Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 572 The Hegemony of the Qiongzhou Strait

The decision to leave for Lingao was unknown in Li's residence except for a few cronies. Li Luoyou reckoned that the court would mobilize troops against Lingao sooner or later, so the less people knew about this matter, the better.Except for Quark, he only brought Gu Baocheng, his personal servant Sao Ye, and a few capable family members to follow.

Although the matter has been settled, it is already the end of the year, and the three-year New Year in Chongzhen is coming in a blink of an eye. At the end of the new year, the affairs are cumbersome and there are many entertainments. The official and private affairs have been sorted out one by one. Only then did Luo You feel free to start arranging a trip to Lingao.

The most convenient way to go to Lingao is of course to take a boat from Gaoguang Ship Company in Guangzhou.Although this ship mainly carries goods, it also takes passengers, and the ticket price is extremely cheap.However, the environment is noisy, and it is very uncomfortable to live in a mixed environment; if you use your own special boat, it is too publicized, and the sea is not very peaceful.While thinking about it, Sao Ye reminded him that Yang Run Kaitang in Foshan had business dealings with Lingao, how about following their line?

"Master, do you still remember? The last time Master Lin from Foshan invited you to drink, there was a Master Liu from Lingao who said he was the shopkeeper of a pharmacy in Lingao. His family seemed to be related to Master Yang who opened the shop with Yang Run. Wouldn’t it be the best of both worlds to take this route and have someone take care of you?”

After Jing Saoye said this, Li Luoyou also remembered.The current caretaker called his diary.He has a habit of keeping a diary with details.Of course, his diary is not in a bad mood today, so-and-so is a jerk, which aunt owes discipline and other trivial things in life, but about business matters, what business did he do that day, who he met, what he talked about Things, what new ideas.

This habit was learned from local Portuguese merchants when he was doing business in Macau.He feels that this method is not easy to forget things, and he has formed such a habit.No matter how busy you are every day, write it down before going to bed.

Flipping through the diary, I found more details than what Sao Ye had said.That being said, the Runshitang pharmacy in Lingao is a channel that can be used.

Immediately, he called Master Feng, who was in charge of him, and asked him if there was a semicolon of Runshitang in his locality?

"Runshitang doesn't have a semicolon in Guangdong," Mr. Feng Bowen remembers, and all the shops and people who have done business with Liaohaihang have a clear understanding of them, "but they have a branch in Foshan. The accountant is in charge of opening a meeting with Yang Run to buy and sell medicines. The person in charge is Liu Benshan."

"My master is going to Lingao, you can ask Yang Shiyi to connect with Master Yang." Master Feng said, "Runshitang in Lingao and Yangrunkaitang in Foshan are two branches and two leaves. The owners of the two families are first cousins."

Although going to Lingao is a confidential matter, and the fewer people who know about it, the better, but Yang Shiyi doesn't need to be shy - this person resells Liaodong goods with him, and has connections with Lingao, so he absolutely dare not talk nonsense outside.

At the moment, I made up my mind to ask another young man who specializes in confidential matters to go to Foshan to do this matter.

Li Luoyou was going to Lingao, Yang Shiyi of course did not dare to neglect this "God of Wealth", and immediately contacted Liu Benshan.But within a few days, the boy came back from Foshan and said that the matter had been settled.

Because the matter was confidential, when Li Luoyou left Guangzhou, he only announced that he would go to Foshan Branch for inspection. He was a famous businessman in Guangzhou, and people came to visit him every day. It was impossible for him to disappear secretly for ten and a half months.After arriving in Foshan, Liu Benshan arranged to go to Lingao.

Yang Shiyi flattered this God of Wealth, and specially booked a two-masted blessing boat - which was originally used to travel to and from Lingao.The boss of the boat is well-versed in running.After meticulously arranging the cabins, Li Luoyou also wanted to send his family members to serve on board the ship, but Li Luoyou declined - he didn't want to make too much noise.Yang Shiyi had no choice but to send a lot of food and wine that he searched on the road.

The boat sailed without a word. It was a sunny day, and Li Luoyou went out of the cabin to breathe on the deck. He saw that the sea area here is extremely narrow, and the green hills, trees, cottages and farms on both sides of the river were all in sight. He didn't feel strange. He asked:
"Where is this?"

