Just when Zhang Yanling, the Protector of the Ming Dynasty, was running in the Indochina Peninsula to build the first trading base of the Indochina Peninsula for the Ming Dynasty and to control the local goods trade rights, there was a Buddhist governor's palace more than 2,000 miles away.
, a raven traveled thousands of miles to deliver a letter here.
This is the governor's palace of Lord Goya, the governor of Manchuria.
Malacca is the ancient name, which is later Malaysia. The Strait of Malacca is the Strait of Malacca in later generations. This strait is an important place that connects the east and the west. Ships coming from the Ming Dynasty and other Eastern countries must pass through the Strait of Malacca.
Only by passing through can the voyage lead to the South Asian continent, Africa, Europe and other foreign countries. Otherwise, it will have to go around thousands of miles and go deep into the vast ocean, which is extremely dangerous.
All maritime trade is conducted close to the coast and land in order to obtain more supplies and trading opportunities. Going deep into the vast ocean is called adventure, not trade. Therefore, the importance of the Straits of Malacca is irreplaceable.
.
The Francois naturally understood this. When they came east, they marched eastward from the Cape of Good Hope on the African continent. After capturing the Guri Port of Ceylon and other places where ancient India was located, they immediately went east to attack Managara.
After discovering the importance of the strait here, they built the headquarters of the Eastern Fleet in Manchuria, and used the main warships of the Eastern Fleet to guard this place and guard this extremely important waterway.
All the wealth and labor plundered from the east, and all cargo ships must be transported back to the country through the Strait of Macaca. Without this place, all adventures will be meaningless.
On the south side of the Malacca Strait, a prosperous and rich port city has become extremely prosperous due to the arrival of the Francois in more than ten years. Merchants from all over the world gather here. It is the busiest waterway in the world today and also the most prosperous port city in the world.
The largest distribution center for commodity trading.
Governor Goya sat behind his large desk and flipped through some papers. It was almost the end of the year, and he was flipping through this year's ship navigation records and cargo transaction records at the ports of Malacca. At this time of year, he is the happiest.
, because these data intuitively prove his value. Soon after, a list summarizing the income will be sent back to the Franco Kingdom and delivered to His Majesty King Manuel.
This year's income is very impressive, and the nobles and royal relatives who sent them here must be very satisfied with this year's income. This year, I should get a medal from His Majesty the King. I should also be awarded the title of Duke.
There was a rapid sound of footsteps, and the iron plates on an orderly's boots clicked on the marble floor, but it was very harsh. Governor Goya was disturbed in his thoughts, and raised his head with a frown.
"Your Majesty the Governor, there is a letter sent from Xingang. It is an urgent quill letter. Please see it, Your Majesty the Governor." The orderly stood at the door holding a leather bag and said loudly.
Governor Goya frowned and said: "Come in and put it on the table. What's wrong with this Yaxin? Could it be that he wants to bring up the matter of sending more warships to attack the Eastern Ming Empire? It's really crazy."
The orderly walked in quickly, put the leather bag on the shiny mahogany desk, and turned around to leave.
Governor Goya did not rush to read the letter in the leather bag, but continued to read the numbers and lists that pleased him. His thick curly beard trembled and he laughed. He was in a very happy mood.
The sun was shining brightly outside. The sunlight close to the equator shone in through the colorful glazed windows. The hot light made Governor Goya's eyes a little uncomfortable. He stood up and closed half of the curtains. When he walked back to his desk, he took the
I picked up the dirty leather bag that was sent thousands of miles away and was stained with bird droppings and dust. I checked the wax seal and then tore it open.
A piece of yellow paper unfolded in his thick palm. Governor Goya glanced at the words on it with an indifferent expression. Suddenly, his face changed drastically and he screamed.
"What? How is that possible? Oh my god."
The guard outside the door heard the shouting and hurriedly poked his head in. He saw the Governor making the sign of the cross on his chest and cursing loudly.
"Mr. Governor, what happened?"
Goya recovered from the shock and waved loudly: "Hurry up and prepare the carriage to see Mr. Almeida. Hurry."
…
On the south side of Manlajia Harbor, a huge private manor stands there. The castle is tall and surrounded by endless green woods and lawns and lakes. Guards with loaded guns and tall bodies are wandering around the perimeter to guard, and tall fences isolate the place from the outside world.
Come and become a peaceful and atmospheric huge castle manor.
On the flat lawn on the east side of the hillside, on the horse farm surrounded by white fences, a man wearing a top hat, black robe, and holding a cane was standing in the shade of the trees next to the horse farm.
He must be quite old. He has a curly and gray beard that is neatly groomed. His face is crisscrossed with furrows, showing the weather of years. But his back is straight and his posture is still upright.
At this moment, he was looking at a girl riding a horse in the racecourse fence with a smile.
The girl was riding on a horse in a knight's uniform. Her golden hair was tied back casually with strips of floral cloth. She had a strong and tall figure, long legs, white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. She was as beautiful as an angel.
