Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 546

After the normalization of Japanese labor operations, Fan Ning led [-] troops and [-] ships of [-] stones to leave Luzon Bay and head for the capital of Sanfoqi Kingdom, Maluoyu.

The Sanfoqi Kingdom was the most powerful kingdom in Nanyang during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It existed for more than [-] years and controlled a vast area centered on Sumatra, north to the Malay Peninsula, and east to the west and central parts of Java Island.

Since the establishment of the Song Dynasty, King Sanfoqi has continuously sent envoys to the Song Dynasty to pay tribute. Almost every emperor ascended the throne, and the king would send envoys to the Song Dynasty.

The trade between the Song Dynasty and the Nanyang region was mainly with the Sanfoqi Kingdom and the Boni Kingdom. Of course, there were also Chenla and Luzon, but the trade volume was far less than that of the Sanfoqi and Boni Kingdoms with millions of people.

The fleet has already passed Boni Kingdom, and it is not far from the Three Buddha Qi Kingdom. Ming Ren, who was traveling with him, said to Fan Ning: "The Three Buddha Qi Kingdom seems to be respectful to Song Dynasty, but this is only the surface. This country is extremely respectful from top to bottom. If there is no profit, they will never come to the Song Dynasty."

"By profitable you mean trade?"

Mingren nodded, "This country used to be very backward, similar to Luzon, but after trading with Song Dynasty, it brought them earth-shaking changes. When you arrive, you will find that their basic necessities of life are related to Song Dynasty. It’s not that they make a profit, but that they act as middlemen, buying goods from the Great Song Dynasty, and then selling them to the West at a high price, and making huge profits from it, but Sanfo Qi strictly prohibits the merchants of the Great Song Dynasty from opening businesses with them.”

"Have you dealt with their king?" asked Fanning again.

"Of course we have dealt with each other. Their king is called Zhanbei, who can speak a few words of Chinese, and we can also speak a few words of their native language. They are very eager for the craftsmen of Song Dynasty."

"why?"

"Of course I want to learn skills. For example, they learned from us the technique of shaping Buddha statues, as well as architecture and shipbuilding. They can build thousand-stone warships, smelt iron, and build weapons. They all have the shadow of the Song Dynasty. The army There are also 10,000+ people, which is considered the most powerful country in Nanyang.”

"If I want to buy a piece of land in Srivijaya, will they agree?"

"Where do you want to buy it? It is definitely not possible to buy it on the main island. It is possible to buy it on the surrounding sub-islands, and it must be a very remote sub-island."

Mingren knew Fan Ning's thoughts very well, and said to him: "The businessmen in this country are very cunning and have a great influence on the royal family. If we buy land on the sea route, they will definitely realize that we have to do the transfer and rob it ourselves. Their interests, they will definitely oppose, so I'm not sure if I can buy the land."

After a moment of silence, Fan Ning asked again: "How is the relationship between the Srivijaya Kingdom and the Boni Kingdom?"

Mingren sneered and said, "The Three Buddhas and Qi Kingdom have repeatedly invaded the Boni Kingdom and killed many people. How can their relationship be better?"

Fan Ning quickly formulated a plan in his mind. He called a captain, pointed to the map and said to him: "Take a boat and go to the west coast of Boni Country to find a good natural port. The capital city is waiting for me."

"As ordered!"

Everyone hurried away, and after a while, a large ship left the fleet and turned around and headed north.

Early the next morning, the fleet of the Song Army arrived at Maluoyu, the capital of the Three Buddha Qi Kingdom. The capital of the Three Buddha Qi Kingdom was originally in Bolin State in the east. It fought fiercely with the Java State decades ago, and the capital was occupied by the Java State. They had to move their capital to Maroyu, a hundred miles away. Later, the Sanfoqi Kingdom defeated the Java Kingdom and occupied West Java. The Java Kingdom was forced to merge with the Sanfoqi Kingdom into one country.

The old capital Bolimbang is today's Palembang, while the new capital Marayu is today's Chamber City, which is actually named after the king.

Early the next morning, the fleet arrived at Moluoyu, the capital of the Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom. The pier was extremely lively, and the local people came singing and dancing to welcome the distinguished guests of the Song Dynasty.

The fleet of the Song Dynasty was not a merchant fleet, but an official fleet. King Zhanbei heard the news and sent his minister Di Huajialuo to welcome the senior officials in charge of overseas business strategy of the Song Dynasty.

Fan Ning stood at the bow of the ship and looked at the harbor capital. The city had a vast area and a wall of more than forty miles. The atmosphere of Buddhism in the city was strong. Various statues of giant Buddhas and the Shwedagon Pagoda were clearly visible in the distance. There are many shops, and the goods inside are dazzling, such as porcelain, silk, cloth, tea cakes and other goods from the Song Dynasty, local spices, coconut oil, precious wood, and carpets, silverware, gemstones and other items from the West.

