The Foreign Intelligence Service (FIA) has conducted extensive research on the issue of the safety of coastal navigation. After all, he is a full-time naval intelligence officer assigned by the Navy to the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Through historical information and conversations with a large number of aborigines, naturalized sailors and merchants, Jing Ke came to the conclusion that the small number of transport vessels of **ō Shipping could pass through the Fujian Sea at their own discretion, but the ships needed to be adequately armed to deal with possible small groups of pirate robbery. However, he also pointed out that if a large number of ships pass by, Zheng Zhilong's attitude may change, and any large-scale shipping may cause these sea shili to peep into the sky.

"In addition, we have to take into account that the traditional navigation techniques of China are generally not detached from the coast.

Coastal landmarks are often used as a reference for navigation. Even the route to Southeast Asia "try to choose to sail along the archipelago." Our trained officers can rely on sextants and charts to navigate the ocean away from the coastline, avoiding coastal routes that are easily monitored and blocked. ”

After some argumentation and preparation, the second delegation set sail to Hangzhou on a medium-sized Fu ship of Jia Bō Shipping. This Fukun is a specially modified vessel of the **ō company, and its mission is to transport important people and cargo.

The ship was equipped with smoothbore guns for self-defense. In addition, the ship was accompanied by plainclothes personnel of the Dart Bureau and the Special Investigation Team to ensure the safety of the journey, and the Special Investigation Team not only carried C" and hand grenades, but also brought machine guns and an Xìng rocket launcher to ensure that the expedition was foolproof at sea.

The port of arrival of the delegation was selected in Shanghai County. Qiwei Dart Bureau has set up a waterway sub-container in Shanghai County, which is responsible for the transfer of people and goods at this wharf in Shanghai.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Hangzhou had Lupu as an outlet to the sea, but in the late Ming Dynasty, due to the blockage of sediment and the difficulty of sea ships entering and exiting, Hangzhou's outlet to the sea was transferred to Zhapu and Ningbō. The navy and the personnel of **ō shipping discussed that instead of going to Zhapu or Ningbō, it was better to go directly to Shanghai "to investigate the local hydrogeography first." After docking in Shanghai, an advance team was dispatched to investigate the water and land conditions along the way to Hangzhou, so that it could be used for the future transfer of refugees from the Xiangshang Sea in Zhejiang.

The journey of the delegation was very smooth, and Fuchuan chose an "open sea" route, saying that the open sea was only a coastal route in the old time and space, but at that time, it was rare to sail away from the "inner ocean" where you could see the land. The ship did not encounter any danger and arrived at the port of Shanghai safely in late April.

Shanghai County has a long history, and its construction history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, but until the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Shanghai County did not have a city wall. The county seat was built in the second year of Jiajing Sanfeng in the Ming Dynasty to "prepare for the Japanese". Nine miles around the city, the city wall is two zhang four feet high, six city gates of the size, four gates of the southeast, northwest and northwest, named Chaozong, across the sea, Yifeng, Yanhai, there are two gates of treasure belt and chaoyang, commonly known as the small east gate, the small south gate.

The wharf along the Wusong River is located outside the small east gate. Since the opening of Longqing to the sea, it has gradually become a port city. Songjiang Prefecture, where Shanghai County is located, is famous for its cotton cloth and is known as "the clothes are all over the world"

Even as far away as Hainan Island, the birthplace of China's cotton textile industry, you can see the figure of Songjiang cloth, and Shanghai, as a cotton cloth export port, "the market is slightly prosperous." However, compared with the foreign trade of Fujian and Guangdong, which were prosperous at that time, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces fell behind in this regard. Overseas ports that were once prosperous in history, such as Taicang Liuhe, Ningbō and other places can no longer be compared with Zhangzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou and other places.

As soon as the boat arrived, someone stood and waited on the pier, and when they saw the lucky boat with the **ō flag docking, they immediately waved on the shore. Standing on the bow of the ship was the permission of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and his trip was not only to escort the delegation, but also to observe the hydrological environment along the way. He immediately replied with a gesture, the gangplank had not yet been set up, and the leader who was waiting on the dock had already taken three feet and two steps, and stepped onto the boat.

The person came to him and bowed: "This is Master Xu?" ”

The news that Xu Xu and others were going to Shanghai was sent to the Shanghai counter by the Guangzhou General Account of the Qiwei Dart Bureau a month ago, and it was sent to the Shanghai counter through manpower and pigeons through the outer cabinets along the dart road. The number of people coming, how many houses, warehouses and porters need to be prepared are all specified in detail on the roll.

