Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 116 British businessman: Don’t break up the vote, ask Widow Zhang to translate!
There is not enough wood for shipbuilding;
He sent people to Anhui to purchase pine, fir, and beech wood, as long as they were old enough for retting.

They were tied into wooden rafts and pulled by boats down the river.

He asked the Suzhou government office to issue a few more official documents, and Lao Hu sent a team of green soldiers to escort them. "

As the political environment eases,
The Li Jiajun also began to gradually become regular and elite.

All the 500 musketeers under his command were equipped with flintlock rifles and Mini bullets, and they lined up for 10 rounds of shooting training every day.

The 200-sword shield player trains every day in Dongshan in the name of team training.

The artillery battalion had 50 guns, ranging from 2 to 6 pounds.

We also welcomed a professional,
The colleague introduced by Lao Hu was Lao Chen, an officer of the Green Battalion Artillery Corps who was farming in his hometown due to injury.

It was obvious that he was very depressed.

The clothes were shabby, he was shockingly thin, he was leaning on a cane, and there was a young man behind him.

"Zize, come and meet me quickly."

Li Yu helped the two of them up and let the father and son settle down first.

In two days, try his artillery skills.

If your crotch is stretched, go to the mines and work as a cook, and you will have three meals a day.

If you have two brushes, go to the artillery camp to work.

It doesn't matter if you are lame;
It is a great achievement to impart experience and techniques to the gunners.

Equivalent to combat staff.

……

The biggest problem of Li Jiajun's artillery team is lack of experience.

For fixed targets, a target of about 1 mile is fine.

Far away, when you need to consider the ballistic parabola, it's like rolling a dice.

Not to mention the moving target.

Li Yu hoped that the arrival of this former Green Camp artillery officer would improve the situation.

According to Lao Hu,
He, a colleague and fellow countryman, had witnessed the grand scene of the Jinchuan bombardment.

Hope he didn't brag.

"Dad, these people don't look like soldiers from the imperial court. Are they planning to become the second Jinchuan?"

"You don't need to tell me, I have already seen it."

"Then don't we also become rebels?"

"I have been worthy of the court. It's time to think about myself and your future."

Lao Chen is very calm.
He has already seen that the poor Xiao Hu who once squatted in the grass together is now prosperous.

Now Sanjin's house is occupied, wine and meat are eaten, and horses are ridden.

He also has a concubine from Jiangnan.

There are hundreds of brothers down there, so much prestige.

It’s heart-wrenching that the brothers are so successful.

What he said was actually meant for other people.

The servant waiting on the side quickly repeated the original words to Li Yu.

……

Another imperial edict came from the capital,
This time, everyone was surprised that it was Huang Wenyun who was recruited to Beijing to face the saint.

There was a lot of rumors in Fucheng, and many people were envious.

If you perform well in person, you will leave an impression.

From now on, getting promoted is not just a rocket ride.

While Huang Wenyun was excited, he was also a little stressed.

Li Yu was called in to discuss it again.

During this time, he developed a great deal of dependence.

Because every step of Li Yu's guidance was correct.

Many people in the government secretly jokingly said,

In Suzhou Prefecture, half of the people have the surname Huang and the other half have the surname Li.

If you can't handle something, go to Lijiabao to worship Bodhisattva.

"Congratulations to Mr. Huang, congratulations to Mr. Huang. When I go to the capital, I will definitely meet you in the emperor's heart. I hope you will be appointed as a high official in the border area within three years."

"Oh, I am very confused."

Li Yu casually put the gift on the table.
Mrs. Huang brought tea, a treatment that ordinary people could not enjoy.

"Brother Yu, just come and bring any gifts."

"I passed by a small shop and picked something at random. I wonder if it suits Mrs. Huang's wishes?"

When I took it apart, it turned out to be a Zhi Bu Yao.

Gold hairpin with ruby ​​embedded in the tail.

If you look closely, there are patterns on the hairpin.

Hanging down is a 10-faceted diamond, which is eye-catching.

