After Zhao Yiwei's fleet formed in the name of British pirates captured the Peruvian silver ship, he turned around and returned to Los Angeles. On this return journey, he also deliberately let two or three pirate ships break away from the fleet and sail along the coastline, luring the ships of the Pacific coast of the Viceroyalty of New Spain to go out to sea to intercept them.

This time, he organized the fleet to go south, not only to attack the Peruvian silver ships, but also to test whether the Spaniards' naval power and port defense on the east coast of the Pacific were really so weak. Facts have proved everything, although the Spaniards have been in the Americas for more than 100 years, they have never operated the Americas as an inherent territory.

The American colonies were a large mine for the Kingdom of Spain to extract precious metals, and although the Spaniards first occupied the Americas, they never tried to take advantage of the wealth of the Americas and the fertile terrain of the Viceroyalty of New Spain to establish a sea base to control the two oceans.

The Viceroyalty of New Spain's maritime power had only one purpose, which was to safely transport silver from the Americas back to Spain, a narrow goal that prevented the Viceroyalty of New Spain from establishing a powerful navy to control the Caribbean Sea and protect trade and navigation within the Caribbean.

As for the inhospitable Pacific coast, the Viceroyalty of New Spain and Peru focused on protecting the port cities rather than spending huge sums of money to build a fleet to defend the shores. Although there were several shipyards in Central America's ports near the Pacific, the small ships were not built for combat.

Therefore, when the fleet organized by Zhao Yiwei returned north from Guayaquil, it almost swept away the Spanish ships that dared to go out of port and venture to pursue the pirate ship. In the back, the Spanish ships that received the news from the southern ports not only did not dare to leave the port to intercept them again, but even called back all the fishing boats that were fishing at sea. Perhaps this is a sign that they have no idea whether the pirate ship has passed through their own waters, so as to avoid fighting the pirates.

When the fleet returned to Los Angeles, it was greeted with a grand welcome by the citizens' organization, and it was clear that the news of their successful seizure of the silver ship had been reported before they returned.

After a week of repairs, the cargo on the three silver ships was finally counted. Sun Liancheng, the financial officer of the North American Governor's Office, gave a detailed report to Zhao Yiwei and the major funders involved in the fleet's southward operation.

“… The bark of the unknown tree is about 1.7 tons, and the rubber is 379 tons. Next is the amount of precious metals, the silver bar plus a portion of the silver coin weighs about 315 tons, and the gold is about 875 kilograms. According to our calculations, the total price of the above property is about 16.24 million yuan, and after deducting the investment of 1.24 million yuan in this southbound voyage, the remaining net profit is 15 million yuan.

According to the contract signed before the fleet set off south, 3 percent of the proceeds of this voyage went to His Majesty the Emperor, the British shared 2 percent of the profits, and the owners of the ships on the Ming side and the North American Governor's Office shared 5 percent. In addition, His Majesty's earnings are exempt from tax, and half of the tax is deducted from each of the other two parts.

In other words, the British finally got one and a half, that is, 2.25 million Ming yuan. The owner of the Ming Dynasty and the North American Governor's Office shared 4.5 percent, or 6.75 million yuan.

Captain Payne, you can withdraw the equivalent amount of silver at once, or you can open an account with the Central Bank of Daming for your subordinates to use for themselves.

I would like to remind you that the Central Bank also undertakes exchange operations. If you want to receive this fund in Daming, we will charge 20% of the water; In Asian regions other than Daming, such as Japan, North Korea, Malacca, Bali, etc., we charge 25% of the catchment; If it's London and Amsterdam, you'll be charged 40% of the catchment..."

After several pirates sitting next to Captain Payne learned what the other party was talking about from the translator, a bearded pirate with one less eye suddenly muttered: "We just robbed the Spaniards with these Chinese, and these Chinese want to rob us?" Sending money to London costs 40 per cent, which is almost as good as a Jew..."

Captain Payne rolled his eyes, and suddenly interrupted Sun Liancheng's speech and asked, "Most of us have wanted warrants on us, if we go to Asia to withdraw money, can you guarantee our safety?" Also, can we settle in Los Angeles and buy weapons like ships and artillery from you? ”

Sun Liancheng glanced up at Payne before replying: "As long as you have not plundered the ships of the Ming Dynasty and harmed the lives of the Ming people, you can pay 50 Ming Yuan to the Governor's Mansion to apply for registration."

Of course, after settling in the North American colonies, it does not mean that you have obtained the protection of the Ming Dynasty, and this status can only ensure that you will obtain the power similar to that of overseas merchants in the territory and dependencies of the Ming Dynasty.

If you want to settle in Los Angeles, all you need to do is buy a permanent home. But in the event of an attack on Los Angeles, the Governor's Office has the right to call you up to help defend the city. As for the purchase of ships and artillery ...

