In the era we live in, if you travel in Guangzhou, which is known as the city of flowers, and look west along the river road, you can see old buildings such as customs, post offices, and Tianzi Wharf. Among them, Tianzi Wharf is an important place for political activities in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but whenever there are big officials in the two Guangxi regions, there are Qin messengers to Guangdong to do errands, they will get off the boat at Tianzi Wharf, and then take the public opinion to cover it, and come all the way to the gong and shout. After the bottom of the double door, to the Yamen of the platform on Yuehua Road.

Ahem, let's look at Guangzhou in the 17th century! Today's governor Liangguang and governor of Guangdong have changed with the stars, from He Shijin in the fourth year of the Apocalypse to Shang Zhouzuo in the fifth year of the Apocalypse, and has become today's Li Fengjie.

A sedan chair carried by four people was carried out from the governor's yamen, and several family members were guarding the front and rear, along the route we mentioned above, to the edge of the Pearl River.

"Da Shao, where are we going?"

"I don't know, just walk around, just pick up the good scenery!"

The leader of the accompanying family looked up at the sky with the red sun slanting westward, "Da Shao, if you want to go to the flower boat at this moment, I'm afraid it's too early?" ”

The person in the sedan chair was a little irritable, "Just come to Luo!" Tell you to just pick up that good place, and it's noisy here! ”

After being reprimanded, the leader of the family had to signal the sedan chair drivers to choose a place with prosperous scenery along the way. Fortunately, in the flower city, the scenery is dazzling everywhere, and there is no shortage of places to go.

After the cross street, you can see the archway on the Tianzi Wharf in front of you, and the head of the family breathed a sigh of relief, it seems that the eldest young master still wants to go to the edge of the Pearl River to enjoy the night view of the Pearl River on the flower boat!

"Get out of the way! Move! ”

A hurried voice came from afar. The family and the sedan chair drivers followed the prestige, only to see a carriage speeding from a distance, and the coachman of the carriage waved his long whip from time to time to drive the carriage forward.

"Lose that mother!" The leader of the family scolded in a Suzhou accent in the Cantonese he had just learned, "On the long street, such angry horses are galloping, and they are not afraid of death?!" A red guy! ”

Seeing that the car was getting closer and closer, the sedan chair drivers realized that either their own sedan chair dodged, or the other party's vehicle stopped, otherwise, it was the end of the collision between the carriage and the sedan chair.

Shall we give it to him? The palanquin drivers think it's ridiculous. Who are we? We are the palanquin bearers of the Liangguang Governor's Palace! In this Guangzhou city, who else is harder than our backstage? The four sedan chair drivers still walked forward with unhurried steps, carrying the large green sedan chair that was obviously encroached upon.

"Smack!"

With a crisp whip, the sedan chair man who was beaten covered his face and couldn't help squatting on the ground. The whole sedan chair then leaned to one side. The family members hurriedly stepped forward to hold the sedan chair, and the leader of the family stepped forward and dragged the driver from the four-wheeled carriage!

"Which slave are you that you dare to be so presumptuous?"

"Which slave are you that you dare to be so presumptuous?"

The same words, one belonged to the eldest young master who was helped out of the sedan chair by the family, and the other voice was a little yin and yang weird coming from the carriage of the four-wheeled carriage, with a slight male duck voice.

"It turned out to be Father-in-law Qian!" The eldest young master of the Governor's Mansion couldn't help but change his face even more when he heard this voice.

Qian Yaoming, the eunuch of Guangzhou City, jumped out of the carriage with the support of two little eunuchs, and out with him was our second son Li Peiting.

"Hey! Who should we be? Isn't this a big flood that washed the Dragon King Temple! It turned out to be Mr. Li! ”

Thrown out of the sedan chair by Qian Yaoming's carriage was the eldest son of Li Fengjie, the governor of Liangguang at the time.

At this time, it was reprimanded by the righteous gentlemen of Donglin, and when the eunuchs of the eunuchs were the most rampant, the eunuch who could be released from the Guangzhou City Bosi, who had more oil and water, was naturally not a fuel-efficient lamp. For a little traffic accident on the street, he turned his face and fought with him, Li Minghan (editor, I really can't find Li Fengjie's family information. I also think it's a bit of a fuss.

