Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 664

As the Dutch lifted the naval blockade of Bacheng, the battle in West Java began to spread in all directions.When the news arrived in Borneo, the various Chinese forces on the island were collectively confused, and they realized how thick Beihai Town's waist was.If people want to clean up themselves, it is definitely a matter of minutes.

Therefore, no matter whether it is Dongwanlu's Lanfang Company or Dachaolu's Heshun Company, all the big figures couldn't sit still anymore. They no longer dared to send an envoy to make connections. Instead, they brought gold and diamonds and other important gifts with them. , Baba'er came to the city of Baba by boat.Among all the visitors, Lanfang Company moved the fastest.But this is also normal, who let people occupy the mouth of the Kapuas River, which is the busiest for shipping.

Luo Fangbai spent almost all of his days in the deputy hall of Xinbutou, and he went back to Dongwanlu once during the period, so as soon as the news arrived, he took Wu Yuansheng, Jiang Wu and others on the bus to Bacheng the next day. merchant ship.He knew very well in his heart that if he wanted to continue to grow the cause of the Lanfang Society in West Borneo, he had to hold on to the thigh of Beihai Town.

At noon three days later, when Luo Fangbai's boat sailed into Bacheng Port, he did not see the rumored "Jinglei" nor the "Nanhua No. [-]" that once appeared on the Kajiang River. Giant sailing ships of different sizes parked quietly on the water in the port.Although the huge "VOC" on the stern has not been replaced, the flags on the top of the mainmast have all been replaced with the red flags of the Northern Navy, and soldiers with guns can be seen walking back and forth on the decks of the ships. .

"My God! Beihai Town really made a lot of money this time!"

Holding a binoculars, Wu Yuansheng stared wide-eyed, with an envious look on his face.Although he has been in Southeast Asia for so many years, he has never seen so many large sailing ships gathered in one place.It's no wonder that he has been ruling Dai Yan for more than ten years, but Dai Yan is deep in the interior of West Borneo, and can only rely on the Kapuas River to conduct business with Lanfang.

Jiang Wudao at the side: "I heard people from Zhanglin say that the king of Zhao is now sitting on thousands of miles of mountains and rivers outside the pass, and the court has even lost the land of Longxing. Their big iron boat even went to Dagukou .”

"Where is Dagukou?" Wu Yuansheng is also from Jiaying Prefecture, but he is not familiar with the north, and he has been away from home for many years, so he no longer cares much about things on the mainland.

Jiang Wu thought for a while and said: "Uh, it should be in the northeast of Shandong. I heard that it is very close to the capital, and it seems to be more than 300 miles away."

"Oh~~~" Wu Yuansheng nodded, but he said curiously: "Fifth brother, I don't understand. Since they have all hit the door of the capital's house, why didn't they rush into the capital?"

"Yuansheng, the capital is so easy to fight!" Jiang Wu chuckled, and continued to explain based on the gossip he heard from Guangdong: "That's where the emperor is, guarded by a 10,000+ army."

Wu Yuansheng sighed suddenly, and said sadly: "Let's not talk about the capital city, I've never even been to Guangzhou city, I'm afraid I won't be able to go back in this life."

His words hit the heart of the Hakka people on board, and everyone was silent.At this moment, Luo Fangbai, who was standing not far behind the two of them, suddenly said, "Yuan Sheng, what you said may not be true, maybe we can go back to Jiaying soon to have a look."

"Hey!" Wu Yuansheng slapped his forehead, thinking how he forgot about this!As long as you are satisfied with the "true Buddha" in Bacheng, everything is possible.

Luo Fangbai smiled while twirling his gray beard, and then turned his gaze to the dome of Bacheng Church in the distance.Before he came, he had already heard that the reason why the Northern Navy was able to defeat the Dutch this time was that King Zhao, whose name was only known but not known, was personally in command.He didn't know how to deal with such a person.

Because there were quite a lot of merchant ships arriving at the port today, Luo Fangbai and the others waited for a long time before the pilot boat came.After the Bacheng Customs officers boarded the ship, when they learned that these people came to pay a visit to King Zhao from West Borneo, the two customs clerks from Zhangzhou could not help showing a bit of complacency, saying that you Hakkas finally know how to bow your heads up.

When checking the list of goods, a clerk spoke in Fuzhou vernacular and said in a serious tone: "Is there any opium in the goods? No wonder I didn't mention it in advance. If there is any private possession, it should be handed over early. Once it goes ashore, it can be sold or smoked." Those who were found to reach one catty were beheaded without any discussion, and those who were less than one catty were sent to the plantation for six months of hard labor."

A group of visitors from West Borneo were shocked when they heard the words, and they thought to themselves what kind of rule is this?Wu Yuansheng laughed instead of anger: "It's funny! Do I have to behead myself if I smoke it?"