……

Is there any woman in this world who doesn’t love jewelry?

Unless, she has a bigger and heavier one at home.

In this regard, men are indeed more greedy.

Even though there are beautiful flowers at home, he still likes the wild flowers on the roadside when he goes out.

Even if it is inconvenient to pick, you still have to use boots to pick it.
Mrs. Huang fell in love with this piece of jewelry at first sight. She smiled brightly and turned to look for the bronze mirror.

Huang Wenyun sighed:

"Next time, don't waste it like this."

"Don't worry, Mr. Huang, I won't do this again."

Next, comes the core topic.

"My dear brother, what should I do before I go to the capital? Also, there are so many princes and ministers, which temples should I worship? How many kilograms of pig heads should I carry?"

"Let me think about it."

"well."

Li Yu closed his eyes, afraid that his eyes would reveal his true emotions.

In Huang Wenyun's eyes, he was somewhat solemn.

After about a cup of tea, he opened his eyes and spoke.

"The imperial prelude is right, the Sacred Heart is unpredictable. No matter how many ways he comes, I only go three ways."

"what?"

"First of all, the emperor is always wise. Whatever he says, you must immediately support it. Even if he wants to fill up Taihu Lake."

"I know this well."

"Second, Suzhou Prefecture will crack down hard."

"what for?"

"Severely crack down on the anti-Qing and anti-Manchu elements. Request an order from the emperor and work hard for 180 days to uncover the hidden hostile forces in Suzhou Prefecture. Regardless of the officials, civilians, gentry, and merchants, we will arrest them all and return the Qing Dynasty to a stable and prosperous Jiangnan."

"Is this the emperor's intention?"

Li Yu smiled and said nothing.
Don’t say it, just say it.It’s better not to say it.

Huang Wenyun is worthy of being an elite from the bottom, and he is very good at focusing on key points.

He didn't even ask if there were any anti-Qing elements in the government.

"I understand. What about the third route?"

"The third route is the most critical. There are too many local taxes withheld, so that the emperor's internal funds are empty and he is timid in doing things."

Shi Po was shocked, and Huang Wenyun jumped up in surprise.

This was the first time he lost his composure in front of Li Yu.
It also shows how important this suggestion is.

……

Huang Wenyun slowly sat down and lowered his head in silence.

Li Yu was not in a hurry, picked up the tea and took a sip.

After a long time,

"I understand, I will be a lonely minister."

"Master Huang has seen a lot of people, and he can reveal all the secrets with just one word."

laughing out loud,

"You're right. I believe you."

Li Yu smiled, thinking that you read too much.

The water in Suzhou is too deep, you'd better believe me.

"As for which temples to worship, I will go back and think about it and send someone to give it to you."

"Row."

Li Yu walked out of the yamen, and the disciple respectfully held the riding whip behind him.

When mounting the horse,
He suddenly remembered that this guy had always been very attentive.

Occasionally, he would record the people who came to the government office and report to himself.

"What's your name?"

"Ling Ah Liu."

"There is a profitable business, are you interested?"

With a thud, Ling Ah Liu fell to his knees.

"Thank you Mr. Li for the promotion."

"I want to develop Xujiang Pier. Within a radius of one mile, you can make a fortune by setting up a shop, whether it's an inn or a restaurant."

After that, Li Yu mounted his horse and left.

The guards immediately followed, 10 of them.

Ling Ah Liu was left behind, waving constantly.

……

"This man's surname is Ling. I wonder if he is related to Crow."

"Crow's original surname is Ling? I forgot about it."

"I don't know how the Crows and the others are doing in Chaozhou Prefecture."

"You just rely on your fists to eat."

Li Xiaowu is now the guard captain.

Maybe it was due to adequate nutrition that he suddenly jumped up a lot.

3000 miles away,

Archer, the crow who was chopping someone sneezed.

"Pujiewu, your sword is sharpened."

"Cao, the knife seller Sledgehammer lied to me. Tomorrow I will burn down his shop and pour boiling water on his money tree."