Dressed in civilian clothes, dough dough and a blessed face, if it weren't for the lack of beard, his eyes, words and deeds looked a little weird compared with ordinary people, Qian Yaoming's father-in-law was a typical image of a rich man.

"Come, Brother Minghan, I'll introduce you." Qian Yaoming grabbed Li Minghan's wrist, "This is your family, Li Peiting's virtuous brother." This car was given to me by Brother Li Xian just now, but I didn't want to crash into your sedan chair. Brother Minghan, you won't blame me, will you?! ”

"Students don't dare!"

While greeting each other with Li Peiting, Li Minghan looked at the carriage. Four large snow-white horses with bright saddle rings, and the bridles of the horses, inlaid with a few pearls, sparkle in the setting sun. The carriage made of rosewood and the curtain made of some kind of cloth are hung on the windows of the carriage with the wheels of the brass clad in fine wind, the rosewood, and the scenery inside the carriage are isolated from the outside world. At first glance, the four wheels are not unusual, but on closer inspection, they are made of stainless steel.

A horse raised its head to the sky and neighed, the head of the family couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, this long neighing alone, can prove that these horses are not idle people, not to mention the best horses in a thousand miles, but also enough to be regarded as a treasure in the army.

"What a beautiful car, what a beautiful horse!" Li Minghan couldn't help but praise from the bottom of his heart, "Only such a decent car is worthy of a character like my father-in-law!" ”

"Hey, hey!" Qian Yaoming let out a burst of smug laughter, "Come on! Don't laugh at us, this is a gift from Li Ergongzi to our family, if it is our family, we can't afford to use such a car. ”

"What did my father-in-law say!? Did my father-in-law help Pei Ting less? What does a car count? ”

What did this eggless gelding do to this guy? The leader of the family only saw the large and small objects made of gold on the horse's body, "At worst, there will be one or two hundred taels!" ”

After a few kind words, Li Minghan got into Qian Yaoming's carriage half-pushed. "Go to the riverside! A boat of prawns and fine prawns! ”

After drinking a flower wine, Li Minghan and Li Peiting have become good friends, perhaps because they are both born as gentlemen, and the two have a lot of common language. The unhappiness caused by the collision between the carriage and the sedan chair has been thrown out of the clouds.

In the carriage, Li Minghan had already felt the luxurious life of this second son of Li. The car does not know what method is used, it is unusually smooth and comfortable to walk, in the carriage, there is a mat made of brocade, an incense burner is sending out I don't know what spices, which makes people feel comfortable and happy, there are several pairs of calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall of the carriage, and there are a few things that I don't know when the Ding furnace is placed in the dark grid on the side, in addition to the cigarettes, tea, fruits, and snacks, there are several maids with good faces waiting there. Seeing this scene, Li Minghan couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva secretly, "This guy is so happy!" ”

However, when he arrived at the flower boat of the two prawn and shrimp sisters, who are known as "the whole city of Guangzhou, and the art of pressing both sides of the Pearl River", Li Minghan became more and more stunned! It turns out that eunuchs can also drink flower wine!

A coat made of tulle outlines the figure of the prawn and shrimp sisters at a glance. When the two sisters saw the arrival of Father-in-law Qian, they immediately pounced on him like a yellow warbler out of the valley, and saw that the brocade guards who were standing under the springboard with embroidered spring knives in their hands were angry and hateful, "You have no eggs!" Such two little waves of hooves, can you also parry? ”

However, Li Peiting is more good at being a person, so he stepped on the springboard with one foot, and turned around to greet his relatives, "Tell me about Master Wu of General Banner Wu next to Father-in-law Qian, and if you come out with your father-in-law today, you will be rewarded with ten taels of silver per person." The small flag is doubled. He himself was fifty taels. ”

Father-in-law Qian hugged the prawns on the left and the thin shrimp on the right, and Li Minghan almost burst into fire at the center of his eyes. Li Peilin kept raising his glass to persuade him to drink, and set up a step for him.

After a few glasses of wine, the title of the two people is also warm, because of the same surname, they call each other brothers. "Brother Zong, I saw that between your eyebrows, the clouds were worried, but what is there to worry about?"

Li Peiting's words of concern evoked Li Minghan's sadness.

