Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1601

The process of delivering the goods was more complicated than Clifford Jr. had expected.Because of the inefficiency and endless extortion of bribes by Qing officials, the transaction process between the two parties became long and trivial. It was not until an official named "Customs Road" came out to intervene that things went smoothly.

On May 5, the delivery of the goods was officially completed. The materials that the Qing court planned to use as payment for the goods included: tea worth 20 pounds (it can be seen that at this time in London, the tea market is not very wide), some goods that are going to be shipped to Sulla Special "rough goods" (mostly bulk and cheap trade goods), "fine goods" shipped to England (1.5 bolts of silk, 20 boxes of raw silk, more than [-] ounces of musk, Japanese screens worth [-] pounds, other Chinese curiosities worth over £[-]), and no precious metals of any kind, except for a small amount of gold which the British asked for in exchange (they paid for their purchases in Spanish crosses).

克利福德船长为了获得上述物资，除将大量军火交割给了清国海关官员之外，还有72捆（432匹）宽幅绒布、20捆（400匹）粗绒、18捆（360匹）长发绒、200桶在印度收购的廉价火药、200块铅（480担）、6箱亚力酒，卖了大约1万多英镑，另外还额外支付了超过一万五千英镑的现金，才成功从清国人那里获得了上述物品。

Of course, the "payments" that the Qing people need to pay have not yet been raised, and they may have to order local merchants and officials to purchase, and then transport them to Xiangshui Port by small inland riverboats.Captain Clifford wasn't too upset about it, because it's the norm, deals are initially done on paper, and it may be months before you actually receive something.What's more, there will be a strong southerly wind on the sea, and ships like them without steam power will not be able to go south and return to Banten or India. They can only live patiently on the side of the Qing Dynasty. The cost of food and lodging for personnel, the cost of storing goods, etc. are quite a lot of money, but it is a bit insignificant compared with the profits that can be obtained from selling the goods after returning to the UK.

The commodity delivery procedures of the other British merchant ships that came with them were basically the same, except that in addition to arms, those guys with great powers also added many special products from India and Southeast Asia, such as gems, perfumes, exotic tapestries, Immortal medicine, overseas spices, sandalwood, ambergris, etc.—this is probably because these ships are owned by the East India Company, and the captains are also employees of the company. Goods welcomed by the Chinese—they exchanged a lot of things from the Qing people. Of course, they also inevitably need to pay a large amount of cash (more than [-] pounds in total) to pay for the shortfall. In trade, no one can take away all kinds of specialty commodities such as raw silk, tea, and porcelain without paying for precious metals. They always maintain a huge trade surplus, which is really the envy of the merchants of the East India Company.

"The people of the Qing Dynasty used a kind of keelless sampan to transport goods in the inland river. Look, it's right there, densely packed together." Ms. Martin is indeed a person who has been hanging out on the land of China for a long time. The explanations of various things always make Cox very interesting. At this time, he continued to introduce: "Most of these ships have canopies, which look like a tank. The stern and other parts of the deck are Made of bamboo, the canopy is arched with bamboo branches in the shape of a file, probably to be raised and lowered at any time; the sides are made of wood, with some small holes for windows. If you want to travel inland, then I It is recommended that you hire such boats. They are generally quicker than you think, and especially they are very good at taking advantage of the ebb and flow of the tide."

"Of course, it's a very comfortable boat to make," Martin added. "There's a nice white carpet in the middle of the hull, but that's just for sleeping. Sometimes there are a few chairs in it." , a rectangular table, on which the Qing people put lanterns for lighting at night. Of course, they also set aside a small area to worship their ancestors, use gold leaf or other things as decorations, and place a pottery pot in front, It was full of soot, and on top of the soot were sticks of thin candles and something called incense. This is common in temples in big cities, such as Guangzhou, where the smoke from burning candles and incense is often enough to It can cause great damage to the human eye."

Cox Clifford nodded.The people of the Qing Dynasty gave them a lot of freedom, allowing them to move around Xiangshui Town without approval (of course, if they want to go to inland areas, they need to apply for a "road guide" here. stuff), otherwise it would be unimaginable to be bored in the inn for several months.

Now the two of them were standing on the muddy embankment by the pier, not far away there were many small sampans staying there, waiting for the officials to call to deliver goods.Some of the sampans, Clifford found, were smaller than usual cargo-carriers, without even decks, and what they were used for.Martin told him that the living conditions of these boat people were very poor. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, parents and their children without clothes make a living here by fishing or picking up things thrown by other people's boats-sometimes foreign sailors throw them into the river. A half-rotten dead pig will cause these people to scramble and end up with force-this makes Clifford, who has lived in a good life since he was a child, dumbfounded.

After strolling for a while, the two left the embankment, because they found that there were too many people staring at them around them, which made them very uncomfortable, so they went to the public shop in the dock area.The merchant house is theoretically the place where all European merchants work, but in fact only merchants from England currently live here.

This is a whole row of houses built on the banks of the river. It was built by a big businessman who is said to have an official background, and is leased to foreign businessmen. The lease period can be half a year, a year, or longer, depending on the situation. your need.The shop is single-storey and extends close to the town. The materials are bricks fired locally and wood shipped from afar.

The British East India Company rented several houses here as office and liaison places, and stipulated that only the company's agents (such as Cox Clifford and other secondary agents) or employees could enter here.Little Clifford has just rented a small office here at twenty pounds a year, which is not cheap.As in East India, a Qing employee was used to help him collect various commodity information in the future. Fortunately, this Qing employee who was an apprentice in a shop seemed very capable, and his monthly salary was only two pounds and ten shillings.

