The literary giants of the late Ming Dynasty began by copying books

Chapter 291 Businessman saves himself

While Wang Wenlong was busy writing "On the Nation-State" and investing a lot of money into it, Yang Tiansheng and other sea owners who had just started to immigrate to Dayuan Island were looking sad every day.

Ever since Shen Yourong failed to go to Taiyuan Island to fight against Japanese pirates, Fujian's support for immigrants from Taiyuan Island has become less and less.

Although Xu Xueju has actively contributed, he has repeatedly stated that he will definitely defeat the Japanese pirates on Dayuan Island. He has continuously analyzed the situation of Japanese pirates on Dayuan Island, and assured the court that this battle will be won. He also made positive actions. Preparation for conscription.

However, Fujian officialdom showed an ambiguous attitude towards this matter.

Immigration to Dajuan Island originally relied on local organizations in Fujian, and in order to combat famine, various regions in Fujian had provided various preferential policies for fear that immigrants would not go to Dajuan Island.

But now the court has not given a public opinion on whether the immigrants on Dajuan Island are good or bad. If it is suddenly said that these immigrants are traitors who have fled overseas, wouldn't it be in vain for the officials who are busy working on it? Want to be scolded?

For a time, Fujian's support for the immigration issue dropped significantly. Even if Xu Xueju united with Fujian Governor Zhu Yunchang to continue to support the immigration matter, Zhu Futai himself was a weak governor, and the actual resources he could mobilize were too few. It could only be said that it was better than nothing. .

One of Yang Tiansheng's brothers walked into the house and said anxiously: "Brother, our Group A village in Dayuan is still short of 120 laborers, 30 cattle, and hundreds of dan of food this year. If we don't If you continue to add more, I’m afraid that the previous investment will be in vain.”

"Are you asking for money again?" Yang Tiansheng threw the tea cup on the table after hearing this, and said depressedly: "All our previous investment was on Da Yuan Island, and we haven't seen the money back yet. Now we have no support from the government and the people. , ten teacups and nine lids, how do you want me to conjure up another one for you?"

Yang Tiansheng is really out of ammunition and food. All the available capital in his family has been invested in the immigration of Taiyuan Island. In order to send people to Taiyuan Island this year, he may have redeployed some of his ships for immigration purposes.

Their own creditworthiness is no longer enough to borrow enough money, so they can only tie up several companies together.

"I still have three thousand kilograms of spices shipped from Luzon this year..."

"My family mortgages Japan's Zhuin Ship's shipping volume of 300 materials next year."

Nowadays, tobacco is becoming more and more popular in Ming Dynasty. Fujian tobacco and Guandong tobacco are both famous categories and the price is very high. It is more profitable to grow this stuff than to grow food, and the planting time is shorter, but this is a last resort for Yang Tiansheng. choose.

In the following days, Yang Tiansheng could only walk around, hoping to collect some money.

"My family has mortgaged three sea-going ships, all of which are owned by foreign shipping companies."

"Why don't we go to Fuzhou to operate first? If we have money, we still can't find a way out?"

He also asked the immigrant villages under his control on Damuan Island not to grow food but to grow winter tobacco.

Several large merchants in Zhangquan gathered together and talked enthusiastically about borrowing money together to help themselves.

"That's true. In the past, when we were separated, our families would often organize gatherings on their own, and all the official figures could be invited. Now that we are united, it doesn't matter if we bribe a censor to speak for us."

Everyone enthusiastically put forward the collateral, basically spending a lot of money, and then someone suggested: "I'm afraid it's not enough just for us to raise money. We need to recruit more forces."

Investing in the development of Taiyuan Island has taken up a lot of people's funds, and they have actually participated in the development of Taiwan. They know how great the potential of that place is in the future. As long as they can grit their teeth and hold on, no one is willing to give up the land they have acquired for the reclamation village.

"But this requires an official relationship. We are only above average sea masters. Who has such ability?"

Tobacco has a high demand for phosphate fertilizers. The reason why people in later generations did not cause much harm to the land by growing tobacco is because later generations had chemical fertilizers. However, in the Ming Dynasty, the land where tobacco was planted for one season will inevitably reduce the yield of any food grown in the next season. On Damuan Island The land that was finally reclaimed could only be used to grow tobacco. In fact, Yang Tiansheng was short of funds on hand to a certain extent.

When everyone rescued themselves, they felt uneasy, but when they saw so many people falling into the water, they actually felt a sense of security and felt that they were not the unluckiest ones.

"It's simple. Since we have so much money, we will naturally organize local people to speak for us."

"My family mortgaged eight grain ships on the Min River waterway and five mills in Minqing, Houguan and Min counties along the coast."

There are many sea owners who choose to grow tobacco like Yang Tiansheng.

Xiamen City.

He first sold his two piloted ships, and then shared some of the shipping capacity of the Japanese routes he controlled with others. Even so, the money he collected was only enough to last him another two months.

Now that the Taiyuan Island immigration plan has been blocked, other sea owners who hired immigration ships have even dragged away the shipping fees. They are constantly investing money in resettlement and maintenance of the ships. Yang Tiansheng has now spent all the money stored in his family. I also borrowed a lot of debt from the Fujian market, and I don’t know what I will do next year.

"Can someone big come and help?"

