The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 73 Be careful and you won’t make a big mistake

Other trivial matters aside, the Hu family's cargo ship recently delivered two shipments of cargo. In addition to some daily industrial products trafficked from Malacca, there were also more than 400 tons of cement and seven steam engines.

Nanyang Company used 500 tons of rice, 16 tons of kapok, 820 bags of cane sugar (note; 100 pounds per bag) and some other seasonal agricultural products produced in its subordinate territories to pay for the goods, completing these two large transactions.

this means

The Hu family has completely tied up the Nanyang Company. Half of the family's cargo ship resources have been allocated to focus on operating routes from Surabaya to Singapore, Chennai and the coastal routes of mainland China.

Subsequent related cargo ships will arrive one after another, with approximately 5 to 6 ships arriving every month.

It mainly purchases foreign cloth, foreign iron, foreign thread, foreign lamps, foreign guns, foreign cannons, foreign fire, cement, steam engines and various mechanical equipment from Western traders such as Britain and France. It also purchases cotton forged silk yarn, various porcelain, and traditional Chinese medicine from the mainland. , as well as miscellaneous goods such as pens, inks, paper and inkstones.

By the way, it will also bring back a large number of Chinese workers. These days, there really aren’t too many mainland coastal people who hope to go to Southeast Asia to find a way to survive!

As the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty ruled across the river, various Western forces came in one after another. Half of the doors of this long-established empire were forcefully opened, and wisps of breeze blew in.

On the mainland of China

In particular, coastal provincial capitals have access to waterfront buildings on a first-come-first-served basis. Hundreds of thousands of people go to Southeast Asia to explore, and there are also many successful adventurers who return to their hometowns.

The other three are used as ore crushers in the ore dressing plant, and two are used to drive ball mills. The iron ore plant cannot keep up with the material preparation, so it cannot be done entirely by hand.

Trafficking in piglets has become one of the most profitable businesses between the mainland and Southeast Asia.

Steam engines in this era were expensive, costing 1500 pounds each, which was more than 1 silver coins. The earliest one purchased from the Spanish cost 630 silver coins.

In addition to the oil mills, rice mills, flour mills, sugar mills and other factories, oh... By the way, I also forgot the steel factory.

Many people voluntarily sold themselves and signed harsh terms of sale for 7 to 10 years, just to get a ticket to travel to Southeast Asia.

Calculate this way

The legend of overnight wealth in Nanyang spread like wildfire, attracting a large number of poor people at the bottom who could not survive.

Four steam engines, totaling 6500 silver coins, the Spanish businessman gave a zero and a discount of 20 silver coins.

according to my opinion

Every important town must have a wood processing factory. Counting on your fingers, there must be five or six.

Now it seems that the steam engines ordered are not enough. There are at least 20 more, or even more.

New territory was opened in Yanwang City. In the future, Chinese tenants would be relocated to form villages and towns, and facilities such as houses and livestock pens would always need to be built.

But in this era

"Don't worry about anything else, I have great use for these steam engines.

When Zheng Xiucai heard such a grand development plan, his scalp felt numb.

After listening to Zheng Xiucai's report, Feng Guohui arranged the seven steam engines that had just arrived without thinking. He said;

This is also the reason why the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce has opened up purchase channels for Hu family and British merchants in addition to Spanish merchants. You can never go wrong by shopping around.

With so much money, you can buy 8 small brick and stone courtyards in Surabaya City, and you can only buy one steam engine, which shows that the price is extremely expensive.

All seven of these machines were transported to the Landoshan Mine, and two of them were used to set up a new wood processing plant. Major construction there has already begun, and this matter cannot be delayed.

When your purchase channels are controlled by others, you will inevitably have to bear some high costs.

It is said that one pound can usually be exchanged for five silver coins, and 1630 silver coins are worth 326 pounds, which is a 15% premium compared to the market price.

Forty or fifty steam engines may not be enough. We need to ask them to increase their efforts to purchase them, so as not to delay our development. "

Although he felt that it was too aggressive in his heart, seeing Feng Guohui's majestic look scolding Fang Qiu, Zheng Xiucai's words of admonishment stopped in his throat, and instead agreed and said; "If you want goods in large quantities, you have to buy them from McGeely Trading Company is the channel. I will contact Mr. Luis Enrique right now. If it is fast, it will only take more than a month to transport the goods from the East India Governor's Palace."

"This batch of goods has a large value, so I must lower the price by 20%."

"Understood, sir, I'll go and talk to Mr. Luis Enrique for a few days, and I'll negotiate the price with you no matter what."

"Well, it's up to you, Xiucai, to handle this matter so I can rest assured..."

The two are talking

Wang Erzhu, who served as captain of Feng Guohui's personal guard, hurried over, raised his hands and clasped his fists and gave a salute before replying: "Sir, Tiger has returned from a rapid march with more than 400 brothers from the second battalion. He has just arrived at the old camp and is ready for instructions at any time. "

"Okay, let the brothers have a good rest and start action early tomorrow morning."

"As you command, sir."

After Wang Erzhu clasped his fists again, he turned back to convey the order.

Soon, a guard cavalry took the order and rushed out of the gate of the lumber factory in the south of the city on a big mule, heading towards the old camp.

The Second Battalion led by Tiger returned to Surabaya City, which gave Feng Guohui another layer of confidence. After giving some explanations at the lumber factory, he led more than 20 cavalry guards back to the Feng family mansion on Chemalide Street.

