Master Xu asked: "Shopkeeper Hai, how did your cousin break through the pirate blockade and sell goods overseas?" ”

Hai Shuzu said: "The goods are generally transported to Macao by land, although the cost is larger, but it is better to be safe, and they are loaded and transported after arrival. Master Xu may not know that my cousin has three ocean-going ships and one small ocean-going ship, all of which are equipped with heavy guns, and the ships are strong and sharp.

And recruit barbarians, red-haired, and sharp armor overseas, ordinary pirates don't dare to provoke at all, even if the four surnamed big ships go to attack, they also lose their wives and soldiers. ”

The words that Hai Shuzu said, especially the recruitment of barbarians and the like, can undoubtedly be charged with conspiracy on the side of the Ming Dynasty, but at this banquet, it makes people have a more recognizable role for the Oriental Trading Company.

"Shopkeeper Li originally cooperated with you to buy and sell overseas. If we join in, I wonder if he would be willing to do so. Master Huang asked.

Hai Shuzu spread his hands and said, "Everyone, Li Zhaoji really wants to make friends with you, but this is not something that he can do with your wishes. ”

"Oh, what does that mean?"

Hai Shuzu said: "Some time ago, Zhaoji worked for the imperial court and served in the Liangguang Governor's Palace, but he was not satisfied. Of course, I don't know the inside story very clearly, but there is one thing, Zhao Ji and Lin Zongbing have some disagreements.

Even if Zhaoji agrees to cooperate with everyone, where can the foreign ship he belongs to enter the Pearl River estuary, and if it appears in Guangzhou, what should the chief soldier do? ”

Chen Zizhuang said with a smile: "Mr. Lin is gentle and obedient on weekdays, but he is very talkative. At this point, you let Shopkeeper Li not have to worry too much. As for the entry of foreign ships into Guangdong, there is no need to worry about it, and there is no need to worry about it. ”

Chen Zizhuang said, and the younger brother of the Haiphong General and the guests of the Haixun Road all stood up.

"Senior, you are thoughtful, so Zhao Ji has no worries." Hai Shuzu said with a smile.

The crowd feasted until the afternoon, when it dispersed, Chen Zizhuang left Hai Shuzu, and talked to him for a while, before handing over a handwritten letter to Hai Shuzu, who saw that the letter was sealed by fire paint, and knew that it was a secret letter that only Li Zhaoji himself could open.

After Hai Shuzu left, Chen Zizhuang, who was tired, returned to the study, he sat on a chair to rest, pinching the bridge of his nose, showing that he was very unenergetic.

A young man entered, handed Chen Zizhuang a cup of tea, and stood aside.

"Huairen, if you have something to say, just say it." Chen Zizhuang said that this Huairen is his son and is quite famous.

Chen Huairen said carefully: "Father, you are famous in Guangzhou, why are you involved in such a business, it is really too coppery. Our Chen Jiageng reads heirlooms, cultivates poetry and writing, and is really at odds with those flies and dogs. ”

Chen Zizhuang waved his hand: "You don't know this, now the four pirates surnamed in the Pearl River Estuary are making a lot of trouble, and the gentry are shaken, if they don't come forward for their father, they will naturally have others to take the lead, just like the old man Xu, Master Huang and the like, if they are ambitious people like Li Zhaoji, they don't know what a bad thing to do."

The Father takes the lead, and everything is naturally under the Father's control.

Moreover...... The family is prosperous, and the grandchildren are quite motivated, but how can the imperial examination art only be knowledgeable? In the future, study tours and make friends, there must be little expenses, and there must always be some income at home.

Nowadays, the price of spring silk has fallen, and many silkworm farmers are unable to continue, and the operation for their fathers is also to seek a way to live for the people, but it is not all selfish. ”

Two days later, Macau.

Li Zhaoji was fishing on the beach, his long fishing rod plunged into the sea, he wore a straw hat, and there were drinks on the table to eat and drink, quite leisurely and free.

Seven days earlier, the fleet of the Oriental Trading Company had departed, and the Vostok, Lingdingdao, and Tamsui, three fully prepared armed merchant ships, loaded with the goods of the trading company and the Portuguese in Macao, set sail directly for Manila.

The fleet was headed by Chen Liuzi, and it was clear that military security was more important than trade, and Macau sent two merchants as commercial attachés, but it was Ferreira, the face of the East, who was in charge of the main affairs, which was also to make it easier for the fleet to operate around the Philippines.

Because Portugal became independent from the Spanish monarchy, Macau and Manila remained hostile to the officials, but this did not affect the trade between the two sides, and it was almost an open secret that Ming merchants were handed over or smuggled trade.

It's just that the cargo of the fleet is too big, so it is necessary to be cautious.

The fleet went to Manila, and Lee stayed in Macao as a hostage, but this hostage was only known to four people in Macao.

"The big shopkeeper, Hai Shuzu is here." Seeing a man riding a donkey from a distance, Tang Mu said with a wicked smile in Li Zhaoji's ear.

Li Zhaoji smiled: "Since my cheap cousin is already serving the trading company, then you have to show enough respect." ”

After the Pearl River Estuary fell into chaos, the price of silk tickets fell all the way, Hai Shuzu officially took on the work of buying silk tickets for the trading company, Li Zhaoji allowed him to make a profit, but sent Li Sizhi to be the bookkeeper in the past, although Hai Shuzu could not make a fake account, but a percent of the profit also made a lot of money.

