The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 33 Cooperation with the Brahma Tribe

The heavy rain continued intermittently for two days, and it did not clear up until the morning of the third day. Considering that the water on the road had not disappeared, Feng Guohui could only postpone the date of the mules and horses' caravan going south to the fourth day.

At this time, good news came.

Zheng Xiucai's troops who stayed in Surabaya City were strengthened by arms and armed a musketeer team with a total number of more than 90 people, thus greatly increasing their strength.

The total number of swordsmen, shieldmen and musketeers in the old camp was about 230, which was equivalent to the strength of half the battalion. It was really strong.

The Nanyang Company's feat of annihilating the Yusuf tribe in Yanwang City in one fell swoop spread to Surabaya City, causing an uproar from all forces.

hear the news

Some of the defeated soldiers recruited by the Huang family immediately dispersed, fleeing and hiding, and could no longer pose any threat to Jinyu Tower.

Taking advantage of this favorable opportunity, Zheng Xiucai's troops attacked decisively.

Through several consecutive battles, the Shunhaitang forces were defeated and eliminated, further expanding their territory, and severely damaging the Huang family.

Huang Zonghan's two sons were killed in the fire, and the remaining clan members fled at night under the arrangement of Huang Laogui. Today, there is no place for the Huang family in Surabaya City.

When Feng Guohui received the news, it was when the mule and horse caravan was getting ready to continue its journey south.

Although it is a pity that the old ghost Huang Zonghan escaped and the power of the Huang family was not eradicated, the current hidden danger was finally eliminated, which is gratifying.

He glanced at the majestic team, waved his hand with pride, and said, "Let's go on the road. It's a nice day today."

The long caravan of mules and horses meandered away, heading south along the winding dirt road, and soon disappeared into the lush green jungle.

This time going south

The size of the mule and horse caravan was further reduced, with a total number of only more than 40 people and more than mule and horse carts, about half of which were empty.

It is used to carry people when going there, and is used to load spices and other goods when coming back, so the speed of going south is greatly improved.

Accompanying them were the mule cavalry team led by Chen Yong, with a total of 52 riders. All of them wore wide bamboo hats, clothed clothes, leggings, and were equipped with scimitars and bows and arrows.

When advancing, more than ten riders were sent out seven or eight kilometers ahead to prevent bandits and bandits from ambush on the road.

In addition, Hu Laohu had already set off five or six days in advance, taking more than 530 prisoners along the way to build a road.

After the heavy rain, the accumulated water on the road drained quickly. After yesterday's sun exposure, the little accumulated water also evaporated.

After a day's journey, the caravan had traveled more than 40 kilometers south by evening and arrived at Bromo Town calmly, which is already a mountainous area in the hinterland of East Java.

From here, along the big river flowing out of the mountainous area, along the ancient road, there are existences in the valley plains and plantations on the mountainside. The mountains are towering, with the highest peak reaching more than 2360 meters.

There are more than 10 volcanoes around the Bromo area. The last large-scale eruption was more than 40 years ago. The nutrient-rich volcanic ash created fertile soil.

Therefore, dozens of surrounding towns are dotted in the mountains like strings of pearls, rich in various tropical spices and crops, and are the focus of the Nanyang caravan's trip.

Bromo is just a small mountain town with a population of seven to eight hundred people. There is not even an inn. The Nanyang caravan can only find a large piece of flat land to camp by the river outside the town.

The men led by Hu Laohu have already built a large fence here and erected more than 20 grass shed frames.

Taking advantage of the sunny weather in the past two days, the prisoners were forced to watch the chopped bamboos and build the roof, which was covered with layers of thick-leaf plantains, then compacted with soil, and then covered with thick bundles of grass.

So and so

A grass shed was formed that could protect against wind and rain, and was mainly used to store goods and livestock. More people could only temporarily set up tents for camping.

For a time, the station seemed extremely lively.

As the leader of the caravan, Feng Guohui was invited to the home of the indigenous chief Hatum in Bromo Town and received warm hospitality.

Chief Atum is a dark-skinned old farmer, but there is a shrewd light in his eyes from time to time.

He was wearing a traditional striped shawl and holding a sandalwood scepter inlaid with Javan tiger teeth in his hand. He looked very much like that.

But in front of Feng Guohui's powerful aura, he had to bend down to express his surrender.

The chief's yard is a slightly larger farmyard. The three thatched houses with earthen walls in front of it are taller. There are two totem poles with tied colorful strips on the left and right sides of the roof standing high, showing the chief's identity. of noble status.

The totem pole is about as thick as a man's leg and more than 4 meters high. It is carved with strange patterns, which have the meaning of warding off evil spirits and avoiding disasters.

A group of people gathered around Feng Guohui and came to the chief's yard. Chief Atum had already dressed up to greet him. After greeting him with a few words, he came into the house.

The room was covered with bamboo mats, and everyone sat on the floor.

The broad banana leaves that have just been picked are emerald green, and fresh tropical fruits are stored on them, piled high like a hill.

"On behalf of the tribe, I warmly welcome the distinguished guests from afar. You are like colorful parrots representing good luck and wealth, which makes people feel sincerely happy." Chief Atum's words are very nice.

The news of the complete destruction of the powerful Yusuf tribe in Yanwang City was known to all the nearby villages, which had a strong deterrent effect.

For a time, the bandits were silent, and all the indigenous tribes in the mountainous area became silent. They quietly calmed down their former unruly demeanor and became particularly docile.

