After reaching a basic agreement, Zheng Zhilong and Haan Putmans originally thought that the rest of the story would be relatively simpler, however, the next thing was more complicated than they expected. www.biquge.info The negotiation process is actually not slow, and there are no big problems that really make everyone entangled so much that they have been spinning on it for several days, but this contract involves a lot of content, and there are many numbers involved, and these numbers are so important that the slightest change in any number will eventually become a huge difference in income, so the negotiators on both sides have to be extremely cautious and meticulous. In addition, many of the clauses involve higher authorizations, and it is necessary to go back to the senior or even to Batavia for instructions. As a result, it dragged on until the spring of the following year, and the negotiations were not completed. As a result, both Zheng Zhilong and Hahn Putmans felt that the number of negotiators was obviously insufficient. At the end of the talks one day, Haén Putmans said to Zheng Zhifeng, who was directly in charge of the negotiations:

"Mr. Zheng, there are so many things involved in this agreement that we are very tired. Extending the working hours will not actually speed up the progress, and I think we have to give everyone a break. In addition, I also happened to take advantage of this time to go back to Taiwan and bring some accounting staff with me. Also, I suggest that you add some more staff as well. ”

This suggestion was also approved by Zheng Zhilong, so Hahn Putmans hurriedly set off on a clipper boat with a few followers. Other negotiators were given time off to wander the streets of Anping or go fishing on the beach. Of course, they can't run too far, they definitely can't go beyond the confines of Anping Town, and there are people following them everywhere......

If it were somewhere else, a group of strange-looking foreigners wandering around the streets would surely attract curious crowds. However, this will not be the case in Anping, because in the past few years, with Zheng Zhilong's return to Anping, the port of Anping has become busier and busier, and everyone has seen a lot of all kinds of foreigners who have arrived here, not to mention white-skinned, yellow-haired, blue-eyed or green-eyed, even foreigners who have been blackened and charcoal-headed, the residents of Anping have also seen it. So some foreigners went into tea stalls, taverns or something, and everyone thought of them as outsiders who spoke a dialect they didn't understand. Anyway, with a finger, everyone can still barely negotiate the price.

Schmeichel took a lot of effort to negotiate the price with the hostess in the hotel (the second shopkeeper) with such gestures, and asked for some soju and boiled broad beans and ate them with a few seamen. In addition to drinking, spirits also have effects such as disinfecting, so this thing is one of the necessities at sea, and when you can't see land for months at sea, alcoholism has become a common way for seafarers to pass the time. came and went, and the seafarers of this era were basically very drunk drunkards.

Schmeichel doesn't really like the smell of Chinese soju, but it's also a strong liquor that can be burned with a little fire, and it is still very strong together. In front of him was a large plate of boiled broad beans, which was one of Schmeichel's favorites, and it was a shame that Chinese had the luxury of processing beans with spices, which was simply ...... If you sell it so cheaply, if you don't eat a little more, God won't forgive you.

In a short time, Schmeichel alone had destroyed almost a small pot of broad beans and two jugs of wine, and his stomach was swollen, and he could not eat any more, and the others were also full, so they beckoned to entertain him, and according to the price previously agreed, they planned to pay for the meal with Mexican silver coins. At this moment, Schmeichel suddenly noticed that two more Europeans had entered the tavern, and one of them seemed familiar.

"That...... That guy seems to be with the Dutch? Schmeichel suddenly remembered that the shorter, goatee-bearded fellow was from the Dutch East India Company.

Immediately afterwards, Schmeichel noticed that behind the two Dutchmen, there were two soldiers in military uniforms following.

"Aren't the Dutch at war with the Ming Kingdom? Did they start to make peace secretly? Schmeichel was not drunk in the first place, and when he saw this, he immediately thought of it.

……

By this time, Jaén Putmans had also returned to the city of Geranza.

"Uncle, this is the details of the preliminary intention I reached with General Zheng Zhilong, and I have already sent it back with a carrier pigeon before this, I don't know if you have seen it, uncle."

"I see, overall, my nephew, you're doing a good job. If, in the end, we can secure the goods we need, as mentioned in this letter of intent, then we will be defeated, but we will achieve even more than victory. It's just that we have to use Chinese or Japanese and North Korean ships, well, in fact, Chinese ships, and Japan simply does not allow its own ships to participate in international trade, and as for North Korea, it is the same. At this point, didn't you fight for it a little more? Hans Putmans was clearly generally pleased with the outcome of the negotiations, but had some misgivings about the need to use Chinese or Japanese North Korean vessels.

