"Then, these fifty barrels of wine are the ...... of Mr. Wang Jiazhong on the 11th" The auctioneer made a final decision and finished auctioning off the last batch of goods at hand.

Captain Ventura took a sip of yerba mate, adjusted his body to a more comfortable position, and listened to what the auction host and auctioneer were exchanging. It's a pity that it was too far away, and the venue was a little noisy, so he couldn't really hear it, only vaguely heard the words "old ship", "refitted", "five" and so on. But this was enough for him to confirm something, so he took another sip of tea with a little nervousness, and then subconsciously touched the bag in his hand, which contained his cashier's check at the Northwest Reclamation Bank, totaling more than five thousand yuan—the assets he had put together with several businessmen he knew well, and even the investment of a "senator."

Burdened with the entrustment of so many people, he asked the inland waterway transport company to take leave of absence and came to Yancheng to participate in the auction, in order to auction off the goods that the navy had brought back from the Caribbean, mainly the ships. You know, the Navy is now in a hurry to monetize these cargoes in order to invest money in the development of iron-ribbed wooden hull ships and three-deck battleships. Therefore, these goods will be auctioned at about half of the market price, which is very cheap, and it is a good opportunity to make a fortune. After all, as long as you are not afraid of the funds being occupied, after taking pictures of these "stolen goods" at a low price, as long as you spend some time, you can always gradually digest these goods slowly, and make a profitable business!

The gold, silver, jewelry, high-end furs, daily handicrafts, wine, silk, cotton, linen, etc., all of which were auctioned in the past, he did not participate too much. As a result, a batch of goods was not photographed. It's a little depressing. But the benefits are not without it. Some of the merchants who auctioned the goods have also been seriously depleted of their funds, and I am afraid that they will not be able to compete with him for those old ships -- after all, there are no capitalists with strong financial strength in the current East Coast Republic of China, and many so-called "big businessmen, in terms of net worth, may not be as rich as the officers and non-commissioned officers who fought in the Far East."

"Now for the final auction, five old ships." After a ten-minute break, the auctioneer really started today's finale: "The first ship, the Galen type." Three-masted sail with a full load displacement of 360 tons. The broadside, stern and bow were all damaged in different ways, the steering wheel also needed to be repaired, the canvas was damaged on both sides, the sail bay was slightly damaged, and the bow mast was broken. The rest of the parts are in good condition, oak material, seventy percent new, the reserve price is 3,500 yuan, the price increase method is still according to the old rules, and now it is starting to ......"

As the auctioneer's voice fell, several people began bidding at about the same time. The competition has been at a fever pitch from the start. The reserve price of 3,500 yuan was also refreshed in an instant, and Captain Ventura raised his card halfway through and quoted the price of "3,950 yuan". But it was quickly brushed down again at 4,000 yuan, and now the latest price of this ship has been refreshed to 4,300 yuan. And it seemed that it was far from over, and some people were still eager to try, as if they were determined to do so, which made the beads of sweat on Captain Ventura's forehead suddenly thicken.

"4550 yuan!" After a few more rounds, Captain Ventura raised his card again, quoting the highest price ever made.

The price has reached this point, which has made some competitors hesitate. The price of a newly built 400-ton transport ship on the east coast is only more than 10,000 yuan, and it is very surprising that your 70% new ship with many damaged parts has also been auctioned for 4,000 or 5,000 yuan, so some competitors have wisely given up the auction and quietly waited for the auction of the next ship.

In this way, with the sudden decrease in competitors, when Captain Ventura shouted the price of "4,900 yuan" in a trembling voice, the auctioneer asked three times in a row, and finally put the ship in the name of Captain Ventura. And at this time, even in the cold early spring, the lining of Captain Ventura's clothes was still soaked with sweat.

Nima's five-thousand-dollar business was so scary that Captain Ventura shivered and lit himself a pipe, took a deep breath, and calmed down a little. At this time, the auctioneer on the stage was already auctioning the second ship, and a group of "livestock" were still happily bidding with their signs. Captain Ventura was a little dizzy to see, so he slowly walked out of the auction room, ready to get some air outside.

The sky outside was blue and the sea breeze was fresh. Captain Ventura sat comfortably on a stone pier, smoking a cigarette as he pondered his plans for the rest of his return. It is already their established plan to apply to the Ministry of Communications for the operation of a regular steamship route between Dongfang Port and Yancheng Port and Xingnan Port to transfer goods and personnel between these three ports. The plan was approved and heavily invested, and as Peru's trade flourished, coastal freight traffic between Peru and southern Patagonia became strained, leaving room for private shipping.

