Linxia

Chapter 218, Journey

Fang Linxun asked Fang Chuanhui, "How is the establishment of a trading company going in Nanyang?"

In the past, when the four families of Gu, Ma, Shao and Duan shipped goods overseas, they would directly wholesale them to the local tyrants. One reason was to save trouble and time; the other was to win over the local tyrants and reduce trouble.

But now, Fang Lin's factory is getting bigger and bigger, and the cargo throughput is too large. The local tyrants have teamed up to lower the price. He can't tolerate this, so he gave orders to set up his own business overseas to sell these shipped goods.

"Brother Linzi, we haven't spent these years in Nanyang in vain. Chief Jiao has already established a channel... After this channel was established, we realized how treacherous those local tyrants were..."

By establishing their own business overseas, they can produce and sell the goods shipped by the fleet, maximize development, and naturally greatly increase profits. At the same time, with this overseas business, it is also more convenient to purchase some sensitive items.

Of course, this seriously infringes on the interests of the local bullies, and they will not endure it obediently.

Sure enough, the next thing I heard was: "Those local tyrants, backed by the local nobles, organized people to attack us, and we ambushed and killed them back, and we beat them into submission in no time. Not only did they recognize our company, they also ceded a piece of land."

They had acquired muskets through overseas channels a long time ago, and occupied a piece of territory in Luzon. The skills training classes sent students as the backbone, trained according to the drill manual, and accumulated experience by training the natives. Only in the past six months had they seen some progress.

Just look at Fang Chuanhui and you will know that someone who has been tempered in blood and fire has a very different temperament from ordinary people.

The establishment of a trading company in Southeast Asia was also anticipated. We had expected that we would face off against those people, and it was also a further step in our military training. In fact, we had always fought against the indigenous people in the past, and this was the first time we faced off against an organized army, even though it was only the army of a small country in Southeast Asia.

"What are the casualties?" Fang Lin asked.

"No one died, just one was injured. He sprained his leg because he was chasing too fast." Fang Chuanhui said, "Brother Linzi, you don't know that those barbarians occupy the geographical advantage and control the trade. Most of the weapons used by their army are bows and arrows. The few musketeers have not been trained at all. The bullets they fired were all deflected to who knows where. A charge scattered them."

"We are different. We were all fed with ammunition. Brother Linzi, you have paid us well. In Luzon, they really distributed land. When they heard about the war, they all cried out and were not afraid at all."

How to say it, this is bullying the natives, bullying them to gain confidence. In their eyes, the small country in Southeast Asia they are facing this time is just a larger native.

At the same time, we have to admit that the "military merit system of distributing land" can greatly stimulate the enthusiasm of soldiers, and the military nobles born from this system are also the most loyal in guarding their own land.

"Yes, we are happy to hear about the war. We already have the prototype of elite troops, so it is not surprising to have such results." Fang Lin nodded.

In the East Asian monster room, as long as the equipment and treatment are up to par, such as salary and pensions, you will not be weak in a fight with anyone.

"It's not just about military matters, it's also about land. The land in Luzon is good, with three crops a year. The land in Southeast Asia is even more fertile. Those barbarians just scatter their crops everywhere while farming, and they won't starve to death. They don't know how to cultivate the land carefully, and the good land is simply wasted in their hands!" Fang Chuanhui said with great sorrow.

"That's why we are needed. We hold a gun in one hand and use iron-blooded means to make them afraid. We hold a book in the other hand to educate them and let them bathe in the glory of civilization." Fang Lin said calmly.

Such shameless words, even the now knowledgeable Fang Chuanhui couldn't help but say: "Ahem!"

Fang Lin glanced at his cousin and was surprised by what he saw. The Western colonialists were much more shameless than him.

"The small countries in Southeast Asia are all bullies who only bully the weak and fear the strong. I will use them to train soldiers and their land to reward and support the soldiers. The military nobles born from these countries will be my core team overseas."

Fang Lin is not afraid of collapse like the Qin Dynasty. Even if the land in Southeast Asia is not enough, there is still America and Australia, which can at least support several generations.

"How is the construction of the military workshop going?"

"We searched for those craftsmen in China. We asked them to dismantle the guns, but we couldn't figure out the principles. They could only copy them, but the output was extremely low. The steam engines and cannons you mentioned, brother Linzi, were nowhere to be found. It seems there are technical difficulties... I think we have to look for craftsmen in the West. However, even if we set up a trading company and contacted the Bauhinia Caravan and the Double-Headed Eagle Caravan, we still couldn't find any."

