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Monday, December 1, 1636.

The urgent telegram sent from the overseas consulate of the distant Pearl Island instantly aroused the anxiety of the board of directors of the Oriental Union Group.

"Why did the landlord officials of the Ming Dynasty take the opportunity to pick fruits halfway? We will never allow the South China Sea Merchant to get out of our control! ”

"It's so funny, Zhao Mingchuan made a strict misjudgment when he first handled the group's Far East investment business! It is more secure to cooperate with Li Guozhu or Yan Sihai than to cooperate with Liu Yaoyu under the noses of the Ming officials, right? ”

"It seems that simply tying up the gentry is not enough insurance, but rather allows them to breed ambition. In fact, there is no need for us to take these risks to engage in investment and cooperation with Hainan firms, we just need to maintain trade with them...... Hey, it's not easy to operate at this time. ”

At the board meeting of the headquarters of the Oriental Union Group, the directors slapped the table vigorously, and expressed angry or regretful opinions one after another, and President Andrian, who was waiting for the instructions of the board of directors, was sweating profusely and at a loss.

For the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in the past few years, he used his connections to persuade the radical Prime Minister Wu Yuanyi to show his historical superiority again as he did many years ago to solve the problem by force?

Putting aside the country's huge military spending for the time being, just letting the army and navy jump again just half a year after the end of the war in the Western Hemisphere, even if Wu Yuanyi had that heart, the military would be crazy, and it would be difficult for domestic public opinion to say. Almost all of the people at the scene have grown into human spirits over the years, and after venting, they secretly glanced at each other a few times, and no one first mentioned this bad idea, which is very likely to lead to the joint efforts of conservatives and progressives in the country.

"It's just an inertial way of thinking and behavior of the landlords and gentry in the Ming Dynasty, don't be too surprised." As one of the core directors of the Oriental Union Group, Di Zugong was drinking tea unhurriedly at this time.

After stepping down from Bermuda's position as mayor of Twin Bay a few years ago, Di Zugong has been single-mindedly running some local commercial real estate development projects with Guanyun, chairman of Merlin Food Group. Hearing that someone put all the blame on his "beloved apprentice" Zhao Mingchuan, Di Zugong sneered in his heart.

"Cooperation with the gentry of Hainan is one of the Far East strategies formulated by Yan Xiaosong and others of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it is also the content of the agreement between the Oriental Union Group and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now the hindsight feels inappropriate. Why didn't anyone object in the first place? Di Zugong slammed the teacup on the table and looked around at a few friends who were also not small.

"Who would have thought that a few years later, Yan Xiaosong and they probably didn't figure it out......" Zhang Li, one of the core directors of the Oriental Union Group and president of North American Standard Oil Group, frowned while trimming her nails.

"We can't give up the interests of the business in the South China Sea, which is an important bridgehead for us in the Daming market, and now 15% of the annual profits of the OUCC Group come from the South China Sea business! Then reason with them first. Ren Changle, who is the rotating chairman of the new board of directors of the Oriental Union Group, stood up at this time and made a gesture to calm the argument, "Mr. Andrian, please send a telegram when you go back." Let Mr. Isaac, the general manager of Oriental Industrial Company, go to Pearl Island immediately, and let Zhao Mingchuan negotiate directly with the other party! We don't mind changing partners, but we have to reach an agreement with the new owner of Nanhai to protect the investment interests. Otherwise, let them do it at their own peril. ”

"If necessary, you can also adjust the distribution of benefits of cooperation!" Di Zugong added on the side, and the directors present nodded frequently.

……

After attending the regular meeting of Congress every Monday, Lu Shengqiang hurried to the mayor's residence in Jersey City at noon.

In addition to the daughter who got married, the children who are now young and go to school usually eat at school, and now only Chang Kun and a few female relatives are making lunch at home. Lu Shengqiang rubbed the enthusiasm of rice. caught Chang Kun's family off guard.

"Oh, brother, I see that you are sweating profusely, and you don't let anyone tell you a letter before you come. It's good to prepare at home. Lu Shengqiang's cheap cousin Lu Shi smiled, and hurriedly beckoned the maid and old mother to go to the kitchen to add temporary dishes.

"Just eat as much as you want, I have something important to discuss with my brother-in-law today!" Lu Shengqiang was not polite, grabbed the chopsticks and started drying. On the other hand, he also handed Chang Kun a mysterious expression.

