Lu Ming

Chapter 332 Recruiting Journey ([-])

On January 1629, 1, the lucky ship "Qingde" that Yu Xianke was on slowly moored on the trestle of Xiamen Port.

"Qingde" is a 400 material blessing boat that is probably new and in good condition.Since Yu Xianke planned to go to both Dayuan and Fuzhou for this voyage, he must have a good boat.

That day, after he and Liu Xiang made up their minds, they packed some gold and silver jewelry, rare gifts, and various groceries on the Qingde ship, and then picked out a few pirate attendants who seemed to be in good condition, and then set off to the north. Row.

As for Guangzhou in the south, Hu Shishi, the deputy military adviser, was responsible for finding a way out.

Yu Xianke set off from Chaoshan 10 days ago. He didn't want to encounter strong winds on the way, so he had to delay for a few days before arriving in Xiamen.

Fuchuan was not questioned along the way, because the ships going to Xiamen now have a fixed coastal route.All ships on this route will eventually be inspected at Xiamen Port, so Kunren's patrol boats often just pass by.So the Qingde followed a merchant ship far behind, and swaggered to Xiamen.

For traditional Ming people like Yu Xianke, this time point is just an ordinary day on the eve of the Lunar New Year.But for a certain force, the spirit of the conference has just been conveyed to the grassroots, and the whole country is in an atmosphere of opening a new chapter and flourishing.

So when the Fuchuan docked at the port, what I saw was a more prosperous scene than before.

The original Zhongzuosuo Wharf has changed drastically at this moment: the dilapidated wooden trestle has disappeared, replaced by several wide and long stone trestles that penetrate deep into the sea.

These trestles are all high-end trapezoidal structures, and the neat rectangular large rocks are piled up into geometric shapes, with gray and white cement colors revealed in the gaps, which can ensure three-sided parking and passengers can get on and off at the same time.

Smoking black smoke and shining with metallic luster, the big orange is busy hoisting the cargo in the cabin onto the flatbed truck.

Accompanied by the roar of the machines, there are laborers pushing carts with bare arms in the cold northern monsoon, shouting and pushing.

Since the Qingde was not here for trading, it didn't have much cargo to unload.And when Yu Xianke faced a few port officers who came on board to check in blue jackets and training caps, he generously showed his identity, and took out the silver and tried to give them to each other, " Please also send a message to your superiors, there is an envoy from shopkeeper Liu Xiangliu to come to visit."

Yu Xianke was forced to do so: since Li Kuiqi lost the battle that day and the Cao family occupied Xiamen, not long after, the semi-public "consulates" left by shopkeepers in Fuzhou City were all destroyed. .

After Xiong Wencan inspected the real achievements of the cross-travelers, he immediately ordered that all the people in Fuzhou City be arrested for the crime of banditry, all the title deeds of the shops were seized, and all the goods were confiscated to the government.So the big and small officials and subordinates in Fuzhou City made a fortune again - due to the sudden incident, the money that the pirates sold the order flags in these shops did not have time to transfer.

This trend quickly spread throughout Fujian: anyway, Wu was supported by Cao's soldiers and horses, and Wen was supported by old bears, so they were arrogant and domineering in the past, almost openly sitting in the shop to sell the group of people They were taken down overnight by the local governments and thrown into prisons.

Now half a year has passed, and the local governments, who were still holding a wait-and-see attitude, discovered that General Cao was really not the one who built it: even a small group of pirates along the coast of Fujian have been strangled by dragnets.So everyone didn't hesitate any longer, and all the people who were imprisoned were pulled out and had their heads chopped off.

From this moment on, the pirates who had been arrogant for many years were completely interrupted.No one dared to claim that he was under a certain shopkeeper anymore, and a "strike hard" atmosphere had formed in the whole of Fujian, and all the activities of the pirates on the shore had been transferred underground.

In this situation, there was no need for Yu Xianke to contact the local spies: anyway, he would go to Kunren's door, why not be aboveboard?
So today, after Yu Xianke revealed his identity, he handed over the money.

However, these "gentlemen" in front of him brought him a different customer experience: when the leader saw the hand stretched out, he smiled and pushed Yu Xianke's hand back: "If you don't need money, I will do it too." There is no need to notify you."

Having said that, the port officer turned around and pointed to the center left city in the distance: "If it's business, you can go to the city to see the general yourself."

Seeing Yu Xianke nodding stupidly, several officials checked the cabin as usual, and did not tamper with the belongings during the period.

After the inspection, since the Qingde did not need to unload the cargo, after asking about the berthing time, the port officer simply issued a bill for the diversion fee and the berthing fee, and then pointed out the payment point on the shore.

After the incident, the leader kindly pointed out the location of the local hotel to the visitors, and then they left. There was no threat or threat, as if the name "Liu Xiang" was soy sauce. Yu Xianke, who was holding the receipt, didn't relax for a long time.

