Chapter 970 Harsh exchange conditions

The Portuguese have seen the situation clearly through their cooperation in recent years. It is good to develop colonies on their own, but the investment required is huge, the construction period is also very long, and it is full of uncertain variables and operational efficiency.

On the contrary, it is far less fast than following in the footsteps of Haihan. In the past, the Portuguese had to start from Macau to trade in Northeast Asia, risking their way through the waters controlled by the Dutch and Spanish, and then arrived at Shuangyu Port in Zhoushan.

Having to deal with local pirate merchants is really not an easy task.

But after the Haihan people opened up the sea route from Guangdong and Guangxi to Zhejiang last year, the Portuguese only needed to build business warehouses in the areas controlled by Haihan to easily enjoy the benefits of trade. Moreover, the safety hazards on this entire route have basically been eliminated.

The Haihan people had cleared them up in advance, and traveling from Macau to Zhoushan was no longer the "adventure trip" that merchants called it. Although the Portuguese did not have their own colonies along this route, they had to admit that the infrastructure in the areas controlled by the Haihan people was

The project was done very well, far beyond what they could achieve. Establishing a trading post in the area controlled by the Haihan people would run much better than developing a colony on their own. The Portuguese did not even need to worry about local security issues.

In addition, in the past, when Portugal wanted to trade with the Ming Dynasty, it always encountered various barriers. Only a few Ming merchants were willing to sell goods to them. The quantity and variety were always very limited, and there was no room for pickiness. But with the Haihan people,

After the cooperation, this slightly embarrassing situation has also been improved. Although the procurement process needs to go through the intermediary of Haihan people, it is inevitable that a fee will be taken away, but the types of products that can be selected have greatly increased than before, and

With Haihan as the intermediary guarantee, both the delivery of goods and the settlement of payment are much more convenient and reliable than before.

This time Thomas heard that there would be investment projects in several ports controlled by Haihan on the route from Guangdong to Zhejiang, and he immediately took the initiative to contact Schneider. Thomas knew that Ming merchants had already settled in these ports before.

Port, but Western merchants like them have never been able to get Haihan's permission. Now that they have finally received the good news after waiting for more than half a year, they naturally have to be the first to be worthy of the Consul General in Sanya.

Position.

"Mr. Schneider, we hope to obtain the right to settle in Zhoushan Dinghai Port. It would be best if we could set aside an exclusive dock for Portuguese merchants there." Thomas put forward his request to Schneider in a concise and concise manner. In comparison

Among Fuzhou and Guangzhou, which have already obtained trade opportunities, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions further north are the markets that Portugal is currently eager to capture, and Zhoushan Dinghai Port, located off the coast of Hangzhou Bay, is undoubtedly an excellent maritime trade place in this region.

"Exclusive terminal? Like Sanya Port? No problem!" Schneider said with a smile: "But you have to pay for the construction funds yourself. We can organize the construction on your behalf."

Thomas was quite happy and agreed immediately without asking the price: "Then it's settled."

Schneider added unhurriedly: "In addition, the personnel entering and leaving the local area, shipping schedules, routes, types and quantities of goods transported need to be reported to the local port center. Account settlement must also be done through the channels of Haihan Bank

.”

Thomas calculated it in his mind and nodded in agreement. Although these conditions were a bit harsh and would put Portuguese merchants' local trade conditions completely under Haihan's control, compared with the trade gains they could obtain from the local area, this kind of conditions was a bit harsh.

The amount of effort is worth it.

"But we also have a small condition." Thomas responded: "We hope that you can control the trading activities of the Dutch in the Haihan Colony, at least to impose appropriate restrictions on the types of goods they can purchase."

Schneider smiled noncommittally and said: "You are thinking very far!"

The Dutch have basically agreed to the conditions proposed by Haihan during the trade negotiations on Ambrosia Island, and are preparing to join the future South China Sea Trade Alliance. This means that Dutch merchant ships will also appear in Sanya Port and Kaohsiung Port in the future.

