Nanyang in October is very cool, :.

In the Wandan Palace, the Sultan set up a grand banquet to welcome the Emperor of Han’s brother Earl Tongshan. At the banquet, the guests and hosts were all happy. Liu Jian enjoyed the respect of Wandan. In this indigenous palace in Nanyang, the power of the Han Empire could be felt more than in the Han Dynasty.

The real Wiga Universe.

Liu Jian arrived this time with a huge ocean-going fleet. He set off from the Pearl River Estuary in Guangzhou and headed south along the coast. He sailed all the way to Haikou in Hainan, Beihai in Guangxi, Dongxing in Annan, Guangning in Annan, Haimen in Rinan, Yanzhou, Puyang, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Jinlan, Puliango and other coastal ports, and then sailed to Brunei Port in Borneo, Singapore in Malacca Peninsula, Palembang in Sumen, and then to Banten Port in Java.

When we set out from Guangzhou, most of the goods were already ‘traded’ at the ports along the way. Nowadays, the ships loaded various goods from the warehouses of various port branches. Rice from Annan, iron from Borneo, tin from Malacca, sugar from Palembang, etc.

There were only a few ships that were still kept in the cabins of cargo carried from Guangzhou, which were buckets of porcelain, bundles of silk, boxes of tea, and refined salt, sugar, spices and wine. Among them were a lot of iron wire, iron nails, sewing needles, ironware, a batch of excellent paper and a lot of medicines, as well as some export cannons and muskets.

These are all extremely profitable goods, just like iron wire and iron nails, which seem very ordinary, but they are very popular goods in the Nanyang area and have extremely high profits. Not to mention the steel products such as steel pots and shovels produced by Dahan.

In addition, Liu Jian's fleet also transported many passengers. Passengers paid to buy tickets, bought different tickets according to different prices, and enjoyed different treatments. The cheapest tickets had to bring their own food after boarding the ship, and there was no "bed" and even had to help with work. The first-class tickets could provide the same food as the crew, and they didn't have to work, and they could also get a hanging "bed". If the more expensive tickets could enjoy the same food and accommodation as the senior crew. The most expensive tickets could even have their own independent cabin.

Different boat tickets enjoy different treatments, and the prices vary greatly. The cheapest one is only ten silver dollars, and you can get from Guangzhou to Wandan. If you get off the boat halfway, it is even cheaper. The most expensive one is to get one hundred silver dollars from Guangzhou to Wandan Port, which is equivalent to the income that ordinary people can save if they don’t eat or drink for two years.

Although the fare is a bit expensive, Nanyang Company's merchant ship routes are spread throughout the Nanyang Company. There are many merchant ships and they travel around the clock all year round, which is extremely safe. Therefore, there are still many customers taking their merchant ships, and Nanyang Company's passenger service can also make a small profit every year.

Dahan is now actively developing Nanyang, and many companies have begun to open branches in Nanyang, which has also caused a large number of employees to be sent from the local area to Nanyang;.

At the banquet, Prince A Geng had long been very concerned about the goods brought by Liu Jian.

The goods of Nanyang Company can be sold directly in Wandan's branch, or directly packaged to Wandan Country, or even held an auction to sell them scatteredly to Wandan merchants.

However, Nanyang Company's goods are very good, and each one is very popular in Wandan. Therefore, Prince Ageng proposed that he hopes that the Wandan Kingdom will eat them all directly.

"Of course there is no problem." Liu Jian put down his wine glass and replied with a smile. Although some of the goods were actually sold for branches, since they could be sold at once, how could he refuse? Anyway, Nanyang Company has added a lot of new ships, and the next batch of ships will arrive soon.

After the imperial court laid off a large number of naval ships last time, the Nanyang Company ate a large number of laid-off ships. Many of these ships became armed transport ships after they were slightly modified.

Some old warships in the cannons even repaired them and installed them with the newly expanded Nanyang Company Security Company, which is similar to the mercenary troops of the Dutch and Indian Company.

The strongest security company is the Maritime Security Department, with more than 5,000 people, many warships and gunboats. Its strength is equivalent to a small ocean cruiser fleet. It has twelve retired old cruisers and many gunboats.

This fleet also has the title of the First Imperial Navy Reserve Fleet. All the officers in the fleet are reserve officers, and the captains of each ship are even active.

The fleet is not only the coastal security department of Nanyang Company, but also directly under the jurisdiction of the military.

This fleet has been patrolling the Nanyang maritime patrols for a long time and will also regularly patrol the Indian Ocean and the Possian Gulf to combat pirates on the Nanyang Company route.

Although it is very expensive to bear such a huge security fleet, it also ensures the safety of thousands of sea ships of Nanyang Company. With such a powerful maritime security guard, Nanyang Company's merchant ships are constantly commuting.

Especially now, the imperial court has already had its own port fortresses along the Annan coast and several major islands in the South Ocean, which can allow merchant fleets to replenish supplies. Even the ocean-going merchant ships in the former South India and the "Pos Bay" Bay can also replenish supply at ports of other countries along the way such as Kokang, India.

