The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 52 A Pair of Chopsticks
The Portuguese had strong ships and powerful cannons, so they were not afraid of ordinary pirates at all.

But the Santa Ana was a Manila galleon, the jewel of the Spanish Navy.

Naval battles are a contest of hard power, with little room for trickery or deception.

It was precisely because of their fear of the St. Anne's strength that the councilor deliberately tricked Lin Qian into coming to Guangzhou and sent five warships to its anchorage to besiege it, determined to capture the large sailing ship in one fell swoop.

But people are not as good as heaven.

These Ming Dynasty pirates, who deserve to go to hell and wallow in the lake of sulfur and fire, actually ordered their large sailing ships to sail to Japan on the very day they received the letter.

Is this the kind of judgment a normal person should make?

They just received an invitation to a business negotiation, then immediately ran away, stabbing you in the back before leaving.

Is this something humans do?
The meeting place was chosen to be Guangzhou under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, and a special envoy was sent to you as a hostage.

Isn't that enough sincerity?

What else can make them believe?

The senator was furious, even feeling wronged for himself. He thought, "It's true I lied to you, but I didn't reveal any flaws, at least I didn't show any malice. Why are you so wary of me? No, this isn't just being wary, this is harming me! It's a complete and utter frame-up!"

The deal between the Santa Ana and Japan harmed the interests of all Portuguese people in Macau.

When the governor and council investigate, he, Representative Andrei, will be the biggest criminal and the first to be implicated.

Not to mention the ongoing threat of looting, which would cause transportation costs from Portugal to Japan to skyrocket.

The air route will never have peace.

The direct and indirect losses will be incalculable.

The more the congressman thought about it, the more dejected he became. He stood there with his mouth agape, his face flushed, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

He was a businessman, not a soldier, and lacked the courage to burn his bridges.

He considered killing Lin Qian in a fit of rage, but that wouldn't solve anything; it would only create new trouble.

Fortunately, businessmen are quick to yield when it comes to profit.

The senator paused for a moment, then his fat face broke into a smile again: "Hahaha... Someone, bring the captain a pair of chopsticks!"

Lin Qian said, "I've heard that camel hoof soup in Guangzhou is quite good."

The councilor berated the waiter: "Didn't you hear what the captain said? Go and do it!"

After thinking for a moment, the councilor said, "Take away the roast beef and ham, and bring out all the specialties of the Ming Dynasty. The cuisine of the Ming Dynasty is rich and diverse, especially Cantonese cuisine, so you should try more!"

Half an hour later, the long table was filled with all kinds of dishes, and there was even a small jar of camel hoof soup in the middle.

This dish cannot be prepared in a short time. A pot of camel hoof soup, not counting the preparation of ingredients, takes at least four or five hours to stew.

This small jar must have been bought from somewhere else and was already made; it must have cost quite a bit of money.

Seeing that the dishes were all prepared, the councilor called the waiter to pour wine.

Lin Qian reached out and put the lid on the cup.

The waiter glanced at the councilor with a troubled expression.

The councilor was taken aback at first, then stood up with a big smile, dragged his fat body to Lin Qian's side, took the wine pot, and poured the wine himself.

Zheng Zhilong was stunned. In his eyes, the high and mighty councilor had never been so humble before.

The councilor's attentive manner in pouring wine was exactly like that of the people of the Ming Dynasty. It seems that the councilor also understood the social customs of the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Qian sneered inwardly.

It's likely that this kind of scene at a banquet is something the councilor has experienced many times before.

After all, a mere Macau legislator could only serve wine when facing high-ranking officials such as the Governor-General, the Three Offices, and the Maritime Trade Office.

After pouring a glass of wine, the councilor raised his glass first, said some perfunctory toast, and then drank it all in one gulp.

His bold and unrestrained spirit in downing a drink in one gulp contrasted sharply with the European aristocratic demeanor he had just displayed while eating steak and ham.

Lin Qian didn't drink, but simply raised her glass in a gesture of respect.

He was genuinely worried that the congressman might poison the food and drinks; he wouldn't use an acute poison, but a chronic one was still possible.

Seeing this, the senator was not annoyed, and chatted about other things for a while before subtly returning the topic to the Santa Ana.

"Captain, according to the Celestial Empire, the Shimazu family are a group of Japanese pirates, and Li Dan is just a sea pirate. It is very risky to do business with them. Let's entrust it to the Portuguese. We are good friends of the Celestial Empire."

The congressman said with a fawning expression.

Lin Qian held up five fingers: "Five hundred thousand taels. If you're short even one tael, forget it."

The asking price was 100,000 higher than the initial price, and 200,000 higher than the "friendship price" given to Zheng Zhilong.

