The British East India Company, in order to distinguish it from the United Dutch East India Company, was generally referred to by merchants as John's Company.

Surat, the headquarters of the British company in Asia, is located in the northwestern Indian coastal state of Gujarat, and at one time there was only one trading house in Banten in the east. The fact that the British focused their energies on India did not mean that they were not interested in East Asia, but that their strength was limited.

The British endured humiliation after the Ambon massacre and worked hard in India for more than a decade. With the completion of Fort St. George's in Madras City, Bay of Bengal, they finally have their own territory.

Fort St. George is a double-decker quadrangular fortress that is almost impossible to conquer in Asia. Relying on this strong base, the British have recently intensified their trade activities in Bengal, the Coromandel Coast and Burma.

But the progress the British have made in Asia cannot hide that they are in the weakest period in the company's history. Despite the merger of the Gottin Federation and the Old East India Company, the future of John's trade with the East remained uncertain, not in Asia, but in the country.

Because of the civil war, the military support that the London Board of Directors could give to the Surat Counsellors of India had come to a halt. Even on the basis of the original, the company's legal position has retreated.

The British had never been given the same monopoly as the Dutch, and since the establishment of the company there had been many private traders involved in the Far East trade, and the company was powerless to stop it. The charter of the British company comes from the royal family, and since it is a gift from the king, the king can also take it back. Not only that, but King Charles I also sold the company's goods on credit on several occasions to offset military expenses.

After the outbreak of the English Civil War, the company turned to the long-term parliament to reaffirm the Eastern Trade Charter. In view of the East India Company's troubled relationship with the royal family, Congress was slow to act. The board of directors on London's Rosebury Street has been working hard for years to get parliamentary consent and countless bribes, but it has yet to bear fruit.

The British in Asia were left on their own for the time being.

Shou Xiang likes to do the business of sending charcoal in the snow, and at this time, pulling the British can collect the greatest benefits.

"Mr. Greenham, have you visited our cargo ship, how do you feel?"

"Impressive, Your Excellency, if it were successfully shipped to Europe, those goods would be worth more than £100,000."

Shou Xiang smiled faintly. In the past five years, there have been several direct or indirect contacts with the British, but these were small businesses with the Madras and Banten branches. Winston. Greenham was the first member of Surat's Senate to visit, and the previous cooperation between the two sides laid a good foundation, and Greenham brought Surat carte blanche to sign a trade agreement.

The cargo ships Greenham visited were the property that the British most desired when they were in Shanghai when they were emigrating, fine porcelain, the finest raw silk, and brightly colored cooked silk.

"Mr. Greenham, the goods you visited are only half of what we have gained from this trip to China."

Greenham's breath was a little short, "Your Excellency, if you can promise to provide us with such goods every year in the future, I can sign the treaty now." ”

To establish open and long-term trade relations with the British now would undoubtedly be to make a complete turn of face with the Dutch, who did not have such strength for the time being, and the British were not so strong as to run rampant across the seas as they did later. Orderliness can only achieve its goals through some workarounds, and he already has a plan for this.

Shou Orderly picked up his teaglass, "As long as you have access to the South China Sea, cargo is not a problem. ”

The subtext of the phrase refers to the Dutch, and Greenham is aware of this.

"Our company sees competing with the Dutch as sending a ship into the clutches of a lion," Greenham said firmly, "but there are always hunters in the world who dare to fight lions." Sir, you need not worry. On each of our competitive voyages against the Dutch, the company's employees had entrusted their wives and children to the board of directors in London. ”

"Very well, Mr. Greenham." Shou Xian exclaimed, entrusting the family means having a sense of sacrifice.

It is not for nothing that the British, who started with one-tenth of the registered capital of the Dutch East India Company, did not receive as much domestic policy support as the Netherlands, but they lagged behind in Asia. The British people of this era had the best pioneering spirit in the world.

British companies are small and face a lot of competition from private traders, so they have a more flexible mechanism. The company allows employees to co-invest in the business and share the profits of the voyage with the company. British companies are treated much better than in the Netherlands, which attracts a large number of talented people. They pursued an asset-light approach, and unlike the Dutch strategy, British companies owned small fleets of merchant ships on lease. If you have a business, you will rent, and if you don't have a business, you will not be idle. Compared to the Dutch, the British had smaller costs, and the benefits and risks were shared with the staff and ship owners.

