Emperor Ming Dynasty

Brunei is a small country with only 10 people.

When the Ming army came in person, they immediately respected and heard about it.

The mission stayed for most of the day, just replenishing some fruits and drinks.

The harshness of Borneo is beyond imagination.

There are towering trees everywhere, insects and snakes are densely covered, and you will be caught if you are not careful, and the humidity is even worse in Luzon.

However, for the Huang family, they are a little more concerned.

Although this group of people stayed in Brunei, they were equivalent to the princes of a locality. They wore improved Han robes and spoke a tongue-twisting language: a combination of Fujian dialect and local dialect.

However, roughly speaking, the Han people in Brunei formed their own system. Their language, characters, clothing, customs, and surnames were almost the same as those of Ming Dynasty.

There are about 6 or [-] of them in total, and they all obey Huang's leadership and regard him as the general soldier.

At the same time, the seas that have gone south over the years have also settled down here, which has allowed the population to continue to grow, and the number of thousands of people has increased by nearly ten times.

Thinking about it, Dong Ren knew that it was not up to him to decide, so he wrote a letter and took it away when the escorting navy ships returned.

When we arrived near the Strait of Malacca, we encountered a large number of Dutch merchant ships, and they were intensively coming and going.

At this time, the Dutch East India Company was still a private company, mainly controlling Java, the East Indies, and the Spice Islands.

The Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra in the Strait of Malacca established the Kingdom of Johor and the Kingdom of Aceh respectively.

Borneo has only established commercial points in the south, and has not developed colonies.

This is not because the Dutch are soft-hearted, but because the island of Java is too big, the land is fertile, and it supports millions of people. The Dutch East India Company was really supported.

Several sultanates still exist on the island.

It was not until the nineteenth century that the two sides of the Strait of Malacca were colonized by the British.

After all, the number of people in the Netherlands is too small. Although the sea coachmen are mighty, their national strength cannot support them. At this time, the Dutch East India Company has almost reached its peak.

"Would you like to go to Batavia in Java?"

In the cabin, Minister Dong Ren, Counselor Fan Zheng, and Military Attaché Han Mi sat around, discussing where to go.

There is no doubt that the Dutch East India Company at this time had a strong strength, with more than 150 merchant ships, forty warships, and tens of thousands of troops.

From Japan in the east to Siam, Bengal, India, Persia, the Cape of Good Hope in the west, and the east coast of Africa, there are commercial bases.

Even Portugal, the pioneer of Asian trade, was expelled and suffered greatly.

It is already well known that these things have been spread among the ambassadors in Beijing.

Even the Dutch ambassador to the capital was appointed by the Dutch East India Company.

In the eyes of Ming people, this is simply sensational, but it has to be the truth.

That's why Daming and the Netherlands quickly reconciled, and they have no grudges about Taiwan.

As long as you can make money and do business, what is a little land?
"Go!" Fan Zheng said in a deep voice: "As far as I know, we traveled tens of thousands of miles all the way to Europe. Although we found the captain, we asked the Dutch for supplies along the way."

"It is also necessary to make a good deal in advance."

Han Mi nodded, feeling reasonable.

Dong Ren also nodded slightly: "The Dutch have known our whereabouts for a long time. It is impossible to conceal them, so we can only make friends."

In essence, the emperor had entrusted him with a trip to Batavia.

Immediately, three ships arrived in Batavia.

Batavia is the center of the route opened by the Dutch, and a large number of spices, pepper, amber, linen, cotton, tin, and lead from the East, and Chinese silk, pottery, and porcelain are gathered here.

It is then shipped to Europe.

To put it simply, the Dutch East India Company is actually equivalent to a second-hand dealer, importing far more than exporting.

Its customers are naturally Spain and Portugal, which mined gold and silver from the New World, and France, which dominates Europe.

The Dutch started on the shoulders of the Spaniards.

At the same time, the Spaniards had too much gold and silver, and the demand was strong, which gave birth to the textile industry and handicraft industry in France and the United Kingdom, promoted the capital development of the United Kingdom, and indirectly led to the British Revolution.

Caught in Batavia, its prosperity is dizzying.

The exotic style is really unaccustomed.

The fusion of East and West in Taiwan can only be regarded as pediatrics.

At the same time, Batavia immediately became noisy because of the arrival of a group of legendary envoys from the Ming Dynasty.

The narrow pier was full of dense crowds, they were staring at Mingren in different costumes, the curiosity and surprise in their eyes couldn't be stopped no matter what.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Batavia."

The governor of Batavia made a welcome gesture with joy on his face, and his plump body looked quite interesting.

Although there is a general translator, Dong Ren can feel his enthusiasm: "This is my honor."

A group of people boarded the open carriage and felt the difference of the Dutch carriage.

Even though the Governor's Mansion is exotic, the luxury is overwhelming.

The polished floor, the rows of maids, the long table covered with white tablecloths, and the huge gemstone ring on the finger were simply impossible to ignore.

