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"The transport company was set up or not." Leng Tianbing asked, "Don't run away from the road and no car." ”

"You can rest assured that Sun Tianhao has already set up a transportation company. Tianhao, this kid is a business material, and now the transportation company can not only invest in silver, but also use horse-drawn carriages, ox carts and fortune boats to buy shares. They now have more than 100 vehicles, with ox carts accounting for the majority of them. Tianhao applied to me, and they wanted to contract the transportation of Tiandu Iron Ore. ”

"This kid has a big brain." Han Wantao smiled, "He's going to monopolize it." ”

Zhang Guodong flipped through his notebook: "If there is nothing else, we will break up the meeting and go back to our work." Lao Wang, send another message to Li Fuqiang, emphasizing the importance of winning over the British. ”

Li Fuqiang was not in Vietnam at this time, but in Singapore, because Weddell personally went to Singapore. On January 17 of this year, Weddell's fleet left Goa and established commercial pavilions in Batkar, Kochi, Aceh and other places, and entered Malacca. However, Weddell was not courteous to the Portuguese in Malacca and was instead expelled. On the contrary, Singapore, which is very close to Malacca, extended an olive branch to him.

The six warships of Weddell's fleet and the four warships of Zhao Dequan, acting commander of the First Fleet in Yulin Bay, were all anchored in Singapore's harbor.

"Dear Captain Weddell." In the Singapore Castle, Li Fuqiang held a wine glass to entertain the Englishman from afar, "This glass of wine first wishes your King Charles and our Emperor His Majesty the Ming Empire a long life. ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Weddell also raised his glass in Li Fuqiang's example, "I also wish all of you here will always be protected by God." ”

The main purpose of Weddell's visit to Asia was to open a route from Macau to Goa. Li Fuqiang knew that although in 1635 the British East India Company had reached an agreement with the Portuguese governor of Goa to allow British merchants to enter and leave Macao freely to engage in trade, the Portuguese refused this request from the British because it would affect Portuguese interests. Moreover, Li Fuqiang guessed that the Portuguese in Malacca must not know what happened in Taiwan now, otherwise they would never have expelled Weddell, and this was their own opportunity.

"Your Excellency, thank you very much for your hospitality." A man sitting next to Weddell said, thanks to the fact that Fan Qiuming was also in Singapore, otherwise Li Fuqiang really couldn't understand these seventeenth-century English, "We in England hope to maintain good commercial relations with the Ming Empire." ”

Weddell sat four Englishmen, Nathaniel? Montney was the chief representative of the private business, and Montney's younger brother John? Montney, historian Pete? Mundy, as the keeper of the fleet's nautical diary, Thomas who was fluent in Portuguese? Robinson traveled to Asia with Weddell's fleet disguised as merchants.

After the introduction just now, Fan Qiuming knew that it was Montney, the representative of the private business, who spoke, and Fan Qiuming said in fluent English: "Mr. Montney, it is also the intention of our emperor to be friendly with you England, and you can get benefits that other countries cannot get in the Ming Empire." ”

Weddell asked, "I don't know how big the benefit you are talking about, we have been walking for almost a year to get here. ”

Fan Thumen did not answer Weddell's question directly: "Mr. Weddell, I know that you are now conquering the New World, but you have not really established a foothold of your own in East Asia yet. You are now in Singapore, and your envoy has been to Kampot as well, and I wonder if Mr. Weddell is interested in these two places? ”

Weddell didn't understand Fan Qiuming's words, could it be that the Ming Empire wanted to give up these two places. Weddell had never been to Kampot, but he had heard from his envoy that Singapore, this place was too good to not only hold the Strait of Malacca, but also that Singapore's current city defense was a completely impregnable fortress. It's just that these Ming Dynasty people on the other side will be so kind?

"Mr. Weddell, don't have any doubts." Li Fuqiang said with a smile, "We can give you greater benefits, but the benefits must be exchanged, and there is no such thing as pie falling from the sky." ”

Weddell really felt like a big pie had fallen from the sky, but he couldn't believe it: "Your Excellency, please forgive me for not fully understanding what you mean, can you make it clearer?" ”

Li Fuqiang smiled and clapped his hands, Liu Jun opened a box and took out one item after another from it.

Li Fuqiang knew that the industrial revolution in Britain had not yet begun, and all kinds of commodities were still in short supply: "This is what we produced in the Ming Empire, and we are willing to trade with you in an all-round way, and you can buy anything you want." Our production base is located in Yulin Bay, our capital of Qiongzhou, and your businessmen can not only go directly to Yulin Bay to do business, but also settle there, and we welcome all English people. In addition, you can live in Singapore and Kampot as well, and we have even allowed you to send troops to these two places to protect your interests in England. That's what I'm talking about by the greater good, I wonder if Mr. Weddell understands it now. ”

Weddell understood, and so did all the Englishmen here, but no one spoke, for it was something incredible.

Montney finally asked, "Your Excellency, you just said that there must be a quid pro quo for benefits, and I don't know what Your Excellency needs us to do. ”

"Very well, Mr. Montney, I appreciate your honesty, we do need something from you." Li Fuqiang raised his glass again, "At present, the Dutch and Spanish have invaded our Taiwan, although we have driven them out of Taiwan, but our Ming Empire has also completely turned against them. We are about to face a full-scale naval battle with the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, so we need your help. Of course, defeating them is inevitable, but we also need your help in defeating the vacuum. ”

Weddell finally understood what it meant that pie would not fall from the sky: "Your Excellency, can I understand that if we promise to help you Ming Empire, it means that we in England will go to war in East Asia and all European countries at the same time?" ”

"It's not all, it's just three countries." "But Mr. Weddell should not forget that you will get all their benefits in East Asia, and the benefits are enormous. ”

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