Chapter 93

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Of course, he would not appear publicly as Dawson to compete with the Li family's fleet!

If he did, he wouldn't be able to stand behind Li Huamei. ??.?

He needed to set up a proxy.

Who else could Lin Qing trust more than Zhou Zhiruo?

Although Zhou Zhiruo had not experienced the baptism of the Age of Great Navigation, Lin Qing believed that a girl who could manipulate figures like Xie Xun, Zhang Wuji, and Zhao Min with ease, and even claim the title of the world's top martial artist, was no simple person!

At least in terms of potential, she was an absolutely intelligent woman!

Smart people are always smart.

With a little training, Zhou Zhiruo quickly mastered the secrets of the Age of Great Navigation.

That was to buy low and sell high, making a profit from the difference.

With this premise, and the strategy Lin Qing had already formulated with Hangzhou as the center, it was not difficult for Zhou Zhiruo to command a detachment of the fleet as its admiral.

After hearing Lin Qing's words, Zhou Zhiruo was very interested in the promising job of fleet admiral.

Don't forget, Zhou Zhiruo also came from a family with a maritime background. Her father was a fisherman on the Han River, and she lived on a boat as a child. Her skills in water and navigation were excellent. Commanding a fleet was something she was well-versed in.

Zhou Zhiruo and Lin Qing sat down to discuss the next steps.

"Starting capital of only 100,000 is not very sufficient," Zhou Zhiruo said, frowning at the navigation map. "How do you plan to operate?"

Lin Qing said solemnly, "The most profitable routes related to Hangzhou are the exchange of Hangzhou silk and Changqi cotton, and the exchange of Hangzhou ceramics and Osaka glass. These can fetch sky-high prices."

Zhou Zhiruo was puzzled. "But the problem is, the Raimu family is currently at war with us. How can we transport goods for trade to do business there?"

Lin Qing smiled faintly. "That's not a problem. Although Miki Shinsu is unwilling to provide me with capital, it doesn't prevent him from using his authority to let us do some small trades. I'll write to him."

With the interests at stake, Lin Qing had to use the power of the Takenaka gang to the fullest.

The best part was that Miki Shinsu had to agree to his request at this moment.

Everyone who has played the Age of Great Navigation knows that the biggest setting in the game is that rarity is valuable!

At this time, the Raimu family and the Li family have been in a long-term state of war, making it impossible for the Ming Dynasty and Japan to trade. Hangzhou's silk and porcelain cannot be transported to Japan, and Japan's glass and cotton cannot reach Hangzhou.

Thus, anyone who can break through the barriers of the war can make huge profits!

Lin Qing was here to reap this golden opportunity!

His letter quickly received a response from Miki Shinsu.

However, the tone of the Takenaka gang's leader was very cold.

"Sir, as far as I know, you are an assassin, not a merchant. Your reason for coming to this world is to help me assassinate Li Huamei and clear the Li family's fleet. However, considering that you have entered the Li family's chamber of commerce and hold a high position, I will agree to your request one last time. After consultation with the Raimu family, you are specially granted the right to trade cotton in Nagasaki. The total market share must not exceed 20%. You will pay 50,000 gold coins for this right. I expect you to complete the task of killing Li Huamei within three months."

Lin Qing smiled slightly.

This negotiation finally had a satisfactory result.

His dual-agent identity played a huge role here.

The Takenaka gang was not so kind; Miki Shinsu was just using him to kill Li Huamei. The market share would not be allowed to be dominated by him for long.

Thinking of this, Lin Qing smiled inwardly.

Since he had come to this exciting Age of Great Navigation, he had no intention of letting go easily.

This world was filled with countless treasures, incredibly rich trade routes, and colorful female companions. How could he bear to leave without exploiting it to the fullest?

Establishing a presence in East Asia was just the first step in his grand plan. ??.?

Like a cold camel, first squeezing its head in, then its body, then its tail, and finally pushing the owner out of the tent.

The salami slicing tactic.

This was Lin Qing's plan.

He used his relationship with Ming officials and the special channels of the Raimu family to form a smuggling route between the Ming Dynasty and Japan!

This would become a golden trade route that brought in gold every day.

He explained this idea to Zhou Zhiruo.

Zhou Zhiruo's eyes sparkled as she looked at her man, smiling sweetly and propping her chin with her hand.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Hubby," Zhou Zhiruo's voice was sweet and soft, "I ask you, since you have such a good trade route, why are you still a mere supervisor in the Li family's chamber of commerce?"

"Of course, it's to complete the tasks! The Hong gang's, Miki Shinsu's, and my own."

"Is your own task definitely to collect a beautiful woman and bring her into the harem, like me?" Zhou Zhiruo smiled sweetly.

Lin Qing: "......"

