On Friday, July 7, 1645, the 14th day of June in the first year of Hongguang of the Ming Empire, Xiaoxia.

In the scorching summer, the once beautiful port of the Governor-General of Hong Kong looks deserted under the scorching sun. Except for a few small and medium-sized merchant ships from Luzon and Dayuan Island, the scene of a hundred ships competing for the current was much more depressed. The crowded warehouse trading area has also seen a lot less traffic, and a large number of refugee dock movers who have settled down in Hong Kong to work are squatting in the shade of trees with nothing to do.

While the squires of Qiongzhou were running in full swing and privately, the trade between Guangzhou and Hong Kong was not completely interrupted.

Although Ding Chukui's insatiable greed caused a mess of disasters that made many small maritime merchants in Guangzhou lose their grasp, but without the strong competition of the Qiongzhou Nanhai merchants, the Guangzhou maritime merchants who had a bit of official connections showed a little ease.

Guangfu Bank was basically not greatly affected by this turmoil, and even because the shops of the largest Nanhai firm in Guangzhou were closed, the newly opened shops of Guangfu Bank became much more prosperous.

The Guangzhou squires, who were jealous of the squires of Qiongzhou, seemed to be a little gloating at this stage. Even if Ding Chukui's follow-up actions were not clear, in just a few days, many big merchants in Guangzhou with a little face established contact with Luo Huide, and after calling him a brother, they expressed their willingness to join the joint venture.

In the western suburbs of the industrial park, in the courtyard of the Luo family's house, dozens of small and medium-sized maritime businessmen from Guangzhou City gathered together. However, now they are no longer independent families, but almost without exception have the title of shareholders of "Guangfu Bank".

Bowls of iced sour plum soup dispelled the heat, and the Guangzhou maritime merchants present were comfortable and breathed a long sigh of relief. And Luo Huide, who was sitting in the first place, couldn't take his eyes off the faces of some of the core directors present.

"Since April, the Nanhai business name in Qiongzhou has been banned, and my Guangfu Bank has benefited a lot. Although it is the period of grass creation, the shops and warehouses in the state capital have been established, but the profit last month has exceeded 10,000 taels of silver. A shareholder in charge of the general ledger stood up with a book of accounts. Shaking his head, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if the local government takes care of it properly, the profit this month should more than double." ”

Although the business projects put forward one by one are still only a starting scale, almost all the shareholders of Guangfu Bank are smiling. It seems that after the burp of the biggest competitor now, Guangzhou Maritime has the largest capital to eat alone.

"The Panyu and Humen passes have not been removed, and the 'inspection silver' paid by the Bank in and out of Guangzhou City Commercial Goods last month has exceeded 5,000 taels. This is all white silver......" As the general director, Luo Huide first nodded to his colleagues, then looked at the beam and sighed deeply, "We must not be complacent." Although the South China Sea business is a fierce rival, the two broad ground are intricately intertwined. If you are not careful, you will inevitably be implicated. I don't know when the Liangguang Governor's Mansion banned maritime trade this time......"

As soon as these words came out, many of the several Guangzhou maritime merchants who were still jubilant before were stunned, and whispers appeared one after another, and the optimism of being rich or gloating gradually faded.

"I heard that the Nanyang Oriental Union Group has been forced to stop buying Qiongzhou's new rice and goods this season, and the new rice in Qiongzhou now has a backlog of no less than 300,000 stones, just two broads and one land, but it is a profit ......of 100,000 taels of silver," Luo Huide saw that many people were thinking. Hurriedly lowered his voice, "The government has not forbidden me from entering and leaving Qiongzhou by maritime merchants in Guangzhou, but in business, if I wait for this time to help." Maybe it will be very beneficial for the two of them to work together in the future, right? ”

"What the shopkeeper of Luo Da said is very true, as the saying goes: under the nest, there are no eggs." A middle-aged maritime merchant stood up and bowed his hands in all directions. With a strict face, "I think about the South China Sea business for more than ten years, what a beautiful scenery it has been." I don't want to make a big splash. Now Ding Chukui said that it was forbidden. Feng Shui takes turns, God knows when there will be another Zhang Chukui and Wang Chukui, and it is not known when this board will fall on our heads, you must think about it carefully. ”

Faces began to change color, and several older ones stroked their beards and fell into deep thought.

