Zhong Hao saw the middle-aged man with a round face and a slight beard, a rich appearance, and a slanted copper coin pattern robe who came out of the back hall with the young man, guessing that it must be Cui Hai, the chief shopkeeper of the Cui family business in Dengzhou, who Cui Ye said, and immediately stood up and saluted. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

The middle-aged man in the slanted copper coin pattern robe saw Zhong Hao, and was very polite to greet him, and handed back the jade pendant given by Cui Lao to Zhong Hao, and said loudly: "When the distinguished guest comes, I hope you will forgive me." "Cui Hai is also the old man of the Cui family, he knows Cui Lao's jade pendant, and he also knows the weight of this jade pendant in the Cui family. Seeing that although it was a young man who came with this jade pendant, although he was a little strange and confused, he didn't dare to underestimate the person in front of him at all.

Zhong Hao also hurriedly bowed and said, "Mr. Cui is polite!" ”

"It's a servant of Cui's Mansion below, and the son calls him by his name, don't call Mr. Cui the shopkeeper!" Cui Hai paused for a moment, and then asked, "I haven't asked for advice yet, I don't know what you call Childe?" ”

Zhong Hao knew that this Cui Hai saw that he could hold Cui Lao's token, and he must have a lot of doubts, and asking his name was also to inquire about his own situation. At that moment, Zhong Hao took the initiative to explain: "In Xia Zhong Hao, the table word Wenxuan, and Brother Shouqian are close friends, and Mrs. Cui is a pair of chess friends!" Because he came to Dengzhou to do an errand, the old lady specially gave his jade pendant to him, saying that if you need help, you can come to the shopkeeper of Mr. Cui! Now I really need to ask Mr. Cui's shopkeeper about some things, so I took the liberty to visit! ”

Cui Hai listened to Zhong Hao's respectful salute and said, "Oh, it turned out to be Zhong Gongzi, who has admired his name for a long time." I heard that Gongzi was famous for a long time, but I didn't expect Zhong Haogongzi to be so young, fortunately, I will be lucky! ”

Although Cui Hai has lived in Dengzhou for a long time, he often exchanges news with Qingzhou, and he knows a lot about Qingzhou. Although Cui Hai looks rich and looks like a philistine businessman, he is actually quite elegant, and he also loves to be elegant. When is the bright moon", the great talent has also heard of his name for a long time. Today he said that he has admired Zhong Hao for a long time, but it is really not a compliment.

Zhong Hao hurriedly said modestly: "Shopkeeper Cui is too polite!" In the next and Shouqian's sixth brother are equals, the shopkeeper Cui is also a boy elder, and he will call the shopkeeper Cui Uncle Cui in the next. Uncle Cui, you will directly call it in the following Xuan, don't call it the next son anymore, hehe, it seems to be raw! ”

Since Zhong Hao has a request for others, he naturally has to lower his profile. And according to Cui Ye, this Cui Hai is indeed his uncle in the Cui family, but he is a distant branch of the Cui family. This kind of distant branch naturally deserves Cui Ye, the eldest young master of the Cui family, to be called uncle. But this Cui Ye is not only a distant branch of the Cui family, but also quite capable, he has made a lot of contributions to the Cui family over the years, and has earned a lot of money, so his status in the Cui Mansion is still very high. When Cui Ye sees it, he is often called the twelfth uncle.

Cui Hai was happy to see that Zhong Hao was kind. The two chatted for a while, but they went to a lot of life. At that moment, Zhong Hao repeatedly asked Cui Hai not to call him Zhong Gongzi, but Wen Xuan.

At the moment, one of the two called Uncle Cui and the other called Zhixian nephew, and after chatting for a while, it was very speculative.

After chatting for a while, Zhong Hao naturally wanted to talk about the purpose of this trip!

At that moment, Zhong Hao said that he wanted Cui Hae to help find out the news of the Goryeo envoy.

When Cui Hai heard that Zhong Hao was now a Jinshi, and he was also an official of the sixth grade of the imperial court, he couldn't help but look sideways. Of course, there must be some complacency in my heart for Zhong Hao, a young and promising official from the sixth grade Jinshi.

Cui Hai listened to Zhong Hao's words, and couldn't help but say: "The matter of the virtuous nephew is naturally also the matter of the uncle, since the virtuous nephew wants to inquire about the news of this Goryeo envoy, the uncle naturally wants to find a way to find out for you." Our Cui family still has some sea ships, and it just so happens that we have a batch of silk to be shipped to Goryeo. Uncle will help you determine whether this Goryeo envoy has been sent first. If it was sent out, it didn't fall to our state. Then it is very likely that there will be a pirate robbery or a strong wind and waves will capsize! But in this matter, the virtuous nephew has to be a little restless. This round-trip between Dengzhou and Goryeo, plus going to Kaijing to inquire about the news, I am afraid that if it is the fastest, it will take twenty days. ”

Zhong Hao can't see the Goryeo envoy at the moment, so he has no choice but to wait, so he can only agree with Cui Hai's opinion and thank him for his help.

