Philip Cocu left Penghu angrily, took his sailors and his empty ship and sailed to the city of Geranje, hoping that the chief executive Vanderburg could teach this arrogant, unruly and extremely arrogant guy.
Although Mr. Nicholas had been baptized, what he did to himself obviously went far beyond the scope of a church member and directly exposed his bad character as a pirate.
Cocu believes that if Officer Nicholas really dares to tear up the agreement that has been reached and leads his army to attack the Dutch Dajuan area, then there is no doubt that he is a combination of despicable and treacherous.
God will not forgive him!
The East India Company would never forgive him!
The Netherlands and the powerful Dutch Navy will not forgive him!
Cocu firmly believes that the goods and money he lost will be returned, so he will agree to serve as a messenger to see Bolger. There is a high chance that he will be sent by Bolger to send back the letter. Cocu has already thought about this. .
The reason why this was possible was because Cocu believed that the East India Company headquarters would never turn a blind eye. Otherwise, he would join Mr. Yiguan and choose to betray his promise and run back to Batavia halfway.
Zheng Yiguan may be able to defeat a few East India Company warships in the Dajuan area, but he will never defeat the huge fleet sent by the headquarters. After the Spanish Armada, the Netherlands is the king of the sea in this era.
Even if Zheng Yiguan can act unscrupulously in these waters, he still needs to be courteous to the Netherlands and the East India Company, and to be an enemy of the Dutch Navy and the East India Company fleet, which has hundreds of large warships, is to seek death. .
Keku still had doubts about whether Zheng Yiguan really decided to use force against the officials, and he was not sure. Out of curiosity, he wanted to open the letter to Bolger in his hand, but doing so was both impolite and inappropriate. dishonest.
Whether he could get back what he had lost or not, he still had to rely on that guy Bolger. Cocu could only endure it for the time being and urged the sailors to sail to the Castle of Geranze as soon as possible with a sullen look on his face.
This castle is very strong and can be said to be indestructible. It is built entirely according to the local bastion. It has enough firepower in every defensive direction to repel any incoming enemy.
No matter how many soldiers Zheng Yiguan brought, it would be impossible to capture the Castle of Geranze in a short time. Bolger could at least hold on until the reinforcements arrived, and then carry out a pincer attack on Zheng Yiguan's troops. Cocu thought so in his heart. of.
What he was worried about was that there were too few troops in the castle. There was only one regiment of more than a thousand troops.
Before the reinforcements sent by Batavia arrive, it is unrealistic to expect them to take the initiative to attack, unless it is true, as Bolger boasted, that in the face of the Zheng army's attack, the Dutch soldiers can equal ten or even twenty...
As a result, Kecu did some mental calculations and found that he would have to wait until about four or five months before receiving his goods from the defeated, and perhaps he would have to add the due interest, otherwise it would be a huge loss.
After leaving Penghu, Keku's heart was filled with anxiety, fear, anger, vexation, and uneasiness until his merchant ship passed through the waterway and arrived at the dock.
Seeing the blue, white, and red tricolor flags flying high on the flagpole in the castle, I felt a little comfort. Maybe my bad luck could be over. I hope so, and I prayed a little.
Looking at the conditions of the towns and castles from the ship, it seemed as if they were the same as before. There was no sense of the tense atmosphere before the war. Maybe the people here didn't know that Zheng Yiguan had decided to come to investigate.
Cocu didn't show any compassion on his face, because the people here haven't lost a single shipment of goods, and at least for the moment, the situation is much better than his.
As a messenger who knew in advance that the enemy troops were about to approach the city, Kecu seemed to be a little excited and proud, and even hoped to plan something to profit from it.
But now he can't think of any way to make money. Telling Bolger the bad news directly is the most normal and convenient channel.
The weather today is rarely good. The sea breeze is warm and the sunshine is sufficient. The coconut leaves in the distance are still swaying slightly in the wind. The pier is still bustling and lively.
The sailors were busy carrying the cargo, while the shipowner was shouting orders from the side. When they came here, they endured the scorching heat. Regardless of their rank, the only purpose of everyone was to make as much money as possible.
The climate here is extremely hot and can make people sweat all day long, even if they do nothing. However, Keku's heart is extremely cold, and the reason is self-evident.
"Phillip, are you back? How is the business?"