Although this system did not come as fast as the telegraph, it was not slower than the post transmission of the imperial court, "it took less than ten days to transmit from Guangzhou to Shanghai, which was faster than the speed of the Titang officials who delivered important documents to the imperial court." On the one hand, this is because Qiwei has established an effective carrier pigeon communication network under the guidance of Nick, an expert in horse and pigeon breeding in the Committee of Agriculture, and at the same time, it has also absorbed a group of professionals, and the imperial court has abolished the post station personnel, and a large number of experienced post personnel have been dispersed.

Qiwei has recruited a number of capable professionals.

After receiving a positive reply from the permission, the person who came simply and neatly asked for a peace: "Hello to Master Xu, little Mao Sansheng, wait for the master to send!" ”

The person who came was the shopkeeper of Qiwei's Shanghai Foreign Cabinet, and he was a distant relative of Bei Kecheng's wife.

In the past, he used to work as a discharge worker on the Hanjiang River. The long-distance waterways of the platoon workers all know how to defend themselves with fists and feet. Later, he lost his job. Mao Sansheng defected to Qiwei in Guangzhou, and belonged to one of the many "old watches" who came to Sun Kecheng in Qiweili. Mao Sansheng's kung fu is not to be a dart master, Sun Kecheng began to arrange for him to run tuǐ, and later on the outer cabinet is now the man who supports the façade. Although Mao Sansheng was born as a platoon worker, he has a great ability to deal with people. The General Administration of Political Security secretly inspected it, and the reliability level of the assessment was that it was sent out as the head of the foreign treasury in Shanghai.

"Everything is ready," Mao Sansheng bowed down and said, "The old man will stay in Pan Yuan first, and the goods will be transported to this cabinet warehouse for temporary storage." Wait for the ship to be ready before shipping together. The sedan chair is on the pier. ”

"Okay, you go to the dock and say hello." ”

As soon as Mao Sansheng left, he returned to the cabin immediately. Take care of the people who pack up and prepare to get off the ship, especially the wig bun should be put on, so as not to be unphased. Others said that Jin Lige was in a little trouble, after all, his high-nosed and deep-eyed image was eye-catching. There must be a certain amount of disguise.

Because Shanghai's Qiwei Outer Cabinet is still in the stage of creation, there is a shortage of housing. Mao Sansheng was afraid that he would not be able to entertain the patriarch, so he borrowed Pan Yuan from the local gentleman Pan Jiashang as the residence of the patriarch.

This place is just after the Chenglu Temple in Shanghai County, and it is officially the predecessor of Yu Garden, the first garden in Shanghai in later generations. In this time and space, "Yu Garden is the property of Pan Yunduan, who served as a political envoy in Sichuan during the Jiajing period. It is still in the hands of the descendants of the Pan family. Although it is located in the downtown area of the city, it is quiet and elegant, and it is very convenient to serve food and drink.

A few people lingered in Pan Yuan for a few days, "Mao Sansheng is running outside, arranging a boat from Shanghai to Hangzhou, of course, there is an official line, but when it comes to traveling comfortably and safely, it is better to take a boat." What's more, they also carry a lot of heavy goods, which is even more inconvenient to travel by land.

"I didn't think we would live in Yu Garden.

It's like a dream. ”

At the beginning of the lanterns, several elders sat around a huā hall in Pan Yuan, and they couldn't help but speak.

Several patriarchs felt a little dreamlike, they had been to Shanghai in another time and space, "I have also admired the city wandering temple, traveled through the Yu Garden, and some have also drunk tea in the teahouse by the Jiuqu Bridge, and eaten the famous xiaolongbao." Now everyone actually lives in Yu Garden, of course, Pan Garden can only be regarded as the predecessor of Yu Garden.

Zhou Dongtian picked up a piece of hawthorn cake on the table, and the four plates of dim sum on the table were "gifted" by the owner of the Pan family. The food they stayed in Pan Garden was all provided by the Pan family, and some of the Pan family's servants were taken care of. After all, the Pan family is a gentleman, and their eating, drinking, and enjoyment are extremely exquisite. This hawthorn cake is not a gelatinous body made of sugar and substitutes in the old time and space. It is a real peeled hawthorn and tribute sugar boiled out, sweet and sour, soft and hard, of course, this kind of enjoyment is not completely free, and after they leave, Mao Sansheng will also offer a lot of money as usual, "Xie Yi".

