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The bow of the "Pacific" split the icy river, and under the lapping of the waves, it sailed upstream, all the way down the Yangtze River to the depths of China's hinterland, when the sun had set, it was a quiet night, but nevertheless, it was a test for the "Pacific" that dared to "break inland".

Two days ago, sailed out of the Huangpu River, the Pacific Ocean, then by the night upstream, at this time, although the merchant ships of various countries often break into the hinterland of the Yangtze River, but because there is no treaty port along the river, so all the way can only be cautious and cautious sailing, but now it is winter, the river surface is full of fog all day long, which also gives the "Pacific" opportunity!

This is an opportunity, if successful, to pay off the debt! You can even ...... This is the best chance!

Zhu Yifeng, who walked out of the cabin, silently pondered in his heart.

He doesn't know whether he should be happy or worried, but he is glad that he came to this point in time by chance, so that he can make personal wealth in the turmoil of the next ten years, of course, more importantly, in this turmoil, in addition to being full of wealth, it is also full of opportunities, as long as he seizes this opportunity.

Well, maybe you can really make a career!

Walking out of the stern cabin, Zhu Yifeng came to the bridge, and could see a person operating the rudder under the starlight, and after seeing the person at the helm clearly, he couldn't help but be stunned.

At the helm turned out to be a Chinese!

This is a Chinese who is not very conspicuous, and even has thin eyes, unlike most people of this era, he does not have braids, but has a European hairstyle, this sailor, like other sailors, is hired in Shanghai, but it seems that he did not notice him at first, unlike other sailors wearing shabby cotton clothes, he wears a short woolen coat of an officer, no wonder he did not notice him, if he wore a seaman's hat again, he would not notice this person at all.

Why put him at the helm, though?

"Hello, Mr. Zhu!"

It was here that Johnson appeared, and he seemed to see the confusion on Zhu Yifeng's face, so he explained out loud.

"Shen, a very good sailor, he is even a qualified captain! Of course, if anyone is willing to hire him! ”

Johnson's explanation made Zhu Yifeng couldn't help but look at the young man in front of him with a dark complexion, who looked like he was at most twenty-seven or eighteen years old, but his actual age was definitely younger, he could be the captain?

"Mr. Zhu, I got on the ship when I was eight years old, and I have been on the ship for sixteen years this year!"

Shen Ming explained on the side that he spoke Jiangsu.

"Mr. Zhu, my old captain found him on the ship when he left Shanghai, he was just a teenager at that time, but no one thought that he was actually a natural sailor......"

"Captain, I said that our family has been running boats for generations, and we can swim the Yangtze River when we are born!"

"Of course, everybody knew it, so he became the crew of the ship, and we went to Africa, to the United States, to England, France, Prussia, and even to Russia, and sailed almost half the world, and unlike many sailors who sailed for money, he loved the sea! As if the land would burn his feet, he preferred to stay on the boat. ”

What, there is such a person, he is only twenty-four years old this year, and two-thirds of his life has been on a boat, which means that he has hardly been on shore since then, could it be that the land will really burn his feet? Of course, this kind of surprise is more curiosity, Zhu Yifeng is even more curious about this person, does he really like the sea so much?

"Mr. Zhu, it's not the land that will burn my feet, I like it, our Shen family was a boat family as early as the Song Dynasty, and I like to live on a boat! If you don't stay on a boat for a day, you don't feel well! More than ten years ago, when I saw a foreign ship for the first time in the Yangtze River, I thought of working on such a ship, and then I heard that there were foreign ships in Shanghai, so I ran over, Mr. Zhu, you don't know, only on the boat, you know how big the world is, and the sea ......"

People are always a little incredible, people like themselves, the biggest thing now may be to be able to be down-to-earth and re-set foot on land, and the young man in front of him, he is like a ship that has gone to sea, destined to spend his life at sea.

It seems that for him, there is nothing more important than sailing. And such people are extremely rare in China, and it can even be said that they are rare, and most of the people who "sell the sea for a living" in China are forced to make a living, just like the sailors on this ship, how many of them are out of hobby?

