I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

Inside the government office at Donghai Fort.

Besides Zhang Jingchuan, Xu Fuzou, and Li Daniu, there were three other people sitting there.

Li Daniu began to introduce them one by one.

The first chair on the left was occupied by a scholar, about thirty years old. Although he was dressed like a scholar, his face was weathered and worn, clearly indicating that he had traveled extensively.

This man, named Zhou Wencai, was the manager of the Wentai Trading Company, which was backed by the Longyou Merchant Guild and operated the salt and iron business in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

Sitting to Zhou Wencai's left was a middle-aged man with a long beard. Although he was dressed in brocade, he had a calm demeanor and a slightly bandit-like air, making him seem like a soldier.

This man was a wealthy merchant from the coast named Zheng Zhilong.

Zhang Jingchuan couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. This Zheng Zhilong was Zheng Chenggong's father. He was a powerful figure in the seas of Fujian and Zhejiang, with influence spreading throughout Southeast Asia. He could even have a say in business with the Japanese.

As for sitting at the very end, there was a beautiful woman named Su Mingyu, with Fujian merchants behind her who ran businesses in the Jiangnan region, dealing in silk fabrics, jewelry, and jade.

After Li Daniu finished his introduction, Zhang Jingchuan exchanged pleasantries with the three of them.

Zhou Wencai and Su Mingyu were clearly very interested in the mountain products from Qingdi. The cargo that Tong Puhan gave to Zhang Jingchuan was given to Zhou Wencai and Su Mingyu by Li Daniu.

The reason the two traveled thousands of miles north by boat was because Donghai Fort in Zhang Jingchuan could obtain these mountain goods from Qingdi.

From the Wanli era to the present, the enemy has been constantly invading the border and moving south. Trade between the two places can only be carried out through smuggling. However, the land smuggling route has been monopolized by Shanxi merchants. If the Fujian and Zhejiang merchants want to buy, they can only buy from those Shanxi merchants at high prices.

They had considered smuggling by sea, but the imperial court prohibited maritime trade. If merchant ships wanted to go to sea, they needed to obtain a sea travel permit from the provincial administration offices in Fujian, Guangzhou, or Zhejiang before the ships could set sail.

However, to obtain the necessary documents for sailing from these government offices, one had to bribe officials at all levels. Even so, one still had to pay a sea protection fee, which involved not only sending silver to the naval commander but also bribing pirates like Zheng Zhilong.

In the end, the profit from a single shipment of goods was barely enough to cover the cost. If a major storm were to occur and the ship were to capsize, all the money would be lost.

If Li Daniu hadn't brought a boatload of Qingdi mountain goods south, Zhou Wencai and Su Mingyu wouldn't have traveled all this way to do business.

As for why Zheng Zhilong came, it was because he heard from Li Daniu that the Ming army was particularly interested in firearms and ships, so he came to see if there was any business to be done.

After all, the Portuguese and Spanish had the most advanced firearms and ships at sea, and if one could act as a middleman, one could naturally reap huge profits.

“Sir, we have traveled a long way by boat, not to drink tea. Shouldn’t we talk business?” Zhou Wencai put down his teacup and said with a smile.

“Of course!” Zhang Jingchuan smiled and said, “We’ll tentatively send five ships of goods south each month. I’ll be in charge of the transportation. As for how to receive them, you should have a way.”

Zhou Wencai frowned and asked, "How do we calculate the price?"

"Twenty percent lower than the price the Shanxi merchants offered you is fine!" Zhang Jingchuan said to the two men.

Zhou Wencai and Su Mingyu looked at each other and then nodded in agreement.

Although the profit margin is thin, there is no risk involved, which is equivalent to getting 20% ​​profit for free.

“Okay, we can convert it into silver notes later, that will make settlement easier,” Su Mingyu nodded.

Zhang Jingchuan did some mental calculations. If he could make five boatloads of goods a month, the profit he would pocket would be less than ten thousand taels. If he were to make money through this method, it would take him at least a year to earn one hundred thousand taels of silver.

He does have the time, but the battle in Jinzhou probably won't last that long.