"Forget tomorrow, live today first."

A long knife was thrown over.

Crow raised his hand to catch it, revealing the Guan Gong tattoo on his back.

With a sword dance, he rushed towards the local gang on the street.

Click, click.

The streets were full of blood and it was very exciting.

A group of Chaozhou guys upstairs were drinking tea and watching.

"This Yankee is really good at fighting. It's hard for one person to chase and kill many people."

"Pujiewu. The newly emerged prefix is ​​called Cengjutang."

Duang,

A chair flew to the second floor.

I just heard the crow roaring downstairs:

"Teochew man, my wife can admit her mistakes, but the font size cannot be wrong."

"Say it again, my name is Cunjutang!"

Holding the Guan Gong knife in his left hand, the crow, covered in blood, walked on the street.

I really want to cry.

Brother, sister-in-law, Ayu, you all come and accompany me to kill people.

If you are still here,

Let’s travel to Chaozhou Prefecture together.

……

At the other end of the street,

A familiar face appeared, riding a horse.

The crow thought his eyes were blurred by blood.

He grabbed a group of people from the roadside and rubbed his eyes on his clothes.

"Mr. Du?"

"Crow, you're safe."

Du Ren was still gently shaking his fan, with a white fan surface and a cursive "wave" in the middle.

Wow, close the fan.

Dismounted and held the crow's bloody hand.

"Brother, how have you been lately? Are your hands sore?"

Woo woo,
The crow cried, crying like a wronged child.

Tears mixed with blood.

I am holding a Guan Gong knife and cutting from east Chaozhou to west Chaozhou. You ask me if my eyes are dry?
This scene caused people on the street to spread rumors everywhere.

"Pounce on the street, shake people."

"Several boatloads of Yankees came in, and they all looked vicious and looked like they wanted to eat people."

"I'm afraid, you are not Hu Jianren."

No matter how outrageous the rumor is,

In short, Li Yu's Chaozhou branch is open.

"Suzhou Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chaozhou Branch".

The shop is spacious and the guys are enthusiastic and fierce.

There are daggers and fire guns placed under the baffle, and he is good at physical bargaining.

And the most sociable shopkeeper Laiji.

When it opened, Guangdong Customs and Chaozhou Prefecture also sent banners.

The guards were busy maintaining order and driving away the beggars.

all of these,
They are all telling the world that this shop has a good background and is not something to be messed with.

In the Qing Dynasty, this was very important.

……

Du Ren is very busy and eats dinner every day.Businessmen in Chaozhou Prefecture are mostly in the family form.

He soon got acquainted with a group of well-known people in the house, including official figures, various grandfathers and grandpas.

These people are similar to a combination of landowners, businessmen, and clan elders.

Du Ren is no stranger.
Because their behavior is very similar to Li Yu.

Of course, it's not as simple and crude as Li Yu.

Usually there is a conflict,
Both sides sent people first, sat down to drink tea and negotiate, and the middleman made peace.

If we can't reach an agreement, we resort to force.

These grandpas look kind and kind-hearted.

A tap of the cane,
There are hundreds of hula-la people in the village, and they are very tough in fights.

however,
But they all had a good impression of Du Ren.

He is a good-looking boy, eloquent, understands the law, and respects the elderly.

Moreover, the force he represents has a very friendly style.

The blood of those who listened was boiling,

As a result, business negotiations became much smoother.

It’s nothing more than trading their own specialty goods with each other.

Adult friendships are easier to maintain when interests are tied together.

Just blowing water, painting cakes, and talking about ideals, sooner or later we will have to leave.

……

"Seafood, cane sugar, and Nanyang products are very popular. What do you have?" A white-bearded grandfather introduced with a smile. "

"Silk, cotton."

It seems very common.

Another grandfather, who was leaning on a dragon-headed crutch and had a slightly fierce face, said:

"We have copper, lead, silver."

Du Ren answered immediately:

"We have knives, guns, and ammunition."

