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Chapter 723: Run 3
"…Is there really such a good thing?" It was the first time that Lin Liang heard of such a way of being a ship owner. He was a little unsure for a moment, fearing that he had violated the law.

During the years of reserve training, although I did not learn the academic subjects well, what I could do and what I could not do had already taken root in my mind, and whenever I encountered a problem, the first thing I thought of was to weigh the pros and cons.

"Don't worry, uncle won't hurt you, they are all legitimate goods. Now the sugar mills in Fuzhou and Guangzhou have increased their output greatly, and Time Workshop and Liuguangzhai have opened branches in Foshan and Chaoyang, and more and more cocoa powder, self-ringing clocks and glassware are being shipped to Southeast Asia.

The quantity of these goods is not large, but the price is high, so the freight is naturally high. But the cargo owners don't spend money in vain, they will go to whoever has a fast, stable and safe ship. From Fuzhou to Guangzhou, how many ships are faster, more stable and safer than your two?

I don't know how lucky you are to be able to buy such a good ship from the navy. I have been looking for one for more than a year but still haven't been able to get one. I heard that all the ships retired from the navy, regardless of size, are transferred to the Maritime Affairs Office."

Uncle Fang was not bragging. He has a large fleet and his business covers areas from Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang to Annan and Luzon. He has a lot of contacts and naturally knows a lot. He has long been eyeing retired naval ships, but unfortunately he can only watch them but cannot touch them, which makes him very anxious.

What's even more infuriating is that Lin Liang occupied two good ships for nothing, but was ordered around by a group of small sea merchants who transported bulk cargo all day long. He was busy all year round but didn't earn much money, which was a waste of resources.

If the two companies can cooperate, with each providing the source of goods and Lin Liang being responsible for escorting, that would be perfect. Not only can the son of an old friend make more money, but it can also make the Fang family fleet famous and occupy more market share, a win-win situation.

"Then it's all up to uncle to arrange. I'm not very good at other things, but I'm not afraid of anyone on the sea... I'm not afraid of anyone except the black sailing ship. As long as I'm on the ship, I'll make sure my uncle doesn't get into trouble!"

Since Uncle Fang had made it clear that it was not illegal, Lin Liang had no reason to refuse. He patted his chest and promised that he was capable of transporting the valuable goods and would ensure their safety.

"Don't rush to make promises. If you want to get this kind of business, the first thing you need to do is to reassure the owner. Those people have invested a lot of money. Just talking is useless. The best guarantee is a gun.

As long as they see the guns on board and learn that you have all served in the naval reserve and hold official positions, they will not hesitate to pay less for the freight. And as long as you get to the destination successfully the first time, they will definitely come back to you next time."

Uncle Fang didn't intend to listen to Lin Liang's promise. The thing businessmen talk about the most and are least likely to believe in is oaths. Instead of spending this time thinking about how to strengthen their own abilities, the topic returned to the artillery they had just talked about.

"Hiss... But if we go to Sun Moon Bank for a loan now, can they still provide us with money?"

Lin Liang also agreed with Uncle Fang on how to gain the trust of customers. Moreover, the Navy allowed the installation of artillery on civilian ships, as long as it was registered and kept below a certain number.

But there was one thing Lin Liang was unsure about, which was how to get a loan from Sun Moon Bank. He could use the two ships as collateral to guarantee a loan, but Sun Moon Bank seemed to be on the verge of collapse, so would it continue to lend money?
"Hehe, don't worry about this. We'll know the result in three to five days. Let the guys drive the boat to deliver the goods. You stay and watch. You don't have to go back to Yuegang. Just stay in the city and stay at my house first. Then we can discuss the escort in detail."

At this time, the difference between southern merchants and northern merchants can be seen. If this happened in Tongzhou or Tianjin, the son of the old friend and the grandson of the guide would be short of money and would have to pay for the guns first, and then slowly deduct the money from the ship fare. It's not like they can't get the money. But Uncle Fang didn't say a word and insisted that Lin Liang go to the bank to borrow money. In his way of thinking, partnership is doing business, so it should be done according to the rules of doing business. Friendship is friendship, and you shouldn't bother others with things you can do yourself. If you can't even do this, there is no basis for cooperation.

"Ding ding ding... Fellow villagers of Zhangzhou, listen clearly. The inspection of Sun Moon Bank's payment of 200,000 taels of silver to our distinguished guest from Quanzhou is complete. The bills and silver are clear. Have a safe journey..." As they were speaking, the sound of a gong was heard in the distance, followed by someone singing loudly in a long tone, using his strong breath to make every word and sentence sound clear and not piercing.

"This person might have been trained in the naval reserve, and studied the most difficult subject, navigation." But to Lin Liang, there was another layer of feeling besides the content. From the tone to the way of speaking, he sounded very much like the lookout on the mast of a battleship.

In addition to having a naturally good voice, those people also have to train day and night to make their voices travel far and be heard clearly. Normally, you can't hear them when they talk, but as soon as they shout, they immediately sound like the opera singers in the garden, with pretentious voices.

"As expected, look to the west, the creditor is coming!" Uncle Fang didn't know what the navy ship looked like, and he didn't want to know. His face had a calm expression, but his eyes were always scanning left and right. Suddenly he put down his teacup, pointed towards the road, and stood up to greet him.

At the end of the road came two four-wheeled carriages, painted with lacquer, shiny black, and decorated with white copper, giving them a sense of luxury without being ostentatious. Not only were the carriages magnificent, but the coachmen who drove them were also dressed in silk, with strong shoulders and a round waist, and were very powerful.

The only thing was that the horses pulling the carts looked ordinary. Although they were also black, their fur was not very shiny, and their frames were smaller. There was nothing we could do. We were in the south, and it was difficult to buy tall and fine horses even if we were willing to spend money. It was already difficult to buy four horses with the same fur color.

Before the carriages had completely stopped, several people had already jumped out of the doors. They took a few quick steps and stood in a straight line on the side of the first carriage, and a person slowly walked down from inside.

He was about forty years old, with a sturdy figure and handsome appearance, three strands of beautiful beard floating on his chest, eyes like red phoenixes, eyebrows like sleeping silkworms, square lips, a straight mouth, a full forehead, and a square and round chin.

Anyway, if you use all the words to describe a man's good looks, it won't be too much. This man is really handsome, not in the effeminate way, but in the masculine way.

In addition, he was taller than most people, and just by standing on the street he stood out from the crowd, with an intimidating effect without even showing any emotion, causing the crowd watching the excitement around him to suddenly become silent.

The highlight was his attire. His hair was wrapped in a layer of wrinkled, translucent fabric that fluttered in the breeze. The long gown with a large collar was ordinary in style, but in the sun it cast a faint cloud pattern. And below the waist it suddenly opened up, sticking out like an open umbrella.

With this outfit, the man's original masculine beauty suddenly became like chives mixed in coffee, which changed the taste. It was neither masculine nor effeminate, which was very awkward.

(End of this chapter)