Daming Yinghua

Chapter 78

Zheng Zhilong's eyes were like torches, shining with a shrewdness that did not match his actual age.

"Brother Yan, sister Azhu, although there is a Yuegang switch now, Daming still prohibits direct trade between cargo owners and the Japanese country. The Japanese people want Ming goods, either smuggling them in Ningbo Shuangyu Island, or going around Macau to pass through the Frankies. Therefore, we have to price the goods sold to the Japanese country at five times the cost, so we can make more room. Therefore, these shredded tobacco pouches, for ordinary ones, cost two or three taels of silver, and better ones cost seven or eight taels."

Yan Siqi squinted his eyes and said: "The Japanese don't think it's expensive at this price. In fact, they have always admired Tang style and Song style. Those who can afford high-grade tobacco can also afford expensive accessories, and they like to be arty and compare each other. Besides, There are silver mines all over the country, and silver is becoming less and less rare."

Zheng Haizhu also made up his mind.

If you compare the price of rice and the wages of craftsmen in the Jiangnan area, one tael of silver in the last year of Wanli is roughly equivalent to the purchasing power of about [-] yuan in Shanghai in later generations.

According to the price quoted by Zheng Zhilong, a fine tobacco pouch is roughly equivalent to the price of entry-level bags of some luxury brands in later generations, and it will indeed not deter rich Japanese men and women.

In fact, Zheng Haizhu also thought that the price was too low.

It should be noted that hundreds of years later, the cost of some European and American big-name bags is only one-tenth of the price of the counter, and there is no technical content, and they are all industrial assembly line products.

The embroidered tobacco pouch is purely handmade by Ming craftsmen, and belongs to the intangible cultural heritage. How can an Indian salad craftsman recruited by the Japanese to sew seal skins in this life?

Yan Siqi, who was sitting opposite Zheng Haizhu, obviously also felt that there was something to do with this kind of stuff.

He thought for a while, then made a final decision: "Azhu, the fragrant medicine you bought with me last time was 6000 taels of silver, which almost doubled the profit. I will invest another 8000 taels to make up [-] taels. Money orders that can be accepted in Suzhou and Hangzhou are placed with Tang Bo in Nanhuizui. For this money, you distribute the goods in Jiangnan, including tobacco bags, purses, fans, and two-toed cotton socks used by Japanese people when they wear clogs. Do it."

Zheng Zhilong, who had always been listening intently, volunteered at this time: "Brother, I am young, so I can be used as Tang Bo's nephew, not to be conspicuous. In the future, I will ask my elder brother to send me some things to go ashore to contact, so that I can teach my younger brother to practice. "

To be able to form a team with Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Haizhu certainly wished for it, she immediately assisted and said: "I have done a good job in contacting the ashore today."

Yan Siqi saw that Ah Zhu was very satisfied with this little brother, so he also nodded happily and said: "Okay, an official, I will go back to Pinghu with you, and report to Chief Li together."

Zheng Haizhu listened to Yan Siqi's words, and he couldn't get away from Li Dan and Hirado in three sentences. At least in the past two years, Yan Siqi should not have started to think about changing his home court and establishing his own company.

Then she asked tentatively: "By the way, Brother Yan, I see that you and the official are both wearing crosses. Do you believe in God like the Christians in Songjiang?"

Yan Siqi took a sip of wine, touched the cross on his chest, and wrote lightly: "If you believe it, we people who run to the sea still believe in Mazu Niangniang. Are you wearing this brass stand? After the people opened up business, many tax officials, warriors, and even daimyo among the Japanese people joined the foreign religion."

Zheng Yiguan said frankly: "I was baptized as soon as I was born, and my uncle let me join the foreign religion. But in Macau, I often see Japanese people who believe in God and Japanese people who believe in Zen. If there is any disagreement, they will fight with each other. "

Zheng Haizhu thought in his heart, little brother is really good, it's like handing someone a pillow when he's sleepy, what you mentioned is exactly what I want to make use of.

Her complexion became serious: "Brother Yan, younger brother Yiguan, I'm in Yuegang this time, and I heard from the Hongyi people that General Tokugawa is going to clean up all the monasteries in the country and expel missionaries. Will you be affected?" ?”

Yan Siqi's eyes froze: "Why, the Hongyi people can already enter Haicheng County?"

"Yes, they seem to have hit a wall in Macau, but Fujian has opened a hole for them."

"Hmph!" Yan Siqi said angrily, "these Hongyi people are more capable of making waves than the Frankies. In order to squeeze into the various ports of Wa Kingdom, they sent people to send gifts to the Tokugawa family, and promised to only buy and sell goods. , not preaching. Tokugawa was very dissatisfied with the Frankie monks a few years ago, fearing that they would develop too many Japanese as religious people and shake his country. Now that the Hongyi people are instigating, the shogunate is just ruthless Clean up the Frankies."

