The original shareholders of Zhonghua Company were mainly Chinese businessmen who fled from Luzon Island. There were also Fujian merchants like Luo Xuri and Huang Qian. They made their fortune from overseas trade. Their wealth and life were all pinned on Zhonghua Company. Therefore, no one on the board of directors wanted to ask for help. The imperial court surrendered and basically discussed how to continue trade under the maritime ban policy.
However, most of the people here started out in illegal private overseas trade. People in the Lu Shitou and Li Dan systems started out as pirates. How to continue overseas trade under the imperial court's maritime ban policy is not a problem at all.
However, the maritime ban policy has brought not only increased economic costs and risks to Chinese companies, but also many political issues. After the recruitment, the Taiwan Thousand Household Office, the Taiwan Inspection Department Yamen, and Kinmen under the control of Yin Feng How should the Inspection Department, Haicheng County Yuegang and other places face the imperial court's maritime ban order?
Before the imperial court issued a specific policy to strengthen maritime bans, Yin Feng believed that the most important thing was to rescue those shareholders and Zhonghua Company employees who were imprisoned. At the same time, since Huatian Company had already extended its hands into the country, it was considered a comprehensive and peaceful one. The Chinese company has started a war. Then the Chinese company must respond. Otherwise, the popularity accumulated in the past ten years will be scattered.
At that moment, the Second Fleet evacuated most of the Third Artillery Fleet stationed in Kinmen to Penghu, trying to avoid conflicts with the government. At the same time, it transferred two of the Second Fleet's main battleships to the Nanyang Third Fleet. At the same time, it transferred twenty ships Three-masted gunboats were deployed to various places in Southeast Asia to strengthen the Chinese company's maritime power in Southeast Asia.
Half a month later, Zeng Qi returned to Taiwan Port with more than a dozen members of the Zeng family. This was the second time that the Zeng family moved to Taiwan. Zeng Qi told Yin Feng in frustration: The wealthy businessman in Fuzhou City. Ye Xianggao's cousin Xue Mingqi, uncle-in-law Xue Rugang and others have already closed their doors to the Zeng family. Zeng Qi was rejected by the Fuzhou magistrate's Yamen, the Fujian Chief Envoy Si Yamen and other places. But a month ago. Zeng Qi can still come and go freely in these places.
The trend of the imperial court has changed drastically. People in Fujian Province are panicking. The situation is very bad.
Fortunately, it is already the end of the year. All the merchant ships that went to sea in the first half of the year have returned and are loading goods to prepare for next year's trade. Most of the goods have been shipped one after another a few months ago. In this way, even if the imperial court bans sea It will be implemented immediately. At least in the first half of next year, trade with Southeast Asia and the West will not be affected.
Now, other than sending out a large number of manpower to find out the news, people from the China United Company have not thought of any good solution.
Yin Feng began to convene the staff to plan a counterattack against Huatian Company. At the same time, he invested all the money he was scheduled to distribute as dividends this year to Foshan to buy ironware. Chen Zhongji took hundreds of thousands of kilograms of fine sulfur from Satsuma Domain. It was shipped to Taiwan. The arsenals in Taiwan Port, Anping Port, Taipei Navy Barracks and other places worked overtime day and night to produce various weapons and ammunition.
The Sea Spirit and its sister ship Starfish returned from the northeast. They brought a large amount of ginseng, mink skins, deer skins and other things. Yin Feng couldn't wait to send two clipper ships to the south. One docked at Manila Port On standby. Another ship is sent to Guam. Once the Spanish expeditionary force appears on the ocean surface of Guam, the clipper ship will immediately return to Luzon as a communication ship.
When the Sea Spirit docked at Taiwan Port, it also brought back several Jurchen businessmen. These businessmen with braids on their heads and fine fur coats were very eye-catching in Yin Feng's eyes. Yin Feng happened to be patrolling the dock and saw this. Several Jurchen merchants were very curious and ordered Lin Yue who was beside them to summon these people.
