"Haha, since it is cooperation, it is naturally mutual benefit. Let's talk about it, what is the constitution?" Ma Mingfeng laughed and said to Tong Wei.

Tong Wei's eyes were filled with a smile and said to Ma Mingfeng: "Actually, I have said that my business is quite large. Not only has a market in Yunnan and Guizhou, but also has a large number of caravans in Guangdong and Guangxi. In fact, I also have trade with Westerners, so naturally I also have some large sea boats. Not to mention the number of them, it is still okay to raise a fleet of one or two thousand people. Of course, if you really want to do business with Westerners, you don't have to really cross the ocean to the Western country. There are many Westerners in our Ming Dynasty. Not to mention Taiwan and Macau occupied by Westerners, there are also many Westerners in Guangdong. Therefore, if you get profits in the short term, you only need to create merchant ships from Nanjing to Guangzhou. When you have money in the future, it is not too late to build large sea boats."

"Hmm? This is a good idea, you continue." Seeing that the other party's knowledge was indeed extraordinary, Ma Mingfeng's eyes lit up and he said in praise to Tong Wei.

Tong Wei smiled faintly and continued, "In fact, this idea is effective for royal merchants like you, because the coastal areas are all inspected officers and soldiers. If they are private merchants, once they are caught, they will confiscate all the goods and pay a heavy fine. But you are different. You have an imperial edict issued by the court, who dares not listen? Not only will it be unobstructed along the way, but there is no need to pay taxes. So you only need to transport a lot of goods from the mainland to Guangzhou and sell them to Westerners at a high price, and you can easily make a profit."

"This is what I think at the moment. After all, I don't have the time and energy to directly cross the ocean. When the situation in the Ming Dynasty stabilizes, I will voyage again and compete with foreigners for profit. However, there is one thing we have to be careful about. Westerners have always been profit-oriented. If we see that our goods are valuable enough, it is not ruled out that they will directly rob, so we also need to prepare enough defensive measures. By the way, Lao Tong, can you find a way to get some firearms? It's best to be a warship with artillery. With this thing, we will no longer be worried about robbery."

"Well, what you said is right. This is exactly what I want to say. I didn't expect you to know so well about Westerners. This is unexpected. I can help you get some firearms, but I need to go to Macau to trade with the Portuguese, but the price is not cheap. You need to be mentally prepared for this. And there is another point that it will definitely take longer. I am now in Nanjing, and even if I set off immediately, it will take at least one month to go back and forth. Moreover, the merchants in Macau are weak and they don't have many firearms. Even if we place an order, it will probably take a lot of time."

"Well, there is no need to be such trouble. If they disagree, wouldn't it be enough to directly dispatch troops to surrender them? These people originally obtained the right of residence by bribing officials. As long as their evidence is found, they can completely capture them by bribery and illegal invasion."

"Uh... it's really a domineering person." Tong Wei couldn't help but be shocked when he heard Ma Mingfeng's words. Could this be the big shot? He really can't compare with him.

However, Tong Wei was still a little worried and said to Ma Mingfeng: "Will your actions cause dissatisfaction among Westerners? I heard that Portugal has great power overseas and its power is very good. If they take revenge in a crazy way, it may not be easy to deal with it."

Ma Mingfeng was not worried at all, because he knew that Portugal was just a relatively weak country among the Western powers. Now even Spain is in decline, let alone a weak country like Portugal?

Ma Mingfeng smiled and said, "In fact, using force is not the only choice. As long as Portugal is willing to help, we may not necessarily destroy them. For the time being, we will focus on cooperation, but we still need to prepare for it. Are there any other ships there? As long as there are enough ships for 20,000 people to board, we can rush to Guangzhou tomorrow."

"There are, in addition to large sea boats, my fleet also has hundreds of river boats. These ships can go to Guangzhou along the offshore areas, but you have to consider it. In fact, we could still transport a lot of goods to Macau, and this trip would allow you to earn tens of thousands of taels of silver."

"I've considered it. In fact, it's easy to make money. The key is that you have to have strong power to protect yourself. Do you know the Battle of Songjin? I recently conducted a detailed investigation and learned that the Qing army is now equipped with a large number of Portuguese artillery. Once these troops enter the Central Plains, it is impossible for us to fight against the enemy. So no matter what, I must find a way to arm my army and give them the strength to fight against people."

"But you have to know that this requires a huge amount of silver. According to my estimate, it will cost at least 200,000 taels of silver. You don't care about making money and spending money. What should you explain in front of the emperor? If the emperor is furious, you may not even have a head left. Don't you know which one is more important?"

Tong Wei's face was very surprised. These officials have always regarded their political future as more important than anything else. Why doesn't this official take his official career seriously?

After hearing this, Ma Mingfeng laughed and said, "I know what you are thinking, but you don't know at all. The thief was getting closer and closer to the capital, and the emperor didn't care about these things at all."

"But the bandits will always be repelled one day, right? Once the bandits retreat, the emperor will settle the score in the future, and you will be too guilty." Tong Wei was a little confused. This young man looked quite smart, why didn't he understand so much? In this way, is it not suitable for him to hold this thigh?

But Ma Mingfeng smiled faintly and said, "It may be another result. The bandits did not retreat, but the emperor died for his country."

"You, how dare you have such a bold idea?" Tong Wei's fat face suddenly showed a look of horror. He looked at Ma Mingfeng as if he was looking at a madman.

Ma Mingfeng just smiled, but didn't say anything. Although he knew that Chongzhen would die in the capital soon, he couldn't say it out loud. After all, he and this Tong Wei were not well aware of it, and it was always good to have some reservations.
Chapter completed!