In the morning I went to buy slave girls and horses, and everything went well.

In the afternoon, Zhou Qingfeng vacated the cargo in the biplane and let Guo Jiao fly it back to Tianjin. Miss Guo was lazy and refused to go back, she let Bian Mao act as an autopilot and fly by herself. The reason is that the flat hair will not get tired, and it can fly at night with navigation equipment and rudimentary barometric pressure instruments, so there is no need to worry about falling into the sea and hitting the mountain. The 10,000-kilometer voyage is non-stop day and night, and can be completed in less than two days.

The most faithful of Bianmao happily took on the drudgery. It really relied on its two thin claws to control the steering wheel and tail rudder, and took off directly.

At least five days after Bianmao's return, Guo Jiao took over the role of hostess in the monastery, using Santos's translator to arrange for the ghost servants and slave girls she had just bought to work. In the evening, an auction is held in the monastery, and it is necessary to decorate it.

And after Flat Hair left, Zhou Qingfeng stared at the world map in the house and thought about it repeatedly. Before this trip, he had considered the matter of sea trade, but no fantasy could be more profound than the feeling of seeing a few times on the spot.

Before leaving, Zhou Qingfeng felt that the Europeans controlled a few cities in East Asia at most, and their power should not be strong. But in Macau, in Goa, the ocean-going sailing ships in the harbor, the missionary priests in the churches, and the Arab merchants in the guilds all made him realize that the competition was strong and that he had to have a broader vision—a competency that a leader must have.

"Although I have not yet unified the whole of China, it is still necessary to have a proper layout for the world." Zhou Qingfeng stared at the map of the South Asian subcontinent, "Because of India, Britain's national strength will grow by leaps and bounds in the next few hundred years. Grain, cotton, tea and other crops in India brought great benefits to the British.

Also because of India, the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the Spaniards have all gained unimaginable status. Portugal was not even a great power in later generations, but it still relied on overseas interests to earn great wealth. My space-time islands and biplanes work together to give full play to the transportation advantage. Everyone comes to eat this piece of fat meat in India, and there is no reason why I can't eat it. ”

The expansion of the 'revolutionary army' in the Central Plains has entered a bottleneck period, and the capture of Korea is also to allow autonomy, and the capture of Shandong will not carry out de facto occupation. But in the distant South Asia, as long as a simple trade point is arranged, you can reap huge benefits, there is no reason not to work hard for this - the idea of 'grab a handful and leave' is too timid, Zhou Qingfeng blushed for his short-sightedness.

"Santos, are there any people in the city who know many languages like you? Chinese, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, English, French, Indian dialects, Arabic, as long as you know more than three languages, regardless of age, I can hire anyone. "Zhou Qingfeng felt that foreign trade, first of all, to solve the language difficulty.

"Yes, yes." Santos nodded repeatedly, "Goa is a port, and there are many people who know many languages. But most of the people I know are children, would you be willing to hire them? ”

"Didn't I just hire you? One silver dollar a month, including food and lodging, double the number of people who know Chinese, you recruit ten translators for me first. I hope there is nothing bad wrong with the people you have recruited, or I will impose a punishment. Zhou Qingfeng casually threw out the black warrior's soul stone, and let this burly and terrifying big guy stand at the gate of the monastery as a door god, which should have some deterrent effect.

Santos was shocked by the two-meter-tall puppet warrior, but he soon realized that he should be happier.

"You can stop by and buy some food, we're going to have a lot of people in no time." Zhou Qingfeng thought of food, and his heart was unhappy. India is only one-third the size of China, but it has more arable land than China. God is really bullying people, but the most industrious people in the world have never had enough land. And the Indians ......, those untouchables are not treated as human beings.

Zhou Qingfeng's promise of hiring made Santos cheer, and he immediately rushed out of the monastery gate to recruit the friends he knew. Although he only followed Zhou Qingfeng for one day, he knew that he had met a big man. This is his good fortune and must be firmly grasped.

Santos went happy, but Father Marcelo returned dejected. He swore in front of Zhou Qingfeng that he knew the big businessmen in the city, but after running all day, he couldn't win over any Portuguese businessmen who were willing to come to the evening auction.

When Marcelo suddenly announced that he knew an Oriental nobleman who could sell fine silk and porcelain, everyone thought he was talking nonsense. Because there were no new ships docked in the port, and even the Portuguese governor in the city did not know what the 'Oriental nobles' were, how could a down-and-out priest have such good fortune?

"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry, maybe your evening auction will be more deserted." Father Marcelo was ashamed. He was afraid that Zhou Qingfeng would be angry, which would affect his future. "I need a little more time to help you get the word out, and perhaps tomorrow I can introduce you to your local governor."

Although it is a little lost, it is 'unexpected and reasonable'. There's no social media these days, and it's impossible for a big guy to pop up all of a sudden. If there is, it is probably a liar - the Eastern aristocracy descended from the sky, and this does not sound normal.

