"This is our employee in the East and helps our Lifante company communicate with people in the East. You should know that people in the East now occupy the Spice Islands. If we want to buy spices, communication with them is indispensable." The employee of Lifante company quickly concealed his identity for Li Jinde.

When the officials of Halep heard this setting, they felt relieved of their doubts.

A low-level official said: "The abominable Orientals occupied the Spice Islands, and the price of spices we sell here has increased significantly. Many merchants who were originally engaged in the purchase of spices from the Indian Ocean to transport them to sell here have gone bankrupt, which seriously affected the prosperity of our Halep!"

Another low-level official said: "Many businessmen complain about this. I think you should let this guy pay attention and don't be known by them, otherwise you will be beaten."

Li Jinde was shocked. He did not expect that his country offended the Ottoman Empire, a behemoth that once profited from monopolizing trade in the East and West because of his monopoly on spice trade.

"Can your Great Vizierta Bana Arthur Pasha be happy in the near future?" The employee of the Levant Company said again in order to transfer the topic of low-level officials of the Ottoman Empire.

"The Greater Vizier was the Prime Minister of the Ottoman Empire." Lifante's people reminded Li Jinde.

Several low-level officials of the Ottoman Empire looked at each other, and one of them said: "Tabana Arthur Pasha has been dismissed by His Majesty the Emperor. Now Bailan Pasha is the Great Vizier. The family of Lord Bailan is a large family in Constantinople. His relative Murat ruled Algiers in Barbary, with dozens of slave ships and had great influence."

"It turns out that Vizier has been replaced, and I hope it will not affect our trade." said the Levant.

"The trade with you is what His Majesty the Emperor means. The substitution of Vizier will not affect our friendship." said the low-level officials of the Ottoman Empire.

Li Jinde tasted the food here a little, but he was not very happy because he could feel the hostility of the Ottoman Empire towards him.

The Kyushu Army's monopoly on spice trade has damaged the interests of other countries to a certain extent, and Britain was also damaged. However, because of the trade treaty signed by Charles I and Chu Yun, Britain could be compensated by preferential tax rates, so Britain can still maintain a stable relationship with China.

The most damaged Ottoman Empire was unable to make up for its losses through treaties.

In the house temporarily rented by Lifante Company, Li Jinde temporarily spent one night.

The next day, he and the people of the Livante Company visited the streets of Halep to check the trade situation of the Ottoman Empire in the Livante region.

There are many stalls on both sides of the street, and merchants and customers are choosing silk in Persian style.

What made Li Jinde feel blushed was the slave trade here, and this kind of transaction here seemed extremely normal, just like silk.

Not only the Ottoman Empire, but before the Age of Discovery began, countless areas captured defeated enemies to sell them, or rob merchants or travelers at sea. This kind of trade is the original sin left by primitive tribes.

"There are Spanish, North African, Greek, Mughal, and Mr. Li can do it if he wants to buy one or two as servants. For these slaves, buying them by you is the turning point in their fate. They no longer need to be tortured by slave traders, nor will they be sold to some remote places as coolies." Sir Henry walked on Li Jinde's side and said to him.

Li Jinde looked at the slave traders' stalls and clearly marked the price of these slaves. These slave traders gathered on the main street, and there were as many as hundreds of people.

According to Sir Henry, the pirates of Barbary would plunder many merchant ships from the sea. The rich who were captured by them would be released if there was a ransom, and without a ransom, they would become tortured slaves. As for the poor on the merchant ship, they would become slaves directly, and there was almost no possibility of redemption.

When he was young, the current Dutch Admiral Marton Tropp followed the Dutch merchant ship to the Mediterranean for trade and was captured by the Barbary pirates for a year before he found a way to escape.

"This kind of trade really violates Confucian moral concepts." Li Jinde studied Confucianism and did not catch a cold about the blatant slave trade.

"For the Barbary Pirates and some merchants engaged in private activities, this is an industry that is as profitable as spices. The Barbary Pirates are very powerful, and some European sailors will even surrender to them. Even if we, the British, are also invaded by them, among these slaves, there are also our British people, but we have no choice but to turn a blind eye. Moreover, there are many pirates in our Britain, who will also plunder merchant ships from other countries overseas as slaves. This is a world where money is paramount." Sir Henry said.

These slaves looked difficult, and many people had signs of whipping, and some of them had pale faces and thin skin. The prices were also high and low. Generally, the prices of only being coolies were not much different from those of cattle and sheep.

A group of businessmen gathered together, seemingly judging the slaves at a stall.

"Let's go and take a look." Sir Henry took the people from the Levant Company to see what kind of slaves attracted so many people to watch.

Li Jinde had no choice but to follow them.

At a slave owner's stall, there was an oriental woman with long, straight black hair and beautiful face of the oriental ones, which made Li Jinde see at a glance that this was probably a Chinese woman.

But her face is a little haggard, her eyes are blurred, she only has a few clothes on her body, her hands are tied up by iron chains, and she is taken out to sell like a piece of goods.

In front of her, there was a wooden sign that marked the price, which was more than ten times higher than the price of the slaves around her.

"It seems that the people from your side are really unlucky. They were sold here. I don't know how much torture they have suffered." The merchant of Lifante Company has a lot of contact with the Western trading company led by Li Jinde. He knows the appearance of Chinese people and says to Li Jinde.

"Damn it, all these slave traders should be executed!" Li Jinde gritted his teeth.

If the slave trade I saw on this street before only made Li Jinde a little disgusted, then seeing his compatriots being caught here for sale now makes Li Jinde's scalp numb and he will be angry!

"Which province are you from us?" Li Jinde suddenly asked the woman who was caught in the crowd in Mandarin.
Chapter completed!