Chapter 272: The Price of the Castles

Regarding the tentative slave trade between the two sides, it was overall a transaction where each took what they needed. Of course, as with any first-time deal, a few hiccups were bound to occur — namely, the Ming slaves and the black slaves.

The vast majority of the 400 slaves were Mishan people. This ethnic group, descended from the local Malay population in the Philippines, had a large population base. However, repeated uprisings had created antagonism between the colonizers and the Mishan people, which gave an opportunity to the more docile Tagalog.

The seeds were sown at this moment. In later generations, the Tagalog, the second-largest ethnic group, would become the most economically and culturally developed among all Philippine peoples, consistently holding a dominant position in domestic politics, economy, and culture. Most Tagalog in the cities engaged in commerce or worked in government agencies, with many holding leadership positions.

There is a term that can explain this phenomenon: bondservants.

Therefore, in the present day of the 17th century, it was hardly surprising that the Spanish ships' holds were filled with Mishan people.

Yet, even though the Transmigrators had specified the required slave ethnicities in the trade files, the dozen or so Black Uncles mixed in among the yellow-skinned crowd were still as eye-catching as ever — like fireflies in the pitch black, so vivid, so outstanding.

In addition, several slaves shouting loudly in the Min dialect also drew the attention of the customs officers. Upon careful questioning, it turned out these few were all Ming people living in Manila, thrown into jail for breaking laws in the nobility district.

Normally, ordinary disputes were resolved internally by the Chinese community. But in cases like this, someone had to pay a fine to the white guards before they could be released. Unfortunately, these few were all dirt-poor and had no family, so they were packed off to Dayuan.

The Transmigrators' guiding principles for dealing with these two types of uninvited guests were different.

Regarding the Black Uncles, the customs response was "confiscation." Simple confiscation — just like airports in later generations confiscating a traveler's lighter.

And so, the Spanish slave traders, who had eagerly prepared to lecture these so-called Ming Dynasty Nobility pirates on the benefits of black slaves, discovered that their "sample" for testing the waters had been confiscated. Left with no recourse, they could only chalk it up to bad luck.

When they negotiated with the dock officials, the only answer they received was no answer at all.

The Transmigrators, of course, would not explain to their subordinates the fate of nations in later generations that kept black slaves. The issue was too complex, encompassing everything from society to politics to economics — impossible to explain clearly.

The Transmigrators only needed to issue a simple order: all black slaves entering the territory were to be confiscated without exception and sent to open up forest farms, completely isolated from the world. As for those slave traders, they would not receive a single cent.

No profit, no trade. The merchants attempting to open a market for black slaves here finally gave up the idea.

Next, it was the turn of those few Ming people. On this issue, not paying was not an option — there were no grounds here to demand that the Spanish meticulously distinguish every single yellow-skinned person.

Even in the information-rich later generations, face-blindness between different races still existed, let alone among 17th-century slave owners.

Unlike those Black Uncles with their distinct features, the Spanish could easily use the shameless excuse of being unable to tell them apart to explain away these few Ming slaves.

The final solution was a discount: any slave who could speak fluent Chinese would be paid for at three-quarters of the price. Refusing to pay anything at all was unacceptable; it went against business ethics.

And this below-standard-price purchasing would also encourage the Spanish to focus their attention on the Philippine natives in the future, rather than setting their sights on the Ming people. In fact, in just a few more years, gunboats would be blockading the entrance to Manila. By then, the Spanish would come to understand a simple truth: what goes around, comes around.

After completing the largest and most important slave trade, the other commodities also sold for a good price in Dayuan, especially the rice.

For a power base whose population was expanding exponentially, food was always the number one strategic resource. So, the Spanish merchants discovered a curious thing here: among all commodities, the tariff rate on rice was actually negative.

"Negative" referred to an additional reward mechanism that the local officials called "points."

On top of zero tariffs, merchants would earn a certain number of points for every ton of rice they brought in. These points would then come into play when they purchased certain scarce commodities, such as the kerosene lamps in the exhibition hall.

The Transmigration Nation's emphasis on rice would quickly influence Manila's trade policies. Before long, the share of the slave trade would certainly be monopolized by a handful of top-tier big shots, while the merchants who lost out in that competition would turn their attention to collecting rice.

One had to know that points were tradable, and collecting rice in the sweltering Philippines was no difficult task — simply have the nearby villages increase their planting area, and a harvest could be reaped in just a few months.

The same policy was already being promoted by the Dutch around Batavia. Because if they did not ship in sufficient quantities of rice, they would not get access to high-end goods, including bleaching powder and kerosene lamps.

While the merchants excitedly scurried about, trying to find more business opportunities in the dazzling Transmigration Nation, Special Envoy Juan also began his talks with Cai Feiming in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs villa.

The first item of negotiation was, of course, the already blockaded Taipei Castle. On this matter, the Special Envoy had full authority; he could easily agree to withdraw the garrison from Taipei Castle, as long as the other party could offer a little benefit.

However, the Transmigrators were also well aware of this. So, Cai Feiming told Juan that San Salvador City in Keelung Bay must be handed over. As for Fort Santo Domingo at the mouth of the Tamsui River, "His Majesty Philip's brave soldiers are perfectly welcome to remain stationed there. They can even take a boat to the Pirate Bar for a drink during their leave — a reflection of the friendship between our two nations."

The Spanish were no fools. Juan quickly figured out Old Cai's sinister motive: leaving them a castle in an estuary zone swarming with mosquitoes and leeches, completely devoid of trade capability — this was using the lives of Spanish Warriors to suppress the natives for the other side!

And so, both sides had a huge quarrel over this issue. However, Juan ultimately compromised. After all, the value of those two castles was nothing compared to the colossal proposition of the slave trade.

In the end, the agreement between the two sides was this: the Spanish would transfer the two castles to the Transmigrators for the price of two gold coins.

Meanwhile, the Dayuan side would be responsible for transporting the castle soldiers and some cannons back. The Spanish would send a messenger with written orders to assist in taking over the castles.