Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 134 Pacific Triangle Trade
"...The Black Triangle Trade that took place in the North Atlantic from the 16th to the 19th century has long been well known and even more notorious. But few of us know that there was also a triangular trade in East Asia."

"That is, the triangular trade between Siam, Ming Dynasty, and Japan. However, the commodities traded in the Western triangular trade were primarily slaves, while the Eastern trade was richer and more diverse."

"Generally, they would ship Ming Dynasty goods like raw silk, silk fabrics, medicinal herbs, and porcelain to Japan in exchange for silver and copper, and then return to Ming. Other merchants would carry Eastern goods south to Siam, exchanging them for large quantities of silver, gold, deerskin, sappanwood, cowhide, ivory, rhino horn, betel nut, tin, lead, and blue dragon wood and sandalwood, and then return to Ming or sail directly to Japan."

"This triangular trade involved numerous participants, including merchants from the Ming Dynasty, Portuguese merchants, Malay merchants, Siamese merchants, and even Japanese merchants who had obtained the red seal. Throughout this process, the trade was extremely complex and the scale was enormous. A rough estimate suggests that the total annual transaction volume could exceed four million taels of silver."

"Therefore, Meng Shengxin, who stayed in Guangzhou, suggested that when we engage in trans-Pacific trade, we might as well place ourselves in the East Asian triangular trade network to maximize our trade profits."

"..."

On December 1629, 12, at the general meeting of the time travelers, Wei Yingbin systematically expounded on the trade and immigration plans for the coming year, and emphasized the idea of ​​building a Pacific triangle trade of Qiming Island-Spanish America-Siam and Ming Dynasty on the basis of the East Asian triangle trade.

"We'll depart from Qiming Island, carrying a large quantity of locally produced precious furs and Ming Dynasty goods, and travel south to Spanish America. Through Spanish smugglers, we'll exchange these Eastern goods for silver, copper, and other precious metals. Then, we'll cross the Pacific, pass the Philippine Islands, and arrive in Siam. We'll spend some of the gold and silver on local specialties like sappanwood, sandalwood, ivory, and rhino horn. We can also purchase rice from Cambodia, Champa, and Guangnan, fill our cargo holds, and arrive in Guangzhou."

"This way, our merchant ships will no longer be nearly empty as before, and our trade profits will be doubled. Once we have a large trade surplus, we can hire more Portuguese ships to help us transport our extremely scarce human resources."

"Of course, because we had to ship a large number of immigrants, we couldn't participate in the Ming-Japan trade process. We were missing an important transaction link, resulting in a slight loss of profit."

"With Japan's increasingly stringent foreign trade restriction policies, even if we can free up some space to load a large amount of oriental goods, we probably won't be able to go to Nagasaki for trade, right?" Chen Rui said.

"Japan's current trade restriction policy is mainly aimed at European countries, that is, banning Spain and restricting Portugal. However, it is not particularly exclusive to traders from the Ming Dynasty, Siam, and the Dutch East India Company, and generally allows them to enter the port to trade."

"According to trade data provided by Meng Shengxin, after Siamese merchant ships arrived in Nagasaki, they were generally managed by the Chinese guilds in Nagasaki, with deerskin being the largest commodity. Siamese merchant ships also transported raw silk from Guangzhou and Macau to Japan in exchange for Japanese silver and copper."

"These merchant ships from Siam included not only merchants licensed by the Ayutthaya Empire, but also many ships that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty. After obtaining official Siamese certificates, they were all treated as ships from Siam."

"In other words, if we have the opportunity, we can also pretend to be a merchant ship from Ming Dynasty or Siam and go to Japan to make a fortune?" someone asked with a smile.

"Theoretically, it's possible." Wei Yingbin nodded and said, "However, our primary goal right now isn't to make money, but to accumulate population. The Pacific Triangle Trade I just mentioned was only intended to raise funds for immigration. If we stay in Japan for the sake of trade, it will probably delay our return. After all, the sailing time back to Qiming Island via the Kuroshio Current is only a few months, so we can't miss it."

"Well, Ying Bin is quite right." Luo Zhenhui glanced at the time travelers sitting there. "The biggest goal of our five-year plan is to establish a foothold in the Americas from Qiming Island. To achieve this goal, we can cooperate with Spanish smugglers in the Americas, reach an immigration transportation agreement with the Portuguese colonists in Macau, and even establish some form of contact with pirates along the coast of the Ming Dynasty."

