On October 7, 1642, the expeditionary fleet of the Republic of East China went south along the coast of East Africa, turned eastward in the waters near the Comoros, and finally anchored in the calm New China Bay.

The return of the expedition did not cause any major disturbances in Fort Neunew, all because their exploration of the Eastern Route was a covert operation. The middle and lower class officials and ordinary people did not know what they were going to do, and many even thought that they were going to the Ottoman Empire to do business. Of course, the main military and political officials of the New China Colony have not forgotten their great deeds, of course they know what Li Yi and the others are doing, and of course they also know what it means for these two ships to return safely now.

As soon as the sailors on both ships got off board, they were ushered into the bathhouse for a comfortable hot bath, and then Rodrigo, Stitchinger's secretary, led them straight to the communal cafeteria, where a sumptuous meal awaited them. In the guest house, which was only separated by a wall from the public cafeteria, Li Yi, An, and several major military and political officials in the Xinhuaxia area were sitting around a table of eight immortals, and several of Shi Qinjie's personal cooks were bringing the prepared food to the table at a low price.

Needless to mention local specialties such as steak, lobster, and tuna, Shi Qinjie even made a roast suckling pig to treat everyone, which can be said to have made a lot of money. But the most attractive thing on the table is the plate of stir-fried vegetables, and those who have been adrift at sea for half a year have the most to see fresh green vegetables, and they are almost as desperate as they have a grudge against these vegetables. A plate of scrambled eggs with leeks and a plate of shiitake mushrooms and greens were eaten almost within a few minutes of being served, leaving Shi Qinjie and the others dumbfounded.

"This sailor is really not a man's job." Shi Qinjie, who was stunned for a long time, said with a sigh: "Wind and waves, pirate attacks, there is no tomorrow today. Alas. It is no wonder that all industries in China have the highest remuneration and the best welfare for sailors. It's a lot of work. ”

"You've finally done it justice." Li Yi munched on celery and said vaguely: "It's like you, you stay in the office all day long, you don't have anything to do to go fishing at the beach, and then go to the guest house to find a waitress for a massage at night." It's like me, it's been half a year since I went to sea, and I don't know if my two little wives have run away with someone. ”

"Bah, you're talking about the local, right? Our new Huaxia area is all frugal and housekeeping. Don't like those extravagant things. Shi Qinjie scolded with a smile. He had a strange temper and was quite upright, and lived a relatively frugal life among hundreds of travelers, almost like the legendary Puritans. If it weren't for the fact that he is a little weak in character and likes to look forward to doing things, he would definitely be a promising character in the crowd. But fortunately, he also knows how to delegate power, that is, he has the courage to let the subordinates who are good at doing things go at critical moments, and this is why his superiors always let him stay in the key position of captain of the Madagascar development team.

"It's not been peaceful for us here lately." Shi Qinjie took a sip of the Xiangshan dry red wine produced in Xiangshan Fort, and said with some concern: "This year, a French expedition came to the Duofanbao area in the southeast of the Falklands, and they built a fort immediately after landing there. Then colonization began. I still heard from some descendants of the Arabs who had come out of exile over there, and the French were menacing this time. I don't know what the purpose of the road is, and it always feels like it's not a good thing. ”

Duofanbao Li Yi and others are still known as Tao, later known as Taolanaru, which is a port city in the southeast of Malaysia. However, the name Fort Dovon did not appear at this time, because the French had not yet had time to build the famous Fort Dovon Castle in the area, which would not appear until 1643, but the name had long been used within the Travelers.

"The French didn't get much benefit from colonizing Canada, so they started to try their luck in Africa." Li Yi grabbed a big lobster and nibbled on it. Lobster is a specialty of the New China region, and its huge body and delicious taste have almost become the standard dishes for entertaining guests in the New China area.

"Of course, there may also be intentions to expand to the East, such as the Spice Islands, India, China, etc." Li Yi continued, "The French also want to make money. Do you think they don't envy the Dutch and Portuguese who are making a lot of money in the East? I must have been jealous for a long time, my eyes were red! The location of Fort Dofan is well known, and it is indeed a good relay point to the East, and it is definitely not for nothing that the French will build the fortress here. As far as I know, the Dutch route passed through the vicinity of Fort Dovan. ”

"Aren't the French afraid of annoying the Dutch? If they had stationed their naval fleet here, it would have been easy to cut off the Dutch's sea trade routes, right? Ensign Azuku asked stupidly, holding a pig's trotter in his hand and eating with his mouth full of oil.

