The British, Portuguese, and Dutch East India Companies, in order to collect intelligence on Manila in the East, spent a lot of money to hire a large number of professional European intelligence personnel, who stayed in Manila for more than half a year, and finally collected almost all the intelligence in Manila. They will take all aspects of Manila's intelligence and prepare to return to Europe with the northeast monsoon this winter.

In Manila's recreation district, in an exotic teahouse, several Western businessmen sit together. They were the heads of the British, Portuguese, and Dutch East India Companies, as well as the intelligence chiefs sent to Manila by the headquarters.

These intelligence chiefs were all high-priced people hired by the three East India Companies, they rarely showed up, and all the information was collected by the intelligence officers they brought with them, as well as the personnel of their companies in the Manila Merchant Mansion, and their identities were only ordinary merchants from Europe.

Gatherings of businessmen, like this, are normal in Manila, so they do not attract the attention of the Manila security services. The department in charge of the company's external security in Manila is called the Far East Company's Luzon Homeland Security Bureau, which is subordinate to the Far East Company's Political and Legal Committee.

Their main task is to monitor the anomalies of the merchants of Manila, as well as the situation inside Luzon, just like the national security agencies in the past. Originally, this department was subordinate to the intelligence department, but many employees of the company strongly opposed it, believing that it was uncomfortable for Billy Zhou to be in charge of the company's internal surveillance.

Therefore, after several rounds of consultation and voting, the Board of Directors Committee finally came under the jurisdiction of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee with the Public Security, Justice, Independent Commission Against Corruption and other departments, and the superior department directly under the Political and Legal Committee is the Company's Civil Affairs Committee.

Zhou Billy, Ding Xinghao, and Qian Bing of the Ministry of Intelligence have repeatedly made statements to the board of directors and committees, hoping that everyone will pay attention to the national security department. But most of the commissioners, including many members of the Military Commission, do not want the Ministry of Intelligence to be in charge of national security. Therefore, the national security department has been managed by the Political and Legal Committee in recent years.

The NSA has established a large number of agencies in various places. The staff also trained a lot, and it looked like that, quite like an FBI. But in fact, the effect is not very ideal, after all, there are not too many professional personnel.

As a result, Manila has been infiltrated very much in recent years, and the intelligence officers of the three countries have easily obtained a lot of valuable information from Far Eastern companies. In Europe at this time, wars were frequent. Dozens of countries have infiltrated each other, and a large number of professional intelligence spying personnel have also been trained.

Although these intelligence agents do not have the high-tech equipment and means of modern society, they still have their own characteristics. Many of the professionals are highly experienced people who are active in various European countries.

Worm took a sip of the delicate teacup, and then said with a smile to the three intelligence leaders in the box: "If you don't come to the East, you really can't drink pure tea." Gentlemen, you are about to go back, do you know what you have to gain from Manila? ”

Pete, the head of the British Merchant House next to him, smiled at several intelligence officers and said, "You should have a lot to gain, I hope to return to Europe." You can share all kinds of information. ”

López, the head of the Portuguese Commercial Pavilion, also nodded, and said to several intelligence leaders: "I have worked hard for everyone in the past few months, and I believe that you have got what we want, after all, you are all professionals." Rest assured, returning to the European company will be rewarding for everyone. ”

After he finished speaking, he looked at a white-haired old man opposite, and said expressionlessly: "In the past few months, we have collected a lot of valuable information from Manila and Luzon, and I will explain it to your company when I return to Europe." But I advise you, although Manila is the richest place I have ever seen. But you still don't act rashly, the Far East is strong. ”

After he finished speaking, a balding old man next to him put down his teacup. Then he said in a deep voice: "I will communicate with your company when I return to Europe." Manila should not be attacked, but it is not impossible to fight, Manila's military defense is very strong, but the internal defense is very average. ”

Another middle-aged man who was strict also nodded and said, "We are just employed by your company. It's our job to gather intelligence about Manila, and it's not our job to have what your company thinks. Ladies and gentlemen, if that's all there is to it today, then I'm sorry for missing it. ”

He nodded at the people in the private room. And then he left. The two old men also said goodbye one after another and left the teahouse. Only the person in charge of the Three Kingdoms Commercial Hall was left in the private room.

Watching the departure of the three intelligence chiefs, Worm said with a wry smile: "Manila is indeed an irresistible city, to be honest, I don't want to go back to Europe when I stay here." The Far East Company has excellent management skills and experienced managers, and the Spaniards have been here for decades, and Manila is still depressed. However, it only took a few years for the Far East to build it into a prosperous seaport of wealth.

