Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 108 "Please help us buy a boat"

"Oh, dear sir, I am so glad to see you!"

Hiss, what was the name of this tall and strong Eastern pirate leader?

As soon as Pedro boarded the "Break the Waves", he immediately smiled happily and greeted Wei Yingbin and others enthusiastically.

But the embarrassing thing is that after more than a year, I actually forgot their names and didn’t know how to address them for a while.

He looked at the Spanish compatriot opposite him, then looked at several Oriental pirates next to him, and nodded to them one by one to show his utmost sincerity.

Hey, why didn’t their supreme leader come?

Pedro looked behind them and found that the Eastern pirate leader who had negotiated the smuggling trade with him last year did not seem to appear on the deck.

Why, thinking that the trade matters between the two sides have been finalized, he put on airs and refused to come to greet me?

"Our leader isn't here. He has more important matters to attend to." Wei Yingbin said indifferently, "As for our trade cooperation, I have full authority."

"Oh, that's great!" Pedro said with a smile. "But you're a week late than we originally agreed to meet. What's going on? Are you in any trouble?"

"No." Wei Yingbin shook his head and said, "I took care of some things on the way, which delayed me a little. Mr. Pedro, did you bring enough money this time?"

"Haha, sir, you are so impatient!" Pedro was speechless when he heard this.

I have heard businessmen who have been to Manila mention that Orientals have always been very reserved in their words and deeds.

Why are these people so straightforward? They start talking about money before even saying a few words!
"I came here this time with a full 120,000 silver pesos. Did you know? To raise this money, I traveled all over America, visited dozens of potential partners, and even mortgaged many of my properties and lands to raise such a huge sum of money!"

"Mr. Pedro, you still owe us 65,000 pesos last time." Wei Yingbin's face turned cold.

"Yes, yes..." Pedro said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "Sir, you know, the goods we trade are truly unique, with distinct oriental influences. Therefore, I must sell them piecemeal through various commercial channels to avoid being discovered by the local colonial government."

"Under these circumstances, sales of goods are slow. We can't openly sell them in the market like we can in Acapulco, where we can quickly collect payment. Over the past year or so, although we've sold over 100,000 pesos worth of goods to numerous partners, most of them were on credit, and we can't collect payment for each one individually. Therefore, this is all I can raise for now...funds."

Wei Yingbin listened quietly to Harvey's translation, pondered for a long time, and did not respond.

This made Pedro feel uneasy. He worried that the other party was angry that he had not kept his business reputation and was deliberately delaying payment, thus destroying the trust that had just been established between the two parties.

"Mr. Pedro, you're putting us in a very passive position by doing this," Wei Yingbin said with a serious expression. "Over 60,000 pesos on credit is a huge sum, enough to buy two large three-masted sailing ships. Of course, this money can also hire an army of over a thousand people to launch a small-scale military operation. Tell me, how should we respond?"

“…” Pedro’s expression changed after hearing this.

What does it mean?
Threaten me with force?
Are you really going to hire an army to violently collect the debt just for these 60,000 pesos?!

The problem is, if you leave me, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find many suitable trading partners in a short time!

"We can continue to give you credit," Wei Yingbin said in a deep voice. "But you have to understand one thing: we're not a bunch of idle pirates, nor are we fools. Don't try to test our limits with your underhanded merchant tactics. Of course, you can also complete this transaction and then flee, hiding in the heart of America to evade our pursuit, or simply run back to mainland Spain and live a carefree life as a wealthy man."

"But justice may sometimes be delayed, but it will never be absent. I believe that in Europe, some people would take risks and risk their lives for a hundred pesos. If someone offered ten thousand pesos, perhaps someone would be brave enough to assassinate a king? What do you think, Mr. Pedro?"

"Sir, what you said is too sensational!" Pedro felt embarrassed and a little angry.

These Eastern pirates actually threatened me blatantly!
"Our Eastern civilization has a very philosophical line: 'A gentleman is open and honest, while a villain is always worried and concerned.' This line demands that both of us maintain proper integrity and a trustworthy reputation." Wei Yingbin smiled, looked at Pedro, who looked indignant, and said softly, "So, in our cooperation, it's best not to be too calculating, too calculating, and too petty."

"Sir..." After hearing this awkward translation, Pedro took a deep breath and said solemnly, "I think we can't let the issue of credit lead to a loss of trust between us. You may not know how difficult it is to sell these Oriental goods of unknown origin in the Americas. I can only choose some of my most trusted partners to sell these goods."

"These partners also need to choose the safest trading channels to turn their products into legal goods. This means we have to be somewhat flexible with our trading partners regarding payment repayments. However, I believe that in two to three years, as our sales channels take shape and our partners accumulate a certain amount of funds, our credit issues will be completely resolved."

