After standing aside and listening to the conversation between Zheng Cai and Governor Silva, Zhang Guoji, who had been silent, finally spoke: "Even if you can solve this envoy from Mexico, the silver shipped from Mexico to Manila is still in the hands of the governor who lives in Mexico City.

In other words, in the future, the amount of silver that you can buy from China will not grow, but will probably shrink. According to our statistics on the scale of trade between Manila and Manila in the past, before the country completely opened the sea ban, the average annual import of silver from Manila was about 1 million to 3 million pesos.

Last year, according to the amount of silver recorded to be counted, the amount of silver imported into the country from Manila exceeded 5 million pesos. However, the other supplies we purchased from Manila last year did not add up to more than 1 million pesos. And our trade is growing almost every month.

Your Excellency the Governor, sooner or later it will become untenable, even according to our old trade patterns, in which you pay the difference in the price of goods with silver. Not to mention the fact that your king is still shrinking the amount of silver shipped from Mexico to Manila, which will only make this trade model collapse a little faster.

Why, therefore, Your Excellency Governor, would you not accept our goodwill to replace the physical trade of silver with the banknotes issued by our banks, and accept our proposal for the economic production of Manila to reduce the problem of monetary shortages in trade by producing the commodities that our country needs? ”

After listening to the clerk's translation, Silva thought for a long time before slowly speaking: "Replace the silver in our hands with printed banknotes, and accept this banknote instead of coins in the Philippine Islands." This means that all the taxes we collect on the island in the future will become worthless paper.

If there is a conflict between our two countries in the future, and your bank refuses to exchange the paper money in our hands, then will we not be bankrupt overnight? Moreover, as the Governor of Manila, how do you plan me to face His Majesty's questions if there is a problem with the tax revenues of the colony? ”

Zhang Guoji immediately replied: "Your Excellency the Governor is too worried, the banknotes issued by our banks overseas are not only for Manila, but also for Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, and other small states in Southeast Asia, which will be used in the banknotes issued by us. Compared to the number of banknotes issued in these countries, the number of banknotes supplied to Manila will not exceed a quarter of the total.

So even if there is a real problem in our two countries, you can exchange your banknotes elsewhere without fear of rejection. As for the private accounts of our friends in Manila, I can assure you, in the name of the Board of Directors of the Bank, that your accounts will be very safe and that not even His Majesty the King of your country will be able to withdraw a peso from your account without your consent.

In addition, our bank has been seeking to settle cross-ocean trade, and in the Americas, India, and Europe, there will be branches of our bank in the future. It is said that the king of your country is liable to collect a tax on gold and silver brought back from the colonies, even to you, Your Excellency the Governor.

Then, as long as the branches of our banks are established in Europe, the Governor, your hard-earned money in the colonies can be withdrawn in Europe through the exchange operations of our banks, without worrying about the risks of sea navigation and transportation, and without being collected by the king of your country..."

"Ahem, ahem..."Silva suddenly burst into a violent cough, interrupting the clerk's translation beside him, Silva took a handkerchief and wiped his nose, and said with a pleasant face: "Regarding the issue of replacing silver with banknotes, let's talk about it for the time being, I already understand the sincerity you bring." Let's talk about what you would like to suggest for production in Manila. In other words, what should we produce to make up for the huge trade gap between the two countries? ”

Although I don't understand why Silva forcibly changed the topic, Zhang Guoji is also very interested in the issue of the trade balance between Manila and China, after all, this is the second important issue he wants to negotiate when he comes to Manila.

"Your Excellency, on the basis of our study of the kinds of goods traded overseas last year and the year before, we believe that the most valuable commodities shipped from Mexico to Asia, apart from gold and silver, are rubber and magenta dyes, and that the other goods are either of low value or too costly.

However, although the value of magenta dye is high, the production is too low, and it is said that Mexico produces less magenta than a galleon in a year. Therefore, rubber is the only commodity that wants to replace gold and silver as the main commodity produced in Mexico in the transoceanic trade.

Although rubber is not worth much money in Mexico, once it becomes a commodity that is needed in our country, its price will rise rapidly. According to our calculations, the labor in Mexico is about three times that of Manila. In Manila, an adult indigenous man earns between 10 and 15 liels per month and in Mexico about 30 to 45 liels per month.

It is said that the rubber is cut about one day apart, and the maximum is eight months a year, and a man can take care of about 20 acres of rubber trees, so the salary paid to him will not be less than 240 lils per year. According to a survey of our businessmen who went to Mexico last year, about 40 acres of trees can get a ton of dry rubber a year.

