"Thank goodness!" After Xu Xin saw that several familiar naval officers had come off the ship, he hurriedly folded his hands and kept chanting the blessing of the Bodhisattva.

"Okay, Lao Xu, don't talk about it." Wang Tiehammer, whose head was wrapped in bandages, grabbed him, and then whispered: "The goods on the ship are quickly organized to be carried to the merchant station. Also, many of the brethren in the fleet were wounded, and some of them were not light. Go to the city and find some doctors to come over, charge a high price, be sure to let them come. These wounded brothers were all born and died together, and several have died in the past two days, and it is difficult to say that a dozen or so are out of danger now, and it is one that can be saved. ”

Xu Xin nodded, and quickly ordered someone to do it. He is now a celebrity with a small status in the city, and it doesn't take much trouble to get a few doctors over.

"The wounded brethren were to be recuperated in the merchant post for the time being." Wang Tiezhu continued, "Also, after the two ships of the Nanhai Company are unloaded, you should arrange for someone to load supplies on the ships as soon as possible. And immigration, it must be fast, and it will be done tomorrow. ”

"What? You're leaving tomorrow? Xu Xin was stunned.

"What if you don't run away as soon as possible? Now Lao Han's ship has also sunk, and our escort force is even weaker. The lair of the British is nearby, and it must be evacuated as soon as possible! Wang Tiehammer said undoubtedly, "If the Pasquier family's payment is settled, I will also take it back." Lao Xu, I will be honest, from this battle you can see that the determination of the British is not small, and the next time they come to Bordeaux is not necessarily when. Why don't you go back with us this time? ”

"No way!" Xu Xin also said resolutely, "The Bordeaux trading station took several years to build by the state. It's a shame to give up. Moreover. I'm staying here. At critical moments, it can also spread the word for the country. ”

"Word to the word? Are there Englishmen in the city? ”

"Of course." "The official British diplomat is responsible for the import and export of British goods, as well as the regulation of the commercial conduct of British merchants in Bordeaux. Why don't I find a way to get in touch with them? ”

"I can't call the shots on this, you are the plenipotentiary, you can do it yourself." Wang Tiehammer touched the wound on his forehead and said, "We can't bear the battle like this." How many men, ships and British people do we have? Not to mention such a blockade, trade was completely cut off. The domestic economy is in dire straits. Of course, don't fall into our momentum, or the British won't take us seriously. ”

"I'll take care of the proportions." Xu Xin nodded, "Then, I won't delay your time." I immediately organized personnel to transport goods, gunpowder, pig iron, flax, copper, lead, tin, graphite, all of which were urgently needed in the country. I also ask Julian to settle the payment today, and you can leave early tomorrow. ”

After returning to the trading station, Xu Xin arranged for people to do various things, and at the same time drafted a strongly worded protest letter. Ready to be handed over to British diplomats in Bordeaux. After writing it, Xu Xin read through it twice more times and confirmed that it was correct before putting it in his leather briefcase. Then he got into a horse-drawn carriage in the merchant station and headed for the residence of the British diplomatic envoy.

The residence of the British diplomatic envoy was soon there. One of Xu Xin's attachés got out of the carriage and walked straight towards the gate.

A middle-aged British man at the gate stepped forward quickly, looked at the young man with a Latin face with a slightly suspicious gaze, and asked in an inquiring tone, "Young man, I think maybe you are in the wrong place." This is the residence of Mr. Abraham, the diplomatic consul of the Kingdom of England in Bordeaux, are you sure you are here? ”

The young man walked up to him, bowed slightly, and said, "Good day, sir." I am Constantine, diplomatic assistant of the plenipotentiary of the Republic of China in Bordeaux, and my superiors would like to have a frank meeting with Mr. Abraham. ”

The middle-aged man's face changed slightly after hearing the words "East Coast Republic of China": "Mr. Abraham is on official business, and I am not sure if he will be able to find time to meet with you." In fact, I don't think there is anything left to negotiate between the two sides. The directors of the Virginia Company and the Merchant Adventure Company complained to Mr. Abraham about piracy in your navy, and Mr. Abraham accepted their complaints, and as a gentleman of high morality, I do not think he would have any contact with anyone from a pirate nation, which would be detrimental to his reputation. ”

Konstantin waited expressionlessly for the middle-aged man to finish speaking, then took out the diplomatic protest letter written by Xu Xin from his briefcase, handed it to the middle-aged man, and said: "It is really a pity that Mr. Abraham has a serious prejudice against our country, which affects his judgment. Please hand this letter to Mr. Abraham, then, and we will wait here for fifteen minutes. If Mr. Abraham still refuses to meet, we will leave, and Mr. Abraham will bear all the consequences arising therefrom. ”

The middle-aged man glanced at Konstantin in amazement, and then hurried away.

