The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 58 Spanish Partner (Please vote for me, please collect it, please support me from enthusiastic readers.)

After some twists and turns, Spanish businessman Gavi Torres brought two fully loaded Spanish galleons and moved them from Surabaya Port to Huangjia Private Port not far away.

Yes, the Huang family has its own private port.

The Surabaya coast in the fjord has many bays and headlands along the coastline of more than 170 kilometers, which can be used as excellent ports.

In addition to the oldest Surabaya Port, there are also some scattered fishing villages and private ports. Huangjiagang is located in a small promontory bay only 7.1 kilometers away from Surabaya Port.

Huangjiagang built a wooden trestle about 47.5 meters long with a water depth of 3.6 meters. Sailboats that can dock less than 300 tons are often used to transport their own goods, minerals, and sell piglets and tobacco. This is the heritage of the traditional Chinese families in Surabaya City.

The conditions of the bay here are far inferior to those of Surabaya Port, but it is enough for the Huang family’s own use.

The two Spanish galleons brought by Garvey Torres were merchant ships of more than 500 tons. One was anchored in the bay, and the other took advantage of the tide to dock on the wooden pier.

This time, the water depth of the wooden trestle in Huangjiagang is only 3.6 meters, but at high tide, the water level can be raised by 1.2 meters, which is enough to allow a sailboat of nearly a thousand tons to approach the pier.

But this is risky, and most of the cargo in the sailboat must be unloaded before low tide.

Fortunately, the Nanyang Company had no shortage of manpower, mules, horses and carts. More than 500 new recruits who had just entered the camp for training were directly brought over, and unloading began in full swing.

Standing on the shore of the pier

Garvey Torres wore a gorgeous Spanish costume, a hat with beautiful feathers on his head, and 6 different gemstone rings on both hands, giving off a strong sense of richness.

He stood there with his chest high and his belly high, like a proud Spanish cock.

Standing next to him were two relatively calm middle-aged Spanish businessmen, wearing elegant white silk lace shirts and velvet embroidered gold coats, with reserved smiles on their faces.

"Dear Feng, this is my uncle Cervantes-Torres. He is the manager of our family's overseas trade. He is an adventurer full of courage and wisdom."

"It is a great honor to meet you Mr. Cervantes. Please allow me to extend a warm welcome to you. I hope to form a close cooperative relationship based on the common interests of both parties."

"Thank you. I also hope to cooperate in the future."

"Dear Feng, don't forget that there is another person. He is Mr. Igor Casillas Fernandez, who has a long-term and close cooperative relationship with our Torres family. He comes from the powerful Fernandez family. His family is in There were significant investments in the Mexican silver mines and the Cuban sugar plantations.”

"Oh... welcome, Mr. Fernandez, I can guarantee that you will never regret this trip. I hope this is the beginning of our successful cooperation and will continue."

Feng Guohui communicated with the other party in fluent English and acted neither humble nor overbearing. This surprised the two Spanish businessmen and their expressions became serious.

The fact that Spanish merchants were able to arrive in Surabaya with two large sailing ships loaded with cargo was not all based on Garvey Torres's words. That is too unreliable.

these days

They were also inquiring about the Nanyang Company through their own news channels, especially after opening up a new trade route in the south, and brought back nearly a hundred mules, horses and carts of goods.

It is said to contain an astonishing amount of spices.

It only takes three to four days to sail from the Luzon Islands to the Port of Surabaya. After receiving the exact news, these Spanish businessmen could no longer sit still, so they came in a hurry.

Whether Garvey-Torres sold off the properties he purchased in Batavia and Bandung is not the focus of the issue.

The crux of the matter is;

Whether the Spanish brought enough funds for the transaction and whether they brought important goods needed by Feng Guohui, including weapons, large quantities of daily products, cement and steam engines.

Judging from the cargo unloaded by the Spanish galleon, Feng Guohui was quite satisfied with this.

The Spanish colonists in the mid-19th century still retained the heritage of being a second-rate colonial power in the world. They owned large colonies in the Luzon Islands, East Africa, Mexico, Cuba, and South America. Every year, silver-carrying galleons from Mexico would arrive on time in the Luzon Islands. There are at least 2 to 3 ships.

Each of the silver-carrying galleons would carry up to three to four hundred tons of high-quality silver ingots, which would be processed and minted into silver coins for circulation in the Luzon Islands. There is no doubt about their purchasing power.

After chatting for a while

"Hey, man, these two are reliable partners I brought. But you can't leave me and work alone, otherwise I will be angry." Garvey Torres may have felt threatened at this time, clenching his fists and staring closely Feng Guohui said.

Feng Guohui smiled after hearing this, spread his hands and said, "Dear Mr. Garvey, and the distinguished Mr. Cervantes, and Mr. Igor, we are discussing a big business now, aren't we?