"Bauhinia Caravan? Let me take care of this!"

Fang Lin murmured, thinking of a person: Missy, the Westerner he had met before.

This guy went to the capital for a trip. Two years ago, he reconnected with this person through Dong Zugao. He was interested in making friends with him and their current relationship is pretty good.

"Missi was born into a wealthy merchant family in Taixi. Her family seems to have some connections with the Bauhinia Caravan. I can't recruit Taixi craftsmen here, but Missi can. Even if I can't recruit them through the Bauhinia Caravan, I can find them through other channels."

"It's hard to explain this in a letter, it's better to discuss it in person." Fang Linjing was very restless and wanted to go out for a walk.

……

The next day, Fang Lin talked about traveling.

In fact, I had this idea a long time ago. At first, I said I would wait until Qiuqiu was older. Later, Tian Xuan became pregnant, so now is the time.

"It's not good to enjoy life at home. Why should we follow those people and go out to suffer?" Fang's mother felt that life in Huai'an was pretty good. During the day, she managed people in the women's factory and was flattered by others. When she came back in the evening, the maids had already prepared meals for her. She was happy every day and really didn't want to go out.

"Mother, nowadays, there is a tourism craze among the people. As far as I know, the relevant supporting facilities are very mature. For example, when you go to a place, you can make an appointment in advance, and there will be a pimp to meet you a few miles away from the city. The accommodation includes stables, brothels, and actors... You can stay in a house, rent a sedan chair, pay the mountain and water tax, and there will be people to meet you at the scenic spots, and there will be people to prepare banquets for you when you are out for fun. It can be said that as long as you give enough money, all matters will be arranged by the pimp, and everything will go smoothly. You just need to take the person with you. How can this be considered hardship?" Fang Lin said with a smile.

As mentioned earlier, in the early years of the founding of Daxia, there were many restrictive laws. No matter what you eat, wear, say or do, everything was listed in the laws. Every industry and every profession had its own way of doing things. As Daxia's economy developed, the people had an urgent need for spiritual and cultural needs, and popular novels came into being.

However, reading popular novels requires literacy and is not considered popular culture. Only masterpieces such as Fang Lin's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and Fengshen (Investiture of the Gods) can be appreciated by the general public through storytelling and opera adaptation.

Let's get back to the point. Traveling is another matter. It can also satisfy spiritual needs and is a respectable thing. Think about it, for ordinary people with bulging pockets, after work, they can travel to famous mountains and rivers, come back and tell their neighbors about their travel experiences, and see the listeners' faces full of curiosity, excitement, and envy. In this way, they can not only increase their knowledge, but also satisfy their vanity. How can the tourism craze not rise?
——Don’t think that the people of Daxia were poor just because there were constant natural disasters during the Little Ice Age. Development was uneven across the country, and the gap between the rich and the poor was huge. In economically developed places like the capital, Jianghuai, and other places, many people’s pockets were bulging. Especially with the promotion of sweet potatoes and the slight easing of disasters in various parts of Daxia in recent years, this tourism boom has been further fueled.

'This is also because the social environment is open, relaxed and free. In the court, the eunuch group and the civil servant group are fighting each other, which has reduced the attention to the people. The restrictions have been relaxed and the tourism industry has flourished.'

In fact, the court does not need to do anything. As long as there is no chaotic or bad governance, the people can find their own way out and develop.

After hearing what Fang Lin said, Fang's mother was quite excited. If this was the case, it seemed like going on a trip would not be a bad idea.

Father Fang thought for a while and asked again: "Linzi, what you said is that after we get to the place, we still have to walk on the way by ourselves. Will anything go wrong?"

This reminded him of the time when he first came to the city and encountered robbers. "Brother Lin, are Qiuqiu, Taier, and Xier a little young?" Tian Xuan also hesitated.

"They are five or six years old. They will be accompanied by maids, guards and doctors on the road. There is no need to worry." Fang Lin had already considered these things.

Daxia is relatively safe now, and we have guards with us. They have also recently updated their muskets.

There are also people like Meng Jiang (the elder brother of Fang He’s younger brother Meng He) who came back with the fleet and fought in wars overseas.

——Meng Jiang had been at sea for three or four years. When he came back this time, his mother urged him to get married and settle down, so he transferred to the security guard position.

Fang Lin added: "Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, which will also help Qiuqiu, Taier and Xier gain more knowledge."

He added in his mind: "If I don't look at it now, I may not have a chance when things get chaotic in the future."

