With these maritime merchants chatting with Hong Tao all day long on the Jinhe River, life passed quickly, and before they knew it, the fleet crossed the Singapore Strait and entered the Malacca Strait. After calculating the time, it took less than 11 days to complete a 3,000-kilometer voyage. With the fast ships and the appropriate wind direction, the long voyage is not that long. ⊙,

At this time, the Port of Malacca was different from last year. Just next to the port, a stone fortress more than ten meters high rose from the ground, and a large wooden pillar was made on it like a mast. Not only was there a lookout platform on the pillar, but a mouse flag was also flying high. If the weather was good, you could see clearly the flow of most ships in the strait, so before Hong Tao's fleet could approach the port, the king of Malacca Port had already led a team to greet him on the dock.

Now his small port is the most lively trading port in the entire strait. In addition to the arrival of a large fleet every year, there are also Song Dynasty sea merchants driving ships along the original coastline to touch here and conduct some scattered small trades. More importantly, the supply ships in Jinhewan will pass here every two or three months, and will also bring some specialties such as whale oil, candles, soap, sugar, ironware, etc. along the way. These things, especially ironware, are most popular among nearby maritime merchants, and they are sold as much as they come. Therefore, the small port of Malacca has become the focus of procurement for merchants in several nearby countries. Once there are more merchants and more goods circulation, the small port will flourish.

If the large fleet in Jinhewan passes here, the news will soon spread. In less than two days, a large number of small sailboats will gather here. If the fleet has not left, it would be great. You can slander and exchange something with the merchants of the Southern Song Dynasty. If the fleet leaves, it will be fine, and there will always be some goods left. This is also Hong Tao's rule. His purpose is to make the place more and more prosperous. When the nearby merchants develop the habit and become dependent on it, the small countries they are in will not use force. Just use goods, you can control them and defeat the soldiers without fighting.

As usual, Hong Tao still didn't get ashore. He lived on the Jinhewan. Not only did he not get ashore, but the escort fleet personnel could not get ashore and remained ready at any time. Especially at night, the anchorage of the entire fleet was far away from the port. Except for the captains who knew where they were, even the sailors didn't know where to stop. However, this state was only carried out in the escort fleet. The two salmon-class merchant ships were not included in the regulations. The merchants and sailors above came ashore as they were willing to get ashore, and they did whatever they were willing to do, as long as they didn't delay the scheduled departure time.

The ship has been sold, so Hong Tao doesn't worry about whether they sink or were stolen by others. Whoever gets this kind of ship can only imitate some fur. Although its appearance is similar to that of the Jiaosha-level, its internal structure and shipbuilding concept are completely different. The only thing worth learning from is the half set of multi-sailing tools. Unfortunately, there are no sailors in Jinhewan on the ship. How to understand these sailing tools is a problem. Even if someone understands it, Hong Tao is not afraid. He wishes that the Southern Song Dynasty maritime merchants would learn to build and drive such ships. In that case, he would not have to worry about this route and leave it to them to make trouble for themselves. There are further and more profitable routes to operate. The benefits are much greater than here. As long as these interests exist, ambitions and ideas maritime merchants will still unite around them.

Three days later, the fleet set sail again. In the fortress in Malacca, more than a dozen families left by Southern Song merchants were added. They would be commanded by Jinhewan sailors here, cooperate with the King of Malacca to protect the port, and some grenades and weapons left with them. The grenades were used for defense of the fortress, and the weapons were made privately by Jinhewan. They were all made of fine steel made with hydraulic forging hammers as raw materials, mainly large reverse crossbows and arrows, all for the King of Malacca to train soldiers. Now the King of Malacca and the Strait Company are already grasshoppers tied to a rope, prospering and losing. Both sides know this truth, so the king has begun to use the financial and material resources provided by Hong Tao to expand to the surrounding area. After annexing several nearby tribes, the defensive power of Malacca Port will increase exponentially.

The situation in Penang Port is similar to that in Malacca. There is a small shipyard built by the chariot man. Although the commercial atmosphere is not as strong as that of Malacca, it can provide simple maintenance and maintenance for passing merchant ships, which is also a good stop. Hong Tao only supplies but not manpower, and throws them all to the cousin of the king of Malacca. The two of them are not far apart. As long as they can withstand the enemy's attack for one or two days, they can support each other. If they can't defend this way, it will be meaningless for Hong Tao to ask them. If they are stolen by the enemy, they will snatch them away. Apart from the Mongols, there are no necessary enemies and friends in Jinhewan. Whoever can bring benefits to Jinhewan is a friend, or the enemy will be the enemy. At that time, if you use interests and cannons, the enemy will probably become friends immediately. Hong Tao does not want to occupy the territory here. He only needs a stable supply point, so there is no fierce conflict with the locals.

