"Laurent, what's the situation with the foreign explorers you were asked to find? Are there any suitable candidates?" Carlo asked, looking at Laurent as he entered the room.
"I was just about to report to you, Your Majesty," Laurent replied. "I found a very suitable candidate in Spain. Here is his relevant information."
Laurent handed over a document and also introduced, "Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruz, 38 years old this year. He has an African exploration team in Guinea and often deals with native tribes in Africa, so he is quite experienced."
Carlo nodded, took the document, and flipped through a few pages, finding that it indeed met his requirements.
In addition to actual exploration of the Congo region, this African exploration team also needed to build good relationships with the local native tribes and establish so-called trade treaties with them.
Of course, in addition to trade treaties, they also needed to use means to make them recognize that this land was Carlo's private property, creating opportunities for Carlo to obtain this land.
Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruz's long stay in Guinea and frequent contact with African native tribes were the reasons Laurent recommended him, and this was also a point Carlo valued.
As the deputy leader and actual person in charge of the exploration team, other abilities could be weaker, but experience living in Africa and contacting native tribes was very important.
Currently, Europe's exploration of Africa is limited to the outermost coasts, and they have not penetrated deep into the African continent for colonization.
There are various reasons for this, one of the most important being the complexity and danger of Africa's terrain.
And Carlo's target is the largest of Africa's many primeval forests, where the complexity and danger are definitely high.
The primeval forest of the Congo Basin is not only the largest primeval forest in Africa, but also the oldest primeval forest, known as the lungs of Africa.
It is very difficult and absolutely very dangerous to cross the entire Congo Basin and leave the footprints of the Spanish.
Without experience, perhaps the exploration team would have just set off in the first year, and the news of the team's total annihilation would be received in the second year.
"Have you investigated? I hope the exploration team I form has rich experience, not just amateurs put together temporarily," Carlo looked at Laurent and asked.
"I have investigated, Your Majesty," Laurent nodded and replied very respectfully. "I have sent people to investigate Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruz's exploration team and confirmed that they have indeed conducted exploration activities in the Guinea region and have penetrated deep into the African continent.
However, because they did not receive the support of the Guinea colonial Government, after conflicts with nearby native tribes, they gave up further exploration of Guinea and returned to Spain.
During their exploration, they did have in-depth contact with the local African native tribes, and this can be guaranteed."
Hearing that Anthony's experience was confirmed to be true and effective, Carlo nodded with satisfaction and said, "Find a time for him to come and see me. I hope this Africa explorer will not disappoint me."
From the perspective of identity and nationality, Anthony is definitely the most suitable candidate.
He himself is a genuine Spaniard, and the places his exploration team passes through can better declare Spain's sovereignty.
Moreover, there is no need to worry about whether the exploration activities of domestic explorers will be leaked. By the time Europe discovers Spain's exploration of the Congo region, Spain's colonial exploration will have achieved certain results.
Even if other Great Powers follow up, Carlo is not afraid, because the joining of one Great Power will attract the attention of all Great Powers. At that time, under the mutual restraint of the major Great Powers, Congo would ultimately only fall into the hands of non-Great Power countries.
Moreover, there are still large areas of land in Africa that have not been divided up by the Great Powers, and Carlo does not think that other Great Powers will compete with him for the more dangerous Congo colony instead of occupying and dividing up the land on the African coast.
After all, it is still unknown what mineral resources Congo has at this time. If a large price is paid to snatch a piece of barren land with nothing, it will really be a loss.
Laurent nodded and went to prepare what Carlo had ordered.
And after Laurent left, Carlo also began to think about what the Africa exploration team needed to prepare.
If Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruz meets the requirements, it would be great, but the exploration team is currently lacking a military leader. The candidate Carlo is currently considering is Garibaldi's eldest son, Menotti.
Since there are already some leads for the exploration team, it is natural to speed up the construction of the armed forces.
Carlo decided to call Menotti and ask him if he was willing to go to the Africa exploration team to serve as the Captain.
Menotti is arranged in the Madrid urban area, not far from the Royal Palace, and it only takes less than half an hour to come to the Royal Palace.
Not long after ordering the guards to call Menotti, Carlo saw him in his reception room.
"Menotti, how does it feel to be in Spain? Can it compare to being in Italy before?" Carlo asked with a smile.
"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Menotti replied very respectfully.
He had followed his Father, Garibaldi, throughout Europe and America since he was a child, so he naturally wouldn't care about the small issue of moving from Italy to Spain.
What's more, he was on Caprera Island before, and his current living environment is much better than Caprera.
"That's good," Carlo nodded with a smile and stated his purpose: "Regarding your appointment, I have two considerations.
First, you can serve as the Royal Guard's Deputy Regimental Commander and seek opportunities for advancement after the Royal Guard expands. During this time, you can also go to the Spanish Military Academy to study and supplement your military knowledge.
Second, I have a relatively dangerous job here that I think you can handle. Of course, if you complete this job, you will be a hero of all Spain, and I will never be stingy with rewards.
The choice of which job is up to you, and I hope you will consider it carefully."
After hearing Carlo's words, Menotti blurted out without much hesitation: "Your Majesty, I choose the second job. Compared to staying in the Royal Guard, I prefer challenging work."
Staying in the Royal Guard is indeed relatively comfortable, and there is even time to go to the Military Academy for further study.
