Back to Ming Dynasty with Industrial Revolution System

Chapter 1231 Damn slave trader

"This is our employee in the east, helping our Levant company to communicate with the people in the east. You should know that the people in the east now occupy the spice islands. If we want to buy spices, communication with them is impossible. Indispensable." The employees of Levant quickly covered up their identities for Li Jinde.

When Halep's officials heard this setting, their doubts were relieved.

A low-level official said: "The hateful orientals have occupied the Spice Islands. The price of the spices we sell here has increased significantly. Many merchants who originally bought spices from the Indian Ocean and shipped them here went bankrupt, which seriously affected our Halle. Pu's prosperity!"

Another low-level official said: "Many businessmen have complained about this. I think you should let this guy pay attention and don't let them know, otherwise he will be beaten severely."

Li Jinde was startled, he did not expect that his country would offend the Ottoman Empire, a behemoth that once profited from monopolizing the trade between the East and the West, because of its monopoly of the spice trade.

"How is your Grand Vizier Tabana Yaser Pasha these days?" The employee of Levant Company asked again in order to divert the topic of low-level officials of the Ottoman Empire.

"The Grand Vizier is the Prime Minister of the Ottoman Empire." The people from Levant Company reminded Li Jinde.

Several low-ranking officials of the Ottoman Empire looked at each other, and one of them said: "Tabana Yaser Pasha has been deposed by His Majesty the Emperor, and now Bar-Ilan Pasha is the Grand Vizier. Lord Bar-Ilan's family is a king. Great family in Constantinople. His relative Murat ruled Barbary Algiers, had dozens of slave ships, and wielded enormous influence."

"It turns out that the Grand Vizier has been replaced, and I hope it won't affect our trade." The person from Levant said.

"The trade with you is the intention of His Majesty the Emperor, and the replacement of the Grand Vizier will not affect our friendship." The low-level officials of the Ottoman Empire said one after another.

Li Jinde tasted the food here a little, but he was not very happy because he could feel the hostility of the Ottoman Empire towards him.

The Kyushu Army's monopoly on the spice trade has damaged the interests of other countries to a certain extent, and Britain has also suffered damage. However, because of the commercial treaty signed by Charles I and Chu Yun, Britain can make up for it through preferential tax rates, so Britain can still cooperate with China. Maintain a smooth relationship.

The Ottoman Empire, which was the most damaged, could not make up for the loss through treaties.

In the house temporarily rented by Levant Company, Li Jinde temporarily stayed for one night.

The next day, he and the people from the Levant company visited the streets of Halep to check the business situation of the Ottoman Empire in the Levant area.

There are many stalls on both sides of the street, and merchants and customers are choosing Persian-style silk.

But what made Li Jinde feel blush was the slave trade here, where this kind of trade seemed extremely normal, just like silk.

Not only the Ottoman Empire, long before the beginning of the Age of Discovery, countless regions captured defeated enemies to sell, or plundered merchants or travelers at sea.This kind of trade is the original sin left by primitive tribes.

"There are Spaniards, North Africans, Greeks, and Mughals here. If Mr. Li wants to buy one or two servants, it is also possible. For these slaves, being bought by you is a turning point in their fate. , no longer need to be tortured by slave traders, nor be sold to some remote places as coolies." Sir Henry walked on Li Jinde's side and said to him.

Li Jinde looked at the slave trader's booth, and clearly marked the price of these slaves.These slave traders gathered on one of the main streets, and there were as many as hundreds of them.

According to Sir Henry's introduction, the Barbary pirates would plunder many merchant ships from the sea, and the rich people captured by them would be released if there was a ransom, but if there was no ransom, they would be reduced to tortured slaves.As for the poor on the merchant ship, they became slaves directly, and there was almost no possibility of being redeemed.

Marton Trop, the current Vice Admiral of the Netherlands, was captured by Barbary pirates for a year when he followed the Netherlands merchant ships to the Mediterranean for trade, before he managed to escape.

"This kind of trade is really against the moral principles of Confucianism." Li Jinde studied Confucianism and was not very interested in the blatant slave trade.

"For the Barbary pirates and some merchants engaged in private plundering, this is an industry as lucrative as spices. The Barbary pirates are very powerful, and some European sailors will even join them. Even we Britons are also affected. Their intrusion, among these slaves, there are also people from our Britain, but we have nothing to do about it, we can only turn a blind eye. And there are many pirates in our Britain, and they will also plunder other people overseas. The merchant ships of the nations of the world are used as slaves. It is a world where money comes first,” said Sir Henry.

The eyes of these slaves were distressed, and many of them had marks of whips on their bodies, and some of them were sallow and emaciated.The price also varies from high to low. Generally, the price for coolies is not much different from that of cattle and sheep.

There is a group of merchants gathered who appear to be commenting on slaves in a stall.

"Let's go over and have a look." Sir Henry took the people from the Levant Company to see what kind of slaves attracted so many crowds.

Li Jinde had no choice but to follow them.

At a slave owner's stall, there was an oriental woman with long black hair and a beautiful oriental face, so Li Jinde could tell at a glance that she was probably a woman from Huaxia.

It's just that her face is a little haggard now, her eyes are blurred, she has only a few clothes on her body, her hands are tied with iron chains, and she is being sold like a commodity.

In front of her, there was a wooden sign marked the price, which was more than ten times higher than the price of the surrounding slaves.

"It seems that the people on your side are really unlucky, and they were sold here. I don't know how much torture they have suffered." The businessmen of the Levant Company have more contacts with the Western Trading Company led by Li Jinde. He knew the appearance of Li Jinde better.

"Damn it, these slave traders should all be executed!" Li Jinde gritted his teeth.

If the slave trade he saw on this street before just made Li Jinde a little disgusted, then seeing his compatriots being caught and sold here now makes Li Jinde's scalp tingle and he is out of breath!

"Which province are you from?" Li Jinde suddenly asked the captured woman in Mandarin in the crowd.

Hearing the words of her hometown, the confused eyes of the woman whose hands were bound by iron chains became brighter, and she searched for the source of her hometown accent in the crowd.

(End of this chapter)