Sure enough, as Mo Ming expected, the privateer fleet of the Navy of the Republic of China on the east coast of China quietly approached the sea off Bordeaux on July 7.

Outside the mouth of the Gironde River, the sky is high and the clouds are light.

White seagulls fly in the wind in the clear blue sky, and occasionally there is a chirping; The rushing waves crashed against the reef on the shore, making a roaring sound.

Bordeaux in the middle of summer doesn't feel very hot under the sea breeze. From the mouth of the wide Gironde River inward, the dense masts of ships line the shore, and it looks spectacular. Among them were fishing ships from La Rochelle, timber trading ships from Lisbon, spice trading ships from the Netherlands, and fur trading ships from the New World.

The shore is lined with houses, shops and warehouses, where Bordeaux reveals its bustling side. From time to time, small boats shuttle around the river harbor, selling some fruits and vegetables and other foods to the big ships that are anchored here. Of course, there was no shortage of prostitutes on some of these boats, with their faces smeared with white and miserable powder, standing on the bow of the boat and smiling at the sailors. The sailors who had experienced the danger and tedium of sailing were always willing to spend the last copper coin on their bodies in exchange for a night of joy with these prostitutes.

It looks like it's a bustling and settled afternoon in Bordeaux as ever. However, all this was broken in an instant.

The many forts built on both sides of the Gironde estuary were filled with longing and the officers shouting nervously, who had not heard of war for many years. The dusty artillery jackets were removed, the gunners sweated and carried the gunpowder and shells, and the atmosphere of anxiety and solemnity permeated the entire fort, and everyone's eyes were looking ahead.

Not far ahead, on the sea, five warships flying unknown flags rose and fell with the waves. Four of them were ordinary frigate gunboats of moderate tonnage, although it seems that the number of guns was slightly larger, but after all, it was acceptable. Just one of the large battleships, which looked to be the flagship, was a little scary, this battleship weighed about a thousand tons, and from the shore, the dense gun windows on one side of the ship made people's scalps tingle.

This is a large capital battleship comparable to what the British and Dutch call a battle line gunboat!

The harbor was full of old sailors, and at a glance it was roughly estimated that the large battleship obviously had more than sixty guns. God, a battleship with more than 60 guns, this can be regarded as a capital battleship with a head and a face in the French and English navies!

A French dhow offshore cruiser with an iris flown sailed towards the flotilla moored at sea, apparently targeting the large battleship in the lead.

It seems that they were lucky, that fleet was not hostile to them. The Frenchman's small cruiser approached smoothly, and after some exchange between the two sides, the misunderstanding seemed to be resolved. The five ships, led by the large battleship, then proceeded slowly towards the Gironde under the guidance of the French dhow, and they were allowed to anchor in the commercial port of Bordeaux for supplies.

……

After receiving the news, Xu Xin, Mo Ming and others hurried to the dock outside Bordeaux.

The battleship "10 August" made a deep impression on the merchants, sailors and French customs officials on the docks with its tall hull, huge sails, and large number of large-caliber naval guns. Sailors in white crewneck cotton shirts were constantly busy on deck: someone was unsailing, someone was cleaning the deck, someone was carrying cargo......

Looking at the huge double-headed eagle bow in the bow and the double-sword goshawk flag hunting and flying in the sea breeze on the mast, Xu Xin's heart actually swelled with a strange sense of pride: Look! This is our battleship! This is the embodiment of our strength and will!

After wandering outside for so long, these guys in the navy finally came, and none of the five ships were lost, so they should have gained a lot, and the British were probably deflated.

Navy Lieutenant Commander Lu Ming wore a light blue short-sleeved navy summer uniform, and went down the rope ladder to the dock surrounded by a group of officers. Xu Xin stepped forward quickly, shook hands with Lu Ming vigorously, and said with a smile: "You have returned smoothly, it seems that you have made a fortune this time." Hey, there seems to be some damage on the ship, those Brits are so fierce? I can still beat you, can't it? ”

"Why not?" Lu Ming said a little depressedly, "Those British are all diehards, and they all fought until the last moment before surrendering. Grandma's, before surrendering, the ship was scuttled, and we were not able to capture any of the enemy ships, and we only had time to rush some of our belongings. This time we suffered a total of forty or fifty casualties, which was really unlucky, and Lao Tzu threw all those British officers into the sea in a fit of rage. ”

"Uh......" Xu Xin was a little speechless for a while, and then asked again: "What have you gained this time?" ”

"What else could there be? Nearly half of it was tobacco, stuffed with two whole boats. There was still some cotton, indigo, and fur left, which was quite a few. Lu Ming said, "To be honest, the British colonies are really poor, much poorer than the Spanish territory, and it is simply not a grade." I don't know if these tobaccos can be sold at a good price, so let's just point to exchange some money and go back to the emergency. ”

In the 17th century, the British prospered in the tobacco trade between the colonies and the mainland.

