The UK, with a territory of 33.5 million square kilometers and a native population of 40 million, will not understand the Chinese’s desire for land.
For Rock, no amount of territory is too much. Rock had not traveled back to the era when the great voyages had just begun, otherwise the British colonies would never have spread all over the world, with a quarter of the world's population of Chinese.
, should occupy the most land in the world.
Now, there are only a few corners left for Rock to choose from.
Fortunately, the British Empire doesn't care about these little things.
The British territory is simply too large. As Ade said, there is a huge landmass for Rock to fully display his talents, and there is no point in worrying about islands that cannot be found on the map.
It's not like Australia or Madagascar, which are huge islands. Those islands with an area of tens of square kilometers, or only a few hundred square kilometers, Ade really doesn't think they have much value.
That is why the British in this era are so wealthy.
But for Rock, his understanding of islands is obviously different from Ade.
Rock knows very well that in a few years, the British territory will return to the British Isles, with a total area of only 240,000 square kilometers. By then, the British can only recall the current empire on which the sun never sets in their dreams. Compared with the mainland, Roark certainly prefers islands, especially islands that are small in size but have a very important geographical location, such as Socotra Island at the junction of the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Gulf, and the unparalleled importance of Socotra Island in the center of the Indian Ocean.
Chagos Islands.
The main island of Socotra covers an area of 3,650 square kilometers. It is now part of the Aden Protectorate. The United Kingdom has designated Socotra Island as a naval restricted area. It has built military bases and supply bases on the island to facilitate transportation between Europe and Asia.
Ships provide supplies.
The Chagos Islands are located in the center of the Indian Ocean. The main island, Diego Garcia, covers an area of 27 square kilometers. Although this island is not large in area, due to its very important geographical location, it will become the most important military base in the world for the United States in the future and has high military value.
.
Of course, the military value here is for the future. The current Diego Garcia does not show any military value because it is far away from other continents. Even because it is far away from the waterway, ships traveling between Europe and Asia will not pass through Diego Garcia.
West Asia, but chose to supply supplies in Ceylon.
So when Roque mentioned Diego Garcia to Ade, Ade looked blank and had no impression of Diego Garcia. Even when Roque mentioned the Chagos Islands, Ade only had a vague impression and no awareness at all.
It’s not as if the Chagos Islands have much potential value.
During this period, the Chagos Islands were under the jurisdiction of Mauritius. Mauritius's status in the Commonwealth was probably similar to Robben Island's status in southern Africa.
Where is Robben Island?
A prison where lepers and prisoners are exiled. Normal people will feel uncomfortable just mentioning this name.
"What do you want the Chagos Islands for? Are there gold mines there?" Ade thought the Chagos Islands had a high economic value, otherwise Ade really couldn't figure out why Rock felt so interested in the Chagos Islands.
Interest.
The Chagos Islands are 3,500 kilometers away from southern Africa, 5,000 kilometers away from Port Elizabeth, and more than 1,500 kilometers away from the nearest Ceylon. It really can’t be found on the map.
"No, I need a supply point. In the past, the range of ships was not enough. Immigrants from the Qing Dynasty had to go through Ceylon to supply. Now with the advancement of technology, the range of ocean-going ships is increasing. If supplies are carried out in the Chagos Islands, then our
The immigration ship does not need to pass through Ceylon, but can cross the Indian Ocean directly to Port Edward, and the voyage can be shortened by at least a thousand kilometers." Rock's reasons are very good, and now is the best time to start, until the British government realizes that the Chagos Islands
value, by then it will be too late.
Ade also needs to ask Philip to determine the current specific situation in the Chagos Islands.
After all, Philip used to work in the Department of Colonial Affairs, and he knows more about British territories outside Africa than Adelaide.
"There are many islands in the Chagos Archipelago, but they are not large in area. Many islands do not have fresh water and do not have living conditions. There are not many islands with fresh water and there are not many people on the islands. It is very easy to buy them." Philip's attitude is very simple.
Casually, a few words can determine the future of the Chagos Islands.
It is indeed small in area. There are more than 2,000 islands in the entire Chagos Archipelago, with a total area of only about 60 square kilometers. Many of the so-called islands are reefs, but Philip did not realize that these reefs will expand into islands in the future.
Possibly.
Of course, this possibility is a myth to people of this era.
"Then buy it, we need more people." Ade made sure that for the sake of population, Ade would do anything.
Of course, there was only ecstasy in Rock's heart. The current range of aircraft is only a few hundred kilometers. When the range of future aircraft is further increased, and when aircraft carriers appear, the Chagos Islands will gradually reveal its military value, comparable to the Chagos Islands.
The Seychelles Islands, which the UK now attaches more importance to, are nothing.
The Seychelles Islands were once part of Mauritius, but six years ago, the United Kingdom separated the Seychelles Islands from Mauritius and became an independent colony.
