unclear

Chapter 642 It’s Him Again!
"Thirty-Six Trades... I've heard of them. Are they any different from trading houses?" Cohen interrupted when he heard Captain Alfonso talking about the Thirty-Six Trades in Guangzhou.

This name is familiar. I heard it mentioned by Chinese merchants in Batavia. I originally thought it was a trading house, but Captain Alfonso seemed to think otherwise.

"This is a magical country, completely different from European countries. Their emperor has supreme power, which is greater than the power of the king and the pope. If you want to do business with them, you can never bypass the government. The Thirty-Six Trades is a private institution used by the Ming government to control maritime trade."

Captain Alfonso was indeed very nervous at first, but after this story, his emotions gradually stabilized, and he roughly guessed what the official of the Dutch East India Company wanted from him.

"If conditions permit, Captain Alfonso, are you willing to help introduce the East India Company to someone in charge of the Thirty-Six Trades? The Spaniards have been driven away and will probably never come back. As an employee of the company, I have to think more about the future."

After chatting for a long time, Cohen finally understood that this Portuguese captain had no special relationship with the Ming government, but was just familiar with a manager in the Thirty-Six Trades, and these in-demand commodities were obtained through the Thirty-Six Trades.

The Thirty-Six Trades were neither official nor private institutions, or rather, they were both official and private institutions. Their specific nature is difficult to understand just by talking about it, and one must experience them in person.

"May I ask what the conditions are?" Seeing that the other party made a direct request, Captain Alfonso stroked his beard with his hand and smiled greedily.

"...For example, Batavia's tax exemption!" Seeing this smile, Cohen also showed a professional smile on his face. Bargaining is inevitable, we are all businessmen.

"Add Ban Dan!" Captain Alfonso resolutely and decisively doubled the price.

"... must be the person who has the final say in the Thirty-Six Trades!" Cohen gritted his teeth. Even if this privilege required the Governor's review, he could only agree to it for now.

"The meeting place must be in Guangzhou. Their important figures will not easily leave their territory." Captain Alfonso did not compromise at all and continued to make demands.

"Deal!" Cohen stood up suddenly and stretched out his right hand.

"Deal... My ship will leave the port tomorrow. Please make sure your representative is on board before noon! Thank you again for your hospitality..." Alfonso then stood up and stretched out his right hand, reminding the time for the ship to leave the port again before walking out of this very simple office.

"Damn it Kameda, my reward must be doubled... No, I need a new sailing ship!"

It was not until he walked out of the Governor's Palace that Captain Alfonso dared to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. At the same time, he began to curse. The name of the target sounded a little familiar.

In fact, if you take a look around the Alfonso, you will find that he not only sounds familiar, but also looks familiar. Wang Datou appeared on the ship again, but his identity changed from a businessman to a clerk.

When he was captured by the navy in Manila, he did not follow the navy into the city after his identity was verified. Instead, he drove the sideboat bought by Captain Alfonso along the Pasig River into Lake Bay and found the Alfonso, which was hiding from the war. After getting his notebook back, Wang Datou did not leave, but negotiated a secret deal with Captain Alfonso, and then became a helmsman on the Alfonso. He first followed the Alfonso back to Guangzhou to receive the cocoa powder reward, and then went south again to Batavia and sold the goods at a good price.

During the stopover in Batavia, he used his identity as a helmsman and his knowledge of Latin to travel around almost every part of the city and port area under construction. Not only did he use a sextant to map the local area, he also got to know several Dutch sailors and port officials by treating them to drinks.

From then on, Wang Datou had the idea of ​​establishing an intelligence network in Batavia, but due to lack of manpower and lack of emperor's approval, he had to go to Beijing to meet the emperor and lay out his plan, which he obtained the emperor's permission and strong support.

With ten new members, Wang Datou could finally do something big. He first went to Guangzhou to find Zhuque, and got a batch of cocoa powder and cigars by tricking and threatening him. Then he went to Macau to meet up with Captain Alfonso and drove the Alfonso to Batavia for the second time.

Unlike the previous small-scale operation, this time he had sufficient goods and showed great momentum. Not only did he find local Dutch merchants, he also spread the news to the Chinese business community, which immediately caused quite a stir.

On the surface, this would raise the price of goods appropriately, but in reality it would attract the attention of the Dutch authorities. Wang Datou understood the emperor's intention very well, and knew that he could not make any demands on the Dutch on his own, so he planned to retreat and lure the Dutch to contact him.

When the secretary of the Governor's Palace came to invite Captain Alfonso personally, he knew that the plan was 80% successful, but the remaining 20% ​​was the most critical and uncontrollable, and it depended entirely on Captain Alfonso's free play, for which he was paid a lot of money.

As for whether Captain Alfonso would betray him, Wang Datou thought it was possible, but not very likely. This Portuguese had lived in Macau for several years and really wanted to find a Ming Dynasty wife and settle down.

There was no benefit for him to sell himself out except for some rewards from the Dutch, but the risk was great, and he would even have to stay away from Macau and Ming Dynasty from then on, which was obviously not worth the loss. Cooperating with himself was the best choice, and the reward was no less than the bounty given by the Dutch, and it was not a one-time deal.

"A new ship? Alfonso, do you think it's appropriate for a Portuguese captain to drive a Ming sailing ship? At least not now. I need the Alfonso to be a Portuguese merchant ship, the purer the better. But as a reward, I can introduce you to a big shot, which will be of great help to your future business."

When Wang Datou heard Captain Alfonso's request for a price increase, he refused without hesitation, but he was not rude and at least explained the reason. In order to try to retain this partner who was not easy to find, he also gave a way to make up for it.

"Who, the new governor?" This suggestion made Captain Alfonso forget about his new ship for a short time. Now he has become more and more familiar with and adapted to the life in the Ming Dynasty. To do business here, it is best to have some acquaintances in the government. Sometimes these people can be more useful than silver.

"He's still a long way from being a governor, but he should be more suitable for a maritime merchant. Have you heard of Manager Zhu of the Snow Flower Sugar Factory? Would you like to meet him?"

Wang Datou curled his lips, despising this profiteer who valued money over his life. He even called himself the governor, but he didn't even look at his own character. A second-rank official in the imperial court could not be known by anyone.

(End of this chapter)