Clifford's office was topped by a skylight, smaller than the windows in the wall, but still allowing plenty of light in the room.The windows on the walls are wide open, the panes are made of mother-of-pearl (shellfish are used in lesser rooms), the windows are wide and narrow, carved with wood grain, full of exotic styles.

"Windows in China never use leather or glass. The windows have to be kept open during the day, otherwise there is not enough light in the room. But at night, they must be closed to prevent mosquitoes and bats from entering." Martin, the first mate, is like a chattering rental house The intermediary also introduced his experience of living in China to his employer, only to hear him continue: "Oh, by the way, next time it's better to buy some locks from England, or simply hire a locksmith. Chinese people The locks made are very unreliable, and one key can often open several locks, so the room is easy to be stolen. Especially since there are no sailor guards with swords here, it is easy to attract the coveted eyes of the poor Chinese on the riverside boats , like those Irish and Scots wandering the streets of London."

Clifford silently recorded the advice of his experienced adjutant, and then asked the Chinese employee to make a pot of green tea for the two of them, and said while drinking: "Let's talk about the next stage of work, I don't want to sit idle Staying in the port in a daze, then I will feel like I am rotten. I heard that the Emperor of Manchuria paid a lot of money to recruit shipbuilders in order to rebuild his destroyed navy. What do you think of this? I heard that they used to be in There is a huge shipyard nearby that can produce all kinds of inland water transport ships, but it is a pity that it was destroyed by the people on the east coast during the war..."

"Of course the Emperor of Manchuria wants to reorganize his navy, because the country's long coastline is threatened by the people on the east coast, including Tianjin, a city very close to the capital." Martin sorted out his thoughts, and then He replied: "However, I don't think we should intervene in the matter of recruiting shipbuilders. This seems to be something that the East India Company itself should do more. The Qing government should only contact them or the Dutch East India Company. I heard that the Qing Dynasty The government is already reorganizing the port and fortress in Haizhou. It is said that the Dutch East India Company is required to help design, and a batch of artillery, firearms, and instructors are also purchased from the United Provinces to defend against possible sea attacks by the East Coast Fleet. This is not It’s alarmist, because people from the east coast have already attacked Haizhou Port once, and that time they stood on top of the ruins after the earthquake.”

"Other ports in the Qing Dynasty are either in poor conditions, or they are under the threat of people from the east coast. Haizhou Port is also shrouded in the shadow of people from the east coast, but it is already the best choice in comparison, provided that they Put enough coastal defense artillery and good soldiers." Clifford commented: "But I think the best way for the Emperor of Manchuria to deal with it is still to attack the stronghold set up by the people on the east coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, so that the entire Yangtze River If you can remove the threat, there are many ports that can be used. They have already tried to do this, and it has proved to be not without success. There is no reason not to continue. The attack on the island of 'Chongmingsha' is over, I hope this time it will be successful."

In fact, in the past few years, the Manchu and Qing courts have organized several attacks against Chongmingsha, basically at night, that is, they hid a large number of ships and people on the shore during the day, and launched a surprise attack after nightfall to wipe out the east coast. The main purpose of the navy's gunboats stationed on the island is to capture the army fort on Chongming Sands.

To be honest, this kind of tactic will cost a lot of money, but it is indeed very difficult to defend.Think about it, at night, the overwhelming arson boats suddenly float down the water and rush towards you. Should your warships and gunboats hide or not?Of course, there is obviously no need to answer.Moreover, in many cases, it is too late for you to hide. During the many attacks against Chongmingsha launched by the Qing Dynasty in recent years, the people on the east coast have lost a total of 6 naval gunboats and a fast cruiser (this is a 650-ton everyone. partner), two 1200-ton transport ships (anchored here for maintenance), and two 72-ton small steamers, the price is extremely heavy.Fortunately, the former Chongming Sha Guard Qianhu Office of the Qing Dynasty rebuilt by the people on the east bank was relatively strong, and the soldiers also fought bravely, and persisted until the main fleet carried the army to come to rescue the siege.But many people have been killed and injured over the years, so many people are discussing whether to give up Chongmingsha, a stronghold located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, otherwise, the cost of being bloodletted by the Qing army for a long time is indeed a bit high, and it is not a wise choice— —Perhaps, it was the wishful thinking of the Qing army to let the people on the east coast continue to be in such a dilemma, and finally had to give up Chongmingsha.

"If we can take a step ahead of the Dutch and help the Emperor of Manchuria defeat the people on the east coast of Chongmingsha and remove the threat to the safety of the transportation artery of the Yangtze River, then one can imagine what kind of advantage the East India Company will have in the Qing Dynasty, and It also means countless money profits. This matter, when I return to Banten or Surat, I will report to the top of the company. If possible, I even plan to report directly to the East India Company headquarters in London. This is indeed It is an excellent opportunity, and the benefits are huge, it is worth the decision of the people above." Cox Clifford took a sip of fragrant green tea, narrowed his eyes and said: "China is a fertile land full of vitality. Own a place."

"This is not an extravagant wish, but a hope that can be realized after hard work." Martin, the first mate, also jokingly said: "Today, the 'Kent' (130 tons, 12 guns), the 'Aland' (150 tons, 14 guns), the 'Chinese Merchant' (170 tons, 14 guns), and the 'Xiamen Merchant' (310 tons, 28 guns) have also arrived at Xiangshui Port carrying a large amount of supplies and more than [-] pounds in cash , plus the previous four ships, we already have nine ships here, which is a great force in the Far East. Moreover, according to Mr. Hodges, the captain of the 'Xiamen Merchant', the Indian side has already planned to We will send three new ships from London, the 'Barnardiston', 'Surat', and 'Wanten', to Guangdong to trade with Ming. Our business is getting bigger and bigger Well, the company will rely more and more on this place.”

(End of this chapter)