Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 63 Water Bandits
After seeing Miguel off, Lin Hai said to Chen and Zhang, "How was it? Are what you just said interesting?"

Zhang Yong nodded slightly, his face still expressionless, but Chen Yaozu clenched his fist and said, "Brother, can you stop using me as a cashier."

Lin Hai smiled and said: "Besides settling accounts, what else can you do? Eat, drink, whore, and gamble?"

Chen Yaozu looked arrogant: "Not only eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, I also want to kill people and set fires, like Waizui and the others, to be a real pirate."

Lin Hai kicked him in the butt: "Do you think I am a pirate leader?"

Chen Yaozu rubbed his butt and said: "Brother, don't deny it. I just heard it really clearly. Then you give me a boat and I will help you beat the red hair. Oh...you still kick it, it hurts!"

That afternoon, the Bowang docked at the port near Lihaisuo.Wu Mengren was waiting at Li Hai's place as promised. In addition to two hundred loads of fine Qili silk, he also brought six team leaders.

Among them is a father and son surnamed Ruan. It is said that the father participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan and Aid Korea 30 years ago, served as a captain in Deng Zilong's navy, and personally experienced the Battle of Luliang.This person was not only familiar with the needle route to Dengzhou, but also ran the route from North Korea to Japan. Wu Mengren found him specially for Lin Hai.

Lin Hai was overjoyed. Anyone who said that Master Ren Wu was unreliable would have his head smashed.Master Ren Wu even found a team leader who was familiar with the Asahi-Japan route, which is rare in Zhejiang.

He called Lao Ruan aside, held his hand personally and said: "Dad Ruan, you are always an old hero! General Deng sacrificed his life for the country. Lin has always respected him the most, and he must not treat the old general's old subordinates badly. That's it. , Father Ruan and your son both get three times their wages to show some respect from Lin, but don’t tell the other team leaders.”

Lao Ruan was moved to tears. He was from Kuaiji County and was well aware of the power of the Wu family in Shanyin.Since Mr. Ren Wu was very polite to Lin Hai, the ship owner naturally had a lot of background. I didn't expect that an old team leader like him could be so highly regarded.

These team leaders are all from the lower class. Although they are hard workers on the ship, most of them are illiterate. The acupuncture techniques are passed down orally from master to apprentice and from father to son.In addition, an ocean-going ship must be equipped with at least three or four captains, so these people are slightly stronger than ordinary sailors, and are often still lowly people in the eyes of shipowners.

Most of the captains of the navy were recruited as volunteers. To put it bluntly, they were temporary workers. Lao Ruan stayed in North Korea after the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and Aid Korea, making a living on the merchant ship of Goryeo Bangzi. He returned to his hometown only after he was old and frail.The main reason why he was willing to travel a long way this time was to take care of his newly born son and pass on the family's cooking skills.

Lao Ruan is a real person, and he wants to find a good employer for his son to work for for a long time. Hearing this, he said repeatedly: "My employer is too polite, too polite... My son should go back to Beiyang for the first time, and his employer will give him food." .”

Lin Hai waved his hand grandly: "I've always said the right thing, so it's settled. My son's wages will also be given to you later. You must not let the news slip, lest the other team leaders will be unhappy."

Lao Ruan burst into tears with gratitude and said: "Don't worry, boss, I won't even tell my son. This old man will keep this money to marry him a wife."

Lin Hai returned to the Bowang with six team leaders and [-] loads of Qilisi, and ordered to sail to Chongming immediately.Miguel's dozen foreigners stayed at the front of the gun deck, which was located under the front deck. In addition to the side guns and hanging hammocks, they would not pass through here whether loading or unloading cargo.

After the Bowang left Li Hai Station, Lin Hai called Miguel to the cargo hold, pointed at the boxes of raw silk as white as snow and said, "Master Marquis, please see, is this genuine Qili silk?"

The two hundred loads of raw silk weighed a total of [-] kilograms. Miguel carefully inspected the boxes one by one and said excitedly: "The texture of these raw silks is better than the seven-mile silk from Haojing."

Lin Hai smiled and said: "That's because most of Haojing's Qili silk is not authentic enough. Strictly speaking, the most authentic Qili silk is produced in Qili Village, Nanxun Town, Fuzhou, Huzhou. The Ming Emperor's dragon robe was woven from this raw silk. . If the standards are slightly relaxed, then all high-quality raw silk produced in Nanxun Town can be called Qili silk."

Miguel suddenly asked: "Is it possible that Haojing's Qili silk is not produced in Nanxun Town at all?" Lin Hai shook his head and said: "Most of them are not. In fact, Haojing's Qili silk can only be called Hu silk, which is raw silk produced in Huzhou Prefecture. .Although it is not as good as Nanxun Qili silk, it is still the best raw silk from Jiangnan."

Miguel nodded repeatedly and said, "What is the purchase price for these two hundred tons of seven-mile silk?"

Lin Hai stretched out two fingers and said: "Twenty-two thousand taels. The market price of Qilisi in Jiangnan is 2000 taels per load. I have established a long-term cooperation with a wealthy businessman in Jiangnan. As long as you wholesale more than a hundred loads at a time, you can get each load." Discount of ten taels.”

Miguel said: "You have invested most of your wealth on this batch of raw silk?"

Lin Hai smiled and said, "If it were you, wouldn't you do this?"

Miguel laughed: "I will put it all in. There is no safer business in the world than raw silk."

This is the benefit of bulk cargo. Due to high demand, prices are relatively stable everywhere.It can be said that as long as nothing happens at sea, there is basically no possibility of losing money in raw silk trading. Of course, it is impossible to obtain returns that far exceed expectations.

Lin Hai also laughed: "Heroes think alike. In fact, I have invested all my wealth."

Miguel wondered: "I remember that at the Fujian Zhongzuo Institute, the deer skins and other goods on the ship were sold for more than 3 taels."

Lin Haidao: "That's right, but I left 5000 taels of silver in Zhongzuo Institute. And I want to buy another boat and recruit more sailors."

Miguel puzzled: "However, the cargo hold of the Bowang is not too full, and the sailors on the ship are more than enough to drive two hard sailing ships."

Lin Hai smiled and said: "Then the manpower on the Bowang will be too few."

Miguel knew that Lin Hai's words must have profound meaning, so he stopped asking when he saw that he didn't want to say more.

Early the next morning, the Bowang had sailed to Suzhou Dayang, east of Songjiang Prefecture.Lin Hai was lying in bed in the stern cabin reading when he suddenly ran over panting with courage and said hurriedly: "Brother, there is a group of water bandits hijacking the ship ahead, and Mr. Shi wants to take advantage of it. I think there is something weird about that ship. I’ll come to you right away.”

Lin Hai was curious about what made Zhang Yong, who was always calm, in such a hurry, and quickly asked: "What's weird?"

Zhang Yong replied: "The flag of the Haidao Yamen was hung on the ship, and it said 'Zhejiang Haidaohong'."

Lin Hai was surprised. There were such arrogant water bandits in Songjiang who even dared to rob the Haidao Yamen's ship. It couldn't be that Hong Chengchou was on board, right?

(End of this chapter)