Indeed, she was a smart and perceptive woman.

After much persuasion, Lin Qing finally convinced Zhou Zhiruo to be the admiral of his first fleet.

Admiral Zhou Zhiruo officially took office.

But the problem was that the Lin family's chamber of commerce first fleet had no ships and no sailors.

Her subordinates had no ships.

This did not stump Lin Qing.

He still had 50,000 gold coins and took Zhou Zhiruo to the shipyard.

Small sailboats, which were low-level goods, were readily available in the shipyard and could be picked up without pre-ordering.

Small Chinese sailboat: priced at 3,000 gold coins each, with two standard cargo holds, suitable for coastal short-distance navigation, not suitable for long-distance waters. Equipped with a 10-pound cannon. Standard crew: 24 people.

It was a good deal, perfect for navigating the near seas between China and Japan.

Lin Qing had Zhou Zhiruo buy five of them under the Zhou family's name.

Lin Qing knew that the Li family's fleet was the dominant force in Hangzhou. As soon as Zhou Zhiruo appeared at the dock and ordered the entire fleet, the news would reach Li Huamei within half an hour.

But this was just the beginning.

Lin Qing then had Zhou Zhiruo go to the tavern to recruit sailors.

It just so happened that the area was recently in a downturn, and many sailors were idle in the taverns, living in a drunken stupor and running out of gold coins. Zhou Zhiruo's arrival caused a sensation.

She needed to recruit 120 sailors!

This number might not be much for the Li family's fleet, but for the sailors accustomed to the Li family's recruitment, the unfamiliar Zhou family's fleet immediately piqued everyone's interest.

This meant that Hangzhou would no longer be monopolized by the Li family, and someone was coming to compete with them!

With a large amount of gold, recruiting people was not a problem.

Zhou Zhiruo selected 120 strong and capable young men and took them to the market.

This time, at the Hangzhou dock market, she finally met the person she had been waiting for.

Xiang Feihu — Li Huamei!

When Zhou Zhiruo appeared at the shipyard, ordered five cargo ships under the Zhou family's name, and then went to the tavern to spend gold and recruit sailors, Li Huamei had already received the intelligence!

For the struggling Li Huamei, this was like a bolt from the blue!

She did not have time to investigate thoroughly and hurriedly brought Yang Xien and others to the market.

The two women met!

Zhou Zhiruo was dressed in a pink long dress, elegant and ethereal, with a light touch of makeup, like a peony in the breeze.

Li Huamei was dressed in a red long dress, blooming with restraint, with a fiery red lip and a heroic demeanor, like a rose in full bloom.

The leaders of the two chambers of commerce were both stunningly beautiful women.

This left the many merchants, bosses, laborers, and assistants at the Hangzhou dock stunned.

Li Huamei's face was cold, her eyes fixed on Zhou Zhiruo.

Zhou Zhiruo was unperturbed and walked forward.

The two top-tier beauties stood less than a meter apart, facing each other.

"What right do you have to do business in Hangzhou?" Li Huamei took a deep breath and said clearly.

Zhou Zhiruo smiled calmly. "Is it Sister Huamei of the Li family's chamber of commerce? I have long admired the reputation of Xiang Feihu. However, Hangzhou belongs to everyone. Thirty years ago, there was no Li family's chamber of commerce. I have the government's permission to do business legally. Why can't I trade in Hangzhou?"

"Government permission?" Yang Xien said angrily. "What government permission? This is clearly a monopoly of the Li family's chamber of commerce in Hangzhou!"

Zhou Zhiruo looked surprised, her lips slightly parted, and said with a smile, "Oh? Is that so? But I have a special permit signed by the Jiangnan governor, Jiang, granting our Zhou family's chamber of commerce 10% of the Hangzhou market share. With this, we can legally do business without worrying about anyone's feelings, right?"

Li Huamei's body trembled.

Although she had a premonition when the other party bought ships and recruited sailors that there was a problem with the Ming officials, she did not expect such a big problem!

The Li family's chamber of commerce's core territory — Hangzhou — had been taken away 10% of its market share!

Why did the Ming officials, who had just received her bribes, arbitrarily allocate Hangzhou's market share to an unknown and obscure Zhou family's fleet?

She could not figure it out for the moment, but the experienced Li Huamei decided to remain calm.

She carefully examined the special permit in Zhou Zhiruo's hand and shook her head at Yang Xien.

Yang Xien clearly saw the deep disappointment in Li Huamei's eyes.

He said angrily, "No matter what special permit you have, it must be a mistake! We will go to see Governor Jiang!"

"Please do as you please," Zhou Zhiruo said politely. "But according to the law, I have the right to trade here, don't I?"

She said this to the dock chamber of commerce president Zhou, who had come to the scene.

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