Chapter 1558 Competition Relationship
Although given the strength and current situation of the Dutch East India Company, it would be a bit overestimating its capabilities to negotiate terms with Haihan during the negotiation process of the trade agreement. However, Su Keyi, as the East India Company's minister in Sanya, still has to do his best to support his own camp. Strive for some favorable conditions. At least after he made a compromise statement on behalf of the East India Company, Su Keyi believed that Haihan should also make certain concessions in certain areas, so that a balance could be achieved.
Schneider said with a smile: "Mr. Nasu, let me tell you the conditions first, but the ugly words come first. Your country's requirements must also be within the framework of the trade agreement I just mentioned."
Su Keyi said: "My condition is... I hope that your country can open the port north of Zhoushan to the East India Company after this, and allow our merchant ships to dock and conduct local trading activities."
Before Schneider could react to this, Thomas next to him couldn't sit still: "Mr. Su Keyi, you are too ignorant of the situation to make such a request. Haihan's control area in the waters north of Zhoushan Port is all military How can foreign merchant ships be allowed to enter and exit this important place at will?”
Su Keyi counterattacked: "Really? I heard that your country's merchant ships have already passed the route north of Zhoushan."
Thomas' face changed slightly. The Portuguese merchant ship "Diego" had indeed received Haihan's approval and was allowed to join the transportation sequence of the Northern Route. If the voyage went smoothly, it should have arrived at Haihan's control area in Shandong by this time. Zhifu Port may even go to the more distant Liaodong region. This is not a secret that everyone knows. The movement of the "Diego" in the north is a highly confidential operation for Portugal. Even the sailors on the ship may not know the entire arrangement, and Thomas himself does not know it. The current accurate location of the "Diego", but where did Su Keyi get the news?
After Su Keyi finished speaking to Thomas, he immediately said to Schneider: "As an important trading partner of Haihan, the East India Company, while fulfilling its obligations, also hopes to receive the same treatment as other trading partner countries!"
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Ned was a little confused at this time. Of course he was aware of the "Diego"'s arrangements on the northern route. This matter was originally an arrangement made after consultations between the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Shipping. The purpose was also to make the Portuguese more dependent on Haihan in Far East trade. After all, the waters north of Jiangsu and Zhejiang It is still a restricted area for the Portuguese and can only be entered with Haihan's approval. The arrangement of the "Diego" is considered a special case.
Dutch merchant ships are currently not allowed to go to the Haihan-controlled areas north of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Even Dutch and Java sailors are not allowed to go to these areas. The reason is naturally because Haihan still has a certain degree of harboring towards the Netherlands. They were wary and did not intend to let the Dutch operate in the northern seas when the situation in the north was not stable, lest they collect geographical intelligence in the north and then start immigration and trade activities on their own.
Taking into account the global competitive relationship between Portugal and the Netherlands, Haihan did not disclose the mission arrangements of the "Diego" on the northern route. However, Su Keyi pointed out the matter in person at this time. It was obvious that it came from a certain The news was received through special channels and was intended to be used in exchange for a compromise between the East India Company and Hayhan.
But Schneider is not that easy to talk to. Although in many people's impressions, his image is that he is very slippery and unrestrained, they often overlook that he is actually a very principled person, especially when things have been decided. , he will not make concessions easily.
"Regarding the arrangement of the northern route, our country has many issues to consider. The current conditions are not suitable for opening the northern seaports to the East India Company." Schneider saw Su Keyi's eyes glancing at the Portuguese, and knew what he was going to say, so he rushed to get there. As mentioned earlier: "The Portuguese merchant ship operating on the northern route was hired by the Ministry of Shipping of our country to transport supplies to the northern ports under our control. If the merchant ships of the East India Company also want to receive such tasks, they can first Register at the Shipping Department and wait for arrangements.”
Schneider's implication is that if you Dutch people want to get the same treatment, then you can go through the formal channels and first go to the Ministry of Shipping to register and wait for the shipping date. As for when it can be scheduled, Schneider will certainly not give a clear reply.
Schneider's reply sounded like he was making a concession to the East India Company, but it was not. On the one hand, it showed that Heyhan would not share the northern ports with the East India Company for the time being, and on the other hand, it left a hole so that the Dutch could not accuse Heyhan of favoring one thing over another and deliberately targeting them.
Su Keyi was really speechless when he heard this answer. Schneider's move of retreating in order to advance was so sophisticated that he didn't know how to deal with it for a while. This was not the first day he had dealt with Schneider. Of course, he also knew that following Schneider's suggestion to register with the Ministry of Shipping would not actually have any effect. If you believed this situation, you would lose. But they clearly put this official channel out and he There is no reason to ask the other party to change such an arrangement. It's just that the old rival Portuguese has obviously gained a clear advantage in this round, and the Haihan people are obviously partial to them, which makes Su Keyi unable to just swallow his anger.
"If the merchant ships of the East India Company cannot be treated fairly in the Daming Sea, then how can I believe that the trade standards promoted by your country can guarantee our interests?" After Su Keyi found that the conditions he proposed were politely rejected by Schneider, Then the discussion returned to the previous issue. Only by tying these two things together can Su Keyi have a chance to regain his current disadvantage in negotiations.
Of course, Schneider immediately sensed the other party's intention, and smiled instead of being angry: "Mr. Su, I think you need to have a clearer understanding of the current situation of the East India Company. Regarding the trade agreement framework and related standards to be implemented in the future, today This is to inform your country, not to solicit your opinion. Of course, the East India Company can choose not to cooperate and not implement the plan proposed by our country, but I have also made it very clear that you will be responsible for all consequences arising therefrom. "As for the arrangement of the northern route, let me speak openly. If the trade agreement is not reached, there is no need to consider other subsequent cooperation." Schneider's attitude is now more tough. , if Su Keyi is unwilling to agree to the plan proposed by Haihan, it will be regarded as the East India Company's non-cooperation. As for sending merchant ships to enter the northern route, let alone dream about it.