Zhou Qingfeng laughed a few times and said, "As far as I know, your country's navigator Da. During his conquest of India, Lord Gama forced the local kings to submit directly by bombarding cities, and slaughtered the indigenous Indians and plundered their wealth along the way. He was honored on his return to Portugal, but spread the disaster to the path he discovered. ”

Marcelo was speechless, I don't know what Zhou Qingfeng meant by this?

Zhou Qingfeng continued to sneer: "I understand the psychology of your country's businessmen, they don't care too much about a so-called 'Oriental aristocrat' that suddenly pops up. Until I demonstrate my strength, the local governor will not take my presence seriously. ”

"No, no, sir. As long as you can show your wares, my compatriots will be happy to engage with you. Of course, it will take time and opportunity. Marcelo struggled to argue, "Joao. His Excellency Curdino has just been appointed Governor of Goa, and he will certainly be happy to know such a distinguished guest as you soon after his arrival in India. ”

"There's no rush on this matter. I have contacted the Arab businessmen, and the evening party will not be too quiet. Let's change the subject. Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand. He had just wanted to make a deal and leave, but now he had changed his mind, "I refused to hire you last night, but I have a new idea. Maybe you're a good housekeeper, tell me about your salary. ”

Zhou Qingfeng felt that Marcelo knew a little Chinese, and this was also a talent at present, and it was not impossible to recruit him. This was a surprise for Father Marcelo, who bent down excitedly and humbly and said, "I would be glad to serve a nobleman like you. As for the salary, fifteen silver dollars a month, how? ”

It's okay, Zhou Qingfeng nodded and agreed. But he had a question, "If I have a conflict with the Portuguese governor, are you standing there?" ”

Marcelo was stunned, and after a moment he hesitated and then said, "Sir, I'm actually a Moor. My ancestors were Arabs who believed in the Green Religion, but with hundreds of years of war and mixed blood, I ....... In short, I was not trusted by the Orthodox Portuguese, so I had to stay in this dilapidated monastery. ”

"You are a Moorish, but you believe in Our Lady?"

"It's all about living." Marcelo shrugged, then looked at Zhou Qingfeng with an extremely eager gaze, indicating that he was willing to be loyal.

The history of Europe is a hodgepodge of races tossing and turning. Zhou Qingfeng couldn't figure out the bad things in it, so he temporarily took Marcelo under his command.

The day after arriving in Goa, Zhou Qingfeng's mind made a major adjustment of almost 180 degrees. The auction he expected to be very enthusiastic did not cause much sensation. Although the Arab merchants in the city were very face-saving, and Lord Muhammad brought people to cheer them on, the Portuguese who actually ruled Goa did not move.

Zhou Qingfeng, who adjusted his mentality, didn't care much about this, he spread out the map of Goa, looking for where his first base in India should be placed? The place must not be too remote and must take advantage of Goa's existing business network. But it can't be directly under the nose of the Portuguese, otherwise the other side will definitely rebound strongly before the base is established.

Over the next three days, Zhou Qingfeng took Marcelo as his guide and took Guo Jiao on a nearly 20-kilometer journey around Goa, a port city bordering the West Arabian Sea, which was in a very broken state. A large number of rivers cut the land into pieces.

Limited by its construction capacity in the early 17th century, Goa was already an important trading city in India, but the size and scope of the city were not large. The main urban areas are located on the banks of a river, about 1.5 kilometers long.

And outside the city, there is also a large amount of farmland and wasteland. Zhou Qingfeng was very disadvantaged, and chose a bay area near the sea about seven kilometers east of the Portuguese territory. Without informing anyone and without receiving any permission, he said......

This piece of land belongs to Uncle Ben.

Marcelo did not react to Zhou Qingfeng's blatant land grabbing behavior ....... He even approvingly: "Your Excellency, your vision is very good. Locals refer to the bay area as Panjim, and it can indeed make a good port. ”

Nonsense, Panjim is the new urban center of Goa in later generations.

"To contact the Arabs, I need some slaves to build the port." Zhou Qingfeng hoped that after the port was built here, the Arabs could bring him a steady stream of horses nearby, and he could also buy grain and cotton from the Indian kings, and sell the products of the 'revolutionary army' to the Europeans by the way.

As long as he has this port as a commodity distribution center, Zhou Qingfeng can take advantage of the special environment of the blessed land to transfer people, livestock and materials on a large scale. Biplanes are then used for long-distance transportation. It's even more convenient than sea freight. Wait until you have a firm foothold and then use sea freight to solve the problem.

Marcelo was immersed in his role as a steward, and soon gave a better advice, "Sir, if you want to build a port, don't buy slaves from the Arabs." We should pay our respects to the local king of the earth, Adi. Saha buys indigenous black slaves. The untouchable slaves were very honest, and they worked very hard as they needed to get something to eat, and they were very cheap. ”

For Marcelo to be so caring, Zhou Qingfeng patted him on the shoulder approvingly and said, "Very good, I like your suggestion very much." Loyalty will bring you great benefits. ”

Marcelo immediately knelt on his knees and flattered: "Your honorable sir, my greatest merit is loyalty. ”