Feeling that the other party came here today to make a big deal, Chang Kun hurriedly handed over his eyes to the ladies present: "I have something important to discuss with Shengqiang, you wait and eat in the hall." ”

Another flurry. The ladies quietly withdrew from the restaurant, and Chang Kun put on a respectful smile again, and embarrassedly bowed his hand to the cheap brother-in-law.

"Prime Minister Wu Yuanyi has approved South Africa's Governor-General Zhou Yi's plan to establish a new colony town in eastern South Africa." Lu Shengqiang held the wine glass and showed a mysterious smile, "Now the Viceroyalty of South Africa is the exclusive business area of Guoxing Group, and I have a good relationship with them, so I have to seize this opportunity!" ”

"This ...... South Africa, how do you grasp it? In Chang Kun's memory, the terrifying experience of bypassing South Africa more than ten years ago is really unbearable, and every time he thinks of that place, he feels dizzy.

"Remember Gilson? After he quit the company in the second half of the year, he went to Guoxing Group, and now he is the general manager of Guoxing Group's Jinshagang Branch. When Lu Shengqiang said this, he proudly raised his finger, "Gilson also relied on our support to save his current net worth, and I believe he will not refuse our cooperation." No matter how bad it is, I'll say hello to a few buddies from Guoxing Group again. ”

Lu Shengqiang and Chang Kun are the major shareholders behind Angel Urban Construction, and Gilson, a Dutch-American guy at the beginning, has received the support of two backstage companies to develop a small third-rate company into a well-known private enterprise in China. Although the business level is still a miscellaneous cauldron stew, with the spirit of drilling, Angel Urban Construction Company has still broken a small world in northern towns such as Porter City, and has won local urban construction and logistics contracts from Porter City to Jiangkou Town and Baimayi.

In the critical period of the most prosperous career, Gilson, who was nearly 40 years old, received the woo of Guoxing Group. In line with the belief that he would rather be the tail of the phoenix, Gilson decisively gave up the position of general manager of Angel Urban Construction, sold shares and cashed out, and then joined the newly established Guoxing Group as the general manager of the South African Sands Port branch of Guoxing Group.

"In this way, I still have some connections near South Africa that can be used......" Chang Kun stroked his whiskers, his mind slowly turned, and he soon understood the hint of his brother-in-law. Immediately showed a smile, "When I was in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there were several subordinate colleagues who had a good relationship and are now working in Nanshan Port. Presumably the proximity to the Viceroyalty of South Africa can also help? ”

Seeing that Chang Kun was very cooperative, Lu Shengqiang suddenly smiled: "Yes, we should also boldly expand, don't stay in the local area, and build the branch to Jinsha Port!" Now the policy there is good, and the efforts to attract investment are being intensified. We have a lot of room for development! ”

"In the future, we will take Jinsha Port as the root, join forces with Guoxing Group, and show the Viceroy of South Africa."

Lu Shengqiang was triumphant, Chang Kun was also shaking his head, and the two two-pole magic sticks laughed out loud in the restaurant.

……

Eight years after its establishment, the city of Yuexi (Reunion Island), which was once described as a paradise on earth by the young Chinese geographer Frey, has become a medium-sized town with a population of 7,000 officially settled. Although the distance from the mainland is second only to the overseas territory of Pearl Island, the development of Yuexi City in the past eight years is still a small achievement, and the proportion of Chinese population is second only to Nanshan Port.

In addition, there were hundreds of Indian Iroquois captives who had been sent from as far away as North America a few years earlier. Engaged in simple agriculture, a few people now trade their labor for limited freedom, and gradually integrate into local life.

It lacks a natural harbor location, but it is one of the core hubs of the Indian Ocean shipping route. The Indian Ocean is frequented by large ocean-going vessels. Therefore, the port facilities have become the biggest bottleneck for the further development of the overseas territory of Wolsan Island. Today, hundreds of black aborigines captured from South Africa are under the supervision of the local police and the National Guard to expand the artificial wharf of the port in Yuexi City.

As a supply station for Indian Ocean shipping routes and a core transit point for migration and trade, Yueshan Island, with its pleasant climate and lush vegetation, has a relatively complete local economy and self-hematopoietic capacity after years of careful management. Depends on the fertile soil conditions of volcanic ash. Agriculture remains the backbone of the local economy.