In other words, a ton of dry rubber costs 480 liels, or 60 pesos. Together with transport and other inputs, it will arrive in Acapulco and will not be less than 100 pesos per ton. So I set three prices for rubber, and in Acapulco we will buy them at no less than 150 pesos per ton; In Manila, we will buy at a price of not less than 200 pesos per ton; At the Shanghai port, the purchase price of rubber will be 250 pesos per ton. In Shanghai, there will be no limit to the amount of rubber we can purchase. ”

The price of rubber proposed by Zhang Guoji made the clerk Hawthorne forget to translate for the governor in a frightened way, and Zheng Cai seemed to hear some words from the room with a closed door to the north, but he quickly focused his attention on the governor.

Silva was clearly interested in the proposal, and the current Manila galleon has long since surpassed the 300-ton deadweight of the early days, with the usual range of 600-800 tons. Although there are only five official sailing boats between Manila and Mexico, there are many privately owned sailing boats.

It's just that although the profit of this route is not small, it is basically a one-way trade route. Because Chinese merchants were mostly not interested in goods shipped from Mexico, except for gold and silver. However, there was not so much gold and silver in private hands, and they had to accumulate hard currency once every two or three years before they could carry out a private trade to and from the Pacific, so the route was mainly dependent on official management.

Silva never thought that this kind of tree sap that the Indians used to make elastic balls to play with would be so valued by these Chinese, obviously there are secrets they don't know. Although I don't know what this secret is, at the price that the Chinese are now excavating, it can indeed make up for the gap caused by the king's ban on the outflow of gold and silver from the American colonies.

What impressed Silva the most was that rubber trees were seen as useless in Mexico because livestock could be poisoned by eating the leaves of the rubber trees, and the knives and axes used to cut them down were easily worn out. As a result, the rubber groves that used to be everywhere in the Mexican highlands are being destroyed by the landowners. Even when the Viceroyalty of New Spain sells its land, it is cheaper to have wild rubber groves.

After thinking for a long time, Silva said with a smile on his face to Zhang Guoji: "This gentleman's suggestion is indeed very valuable, I will consider your suggestion as soon as possible and give you an answer." In addition, in my capacity as Governor of Manila, I would like to thank you for this proposal for the prosperity of Manila. So do you have any other suggestions? ”

Zhang Guoji thought for a while, then continued: "As far as I know, Luzon under the control of Manila is the largest island in the Philippine archipelago, and Mindanao, which you and the local natives are fighting for, is the second largest island.

Mindanao has nothing to gain because of the war with the natives. But to my surprise, you have almost all of Luzon's coastal areas, but basically the output of this land is not enough to feed the citizens of this Manila city.

Your Excellency the Governor, I continue to adhere to the advice I made to you at our previous meeting. Reduced taxes on Chinese in Manila and allowed them to carry out various production and business activities on Luzon. As long as you are willing to relax the restrictions on the Chinese, then the idle land on Luzon Island can be developed as soon as possible, instead of growing grass there as it is now.

With the help of these Chinese, you will be able to grow all kinds of crops on the island, and you can export to us such crops as sugar, cotton, and rice, isn't that a win-win situation..."

For the latter proposals, Silva appeared very calm, apparently he did not let go of all his vigilance against the Chinese. If it weren't for the fact that he and these Chinese had common interests, he wouldn't even want to listen to the words about lifting restrictions on the Chinese.

After a tense and friendly meeting, the atmosphere in the living room finally seemed to be harmonious. Silva eventually told the two men that they would get a response to their suggestions within three days. He also hinted at Zheng Cai that most of the conditions they put forward would be met.

Before leaving, Zheng Cai walked up to Silva to say goodbye, and whispered to him: "Your Excellency the Governor, if you find it difficult to deal with the envoy from Mexico, I am willing to serve you, you just need to ask Mr. Valdes to say hello to me." ”

Silva's face did not change, he just remained silent for a moment, and then said to Zheng Cai: "Thank you, if there is this need, I will ask for your help." Also, are you sure that you will be able to safely transfer my property in the colonies to Europe? ”

Zheng Cai replied without hesitation: "Of course, but not now, you need to give our bank a little time, I believe it won't be a problem..."

After Walders led the two Chinese away, the door to the governor's office from the north was suddenly opened, and seven or eight white men dressed in aristocratic clothes and black robes walked out of the office.

As soon as a colonial official walked out of the room, he could not wait to say: "A shipload of 500 tons of rubber is worth 100,000 pesos at 200 pesos a ton." Ladies and gentlemen, what better business in the world than this, to take the waste produced in New Spain and exchange it for silk and porcelain from the Chinese..."

"I think those two Chinese are right, if the banknotes they issue can buy silk and porcelain, then why don't we accept their banknotes?" Ladies and gentlemen, we will no longer have to give out coins to those indigenous workers, and it will be in our best interest as well..."

Silva and the Attorney General looked at each other, and finally shouted to everyone: "Everyone be quiet, let's start discussing one by one, those suggestions made by the Chinese..."