While Qian Jiyun was thinking about carrying out educational propaganda such as loyalty to the emperor in Gehe Prefecture, several other important figures in Gehe Prefecture were discussing Datang Western Company's next strategy in India.
"Although we already have a Gohe state, only one Gohe state is obviously unable to support our strategic plan in India. The Indian peninsula is vast, has a large population, and is rich in products. It has everything needed by various empires.
Specialty, and you should also know that 80% of the cotton imported by the empire last year came from India!"
"Although the amount of cotton imported is not large compared to the total domestic production, it is something worthy of our attention. India has a large population and fertile land, which is very suitable for growing cotton. We have not yet obtained cotton producing areas such as West Asia and North Africa.
At that time, we carried out large-scale cotton planting in India, which had huge benefits!"
“In addition, it is worth noting that India is also rich in various mineral resources. Although iron ore, coal and other resources have little value after being mined and transported back to the country, there are still relatively large amounts of precious metal minerals such as gold, silver and copper.
, The Finance Department of the Ministry of Taxation has notified the company many times before, hoping that we will cooperate with the Finance Department to reserve gold and contribute to the future financial stability of the empire. Therefore, the rich gold in India is also our key collection target!"
In the Gehe Prefecture Governor's Palace, Huo Chongshan and others were holding a small internal exchange meeting.
The few people in front of me are almost the highest leadership of the Tang Dynasty Western Company in India. They hold political, military and economic power, and also have the power to declare war and conclude treaties.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
They are responsible for opening up and expanding the Indian market for the company, earning profits for shareholders, and at the same time opening up territory for the Holy Emperor and serving the empire's global strategy. It can be said that they have a considerable responsibility.
The Governor-General of India, Huo Chongshan, said: "Now that we have almost established a foothold in Gohe State, it is time to open up a colony!"
At this time, someone said: "For expansion, the easiest way is to move west along the Ge River. With our strength, as long as the river warships can go, we can establish rule anywhere!"
However, Huo Chongshan said: "There is no need to rush into the inland expansion. Not long after we signed the treaty with the indigenous people, the princes of the indigenous people are quite honest, and they also allowed them to open many cities along the Go River for trade.
, at the same time, the company has also reached cooperation agreements with many indigenous businessmen. The Gehe trade circle is gradually taking shape and is under our control. As long as the time is ripe, we can take it at any time."
"And we also lack the necessary administrative personnel, and the squadron strength is also somewhat lacking. If we want to occupy the Go River area on a large scale, even if we can defeat it, we will not be able to complete effective rule. In the end, we will probably have to rely on the original indigenous people.
If the princes ruled, what would be the difference from now?"
Huo Chongshan continued: "So, our expansion direction in the next one or two years is not inland, but to strive to establish another base on the coast of India!"
While speaking, he pointed to the map spread on the table, and drew a line between the coastal waters of southeastern India and the island of Ceylon: "Here, here we are going to establish a colony, and then in turn, we will build a colony.
Completely smash the Portuguese blockade on the southeastern coast of India!"
Seeing the surprised looks in the eyes of a group of his subordinates, Huo Chongshan said: "When the fleet came from China, in addition to bringing a large amount of supplies, goods and manpower, it also brought a lot of company documents!"
"According to the authorization of the company's board of directors and the resolution of the company's strategy department, from now on, the strategic direction of our Datang Western Company will be transferred to Indian affairs, striving to establish a second colony within one year, and at the same time completing the entire Indian coast within five years.
The layout of strategic support points!”
"The company has already begun to implement the India strategy, and as the specific person in charge of Indian affairs, our Indian branch is naturally the first to bear the brunt. Before the company officially launches large-scale strategic operations, we must formulate relevant action plans and make relevant logistical preparations.
!”
"Does the thorough launch of the Indian strategy mean a complete struggle with the Portuguese for control of the Indian coast?"
Someone asked this immediately, and the question was still full of worry.
Although Datang Western Company is quite powerful, in India, its strength is still much lower than that of the Portuguese. After all, the Portuguese have been working here for decades and have established more than 20 large and small enterprises.
Small colonies or supply ports, from the northwest coast of India, to the southern waters of India, the island of Ceylon, to the northeastern waters of India, and even all the way to Myanmar, there are Portuguese colonies or supply ports along the way.
Among them, Goa (Goa) is an important strategic base of the Portuguese in India, and Goa is much stronger than Goa River State in terms of area, military strength, and commercial economy.
There is no way, the Portuguese have been working in India for decades, and Goa has been run by them for more than 40 years, while Datang Western Company's Gohe State has only been in business for two or three years.
That's all, and the actual establishment of the administrative region of Gohe Prefecture was actually only one year. Previously, we only actually occupied this place, and there was no mention of signing an agreement with the local indigenous people.
Except for the relatively large colony of Gohe State, the Datang Western Company has not established any formal colonies in other parts of India. There are only five or six small supply ports, trading stations, etc., and these supply ports and
The model of the trading post is actually the same as that of Gohe Prefecture a few years ago, with actual control, but no agreement has been reached with the local indigenous people.
But the scale is much smaller, and they basically avoid places controlled by the Portuguese. The supply ports built in some remote places have very poor ability to withstand risks. Their main function is actually to provide for the passing of Datang.
The merchant ships of the Western Company provided supplies such as food and fresh water, and even the troops stationed there were very few, ranging from dozens of people to only a hundred or so.
However, although these small ports are small and sneaky, the importance of these large and small ports is beyond doubt. Officially relying on these small ports, the ships of the Datang Western Company were able to sneak around the Portuguese blockade.
Now, Huo Chongshan's idea is to expand the scale of these small ports, establish real colonies, and engage in open competition with the Portuguese!