These Jurchen businessmen can all speak fluent Chinese. They claim to be businessmen of the Jianzhou Jurchen tribe. The elder calls himself "Tahabu". After Yin Feng inquired carefully, he found that the youngest one among them had a faint expression on his face. The heroic spirit seems to be mixed with a hint of fierceness.
These Jurchens know the etiquette of the Han people. Taha, an older Jurchen merchant, did not act as an interpreter. He talked to Yin Feng in fluent Chinese: "I have seen it in Jiangnan. The local officials, gentry, and even workers and lowly servants. They take great pleasure in wearing mink, rat, fox fur tassel hats and other things. They almost wear them regardless of rank. If you can bring more ironware to me in Jianzhou, we can give you more mink and fur. Ginseng.”
Yin Feng had been observing the young Jurchen in the middle. Judging from his expression, he also understood Chinese. He asked directly: "General Longhu is annihilating the Ula tribe of the Haixi Jurchen, right?"
The three Jurchen businessmen looked at each other. They were obviously unprepared for this question; they could not understand why this maritime business leader on an island thousands of miles away would be interested in the situation in Liaodong. The two on the left and right subconsciously asked the young man in the middle At this glance, Yin Feng could conclude that the identity of this young Jurchen was of great importance. The other two could speak fluent Chinese. They might be Han Chinese who had fled to the Jurchen tribe in the northeastern border area.
In the evening, I took the Sea Spirit to visit Luo Yi in the Northeast and arrived at Yin Feng. Luo Yi is about thirty years old. He is the distant nephew of Luo Xuri, a wealthy businessman in Haicheng. He has been to the Northeast for trade a long time ago. So. This time, Yin Feng was responsible for opening up trade in the Northeast.
Yin Feng personally delivered tea to Luo Yi. Luo Yi quickly stood up and said: "The captain is too polite..."
Yin Feng sat him down and said: "Brother Luo is going to the Northeast. At least he has earned one hundred thousand taels of silver for our company. I will propose a reward for you at the board meeting: year-end share dividend plus 30%."
Luo Yi quickly stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Captain..."
"Let's stop talking. I invite you to ask: How did these three Jurchen merchants come here? Who are they?"
Luo Yi replied: "Here we go to the northeast. We go north along the Yalu River and trade mink skins with the Jurchens on the Changbai Mountain. These three people seem to be in charge of most of the local trade. All the mink skins are their goods. I Listen to the conversation between them. They call the noble man Tabai..."
"My noble man, he must be the young man standing in the middle."
Luo Yi nodded and said: "Yes. They seem to be in urgent need of iron tools. They are very interested in the iron pots and other things we brought." He noticed that Yin Feng's face seemed to be deep, and he didn't know what he was thinking about.
At this time in the Northeast region, the central government of the Ming Dynasty did not allow Han merchants to transport iron to the Jurchen tribe. However, the Ming Dynasty government was completely corrupt from top to bottom, and its ability to control private trade was extremely low. Officers and soldiers along the border and Businessmen colluded with each other. Not to mention iron weapons, some of the weapons of the Ming Dynasty officials and soldiers were also resold to the Jurchen tribe.
Therefore, Yin Feng didn't think there was anything wrong with providing iron tools to Nurhachi. He thought for a while and said to Luo Yi: "I have a plan: the company needs to set up an intelligence network in the Liaodong Capital District. And now is an opportunity. But. It’s up to you to operate it.”
Luo Yi was shocked: he was the nephew of Luo Xuri, a member of the company's board of directors. But he knew the power of Lin Xiao's business intelligence department and the military intelligence department directly under Yin Feng. These spies trained by Yin Feng himself were Yin Feng's most loyal subordinates: Manila fugitives, or their relatives, friends, sons and nephews. These spies are pervasive throughout the country, and they act cunningly and insidiously.
