Zhou Yuji was a bright spot in the darkness of the Ming Dynasty, but the north of the Ming Dynasty was caught in a bitter wind and rain.

The front of the Qing army went straight to Shuyang (Shuyang, Jiangsu), only 400 miles away from Yangzhou on the Yangtze River. The cavalry rushed forward and arrived in two days!

The South of Ming Dynasty also felt the pressure. If the Qing army were to go south, the most powerful frontier army of the Ming Dynasty would not be able to beat the Qing army. Those generals of the Ming Dynasty south who were nurtured by the Qinhuai River powder could fight against the Qing army? Even the stupid Mingren couldn't believe them.

Even the most optimistic people feel heavy. Of course, the Chinese people in Southeast Asia who are far away in the sunshine zone will definitely not feel that way. They lead a sunny life. There are battles in some remote areas, the army is fighting, and some people are concerned. However, on the whole, the island under the sun is a new home and a new paradise for the Chinese people.

In the summer of 1642, two cruise ships and a supply ship that had gone through more than two years of circumnavigation around the world returned triumphantly under the leadership of Hong Xiguan, Costitte, Yan Zhang, and Hao Sizhong!

Reporter Yao Wenqi described their voyage in a written note.

... After passing the Cape of Good Hope, our fleet sailed along the African coastline, sailing against the wind, which was very difficult.

Fortunately, there are Hongmaofan strongholds along the way, and when there is no way out of doubt, there will be a magical village!

To be honest, I would like to thank the deputy commander of the formation, Chief Kostit. His navigation skills are very good and his memory is very good. He brought the exhausted us to Hong Maofan's stronghold for repair and supply.

Those red hair fans treat us very warmly, especially like drinking our rum...

In West Africa, Portugal occupies the Cape Verde Islands, and has established trading stations in Sierra Leone, Ancient Mali, Gold Coast, Slave Coast, Congo and Angola, and other red hairpins such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are also vying to establish trading stations.

At that time, the inland of West Africa was very backward and primitive, but in the coastal areas, it was quite vibrant!

Take the Gold Coast, for example.

After the new route was opened, the Portuguese heard that Africa was rich in gold, but did not know the exact location. Once they arrived in Africa, they searched for gold everywhere. Soon, they discovered that gold sand was abundant along the coast of Ghana and named it "Mina", which means "mineral deposits". Later, it was called the "Gold Coast", and countless wealth was looted from here to the European mainland.

The southeast government diplomatic and friendly visit formation arrived at the Gold Coast. On the offshore river, they saw a large number of slaves panning for gold under the supervision of white supervisors.

In the sun, they worked hard to sift the river sand and dig out gold from it.

Those white overseers were sitting leisurely under the tree and drinking tea!

Well, it is Oriental tea that I drank.

Reporter Yao Wenqi felt that this scene was really "warm"!

How should I put it, there are no fences on either side of the river bank, the white overseer did not even carry a gun, there are dogs, but they are pet dogs.

Those black people worked honestly under the scorching sun, no one resisted, no one escaped!

They are very strong, and if they run, they can't catch up with them, but they won't run.

Yao Wenqi felt incredible.

The formation was warmly welcomed by the local whites. In fact, the three Southeastern ships rarely encountered pirates during their voyage for more than two years, and they welcomed them with smiles in places they visited.

Yao Wenqi wrote: "The pirates and the red hair fan are full of respect for our cannons and muskets!"

When he arrived at the Gold Coast, he chatted with the local governor Correa, an old Portuguese man. Correa said: "Some blacks, who are smart, still resist and run away."

"They resist, we have guns, they can't beat us."

"If you escape, unless you escape back to your own tribe, this is almost impossible. We are slaves imported from a foreign land. They can't find a way back. If you escape, wild animals will kill them, because they can't do two things. Open your eyes for fourteen hours, and at the same time, the tribes outside will also kill them. In contrast, although it is hard work here, you can at least survive!"

"But the most fundamental reason is that the black people don't bother to think about how to escape and resist!" Correa pointed his head and said, "They generally don't have this (brain)!"

Yao Wenqi observed carefully and found that it was indeed the case. The black slaves were very lazy and insensitive, as if they didn't think about anything!

On the Gold Coast, the Chinese painfully found their boats small!

The local gold is cheap. The Chinese exchange spices, tea, tobacco, rum, and sweets with the white people, and they have harvested a lot of gold. Almost a catty of tea can be exchanged for a catty of gold. No wonder this route is so difficult, and the whites are also Furiously.

The officers are very strict, reviewing the space and carrying weight of everyone on the ship, and everyone has to keep the gold as much as possible.

This time around the world, Yao Wenqi got twenty catties of gold with one vote!

Another type of local "goods" is black slaves. A large number of black slaves were transported by slave ships. Yao Wenqi learned that the destination was the New World.

"What are you going to do?" Yao Wenqi asked curiously.

"Go to the plantation to grow things and mine for silver." Correa collected a pound of good tea from him, treated him as a good friend, and treated him as a guest of honor.

"Barbados, black slaves grow tobacco, cotton, blue indigo and other crops; in South America, they mine silver; Guadeloupe first introduced tobacco; there are a large number of slaves growing sugarcane on Sao Tome Island. I heard that the Leeward Islands and Jamaica, Antigua and other islands are growing sugar cane. Hey, the sugar they produce is not so white and sweet as your oriental sugar!" Correa said.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was interested. Yao Wenqi recorded them one by one after returning to the ship, knowing that the Southeast Mansion would encounter strong opponents in tobacco, cane sugar, and rum, so he had to send this situation back to Rising Sun Port.

Yao Wen used the blunt Portuguese phrase to say in a precise way: "You are trafficking in slaves in large quantities. Don't you think it is against the will of God and treat the world with kindness?"

The old Portuguese man glanced at him strangely, and pointed to himself first, "I am a human!"

Point to Yao Wenqi again: "You are also human!"

Then he pointed to the working black slave beside him and waved his hand: "They are not human!"

"Oh, I am a human being, this is my honor!" Yao Wenqi nodded.

Aha, Yao Wenqi finally understood ~lightnovelpub.net~ At that time, the social ethos was that white people didn't think the act of selling black slaves was shameful, and black slaves were treated like beasts and had no rights.

Since the end of the sixteenth century, this shameful transaction has been generally accepted by all countries, and all countries have protected the black slave trade so that the islands of the New World can be colonized more quickly and safely. This is a big business.

In the account books of the plantation owners at that time, black slaves were not workers or servants. They were often listed together with livestock and tools, and were no different from other properties. The number of black slaves owned by a plantation owner can even measure his wealth more than the size and output of his estate.

Yao Wenqi thought in his mind whether the Chinese would also get some black slaves to Southeast Asia?

No, no, in fact, the number of indigenous slaves in the Southeast is declining. Many of them have been sold to the Spanish and sent to the New World for silver mining. More and more manors are cultivated by the Chinese.

Their efficiency, one Chinese can worth four indigenous slaves!

In this world, no workers can compare to the Chinese, both diligent and smart!

(=)