The girl was competing with a white horse riding on her crotch. The horse obviously had a bad temper and was unwilling to be restrained by the girl on its back. While baring its teeth and barking, it kept shaking its head and tail, and jumping from time to time.
"You bastard, I have to tame you today. Let's see if you have a stubborn temper or it's me. Drive! Drive!" The girl's forehead was covered with sweat. She bit her lip and controlled the horse to gallop in the racecourse.
"Helena, I think it's almost done. This is a horse brought from Arabia. It's not that easy to tame. It can't be done in one go. Don't hurt yourself, and don't hurt the horse." The man in a top hat was watching from the side.
Hehe laughed.
"I don't. I want to tame it today. I don't believe that you, the daughter of the great Commander-in-Chief Almeida, can't even tame a horse. That would be too embarrassing for you. After returning home, my mother
If you ask me, I will die of shame. Drive, drive!" the girl cried out softly.
The man beside the fence is Almeida, the commander-in-chief of the Franco Eastern Fleet. To be precise, Almeida is his surname, and his full name is Francisco de Almeida.
This is a name that is well-known in the Franco Kingdom. Ten years ago, Almeida led an Eastern Fleet consisting of more than 30 ships to venture into the East. Along the way, he expanded territory, conquered the East African city-state of Kilwa, and plundered Mongolia.
Bassa City. Later he arrived in Ceylon, occupied the Guri port in South Asia, defeated the fleet of the Garo Empire, and established a colony and port in the Garo Empire. For this reason, he was appointed the governor of India.
After that, his Eastern Fleet was invincible. Not only did it defeat the local troops of various countries, occupy many port bases, monopolize the local trade, and plunder a large amount of land and wealth. It also defeated competitors from Europe. Defeated
a large number of pirates at sea.
It can be said that the name of Almeida is a terrifying name both in the country of France and in the sea lanes. Whether in the minds of pirates or in the minds of kings and subjects of foreign countries everywhere, it is a terrifying name.
exist.
His Eastern Fleet now has nearly 200 warships, distributed in more than a dozen seaports. In the port of Malacca, there are nearly 50 main warships moored. Among them is King Manuel of the Franco Kingdom.
The flagship 'Flower of the Sea' was named for him personally.
It was a fearsome iron-clad warship. It was one of the latest batch of new warships built.
The girl riding the horse is Almeida's daughter, named Helena. This girl, who is studying at the Royal Academy of France, is only seventeen years old this year. This time she came to Malacca with a merchant ship to visit her father and stay here for a while.
A few months later, I will return to China for school after the New Year.
Almeida's gift to Helena was a horse, a purebred horse from the Arabian region of the Western Region.
Helena liked it very much, so she decided to tame the horse today.
But the more expensive the horse, the harder it is to tame, not to mention Helena's riding skills are not good. The horse was actually very impatient. It did not really resist until it was sharply pointed by Helena.
The leather boots knocked twice on my stomach, and I suddenly became mad.
The horse jumped up and jumped like crazy. The height of the jump was as high as ten feet. When it landed, it stood upright or upside down, and there were all kinds of tricks. This time, the girl on the horse couldn't resist it.
, was so frightened that he screamed loudly.
Almeida, who was outside the fence, saw that something was not going well. She jumped over the fence and ran towards the crazy horse, yelling loudly.
The horse swung hard, Helena flew up high, and fell to the ground with a scream. Her head and feet fell down. If she fell on the ground, she would probably break the bridge of her nose. Fortunately, Almeida arrived in time,
He reached out to catch his daughter. The inertia caused both father and daughter to fall to the ground.
"Oh, Helena, my old bones can't withstand such a fall from you. Get up quickly, you're holding me down and I can't breathe." Almeida shouted while lying on the ground.
The girl Helena stood up with a red face and apologized to her father repeatedly. Looking at the horse standing not far away looking at her, it seemed to be looking at her with mocking eyes. Helena was so angry that she stood up and
Gotta get on the horse.
"Helena, be obedient. It won't be too late to tame it tomorrow. It can't be tamed now. You were just thrown off by it and you won't be able to tame it again today. This kind of horse is very proud and stubborn. It's a bit like you.
Almeida smiled.
The girl Helena pouted and arranged her blond hair, and said angrily: "It's very annoying. I can't conquer a horse. But my father wants to conquer the world."
Almeida picked up her hat and was about to speak when she suddenly saw a carriage speeding into the gate of the manor and stopping in front of the castle, and a person got out of the car.
"Governor Goya is here. He must be looking for me for something. Come on, accompany me back to see him. Give me a long face today. Governor Goya always praises his daughter for being beautiful. Today I will let him see whose daughter it is.
She is the most beautiful woman in the world." Almeida smiled.
Helena laughed. Her blue eyes were as deep as the sea, her red lips were gorgeous, and her beauty was breathtaking. She loved to hear her father's compliments, so she came forward and held Almeida's arm. The father and daughter talked all the way to