On the 18th day of the eighth year of Wanli, on December 24, 1580, Zhao Hao, chairman of Jiangnan Group, and former King Sebastian of Portugal, signed the "Secret Agreement on Friendship and Mutual Assistance" with a far-reaching impact on world history in the Chaotian Hall of the Boni Governor's Office in Borneo, South China Sea, the Ming Dynasty.

This secret treaty, also known as the Treaty of Jiangxi and Portugal and Brunei, was regarded by later generations as the Portuguese Empire that opened the Age of Discovery, and transferred its maritime power with overseas colonies in a non-confrontational peaceful manner to the revived Ming Empire. Although at this time, the emperors and officials in the capital of the Ming Dynasty were completely unaware of this.

Although such a huge transfer of assets is destined to be protracted and continuous, history has indeed taken a great turn at this moment.

When signing the treaty documents, Mr. Zhao, who was used to the storm, couldn't help but tremble slightly while holding the brush, and could not hide his excitement.

Zhao Hao quickly calmed down and slowly signed his name next to Sebastian's signature.

Putting down the brush, he breathed a sigh of relief, his heart was extremely excited, and he was about to sing. This was simply his first proud work in his life!

Although Portugal has a small country and a small number of people, it is the first player to enter the Age of Discovery and naturally has the advantage.

Even though Spain came from behind with its strong national strength, it actually did not get any advantage from Portugal.

The two sides have longest west of 46°37', which is the so-called Pope Meridian, as the dividing line for the world. The Spaniards believe that they have taken advantage of this dividing line because they have obtained the entire America except Brazil, and they believe that the route to India and China is in the West.

But in fact, this dividing line allowed Portugal to take all the routes from Africa to Asia. The country that truly achieved the original purpose of the great voyage to obtain spices, silks and porcelain from the East was Portugal.

Although Spain became rich later because of its plunder in the Americas, Portugal was a little overshadowed. But it was not that the Portuguese had poor vision. In fact, the gold reserves they received were far more than the former... South Africa, Australia and Nanyang, which ranked among the top three in the world's gold mine reserves, were all on their lips.

If you can't eat it, it's just because of your lack of strength, and luck.

In Zhao Hao's opinion, the land assigned by Portugal is much more valuable than that of Spain. Although America is rich and vast and of extremely high value, Portugal is assigned to the entire world island!

In his book "On the Sea Power" he emphasized that whether it is the land power era or the sea power era, this world's largest, most populous and richest land combination composed of Europe, Asia, and Africa has always been the central stage of the world.

It is only because of the restrictions on land transportation that the stage cannot form a whole and is always in an isolated state. It is the era of great navigation that allows most parts of the world island to be connected with everything through the convenient and cheap transportation method of sea transportation.

Therefore, we can draw a series of self-evident inferences about the future of this world:

In the era of sailing that lasted for hundreds of years, the center of the world island could not escape the fate of being marginalized. Whichever area is closer to the ocean, it is more strategic.

What connects these areas is the maritime trade transportation line.

Therefore, whoever can control the maritime trade transportation line will control the world economic system.

And, if you control the world economy, you can control the world.

By referring to the above theory, we can clearly find that the Portuguese's maritime foundation has top strategic value. Although it is a helpless move, they have indeed used almost all their strength to build and occupy maritime trade transportation lines in the past 150 years.

All overseas colonies and strongholds they occupied and operated are strategic keys on the coast without exception. Their main purpose is not to colonize, but to control important maritime roads.

It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning. This is a long journey of being an enemy of the whole world! Even with the current strength of the Jiangnan Group, it will take decades to complete this arduous work, sacrifice tens of thousands of people and spend hundreds of millions of taels of silver.

Now, the predecessors planted trees and then enjoyed the cool air. The signing of this treaty means that the Jiangnan Group took over everything from the Portuguese and did not bear the original sin. It means that the Ming Dynasty finally regained the first move in the Age of Discovery and could occupy a more favorable position. It builds an insurmountable barrier at a lower cost, blocking the subsequent challengers from this feast.

It’s worth the eight years of your plan! All the hard work and waiting are worth it!

Because this day was the Eve of Christmas in the West. Zhao Hao specially ordered people to celebrate the signing banquet in the form of a Christmas party to soothe Sebastian, whose heart was bleeding.

Colorful lanterns were hung in the magnificent banquet hall, and Zhao Hao also specially ordered people to cut down a large pine tree and decorate it into a Christmas tree.

Amid the Christmas music played by the Spanish court band, the Christmas dinner cooked by the Portuguese chef was placed on a long dining table covered with red tablecloths.

The meal starter is grilled octopus. Stir carefully selected octopus with onions, olives, coriander, and spread a thin layer of garlic onion and grilled potatoes on the bottom layer, which is definitely a genuine Lisbon flavor.

