Chapter 400
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 400
Chapter 400. Departure (2)
I continued.
“When you find him, come to Nanjing.”
“Nanjing...?”
“We are scheduled to depart at the end of May, and all that remains is to make preparations there.”
“I understand.”
Then Pal-gap, who was standing next to me, tilted his head and asked.
“What? Does that mean we have to go to Nanjing too?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“I see. Then I'll get ready.”
“Why aren't you surprised?”
Pal-gap rubbed his nose and said in response to my question.
“Didn't I tell you before? Since you travel all over the empire, I always keep myself ready to leave at any moment. Besides, you even go to the North Sea when you're bored.”
I didn't know what to say.
Suddenly, my eyes met those of Young Mistress Seo Hyang.
She smiled faintly, and I scratched the back of my neck.
She already knew. Ugh.
I turned my head back to look at Jin-yu.
“Anyway, that's how it is. Please take good care of him.”
“I will do whatever it takes.”
I told you there's no need to do that.
Jin-yu Musha left immediately to find the person in charge of the debt at Baekcheon Trading Company.
That afternoon.
I asked Geum-ryeong to send a letter to my father.
I could have sent a messenger, but Geum-ryeong was much faster.
I would have to pay her in silver, but time was of the essence.
I figured I was buying time with money.
The letter I sent to my father asked Captain Yong-eung-wan to bring the merchant ships to Nanjing.
Nanjing is located downstream of the Yangtze River.
It is a little inland, so it is safe from waves.
It takes about half a month to get from Yangyang to Nanjing, so we should arrive in early May.
I plan to prepare diligently and set sail before the end of May.
We must set sail by then at the latest in order to return home with food supplies in the fall.
The important thing here is what to load onto the ship bound for Daewoong.
When I spoke with Captain Yong Eung-wan earlier, he recommended tea.
He also mentioned tea cups and other pottery.
As he said, those items were very profitable, and I had made a profit delivering tea in my previous life.
At that time, the ship was slightly, no, very sick.
If we had had a ship, it would have been a golden opportunity to grow much faster.
In any case, the thing that could bring in the most profit at that time was none other than alcohol.
“As far as I know, the people of Daewook are fond of the Empire's alcohol...”
“That's right. They're crazy about it.”
“Then why didn't you mention it?”
“Well... There's a prohibition on alcohol in the Empire right now, isn't there? Talking about it in this situation would only make us feel bitter.”
That's right.
Alcohol is the most profitable commodity, but the current situation in the empire makes it difficult to trade.
However, if this trade is successful and they realize that they want alcohol, they will lift the prohibition, even if it is conditional.
Just like in my previous life.
Then, the Palm print craftsmen I have gathered will shine.
In fact, what they wanted more was the empire's weapons, but that was something that could never be traded.
If the empire's high-quality weapons fell into their hands, they could turn them against the empire.
“Lieutenant Kwak.”
“Yes.”
“Send a letter to the Mudo Trading Company.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Mudo Trading Company is a trading company specializing in ceramics, and it has just joined the Hundred Trading Companies.
That's why I met with the captain and the captain's assistant at the last meeting.
Their headquarters happens to be located in Jiangsu Province, where Nanjing is located.
Therefore, they are the ones we need to negotiate with first, as they are a good source of ceramics.
A few days later, a reply came from the Mudo Trading Company.
It was a positive response, and they asked to meet in Nanjing.
I will see Captain Damjin for the first time in a long time.
By the way, I wonder if Changhae Trading Company, or rather Baekcheon Trading Company, is preparing for trade.
“I hear that Captain Song-un of Changhae Trading Company has not been seen recently.”
I stroked my chin upon hearing Lee Pil's report.
Foreign trade is a large-scale endeavor with many variables, so the role of the person in charge is very important.
And he's not taking the lead...
“Then who is in charge of trade?”
“I'm not sure, but I think it's someone from Baekcheon Trading Company.”
I didn't expect them to be so blunt.