Grains and fruits, medicinal herbs, sugarcane production, winemaking, livestock farming, fishery fishing, sea salt, and food processing are the main economic items in the region. A considerable part of the refined sugar, refined salt, and spirits that were resold to Africa and India through the OUCC or European merchant ships came from Wolshan Island. However, the local food self-sufficiency is still very low, and it needs to be imported from Nanshan Port or Jinsha Port.

In addition, a good climate. The overseas territory of Gassan Island has the largest flower and herb cultivation and flavor refining industry in China. The slogan "You deserve it" has made the "Moon Creek Paradise" series of perfumes and soaps a well-known brand in the local and European markets, and Yang Wenwen Life Art Group, as the first large-scale private company to invest in Yueshan Island, has achieved good returns here.

Traditional industry is a little weaker by comparison, with only two small cement-brick and glass manufacturers on the island, and a small-scale private company using Native American slave laborers to mine sulphur and copper. In addition, most of the industrial products needed by Yuexi City can only be imported from Nanshan Port.

Due to the focus of the Ministry of Land and Resources, in order to protect the unique natural ecological resources of Yueshan Island, the local forestry development was also subject to many restrictions, except for the necessary timber consumption and land reclamation, most of the primeval forests were prohibited from development. Even in 1633, after Bermuda and Butterfly Island, Wolshan Island was listed as the third "Demonstration Base for the Protection of Planted Forests and Strategic Rare Tree Species" in Huamei, and many valuable tree species from Southeast Asia and South America were planted locally on a large scale. At present, at least for 30 years, the local people will not enjoy the rewards of this resource strategy.

But in any case, from the original uninhabited island to a pearl in the "Indian Ocean String of Pearls", the overseas territory of Wolshan Island has still opened up a small world of civilization in the wild Indian Ocean.

……

On Friday, December 12, the sail frigate USS Cornflower of the South African Fleet escorted a merchant ship to the port of Wolxi City, the overseas territory of Wolshan Island. This is an old short shirt-class flying shear merchant ship that has been in operation for many years, which was temporarily leased by the Oriental Union Group to the state-owned ocean shipping group.

"Captain, the schedule is quite intense, and we have to rest for three days at most, and we only have one month to expand the trading post on the north shore of Matthias (the island of Madagascar)."

The cable had just been thrown onto the dock, and in the command cabin of the bridge, Wu Sheng (who appeared in the third volume) couldn't wait to bow his hand to Captain Ji Chaohai, the captain of the Chinese and American Navy beside him, and pointed to the northwest direction.

Wu Sheng is 48 years old this year, with a short and short figure and shrewd eyes, which is his iconic image. Although it is less than the thoughtful Zhao Mingchuan, he was a small Manchester City vegetable and fruit wholesaler back then. Wu Sheng's business ability is also the leader of the earliest batch of Chinese in Manchester City, and he has been responsible for the group's agricultural projects in Nanshan Port after joining the Oriental Union Group, and has now been promoted to the position of manager of the Nanshan Port Branch of Oriental Industrial Company.

Spread out the chart, Africa's largest island, such as a huge mango, sits in the Indian Ocean east of the African continent and west of the overseas territory of Wolshan Island.

As a branch of Southeast Asian civilization that is very different from black Africa, the millions of indigenous people on the island of Madagascar are not traditional blacks on the western continent, but Southeast Asian races. Madagascar has the most advanced agrarian civilization in Africa's indigenous circles, and there were dozens of semi-feudal indigenous kingdoms large and small before the arrival of Europeans. Even in the tribes in the northeast, there are rumors of "descendants of Zheng He's subordinates of the Ming Empire".

Copper, iron, gold, graphite, nickel, lead-zinc, coal, gemstones...... The island of Madagascar was later known as the World Museum of Metals and Minerals. On top of that, the island is home to millions of mild-mannered Magas natives, which is a good market in itself.

On the island's northeastern coast, a few years ago, some small traders in Nanshan Port and Yuexi City set up non-permanent trading posts, and engaged in intermittent small business with the local Matthias, using cheap industrial products to extract valuable furs, high-quality timber and gold sand from the locals. Even the people of Wolsan Island are fortunate enough to eat cheap rice grown by the Matthias.

Perhaps the value of the island of Madagascar has long been known to the public, in addition to the established plans for the construction of colonization towns on the east coast of South Africa, shortly after the parliamentary elections. The plan to persuade the new cabinet to infiltrate Madagascar for trade was strongly supported by Prime Minister Wu Yuanyi, and was the biggest motivation for the establishment of the Indian Ocean Governorate.