Not to mention, the colorful clothes, just the dyes are expensive.

"Please have tea."

the governor said kindly.

The black tea from Fujian was served, and it was a pleasant surprise that it was so fragrant.

The meals on the table were even more unexpected. They were stir-fried dishes that were popular in Ming Dynasty.

A few pairs of chopsticks seem to be made of ivory, which looks extravagant.

The Dutchmen, on the other hand, carried plates, eating baked apples, baked bananas, a plate of fish made from ginger, chili, cinnamon, etc., and soft bread sprinkled with sugar.

What kind of grilled wild boar, mutton, etc. are also placed on the table.

Although eating and sleeping are silent, Dong Ren wants to break it.

At the same time, the Dutch do not want to abide by such rules.

Dong Ren picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks. The sauce was prepared with various spices. The taste was extraordinary and weird. After two bites, he said:
"Your Excellency, I would like to buy a piece of land."

In an instant, all movement disappeared.

The governor squinted his eyes with strange eyes: "With all due respect, it is said that your Ming Dynasty has an extremely vast territory. Do you still want to see our colony?"

"A small area."

Recalling the emperor's entrustment, Dong Ren gritted his teeth and said, "The Jaffna area of ​​Ceylon (Sri Lanka)."

"Our country needs a stronghold in India."

"Jaffna?" the Governor was puzzled.

He turned his head and discussed with several Indian commissioners (six people in charge of Asian affairs), and finally learned that this place is in the north of Ceylon.

Just looking across the Indian Peninsula, the narrowest point is only tens of miles away.

Of course, a few years ago, this place belonged to Portugal, but now it was taken by the Dutch East India Company, and it is not going to be returned to the Kandy Dynasty (the country of Ceylon).

Portugal's coastal colonial strongholds in India were almost completely annexed by the Netherlands, with only a few such as Goa remaining.

The Netherlands controlled most of India's coastal strongholds, as well as the spice trade.

Therefore, Jaffna is not important to Indian trade.

At the same time, the most prosperous Ceylon is Colombo in the southwest, which is an important node in the Indian Ocean.

Therefore, this place is really tasteless to the Dutch.

Several people avoided discussing, leaving Dong Ren and others to eat.

"Gentlemen, will this affect the company's trade in India?"

asked the governor, looking up.

"Hell, silk and porcelain from the East, as well as spices from the Governor's Mansion in Batavia, account for [-]% of the company's profits, and India, Persia, Siam and other places account for less than [-]%."

A well-dressed member said bluntly: "Even if we lose the whole of India, we cannot lose the trade with Ming."

"If I remember correctly, Mingren's ship weighs at least [-] tons, and there are hundreds of gunmen under his command, which is enough for them to go to India to grab a stronghold."

A member of the big belly said: "Even if we don't sell it, they can find a stronghold, it just takes more time."

"No, we cannot sell Jaffna."

At this time, another committee member raised his head and said, "Exchange, we want to exchange."

"If you can monopolize Daming's porcelain trade, gentlemen, this will double the company's profits and double the dividends."

"A mere Jaffna is no longer worth mentioning."

"Ming people won't agree?"

"The Indian Ocean is the territory of our Netherlands. If they don't agree, Ming people's ships will never reach India."

"No, sir." The Governor hurriedly said, "If the Ming people's request is stopped, there will be twists and turns in the trade with the East, and the loss will be even greater at that time."

"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a sensitive and irritable person, we can't try it lightly."

"Well, exchange is the best option, and the second is to sell it at a good price."

The members shuddered. If the Dutch 17-member meeting knew that it had affected the dividends, they would never forgive themselves.

After a consensus was reached, the governor came out.

"We need special trading rights for porcelain."

The governor said earnestly: "We will give you a fair price for Ming porcelain."

"What are special trading rights?"

"It is to monopolize the porcelain of Ming Dynasty."

"No." Dong Ren hurriedly shook his head, and said coldly, "Forgive me for not agreeing, the imperial court will never allow it."

"If you really don't want to, then forget it."

Hearing this, the governor became anxious.

Now it's a seller's market, Daming is the only one, he really didn't dare to offend, he hurriedly said: "Since you don't want to, then spend money to buy it!"

"One hundred thousand guilders, Jaffna is yours."

Dong Ren frowned and began to calculate carefully.

At this time, in order to facilitate trade, the Ming Customs established an exchange ratio.

After all, the imperial court does not allow the inflow of overseas currency, and it is natural to convert it into silver dollars in proportion to collect taxes.

A silver dollar can be exchanged for one Spanish real and one-sixth of a Spanish real.

At the same time, a silver dollar is a quarter of a British pound (gold coin).

A silver dollar is two and a half guilders.

It is naturally seen as the silver content.

Varies with the silver content of the currency.

One hundred thousand guilders, that is 4 silver dollars.

After this figure appeared in his mind, Dong Ren flatly refused: "The price is too high, I can only give [-] Dutch guilders."

"No, it's too low."

