Under the leadership of Bai Nan, Pan Youdu saw the treasure knife created by the Tang people. Although Pan Youdu had a relatively high prediction of the metallurgical level www.biquge.info of the Tang people, he still couldn't help but marvel when he saw these weapons.

These knives are made from the template of the Qing Dynasty saber nest knife, the handle is wooden, the grip is enhanced by plastic, and there is no elaborate design, which is typical of mass production models. But there was no flaw in the whole body of the knife, and it flashed with a chilling blue cold light, which was completely different from the knife Pan Youdu had seen. Pan Youdu can even reflect his own appearance on his body.

Bai Nan was not interested in explaining to Pan Youdu that the steel used to create this nest knife was an alloy steel developed by Eagle Mountain Iron and Steel Metallurgy Institute itself, and a steel knife was made according to some trace elements that could be obtained locally in California with its own metallurgical technology. This steel is used for professional knives, it is extremely hard, but also has good toughness and durability, and is resistant to corrosion. Not only that, but because of the alloy process, this steel also has a good appearance. Although it is not the moire pattern of the Damascus knife, it has a palpitating reflection of dark light, and it hardly takes testing to know that it is a treasure knife.

"What a peerless weapon!" Pan Youdu sighed.

Bai Nan stood next to him and smiled, but did not speak.

Suddenly, Pan Youdu asked another question: "Didn't Bai Taipan bring Western firearms for sale?" ”

This caught Bai Nan a little off guard, obviously a businessman like Pan Youdu, who keeps pace with the times, understands that firearms are the trend of future military development, and cold weapons are no longer enough.

"Not really." Bai Nan didn't say much, and Pan Youdu also nodded and stopped asking.

Pan Youdu handed the steel knife back to Bai Nan and said, "I have already thanked Bai Dapan for his visit this time, and he is full of enthusiasm. But the Governor and some people still have a hard time trusting your country. In fact, it is not difficult to convince the Governor and the Governor, if it is only to do trade, the Pan family is willing to endorse Bai Daban, as long as Bai Daban guarantees, as soon as the trade is over, he will leave Guangzhou immediately, and during the stay of the merchant ship in Guangzhou, the sailors on board are not allowed to disembark, only Bai Daban and other key personnel can get off the ship and negotiate ashore. ”

Bai Nan didn't expect the conditions to be so harsh, Bai Nan was a little embarrassed, he still had to recruit a citizen to do, which was more important than his business from some angles. However, he felt that the Qing Dynasty officials were unfriendly to him, and even Pan Youdu, who wanted to make money, was the same, although he was in a good face, but he must be wary in private, after all, no one could tell where the Tang people came from and what they thought.

The Qing Dynasty's population control was extremely strict, simply put, tying people to death on the land. Not to mention going abroad without permission, it is also taboo to move from one place to another without permission. As for those Hakka people who went to Nanyang, they all went abroad privately, they were not organized, and it was just an official procedure, and there was no problem with sneaking back and going. However, it is obviously impossible to recruit immigrants in Guangdong like Bai Nan.

The fact that Guangdong immigrants went abroad did not benefit the local government in the slightest. Now is not the end of the Ming Dynasty when life can not be lived, although the prosperity of the Kangqian era is just a hypocritical skin, but most of the peasants can struggle to survive, for them to go abroad is a fantasy thing, no one will be able to survive, go overseas to endure the test of huge risks.

Even if Bai Nan bribed the government with a lot of money, it was the same, the government could not afford to lose a large number of people in the jurisdiction, the Qing Dynasty's statistics on the local Dingkou were relatively detailed, and the increase in Dingkou was a real political achievement, and the relocation of personnel would inevitably lead to the abandonment of cultivated land, affecting agricultural production, and no government could sit idly by and watch such a thing happen.

Even in the face of a businessman like Pan Youdu, Bai Nan found that he still couldn't speak. Although Pan Youdu said that he was a businessman, he was well educated, and he was also a scholar, and some people in later generations called him a Confucian businessman. One of the ugly things about recruiting immigrants is human trafficking, which obviously challenges the moral bottom line of a Confucian businessman.

Bai Nan thought in his heart: "It seems that you can only use a figure like Lin Fang to recruit privately in the people, and if you want to go through the official route, it must not work." ”

After receiving Bai Nan's promise, Pan Youdu continued: "After all, your country is coming to trade for the first time, and I also know that Bai Taipan is walking on thin ice, but it has made a good start, and it will be easier to do it in the future." At present, there is still a vacancy in the supervision of the customs of Guangdong, and the people who speak effectively on the boundaries of Guangzhou are the Governor and the Governor. As long as these two adults are appeased, everything will be easy to say. ”

Bai Nan is also a smart person, and immediately said: "Filial piety to the two adults is naturally indispensable." ”

Pan Youdu made an idea for Bai Nan, and said: "Bai Daban doesn't know if he has brought your country's expressions and tokens, if he focuses on operation, he is confident that he will make a tribute for Bai Dapan's trade, but he needs Bai Daban to send someone to Beijing in person, with the expression and tribute, to make a beautiful and bright Celestial Empire system, under the Longyan Dayue, this matter can definitely be done, not only that, these four merchant ships will not need to pay taxes." ”

Pan Youdu is really thinking about Bai Nan, Pan Youdu thinks that Bai Nan's goods are worth millions of taels of silver, that is to say, the tariff alone may have to pay hundreds of thousands of taels, if it is made into a tribute, the tariff will naturally be exempted, and maybe Qianlong will be rewarded. Most of the things brought by the Tang people are high-quality products, so to speak, the glass products are exquisite enough, and they are much more noble than the local specialties brought by the surrounding small countries. The Qing Dynasty also wants to save face, and feels that the tribute given by the Shanggong country is valuable, and the reward will be even more valuable, so the Celestial Empire will never let the younger brother suffer.