This was a prudent move on his part, and he would not venture into danger without being completely sure.

Chengnan Timber Factory is located on the outskirts of Surabaya. Going south is a large area of ​​undeveloped virgin mountain forest. The surrounding two or three miles belong to the timber factory's territory.

If anything happens, apply oil on the soles of your feet and dig into the forest.

Even if the red ghost guy or the Feng family had any bad intentions, there was nothing they could do in the face of the vast mountains.

Feng Guohui will not forget that the Anxi Club under the control of the Qiao family has more than 1700 gang members, and the family's direct servants and martial arts guards also have to people. It is a powerful force. In Qiao's mine, there are two to three thousand miners carrying Master Qiao's bowl and eating the rice rewarded by Master Qiao.

If the Qiao family colludes with the red ghost guy, it will be great fun.

The situation in Surabaya City is complicated. Don't forget that there is the Lin family and numerous gangs behind it. It's right to be careful.

Previously, the second and third battalions were closed for training at the Landoshan Mine. There were not many armed forces left in Surabaya City. The total number of them was only more than 300 people.

Moreover, these more than 300 people were scattered on Wilson Road, Collie Street, the Feng family mansion on Chemalide Street, the new port construction site, and the Chengnan Lumber Factory. If they were really caught off guard, the losses would not be small.

After eliminating hidden dangers, Feng Guohui led everyone back to the mansion in the south of the city.

A moment later

Ma Ganqiang, the new police chief of the patrol room, also rushed to the mansion with his two younger brothers. He left his two men in the front yard and went to the second courtyard alone.

In the main lobby

Feng Guohui was drinking tea and chatting with his second uncle Feng Zhaoliang. They were talking about the new dock project during this period, mostly reporting on the progress of the project.

Seeing Ma Ganqiang coming in in a hurry, Feng Zhaoliang stopped talking.

"Master, this subordinate is so polite." Ma Ganqiang was the first to salute with his fists raised.

Feng Guohui said "hmm" and motioned for him to sit down and talk. Naturally, there was a maid beside him offering tea.

All the pretty maids in the mansion are tender and fresh, and they need figures, figure, and appearance.

But Ma Ganqiang never dared to be as showy as he was in the market, and he didn't stare at people for a while, but said "thank you" with a low eyebrow, acting very polite.

The man sitting at the top, despite his young age, is really ruthless in his methods. Not only is he very disciplined, but he is also not very broad-minded.

If you are missed, life will be difficult.

Feng Guohui didn't hesitate and asked directly, "What big moves will Gui Lao do in Chinatown after he comes back?"

Ma Ganqiang just took a sip of tea. After hearing this, he immediately put down the teacup and replied respectfully;

"I'm keeping a close eye on this matter. No matter day or night, there are several hidden stakes placed around Gui Lao's mansion.

After Mr. Link came back, he met with the Qiao family, the Lin family, the Hu family and the leading figures in the Chinatown business community, and even went to our old camp to have a look.

But he didn't get off the carriage. He stopped at the door for a few minutes and then left.

Two days ago, Mr. Link also held a cocktail party.

A group of ghosts from Surabaya City and leading figures in the Chinatown business community were invited to participate. The small square in the center of the city was filled with horse-drawn carriages, and the battle was quite big.

Everyone else participated, but they didn’t send an invitation to our Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. It’s not a good show of talent..."

Feng Guohui interrupted him and asked, "I know this. What I'm concerned about is whether there are any changes in the Anxi Society, other Chinese gangs, and the forces of the red gangsters?"

"That's not true, I can guarantee that." Ma Ganqiang had already done enough homework when he came, so he continued to answer;

"Among these gangs in the city, we have recently found ways to place some people, and many of them are quite close to the core.

If it is a covert operation of ten or twenty people, it may not be detected.

But if the movement is slightly louder, it will definitely not escape our ears and eyes, and we will definitely receive the message.

There were also people watching at the Qiao family mine, but nothing unusual was found. "

"Well, you can never go too far wrong."

Hearing such an answer, Feng Guohui's worries were mostly dispelled, which was consistent with the results obtained from the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce's information channels.

With so many people deployed, including prominent figures like Hu Zhenlei, there is no way that no one would hear about Gui Lao's big moves.

Feng Guohui nodded and said: "Tomorrow morning, I will take people to the city council for consultation. Your people over there will be prepared in case of emergencies."

"Understood, Mr. Ding, I asked the brothers to bring all the guys with them so that if anything happens, they can go up."

"Well... try to value peace." Feng Guohui said calmly.

He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the church in the center of the city.

That's where the red ghosts gathered. Almost all the famous local white plantation owners in Surabaya City have bought properties in the bustling areas of the city.

Surrounding the church, there are a large area of ​​Western-style buildings, hundreds of them, inhabited by about two to three thousand white ghosts and their families and servants.

Although there are not many people, they occupy a large area of ​​​​the city. Together with the wealthy Chinese businessmen residential area in the south of the city, they form the most essence of Surabaya City.

That area is also the key defense area of ​​the patrol room. On weekdays, people from the lower social classes are strictly prohibited from entering.

To put it bluntly, the patrol room functions as a community security guard, but the area of ​​​​this community is a bit large.

The seat of the Official Municipal Council is not far from the church and is also located next to the small square in the city.

(End of this chapter)