Chapter 657

Pierce tried to recall the hasty meeting and the disdain of Frank SID, general manager of the East India Company, who accompanied the governor at that time.

"Parliament thinks it's far sighted, but it doesn't know that in the eyes of businessmen, they're just a bunch of shortsighted fools," Pierce said.

The East India Company has its own views on the upcoming chaos in the Netherlands.

In their eyes, business development takes time. In particular, the core plan for building a new center of a company, such as developing Southeast Asia, should be prepared three, five or even ten years in advance.

The decline of the Netherlands is a god given opportunity. According to the opinions of those fools who know nothing about business in parliament, the only thing waiting for the East India Company is a chicken flying egg.

The problem now is that the East India Company cannot do it itself because of the hint of Parliament. Considering the diplomatic requirements after Great Britain, these shareholders with a strong English stamp in the company can not act in their personal capacity.

Randomly selected agents may not be able to deal with this complex situation. The company is unwilling to see the opportunity run away.

So they took a fancy to Drake.

Miami, Muscat, and even the war just happened in the Mediterranean all show the side of Drake's International Chamber of Commerce. Drake is good at forming cross-border alliances and has reliable and loyal allies from all over the world.

This means that Drake is entrusted with the task of building a bridgehead, which can hide the East India Company behind it to the greatest extent. This is the best choice for Great Britain and the company, whether from political or economic considerations.

As for what Drake can get in return

"On behalf of the board of directors of East India Company, manager Frank Sid signed a memorandum with President Eddie Garman, agreeing to grant us a purchase share of no more than 10% per year and no more than 400000 pounds per year."

The East India company monopolizes all British production and trade in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding islands.

According to their business report in parliament, in 1785, their annual sales were about £ 4 million. Based on 100% gross profit, the company's annual output was about £ 2 million.

A 10% purchase share is an order worth ￡ 200000.

Giving this order to Drake chamber of commerce is equivalent to ceding 200000 pounds of gross profit to the East India Company. Even excluding the cost of ocean transportation, the value of this commitment will not be less than 150000 pounds per year.

At this point, people finally understood why Eddie was impatient to accept the entrustment of the East India Company.

Because once this entrustment is successful, Drake will get two high-quality profit growth points: 150000 pounds per year in the subcontinent and the stronghold of Southeast Asian Chamber of Commerce.

The former lacks growth space and has huge short-term profits. The annual income of 150000 pounds in the system of the General Chamber of commerce is temporarily lower than that of the American, maritime and European branches, surpassing Africa and industry and mining, which can be listed in the fourth place.

The latter may not see much profit in the short term, but there are vast Southeast Asia and Qing and Japan hidden behind the Islands

A chamber of Commerce stronghold at the same level or slightly lower than Miami will allow Drake to gain a foothold in this vast ocean of unlimited business opportunities before the East India Company.

This means that the franchise monopoly of the East India Company will lose constraints on Drake. How much Drake can gain only depends on how much it can get before the East India company moves in.

Taking the initiative in his own hands is the most valuable asset Eddie robbed for Drake.

In this way, Eddie was entrusted by the East India Company, but pierce didn't rush to send troops this time, but did two things immediately after returning to the sump.

First, Eddie is required to take responsibility for his recklessness and ask the East India Company for information. As long as there are no categories of information related to Southeast Asia, the more, the better.

Second, the Secretary ordered Dylan to start the express channel and ask Lorraine as far away as Miami.

The so-called express channel is the information linkage transmission scheme prepared by Lorraine for special situations. I think Dylan used it when Muscat, so it can be said to be familiar.

The nearest express channel node from Mumbai is at zuwo port. Considering the speed of the sunflower and the stable ocean current and strong wind in the Indian Ocean, pierce calculated that the theoretical shortest round-trip time of this policy is 74 days.

In fact, he really saw Lorraine's reply 89 days later, that is, March 13, 1787.

He said: "I asked the president for advice. I want to know which port is most suitable to become Drake's foothold in the vast Southeast Asia. The president's reply was only two words, Xingdao."

Xingdao is Singapore, formerly known as new kapura, which means lion in Sanskrit. It is located at the throat of the Strait of Malacca. It is not only the gateway to the South China Sea, but also the main road to Southeast Asia.

With such unique conditions, Xingdao is naturally the focus of the whole Southeast Asia.

The Portuguese, the British, the Dutch, and the super pirates who roam the South China Sea. In fact, except for the Heavenly Kingdom, every force living in this sea wants to take Xingdao into their pocket and take it for themselves.

But it is precisely because of this that Xingdao can always lie in the arms of the Johor Kingdom, because the Johor kingdom is weak enough to weigh the pros and cons. It is the "master home" that all forces can accept and is most suitable for maintaining the free navigation of Malacca.

With a clear goal, pierce began to make a star island occupation plan.

Relying on the over detailed information of the East India Company, the plan was worked out smoothly.

His goal is to make Xingdao a private possession of Drake like Miami, but unlike Miami, where people dislike dogs, Xingdao is an important financial and tax place of Johor kingdom. Although it is dilapidated, Johor will not give up, and its protector, the Dutch East India Company, will not allow this business to land.

But pierce at this time is not pierce at that time.

The Barbary pirate war made him grow up, and the respected teachings of many brothers also made him really have the vision and ability to plan a big operation.

He carefully analyzed the situation in Malacca.

Sovereign: Johor kingdom.

Alliance: thunderbolt kingdom.

Protector: Dutch East India Company.

Hostility: Aceh Kingdom, Jeddah Kingdom and Portuguese colonial government.

Coveted: British East India Company, Champaign kingdom.

Neutral: pirates in the South China Sea.

Drake's task is to make Xingdao become Drake's private territory, and then become the stronghold of the chamber of Commerce to enter Southeast Asia and the South China Sea, complete the entrustment to the East India Company and receive high remuneration.

However, the environment of Xingdao is not suitable to become a clear colony. Its location is too sensitive. In addition to the weak Lord, the only way out is to have no lord.

Destroy Johor?

Not to mention whether the secret service formation has the ability to destroy a kingdom, even if it succeeds, Malacca is not a lonely place. The vacancy of power will be filled by others soon. It can't wait for the East India Company to get the authorization to expand eastward.

So maintain the status quo?

It is indeed a rational and responsible response to expand trade in Southeast Asia based on Chennai and carefully maintain the status quo of the Strait of Malacca, but doing so is tantamount to giving up Drake's own interests. Drake can't get either the wealth of Southeast Asia or the return of the subcontinent.

With a frown on his face, pierce suddenly thought of Lorraine's attitude in dealing with Miami sovereignty.

Businessmen's control over private territories is different from the requirements of the government. As long as they distinguish primary and secondary, they can coexist

Pierce finally found the third future of Xingdao, not a weak Lord, not an ownerless Lord, but a co Lord with Drake's place.