In just half a month, Hai Shuzu has bought more than 270 stone silk tickets, and the price has also made Li Zhaoji very satisfied.

"Brother Hai, why are you here?" Li Zhaoji arranged for Hai Shuzu to sit down and said.

Hai Shuzu gasped and said, "I'm really not at ease, I always feel that if I don't tell you in person, there will be mistakes, so I can only rest assured after I have met you." But don't be suspicious, I don't have a retinue with me, and no one else will know about your actions. ”

After leaving Nanyuan that day, Hai Shuzu handed over the secret letter to Li Sizhi, and Li Sizhi sent someone to deliver it quickly, theoretically it would take at least four or five days to reply to Hai Shuzu, but he felt that the matter was big, so he couldn't hold his breath.

"What do you think of Chen Zizhuang's proposal?" Li Zhaoji asked directly.

"It's a great deal, but it's the equivalent of them providing raw silk and silk fabrics, and you providing transportation and selling services," Haishuzu said. If you have enough capital, you will make all the profits in the next two sections, and the raw silk sold to Nagasaki will not be as profitable as it was a few decades ago, but at least twice as profitable.

Even if you don't have that much capital, you can let them share the risk. On that day's gathering, the Haiphong staff and the Coast Guard Road sent people to attend, and when the English were cleared in Humen, the Coast Guard Road, which was not against you, had already been replaced.

With these gentry as your partners, there is no disadvantage. ”

When Hai Shuzu said this, he bowed his hand to Tang Mu: "Please ask Brother Tang to get me some tea, or point out a place, and I will quench my thirst first." ”

"You thing, don't you cut melons quickly." Li Zhaoji glared at Tang Mu.

Tang Mu smiled, and after a while, he brought two watermelons that had just been fished out of the well, pulled out a knife and cut them in half, one person with a spoon, and held them to eat, this is Li Zhaoji's way of eating, and now Tang Mu is also used to it.

Hai Shuzu was pampered, where was he so vulgar to eat, but when he saw Li Zhaoji eating with a spoon, he was really thirsty, so he did the same.

After eating for a while, it was to quench his thirst and satisfy his hunger, and Hai Shuzu spat and said again: "In fact, the benefits are not only these, you can transport some goods from overseas to come in, take the path of these people, and distribute them directly, which is more profitable than selling to Macao, and faster than selling it in Guangzhou."

It can be said that in the Ming Dynasty, as long as the gentry were done, there was no one who would not get rich. ”

Li Zhaoji smiled, he also understood these truths, Hai Shuzu said this, which could boost his confidence a lot, but Li Zhaoji asked rhetorically: "Brother Hai thinks that just for these small profits, it is worth inviting so many people to entertain you, what kind of place are you in Nanyuan, and who are you when Chen Zizhuang?" ”

Hai Shuzu was puzzled, Li Zhaoji said: "There is a Zheng family in Fujian, although the Guangdong gentry do not want Guangdong to have one, but the Zheng family monopolizes the sea trade, so that the Guangdong gentry can only rely on him, or avoid the Zheng family to eat some soup and water, where can they accept it."

This is to push me to the front of the stage and fight with the Zheng family, so as to seek a way to make a fortune for the Guangdong gentry. ”

Hai Shuzu's eyes widened, and he didn't know where Li Zhaoji knew this, but after thinking about it, Chen Zizhuang specially gave Li Zhaoji a secret letter, perhaps mentioned in the letter.

"But it's just a cooperative silk seller, how to challenge the Zheng family?" Hai Shuzu asked.

"They want a monopoly. ”

Hai Shuzu frowned: "What kind of monopoly law?" ”

If you want to say what is the most profitable business in the world, no one can say this, some people say that the raw silk trade is profitable, and some people say that the spice trade is the most profitable. But when it comes to the most profitable way, there is no disagreement at all.

There is no doubt that the most profitable thing is the monopoly.

Li Zhaoji smiled: "This is something that Chen Zizhuang wants to discuss directly with me, and I have a plan in my heart." ”

"How does that work, and what do I need to do?" Hai Shuzu took the initiative to ask, if a monopoly is really formed, even if he Hai Shuzu only plays a small role in it, he will get much more than he worked hard before.

Li Zhaoji shook his head slightly: "I can't talk to you for the time being, you can go back to Guangzhou and continue to buy raw silk." Within five days, I will send Sizhi another 20,000 taels of silver, which you can use, and when the fleet to Manila returns, at least another 100,000 taels will go to Canton, and all of these will be turned into raw silk or silk fabrics.

This is my hole card, you can do it, but you are not allowed to tell the gentry, beyond this price, you can only negotiate cooperation with them, do you understand? ”

Hai Shuzu's eyes widened, and he made a brief calculation in his heart, Li Zhaoji was going to buy more than 150,000 taels of raw silk, in just eight months, where did this guy get so much money?

"Let's go and rest first, and we'll talk more about it in the evening." Li Zhaoji told Hai Shuzu that since this guy came, Li Zhaoji had not caught a single fish.

"Big shopkeeper, when are you going to reply to that Chen Zizhuang?" Tang Mu asked.

Lee said: "The trading company is too weak now, at least it will sell raw silk to Nagasaki and exchange it for gold and silver, and then exchange gold and silver for warships, artillery, and armor." ”