This city is the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and it is also the most prosperous city, and if we make a move against Manila, we must be prepared to bear the wrath of the Far Eastern Company, which has always been domineering, and if we provoke them, we will face their stormy retaliation. I just want to know if you are determined to fight the Far East. ”

"Of course we have determination, and those luxury goods of the Far East Company are enough to make up our minds. Compared to Manila's wealth, the city of Manila is more important. Gentlemen, here the wealth of the East and the West gathers, and we, the East India Company, are like a bunch of countrymen compared to the Far East.

Even I admire Far East Corporation, which has made Manila to this scale in just a few years. The fees they collect each year in Manila alone are a fortune. If we build Manila, if the three are co-managed, the annual profit can be imagined. ”

Listening to Pete's words, López shook his head with a smile and said, "Mr. Pete, I admit that what you said is very tempting. But our warships and merchant ships in the East are only a few hundred, and the soldiers can mobilize thousands of people. They controlled the pirates of East Asia, and thousands of Oriental junk ships were willing to drive them for them.

In recent years, our company has lost dozens of ships in East Asia, and their whereabouts are still unknown, and we suspect that Macau is also the work of the Far East. They were able to beat Spain twice and were much stronger than we thought. Have you not seen the big iron ship entering the port? I really don't know what strength is hidden in the Far East. ”

Pete thought for a moment, then smiled: "This time I will also return to Europe with the company's fleet, and I will report to the company on the situation in Manila." It is said that the company has already intended to explain the importance of the East to the kingdom, to get the king to issue more privateer licenses, and to get the royal pirates to come to the East.

We can also trumpet the wealth of the East in the New World and Europe, and mobilize pirates from all over the world to come to the East, Caribbeans, Moors, Norsemen, and pirates from all over the world have converged to the East to make this a paradise for pirates. The Far Eastern Company will be overwhelmed just by dealing with those pirates, and then we will have a chance. ”

López smiled and said, "This is also a solution, if you British privateers come to Southeast Asia, then it will be lively here, and we still have a chance." We can also get France, Denmark and other countries to join in and strengthen our power. ”

Worm took another sip of tea, and then said lightly: "The Far East is the Turks on the sea, it is impossible for them to defend Luzon, sooner or later one day they will develop southward." Once they take possession of Java and the Spice Islands, the spice trade on which we depend for survival will be dealt a heavy blow.

In the future, they may also break out of Malacca and occupy India and Arabia, the Far East and the Ottoman Empire, which will completely cut off the land and sea trade routes between Europe and the East. Now that we have no way back, if that day does come, it will be disastrous for our company. Gentlemen, we have no way back, we must unite to fight for the interests of the East. ”

Lopez and Pete listened to Worm's words, and their faces became solemn. Little did they know that once the Far East occupied Malacca, India, and Arabia, the European sea trade routes to the East would be completely cut off.

In May 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Ottoman Turks. Since then, Islam has been firmly in control of the bridgehead to the European continent. It was a blow to the Christian faith, the glory of the Crusaders was in vain, and the radiance of God could not prevent the pagans from painting his holy church a disgraceful green.

The fall of Constantinople wiped out the trade boom in the Mediterranean. The Turks blocked trade between the East and the West, which cost Europe a lot. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul, and the Sofia Cathedral was converted into a mosque. From then on, the door to the heart of Europe was firmly grasped by Islamic civilization, and the Turkic iron horsemen with the crescent banner could pour into Europe at any time to charge the Christians.

For the next 250 years, the Ottoman Empire haunted Europeans like a nightmare.

However, the silk, porcelain and spices of the Orient have always haunted Europeans, and in order to survive and wealth, batch after batch of explorers have embarked on the journey without hesitation.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World of America. Only six years later, in 1498, Vasco da Gama opened a new route to India, and in 1519 Magellan completed his first circumnavigation of the globe. At this point, the outline of the world has basically been sketched, and the Age of Discovery has arrived.

Now that a Far Eastern company has appeared on the eastern sea, if they had been allowed to control Malacca, India and Arabia, the efforts of countless European explorers for more than 100 years would have come to naught.

With the arrival of winter, Manila's merchant ships from all over the world are leaving the port one after another, taking advantage of the northeast monsoon in Southeast Asia to sail towards Europe. One after another, the sailboats set sail and embarked on a vast journey. Song Tao led all the personnel of the ocean-going fleet to board six sailboats in the early morning of one day and slowly sailed out of Manila Bay at night. (To be continued......)

ps: Thank you for the monthly pass support of those who fall into the mortal world and just look at it. R1292