Wow, the situation suddenly opened up.

A group of old men began to converse in an extremely difficult dialect.

He acted so brazenly in front of Du Ren, squinting at him from time to time.

Because he really doesn't understand.

I beat you Aren and treat you like air.

After a while, the grandpas seemed to have reached a consensus.

Tentatively asked:

"Can those defensive weapons you mentioned be sold?"

"My boss said that there is no business that he dares not do. It's just that it's not safe on land. On the sea, we need you to open up routes and solve the transportation problem."

"If you have a problem with your eyes, sprinkle some water on it."

Du Ren was relieved,

These guys are really dishonest.

Having them take care of the transportation is easy.

Lijiabao will also be able to hitch a ride and march into the ocean in the future.

In terms of scheming, even if the eight princes were tied together, they couldn't scheming against the military advisor.

"Don't you know, Du Sheng? There are a lot of bandits in Guangdong."

"Yes, yes, so we need some guns to protect the tribe."

"In exchange for sucrose, copper, and lead. We don't want silver."

"Is there anything that is more powerful and can hit farther?" An old man looked mysteriously and gestured with his hands.

"Ah?" Du Ren pretended to be stupid.

"It's the kind of thing where you hit a big piece, cannon."

……

Du Ren stayed in Chaozhou Prefecture and Guangzhou Prefecture for a long time.

I saw the lavish spending of thirteen businessmen in Guangzhou.

Fucheng said that it is "Jinshan Zhuhai, the emperor's southern treasury".

The tax paid alone in a year is 100 million taels.

However, British businessmen were not allowed to live in Guangzhou.

The government set aside a piece of land in the suburbs for merchants to live temporarily.

There was only one day a month where you could go shopping in the city, accompanied by a guard and entourage.

and,

You must leave by boat before winter begins.

Another rule is that you are not allowed to bring barbarian women ashore, otherwise the merchant ship will be impounded directly.

"Mr. Du, you still haven't been able to contact British businessmen?"

"Yes."

The Guangzhou government actually deployed patrols and fences in the area where British merchants lived.

After wandering around for a few days, I couldn't find any space.

I can only return in despair,

Back at the inn, a stranger suddenly came to visit.

Du Ren has guards around him, so he is naturally not afraid of thieves.

This man is tall, thin, and somewhat dark.

His face is shrewd, but his palms are calloused.

The guard immediately took a step forward and motioned for him to sit down.

"This gentleman, does he want to get involved in overseas trade?"

It's so direct that it's surprising.

……

Without Du Ren's instructions, the two guards drew their daggers.

If the person who comes today is not good, he will kill someone and leave his body behind.

The Pearl River is so wide that it must flow directly into the sea.

Before coming, it was Li Yu who gave this order.

"Don't be impulsive. I don't mean any harm. My name is Huang Sheng, and I'm nicknamed Huang Dasheng by others. I saw you wandering around the British Business District. I guess you are interested in overseas trade, right?"

Du Ren remained silent and continued to look at this guy.

"I have been to caravans, to Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Myanmar and Siam. If you are really interested, we can do some business together."

"you are a person?"

"Correct."

"What kind of goods have you sold?"

"Tea cakes, Yunnan copper, Sichuan women, well salt, mahogany, and jade."

"Where's the caravan?"

"I was intercepted by the Burmese soldiers and lost both my people and my cargo. I am good at water and jumped into the river to escape."

"So, you have no capital? No help?"

"That's it."

"Huang Sheng, is there any way you can contact British businessmen?"

"On the first day of every month, the British Chamber of Commerce comes to the city for shopping. There will definitely be opportunities then."

"I don't have time, can it be earlier?"

"There is a way, you can try it."

……

On the second day,
Under the leadership of Huang Sheng, Du Ren and several guards lurked in a small alley.

Just when I was impatient to wait,
A sneaky black figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.

"Brother Du, look, he is Smith."

"Sure?"

"He comes here every three days to find Widow Zhang who does half-open business."