Zheng Haizhu said "Oh", and asked again: "Brother Yan and Chief Li, are you standing in Frankie?"

"What am I doing against them?" Yan Siqi softened his tone, "We are just afraid that this move will bring disaster to the Fujianese who believe in religion in Hirado. Besides, it doesn't matter whether the Frankies or the Japanese who believe in religion have the same relationship with us in Fujian. Maritime merchants have been doing business for many years, and their relationships are intertwined, if they are wiped out, our business will also be severely damaged."

"Then let's leave Hirado." Zheng Zhilong suggested suddenly.

Yan Siqi glanced at him, showing that the big brother judged the little brother was too naive, and said with a smile: "Officer, do you think this is digging mussels? This reef is not good, just change it. In Hirado, under the banner of the adoptive father, just There are more than 1000 big ships, [-] or [-] shops, and more than [-] men, not counting their family members. He has worked hard there for more than [-] years, how can he just leave?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Haizhu looked into Yan Siqi's eyes with a hint of sigh.

"What's the matter, Ah Zhu? Do you think I'm indecisive?" Yan Siqi asked sensitively.

Zheng Haizhu shook his head: "I don't think you're indecisive, but I'm wondering if we can look further. If Chief Li and the entire fleet can't leave immediately, at least the eldest brother can take some brothers to explore the way first."

She looked up and saw the golden crow falling down the mountain, she pointed to the beautiful sunset sky and said: "Brother Yan, sitting on our small sand boat at this moment, we can no longer see the sun, but if we are on the other side of the mountain, we can still see the sun." See the red sun shining on the earth, right?"

Yan Siqi said wistfully: "There is no place for us in Ming Dynasty, and the Luzon and Manajia islands have long been occupied by the Frankies. Which mountain can we go to?"

"Go to Taiwan."

"Taiwan?"

Hearing Zheng Haizhu resolutely and clearly stated the place name, Yan Siqi and Zheng Zhilong looked confused.

"It was Ryukyu in the Yuan Dynasty. It was called Dongfan in Jiajing's time. It was on the east side of Penghu."

Yan Siqi suddenly realized: "You are talking about stupid Hong Kong. Why is it called Taiwan?"

Zheng Haizhu explained: "My eldest brother has been away from the country for a long time, and an official is far away in Macau. No wonder he didn't know. The imperial court has called that island Taiwan in recent years. Because the natives on the island call their homeland 'Taiwan'."

Yan Siqi pursed his lips tightly, as if he was seriously thinking about Zheng Haizhu's proposal.

Zheng Zhilong asked curiously: "Why did Sister Azhu think of Taiwan?"

Zheng Haizhu said sincerely: "If you sit at the bottom of the well, you can't think of it. It's not because I went out and walked around, and heard the islands in the vast ocean mentioned by the Huayi sea merchants. This time in Haicheng County, I also asked the tooth Shang, they said that the Hongyi people have landed there, and they have captured the natives from there to work in Nanyang."

When Yan Siqi heard this, the lines of Sichuan characters between his eyebrows became deeper.

Zheng Zhilong spat: "The Hongyi people are just like what the elder brother said, their ambition to dominate the world is probably far higher than those Frankies."

Zheng Haizhu looked at the stern faces of the two men in front of him, and thought, not only the Dutch, but also England, France, Russia, Japan, and the United States...all of them will come fiercely.

China has such a long coastline, if it does not have a strong national power, it is like a fat sheep in the forest, which can only fall into the mouth of beasts.

Unless you also become a mighty dragon or unicorn, although you disdain to be with wolves, tigers and leopards, you can stand upright by yourself.

Regardless of the dragon or the unicorn, they must actively attack, step on the sea, and occupy the key points of maritime military and trade.

In fact, in that parallel time and space, Yan Siqi and Zheng Zhilong were the first batch of Fujian Chinese businessmen who went to Taiwan because they could not bear the persecution by the Japanese authorities. Compete with the Taiwan Strait trade empire.

What Zheng Haizhu wants to do in this life is to make Yan and Zheng go to Taiwan as soon as possible with a plan, instead of leaving Japan in a hurry and fleeing south to Baodao after seven or eight years.

Yan Siqi said in a deep voice: "What Azhu said, if you think about it carefully, maybe it's a good move. There are some descendants of the ancestors of the Han people in Bengang. When we go there, they will definitely not be as good as they were when they saw the Hongyi people." generally hostile. As for the local natives..."

As soon as he said this, he suddenly heard a sailor at the bow shouting sharply: "Master, then, isn't that young master Guozhu and our two brothers?"

(End of this chapter)