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The Fox of France - Chapter 528
🕑 Added 2024-05-04 06:06:39 +0000 UTCChapter 528: Negotiations
Within his authority, Major Joson made the greatest concessions, so much so that the rebates he left for himself were half less than originally anticipated. Only then did he finally persuade the four captains to take their ships on a run to Cape Town.
Of course, the reason these captains finally agreed was because Major Joson assured them that they could carry some goods to smuggle to the French or the Dutch.
"They definitely need some things, and as long as what you smuggle isn't munitions, if we say we don't see it, it's invisible; if we say we don't hear it, it's unheard."
"What kind of goods would sell there?" one of the captains asked.
"I thought you must have had dealings with the Dutch in Cape Town before; don't you know what they need?" Joson asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Ah, Major, do you know what they used to buy the most from us?" that captain said.
"What goods?"
"First and foremost, Indian saltpeter. They have many conflicts with the indigenous people, and they need this stuff. And I've heard that in recent years, there have been quite a few British immigrants coming to Cape Town. They need to eat and live well too, and since the land in the Cape Town valley is limited, we can't let those Dutch have a good life there, while our British people have to compete with those Zulus for land, right? So, the governor has always been using various means to force the Dutch out of Cape Town valley, freeing up the land for our British people. And those Dutch leaving, who doesn't need guns and saltpeter? Guns are durable goods, but saltpeter, that's a consumable, so in trade with those Dutch in Cape Town, saltpeter is most in demand."
Saltpeter is the most crucial ingredient in gunpowder; sulfur is produced in many places, and as for charcoal, that's even more common.
"But can we sell saltpeter?" the captain asked with a hint of sarcasm. In his view, saltpeter was almost equivalent to gunpowder, definitely not for sale.
"Saltpeter, well, they really do need it," Joson nodded, "Considering their cannons, yes, the French army's new cannons are indeed unparalleled in power, but they are also unparalleled in their logistical demands. Because their cannonballs are so intricately made that ordinary workshops simply can't produce projectiles that fit in their cannons. Every single shell they fire is transported all the way from France. And the propellant they use is also specially made, although certainly not lacking saltpeter—because the French import a large amount of saltpeter every year, but their propellant is certainly not just a simple mix of saltpeter with sulfur and charcoal. So, saltpeter and such, selling it to the Dutch is actually no big deal. And along the way, you can also sell these items to others, like the Portuguese."
"Portuguese? They can't consume much, they're too few," the captain shook his head. "And even if you allow us to sell the saltpeter to the Dutch, our stock is not sufficient. You might not know, but recently there have been a series of warehouse fires, making saltpeter, even in India, a scarce and sought-after commodity now."
"What else, besides saltpeter?"
"Of course, tea, porcelain, and spices," another captain interjected. "But unless we transport the goods to Europe—Cape Town can't consume so much."
After some discussion, they decided to initially load the ships with various common, easily sellable items and head to Maputo to assess the situation and decide further.
Thus, it took half a month, but the fleet finally set sail. They traveled along the east coast of Africa, spending a month reaching the Portuguese territory of Maputo, where several ships entered the port, dropped anchor, and the sailors went ashore to seek their own pleasures. Even Major Joson disembarked, intending to have a drink at a tavern and casually find out what had been happening in Cape Town during the months he was away.
The conditions at the port of Maputo were decent, but due to the limited power of the Portuguese, the port was not large. There weren't many berths at the port, and correspondingly, there weren't many taverns—just one called "Sailor's Home."
Major Joson walked into the tavern and sat down at the dimly lit bar.
"What'll it be, sir?" a waitress came over and asked.
"Just a beer," Joson replied. The alcohol sold in such taverns was mostly counterfeit, the more expensive it was, the faker it was. It was better to just order the cheapest, which might be a bit more genuine.
The waitress turned away, and after a while, she returned with a large mug of beer, thumping it down in
front of Joson.
"One real," the waitress said.
"What, last time it was only two pesos," Joson remarked.
The real was a silver coin popular in Portugal and Spain, worth about eight pesos. If this were Europe, a beer like this would cost at most one peso, but here, in this unscrupulous tavern, they were asking for a real.
"Last time was last time. Who told you English to almost drink it all up?" a guy drinking nearby spoke up.
After shouting this at Joson, he took a sip from his own mug, then set it down and said, "Isabella, you're watering down the drinks too much. The damn English have drunk it all up, I understand raising the prices, but you can't water it down this much. Is this still alcohol?"
"Come on, Jose, if there's a problem with our drinks, why are you already talking nonsense after just one sip?" the waitress laughed.
"What's it got to do with us English?" Joson asked.
"Look how many Englishmen are in this tavern, it's you guys who've driven up the prices," the guy named Jose said.
Joson then looked around the tavern. Many people also looked up and stared back at him, then someone excitedly stood up, even flipping their chair in the process.
"Major, you're back? How's it going?" the person shouted as they approached.
Joson recognized the man as a judge from the Cape Town colony court. "Judge Anderson, what are you doing here? Could it be... could it be?"
Seeing Joson's expression, Anderson quickly said, "No, not yet. Cape Town is still in our hands, for now. But I think, we're not far from losing it... Let's sit down and talk."
Anderson pulled Joson over to their table by the window, which offered a clear view of the harbor and the sea.
Joson sat down, about to speak, when he suddenly noticed two columns of smoke approaching from outside the harbor.
"Look, those are, those are steamships! Have the French attacked?" Joson stood up suddenly.
"Now all the sailors are ashore, it would take a while to gather enough hands to get the ships moving. We're definitely blocked, no escape now!" he thought.
"It's the French! We're blocked!" Joson exclaimed, "I'm such a fool, really! I only knew that French warships might attack our ships near the Cape Town port, but I didn't realize, they could come all the way here!"
