In early August 1688, just when King Louis XIV of the Dharma summoned Lin Dingzhi, the East Coast Ambassador of the East, a large number of warships were undergoing intense renovations in Henghai Port, which belongs to the Cape Verde Islands in the east.

The Portuguese task force emerged from Huaiyuan Island and traveled east along the ocean circulation. Finally, it arrived at the Cape Verde Islands in the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, and met with the Cape Verde squadron commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu.

The Cape Verde Islands were divided into two after the last Eastern Portuguese War. The eastern coastal people occupied them including Jianchang Island (Saint Anton Island), Henghai Island (Saint Vicente Island), Nankang Island (Saint Nicholas Island), Salt Island (Saal Island), Huangsha Island (Saint Lucia Island) and two unmanned small islands between Huangsha Island and Nankang Island (can only be used for salt drying). There are seven islands in total, generally located in the northwest of the archipelago. The Portuguese obtained the remaining eight islands, including the largest Santiago Island.

Due to the influence of the Sahara Desert climate, the Cape Verde Islands generally have less rainfall and are very dry. The arable land area is mainly concentrated on Jianchang Island and Santiago Island, accounting for about 10% of the entire archipelago area. The island of Forgo, which has the most precipitation (495mm/year), has less arable land due to terrain and soil quality, and is mostly used to grazing goats.

The capital of Cape Verde in the east is Henghai Island. Because there is a large-scale high-quality shallow-stratum coal mine on the island, the East Coast people set up a mining bureau here, which is under the jurisdiction of Henghai Coal Mine (Mining, Washing Coal), Henghai Honeycomb Coal Factory, and Henghai Brick Kiln Factory (Burning of Broken Bricks with Coal). In addition to supplying the island, the products produced are also exported to nearby areas in small quantities. However, due to the lack of water resources, the scale of these enterprises is not very large, but it is sufficient at this stage.

The Cape Verde Islands in the eastern part of Cape Verde have now established a county, named Henghai County, which is under the jurisdiction of five towns: Henghai Town, Jianchang Township, Nankang Township, Yan Township and Huangsha Township. There are more than 6,000 residents. More than two-thirds are immigrants from Huaian Prefecture, Qing Dynasty who moved there (the rest are non-nationals and exiled prisoners). Therefore, Huaian dialect is the common language on the island.

Henghai County's economy is mainly coal mining, salt drying, agriculture and fishery. The coal mining industry is mainly concentrated on Henghai Island. Jianchang Island mainly focuses on grain cultivation, mainly dry farming such as wheat, sorghum, peanuts, etc., to save valuable water resources. Salt drying industry is another major industry in the Cape Verde Islands, which has squeezed out a lot of market share of Patagonia Lake salt in China. The reason is that people generally think that Cape Verde salt will taste better and have a longer shelf life when used to pickle fish, so the sales volume is very good.

In addition, there are also some mountain livestock and fishing industries in the Eastern Cape Verde Islands, which provide precious fresh meat to the residents and passing ships on the island, but the scale is not very large. There are neither large fishing grounds nearby, and the plants and trees on the island are relatively dry, so it is normal for fisheries and livestock to develop.

In short, if the geographical location is not extremely important, I believe that the East Coast people would not have any interest in such a colony. The conditions are really bad! Moreover, this is only possible after years of investment and construction of some water storage facilities. If conditions are to be further improved, the central government will have to invest at least 300,000 yuan to build infrastructure, so that the population and productivity of the entire archipelago will reach a new level.

Of course, then again, the geographical location of the Cape Verde Islands is really good. As long as the ships returning to Europe pass by nearby areas, merchant ships returning from the east will dock here. If an undersea cable is built in the future, this will also be a key node, so people on the east coast will not discard it anyway.

Not only will they not be discarded, but now the people on the east coast are also focusing their attention on eight other islands of large and small that are still in the hands of the Portuguese. They also developed a strong interest in the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands and wanted to swallow them all. Especially Santiago Island, which has a large area, a lot of arable land, and relatively more water sources. The island produces wheat and various fruits, and also raises a large number of cattle, sheep, horses and donkeys. It is a very important agricultural base. I am really unwilling to accept it if I don’t come here.

It is reported that the Admiralty is currently active and wants the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss with the Kingdom of Portugal to purchase the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands. In order to reduce the resistance to this land acquisition activity, they also suggested that Portugal merchant ships can be permanently allowed to dock and supply freely to facilitate the completion of this negotiation as soon as possible.

The local Foreign Ministry has initially recognized the navy's ideas and made a basic negotiation outline, which was submitted to the Executive Committee for review by the bigwigs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that only by paying about 500,000 yuan in cash to the Portuguese, it is possible to take the remaining eight islands into their pockets. Of course, this requires the military to use some small means.

