Chapter 1021 The Anping Deal

While Zheng Zhilong and the Dutch entered states of high alert, a double-masted guangchuan common to the South China Sea was gliding slowly into Weizhou Bay. The vessel was in pristine condition—tung oil gleamed on the planking, and the yards and canvas on both masts looked complete and new, presenting a clean, sharp appearance.

The sailors aboard all wore uniforms of indigo blue cloth—the distinctive garb of Great Wave Shipping. At the stern flew the company flag: three wave patterns beneath the Morning Star.

The ship rode heavy in the water, obviously fully laden with cargo. In these not-so-peaceful coastal waters, such a cargo vessel would attract many covetous eyes, but the black muzzles of several cannons on deck were sufficient to dispel most delusions. Large fishing nets hung along both sides to prevent boarding.

However, the cannons all wore gun covers—signaling peaceful intent. After entering the harbor, the ship anchored in the bay's deep water. Several small Zheng family boats quickly approached. A minor official boarded the deck of Great Wave Shipping's Wenchang.

After a brief exchange with those on deck, he hastily climbed back down the rope ladder at the gunwale. The small boat turned about and rowed swiftly toward Anping city.

Half a shichen later, Lin Baiguang sat in the Xiaosi Hall of Zheng Zhilong's private residence.

Handsome boy servants had already brought fresh tea. Without even tasting it, Lin Baiguang recognized the fragrance of top-grade Da Hong Pao—back when he worked at the county office, a leader with a passion for tea had once sent him to Wuyi Mountain to procure some.

Meeting Zheng Zhilong certainly carried risk, but Lin Baiguang and his colleagues all believed the possibility of personal danger remained small. The two sides had not entered a hostile state. Moreover, with the Senate's current strength, any power would have to consider the consequences before initiating hostile action.

Zheng Zhilong, occupied with his standoff against Liu Xiang, would absolutely not do anything rash.

That Zheng Zhilong was willing to offer Da Hong Pao to his guest considerably brightened the prospects for this visit.

However, the one who emerged to receive him was not Zheng Zhilong, but his brother Zheng Hongkui.

Thus the representatives of the two great maritime powers of the South China Sea—or rather, all of East Asian waters—met. Whether history's wheel had turned another revolution remained to be seen, but both harbored intense curiosity about the other.

Lin Baiguang noticed immediately that his counterpart was young—absurdly young. Zheng Hongkui was several years junior to Zheng Zhilong. The Senate itself was a group of young people, but in the Great Ming, anyone of consequence was almost invariably middle-aged or older.

Zheng Hongkui sized up this Australian envoy—a man he had long heard of. Though the Zheng brothers had been struggling through storms almost daily since accepting the amnesty, with scarcely a moment for other concerns, various Australian goods famed for their ingenuity had continuously flowed into their hands, leaving deep impressions.

The opponent had leaped from an obscure small group holed up in a forgotten corner to become a maritime power controlling the Pearl River mouth and dominating most of Guangdong's waters. Their greatest rival Liu Xiang's departure from the Pearl River region heading north, while partly motivated by competition for Japan trade, was obviously also due to wariness of the Australians' expanding power.

The man before him wore a square hat, a flowing straight gown, and cloth-soled shoes—at first glance appearing like a prosperous local merchant, though with dark skin and a lean build.

Since the other party had voluntarily come to them as "hosts," the Zheng family was obliged to receive them courteously. This was the tone eldest brother had set—Zheng Zhilong had no desire to needlessly provoke a new opponent.

Zheng Hongkui waited until Lin Baiguang set down his teacup before asking: "Sir graces us with this visit—may I inquire what brings you here?"

Dialogue between strong parties required no pleasantries, nor roundabout probing. Lin Baiguang smiled slightly. "There is a substantial business proposition. I wonder if General Zheng might be interested?"

Zheng Hongkui's attention sharpened. The other party wished to conduct business with them! The Zheng family were major maritime merchants, involved in all manner of seaborne trade. They had long envied how sought-after Australian goods had become.

Now the Australians were actively requesting cooperation—clear recognition of their influence in Fujian.

With such intentions, the Australians would harbor no hostility at present.

Of course, Zheng Hongkui's thinking was not so simple. Throughout history and in the present, countless cases existed of using friendly gestures to lull opponents, then striking suddenly to destroy them. The Australians landing in Taiwan was already a provocative move—at this critical juncture, extending friendship would make anyone suspicious who wasn't absurdly overconfident.

He replied slowly: "May I ask what business you propose?"

Lin Baiguang beckoned. An attending servant entered from outside carrying several small bags.

Zheng Hongkui opened one with curiosity. Inside lay snow-white powder, faintly lustrous.

He started, then immediately understood: "This is salt!"