This business is so big that no one of us can handle it alone.

Only close cooperation with a high degree of trust can allow us to continue this good business with huge wealth prospects and earn us a mountain of wealth.

Being in it, every one of our collaborators will achieve the desired success.

Working hard to promote this business is in line with the fundamental interests of our partners, which is why we are here.

I firmly believe

Due to the unity of interests, all kinds of differences will be eliminated, allowing us to continue doing business for a long time. "

"That's great, dear Mr. Feng. I am now full of expectations for the next step of cooperation." Mr. Igor Casillas Fernandez, who had not spoken for a long time, retained a reserved smile on his face. When he saw General Feng Guohui, Turning his eyes, he continued;

"But before all this, can we take a look at the cargo? That wonderful spice that is said to produce great wealth."

"No problem, please get on the carriage." Feng Guohui agreed simply.

Isn’t it because you are hoarding so many spices that you are preparing to resell them at a high price?

Let him eat by himself, he will never be able to finish it in his lifetime.

The craze of labor was surging on the Huangjiagang pier. Mules, horses and carts were loaded with goods one after another, heading towards the Huang family's old house in the south of the city.

All the Nanyang Company's more than 700 manpower in Surabaya City were dispatched. In just four or five hours, the fully loaded Spanish sailing cargo ship was unloaded.

Even if the tide recedes, there is no need to worry about being stranded.

Unloading is still in full swing and will last until the evening before the ship is almost completely unloaded.

Another Spanish galleon anchored in the bay was armed with one hundred thirty or forty people, most of whom were soldiers wearing Spanish helmets, and there were more than seven deck guns.

Although covered with canvas, its outline has exposed traces, which far exceeds the level of force of an ordinary cargo ship.

Seeing this made Feng Guohui feel a lot more at ease.

For such a big battle, the Spanish galleon was first loaded with expensive items, such as silver ingots or coins, as well as large quantities of arms, steam engines and other sensitive materials.

Secondly, if the transaction is completed, the spices worth tens of millions will also need sufficient armed guards.

It's smuggling secretly. If the Dutch are to investigate, they will tear off the skin and fight hard. Anyway, the goods must not be lost, and no one can afford to pay so much money.

The Dutch were experienced in sea navigation, and the Spanish were not bad either.

Even if it is encircled and suppressed by Dutch warships, the Spanish galleons with strong self-defense firepower are confident enough to break through the encirclement.

In the age of sailing battleships

The possibility of two or three Dutch warships trying to sink a large sailing ship with artillery was extremely slim. Especially at this time, the Spanish sailing ship had no intention of fighting, and only wanted to escape. Several Dutch warships had no chance of engaging in a broadside gunfire.

If he escapes to the waters of the Luzon Islands, it is still unclear who will actually die.

The Huang family mansion in the south of the city

Now it is called the Feng Family Mansion. Feng Guohui happily moved in with dozens of his subordinates and more than a dozen family members two days ago. The plaque on the door has been changed.

Feng Guohui still remembers it;

When he took out the land deed documents and other items of the Huang family's mansion, none of the leading figures in the Chinese community, including Qiao Yunnan, Hu Zhenlei, and Lin Zongyi, had a good look on their faces. They all looked dark and silent.

"Wanting people to be poor but not seeing good people" is a dark human nature. How can these superior leaders of the Chinese ethnic group be exempt from this?

Most of these Chinese families in Surabaya City are engaged in business. They have the "selfish and profit-seeking" businessman gene in their nature, but they usually hide it better.

After discovering that his interests had been robbed and that Nanyang Company had risen through a crude and simple method, the five-flavor bottle in his heart was overturned and he couldn't bear the sourness.

Before Qiao Yunnan waved his hands and left, he only left one sentence: "Brother Guohui, your house deeds and land deeds still need to go through a transfer procedure and pay the deed tax. This is beyond our ability. , we can only wait until Mr. Link comes back."

The implication is obvious

Don't be too happy too early. If you don't get recognition from the Dutch, everything will be in vain.

Do you think you can transfer the property smoothly after getting the property deed?

How can anything be so easy in the world?

If Mr. Link is not fed, the originally logical transfer procedures and deed tax payment will become an insurmountable mountain, subject to all kinds of difficulties and suppression.

If you want to attribute these properties to your own name reasonably and legally, do you have to see the consent of the Dutch colonists?

Feng Guohui pretended to be stupid at that time and retorted with a look of disdain: "What's going on? Brother Qiao, I already have the deed of the house in my hand. I will pay the deed tax. How can he not let me transfer the property?" "

As soon as this was said, several people present laughed.

Hu Zhenlei said earnestly; "Brother Feng, you still don't understand Mr. Link? It doesn't matter whether you have obtained the property title or not. What is important is whether Mr. Link is satisfied with you or not? He is the real person in Sishui City." It’s about people.”

