"But those fellows probably forgot! Colonies do not always abide by the principle of first-co, first-served. Sotis, latecors are more easily received by the natives, just like the Kingdom of Britain back then!
Am I right, Captain Grandi?"
Jero Patterson’s mockery of the Kingdom of Britain made Grandi a little annoyed.
Bound by current circumstances, Captain Grandi had to suppress his anger and calmly said to Jero Patterson, "Your Excellency, what we are discussing now is how to act if we clash with the Kingdom of Portugal during our occupation of the land!"
Jero Patterson seed to realize that he had gone off-topic and quickly gave Captain Grandi an "apologetic" smile, saying, "Look at ! How did I get off track again? I do apologize!
Earlier you asked what to do, right? My suggestion is to use legal ans to safeguard our rights!"
"Legal ans?" Captain Grandi looked at Jero Patterson in disbelief; he really couldn’t believe such words ca from a colonial governor.
He truly wanted to loudly ask Jero Patterson, which set of laws he was referring to: the Empire of France’s laws, the Kingdom of Portugal’s laws, or the indigenous laws of the residents on this land.
"Yes! Legal ans!" Jero Patterson nodded and repeated the phrase.
"Your Excellency, forgive my ignorance!" Captain Grandi candidly asked Jero Patterson, "Which set of laws are you referring to? We lack everything here except laws!"
"Of course, according to the land transfer law signed by our governnt with the local residents!" Jero Patterson confidently told Captain Grandi.
Captain Grandi imdiately realized that Jero Patterson wanted to use land control asures to turn this area into French territory, "But the Kingdom of Portugal will certainly not recognize the agreent we signed with the natives!"
"This is not up to them!" Jero Patterson showed a slight contemptuous smile, "Mr. Grandi, have you forgotten? France boasts the most elite troops in the world!
If you encounter Portuguese obstruction, please convey my ssage to them!
If Portugal believes their army can defeat France, then they’re welco to disregard the agreent.
Otherwise, they have to play by our rules!
This isn’t Portugal’s private garden where they can do whatever they want!"
After a mont of silence, Captain Grandi nodded and seriously said to Jero Patterson, "I understand!"
When Captain Grandi finished speaking, the room fell into silence once more.
In a position where he could not be seen by Jero Patterson and Captain Lalandy, Rastigne, who had been waiting for a long ti, understood that it was ti for him to co forward upon hearing no further conversation inside.
Thus, Rastigne took a step forward from the doorway, walked up to Jero Patterson and Captain Grandi, handed a quill pen to Captain Grandi, and opened the inkwell for him.
"Thank you!" Captain Grandi politely said to Rastigne, then used the ink-dipped quill pen to sign his na on the last page of the docunt, and pushed the docunt back in front of Jero Patterson.
Receiving the docunt, Jero Patterson showed a contented smile, placed the docunt in his drawer, and extended his hand to Captain Grandi, "Mr. Grandi, you made the right choice!"
"Thanks to your favor! It allowed to make such a correct choice!" Captain Grandi showed a hint of mockery on his face as he responded to Jero Patterson.
"Mr. Grandi, I think you could ease your attitude towards a bit! After all, I am your boss now!" Jero Patterson spread his hands in helplessness towards Captain Grandi.
"Your Excellency! If you were forced to sign an agreent you didn’t want to, I think you wouldn’t be pleasant either!" Captain Grandi said coldly to Jero Patterson,
"So for the sake of money, could your attitude change a little?
You should know that I employ you and your team at an annual salary of 30,000 francs to work for ; few in the whole of Africa could offer such a price," Jero Patterson shrugged and said lightly.
Captain Grandi responded noncommittally, "Your Excellency, an annual salary of 30,000 francs is indeed a condition not many forces could offer! Such generous terms, even Mr. Livingstone might consider!"
"By the way! I have a question to ask you; I wonder if you could answer it!" Jero Patterson said to Captain Grandi.
"Go ahead!" Captain Grandi said.
"In April this year, what was the reason you left Livingstone?" Jero Patterson asked Captain Grandi, then added, "If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to answer!"