Taking a pinch to taste, he found the flavor pure, with a slight sweet aftertaste, devoid of any bitter or strange notes. It was indeed excellent salt—comparable to the expensive Sichuan well salt used in the mansion.

"Correct. It is salt." Lin Baiguang nodded.

Zheng Hongkui opened all the small bags one by one. All contained salt, but with different levels of coarseness and color—clearly different grades.

So the Australians wished to sell contraband salt!

Zheng Hongkui considered this and found it perfectly logical. The territory currently within their reach, from Hainan northward, contained many salt fields. Obtaining quantities of salt posed no difficulty. Guangdong was not a salt-deficient province, so contraband salt likely sold poorly there.

Fujian, however, was desperately salt-deficient. The entire province's supply depended on imports from outside, particularly from Guangdong and Zhejiang. Fujian neither produced salt nor was easy to traverse, being a mountainous province. Thus Fujian had the highest official salt prices in the nation, and contraband salt trade ran rampant.

The Zheng family had not yet placed salt trading on their agenda. Yet the Australians had come directly to propose contraband salt commerce! The enormous profits involved made it difficult for Zheng Hongkui to refuse.

The Executive Committee's decision to sell salt to Zheng Zhilong arose from multiple considerations. First, to relax the opponent's vigilance and avoid accidental conflict through miscalculation. Second, to generate profit from northbound ships' otherwise empty cargo capacity. Salt was now the most abundant resource under Senate control, with extremely low production costs due to mass production. As long as it could be sold, even one tael of silver per shi of salt was profitable—those cargo holds would otherwise return empty anyway.

"Quote him a price he cannot refuse," Syked had advised when discussing this with Lin Baiguang. Salt's profits in this dimension could drive men to lawbreaking and even execution. And the Zheng family, as coastal hegemons, faced no risk in such trade. Syked believed they could hardly resist such temptation.

If one summarized all of Zheng Zhilong's actions—from his rise under Li Dan to his eventual capture by the Manchus—one could see he was fundamentally a merchant who habitually thought with a merchant's mind, measuring everything by profit.

As long as the Senate could offer him sufficient benefits, gaining his temporary cooperation or tacit acceptance posed no difficulty.

This deal was also "win-win," not merely beneficial to their side but also useful for reducing Zheng Zhilong's wariness. Benefits given too freely would inevitably arouse suspicion about underlying motives.

Zheng Hongkui hesitated considerably. Ordinarily, they should keep the Australians at respectful distance. But the terms now offered were difficult to refuse. For a moment, he was uncertain how to respond.

"This matter—Third Master will naturally need to discuss with General Zheng." Lin Baiguang smiled and rose to leave.

This further seized the initiative. Zheng Hongkui felt somewhat outmaneuvered. His original intention of making small talk to extract information had to be set aside. He immediately ordered his people to escort Lin Baiguang's party to the guesthouse and provide generous hospitality. Simultaneously, he had fresh fruits and vegetables sent to the sailors aboard Wenchang.

Then he took the samples Lin Baiguang had brought and went directly to see his elder brother.

Zheng Zhilong stood with arms crossed, listened to Zheng Hongkui's account, and after a long silence finally said: "Interesting."

The Australians' move puzzled him considerably. If they merely wished to sell contraband salt, why suddenly land in Taiwan? To claim they needed Taiwan as a salt transit station was absurd—Fujian's salt consumption had not reached the point of requiring a dedicated storage facility. Taking a step back, even if a transit station were truly needed, Taiwan was hardly a suitable location.

The Australians' Taiwan move left him both puzzled and uneasy—a thorn in his back. He sensed some larger design at work.

But however suspicious he might be, he faced a clear choice: Either refuse cooperation and ignore the Australians' presence; or take immediate armed action to expel them; or accept cooperation and reap large profits from the contraband salt trade.

If he chose the first or third option, he would have to tolerate the Australians' presence in Taiwan. If he wished to drive them out, force was necessary—the Australians, having gone to great lengths to dispatch a fleet to Taiwan and construct fortresses, would absolutely not withdraw easily. A few threatening words would certainly not make them leave.

Choosing force—the Zheng family had no certainty of victory, never mind Liu Xiang watching covetously from the side.

The choice between the first and third options was not difficult to guess for anyone who understood his thinking: Since the Australians could not be expelled, why not contentedly conduct business and profit from it?

Taking a step back, Taiwan was not currently his territory anyway—it was the Dutch's. The Dutch would worry about the Australians' presence even more than he did. If action were to be taken, better let the Dutch handle it. If the Australians truly harbored designs on Taiwan, then as their influence expanded, they would sooner or later clash with the Dutch.

At that time, entering the battlefield as an ally of the Dutch or the Australians would prove far more advantageous than acting now.

"This deal can be done." Zheng Zhilong rendered his final decision.

(End of Chapter)