"We've arrived at the Qiongzhou Strait, and there is Leigong Island." The boss of the boat looked very relaxed, pointing to a small offshore island in the sea area on the left side of the boat.

"This is the junction of Lingao and Chengmai. After passing Leigong Island, you will be on the coast of Lingao County. It will take less than two hours to arrive at Bopu Port."

Li Luoyou nodded, he had never been to Qiongzhou, and he had no idea about this big island.His industry is all over Guangdong, but he has never set foot in Qiongzhou Prefecture. The place is sparsely populated and the products are barren. Except for timber, coconuts, betel nuts, red and white vines, there are no large quantities of native products for export, and there is nothing to sell.

What on earth did the Australians rely on to make a desolate and remote county thrive?Li Luoyou was very interested in this.

Quark also got out from the cabin, he was dressed like a Ming person, but he was wearing a black square scarf to cover his hair.Still, his blue eyes gave him away.

The boss of the boat has also seen foreigners on weekdays, so he doesn't think it is different.

"God, what a beautiful view," Quark said.He breathed in the fresh sea air a little greedily—he had been afraid to show his face these days, and only now did he show his head.

"The captain said that we will arrive at Lingao in a few hours."

"Really?" Quark said excitedly, "I really want to see the legendary big iron ship."

While talking, I saw a triangular sailboat on the coast sailing through the waves.Li Luoyou immediately realized: this is not a Chinese ship—it can be seen from the shape of the ship and the sail—it looks like a Western sailing ship.

"What ship is this?" He pointed to Quark.

"This is a dhow!" Quark was no less surprised than Li Luoyou.It was a typical dhow, exactly like the one he had seen on the coast of his hometown in England.But he has never seen this kind of ship in Asia—this kind of ship generally only sails along the coast, and does not do long-distance trade.

"This is the cruise ship of the Australians." The boss of the boat interjected, "From here to Lingao is the territory of the Australians."

"Australians are patrolling here?" Li Luoyou was a little surprised, he was really aboveboard! "The sailor doesn't care?"

"The sailor also has to see if he has the ability to take care of it? The navy will ask for money, and see a few pirates running faster than rabbits! How dare you meddle in the affairs of the Australians?" The words of the boss of the ship are full of contempt for the officers and soldiers. "Australians patrol here every day, destroying pirates when they encounter them, and willing to rescue ships when they are in distress. Dare to enter the strait.

"What a beautiful ship!" Quark yelled, "Tackling! God!" He screamed again, and it turned out that the ship was tilted so much that it felt like it was going to capsize.

"Australians are really top-notch sailors!" Quark took out a bandanna and wiped his sweat, "Even in my hometown, it's nothing more than that."

"They are able to travel across the oceans in big iron ships, so they are better than boats." Li Luoyou watched the movement of the dhows carefully. The speed is fast and flexible. If the imperial navy's heavy and old ships do not have cannon I'm afraid it's hard to even protect myself.

The patrol boat approached slowly, so close that he could already see the sailors rushing back and forth on the deck to furl and set sails.On the sloping and bumpy deck, sailors in blue jackets can still run and work quickly.Pieces of fishing nets are hung on both sides from the mast to the deck, and I don't know what they are used for.Everything on the deck was in order, and the most conspicuous thing was the long tubular object wrapped in oilcloth on the fore and aft decks.Probably the cannon of the Australians.

"Quickly hang the flag!" The boss of the ship ordered the man.After a while, a pennant flew up from the mast.The dhow seemed satisfied, bowing out to one side and departing.

"What does this mean?" Li Luoyou was very interested.

"My ship is registered at Bopu." The boss said, "There is a flag, so if you hang it up, you can sail directly to Lingao without inspection. If there is no registered ship, you may be asked to stop the ship and wait for inspection."

"Interesting." Li Luoyou thought that the management of the Australians is very organized, unlike businessmen, it seems to be a government.

"What if the ship doesn't stop?" Quark asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about, red-haired lord?" said the ship's boss, "Do not stop the ship? Not to mention that the cannons on the top will not be able to hold the gods, even if you are given a row of bird guns, it will be enough. Besides, the inspection will not ask you. The money and goods, why bother to find this uncomfortable."

The boss of the boat added: "The Australians in Lingao are very nice, and the servants are very polite and don't ask for money randomly. Recently, the boats enter and leave the port without pumping water, and people who do business say it's good."

