Two hundred miles east of Jiangchuan City is Fukudaura, the territory of the Omura family.

Futianpu is not big, but it is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one side. It has beautiful scenery and the waves crashing against the shore are very pleasing to the eyes. However, the bay here is wide and unobstructed, with high winds and rough waves, so it is not very suitable as a port.

However, there are two large Western sailing ships and a large Chinese sailing ship anchored in Fukudaura. Since Yokozeura was destroyed five years ago, the Portuguese who were entrenched in Macau had no choice but to stop here when they came to trade in western Kyushu. During this period, they returned to Hirado Port in the territory of the Matsuura family, but the two sides soon fell out again, so the Portuguese had to return here again.

The conditions of the port were so bad that apart from the large Chinese sailing ships they used to load cargo, even the relatively small 600-ton galleon could only anchor in the harbor, not to mention the four-masted caravel.

This caravel named "Duke of Goa" has a displacement of 1,500 tons and is named after Albuquerque, the great conqueror who founded Portugal's Indian Ocean colonies. Although a little old, it is still strong and powerful, demonstrating the might of Portugal's Far Eastern Empire!

It has a huge curved stern, a towering five-story forecastle and poop, and a huge bow mast. It is like a real sea castle. Even when it is anchored there motionless, it exudes terrifying power.

Especially in the Battle of Futian Bay four years ago, the Portuguese had used it and another galleon to severely teach a lesson to the strongest navy in northern Kyushu at that time. No one would dare to question its power anymore.

The last time the galleon appeared in Futianpu, its tonnage was only 400 tons. However, this time, the "Oriental Beauty", which had recently sailed from the mainland and joined the Macau fleet, had a tonnage that was half as large, and its combat effectiveness was naturally stronger.

~~

On the poop of the Duke of Goa, in the captain's cabin decorated with walnut and rich oriental silks, the captain of the caravel, Captain João Pinto, was entertaining Father Torres, the Jesuit diocese of Japan and in charge of the Omura parish, with his second-in-command, Major Alfonso, the captain of the galleon Oriente Belle.

Colonel Pinto and Major Alfonso both wore men's clothing that was light in the middle and in the shape of an inverted triangle, which was very Renaissance-style. The clothes on their upper bodies were brightly colored, and the shoulders and upper arms were exaggerated to highlight the masculinity of the men. The lower bodies were wearing holtz, commonly known as tight pants. In this way, the outline of the two muscular lower limbs would be fully displayed.

What's even more amazing is that not only are their sleeves and shoulders filled with stuffing, but they also have a cotton-filled cloth bag sewn into their crotch, called "cordopes", which is specifically designed to highlight male characteristics. It can also keep you warm in winter and hatch chicks in summer.

Father Torres wore a black teacher's robe, a cross hung around his neck, gray hair, sunken eyes, and looked very old. He was one of the first missionaries to come to Japan with Father Xavier. He had been here for 20 years and was deeply influenced by oriental aesthetics. He was no longer used to the exaggerated clothing of the two.

"Father, you haven't been back to Europe for too long. We have shrunk a lot to adapt to the eyes of Oriental people. The 'cordopes' worn by nobles in Lisbon are even as big as a child's head, and they are embroidered with exquisite patterns and inlaid with pearls and gems."

"Puff..." Father Torres spit out a mouthful of black liquid, almost spraying Alfonso's face. He turned his head quickly, covered his mouth with his hands, and coughed repeatedly, "I'm sorry, my child, I have been away from Europe for too long. Except that my heart is still in the Vatican, I have become a reserved Oriental. I can't even enjoy the taste of coffee."

"The great sacrifices that the priest has made to spread the gospel of the Lord are so admirable." Colonel Pinto picked up the milk jug and added some milk to his coffee cup. He then picked up a small silver jar inlaid with gold foil and scooped a small spoonful of white sand-like substance and said, "This way, the priest will be able to get used to it."

Father Torres thought he had added salt and felt that he was being teased. But all Jesuits are determined and will not get angry easily. He picked up the Jingdezhen porcelain cup and frowned slightly and took a sip. Suddenly, a milky aroma mixed with sweet taste diluted the bitterness of the coffee. This new drink, which tasted rich but extremely bitter, became extremely delicious.

"Wow, thank God, with the addition of milk, which is like sweet sugar, the bitter coffee becomes so delicious..." Father Torres couldn't help but make the sign of the cross on his chest to thank God. The impact of this wonderful taste on his old taste buds made him feel the pleasure of being blessed by God.

"This is candy, the new Chinese candy from Macau," Pinto boasted. "It tastes much better than those dirty Indian candies, and the key is that it's so beautiful."

As he spoke, he opened the egg-sized sugar jar, showed the priest the snow-white sugar inside and said, "If we sell this back to Europe, it will definitely make more money than pepper. Isn't it that humans are pursuing the feeling of sweetness?"

