The action to collect public grain lasted for several days. Dozens of documents and hundreds of staff were almost exhausted and weak, so they collected about 300 tons of sorghum into the newly built grain warehouse not long after. As the saying goes, if you have grain in your hands, you are not panicked. Mo Ming felt that this sentence was really true. With this batch of grain as the foundation, what else can defeat them in this wild land?

Today, Hezhong Fort has more than 1,000 highly organized population, with a large number of food, advanced weapons, and ambitions that are never lacking. As long as the local support is strong enough, they are confident that they will build Hezhong Fort into a pearl city in Africa.

In the minds of Mo Ming and Liu Ang, Hezhong Fort was the source of their efforts. Therefore, how to further develop Hezhong Fort is a problem that has always been lingering in their minds. There are also many indigenous tribes in South Africa, unlike South America, which may not have encountered an Indian tribe in a few days. Faced with such a situation, according to Mo Ming's intention, they should try their best to capture the indigenous population, and then force them to farm and grazing for the East Coast people. In this way, the agriculture and animal husbandry of Hezhong Fort should develop quickly.

After these developments, Hezhongbao can adapt to local conditions and vigorously develop industries such as leather processing, winemaking, and oil pressing (using peanuts and sesame as raw materials). Within a few years, it will achieve small success and begin to export large quantities of leather semi-finished products, sorghum liquor, oil, wool, ivory and other products to the local area to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

When making the plan, Mo Ming and Liu Ang often worked overtime until late at night, happily discussing and arguing about the details of the development of Hezhong Fortress, and then forming plans. Both of them were filled with an infinite passion for doing careers. This emotion even infected the people around them, causing everyone's enthusiasm to rise a lot.

In the past two years since the development of Hezhong Fort, everything has slowly gotten on track. The only thing that is to worry about now is how much support the local area will have. If the Executive Committee still only regards Hezhong Fort as a supply station for exploring routes to the Ottoman and Eastern, then it is conceivable that this support will not be very strong. Even the current scale of Hezhong Fort is the limit that the Executive Committee can tolerate. Going further up, there will be suspicion of putting the cart before the horse, which is something that the Executive Committee cannot tolerate at this stage.

If things are going to be better (there is little possibility), the Executive Committee will give Hezhongbao a lot of support, including money and goods, and unconditionally open supply of people. Then Hezhongbao will develop rapidly. In time, becoming a Ping An Town, a big town like Zhenhaibao is just a matter of time.

But I can only think about this kind of thing. With the urinary nature of the people of the Executive Committee, maybe the supplies will continue to be supported by Hezhong Fortress. Even if the population is killed, they will not send people to you. It is already very interesting to have a South African garrison headquarters and a full-scale company to come to you for the scene. If you have too many, don’t think about it.

In their minds, Hezhong Fort is a supply station and a safe haven. The ships departing from the Oriental Port will supply supplies, repair ships, and place wounded and sick people in Hezhong Fort. Then continue to cross the Cape of Good Hope to the southeast and enter the Indian Ocean. After arriving at the Indian Ocean, the ships will anchor in the Anziranana area at the northern end of Madagascar. They will provide supplies. After the supply is completed, the ship continues to head north and enter Djibouti along the Red Sea coast. After a little rest and replenishment, the ships will head north until they arrive at the Ottoman Port Suez on the shore of the Red Sea.

This African route plan was drafted by Mo Ming himself, and he knew every detail clearly. He knew that the Executive Committee had no plans to expand in South Africa in the short term. The focus of the Executive Committee's expansion in the next stage should be the crossing of the rivers on the I River Basin and the west bank of Yazi Lake. Therefore, the South African River Fort is just a small midway supply port, that's all.

But Mo Ming is the captain of the South African pioneer team at this moment, and he is fully in charge of the work of Hezhongbao. He has more than a thousand people under his command. The so-called butt determines his head. Now his butt is sitting on the side of Hezhongbao, so he naturally has to consider the interests of Hezhongbao. Of course, this is also considering his own interests. Making a career in Hezhongbao will inevitably be of great help to his future career.

On July 10, 1638, the Navy's "Galicia Flying Fish" transport ship, the South China Sea Transport Company's "Yingzhou" and "Bang" transport ships successfully arrived at the Hezhong Fort Wharf under the escort of the naval warship. The arrival of a large number of production, daily necessities, and the arrival of 180 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Company of the South African garrison army caused great cheers in the Hezhong Fort.

