Chapter 332 Occupy Temasek

"Go on, everyone prepare for battle."

Mason drew his sword and began to issue melee orders. Although many ships were burned by Greek fire, they were still prepared to board the ship.

The ships in the East had never seen this thing before, and even if they had, it would be too late now. The pirates would either be burned to death or jump into the sea.

Chen Zuyi saw that the other side was well prepared and planned to retreat, but now they were in chaos. Some people ran away when they saw the Greek fire, but the ships behind didn't know what was going on, and the two sides collided.

"Damn it"

Chen Zuyi was ready to run at this time, but Mason let him run away, and directly asked people to chase him, and said that whoever caught the leader, whether it was a local sailor or an enemy, would be rewarded.

In just one day, the fleet led by Mason defeated the pirate leader who was wreaking havoc in Malacca. More than 5,000 people died, and the captives filled the ship. Of course, the leader was also captured. Chen Zuyi could have escaped, but his subordinates thought that offering him to the enemy might let them go, so he was captured.

With the demise of the largest pirate group, Mason quickly ordered to go to Temasek to take down his lair.

"I saw the ship, the boss is back."

The pirates on the island cheered directly, and some ran directly to the dock to unload. But when they got closer, they found that these ships were different from theirs, and there was a purple flag on them.

Then there was a battle without suspense. The remaining pirates on the island surrendered smoothly. The entire Temasek was under the management of Mason, and he raised the double-headed eagle flag of the Eastern Roman Empire here.

Here they also found old friends. Several sailors who were captured before were taken to Temasek to do hard labor. Now they are finally free.

"Why did you come so late?"

This was the first sentence they said after seeing the Roman fleet. Mason apologized to them and then began to collect basic information about the island.

The population on this island does not exceed 5,000, and the fresh water needed must be obtained from the north. However, because it is in a relatively critical position, there are many merchant ships coming and going, which has also fattened up many pirate groups headed by Chen Zuyi.

In order to get a lighter punishment, the pirates who stayed on the island volunteered to tell Mason where the pirates hid the stolen property.

Over the years, Chen Zuyi has attacked more than 50 coastal cities and robbed countless merchant ships. Of course, there are also many treasures left behind. In addition to gold and silver, there are also various jewelry, jewels, and a large number of weapons. Now these are all owned by the East India Company.

After Mason came here, he began to announce the first order: All slaves are free from now on. This made the local slaves cheer and kneel down to thank the master for his kindness.

"My lord, they are all thanking you."

Mason looked at the people below and the current island. He knew that if he wanted to control this place for a long time, he had to build an impregnable fortress.

The news of the annihilation of Chen Zuyi's pirate group spread very quickly. People from Old Port who claimed to be the local king sent people to thank Mason for his contribution to regional peace.

Mason also looked for names in the biography of the Roman Empire he carried with him when facing these people with different faces from them. Probably since the time of Caesar, the two countries began to have trade exchanges. Eastern silk and porcelain were very popular in the Roman Empire. Therefore, these people were named after the ancient Roman name for Eastern countries, that is, the Seres.

The Seres occupy the majority in Temasek, and there are as many as 100,000 people in the Old Port area. Most of them came here because of the war. Mason helped them solve the biggest pirate and was very grateful. The Orthodox priests around Mason took the opportunity to vigorously promote the doctrine and planned to build a church here.

Now that the mission was completed, Mason wanted to go back, but the company employees who were captured before kept persuading the governor to continue moving forward. This place is not far from the eastern country, and we can't give up all the previous efforts.

But no matter what, Mason can't leave for the time being. The current construction in Temasek will have to last for one or two months. He can take this opportunity to continue to supplement his map.

The pirates were eradicated, and the East India Company's trading post was also set up here. This was also the first time that Europe extended its influence to the Malacca region. And with the increase in merchant ships, the Mamluk city of Suez also prospered.

The shareholders of the company have already had a lot of grievances. It was not easy to see the return money, but it was withheld by the governor, saying that it was for the expansion of the empire. If it weren't for the suppression from above, he would have to be sued in court.

Among the company's imports and exports, pepper and spices occupy the most important position with an overwhelming advantage. But there is another product that occupies an increasingly important position in trade, that is, Indian textiles.

As we all know, cotton fabrics have superior moisture absorption performance compared to today's chemical fiber products, are light and dry, do not generate static electricity, are highly safe, are strong and washable, and can be made into various thicknesses. In addition, it is easy to dye and does not fade easily. Because it feels soft and comfortable, it is the best choice as a fabric to wear next to the skin.

Such an impeccable fabric, but Europeans knew nothing about it. It was not until the 17th century that cotton fabrics began to gradually become popular in Europe, far behind other parts of the world. Although Rome also began to popularize it, progress was slow due to the origin of cotton, and cotton textiles could only be imported from India to make up for the gap.

Cotton clothing became popular thanks to the leading role of the upper class. The cotton cloth imported from India with various patterns and stripes attracted the attention of the nobles with its rare exotic style. Wearing these colorful printed cotton cloths is to show that they are also gentlemen with quality comparable to clothing. Those women who used to be satisfied with hard, heavy and monotonous wool fabrics have now transformed into elegant ladies who dress themselves up with colorful Indian cotton fabrics.

Since ancient times, Asian craftsmen have had efficient productivity, low labor costs and excellent professional skills. Therefore, under the operation of the company, textiles began to occupy an increasing share of goods.

The trade trend brought by the company also won the support of the Greek Chamber of Commerce. Most of them invested in shipping industry or real estate in Alexandria. After learning about the company's canal project, they also gave a lot of support. The luxury goods brought from the East were their rewards. As long as they were transported to Genoa, Naples, Barcelona and other places, they could make dozens of times the profit by reselling them. The same was true for merchants in Transylvania and Wallachia, who purchased from Constantinople and transported to various European countries.