The governor jumped up in fright, good guy, how much less money is this?
Even if the land is worthless, the old artillery and dilapidated houses on it were all taken from Portugal, so they can't be sold cheap.

Dong Ren calmly said, "Rum wine (rum), do you know?"

"You mean Taiwan House Sweet Wine?"

The Governor was pleasantly surprised.

The Dutch, and even the whole of Europe, look down on Ming Dynasty drinks and are not used to drinking them.

However, the sweet wine that appeared in Taiwan last year immediately captured the hearts of sailors. It is not only cheap, but also tastes good and lasts for a long time. It is really a good wine for long-distance voyages.

The Dutch East India Company, which has hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of employees, is in great demand for this.

In a short time, it became a necessity.

The key is also cheap.

A barrel of rum, twenty catties, the price is only three silver dollars, which can be said to be extremely cheap, and it can save lives in the age of long voyages.

"That's right." Dong Ren said seriously: "The supply of this kind of sweet wine is in short supply. His Majesty the Emperor is willing to give a share of [-] barrels every year."

"Not enough, at least 100 million barrels."

The governor thought of the natives of Siam, India, Johor Kingdom, etc., and they are also used to drinking. This is a huge market.

Batavia alone has tens of thousands of people, which is a staggering market.

"15."

"90 million—"

……

In the end, the two parties made a deal with [-]% of the total amount of sweet wine each year.

After Taiwan's sweet wine is released, as long as it is sailing ships, it will buy a few barrels, and some people even sell it to the mainland.

Therefore, even if the production is increased, the supply is in short supply.

After all, bagasse winemaking also requires a huge supply of sugarcane and a lot of manpower to make wine.

In the end, even wooden barrels were not available, and hundreds of wooden barrel and bamboo barrel workshops were born.

Iron yards, lumber yards, cork yards, etc. spring up like bamboo shoots,
Last year's sweet wine production was 20 barrels, which was the limit.

This year's expansion will only reach 50 barrels.

Both parties rejoiced.

"This?" Fan Zheng was puzzled.

"Your Majesty's meaning." Dong Ren didn't say much.

The latter is silent.

The next day, Dong Ren and others, accompanied by two Dutch merchant ships, crossed the Strait of Malacca and arrived in Myanmar with the title deed and transaction certificate.

Logically speaking, Myanmar is a number of countries, and the ambassador is sent, and he, the minister, is not allowed to announce the decree or something.

But it happened to pass through Myanmar, so with a mission, the group went ashore in Xinjing, the capital of the country.

At this time, King Sun Ke was very old and his ambition was low. When he heard that the imperial envoy from the Ming Dynasty was coming, he was shocked: "Isn't it already canonized?"

However, he gave face and greeted him in person, with a patriotic attitude on his face.

Dong Ren didn't say much, he only talked about trade matters, and then looked at the palace and so on, which was in line with the etiquette.

As for the words and etiquette, there is no barbarism.

"The imperial court will set up ambassadors and send envoys to Xinjing, and your country will also send envoys to Beijing to communicate with each other permanently..."

After talking about the envoy and entrusting him to build the embassy, ​​Dong Ren left.

After another ten days of trekking, we arrived in Ceylon at noon, and then transferred to Jaffna in the north.

A wooden castle, a small port, the end is simple.

Dong Ren was here, unloading Prince Zhu's family and announcing the change of ownership on the spot.

He directly proclaimed the decree, and named Zhu Ci the king of Ceylon, the commander of Ceylon, and guarding Ceylon and other matters.

Others had only a half-knowledge, and thought it was a side branch king of the clan, after all, the old Zhu's clan had too many clans.

Han Mi and Fan Zheng didn't know the inside story, so they had a half-knowledge, but they didn't ask any more questions and directly executed it.

"You guys get on the boat first!" Dong Ren said.

A group of people left first, leaving only a hundred or so members of Prince Zhu's family.

Surprisingly, the dozens of servants serving in their family were also sent here, but they just stayed on the ground floor, living in hammocks, and several of them died of illness.

Dong Ren looked at the former prince, his temples were gray, and he was overly anxious.

"Here is your fief."

Dong Ren said in a deep voice: "Remember, don't reveal your identity or anything, you are the county king to the outside world."

As he spoke, he pointed to the food, clothing, two boxes of silver coins, a hundred muskets, and barrels of gunpowder on the ground:
"These are also a little bit of the emperor's intentions, which is enough for you to live in peace."

In the end, he handed over the two edicts to the incredible Zhu Ci, and then took out the title deed and transaction certificate from his pocket.

After taking a deep look at the family, he turned and left.

Zhu Ci grabbed the title deed and the imperial decree, turned his head, and fell in love with his family.

The eyes of this group of men, women and children who have been in the cabin for several months are full of confusion and relief.

He stamped his feet, and the soft sand was real.

"Pick up the muskets."

Zhu Cilang said in a deep voice: "From today onwards, we are the masters of this land."

"The survival of the family can only depend on the gun in hand."