"My King Zhao hates opium the most. His old man said that opium is a poison, which can bewitch people's minds and destroy people's wealth. If it spreads poison in the world, it will cause more disaster than floods and beasts, so the law should be strict."

Wu Yuansheng laughed, and was about to say that Beihai Town was making a big fuss, when Jiang Wu hurriedly stepped forward, and said to the clerk, "Don't worry, I'm here to meet King Zhao, so how dare you bring prohibited items? Local ordinance?"

After the customs officer issued a document for permission to land, Jiang Wu said goodbye to Wu Yuansheng: "Brother Wu, I heard in Guangzhou that King Zhao used a large iron boat to bombard Dahengqin Island and Dahengqin Island in the early years. Do you know the forts of the Portuguese in Macau?"

"Also ask Brother Wu for advice."

Jiang Wu saw that everyone came over, and then said: "The English used to set up warehouses there to store goods, including a lot of opium; as for the Portuguese, they also smuggled a lot to Guangdong. At that time, the whole Hengqin Island was beaten. It became a sea of ​​flames, and the fire lasted for three days and three nights before it was extinguished, and the Niangma Pavilion Fortress in Macau was also blown to pieces."

Everyone looked at each other in astonishment, only to hear Luo Fangbai say: "Since that's the case, you must not bring opium ashore, it's breaking other people's rules. If you have an addiction, then go back to the boat and drink your fill."

"Follow Brother Luo's orders!"

After a group of people took the pilot boat ashore, as usual, they first went along the channel to the customs office to apply for a temporary ID card.Fortunately, some of the accompanying people had been to Beihai Town before and knew the rules there.In order to avoid the attention of interested people, Luo Fangbai and Wu Yuansheng did not use their real names when registering, but used Luo Fangbai and Wu Sheng.

All the paperwork for registration went smoothly, but when it came time for the mugshot, trouble started.One of Luo Fangbai's subordinates in the front line, when he saw the first photo of his life, he burped in his throat, rolled his eyes, and fainted on the spot.When Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng and others saw the photos that fell on the ground, they were all shocked.

Since Zhao Xin arrived, the military control committee has taken advantage of the opportunity of the Dutch war of aggression to take photos of the residents inside and outside the city in batches to make ID cards, and the customs also have to take photos of the immigrants.

Don’t think it’s easy. Before implementing this measure, the Bacheng Military Control Committee, in addition to posting notices, played it continuously on the loudspeaker for several days. As local Chinese leaders, the Huang family, Wang family, Lin family and other big families were all arrested. Order to take the lead in participating, and then have to publicize it to the residents of the city to eliminate their misunderstandings.

Not to mention, at the scene of applying for ID cards, two Dutch spies were found out. Both of them were scared to pee when they were taking their mugshots.As a result, this matter got to the mouths of the common people, and it was rumored that the old men in Beihai Town had a "demon mirror" in their hands, as long as they did not do anything wrong, as long as they were spies for the Dutch, they would look at it. The truth is revealed.

Although Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng, and Jiang Wu were equally apprehensive about the clear and realistic mugshots, they all participated in battles with weapons and even wars to achieve their status today.It is okay to fool the people with such things as demons and ghosts, and they will not be afraid!

Faced with such a situation, the customs officer who has seen it all the time first showed his ID card and work card with a big head photo to Luo Fangbai; It existed in the Northern Song Dynasty before, but it was gradually lost because of the war.

"Could it be that the people of the former Song Dynasty used it, but they can't use it today? What a joke!"

Hearing the taunting taunts from the customs clerk, Wu Yuansheng couldn't help but said, "Don't wait to see people through a pinhole! Diao Remu, a certain family will come first!"

Let's cut it short.A group of people from Lanfang Company went through a lot of tossing, and finally each of them had a temporary ID card, and they came out from the gate on the other side of the customs office in a daze, all covered in white sweat.After entering the city and looking for a hotel to check in, the shopkeeper really asked everyone's ID cards to read them one by one, and registered them in the booklet, and then asked the clerk to lead them to the upper room to stay.

After washing and changing his clothes, Jiang Wu hurried to the military control building on the other side of the river with the greeting card he had written in advance.It was not time for dinner yet, so Luo Fangbai called Wu Yuansheng and planned to go out for a walk.He had heard from Jiang Wu before that the law and order in Bacheng was very good, so in order not to attract attention, he only brought two of his best men.

When they walked out of the hotel and came to the edge of the canal, there was a burst of beautiful silk and bamboo music in their ears, and there was even a female voice singing, but the two of them looked around and couldn't see it at all. When I arrived at the restaurant and tea shop, I was a little dazed.

What surprised them even more was that both sides of the rumored beautiful Bacheng Canal turned out to be a large construction site. Not only was the water in the canal drained, but a large group of workers were digging the mud with shovels; Some trees have also been cut down, and some people are digging the roots with iron picks.