"Damn, I believe in Jesus too. The red ghost guy is blocking my way of making money. Do you believe me or not? I will sue him?" Feng Guohui looked unconvinced.

His words made everyone present laugh very happily, as if they had foreseen how Feng Guohui would collapse in front of Mr. Link.

Only Feng Guohui was secretly happy;

As long as you are happy, just think that I am coaxing you bad old men to play.

The red ghost guy is amazing, right?

Although I believe in Jesus, don’t forget that I also came from a rebellious background. When pressed, I will deliver you to see God. Jesus will always make sense, right?

In fact, Feng Guohui's belief in Jesus was just a lip service. He never went to the church for mass or service, and he didn't even donate a hair.

The priest of the church in Surabaya City went to solicit donations and came back and was so angry that he cursed loudly;

"Feng Guohui is a miser, but I don't believe that he is a devout believer. He doesn't even donate a single fortune to the church. On the surface, he is pouring out all kinds of bitterness, and it is not easy for someone to eat chaff. Only those who really believe in him are evil."

People in Nanyang Company laughed like crazy when they heard this. The Holy Army of the Kingdom of Heaven believes in Jesus is just a slogan, do you take it seriously?

To be honest, no one can figure out who Jesus is. Is there anyone with the surname Jesus?

Feng Guohui arrived at the Feng family mansion with several distinguished guests. After getting off the carriage, several Spaniards were full of praise for the mansion, and they were even more impressed.

The reason is simple, strength.

Hundreds of men were busy transporting goods into the mansion. The mules, horses and carts took the side roads and could transport the goods all the way to the warehouse deep in the mansion.

At the main entrance of the mansion

It is a traditional Chinese style with cornices and brackets, stone lions and boulders, and each iron-clad door is inlaid with 81 huge copper nails. There are five stone-paved steps leading up to the house, which are neat and grand.

Upon entering the mansion, there is a screen wall with carved patterns of two dragons playing in the water, which looks lifelike.

Turning around the screen wall is the huge front yard. There are several lush trees on both sides of the yard. When spread out, they shade the sun and make the yard look cool and breezy.

Feng Guohui didn't waste any more words, and took them all the way to the backyard, stopping only in front of a quiet warehouse.

"Dear gentlemen, now is the time to witness the strength of Nanyang Company. I will fulfill my promise to you, and everything you see will become the basis for our close cooperation."

Feng Guohui raised his chin with a reserved expression, and his men unlocked the warehouse door and then quietly retreated.

At this time, the Spanish businessmen no longer had the pride they had earlier, and walked into the warehouse with expectant expressions. They could no longer suppress the excitement in their hearts at this moment, and soon they became in high spirits.

In the warehouse

Neatly stacked sacks are piled high one after another, and various spices are placed in categories. All have large nameplates and grades.

The same meat bandits have different levels, so the prices are naturally different.

Entering the warehouse, the rich smell of spices hit your nostrils, which made even the Spaniards intoxicated.

After checking dozens of sacks of spices, Mr. Igor Casillas Fernandez, whom he had met for a short time, couldn't help but warmly hugged Feng Guohui, patted him on the back hard and said;

"Oh God, I can't believe what I'm seeing. You've created a miracle. Dear Feng, what we see in front of us is not spices, but a huge mountain of gold. We are getting rich, every one of us is getting rich." "

The Spaniards in southern Europe are passionate and unrestrained in their nature. Feng Guohui has won their recognition with his strength. The foundation of this kind of cooperation is very solid.

Common interests bring everyone together. Unless there are differences of interest, no one can shake such close cooperation.

While waiting for Gavi Torres, based on the consideration of not putting all eggs in one basket.

In fact, Feng Guohui also contacted McGeeley & Co. and Murphy Trading Company in the UK, but he was not satisfied with the situation of the contacts, so he could not tell the whole story about the smuggling of spice trade.

They just used the excuse of daily necessities trade to do something perfunctory.

To be honest, Feng Guohui cannot trust the British.

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are both Protestant countries, and the Netherlands is the loyal younger brother of the United Kingdom. In the previous anti-French alliance wars launched by the United Kingdom, it waved the flag and shouted very hard.

In order to reward the Dutch, after winning the 6th Anti-French War, the British gave up their rule on Java and handed over the East Indies colonies to the Netherlands.

At the end of the day, these two are wearing the same pants.

Therefore, the British openly smuggled spices in the East Indies, and the Dutch pretended not to see it. The two sides had a private understanding.

The Spaniards are different. The Spaniards and the Dutch are feuding. The two are incompatible with each other in terms of race, culture, religious beliefs and language.

In order to compete for overseas routes and colonies, many maritime wars broke out, not to mention other things?

Choosing a Spaniard as his partner is more in line with Feng Guohui's interests and more trustworthy.

(End of this chapter)