"Alas! When he left the house, he was reprimanded by his father, so he was uncertain, so he met his father-in-law and brother on the street. ”

"Yo! The Governor is not stationed in Zhaoqing, why did he return to the provincial capital? Father-in-law Qian, who was chewing the fruit fed to his mouth by the shrimp, was a little puzzled.

Li Fengjie, the governor of Liangguang and the governor of Guangdong, should be in Zhaoqing, and he returned to the provincial capital Guangzhou at this time, although there is a reason, after all, there is also a position of governor of Guangdong! But it can also be quite evocative of other people's thoughts.

"My father was worried about state affairs, and saw that the military equipment in the two regions was lax, and the armor was not repaired. It is planned to reorganize the army and military forces, purchase fine iron casting Hongyi cannons and other things, Guangzhou is relatively close to Foshan, and it is very convenient to come and go. Therefore, he returned to the provincial capital. ”

"Your Excellency the Governor has worked hard for the state and is a role model for my generation!" Pei Ting was aptly gifted a high hat.

"Qinai profiteer Diao Min He!"

Li Minghan drank the wine glass angrily and squatted heavily on the table.

The reason why he was reprimanded by Li Fengjie was that the negotiations with the iron smelting guild and the big merchants in the iron industry in Foshan were not smooth, and the iron price, construction period and other things were not harmonious, so he was severely reprimanded by his father.

"Such a thing, let Bingbeidao, Guangzhou Prefect, Foshan County, and Nanhai County go and talk to this generation, why bother with the golden body of the eldest prince?"

Li Minghan's face was slightly hot, but fortunately, he was covered by alcohol, and it was not easy to be investigated. "My father's meaning is that he thinks that the younger brother has only read the books of sages and sages over the years, and he doesn't know the difficulties of the crops, and he intends to experience the younger brother. But I don't want to delay the military affairs. ”

"Xian Qiaozi is really a loyal and diligent person! We admire! Father-in-law Qian gave Li Fengjie and his son a high hat in a hoarse voice, but the three people present were all bright-hearted, and Father-in-law Qian's words were not without irony and ridicule!

Originally! For this kind of procurement of military supplies, you only need to send an official document, have a company handle it, and prepare the wages and silver. When the time comes, there will naturally be a generous rebate for you, but now it's good, your father and son are unwilling to fake their hands to others, and they plan to eat alone, what is the result? Someone saw the joke, right? See how you end up?!

"I don't know how Ling Zun plans to reorganize the Liangguang Armor?"

"My father's meaning, at least more than 20 Hongyi cannons should be cast and sent to the Beijing Division, leaving the number of two Guang for their own use to be determined, and another 100 Hongyi cannons and a number of armor staff weapons!"

Hearing this, I couldn't help but let my father-in-law gasp!

Twenty Hongyi cannons, even if each one is only 3,000 catties, twenty is at least 60,000 catties, and 100 small cannons, that is, each is only 1,000 catties, and it is also 100,000 catties, adding up to nearly 200,000 catties! This is not counting the wear and tear at the time of casting, excluding accessories such as gun carriages and gun carriages, and the need for guns.

Moreover, the yield of casting cannons is very low, and out of every ten cannons, those that can be made into two or three are "national hands". In this way, these twenty cannons, one hundred small cannons, the steel required is not a small amount, no wonder the Li family father and son showed such an ugly appearance. It's all because the rebates are so tempting!

"I don't know why Brother Shi is worried?" Father-in-law Qian pushed away the prawns and shrimps, sat up straight, and asked Li Minghan with a straight face.

"Wages and schedules! My father meant that at least 300,000 catties of wrought iron must be delivered within three months. Each pound of wrought iron shall not exceed one penny or one penny of silver. The hateful Foshan smelters actually said that the price is small, and the construction period is tight. Refuse to accept it! ”

"No, Foshan, has the world ever thought about thinking about thinking about it in this city of Guangzhou?" Father-in-law Qian laughed evilly, as if he was an old fox who was about to steal a stupid fat chicken.

"The opening of the city, but it is feasible to open Guangdong, cover Guangdong to the southwest of Annam, Champong, Siam, Francoji is not far away. They were loaded with pepper, ivory, sumac, spices, and other goods. The ship arrives to report the water, and the cargo is divided, so the benefits of the market are very wide.

