The Shanghai office of the British East India Company was dark at night.
The British East India Company's office in Shanghai is also on Bund Street, but it does not have its own building. Instead, it rents two floors in a four-story building owned by the Royal Chamber of Commerce.
After the British Eastern Fleet visiting the Ming Dynasty entered the Wusong River, the commander of the fleet, Rear Admiral Blake, and the East India Company's Chief Officer Beckett who came with them, stayed there under the arrangement of Charles Waters, the Chief Officer of the East India Company's Shanghai Office. Entered the guest room in the office.
Both Black and Beckett entered the mainland of the Ming Empire for the first time, although they had heard many legends about this Eastern dynasty before and had seen many extremely wealthy Ming Dynasty businessmen. But when they set foot in Shanghai, the hottest commercial center of the Ming Empire, they were shocked by the city's prosperity and openness.
The prosperity of Shanghai had long been expected by them. After all, the Ming Empire was the richest and most populous empire in the world, so it was natural that it would have the most prosperous city. But the openness of this city surprised the two Western visitors.
Because when these two British people from tens of thousands of miles away walked out of the Bund Passenger Terminal and stood on the street lined with high-rise buildings, they actually didn't feel that they were "special" at all.
This is the seventeenth century!
Although Europeans had traveled most of the world's coastlines in their sailing ships. But outside Europe and the New World, white European faces are still relatively rare.
But on the Bund Street, they saw Westerners all over the street. They mixed with Easterners and shuttled under the buildings of Eastern and Western styles.
Some of them wore Western-style clothes, while others followed the local customs and wore Eastern-style clothes. Others wore Persian and Ottoman-style clothes - I don’t know if they were merchants from Persia and Ottoman. ?
By the way, there are not only Westerners here, but also Indians with dark skin and wearing Hindu-style clothes. There are even some dark and not particularly black black people. I wonder if they are slaves who were trafficked?
And Charlie Worster, the chief clerk of the British East India Company, wore a loose Chinese-style robe, and there was a petite and beautiful "Oriental wife" beside him, wearing a kind of women's silk robe with a pillow hanging on the back... Look Looks like a rag doll.
After personally serving Mancini milk tea mixed with the aroma of tea and milk to the guests, the rag doll beauty disappeared behind a sliding door.
"Major General, Mr. Beckett," Worster said with a smile as he took a sip of the milk tea brewed by his Japanese wife, "Westerners who come here for the first time will be surprised by the openness and freedom of this city... …and they usually like it very quickly. Many choose to live here long-term because the city is more liberal than most so-called free cities in Europe, while still maintaining good security and making money easily. money."
"It's really surprising," Major General Black nodded. "This place reminds me of Amsterdam... I can't believe that in an ancient Eastern empire, there is a city similar to the free and unorganized Amsterdam. I really can't believe it." Just imagine!”
Blake was a devout Puritan and certainly looked down upon the liberality of Amsterdam.
Beckett frowned and said: "I hope the rulers of the Ming Empire will not be like the profiteers in Amsterdam, who only have the evil money in their eyes!"
He is also a Puritan who loves God - in his eyes, all money put in other people's pockets is sinful...Only putting it into your own pocket can make it pure.
Vorster shrugged and said with a smile: "Of course the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not only like the evil money like the profiteers in Amsterdam. He liked many things...including land, especially the vast continent. ! Because he has as many as 200 million people, and to feed so many people, he needs a lot of land!"
"Then he is really greedy!" Blake muttered.
"He is indeed very greedy, more greedy than all the emperors before the Ming Dynasty!" Vorster nodded, "but he is also very disciplined and trustworthy. More disciplined and more trustworthy than any Western monarch. Credit. So doing business with him is profitable... Western businessmen in the Ming Dynasty have a consensus on this.
Moreover, this emperor will not eat alone and will leave enough profit margins for his collaborators! "
"What if his collaborators become enemies?" Major General Black asked. "He should know that France and the Netherlands are changing from his friends to enemies, right? If he knew that Britain was willing to remain neutral, would he be willing to let the British East The Indian Company replaced the Dutch East India Company as his main collaborator?”
At this time, Chief Beckett also took out a wax-sealed scroll and placed it on a coffee table next to him, "This is Aurangzeb's personal letter, written to Princess Nyssa...Charlie, you Is there a way to deliver this letter to Princess Nyssa?”
"Of course!" Worster said, "My Japanese wife can freely enter and leave the Laoshan Palace... In addition, the princess's Rajput maid will also come to Shanghai regularly."
In this era, the British East India Company had a good relationship with the Timurid Empire in India, and it still maintained its status as a "royal merchant" to a certain extent.
Therefore, there is also a connection between Princess Nisha and the British East India Company - the annuity given to her by Aurangzeb must be remitted to Nanjing through the British East India Company, and the handicrafts produced in India that Princess Nisha needs also need The British helped with procurement and transportation.
"However," Worster added, "I think Princess Nissa's influence is limited...even not as good as that of the royal mistress Mary Mancini. Moreover, the current Ming Emperor is very Being pragmatic, we, the British, will not get the opportunity to monopolize trade just because King Louis is jumping up and down. This can mean millions of profits!"
Black and Beckett both know that this is unlikely, but they will still try to take advantage of the conflict between France, the Netherlands and the Ming Dynasty to seize some markets.
Beckett said: "But the Ming Emperor should help us increase our market share, right? At least he should make us the largest trader."
Worster thought for a while and said: "Now there is an opportunity for the British East India Company to further explore the Eastern market!"
"What chance?" Beckett asked.
Worster said: "Our chief executive in Nanjing, Mr. Huber, has just written to inform us of a deal that is likely to change the world map."
"Changing the world map? What business is so big?" Black asked.
"An entire continent, maybe a huge island!" Worster said, "The Ming Emperor is preparing to use bidding to contract out the exploration and preliminary development of the southern continent. All individuals and businesses that can form a four-ship formation can Participate in the tender.
After the exploration of the southern continent is successful and at least one settlement is established, the individuals and trading companies involved in the exploration will receive a high bonus and be appointed by the colonial governor..."
Blake was shocked, "What? He, he treats the exploration of the Southern Continent as a business?"
"Actually, this is not the first time he has done this!" Vorster shrugged, "The development of the United States of New Zealand was quite commercial...but that time only the nobles and businessmen of the Ming Dynasty were allowed to participate. And this time, everyone has the opportunity to participate, regardless of their nationality or background!
Major General, I think this is our East India Company's chance to gain territory in the Pacific! And through this territory in the southern continent, we can also establish a stronger relationship with the Ming Dynasty. Because the sovereignty of these territories still belongs to the Ming Dynasty... In the future, His Highness the Prince of the Ming Dynasty will go to the southern continent and become the monarch there. "
After listening to Worster's suggestion, Blake always felt that something was wrong, but couldn't say it for a moment. Finally, Beckett frowned and said: "Charlie, you mean that we explore the southern continent and build colonial strongholds, ship after ship." Transporting people there...and the Ming Emperor’s son does nothing but waits to become king?”
Vorster smiled bitterly: "Aren't all those who are kings like this?" He looked at Black, "Major General, tell me, should our East India Company do this business, or should we not do it? ?”
