Located near 15 degrees north latitude, Goa has the wettest season of the year from June to September, but unlike Bangladesh, the Indian Ocean monsoon brings moisture to Goa and lowers the local temperature, rather than the high temperatures that continue to be high in Bangladesh. In this respect, Goa is much more livable than Bangladesh.

Therefore, Li You didn't feel any irritability about the sudden rain, but felt a lot more breathable because of the coolness brought by the rain. And his prediction was also extremely accurate, a port blocked by the Dutch, suddenly appeared a foreign merchant ship, which would soon attract the attention of those who cared about it.

Not long after they stayed, Noretti, the representative of the Committee for the Restoration of Nations in Goa, appeared at the hotel. Dressed in dry but somewhat ill-fitting clothes, he walked to the door of a room at the end of the second floor of the hotel, led by an acquaintance of a Chinese shipowner.

The shipowner knocked on the door, and after introducing Noreti to Li You, the leader of the trip, he said to the two: "Seeing that it is not early, go down and see what you can get in the hotel, and when you are ready, come up and invite the two of you to go down for dinner..."

When the owner of the ship had left and closed the door, and there were only two people left in the room, Li You said to Noreti: "Mr. Noretti, we might as well sit down and have a cup of tea and talk slowly, I think we still have enough time to communicate before dinner is ready." ”

Noretti, who can read and write and speak Chinese, also sat down politely, while holding a cup of black tea brewed for himself, while casually looking at the layout of the room. It is a two-bedroom suite, with the door leading to the living room, the door to the living room on the left, and a balcony on the opposite side of the living room and the entrance.

The area of the living room is not very large, and there is basically nothing to put in except for a table and chairs for hospitality and a set of bookcases. Because it was a rainy day, the room looked a little dark, so Li You placed a lit kerosene lamp on the table between the two, and some whitish light shone on the yellow-brown tabletop, which seemed a little warm.

After Noreti retracted his gaze, he said to Li You: "Why didn't Mr. Li come directly to me and the Governor after he went ashore, the accommodation conditions in the inner city are much better than here." This side is close to the edge of the city, and the composition of people living nearby is complicated, so there may be some safety risks. ”

After taking a sip of hot tea, Li You replied with a smile: "Most of the people living here are mixed-race Portuguese, craftsmen and merchants from China, India and other places, and it is not an eyesore to live in a few Chinese merchants.

And the inner city is inhabited by white people from Portugal, Spain and some other countries in Europe, and as soon as we Chinese with different appearances live in it, I am afraid that we will be targeted immediately.

Although the exchanges between our Ming and Governor Antony have always been in line with the legal relations of the two countries, judging from the current situation in Goa, it is not likely that there will be no one who will make irresponsible remarks through the relationship between the Governor and my Ming Dynasty. In order to prevent further uncertainty before the matter is resolved, I did not go to the Governor's Palace as soon as I arrived in Goa, Mr. Noretti should not be unincomprehensible, right? ”

"Of course I understand, I understand." Noretti nodded again and again, but looked at Li You expectantly and said, "Then Mr. Li, does your arrival mean that Your Royal Highness the Prince intends to accept the opinion of our Goa Restoration Committee?" ”

Li You considered the words in his heart before he said: "Although Da Ming promised to support the actions of the National Restoration Committee to seek national independence, our support is not unlimited.

The Governor sent me here with two missions: first, to see for himself the current situation in Goa; The second was to know what Governor Anthony and the Restoration Committee were willing to pay for the independence of the Portuguese Indian colonies.

Mr. Noretti, are you sure that you will be able to continue the conversation with me on behalf of Governor Anthony and the members of the Restoration Committee? ”

Although Noreti's face did not change under the light, his hands on the table kept holding each other, and after a long time, he stopped his movements and said, "I understand what Mr. Li means, I will convey your meaning to His Excellency the Governor and the others, and then I will contact you after they have come to a conclusion." But before that, how do I communicate your identity to others? What is the scope of the authority given to you by His Royal Highness the Prince? ”

Li You looked at the other party with a smile and said: "You can report to His Excellency Governor Anthony and the others, Lieutenant Colonel Li You of the Ming Army greets them on behalf of His Royal Highness the King of Tang, and any conditions I negotiate in Goa will be approved by His Royal Highness the King of Tang..."