Seeing that Fang Lin was thoughtful and said so, Fang's father, Fang's mother, and Tian Xuan agreed. After it was confirmed, they were all excited.

Fang Lin is a man of action. After dealing with various matters, he will set off within ten days.

……

When Prefect Yan heard that Fang Lin and his family were going out for a trip, he saw them off outside the city.

During these five years, he and Fang Lin always maintained a good relationship. On the one hand, the development of popular novels promoted the prosperity of Huai'an and brought him obvious political achievements; on the other hand, Fang Lin established factories and absorbed the landless people, thus solving this big bomb for him.

After returning, Prefect Yan sighed: "I really envy Mr. Fang's carefreeness. If it weren't for my duties, I would also like to go out for a walk and take a look at the beautiful mountains and rivers of Daxia!"

"It is because of your governance and benefit to the people that the people have extra money and can travel. Your Excellency is worrying about the world before he enjoys himself!" Master Qi flattered.

"Haha, you're too flattering! You're too flattering!" Prefect Yan smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Now that Huai'an is so prosperous, if nothing unexpected happens, I will be promoted next year."

To be honest, he also felt a little anxious.

Huai'an is indeed prosperous nowadays, but the problems hidden underneath are huge. Land annexation has caused more and more people to lose their land. Although they have been absorbed by the Fanglin factory, which is a reservoir, what if something goes wrong with Fanglin's factory?
If it were a thunderbolt, it would be earth-shattering.

This was also the result of compromising with the big families and allowing them to annex the city. The disaster was now difficult to contain. It could be said that when the next prefect comes, he will have to rely on Fang Lin, which would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.

"Sir, there is also the area outside the city." Master Qi reminded: "In recent years, the climate in Daxia has been strange. Although it is estimated that the area can last for more than ten years, there have been many heavy rains in the past three to five years. Many fish ponds along the river that serve as buffers have begun to become blocked."

"Yes, luckily I will be promoted next year, and all these troubles will be for the next person in charge."

……

Fan family.

Fan Qingzeng, Fan Qiguang and Fan Qihui, father and son, got together and learned that Fang Lin's family was traveling and left Huai'an.

"Dad, should we do something to test the waters while Fang Chenshi is away?" Fan Qihui said.

"What's the point of doing something insignificant? Yesterday, Lord Fang came to me and told me that you tried to test his subordinates... It would have been fine if it didn't work, but someone reported it to Lord Fang and brought it to the table. What kind of thing did you do?"

Fan Qingzeng snorted coldly.

He did not blame his second son for doing these things, but he blamed his second son for not doing them cleanly. Not only did he fail in his rash attempts, but he was also sold out by the other party. His methods of doing things were extremely crude.

"Dad, I underestimated Dang Zhixian..." Fan Qihui said embarrassedly.

"It's harmless if this fails, and it will also lower the vigilance of Mr. Fang." Fan Qiguang smoothed things over for his brother and then asked, "Dad, what do you think of Mr. Fang?"

"When we bought the secret recipe of the fragrant dew for three thousand taels of silver, it was a hidden danger. Who could have thought that Mr. Fang would be able to achieve what he has today? He has digested and integrated the factories and fleets of the four families of Gu, Ma, Shao, and Duan, and has also cooperated with the three families of Ma, Shao, and Duan in the soap business. Now, he has surpassed our family and squeezed us to the second place in Huai'an."

Fan Qingzeng was naturally uncomfortable with this: "But on the other hand, our industries do not conflict with each other, so it is not worth fighting."

"If we can find a flaw, we can kill him in one fell swoop at the lowest cost. If not, don't make any other attempts."

He sighed: "Besides, the situation in the court is turbulent right now, it is better to stay calm than to act."

In the court, the eunuch group and the civil service group were fighting endlessly. In the turmoil, the Fan family suffered a great loss of power in the court. On the contrary, the power of Dong Zugao's teacher and Pu Zhifu's faction remained relatively intact.

"What Dad said makes sense. A few days ago, our family received news that His Majesty hasn't attended court for many days. I'm afraid the mausoleum will collapse soon... At this time of turmoil, it is indeed not advisable to make any big moves." Fan Qi Guang said.

"Dad, brother, I understand." Fan Qihui also nodded.

……

The Fan family does not cause any trouble, the Gu family concentrates on running the restaurant and fish pond outside the city, and the Ma, Shao and Duan families are now almost vassals of Fang Lin and will not do anything either.

If these five companies don't cause trouble, Huai'an will naturally be stable.

At this time, Fang Lin and his family began their wonderful journey.

……

(End of this chapter)