"Nothing is inconvenient!" Captain Grandi said calmly to Jero Patterson, "Because in April this year, I had a disagreent with Livingstone, so I left his team to form an appropriate team."
"What disagreent?" Jero Patterson asked again.
"I thought the team should continue exploring along the ’Congo River’ to seek further developnt.
But Livingstone thought the team shouldn’t continue moving along the ’Congo River.’
That’s how the two of us disagreed on the route!" Captain Grandi spoke with a hint of grievance in his tone to Jero Patterson: "Since neither of us could convince the other, the team was at a standstill.
In order to prevent the team from splitting apart due to the argunt, and also to avoid making Livingstone uncomfortable, I voluntarily withdrew from Livingstone’s expedition team to focus on forming my own team!"
[PS: The Congo River referred to here is actually the Ouenvi River in Gabon.]
"I see!" Jero Patterson nodded, giving a thumbs up to Captain Grandi and praised, "Mr. Grandi, you are indeed an excellent person!"
"You flatter !" Captain Grandi responded to Jero Patterson with a reserved smile.
Afterwards, Jero Patterson asked Captain Grandi when they could set off.
"Your Excellency! I originally planned to leave in a few days, but now it seems we’ll need to wait a bit longer!" Grandi told Jero Bonaparte.
"Why is that?" Jero Patterson asked in confusion.
"Because your n are going to join our team, I need to train them!" Captain Grandi stated frankly to Jero Bonaparte.
"The n I assigned to you are so of the best soldiers from the barracks, they shouldn’t need further training, should they?" Jero Patterson said to Captain Grandi.
Captain Grandi shook his head and replied to Jero Patterson: "Your Excellency, even the finest soldiers need training!
The place we’re going differs from the battlefield; the battlefield focuses on frontal battles, with all dangers coming from the enemy’s rifles and cannons.
But it’s different there, not only must we face the overt slave traders and hostile natives, but we also have to learn to contend with the environnt there!
Any slight mistake could result in death!
Even in Livingstone’s team, seasoned expedition mbers have died in the jungle.
So we must be thoroughly prepared!"
"Alright! We’ll do it your way!" Jero Bonaparte said to Grandi, then asked another question: "However, I’m curious! How long will you need before you can set off?"
"If fast, it can be three to four weeks, if slow, up to two or three months!" Captain Grandi replied to Jero Patterson: "It all depends on the learning ability of the soldiers you integrate into my team!"
"I understand!" Jero Patterson spoke seriously to Grandi: "I’ll select soldiers with excellent learning abilities to learn from you, hoping you will teach them survival skills well!"
"Of course!"
...
The next morning, Captain Grandi, residing at the Governor’s Mansion, was awakened by Rastigne.
Sleepy-eyed, he yawned and asked Rastigne: "Is there anything I can help with?"
"His Excellency asked to inform you that he has prepared the soldiers to accompany you." Rastigne stated unemotionally to Captain Grandi.
"Alright! I understand, I’ll be over shortly!" Captain Grandi yawned again, responding to Jero Patterson.
After a while, Captain Grandi dressed, left his room, and saw Rastigne in the corridor.
"Please follow !" Rastigne said briefly and then left.
Captain Grandi followed Rastigne and they rode together in a carriage to the barracks.
Upon entering the barracks, Captain Grandi imdiately felt a long-lost sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to eight years ago when he was serving in India...
"What’s wrong, Mr. Grandi?"
At this mont, Rastigne’s voice interrupted Captain Grandi’s reminiscence.
"No! Nothing!"
Captain Grandi shook his head and continued to follow Rastigne, soon they arrived in front of Jero Patterson, who introduced Grandi to the people who would accompany them.
"This is Major Mirabeau Pulinkovic, he will be the leader of the escort team for this scientific expedition!" Jero Patterson pointed to Mirabeau Pulinkovic.
Mirabeau Pulinkovic saluted Grandi humbly yet confidently, and Grandi returned the salute to Mirabeau Pulinkovic in kind.
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