A few days later

Xi'an Town Expeditionary Task Force Team Headquarters

"What...... You kid bought that broken ship that ran aground on the rocks, where did you get so much money? Lei Xiaopeng asked in surprise, and after a little consideration, he beckoned Li Yong to sit down with a pleasant face, and pushed the big tea jar on the table forward and said; Drink some water and speak slowly. ”

"Thank you, Captain, I'm not thirsty."

Li Yong looked at the black paint and smeared tea in the big tea jar with some disgust, and put most of the tea leaves in the tea jar bitter to death, and the brewing was as thick as vegetable porridge.

Captain Lei Xiaopeng took a sip of this, saying that it was a strong tea refreshment, one of his preferences was cigarettes, the other was drinking tea, and he could have these two things in hand for three days and three nights without sleeping.

"Huh...... I don't know how to enjoy it! Lei Xiaopeng took a sip of the big tea jar and said meaningfully; Do you know everything about Erlian? ”

"Yes, Captain, so I have a new idea, and I'm going to report to you!"

"New ideas? I like this wording, as long as it is a proper business and does not engage in smuggling. Speaking of this, Lei Xiaopeng paused deliberately, and said in an accentuated tone; Especially armed smuggling, don't expect me to give you the green light. ”

Lei Xiaopeng's brain is also fast enough, there are only agricultural and sideline products and commodities brought by ocean-going freighters around Xi'an Town, in addition to this, the human trafficking business is relatively prosperous, this Li Yong and the officers of the second company teamed up to buy a second-hand offshore cargo ship, it is not for good deeds, right?

Buying a freighter is naturally engaged in transportation, so the destination is debatable.

There is no head in this part of the Horn of Africa, the local indigenous people are poor, there is no gold, no ivory, and no minerals worth mining, not to mention the word "trade", it is too far away.

Egypt on the other side of the Red Sea is of course very rich, but it is the territory of the British, and the Normandy Import and Export Company has an important branch of the foreign trade company there, and the goods are directly transported by ocean freighters, which is cost-effective and crushes the two streets of Xi'an Town.

The neighbouring Kingdom of Ethiopia also had a large population, but because it was located on an inland plateau, it was mainly transported by land, so sea ships were of little use.

The Yemen region on the northern shore of the Gulf of Aden was plagued by years of war, and the lucrative port of Naga and Oman both had nineteenth-century United Shipping Company routes for open commercial traffic.

Look around the area

Only the deserted Persian Gulf is a smuggler's paradise, and there are three regimes along the Persian Gulf coast, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Iran and the Kingdom of Oman.

The relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Iran and the Kingdom of Oman was very tense, especially the small border friction between the former two, so the Austro-Hungarian Empire strictly forbade coastal trade in the Persian Gulf, and did not allow smuggling ships to go to sea, and destroyed smuggling ships as soon as they were discovered.

Of course, the population of the two river basins has reached more than 2,000,000, and it is a traditionally rich place, and the profits from smuggling here are also extremely rich.

A similar situation is like that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, when the imperial court strictly prohibited maritime trade, especially in the southeastern provinces, where there were countless ships smuggled by the people, and the ban could not be banned.

Seeing that the chief realized where the major business opportunities were, Li Yong did not shy away from it, and explained his plans to the chief, preparing to pull the chief to join the count.

This kind of joint stock business is quite popular in Queensland, with the participation of officials from both military and political circles, and is one of the main business means of maintaining a decent upper class.

For example, taking a stake in Shangri-La Bank is one of the best ways to achieve stable returns.

Of course, it is a game that only officers above the regimental level are qualified to participate in, and middle and lower-level officers can't get such a good thing, only the eight immortals cross the sea and show their abilities.

"I can do this, but I want to take a 30% stake." Li Xiaopeng thought about it for a while and quickly made a decision, and he was ashamed to take away Sancheng

"What, Captain...... You're too much, isn't it? Li Yong's face was embarrassed, and he said with his fingers; My shipping company friend wants to take away 20% of the equity, when the time comes the veteran of the sea operation will rely on him to arrange, from the captain to the sailor and the safety of navigation, 20% of the equity is not much, the king of the wharf here gave a percent of the equity, we have to use the wharf and the warehouse for the purchase and sale of goods, the interests of both sides are tied up is the most stable approach, the rest of me and a few officers of the second company can only be divided into 5 percent, I wanted to leave one percent to you, leave one percent to the local influential family in Basra, those locals deceived and deceived the top and bottom to do a very slippery job, With them, the business will be much smoother, and it will be difficult for you to take so much at once! ”

"Hmm...... That won't embarrass you, I'll just need 20%. Lei Xiaopeng thought about it for a while, decisively lowered the asking price, and he explained patiently;" Ah Yong, I am not asking for your shares for nothing, but real money to participate in shares, and to provide convenience in all aspects, and the pressure is also very high.

