Chapter 6

On October 18th, it was sunny.

Qian Hao hurried to a makeshift tent in the residential area, carrying a small briefcase, and sat down on a wooden stake. The meeting had already been going on for half an hour, and Ma Qianzu was currently making a speech on the stage.

Qian Hao looked around and saw a sea of people. After several days of preparation, this was the first general assembly of the穿越者 (穿越者 refers to people who have traveled through time or space, often used in Chinese science fiction and fantasy contexts, but there's no direct English equivalent, so I'll use "time travelers" for this translation), and almost everyone was present, except for the two squads guarding the Dutch and some personnel left in important areas. The number of people exceeded 500.

"In summary, the General Assembly of the time travelers is the highest authority, held annually. During the recess of the General Assembly, an Executive Committee will be established as the standing executive body. The Executive Committee will have one chairperson, and its members will include: the Chair of the Executive Committee, the Army Commissioner, the Navy Commissioner, the Agriculture Commissioner, the Industry Commissioner, the Supplies Commissioner, the Foreign Affairs Commissioner, the Justice Commissioner, the Transportation Commissioner, the Finance Commissioner, and the Internal Affairs Commissioner. The chairperson will be responsible for overseeing all work, and any proposal submitted by a commissioner must be voted on by all members of the Executive Committee. The term of the Executive Committee members is three years, and they will be elected by the General Assembly. If a new election of Executive Committee members is needed during the recess of the General Assembly, it must be proposed by the Chair of the Executive Committee or by more than one-third of the time travelers." After repeated consultations, Ma Qianzu presented this proposal he had been pondering for several days.

"Next, we will vote by raising hands." Liu Weimin, who was chairing the meeting, cleared his throat. "Please have the staff prepare for the vote."

This organizational structure was not much different from the current one, just more complete and formal. The time travelers had no objections, and soon the statistics came out: 502 people attended, and 476 agreed. The proposal was smoothly passed.

"Next, we will elect the members of the Executive Committee. All time travelers aged 18 and above have the right to vote and be elected. The term will be from October 18, 1630, to October 17, 1633. Please place the... ahem... soybeans in the bowls in front of the candidates. We will start with the election of the Army Commissioner..."

The election of Peng Zhicheng as Army Commissioner, Wang Qinan as Navy Commissioner, Ma Jia as Industry Commissioner, and Jin Kela as Agriculture Commissioner was a foregone conclusion. Xiao Bailang, the captain of the Yunseng No. 1 cargo ship, became the Transportation Commissioner due to his "seniority." Gao Mo, with his deep knowledge of history and geography and his fluency in French, was elected as the Foreign Affairs Commissioner. Shao Shude, after defeating one competitor, successfully became the Supplies Commissioner. The positions of Justice Commissioner and Finance Commissioner were hotly contested, and finally, Tang Yuan, with an accounting background, was elected as the Finance Commissioner, and Bai Siwen, with a legal background, was elected as the Justice Commissioner. Jiao Tang, a former detective from a municipal public security bureau, was elected as the Internal Affairs Commissioner.

Finally, the highly anticipated position of Chair of the Executive Committee was easily won by Ma Qianzu, as Liu Weimin had decided not to run. Liu Weimin was elected as the Chair of the General Assembly. With this, the organizational power structure of the time travelers was initially formed, and the next step was to improve the lower-level institutions.

After the election, Liu Weimin announced the adjournment of the meeting. The time travelers, who were already hungry and dizzy, dispersed to go eat.

The newly elected Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Gao Mo, immediately submitted a proposal to the Executive Committee regarding how to handle the Dutch West India Company's armed ship, the "Orange River."

Gao Mo suggested using this opportunity to establish good relations with the Dutch West India Company. "Geographically, the Portuguese in Brazil and the Spaniards on the west bank of the Uruguay River are our potential enemies. Currently, Portugal is under the joint rule of Spain, and the Dutch have been at war with Spain. Most importantly, the Dutch and Portuguese have been increasingly competing for control of the Amazon River Basin. In 1624 and 1627, the Dutch occupied Bahia twice; this year, they occupied Pernambuco. The enemy of our enemy is our friend, and I believe we should treat everything related to the Dutch with friendliness. I hereby request that the Executive Committee approve the 'Orange River's' request to dock and repair, and actively negotiate with them to establish trade relations."

"I still say, the Dutch may not treat us equally, and we can't afford to take the risk," Peng Zhicheng, the new Army Commissioner, was the first to oppose.

Wang Qinan, the Navy Commissioner, currently had no ships, as the Yunseng No. 1 and the tugboat were temporarily out of service, so he had his eyes on the Dutch ship. "The Dajia River has always been an indivisible part of our sacred territory. The armed merchant ship 'Orange River' illegally entered our inland river with weapons, causing extremely serious consequences. I strongly condemn this. I believe these invaders should be immediately arrested, and their weapons confiscated."

Cough... Wang Qinan's shameless words caused a wave of coughing among the Executive Committee members.