"Your horizons are too small. "Zhou Dongtian is eating hawthorn cake" "What is the small Yu Garden, I will go to the Forbidden City, the emperor's bedroom to sleep for a few nights in the future"

"The house wasn't comfortable at all." Mei Lin, who had visited the Forbidden City, said: "I can't imagine that the emperor would live in that kind of house. The inner palace said that it was not magnificent, it was just an ordinary brick house. Not to mention plumbing equipment and the like. It's hot in summer and cold in winter, and I understand that the Manchu Emperor is going to practice in the palace outside Beijing. ”

, "I think it's not bad to have a big feast in the Taihe Palace." Lu Zhongxing, who came on a business trip from the Ministry of Communications, said, "Set up five hundred tables, one large round table for each person, and then behind each person stood a row of princesses, county lords, Gege, eldest ladies and the like, all kinds of skins. lù The stage is full of bands, a "Chinese" country and a European "Mr. Wen raises a glass to toast, and the band plays music"

", why did Mr. Wen raise a toast?" Zhou Dongtian expressed contempt, "He is not the master for the rest of his life." ”

"Okay, whatever the patriarch thinks, what do you think of this feast?" ”

"Don't talk nonsense. "Permission said" Mao Sansheng said, we have to stay here for a few days. During this time, do you want to take a look in Shanghai to see the specific market? ”

"Yes, of course" or what are we doing here? Zhou Dongtian said without hesitation: "We came to Jiangnan to understand the local social situation," and I couldn't see anything in the huā garden. ”

Although Shanghai County is not a famous city in this time and space, it is a county of Songjiang Prefecture famous for cotton spinning. Shanghai itself is a piece of impact land, the ground is sandy, and it is very suitable for growing cotton huā. Therefore, the local cotton textile industry and cotton huā planting industry also have a large scale, which is a direction worth investigating.

The next day, under the leadership of Qiwei personnel, everyone visited the county seat of Shanghai. At that time, there were 100,000 households in Shanghai County, and there were more than 30,000 households in the city. Among the more than 1,000 county towns at that time, it could be regarded as a large county. When passing by Qiaotou Road, Zhou Dongtian noticed that there were many people in tattered clothes gathered at Qiaotou and the teahouse, all of them had dishes on their faces, but they didn't seem to be beggars and homeless people, so he asked Mao Sansheng.

"Master, these are weavers, and there are also dyers and calenders. Mao Sansheng said that there are more than 2,000 craftsmen in this county who "eat cotton rice", and most of them are casual workers who are paid daily.

"Recently, the cotton cloth market has not been good, and the machine owners themselves are almost unable to open the pot, who else hires craftsmen."

"Cotton doesn't sell well?" ”

"The cotton market has been very poor since last year. The cloth can't afford to sell at a price," Mao Sansheng said, "Not only are the machine owners and mechanics unlucky, but the villagers who grow cotton in the countryside are not having a good time, and the cloth can't be sold for money, and the cotton huā can't be sold for money." ”

Zhou Dongtian and others were speechless, originally thinking that Songjiang cloth was already "clothes in the world" and "should always be marketable, but they didn't expect the local cotton textile industry to wither to such a point. The economy of the Ming Dynasty not only has problems, but also problems are not small.

A few people walked to a big mansion in Taiqingfang in the county, commonly known as "Nine Buildings", Mao Sansheng whispered that this is Xu Guangqi's old house.

"There is no Xu family living in this house at present," only a few servants guarded it. ”

As a relatively rare figure in China at that time, Xu Guangqi was seventy years old at the time. However, he was not in his residence in Shanghai County, and he had already become a scholar of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy last year, and an assistant director of the Zhan Shifu. Most of his family members are also in Beijing.

Xu Guangqi's sons Xu Tiller and Bie Yuanhua are sons and daughters, and the relationship between the two is extraordinary. Because of the Dengzhou Rebellion, the Foreign Intelligence Bureau has always paid great attention to Xu Guangqi's clue. One of the missions of the intelligence group sent to Beijing was to use the Jesuit connections to try to get in touch with Xu Guangqi. The Shanghai side "did not make any action for the time being, but just ordered Qiwei to pay attention to the activities of the Xu family in Shanghai."