"It is difficult for the gentry in Qiongzhou to accumulate goods, and there are more and more workshops that go on strike and suspend business. But what opportunity have I been waiting for? The people present were silent, and suddenly, Luo Huide changed his words and directly mentioned the current predicament of Qiongzhou.

"What does the shopkeeper mean?" Several Guangzhou grain merchants who were the first to react hurriedly raised their necks.

"Hong Kong's Nanyang rice freight road has been closed, Qiong rice is difficult to come out, the price of rice in Guangxi has risen more than one percent since the summer, if we wait to help, a solution to the two rice grain dilemma, two is profitable, more local example, can be described as killing three birds with one stone." Luo Huide counted carefully, and some people were also nodding slightly.

"If you deal with the South China Sea business on the surface, I'm afraid it's hard for the government to explain it, right?" A cautious maritime merchant stood up at this time, still a little worried.

"Even if you don't come and go, you will be willing to give up when you are Ding Chukui? Could it be that Shopkeeper Zhou forgot about the seizure of Nanyang refined salt by the Panyu City Bo Division, how many of the goods are there? Is the 'entry silver' for one dollar and three cents per stone of Nanyang refined salt, are you still too little to give? Luo Huide snorted coldly, and looked at the small shareholders who were against him with a little disdain.

"At present, rice, grain, salt and sugar in Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Wuzhou, Guilin and other places are taking advantage of the situation, and the people's grievances have risen, and the three battalions in Qiongzhou and Shaozhou New Town are making trouble again. Besides, if we are indifferent and let the Qiongzhou gentry be exploited by Ding Chukui, it will also be detrimental to the overall situation, and it is difficult to say that it is not a narrow-minded and short-sighted move. ”

There seems to be some truth in the words, but helping the Nanhai merchants circulate the backlog of commercial goods in Qiongzhou seems to be unlikely to bypass Ding Chukui's ears and eyes, and the maritime merchants present still don't understand Luo Huide's attitude today.

"Now the merchants of Guangxi and Guangxi have been suffering from Ding Chukui for a long time, and I heard that Qu Shiyun, the governor of Guangxi, has written to the imperial court to impeach Ding Chukui for indiscriminately prohibiting and prohibiting the internal transportation of rice and salt. If such an opportunity is not seized, Ding Chukui will inevitably intensify in the future. Luo Huide's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness, and he lowered his voice, "At present, the reduction of merchant ships between Liangguang and Fujian and Zhejiang is less than forty percent of what it used to be, if the market price of firewood, rice, oil and salt in Liangguang rises sharply, and the people are resentful, then can Ding Chukui still be able to talk......

"This ......"

Probably understood what Luo Huide meant, many Guangzhou businessmen who had been in business for many years gasped.

Greatly reducing market supply, raising prices, and spreading rumors, such means were played more than once by the businessmen and old-timers in Guangzhou as early as the Longqing period. Not to mention that the businessmen were mercenary, they forced Guangzhou at that time to turn a blind eye to relax the maritime ban of the city, which also indirectly prompted Longqing to switch.

Ding Chukui is a typical embezzlement for money. When a monk hits the clock for a day, does he really have the courage to risk causing public anger and continue to suppress all the merchants in Guangzhou?

I don't know when, the Guangzhou maritime merchants in the lobby gradually dispersed, and only Luo Huide was still sitting in his position and drinking tea slowly.

The door to the side hall opened, and a fat man in his fifties walked out with a smile.