As for the Chagos Islands, the United Kingdom did not realize the value of the Chagos Islands until the 1950s. When Mauritius became independent in 1965, the United Kingdom spent 3 million pounds to buy the Chagos Islands as a way to allow Mauritius to
Independent conditions.
Compared with 1965, when the control over the colonies was significantly reduced, Britain still asked for and asked for the colonies in this era. Rock wanted to get the Chagos Islands without the consent of the Mauritian colonial government. He only spent one thousand pounds to acquire the entire Chagos Islands.
Buy the Sri Lanka Islands.
One thousand pounds is already a lot, and the Umbrella Company only spent ten thousand pounds to buy Port Elizabeth.
If you follow Philip's wishes, you don't have to pay even one thousand pounds. Just say hello to the Mauritian government, and the Umbrella Company can set up a supply base in the Chagos Islands at any time.
Rock also insisted on giving money in order to avoid future troubles.
After giving the money, if there is any dispute in the future, Luo Ke, or Luo Ke's descendants, will not have to worry about any disputes.
There are not many people on the Chagos Islands now. The total population of more than 2,000 islands is less than 500. Because they are far away from the mainland, the indigenous people on the islands have not received any education and naturally have no ability to resist. The umbrella company
Everyone was sent to settle down in the Seychelles Islands, further confirming the evaluation of "extremely conservative", but also avoiding possible disputes in the future.
The next construction of the supply base will be left to Jonathan.
The supply base must be centered on Diego Garcia Island. According to the custom in southern Africa, after buying the Chagos Islands, the name of the Chagos Islands became the Adane Islands. This name was the name of the port of Aden during the Ming Dynasty.
, during Zheng He's voyages to the West, the ruler of the Port of Aden at that time accepted the canonization of the Ming Emperor and became one of the many vassals of the Ming Empire. After that, the voyages to the West stopped, and Adan lost contact with the Ming Empire.
Now the place name Adan has reappeared on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Although the area of the Adan Islands is not large, its geographical location is very important. Sooner or later in the future, the name Adan will be widely known.
Since the names of the Chagos Islands have changed to the Adan Islands, Diego Garcia's name has naturally been changed to Zhenghe Island.
The land area of Zhenghe Island is only 27 square kilometers. The entire island is a coral atoll. The central lagoon covers an area of 124 square kilometers. It is the most important natural harbor in the center of the Indian Ocean.
In the future, this will be the most important military base of the United States in the Indian Ocean. There are more than 3,000 US military officers and soldiers living on the island, and there are no permanent residents.
In this era, it was difficult to supply Zhenghe Island because it was far away from the mainland. Materials had to be as self-sufficient as possible. Fortunately, there were rich fishery resources around the Adang Islands, and there was enough space on several larger islands to be utilized. As long as they were developed properly,
It’s okay to be self-sufficient.
The Umbrella Company is very experienced in this regard. The wood needed to build a house is all ready-made. Once a ship is pulled over, hundreds of workers will go with it, and all the houses needed by the mercenaries and their families can be built in no time.
, the materials needed to build a port are not troublesome. Southern Africa can produce its own steel and cement. The tonnage of ships in this era is not large. It is very simple to build a port. If it cannot meet the demand in the future, just continue to expand.
Compared with ports, what is more important is high-quality thermal coal and oil. This is the significance of the existence of a supply base.
"The scale of Umbrella Company is too big now, and the Umbrella Company needs to be split up. I plan to set up Adan Company separately on the basis of Umbrella Company, which will be responsible for all the overseas asset management of Umbrella Company. From now on, Umbrella Company will only be responsible for operations and asset management.
Just hand it all over to Adan Company, and the management rights of Port Elizabeth will also belong to Adan Company -" Rock thought for a long time before deciding to let Li De be the general manager of Adan Company.
After Roque left the Johannesburg Police Department, Reed became the deputy chief of the Johannesburg Police Department and became Roque's spokesperson in the Johannesburg police system.
Now the old brothers around Rock, Anton and Martin, have all reached high positions. Even Buck, who came to Rock later, has become a member of the federal government and has become Rock's spokesperson in Congress. Only Li De is still here.
Stay at the Johannesburg Police Station.
In fact, Li De has also made progress. Last year, Harry Spencer finally got tired of living in southern Africa and transferred back to the UK to serve as the chief of the London Police Department. Li De was naturally reinstated and became the chief of the Johannesburg Police Department.
Although it was successfully corrected, compared with Anton and Martin, Li De still lags far behind.
"What will happen to the Johannesburg Police Department after I leave?" Li De is Rock's most loyal brother and has no complaints about Rock's arrangements. Li De will go wherever Rock asks Li De to go.
No matter what happens, Li De believes that Roque will not treat him badly.