No one is stupid

No matter how powerful my tribe is, can it be stronger than the Yusuf tribe with a population of tens of thousands?

How many people are there in the entire East Java region?

It only supports a population of four to five million. Excluding the slightly larger towns such as Surabaya City, Yanwang City, and Semarang, the total population is about 160,000 to 70,000 people. There are dozens of towns and villages left, with populations ranging from hundreds to thousands. Their power is comparable to that of the Yusuf tribe, and it cannot exceed three fingers.

Feng Guohui sat down cross-legged, picked up the tea cup and took a sip before saying;

“Dear Chief Atum, my personal visit this time is to convey goodwill and show a full friendly gesture to your tribe and the surrounding rural tribes.

I hope that through Chief Atum I can convey a friendly message to all the chiefs of the Bromo region;

The Nanyang Company's mule and horse caravan is a purely commercial organization. We will transport more, better, and cheaper industrial and daily necessities into the hinterland.

Carry out equal commercial exchanges with tribal residents to alleviate the urgent needs of the indigenous people's lives. Both parties will benefit from each other and continue the business for a long time.

I want to emphasize again

Nanyang Company is a serious business company. It is by no means a gangster, and will not participate in any hostile actions beyond its own safety range.

Our company's armed forces are limited to protecting property security and will never use excessive force. Of course, encircling and suppressing bandits is another matter.

Chief Hatoum, please rest assured that we will treat all those who sincerely cooperate with Nanyang Company as friends. "

There was a lot of useful information in these words. After hearing this, Chief Atum digested it carefully and said with a smile on his face;

“May Allah Almighty bless you;

We tribes living in the interior are also deeply troubled by banditry. The rich spices and other agricultural products cannot be sold, so we have to beg for food.

Nanyang Company is willing to acquire it. We fully support it and will do our best to cooperate.

to be frank

Over the years, every household has stocked up on some goods, but these items are all at bargain prices and cannot be sold for much at all.

It’s great that you are here, now there is hope. "

Feng Guohui was naturally happy when he saw how readily he agreed. Jianghu is not about fighting and killing, but about human relations!

So he and Chief Hatum discussed and planned to open another Nanyang store in Bromo Town to deal with the purchase of mountain products and spices.

The rest of this store is not important. The key warehouse must be rain-proof and moisture-proof, so that the goods can be well preserved.

Most of the houses in Bromo Town are thatched mud houses, even the chief's home is like this. The living conditions are quite backward and cannot even meet the minimum requirements for a warehouse.

The question arises, how do the local indigenous people keep these spices from getting damp?

It's very simple. Ordinary indigenous people generally don't have much quantity. They often bundle these spices and hang them under the beams of thatched houses.

It's not close to the ground and won't get wet, nor will it get wet. This is a relatively dry place in the entire earthen house.

But the warehouse cannot be arranged like this. The large piles of goods collected can easily weigh tens of thousands of pounds or more. It is impossible to hang them all on the beams. No matter how strong the beams are, they can't bear it!

After some observation, only the ancient temple located in the center of the town met the requirements. This ancient temple was originally built during the prosperous period of Brahma Buddhism, but it has been abandoned after the popularity of Islam.

All the statues in the temple were destroyed, leaving only the dilapidated bases and the ruins of some mud-embossed golden bodies.

There are several solid stone houses behind the main hall of the temple. After hundreds of years of vicissitudes, they are still quite reliable, which shows that they were built with high quality.

When Feng Guohui came, he took a look there and saw that there was no trace of water on the ground inside the house.

With a little repair, it would look great as a warehouse.

Since the golden statues of gods and Buddhas in the front hall have been torn down, it would be great to repair it, build some counters and wooden frames, and use it as a Nanyang daily necessities store.

from now on

This is another selling point for Nanyang caravans to collect spices and mountain products. Because it is located in the Borneo Mountains, the surrounding towns and plantations are very dense, and it can completely radiate the surrounding area for thirty or forty kilometers.

"I have two ways of cooperation here. Chief Hatum can choose one according to his own wishes." Feng Guohui calmly stretched out two fingers and said with the other party's expectant look;

"This abandoned temple is completely managed by Nanyang Company. Your tribe must send elite forces to participate in daily security guards to prevent bandits and bandits from invading.

Nanyang Company will also station more than 10 musketeers, and both parties will jointly operate the store.

There are two ways to cooperate here

The first is that the Hatoum tribe can get two-cent dividends from the store. At the end of the year, depending on the business conditions, if the business is good, it can get more, and if the business is poor, it can get less or no money.

The second is to get a fixed share of 2200 silver coins per year, tentatively for 10 years, and the two parties will discuss it again after 10 years.

Chief Hatum, which one would you choose? "

Does this need to be said?

When Feng Guohui mentioned the second way of cooperation, the eyes of Chief Hatum and the people around him lit up.

They think that their brains are not as good as those of the Chinese, and they cannot do business. Anyway, they will be cheated as long as they do business.

By renting out this dilapidated temple and arranging tribal warriors to help take care of it, you can get 2200 silver coins every year. This is simply a great thing falling from the sky.

Patriarch Atum's eyes suddenly lit up and he said without hesitation: "Dear Mr. Feng, we are willing to choose the second option and receive a fixed income of 2 silver coins every year."

"Okay, it's a deal." Feng Guohui readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)