Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 110 Three Routes between Asia, America and Europe
"Humph!" Wei Zhongxian snorted inwardly, thinking: What's there to be secretive about? I can't see who it is. When Wei Zhongxian was young, he even sold his daughter to others as a slave to repay his gambling debts. Naturally, he didn't think there was anything wrong with buying and selling slaves.

"Ship owners, plantation owners, mine owners, arms dealers, slave traders. 'Representatives' from all walks of life are here. Is this something you specially arranged?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"My Lord Zhu, I have not made any arrangements. It should be elected by the businessmen from various industries in Macau themselves." Xu Guangqi shook his head.

After looking at them one by one, Zhu Changluo fixed his gaze on the Portuguese ship owner, Dinesh Joao. "Generally speaking, how do you do business?"

"Your Excellency. I have divided the ships under my command into two fleets. The larger one will travel back and forth between Europe and Asia. The smaller one will use Macau as the center to collect goods." Xu Guangqi translated Dinesh Joao's words word by word.

"Then what do you usually transport?" While asking, Zhu Changluo was also recalling the information related to this period of history in his mind. He always felt that something was missing in Dinesh Joao's answer.

"Your Excellency. When the large fleet sailed from Asia to Europe, it was loaded with all kinds of goods such as silk, porcelain, tea, spices, sugar, etc. But when it returned to Asia, it almost only carried silver." Dinesh Joao replied respectfully.

"Only carrying silver? That means your ship was almost empty when it returned to Southeast Asia?" Zhu Changluo nodded slightly.

"Yes. Although China's goods are in short supply in Europe, a full warehouse of goods won't necessarily equal a full warehouse of silver," Dinesh Joao said with a wry smile. "The essence of commerce is the exchange of what you have, and the goods produced in Europe are all cheap and unremarkable. They wouldn't sell in the Ming Dynasty. So it's better to empty the warehouses; that way, the cargo ship can arrive a few days sooner."

"The merchants of the Ming Dynasty only accept silver?"

"Of course gold is collected, but compared to gold, silver is easier to get." Dinesh Joao shook his head.

After a moment's contemplation, Zhu Changluo suddenly noticed a flaw in Dinesh Joao's words, so he raised his voice and asked, "As far as I know, the silver production in Europe is not very high, right?"

"Your Excellency, it is clear that the silver mines in Europe cannot meet the needs of maritime trade." Xu Guangqi's translation tone was still steady, but Dinesh Joao's hesitation showed his uneasiness on his face.

"You're lying! You foreigners hanging around in Macau operate at least three shipping routes. The first is the 'cargo route' between Asia and Europe, the second is the 'merchant-cargo route' within Asia, and as for the third, well..." Zhu Changluo paused, his eyes sharp as knives, and after a cold sneer, he said, "It's the 'silver route' between Asia and America, right?!"

"How did you know that?" Dinesh Joao was very surprised. This also made Xu Guangqi look horrified.

"Family affairs, state affairs, world affairs, is there anything I cannot know?" Zhu Changluo could not answer this question truthfully, but as the "emperor" as the center of all kinds of intelligence in the empire, he naturally possessed the privilege of "appearing and disappearing mysteriously." After all, just because his ministers did not know did not mean that the emperor could not know.

As he spoke, Zhu Changluo looked neither at Xu Guangqi nor at the other sea merchants, but instead at the distant sky. The afterglow of the setting sun shone into his pupils, adding a touch of unfathomable mystery to Zhu Changluo.

To the merchants, this "Lord Zhu" possessed a profound gaze, seemingly able to glimpse the past and the future with his eyes alone. His steady tone invigorated everyone: "You occupied Luzon Island and used it as a transit point for trading goods with Ming Dynasty merchants." Zhu Changluo gently waved his fingers in the air, as if painting a picture depicting the flourishing trade between the three continents. "On the island, you exchanged silver from the Americas for Ming Dynasty silk, porcelain, tea, and other goods. You then shipped these goods to Macau, and from there, forwarded them to Europe." Zhu Changluo was clearly describing the current situation, but his tone felt like a historical account.

"Why don't they trade directly in Macau, or start from Luzon and ship the goods directly to Europe?" Zhu Youxiao interrupted and asked.

"That's a good question. Macau is under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County, and it is, after all, a forbidden territory for the officials of Guangdong and Guangxi. If money and goods are traded in Macau, the coming and going of ships cannot be concealed at all. It takes a lot of human relationships and making connections, and that's no small matter." Zhu Changluo gave Zhu Youxiao an encouraging look.

Zhu Youxiao pondered: "Luzon is not the territory of the Ming Dynasty, there is no need to waste so much money."

"The Ming navy will not go to Luzon to 'suppress bandits'. They only need to negotiate their respective interests internally and then they can carry out maritime trade with peace of mind. Europe is not a whole, and the Atlantic countries do not exist. In the South China Sea region, Portuguese merchants and Dutch merchants each divided different trading areas. The Portuguese stronghold is in Macau." Zhu Changluo paused and swallowed the words that were about to come out: and the Dutch stronghold is in Penghu.

Two years later, in the second year of the Tianqi reign, after their failed attack on Macau, the Dutch landed and occupied Penghu. The imperial court, preoccupied with the loss of Liaodong, was unable to devote the energy and financial resources to intervening in maritime affairs in the southeast. Fujian was left to handle matters in Penghu on its own. Fujian engaged the Dutch in fits and starts, ultimately acquiescing to their occupation of Dongfan as a condition for the Dutch's voluntary withdrawal from Penghu.

The Veritable Records of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty records: "He ordered Wang Mengxiong and others to march directly to Fenggui and dismantle all of them. Thirteen barbarian ships fled towards the East. Our army set up camp at the corner to prevent their return and to discuss the aftermath."

The Dutch record states that they subsequently reached an agreement with the Chinese military generals stationed in Penghu to withdraw from Penghu and station troops in Tainan.

This incident marked the beginning of the Dutch invasion and colonial rule of Taiwan, China, which lasted forty years. During this period, the Dutch implemented various unequal policies and cruel exploitation in Taiwan, bringing great and profound suffering to the Taiwanese people.

Zhu Changluo finished speaking and turned his gaze to Xu Guangqi: "Tell these people. Tell them that the Ming court knows everything. If anyone tries to be cunning and cover up again, the court will issue a ban on him personally."

"Yes, sir." Xu Guangqi sat upright and repeated the warning of "Master Zhu" in a loud voice.

Dinesh Joao did not intend to deceive. He simply did not want to involve too much information that was irrelevant to him or might even have a negative impact on him, so he selectively stated the facts.

As Lord Zhu mentioned, European merchants did indeed open numerous shipping routes between Asia, Europe, and America. However, the "Silver Line" from America to Luzon had absolutely no substantive connection with Dinesh João.

The Potosí silver mines in America were completely occupied by the Spanish, and the "Silver Airways" were also firmly controlled by them.

But Dinesh Joao didn't explain, nor did he dare to. The Ming court couldn't control the seas, and the imperial court's maritime ban would be secretly disobeyed by officials and gentry in Zhejiang and Guangdong. But if the court specifically issued a restriction order against a particular merchant, the officials and gentry would certainly not object. At that point, his colleagues would be happy to share the court's worries and tear him to pieces.

(End of this chapter)