While lamenting the good governance of the Cao family, he ordered people to carry the goods and gifts. After Yu Xianke explained a few words to the crew leader who stayed on the boat, he took his entourage off the boat.

After walking down the trestle bridge, several people who were all too familiar with this place lost their way for a while.

The muddy coastline in my memory has long been replaced by bright concrete roads and rows of long brick buildings.If you look into the distance, you can still see the Huandao Road, which is being extended a little bit and is under continuous construction.

People come and go on the pier, and the wheels converge.Merchants, laborers, horse-drawn carriages, and sedan chairs flowed in an endless stream, but they were neat and tidy, which made Yu Xianke and his party, who came here for the "first time", inexplicably felt a strange feeling.

Yu Xianke led his entourage and walked slowly along the street in the direction pointed out by the gentleman, while observing secretly. It didn't take long for him to really see some tricks.

He found that pedestrians, carriages and horses on the street were separated according to the speed of travel.

Pedestrians like him have to walk on the red brick pavement that is one step higher on both sides of the street.Next to the steps are sedan chairs, poles and other slow-moving things, and in the middle of the street is the fast-moving path for carriages and carts.

And on the broad street, someone painted the grid with white paint, and divided it into left and right sides - there were Tolerances holding short sticks and wearing red and yellow helmets patrolling the middle of the street, but some pedestrians and vehicles did not follow the rules. Those who move forward with the right hand will be driven back by tolerance.

In addition, there are garbage bins and street sweepers cleaning up garbage at every interval on the road. The mess, thieves, beggars and lingering stench on the traditional pier are not here.

"There are rules and regulations for walking, stopping, advancing and retreating, and orderly rule. It seems that this General Cao is a person with a big structure." After Yu Xianke understood the traffic rules here, he couldn't help but nodded secretly, and commented on General Cao Another level higher.

The planning of Xiamen Port is very advanced compared to this era.The wharf not only has well-equipped roads, residences, warehouses, and various mechanical equipment, but also plans various functional areas in advance in accordance with the common practice of later generations.For example, bad-tasting fish docks and cold storage are located away from commercial areas.

After Yu Xianke and his party walked along the sidewalk for about half a mile, they arrived at the business district.

Since it is a commercial area, the architectural pattern is better than the office area just now: the office area is all warehouses and two-story long buildings without exception. The lines and colors are very dull, except for the large pieces of glass on the windows. And outside of the nice concrete floor, there isn't much to see.

The business district is different.Although the pavement facing the street is also a two-story brick-concrete building, the businessmen from all over the place who bought this land were not poor, so there are all kinds of glazed tiles, all kinds of hanging corner cornices, and all kinds of interior decoration. The whole commercial street is dressed up like the later generations There is no difference between those antique streets, the combination of ancient and modern, antique and flavorful.

Yu Xianke and the others quickly opened a room in a high-end hotel in the business district.After enjoying the astonishing hot water bath and the smell-free toilet, Yu Xianke specially invited the shopkeeper of the inn, took out the money, and verified what the dock officials just said.

The innkeeper naturally knew everything when he saw Yin Zi, and besides, many of the guests who lived here originally came to do various business affairs.So the shopkeeper told Yu Xianke very familiarly: If you want to see General Cao, you don't need to go through the door, just go to Zhongzuo City tomorrow to register and make an appointment.

Yu Xianke felt relieved after hearing this.

Early the next morning, he took his entourage and some gifts, packed a carriage, and walked along a lonely cement road leading to the middle left Suocheng, and soon arrived in front of Suocheng.

The previous city was built of stone.Now, the outer wall of the Zhongzuo city has been renovated, not only covered with bricks, but also covered with a layer of cement, and there are watchtowers and machine gun nests at the four corners, which is obviously a military important posture.

There is naturally a group of guards in front of the city gate.

After announcing his intention, Yu Xianke saw a vice-lord wearing a weird hat with a pistol in his waist turning around and entering a small wooden house.Soon after, he was allowed to enter the city—all his entourage, carriage, and gifts were stopped in front of the gate of the city.

After following a small soldier through the gate of Suocheng, Yu Xianke couldn't help being stunned again: The inside of Suocheng has completely changed.

All the buildings he was familiar with had been demolished and replaced by the red brick two-story building and concrete floor outside.In addition, according to legend, the pier where "Lord Lei" was placed stands at a corner of the city, and Yu Xianke saw a silver pot that was constantly rotating on an iron tower.

The next moment, a large number of soldiers who were training on the playground shouted slogans. The loud and orderly sound made Yu Xianke lower his head hurriedly, and followed the soldiers silently to a small building next to the city gate.

After being searched by the guards at the gate, Yu Xianke was able to enter the small building and sat down in a room that looked like a reception room.

After a while, a tall, fair-skinned man in a blue shirt came in from the door.

(End of this chapter)