"It's really not well taken care of, let Qian Sanye be stuffy in the side hall alone." Luo Huide hurriedly put down the teacup, stood up and threw his hand towards Qian Laosan, "I have discussed with the directors below, and it will be transferred to Qiong in a few days." ”

"Very good, Shopkeeper Luo. You're doing a great job! Qian Laosan sat down in Luo Huide's original position with satisfaction, and looked at the general director of Guangfu Bank in front of him with a smile, "In addition, Guangfu Bank plans to invest in the construction of coal yard equipment in Gaozhou, and the group headquarters has promised half the price, and only accounts for 20% of the shares, and now it should be on the way by sea." In the future, Guangfu Bank refined coal and 'stone refining', OUCC Group will promise to eat them all! ”

"Qian Sanye loves Guangfuxing, this is a matter of life and death for my two Guangxi businessmen. Luo can naturally see it clearly. Luo Huide smiled all over his face, feeling very proud of his decision to accept the decision to join forces with the Nanhai firm to fight against Ding Chukui, "As for refined coal and stone refining, Luo can guarantee it now." No matter how the Nanhai firm bids in the future, Guangfu Bank will definitely be one percent lower than that of Qiongzhou! ”

"Lao Luo, I really didn't mistake you back then! I congratulate Guangfu Bank in advance on its fortune. ”

Qian Laosan's eyes lit up, and he admired the leader of Guangfu Bank in front of him who grew up from a small businessman with empty gloves and white wolves.

"Still. I'm here today, and there is one more important thing to trouble Shopkeeper Luo. Qian Laosan's smile did not decrease, and his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

It seems that he saw something from the depths of the other party's smiling eyes. Luo Huide hurriedly bowed his head, looking very solemn.

"The Ming Dynasty is iron, and it has been ventilated everywhere over the years, and I heard that Jiangbei has been broken by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it is difficult to say when Nanjing can support it...... What's the matter, don't be afraid of 10,000, just in case. As the saying goes, if the wind in the north is not good, the maritime merchants in Fujian and Zhejiang should make plans early and go to Guangzhou to avoid the limelight. ”

"The merchants of Fujian and Zhejiang have also dealt with me Huamei for more than 20 years, and the shopkeeper Luo Da is more well-connected, so it is hard for the shopkeeper to send people to walk around, saying that moving one is counted as one, and there is no danger, who wants to feel that his life is good and continue to stay, it doesn't hurt."

After speaking, a letter was put on the table, Qian Laosan put down the teacup, turned around and went out, and Luo Huide was so shocked that his back was soaked with sweat.

……

A few days later, when more than half of the shops in Guangzhou City were secretly brewing to raise the prices of many livelihood commodities in the market, an Oriental Union 800 merchant ship of the Oriental Union Group sailed into the port of Dongning Province on Dayuan Island.

At this time, after many years of cultivation and recuperation, coupled with the introduction of a round of Han people from the mainland and the Korean Peninsula in recent years, the local Han population of Dayuan has exceeded 200,000, in addition to nearly 100,000 Dayuan people who have been forcibly naturalized by various means for more than ten years.

According to the military service of one of the five households, the current Minister's Propaganda Division also has a total number of land and sea forces of more than 10,000 people. Although the scale of the military is much lower than in its heyday, they are all elite soldiers, and in addition to the naval warships, all the Chinese and American military armaments and equipment are also first-class. In the entire East China Sea, in addition to Zheng Zhilong's group, there is another powerful separatist warlord.

In just two years, more than a dozen industrial and agricultural projects funded by Huamei Oriental Union Group have been officially operated in Dayuan, and are expanding their scale with several times the efficiency of the old one.

The output of raw sugar, tea, raw silk and castor oil in Dongning Province has doubled, and the output of cement and stone and mineral mining in Jilong County have tripled. Large-scale farms in Yunlin County, Tianxing County, and Tamsui County have also entered the cost recovery period, and for two consecutive years, the rice exported to the mainland Fujian and Zhejiang provinces has reached 200,000 stones. In addition, Dayuan has also become Luzon's third largest trading partner, with more than 5,000 tons of Daming goods imported into Luzon through Dayuan every year.

