Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 311 Maritime sub-base

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Sun Yuanhua was taken aback upon hearing this, then slapped his forehead: "I was blinded by a leaf and couldn't see Mount Tai. I forgot about that..."

Since, in theory, all maritime merchants are "smugglers" and cannot openly rely on the power of the imperial court and government to protect themselves, then no one can object to the powerful Qiongzhou Camp setting the rules of the game. The sea is not like land; it's a dog-eat-dog world where might makes right.

Yan Guang frowned and said, "But then, how to force the maritime merchants to obediently enter the designated port becomes a problem..."

"Making maritime merchants obedient is not a problem. Zheng Zhilong has provided us with a template: Zheng's warships patrol the main shipping routes all year round. Any merchant ship that flies a flag is guaranteed safety, while those without flags are plundered. How much silver does it cost to buy a ship and a cargo, and how much silver does it cost to buy a flag? Maritime merchants will know how to do this."

"But inspection and valuation of goods requires experienced veterans. With so many ships every year, how many people would be needed? It's so complicated, it's easier to just sell the flags directly."

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "I've thought about this problem too. Selling flags is indeed convenient, but how many times does a merchant ship travel back and forth to Japan or Southeast Asia each year, and how much silver do they earn? Receiving only two or three thousand taels is too cheap for these maritime merchants—for example, the profit margins on raw silk sold to Japan, tea sold to Europe, and porcelain are often four or five times. Such maritime merchants should be charged tens of thousands of taels a year. As for manpower, that's easy. We can just poach people from the big merchants in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangnan, and Fujian. Compete on wages and bonuses, who can beat me?"

Hearing Liu Ye say this, Yan Guang thought of the millions of taels of income his family had earned from their trip to Japan, and couldn't help but nod repeatedly. Although other maritime merchants didn't have the capital and strength of the Qiongzhou Camp to operate such a large-scale business at once, the profits from commodities like raw silk were there. The transaction volume of dozens or hundreds of maritime merchants added up to a considerable amount. Charging such people only three thousand taels per ship was truly a waste of resources.

Liu Ye continued, "The 10% tax rate is just a benchmark. It would be more reasonable to set different standards based on the type, value, and profit of the goods. Hard currencies like raw silk, silk fabrics, tea, and porcelain should be taxed at least 100%..."

Yan Guang asked doubtfully, "One hundred...one hundred percent?"

Liu Ye patted his head and put it in a way that people in ancient times would understand: "In other words, the tax is the same as the purchase price of these goods."

Sun Yuanhua exclaimed in shock, "A 100% tax? There has never been such a heavy tax in history. Won't these maritime merchants rebel?"

Liu Ye snorted contemptuously: "The strongest sea lords of this dynasty have been trampled under our feet, what kind of sea merchants can stir up trouble? If anyone is really blind, let them try to reason with our warships and cannons. If they think the taxes are too high and don't want to do it, there are plenty of people who are willing to do it—even if they pay 100% tax, it's just that the profit of four or five times becomes three or four times the profit, which is still huge profit."

After this analysis, everyone understood the benefits of this taxation method; it would be several times more profitable than Zheng Zhilong selling flags. Everyone's faces lit up with joy. This way, the wealth of the Qiongzhou camp would steadily increase, and everyone's income would rise accordingly, benefiting both the public and private sectors.

Yan Guang suggested, "In that case, why not set up the commercial port in Bofu?"

Liu Ye replied, "Having only one commercial port, Bofu, is not enough. It can only contain the maritime merchants of Guangdong and Guangxi and the merchant ships heading to Southeast Asia. Merchant ships traveling between Jiangnan and Fujian and Japan do not pass through Qiongzhou, so it is too far out of reach..."

Yan Guang suddenly realized: "No wonder the general killed Zheng Zhilong but left Zheng Hongkui alone. It turns out he had planned this all along."

"So besides Bofu, I also plan to build a commercial port in Fujian. Zheng Hongkui is very familiar with Fujian and maritime trade, and can get up to speed quickly. I just need to send someone to monitor and restrain him, saving me the time to train new talent and delay the opportunity. Originally, I planned to continue using Zhongzuo, but I don't want to be constrained by the government, so I'm hesitating. You know, Zheng Zhilong was heavily constrained by the former governor Zou Weilian before, and it's not appropriate to do something like privately collecting commercial taxes under the emperor's nose..."

Yan Guang could understand that privately collecting commercial taxes was a taboo. In a place like Qiongzhou, far from the emperor's reach, it was one thing, but Zhongzuo Suo was right under the nose of the Fujian governor. It was better not to provoke the government if possible; it was better to avoid trouble.

He tentatively suggested, "How about setting it up in Kinmen?"

Liu Ye chuckled: "How far is Kinmen from Fujian? What's the difference between it and the center-left? Isn't this just burying your head in the sand?"

Van Bommel had remained silent, after all, he was a newcomer to the system, and besides, he couldn't get a word in edgewise when it came to business matters. But when he heard the others racking their brains over the port location, he couldn't help but ask, "Is there a more suitable port than Zeelandia?"

Liu Ye was stunned for a moment, but after realizing what he had done, he was overjoyed. He realized he had been blind to his own shortcomings. Wasn't Dayuan just an island far from the emperor's reach, like Qiongzhou? Moreover, Zeelandia had a sturdy castle and complete port facilities. From there, one could cover the entire Taiwan Strait. It was a ready-made branch base!

Yan Guang and the others thought it over carefully and all agreed that this place was the most suitable. Since the general was already planning to drive the "red-haired" people out of Dayuan, taking over Zeelandia was a logical next step.

Liu Ye immediately made the decision: "Then it will be Zeelandia. In that case, the operation to expel the East India Company must be accelerated. Originally, I gave Putmans a month, but now the plan has to be changed: I will send him directly to Batavia by warship. He must agree to my conditions within a week, or war will break out!"

Before the Battle of Zhongzuosuo, Sun Yuanhua and others would have likely tried to dissuade them, arguing that such frequent wars and militarism not only wasted resources but also created too many enemies—a far from benign endeavor. However, after defeating Zheng Zhilong, the benefits far outweighed the costs of waging war, and Sun Yuanhua and his group could find no reason to stop the conflict. Moreover, the frequent raids on the Ming coast by the "Red Hairs" showed they were no benevolent force; such people were best dealt with without fear.

Yan Guang, however, was impressed by Van Bommel. This guy, after switching sides, showed no mercy in scheming against his former employer; he was a promising talent. He didn't understand that Westerners, especially the Dutch, only cared about profit. The businessman's nature was ingrained in them. Since Van Bommel had changed allegiance, his starting point for considering things was naturally his new employer. The stronger the Qiongzhou Camp, the more advantageous it would be for him.

The branch base was thus decided. Liu Ye was in a good mood and ordered, "Someone, bring Zheng Hongkui here. I want to give him an official position—Putmans' position is his."