The opposition from the military could not dampen the enthusiasm of the other members of the Executive Committee. The Agriculture Commissioner expressed the need for cattle, sheep, horses, and various seeds; the Industry Commissioner needed copper, iron, fur, and graphite; the Supplies Commissioner needed cloth, medicine, and tools; the Transportation Commissioner needed to introduce urgently needed technical talent; and even Peng Zhicheng felt he needed to buy some cannons to strengthen the planned fortifications.

Ma Qianzu concluded, "We need people! Comrades, we need a large population! Factories, mines, logging camps, farms, and even the army—all need manpower. I think we should talk to them about immigration or slavery."

The final vote was not in doubt: 8 votes in favor, 3 against, and the proposal was passed.

Gao Mo, with a smile on his face, arrived at the temporary camp where the Dutch were being held.

"Gao, you finally came. I hope you bring good news," Kuyt, who had been waiting anxiously, stood up immediately. He and his sailors had been under house arrest for three days, and he had even thought they might be secretly executed by these barbarians. Fortunately, things seemed to be moving in a better direction.

"Ha, in the name of the rulers of this land—the Executive Committee—you and your sailors will be treated fairly," Gao Mo said. "You will receive ample food, water, and even wine. You will need to repair your ship yourselves, but we will provide the wood, though it will be untreated fresh wood."

"Thank God," the not-so-devout Captain Kuyt sincerely praised the Lord. "These Tartar barbarians must have been touched by the Lord," he thought to himself.

"Furthermore, after my efforts, the Executive Committee has agreed that Dutch ships can freely dock in our ports and obtain supplies," Gao Mo said with a smile. "I understand that your country is at war with Spain. If you can obtain supplies from us, your voyages to attack Santiago, Lima, and Guayaquil will be halved."

Kuyt's expression turned serious, "What do you need, risking the wrath of the Spanish? The United Provinces are fighting for freedom, what about you?"

"The Spanish are also our enemies," Gao Mo said solemnly. "The Viceroy of Peru is a greedy man, and the Spanish have established small trading posts in the Montevideo area. Jesuit missionaries have even penetrated inland. This land can only have one master, and that is the Executive Committee. We will not yield, whether to the Spanish or the Paulistas, conflict is inevitable."

Kuyt looked at the righteous Gao Mo with disbelief. To him, these Tartars (or perhaps Indians?) were audacious enough to challenge the Portuguese and the Viceroy of Peru's control over the eastern shore of the La Plata. "But who cares?" he thought, "At least before they are destroyed by the Spanish, they can provide us with the supplies we need for navigation, which will significantly reduce the mortality rate of the crew. What we need to pay, perhaps, is just a little friendly attitude?"

"Additionally, we hope to trade with you. We need cattle, sheep, horses, copper, iron, lead, and people, among other things. As long as you can transport them, we will buy them. You can even sell us the spoils of war and then load up on porcelain to return to Europe," Gao Mo said.

"Porcelain?!" Kuyt's expression finally changed. He knew very well the price of a beautiful Chinese porcelain in Europe, which was absolutely staggering. Apart from the royal family and the nobility, ordinary people could not even dream of it. Moreover, the key was that it was in high demand and short supply!

"Yes, authentic Ming porcelain. I can even show you a sample," Gao Mo was clearly well-prepared. He took out a round porcelain plate from his leather bag. It was a modern reproduction of a Qing Dynasty export blue-and-white porcelain plate, with a portrait of Martin Luther, one of the founders of the Protestant Reformation, in the center, flanked by two angelic children, and a scene of Martin Luther preaching below.

Not only Kuyt, but also the first mate and boatswain behind him, became breathless at the sight of the blue-and-white porcelain. Such a religiously styled Chinese porcelain would certainly fetch a sky-high price in the Protestant regions of Germany.

"This set of tableware includes soup plates, dinner plates, fish plates, fruit plates, salad bowls, soup bowls, sauce dishes, salt shakers, and more, totaling 66 pieces, for only 500 ducats." The Executive Committee had carefully calculated and set a guideline price of 200 ducats, equivalent to the price of a Spanish purebred warhorse, and Gao Mo was asking for a much higher price.

Kuyt did a quick mental calculation: "500 ducats is too high. The cost of buying such a set of porcelain in Guangzhou would not exceed 30 ducats."

"No, no, no, that's not how it works," Gao Mo interrupted with a smile. "From Guangzhou, via Batavia, around the Cape of Good Hope, and then to Amsterdam, the journey is long, and you will face the dangers of attacks by the Spanish, Portuguese, English, and even the French. You could lose everything, even your life. Now, if you return to Amsterdam via Guiana from us, no one will know about the valuable porcelain you are carrying, and the journey is shorter, saving you a lot of trouble. Moreover, this religiously styled porcelain will sell for no less than 1500 ducats in the Netherlands, and in Germany, you could even get 2000 to 3000 ducats."

Kuyt was somewhat tempted but remained calm. However, the first mate and boatswain behind him could not hide their excitement. Such high profits meant that while the majority would go to the captain and merchants, they would also receive a significant share.

"500 is too much," Kuyt took a deep breath. "250 ducats, no more, my funds are not abundant."

After a not-so-intense negotiation, both sides finally agreed on a price of 350 ducats. The additional condition was that the time travelers must grant Kuyt exclusive trading rights, and Kuyt must bring the goods specified by the time travelers for trade.