"Although the Spanish haven't discovered our location yet and our security isn't at its most critical point, we still can't let our guard down or become complacent. According to the information provided by that Spanish smuggler, the Viceroyalty of New Spain established a Pacific fleet last year."

"In addition to protecting the Mexican coast, this fleet also spends five to six months each year sailing north along the Pacific coast of America, searching for our hiding places. Incidentally, in February, while sailing to Ming, the fleet encountered and engaged a Spanish fleet. This will undoubtedly draw the Spanish's attention, and they will take appropriate measures to address the threat we pose."

"Gentlemen, don't assume that just because Qiming Island is located far to the north, and not on a major trade route, the Spanish won't be able to find us. As long as they remain patient and pursue us relentlessly, they will eventually find us. Perhaps their fleet will sail into the Qiming Strait (now the San Juan Strait), close to the coastline, and with a little careful observation, they'll discover the existence of Shixing Fort."

"Therefore, we must increase our strength and power as much as possible before this happens, so that we can have enough self-defense capabilities when facing the Spanish attack."

"For next season's immigration efforts, I suggest expanding the scale a bit. As long as the Portuguese can provide ships, no matter how many, we should accept the offer. It'll just cost us a bit more gold and silver." "Also, to increase our transportation capacity, if that Spanish smuggler can provide us with large ocean-going vessels, new or old, we'll buy them all. We can give him a bit of a bargain on the price. While the Spanish shipbuilding industry wasn't as good as the Dutch during this period, their craftsmanship and quality were still commendable."

"In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spain's largest shipbuilding base was in the Americas, or more precisely, in Cuba. They used high-quality local wood and cheap slave labor to build thousands of Spanish galleons."

Zhou Yong, who was well-versed in the sailing vessels of the Age of Exploration, interjected, "Furthermore, ships built with Cuban cedar are more durable than European oak, requiring twice as much maintenance, and are also safer to build. This is because cedar is less likely to shatter when hit by a cannonball."

"So, since we are currently unable to build large ocean-going cargo ships and warships, it is still necessary to secretly purchase a few ships from the Spanish."

"Then can we also buy a few ocean-going ships from the Portuguese?"

"The Portuguese don't have a shipyard in Macau and may not be able to meet our ship purchase needs."

"So all their merchant ships came from Europe?

"The Portuguese had two small shipyards in Goa and Malacca, India, which were capable of building some large ocean-going ships," Wei Yingbin said. "But in recent years, due to repeated attacks by the Dutch East India Company, the Portuguese lost many ships."

"Plus, the sea route between the Strait of Malacca and India is frequently blocked by Dutch armed merchant ships, making it difficult to obtain new ships from Goa. Therefore, the Portuguese will not have any extra second-hand ships to sell to us in the short term."

"Oh, no wonder the Portuguese lost so many colonies in Asia after being beaten up so many times by the Dutch. It seems they simply don't have the strength to fight back!"

"Of course not. Although the Dutch don't have any shipyards in Southeast Asia yet, their shipbuilding industry is extremely advanced. They can dispatch dozens of ships from mainland Europe every year, and their strength is naturally growing. At this time, the title of "Sea Coachman" is well-deserved!"

"Can we cooperate with the Dutch and obtain some transportation resources from them?"

"Dutch?"

"Absolutely not!" Wei Yingbin glanced at the time travelers who had proposed this suggestion and shook his head in absolute denial. "With our current strength, how can we possibly be qualified to cooperate with the Dutch? Perhaps, given the Dutch's nature, after hearing about the rich fur resources on the west coast of North America, they might become covetous and come here to rob us."

"We can even assume they'll seize our Qiming Island. Not only will they gain a base for the fur trade, but they'll also be able to move south along the west coast and strike at the Spanish colonies."

"So, when we are still weak, it is best to choose to cooperate with the Portuguese, who are also weak."

"However, the Portuguese may not be sincere in maintaining long-term cooperation with us," someone said worriedly.

"It doesn't matter. As long as the Portuguese follow us back to Ming Dynasty and do some good business with us, we can tie them to us in a short time!"

(End of this chapter)