Chapter 1377: Republican Ideas Have Arrived! (Please Subscribe)

On the Bund in Shanghai, rows upon rows of high-rises — Chinese-style, Sino-Western hybrid, and Western-style — stood packed together in tight array. Each was grander than the last, each more magnificent than the last, as if determined to show every visitor to this metropolis, the commercial and shipping center of East Asia, just how vast the wealth and powerful the connections of these towers' owners truly were!

Matsolco, Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company, had just disembarked at the newly completed passenger pier by the Wusong River. Looking up at the five-story Mancini Tea House building just finished across the way, he felt deeply moved. This city had not even existed twenty-odd years ago, yet now it had become the fastest-growing city in East Asia and perhaps the entire world — and perhaps also the one best able to attract talent and capital!

Amsterdam, Europe's most prosperous center of capital and trade, was in no way inferior to Shanghai. But every sufficiently shrewd Dutch merchant knew that Amsterdam had already reached its peak, and that the higher one climbs, the colder it gets — it could topple at any moment.

For behind Amsterdam stood only three or four million Dutchmen, while around it lay great cities like London and Brussels, any of which might at any time take Amsterdam's place.

But behind Shanghai stood two hundred million people, and its position was irreplaceable... Yingtian Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Yangzhou Prefecture were not seaports. Quanzhou Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture were too "out of the way," far from Jiangnan, the economic heart of the Great Ming, and not on the Yangtze, that golden waterway; they were also far from Yingtian Prefecture, the imperial capital — if they grew too fast, they might become hard to control.

So Shanghai's takeoff was entirely predictable — it was certain!

A merchant of Matsolco's level naturally knew to put his main investments into a future that was predictable and certain. That was why he had bought up a great deal of property in this city early on, and even planned to retire in Shanghai after stepping down as Governor-General of the East India Company and look after his assets there... But now that certainty had become somewhat uncertain, because Holland had been yoked by Louis XIV to France's war chariot!

It was not that Shanghai would fail to develop, but rather whether the property of Matsolco, a Dutchman, would be confiscated as enemy assets.

"Governor-General! Will you be going to Maoming Street or to the East India Company building?"

Matsolco's secretary Antony had already hired a carriage for him and was directing several coolies who carried luggage at the pier to load the Governor-General's baggage onto it. Only then did he walk over to the Governor-General, who was truly standing there in a daze, and ask in Dutch.

Matsolco owned a very fine residence on Maoming Street.

The Shanghai East India Company building, on the other hand, stood on the Bund thoroughfare. Built seven or eight years earlier, it was extremely grand and splendid.

"Better go to the Mancini Tea House building," Matsolco said, looking at the building across the way. "I need to see Signor Lombardi at once!"

Lombardi was an Italian merchant and the taipan of Mancini Tea House. He had previously held an important post in the East India Company and was on good terms with Matsolco. After he moved to Mancini Tea House, he became the liaison between Matsolco and Marie Mancini.

Although he knew that Marie Mancini's pillow talk could not accomplish much at a moment like this, he still had to work that channel.

At the very least, through Marie Mancini he could let the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming know that, for the present at least, the Great Ming could not yet squeeze the Dutch East India Company out of the game. For that would make the British East India Company the monopolist of East-West trade!

A trade monopoly was no good thing for either consumers or suppliers!

"Governor-General, I must remind you that on the present East-West trade routes there are not only the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company. The Macao Portuguese-run Australia-New Zealand Company also holds a certain share! So the possibility of the British East India Company monopolizing trade simply does not exist."

Lombardi, who had a Germanic face and a head of blond hair, spoke slowly in elegant French, his brows tightly knitted, looking deeply preoccupied.

Matsolco's heart sank as well. "The Australia-New Zealand Company is only a small firm; it simply cannot compete with the British."

"But the British will let it exist!" Lombardi said. "So long as it exists, the British East India Company is not a monopolist."

Matsolco knew Lombardi was right. He fell silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is it possible that Madame Mancini is also at her wit's end?"

"Well..." Lombardi's brows knitted even tighter. "I imagine you are not unaware of Madame Mancini's background. She is a symbol of Ming-French friendship! In the present situation, she must be especially careful."

"Good God!" Matsolco said in a low voice. "Then what am I to do?"

Lombardi's brow relaxed slightly, and he said, "Of course, that is not to say there is no way!"

"What way is there?" Matsolco looked at Lombardi. "My friend, if you and Madame Mancini can help the East India Company through this crisis, the Company will certainly make it worth your while — very much worth your while!"

Lombardi seemed to have heard the answer he wanted, and smiled. "Governor-General, first allow me to thank you on Madame Mancini's behalf for your generosity.

Secondly, I should remind you that if the Dutch East India Company wishes to survive the present difficult and complicated circumstances, Madame Mancini's pillow talk alone will not suffice! The Company must possess a core competitiveness that others cannot easily replace — and this core competitiveness must be hard to replace and capable of bringing enormous benefit to the Great Ming Empire!"

"This core competitiveness you speak of is..." Matsolco's brows were tightly knitted. The East India Company had many core competencies, but he truly could not think of one that could bring enormous benefit to the Great Ming Empire and was also hard to replace.

"Governor-General," Lombardi said, "as far as I know, there is right now a great piece of business laid before your Dutch East India Company... The only question is whether you are willing to take it."

"This great piece of business you speak of is..." Matsolco seemed to have thought of something, and his old face creased up.

"A continent... perhaps an enormous island!" Lombardi said. "It certainly exists, but it is not easy to reach, and very difficult to explore thoroughly. And your Dutch East India Company has already been there — perhaps more than once. Am I right?"

"The Ming court is preparing to explore the southern continent?" Matsolco asked, looking at Lombardi.

"Not preparing — it has already begun!" Lombardi said. "Otherwise, why do you suppose the Australia-New Zealand Company has set up a trading post on Timor and dispatched Malacca-type oar-sail ships there?"

The so-called Malacca-type oar-sail ship was a class of gun-armed warship designed after the great naval battle of Malacca specifically for use in windless or light-wind waters.

This class of warship had a deadweight tonnage of only about 660 tons, with one gun deck and one long-oar deck, and three mainmasts capable of carrying soft sails.

Because of its long-oar deck, this class of warship had poor seaworthiness and relatively poor endurance; it could not be used for blue-water operations or operations in high sea states, but it was extremely well suited for exploring the northern regions of the southern continent.

Lombardi continued, "As far as I know, the Australia-New Zealand Company obtained the contract to explore the southern continent two years ago, and successfully organized an expedition. Setting out from Timor, after ten days at sea they reached the southern continent."

"But they found nothing of value in the northern part of the southern continent," Matsolco said with a faint smile. "Am I not right?"

Lombardi nodded and laughed. "Is that not precisely your East India Company's opportunity? In navigation, exploration, and the development of unknown regions, you are more competitive than the Australia-New Zealand Company, the British East India Company, the Yiguan Party Trading House, or the Sand Ship Guild Trading House!"

"The British East India Company too?" Matsolco was taken aback. "They will also take part in the exploration of the southern continent?"

Lombardi laughed. "I think you know that monopoly is bad for consumers!"