Sun Liancheng turned his gaze to Zhao Yiwei, the governor sitting on the other side of the long table, and the other party nodded at him, Sun Liancheng breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "As long as you settle in the North American colonies and purchase fixed assets in the colonies, then you can buy ships and weapons to guard ships. Of course, the purchase of warships and military artillery can only be purchased after your conditions meet the regulations of the Governor's Palace..."

After a meeting at the Governor's Mansion in Los Angeles, Payne and a few of his men walked around the city and had a big meal before returning to the ship parked in the harbor satisfied.

As a pirate leader, after robbing such a large sum of money, Payne could not believe the integrity of his accomplices, even if these accomplices were Chinese with a decent reputation. After the naval battle in Guayaquil ended, he was very worried that the Chinese would eat black, so he always wanted to divide the money and run away as soon as possible.

If it weren't for the fact that Guayaquil to the California Peninsula was the territory of the Spaniards, their fleet really had no port to stop and share the spoils, and Payne and his old friends would have been clamoring for a share of the money.

It wasn't until today that a series of suggestions put forward by the North American Governor's Office official could be regarded as dispelling some of Payne's concerns. Obviously, these Chinese did not just want to make a hammer deal, but also tried to attract them to settle in the North American colonies. Although the banks run by the Chinese charge high fees, for pirates, as long as the Daming Central Bank is reliable enough, they can still tolerate such exploitation.

For the pirates, the biggest problem was the sale of looted goods and the concealment of treasure. Silver and gold were good, but they couldn't take them with them all day long. While the British established Nassau in the Bahamas, the French established Haiti in the western part of Hispaniola, which became a stronghold for European pirates. But these two pirate cities are still in the age of disorder, and even if they loot the wealth, they may not be able to save it.

And even if someone succeeds in looting a large amount of property at once and then returning to Europe to wash their hands, not everyone has the good fortune of Captain Drake. The pirates who terrified merchant ships at sea left the sea and became fat in the eyes of their country's nobles and judicial officials.

If the Daming Central Bank can become a treasure cave for pirates, they are naturally willing to deposit their money in the Daming Central Bank. 2.25 million Ming Yuan, equivalent to 450,000 pounds, is really a huge wealth for individuals, you must know that there are few rich people in the UK who exceed 100,000 pounds.

But for Payne now, this money is not enough for him to live in retirement years. After all, there were more than 300 people in their two boats, and they were only 1,000-3,000 pounds per person according to the number of heads. He would prefer to use Los Angeles City as a base to carry out attacks on the Mexican region.

Unlike the Viceroyalty of Peru, with its desert coast and alpine terrain, some areas on the west coast of Mexico are clearly more suitable for landing. Just as Payne was trying to persuade his companions to stay, Zhao Yiwei was also instructing Sun Liancheng: "The North American colonies don't need so much silver to keep, you leave 20% as an emergency, and the rest will be handed over to the ships of the Four Seas Trading Company to be shipped back to China."

In addition, every pirate who comes to open an account with the bank should report their personal information to the Governor's Palace, which may be used in the future. Next, let the smuggling network of the Four Seas Trading Company keep an eye on the movements of the troops of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and I don't want to hear from them when they appear outside of Los Angeles. ”

Sun Liancheng, who also served as the general manager of Sihai Trading Company in North America, agreed again and again, and said to Zhao Yiwei with a smile: "With the lazy energy of the Spaniards, it is estimated that they will not react until the New Year." After all, this is the silver that will be shipped back to Spain next year, and they have completed this year's task. ”

Zhao Yiwei also smiled slightly, this trip to the south made him see through the weak nature of the Spaniards. Although this is still a powerful empire on the surface, his mind and body are clearly out of harmony. It was like the Ming Dynasty in the era of the Apocalypse, the minds of the two governorates were slow to react, and although the local defenders were quite heroic, in the absence of unified command and command, these already insufficient sea forces were broken by the fleets disguised as pirates, and did not play a single role.

The looted Peruvian silver also made him realize the richness of the Americas for the first time. This is still the era when Peru's silver mines have begun to decline, and Zhao Yiwei is dizzy when he imagines the amount of silver that these Spaniards have mined in the past few decades.

Such a rich and beautiful land obviously could not be monopolized by the Spaniards. When Zhao Yiwei saw the silver on the ship for the first time, he thought so in his heart. Only then did he realize why His Majesty the Emperor was so impatient to send ships to explore the Americas as soon as he ascended the throne.

This silver was obviously the answer, but he felt in his heart that Da Ming was still too late. Of course, there's nothing to be afraid of later, as long as those Spaniards give up their place and let Daming sit at the table in the Americas.