The only way to earn 100,000 taels of silver in a short period of time is to cooperate with Zheng Zhilong.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Wencai and Su Mingyu tactfully got up to say goodbye, and Li Daniu went to entertain them.

Inside the hall, only Zhang Jingchuan, Zheng Zhilong, and Xu Fuzou remained.

"Sir, we've finished discussing the small business deals. Now, shall we talk about the bigger business?" Zheng Zhilong said with a squinting smile.

Zhang Jingchuan smiled slightly and said sarcastically, "This business is indeed very big, but I wonder if you dare to do it!"

Zheng Zhilong was about to drink his tea when he heard Zhang Jingchuan's words. His hand holding the teacup froze, and he looked at Zhang Jingchuan.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Zheng Zhilong put down his teacup and smiled calmly, "Sir, please tell me."

Zhang Jingchuan gave Xu Fuzou a look, and Xu Fuzou clapped his hands.

Then, two armored soldiers came in from a side room carrying a rack and a map. After unfolding the map and hanging it on the rack, they bowed and withdrew.

Zheng Zhilong raised an eyebrow as he looked at the map on the shelf; it was a nautical chart of Liaodong Bay.

Zhang Jingchuan got up and walked to the nautical chart, pointing to the eastern coast of Liaodong Bay, and said, "Gaizhouwei and Fuzhouwei are both Qing territory. I have soldiers, and you have ships. Why worry about not making money?"

Zheng Zhilong frowned slightly and asked in surprise, "You're going to seize these two places?"

"You provide the boat, I'll die, and we'll split the loot in half!"

"This is Qingdi's territory!"

"We're here to seize the land!"

Zheng Zhilong frowned and asked hesitantly, "How many soldiers do you have?"

Zhang Jingchuan held up one finger and said, "I will send a thousand soldiers!"

"A thousand people!?" Zheng Zhilong asked in astonishment, "Aren't you afraid of losing more than you gain?"

“There aren’t many Qing troops in these two places; they’re mostly Han soldiers. If we can’t even defeat the Han soldiers in the Qing territory, then we shouldn’t do this business,” Zhang Jingchuan mocked.

Zheng Zhilong remained silent, his fingertips tapping on the armrest, his eyes flickering slightly.

Seeing Zheng Zhilong's hesitant expression, Zhang Jingchuan smiled and said, "You should know that the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish. For you, this is a very profitable business."

The plan to harass the Qing army's heartland was something Zhang Jingchuan had come up with in the past few days.

Li Daniu had been to Gaizhouwei before and learned about the situation of Gaizhouwei and Fuzhouwei from his old friends there.

The Manchu Eight Banners were the elite and main force of the Qing army.

One was in Jinzhou, and the other remained by Huang Taiji's side to protect Shengjing.

At present, Huang Taiji has brought his elite troops to Jinzhou, which means that all the main forces of the Qing army have gathered in Jinzhou. The Qing army that remained in Gaizhou and Fuzhou garrisons consisted of only the two Han banners, and most of them were in Gaizhou garrison.

If he attacks Fuzhouwei first, he can draw the Han army of Gaizhouwei to the south to provide reinforcements. At that time, he can then take a boat north to attack Gaizhouwei.

Moreover, his goal was not to occupy the territory. If he encountered fierce resistance, he could use the maneuverability of his ships to attack other towns and achieve the same effect of plunder.

As long as Huang Taiji learns that his heartland has been attacked, he will surely send an elite force to reinforce it.

By then,

The pressure on Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou will be reduced, giving Donghai Fort more time to develop.

When the enemy is strong and we are weak, we can only constantly harass the enemy's rear and heartland in order to distract the enemy and weaken their logistical supply.

Zheng Zhilong's ability to reach this point is a testament to his decisive and ruthless nature.

After a moment's thought, he stood up and laughed loudly, "Alright, I, Zheng Zhilong, will do this deal!"

After saying that, he couldn't help but ask, "When will we send troops?"

Zhang Jingchuan smiled slightly and said:

"We'll send troops whenever your ships arrive!"

……