Dressed in a black tweed coat, Xu Shin stepped out of the carriage, and Kojiro and Shinzaemon guarded him closely, one left and one right. The weather was relatively cold, and the white vapor exhaled from the mouths of the three of them floated in the air.

Ten minutes later, the middle-aged man hurriedly walked over and said, "Mr. Abraham has invited Mr. Xu Xin, the plenipotentiary representative of the East Bank Republic of China, to the study to discuss. ”

Xu Xin nodded, and then walked in with the middle-aged man.

Abraham was a gray-bearded old man who had been an English envoy in Bordeaux for several years and was known for his erudition and fairness.

"Good day, Mr. Abraham." Xu Xin took off his beaver fur top hat and bowed slightly to Abraham politely.

"Good day, Mr. Xu." With a pipe in his hand and a well-made wool and silk blend gown, Abraham casually waved his hand to the seats around him and said, "Please be seated." ”

Xu Xin sat down unceremoniously, and then asked directly to the point: "Dear Mr. Abraham, what is your reply to the letter of protest submitted by our country?" ”

Abraham did not answer Xu Xin's words, but ordered the servant to bring a pot of tea, and then said, "This is a famous tea called Tieguanyin in the Far East, and I think you will like it, Mr. Xu." Come on, I enjoy its fragrance. ”

Xu Xin took a sip patiently, and then continued to ask: "Mr. Abraham, about our ......?"

"Don't mind, do you?" Abraham shook his pipe and interrupted Xu Xin's questioning with a smile.

"Please." Xu Xin's face was interrupted twice, and his momentum was frustrated. I could only sit there depressed and simply drank tea with my head down.

Abraham smoked his pipe leisurely, and the light smoke seemed so blurry in the sunlight that the room seemed quiet for a while.

"Virginia tobacco, my favorite, hehe." Abraham suddenly smiled and said, "With the pure fragrance of the origin, the price is 4 su a pack." Of course, two years ago, it was only sold for 3 su a pack, and at its peak last year, the price reached 8 su a pack. The reason why prices fluctuate so dramatically is because you people on the East Coast have artificially obstructed the normal flow of goods, and because of the unprovoked attack on the merchant ships of the Virginia Company, the Board of Directors of the company, which has suffered a lot of losses, has had to decide to raise prices to cover the losses, which has caused a lot of complaints from our customers. ”

"Mr. Abraham, your words are a very serious accusation, and I have to express my strong indignation to you." Xu Xin raised his voice and said: "The Chinese government has always advocated the principle of free trade, and has invested a lot of energy in protecting the normal trade of merchant ships of various countries, and will never do some inappropriate acts that damage the reputation of the country." On the contrary, this time, our country's merchant ships that normally go to Bordeaux for trade have been harassed and attacked by your country's ships many times along the way, causing us considerable losses in property and personnel. Here, I would like to formally lodge a protest with your Government and request your Government to strictly restrain the pirate syndicate headed by the East India Company and the Virginia Company, and to compensate our Government for the corresponding losses. Otherwise, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, my Government will retain all rights to freedom of movement. ”

"Young people are always so angry." Abraham continued to smoke his pipe and said leisurely: "I'm sorry, but the great Kingdom of England does not accept threats of any kind. If your Government continues to insist on blocking normal trade and allowing the situation to deteriorate and expand, perhaps our Government will take drastic measures to stop this from happening at the request of the merchants. I am confident that if His Majesty does make a decision, it will be a complete disaster for your government. ”

At this point, there is no need to continue.

Xu Xin stood up, put on his hat, and then nodded politely to Abraham, but said unceremoniously: "Our government also does not accept threats of any kind. Since your government has resorted to force to blackmail us, let the artillery do the talking. See you again, Mr. Abraham, and I hope you will be so relaxed the next time we meet. ”

After Xu Xin turned to leave, Abraham still sat motionless in his chair, the pipe still in the corner of his mouth.

"Paul, where is Walter?" After a long time, Abraham suddenly asked the servant.

"Mr. Walter has gone to La Rochelle." The servant quickly replied, "The Knight' is so badly damaged that it may take several months of repairs before it can be re-dispatched, and Mr. Walter is there supervising the repairs of the French." Yesterday Mr. Hamilton of the East Indies expressed his displeasure with Mr. Walter, who believed that it was Mr. Walter's mistake of command that caused the East India Company to lose two warships and more than a hundred sailors, while the ships of the Virginia Company were unscathed......"

"Enough, Paul, I'll write you a letter in a moment. You will return this afternoon aboard the merchant ship of the Merchant Adventure Company, and deliver the letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Remember, the letter is not to be seen by anyone until it is in the hands of the bishop. Abraham looked Paul in the eye and said word by word.

"Yes." (To be continued......)