A British ship!

Not to mention that Shi Si was surprised to see his British compatriots here, but Zhu Mingzhong was also surprised by the appearance of British merchant ships, after all, he knew very well that Britain in this era was not Britain in the 18th century, and Britain had not yet established their maritime supremacy.

But even so, a British merchant ship appeared on Yuju Island!

Although there were some coincidences, the arrival of the British merchant ships still made Zhu Mingzhong look very excited. Because, originally he planned to send someone to Macau to find a European captain, so that he could lead the fleet into Southeast Asia and sail to Burma.

Of course, not only that, after a century and a half of training in the Age of Discovery, the navigation technology of European countries has left China far behind. Compared with China's experience of still relying on ship captains, European nautical science has long moved away from relying on the wind at sea to determine direction, and has instead applied the North Star, the sun, latitude, etc. to navigation. European navigation has now become a science, not an experience.

To become a captain in Europe, one must first go to a professional school, spend a few years learning how to make the necessary calculations, and then, after twenty or thirty years of training, he will probably be hired by the owner when he is familiar with all the tools, tables and charts and can navigate the sea.

And now, all this is exactly what Zhu Mingzhong needs!

He may not have known that Thomas was not a very good captain, but it was not just a matter of good luck that he was able to command the "Vostok" all the way to China, and even through the headwinds of winter to the mouth of the Yangtze River.

As for Smith, he is just a businessman, and for businessmen, profit is the most important thing.

"See Your Excellency the General!"

When both Smith and Tomas were surprised by the youth of this Ming official, they also knew that the most famous general of this young official in the Ming State was in Guangzhou, and they had heard of this man's name, and even the Qing people in Guangzhou knew that he was the one who defeated the Qing army, and his name was clearly mentioned in some kind of official newspaper of the Qing State.

Although he didn't know that this was a ploy of the Qing state, Smith still seemed very excited, after all, many Europeans in Macau said that he was perhaps the best general in China in decades - even for Europeans, they liked the Ming more than the Qing.

"Your Excellency, upon hearing of your victory, we are immediately heading towards the north that you have liberated, and I am confident that in the future we will be able to enter into a more advantageous trade for both you and me, so as a token of my congratulations, allow me to offer you 500 sheaves of wool as a congratulatory ......."

Congratulate!

How could this Smith be so generous?

Not to mention anything else, even Thomas was a little unconvinced, believing that this stingy Mr. Smith would be so generous.

Because he knew that there were 500 bundles of wool in the cargo list of the "Dongfang", Zhu Mingzhong just nodded and said.

"Mr. Smith, since you are a guest from afar, since you have come here, you are here to make money, in business, this official will never let you do a loss-making business, and the goods on your ship will be purchased at the price......"

Although Zhu Mingzhong speaks English, he still uses Shi Si as a translator, and sometimes, proper hiding is not a bad thing.

It's just that in an instant, Smith's whole person became excited because of the words translated by Shi Si, and he sold all the goods so easily? Even if there is no offer from the other party yet, he believes that the general will never let him suffer.

"I want you to tell the Europeans when you return to Europe that they are welcome here!"

When Smith expressed his gratitude and promised to bring the news to Europe, Zhu Mingzhong had already set his eyes on Thomas, looking at this European captain who looked about 50 years old, Zhu Mingzhong asked with a smile.

"Mr. Captain, congratulations on becoming the first European captain to sail to Yuju! Today's arrival of the Vostok will become history, and this history is created by you! ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency, I am afraid that it would be difficult for us to get here without your captain's pilot, after all, we did not know that there was a port here, and it was open to everyone."

Even now, Thomas was in a state of shock, because when he came to Yuju, he saw a busy scene at the foot of the snow-covered mountain, full of shipbuilders, and soon a steady stream of ships would be built from here.

"Yes, it's just the beginning!"

Zhu Mingzhong nodded in agreement.

"Not only in the port, but also in my fleet, many of them are novices, so there is a need for someone like you who is proficient in navigation to teach them the science of navigation, how about it, would you like that? If you would like to stay here and teach my captains, I will give you the richest reward. ”

Seeing that Thomas ignored his shock, Zhu Mingzhong continued.