"Take him down and pay attention to the movement."

Several guards appeared in front of Smith like ghosts.

One stick and knocked him unconscious.

Then he put his head on it and carried it away.

Du Ren sighed, there was nothing he could do, it was just a bit rough.

by candlelight,
The red-haired Smith woke up after being thrown a bowl of water and wanted to scream for help.

A short sword silenced him.

"Your Majesty, don't tear up the vote, I have money." Broken Chinese.

"We are not kidnappers. Let's talk business with you."

"Silver, pounds, I have them."

After communicating for a long time, it failed.

Because this guy knows very little Chinese, except for some social terms, there is little else.

Everyone present was dumbfounded. There was no way to communicate.

Huang Sheng also spread his hands,
It means he has tried his best, but he really doesn’t know English.

In this life, I have never written 100 square calligraphy words.

……

Smith is still repeating eagerly:
"Don't tear up the ticket, I have money."

It seems that the situation of British businessmen in Guangdong is not good.

Or why did I learn this sentence and still know it so well?

"Brother Du, how do you think he communicated with Widow Zhang?"

Du Ren was stunned, what a question.

A guard smiled and said:
"Do we still need to communicate about that?"

"You have to negotiate a price, so let's make a counteroffer."

The Qing government was extremely strict on British businessmen, prohibiting their female relatives from going ashore and also prohibiting them from hiring Qing servants.

even,

The brothels in Guangzhou Prefecture collectively boycotted them.

That's why Smith came up with this method,

Climb out of a tunnel and look for the half-open door in the alley.

Five times the price was enough to barely succeed.

Smith watched the strange group of "kidnappers" talk in front of him.

He actually understood a word,

Widow Zhang!
So, he repeated this word loudly. He knew that it was the pronoun of that woman.

Everyone was stupid,

Today I can see a Western view.

With gestures and thoughts, Du Ren seemed to understand what he meant.

"Let's go find Widow Zhang and come over?"

The guards all nodded.

……

Widow Zhang, who had suffered a terrible disaster, was shaking like leaves in autumn.

She prepared herself mentally for the most terrifying encounter, but it was different from what she imagined.

Du Ren looked at this woman carefully.
There is something different and rich in it.

"Can you help translate?"

"OK, ok."

"You really know how to speak foreigners when riding a horse?"

"I can speak a little bit of English."

After wasting half a night, we finally understood each other's intentions.

Smith understood that these people were not kidnappers, but wanted to bypass Guangdong Customs and do business with him.

Du Ren also understood that this guy was just an ordinary sailor who used to be a tramp.

While begging at the dock, he was kidnapped by the captain and became a sailor.

The salary is said to be settled after returning to London.

This is really a pie in the sky.

The treatment?
Two meals a day on board sawdust bread, rum, and all kinds of strange rodents.

If disobedience was not followed, the captain would flog him.

On land, he is still a human being.

Du Ren took a special look at his spine and saw that there were many scars on it, so he believed it.

To sum up, foreign/garbage.

But before leaving, Li Yu confessed.

No matter if they are scum, criminals, drunkards, heretics, take them all!

Thousands of dollars to buy horse bones!
……

Du Ren was also curious to know about Widow Zhang's life experience.

Zhang Xiaomei, 26.

When he was young, he went to Southeast Asia with his family to make a living, and married a Dutch businessman.

Later, the Dutchman died of illness, and she had no home.

After a few twists and turns, I finally returned to my hometown.

"You have so many experiences at such a young age."

"The officer was joking."

Obviously, she misunderstood.

Du Ren came from an academic point of view and thought she was a rare commodity.

Li Yu was very interested in overseas trade, but he had no source of information.

In front of you, there is a ready-made one.

The next day, it was suddenly a mess outside.

"what happened?"

"Mr. Du, the British discovered that Smith was missing and reported it to the police. The Guangzhou Prefecture officers are searching everywhere and offering a reward of 200 taels."

(End of this chapter)