly, passing through East Africa and arriving in West Africa is nothing more than wanting to go around to the West Ocean to do business. It's our place! Of course, it's not our own family that has the final say in the Mediterranean, and the reptilian and dirty Italians and the rude and ignorant Ottomans want a piece of the pie!

As for the western coast, the Portuguese ...... Well, barely count them into the territory of our Spanish maritime empire! I have to admit that their actual power is still very large, and they are not under us - if we can sincerely cooperate, it may not be impossible to divide the world, just like the "Treaty of Tordesirias" that we signed a few years ago, along the "Papal Meridian" demarcated three hundred and seventy leagues west of Cape Verde, and we divide the east and west, so why not?

But alas, these guys from the western end of Iberia don't seem to give up! They've been trying to divide our ties with us, and the guys from the north—I mean Elizabeth's old woman's stubborn Sea Guard, the cunning merchants of the Windmill Country, and the fur-covered Swedes in Stockholm are not honest! This also broke the hearts of our Spanish Navy!

Frank López sat in his villa at the southern end of Port Sofala, silently sipping black tea. From the moment they tore off their camouflage and began to counterattack East Africa, the forces united by the Easterners and Arabs took the initiative to retreat!

The other side occupies Mozambican ports such as Pretoria and Nacala, as well as Mombasa and Mogadishu. It is strange that we have been able to gain control of Sofala and the south of Sofala almost without blood.

And who wants to give up the fat in their mouth? Unless...... Unless they have a conspiracy!

It is said that the commander of the Oriental was replaced by a young woman, who seemed to be the daughter of the Ming Dynasty dignitary whom Charlie tried his best to seduc, but unfortunately the other party seemed to have no interest in him, and I don't know if it was caused by the marriage contract. And this woman seems to be very shrewd, and she actually recognized Charlie's identity, which is really amazing!

As for those Arabs, the rich brother from Basra also seems to be a very thoughtful person, and it seems that if you want to deal with them, you need to make a good plan!

"Dangdang!" The door panel made of oak suddenly knocked and Frank López whispered: "Come in!" At the same time, he put down the teacup in his hand and looked back at the people who came in.

In came the adjutant de Silva Velázquez, a young man in his early thirties, with a meticulous beard and a slight curly brown hair. Oh, his eyes are always so bright, just like when I was young!

"Bellas, any information? I mean, about those Orientals. Frank López asked with a smile.

Velázquez gave a military salute and called, "Admiral"! Then he took a few steps closer, followed the gesture of Frank López, respectfully sat on the chair opposite him, thought about it, opened the notebook in his hand, glanced at it and said, "There is some news...... Not about the Oriental, but I think you must be wondering. ”

Frank López pouted and smiled, he had told this lad many times not to be so inhibited, but he never seemed to remember. This guy who graduated from the Royal Navy Non-commissioned Officer School is always tense, like a stake, no wonder so many noble ladies who are interested in him are scared away by him! What a boring person!

Thinking about all the things in his heart, he said with a straight face: "Oh! What's up? Bellas, tell me about it! ”

Velasquez still said with a serious face: "Admiral, it's like this—recently there has been news from the West Bank that some Portuguese nobles are dissatisfied with our rule, and are trying to start from the colonies to encroach on our forces, and then achieve the goal of breaking away from our control. ”

Hearing this, Frank López couldn't help but frown. He had been active in the Mediterranean Sea before, and had a very unpleasant quarrel with the Portuguese over the ownership of Madeira. Is this problem coming up again now?

He suddenly wondered in his heart - the timing chosen by the Portuguese was a little delicate! We are wrestling with the Orientals in East Africa, and the British in West Africa are also working openly and covertly, do the Portuguese guys really plan to take this opportunity to break away from our control in one fell swoop and re-establish their own decisions?

They underestimate the skill and prestige of His Majesty Philip II! Now that he has control over the entire Iberian Peninsula, how can he release these people under his men? But...... This matter has to be prevented!