"Stupid!" Li Yi slapped his greasy right hand on An's head and scolded: "Do the Dutch dare to provoke the French? Annoyed the French, and they took the Dutchman's lair directly from the land! Don't forget, France is a continental power, and now is the time for it to start its upward spiral. ”

France did not intervene in the European Continental War until the latter part of the Thirty Years' War, and it was clear that the idea was to profit from the fisherman. In fact, France was also one of the few countries that reaped the dividends of the Thirty Years' War, and Li Yi vaguely remembered that France seemed to have invaded the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire, such as Alsace-Lorraine and Strasbourg, and at the same time expanded its territory in the northeast and southeast. At this time, France was ruled by the famous Cardinal Richelieu, and the population reached an astonishing size of 20 million, and the rise was very obvious, so it was natural to expand and colonize outward.

"Damn, the Netherlands dares to mess with us, who makes us a small country." Anju was a little depressed when he heard it, after so many years, he created such a big family business from scratch, and sometimes he was really proud to think about it. However, compared with those old European countries, this national strength is so weak that it is explosive, and it is not a heavyweight opponent at all, and it is not even qualified to challenge at this stage.

"The Dutch have also officially established a foothold near Tulare." Shi Qinjie was in a bad mood, and he swallowed the red wine in the glass violently, and then said: "I can't stand these Dutch scum going around cutting down trees, capturing slaves, and carrying out predatory exploitation." ”

Schinger has always regarded the island of Madagascar as his own land. Although with the current national strength of the East Coast Republic, even if it is given another 20 years, it may not be able to develop much of the Falklands, but it is certain that other countries are always dangling within the scope of their own power.

"The Falklands seems to be being targeted by many people." Li Yi finally finished eating his lobster, but he quickly picked up the second one in a frustrating manner, and said as he frothed at the mouth: "Let's not talk about the French, they have no fundamental conflict of interest with us at present, and there is even the possibility of cooperation in a sense." But the Dutch are wary of a stronghold near Tulare. I remember that historically they didn't have a formal foothold here, but now that they do, I personally feel that maybe it's our military presence in South Africa and New China that makes them a little uneasy. Therefore, they have set up colonies in these two places, and while consolidating the security of their own routes, they are monitoring our development nearby, and if possible, it would be better if they could squeeze us out of these two places. ”

"Although our contradictions with the Dutch are fundamental and irreversible, they should not deteriorate to this extent at this stage, right? It's like we're on the verge of going to war, well, we need to cool down, we're not ready for war. Time is on our side, and if we can delay it for a day, we have a better chance of winning. Liao Meng, the army company commander, wiped his mouth with a napkin and said slowly: "According to the diplomatic terminology of later generations, we need to enhance understanding with the Netherlands, seek common ground while reserving differences, improve bilateral mutual trust, and jointly maintain the maritime order of the South Atlantic and the South Indian Ocean." ”

Liao Meng's words surprised several people around him. This doesn't look like the words of a militarist, well, it seems that this guy is a rare moderate in the army. Also, it would be a tragedy if the army was full of militaristic fanatics with their heads full of horse manure.

"If you want to maintain maritime order in the South Atlantic and the South Indian Ocean, you need the Dutch to look at you squarely." Li Yi said self-deprecatingly: "Our current situation has only caused some trouble to the Dutch at best, but it is far from fatal, because this is determined by the huge gap in national strength between the two sides." Our weak navy doomed us to a long-term confrontation with the Dutch, and the only thing the Dutch had to think about was how much it would cost us to settle our bills. If we have to pay a heavy price for the defeat in Brazil, the loss of the Cape Town colony, and the massive sinking of merchant ships to the Spice Islands, I think the Dutch will carefully consider our policy. I'm optimistic about it because they're businessmen, not politicians. Businessmen are there to make money, not to serve the interests of the country, and this is our opportunity. ”

Li Yi's words are not unreasonable. In fact, the Dutch East India Company was a group of mercenary merchants from top to bottom, and their domestic merchants were still selling weapons to the Portuguese when the Dutch and Portugal were at war. In many cases, the interests of the capitalists are not aligned with the interests of the state, which gives the East Coasters a lot of room to maneuver. If the Dutch were to be replaced by the French at this time, then I am afraid that the situation of the people on the east coast would be very bad, and it would be better to prepare for war as soon as possible. Because France is a feudal centralized country, everything is decided by the king and the big nobles, and once they see that you are unhappy, most of them will come to the door and declare war on you the next day! (To be continued......)