"Hmm. This thing should have appeared not long ago. I have never heard of it in Japan." The priest nodded in agreement and looked at the sugar jar carefully. He saw the eye-catching and elegant words "Su Bai Sugar" written on the front and the words "Jiangnan Sugar Industry" on the back.

Jiangnan Sugar Industry was the sugar farm where Zhao Hao provided the recipe and Miss Jiang provided the rest. After the establishment of Jiangnan Group, Jiang Xueying moved the sugar farm to Xishan Island, so as to take advantage of the group's first-class security capabilities and enjoy the huge profits of monopoly for a long time.

Zhao Hao naturally agreed with this move. You know, sugar is the most profitable and best-selling product in the Age of Discovery, without a doubt!

~~

"Yes, this kind of 'Su Bai Sugar' appeared in Macau around the beginning of the year. I heard it was brought from Jiangnan." Pinto said with some regret, "It's a pity that the trade in Jiangnan has been cut off. We can't buy directly and can only be blackmailed by those damn Guangdong merchants. They sell this stuff for more than gold. For such a small bottle, they actually asked me for six ducats. It's simply robbery!"

Ducat is a pure gold coin minted in Venice, each weighing 3.56 grams. Due to its high value and ease of carrying, it is the most widely circulated currency in Europe.

In the Ming Dynasty, two ducats could be exchanged for one tael of silver. It seemed much cheaper than what Fatty Tang sold it for, but Jiangnan Sugar Industry shipped a large amount, so how could it still sell it at the original price? However, the current price was also a huge profit, and it was safe to make at least three or five hundred thousand taels of silver a year.

This is because Ms. Jiang intended to make sugar a popular luxury product and deliberately suppressed the shipment volume.

So a genius is a genius, and he will learn without a teacher. Jiang Xueying naturally used the powerful influence of the Ming Dynasty in the East to lead the trend and create demand, instead of dumping right away.

When the sea trade was opened, the reputation of white sugar also became famous - the favorite of the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, high-quality white sugar produced in China and manufactured in Suzhou, just look at how much money can be made by adding all these hegemons? !

~~

"What's the relationship between Jiangnan Sugar and Jiangnan Group?" Even though Torres was not interested in business, his pupils still shrank when he saw the word "Jiangnan".

"Well, I asked around, and it seems to be a company under the Jiangnan Group." Pinto clapped his hands and laughed, "I've thought about it. After we defeat them this time, we'll make them compensate us for our losses with sugar!"

After a pause, he grinned and said, "But the premise is that they dare to come to Futianpu."

"I bet they don't dare to come." Alfonso also laughed and said, "Our two warships are invincible in the East Asian waters. The Ming Dynasty people will not have the courage to confront them head-on."

"They should be here." Father Torres looked worried when he heard that. He put down the exquisite sugar bowl and said, "The purpose of my coming here today is to inform you that the church has received news from Don Bart Romeo, the faithful servant of the Lord. The Jiangnan Fleet of the Ming Dynasty has sailed to Japan and razed Jiangchuan City to the ground three days ago."

"It was literally razed to the ground. According to the naval forces who escaped back to Goto, the Ming people used hundreds of cannons and thousands of rockets to destroy Jiangchuan Castle, and the entire castle town was razed to the ground. All the ships at the dock were burned, and the warriors launched a desperate charge, but still failed to get close to those huge Ming ships." The priest emphasized:

"The Uku clan, which owns the Goto navy, was completely wiped out by the Ming Dynasty people without even seeing anyone on the ship!"

Pinto and Alfonso's expressions became solemn. They were asked by Don Romeo, the head of the Omura family, Omura Sumitada, to stay in the Omura family territory for a while after completing the trade to help him deter possible enemies.

For this reason, Omura Juntada said that after the matter was accomplished, they would be allowed to move to the place they had been longing for, Fukaeura.

Fukaeura was also within the territory of the Omura family. Portugal had suffered enough at Fukudaura and had long set its sights on Fukaeura, which had better conditions. After surveys by missionaries, it was finally confirmed that the Nagasaki Port there was indeed a rare good port. The local lord, Nagasaki Junkei, was also a fanatical Catholic and one of the retainers who was baptized with Omura Juntada. His Western name was "Ronaldo".

So the Portuguese merchants asked their dear Romeo through the local church to open the port of Nagasaki.

However, Omura Juntada was still haunted by the tragedy of the destruction of Yokozeura, so he allowed these southern barbarian merchants to trade with Japanese merchants in the sparsely populated Fukudaura. Nagasaki is densely populated, and another "Yokoseura Incident" would torment him to death.

This time, under tremendous pressure, Omura Juntada finally gave in... Not only was it the punitive action taken by the Jiangnan Group, the situation of the Omura family in the country was also a mess, and they urgently needed to rely on the powerful strength of the Portuguese to consolidate their rule.

So of course the Portuguese had to support him, to protect this loyal Christian daimyo, and also take the opportunity to seize a piece of territory like Macau so that they could take root in Japan.