At nightfall, the halls of the Goa Governor's Palace are brightly lit.

Joao. His Excellency the Doge of Caudino sat at the head of the round table, banged on the table with an angry expression, and let out a loud rant at the vote of Portuguese nobles and merchants beside him. He kept drinking, "Why?" Why? Why didn't anyone find out? There was a military fortress that suddenly got stuck in our throats. Why didn't anyone report it to me? ”

Lord Mohammed stood in the corner of the hall with his hands down, and he bowed his head very obediently with a vote of Arab merchants behind him, but he could feel the anger of His Excellency the Doge outward.

In the afternoon, before sunset, Lord Muhammad, accompanied by his steward, rode a horse and hurried to the western part of the Panjim region. He did not dare to approach, for he could see from afar a number of well-armed cavalry roaming the road.

In fact, there is no need to get close, because from a distance of several kilometers, you can see the fortress watchtower that suddenly appeared opposite, and the hot air balloon tied to the fortress watchtower - that's right, Xu Bing felt that the sudden appearance of a fortress was not shocking enough, so she sent the artillery observation balloon to Zhou Qingfeng. With it, you can monitor your surroundings day and night.

There is such a hot air balloon floating at an altitude of tens of meters, and only the blind cannot see this incredible spectacle. Lord Muhammad was so frightened that he had a heart attack, and he had no idea when he returned home for a long time, and the other Arab merchants in Goa fell into a state of stupor. No one expected that the Orientals who were eating and drinking with them a few days ago would have such a big battle.

It was only before nightfall that Lord Muhammad gritted his teeth and made a decision. While he sent someone to secretly contact Zhou Qingfeng's fortress to find out how much weight this sudden appearance of power had, he also reported to the Portuguese governor of Goa, because the business of Arab merchants depended entirely on the faces of these Europeans.

It's just that there is no need for Lord Mohammed's courtesy, and the Portuguese in Goa City are already in a mess. The hot air balloon that was raised before sunset caused a sensation in the city, and the fire of the hot air balloon was still bright after sunset, triggering the first crisis in the 100-year history of the Portuguese occupation of Goa. Xavier decided that this was the devil who had come to earth.

The flames on the hot air balloon are the burning Demon Eyes.

Faced with such an unprecedented situation, Governor João Vo, who only took office this year. Caudino was furious. He confronted Lord Costa, who was in charge of the army, and demanded an explanation. But Lord Costa could not utter a word except to blush, expressing extreme annoyance and shame.

After a long day of scolding from His Excellency the Governor, Archbishop Xavier finally opened his mouth and asked something meaningful, "Have we sent someone to check it?" ”

"Sent." Lord Costa said hatefully, "I sent a team to investigate, but only half of the dozen or so best musketeers returned. They say that the west side was occupied by an army of eastern faces, and that the enemy was also armed with firearms and had cavalry patrols. Our men were knocked out before they even had time to make contact with the enemy.

The soldiers saw with their own eyes that there was a devil running rampant in the world, and it turned into a cloud of black smoke to attack our people, and we could not defend against it at all. Priests and priests had to be accompanied for the soldiers to have the courage to set off again. ”

"We have enough clergy to be dispatched." Archbishop Xavier said, "The judges of the Inquisition in the city are the best demon slayers, and it is their duty to eradicate evil spirits. ”

After the Portuguese occupied Goa, they took advantage of the poverty of the local people to lure them into proselytizing, forcing them to demolish indigenous temples and massacre local religious personnel. In order to rule the majority of the natives, a few Europeans used force as a means to maintain order, and religion was the weapon they wielded in power.

There are dozens of churches large and small in Goa City, and a large number of clergy have accumulated a wealth of experience and strength in dealing with pagans. Now they have become the ballast stone in the hearts of the Portuguese, enough to stabilize people's hearts.

Archbishop Xavier's statement reassured Lord Costa, and he scolded viciously: "As long as there are enough clergy to help us exorcise the devil, we are confident that we can send those Orientals who suddenly appeared back to hell." We will capture their leaders and ask them how they suddenly appeared with us. ”

"Can we have an operation tomorrow?" His Excellency the Governor asked.

"Absolutely." Lord Costa said confidently: "There are 1,000 excellent Portuguese musketeers and 2,000 native soldiers in the city, and we can also mobilize artillery to help in the battle." The natives of the East certainly hadn't tried the shelling. As is customary, the moment the cannon fires, their army collapses. ”

The Lord was speaking proudly, but he soon stopped. He subconsciously equated the Orientals who suddenly appeared today with those ignorant natives he had seen in the past, but in fact his men had just been taught a lesson by the enemy with firearms. He had to retract what he had just said, "But I have to admit that this group of Orientals today is a bit special, and we need to take it seriously." ”

During the whole meeting, the Portuguese did not ask the Arabs a word, at most they asked the Arabs in the city to provide two hundred slave cavalry to fight together tomorrow.

