Adopting Portugal as a vassal of the Ming Dynasty had no other uses, but it was very convenient for Wang Ji. At least he didn't have to worry about supplying supplies along the African coast.
Due to the loss of the Eastern Spice Route, Portugal declined faster than in history.
Almost all of Portugal's North African colonies were forced to give up, leaving only two ports along the Mediterranean coast. Because the Moorish struggle was so troublesome, Portugal had no money to hoard heavy troops in North Africa, so it simply turned to doing business with the Moors.
That is, the Moors transported gold, silver, and ivory to the port and sold them to Portugal, who then sold them to Europe.
In this way, the Moors no longer resisted, since they had money to make anyway. Portugal actually made more money than before because of the reduction in military expenditures, which was a good thing for both parties.
By the way, Portugal discovered that Chinese merchants liked ivory and even offered higher prices than European countries. So all the ivory obtained from Africa was shipped to the Gulf of Oman, sold to Chinese merchants there, and then purchased porcelain, silk, and tea from the Chinese merchants.
, spices, cotton and other commodities.
This actually restored Portugal's health and its financial situation improved again.
At the same time, Portugal was also expanding the black slave trade. It mainly captured black people from the coastal areas of Angola and sold them to the Caribbean to fill the slave gap in the Spanish colonies. It is estimated that in ten or twenty years, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and other islands will be everywhere.
They will all be black slaves.
West Africa, Port of Luanda.
Li Ji paid the Portuguese gold coins, and the black slaves carried buckets of fresh water onto the ship.
Princess Margaret came out for air on the deck. She really came out for air. It was too hot in the cabin. She only took one look at the black slaves and couldn't bear to look at them again. She was completely naked except for a piece of cloth under her crotch.
If you keep it covered, if you move slightly slowly, you will be whipped by the Portuguese.
Suddenly, another group of black people came from a distance, about three to four hundred in number.
The black men, both men and women, had their hands tied with ropes. The Portuguese whipped them as if they were driving a herd of livestock, while the black slaves who were responsible for carrying fresh water were accustomed to the plight of their compatriots.
When a black man fell down, the Portuguese colonists came to check and after confirming that he was really ill, they untied the rope and threw it on the roadside.
After arriving at the port, the Portuguese distributed food to the black people. A kind of black bread with an unknown amount of sawdust added, and rough wheat bran sandwiched in it. After eating it, they immediately caught up with a Portuguese ship.
Princess Margaret couldn't help but ask: "Where are these black people going?"
Wang Ji said: "They were sold to the New World as slaves."
Princess Margaret wondered: "Are there no indigenous people in the New World?"
Wang Ji explained: "In the earliest Spanish colonies in the New World, all the indigenous people there were dead. Some were tortured to death, some died of overwork, and most of them died of diseases brought by the Spaniards. I once passed by Santiago Island
(Jamaica), the once rich and beautiful island, has become a hell on earth. The total number of indigenous people on the island is estimated to be less than 100 alive, and black slaves must be sold there in order to grow crops."
Princess Margaret's outlook was completely shattered: "This...is this the reason for the prosperity of Spain?"
Wang Ji spread his hands: "I sympathize with the indigenous people and the black people who were captured here, but I really can't help them."
Princess Margaret walked to the gangway, watched a black slave carrying water up close, and couldn't help but say: "Hello."
The black slave subconsciously looked at the princess, his eyes lifeless, like a walking corpse. Then he groaned, but was whipped, so he immersed himself in carrying the bucket again.
Knight Christine sighed: "She is so kind."
Wang Ji smiled and said: "It's good to be kind all the time. I was also very kind two years ago."
The two are communicating in High German. In just over two months, Wang Ji has learned daily language. At the same time, he can also speak Spanish, Portuguese, and can read Latin fluently.
Christine asked: "You want to take her to China?"
"I don't know," Wang Ji looked at the black slaves being strung up at the dock. He didn't know what was going on in his mind, and said with erratic eyes, "You can get off the ship now. I am not depriving you of your freedom. I am only responsible for bringing you
Get away from Europa.”
Christine said angrily: "We are not crazy. Are we going to get off the boat and become the chief of the black tribe?"
Princess Margaret has returned, feeling a little depressed. Although European farmers are also miserable, they are not as miserable as black slaves. What she saw and heard today is hard for Margaret to accept.