The waiter poured red wine again, Zhao Hao picked up the high-legged wine glass and smiled and said, "Try it, is it the Porto flavor?"

Xiaosai picked up the goblet and took a sip, nodded vigorously and said, "It is the best twelve-year-old Colheita."

Eating delicious and chewing grilled octopus and drinking the wine from his hometown Porto, Sebastian couldn't help but burst into tears and kept wiping his eyes with a napkin.

"Your Majesty is 'a stranger' in a foreign land, and misses his family more every holiday'?" Zhao Hao shook his wine glass and asked with a smile: "Is it still 'I choking speechlessly, and I remember the year when I look at the lights'?"

Xiao Sai was stunned. His Chinese level was not yet at the level of appreciation of poetry.

Pinto quickly translated for him. Sebastian thought for a while, and Fang said, "It's more like the latter."

"Be stronger, you can return to the king and restore your country." Zhao Hao comforted him, "It's much better than Zhao Ji."

"Recruiting prostitutes?" Xiao Sai was confused again, thinking that this is comparable?

"That is the author of 'Speechless Choking', a king who lost his country, was captured by a foreign race to a bitter and cold place, and died of humiliation." Pinto quickly explained.

"He has the same surname as Mr. Zhao, is there anything wrong with him?" Xiao Sai asked in Portuguese.

"That doesn't matter..." Pinto's sweat.

"What did you say?" Zhao Hao asked with a smile.

"Oh, Your Majesty is actually still sad about the content of the treaty." Pingto hurriedly replied in Chinese: "He doesn't know how to explain to the people."

"Hi, what am I going to do?" Zhao Hao took a sip of golden port wine with honey and comforted Sebastian with a smile: "What can I do not explain? You can announce to the people that Portugal is the one who makes a profit."

"Make a cheap..." Xiao Sai was worried and handed over all the colonies in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This was too cheap and it was almost the same.

"This is the truth." Zhao Hao said with a frank look: "Because I never want to let my partner suffer, you have made a big profit in this contract."

"How do you say this?" Xiao Sai widened his eyes, wanting to hear how Zhao Hao turned black and white.

"There is a saying in China that 'I can't chew too much'. In fact, according to our group's ideas, it is enough to take back Nanyang." Zhao Hao said and said, "It has been more than a hundred years since such a large piece of land left our country. If you want to return to the kingdom, it will probably take a hundred years."

"Why do you want our Indian Deputy King District?" Xiao Sai asked angrily.

The Sub-King District of India is the real essence of the Portuguese colony and also the place where the Portuguese bet heavily. In addition to Malacca and the Spice Islands, the sub-King District of India are also Ceylon, Portuguese India, Hormuz, Bahrain, Port Abbas, Lasak Islands, and Muscat... Through this series of strongholds, the Portuguese firmly controlled the Indian Ocean route and the Persian Gulf estuary, blocking the powerful Ottoman Empire at its doorstep.

"That was the request of another of our ally." Zhao Hao replied lightly.

"Another ally?" Sebastian said in a daze: "Ottoman Empire?"

"No," Zhao Hao said seriously: "We are in a state of war with the Spaniards. The enemy's enemies are friends, so of course we have to form an alliance with their enemies... But the Ottoman Queen Mother has a condition, that is, to include your country in the enemy and attack on both sides."

"God..." Sebastian shivered and quickly drank a big sip of wine to suppress his shock. The Ming people formed an alliance with the Ottoman, and the Indian deputy royal area was under the attack of his left and right. How could there be a reason to survive?

"But we would rather establish friendship with your country." Zhao Hao smiled and said, "So we thought of this method. Please quit Asia voluntarily and not join the Ottomans. Isn't there any reason to start a war?"

"That's it..." Sebastian nodded. In fact, he heard that Jiangnan Group had already formed an alliance with Ottoman, so he knew that decent withdrawal from Asia was the best choice for the Portuguese.

Now he can at least explain to the people why he has to give up the issue of Asia.

"Besides, your country's businessmen are not really unable to come to Asia." Zhao Hao asked him to feel more comfortable: "Although our emperor does not allow foreigners to enter the Ming Dynasty, I think you have no problem in Goa and even India. As long as you don't cross Ceylon, it's easy to say."

After a pause, he said with a solemn expression: "Of course, Nanyang is absolutely forbidden, otherwise it will cause trouble to our group."

"I understand, understand." Sebastian nodded quickly. He was familiar with Portugal's history of pioneering in the Far East and knew that the fundamental reason for the failure was that the Ming Dynasty was extremely cautious about foreigners and almost reached the point of rejection.

"As for Africa, we do not prohibit the citizens of your country from entering and leaving, whether they do business, settle down, or sailing, and treat them equally." Zhao Hao laughed loudly again: "For your country, it has unloaded the heavy burden of defending strongholds and routes, but it can still grow in Africa. Isn't this taking advantage of us, and what's the point?"
Chapter completed!