Lynch handed over the text of the treaty.

"I think we can sign, Mr. Greenham." ”

It's a secret covenant. The Hainan Treaty of Commerce was signed with the British East India Company in the name of Sanya Iron and Steel Company. In the name of the Sanya Company, the order bypassed the Senate. There is no political stance involved in the treaty, it is not a state-to-state covenant, it is just a commercial act between two companies. The place of trade between the two sides is not in Jincheng, Hainan Island is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, Sanya Company only provides some intermediary services behind the scenes, and the main body of trade is still Chinese merchants.

The two sides promised that the confidentiality period of the treaty would be 10 years, with a total of 13 paragraphs.

1. The Sanya Company allowed the employees of the British East India Company to "live freely" on Hainan Island and protect their safety on the island.

2. The British can buy and rent premises in Hainan, and both sides can hire translators and staff from each other.

3. British ships may freely berth at the ports of Hainan to replenish freshwater grain and fuel, but no trade shall be allowed in other areas except for designated ports.

4. Organize the sale of goods worth not less than 30,000 pounds sterling to the British side every year, calculated at 1 pound 3-4 taels of silver, and the amount of 100,000 taels of silver.

(At current market prices, £30,000 worth of goods in the South China Sea to Europe would be worth more than £100,000 unexpectedly.) This is a small number compared to the £1,914,600 in sales revenue of John's Company at its peak in 1622 – which cost more than £35 in England, but a good start. ）

5. The goods on the purchase list of Jincheng shipped from the UK can be exempted from tax. The list is updated once a year, mainly for saltpeter, canvas and other bulk goods that Jincheng cannot support itself, and some military supplies. For non-listed goods, Hainan will charge an import tax of 3.5%, which is not high in Asia, and the Dutch will collect a toll tax of 5% in Malacca. The 3.5% tax rate was finalized after several negotiations between the two sides.

6. When a British ship enters Hainan, it shall inform Sanya of the type of cargo it carries, and the price of the goods shall be assessed by a committee composed of both sides.

……

The first clause is the normal trade part of the contract, because it is the first large-scale cooperation, and the two sides have also made it clear in the treaty that if there is any unreasonableness, it will be changed by way of supplementary agreement at a later date.

For order, the core of the treaty is at the back.

This time, the Shanghai booty sold to the British was orderly, and what he needed was a commercial acceptance bill of the British East India Company.

80,000 pounds, more than 200,000 taels of silver huge commercial acceptance bill, the margin of the bill of exchange is the spoils of Shanghai this time. These trophies are the return of Sanya's sponsorship of the Yangtze River Tour.

This bill of exchange, of course, cannot be accepted in Asia and can only be used in Europe.

This will be Jincheng's first major purchase in Europe, and it will be ordered to take over a British shipyard and gunpowder factory in its entirety. Recruit scholars in mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, craftsmen of all kinds, and officers who are about to lose their jobs.

The scope of material procurement is mainly in the United Kingdom, and talent recruitment is for the whole European continent. Italy, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Baltic, Bohemia, Croatia, etc. The British East India Company was to facilitate the procurement and recruitment.

A month later, Orderly was undisputed for re-election in the Senate, beginning his second term as consul. The booty brought back from China by Orderly satisfied the appetite of the pirates, and no one would do better than him now. Guarding the order and fighting abroad, domestic affairs are basically ignored, and the contradictions between various factions are almost never mixed. If you don't rule, you won't get into trouble, and you won't get into trouble. This time, he got more than 80% of the votes.

As he walked out of the Senate amid the cheers of the pirates, the statue of Captain Bellamy standing in the square reminded him of the election on the island of Eleuthera. More than 7 years have passed in a trance, and his journey has just begun.

After the election of the Senate, the army was assembled. Including 1,000 field army and 1,500 auxiliaries of various nationalities.