In what was later the northeast coast of the island of Madagascar, two permanent trading posts were built in Vuhimarina and Tuamasina. Then the successive immigrants expanded into colonial ports, which served as a springboard to infiltrate the local rulers and economic interests, which was one of the development strategies formulated by the Oriental Union Group to compete with the Guoxing Group.

As a captain who has been cruising in the surrounding waters all year round, Ji Chaohai is secretly dissatisfied with the urgency of the management of the Oriental Union Group. This is because it is the month when tropical cyclones are more active. Old-fashioned short shirt-class clippers with poor wind resistance are riskier to sail. The materials and personnel of the trade colony loaded on it can only be carried by the Cornflower.

There are quite a few people and materials going to Madagascar this time, in addition to the engineers of the OUCC Group. There is even a team of "security guards". The cargo in the hold was not all ordinary industrial goods, but thousands of 21B flintlock rifles.

It is clear that the forthcoming trade of the OUCC on the island of Madagascar is not a modest people-to-people exchange, and that the arms will be sold to the indigenous rulers of the country in order to stir up internal tensions in the region.

"Well, if we can get all the supplies on board the Cornflower in three days, we can leave early. However, I would suggest that you should stay here for a while longer to get used to the climate. Ji Chaohai kindly put forward his own views, and at the same time said that he would follow the orders of the Navy Command and cooperate to complete the business of the Oriental Union Group this time.

At the moment when the negotiations were going on in the command cabin of the warship bridge, in the port area, the "security guards" hired by the Oriental Union Group were wearing black uniforms and short-brimmed round hats that were different from the army, and were circling around the dock in twos and threes, looking curiously at this beautiful port town, most of whom had never even been to the Indian Ocean.

Under the frowning gaze of the port security police, many people whistled at the young Chinese woman in front of the harbor fish shop as excited as no one, which caused the nearby residents to hide their faces and flee.

The "security guards" with about 100 people are the "Blackwater Security Company" invested and established by former Homeland Security Secretary Liu Yun. The backbone of the company's members is composed of a group of former internal military police who followed Liu Yun from the Department of Homeland Security, and then recruited some retired Wehrmacht or Foreign Legion soldiers at an irresistible salary, as well as a group of new immigrant youths who want to make a fortune.

In a sense, Blackwater Security has been an absolutely professional paramilitary enterprise since its inception. Liu Yun's level of policy control after Wu Yuanyi took office can be regarded as very good, and it is extremely smooth to cater to the overseas competition needs of the two major domestic groups. At present, Liu Yun's first business is to accept the employment of the Oriental Union Group to provide security services for the upcoming new trading colony on the island of Madagascar.

"You spirited idiots, line up at once, and in ten minutes I'll have everyone in full gear up in front of the hotel to report to me!"

Sergeant Major Maddie, who had just retired from the Wehrmacht, came over violently and roared at a group of black-clad uniformed men who had been released from prison.

"Sergeant Major Maddie, we're not an army anymore." A retired veteran grinned and shrugged his shoulders, not forgetting to pull out a cigarette and light it.

"But you may encounter an enemy similar to the army! And I can say responsibly that they will never treat you as civilians! Maddie was angry, if it weren't for the fact that everyone here was an employee of the company that had spent a lot of money, and he himself was one of the minority shareholders of the Blackwater Security Company, he would have hung them in the port and whipped them with a leather whip on the spot.

"Aren't we here to protect the merchants from doing business?" A young European-American security guard standing next to a retired veteran who had only been immigrating for a few years muttered in half-baked Chinese Chinese.

"It depends on what the bosses sell. The good news is that a thousand flintlock pistols will soon be delivered to the excited dwarfs, and if cigarette butts are littered in their village, they will most likely be fired into a sieve. Maddie took a few steps, took out the cigarette from the veteran's mouth, threw it on the ground and stomped on it again, while stealing a glance at the merchant ships anchored in the harbor.

Maddie's words made the surrounding security guards look at each other, and one by one they began to line up honestly, and then walked towards the hotel near the port area.

Looking at the scene of the merchant ship busy unloading and the watch of the Blackwater Security Company, Wu Sheng, who was walking by the dock, showed a satisfied smile. (To be continued)