Mao Sansheng told Zhou Dongtian that in the cross-sea gate of Shanghai County, that is, in Kangqu outside the south gate, there is the Xu family, and the "double garden" is the ancestral business of the Xu family, and now it is the vegetable garden and mulberry garden of the Xu family. Sweet potatoes were introduced to the south of the Yangtze River from Fujian and Guangzhou, and Xu Guangqi was the first to successfully plant them there. There is a peach orchard outside the north gate, where many peach trees are planted, and the harvest is very good. There is also a farm villa in Fahua Town, called, "Houle Hall", which is also the location of the ancestors of the Xu family.

"It's Xujiahui!" Zhou Dongtian blurted out. He knew the origin of the name Xujiahui. Xujiahui is the location of this Xujia real estate, and Xu Guangqi's descendants once lived here, so it got such a name.

Mao Sansheng looked at him inexplicably, and he didn't know how to come up with "Xujiahui". Zhou Dongtian just smiled slightly, but did not explain.

The Xu family's industries in Shanghai, with the exception of Pozhong residences, are almost entirely involved in agriculture. Although Xu Guangqi's grandfather started as a businessman, "The Xu family has little involvement in business, but Xu Guangqi is not a cultivator in the traditional sense. Although he did not have much land, he managed every place carefully, and studied agricultural methods such as agricultural jishu, farmland water conservancy, and field management very deeply, so the land income was quite good. Although Xu Guangqi was later known as a scientist who disseminated Western learning, "in fact, he could also be called a successful agricultural capitalist, and there were many such people at that time."

Obviously, Qiwei's work efficiency in the local area is quite good, and he quickly inquired about the specific situation of the Xu family. Although Zhou Dongtian felt that it was of little significance.

Several people went to several land and water wharves outside the county town of Shanghai to observe the traffic situation.

The purpose of the delegation was to inspect the road traffic conditions in the south of the Yangtze River. He holds a double degree in electrical engineering and road and bridge engineering, and has specialized in road and bridge quality inspection in the past.

The inspection of the traffic situation is not only to plan the route of the army in the future, but also to prepare for the future commercial and trade activities in Jiangnan. Transportation has always been a prerequisite for the economic development of a region.

The next day, Mao Sansheng's ship was ready. These are two short-distance passenger ships that are common in the south of the Yangtze River for wealthy people to travel, commonly known as Wuxi Express. The ship is not big, "the above facilities are complete, not only there are bedrooms for resting", there is also a living room for feasting and living, and there is a kitchen in the rear stern, which is very convenient for providing food, and Wuxi is very famous for enjoying it during the journey. For the sake of prudence, Mao Sansheng replaced the personnel on the ship with Qiwei's men and horses. In this way, of course, there is no thoughtful service shì of the famous Wuxi boat lady. In addition to the passenger ship, there are two other ships to carry luggage. As for other cargo, it will be arranged by Qiwei, and multiple ships will be transferred in batches.

After Zhou Dongtian and his entourage boarded the ship, they enjoyed the spring light of the south of the Yangtze River along the way, and talked in the cabin when they were tired. Lu Zhongxing had more to do: from time to time, he had to measure the water depth, observe the waterway, and accumulate first-hand information for the dredging of the future waterway.

Sitting bored in the cabin, several people discussed the transportation plan from Hangzhou to Shanghai.

At that time, the most convenient transportation route from Hangzhou to the north was of course the Grand Canal. Take the canal from Hangzhou directly to Suzhou, and the waterway is fast and convenient. However, if the transshipment terminal is located in Shanghai, Suzhou is still ten kilometers away from Shanghai.

"I inquired: Mao Sansheng said that he never took the Grand Canal and went directly from Shanghai County to Hangzhou. It's just that the river channel is not as wide and deep as the Grand Canal. I'm afraid I won't be able to take a heavy ship. ”

Jiangnan is known as the water town Zeguo, not only lakes and ponds are everywhere, rivers are crisscrossed and crisscrossed, and there are also a large number of paddy fields during the period. Except for the county seats, most villages and towns do not have dry roads, and have to use waterways. Even between the prefectures and counties, although there are official roads, the transportation is convenient by water. Inland waterway shipping is very well developed. However, most of the rivers have not been repaired and dredged, and many of them are either not deep enough or narrow, and they can only be walked by boats. The biggest is nothing more than the so-called, "sailing ship". According to Lu Zhongxing's estimates, the carrying capacity of this kind of ship is only more than 20 tons.