Chapter 1976： Mauritania plan

Today, with the New York Shipyard designing and manufacturing in addition to professional cattle and horse transport ships, large-scale transportation of cattle at sea is no longer a problem. After all, the New York Shipyard has now begun to build a large number of large livestock transport ships. Such a professional ship can transport one hundred dozens of cattle and horses at a time, dozens of ships are dispatched together, and thousands of cattle can be transported at a time.

Therefore, the marine transportation of cattle is no longer a big problem. The only problem is how to transport the cattle from the interior of the Songhai Empire to the seaside.

Marin first considered the Niger River. It seems that this river will not only flow through Mali, but also through Niger and Nigeria.

However, after gathering the intelligence files of the Songhai Empire sent back from the Ayoun colony, Marin gave up this route. Why? Because that route is unsafe, fighting ...

The uppermost part of the Niger River is now under the control of the declining Mali Empire. Then, the upper and middle reaches were controlled by the Songhai Empire. However, the lower reaches are controlled by Hausa, Oyo and the Kingdom of Benin. Moreover, it seems that the Songhai Empire is fighting Hausa and is still at a disadvantage. Mainly, the reliance of the Songhai Empire, cavalry, cannot be displayed in the tropical rain forest, but it is not as good as the Hausa ’s jungle warrior ...

Because of the war with Hausa, it is obviously not realistic to walk up the Niger River. If you are transporting a small amount of cargo, you might be able to take a paddle sailing trip to the Niger River. However, large-scale transportation of animals is still free ...

Since this road does not work, we have to find a way to take another route. One of them is to start from the Songhai Empire, drive the cattle, pass the Mali Empire, and then go to the beach to ship ...

However, the Mali empire and the Songhai empire are deadly enemies. How can Songhai ’s cattle be allowed to pass through Mali? Don't make trouble, the cattle you bought when you were seized by the Mali empire ...

Helpless, Marin began to study the current situation map in West Africa. This information is all new.

"Huh? The territory of the remaining forces of the Mali Empire is mainly south of the Senegal River?" Marin's eyes lit up ...

Marin remembered that it seemed that the Senegal River would be the boundary between Senegal and Mauritania. Among them, the area south of the Senegal River is mostly a savannah belt, with a dry season and a rainy season. The area north of the Senegal River gradually changed from a semi-desert to a tropical desert. Therefore, the land north of the Senegal River was too dry to even conquer the Malian Empire. Therefore, at present, on the north side of the Senegal River, there are mainly grasslands in semi-arid areas, and there are a few indigenous tribes. These small tribes have few people and are poor. Sheep and camels are mainly stocked in semi-arid deserts. Therefore, the Songhai Empire and the Mali Empire are too lazy to conquer them, because there is no oil and water ...

"You can't look down on it, I can see it ..." Thinking of this, Marin's eyes lit up.

With his memory, he drew a map of the situation in West Africa, including the border, and the direction of the two major rivers of the Senegal and Niger rivers.

After painting, Marin gestured with his fingers and was surprised to find that the distance between the upper reaches of the Senegal River and the upper reaches of the Niger River was only a hundred kilometers or so.

Perhaps, there are many mountains and rivers in the distance of hundreds of kilometers between the two rivers, but you can definitely find a road through ...

However, the shortest distance between these two rivers seems to be under the control of the Mali empire. If you want to pass safely, you need to go to war with the Mali empire.

Marin is not defeating the Mali empire, after all, this is a sunset empire that can not beat the Songhai empire. However, the problem is that if he defeated the Mali empire, the Portuguese would be cheaper in the end.

Why? Because Marin now needs to rely on the Mali Empire to prevent the Portuguese from taking Timbuktu. At present, the Portuguese are taking the most difficult route-they are following the route of Guinea ...

In the later Republic of Guinea, the tropical rain forest is densely covered, and the mountainous terrain is very difficult to walk. The Portuguese were also out of luck. They chose such a path and asked for it.

If they take the Senegal route to the north, the terrain there is relatively flat, mostly savanna, which is much stronger than the tropical rain forest and rugged mountains.

Moreover, after crossing the prairie in Senegal, there are some mountains at the junction of the eastern side of Senegal and the later Republic of Mali, but not many, and it is easier to pass through.

But the Portuguese do n’t know ...

They did not know the situation in the interior of West Africa, and could only proceed from the most familiar places and proceed inland. As it happens, the Portuguese established a trade base on the coast of Guinea earlier, and they started from here as a starting point and proceeded inland. Then, embarked on the most difficult path.

At the beginning, Marin learned that the Portuguese were going to take the Guinean route and almost laughed to death. Because, he had long known about the rugged terrain of Guinea and had long waited to read jokes.

Sure enough, until now, the Portuguese colonial army is still fighting the black soldiers in the terrain, tropical rain forests, and jungles on the Futajaron plateau in Guinea. Of course, there are even more terrible tropical rain forest poisonous insects and diseases than these three ...