"The Cape Verde Islands are really too drought. During the Portuguese rule, they cut down the only forest on the island and destroyed it in a bad way. Now the forest has been cut down. We have been restored for many years and only planted a small piece of tree. All the materials needed to repair the ships have to be imported from the North American Free State. It is really a scam." Because of the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, the East Coast Fleet carried out maintenance at Henghai Port this time, which cost more than 50,000 yuan in cash. The main reason is that the ships here are all imported North American oak, which is expensive, which makes the fleet commander-in-chief Colonel Mo Liei a little dissatisfied.

"Commander, there is nothing we can do about this. The Cape Verde Islands is too short of water. The only forests on the island are very important in conserving water and soil and improving the climate, and they cannot be moved easily. There is no wood suitable for shipbuilding on the nearby coasts, not to mention that the local government also has policies to import more products from free states. Isn't this impossible?" said Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu, who has served in the Cape Verde Islands for many years.

"The economy of this island is pretty good. The living standards of residents are generally higher than those of Huaiyuan Island, and the incidence of various infectious diseases is also lower. It's really good. In addition to the troublesomeness of water shortage, I think everything is pretty good and there is no problem. Such a large archipelago, which is now supporting more than 6,000 people, I don't think it's a big problem, and I can even afford to support more than 10,000 people." Lieutenant Colonel Ding Zhen, the commander of the Caribbean Squadron, also stood beside him, shaking a palm-leaf fan, and said with a smile.

"It is so strong that the future upper limit is probably not as good as Huaiyuan Island. The flaw of water shortage will only become more and more serious and fatal in the future. Now that domestic industry and agriculture are developing rapidly, everyone can see that only by relying on industry can we get rich, and industry actually requires a lot of water. In this regard, Huaiyuan Island has a huge advantage. Maybe there is too much water there, but that is not important, the Cape Verde Islands will not work, so the future development model is destined to be commercial.

For the most part. Fortunately, the geographical location here is very good. The people on the island are more than the top and the bottom, so they can still live." Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu spread his hands and said helplessly: "And half of the Cape Verde Islands are still in the hands of the Portuguese. Only by taking this part into his hands can the Cape Verde Islands truly develop. I don't know if the people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are powerful enough, and if they can seize food from the tiger's mouth, and snatch this part from the Portuguese."

Speaking of the current king in power in the Kingdom of Portugal, Pedro II, who had dealt with the East Coast, Prince Pedro, the younger brother of King Alfonso, had just five years since ascended the throne. Of course, before ascending the throne, Prince Pedro had actually mastered the major policies of the Kingdom of Portugal, and King Alfonso VI was imprisoned by him until he died.

The fundamental reason why Pedro was so "reverse" was that his brother was disabled because his close relatives were married and could not do anything about husband and wife, and gave birth to offspring. This was destined that the crown of Portugal would sooner or later fall on Prince Pedro. What's more, he seduced his sister-in-law, Maria from the Bourbon family in France (who married him after ascending the throne), and received support from a number of nobles. Therefore, it was normal for him to imprison the king many years in advance, so it was normal for him to be regent.

Pedro II's policy was to build England and the East Coast at the same time. The reason for building England was to take into account the local security and a small part of commercial interests, and the reason for building the East Coast was to take into account the existence and trade of overseas colonies. The East Coast people appreciated Pedro II's frank attitude in consolidating bilateral relations. The existence of the Vianaburg base gave East Coast people a foothold on the continent, allowing them to exert influence on European countries to a certain extent, although the scale of this base is not very large at present.

Therefore, considering the current situation between the two countries, the East Coast people still have some confidence in taking over the Portuguese Cape Verde Islands through negotiation pressure. Isn’t it just money? It’s just something to give it! What? Portugal doesn’t want to sell it? It doesn’t exist! The friendship between the two countries is so "solid" and how close the interests are combined, just a little "do some work" to negotiate the land sale!

"Okay, don't talk about these things, just think about what to do next. Tell me what you think, I'll listen." Seeing that the two subordinates were talking about the Cape Verde Islands, Colonel Mo Liei quickly interrupted.

"This time, the additional special military expenditure in the local area has allowed us to dispatch a large fleet to Europe. It is mainly two tasks. The first is to visit many friendly cities, promote national prestige, enhance influence, and provide a foundation for diplomats' future activities in Europe. This task is actually easier to complete and necessary. Our country's main fleet has not appeared in Europe for a long time, which has caused some influence to fade. People born in the past 30 years have no emotional understanding of this. If this visit to promote national prestige is relatively successful, then nothing unexpected will greatly enhance our country's influence, and it has extremely great benefits for diplomacy and commerce, especially for countries with developed maritime trade." Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Yu, commander of the Cape Verde squadron of the First Fleet, said: "The second mission is more difficult and very sensitive. If a bad one is not good, it will lead to armed conflicts and even wars between countries, which puts higher requirements on how we operate."