"Import and export are tax-free. This is to attract merchants to trade there." Quark was very excited. From this point of view, Australians welcome merchants to trade.It is very likely that I will succeed in setting up a business store there!
Although Macau is good, it is after all the territory of Catholics. If he hadn't been protected by Li Luoyou, he would have been deported by fanatics a long time ago. Quark knew exactly what would happen if the Spaniard caught him.As for being in Guangdong, I can only stay in the Li family's mansion and try not to go out as much as possible. I live a comfortable life, but it is a bit too boring.

If I can set up a warehouse in Lingao, I can do business with the mainland through this stronghold, buy silk, sugar and porcelain, store them in Lingao, and then take a boat back to Surat to resell when I have more. If you don’t have enough money, you can simply buy a ship and transport it yourself. If you have more strength, you can negotiate with the Australians and let them allow the establishment of a British business house, so that more British businessmen come to Gaotao for trade, and you can act as a business agent identity activities, the benefits of which are immeasurable...

The heart of the businessman John Quark was beating violently, as if there were countless gold glittering in front of his eyes.He was almost impatient.

Quark couldn't help swallowing his saliva, and asked, "Are there many people going to Lingao for business?"

"Not much at first, but it has increased in the past six months." The boss of the boat was smoking a cigarette, "Almost everything can be sold. Besides, you can bring back a lot of good-selling Lingao goods on the return trip. Double the money, can everyone agree?"

"I see."

"You two are also going to Lingao to do business, right?"

"How do you know?" Li Luoyou asked.

"If you don't do business, who would go to that place?" The boat owner said with a big smile, "Besides, there is this red-haired man. The red-haired man has no money, and as long as there is money to be made, he will go there. , and the money in the frying pan must also be scooped up."

Quark? Qiong laughed, Lian Cheng was right.At that time, mercantilism was popular in Europe. To the Chinese, these remarks sounded derogatory, but to him, an Englishman, they were praises.

Li Luoyou thought it was interesting and chatted with the boss of the boat for a while, and then went back to the cabin when he saw the wind and waves on the sea gradually getting stronger.

"Clean up everything, we'll be here soon." Li Luoyou ordered Sao Ye, frowning, "Where's Baocheng?"

"Back to Master," Sao Ye said cautiously, "He's still seasick today, and couldn't get up in the cabin."

"It's really delicate!" Because of his seasickness, he was asked to rest in the cabin at the beginning of boarding the ship. Li Luoyou thought to himself that it's been five or six days, and seasickness is not good.This child is about to start a family, and his body is still so weak. I don't know if the only blood of his wife's family has the ability to reorganize the family business?Thinking of this, I can't help but worry secretly.

To live, of course, is to do my best for him, but my health is getting worse and worse. If something happens, let alone Baocheng can stand on his own and revive his family, even finding a stable position in Li's family may be difficult.Li Luoyou knew that several close branches in his clan would complain about him taking care of and promoting a person with a foreign surname.

There are people from the tribe constantly entrusting people to act in front of his father or other elders in the tribe, and they want to put their nephews under his hands, saying that they want to "learn some skills".The existence of Gu Baocheng has repeatedly become evidence of his reluctance to get close to his tribe.

"Hmph, I can't do things well, but everyone is good at being greedy for money." In the past few years, there have been more than a dozen people from the clan who have defected to Guangzhou. Except for a few, most of them are planning to rely on the benefits of one ancestor Happy.That's not bad.What's more terrible is that he is extremely self-seeking, and he keeps thinking of his side to "serve", so that he can make himself a "treasurer" and "manager" who handles a lot of money.

"I can't write two characters of Li in one stroke. If my nephew is not careful about my uncle's business, who else should be careful?"

This kind of words, Li Luoyou almost vomited.Facts have proved that people of the same family are more unreliable than hired men with different surnames--and they are more confident in making money: it's all Li's money, why can't I use it?Li Luoyou was very helpless towards this number of people, and it was inconvenient to drive them away.I had to arrange an idle job to provide food and drink to avoid trouble.

Li Luoyou felt bored when he thought of the people in these clans.To relieve boredom, he took out a book and read it.This is "Nine Chapters of Shu Shu", which is the work of Qin Jiushao, a man of Song Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)