Dinghai Port is in the early stages of development, and the Portuguese will continue to face face-to-face trade competition from the Dutch. If they want to gain an upper hand in the competition, the most effective way is to gain an advantage through the assistance of Haihan. As long as Haihan people say a word,

The Portuguese can easily defeat their competitors by tilting their trade policies.

Thomas said unabashedly: "What the Dutch compete with us is actually the European market. The more goods they ship back from the Far East, the less profit margin they leave for us. As a loyal ally of Haihan, we hope that you will

To be able to stand firmly by our side in times like this.”

Schneider smiled and said: "This matter is not non-negotiable, but in the spirit of cooperation, shouldn't you also come up with some exchange conditions?"

Thomas suddenly felt as if he was being stared at by a wild beast, as if he had become prey in the eyes of the other party. Although he could not yet think of what the exchange conditions Schneider was referring to, Thomas vaguely felt that he seemed to have been calculated.

.

"So what suggestions does Mr. Schneider have?" Thomas decided to ask directly.

"Our conditions are very simple, navigation rights in the Strait of Malacca." Schneider's reply was equally simple and direct.

Thomas coughed dryly and said: "Actually, the navigation rights of the Strait of Malacca are not entirely in our hands. I believe Mr. Schneider understands this. Besides, our two families are allies. If the Haihan ship wants to pass through the Strait of Malacca, we will naturally not

Do you have any opinions?"

"I think you have misunderstood me a bit." Schneider explained: "What we want is not the permission for Haihan ships to pass through the Strait of Malacca, but the control of the navigation rights of the strait. In other words, we hope that Haihan will be able to use Haihan ships in the future."

To decide which ships can pass through the strait."

After hearing this, Thomas couldn't help but change his face and said: "With all due respect, this condition you proposed is a bit excessive! Our country has built fortresses and stationed armed ships in the Strait of Malacca to maintain the safety of local maritime shipping for a hundred years, and has never planned to

But we have to hand over the local jurisdiction to someone else!”

"Mr. Thomas, please don't get excited, please listen to me clearly." Schneider explained calmly: "We are not trying to expel you from the Strait of Malacca. Your existing territory there is still valid. What happened before?"

When it comes to maritime trade, you can do the same in the future, and there will be no obvious harm to your interests. But for the control of local sea areas, it is better for Haihan to make the final decision."

Thomas thought to himself that this is all a slap in the face and you still tell me not to get excited. It would be better not to advise you. The Portuguese have conquered the city of Malacca since 1511, when Albuquerque, the second governor of Portuguese India, led an army to conquer the city.

For more than 120 years, during this period, although the Portuguese did not fully control both sides of the Strait of Malacca, they did have the basic control of the sea firmly in their hands. Even the Dutch tried to intervene in this area by force many times, but they failed.

They were all successfully shut out by Portugal. Now you want me to give up control of the Strait of Malacca with just one sentence. How can I agree to this?

It is worth mentioning that it was also from this period that the Ming Dynasty completely lost its influence in the South China Sea. Nine years after the Portuguese captured Malacca, the envoy of the Prince of Malacca sent a letter asking for help to the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty. By this time

Only then did the Ming court know that such a situation had occurred in the South China Sea. But in the face of the fall of Malacca, the Ming court did not realize the long-term damage to itself, and its subsequent response was quite weak - Portugal was not allowed to pay tribute.

Colleagues detained all the Portuguese envoys to China in Guangzhou as hostages for the return of the territory of Malacca.

This incompetence and short-sightedness is mainly due to the fact that the Ming Dynasty did not deploy any military force in Southeast Asia, and the so-called tribute system was just a feeble political commitment. Two-thirds of the Ming Dynasty's vassals were in Southeast Asia.

, but after the arrival of Western colonists, these vassal countries were gradually forced to break away from their relations with the Ming Dynasty, losing this huge strategic buffer zone in just a hundred years.

However, after Haihan came to this time and space, he made sea control of the South China Sea his first priority in expanding outward. Only in the seventh year after crossing, Haihan finally established his own stronghold near the Strait of Malacca.

It was not easy to win, but it also showed that Haihan was determined to gain control of this region.

