What did Britain have at the time? There was no industrial revolution, so where did cheap textiles and industrial products come from? There were no amazing achievements in science and technology.
Apart from navigation, shipbuilding and cannon making, Britain really has no other advantages.
In fact, throughout history, up until modern times, China has always had a large trade surplus with Western countries. Otherwise, there would not have been the Opium War.
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty, with its rich and exquisite products, had no need to import anything. On the contrary, silk, porcelain, tea and other commercial goods were what the Western barbarians were very eager to obtain.
John smiled a little awkwardly and said, "It's okay. We also brought silver coins. We'll just consider this as exploring the way and gaining experience."
Noretti spoke a few words with the Ming officials, and gave John and Weddell some instructions before getting off the boat and sailing back to shore.
"The Ming people are so unreasonable." Weddell looked at the ship sailing away and vented his frustration.
John disagreed, saying, "This is the Ming Dynasty. We didn't use force to drive them away, nor did we extort money. How can that be considered unreasonable? Besides, when we came here, we didn't expect trade with the Ming Dynasty to be so smooth. Don't create unnecessary trouble and ruin the long-term trade."
Wedel lowered his eyes, feeling indignant in his heart, but he stopped complaining.
This John was a member of the Getin Society and was said to have close ties with the royal family. He might have been the King of England's agent to monitor this merchant consortium and ensure his own investments.
John and the other two businessmen were in the same good mood. Trade was their main purpose and making money was their most important goal.
Before coming here, they really didn't expect that trade with the Ming Dynasty would be so smooth, which was inconsistent with the information they had. They also hoped to obtain Ming Dynasty goods through the Portuguese!
Now, there are more rules, but they're not too harsh. And without the Portuguese middlemen, there's no chance of them messing around and provoking us. We can just do business for money.
Taking two sailors and carrying a box of silver coins, John and the two merchants went ashore excitedly and went to handle various procedures according to Noretti's instructions.
Most of the day passed until dark, when John and the others returned to the boat, but their expressions were a little gloomy.
Wedel was pleased to see John's expression, but he deliberately didn't ask him and instead secretly asked another businessman.
"You brought too few silver coins. People will look down on you." The merchant smiled bitterly and shook his head. "The Ming Dynasty has a wide range of goods, but there are also many buyers, so the competition is fierce. Although it's not an auction system, if you want to take such a large amount, you won't be waiting if you don't have sufficient funds."
"It was a batch of silk woven by the royal family of the Ming Empire, extremely exquisite. We had almost reached an agreement on it, but the damned Dutch raised the price and snatched it away."
"However, the Dutch were indeed defeated by the Ming Empire's navy. Seven ships were sunk or surrendered, and none escaped. Later, an agreement was signed whereby the Dutch could maintain their trade routes to Japan by paying an annual fee. Otherwise, the Ming Empire's navy would intercept and seize all Dutch ships."
"The trading houses and exchanges in Ming are very convenient. John has already paid the rent and plans to operate here long-term. After all, only by residing here permanently can one become familiar with the rules and stay up-to-date on the latest news, rather than being treated like fools by others like we are..."
Weddell was not very concerned about John and others being laughed at like bumpkins, but he was awe-inspired by the Dutch being defeated by the Ming Navy.
You know, the Netherlands is the world's "sea coachman". In terms of the number of ships and artillery, even Britain is no match for it.
Moreover, the Dutch also had a base in Batavia, and their strength in Asia was much stronger than that of the newly arrived British.
But even so, they still had to bow to the Ming Dynasty and pay tolls before they could go to Japan for trade.
Wedel put aside all the depression in his heart and felt fortunate that he did not act impulsively.
Otherwise, these six ships would have sunk to the bottom of the sea or been captured by the Ming navy. They would have been killed or captured and imprisoned in a dark cell.
"Although we didn't bring much silver, we still managed to negotiate a deal."
After recounting his disappointing experience, the merchant cheered up again. "As long as this shipment of porcelain is shipped back to England, after deducting all expenses, we'll still make a profit. Next time you come, just bring silver coins, as Noretti said."
Wedel nodded repeatedly. The dissatisfaction in his heart had dissipated, and he felt happy that he could complete the task smoothly.
"By the way, the Ming Navy requires that all weapons and gunpowder on board be transported ashore for safekeeping, otherwise—"
After the merchant's excitement died down, he remembered this matter and hurriedly told Wedel.
"Hasn't there been such a request before?" Wedel's good mood immediately disappeared. This was tantamount to surrendering, and he could not agree to it.
The merchant quickly said, "We were just storing them. We didn't use force to drive them away, considering that we were new here and didn't know the rules."
In fact, it was Zheng Zhilong who proposed this rule to the navy because the emperor had mentioned the British in a secret letter and expressed dissatisfaction with their behavior of being both merchants and pirates.
Although the Emperor had not indicated the use of force against the British, the Navy, upon receiving reports, felt that the British armed merchant ships posed a threat in terms of firepower. Based on the principle of safety first, this rule was temporarily established.
"Mr. Weddell, the Ming army's warships are surrounding us." A sailor hurried over to report with a look of panic on his face.
The merchant looked at Wedel and said, "Let's follow the Ming Dynasty's rules. If we suffer the same fate as the Dutch, I'm afraid we won't be able to return. After all, we don't have the strength of the Dutch."
Weddell, with a gloomy face, ignored the merchant's persuasion and strode onto the deck.
Two giant ships and more than ten medium-sized gunboats approached the British fleet, causing panic among the British on board.
Wedel narrowed his eyes, assessing the disparity in strength between the two sides. Although he felt angry, he still made a rational judgment.
John also ran onto the deck and shouted to the sailors: "Don't panic, and don't make any hostile moves. This is the rule of the Ming Empire, and we must abide by it."
Weddell lowered his eyes, despising this profit-driven guy who had no dignity at all. But he did not dare to act rashly and sent a signal to other ships.
The disparity in power and the psychological impact of defeating the Dutch finally forced the British to bow their heads and abide by the rules. Although these rules were newly formulated, they would become official in the future and would apply equally to all countries.
The Ming Empire no longer had the style of fighting back after being beaten, or treating the troublemakers of the Western barbarians with tolerance and magnanimity.
In the emperor's plan, attacking the Dutch was only a preemptive strike and the beginning of a deterrent.
When Luzon was conquered, the heads of thousands of Spaniards would be the ultimate and most powerful deterrent.
This is how the world is. The law of the jungle is fully reflected. Whoever has the bigger fist and the stronger power is right and can act arrogantly.
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