Lu Ming

Chapter 677 Returning to the North ([-])

"woo"

With the sound of the long siren, the cruise ship Huke 028 lowered all its sails.In the cold sea breeze, the cruise ship "smoothly" sailed into the port with the propulsion of the propeller.

The changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution were earth-shaking.

Today, more than half of the new cargo ships in Dayan's maritime system have installed steam power systems.

Although it is only a low-pressure boiler, the convenience of navigation brought about by it is a height that the old world could only achieve in the 19th century.

The low-pressure boiler has a simple design, low cost and easy maintenance, and is very suitable for cruise ships and cargo ships that pursue smooth running.

However, anyone who is knowledgeable knows that what is hidden behind this is actually the weakness of the industrial system.

Fortunately, Rome was not built in a day and took eight years. Everything started from scratch.Even with the help of "imported materials", it is the result of the joint efforts of all traversers to reach the current industrial scale.

When No. 028 entered the port, the following ships began to adjust the sail shape and boiler pressure.They will enter the port one after another in the next few hours. There are only two piers in Dengzhou Xingang, and the fleet will take turns entering and leaving.

Wu Fazheng was wearing a thick cotton robe, standing outside the cabin.At this moment, he was slightly bent, holding the railing made of hollow cast iron pipes with both hands, looking at the pier getting closer and closer, with a calm expression.

Wu Fa boarded the ship from Shanghai Port in early autumn.

After departure, the fleet goes north along the coastline, often berthing at seaports along the way.During the docking period of the fleet, sometimes unloading and sometimes sheltering from the wind, various ships joined and left from time to time.

So stop and go, until today: October 1635, 10.

After more than a month of sea voyage, Wu Fazheng, master and servant, finally arrived at Dengzhou, an important coastal port in northern China in the seventeenth century.

The administrative division of Dengzhou did not exist in later generations, and was replaced by Penglai City.

And today's Dengzhou Port is not in the city of Dengzhou.Wu Fazheng has made this distinction all the way, and now he is very clear about the reasons: Dengzhou Port in the traditional sense is in the city of Dengzhou Prefecture, and it must pass through the Shuiguan.

And what he will be stationed at this time is another "private port" set up by the Cao family on the coast of Daming.

Cao's private port, known as "Dengzhou New Port", is located in the coastal area more than ten miles east of Dengzhou Fucheng.

After the cruise ship landed on the trestle, the first group of passengers who shouted to disembark were the passengers in the economy class who had been nestled in the bottom deck for a long time.

People like Wu Fazheng who live in the upper class cabin and can go out to look at the sea at any time are not so urgent.

In fact, Wu Fazheng's posture today is very plain, to some extent, too plain.The reason is simple: he has seen the same scene many times in his journey.

First of all, Dengzhou Xingang is a square building complex surrounded by earthen walls. It is small in scale and has the layout of an ordinary town.

The height of the ladder-shaped earth wall is not high, but it is thick, flat and well-regulated.

This common "earth enclosure" in the north is exactly the same as the ports that Wu Fazheng saw in Yancheng, Haizhou (Lianyungang), Langya (Qingdao) and other places during his travels.

Secondly, the architectural pattern inside the earth wall is also the same: the boiler room with black smoke in the middle, the commercial and residential area in the inland direction, the storage area on the coastal side, and so on.

In addition, in every port, there will be one or two piers for docking ships, which is incomparable with Shanghai Port.

In the end, there must be a smooth and solid gravel road or cinder road leading to the nearest city in sight.

Dengzhou Port is no exception.The first time Wu Fazheng stepped out of the hatch today, he saw Dengzhou City more than ten miles away, and the gravel road along the seashore.

After most of the passengers disembarked, Wu Fazheng, who was watching silently, said to the old servant in the cabin: "Uncle Ping, let's get off the boat and find something to eat."

The old servant named Uncle Ping, heard the words without saying anything, found a basket, and followed his young master off the boat to improve the food.

Not long after disembarking, the master and servant found a food street in the commercial and residential area of ​​the port based on "experience".

Sitting in the noodle shop, Wu Fazheng looked through the window, and the first thing he saw was the "security guard" standing on top of the earthen wall and patrolling.

To be honest, at first, Wu Fazheng was a little skeptical of these "private soldiers" who were dressed in black and had the word "security guard" painted on their backs with white paint.

You know, this is an era where bandits are rampant and officials and thieves are not distinguished.Wu Fazheng was born in Shanxi, lived near a border town, and heard many stories about various officials and thieves colluding to loot villages.

In his opinion, the series of earthen ports set up by the Cao family in the north of the Yangtze River are perfect for being robbed: there are no high walls, no strong soldiers, and a lot of wealth is accumulated inside.

These are real hard currencies, more real than gold and silver. For example, the grain and rice in the warehouse, the groceries in the warehouse, and the canned food in the warehouse.

However, this point of view dissipated after I accidentally saw a security guard shooting a bandit with a breech-loading gun: the bandit who had ridden a hundred and fifty steps out of the fence was easily killed on the spot by the security guard on the dirt wall .

