The Rise of the European Emperor

"Then where should I colonize?" Ferdinand II was a little lost.

"Your Majesty, you can colonize India!" Marin "reminds".

"India? India has a large population, and I don't know if it can beat..." Ferdinand II was clear about India's wealth. After all, his men had been there for a long time to investigate.

"Your Majesty, India is different from China. China is a unified and powerful country. India, on the other hand, is a fragmented region. The strong can't beat the weak, but can't they beat the weak?" Marin's words are very pertinent. Before the establishment of the Children's Dynasty, India was indeed divided and relatively easy to conquer. Otherwise, Babur, who is in Afghanistan, will not be able to enter India. And the Spaniards have mastered the large phalanx "invented" by Marin, and they still have the power to fight.

"What do you mean?" Ferdinand II's eyes lit up.

"Find a small state in southern India and occupy it as a foothold. Then, gradually encroach on India and become the master of India!"

"Your Majesty, you know that India is the production area of ​​pepper, and other products are also very rich. As long as you occupy all of India, you will become a great emperor no weaker than the emperor of the Huaxia Dynasty. There is no emperor in Europe, you can To be crowned emperor of India..." Marin bewitched.

"India...Emperor..."

"Yes, there are almost hundreds of millions of people in India. You occupied all of India, aren't you the great emperor of hundreds of millions of Indians?"

"It seems to be the truth... But, is India that easy to fight?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the Indians are divided now. If they are united, you may not be able to beat them. But clean up one by one. After a few decades, India will be Spain's..."

"It seems to be the truth..." Ferdinand was moved.

In Malin's eyes, His Majesty Ferdinand II was like Fan Wei who was crippled by Uncle Benshan...

Moreover, although India was indeed torn apart at this time. But in northern India, Babur, a descendant of the Timurid Empire, has established a powerful kingdom in Afghanistan. With just an opportunity, Babur's iron cavalry can go south, occupy the most prosperous Ganges Plain, and control the already weakened Delhi Sultanate.

Even if Spain can gain a foothold in India, it will certainly be difficult to capture too many areas if it invests too few troops. When they finally expand to the north, they will encounter the Mughal Empire in full swing...

...

Of course, that's all for the future. For now, Marin's plan is to fool Ferdinand II into Africa and go hide-and-seek with Lao Hei...

So Marin saluted and said to Ferdinand II:

"Your Majesty, although India is rich, because there are too many people there, the princes are not weak. Therefore, it will take a long time. It may take dozens or hundreds of years..."

Ferdinand II was silent for a while. Indeed, it does take a long time to conquer a country as big as India and rely on Spain alone. And at that time, he couldn't see it. Perhaps, his son, Prince Juan, can see...

"But..." Marin deliberately sold out.

"But what?" Ferdinand II was really attracted.

"Why doesn't your Majesty set your sights on Africa?"

"Africa? Is there anything worth paying attention to in Africa?" Ferdinand II wondered.

In his opinion, Africa is richer than Egypt and Morocco, and he doesn't want any other places.

"Please look at this map..." Marin pointed to the map of Africa spread out on the table, that is, the "treasure map" (Map Jun: Do you finally remember me...).

"Songhai Empire?" Ferdinand II quickly saw the Songhai Empire marked by Marin in Latin, which was very conspicuous.

"I wonder if Your Majesty has heard of the legend of the 'Golden Sultan'?" Marin said mysteriously.

Ferdinand II was stunned for a while, and then said calmly:

"Appreciate further details……"

Obviously, the history of Ferdinand II is relatively scum. However, he is the king, so naturally someone will explain it for him. For example, Marin in front of him is a very good commentator...

Marin just needed to fool Ferdinand II, so he enthusiastically acted as an explainer:

"A long, long time ago... ah... at the beginning of the 14th century, there was a Mali Empire in West Africa, and they occupied the western part of what is now the Songhai Empire. Of course, the Mary Empire still exists, but it was taken away by the Songhai Empire. The quintessence area...that is...the area that produces gold..."

"Gold?" Ferdinand II, who had been careless just now, instantly lit up. Obviously, this was a wealthy king...

"Yes, back then, the gold produced by the Mali Empire accounted for half of the world's..."

"The news is reliable?" Ferdinand II was excited. It accounts for half of the world's gold production... This is the rhythm of development...

"Absolutely reliable!" Marin swore to assure, this is what later historians say.

"During 1324-1325, the Sultan of the Mali Empire, Mansa Musa, once took a large team on a pilgrimage to Mecca."

"This team carries a lot of gold, a terrifying amount of gold..."

"How many?" Ferdinand II asked enthusiastically.

"My teacher has been to Egypt, and the Egyptians recorded it like this - 'In front of the line is 500 people with golden rods in their hands, each carrying 6 pounds of gold. Then there is a gold transport team of 100 camels, each camel carrying a load of gold. 300 pounds of gold'..."

"God! That is to say—his party brought 33,000 pounds of gold?" said Ferdinand II in horror. This number simply frightened Ferdinand II.

"Yes, that gold can produce 4.2 million gold coins!" Marin reported the data that he had calculated long ago.

"4.2 million gold coins..." Ferdinand II's saliva was about to flow out.

"Then you mean to suggest that I occupy the Songhai Empire?" Ferdinand II asked, wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, there is another golden country in Africa, please allow me to introduce you..."

"There is another gold-producing country? Where is it?"

"Here!" Marin pointed to the map of Africa.

"Zimbabwe?" Ferdinand II saw the Latin label on the map.

"Yes, on the inland plateau in southeastern Africa. Here, there is a very rare stone city in southern Africa. This country is rich in gold, and every year Arab merchants go deep inland from the coast to trade with Zimbabweans, With cloth, glass and other commodities, in exchange for gold, ivory and copper mines that are rich in the local area..."

"So, Zimbabwe doesn't have as much gold production as the Songhai Empire?" Ferdinand II asked after thinking for a while.

"Yes." Marin didn't lie.

"Then I might as well snatch the Songhai Empire!"

"But, Your Majesty, Africa was originally the territory of the Portuguese. If you ask for the Songhai Empire, the Portuguese will fight with you."

"That's also..." Thinking of the fight with his son-in-law Manuel I on the boat, Ferdinand II knew that Marin wasn't talking nonsense.

"However, Zimbabwe doesn't have as much gold as the Songhai Empire..." Ferdinand II was a little distressed.

However, Marin would not tell Ferdinand II that the Rand region of South Africa, south of the Limpopo River, has the largest gold mining area in the world, with a total gold reserves of tens of thousands of tons...

That's a benefit that Marin left for himself, and he won't tell the Spaniards...