Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 40 People are stupid and have more money
Shibi usually didn't talk to Miguel very much. When he heard that this batch of goods could be sold for 3000 taels of silver, he couldn't help but said, "Is this true? Deerskin is so valuable in Japan?"

Miguel said: "Of course, Nagasaki imports a lot of deer skins from Siam and Dongpan every year. As far as I know, the Dutch's main business in Dongpan is raw silk and deerskin."

Lin Hai knew that what he said was right. The Netherlands had only occupied a large position last year. The sugar trade that would become popular in the future had not yet developed, and there was no way to talk about a poll tax.At present, the two major financial pillars of the Taiwanese authorities are raw silk and deerskin. Raw silk is mainly supplied by Xu Xinsu of Li Dan Group from Xiamen, and deerskin is supplied by Tainan indigenous people.

He then added: "Miguel is right. The Japanese country has been fighting for more than 100 years. Although the world is peaceful now, there are still a lot of idle warriors. Deerskin scabbards are popular among warriors. In addition, the Japanese people also love deer very much. Leather product."

Shi Bi laughed loudly and said: "Sister-in-law, I have convinced you today. I heard you say that business in Dongfan is easy to do, but I didn't quite believe it. These natives are really stupid!"

Lin Hai said modestly: "This is nothing, it is also our good luck. A storm blew us here. This is located in the southeast corner of Dongfan Island. If it were to the west or north of Dongfan, business would not be so good. Done."

Shibi wondered: "Why is this? Are the natives here the most stupid?"

Lin Haidao: "It's not so much the stupidest, but the least knowledgeable. The natives here have never done business with outsiders."

Of course he wasn't just talking nonsense. In fact, he was targeting the current place with the Renzi needle, the Taitung area in southeastern Taiwan.Taiwan is a mountainous island. The central mountain range that runs from north to south separates the east and west. The habitable plain areas are mainly along the western coast.

Because of its proximity to the mainland, Taiwan's western coast had close trade relations with Fujian as early as the Song and Yuan Dynasties.As the Sino-Japanese trade route shifted from Zhejiang to Fujian, and the Spanish colonized the Philippines, the hilly areas in northern Taiwan gradually became an important stop on the East Asian trade route half a century ago.

So in this era, the most isolated area in Taiwan is in the east.However, the eastern coastline is mainly occupied by the northern section of the Central Mountains and the East Coast Mountains. Only three places are plain areas. From south to north are the later Taitung County, Hualien County and Yilan County.

The current location of the Bowang is in Taitung, where the indigenous people are the Amis.In later generations, Taiwan's indigenous people were roughly divided into the Gaoshan tribe and the Pingpu tribe. As the name suggests, the Gaoshan tribe lived in the mountains, while the Pingpu tribe lived in the plains.

The Amis are classified as the Gaoshan tribe, but in fact most of the Amis probably lived on the plains in the late Ming Dynasty. Their territory extended from Taitung to near Hualien, and there was an extremely long and narrow plain between the two places. The Taitung Rift Valley Plain is located between the Central Mountains and the East Coast Mountains.

Obviously, the population that the plains can support is much larger than that of the mountainous areas. Most Ami people should live in Taitung County and the Taitung Rift Valley Plain.But in any case, the Amis are indeed much more isolated than other plain peoples. In this regard, they are indeed closer to the mountain people, even though they occupy a coastal plain.

When Shibi heard what Lin Hai said, he quickly said: "In that case, why don't we stay here for a little longer? Listen to what you mean, the natives elsewhere are not so stupid."

Lin Hai shook his head: "Tomorrow we will trade with the natives for another day, and send someone to the island to pick up some fresh water. We will set off to the north tomorrow night."

Shibi asked curiously: "Why is this? Such good business is hard to find even with a lantern in the world."

"If this business can last for a long time, why don't I want to postpone it for a few days? It's a pity that there is such a good thing in the world? As I expected, the natives here don't have much deerskin left, and there are still a lot of goods on the ship. , but not many are sold here.”

Lin Hai vetoed Shi Bi's proposal, but he still understood the truth that profit would not last long.Obviously, because the Ami people have no trade relations with outside the island, all goods are extremely scarce for them, so they directly emptied their wealth.Moreover, this abnormally high profit rate can no longer be achieved. Within a few years, even if he comes to Taitung again, it will not be able to reach such a high level again, unless Lin Hai's caravan goes deep into the interior to trade with a more closed group of people. .

What's more, Lin Hai really has no time.Due to a delay due to a storm, it was already the end of April when we arrived in Dongfan.The Bowang must reach Pi Island within two months, where there is still a big business waiting to be done. During this period, he has to go to Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and must not delay too long in Dongfan.

Shibi muttered: "In that case, let's check again tomorrow. If the natives here still have a lot of deer skins, there is no harm in staying here for a few more days."

Miguel narrowed his eyes on the side. He believed that Lin Hai was right.Although this Ming Dynasty businessman is arrogant, he does not seem to be a hot-headed person.

As a captain with rich business experience, he himself was dazzled by the sixty-fold profit margin, but Lin Hai could quickly make such a calm analysis, which has to be admired.

The next day, everything was as Lin Hai said.Thousands of natives flocked to the Bowang in the early morning, but in the afternoon they began to gradually become sparse, and by the time the sun went down they were deserted.It was obvious that almost all the village communities in this area were mobilized, and a day and a half of trading had emptied the wealth of the indigenous people in the entire Taitung area.

Lin Hai knew that this was a one-shot deal and resolutely displayed his capitalist nature. The trading profits on this day were frighteningly high.The original purchase price of the goods was more than 100 taels, but the deer skins and other items exchanged were worth more than 1 taels. Of course, this was the price in the Nagasaki market, and it was not worth so much money in the Ming Dynasty.

The old man who recognized the landmarks in Taitung almost went crazy. He passed through this sea area many times, and every time he recognized the landmarks and continued on his way. Why didn't he think of bringing some gadgets to trade with the locals? What about two?He had done this a long time ago, and now he is still a woolen gang leader, and he has gone home to entertain his grandchildren.

That evening, the Bowang sailed north along the east coast mountains and arrived in Hualien after an overnight voyage.The indigenous people here are the Sakilaya tribe, and their trading experience is obviously much richer than that of the Amis.

The Bowang was discovered by local fishermen as soon as it docked. They paddled their canoes directly to the Bowang and asked for a deal.But Lin Hai refused to accept the fish they caught and showed them a deerskin.

The fishermen immediately understood what he meant and quickly sent people back to the village to report the news.But what they brought to trade was not only deerskin, but also gold dust filled with deerskin pockets.

It was another good harvest day, and the Bowang made a lot of money.Shibi grinned at Lin Hai and said, "You are wrong. The natives here are also stupid, but they are rich. You said that you could find gold in the river in Dongpan. Could it be here?"

Lin Hai smiled and said nothing. In fact, he was not talking about this place. To be honest, he really didn't know that Hualien was the gold producing area in Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty.

Almost at the same time that Shibi was saying that the Hualien people were stupid and had too much money, a Sakilaya boy was saying to his grandmother: "Grandma, these outsiders are so stupid! They drive big boats and travel so far just to get the golden sand. This thing can’t be eaten or worn, so what’s the use?”

The old grandmother touched the boy's head kindly and sighed: "Yes, they are so stupid! How can they be as smart as my good grandson?"

　The sixth update is completed. The chapters after 0 o'clock tonight have been updated in advance. There are two chapters after 0 o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)