Although Wu Yuansheng called himself "Master Dai Yan", he was actually just a general under Luo Fangbai.As long as Luo Fangbai is still around, it is impossible for him to become king on his own.Seeing the scene in front of him, he was a little curious for a while, so he found a nearby worker who was digging the roots of the tree, and asked him a friendly question.

"Brother, why are you cutting down this nice coconut tree?"

Although the worker heard Wu Yuansheng speaking Chaozhou dialect, he must be a man of status from the gorgeous clothes, and he could take a rest by borrowing the words, so he stopped what he was doing and wiped himself with the towel around his neck. Khan clasped his hands and saluted: "So that the master will know. The adults of our military control committee have said that in the future, oil palms will be planted on both sides of the river bank. Coconut trees are useless."

"What is oil palm?"

"Well, I heard that it is a kind of tree that can grow oily fruit, and can extract a lot of oil. Not to mention the city, there are a lot of them outside the city." The worker's throat twitched, and he said excitedly: "The radio said that in a few years, we won't be short of gas."

"Oil grows on trees? How much oil can a tree produce?" Wu Yuansheng felt a little unbelievable. Although there are Chinese people in Dai Yanguo who grow rapeseed to extract oil, how much oil can that thing produce per acre of land?

The worker counted with his fingers, and then said: "Forty or fifty catties, I heard it from the radio."

Whoa!Not to mention Wu Yuansheng, even Luo Fangbai standing behind him was shocked when he heard it.However, he heard the other party mention "broadcasting" twice, so he asked: "May I ask what is broadcasting?"

The worker knew that the people in front of him must be coming to Bacheng for the first time, so he looked around, pointed to a dozen meters away and said, "That's the radio. Listen, it's playing "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" right now." !"

Luo and Wu came to the pillar with the big horns hanging on them, looked up for a while, and then they realized that the sound of silk and bamboo that they heard just now came from the two bright gray horns above their heads. surprise.

"Brother Luo, what's the point? How can someone hide and sing in there?"

Luo Fangbai was born as a scholar, but he crossed the ocean to Pontianak because of repeated failures in the local examinations. When he first arrived, he taught for two years.His cultural level is already at the top in West Borneo, and it is precisely because of this that he can be supported by a group of low-level immigrants.But even though he had read a lot of books, he couldn't explain what was happening in front of him.

Whether it's the ID card, the headshot, or the "oil palm" in the mouth of the worker and the "broadcast" in front of him, it makes him feel unbelievable. Falling into the clouds, I want to meet the legendary "King Zhao" more and more.

It is said that although Zhao Xin made a public appearance in Bacheng, not many people know his specific appearance; except for the few upper-class figures of Huang Mianshe, ordinary people have only seen him from a distance.So in the rumors in the market, Zhao Xin was portrayed as nine feet tall, with his ears hanging down his shoulders, his hands above his knees, and even his eyes with double pupils and the sun horns.

Seeing that Brother Luo didn't recognize him, Wu Yuansheng was stunned for a while, and suddenly proposed to go to the fort at the port to see the cannons of the North Navy, which are now very famous in Borneo.

"Hey~~Yuan Sheng, are those military and national weapons something that ordinary people can see?"

"Brother Luo, even if you are far away, you can see the layout of the fort. Maybe we can use it when we return to Pontianak."

Luo Fangbai knew what the other party said was reasonable, so he nodded in agreement.When they were on the pilot boat before, they all saw the forts on the left and right sides of the shore.The West Fort is on the southwest side of the pier and is farther away, while the East Fort is on the east side of the bastion on the east bank of the canal and is closer.

The four of them crossed the wooden bridge built on the dry canal, then walked north, and then came to the coast, walked under the outer wall of the castle, and the fort was just 300 meters away.

Sure enough, when they came 200 meters away from the fort, they saw a big sign on the ground, which said "Military important area, it is strictly forbidden to cross", in addition to a big red cross.However, the eyes of the four people only stayed on the sign for a moment before they were attracted by several people who were dozens of steps behind the sign.

Under a huge parasol, a tall man wearing a straw hat was sitting in front of an iron frame, holding a cattail fan and kept fanning it. It was full, as if it was baking something.A few steps behind the man, a burly man was sitting firmly on the horse harness, looking at Luo Fangbo and the others.

Wu Yuansheng wrinkled his nose, thinking he was grilling prawns?

Through the curling smoke, on the beach opposite the man, an extremely pretty young woman was running and jumping barefoot on the beach.As the sea breeze blows, a head of long hair like a cloud like a waterfall rises with the wind, looking very elegant and agile.And at her feet, there was a big yellow cat following her.

The man holding the fan had already seen the four of Luo Fangbai, and was about to get up to greet him, when the woman picked up something from the sea, ran to the man with her hands in her hands, raised her hand and sprinkled it on him.Although the man hurriedly dodged, some seawater still wet his clothes, and the woman laughed happily when she saw this.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Luo Fangbai couldn't help being dazed.What a system this is!

(End of this chapter)