"It all depends on people. Let's make some show whether we can come or not."

"How about asking Quanzhou Business Daily to invite you?"

"Yes, "Business Daily" is firstly run by us businessmen, and secondly, it is an elegant article in literature. Let the newspaper hire it, and it will not make those scholars feel embarrassed." At Wang Wenlong's home, a family of three sat in the study to discuss matter.

All three of them actually received invitations from Quanzhou Business Daily.

Li Guoxian looked at the invitation and asked, "Ms. sir, do you think we should go to Xiamen?"

Wang Wenlong smiled and said: "You, Miss Li, are you afraid that when you go to Quanzhou, people will think you are doing it for the Li family?"

Li Dan is a non-stick cook and originally had reservations about developing officials. As soon as something happened at Shen Yourong's place, the Li family immediately withdrew its investment in the development of Taiyuan Island. Now they are considering selling their immigration site to others.

Li Guoxian said: "I'm not worried about this concubine. No matter how they guess, they can't get money out of my father."

Wang Wenlong smiled and said, "Don't you want to persuade your father?"

Li Guoxian was helpless: "My husband, you wrote to me and tried to persuade me, but he ignored it. What's the use of my advice?"

Wang Wenlong said: "I want to go to Quanzhou. I still support the development of Dajuan Island. I can't do it without making this trip."

Li Guoxian nodded: "Then I'll just go with you."

Wang Wenlong said to Shen Yixiu on the side: "Madam, please go too."

Shen Yixiu asked in confusion: "What should I do?"

Wang Wenlong said with a smile: "Last time I went to Xiamen, you went to the island together and donated dozens of taels of silver to the Trinity Church in your own name. Now that I have come to invite you, I know that the Trinity Church is also a little short of money. After receiving the post, our family will go together."

"Sister, just listen to your husband and go together." Li Guoxian was also encouraging. She was more out-of-the-box than Shen Yixiu and was happy to go out with the whole family.

Shen Yixiu found it interesting after thinking about it, so he nodded in agreement.

After everyone decided to go south, they did not leave immediately. Instead, they waited for Chen Di in Fuzhou.

Chen Di went to Taiwan with Shen Yourong a month ago and returned disappointed, but now he was invited by the "Business Daily" to go to Xiamen with him.

Chen Di is already sixty years old this year, and his body is still very strong due to the training he took in the army when he was young.

A defeat made him feel bad, but it had no impact on his health. After receiving the letter, Chen Di took a servant and rode a fast horse to Fuzhou to meet Wang Wenlong and his family. Wang Wenlong also praised his still strong physical fitness.

In the original history, Chen Di had always been in very good health. When he was almost seventy years old, he went on a trip, traveled all over the country, and wrote "Five Mountains Tour". Young people in later generations had to climb Huashan Mountain until their legs trembled, and this There were no decent roads in the Five Mountains in that era. The old man was nearly seventy years old. He spent a year or two climbing the Five Mountains and happily went home to write a book.

Walking speed was slow in this era, and the invitation from the "Business Daily" was sent out a month in advance. When Wang Wenlong's family went south with Chen Di, it was already the first month of the 31st year of Wanli. They walked south along the Fupu Ancient Road and passed Xinghua Prefecture. Basically just walking on the beach.

Along the way, Wang Wenlong saw that the small dock that was originally crowded with immigrants was empty. There were only cargo ships, laborers and refugees begging for food, but not many immigrant ships.

Wang Wenlong asked in surprise: "The rain in Fujian this year is not good, so why don't people continue to immigrate to the big officials?"

The driver who drove the carriage shook his head and said: "That happened a few months ago. Now the government has not said anything about the immigration to Taiyuan Island, so the sea masters are not interested. The people on Taiyuan Island are fierce and fierce. If there is no big power, Helping immigrants from a whole village, where can ordinary people dare to go?”

Hearing this, Shen Yixiu couldn't help but ask: "I heard people say that the land on Damuan Island is fertile. Even ordinary people can develop good land in a few years on the island. Why do we have to wait for the investment from the big owner?"

Chen Di, who was riding a horse next to him, had only been to Da Yuan Island a few months ago. He had a deep understanding of the situation on the island. He shook his head and said: "The sky is high and the emperor is far away. Many of the people who go to the island do illegal things, and there are even some people who are specialized in it." Those who harm the immigrants. If you reclaim the land yourself and don’t have much power, I’m afraid the whole village will be robbed before long."

He sighed: "Those immigrants who came to the island first would even collude with the Japanese pirates, proactively report to the Japanese pirates where there were weaker Han villages, and provide the Japanese pirates with robbery sites in exchange for a small reward."

Li Guoxian and Shen Yixiu were both surprised when they heard this. They never expected that they were both from Fujian, and even many of the immigrants on the island were from the same hometown, but they would harm each other to such an extent.

Wang Wenlong and others took a car for a while and came to a teahouse on the seaside. There were only a few stone houses, and there was a tea flag in front of it.

It was the first month of the year, and although it was located in Fujian, the temperature was only less than ten degrees. The wind was especially strong at the seaside, which made everyone feel cold. Even Li Guoxian and Shen Yixiu who were sitting in the carriage were a little bit cold. No.

Wang Wenlong asked the team to rest for a while, and then he dismounted and went in.

(End of this chapter)