The two men immediately shut up.
The ship left the port and continued its voyage, experiencing unprecedented storms and waves at the Cape of Good Hope.
The Cape of Good Hope cannot bring good hope, and more than one or two navigators have died here. The rotation of the earth affects the air currents, and the huge temperature difference makes the westerly wind stronger. Level 11 winds are commonplace. When the sea currents encounter the continent, they have a lateral blocking effect.
, the vast sea area aggravates the scale of the waves, making the Cape of Good Hope a "ghost gate".
"Bang!"
The sails had all been lowered, but one of the masts still broke. All the crew members clung to the fixed objects, and even tied themselves with cables.
With a storm of this magnitude, any maneuver would be redundant, and Captain Li Ji had resigned himself to his fate.
Wang Ji had never felt so close to death. The ship was even blown away by huge waves, and then fell violently. His mind was spinning, and he could not distinguish up, down, left and right. In his ears, he could only vaguely hear Zhou Fei shouting: "Master, don't do it."
Let go, don’t let go!”
I don’t know how long it has been bumpy, but a vast fog has appeared on the sea again. This is also a characteristic of the Cape of Good Hope. The ancient lighthouse has no effect on the fog of the Cape of Good Hope.
This is a sailor’s description of the Cape of Good Hope in the Age of Discovery: “The dark clouds are dense and continuous, and the blue sky and stars and moon are rarely seen. The west wind blows hard all day long, and the swirling cloud systems are flying eastward, and the sea is roaring.
The huge waves collided with the side of the ship from time to time, and the roars they made shocked the hearts of every crew member..."
We can only blame Wang Ji for his bad luck. Last time Ming Dynasty officials went on a mission to Europe, they did not encounter such terrible weather on their way back and forth.
"ah!"
The two Han crew members hugged each other and were thrown out of the cabin together. Their heads were hit and blood flowed. They fainted and did not know whether they were alive or dead.
The Japanese ronai didn't care about their samurai swords and screamed to vent the fear in their hearts.
The knight Christine tied his wife, two sons, and the princess together with himself. The five of them flew up and down together, causing countless bruises and bruises, and finally they all fainted.
Finally, the wind and waves subsided and the fog dispersed.
A ship with a broken mast floats quietly in the vast sea, and the humans on the ship wake up one after another.
"Master, where is the master?" Li Ji shouted anxiously.
Wang Ji came over with a bruised nose and a swollen face: "I'm fine, I can't die."
Li Ji shouted again: "Count the number of people on the boat!"
Half an hour later, the head count ended.
Six Han crew members were missing, one died, and numerous were injured. One of the only two doctors on the ship was missing and probably fell into the sea to feed the fish.
Among the Japanese ronin, one was missing and another was hit half to death.
Wang Ji faced the heaviest loss in his sailing career. He exhaled and said: "Determine our position."
Onmyoji Zhang Fang came over and said: "I don't know, but we must sail north."
Wang Ji went to visit Margaret again. The princess was also in a miserable state, with many bruises and abrasions on her perfect face, and a big bump on her forehead that looked like an Antarctic fairy.
"Are you okay?" Wang Ji asked.
Princess Margaret responded with a forced smile: "No problem."
Christine asked: "Where were we carried by the strong wind?"
Wang Ji replied: "I don't know."
Everyone was silent and went to the deck, waiting for something to eat to fill their stomachs.
Another day and night passed, and the lookout shouted: "There is a big island ahead!"
Mauritius is right in front of you.
There was plenty of food on the ship, and the dodos could feel at ease, at least they would not suffer the fate of extinction again.
This small island not far from the African continent actually has no black indigenous people. Hundreds of years ago, Arab traders drifted to the island due to wind and waves, but they had no interest in settling. The Portuguese came more than 20 years ago, and the same happened.
Stayed briefly and then left.
This is an uninhabited island.
Wang Ji ordered people to drive a small boat and circle around the island, and then personally led people to land to investigate. There was no one on the island. Wang Ji smiled and announced: "This island is an unclaimed land, and it will belong to me from now on. A big disaster."
If you don't die, you will be blessed later, so let's call it 'Hongfu Island'."
This is the third time this island has been named. The first time it was called "Desolate Island" by the Arabs, the second time it was called "Bat Island" by the Portuguese, and now it is called "Hongfu Island" by the Chinese.