Chapter 45 Smoky Conference Room
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"Report! The group of Ming people have been arranged." The soldier who was just called quietly opened the door of the conference room and reported to Carinio.
"Yes, I know." Carinio nodded gently and reminded: "Remember to close the door when you go out."
Due to the cover of the curtain, no sunlight penetrated the conference room. It was dark and cold. When Carinio re-lit the cigar in his hand, there was a faint spark, making the room of less than 20 square meters show its smoke.
"What you said before is true."
Carinio took a puff of the cigar in his hand and exhaled a thick smoke ring in an instant. Now he is particularly addicted to this feeling. Every puff makes him feel the pleasure of breaking into the fairyland, as if countless small hands are constantly scratching his scalp, making his mind very clear.
That's why he can only be in this position at the age of 53. However, this feeling has disappeared quickly recently. He has felt the powerlessness of his body and the dizziness of his head, but this does not affect his continued smoking, which has become a hobby.
"Yes, it was His Excellency Qin Hao and his brave soldiers who saved me." Facing the question of the superior, Amorim answered very seriously without a trace of slackness.
"But he didn't save other soldiers, did he?"
"That group of natives was too crazy, just like they didn't want to die. When His Excellency Qin Hao came, it was too late. We shouldn't be too demanding, right? If it weren't for his help, these heroic soldiers of the empire wouldn't even have the last prayer."
"Amorim, do you think they will be our enemies on Taiwan Island?" Carinio suddenly changed the subject.
"No."
"Why are you so sure, just because he saved your life?" Carinio smiled and asked the young adjutant in front of him.
In his opinion, the young man in front of him was really too young, of course not because of his qualifications as a soldier, but because of his vision. Even if he had made great military achievements in the New World, it could not make up for his shortcomings.
Carinio was very sure that the young man named Qin Hao would definitely become their enemy in the future, and a big trouble second only to the Dutch.
"No, I will never mix personal feelings into the cause of the empire. I don't think it's because Mr. Qin Hao is a Ming countryman. Ming people have the habit of missing their hometowns, and he will always go back." Amorim thought for a moment and gave this answer.
When Carinio heard this answer, he also missed his hometown a little bit. Yes, who doesn't miss his hometown and look forward to the soil there when he is old.
It's just that young people don't care, and the young Ming general just now is one of them. Carinio saw the ambition for the future in his eyes.
The fact that he can bring people here means that he has a pioneering heart, and the group of Europeans who appeared around him know that he has seen the vastness of the world.
How can people who have seen the vastness of the sea cherish the streams!
"Captain, you have to admit that since he appears here, he may be my enemy." Carinio suddenly raised his voice, he wanted to let the young man know his attitude.
"But he saved my life."
"This is not an excuse, not to mention that he is just a Ming countryman. You should know that the Empire once had a plan to attack the Ming country."
"This happened decades ago." Amorim retorted helplessly.
Not long after he came to the Far East, he saw such a crazy and incredible plan report.
It said that Martin, the missionary in the Philippines, once gave a report to the Governor of Manila, saying: "The Ming people are not good at fighting, they are good at farming, they don't like fighting, and they like to have fun more. We just need to bombard their walls with our cannons, and they will flee."
A year later, a captain of the Invincible Fleet who had been to the Ming country said the same thing to the king: "I only need 100 troops to conquer that country."
But at that time, the Empire was attacking Portugal, and King Philip II had no time to pay attention.
Until the new Governor of Manila, Francisco, proposed this idea to King Philip II again. This time he also submitted a detailed combat report. He planned to capture the most prosperous Jiangnan of Ming Dynasty first, hit its finances, and then slowly infiltrate it, and finally overthrow the Ming Dynasty.
He proposed that only 5,000 Spanish regular soldiers were needed, and then spend money to buy some refugees from Japan and the Philippines.
At that time, the empire happened to annex Portugal, and the army's strength increased greatly. King Philip II affirmed this plan after careful consideration. In order to prevent accidents, he planned to send a total of 12,000 expeditionary forces.
Unfortunately, when everything was ready, an accident happened. The empire's "Invincible Fleet" was defeated by the English Navy, and this plan was shelved indefinitely.
"Lord Carinio, our current enemies are the Dutch and those natives." Amorim was a little angry, not knowing why the commander had always targeted Qin Hao.
In his opinion, this is completely meaningless. They will be our friends and will join us in attacking the natives. Besides, Taiwan Island is so big, there is nothing wrong with sharing a little with them.
"The Dutch can't reach here for the time being, and the natives are just rats living in the cabin, so there is nothing to fear. Only the group of people you brought back today, when you see their weapons and equipment, you should know their strength."
"But we haven't even defeated the natives now, and we lost so many people this time." Amorim retorted, "By the way, those natives have..."
Carinho looked at the adjutant who argued for the Ming people, and interrupted him impatiently: "Okay, adjutant, I don't want to argue with you anymore, you just need to know that this person will become an enemy of Spain."
"Leave my office now." Carinho pointed outside the door coldly, his tone firm.
Amorim didn't say anything, saluted solemnly, opened the door and left.
Looking at his back, you can also know his inner entanglement.
Carinho pressed the cigar in his hand into the crystal ashtray, then smiled slightly and said to himself: I have heard that the Ming people all know witchcraft, and I don’t know if my adjutant has been confused. It seems that I must ask the priest to give him some holy water to remove the influence of the devil.
After saying that, he sighed helplessly, opened the mahogany drawer in front of him, took out a few pieces of letter paper from it, and picked up the pen on the table.
"Dear Governor, please forgive my incompetence. Due to my command errors, San Salvador is now at the most dangerous moment. The attack of the natives makes it difficult for us to resist, and the loss of soldiers is very serious. If you still need such a base, I urgently hope to get your assistance. We need ships, cannons, flintlocks, regular soldiers, bread, water sources and all supplies. In addition, I think Amorim"
Carinho, who has been in office for more than a year, is writing at his desk. His brows are slightly frowned, and he seems to have something bothering him. The manuscript is also revised again and again, which shows his hesitation and irritability when he writes.
When the letter was finished, Carinho carefully printed his coat of arms on the end of the letter, then folded it up, stuffed it into an envelope and put it in the drawer.
Then he lit a cigar and tasted it unscrupulously, recalling what Amorim had just said. He acknowledged the adjutant's opinion that their biggest enemy at present was the natives, but even so, it could not stop his plan.
There is an old saying in the Ming Dynasty: Be prepared for a rainy day and be prepared for danger in times of peace.
Drowning the threat in the womb is the wisest choice!
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