It seems that Baekcheon Trading Company is taking steps to completely take over Changhae Trading Company.
If this trade is successful, Changhae Trading Company may be renamed Baekcheon Trading Company.
We need to send someone to learn the ropes in advance for when that time comes.
However, trading with foreign countries is never easy, so even if they send someone with the intention of learning from someone skilled, it won't be enough.
“You have to do it like this...”
“It doesn't look that difficult to me. Do you really have to do it this way?”
“Of course.”
“You're not trying to make me fail, are you?”
“Absolutely not!”
“This doesn't seem efficient, so we need to change it.”
“Of course, it may cost a little more and seem inefficient, but in the end, it will reduce costs.”
“Fine. I'll take charge of this from now on, so I'll do it my way.”
“...”
“So, if you want to keep your job until then, don't mess around and just give me advice.”
“I'm giving you advice right now.”
“It sounds more like you're nitpicking to me.”
“Then do whatever you want! Just remember, if things go wrong, it's not my fault.”
“Don't worry. Do I look that incompetent to you? If I did, the captain of the Trading Company wouldn't have given me such an important job.”
"...
Ah...
I can't help but imagine what will happen.
But I'm sure my imagination and reality won't be much different. I've seen it happen so many times before.
When someone is newly assigned to a job, they are full of enthusiasm and want to fix everything.
However, in most cases, their ideas are unrealistic, which leads to big problems.
Naturally, they get fired.
It will be the same this time.
Well, it's not my concern. They are not Changhae Trading Company, but Baekcheon Trading Company now.
I asked Jin-yu Musha to find the person in charge of Baekcheon Trading Company's debts to take revenge on Baekcheon Trading Company, not to help Changhae Trading Company.
Trading companies are competitors.
In the process, Changhae Trading Company will receive our help.
Of course, Changhae Trading Company is in a difficult situation.
Ugh, I'm so weak-hearted.
Anyway, it would be best if Jin-yu found the person in charge of the debt, but even if he is dead, there is still a way.
One way is to lure experienced people, including the captain of Changhae Trading Company, to our trading company.
Then we can use them to steal the profits that the Baekcheon Trading Company would have earned from trade.
After all, the Baekcheon Trading Company's trading partners would have been the Changhae Trading Company's trading partners.
However, the best way is still to find the debt collector alive.
Then we can destroy the Baekcheon Trading Company's reputation in one fell swoop.
.
.
.
Caw! Caw!
It sounds like seagulls.
I was in Beijing just a moment ago, but now I feel like I'm in Nanjing. It must just be my imagination.
We are in Nanjing.
“This is... the sea, isn't it?”
“It's quite wide.”
Musa and Chang-un looked at the sea in awe.
Most of my party felt the same way.
“Is this your first time seeing the sea?”
They nodded, unable to take their eyes off the sea.
Then again, the empire is quite large.
Many people who live deep inland never see the sea in their entire lives.
I did go to Shandong once, but that wasn't near the sea.
“Now I understand the saying, 'A frog in a well cannot know the vastness of the ocean.
I chuckled.
”Let's go to our lodgings.“
”Yes."
The imperial palace offered us lodgings, but I politely declined.
The lodgings offered were official residences within the Dao Commandery.
Nanjing is an important place, so it has a Dao Command Headquarters.
The facilities are nice, but it would be inconvenient to live with government officials.
That's why we rented an inn.
It's for the sailors who will soon arrive on the merchant ship, but it's also for me.
In order to prepare to screw over Baekcheon Trading Company, we need to keep our eyes open and be able to come and go freely.
By the way, did Jin-yu Musha find him?
* * *
Boom! Boom!
It was a night when the sound of owls hooting echoed eerily.
A man was hiding in an abandoned grave in a dense forest.
“Damn it! That bastard Namgung Kang!”
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
His name was Mo Cheong.
He was the debt collector for the Baekcheon Trading Company.
He was still a debt collector because he had never resigned or been fired.