"Thank you Uncle Cui for your help, I'm really sorry to trouble you for no reason!"

Cui Hai smiled: "It's just a matter of passing by, it's not a big deal!" ”

Immediately, Cui Hai said: "If the envoy of the Goryeo Kingdom is not sent, it will be easy to do, and your errand will be over, and you can go back to resume your life, after all, if the envoy of Goryeo does not come, we can't do anything." But if this messenger is sent and does not arrive in Dengzhou as scheduled, this matter will not be easy to do! The Goryeo envoy may have been capsized in the North Sea, or he could have been abducted or killed by pirates. What happened to them, I'm afraid it's not easy to find out the news.

After all, in this vast sea, once the ship capsizes, there is no way to look for it. Even if you are hijacked or killed by pirates, it is not easy to find out. After all, there are Khitan pirates, Jurchen pirates, Goryeo pirates, Japanese pirates, and pirates of our Great Song Dynasty on this North Sea. On this vast sea, it is so easy to destroy the corpses, there is nowhere to find them! ”

Regarding what Cui Hai said, Zhong Hao couldn't help but feel helpless when he heard it.

However, Zhong Hao thought about it, if Goryeo really had to send an envoy, he could not arrive in Dengzhou as scheduled. That's nothing to do with me, what do you care? However, it is natural for the Goryeo Kingdom to find out whether those Goryeo envoys suffered an accident due to the overturning of the wind and waves, or whether they were hijacked or killed by pirates.

At that time, if it is confirmed that the Goryeo Kingdom really sent an envoy but failed to come, Zhong Hao will wait for the rest of the matter. If the Goryeo Kingdom wants to send another group of envoys, he will wait to be contacted. If you don't want to send it anymore, you will naturally have no errand, but you can go back to Beijing to resume your life!

At that moment, Zhong Hao said: "Uncle Cui will first help the little nephew confirm whether the Goryeo Kingdom has sent an envoy." If a messenger is sent but doesn't come, Uncle Cui will try to let his ships help investigate, if you can't find out, then we can't do anything! Leave it to the king of Goryeo to deal with this matter! ”

Cui Haidao: "Well, then I will let the Cui family's sea ship set off as soon as possible to determine whether the Goryeo envoy has come or not." ”

Zhong Hao said: "There is Uncle Lao Cui!" ”

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After deciding the matter, Zhong Hao was very concerned about the pirates on the North Sea, and couldn't help but ask Cui Hai about the pirates on the Bohai Sea.

According to Cui Hai, with the ban on the Denglai Sea, the Great Song Dynasty has taken the initiative to give up the other islands, in addition to having effective control over Shamen Island, more than 30 miles north of Dengzhou Port. So the islands became a paradise for pirates.

More than 100 miles north of Salmon Island, Huangcheng Island and Chin Island, are said to be occupied by a group of pirates, most of whom were Song people. Huangcheng Island and Qin Island, located between Liaodong of the Khitan and Dengzhou of the Great Song Dynasty, this group of pirates mainly collected animal skins, animal tendons and ginseng from Liaodong and used them to exchange grain, tea, cloth, etc. with our Great Song Dynasty merchants. These grains, tea, cloth and other goods, they not only used for their own use, but also used to go to Liaodong in exchange for trading materials.

This group of pirates also fished in the shallow waters near Huangcheng Island and Chin Island, and also planted crops on the islands, which basically harassed the people of the Great Song Dynasty. Strictly speaking, they cannot be considered pirates, it is more accurate to call them armed smugglers at sea. In fact, it is similar to the smuggling of armed maritime merchants in the Great Song Dynasty, except that they have no big family or power support on the land of the Great Song Dynasty, and can only settle on the island, while those armed maritime merchants have the support of big families or forces on land.

The merchants and people of the Great Song Dynasty welcomed them very much, and this group of pirates regularly came to Salmon Island to trade with the people of the Great Song Dynasty! Therefore, both sides are mutually beneficial, so when they land on Salmon Island, the people and merchants on the island will not only not raise officials, but will also try their best to cover them up. Of course, the officers and soldiers on Salmon Island also have a good relationship with them, and even if someone reports them, I am afraid that the defenders on Salmon Island will not arrest them.

Because the imperial court's supplies on Shamen Island are limited, many supplies are on their own, and this group of pirates who are said to be Song people can transport supplies and materials to them, and they trade on Shamen Island, which is indispensable to give benefits to the officers and soldiers of Shamen Island, and those officers and soldiers on Shamen Island will naturally not cut off their own financial routes.

