unclear

Chapter 1167 Speculator 3
"Politics is too far away from you. There is no need or demand for it. But maritime trade is too close to you. You can't leave it for even a minute. There is a proverb in my country: Those who do not plan for the overall situation are not qualified to plan for a region; those who do not plan for eternity are not qualified to plan for the moment.

Doing business is like governing a country. You need to look at the road as you go. Whoever can see farther and more clearly can go faster. As a country, if you go slowly, you will be beaten, like the Ottoman Empire. As a businessman, if you go slowly, you will lose money, like you in the next few years. "

Once Hong Tao wants to fool someone, what he says will be particularly considerate. He will analyze the pros and cons from your perspective, making you feel that his words make sense and naturally take the trap as advice.

"Your Majesty the Emperor has wisdom comparable to that of God. If you could give some guidance to the lost lambs, my Chamber of Commerce and I would be very grateful." Lisboa was very sensible. Hearing that the dilemma was not a desperate one, he immediately showed the proper humility.

"The solution is actually very simple... Forget about the map. You can't understand my map. Look carefully. This is Faw Port, this is Basra, this is Damascus, and this is Beirut.

If you can unite the city lords and big tribes along the way, you can transport goods from Asia to the Mediterranean through the ports of Fao and Beirut, and you can also transport European goods to Asia. Is this profitable?"

Hong Tao originally wanted to give Lisboa instructions on the map, but the map at hand was marked with military operation data. Regardless of whether outsiders could understand it or not, it was better not to see it.

So I had to dip my brush in cocoa tea and draw on the deck. Accuracy was not important; the key was to point out the direction and ideas.

"…Your Majesty, I'm afraid this method is not feasible. There have been local camel caravans traveling from Faw Port to Beirut Port for a long time. It takes at least two months to deliver the goods. Even if the cities along the way do not charge taxes, the cost is too high."

After listening to the emperor's advice, the light in Lisboa's eyes faded at a speed visible to the naked eye. Originally, he hoped to find some clever solution, but it was not as cost-effective as the Arab merchants.

The trade route connecting the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea does exist, but its development is restricted by the transportation time and quantity. Compared with large sea vessels, the scale and cost of land transportation are much higher. If time cannot be saved, it is basically meaningless for sea merchants who mainly engage in wholesale.

"Don't jump to conclusions. It does take many days for the camel caravan to deliver the goods, and there are limits on the weight of the load. But as far as I know, from the port of Fao, rowing boats can reach Qaim by sailing up the Euphrates River, a distance of more than 800 kilometers. At a speed of 90 kilometers per day, it will take about nine days to arrive.

The only part left to be transported by camel caravan is the 500km journey from Qaim to the Port of Beirut. Overall, the transportation cost is indeed more expensive than going around the Cape of Good Hope, but it takes less time and is not affected by seasons or climate, so it can be used all year round. "

Hong Tao responded to Lisboa's statement with a contemptuous smile. Since he dared to fool people with this, it must be able to withstand scrutiny. Wang Datou started collecting geographical data about the two river basins a few years ago. The customs and habits may not be clear due to the language barrier, but the rivers, mountains and landforms will never be wrong.

"We have to pass through many cities when we go upstream. Your Majesty may not know that the officials here are very greedy. The mayor of each city will collect taxes. With the taxes, not only will we not make any profit, but we will also lose money. It will be a huge loss!"

Lisboa was no fool. He had been doing business in Muscat and Faw Port for many years, and had come into contact with countless local merchants and officials. He was very familiar with the area. The method proposed by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was indeed feasible, but it was only in terms of geography. If the human factor was added, it would still be impossible to implement.

"No, no, no, you've fallen into the trap of inertial thinking. Although my army will not be stationed here permanently, we will establish new rules, one of which is about taxation.

In the future, the commercial tax here will be collected uniformly. Whether from Beirut to Faou or from Faou to Beirut, you only need to pay tax once. You may not believe it, but I think it can be done. If you have local friends who are familiar and open-minded, it is best to persuade them in advance not to sing the opposite tune on this issue, otherwise the consequences will be very serious.

If there is no problem of excessive taxation, for example, it is only a few percent more than the business tax paid in Enniao Port, do you think this is a good start and is it worth managing carefully? "

We have a transportation method, but we are worried that the tax will be too high. It doesn't matter, we can solve them one by one. Hong Tao immediately gave a solution, but it seems a bit early to say it now, which seems insincere.

"His Majesty the Emperor intends to lead his army all the way to the port of Beirut!"

But these words were like a bolt from the blue to Lisboa's ears. His dark green eyes began to focus again, staring at the slightly plump face with a faint smile, as if he wanted to reach the soul through the body.

"If it was just for Faao Port and Basra, I would not lead the army here in person. In fact, every time I lead the army in person, I will erase some things from the map and add some things.

This time is no exception. The Ottoman Empire's rule over Mesopotamia has ended. There will be new kings here in the future, or there may be several. The specific number is not the key. The key is to manage this land and people according to my rules.

In the period of great change between the old and the new, there are the most opportunities, but there are also dangers. Whether you can seize opportunities and avoid dangers depends on luck on the one hand, and courage and strength on the other. "

Hong Tao believed that Lisboa's expression was not fake. In fact, up to this point, even the Arab interpreters hired by the army in the Port of Hormuz did not think that the war would last too long.

In their habitual thinking, the Ming army came from afar just to avenge the humiliation of the Ottoman Empire, to fight and vent their anger, and then both sides would sit down and negotiate and everything would be fine.

In addition, the Ming army did not seem to be planning to escalate the war. With only a few tens of thousands of troops and the emperor leading the army in person, it looked like they were just out to fight.

But Hong Tao clearly told Lisboa in person that things were far from as simple as they imagined. There was definitely a component of grudges, but the proportion was very low, and the main thing was interests.

If he doesn't earn back the military expenses, he won't have the face to continue to be the Grand Marshal of the Navy and Army. The Ottomans probably can't afford this money, and the rest can only be paid from this land. Whoever is willing to pay is a friend and will gain the friendship of the Ming Empire. Otherwise, he will be an enemy, and only guns and death will greet him.

"..." This time Lisboa finally shut up. The amount of information was too much, and he was speeding up his brain to calculate the gains and losses desperately.

(End of this chapter)