After a morning of deliberation with Governor Anthony and the key members of the Restoration Committee, including Councillor Samento, in the office of the Governor's residence, it was decided to take Councillor Samento's carriage to the southwest corner of the city after dinner to visit the representatives of Prince Daming.

After Governor Anthony, disguised as a member of the Sarmento Council, arrived at the hotel where Li You and the others lived, he was quickly picked up by Li You, who was waiting at the door of the hotel.

This time, Noretti, who accompanied him, became the interpreter between the two. Still in the same room, but he was a supporting player in the negotiations, which made Noretti feel a little frustrated, but he did his best to translate for the two of them.

From the outset, however, the negotiations reached an impasse, and the young Chinese officer vetoed Governor Anthony's plan with little thought.

“… No, it's not like that. With all due respect, Your Excellency Governor, I would like you to be honest with me about the internal and external situation that Goa is now facing, rather than you telling us what to do, and then we will come up with a workable solution together. ”

Anthony's face was a little ugly, he couldn't help but look at the other party coldly, and said with a rather arrogant attitude: "Young sir, I hope you can understand that sitting in front of you is an old man who has experienced more than 20 years of colonial life.

I lived, did business, and served the people of the colony, and I knew everything about Goa, day and night. The plan I have put forward is very good, and as long as Her Royal Highness is able to cooperate with us, then Goa, and the entire colony of Portuguese India, will fall into the hands of Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella.

The only problem now is time, the news of independence from the country has already made the Portuguese mood boil throughout Portuguese India, and once the official uprising in the country declares independence, the officials and businessmen who now support us may fall in some unknown direction in an instant. Then even if we come up with a perfect plan at this time, we will not succeed..."

Regarding Governor Anthony's seemingly tough attitude, Li You did not rush to refute, he straightened up, crossed his hands on his chest and leaned on the chair, and after looking at the other party for about half a minute, he broke the somewhat tense atmosphere and said calmly: "Time, it is indeed a problem.

But for our country, this is not a problem. Even if we miss this opportunity, we will still be able to get what we want on the Indian continent. But did His Excellency the Governor think that the Portuguese Indian colonies that had chosen the wrong allegiance would have anything good?

Could it be that after the independence of the Kingdom of Portugal, the Dutch outside the port would leave? Will the Mughal Empire, which is eyeing you, no longer block Goa's access to the interior?

Moreover, if Portuguese India chooses to betray Princess Isabella, then it will automatically terminate the peace agreement concluded between Portuguese India and the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will no longer shelter your merchants on the seas and land of Asia.

Are you sure you really want to take this path? ”

Governor Anthony's gaze and Li You looked at each other for a long time, but he couldn't see a trace of concession in the other party's gaze, and after thinking about it repeatedly in his heart, he finally bowed his head with difficulty and said, "So, what do you want?" ”

After letting Anthony succumb, Li You was not complacent, he put down his hands, leaned forward slightly, and then said seriously: "First, we need the hydrology, geography, flora, humanities and other data collected and recorded by Portuguese India for the Indian Ocean and the Indian continent for more than a hundred years;

second, the trade information of the colonies of Portuguese India and the ins and outs of the conflicts with the surrounding tribes; The third is a record of the contradictions and conflicts between Portuguese India and the Netherlands and England. ”

Governor Anthony frowned and thought for a long time, before he said very resistantly: "If these things are handed over to the Ming Dynasty, what will be left of Portuguese India?" Are you going to swallow all of Portuguese India and then drive us out of the Indian continent? ”

Li You replied disapprovingly: "As long as we continue to stand idly by, won't there be no chance of you being driven out of the Indian continent?" I think it's wisest to dump the cargo on a ship before it sinks. Otherwise, once the ship sinks, these goods will be sold at a price that they will not be able to sell. Isn't the current Portuguese India a half-sunken ship? ”

Governor Antony remained silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "I hope you don't forget, Portuguese India is also the property of Princess Isabella. The amount of information you ask for is too much to give to you right now. ”

Li You relaxed his body a little and said: "Some information can be handed over after the matter is settled, now I want to know, is there room for reconciliation between the conflict between Portuguese India and the Dutch, and what do they want?" Also, do you have a secret agreement with the British? ”

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