This was Lee's first public appearance since he arrived in Macau, and along the way, he met several members of the council at the Fortress, and all but the pious priest showed mixed emotions towards him.

It was Lee Siu-ji who retained Macao's status as the only foreign trade window of the Ming Dynasty, but for this the Macao Council paid 100,000 taels of silver, and in the deterioration of Macao's economy, Macao will have to bear more financial pressure for many years to come.

Only Governor Schrobao could understand this, and he thought that all the efforts were meaningful, and the only news to be happy about was that Shen Youlong had relented at the Canton Fair, and perhaps by next year, the Portuguese would once again gain the right to trade in the city of Canton.

"I originally thought that you would not appear in public this time in Macau." Shi Luobao met Li Zhaoji, as cordial as seeing an old friend, he took the initiative to let people serve tea, and his words were very relaxed.

Li Zhaoji spread out his hand, lit a cigarette, and said helplessly: "I don't want to provoke the gentlemen of the council, but there are some things that have to be done, but I believe that after today's meeting, they will no longer treat me as an enemy." ”

"yes, do you think of any way to make them smile at you?" Schroebel asked.

Lee said: "How about facilitating trade? ”

"What assists trade?" Schroebel was puzzled.

Lee said bluntly: "After a while, my fleet will go to Manila for trade, and I can leave some space on my ship for the gentlemen of the council." ”

When Schroebel heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then nodded: "Yes, you may really be able to go to Manila, after all, you have a few good ships, and you helped the Spaniards defeat the Dutch attack, I think that Governor of Coqueilla will give you the corresponding treatment." ”

"Yes, in fact I got a letter of recommendation from Leo of Bol, who explained the important role my trading company played in the Battle of the Chicken Coop," Lee said. Do you want to see it, Mr. Ball's rhetoric is still gorgeous. ”

Obviously, Li Zhaoji intends to show the resources at his disposal, and Shi Luobao, as an intermediary between him and the council, naturally needs to confirm it.

So the letter from Leo of Pol was handed to Schroeb, and after reading it, Schroeb nodded with satisfaction, and said: "This letter is of great significance, and I think it will be of great importance to the gentlemen of the council in making up their minds." ”

Li Zhaoji spread his hand: "There is no problem, Your Excellency the Governor, but please don't damage it." But I would like to ask in advance, do you have a lot of goods for gentlemen? Of course, if they don't believe me, you can tell the gentlemen on my behalf, that I can buy the goods in their name, as long as the price is fair. ”

"Maybe you can read the book in my office for a while, and I'll go and negotiate it now, and as for the goods, Ferreira can answer them for me." Schroeb said.

Li Zhaoji smiled and nodded in agreement. Schrobao's urgency only shows that the people of the local council and those merchants were quite urgent in helping the Portuguese merchants of Macau to trade in Manila.

Ferreira took Lee Siu Ki on a tour of the Fortress and briefed him on the trade, the fact that the Portuguese merchants had a lot of goods in their hands.

Raw silk, textiles of all kinds, and porcelain were all best-selling products in the colonies of Europe and the Americas, and the reason for the accumulation of so many goods was related to the situation in the past year.

Since last year, four pirates have been making trouble at the mouth of the Pearl River, causing many ships in Guangdong to dare not go to sea, which indirectly caused a lot of goods to flow into Macao. And because of the strangulation of the Dutch in India, the Duyang and the South Seas, only three foreign ships came to Hong Kong this year, and these three ships could not absorb the goods of the Portuguese merchants.

Because the risk is too great, maritime merchants generally lower prices.

As for the trade of the Zheng family's fleet to Nagasaki, on which the merchants of Macao depended, it was only in June, and the capacity was limited, so that only a few powerful people could enjoy it.

Therefore, if Li Zhaoji can really help them transport goods to Manila, it will undoubtedly be a relief in the snow.

After Li Zhaoji's introduction, Li Zhaoji asked bluntly: "Ferreira, do the merchants have a lot of raw silk in their hands?" ”

"A lot, more than you think," Ferreira said. ”

Li Zhaoji was puzzled: "Why? ”

Ferreira said: "The Captain Nikolai was willing to help the Portuguese sell their goods to Nagasaki for the sake of their friendship, but the control of raw silk was very strict, which is why the fleet from Macau to Nagasaki was in June, not April." ”

The April fleet was able to catch up with the spring silk trade, which was the most important thing for the Japanese side, and even selected the best raw silk from it and presented it to the Tokugawa shogun, calling it shogun silk. Because of the high profits, the Zheng family naturally did not want others to participate, in fact, the Zheng family had a monopoly on 70% of the supply of raw silk in Japan.

Li Zhaoji laughed and nodded with satisfaction, it looks like he can pretend to be a tiger, as long as Shengsi gets on his own ship, then he can pretend to belong to a trading company and deter the Dutch.

Li Zhaoji believes that it is very important for the Dutch to believe that they have Shen Youlong as a backer behind them, even if the Dutch are only suspicious and uncertain, it is of great significance.

As long as the deception is made until July and August of the next year, it means that until April of the following year, the rule of the trading company in the Daikan will be safe.

After visiting the Fort, Shi Luobao also returned, he was full of spring breeze and looked quite rewarded.

Shi Luobao did not play any tricks, but put a list in front of Li Zhaoji, the list was full of various types of goods, and the grade and quantity of each type of goods, and the price was marked at the end, there were no less than 60 kinds, and there were as many as 17 kinds of raw silk and silk fabrics alone.