You do the math

The wrecked ship was cut out of the reef by a few big holes, can it run without repairs?

In addition, the seaweed oyster shells at the bottom of the ship are so thick that they have to be cleaned and painted, and they have to hire manpower, which is a lot of money.

Within my authority, I can allow you to send no more than 30 soldiers on leave to the ship for armed escort, and we have a few old Gatling machine guns in the warehouse of our expeditionary task force, and I will approves two of them for you, which is interesting enough!

No matter what kind of disputes arise in Xi'an Town, as long as there is no fatality, I can put it down for you. ”

"Okay, two makes two into two." Li Yong thought about it for a while, gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

The role of the captain is crucial, and it makes sense to take 20%.

If you really can't do it, you can lower the shares of your friends in the shipping company, and then make up for it from other places, anyway, as the initiator of this business, you can't reduce the shares of 30%, and the other officers in the company only occupy 20% together.

After straightening out the clues and having sufficient funds, Li Yong and his group began to work in a hurry.

The construction of the wharf near Xi'an Town itself had many blacksmiths, as well as the necessary steel plate materials and tools and equipment, and it was not difficult to repair the ship, which was quickly completed.

The hull is painted with light blue paint, and the top and bottom are completely renewed, and the appearance seems to be back.

The ship's owners chose a lucky day, and in the lively atmosphere of firecrackers and gongs and drums, the freighter was relaunched, with the English name "Voyager" painted on the bow and the St. George flag flying high, belonging to a British merchant ship registered in Australia.

A shipload full of best-selling goods was quickly loaded, and 30 soldiers in civilian clothes, carrying guns and ammunition, boarded the ship to escort the ship, which gave the Persian merchants great confidence.

With such strong armed protection, even if you encounter the Ottoman sail warships, you will not be afraid, after all, those old copper cannons will not be able to shoot far, and the sail warships are limited by the direction of the wind, and the speed is only a pitiful few knots when the wind is headwind, and they have to stagger forward in a zigzag shape.

The nimble steamship is simply invincible in the Persian Gulf, and it can sail at a high speed of 11 knots with a full load of cargo, without any direction restrictions, slippery like a fish in the sea, and with a strong armed guard, safety can be fully guaranteed.

The first voyage was personally commanded by Li Yong, the commander of the second company, what was that...... He is on vacation.

As long as the shipload is safely delivered to the secret smuggling terminal in Basra, a net profit of 680 pounds will be made, and it will take more than 10 days to make two trips a month to buy a ship, not to mention that you can bring local souvenirs, such as the popular Arab woman.

It won't be long before the brothers of the second company will become rich like balls, far more than they can make in the leather and meat business.

In the evening

The "Voyager" quietly went to sea and sailed into the blue Gulf of Aden, Li Yong stood in the driver's building with a surging mood, watching a brilliant sunset reflected on the sea in the sky, and the land behind him gradually turned into a black line, and the ambition and pride in his heart arose.

Our pioneers, when fighting the wind and waves, face the difficulties.

One day in early October 1884

It is located in the heart of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, near the Great Hanish Island

A light cruiser flying the French tricolor hovered over the nearby sea, and several French officers on the bridge in the uniform of a straight naval cadet held binoculars with ugly faces, carefully observing the situation on the island.

According to the reports of passing merchant ships, there was a suspected presence of troops on the island of Great Hanesh, as if they were still flying the flag of St. George, which made the French troops stationed in the Suez Canal particularly uneasy, so they sent an observation team to contact the garrison on the island to find out their intentions.

"Damn, it's really St. George's flag, but these soldiers seem to ...... Could it be that the soldiers of Uttar Pradesh or the Kurkha soldiers of India should not have reached out to Africa when the Indian Governorate was in power, what a strange! Colonel Payette muttered to himself, the highest-ranking officer present, with his temples slightly white, and a wealth of experience in the colonial army.

"The British have firmly occupied Egypt and can exert direct influence on the Suez Canal, I really can't understand why it is necessary to occupy this desert island again?"

"The British are incomprehensible in their thinking, and I'm afraid it's the smog of London that has made them all rust, otherwise it would be impossible to explain such a strange action."

"Huh...... That's right, it's the funniest joke I've ever heard. ”

The other officers were babbling their own words, full of the pride of the Gallic rooster, the shameful defeat of the Franco-Prussian War 14 years ago buried deep in their hearts, you will not hear it from the lips of the French, but they will never forget the shame inflicted by the Prussians.

The garrison on Grand Hanesh Island had apparently spotted a French light cruiser loitering near the sea, and a patrol boat of more than 300 tons had sailed out of the bay, with three officer-like men standing in the wind, apparently ready to negotiate.