A fat guy walked over from the opposite side, licking his big belly. Even under the cover of the white lotus leaf collar shirt, you can see the outline of his curved lower abdomen. This man is a colleague of Keku, and even a competitor, named Called Werner Blind.
There is a brown mustache on his upper lip, which is two fingers long and one finger long. It is his favorite thing. In addition to the crutch in his hand, there is a blue gem inlaid in the part of the hand, which reflects in the sunlight. It looked radiant below.
Due to the hot weather in the Dayuan area, people here do not wear long cotton socks, which will cause prickly heat. They all like to wear light and breathable stockings on their legs. As long as you have money, you can change one pair every day.
Blind looked at his old rival with two round blue eyes. When he saw that the other person's face was a little calm, he thought that he had encountered difficulties in business. For him, that was a great good thing. It was enough. Let’s celebrate with a drink!
"Hmph! Very good!"
Keku hated this guy who loved to show off his wealth whenever he had nothing to do, and he also knew that the other party didn't like him. But the reason for coming to Dayuan from all the way from the mainland is not because of the preferences of his colleagues, but to make as much money as possible, and then return to the hometown to live and work in peace and contentment when he is rich.
Without a ship of goods, Keku would certainly not be in a good mood, but suddenly thought, if the fat pig in front of him and his merchant ship were also captured by Zheng Yiguan's fleet, wouldn't he be able to find a psychological balance? ?
He only has two ships, but Blind has five ships, and his strength is two or three times that of his own. If Zheng Yiguan is really robbed, the pig's losses will definitely be greater than his own.
Thinking of this, Cocu reluctantly resisted the idea of telling the pig the inside information in exchange for a thousand Spanish silver coins, raised his chin, and walked into the town with a swagger.
Before disembarking, he had already made an agreement with the sailors. As long as they could stay on the ship and remain silent, they would pretend that nothing had happened. He would pay them three months' salary out of his own pocket as compensation.
Since Zheng Yiguan entrusted himself with delivering a message to Bolger, he would not send someone else to do the same thing. He hoped that Zheng Yiguan would not breach the contract on this matter, otherwise his idea would be in vain.
Does Blind, this guy, not know that he is about to be in trouble?
This kind of secret hidden deep in my heart really makes me so happy!
The war is coming, and information asymmetry is good~!
Seeing the trace of pride in Cocu's eyes, Blind was at a loss. He didn't know what he was proud of. Could it be that he had made a lot of money on this trip?
"Huh? Wait! Philip, if there are new channels, you might as well share them and I can offer a high price!"
This aroused Blind's curiosity. It stands to reason that everyone has figured out the situation on the southeastern coast of the empire. Only through Zheng Yiguan can we get goods with guaranteed quality and quantity, unless...
The guy in front of him has opened up a new purchase channel, that is, he may have gone to the northern coast of the Ming Empire, and he may be able to purchase pretty good goods from there, so he can be so ambitious in front of him.
"Really? Haha!"
Cocu didn't believe that this extremely stingy guy could offer the so-called high price as he said. At most, it would cost a thousand silver coins. This amount of money was dispensable to him.
Thinking that he could use Zheng Yiguan's help to make this fat pig lose half of his property, Keku was so happy that he completely ignored the other party's conditions.
"two thousand!"
"Three thousand!"
"Five thousand! Stop!"
"Five thousand silver coins! Is that enough?"
"..."
"Don't go too far!"
Coku's indifference caused Blind to be extremely dissatisfied. Five thousand silver coins was a large amount of money, equivalent to more than three thousand taels of silver in the Ming Empire. It was already a sign of sincerity to use it to purchase a new purchase channel.
He can only earn so much after going to sea once and working hard for several months. If Keku is still greedy, that would be too much. Although everyone is in the same industry and competition is inevitable, they should also look after each other. That's it.
"Is it?"
Cocu turned around and stared at the fat pig face with three chins. Although his low tone was dull, the questioning words seemed like a definite answer.
"Then... at most... six thousand! It can't be any higher!"
In order to obtain new purchase channels, Blind also went all out. Through his guesses and observations, he believed that Keku's ability to remain calm must have discovered an ulterior secret, and he was even more determined to spend a lot of money to obtain the right to share.
"..."
Keku is still waiting for a price, but to be fair, six thousand silver coins is indeed a lot. It can more or less compensate for the fortune he has lost. He can't make so much money by purchasing and selling overseas.
"Are you going to say it?"
