Ming Zhengzhi, I am Zheng Kezang

When Sun Peifu walked from the diving board to the wooden trestle, a tall Indian man said to him in rapping Dutch: "Sir, the port officer told you to go to his place to register."

Sun Peifu nodded, and followed the Tianzhu people all the way to a red house on the shore, where a drunken Dutch official received him: "? First time to trade in Jaffna? Very good, 150 guilders for the entry fee, If there are goods to sell, Your Excellency the Tax Collector will charge you a transaction tax."

Sun Peifu didn't say much, and counted fifty Wucheng silver coins from his pocket and handed them over. Thanks to the expansion of the Huaxia shipping route in the past few years, many Chinese ships have appeared on the Tianzhu Sea. If ten years ago, he would have If he boarded the Dutchman's lair in Xilan abruptly, it is estimated that the other party would not even let him enter the port, let alone just charge 150 guilders for port fees.

"Huaxia silver dollar?" The port officer randomly took out one and carefully looked at it for a while. "The texture is really exquisite, no wonder it can be used as the most popular benchmark currency around the East Indies, but," the port officer burped, and a stench permeated the small space, making people just want to cover it breath. "However, fifty is not enough, and three more are needed."

In this time and space, there are many types of gold and silver coins popular in Southeast Asia, all of which are currencies from various countries brought by merchants from various countries. There is no benchmark exchange rate between each other. The Four Seas Bank and Tonghai Bank have jointly made a rigid regulation that a Wucheng half-pass silver coin weighing eight cents and five cents (containing [-]% to [-]% of silver) is equal to the Spanish "double pillar" weighing about seven cents and seven cents. Silver coins and "Buddha Head Ocean" silver coins (both with [-]% silver content) one and one tenth, equal to Portuguese ruso silver coins weighing five cents and six cents ("cross coins", both with [-]% silver content) One and two-thirds, which is equal to a Dutch three guilder silver coin ("horse money", containing [-]% silver) weighing between eight cents and six cents and nine cents and two cents.Of course, this exchange ratio is unilaterally formulated by China, and some European countries do not recognize it. It is only forced by the urgency of obtaining goods in China, so it can only acquiesce in this reality. [

Therefore, the other party's request for three more coins was not simply asking for a bribe, but actually more of a humiliation.However, Sun Peifu did not argue, which was in line with the characteristics of Chinese businessmen who do not cause trouble, so the satisfied port officer readily issued the entry certificate.With this certificate, Sun Peifu can replenish drinking water, sell and buy goods in Jaffna, and he can also walk around the city at will, as long as he does not go to the so-called fortress area where the Dutch live.

After receiving the certificate, Sun Peifu returned to the ship, greeted the crew on board, and then walked to the pier in a stroll.

Jaffna was originally the first stop for the Tamils ​​to enter Sri Lanka across the sea. There are many Indian temples built in the city as the capital of the Tamil country. It is full of exotic flavors, but under the rule of the Dutch, the scenery of the old city No longer, but there are many bars and inns in the port area, making it more vibrant.

However, Sun Peifu didn't come here for sightseeing, so he didn't care about the situation of Indian temples and Tamil people. He found a bar, opened the door and walked in.There are not many people in the bar, but this is also normal. After all, this is not a big European maritime trade center like Amsterdam and Portsmouth. Merchants from European countries usually only trade in Indian ports where their East India Company has a trading station. Only free businessmen or pirates whose country has no base in India can enter and leave ports controlled by various countries at will.

Maybe it was because he had seen Chinese-style robes before, or maybe he was not surprised, the little waiter quickly ran up to Sun Peifu, bowed to him, and then asked in broken Dutch: "Sir, are you , what do you want?"

The thick accent made Sun Peifu almost fail to understand, and he still knew what the other party was saying without understanding, so he took out a silver coin and put it on the table: "One serving of chicken soup, no curry."

The little waiter was about to pick up the money from the table. At this time, Sun Peifu quickly pressed his dirty little hand: "Tell me where I can buy the best gems, and the rest of the money will be yours."

How much is a piece of chicken soup without curry, and a Wucheng silver coin worth three Dutch guilders will leave a lot of change, so the eager little waiter immediately replied: "Mr. Bodhi, sir, you can go to Bodhi Ask sir."

Sun Peifu said with a smile: "I don't know Mr. Bodi, help me find him, and the money can be taken away."

The little waiter responded, withdrew his hand, ran to the kitchen to fetch the soup that Sun Peifu wanted, and then slipped out of the bar.

Not long after, Sun Peifu, who was sipping his soup, saw a man in rather flamboyant clothes coming in with the little waiter.This is probably the so-called Mr. Bodi. The enlightened Sun Peifu picked up the coin on the table and threw it to the waiter. The waiter didn't catch it and ran around the bar chasing the silver coin, making the nearby The drinker looked at it and laughed.

