Chapter 900 896 [Enthusiastic and considerate Spaniards]
"One hundred and sixty miles southeast of Xindeng, there is a strait that passes through it and contains the universe. There are large bays in the north and south. You can anchor anywhere. This is a natural harbor. After the name of the indigenous tribe, I temporarily call it 'Oluo' (
San Francisco), also known as 'Occasion'."
"The newly arrived natives are short and stocky, with a reddish complexion. The Oro natives are slightly slender and have a brownish complexion. The customs of the two groups are very different..."
"In the new land, there are many towering mahogany trees. In the land of Oro, there are mahogany trees and oak trees are everywhere. The imperial court lacks oak trees that are hundreds of years old to build large ships, so there are countless oak trees here, and those that are hundreds of years old can be seen when looking down. Oro
This place can be a good harbor and a dock..."
The so-called "Oro people" are actually "Oloni people", translation
Near San Francisco, in addition to the Olonni, there are also Miwok people. The two groups have the same customs, speak relatively similar languages, and belong to the same tribal alliance.
The Kashaya people who traded land with Li Quan, although they are only a hundred miles away from San Francisco, speak another language and belong to another tribal alliance.
The two alliances were enemies of each other and often fought wars.
Li Quan had just arrived and did not understand the language, so it was difficult to understand the relationship between these indigenous people.
When it becomes clear in the future, they will probably help one of them to attack the other force.
Judging from the situation, Li Quan first made friends with the Kashayans, and then coveted the land of the Oulone people (San Francisco). So he most likely formed an alliance with the Kashayans, conquered the vicinity of San Francisco, and gained territory to establish a colonial stronghold.
The fleet continued south, exploring bays and estuaries along the way, and found that they were all populated by similar natives.
Spain has been colonizing America for more than a hundred years, but has been slow to contaminate the west coast of North America. Firstly, the journey is too far and too remote, and secondly, there is little oil and water to exploit.
Like the Aztec Empire or the Inca Empire, agriculture and handicrafts were developed, and there was a lot of gold. By conquering a tribe or town, you could get money from the old people, but when you came to California, you could only get fresh fish from the indigenous people.
Traveling more than 2,000 kilometers south from San Francisco, Li Quan and the others encountered a Spanish colonial port.
It was called Banderas at this time, and Vallarta a few hundred years later. At present, the silver mine here is only mined on a small scale, and it is mainly used as a supply port for the galleons trade.
Five Chinese ships docked, causing an immediate sensation.
The colonial administrator named Reyes came to the port to greet him personally. He was a little stunned when he saw the Chinese, but he quickly came back to his senses: "Are you here to trade?"
Li Quan learned Spanish himself and did not need a translator at all: "We are here to explore the ocean. Of course, we also brought a small amount of goods. They are all expensive goods, such as top-grade silk, top-grade brocade, top-grade lacquerware, etc."
This trip to America was not primarily for profit. A large amount of cotton cloth was sold in Japan, and then the ship was filled with food and drinking water.
However, expensive goods are also retained, all of which are lightweight and do not take up space.
"Everyone, wait a moment."
Reyes returned to the port town and called the tax collector, supervisor and missionary to discuss the matter.
There are strict trade restrictions in ports throughout Spanish America: first, only official transactions are allowed, and private transactions are not allowed. Second, foreign ships are not allowed to dock at will without the permission of the governor.
Not only that, there are also restrictions in the Philippines. After Chinese merchant ships arrive in the Philippines, private transactions and retail sales are not allowed. Only whole ships of goods can be traded with Philippine officials at negotiated prices, and a variety of goods must be sold together.
Single items cannot be sold.
The Spanish royal family was not only wary of foreign merchants, but also of its own people.
The annual trade quota for goods shipped from the Philippines to the Americas is only 250,000 pesos.
The warehouse of the galleon is divided into several spaces, each space requires a permit, and only Spaniards who have settled in the Philippines all year round can obtain a permit. There are also supporting restrictions, that is, Spaniards are not allowed to immigrate freely to the Philippines. If they want to immigrate to the Philippines, they must obtain a permit. Only with permission from the king and having lived in the Philippines for eight years are you eligible to obtain a trade license.
Today, the Philippines' sailing ship trading license has become a financial security like the Yanyin in the Ming Dynasty.
There is a group of nobles who can easily obtain licenses and then sell them to make a fortune without doing anything. The price of licenses is getting higher and higher. Small businessmen in Spain cannot afford it, so a few people pool their money to buy one. Zhang, acquires a cargo space on the galleon.
The more powerful nobles, such as governors, fleet commanders, etc., directly competed with the royal family to engage in smuggling. They used the space for storing ammunition, and even the space for storing food, to store their own goods illegally, causing the crew to often face The dangers of dietary shortages.
At the same time, the American colonies were also annoyed because the trade quotas were too small, and goods shipped from Asia could not meet the needs of the American market.
America and the Philippines are both filled with resentment due to royal policies!
In this case, why restrict trade?
Of course, it was based on the policies formulated by the big nobles and big merchants. Asian goods were too cheap, which harmed the interests of some nobles and merchants. At the same time, the long-term trade deficit also made the royal family unable to bear it.
It's even worse in the Port of Banderas. There are silver mines here and they have no shortage of silver. Every year, large sailing ships come to supply supplies. But with the silver, they can't buy goods and can only sell food and fruits to the fleet. Because in America, There was only one legal port, which served as a trading port for galleons.