The red bricks, cement, and lime shipped mean that they can bid farewell to the wooden houses and thatched huts that they have lived in for more than half a year; the heavy long-tube cannons brought in mean that their fortress will be more stable; the potatoes, corn, horses, and farm tools brought in mean that their agriculture and animal husbandry will be taken to the next level. Not to mention the 180 officers and soldiers of the Fourth Company who are about to be stationed here for a long time, their arrival is definitely at the level of the Dinghai Shen Needle for Hezhong Fort.

"A good news and a bad news, which one should I listen to first?" Lieutenant Xie Hansan, who led the team, stood on the dock and joked to Liu Ang who came to greet him.

Liu Ang and Xie Hansan were also very familiar with each other. They went up and punched Xie Hansan in the chest, and said angrily: "Don't pretend to be a comparison with me. If you have something to say, you should say it quickly, and if you have farts, you should let it go. I know you are not kind."

"When did I become such a person in your eyes?" Xie Hansan said with a wry smile, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore, just say it. The good news is that the Executive Committee has decided to increase its support for you. Don't be too happy too early. If the strength is limited, at most, there will be a few hundred people, and there will be no more."

"It's really good news!" Liu Ang slapped his thighs excitedly and said loudly: "Where is the bad news? Say it, just talk while I'm in a good mood, I won't blame you!"

"Don't you ask why?" Xie Hansan said helplessly: "There is obviously a reason why the Executive Committee suddenly increases its support for you. Well, the reason is that the British will soon land near Cape Town."

"British people? Cape Town? Landing?" Liu Ang was a little confused. "The British people don't have a port near Cape Town. In fact, Cape Town is still a homeless place. If the Hottenstein is not a human..."

"In fact, the British had already made the decision to colonize Cape Town before reaching a peace agreement with us." Xie Hansan looked at Liu Ang with pity, and then slowly said: "Don't you understand yet? Our naval fleet attacked the British East India Company's fleet in the northwest of the Cape of Good Hope and sank four of their ships. In fact, not only that, the navy's sinking results on the ocean near the Cape of Good Hope were 8 (including the slave trader ship outside Luanda). No matter how stupid the British knew that the Cape of Good Hope was the only place for their fleets to and from the east. If the enemy was allowed to control this area, their trade line would be completely exposed to the enemy."

"so……"

"So they came." Lieutenant Lie Yi rushed up from behind and said concisely: "A month ago, we sent back the news at the St. Vicente's commercial station (and intelligence station) that a British fleet of twelve ships was docked at the port of St. Vicente for a short supply. The twelve British ships carried more than a thousand English and Irish immigrants, as well as livestock, food, seeds, farm tools, weapons, buildings and other things necessary to settle down. According to the information found, they were a colonial fleet organized by the East India Company, and their final destination was Cape Town - yes, it was Cape Town one or two hundred kilometers southeast of the River Fort, and most of them had arrived there and started construction."

"This news is really..." Liu Ang didn't know how to describe it. In his plan and Mo Ming, after gaining a foothold in the Hezhongbao area, they would gradually advance to the Cape Town area, and eventually occupy the entire area of ​​the southwest corner of South Africa. However, the plan could not keep up with the changes. The British East India Company, which was hurt by the East China Fleet, realized that after the East China Fleet rose to the New World, their Far East trade routes were no longer safe. Therefore, they spent a lot of money and worked hard to organize a group of immigrants to settle down in the Cape Town area, in order to completely incorporate this place into the East India Company's colony, providing a place to supply food for the East India Company and even British ships that traveled to and from the East India Company, repairing ships, and hiding from wind and waves.

Of course, this port can also station a considerable number of British fleets, providing escort to past British merchant ships during the war, so that Britain's Eastern trade line will be much safer.

Liu Ang was a little depressed. Could this be the butterfly effect they brought? Although Cape Town's location was extremely important, it was not until 1652 that the Dutch had taken a fancy to this land and sent some people to grow vegetables here to supply the ships of the Dutch East India Company. Since then, Cape Town has gradually developed.

However, in 1638, the British mobilized a lot to Cape Town to colonize, and it seemed that they were quite determined. What happened to the Dutch people behind? Is this history finally going to change? Liu Ang was a little dizzy, and at the same time he was a little scared. This is no longer a well-known history. After everyone has been struggling for so long, has this history finally begun to go out of the forks?

The future of Hezhong Fort looks like it has been twists and turns. Damn British, he is so heroic everywhere! Liu Ang cursed fiercely. The domestic situation is so tense. You are still busy running to South Africa to colonize. It’s really a pity! Well, you are a newcomer and are competitors, so please accept the gift we have given you.
Chapter completed!