The Netherlands in this time and space is well-deserved to be awarded the "hometown of bourgeois civilization".
However, if one turns one's gaze from Europe, where capitalism flourished after the groundbreaking, to the vast lands and oceans of Asia and Africa, the hypocrisy and barbarism of the bourgeoisie will be nakedly revealed before one's eyes.
No matter how dignified and elegant this emerging class is in its hometown, it will no longer conceal its greedy and predatory nature once it reaches overseas colonies, or even just on the frontiers of other countries that are not yet controlled by them.
At this moment, in the Fujian tavern in Bengang, Taiwan, Gullit and Lu Fen had begun to negotiate the business terms with Zheng Haizhu about the sale of "Mingren Piglets".
"I, Haizhu Zheng, promise to provide Mr. Gullit, the senior advisor of the Dutch East India Company (hereinafter referred to as VOC), before the tenth day of the third month of the Chinese calendar this year: eighty Ming Dynasty citizens aged between sixteen and twenty-five. Men, the selling price is five taels and five cents of silver per person, which can also be calculated as six silver coins per person by the Spanish 'eight real silver coins'. Mr. Gullit must send a ship to Nan'an Bay in Fujian, Ming Dynasty to pick up the goods, and Haizhu Zheng will accompany the ship. Transfer to Penghu Island..."
After Zheng Haizhu read this, Gulit still said with saliva on his face: "Mrs. Zheng, you don't have a ship yet, and the cost is not high. How about counting it as four lille silver coins per person? Hey, beautiful madam, you have to know, We hired a Chinese chef in Batavia who had lived there for a long time, and the payment was only two silver riels per month."
Zheng Haizhu did not give the Dutch a counter-offer.
"But Mr. Gullit, how can a native Chinese from Batavia be willing to be your slave laborer? Besides, in order for us to cooperate for a long time, I definitely can't directly find bandits to rob civilians for you like you did when you robbed black slaves. I'm here My friends in Fujian have to pay each man two taels of silver in order to trick them into boarding the ship and leaving their homeland. If you remove the profit sharing to my friends, I actually don’t make much."
Zheng Haizhu said, looking at Lu Fen with a troubled expression, as if begging for mercy from the superior.
After meeting Ruffin's indifferent gaze, this Ming Dynasty woman, who lacked noble morals in the eyes of the Dutch, was a little embarrassed by her misfortune, and then showed a helpless expression clumsily.
"I really don't dare to go to the Spaniards, they are too fierce. Of course I would rather do business with a familiar gentleman like you. Let's do this, Mr. Gullit, I guarantee that each piglet will weigh no less than ninety pounds. How about converting it to five silver coins per person?"
This number is actually in line with Gullit's psychological price. He knew that the physique of an Oriental man, weighing ninety pounds, was not light, indicating that his nutrition and health were adequate and he could maintain the strength required by the plantation.
Seeing that Gulit finally agreed to the price, Zheng Haizhu pretended to be cautious and said: "By the way, the piglets must be transported in batches to avoid gathering too many and being seen by the Ming army patrolling the sea. You can't use big ships. You guys are going to Benben today. This silk and porcelain ship in the harbor is too big. It would be safer to transport the piglets to Penghu Island in a small sailboat, and then transfer to a larger ship to Batavia."
Gullit translated for Ruffin.
Ruffin thinks it makes sense.
After all, the Ming Dynasty was different from the weak tribes in black Africa. The coastal defense was not in name only, and it was not easy to land and rob people with open fire. From what I hear, it makes the most sense to use the businesswoman’s approach, using Penghu Island as a transshipment point, and transporting people to the Batavia Plantation in large quantities.
Ruffin then asked Gullit to call the interpreter on the ship, read the order written by Zheng Haizhu, and annotated it in Dutch on the side, in duplicate, with Gullit's signature and Zheng Haizhu's seal and fingerprint.
A few days later, in the early morning, Zheng Haizhu and Mabel took a Dutch merchant ship and arrived at Baisha Island in the northeast of Penghu Island.
The Dutchman looks very efficient.
The flood soldiers from Fujian had only left for a month, and the red-haired, cat-eyed outsider had already anchored three double-decker warships at Baisha Island, all of which were large ships of six to seven hundred tons. There are small iron cannons that can be dragged on the deck, and there are larger cast iron cannons between the decks on both sides.
Lu Fen only allowed the two Ming women to rest on the beach under guard after getting off the merchant ship. They were not allowed to approach the warship, let alone visit the island.
But Zheng Haizhu saw that not far away, towering trees fell down every once in a while. The Dutch were obviously preparing to build fortifications and fortresses in Penghu.
Soon, a small-tonnage sailing ship came from the direction of the battleship. Five or six sailors were busy on the ship, and about a dozen uniformed soldiers were either guarding the small cannon on the ship or walking on the deck with muskets on their shoulders.
Gullit politely invited Zheng Haizhu and Mabel to board the boat called "Cod".
However, Lu Fen suddenly stopped Mabel and said coldly to Zheng Haizhu: "Your partner, stay here."
Zheng Haizhu nodded calmly and made a request: "To transport the first batch of piglets, even if everything goes well, it will take three or four days to go back and forth. You are taking my partner as a hostage. She must be given a separate and clean tent to live in, and she must be polite. Treat her."
Gulit hurriedly patted his chest and said, "Mrs. Zheng, please rest assured, we are all gentlemen, not barbarians."
Zheng Haizhu said no more, turned around and comforted Mabel with a few words, and then boarded the small sailboat with Gulit.
…
In the days that followed, Ruffin gave up his plan to rob passing merchant ships at sea and escort prisoners to build a fortress in Penghu.
He planned to squeeze the nearly a hundred Ming coolies bought by Gullit for a while, and then transport them to Batavia on the Indian Ocean together with the accumulated bulk goods.
The wait was not too long. Three days later, at dawn, the "Cod" returned to Baisha Island.
Dutch sailors and soldiers gathered around, watching dozens of Ming men in tattered clothes and dirty hair, their hands tied with hemp ropes, staggering onto the land as if they were prey.
"Look, finally a slave has come to work for us!" Several white people chatted happily.
Behind them, the two black soldiers remained silent.
The Dutch slave trade from Africa was in full swing decades ago. These two black men, who were born in Amsterdam, both heard their fathers talk about their distant hometown and tragic voyage.
The black soldier's eyes fell on Zheng Haizhu, who was escorted off the ship by Gulit.
In contrast to the beggar-like men of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty businesswoman with her head held high looked even more energetic.
"Sir Lu Fen, God bless, this time it will be smoother than when we loaded piglets for the Japanese before." Zheng Haizhu showed an excited smile on his face.
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Gulit also cheerfully added: "Mrs. Zheng's friends in Nan'an said that this is the season for picking and making tea, and the soldiers on patrol have all gone to work on the tea garden of the commander's family. We will rest tonight After that, we can go to Nan'an Beach tomorrow and transport the second batch of piglets."
