Pitt the Younger frowned at once.
Ninety thousand pounds a month did not seem like much, but he knew very well that Parliament had previously allocated another 380,000 pounds to build fortresses in Portugal, of which the purchase of Cannons alone had cost 160,000 pounds. Another 270,000 pounds a year was being used to train the Portuguese army and fund the local guerrillas.
In other words, the Portuguese battlefield was going to devour 1.73 million pounds of Britain's funds every year!
He looked toward Lord Grenville and said, "It seems we'll have to do something to ensure the books balance."
"That is precisely what I wanted to discuss today." The latter nodded, then took out a report and waved it. "Last month, Sir Shore submitted a plan to me."
He was referring to John Shore, the current Governor of the British East India Company.
Grenville opened the document in his hand. "Sir Shore mentioned that after their defeat, the Dutch transferred a large number of troops back to the mainland. At present, the Cape has fewer than seven hundred soldiers garrisoning it, and their morale is extremely low.
"He believes that only a small force of Marines would be needed to occupy the place very quickly."
The Cape was the later capital of South Africa, Cape Town, and was also currently the core port of the Cape of Good Hope.
Everyone in the room instantly fell silent.
The Cape of Good Hope was a Dutch colony. It was a transit station for maritime trade between Europe and Asia, and every year, just by selling supplies to passing merchant ships, it could earn a sea of gold coins.
At the same time, South Africa itself was also extremely rich in produce. Its fertile land produced abundant grapes, Wheat, and wool. And