Hundreds of Malay indigenous slave porters bought from Lan Fong poured into the docks like clockwork, pulling ropes, connecting boards, or hanging containers like ants.

"Oh, it turned out to be Ning Ye, it's rare to see you this year!"

A senior official subordinate to Dongning Customs is a minor official of the Propaganda Department. With a smile on his face, he posted the Huamei business director who stepped off the merchant ship, and almost didn't look at the list of goods handed by the other party, so he nodded busily: "You really see the outside, what are you still on the ship to check?" Aren't they all tax bills set a year ago? That's 1,600 silver dollars (US dollars). ”

Regardless of the type and quantity of goods, the inbound goods from the Oriental Union Union Group will only be charged a symbolic tariff of $2 per ton according to the maximum tonnage of the ship, which is the "Most Favored Nation Agreement" signed by the Department of Commerce of China and the United States. The total sale price of this ship's fine cloth, medicines, soap, cooking oil, fertilizer, matches, lamp oil, and hardware was at least $30,000 or more, and the big man only collected very low customs taxes.

I didn't plan to say anything to this lowly official, the head of the business of Donglian just nodded slightly. The commercial clerk behind him handed over a check from the Oriental Bank, and shoved a few more dollars of silver coins into the other party's hand.

This mode of payment of customs and cargo tax is accustomed to the petty officials of the various ports. Because in Dongning City, there is a Dongning branch of the Oriental Bank, which opened two years ago, and this kind of check can be cashed there at any time.

Almost every time the OUCC merchant ship enters the customs, the person in charge of the ship's business of the OUCC Group will give a small reward to the customs officials who come to collect taxes according to the custom. Every time a merchant ship of the Oriental Union Group enters the port, I don't know how many people's scalps will be squeezed by the active behavior of scrambling to collect taxes.

The easy-to-use, beautifully made, and guaranteed fineness of the U.S. silver coin has gradually become the common currency of Dayuan Island. Gold, silver and copper obtained from various sources in the Far East will be turned into gorgeous standard coins at the central bank mint branch on Pearl Island. Then it flowed into Luzon, Lanfang or Dayuan, and the branches of the state-owned Banco Nacional Nacional or the Bank of the Orient opened in the three places became important valves for local economic development and currency circulation. In the past two years, the dollar and the silver coin of ten cents have begun to occupy the top of the mountain even in Qiongzhou. Deeply loved by the gentry and the common people.

"Hey, Ning Ye is out again. If you stay a few more days this time, the next night will be in the city, so please have a few drinks. The little official, who was holding a few silver coins, was even more red and hot at this time. I almost bowed and bent to the ground.

"No need, I will leave the port the day after tomorrow to load the goods at the Jilong County wharf, so please inform the coal station that the coal will be filled tomorrow. Coal money is recorded in the accounts first. There is also a letter from His Excellency the Governor of Hong Kong to be forwarded to your fellow intellectuals, so I will trouble you to make a trip! ”

The business supervisor surnamed Ning, who has a heavy responsibility, did not have a good face at this time, and as a result, the big and small customs officials who came to stammer were full of embarrassment.

……

At night, there was a dead silence in the mansion of the largest consolation envoy in Dongning City.

The elders comforted Yan Sihai, and finally exhausted his energy after many years of old injuries and new diseases. The first half of the voice is handsome, and the second half of his life is probably a true portrayal of Yan Sihai's life. No matter what role he has played over the years, at least in the eyes of the people, he is still a wise leader who has opened up the situation for the stability and prosperity of the people.

There was a lot of crying and crying in the bedroom, and several concubines were still serving tea and feeding medicine with teary eyes, but the thin man on the bed was too weak to speak.

"Tongzhi Lord, if what the Huamei doctor said is true, and comfort the adult's current condition, I'm afraid I really have to go to Pearl Island to recuperate and treat." A Lang Zhong cautiously said outside the bedroom, more than a dozen senior generals were silent, and Yan Sicheng walked around in place.

