Zhou Jixun nodded and said, "Let's talk about the south first. Mindanao is controlled by the Portuguese, so it's not necessary to pay attention to it. However, there is the Sulu Islands between Mindanao and Borneo Island, which is where pirates occupy. If you want to implement the Southeast Ocean Islands strategy, you must clear the pirates here."

"What's more, for the sake of the safety of businesspeople's exchanges in our country, it is necessary to eliminate them"

"Originally, the pirates have been almost wiped out. It was not us, but the Dutch, but it has emerged again in recent years. It has obviously received secret support from the Dutch and even the Spanish, because few of their merchant ships have been robbed."

"I have found out that the big pirates are two groups, one is the Bugis who were driven out of the Malay Peninsula by our country, and the other is the Chinese pirates. The Bugis pirates are obviously supported by the Dutch, while the Chinese pirates are secretly supported by the Spanish and even the Qing people"

"There are many large and small islands in the Sulu Islands, and there are also bays and harbors. It is not easy to clear them. Many ships must be launched at the same time. I suggest using the Chinese merchant ships loaded with valuable materials to lure them out and catch them all in one go. These pirates obviously have eyeliners in Cebu, so just use them to do some articles."

"After clearing the pirates of the Sulu Islands, you can look south. Originally, the Dutch valued the most was the Malugu Islands. Because there are special spices, spices are now widely grown in various parts of the Southeast Asian region. The place has gradually lost its value, but it is still controlled by the Dutch."

"For our country, there are only two most valuable islands, one is naturally Sulawesi, because it is large enough to accept a large population. At present, there are more than a dozen tribes including Bugis and Makassar, but the degree of civilization is high, which is both"

"They can farm, sail and do business, and mine and smelte metal objects. When the Bugis are strong, the Dutch support the Makassar people. When the Makassar people are strong, they support the Bugis people. Later, the Dutch destroyed the last sultanate in one fell swoop and took all the major coastal cities in their own hands."

"However, the Dutch rule on Java has been completely stable, and the importance of Sulawesi has fallen far behind. They only have armies in three cities, including Manado in the north, Palau in the central part, and Makassar in the south, but there is less than one regiment in each place, among which the whites have only one battalion, most of which are local natives."

"We have carefully investigated that this place is quite similar to Cebu Island. It has abundant coal, iron and copper ore resources, and the coastal plains can also feed millions of people, which can be used as a goal"

"What's more, taking advantage of the opportunity to attack the island, we can also test the Dutch's attitude. If the large number of people and ships from the headquarters of Java Island arrive, we can take advantage of the opportunity of the battle to greatly weaken it, so as to avenge the previous revenge of the siege of our warships in SAO Automobile"

"We can also take this opportunity to let all ethnic groups in the Nanyang Islands fully understand our power, let them gradually move away from the Dutch and return to our country"

"There are some islands south of Sulawesi, but the value is not high, including the Maluku Islands. It is close to the equator, and it is humid, hot and rainy all year round. There are countless typhoons and volcanoes, and it is not very useful."

"Then it is the southernmost island of Timor, but to arrive at Timor, it is necessary to clear the Nusa Tenggara Islands between Sulawesi and the island. These islands have a large number of cannibals and human-eating lizards, which are very terrible and not occupied."

"But if the Portuguese are willing, our country can assist them in obtaining it, provided that the Dutch were severely damaged in the Battle of Sulawesi and prevent them from looking east"

"The Dutch people's center of gravity is Java Island, and occupying these islands does not hurt their roots. They only have a white army in Java Island, but if the Bugis people who serve it are organized by the Javanese people, there are still 100,000 people, and they should not be underestimated."

"After the Battle of Timor, not only did the Dutch suffer heavy energy, but the Portuguese also suffered heavy casualties and could barely defend the island. Now they already have Mindanao, which we are guarding each other, and they have no spare energy to occupy too many islands. They can directly occupy this place"

"Your Majesty of our country is the son-in-law of the King of Portugal. This has been clearly stated. If they are willing to obtain the Nusa Tenggara Islands, they will help them obtain it. If they are willing to shrink their troops in Mindanao, it will also make it possible."

"The island is quite large and can immigrate 100,000 or 200,000 yuan. It also has a rich mineral resources and rare wood, such as teak, mahogany, sandalwood, etc., and can be built for ships or used for trade"

"Africa is Australia, and to the east there are a large number of archipelagos. Your Majesty's ultimate goal is obviously America on the eastern Pacific coast. There is no need to start from here, just start from Cebu Island. The Spanish have mature routes"

"There are several key places, according to His Majesty's notes, one is Guam and the other is Wake Island. The former has a large population and is occupied by the Spanish, the latter is an island similar to the Maldives Islands, and then the Hawaiian Islands."