Blind's patience is limited. He doesn't want to be blackmailed without limit by the other party. If this method doesn't work, then he can bribe a few sailors on Coku's ship.
"Okay! Deal! Where's the money?"
Keku decided to sell the inside information in his hand, which would be a good way to cash out. He hoped that no other merchant ships would return to Da Yuan from Penghu. If Zheng Yiguan's fleet did not stop him, his information would be worthless in a short time.
"……you sure?"
The other party agreed so simply, but Blind felt a little uncomfortable, and even felt a little scared. In view of the unhappy relationship between the two parties, he had to be careful.
"Don't you have money? Are you trying to deceive me?"
Kecu looked at the fat pig waiting to be slaughtered with disdain, and it seemed that he had taken the initiative in this transaction.
"How is that possible? Do I seem to be a moneyless person? My family wealth...ahem! Isn't it just six thousand silver coins? I'll pay half of it first, and I'll pay the other half after a trial voyage!"
Blind is a person who cares about face. In this circle, no matter whether he has money or not, he has to pretend that he is not short of money. Only by letting his family know his strength can he make big money.
"Full amount at one time! No installments will be accepted! Just do it if you agree, forget it if you don't!"
Keku coldly rejected the other party's proposal. Three thousand silver coins is not a lot, but since there is a chance to earn six thousand silver coins, why not give it a try?
"You...uh...if you can't do what you said, don't blame me for being rude!"
Blinder wanted to get a new purchase channel and ensure that he would not be cheated. The protection fee paid to Zheng Yiguan was too high, and this money could not be saved. The only way was to reduce the price from his superiors. The cost of purchasing goods there.
That guy in Cocu must be so proud because of this. This can save a lot of money. Before others don't know about this method, he must take confidentiality measures.
"Then find a place to trade!"
This fat pig has acquiesced to the price. If he can get a few boxes of silver coins, he can directly pay his subordinates' salaries. It seems that this trip is not too bad.
If we sell to a few more people, we might be able to get twenty or thirty thousand silver coins, but in this case, the people who bought the news before will not give up.
After cheating Blind, a fat pig, it was time to stop. It was not appropriate to make too many enemies in this place, so Cocu decided to give it up.
When they arrived at the agreed trading place, Blind brought a group of men, and Cocu also brought no less than ten strong men. They had the intention of merging with each other, but in fact this was not the case. In business, the top priority is to make peace and make money. .
"This is what you want! Where's what I want?"
Blinder signaled his men to open the box, and a pile of white silver coins was instantly revealed. Coku's men were stunned when they saw it. That was really a lot of money!
"This is it!"
Cocu took out a letter from his arms and pressed it on the table, not intending to hand it over to the other party. It was for Chief Bolger, and Blind was not qualified to read it.
"A letter?"
Blinder also suspected that he had read it wrong. After calming down, he realized that it was indeed a letter or an envelope from Akito. Could it be that there was some confidential content inside? Can this guy be sold for a sky-high price of six thousand silver coins?
"Hmm! This letter is worth millions of silver coins!"
Keku directly priced the news, and it was underestimated. To put it at a higher level, the trade cooperation between the Zheng family and the East India Company could be worth tens of millions of silver coins.
"...Then you agreed to my offer just to tease me?"
Such a high price was set all of a sudden, which almost caught Blinder off guard. He thought that the other party was taking the opportunity to increase the price by talking like this.
"Of course not! We are still trading at the previously agreed price. If you agree to the transaction, I will tell you the inside information!"
Keku was not stupid enough to temporarily increase the price. If the transaction failed, he would not earn a single silver coin, and the six thousand silver coins would soon fall into his pocket.
"Okay! Carry him over!"
Blinder decided that this guy didn't dare to tease him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get along in this place in the future, and sooner or later he would have to go back to his hometown in despair.
"This letter is for Chief Bolger! You must know the writer!"
After seeing boxes of silver coins placed on his side, Keku slowly spoke and revealed the news to the fat pig bit by bit.
"...Oh? Who is it?"
This aroused Blind's great curiosity. He spent 6,000 silver coins to buy a letter and placed it among the officials and even the East Indies.
"Official Nicholas!"
When Coku said this bastard's name, he felt a little incredible. How could he become his messenger? It was probably luck that he was able to save the lives of everyone on the ship.
"Why is it him? What is he writing to do? How did this letter fall into your hands?"