Mr. Bodi didn't care about the excitement of the little waiter looking down for money, and went straight to Sun Peifu: "You want to buy gems?"

"Are you Mr. Bodi?" Sun Peifu asked him to sit down, and then asked casually. "Can you get top-grade gemstones?"

"The existing gemstone mining areas are all under the control of the Dutch, and the top-grade gemstones have been taken away by the Dutch. Even a small amount of common gemstones that flow out can only be traded after passing through the Dutch exchange and tax officials." Bodi First talk about the difficulties, and then tell Sun Peifu. "Of course, everything is possible, it depends on whether you can afford the right price."

"Gems are only as big as particles. If you want to hide them, there is always a way to hide them from the Dutch." Sun Peifu shook his head, obviously to let the other party stop thinking of himself as a winner. "Tell me, how many goods do you have in your hand? I don't want ordinary ones, I only want high-end ones."

Bodi refused: "I'm sorry, it seems to be the first transaction between us, such a big deal, I can't trust your Excellency."

"That's true." Sun Peifu smiled. "It's a risk if the two parties don't have this level of trust. But what if I have a deal that you can't refuse, Mr. Poddy? I don't know if you are willing to take this risk."

"Bargain?" Bode repeated the word in Dutch. "Sorry, I thought you were paying in cash. We have no interest in other trading items."

"Really? What about fifty flintlock muskets?" Sun Peifu threw a heavy bomb. "Of course, you can't use him against the Dutchman, but as a thug for the king of the underground, fifty flintlock guns are an extremely large force." [

"Fifty flintlocks?" Bodi was moved. Since the Dutch strictly controlled the possession of firearms by the natives, neither the Tamils ​​nor the Sinhalese could obtain similar weapons, so what Sun Peifu mentioned was true. For him, it was quite a temptation. "My things are very good. I'm afraid fifty flintlocks are not enough."

"You don't want a cannon, do you? I'd like to give it to you. Can you hide it from the Dutchman?" Sun Peifu deliberately threw another bait, but this time the purpose of the test was obviously to see what the other party was up to. Is it a real underground businessman or a spy released by the Dutch. "Don't worry, I can use silk and porcelain to lower the price for the part that is not enough. These are all good things that are more expensive than gold, and you should be able to eat them."

Bodi sighed: "This strange gentleman, you are right. I can't eat cannons, but can the number of flintlocks be more? I think I have enough gems to satisfy you."

"I can give you more gunpowder and lead for making guns, but this time I really didn't bring too many short guns." Sun Peifu wanted to win the other party's appetite, but also to avoid some extreme things from happening. "But next time, I will bring you everything you need, as long as you have enough beautiful stones."

Bodi thought for a while and agreed: "Sir, how do we trade?"

"My boat will leave Jaffna port after replenishing water and food. You should have a boat, then we can trade outside the port." Sun Peifu handed the other party a blue silk scarf. "Hang it on the sail of the boat, and I will find you." As if to comfort the other party, Sun Peifu added. "I hope we have another deal, so it's best not to mess with anyone."

Bodi naturally had no objection, and he replied: "Everything is as you wish."

"By the way," Sun Peifu asked seemingly casually. "How many warships do the Dutch in Jaffna have? How long is the usual cruising interval? Our transaction must avoid their cruising ships."

Bodi replied ignorantly: "In Jaffna, the Dutch usually have three warships, one big and two small. Every morning, one of them cruises towards Colombo, and usually does not return to the port until the next afternoon. Therefore, as long as We avoid the morning and evening time slots, the Dutch won't find out"

Back on the boat, Sun Peifu summoned his assistant: "Brother Rachel, is there any result in the investigation of the fortress area?"

"The Dutch guards are strict, and when they get close to the guards, they will use spears to drive them away, so the approximate strength of the Dutch has not yet been found out." The deputy responded. "But when I entered the port, I paid attention to it. There may be more than a dozen heavy artillery on the artillery barracks along the coast. In addition, the water here is shallow, and it is difficult for large ships to turn around. I am afraid that it will be difficult to attack by force."

Sun Peifu pondered for a while, and put forward his own idea: "If it is inconvenient to attack, is it feasible to block the waterway?"

"I'm afraid it won't work," said the deputy. "We came in from the southern channel. To the west is an inland sea. We don't know how deep it is. If we can sail, if the Dutch go out from there, they will not be blocked no matter what."

The deputy was talking about the Palk Strait. Although the current Palk Strait has a lagoon trend, it is not as silted as it was in another time and space. Therefore, it is impossible to judge whether the Dutch can enter the ocean from the north.

Sun Peifu then made a risky decision: "It's not easy if you don't know, just go to the north when you leave. Our boat is light, so we shouldn't run aground."

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