"At that time, we will pay 100% of the price of your goods, and we can even advance a portion of the purchase deposit. You must understand that building a brand new business network is not something that can be achieved in a short period of time. So, gentlemen, please give me a little time. I always sincerely hope to establish a close cooperative relationship with you."

No matter what, the cooperation must continue!
In fact, ever since these Eastern pirates hijacked the "San Luis" three years ago, a shortage of Eastern goods had occurred in the markets of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, causing prices to soar and enriching the investors and traders of the other merchant ship that had returned safely. Last year, three ships bound for Manila on the Eastern trade were attacked by pirates, and the "Maria" was plundered of over half a million pesos in silver and several tons of copper—well, there's reason to believe this robbery was most likely the work of these Eastern pirates—leaving the Spanish trading fleet short of the necessary procurement funds. As a result, the amount of Eastern goods they ultimately brought back to Acapulco was far less than expected, which in turn caused prices to rise.

Last year, Pedro obtained oriental goods worth 100,000 pesos silver coins from these oriental pirates through semi-credit sales. Taking advantage of this tight market, he made an astonishing net profit of 80,000 pesos.

Although nearly half of the payments have not yet been recovered and are deposited in the hands of channel traders, these treasures legally belong to him.

It can be said that through cooperation with these Eastern pirates, he earned the wealth that he had accumulated in the past few years last year.

Such a wealthy sponsor must not be offended, let alone lost.

"Please believe me, this default on payment wasn't intentional. I simply couldn't raise enough cash," Pedro said sincerely. "I promise that next year, when we trade, I'll not only pay off the outstanding balance, but I'll also bring the necessary funds."

"Very good!" Wei Yingbin nodded and said, "Our philosophy of cooperation has always been to uphold the principle of win-win. We also hope that the cooperation period will be long-term and stable, rather than engaging in intrigue and calculation against each other, and certainly not focusing only on short-term interests while ignoring the common interests of both parties."

"I fully agree with the views expressed by you."

When Pedro heard the other party speak at such a high level, his impression of these Eastern pirates was elevated to a higher level.

Are they ordinary Eastern pirates?
"Mr. Pedro, as our close partner, while you are building trade channels and expanding trade sales, could you also purchase some much-needed supplies for us?"

"Oh, what do you need?" Pedro became interested immediately after hearing this.

As long as there is demand, you can maximize your profits by making a killing by selling them in and out!
"We need to purchase a large amount of cocoa beans. Can you provide them?"

"A lot of cocoa beans?" Pedro looked at him in surprise. "...How much do you need?"

"Sixty or seventy tons a year—er, that's about a thousand farnese."

"I'm sorry, I can't offer that much!" Pedro immediately shook his head and refused.

"Aren't you involved in the smuggling of cocoa beans? You told us before that thousands of tons of cocoa beans flow through your hands into Mexico and Europe every year. Why can't you even provide us with this amount?"

"Uh, gentlemen, please forgive me," Pedro said awkwardly. "At that time, you held me like a hostage, putting my life in extreme danger. So, to prove my worth and... my immense power, I slightly exaggerated some of the facts."

"But regardless, cocoa beans are a scarce commodity in the Americas. In some regions, they can even be used as small coins. Although Venezuela produces a large amount of cocoa beans, the supply is far from sufficient to meet the needs of the entire Americas and the vast European market. Therefore, I cannot meet your demand for quantities."

“…” Wei Yingbin was stunned after hearing this.

Cocoa beans were actually a scarce product during this period!
You know what, Pedro really wasn't trying to shirk responsibility.

At this time, the scarcity of cocoa beans is mainly due to their growing conditions and production limitations.

Cocoa trees are native to the Amazon Basin and the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The natural conditions in these areas are relatively harsh, making the cultivation and harvesting of cocoa beans more difficult.

In addition, the processing and transportation of cocoa beans also require high costs, which further pushes up its market price.

Although the Spanish carried out large-scale transplantation in Venezuela in the 17th century, which increased the production of cocoa beans, it was still a scarce commodity and was always in short supply on the market.

Especially in Spain, cocoa beans were still considered an extremely precious commodity, very expensive and used mainly by the upper classes.

“Since the large-scale purchase of cocoa beans cannot be met, we have several other needs.”

"What do you want?" Pedro looked at the other party warily.

"We need a large three-masted sailing vessel, ideally with a fully loaded displacement of over 600 tons. Of course, we don't require a newly built vessel; a second-hand vessel that's only five or six years old will also do." Wei Yingbin said seriously, "We also need some craftsmen. The materials and personnel we purchase can be used to offset the amount of goods you sell on credit."

"Mr. Pedro, I believe this is not difficult for you, right?"

(End of this chapter)