At this time, Guangzhou, it is not too much to evaluate it as a trade center. Under the impetus of the successive governors of Liangguang stationed in Zhaoqing, Guangdong's overseas trade has always been involved in trade globalization with a positive attitude, and since the middle of Jiajing, Guangzhou, as the city of Guangdong Province, has become the largest port and metropolis in the East for China's foreign trade and international trade by sea.

Merchants from all over the world came to Guangzhou to do business with Chinese merchants (Tong Guò 36 and 13 merchants), making Guangzhou a central market for trade globalization.

"Guangdong's location and China's policies, among other reasons, make the city a large arena for domestic and foreign trade. …… All the trade between the Chinese Empire and the Western countries was centered on it, and the products of all parts of China could be found here; …… Goods from Tokyo, Cochinchina, the Vostochny Islands, Indian ports, European countries, North and South American countries, and Pacific Islands were all shipped here."

In this way, in the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou presented a prosperous scene of international trade "Tianzi Nanku", just like the poetry of the time:

"The city of Guangzhou is the best in the world, and the island is second to it.

Incense beads and silver coins are piled up in the city, and the fire cloth and feather satin are dovelous.

The blue-eyed officials occupy the building, and the devils of the red mansion live for many years.

Haopan Street is connected to the West Corner Tower, and foreign goods are like a mountain of miscellaneous places.

The foreign ships competed for officials and businessmen, and the cross door opened to the two oceans.

Five silk and eight silk satin are good, and the silver thread is piled up in thirteen rows. ”

Such a prosperous scene, it is a pity that the Guangdong Customs at that time was under the management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is also a strange thing, a country's tariff was actually into the private treasury of the Son of Heaven, used to repair the garden. Nima's, there are still people who brazenly praise the pockmarks, saying that compared to Wanli, Wanli at most collects some mining taxes, and does not use the national tariffs to build private gardens, but uses the mining taxes to resist the invasion of the Japanese and suppress the national separatism, but does not spend the water division army on repairing the Summer Palace.

Qian Yaoming is in charge of the city, and he can be regarded as having some understanding of the economic field, and the direction he pointed out to Li Minghan is that since the production field cannot be solved, you might as well go to the business field to find it.

Hearing this, Li Minghan's eyes lit up suddenly, but immediately dimmed again, "Father-in-law, this city's ship, it is easy to find 300,000 taels of silver on a foreign ship, but it is more difficult to find 300,000 catties of refined iron, which is 30,000 catties, 3,000 catties, I'm afraid it is more difficult than ascending to the sky!" ”

"Alas! You don't know the true face of Lushan! A great bodhisattva is in front of you, but how to worship those ghosts? Could it be that you also received baptism, and what so-called heavenly pig barked? ”

At this time, there were already churches built by foreign missionaries in Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan and other places, and it is not polite to say that most of the impressions of China by the white-skinned ghosts were the Pearl River Delta region described by these missionaries in their letters, paintings, diaries, etc.

"What does my father-in-law mean?" Li Minghan didn't care to listen to Qian Yaoming's ridicule, but he seemed to see a road to heaven paved with snowflake silver.

"Li Ergongzi is a giant businessman in the South China Sea, and he has countless ships in his hands. Anything in this world, he can get it for you! ”

"Brother Zong! Father-in-law, can you take this seriously?! Li Minghan didn't care about drinking, so he grabbed Li Peiting's hand and grabbed his hand, as if he had grabbed an ingot, which made people feel intoxicated in their hearts.

"You can't buy so much wrought iron from someone else." Pei Ting deliberately sold a pass and suppressed Li Minghan's affection.

"However, there are a few small smelting furnaces in the next house, I don't know how much wrought iron is needed by the eldest prince, and when will he use it?"

"At least 300,000 catties! If it can be delivered within three months, that's great! What is the salary? ”

"The price of iron, according to the price that the eldest prince just said, Ling Zun said, I actually received eight cents of silver, and the rest was given to the sect brother Xian Qiaozi and Father-in-law Qian."

"Yo he! This is useless in the next! ”

paid more attention to foreign wealth, which made Qian Yaoming very excited. He even had a plan to marry the prawns and shrimps home as a concubine after redeeming them.

Ming's iron price per catty is one cent, and the dark one only charges eight cents, and one and a half cents per catty is credited to the account, which makes Li Dagongzi very satisfied.

But I don't know when the guy on the other side, known as a giant merchant in the South China Sea, will be able to deliver the goods?