"It is indeed troublesome to interfere with the merger of England and the Netherlands, but it is really important." Lt. Col. Ding Zhen, commander of the Caribbean Squadron, also intervened at this time: "The combination of industrial capital and commercial capital, the immigration of a large number of Protestant handicraftsmen and scholars is a great remedy for the Kingdom of England. It will also be very unfavorable for our future influence and control of England, so it must be interfered with. But I think we still have to make a long-term plan for how to operate. But the commander, the most urgent task now is, should we find a way to obtain a port close to England and the United Provinces? This port must be large enough to be able to

Provide daily supplies for more than 10,000 naval officers and soldiers, and at the same time, they also need to have sufficient ability to repair ships, artillery and other equipment. Well, there must be a certain ammunition manufacturing foundation. Marine combat is very consuming ammunition, so this point must also be considered. In this way, the selection area is actually relatively narrow. The South Dutchland does not have such large-scale arms manufacturing capabilities. Calais and Dunkirk in northern France are both suitable, but I just don’t know if they will agree. If not, then the ammunition will be imported from Lisbon and transported to the site of the large fleet, which adds a lot of variables."

Lt. Colonel Ding's words are real. War is not a game, and the large fleet is not something that can be received by any port. It must have certain protection capabilities (coastal defense fortresses and forts are necessary), and sufficient maintenance and supply capabilities (nearby areas with dense populations and very developed agriculture and related shipbuilding industries), and also be able to provide weapons and ammunition (must have a certain scale of military manufacturing). The conditions are relatively harsh. Otherwise, why did the French think that when the French vigorously developed the navy, they had to invest heavily in building Dunkirk's naval fortress to become the home port of the Western fleet? Why are their Eastern fleet still stationed in the Toulon military port? There is a reason for this.

If the East Coast fleet wants to find a suitable place to settle, the most important thing is Lisbon. Viana Fort is barely enough, but the ability to repair ships and provide supplies is definitely not as good as Lisbon, because it is still under large-scale expansion and has not yet been completed, and the relevant industrial chain has not been expanded to the point where it can host a large fleet.

But the problem with Lisbon is that it is too far from the possible place of the incident. Once something happens, the East Coast people may not be able to arrive in time, which is very embarrassing! Therefore, it is best to get a foothold in the South Netherlands or France, which is the most ideal. French people may not be impossible, but they are more sensitive. The East Coast people do not want to let people tie themselves to the camp on the side of France for the time being. Then counting it over and over again, it is when the South Dutland is the last time, and the place basically cannot escape from Bruges and Antwerp, because only these two are large ports and have certain repair and supply capabilities. The disadvantage is that there is no related military manufacturing industry.

But this does not seem to be impossible to make up for. The East Coast People's Congress can stock up on a large amount of weapons and ammunition there in advance to prepare for wartime consumption. Or simply, as Ding Zhen said just now, the military manufacturing industry in Lisbon is quite good, and it can be purchased there and then transported it to the South Netherlands to supplement the consumption.

As for the fact that the Spaniards agreed to the East Coast fleet that entered the South Dutchland, it was indeed a problem, but it should not be too difficult. In this country, the East Coast people have a deep influence. Their money bags are just under the eyes of the East Coast people. They can send troops to attack their colonial ports and cities at any time, causing the Spanish royal family to collapse the finances of the Ilibyan Peninsula. Therefore, as long as the demands made by the East Coast people are not particularly excessive, the Spanish will generally not refuse and dare not refuse. Therefore, when the East Coast fleet requests to be stationed in Antwerp or Bruges, it is difficult for the Spanish royal family to truly refuse, and in the end they can only agree obediently. Although this must be contrary to their original intentions, so what?

"Don't worry about that much." Mo Liei waved his hand and said, "It's better to hurry up and finish the renovation of the fleet, bring enough water and ammunition, and then find a good weather and set off for Portugal. We have lost a water supply ship, a contact ship and a light cruiser during the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. I don't want more non-combat losses. After arriving in Portugal, I immediately find a way to hire local merchant ships in case of emergencies. Well, if there are any financial difficulties, you can borrow from the Embassy in Lisbon first. This is a state affairs, and I believe they will know the general."

As the commander of the task force, Colonel Mo Liei said this, and Ding Zhen and Zhou Yu naturally had no objection. Therefore, after discussing the issue of sailing at sea, the two left the dock and went to prepare the fleet separately to purchase supplies. They were busy for a while.

On August 12, 1688, the Portuguese task force completed all preparations before departure and began to leave the port in turn, gathering on the ocean outside Henghai Island. 4 battleships, 22 guard gunboats, 30 light cruisers, 3 ammunition supply ships, 2 water supply ships, 1 quick contact ship, 1 coal transport ship, 1 medical ship, 1 troop transport ship, 1 engineering ship, a total of 56 combat ships, and 10 auxiliary ships formed a huge fleet, following the ocean current northward and heading straight to Portugal.
Chapter completed!