At this time, a dark-skinned official with a cloth wrapped around his head came towards this side surrounded by a large group of followers. Mingren recognized him and said to Fan Ning: "That official is Di Hua, the minister in charge of external relations of the Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom. Jia Luo is the king's confidant, and any business in the Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom must be approved by him!"

Fan Ning nodded, and quickly stepped off the big boat. A businessman proficient in the local dialect interpreted for Fan Ning. He introduced Fan Ning to Dihua Jialuo. He is so young, but he still respectfully said: "Welcome Mr. Fan to come to Sanfoqi as a guest. On behalf of the king and queen, I warmly welcome the arrival of Mr. Fan and the army!"

Fan Ning smiled slightly and said, "As an overseas economic envoy, I came to Nanyang on a routine basis to inspect trade. I hope my visit can more effectively promote the trade between the two sides."

Fan Ning's words are very clear, he is only here to investigate trade, not to visit your king on behalf of the court.

Dihua Jialuo looked a little disappointed. He thought it was the new emperor of the Song Dynasty who had ascended the throne and sent a special envoy to tell the Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom, but he didn't expect it to be his official visit by an overseas envoy.

He forced a smile and said: "Please send the king to the palace to have a talk!"

Fan Ning immediately ordered that the soldiers be given a day off and must return to the ship at dusk, so he followed Dihua Jialuo to the palace.

The palace of the Three Buddhas Qi Kingdom is exactly the same as the palace of the Luzon Kingdom, but it is much larger than the palace of the Luzon Kingdom. Fan Ning was invited to sit down in the living room, and Dihua Jialuo ordered someone to serve coconut milk, and said with a smile: "This is Fan Shijun's first visit to Nanyang!"

From the construction of the palace, Fan Ning could guess that the relationship between the Three Buddha Qi Kingdom and Lu Song Kingdom must be close, and even Lu Song Kingdom may still be a vassal state of the Three Buddha Qi Kingdom. have no idea?

Fan Ning didn't mention anything about the Lu Song Kingdom, and nodded with a smile, "It's indeed the first time I've come to Nanyang."

"How does Shi Jun feel about Nanyang?"

After listening to the translation, Fan Ning said with a smile: "Beyond my imagination, I didn't expect Nanyang to have such a large population, densely populated, and fertile land. The population of the Srivijaya Kingdom must be 1000 million!"

"There were more than 500 million at the peak, and now there are about [-] million."

The two chatted for a while, and Fan Ning said: "The South China Sea is vast and there are many islands. Pirates often appear and rob merchant ships, which seriously interferes with trade. In order to combat pirates, I plan to buy a piece of land in your country and build a military port. agree?"

Dihua Jialuo's face changed slightly, and he asked nervously, "Where does your country plan to buy land?"

"Of course I won't buy land in Sumudu. I'm considering buying land in the north of the strait. The area is about a hundred miles around."

"This. The purchase of land is of great importance. I need to report to the king. Please rest well and give me an answer tomorrow morning."

The businessman who interpreted for Fan Ning was Lin Chun, a native of Quanzhou, who had a somewhat oblique relationship with Lin Junsheng, who built the mansion. He had been doing business in Sanfoqi for many years, mainly in the spice business.

In the afternoon, Lin Chun accompanied Fan Ning to visit the city. Although Dihua Jialuo wanted to arrange someone to accompany him, Fan Ning declined.

"What kind of business does Li Yuanwai do in Srivijaya?"

"I mainly do the spice business. I buy spices and sell them to merchants in the Song Dynasty. We can only do this kind of business. We can't do business with Western merchants. Even if Western merchants want to buy spices, we can't take orders. This is their own country. merchant's privilege."

"I've also heard that it seems that you are a middleman, and the profit is very high!"

"Double the profit!"

Lin Chundao: "The Sanfoqi merchants bought our silk for five guanq per piece, but sold it to the Persians for a tael of gold per piece, and porcelain and tea cakes made two or three times the profit. Recently, they came to Nanyang to do business. There were more merchants in the Song Dynasty, and the Sanfoqi merchants are going to lower the price collectively, lowering the purchase price by another [-]%."

"Don't the countries in Southeast Asia also need goods from Song Dynasty?"

Lin Chun shook his head with a smile, "People in all countries in Nanyang are very poor. They are willing to buy coarse cloth, ironware, pottery, low-grade porcelain and other daily necessities from the Song Dynasty. As for silk, it is mainly bought by nobles, monks and businessmen, but the quantity they want There are not many, and they are mainly sold to the West. As for tea cakes, Nanyang people don’t drink tea, and they sell them all to Persians and big cannibals, who earn a huge price difference by acting as middlemen.”

When the two came to the pier, a western cargo ship happened to come, and some merchants who got off were all Europeans.

"It was merchants from Genoa who came here to buy all kinds of spices and oriental silks. Their goods were mainly pearls, amber and silverware."

Fan Ning was a little interested, and the Genoese businessman actually came to the East.

(End of this chapter)