A few days after seeing the power of the breech-loading gun, Wu Fazheng was on the sea again, and saw the high-speed cruiser fleet sailing like lightning with the flag of Cao character recognition.

While stunned, looking at the ships ahead that instantly turned into black dots, combined with the previous quick shots, Wu Fazheng didn't need much military quality to deduce that the string of earthen fences and ports seemed dangerous and safe, not at all like So isolated on the surface.

The next moment, Wu Fazheng was awakened from his memories by the sliced ​​noodles placed on the table by the waiter.

Silently looking at the bowl of "sliced ​​noodles" piled up with broken fish pieces, cuttlefish arms and legs, kelp and seaweed in front of him, and then at the cover of "authentic Shanxi sliced ​​noodles" hanging in front of the noodle shop, Wu Fazheng was helpless, and Uncle Heping looked at each other with a wry smile With a sound, he picked up the chopsticks and started to eat.

After dinner, after drinking a pot of mellow and bitter Maojian tea, Wu Fazheng, master and servant, shaved their teeth and left the noodle shop in satisfaction.

Next is the established program: bathing.

If there was anything Wu Fazheng found most satisfying about his trip to the south of the Yangtze River, it was taking a bath.You must know that in Shanxi, where water is scarce, even if he is the one who occupies the most resources in the clan, he can't just take a bath if he wants to.

But now, Wu Fazheng knew that as long as he went to places with chimneys and boilers, there was a high probability of finding a bathhouse.

It didn't take long for Master Wu to enjoy the various services provided by the state-run public bathhouse.

While the young master was in the bathhouse, the seasoned Uncle Ping had already purchased local food with a basket.

The master and servant stayed in the cabin that night and did not disembark.

The next day, the fleet was still berthed at Dengzhou Xingang without any major action.Unsurprisingly, Wu Fazheng, now knows the flow of the fleet: Every time he arrives at a private port, there will be one or two transport ships unloading all the grain carried there.

After that, the fleet will set sail.

Early in the morning of the second day, a steady stream of coolies kept carrying bags of grain from the boat.

These grains packed in canvas bags clearly marked their place of origin in ink: Tainan.Variety: Japonica.Grade: three grades.Grain Merchant: COFCO Tainan Branch.

Sitting outside the cabin, with the cold wind blowing, drinking hot tea, and counting the grain bags for a long time in boredom, Young Master Wu finally waited for the cabin to be unloaded.

Next, the young master knew that the last step before the fleet set sail was coming.

as predicted.Early in the morning of the second day, teams of special passengers who had already been waiting at the pier boarded the ship one after another.

These passengers, regardless of gender, age or age, all shaved their heads bald.They have rosy complexions and calm expressions. They wear thick linen overalls, backpacks, and flat canvas hats.

Passengers lining up are very orderly.Taking the family as the unit, they stepped onto the deck of the transport ship silently.

Wu Fazheng knew that these were refugees who had "backlogged" in the private port of Dengzhou.

Every time I went to Cao's private port before, there would always be such a finale show at the end, and it seems that this time is no exception.

An hour later, the sun rose, and the fleet set sail and pulled anchor.

Off the coast of Dengzhou, as Wu Fazheng expected, the cargo ship loaded with refugees, after three whistles, parted ways with the fleet and headed south.

At the same time, Wu Fazheng, who was sitting in the upper class cabin, stretched out his hand, lightly dipped a brush in the ink, and wrote the latest chapter of "Journey to the Southern Regions" on the white paper in front of him intently.

This time, the fleet after setting sail had no reservations.All the boilers were raised, regardless of the fuel problem, and the whole process was fully loaded. It took only one and a half days to cross the Bohai Bay and arrive at the mouth of the Haihe River.

Here, Wu Fazheng feels the same atmosphere as in Shanghai Port: a large number of ships enter and leave the Haihe Estuary, and giant ships sail out to overseas from time to time.

At the mouth of the Haihe River, a large port with steam cranes also appeared.

Arriving here, Wu Fazheng's fleet waited for the pilot boat with colorful flags, and then parted ways again. The cargo ship unloaded at Haihe Port on the spot, while the two cruise ships plunged into the Haihe River and went up the river.

At that time, it was already dark.However, the lights on both sides of the Haihe River and the fuel light buoys on the river guided the cruise ship all the way to the dimly lit place in the distance.

Early the next morning, when Wu Fazheng stepped out of the cabin, what he saw was the bustling wharf.

The terminal station, Tianjin has arrived.

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Although he has never been to Tianjin in his life, since Wu Fazheng was born in a rich family in Shanxi, he must have a foothold in Tianjin.

So when the master and servant arrived at the port, they didn't take any luggage, but hired a carriage on the spot and reported the name of a place.

Not long after, the coachman familiarly parked the carriage at Wu Fazheng's destination: Surabaya Street, in front of Yixinlong Company.

The next moment, after Wu Fazheng got off the carriage, before he could enter the door, a middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper rushed out from the quaint Yixinlong: "Oh, Second Young Master, you have finally arrived. Ah, let Old Wu wait a long time for me!"

(End of this chapter)