Chapter 92

As Lin Qing stepped into the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, he saw a large group of burly sailors walking over from the direction of the tavern, led by Yang Xien.

He recognized the familiar faces and almost burst out laughing.

The mage captain, the horse-faced man, and the seven others, all shirtless, walked up awkwardly, their torsos either well-built or bony, just like the other sailors.

Seeing Lin Qing, who was dressed in a suit and tie, smiling at them, the horse-faced man’s face turned red with embarrassment.

They were still puzzled as to why, upon entering the world, the MTs and cannon fodder had disappeared.

The captain knew the reason but certainly wouldn’t tell them.

Now, things were quite different.

The MTs they had despised were now well-dressed and had become NPCs, seemingly in management positions, while they had become humble brick-laying dogs, working for a meager salary of two gold coins a month, sleeping in the lower deck, eating dry rations, cleaning the deck, and moving cargo. They even had to take up knives and charge forward under the supervision of the charge captain during boarding battles!

What kind of ridiculous plot was this?

This team had a tradition of prioritizing ranged attacks, and their disdain for MTs was deeply ingrained. Otherwise, the previous MT wouldn’t have met such a tragic end.

The horse-faced man snorted and walked towards Lin Qing with a dark expression.

The mage captain, seeing the bastard’s ill intentions, quickly shouted, “Are you out of your mind? Get back here!”

But he was a wretched captain. The self-important horse-faced man wouldn’t take his words to heart.

“What are you, anyway? We’re already in the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, and you’re making us apply for jobs as sailors? Do you know what we’ve been through in the tavern...”

He cursed and actually went up to confront Lin Qing directly!

The mage captain’s face changed drastically!

Because this completely violated the team’s rules and common sense!

In the eyes of the NPCs, this was extremely abnormal.

A lowly sailor daring to approach a navigator in the management class so boldly was outright insubordination.

Lin Qing remained calm, allowing the horse-faced man to grab his collar, and coldly looked at Yang Xien.

The captain seemed to know what he was going to do and gave Lin Qing a pleading look, begging him to show mercy.

But Lin Qing had no pity and coldly said, “General Yang, can I consider this as you inciting the sailors to publicly humiliate me?”

Yang Xien was taken aback, then furious, his face turning liver-colored.

In the fleet and at sea, the hierarchy was very strict.

From top to bottom, it was: fleet admiral, ship captain, first mate, navigator, second mate, charge captain, and then other navigators.

This hierarchy was not to be challenged!

For example, if a sailor openly challenged the captain, the captain could order him to be tied up and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks without any trial!

This was unavoidable.

The sea was very dangerous, and one mistake could cost the entire ship.

Absolute leadership and orders must be obeyed. There could only be one voice, and all others must follow.

Even if the captain ordered the crew to go to their deaths, they had to obey!

Under this hierarchy, a lowly sailor like the horse-faced man, who was only fit to sleep in the lower deck and do heavy work, daring to openly challenge Richard was outright rebellion.

Although he found Richard annoying, Richard was the fleet’s inspector, a position equivalent to his own. This was an undeniable fact.

Especially since Richard defined this incident as retaliation. Yang Xien felt insulted. Did he need to stoop so low to retaliate against Richard?

Yang Xien roared, “Sailor! Get back here!”

He drew his whip!

An iron whip!

As a general of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Xien’s martial arts were honed on the battlefield!

The whip came down like a venomous snake!

The horse-faced man roared in pain and was whipped to the ground!

He was truly whipped to the ground, writhing in agony, rolling on the floor.

Lin Qing’s face was expressionless, but he was assessing the power of the whip, estimating Yang Xien’s strength.

The conclusion was:

Yang Xien was very strong, extremely strong.

He knew the horse-faced man’s attributes. As the leader of the ranged group, he was quite capable, with 12 points in agility and reflexes, just like himself.

This was a seasoned veteran.

Without skill, he wouldn’t dare to openly challenge the mage captain, who was highly favored by the upper echelons.

But even such a person was whipped to the ground by Yang Xien.

This was not what the horse-faced man wanted. He was proud and wouldn’t willingly suffer such a humiliation in front of everyone.

Lin Qing estimated that this whip would reduce the horse-faced man’s health by a third.

Yang Xien, still furious, said, “You insolent thing! I actually hired you! Get out of here immediately!”

His voice was thunderous, making everyone’s ears ring.

The mage captain, though secretly enjoying the spectacle, knew that if the horse-faced man was expelled by Yang Xien, the mission couldn’t be completed. He looked at Lin Qing.