In the previous meeting at Ambrosia Island, Haihan consciously downplayed the impact of his establishment of a stronghold at the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca, and the participants' attention was basically focused on the series of trade systems introduced by Haihan.

There was no specific negotiation on the issue of navigation and jurisdiction in the Strait of Malacca. But this time the Portuguese took the initiative to come to discuss cooperation conditions. Schneider believed that this was a good opportunity for a showdown, so he decisively brought the topic to this topic.

Schneider had also expected the Portuguese's reaction when he heard about this matter before. Thomas did not immediately curse, which was considered a good show of self-control. Of course, it can also be seen from his gloomy face now that the Portuguese is very concerned about this matter.

What attitude do you hold.

"Mr. Schneider, I must solemnly tell you that the condition you have proposed is impossible to be met. We will not give up control of the Strait of Malacca." Thomas tried his best to restrain his emotions and expressed his response to the condition proposed by Schneider.

Dissatisfied.

"Don't be so stubborn. Many plans can never keep up with changes." Schneider was not in a hurry, and still said slowly: "I think you should take a longer view, don't just focus on the present, long-term interests are what you should focus on.

Mr. Thomas, please think carefully about how much benefit you gained from occupying Malacca in the past, how much benefit you can gain from controlling the Strait of Malacca now, and can this situation continue in the future?"

To say that the biggest gain of the Portuguese in Malacca was probably when they captured the city of Malacca hundreds of years ago. At that time, two-thirds of the wealth of the Kingdom of Malacca was concentrated in the city, and almost all of this wealth was lost after the city fell.

It entered the pockets of the Portuguese. It was precisely because of this that the Portuguese had enough motivation and financial resources to continue moving eastward, and arrived at the Daming Sea a few years later.

But in the next hundred years, the Portuguese controlled this very important trade gateway between the Eastern and Western world, but did not gain much direct benefits. Although the Dutch needed to sail around the Sunda Strait from outside Sumatra Island and enter the South China Sea,

But this only caused an increase in time and transportation costs for the Dutch. They did not receive even a single copper penny from the Dutch. Instead, they spent a lot of money fighting for control of the Strait of Malacca.

.

The Kingdom of Johor and Aceh, which are also located in the Strait of Malacca, are not idle either. These two countries have fought against Portugal no less than the Dutch. Although they have suffered repeated defeats and won less and lost more, they are still in the end for Portugal.

Trouble that cannot be avoided. With Portugal's strength, it can only defeat their offensive, but it does not have the ability to destroy the country. The armed conflict in the Strait of Malacca will still not stop for a foreseeable period in the future.

As for the future, after Hai Han has already set foot in the Strait of Malacca, Thomas really doesn't dare to vouch for it. The combat effectiveness of Hai Han's armed forces is already known to everyone, and they are invincible wherever they go. The Portuguese were defeated in the battle of Hoi An City in Annan.

It has already suffered heavy losses. In the past few years, the Haihan Army has been fighting in the north and south, and has grown much faster than the Portuguese semi-professional armed forces. The gap in strength has long been much wider than it was then. If the two sides are facing each other again today

Go ahead, I'm afraid the outcome of the battle will be even more disastrous than before.

Taking a step back, even if the Haihan people do not take the initiative, will Portugal have the ability to drive away the Haihan people who have already settled on Star Island and started building a dock? If they turn a blind eye to them, then Thomas dares to say that in at least half a year, the local people will

It will begin to officially operate and become Haihan's advanced base in the Strait of Malacca. When the Haihan people's armed sailboats cruise on the sea outside Malacca, the Portuguese will be very angry, whether they make verbal protests or pretend not to see it.

A feeble reaction.

Thomas actually knew his own disadvantages in his heart, but he was determined not to be able to agree to the Haihan people's conditions. The reason was simple. If he accepted the matter, Thomas would be the one to take the blame afterward.

.This responsibility is too great. Thomas is unwilling and unable to carry this big pot.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schneider, the exchange terms you proposed are too harsh and I cannot accept them." After calculating the pros and cons, Thomas rejected Schneider's proposal.
Chapter completed!