Thomas wasted no time in adding fuel to the fire: "If the Dutch friends think they have been wronged, then our country will be happy to accept the Dutch friends' business share in Haihan, and the price is easy to negotiate. Mr. Su Keyi, I suggest you consider it."
How could Su Keyi hand over the situation that he finally managed to get to his competitor? Dang even decisively rejected Thomas's "good intention" and then said to Schneider: "This is a really unpleasant meeting, but for the sake of East India Company, for the sake of peace between the two countries, I think I still have to agree to your conditions, but I also hope that Chief Shi will remember one thing, any cooperation is based on mutual benefit, and the East India Company will not have no bottom line. If one day Governor Van Diemen thinks that the cooperative relationship will affect the development of the East India Company, the cooperation between our two countries may end."
"The pros and cons of cooperating with our country have become clear to the shareholders of the East India Company in the past few years. If there was no money made from the Far East, I don't think Governor Van Diemen's position would be so secure. Sure. At least when I last met with him, he personally admitted that the East India Company’s profits have been increasing year by year.”
Schneider would not be nervous about Su Keyi's statement because he knew the nature and business objectives of the East India Company very well, and could respond to Su Keyi's warning with ease: "The Dutch left their hometown tens of thousands of miles away and came to the far east. Their The purpose is to make a fortune. As long as you can make more money than before, what conditions cannot be negotiated? Next time you send a letter back to Batavia, you can tell Governor Van Diemen that our country is happy to do so. Continue to maintain trade relations with the East India Company, but only under the trade framework established under the leadership of our country. If Governor Van Diemen believes that doing so is detrimental to the interests of the East India Company, then we can temporarily terminate the trade relations and restart Negotiation. All problems can be solved through negotiation, right? ”
Although Schneider said this with a smile, the last sentence already contained a threatening tone. I think Haihan and the East India Company were not able to get along at the beginning. The Dutch supported Shibazhi behind the scenes, while Haihan managed to support Xu Xinsu as the spokesperson. The two sides had a lot of fights near Taiwan Island back then. few. In addition, in several offensive and defensive battles over the control of Ambrosia Island in the South China Sea, the Haihan Army also defeated the Dutch without any temper. It can be said that when the two sides used force to solve problems in the past, it was the Dutch side that suffered the loss, while Heihan has maintained an undefeated record so far. Based on this alone, Schneider has the confidence to say this.
Thomas watched this scene with schadenfreude, secretly glad that he had not impulsively contradicted Schneider just now, otherwise Su Keyi would not be the only one who would be unable to stand down now. He was eager for the two countries to have a stalemate so that Portugal could have a chance to compete for the trade share that belonged to the Netherlands. If Governor Van Diemen, who is far away in Batavia, is really crazy and wants to suspend trade and renegotiate, then Thomas can guarantee that before the negotiation ends, Portugal will seize the Dutch's trade share in Haihan and Daming. Bare.
Although Thomas had stayed in Sanya for a long time and had some friendship with Su Keyi as they were both diplomatic envoys, but if there was an opportunity to make trouble for the East India Company, Thomas would not take into account personal friendships and would definitely put national interests first. And he knew that if Su Keyi had such an opportunity, he would definitely make the same choice.
Thomas was even considering whether, after this meeting was over, he should make a comeback and block the East India Company's road. What the Haihan people need is a partner who is obedient and willing to obey their arrangements, and the Portuguese will not be as troubled as the Dutch when they can do this. Even on the road to pursuing independence, Portugal still needs the strong support of Haihan. Although it is impossible for Haihan to send troops to Europe to help Portugal fight an independence war, it can at least sell some relatively advanced standard weapons to Portugal, and In the Far East and South China Sea, the Spaniards were beaten from time to time to limit the opponent's development momentum in this region.
In the Battle of Taipei in 1633, Haihan overthrew the Spanish stronghold on the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty. The Sanya espionage case in 1634 also destroyed the Spanish intelligence network deployed on Hainan Island. In the Battle of Sanya in 1635, the Haihan navy routed the incoming Spanish fleet at home, causing panic in Manila. Many wealthy people fled by boat to avoid the Haihan army, which was said to come for revenge.
Although Haihan had to give up his plan to attack Manila for the sake of the northern layout, the Portuguese already knew that the relationship between the two sides was deep. Even to deal with Spain, the Portuguese in the Far East should unite together. On Haihan's side. Therefore, in many subsequent affairs, Portugal basically stood by without thinking and hugged Haihan's thigh tightly, hoping that one day he could encourage Haihan to send troops to Manila and expel the damn Spaniards from the Far East.
Of course, the Dutch actually have the same attitude when it comes to dealing with the Spanish. As a country that also engaged in colonial competition on a global scale, the East India Company was no less afraid of the city of Manila than it was of Haihan. The two countries are not only fighting fiercely on the European battlefield, but also in the global battle for colonies. Moreover, the Dutch know very well that the conflict of interest with the Spanish is very sharp. Unlike the relationship between the East India Company and Haihan, it can be improved through negotiation and trade cooperation, unless the final victory is determined on the European battlefield. , otherwise overseas institutions like the East India Company could never have maintained peace with the Spanish.
However, the war launched by the Matalan Kingdom against the city of Batavia in 1632 greatly damaged the strength of the East India Company, so that in the following years, it could only focus its main energy on rebuilding the city of Batavia. There was no time to deal with the Spaniards. If it weren't for the presence of Heihan, the Spanish fleet might have sailed south from Manila without any scruples, heading straight for Batavia to complete the final blow to defeat the East India Company.
(End of chapter)