Lin Qing coldly looked at the horse-faced man.

The man, half his soul gone, no longer had the defiant look in his eyes, only confusion.

Lin Qing sneered. Some people just didn’t understand the situation. It was good to teach them a lesson.

He said to Yang Xien, “Since it wasn’t arranged by General Yang, it’s no problem. These sailors are rough people; they don’t know the rules. Since they’re here, it would be troublesome to send them away and recruit others. Let him stay.”

He added, “If anyone is so insolent again, the punishment will be much worse.”

The horse-faced man, harboring resentment, could only sigh and submit.

When you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head.

Lin Qing smiled faintly and walked into the Li Family Chamber of Commerce.

He didn’t have to wait long.

It seemed that this Sanyoshi had a tight organization in Hangzhou, able to communicate efficiently with the Kuroda family. By nightfall, Lin Qing had received the first batch of funds he had been expecting.

Just as he had predicted, Sanyoshi gave him 50,000 gold coins as the initial funds to buy off the sailors and assassinate Li Huamei.

This was the maximum trust Sanyoshi had in him; asking for more would yield nothing.

Crawford’s reaction was also swift, seemingly having an agent in East Asia handle these matters. By dawn the next day, Lin Qing received another unsigned letter with 50,000 gold coins inside.

Lin Qing smiled faintly, staring at the 100,000 silver bills, deep in thought.

With the initial funds, how should he use them?

This involved the most profitable and fastest route in this world.

The Golden Trade Route.

Lin Qing had played countless versions of the Age of Sail.

He was well-versed in the most profitable routes in East Asia.

The most profitable routes were: Xizhou (salt) to Naha (sugar), Hangzhou (silk) to Nagasaki (cotton), Beijing (oranges) to Quanzhou (shark fins), Hangzhou (cordyceps) to Beijing (ginseng), Osaka (glass) to Hangzhou (porcelain).

Which one should he choose?

First, Lin Qing was very clear about his advantages.

His advantage lay in his good personal relationship with the Governor of Jiangnan, Mr. Jiang.

This was crucial.

No matter how powerful the Li Family Chamber of Commerce seemed in Hangzhou, a single word from Mr. Jiang could prevent anyone from doing business with them. This was why Li Huamei had to squeeze out the money for supplies to bribe Mr. Jiang.

She knew that no force could stand against the court in this land!

Thus, with Lin Qing’s strong network, it wasn’t difficult to force the Li Family Chamber of Commerce out of the Hangzhou market.

Tragically, Li Huamei’s money wasn’t used for the right purpose.

Although Lin Qing did go to the Jiang residence and gave Mr. Jiang 10,000 gold coins, it wasn’t to speak well of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce!

He asked Mr. Jiang to allow him to establish a new maritime guild to compete with the Li Family Chamber of Commerce!

This was a shameless act of using someone else’s money to do his own business.

But Lin Qing faced a mission requiring 1,000 points of influence!

The only way to increase influence was to establish a fleet, dominate the market, and monopolize a region!

With limited initial funds, Lin Qing shamelessly used his identity to manipulate the situation, working both sides, and went all the way!

Mr. Jiang was happy to see someone compete with the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, which would raise the tribute fees. With 10,000 gold coins, he very readily gave Lin Qing a handwritten note.

The note granted Lin Qing permission to form a fleet and conduct trade in Hangzhou.

This note generously allocated 10% of the Hangzhou market, which the Li Family Chamber of Commerce monopolized, to Lin Qing without their consent or even notification to Li Huamei.

This was a blatant exchange of power for money.

Hangzhou, as an important port for foreign trade, had a high openness of 5,400 points. Each point of market share was worth tens of thousands!

Moreover, in a monopolized city, an outsider would have to wage war against the city’s fortifications to sign a contract! They would need to use powerful ships and cannons to break through the city’s defenses and sign as conquerors!

A city with a 5,400-point market, deep in the heart of the mainland, would require a massive fleet and powerful ships to conquer.

For 10,000 gold coins, which was only a tenth of the normal value, Lin Qing broke the Li Family’s monopoly, creating a huge opportunity for himself and putting pressure on the Li Family fleet. Why not?

Lin Qing maximized his interpersonal relationships.

However, Mr. Jiang admitted that he could only do so much. If he pushed too hard, the Li Family, with their influence in the court, would cause a strong backlash, making it counterproductive.

10% of the market share was enough for Lin Qing.

Given his current strength, even if Mr. Jiang gave him more, he couldn’t handle it.

What should he do next?

Lin Qing smiled faintly and summoned Zhou Zhiruo!

...

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