Phuket is the most worry-free. The small village here has been replaced with stone walls and a stone fortress to protect it. The shipyard is also being expanded, and the timber has accumulated enough. As soon as the technicians from Jinhewan arrive, they can build small ships here. These people are all brought by the Southern Song mercenaries in the Straits Company. They should be the elites of their family. They are more anxious than Hong Tao and are eager to seal the seafood and collect taxes so that they can sit at home and wait for the money to fall into their pockets. For this reason, their enthusiasm is extremely high. When Hong Tao's supply ship is not enough, they risk driving the sea boat slowly along the coastline. There are not many cargoes on the boat, basically they are building materials and daily necessities, and there are continuous personnel replenishment.

The biggest change is the Kabaran Port. When the fleet had just experienced a tropical storm, it rushed through the Indian Ocean with water vapor and scars and bypassed the southern end of Ceylon Island, what they saw on the face was no longer the simple wooden port. Next to it was a regular wharf made of big stones. Although the construction had not been completed, the cove was still full of Arab sailboats, and some could even park outside. The dock was also full of people. The size of the Guanyuan small commodity wholesale market doubled, and a white tent was built on the open space next to it.

"Uncle, that is the tent of a prince of the Great Food. He has been here for half a year, just to wait for his fleet. He is going to get married next year and wants to change some silk, porcelain and candles from the Song Dynasty and take it back to set up his palace. These great foodies are so rich. The knives used when I treat me to barbecue are all golden handles, and they are full of gems. I dare not try hard, for fear of picking up the gems. You tell them that when selling them, the price must be higher. As long as it is something he likes, he will not bargain. He also wants to exchange a piece of land for my boat, saying that I want to go to his place to be the leader, and then sell the boat to him. He wants to use our warship as a bride gift to his bride!" Bo Jiao has now had a beard, and his years of life at sea makes him look much older than his peers. If it is put in later generations, it is not surprising that he is over thirty, but in fact he has just grown up.

"Well, they are poor and rich. My uncle doesn't want to be the emperor, but I just don't want you all to be like him. I take the money from other people in Jinhewan to take the big shots outside. How about it, are you tired of staying here? Are you planning to go back with my uncle this time?" Hong Tao patted Bo Jiao's shoulder. The little shark finally grew up and could share his worries thousands of miles away. Looking at the few followers he was with, not only the sailors on his boat, but also the locals, it seems that he is doing well here and has begun to develop his own power.

"...Hehehe, my wife is pregnant again, why don't I go back next time..." Bo Jiao and Hong Tao thought. He has indeed grown up and no longer loved home, but rather valued his own development space. Although he said he would go back next time, he might find any reason to shirk it off again until next time.

"It is useful to raise a son like you. You will know that you are comfortable outside all year round, and you don't want to go home to see how your grandfather is, a bastard!" He was scolding, but in fact, Hong Tao did not object to these children going out for a living. Staying with his parents every day may not be filial. If he can make a fortune, even if he is thousands of miles away, his parents will be happy. Because they will be very proud, they praise themselves for raising a promising child when they meet everyone.

"Why would I go back with my uncle this time and take my wife and children with me?" Bo Jiao made Hong Tao feel a little embarrassed. He also felt that it was time to go home and take a look, but it was a bit reluctant.

"I don't have time to take you home. You are an adult now. You don't have to follow your uncle all day long. As long as you complete the company's tasks, you can think about the rest of the matter yourself. If you want to go back, go back by yourself. If you have something to do, continue to do it before you finish it. Your uncle wants to walk west this time. Look at your Uncle Ka's eyes, they are all green. I have to find his way home!" Hong Tao didn't want to interfere too much in Bojiao's private affairs. What he needs is the dragon shark that can travel around the world, not the fish that always follows the fox and tiger power. And this time, I really can't take Bojiao back. He has to go to find the Cape of Good Hope. He can't tell when he can return.

"Hehe, Uncle Ka's eyes are green... Uncle, I want to go to the west with you. You promised me to take me with you before. I have been here for a year and have not sailed far away. The sailors on the boat should be trained, otherwise they should forget what the sea looks like." Bo Jiao hesitated when he talked about going home, and he was very concerned about going out for an adventure, and he also found the reasons he thought were more sufficient. (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!