Zhu Mo paid close attention to the details.
The transactions of the three buyers were non-negotiable. Instead, they required prior inspection of the goods, classification into three grades, and the offering of fixed prices. Zhu Mo's goods were classified as second-grade, fetching eight taels per bolt, which was 1.4 taels higher than the purchase price. This meant Zhu Mo profited seven hundred taels of silver in just one day and one night!
Although the money was earned, everyone knew in their hearts that the buyers were deliberately suppressing prices and would not tolerate any challenges. Zhu Mo's batch of goods, being top-quality silk from Huating, could not possibly be only second-grade. It was evident that they had been cheated by at least two taels of silver per bolt.
Naturally, some resisted such blatant exploitation. However, as expected, fellow merchants said that such troublemakers were often arrested, thrown into pigsties, and sold off to Nanyang or Dashi, resulting in complete loss of both life and fortune. Despite the immense profits here, the money was earned in constant fear.
After observing for a while,
Zhu Mo recalled that Yu Dayou had once said that on the day Shuangyu Island was conquered, many pigsties used to confine children were discovered on the island, along with many confined women found in caves. He then asked Lu Kun to collect the payment. The two meandered through the island, investigating, and guessed that the population was being traded secretly.
However, they didn't have to investigate for long; everything was out in the open—
A restaurant named "Pudu Ji" was the place where people were traded on the island. Even before reaching the entrance, Zhu Mo heard hawkers shouting prices by age. A brief inquiry to passersby revealed that the place where people were confined was in a rock cave called "Baiya" on the back mountain.
Zhu Mo tipped a laborer ten taels of silver and was taken to the cave. Indeed, at least five to six hundred women and two to three hundred children were confined there, their faces numb and gaunt, clearly having been held for a long time, not even having the strength to cry. Piles of pigsties were discarded outside the cave, confirming Yu Dayou's words. Further inquiry from the laborer revealed, "They were all captured by pirates."
It seemed that those pirates, not coming ashore often and not being good at business, often relied on local bandits as informants to raid remote garrisons, capturing people and selling them on the island. The buyers were mostly major merchants like Chen Dong and Pinto. They were sold to Japan or Nanyang, and although some were sold to the West, many died before reaching their destinations. This trade was more profitable than silk; transporting three to four hundred people per ship could yield over a hundred thousand taels of silver, making pirates eager for it.
Zhu Mo toured the island extensively and became utterly convinced—
This,
was the future colony!
This place, Lìgǎng, had only been established for two to three years, yet its scale was already so vast. One could imagine how bustling Shuangyu Island must have been in its prime! No wonder Wang Zhi insisted until his death that he had done nothing wrong and wanted to lead the Great Ming down this path...
However,
Was Wang Zhi's dying wish reasonable?
And was this model fundamentally flawed?
Zhu Mo couldn't say for sure, only that this model of civilization was problematic, if it could even be called civilization.
At this moment,
Lu Kun had been silent for quite some time. Seeing so many women and children being sold like commodities, he was utterly stunned. A surge of righteous indignation rose in his chest, and he murmured, "Zixuan, we must bring troops to剿 this place..."
Zhu Mo merely smiled faintly.
He had already guessed that someone like Lu Kun would think this way—
How could these true scholars of the Great Ming accept the colonial model? While moral outrage was certainly justified, was this model truly that simple? If it were that simple, how could Portugal, the Netherlands, and Britain have established global trade empires and drawn people from all over the world into this civilization?
He suddenly remembered something and patted Lu Kun's shoulder, joking, "Shujian, let me tell you something—I wanted to get into this business myself before the reforms last year!"
Ah?
Lu Kun was stunned for a long moment, still disbelieving. He asked earnestly, "Zixuan, you truly considered it?"
"Of course! Isn't it quick money? Hahaha..."
Lu Kun looked bewildered and said, "Impossible! Zixuan, I don't believe you. You're not that kind of person!"
Zhu Mo smiled, "What's wrong with being that kind of person?"
Lu Kun sighed, handed the silver notes he had just earned back to Zhu Mo, and sighed, "I can't quite say what's wrong... If I had to say something, it's like floods and ferocious beasts, utterly degrading to people..."
Zhu Mo pondered for a moment and couldn't help but smile—
Floods and ferocious beasts?
These four words were quite apt.
This place was indeed a world governed by animalistic laws.
At this moment,
He looked down and saw that the silver notes were marked with "Great Ming Official Revenue Jiangnan Bank." He blurted out, "They're using the official bank's notes?"
Lu Kun also immediately reacted,
"Yes, how can this be? The official bank has only been operating for a few months, how has it become so widespread?"
But the two thought about it again—
What was wrong with this? The Jiangnan Official Bank, not to mention in the Great Ming, was the most credible institution in the entire vast region, wasn't it?
Lu Kun couldn't help but sigh deeply,
While Zhu Mo realized a grave hidden danger—
Their trade volume was so immense, with each market appearing to have a transaction volume of millions of taels. It could be imagined that the annual volume was likely billions of taels! Even the entire output of the Directorate of Weaving didn't amount to that much!
In the end, wouldn't it turn out that the official bank was merely making wedding trousseaus for them? His official bank was essentially set up for them...
One must know,
Whether animalistic laws or civilized laws, they were merely directional matters and could be adjusted. But money was not a joking matter. No wonder Zhang Juzheng's accounts were so impressive. After releasing so much money, not only did it not decrease, but it even increased by two to three tenths. That was the capital transferred by these transnational merchants. They were incredibly sharp and immediately recognized the official bank's creditworthiness.
But if this continued, they would hold the majority of the official bank's circulating funds. Through gentry and merchant agents, the government would be powerless against them. Gradually, the Great Ming Official Revenue Jiangnan Bank would transform from a textile industrial bank into a trade bank. With just a slight misstep, this system would become a ready-made tool for them to control the economic lifeline of the Great Ming, without needing to start from scratch.
Not only that,
If there were a few more places like Lìgǎng, driven by both immense profits and violence, the Great Ming's textile industry would become the private property of the Wokou and the Yan family.
He felt that this trip had been sufficiently informative. He would go and see the camps of Qi Jiguang and the others later, and then he would be confident. So, he said, "Shujian, let's go. This infernal place is terrifying. Don't get caught and sold into a pigsty!"
Hahaha,
It was already noon. Judging by the time, they would reach Jinshanwei by late night.
I beg for all kinds of votes, collections, and follow-up readings. I sincerely thank you!