After leaving the Governor's Palace, Lord Mohammed hurried back to the Arab Lodge. The Arab merchants in the guild were already anxiously waiting for news. The order from the Doge's Palace was not surprising, and it was not surprising that Arab merchants were to be asked to provide cavalry. The main focus of attention is actually the result of the contact with the Orientals.

"Sir, the leader of those Orientals is indeed the young man who made a deal with us a few days ago." Muhammad's steward said: "The fortress that suddenly appeared was very strong, and I saw huge cannons on the walls. Their soldiers were very well trained, and all of them used firearms. ”

The Arab merchants were amazed by the fact that the fortress was strong and artillery. This is already very powerful. The steward continued: "There are about a thousand of them, and they are well guarded at night. The fortifications were still being built, and it seemed that they were preparing for war.

I was fortunate enough to be led inside the fortress to see how well equipped they were. They are close to the river, there is no shortage of water, and there is a lot of food in stock, which can last at least a month or two. I asked the chiefs of the Easterners, what if they ran out of food? He smiled and said that if there was a real shortage of food, he would lead his troops out to grab food. Whoever has food will be robbed. ”

Wow...... the merchants were in an uproar.

Lord Muhammad frowned and pondered for a long time before he said: "The texts left by the Prophet once said that the Orientals were very good at refining all kinds of magical devices, and they even had artifacts that manipulated time and space. We must have met a king from the east, who had previously demonstrated the ability to take things out of thin air, and now he was nothing more than exchanging this ability for a fortress. ”

Ah......, the merchants were even more amazed. Someone was puzzled and said, "Didn't you say that this artifact had disappeared a long time ago?" ”

Some people even asked, "Have we ever had such an artifact?" ”

Lord Muhammad shook his head, "These things are legends, and it is difficult for us to know the truth. The king of the Orientals certainly did not make a fortress casually, he must have come to Goa with certainty. The Portuguese in Goa are also strong and are by no means easy opponents to beat. The problem now is how to deal with the problem at hand. ”

The butler interjected, "My lord, the king of the easterners said that they came only to seek trade. The war was also to allow Europeans to recognize their strength and live in peace. He told us not to worry too much, the victory or defeat on the battlefield will not affect the subsequent trade? ”

"Really?" Lord Muhammad was incredulous, and the current Arabs were left with only the ability to do business. In fact, he was worried that the arrival of the Orientals would shrink the originally shrinking market again. But what if the Oriental people don't want to eat alone?

Europeans like to eat alone, and they can't take advantage of everything. When they blocked the route to the east, the route to the west was also closed. The once powerful Ottoman Empire fell into decline because of this, and slowly became the sick man of West Asia. If the Easterners can break this deadlock......

Lord Muhammad asked again: "What do the Orientals want?" ”

"We want us to provide horses and slave girls. The king of the Orientals said that they would go to the kings of India to buy grain, cotton, and other agricultural products, and they would also find Europeans in exchange for precious metals such as gold and silver. Of course, they still need ore, but that's not much to do with us. The butler said.

Hearing this, Lord Muhammad's heart sank again. The king of the Orientals does not seem to want to break the status quo, how to do business before, and how to do it in the future. The butler added at this time: "I have seen the horses of those Eastern cavalry, and they are obviously not as good as us. Maybe that's why he wants to buy horses. But he said that if we don't sell the horses, he will find someone else. ”

Lord Muhammad hates Zhou Qingfeng, a merchant with many hole cards and a lot of choices. This is simply slippery, and it can't grasp the weakness of the other party at all. He couldn't think of any particularly good way, so he could only sigh and say: "Look at tomorrow, Governor Cordino can't stand someone to challenge his authority, and he will definitely fight back with all his might." ”

Hardly anyone slept that night. The Portuguese and Arabs were either annoyed or worried, while Zhou Qingfeng's subordinates were excited. The selection of the backbone forces in this expedition is at least a junior high school diploma. They are not ignorant and ignorant people, but they know that they have crossed half a continent to launch an expedition to a foreign land.

With the help of the propaganda system, a strong sense of mission and pride was brewing in the troops. Many people got this opportunity to go abroad after some competition, which is enough to be proud of them for a lifetime when they were still a bunch of mud legs in the past - the expedition allowance issued by the Administration Department is also very proud.

Many people can't sleep when they close their eyes, and they can't wait to meet those ghosts for a while to see who is more powerful?