"Does the eldest prince want to handle this matter well, or do he do it beautifully?"

"Of course, I plan to do it beautifully, so that I will have face in front of my father, and my father will have face in front of the civil and military officials of Guangdong Province!"

"So, do you think it's feasible for me to tell me a charter? I wrote to my family and asked them to prepare at least 400,000 catties of wrought iron in advance, and then load them on the ship and set off for shipment. After arriving at the mouth of the Pearl River, how about asking the eldest prince to go to the Governor's Yamen together to check and accept, and then settle the iron price according to the actual amount? ”

400,000 catties of wrought iron! It is enough to keep all the iron-making furnaces in Foshan busy with two or three months of output, and in Li Peiting's mouth, it is as simple and ordinary as going to a teahouse on Guangzhou Street to taste one cup or two pieces. Such a calm and breezy look immediately impressed Li Minghan.

However, although he is a gentleman, he is not stupid, especially in the officialdom for a long time, Li Minghan is still very clear about all kinds of doorways. Eight cents a catty, wrought iron at this price, in the Foshan iron smelting industry is already losing money, not to mention the water foot freight?

"Brother Zong, in Liangguang Land, is there anything I need to do for you in the Governor's Yamen?"

"The eldest son's words are also in our family's heart! If there is anything you want our family to do, you will tell it! Although our family is eggless, we don't want to do that seedless thing! ”

That night, Qian Yaoming, the eunuch of the City Ship Division, returned to the backyard of the City Ship Division and beckoned a group of deacons to come and listen to him. The two little eunuchs lowered their eyebrows and kneaded the shoulders and backs of Father-in-law Qian, and knelt on the ground to beat his legs.

"All the people are here?"

Father-in-law Qian, who couldn't keep his eyes open, asked.

"Back to my father-in-law, except for those who have already gone home, everyone who is in the city has arrived."

"Boys! Listen to us! We know what kind of virtue you have always had, and what you want to eat and take cards is a good means for you! Our family turns a blind eye on weekdays, thinking that you are also supporting your family, and some people followed our family from Beijing to here, which is even more difficult! However, in the future, you will give our family a pair of tricks to put a bright spot, other people's ships are bought and sold, you can ask for some regular money, if our family knows which one does not have long eyes to go to the ship of the Han Yuan firm to ask for regular money, then we will help him change a pair of eyes! ”

Li Fengjie, the governor of Liangguang, listened to his son talk about what he had seen on the flower boat tonight in his study, and he couldn't help but be happy. "If you can procure overseas fine iron, then the public intentions of you and my father and son will be obvious to the world."

"That's what my father said."

"That Li Peiting, in order to ensure military supplies, tried his best to donate, and his loyalty was commendable. I will never treat such a brave and loyal person badly. You go and sue him, and I will issue a note in the name of the Governor's Yamen, and send an order to the officials at all levels in Liangguang and Guangzhou, in order to ensure the military needs and the people's livelihood, what is his business name called? ”

"Father, call it the Han Yuan firm."

"Oh. It is necessary to give convenience to the Han Yuan firm. ”

While discussing the national economy and people's livelihood, how to be loyal and patriotic, the father and son calculated how many Hongyi cannons could be built with 400,000 catties of wrought iron. How many Hongyi cannons, and how many birds, knives and guns can be made from the remaining iron materials, and sold in the Liangguang area.

Li Peiting's hand made the Han Yuan firm receive the direct support of the governor, and also made the governor's immediate family make a lot of money, but inadvertently offended many people in the Guangdong officialdom. created a lot of trouble for himself, but Li Peiting didn't expect it!

Just when the father and son were excited about this cause of benefiting the country and the people, at this moment, the Governor Yamen Zhongjun broke in breathlessly!

"Report to your lord! I've seen Childe! ”

"Why are you so alarmed?!"

Li Fengjie was very dissatisfied and reprimanded the Chinese army.

"My lord! I just received a six-hundred-mile urgent paperwork! The emperor is dead! ”

On August 20, the seventh year of the Apocalypse, the carpenter emperor Zhu Youxiao, who had been scolded by righteous men and gentlemen for hundreds of years, died.

More than 6,000 words are offered, so what, the recent collection numbers are very sad, can you reward points?

In addition, there is also a bad heart in this chapter, do you see it?

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