The south wind has risen, and the rain has not stopped. The roads along the watershed of the peninsula were never extensively repaired, and the army trudged the cattle lane, and the soldiers and slaves carried the cannons and baggage to the west side of the peninsula.

Greenham did not pass through the Strait of Malacca during his visit to Jincheng, and the armed merchant ship Endeavor on which he was traveling anchored at Lingjiawei Island outside the city of Kangar in Perlis.

The goods were accompanied by the army marching to Kedah, and the goods were to be transported overland across the peninsula to the British in the Andaman Sea. Marching with logistical baggage, the added cost is not much.

Shou Zhi was separated from the army at the Blackwood Pass. Hollain led his army south to Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and the Orderly, with his cargo and guards, arrived at the city of Kangar Perlis.

In the plan of the Senate, part of the territory obtained from this conquest would be divided among the nobles above the baron. Because the title system was introduced relatively late, there were not enough fiefs in the country at that time, so before that, all the lords had only an empty title.

The Senate promised all the troops that Kedah would be conquered, the soldiers would be given land, and the slaves would be freed.

The order was given to the city of Kangar in the north, the Chinese nobles represented by Li Junchang and Lin Tongwen were given Penang and Georgetown Island in the south, and Marmont was given Sungai Petani. The capital city of Kedah, Alor Setar, and the heart of the Kedah River Valley are under the jurisdiction of the Senate.

10,000 square kilometers of land, even half of it is enough to open up a knight's fief that excites the soldiers. There was no obligation relationship between the knightly class of the Golden City and the nobles above the baron, and all were accountable to the Senate.

Kangar was just a small town at this time, with the Bo River winding its way through the Andaman Sea. Further on, there is the choppy Indian Ocean.

The Endeavour armed merchant ship reached the mouth of the Bo River, and the flag of the British East India Company, consisting of the St. George's Cross and a red bar on a white background, fluttered on the top of the mast.

Shou Qin shook hands with Greenham and said goodbye, "Mr. Greenham, we are an open country, and you are welcome to come and make money with us." ”

Greenham laughed, "Yes, free trade, Your Excellency." I love free trade. ”

The first-mover powers like monopolies, while the late-moving powers crave trade freedom. The exchange of order and Greenham is the same subtext, and both sides are tacitly aware of it.

"Sanya has the best iron ore in Asia, and you and your friends are welcome to join the company. Mr. Greenham, preferably in a private name. ”

Greenham: "I'm looking forward to it, Mr. Archon. ”

The £30,000 cargo has been loaded onto the ship, and the waterline of the Endeavour has dropped significantly. For the British, who had lost state support, the purchase and recruitment could even make them another profit.

In order to ensure the safety of navigation, the 80,000 pounds will set aside some funds to buy Jincheng's own ship. It was only after the convoy arrived in Asia and handed over to the Sanya Company that the rest of the cargo would be allocated to the British. The Commercial Acceptance Bill was the prevailing means of payment for maritime trade in this era, and the British did not dispute it.

After Greenham, it was the Golden City team that went to Europe this time. For this voyage, Orderly elected 20 people from among the shareholders and employees of the Sanya company, headed by Senator Philby of the Senate, and composed of members from four countries. All personnel costs are drawn in London, and procurement recruitment funds other than living expenses are signed by Philby and Greenham before they can be disbursed.

Shou Xiang solemnly instructed Fairby, "It's a long journey, take care of your body." ”

"Your Excellency, I will try to come back in 2 years, 3 years at most."

Orderly: "Safety first, don't be in a hurry." ”

The journey from Asia to the UK takes 6-8 months, and if the wind is not good, it will take longer on the road, and it will be very smooth to be back in 2 years.

Orderly raised his glass, "Gentlemen, I await your return from Europe to continue our adventure. Then you will find that your territory has expanded again. “

Amid the cheers of the mission, Shou Xuan walked up to Philby and asked softly, "Elder Philby, I remember that you are from Huntingdonshire?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, you are not mistaken."

"You know Oliver. Cromwell? ”

"Of course. In our hometown, Cromwell was a large family of great fame. ”

Shou Xuan took out a cowhide sealed package, "Help me bring a letter to this general of the parliamentary army." ”