This is the price list set by the council on behalf of the Portuguese merchants in Macao, as long as Li Zhaoji agrees, he can buy all the goods listed above, Li Zhaoji carefully counted, there are more than 700 tons of raw silk alone, and a large number of silk fabrics.

But this is not something that the Oriental Trading Company can afford, because the quantity is too large and the price is not low.

The trading companies also bought in the city of Guangzhou, and many things, such as porcelain, ironwork, and cotton cloth, were much lower than those of the merchants of Macau, after all, these guys were more profitable.

And the Macau businessman means that he either buys them all or doesn't sell them all.

The goods on this list were worth at least 200,000 taels of silver, and of course Li Zhaoji couldn't take them out, so he could only enter the stage of cooperative trade.

As a result, Shi Luobao took out a similar list, which still listed the goods and quantities, but the price at the back was changed, which was more than 50% higher than the one just now, especially the raw silk, which was directly doubled.

And this list is the price after selling the goods to Manila, and Li Zhaoji carefully put the list away, because it is worth a fortune.

For trading companies, trade to Manila was a blank slate, but Portuguese merchants in Macau were familiar with it, and even when the mother country was at war with Spain, the two sides did not completely cut off trade, so this price list is very informative.

"What the merchants mean is that they give you the goods, you send them to Manila, sell them at these prices, and if they exceed it, even if you are paid, if it is insufficient, then you need to make up for it from your trading company." Schroeb said.

Li Zhaoji folded the list, put it directly into his arms, and said: "I won't be so stupid, my cooperation method is that my fleet is responsible for transporting goods, and you give me 10% of the price of the goods as a reward, as for how much these goods can be sold, you send a representative to Manila to talk with the Spaniards, and I will not participate." ”

Schrobao was obviously prepared, and said: "This is okay, but the reward cannot be ten percent, we can only accept five percent." ”

"Obviously, there will be a long negotiation about how much I will be paid. I insisted on ten per cent, and His Excellency the Governor had ample time to convince the gentlemen of the Council. Lee Siu Kee didn't care, he had already sensed from every detail that the Portuguese businessmen wanted to come to an agreement with him.

"Seven percent, that's the highest percentage," Schroebel said. ”

"Ten percent, that's my insistence, I think you have other conditions." Li Zhaoji said lightly, he knows very well that businessmen are stingy, and he doesn't have much intersection with them, who can guarantee that he won't load the goods and leave?

Shi Luobao felt a headache, and he had tried to restrain it, but it still made Li Zhaoji sense the urgency.

What Shi Luobao didn't know was that before he came, Li Zhaoji had already asked people to investigate, and although there was no actual evidence, he had some understanding.

"Well, it can be ten percent, but there has to be a precondition. Before the merchant ship does not return to the voyage and brings back the payment, you must be in Macao and cannot leave. Schroebel said the last condition.

The meaning is very clear, Li Zhaoji is a hostage, so that the trading company can reach a cooperation with the Portuguese businessman.

Li Zhaoji asked: "Can you guarantee that during my time in Macao, the Guangdong general soldier would not send a few people to kill me or arrest me." ”

"Only five people know you're here, me, Ferreira, Father Priest, and two senior councillors. Except for Ferreira, everyone has at least six thousand taels worth of goods on your ship, and we ..... Well, in your words, grasshoppers on a rope. Schroeb said.

Li Zhaoji thought about it, the office was quiet, Shi Luobao waited nervously, he hoped that Li Zhaoji agreed, and he had to agree, otherwise he would not be able to explain to others.

At this time, Shi Luobao was extremely nervous, his throat rolled up and down, and when he couldn't hold it anymore, Li Zhaoji said: "Unless you can agree to my other condition, I can't put my safety in your hands." ”

"God, you're a devil!" Schrobao gritted his teeth, and the voice came out between his teeth.

What is most difficult for him to accept is that Li Zhaoji's negotiation method is always linked to one link, always holding the initiative, and always allowing himself to deal passively.

Li Zhaoji looked at his uncomfortable appearance, quite helpless, Shi Luobao vented well, roared with all his strength, and spat flying, but without Ferreira's translation, Li Zhaoji couldn't understand what he said.

It wasn't until Shi Luobao finished venting that he sat back in his chair and said, "Mr. Li, please don't put forward too harsh conditions." ”

Li Zhaoji laughed and asked, "I want to use the communication channel between you and the four surnamed pirates." ”

The Portuguese have been mixing in the Pearl River estuary for hundreds of years, and the most important thing is to have a good relationship with the three religions and nine streams, not only relying on the Ming court, but also naturally having contacts with pirates.

On the other hand, Macau is also an important place for pirates to sell their stolen goods, and some things can only be sold at high prices here.

Schrobao and Ferreira looked at each other, and Ferreira asked solemnly, "Shopkeeper Li, what are you looking for pirates with four surnames?" ”

Li Zhaoji didn't want to tell the truth at this time, he responded lightly: "You all know that many of my subordinates are piglets who were abducted and sold by the four surnames, and they have enmity with the four surnames. ”

"Is that all?" Ferreira didn't want to believe it, he said, "Isn't quiet trade good, if you have to provoke those pirates to do something, they will only make the trade bad." ”

Li Zhaoji smiled mysteriously: "Sometimes, I just need to make trade bad. ”