"There are only natives there, not Westerners, and they are quite large in size, but if you want to lead to America, this is a must-pass place"

"The vast Pacific Ocean is almost 20,000 miles east and west, and the Hawaiian Islands are located right in the middle. There are two ways for our country to cross the Pacific Ocean. One is to fly directly from the eastern waters of Japan, which can reach northern Mexico occupied by the Spanish, which is also a regular Spanish route."

"Because there are westerly wind belts and ocean currents to be used, this is not necessary for our country. When we arrive at the Hawaiian Islands, we are less than 10,000 miles away from the coast of the Americas, and our existing steam fleet can use its own coal routes to 12,000 miles"

"According to Lord Zhang's plan, if the White Lotus Cult can be migrated, there will be at least 300,000 people and about 60,000 households, of which 20,000 households are placed on Sulawesi Island, and the rest are placed on Timor Island, and then wait for an opportunity to place them in batches to Australia. Such manpower is already a great achievement in the eyes of Europeans."

"In the future, let it reproduce slowly. I estimate that in five years, people and immigrants who will capture Guam, Wake Island, and Hawaiian Islands will be formed. As for the American strategy, it is the next goal, and at least five years later."

Hearing this, Kang Xiaozi asked: "My country already has a stronghold on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which is Genitra in Morocco, and also has the right to dock the Portuguese stronghold on the west coast of Africa. From there, it is closer to the Americas, why do you have to cross the Pacific Ocean?"

Zhang Henxue smiled and said, "Who said it is not? But the reason why our country is leading the military power is because of a large number of firearms, but a large number of firearms requires a large amount of gunpowder. The most important raw material for gunpowder is saltpeter. According to the news from the Mystery Society, the only place in the world that has natural saltpeter mines is Chile."

"Chile is currently under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Governor General of Peru, just on the east coast of the Pacific. If our country wants to achieve sustainable development and continue to have a significant weapon advantage, it must take down Chile"

"The reason why European countries have small military size is not because they lack population or financial resources, but also because of saltpeter. The Spaniards are self-confirmed and have limited maritime transportation capacity. Although they have a large amount of saltpeter, they cannot transport them to their local area in large quantities"

"They also strictly supervised overseas colonies and did not allow them to have the ability to build warships and firearms, which left us the opportunity"

Kang Xiaozi nodded, "Whether it is an immigration plan or an archipelago guide, it is impossible to complete it with one of our teachers, I don't know..."

Zhang Henxue said: "Before I came, I had already told Ashalai, the governor of Hexian Town. If you need it, you can seconded one or two brigades from them. Currently, there are six brigades in Hexian Town, and it is peaceful. You can seconded at least two brigades here."

"There was originally a division here, but in fact, one regiment was left to guard each place. There was also an ironclad fleet and a wooden squadron. When the immigration plan was implemented, the ironclad fleet could go north and directly enter the Yangtze River to Yichang Prefecture."

"When passing by Singapore, I happened to meet Garcia. His fleet of medium and short-distance transport ships has increased to thirty. In addition to others, there are at least one hundred large Tengis for us to use. Each time, it can carry 50,000 households. With the capacity of the warship, the White Lotus Cult can be transported away at one time"

"Of course, Garcia and others are now responsible for their own profits and losses. We need to pay them freight. If there is really no, we can borrow from Truqin Bank, Hexian Town. At present, in addition to immigration business, Garcia also transports a large amount of coal and wood to various governors' jurisdictions."

"Whether it is Sulawesi or Timor, there are a large amount of precious teak, sandalwood, and mahogany. This is also the most prosperous way for local natives to make a fortune. After taking these two islands, they can grant him somewhere that produces rare wood. Now he also has his own armed forces and people who deal with the natives in South China."

"You can buy it directly from local people. We can sign an exclusive agreement with them to obtain wood in a certain place. The agreement can be signed for up to ten years. Sandalwood is now very popular in the Qing Dynasty, and they cannot afford it."

"Very good", Kang Xiaozi finally showed a smile on his face, "Then let's divide the labor"

Zhang Henxue said: "I will do the negotiations with Garcia from Hexian Town."

Zhou Jixun said: "I will complete the contact with the White Lotus Sect and the contact with the Qing court."

Zhuang Jiyun smiled and said, "I will take it as my choice to clear the pirates in the Sulu Islands"

Kang Xiaozi nodded, "I have to cheer up too, let the three brigades under him step up their training"

Zhang Henxue asked: "If you want to implement the archipelago strategy, you need a lot of cinchona frost, but you don't know..."
Chapter completed!