Frank López slowly loosened his frown and asked, "Is the news exact?" Where does it come from? ”

Velasquez immediately replied seriously: "There are many sources of information, it seems that the other party has made a lot of small moves, this news has spread widely, and even Sofala's bar has been spreading this news recently!" ”

Frank López seemed to smell something unusual, so he went on to ask: "What about the old fellow Hernandez?" What's going on with him? It is said that he is the most opposed to incorporation into our country! ”

Velasquez frowned slightly and said: "Strange is strange here, according to the spy report, there is no movement on the side of Count Hernandez, it is said that he has recently become obsessed with a kind of black tea, and he has been studying tea-making techniques every day, and he never asks about the outside world." ”

Frank López snorted, thought for a moment, and asked, "Is there any news of that Oriental?" I mean, in addition to that woman, the news of the Ming Dynasty officer with the surname Sun. ”

Velasquez's brows furrowed even tighter, he seemed to be thinking about how to phrase it, and said for a long time: "Admiral, that guy is said to have gone north to the Western Ocean!" ”

"Went to the West?" Frank López was a little unconvinced by his ears: "You mean, he let his lover hold us back and ran away on his own?" ”

"More likely to go looking for helpers! After all, we have no shortage of enemies in the Mediterranean. Velasquez replied.

"Well......" muttered Frank López, "there is a possibility. But this does not have much impact on our current situation. That Ming Dynasty man is said to be very famous, but he is obviously not a qualified admiral. So our priority should be to go back and solve the problem of the Portuguese, to nip this momentum in the bud, don't you think? ”

Velasquez stood up from his chair and saluted, "Exactly! Your Excellency the Admiral. The Ming Dynasty may intervene in our colony, but it is just a problem of scabies. But if the Portuguese really take this opportunity to make trouble, if the British help them, I am afraid that the whole of Africa will be unstable! ”

As he spoke, without waiting for Frank López to answer, Velázquez then lowered his voice and said: "When I came, the Honorable Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Mr. A. Pérez de Guzmán, Duke Medina Sidonia, made it clear that the New World was inevitable, but Africa could not be abandoned either. Until we battle it out with other maritime powers, neither of these two treasures can be lost! Otherwise......"

Frank Lopeston shuddered, and when he thought of the Commander-in-Chief's eyes, he shuddered even in the middle of summer! In order to hide his inner activity, he straightened his collar, moved his butt a few times, and cleared his throat before saying, "Hmm! So, solving the problem of the Portuguese is a priority! ”

As he spoke, he unfolded the nautical chart with Velázquez, and Frank López traced his fingers all the way through the terrain of West Africa, muttering: "Since the Cape of Good Hope, Walvis Bay, Luanda, Abidjan, well, including Dakar, are all noteworthy places!" We are sweeping from south to north gradually, and we must not leave the Portuguese a chance to take advantage of it! ”

"Yes! Your Excellency the Admiral! Velázquez replied. Then he seemed a little embarrassed and said, "Are we all going to West Africa?" So what about Sofala's side? Who will stay behind? ”

Frank López thought for a while, waved his hand impatiently, and said, "When is that guy Nuno Santos going to play dead?" Get him right back! Be a good watchdog for me in the waters south of Sofala! ”

After speaking, he gritted his teeth and said: "If we can't do anything well with our clear support, then there is no point in keeping him!" You know what I mean, right? ”

Velasquez's face replied expressionlessly: "Understood! And when he had done the military salute, he withdrew from the house.

Listening to Velasquez's footsteps getting farther and farther, Frank López felt a little upset. I had already applied for support from the Navy Headquarters, but ...... De Guzmán, that old man, just won't send reinforcements! What else do you say, "Even this wild land is not in charge, so let him go back to his hometown and make wine!" ”

"Bump"! Frank López slammed his fist on the table, but no matter how angry he was, he couldn't change the fact that de Guzmán's words were close to the king's order. Since it can't be changed, well, we can only solve the problem of the Portuguese first!

If one day I could stand in the position of the old man de Guzmán, I would ...... Alas!

Frank López felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart. He is not old and has an advantage, and he is ranked behind several admirals in terms of military strategy and force, and he wants to climb to that position...... Forget it, wash and sleep.

Thinking of this, he stood up, took off his saber from the wall, and pulled it out of the sheath with a "choking lang", which seemed to be a little rusty!

Frank López said so in his heart. After this battle, I will take the initiative to retire and return to my hometown to make wine...... It seems to be a good choice!