"Of course, the crew of the Vostok will also be offered a position if they are willing to stay, and if they are proficient in seafaring, they will also be richly rewarded! ”

What the?

What is he saying?

Thomas looked at the general, his eyes were full of surprise and puzzlement, he didn't know why the other party wanted to keep him, but ...... It seems that the general wanted to hire him and then ask him to teach his crew to sail.

"Your Excellency, for example, if there is no captain, perhaps it will be difficult for the Vostok" to return to England, and the time will ......"

Smith, who was originally sitting with a dream of making a fortune, was about to say no, when Zhu Mingzhong stretched out his hand to stop him and said.

"How much is Vostok worth? I will buy this ship, rest assured, you will never lose! ”

Then, Zhu Mingzhong looked at Thomas again, looked at the senior crew members beside him, and said with a smile.

"Gentlemen, you must understand that this is an opportunity!"

Opportunity!

The other party's reminder made Jackson look at the general, he thought for a moment, and then looked at the general and asked.

"Your Excellency, I am the first mate of the Vostok and I have been assisting the captain during the voyage, and I have graduated from the best sailors' school in England...... Please, if I am willing to stay and teach your crew, then what kind of remuneration can I get? ”

When Jackson said this, everyone looked at him, and the colleagues around him had some anticipation in their eyes.

"How much do you earn now?"

Zhu Mingzhong did not answer directly, but asked with a smile.

“2…… £240! ”

Jackson raised his income by a modest amount, almost £100. You must know that even many country gentlemen only earn about £200 a year. And the £140 is only because he sailed to China to get such a high salary, and if it weren't for this special circumstance, his annual income would not have exceeded £100.

Now, of course, in the face of this invitation, Jackson involuntarily raised his status, perhaps because he was afraid that the other party would expose his "lies", so he spoke again.

"Your Excellency, not only does this income include my salary, according to the contract, I can also make a certain profit from the sale of merchant ships, and there is also some cargo on board that belongs to me, so 240 pounds is appropriate."

seems to be a reasonable answer, but in fact it is just a cover-up, after all, it is impossible for him to come to China every year, Zhu Mingzhong just smiled slightly, looking at the first mate of the "Dongfang" who was already excited.

"£400!"

Zhu Mingzhong did not hesitate to offer a high price, what is "a thousand dollars to buy bones"? Jackson, and even the rest of the people on the merchant ship "Vostok", were horse bones.

Although Gu Yanwu and others entered the government office, and there were scholars in the "Juxian Pavilion" every day, it did not mean that Zhu Mingzhong's desire for talents was satisfied, such as in the navy and navigation, he needed professionals from Europe to introduce modern navigation technology into China, so that China could sail away at the dawn of this Age of Discovery, like other European countries, and seize the interests that belong to China in the Age of Discovery.

What the!

Not to mention anyone else, even Smith, who is a businessman, was taken aback by this number.

£400!

Since it is an upper-class gentleman in London, the maximum annual income is 400 pounds, and how many such upper-class gentlemen are in the whole of Britain?

At most, there are only a few thousand!

And now, the general offered Jackson, a guy who earns only a hundred pounds, how could it not be surprising, and even Smith was tempted, compared to the risky maritime trade, perhaps, this is the best option.

"Your Excellency, is this, true?"

Faced with Jackson's stammering question, Zhu Mingzhong smiled.

"What, do I need to pay you in advance now?"

Although he doesn't know much about the current exchange rate of the pound, Zhu Mingzhong vaguely remembers that it should be around 1 to 3.8, 400 pounds, but it is only more than 1,000 taels, which seems to be a high price, but compared to the return it brings, it is worth it.

"Well, my captain, will you stay?"

Turning his gaze to Thomas, Zhu Mingzhong secretly thought to himself, maybe this guy hasn't found out how lucky he is!

"If you will......"

"£650!"

Thomas, who had been silent, finally broke the silence.

"If you're willing to sign me on a contract for more than five years and £650 a year, I'm willing to stay here and teach your crew how to sail the seas!"

Thomas's agreement made Zhu Mingzhong laugh, and several senior crew members who were originally hesitant also agreed, and at this moment, Smith, who understood that without the captain and the merchant ship, he could not leave here said with some eagerness.

"Your Excellency General, do you need an accountant?"