Glancing at the letter in his hand again, and looking at a group of veterans led by Luo Da, Yan Sicheng was still a little upset in his heart.

"The old man is seriously ill, how can he be bumpy on the sea? I'm afraid that someone wants to deliberately send the master to outsiders at this stall, so that my family and relatives have nowhere to catch it in Dongning City, right? ”

A middle-aged woman walked out of the bedroom, with two teenage teenagers beside her, and a pair of beautiful eyes were looking at Lang Zhong angrily.

As soon as these words came out, several veterans, including Luo Da, all looked dark.

"Sister-in-law, my eldest brother has become ill from hard work, although he has visited famous doctors in many places......" Yan Sicheng took a step forward and was about to explain.

"Who doesn't care about their own family? If you want to go, wait for the master to wake up, and make a request, lest someone say tricks in the future! Yan Sihai's second eldest wife obviously felt that something was wrong with this little uncle for a long time, and what she said at this time was not merciless at all.

The issue of the heir of the ambassador of the minister, even if there are already people within the staff who understand the direction of the wind, but Yan Sihai's woman's attitude of breaking the skylight and saying bright words immediately shocked the hearts of the big bosses present.

Emotionally speaking, Yan Sihai, as the leader named by Yan Siqi before his death, has the right to make decisions, and Luo Da and others must follow his own wishes.

But Yan Sihai's current state has completely lost the judgment ability that a normal leader should have. After Yan Sihai's eldest wife passed away the year before last, several concubines made a lot of trouble, and their sons were young and ignorant, so they couldn't take on heavy responsibilities at all. In the face of this situation, as the henchmen of the Yan family, how can Luo Da and others, who are important ministers of the Yan family, not worry about the future days?

Yan Sihai's eldest son, Yan Xianfeng, has already given up the right to inherit after moving to Huamei for many years, Huamei has carefully measured and analyzed the internal situation of the Yan family, and revealed his willingness to support Yan Sicheng's ascendancy, and Yan Xianping, another heavyweight of the Yan family, even made it clear that the big man needs to rely on his eighth uncle Yan Sicheng in the future. And the scenery of the past ten years, how much effort Yan Sicheng has put in, in fact, everyone sees it.

No, not long after the Chinese and US intelligence officers sent back to Pearl Island the news that Yan Sihai was seriously ill and could not return to heaven, the Far East Regional Command of the Chinese and US Army sent an official letter of "joint exercise" through diplomatic channels: It was decided to send two battalions of officers and men of the Foreign Legion's Brown Bear Brigade to Dayuan Dongning City to have a friendly interaction with the Dayuan Army.

In order to help Yan Sicheng to the top, the essence behind Huamei's move is to take precautions, and Luo Da and others know it.

"Please rest assured, Madame, Luo Da will personally escort Madame and Xuanzhi to Pearl Island!"

Seeing that everyone didn't speak, Luo Dayi, who was still second only to Yan Sicheng in the audience, gritted his teeth and stood up. After speaking, with a wave of his hand, a group of Yan family soldiers who had been waiting outside the lobby for a long time rushed in.

"You ...... Good...... Okay, while the old man is unconscious, he is going to bully people! It's going to be a rebellion! Mrs. Yan Sicheng was so frightened that she took a few steps back, hugging her two sons and shivering.

"Take care of the lady and the two sons, and leave tomorrow!" Finally, he glanced at Yan Sihai's bedroom door curtain, and Luo Da's heart was also horizontal.

I can't watch the hard work of a group of brothers for many years be defeated by this spicy woman in front of me and a few young boys who don't learn and don't know how to do it, which is the result of years of thinking by veterans such as Luo Da. In this, there must be a strong pressure from Huamei, but from another point of view, it is also the last active choice made by Luo Da and others on the fate of the adults after many years of ups and downs. (To be continued......)

PS: The third bullet of the zài sense of brushing...... Another miserable extra: save ~ draft ~ and ~ no ~ enough ~ it's enough! In celebration of the year-end and New Year, stop watching!