"Shen is a very smart young man, he can measure both latitude and longitude, the old captain gave him almost everything he knows, and even, in some respects he is better than me, but, you know Mr. Zhu, because of the color of the skin,......"

In Johnson's explanation, Zhu Yifeng knew what happened to this young man who liked to sail, because of the color of his skin, no one would hire him as a captain, and even did not tolerate him becoming an officer, and to some extent, the reason why he is now steering is just Johnson's "lazy" behavior.

However, it seems clear from Johnson's words that there is an extremely deep affection between them, so much so that he wholeheartedly recommends him here, perhaps...... Looking at the young man who seemed destined to spend his whole life on the boat, he enjoyed it all and left his whole life at sea.

Zhu Yifeng's mind floated, compared to those foreign captains hired with high salaries, if he gave this young man a chance, he would definitely cherish this opportunity very much, so as to serve himself.

This young man, who has sailed on the river and sea for sixteen years, knows even more about the sea than some captains, as Johnson said, he knows everything at sea, because he knows that his life's work is to sail on the sea, to let the ship move freely in the sea; And land, in a way, was something he always had to resist.

Such a person is more suitable for the sea and more suitable for being on a boat.

"Shen Ming ......"

Chinese...... A fellow man is always more reliable than a foreigner, and if he gives him enough favor and knowledge, he will surely reciprocate something in return, and return loyalty, perhaps!

"Shen Ming, have you been sailing on the Yangtze River since you were a child, do you know the Yangtze River very well?"

"Sir, our family has been running along the long-distance boat since the Song Dynasty, well, although there is some understanding, it was eight years ago after all, and I was still young at that time!"

Shen Ming glanced at his employer, and in the past decade or so, shipowners were often foreigners, and this was the first Chinese shipowner he had ever met.

"Although I can't talk about it, I think I know a little bit better than others!"

"Then, if we are going to sail all the way along the river to Wuchang now, preferably, and no one will find out, what do you think we should do?"

For the first time,

"This ......"

After a moment of silence, Shen Ming couldn't help but look towards the cargo hold, what cargo was on the ship, naturally he couldn't hide it from a sailor like him, what the owner wanted to dodge.

"Actually, it's winter, and the river is covered with fog all day long, so under normal circumstances, it's hard to be spotted at this time......

As soon as the words came out, Shen Ming regretted it a little, and the shipowner in front of him wanted to avoid the official government, he hurriedly added.

"However, at this time of year, many smugglers will take advantage of the fog to sell salt to Huguang, so it is also the time of the strictest inspection."

"Selling smuggled salt? The most rigorous patrol? ”

Zhu Yifeng looked at Shen Ming in surprise, he was really good at picking time, no, it wasn't that he could pick time, but because this was the only opportunity.

"Actually, the investigation is strict, and there is no ......"

"Oh? Tell me about it! ”

"Sir, although the inspection of smuggled salt is strict, but it is limited to this, in the past few years, every year into the Yangtze River and more than one or two, last year, I also entered the Yangtze River with the ship, but at that time only to Wuhu, those who check the smuggled salt know that this foreign ship will not transport smuggled salt, and compared to smuggled salt, they prefer to buy something from foreign ships......

"Shopping?"

was stunned for a moment, and Zhu Yifeng immediately understood what Shen Ming was referring to, opium!

That's right, opium!

Those people were more than happy to buy some opium from the ship.

"Basically, as long as you have a box of opium, it's enough to clear the customs!"

In other words, bribery!

Zhu Yifeng did not reject bribery, and before that, he had also asked some people, and everyone gave the same answer - opium is the best means of bribery!

"Hmmm......"

Zhu Yifeng nodded, his expression on his face was a little complicated, and Shen Ming was standing beside him, looking at the river surface filled with river mist, and suddenly, Zhu Yifeng turned his eyes to Shen Ming.

"Shen Ming, if this voyage goes well, I'm going to hand over this ship to you, how about it, do you want to try it!"