"Don't panic, Major Joson, it's not French warships, just French transport ships, they're here to bring more British people here. Actually, we all came here on their ships from Cape Town. Of course, we paid for the tickets, and those damn French, with not a shred of business ethics, sold tickets just from Cape Town to here, which would cost enough to travel from Calcutta to London and back during peacetime—such a bunch of vampires!"
"Wait a minute... Judge Anderson, the more you speak, the more confused I get. Can you explain more clearly?"
So Judge Anderson took the time to explain in detail what had happened after Joson had left.
"So it seems, we've reached an agreement with the French to evacuate civilians from the combat zone using their ships?" Joson said.
"Yes, they claim to be worried that our own ships might carry military supplies and non-peaceful personnel. So they insist that if we evacuate civilians, it can only be done using their ships. Of course, it's all an excuse; they just want to take this opportunity to fleece us! We'll have observers on each ship to monitor whether they safely transport us to Maputo. Only when the ships that carried us have safely arrived at Maputo and returned to Cape Town, and after receiving confirmation from the observers on board, will they get paid. Otherwise, who knows if they'll hand us over to some Portuguese fishing boat halfway—those French are capable of such things," Judge Anderson explained.
"How's Cape Town now?" Major Joson quickly asked.
"It hasn't fallen yet, but it can't hold much longer. Uh, the French have sent more reinforcements. There's now a full battalion of French troops outside Cape Town! And the cannons, there are so many... Last time we negotiated with them, we had a little dispute, uh, we thought their transport fees were too high, so they launched a round of cannon fire, and then, we were forced to accept their ticket prices. Then, they... they raised the prices again, because they included the cost of that round of cannon fire in the ticket prices. This is really, I've never seen such shameless Rome."
"So now..."
"At least when I left, virtually all the civilians had been evacuated, and the public servants were also retreating. After today's arrivals at the port, Cape Town will basically be left with only military
personnel. When I left, the final terms hadn't been settled yet, but I think, we have no other choice but to cede Cape Town. At this point in the battlefield, the gap is too big. If we really fight, it would just mean sending our young men to die senselessly. Perhaps by now, both sides have already reached an agreement for us to peacefully exit Cape Town. Of course, the specific situation, um, once the French ships dock and the people disembark, ask them and you'll know."
Since that's the case, Major Joson felt relieved. But he decided to go to the dock to wait, while also calming the sailors who were still on duty aboard the ships—they must have been terrified when they saw those smoke columns.
Sure enough, just as Major Joson reached the dock, he saw many panicked sailors, including several other ship captains gathering around.
"It's okay, it's okay, don't panic, don't panic," Joson relayed the information he had just learned to everyone. Of course, in front of those captains, he naturally wouldn't mention the unscrupulous ticket prices charged by the French. So his crew calmed down, but the captains were a bit panicked.
"Damn it! We thought the cargo on the ships could sell for a good price in Cape Town, now it seems we can't go there?"
"What about the cargo on this ship? Sell it here? Where could we sell so much? That would definitely be a loss! Oh dear, Major, look at this, we came to help, you can't let us lose money, can you? Look at this ticket money..."
"Everyone, don't rush, don't panic," Joson shouted. "We still have places to sell our goods. We can sell them to the French. The French have sent quite a few more troops to Cape Town, they definitely need a lot of things. And think about it, their ships, bringing people here, aren't they going to return empty? Returning empty, how wasteful, but what can they buy here from the Portuguese? Baobab fruit? I think our timing is just right, we can sell everything on the ships to them."
So everyone quickly calculated, indeed, many items they brought could be of interest to the French, such as tea, spices, porcelain, etc. Some items, though the French might not fancy them, maybe the travelers could also buy some. Thus, the captains' gaze towards those smoke columns no longer carried the same worry and fear but even a bit of eager anticipation.
In such a state of tension and anticipation, the French transport ships gradually approached the port. The port dispatched a pilot to guide them into the harbor, docking at berths prepared for them in advance. Then a large number of British people disembarked from these two ships.
At this point, the evacuation operation had reached its later stages, so those now departing on French ships were mainly people related to official duties, meaning they were relatively higher status and somewhat wealthier. This wasn't because the British had such gentlemanly manners that when trouble arose, they let the poorer folks escape first. Rather, initially letting the French be responsible for transporting the British away, there was much concern about whether the French would maintain business ethics. So at first, those who evacuated were relatively poorer, partly because if the French did not uphold business ethics, then the loss would be relatively smaller.
After employing the French to transport people several times, everyone was quite confident in the business ethics of the French. It's said that Governor Prima remarked, "In some ways, the French are a bit like the Jews; they're both after money shamelessly, all focused on how to make money. But once they sign a contract, generally speaking, they keep their word. Of course, like the Jews, they always like to play tricks within the contract, leaving loopholes they can exploit. But that trick doesn't work on us, because we're equally skilled at that..."
Since the business ethics of the French were still decent, at this time, those higher-status British could board the French ships to evacuate.
As soon as the French ships docked, Major Joson, along with the captains, approached the French, hoping to strike a deal. Although the two nations were at war, war is one thing, and business is another. After all, both the British and the French recognized the value of gold.
After understanding the British's intentions, the French were also very interested in the British proposal. Just as Joson had judged, the French couldn't buy much worth taking back in Maputo, so although their ships were returning under the principle of not running empty, they still barely stuffed their cargo holds, but the items they brought back could hardly make much money. If these several transport ships, though requisitioned by the French military, were fundamentally "Europa Shipping Union" merchant ships.
Thus, the French immediately proposed with enthusiasm, "We want to go aboard your ships to see the goods, and if the goods are good, then we'll discuss the price in detail."
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