The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Chapter 337 The East—a land full of gold

Everything in Europe is so calm and normal. After all, this time is no more intense than during the religious wars and the Great Revolution. So it's all undercurrent.

But in East Asia, things are getting more lively. This time, Mason took Chen Zuyi and other pirate leaders north to meet with the Ming Emperor, as well as businessmen from Southeast Asia, and special envoys from various countries also went there.

They continued their mighty march north with a large number of people, and on the way they came to Shuizhenla, an important port, to replenish supplies and fresh water. The hot climate here made some people feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, the accompanying Seris doctor made them feel better, otherwise they would have to go back early.

"I said, you can't lie, right? We've been walking for so many days, why haven't we arrived yet?"

When a crew member couldn't help but question the Serris, Mason scolded him.

"Calm down. It took longer to get from Aden to Ceylon than it does now. Isn't it better now? Be patient."

It's no wonder that Mason rebuked the crew. After all, he was impatient to go to this Eastern country full of gold. He himself hopes to come to this place as soon as possible and complete his mission.

"Sir, we found land ahead."

A sailor reported it to the governor, and Mason sent some men ashore to see if there was any danger, and he arrived soon after.

Five or six small boats carrying more than thirty soldiers approached this piece of land. Although there were no urban buildings on it, they were still amazed by the beauty of the natural scenery. After the smoke of safety rose, Mason came here with the remaining people.

"This is not the Ming Dynasty," one crew member said.

Mason turned over the map. It looked like they were heading east. They should be able to reach it by walking west.

"Since God allowed us to discover this place, then this is the land of the Roman Empire."

Mason ordered people to raise the double-headed eagle flag and named the place Formosa, which means beautiful. Then people went deep into the interior to find the living population, hoping to bring them under the king's control.

"Sir, let's go to Daming..."

"Don't worry about that. We'll go after a while. You should relax now."

Fortunately, Mason followed the advice of his subordinates and brought a lot of building materials and workers in order to establish a trading stronghold close to the Ming Dynasty. They plan to build a stronghold here and prepare to send soldiers to guard it.

The people sent inland also brought good news. They discovered where the local people lived and brought some clothes and glass balls to express their intentions. The other party was very happy and prepared to further increase the relationship. At the same time, the local bamboo was also a very good building material, so it was cut down when building the stronghold. The local people saw that the other party was sincere and did not say anything.

Although the area is less than one percent explored, Mason has brought it under imperial rule. This would become the province of Formosa in the eastern part of the empire. As long as they are governed properly, they will burst out with amazing wealth to repay the empire, and by the way, it will also help them gain a foothold in the east.

Mason left some men to take charge of local matters, and then continued north. The local waters were rougher than before, but fortunately they passed quickly.

In this way, Mason finally entered the waters of the Eastern Kingdom with the remaining ships. Maybe he wanted to go directly to the other side's capital, so he followed others' advice and headed north. Finally arrived overseas.

The prefect of Ningbo was listening to a ditty and enjoying being fed by the concubine he had bought for three days. It had been three years since the new dynasty was established, and it was time for him to enjoy it. He was a Jinshi in the 25th year of Hongwu, and it was not easy for him to be the prefect now. If he hadn't taken advantage of what happened a few years ago to do something else, I'm afraid he would never be able to enjoy anything good with his current salary.

"My lord, it's not good. My lord, it's not good."

The prefect didn't even open his eyes, and said with an unhappy expression: "You're in a panic, what's wrong?"

"At sea...a large number of ships suddenly appeared on the sea and are coming towards us."

Upon hearing this, the prefect immediately got up from the concubine and asked everyone else to get down.

"Could it be that the Japanese are here again?"

This is what the prefect is most afraid of. Which coastal city is not afraid of a sudden attack by Japanese pirates? This was a gang of murderous robbers, and he had to be prepared.

"Hurry up and report to Ningbo Wei, as well as the Chief Secretary and the Inspector General."

"yes"

The prefect has no time to think about anything else. He must quickly transfer all his property to other places and cannot let them snatch it away.

Back overseas, Mason also had difficulties facing the coast he was about to reach. How would they get there?

If the other party is open, they can come here. But now that the country is locked down, ordinary trade is impossible. How about just blasting it away with cannons?

"Sir, let's send someone to explain it first."

Advisor Siris beside him made a suggestion, and Mason approved it. He asked a ship to take him to Ningbo Mansion to explain the situation. When the people of Ningbo heard that the Japanese were coming, they fled one after another. Some of the bolder ones planned to live and die with their homeland and would not leave until they died.

Ningbo Wei also learned of this situation and immediately prepared to defend, but soon discovered a problem. According to inertia, the other party has already landed ashore, but they should not have landed now. They should not be here to rob. Moreover, some sharp-eyed people saw that the other party's ship was different from the Japanese ships that they had seen before. Was it from another country?

"Sir, a ship has docked."

A soldier reported that the director of the guard led the soldiers to the coast, and when the ships stopped, they were ready to attack with weapons in hand.

"Don't be nervous, we are envoys from the west. We have heard for a long time that the Celestial Empire is strong and wealthy, so we came here to visit you."

Director Wei was still a little worried, but he saw that the other party had not robbed him, so it must be true, so he quickly sent someone to report to his superiors. When the other party saw that the master believed in them, he stepped forward to shake hands with him and quietly handed a piece of silver to him. Director Wei soon beamed with joy and ordered people to send fruits, vegetables, food and fresh water.

The news reached Ningbo Prefecture. When the prefect heard that it was a foreign envoy, he was half relieved and reported the matter to the Chief Secretary and the imperial court. After all, this is related to the reputation of the Celestial Dynasty. As long as you hand this matter directly to the emperor, isn't it obvious that you will get promoted and make a fortune? Wealth can be found in danger.

It's not a problem for ships to always be parked at sea. The fleet tried to trade some of its goods with the people of Ningbo. By the way, he bribed the prefect and other officials, and finally allowed the fleet to dock on a nearby island. The spices and exotic goods brought from overseas surprised the wealthy local merchants, so they spent their money to buy them, and the goods were quickly sold out.

The people of Ningbo had never seen these goods and Romanians. They were curious about these people with different looks. They looked at them every day. The news spread from ten to ten, and soon the news that a group of unique-looking people came to Ningbo was nearby. Word spread.