Even if this shipment were shipped to Japan, let alone off the coast of Guangdong, it would only be worth 500,000.

Lin Qian's asking price is tantamount to squeezing out all profit margins, forcing the councilor to lose money while gaining publicity.

But if they didn't agree, the Portuguese wouldn't earn any money from advertising; instead, they would suffer huge losses. The councilor felt a pang of pain, but forced himself to say, "This price is far too high. Didn't we agree on 300,000?"

To be honest, 300,000 is too high.

"My boat has been out for five days, how much will the fare be?"

"Then add another 20,000!"

"Judging by the days, the ship is almost at Southern Zhili. Going to Japan is closer than going back to Guangdong."

"Add another 50,000!"

The fat on the senator's face was trembling.

Having said that, the senator guessed that the Santa Ana couldn't possibly be on its way to Japan; it must be hiding in some secluded sea waiting for instructions.

Otherwise, even if the senator released Lin Qian, he wouldn't have the ability to communicate remotely and make the Saint Anna, which was already halfway there, turn around.

Thinking of this, the congressman clenched his fists, his eyes growing increasingly sinister.

Perhaps torture could be used to force them to reveal the whereabouts of the Santa Ana!
Lin Qian noticed the change in the senator's expression and said calmly, "I guess you're thinking about whether you can torture me?"

The senator's eyes immediately cleared: "Hahaha... Captain, you're so humorous."

If Lin Qian confesses, he will make a fortune; if Lin Qian doesn't confess, he will suffer a huge loss. He dares not gamble.

"The people of the Ming Dynasty like to round things up, so how about 400,000?"

The congressman gritted his teeth again and again, but he still couldn't bring himself to say the word "deal".

Lin Qian added, "One hundred thousand taels of it can be offset with firearms."

The senator's heart skipped a beat. Arms sales had always been the most profitable business, but the Ming Dynasty had completely disregarded the strange and ingenious skills of these "Western barbarians."

Despite the superior performance of Portuguese cannons, despite several attempts to negotiate with Ming Dynasty officials, a single order could not be secured.

He's really mastered the art of pouring and toasting.

The Portuguese, of course, did not understand the conservative philosophy of "distinguishing between Chinese and barbarians" and "the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed."

He could only angrily curse the Ming Dynasty officials in secret for being corrupt, foolish, greedy, arrogant, and ignorant.

Historically, the Ming Dynasty first made a large-scale purchase of Portuguese cannons in the third year of the Tianqi reign (1623). The quantity purchased was small, and the land transport was fraught with obstacles.

By the time the supplies finally arrived in Liaodong, it was almost the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. Fortunately, it arrived just in time for Nurhaci's invasion of Ningyuan.

This explains why Yuan Chonghuan only had a dozen or so Hongyi cannons under his command during the Battle of Ningyuan.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty only purchased this much for its first procurement. A few were left to be copied in the capital, and the rest were all transported here.

That's why Representative Andrei was so agitated.

Selling firearms to pirates might incur the wrath of the Ming government.

But he couldn't care less.

That's a huge order worth a full 100,000 taels of silver!

Forget selling firearms, I'd sell my own mother!
"Deal!" the congressman shouted.

The councilor then finalized the details of the transaction with Lin Qian.

The final agreement was reached to deliver the first batch of goods in Macau on August 15th, with a price of 40,000 taels of silver, of which 10,000 taels would be used directly to purchase firearms.

The delivery of the second batch of goods is scheduled for September 15th, and the price is also 40,000 taels.

In this way, the goods were delivered a total of ten times.

For a member of parliament, paying 30,000 taels of silver and 10,000 taels of firearms in cash each time was no small sum, and it would take time to raise the funds.

For Lin Qian, small, frequent transactions help reduce risk and prevent her from losing everything in a single maritime disaster.

The congressman is a bit of an amateur when it comes to scheming, but he's quite professional when it comes to business.

An hour later, all the terms were finalized.

The councilor immediately had a contract written in both Chinese and Portuguese, in duplicate, which was then signed by both parties.

In Chinese business, trust between people is paramount; no one will trust a piece of paper.

Moreover, even if a contract is breached now, no one will hold them accountable.

Therefore, for Lin Qian, this contract was basically worthless.

Judging from how much the fat congressman cherishes that contract, I hope he has the so-called spirit of contractual obligations.

After putting the contract away, Lin Qian prepared to take her leave.

The portly councilor personally escorted Lin Qian to the stairwell. As they parted, he suddenly said, "For the sake of our cooperative friendship, I'll give you a piece of intelligence for free—the Spanish arrived in Guangzhou five days ago."

(End of this chapter)