"If your country can directly claim to my Qing Dynasty, then there is no problem. A local magistrate such as the governor would never dare to be presumptuous with the envoys of his subjects, and there would be a lot of humility in trade. ”

When Bai Nan heard this, he was still hesitating, but he immediately stopped hesitating at this time, and said: "I'm sorry, Shopkeeper Pan, I don't have a statement, and I can't make decisions for my government, and I can only claim to the Qing Dynasty, so it seems that I can only take the path of normal trade." ”

Just kidding, what Bai Nan was thinking about was how to bury this Tatar Dynasty, how could he lose face in the Tang Dynasty and go to pay tribute to a money rat-tailed emperor. He won't do it himself, and the Tang Cabinet won't do it, if he really pays tribute to Qianlong, then Bai Nan's future political career in Datang will basically come to an end.

Pan Youdu didn't understand Bai Nan's mental activities, which was a pity. Although he is a merchant, he is also a merchant of the Qing Dynasty, and he has the superiority of the Celestial Empire, and being able to make a small foreign country pay tribute to the Great Celestial Empire is obviously something that can definitely have face and generate pride. It's just that he never imagined that the other party didn't agree with him in the slightest about the Celestial Empire, and there was some meaning that it would be destroyed quickly.

In that case, it could be a bit of a problem. In the next meeting, I will try my best to mediate for Bai Dapan, although Bai Daban cannot pay tribute on behalf of your country, but the tribute is still needed. Pan Youdu actually originally wanted to make some glass, weapons or something, and send them to Beijing as tribute, but Bai Nan disagreed. Pan Youdu thinks that the value of these goods may be too high, and Bai Nan has too little authority to directly offer them.

Bai Nan took out a bag of gold coins, stuffed it to Pan Youdu, and said, "I'm tired of Pan's shopkeeper." ”

Who knew that Pan Youdu pushed away the bag of gold and said: "It is a matter of duty to act as the general manager of the thirteen merchants in Guangzhou and to act as an agent for foreign business affairs for the imperial court, and there is no need for Bai Daban to be so polite." ”

Bai Nan was a little unsure, I don't know if this Pan Youdu really doesn't take bribes, or if he doesn't plan to do a good job for Bai Nan, and he is also a little apprehensive in his heart. However, Bai Nan quickly adjusted his mentality, what is his own is his own, and it is useless to force it if it is not his own. He nodded, and arched his hand to Pan Youdu.

Pan Youdu got off the Fubang, took a small boat, and returned to the city of Guangzhou, where he first met with his father Pan Zhencheng, and went to the governor's palace without hurrying to meet Li Shiyao.

"How's it going?" Pan Zhencheng asked, holding a cup of tea.

After Pan Youdu saluted his father, he said: "My son met the person in charge of the Tang fleet, his name is Bai Nan, who is of the same age as his son, and he is quite capable. ”

Satisfied with Pan Youdu's observation ability, Pan Zhencheng nodded and asked again: "Then how much do you think this Tang man is true?" ”

Pan Youdu replied: "It is said that they are the descendants of Li Tang thousands of years ago, and the son can't judge, but looking at their customs and language, clothing and body, they are very different from my Huaxia, and it is impossible to say that they are from my Qing Dynasty, even if they are the remnants of the previous dynasty, it is impossible." The son felt that this Tang man might have come to Guangzhou for business, and Bai Nan was quite anxious. ”

Pan Zhencheng said with a smile: "Naturally, I didn't make any preparations, I brought four big ships at one time, and the goods loaded are probably of great value, if I can't trade, this loss will be great." ”

"The son went to see the goods of the Tang people, and it was an eye-opener. The glaze made by the Tang people is far more exquisite than that of the Westerners. There is also a treasure knife that blows hair and breaks gold, which is not inferior to the Uzi treasure knife that his father got back then. The rest of the goods, each with its own novelty, must be selling very well. ”

After a pause, Pan Youdu said again: "My son thinks that this Tang Dynasty is the best in the world in terms of construction and craftsmanship, and its four large iron ships may use more iron than the amount of iron produced in Guangdong Province in a year, and they can walk without wind, which is really wonderful." ”

Pan Zhencheng's eyes lit up and said, "In this way, doing business with the Tang people has huge benefits. ”

My son thinks so, too. It's just that the two adults hesitated, and the son couldn't answer, as for whether the Tang people really had bad intentions, this ......"

Pan Zhencheng waved his hand and said: "I am a businessman, everything is risky, if I don't give it a try this time, I'm afraid I will regret it in the future." ”