unclear

Chapter 765: Embassies and Consulates Abroad

"Your Majesty, Xu Hongzu just passed the Latin exam, only 2 points more..."

"Well, that's all. Give them a few more words of advice for me... When you are out, watch more, listen more, ask more questions, and don't be too stubborn. Protect the equipment you carry with you. If there is a risk of leakage, destroy it in advance without hesitation. Save your life, and I will personally go to the dock to welcome them back in three years."

Putting down the folder, Hong Tao rubbed the corners of his eyes, closed his eyes and rested, then thought about the overseas inspection from beginning to end again, and tried his best to summarize several details that needed attention.

Going abroad for inspection? Yes, that's what it means literally. As the official representatives of the Ming Empire, this group of 20 people will follow the Dutch merchant ship to Europe for a three-year friendly visit and inspection.

The idea was definitely from Hong Tao, but the inspiration came from Jan Pieterszohn Cohen, the director of the Indian Council of the Dutch East India Company.

After entering the palace to meet the emperor, this guy did not leave the capital immediately, but moved into Silva's house. As a Ming official and a fifth-rank doctor, Silva was eligible to rent or buy a house in the capital, which was called an official residence.

This time, the first commercial contract between the United Provinces and the Ming Empire was actually made public. Five days later, Silva wrote a letter to the Ming Emperor, dictated by Cohen, on behalf of the Dutch East India Company, agreeing to the proposal to lease Ming merchant ships and build a port based on the Cape of Good Hope supply point, and to start further negotiations.

In addition, Cohen proposed to set up an office in Guangzhou, preferably Beijing, and send staff from the East India Company's Indian branch to the office. The reason was that it would be convenient for both parties to communicate effectively and promptly in case of unexpected accidents, and avoid additional losses caused by poor communication.

"Oh, isn't this the embassy or consulate abroad?" Hong Tao's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the memorial.

Although the East India Company could not fully represent the government of the United Provinces in theory, it was not much different in reality. Since they had thought of setting up overseas offices in Ming Dynasty, why couldn't they send representatives to various European countries?
In addition to further understanding the customs, products and culture of European countries and creating conditions for possible smooth communication in the future, departments such as the Statistics Department can also be deployed to enter the heart of Europe in advance to carry out intelligence work.

When Cohen heard this condition, he did not have much resistance. In return, the representative office of the Indian branch of the Dutch East India Company was also allowed to be established in the inner city of Beijing. However, he still had to rent a house himself. Although the Ming Empire was large, the landlords did not have surplus food.

Specific business negotiations, such as the types of goods, quantities, prices, etc., were all negotiated and agreed upon by Oyani in collaboration with customs staff, Cohen and staff from the Indian branch. Hong Tao did not interfere much except for approving it.

Regarding the construction of a port at the Cape of Good Hope, the General Staff had two brief communications with Cohen and the agreement was finalized smoothly. In fact, the so-called supply point that the Dutch had at the Cape of Good Hope was only a word, and there was no real thing at all.

They negotiated a price with a local indigenous village near the sea. Every time a Dutch ship passed by and needed supplies, they would drop anchor. The indigenous people would then collect fresh water, meat, and fruit and deliver them to the seaside, and then send small boats to transport them to the large ship.

As for the price… we are all friends, so it’s too late to talk about money. The natives were satisfied with just leaving two knives, two old clothes or torn canvas. The main thing was barter, which was simple and honest. Therefore, the Ming Navy did not need to obtain authorization from the Dutch when they arrived there. They could not authorize even if they wanted to. At most, they introduced the Ming Navy to the local indigenous tribes as acquaintances, and then acted as interpreters to facilitate the successful negotiation of land use rights, either leasing or buying.

But in order to make the Dutch pay more attention, Hong Tao generously gave the East India Company the status of a partner, so that he could recommend a representative in the future to jointly participate in the management of the port.

In addition to the Ming Empire and the Dutch East India Company, there are four other seats in the port management agency of the Cape of Good Hope, namely the Kingdom of Korea, the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Luzon Special Administrative Region, and the Nguyen Dynasty of Annam.

According to the Emperor of the Ming Empire, there are many countries and forces in the vast sea area from the east coast of Africa to the Japanese archipelago. The Ming Empire not only loves peace but also advocates fairness, so it cannot arbitrarily deprive other countries of their legitimate demands to participate in commercial activities. No matter how big or small the forces are, they must have the right to vote!
Therefore, this port does not belong to any one company, but to all its members. So the East India Maritime Trade Union was established. Currently, there are only 6 members, one representative from each company, and the Union operates by free proposal and voting. Any proposal that receives more than 4 votes is considered to be passed by all members.

However, if fairness is to be achieved, the investment made by the Ming Empire in its construction should obviously not be in vain, so the representative of the Ming Empire has a veto power and becomes the first chairman of the federation, responsible for collecting and initiating proposals.

Cohen was indifferent to the so-called East India Maritime Trade Federation and was not very concerned about it. Obviously, this young man favored by Hong Tao could not escape the limitations of the times. If he could think about the long-term, he would not be so indifferent.

But Cohen was very cautious about sending official representatives to Europe, fearing that these people were going there for commercial purposes. But the Ming emperor was determined to send him, and he could not stop him. Given that the commercial contract signed by both parties was also regionally exclusive, he could only accept it.

Most of the people on the list were spies from the Gekko and Statistics Department, with a few exceptions, such as Xu Xiake and Liu Shimin. Their mission was still to travel around, do some surveying and mapping, and then send the data back twice a year via Dutch merchant ships.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Justice and the Supreme Court have been pestering me with questions these days. I wanted to refuse them, but I was afraid that it would affect Your Majesty's important affairs. After thinking it over, I had no choice but to come before Your Majesty and plead my case."

After finishing the official business of personnel dispatch, Wang An winked at Wang Chengen, and when the latter waved his hands at the eunuchs who were approaching him to signal them to stay away, he lowered his voice and spoke carefully.

"Tell me, there's no need to be so nervous. Let me hear what big thing has made you so nervous." Seeing Wang An's appearance, Hong Tao's curiosity was aroused.

If we were to ask who had the highest status in the palace, besides the emperor and the empress, it would be this old eunuch. Even if he wasn't the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, no one would dare disrespect him unless they clearly expressed their dislike for him.

As the saying goes, one should not judge by the face of the monk but by the face of the Buddha. After all, Wang An grew up with the emperor, and he risked his life and made great efforts when the emperor first ascended the throne. In four words, he is a dragon's follower. Who dares to despise him?
(End of this chapter)