The Han Dynasty is establishing a trade alliance in Southeast Asia with the Han Dynasty as the leader.

Whether it was the sick Sultan or Prince Ageng, they were very interested in the Nanyang trade circle plan proposed by Liu Jian. According to Liu Jian's words, some of the Nanyang countries such as the Han Dynasty, Wandan, Matalan, Johor, Aceh, and Peking University will be established in the future.

It will be classified as a non-tariff area, and a zero-tariff policy will be implemented, allowing foreign merchants to live freely and engage in related business. All residents and passengers will enjoy tariff preferential treatment.

What are the benefits of this to the country?

The benefits are very obvious. After establishment, the port will have obvious attractiveness to ship owners and cargo owners, which can expand the port's throughput and greatly improve the port's transit function;.

To put it more specifically, it is actually the development of re-export trade. In today's maritime trade, re-export trade is actually more profitable. Through relay re-export trade, it saves time, costs, and capital turnover is faster than the direct trade method.

If the Han and the South China Sea countries can sign contracts and each sets out some important ports to mark them, then the trade between the Han and the South China Sea will be faster and smoother in the future.

The free port area can also attract foreign merchants to invest in establishing some processing industries, developing services, and promoting the port economy. On the surface, some tariffs have been lost, but in fact they can gain more. Of course, the prospects must be added more, so that the scale effect can be formed.

However, there are actually not many tariffs lost, after all, they are only placed outside the customs area. If the goods are only processed and transferred at the port, they are indeed not taxable. But if they are finally sold to the mainland outside, they still have to pay tariffs.

Moreover, the entire port and city can be classified as duty-free areas, or just a area in the port can be designated as a free area.

The Han Dynasty really hoped to establish a Nanyang Trade Alliance so that Dahan could make imports and exports bigger. Whether it was export or import, it could save a lot of tariffs through supply or ‘trading’ at various ports.

"The Dahan has planned to set Singapore, Malacca, Manila, Brunei and the Annan coastal areas of Priliango, Hoi An, Puyang, Guangning, and even Hong Kong, Macau, Xiamen, Penghu, and Guangzhou. In addition, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Haikou, Dazhong, Quanzhou, Shanghai, Yangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian and other ports will also set up free port areas. As long as they join the Nanyang Trade Alliance of Dahan, merchant ships from member countries will enjoy zero tariffs, free living, investment, and work."

"If we buy artillery, muskets and warships from the Han Dynasty, can we enjoy tariff-free treatment?" Prince Ageng asked.

Liu Jian smiled slightly.

"His Royal Highness, of course. Actually, I have a better suggestion. If the Han Dynasty can capture Batavia, then the entire Batavia port and urban area will be set up as a free port area in the future. The Han Dynasty's goods in Batavia will be exempt from tariffs. Even the imperial court has planned that after taking Batavia, we will build a large shipyard and artillery punishment gun factory there. At that time, if Wandan buys warships and guns from Batavia, he will enjoy the discount. Compared to buying warships and weapons directly from the Han Dynasty, it is expected to be at least 30% off."

Prince Ageng asked, "I wonder how many cannons and muskets the great Han can sell us every year, and whether we can sell us how many warships? I am not talking about those clamps or those armed merchant ships. I know that the equipment of the Han army in Batavia blockade, you cast the kind of cannons with steel, which is lighter than copper cannons and longer than iron cannons. Your flintlock fire guns are also much better than Dutch flintlock guns. As for your warships, the first-class battleships with more than 100 cannons are really beautiful and mighty."

In recent years, in order to resist the Dutch, the Bandan people also began to build European sailing ships, but they lacked enough technology and could only build three-masted merchant ships of four or five hundred tons, and could only be equipped with more than forty "gate" artillery; and their artillery technology was not good either, so they could only cast stupid and heavy copper cannons. As for muskets, their casting technology was still in the era of medron guns.

Prince A Geng did not oppose joining the Nanyang Trade Alliance of the Han Dynasty. He could also see the great benefits that this Nanyang Alliance would bring to Wandan after its establishment.

But if Bandan agrees to allow the Han to fight against the Dutch Batavia, and even accept all their colonial strongholds in the South China Sea, and even asks them to send troops to help them attack Batavia, then the Han Dynasty will have to bring more benefits.

Prince Agent did not oppose the Han Dynasty's capture of Batavia, but he also had his own demands. He hoped to get the support of the Han Dynasty's advanced weapons and a powerful Wandan army. As for what the Wandan army would do after strengthening it, it was nothing more than fighting eastward with Matalan for control of Java, or attacking Lampung across the strait and expanding territory.

Liu Jun answered him very directly, "As long as Wandan helps the Han to seize Batavia, when the Han is set up in Batavia, we will build a shipbuilding and gun factory. At that time, we will sell as much as Wandan wants to buy!"
Chapter completed!