Yin Feng saw his expression and smiled: "I asked Lin Xiao to personally supervise this matter. You just need to make connections. Get to know those Jurchen nobles and have good dealings with the officers and soldiers of Liaodong Dusi. This is what you need to do Just do the same thing as you did when you were doing business. Lin Xiaohui sent people to do other things."
Luo Yi thought for a while: Although he didn't understand why the ship owner was interested in that poor place in Liaodong, and he didn't understand why there was a need to plant intelligence spies there. But he understood that this matter must be confidential. Once Luo Yi gets involved in this matter . He became Yin Feng’s confidant. This was beneficial and harmless to his future in Zhonghua Company. After he thought about it, he immediately agreed.
When Yin Feng sent him out, he was still mumbling: "This noble man is called Ta Bai. Why haven't you heard of this man? What is his origin?"
Luo Yi replied: "The younger one went to Liaodong for a few years and knows a little bit about Jurchen dialect. During the conversation between the other two, they called Tabai the son of the Great Khan."
Yin Feng nodded: "Really? Could it be Nurhachi's son? Okay. Brother Luo, the agents sent to Liaodong will learn Jurchen dialect from you in the past few days. Please keep it confidential. This matter must not be let out. Outsiders know."
Back in the room, Yin Feng was still thinking about who "Tabai" was. He couldn't remember it. Finally, he had to go to the pregnant Mai Wan'er's room and took out the secret manuscript kept by Wan'er for inquiry. But Nothing was found. "Perhaps, this Tabai is indeed a nobody..." Yin Feng had no choice but to comfort himself before falling asleep.
…
1613, the year of Guichou in the lunar calendar, the year of the Ox in the zodiac, and the forty-first year of the Wanli calendar. In this year, the Russian Tsar Romanov dynasty was officially established. The Hercynian Jurchen Ula tribe was destroyed by Nurhaci in February.
In January, Han Zhongyong, the deputy envoy of the Fujian Sea Route, and Lu Xiao, the commander of the Fujian capital, were dismissed for failing to control the Japanese and condoning piracy. In February, the new deputy envoy of the Sea Route, Xie Jun, took office. The Fujian Commander-in-Chief was also replaced by Ji Yuanxian. Zhu Wen When he reached his official position, the tax eunuch Gao Cai was dismissed from his post and returned to Beijing.
The Zhonghua Company paid close attention to the series of personnel changes in the government. Soon, the information of the new Haidao Deputy Envoy Xie Jun and Fujian Commander-in-Chief Ji Yuanxian was placed on Yin Feng's desk.
There were only two people in the house, Zeng Qi and Yin Feng and Weng's son-in-law.
"As expected, Xie Jun is a descendant of the Xie family in Yuyao. He was originally a censor of the capital. He must have relied on the power of the Xie family to serve in Fujian." Zeng Qi said slowly: "This Ji Yuanxian is from Anhui A native of Guichi, he became a Jinshi in the middle of the Jiachen year in the 32nd year of Wanli. Now he is the chief soldier of Fujian. There must be noble people in the court to help him. Otherwise, it would be impossible to be promoted so quickly."
Yin Feng took a newspaper from his residence and muttered softly: "Here is a memorial from Mr. Ye, the First Assistant: For the time being, the Japanese trader may think that the common people are shooting for profit, but they may not have a plan to seduce them. If they don't know that the profits will not stop, they will lead to seduction. , don’t plan for the future and regret it. Since the Ryukyus broke into the Japanese, it is inevitable that the Japanese will borrow the invaders to pay tribute. If this happens, the disaster on the coastal area will be unspeakable. If Lai Jiao says that they will be strictly investigated and rejected, there will be no strategy. It’s easy to do this.”
Zeng Qi was now extremely disappointed with the imperial court. He smiled bitterly and said: "We will strictly investigate and reject it. This means that the sea ban is certain."