The islands near Liaodong were all occupied by the Khitans, and of course some were Jurchens. Now the Jurchens are under the rule of the Khitans, but there are also many contradictions, and the relationship is very complicated. The shipbuilding technology of the Khitan people has developed greatly over the years, and they can also take ships to rob on the North Sea, so there are also maritime merchants and pirates. The Khitan did not have a maritime ban, and it had a suzerain-vassal relationship with Goryeo, so there were many maritime merchants who traveled between Liaodong and Goryeo. Of course, these maritime merchants are all armed maritime merchants, and if they encounter a weak fleet, they will inevitably have to grab a hand. Therefore, it is also a merchant and a thief, which can also be called a pirate. Most of these Khitan maritime merchants used the large and small Changshan Islands in the east of Liaodong as their sea bases.

The relationship between the Great Song and the Khitan has always been tense, but the Song pirates and the Khitan pirates rarely contradict each other, and it is rare to hear that they have large-scale conflicts. The Song pirates and the Khitan pirates often exchanged trade with each other, each taking what he needed! These Song pirates brought their favorite tea, silk, porcelain, etc., to the Khitan, and these Khitan pirates brought these Song pirates furs, animal tendons, deer antler velvets, and ginseng that they could easily sell in the Great Song Dynasty.

From this opposite, it can also be seen that these Song pirates and Khitan pirates are more like smugglers.

More than 100 miles northeast of Salmon Island, Yeontong Island, is the territory of Goryeo pirates. These Goryeo pirates are said to have been led by a Goryeo royal family who lost court battles and fled to the sea, often robbing merchant ships at sea. The roads to and from Goryeo and Dengju, Goryeo and Khitan were to be rushed, and these pirates often robbed merchant ships that traded between the Great Song, Khitan and Goryeo.

Many of these Goryeo pirates used to be Goryeo maritime merchants, but after Goryeo severed the relationship with the Great Song Dynasty, the Great Song severed its commercial relations with Goryeo. In the past, many merchants of Goryeo relied on trade with the Great Song Dynasty to make a living, and the Great Song Dynasty cut off trade with Goryeo, so they cut off their way of life. As a result, these Goryeo merchants colluded with pirates and started trading at sea.

Of course, Cui Hai is talking about the kind of pirates with big shares. On this North Sea, there are still many small groups of pirates of the Song, Khitan, and Goryeo people, and there are also pirates from all countries, but they cannot be simply divided by country.

In addition to the Great Song pirates, Khitan pirates and Goryeo pirates, there were also many Japanese pirates who were active in the North Sea. It's just that most of their nests are not in the North Sea, and they will also occupy some islands in the North Sea, but they are generally only used as temporary footholds. This pirate was mainly active in the East China Sea, robbing the fleets of the Great Song Dynasty and Japan for trade.

Of course, the scope of pirates' activities and robbery areas are also not fixed, and what Cui Hai said is only a general situation.

The Cui family's business is big and wide-ranging, and it is indispensable to deal with various forces on the North Sea.

For example, from the Song pirates on Chin Island, they bought furs, animal tendons, ginseng, deer antler velvet and other things from the Khitans and Jurchens, and also sold them tea, silk and other things.

As for the Goryeo pirates on Naliangtong Island, the Cui family's fleet traveled between the Great Song Dynasty and Goryeo, and they inevitably had to pay tolls.

Those pirates do not necessarily have to rob merchant ships when they see them, and they do not necessarily have to fight and kill to get benefits. In this era, most of the sea merchants who dared to go to sea were supported by great power, and this fleet naturally had many guards. Most of these big maritime merchants are rich in terms of the size of their ships, weapons and equipment, and the quality of their personnel, and they are no worse than those pirates, and those pirates who want to rob these armed maritime merchants actually have to take great risks.

Although there are many pirates in the North Sea, they are not too large-scale, which is why Cui Hai can't think of the pirates who could wipe out the envoy fleet of the Goryeo Kingdom in one fell swoop, without leaving a single ship that escapes the net. After all, the envoy of Goryeo is on an envoy, and the combat effectiveness of this escort's fleet should not be too bad. Cui Hai felt that the pirates on the North Sea, no matter which one, were absolutely sure that they would wipe out the envoy fleet of the Goryeo Kingdom in one fell swoop, without leaving a single ship that slipped through the net.

In the event of a war with pirates, if the ship or goods are damaged, or if the manpower is damaged, they will inevitably lose a lot of money, so they generally pay a little toll to the pirates, so they will avoid disaster. Therefore, a powerful sea merchant like the Cui family generally goes to sea, and few pirates dare to rob it. Of course, the Cui family's fleet also had to give the pirates some tolls to prevent them from taking risks.

Zhong Hao listened to what Cui Hai said about the situation of pirates in the Beihai, and couldn't help but secretly say: The Cui family's strength and relationship are really not ordinary, and even the intricate relationship between the pirates can be understood in such detail.

After listening to Cui Hai's story, Zhong Hao felt that he could only wait with peace of mind now to see what the situation of the Cui family's merchant ship went to Goryeo to investigate, and then make a decision!

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