"Uncle, I have fought for it, but General Zheng's attitude on this issue is very resolute." Jaén Putmans replied, "I think that continuing to dwell on this issue would jeopardize the whole negotiation." And uncle, I thought about it carefully, and found that the impact of this clause on us was not as great as I imagined. ”

"Tell me your reasoning." Hans Putmans took out his pipe and lit it on the candlestick, then asked.

"Uncle, how big can the trade between us and the Ming Kingdom be in the foreseeable time? I think if we can get up to the level of Spain, it should already be very satisfying, right? And how many ships do we have that can only be put into the route from Taiwan to Batavia? In addition, although the strength of Chinese ships to carry out transoceanic voyages has not been proven, it is still no problem to take the route from Taiwan to Batavia, and because there are fewer sailors needed, the cost of ship construction is also low, and the total cost of operation is significantly lower than that of our ships. Therefore, even if we pay rent, the cost will not be much higher than that of using our own ship, and if the negotiation is good, the cost can even be lower than using our own ship. Even the Spaniards, in their trade with the Chinese, often had the Chinese use their own ships to carry goods to Manila. On the route from Quanzhou to Manila, the Junk ship is the absolute main force, both in terms of the number of ships and the amount of carrying. The Spaniards are not fools, and they certainly do not suffer financially by doing so. And uncle, I agree with this for another reason, that is, we can use this clause to put General Zheng and the Spaniards into conflict. For this, I think it's worth it to make a small sacrifice that is not too big. Haan Putmans replied.

"Looking at it this way, this concession still makes a lot of sense. In addition, you didn't come back to Taiwan just to get more people, right? Hans Püttmans asked.

"That's a reason." Hahn replied, "There is also an important reason that this agreement is so important that it may be beyond the authority I have been given, or even beyond what you can give my uncle, so I have to come back and discuss it with my uncle." This agreement is extremely beneficial to the company, and I believe that the seventeen gentlemen will also support it. But at least in terms of terms, we have made a lot of concessions. I'm also worried that some people in the company who are jealous of us will take advantage of these terms to make a fuss. ”

"Hahahaha......" Hans Putmans laughed loudly at this, "my dear nephew, you must have been overly concerned about this matter. I know you've been working in the government before, and this kind of bullshit happens all the time in the government, but in the East India Company, you don't have to worry about that, because the agreement goes directly to the board of seventeen. The seventeen gentlemen were experts in trading. Naturally, they can easily see the value of this agreement. They will never give up the opportunity to make money. Anyone who objected to this agreement, which clearly brought more benefits to the company, would be regarded by the seventeen gentlemen as either ignorant of business, or disregarding the interests of the company because of personal vendettas, or both. I'm hoping those guys are against this deal right now. But these guys aren't stupid, I don't think they're that stupid. ”

Hans Püttmans started at the bottom of the hierarchy and worked his way up to where he is now. It is not easy for a person like him to climb to this position, and in the process, he will inevitably stand in line and be used as a gun to hit other people. Therefore, he also has enemies within the company. In fact, he was sent to Taiwan to take charge of Taiwan's trade points, and he was cheated. Compared with the company's trading points in other places, this trading point in Taiwan has not been profitable, and even loses money every year. The eyes of the Dutch East India Company turned green as they watched the Spaniards and the Portuguese make a lot of money in trade with China, and as they filled ships with silk, porcelain, and tea that could make a lot of money with their eyes closed as long as they were shipped to Europe. In a hurry, it was inevitable to make some not very good moves, such as harassing the coast, landing in Penghu or something. As a result, he was beaten out by Daming, and the business became more and more difficult to do. Peter Natz, the predecessor of Hans Puttmans, fell out with Japan for a small amount of money, and almost led to the complete closure of the Dutch trading point in Japan. As a result, in order to keep the Japanese trade point, the company decisively dismissed him from his post and sentenced him to two years in prison. It is said that the Japanese side is still very dissatisfied, and recently the company has planned to send him directly to Japan to punish the Japanese.

As a result, Taiwan's position has become a hot potato, and the company wants Taiwan's trade point to make money, and it does not allow him to call the Japanese who come and go. Moreover, there are many barbarians such as headhunters here, and in order to ensure safety, the construction of security facilities must also be strengthened, and this costs a lot of money. Hans Putmans, who had been brought to Taiwan, had to build the city of Geranza in order to ensure safety, and the economic pressure brought by this made his head a few sizes bigger. China's import channels were delayed, so Hans Putmans had to take a risky adventure. The venture failed, but after the failure, the trade portal that had been closed to him suddenly opened, which was really beyond everyone's expectations.