Imports from the Chesapeake region alone have been recorded to have increased from 60,000 pounds a year in the early 17th century to 460,000 pounds last year. The neighboring colony of Virginia is also a large tobacco grower, and the year before and last year, the big businessman Maurice Thomson imported more than 400,000 pounds of tobacco from Virginia, with an average price of about 12 pence per pound. According to the estimates of the General Intelligence Agency, the annual tobacco production of the British North American colonies had reached the level of nearly 10 million pounds at this time, and most of the tobacco produced was re-exported, except for some of the tobacco produced by the British themselves, and the British shared hundreds of thousands of pounds of revenue every year.

"Tobacco ......" Xu Xin was a little embarrassed, "I haven't studied this kind of product, but I feel that there is still a market in France." ”

"The price of tobacco in Bordeaux is not low at the moment." Mo Ming, who had been standing aside just now and didn't speak, spoke, and the tall and thin man pulled out a pack of tobacco leaves from Sun Heiqi, the deputy beside him, and said, "Oh, authentic Virginia tobacco leaves, Inspector Sun, how much did you buy it?" ”

"3 Sue a pack." Sun Heiqi said flatteringly, "It's just that there are less, these profiteers." ”

Mo Ming took it in his hand and said, "The weight is almost 1 French pound, that is, 1.1 pounds." Virginia's tobacco is still relatively famous in France, and France is currently lacking in this luxury commodity. The market prospect is still good, and the Pasquier family is not preparing to switch to tobacco on the plantation in Cap-de-France a while ago, because the demand for this thing in France is steadily rising. I guess if you look for a relationship, you can sell the tobacco you have for about 1 pound and 1 sous. How many of these tobaccos did you get, and if you didn't have them, you wouldn't have to look for someone. ”

"It's about more than 400......,000 pounds," Lu Ming lowered his head and said softly, "Stationmaster Mo, you give me a clue, can you sell it?" I'll be satisfied with just 20,000 francs back, and I'll take care of the rest. How, do you want to do it? ”

"It's done!" Mo Ming agreed without blinking, and in this short period of time, he also knew some powerful businessmen who had business dealings with the Pasquier family and Baron Loris and other nobles, and coincidentally, two of them were engaged in the tobacco business. What's more coincidental is that these two tobacco merchants also act as agents for the sale of East Coast cloth, and if they come to the door, these people will definitely sell face, and the whereabouts of this batch of tobacco will be there.

"Refreshing!" Lu Ming praised, "I still have some furs here, about four or five thousand." As a rule, I only need to take five thousand francs, and the rest will be yours. How about finding a way to deal with it for me? ”

"No problem." Mo Ming said without changing his face, "The cycle of fur sales may be longer, and I can't find such a big buyer in a short time." Well, give me the goods, and in a week I will give you five thousand francs on time. ”

"A week, that's fine!" Lu Ming thought about it and agreed, then looked at Xu Xin, who was a little embarrassed on the side, with a smile, and teased: "Ouch, old Xu, you trade minister just don't do it." You see, the people in the intelligence bureau are much better than you, and they have all kinds of business and sales. It's not like you, who is so focused on the cotton business that you don't hear anything outside the window. ”

Xu Xin smiled bitterly, did not speak, and said to Lu Ming again: "You may have to stay here for a while longer, wait for me to gather more bankrupt workers and their families, and then return to China with you." Rest assured, the costs of the berthing period will be borne by our Trade Department, and I will make this clear in a report to the Executive Committee. ”

Lu Mingha patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and then strode forward, and a cheerful voice came with the wind: "Lao Tzu got a lot of money this time." Although the British colonies are poor, those British merchants are still quite rich, and this little money doesn't need to be paid by your trade department, and Lao Tzu is not bad for money! But you hurriedly prepared hot water for me, grandma's, I haven't taken a bath for a few months, and my body is full of lice, and it's itching. ”

He was followed by a group of sailors and junior officers with excited faces. They were allowed by their superiors to return before nightfall, and the boys, who had been adrift at sea for months, cheered, and then went out in groups to have fun.

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