Besides, he wasn't dead yet.
As the debt collector for the Baekcheon Trading Company, he was responsible for recording the payments made by those who borrowed money and collecting money from those who did not pay their debts.
To be honest, he hated his job.
Collecting money from those who couldn't pay their debts was always a scene full of loud voices, crying, and violence.
He was only human, so seeing such scenes was painful for him.
Nevertheless, he had no choice if he wanted to survive.
Then one day, the captain of the Trading Company called him.
“Is today the last day for Changhae Trading Company to repay its debt?”
“Yes, sir. They have been repaying their debt every month without fail. They are truly an exemplary trading company.”
“They are too honest for their own good.”
“Pardon me?”
“Anyway, this time, you go and collect the money.”
“Me, in person?”
“You said it's the last time, didn't you? So go and tell them that we appreciate their hard work.”
“Oh, I see. Yes, sir.”
Even as he received his orders, he was puzzled.
Since when did Captain Namgung Kang start thinking about the hard work of his debtors?
However, he thought that was right, so he headed for Qingdao without any suspicion.
This was because the headquarters of Changhae Trading Company was located in Qingdao, Shandong.
And on his way back after receiving the money and telling them for their hard work...
His bodyguard whispered to him secretly.
“You must be careful.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The people who are with us now... are dangerous.”
He was startled.
He thought he knew why Captain Namgung Kang had sent him.
It was to get rid of him on his way back with the money.
“For what?”
After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
He knew what their purpose was.
“Come to think of it, I felt sick when I saw those who were trading under the protection of the imperial court.”
This is why he is resorting to such cowardly tactics to take over Changhae Trading Company.
And if this becomes public knowledge, the reputation of Baekcheon Trading Company will be ruined.
Baekcheon Trading Company is a trading company affiliated with the Martial Alliance, which values honor above all else.
If it becomes known that Namgung Kang, the captain of the Baekcheon Trading Company, did such a thing, the senior members of the Martial Alliance will not stand idly by.
He will be dismissed before the grace period is over.
Those who have worked for the Trading Company for a long time are aware of the situation between the senior members of the Martial Alliance and Namgung Kang.
Working for the Baekcheon Trading Company for a long time means that they have connections with the senior members of the Martial Alliance.
It was because he had such connections that he knew these things.
But paradoxically, that was why they wanted to get rid of him.
If word of this got out to the Martial Alliance through him, Captain Namgung Kang's position would be in jeopardy.
In any case, just as he and his bodyguard had expected, the guards who had come to protect him attacked him, trying to take his life.
Thanks to his bodyguard's sacrifice, he was able to escape.
However, they did not give up pursuing him.
He managed to escape by using the emergency funds and smoke bombs he had hidden just in case, but he was now almost at his limit.
Although he had learned martial arts for self-defense, he was only at a second-rate level, so he was unable to shake off his pursuers.
“The Huangbo Clan... It's so far away.”
The place he was heading for was the Huangbo Clan.
It was located in the same Shandong, but as he tried to move while evading pursuit, it felt like a thousand miles away.
“Ugh...”
He frowned at the pain in his side.
The problem was the blood flowing from where he had been stabbed while fleeing from them earlier.
“I've used up all my medicine...”
At that moment, he heard a commotion and saw the light of torches.
“There's blood here!”
“He can't have gone far!”
He begged them not to let them find him, but unfortunately, his wish did not come true.
“There!”
Mo-cheong desperately tried to escape, but his pursuers threw numerous hidden weapons at him.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
He was hit by one of the hidden weapons and rolled down the hillside, and eventually a sword was pointed at his neck.
“Why did you make it so difficult to die like this?”
“Hah! You'll end up just like me.”
“That's true. But what can I do? I want to live a little longer.”
But then...
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the torches they were holding went out. The darkness that came out of nowhere caused the warriors chasing Mo-cheong to panic.
At that moment, Mo-cheong heard someone's voice in his ear.
“Please come with me. There is someone looking for you.”