What's more, the ships that go to southern Patagonia from the mainland are now irregular, that is, it is unknown when they will depart from the mainland and when they will arrive at the port of Hungnan, because the South China Sea Transport Company that undertakes this business is also very heavy and cannot arrange the ships. Only one ship can come back to arrange a number of tasks, and it has to be planned as a whole, and it is not a waste of valuable capacity, which causes the ship's sailing time to be unfixed.

The route that Captain Ventura and others were preparing to operate was different, and the "senator" investor repeatedly stressed to them the importance of "fixed routes", "fixed flights", and "fixed times". To this end, they ordered two passenger and cargo schooner carriers at the state-owned Zhenhai Shipyard in one go, and after hearing that the navy had captured cheap ships for sale, they sent Captain Ventura to Yancheng Port to personally go to Yancheng Port to auction one. In this way, the three ships form a fixed flight, and the shipping off the coast of La Plata can almost be supported.

As Captain Ventura continued to think about his future life and whether to resign from the inland waterway company recently, the voices of two men spoke in front of him. Captain Ventura looked up and saw that it was an old acquaintance: Shao Yuanyi, a private lender from Xihu County, and Kuat, a Dutchman who had become a naturalized citizen on the east coast and settled in Qingdao County.

Shao Yuanyi is now a well-known figure in the South Duck Lake area, not only with excellent medical skills, but also with a lot of money - it is said that he has released more than 1,000 yuan to the outside. His father-in-law, Petrov, has now risen to the position of deputy director of the Xihu County Public Security Bureau because of his many meritorious deeds, and he himself has some friendship with some high-ranking officials of the navy -- although he does not move around much, he has some friendship. Rich, powerful and famous, he is talking about people like him, no wonder the private lending business can be prosperous, this background is not ordinarily hard.

"I came to Yancheng this time, half to shoot some bargains, and half to visit relatives." I only heard Shao Yuanyi say to Kuat, "The old man is old, and he misses his youngest daughter very much. This time, I was asked to come to Yancheng to see how Anna was doing, and to take a pair of granddaughters back to Xihu County to live for a few months. As for business, I really didn't care too much, well, I auctioned 50 beef cows and 10 horses, spent more than 1,700 yuan, and shipped them back to sell them in this county. This little business, in the eyes of the warehouse clerk, I'm afraid it won't be on the table, hehe. ”

"Livestock is hard currency in China's rural areas, and these cattle and horses can earn at least six or seven hundred yuan when they are transported back, and this is the wealth that God has prepared for you." Captain Kouyt smiled when he heard this, and said. He also came to participate in this auction feast, and with his wealth, he snatched a considerable share from it. Linen clothes, wine, vinegar, tobacco, dried fruits, farm tools, etc., anyway, he mixed everything he could buy, and finally spent a total of more than 40,000 yuan in cash, and was one of the dozen people in the limelight at the auction.

The next family has also prepared these things that he photographed, that is, the plantation owners of New Huaxia Island. At that time, he will personally drive the ship through South Africa to the new China region, and then pull a boatload of sisal, coconut, tropical dried fruits, dried seafood, high-grade timber and so on from there to earn money twice.

And after this trip, Captain Kuayt is ready to officially retire. This old man with a lot of ups and downs in his life has now bought a big house on the outskirts of Qingdao Port and has taken his family from Amsterdam. From now on, the business relations and the two ships will be inherited by his eldest son, and the second son will take a sum of money and go south to the port of Hungnam to find an opportunity to get ahead; In addition, he also has a young daughter, who married Pei Qin, a new Ming immigrant in this county a few years ago, and lives in Guiyi Fort, which is also a very good home.

The two chatted for a while, and then dispersed. Captain Kouyt's "Tesser's Shoal" was moored at the docks, and he had to hire a group of dock laborers to transport his cargo aboard. We have to hurry up and look at the flute-shaped transport ships moored in the harbor, which are all ships of the South China Sea Transport Company chartered by merchants. This time, the navy auctioned out nearly 600,000 yuan of materials in one go, some of these things are in the warehouse of Yancheng Port, and some are still on the captured ship and have not had time to unload, in short, the dock will definitely be busy for a long time in the future. At this time, take the first step and hire good people to let their ship load the goods first and leave, that is to make money.

As for Shao Yuanyi, after saying goodbye to Captain Kuat, he nodded to Captain Ventura again, and then walked towards the outskirts. He was going to ask Anna to hire a few people in the village to gather the livestock; In addition, he didn't want to leave so early, it was rare to come to Yancheng once, of course, he had to inspect it. A profitable business is often discovered in this way. (To be continued......)