"Chinese friends, we want to board the ship to inspect the goods and ensure that we buy them at a price that exceeds the market price," Reyes said after discussing it.
Li Quan smiled and said: "Of course."
A group of Spaniards entered the cabin excitedly, and Li Quan also displayed the goods to his heart's content.
The two parties bargained and the Spaniards bought some of the goods. As for the selling price, it was 15 to 25 times the purchase price in China!
There is no way, the Spaniards here are so poor that they only have money.
Forty-three years ago, Montescolaros, an American colonial official, wrote to the King of Spain: "...Here, you have to pay 10 gold pesos to buy a bunch of paper and 100 gold pesos to buy a clock. Pesos, you have to pay 3,000 to 4,000 gold pesos to buy a horse..."
The reason is simple. Too much gold and silver have been mined in the Americas, but daily necessities are in short supply. The colonists can't even buy anything with their gold and silver.
Although with the rise of the galleon trade and the development of American colonies, American goods were no longer in short supply. However, the royal family set a limit for the galleon trade, and many goods were not allowed to be sold in the Americas. At this time, the Americas were still in a state of high money. Low supply status.
On the one hand, the Spanish royal family went bankrupt several times, and on the other hand, the colonies had money and could not buy anything. The fundamental reason was that private cross-sea trade was prohibited.
As a result, a magical situation emerged. The scale of trade and smuggling between Europe and Spanish America far exceeded the official trade.
In order to prevent corruption and smuggling, the King of Spain set up various official
There are many levels of supervision, cross-supervision, and various types of official positions, which are so complicated that even the governor can't manage them. But it's useless. If everyone can manage one thing, it will become that everyone doesn't care, and officials from all walks of life will become corrupt.
Engage in smuggling together.
This is the current situation. Many officials at the port reached a consensus in half an hour.
They want to cooperate in illegal transactions, let alone the transaction targets are Chinese, even if the devil comes, they will still do it.
Li Quan was very happy when he sold the goods, but frowned when he resupplied the food.
The vegetables and fruits here are so expensive, many times the price in China. Five ships were damaged in the storm, and they were only briefly repaired in Xindeng. They need to be repaired carefully at the dock here. The labor cost is so expensive that it feels like a money grab.
.
Just buying vegetables and fruits and repairing boats cost thousands of taels of silver, which made Li Quan feel pain in his body.
A food base must be established and a shipbuilding base must be established!
Before the ship was repaired, there was another wave of shopping.
The nearby Spanish plantation owners came to the port to buy Chinese goods with a large amount of agricultural products and money. Residents in the small town also organized shopping groups of small and medium-sized groups, jointly buying silk, brocade and other items, which could be shipped to other places.
Make money by selling.
All the Spaniards were moved to tears. They on the west coast could finally participate in smuggling!
Before this, only the east coast and various islands could be smuggled, and no European smugglers came to the west coast at all. Thanks to the merciful Chinese, they can also enjoy smuggling activities. What a wonderful experience it is.
Reyes excitedly took Li Quan's hand and asked: "Dear Chinese friends, will you come again next year? If you come again, I will contact nearby towns in advance to raise more gold and silver to buy goods. We will
Not only silk, lacquerware and brocade are needed, but also cotton, blankets, porcelain, dried fruits, iron pots... No matter which kind of these goods are shipped, we can eat them!"
"Does the governor not care?" Li Quan asked doubtfully.
Reyes said with a smile: "Of course he will control it, but not to ban your trade, but to extract profits from it. According to friends on the east coast, smuggling is everywhere there. If the governor really wants to control it, how can he allow smuggling to exist?
?Of course, you cannot go to Acapulco, which is the only legal port for the galleon trade. Everyone there is a beneficiary of the galleon trade, and any smuggling will arouse their disgust.
Li Quan asked: "How far is the port of Acapulco?"
"It's 130 miles south," Reyes said.
130 Spanish miles, approximately 730 kilometers.
Reyes suggested: "There is a port in the middle called Manzanillo. Although there are no silver mines there and the residents are not as rich as us, they can still eat some of your goods. The fishery there is developed and can provide you with salted fish and
Fresh fish, vegetables and fruits can also be provided. Remember, once you reach Manzanillo, you cannot go any further, as there is a high possibility of being attacked by the fleet."
Li Quan asked: "If we can't go any further, how should we go?" Reyes said: "Start from Manzanillo and sail directly southwest into the ocean. I guess we will soon enter the sailing trade channel. Dear
Chinese friends, you must come next year, everyone here is looking forward to you."
It makes people laugh to death!
Although the Spaniards here live in a supply port for the galleons trade and own a nearby silver mine, they see that Chinese goods cannot be purchased every year. If they want to buy Chinese goods, they have to go through Acapulco merchants.
Second-hand reselling. Acapulco merchants must obtain a license at a high price before they can buy goods and sell them everywhere. Coupled with the high exit tax, the retail price is simply exorbitant.
Li Quan said: "For the sake of my Spanish friends, I will come again next year."
Reyes was very considerate and continued to help with ideas: "This year you smuggled goods. After these goods are sold, they will definitely attract the governor's attention. After you dock here next year, you'd better send someone to Mexico City to use exquisite and expensive
Chinese art, bribe the governor privately. The governor will help you deal with other officials, but those officials also need to pay bribes. These bribes are disguised tariffs, which is what the East Coast does."
No wonder the Spanish royal family went bankrupt. The volume of smuggled trade in America has
The volume of trade far exceeded the official volume, and the customs duties were pocketed by colonial officials.