But the disadvantage is that the position will not change much in a short period of time, and there is a high probability that he will not participate in war.
What's more, the expansion of the Royal Guard has already taken place once, and it will be several years before it can expand again.
This also means that if Menotti chooses to serve as the Royal Guard's Deputy Regimental Commander, he can only stay around the Royal Palace doing nothing, which does not fit his personality.
In the many battles he participated in following his Father Garibaldi, Menotti showed an extremely warlike side, and naturally did not want to stay in the Royal Guard, a unit far from the army.
"Haha, you have to think carefully. Although the second job has the opportunity to achieve great merit, the danger is also extremely high. I will not blame you if you choose the first job, but if you choose the second job, I hope you are prepared to possibly die on the mission," Carlo smiled, very happy with Menotti's choice.
But happy is happy, Carlo was also unwilling for Menotti to die on the road to developing Africa without any preparation.
Exploring the Congo Basin is bound to be full of dangers. If you are not prepared to die halfway, it is best not to embark on this journey.
"It's okay, Your Majesty," Menotti shook his head, with a fearless smile on his face: "Which war doesn't have casualties? Danger is the motivation for action for me. I am confident that I can complete your mission, no matter how dangerous it is."
Carlo smiled, and it was a heartfelt smile. Menotti and Ricciotti have completely different styles.
Ricciotti is more conservative and will be more cautious in his actions. Menotti, as the older brother, is the opposite, showing a completely fearless, bold, and radical attitude.
These two styles each have their own advantages, but if you have to choose which one is more suitable for African exploration, Carlo would of course choose Menotti's style.
Anyway, Menotti, as the Captain of the exploration team, is only responsible for military affairs. The overall goals of the exploration team and other actions are the responsibility of the Deputy Captain, who is the person with actual African exploration experience.
Menotti's task is more like a thug Captain, and being a little radical is definitely the best. After all, this African exploration has to face African tribes that have never been contacted and an unknown geographical environment. Sometimes, overly conservative choices often lead to problems.
"Excellent," Carlo nodded with satisfaction and stated the specific content of the second task.
"Do you know the Congo Basin?" Carlo asked with a smile.
"The primeval forest in central Africa? Your Majesty, your mission isn't to explore this area, is it?" Menotti asked in surprise.
"Of course," Carlo nodded and stated his plan: "You know how important colonies are to a country.
And in Spain's colonial plan, occupying the Congo River Basin is one of the main objectives. Your mission is to serve as the Captain of the exploration team, explore the Congo River Basin, and establish trade relations with the local native tribes.
Once most of this land is planted with the Spanish flag, we will naturally have sovereignty over this land.
In this operation, I hope that it can only succeed and not fail, because it is related to whether Spain can obtain this land and whether it can have such a large colony."
"But, Your Majesty, I don't have any experience in African exploration. I suggest finding a suitable candidate to serve as the Captain of the exploration team, not me," Menotti hesitated, but still said: "
I can lead an armed squad to follow the exploration team, but if I lead the entire exploration team, the probability of total annihilation will be higher."
"Hahaha, don't worry, Menotti, I have already prepared. Although you are the Captain of the exploration team, someone else is responsible for the team. You only need to be responsible for the armed forces under your command.
If the African native tribes can cooperate, that is naturally the best thing. If those African natives are unwilling to cooperate with us, your task is to intimidate them and let them understand who the owner of this land is," Carlo said with a smile.
Menotti then nodded with relief and said firmly to Carlo: "That's no problem, Your Majesty. I will do my best to complete the exploration team's mission and turn the entire Congo River Basin into Spain's territory.
Your Majesty, when can the exploration team depart? Africa's interior, I can't wait."
Looking at Menotti, who seemed a little impatient after asking all the questions, Carlo said with a wry smile: "It will take some time, at least until the specific person in charge of the exploration team is determined.
Of course, you can also meet with the person in charge of the exploration team in advance. You will be working together for the next few years.
I allow you to select personnel from the Royal Guard and the Spanish army to form a small armed force. The strength of the armed force is related to the success of this exploration, and you will have to put in some effort in selecting the team members."
Compared to the ready-made Africa exploration team owned by Anthony Ronaldo Prince Cruz, the armed squad that Menotti is to lead is currently the most problematic.
Because at this time, except for Captain Menotti, the personnel of the armed squad have not yet been determined, so how can they go to explore Africa?
Anthony does have a small armed force at his disposal, but most of them have not been trained much, and Carlo is not too relieved.
Carlo is 100% confident only in the armed squad formed by soldiers selected from the Royal Guard and the Spanish army.
Although the Spanish army's combat effectiveness is not that strong, it is not bad in the overall European environment. Facing the native tribes in Africa's interior, the armed squad drawn from the regular army can naturally handle it easily.
"Understood, Your Majesty," Menotti nodded.
The members of the armed squad are also very important, and Menotti naturally understands this. If the combat effectiveness of the entire armed squad is not strong, it is naturally impossible to suppress those native tribes.
Moreover, the journey to explore Africa is full of difficulties, and it is difficult to ensure that some of the team members' mentality does not encounter problems.
Therefore, when selecting team members, priority should be given to soldiers who are more courageous and more loyal to the country.
Only in this way will they not choose to defect during the exploration of Africa. A well-trained and loyal armed force can effectively deal with any accidents and dangers that occur during the exploration of Africa.
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