Over the years, Portugal has lost more than a thousand colonial army soldiers, but it has not crossed the Futajaron Plateau. After all, the Futajaron Plateau is 78,000 square kilometers in size, and there are tropical rainforests everywhere. With the highlands and mountains and tropical rain forests, the Portuguese were abused unjustly ...

...

Marin, who is familiar with the geography of later generations, clearly knows that it is more convenient to reach Timbuktu by walking in Senegal. But the problem is that he is not willing to make a wedding dress for the Portuguese ...

It should be known that if he sends troops openly to defeat Senegal and defeat the declining Mali empire, the Portuguese are likely to take out the Treaty of Rome, which was originally signed, and pick out peaches.

In order to protect the interests of dominating the Americas, Marin had to give it. Otherwise, both Spain and Portugal have reason to intervene in the colonization of the Americas.

However, Marin was reluctant to give up the opportunity to get through this land route. After all, as long as this relatively flat road is cleared, then by the time he can drive 10,000 cattle on the land like he bought Eastern European grassland cattle from the Crimean Khanate, arrive at the seashore and ship to the Caribbean, or , The Philippines, you can ...

However, because they want to retain the Mali empire, let them preserve their strength to fight against the Portuguese. Therefore, Marin does not intend to follow the route of the southern Senegal River.

In this way, he can only choose the route north of the Senegal River ...

North of the Senegal River is the territory of Mauritania in later generations. In later generations, Mauritania was a desert-dominated arid country. Moreover, slavery remains in the country.

However, Marin remembered that there seemed to be many towns in southern Mauritania in later generations, including the southeastern inland areas.

Well, this proves that in addition to the Senegal River, there are many places with water in southern Mauritania. Even if there is no river, there are springs and wells.

As long as you find the right route and let the herds pass, you can get fresh water from time to time, and you can reach the Atlantic coast smoothly and safely. Then, ship and transport.

But the problem is that because the route is very long, and so many cattle, it is easy to cause the locals to covet. After all, in the black world, cattle are a symbol of property. In later generations, the chiefs of Africa married their wives and used the cow as a gift. As long as there is a cow, there is everything ...

Therefore, in order to ensure that the midway cattle are not snatched by the black people along the way, Marin needs to send someone to control this transportation route.

After thinking about it, Marin decided to send troops to occupy the area north of the Senegal River, and later the southern border of Mauritania, until the west of Mali. Then, go straight to Timbuktu ...

As long as this route is cleared, in the future, energy buffaloes from Timbuktu will continue to be transported and traded, and ... slaves ...

Yes, Timbuktu not only has a lot of cattle to trade, but also a lot of black slaves. As long as you bring enough salt, African buffalo and black slaves are taken away. The premise is that you have a way to transport away ...

Previously, the route in the Sahara desert opened by the Ayoun colony was simply not suitable for cattle transportation, and the black slaves were only suitable for bringing the strongest batch. Weak bodies make it difficult to get out of the Sahara desert. Moreover, the number of shipments is small.

But if the road along the southern border of Mauritania north of the Senegal River is opened, it will be very different. Because the terrain here is flat, and there are water sources along the way. Not only can thousands of African buffaloes be driven through at once, but thousands of black slaves can also be driven at the same time ...

By that time, the tropical colonies in the North Sea can not only solve the cattle problem, but also bring enough black slaves as labor.

The only problem is to hide the Portuguese. Otherwise, the Portuguese will definitely come to **** this legal colony ...

...

"Then raise a puppet regime and control southern Mauritania ..." Marin thought for a long time and finally made a decision.

He planned to go to Egypt to buy hundreds of thousands of combat slaves trained by Mamluk cavalry. Then, send the commander of the North Sea State to command them to control the area on the north bank of the Senegal River, and hit the east side ~ www.novelhall.com ~ into the territory of Mali, which borders the Songhai Empire. Then, using the opened channel to transport the African buffalo and black slave traded in Timbuktu ...

In order to avoid the eyes and ears of the people, mainly the eyes and ears of the Portuguese, Marin decided to choose an obedient among those slaves and support him as the superficial king. As for the name of the country, Marin helped to figure it out-the Sultanate of Mauritania ...

By then, this nominally independent country will protect the land trade routes between Marin and the Songhai Empire. When Marin buys cattle, he will also borrow the name of the Sultanate of Mauritania, pretending to be bought with them, not from Timbuktu. In this way, the Portuguese will not covet here.

If the Portuguese really coveted this area, the Egyptian Mamluk cavalry commanded by officers of the North Sea Kingdom would teach the Portuguese to be humans. After all, the Portuguese Army is scum. Facing the elite Mamluk cavalry, even the Mamluk cavalry composed of Egyptian slaves, should be taught to be human ...

With the Egyptian Mamluk cavalry as cover, the Portuguese are not easy to say. Of course, to trade with the locals in Mauritania, Marin must also obtain the Portuguese's consent. Therefore, Marin sent a messenger, brought gifts, and went to Lisbon in order to obtain Portuguese approval to allow North Sea merchants to trade cattle and slaves with the indigenous people of the Mauritanian region ...