Glancing at Ao Canghai with disdain, Li Xiao skillfully took out the cigar cutter from the lid of the box. Cut the cigar little by little! This thing has been smoked before, and it costs two hundred yuan less than a fucking one, which is very expensive!

Old Washington's eyes lit up, and he felt that there was a way for this matter today.

When he first arrived in Daming, he found that Daming was a big tobacco consumer. However, the tobacco of the Ming Dynasty is all a kind of cigarette. This cigarette does not seem to be pure tobacco, but contains some unknown flavors. Although it tastes good to smoke, it is not as mellow as an authentic Cuban Havana cigar.

Old Washington lit a match and helped Li Xiao light a cigar.

"Authentic Havana cigars are hand-made by the workers." Old Washington accompanied the smiling face.

Li Xiao took a sip, at this time he wanted to look in the mirror and see if he looked like the big guy in Hong Kong films. The fly in the ointment is that if you have a pair of sunglasses, it will be even more tugging.

"Hmmm! Very good. Li Xiao picked up one, sharpened it and handed it to Ao Canghai. This old smoker has long been salivating at Li Xiao's appearance.

"This thing is sealed with tobacco leaves at both ends, so you need to cut it before you smoke it. Here's a trick to cutting round heads with flat tails. If there is an opening or hole in the round head, it can not be cut.

If you don't want to smoke half of it, you can cut off the burning part. The taste will be similar next time! Li Xiao explained to Ao Canghai while cutting.

Ao Canghai didn't take Li Xiao's root, but got one himself, and cut it like Li Xiao. This guy is very serious, more serious than learning to maintain firearms.

"I didn't expect you to smoke a Havana cigar too, Generalissimo!" Washington was a little surprised, as far as he knew, Daming didn't have cigars. He hadn't seen anyone smoking cigars in Daming, so he specially inquired about Ai Husheng when he came, and got a positive answer.

It's strange that since cigars have never appeared in the Ming Dynasty, why ...... Would this marshal know this about cigars?

A lot of question marks flashed in Old Washington's mind, but that didn't stop him from selling this local specialty to Li Xiao.

"This stuff is made in Florida, where the sun is ......!"

"I said, John, you're not being honest. Cuba should be in the Caribbean, where the climate is hot all year round. Havana cigars, that's a Cuban specialty. How do you say Florida? Besides, now Florida is the territory of your British Empire? How I didn't know! ”

"Uh......!" Old Washington was dumbfounded, he didn't expect Li Xiao to know so well about the North American territory, and he even knew where Havana was. It's kind of scary!

Not many people in the West know about this, let alone in the Far and Closed East.

"Straight to the point! What do you want? Li Xiao smoked a cigar while looking at old Washington.

"Your Excellency the Generalissimo, I just want to do business with Da Ming. ...... from our North American territory! ”

"I know, you're a villain. Forcibly took out a large piece of land from the Indians! But I'm not an Indian, so I don't have any idea of giving them a head out. If your product is this thing, I'm sorry that Daming can't trade with you.

But if your product is anything else, we can talk about it. ”

"What do you want?" Old Washington's eyes lit up, and he was willing to do business. As long as there is a demand, there is no worry about no business to do. Daming is such a vast market, as long as it occupies this market. He could build a city on the West Coast, a city that belonged to his Washington family.

"It's simple, gold!"

"Gold?" Old Washington was a little dumbfounded, gold is a hard currency, and the circulating market value of this thing is better than that of the pound.

"That's right! Gold! Yes, we can provide you with weapons. That kind of rifle, and bullets. If you want grenades and mortars, you can also negotiate! Li Xiao pointed to the large eight-grain rifle in the guard's hand.

"Rifles? What do we want that thing for? "Old Washington was a little confused. On that inhospitable continent, there were only a few Indians who couldn't have been more stupid. These people are still fighting with bows and arrows, and fighting can be solved against their traditional flintlock pistols. There was no need for such a rifle, although the elder Washington admitted that it looked very advanced.

"As far as I know, India is now paying very little tax to the British mainland. Wu Sangui had his own army there, and Governor George was also on his side. The queen can't do anything about this guy in the Far East, in fact, Wu Sangui has become the king of India.

The reduction in taxes in India is a direct result of the unmet requirements of the country. Then the Queen's Prime Minister, her eyes are on you. The Stamp Duty Act was eventually rejected because of the strong resistance of your North American territories.

Now that there is a "tea tax" bill, perhaps more bills will appear in the future, the Anglo-Saxons are a martial people. Could it be ...... Are you willing to be exploited by them for the rest of your life?

There are thirteen territories in North America, but all of them are dominions. You have a certain amount of autonomy! The reason why you are being exploited by the British Empire is because you are not armed and not strong enough.

The world is a king and a loser, a great man said. Only from the barrel of a gun can power come out!

Bring me gold, and I'll give you weapons. I can give you a reminder that there is a place on the West Coast called Gold Mountain. There's an abundance of gold there, and if you can find it, come and trade with me. As for the rest, I'm sorry, I'm not interested. If you dare to sell the duck slices to Daming, I will hang you on the city wall. ”

After Li Xiao finished speaking, he smoked his cigar to himself. I'm afraid I won't have much chance to draw this kind of good stuff in the future!

"There's gold on the West Coast?" Old Washington's eyes lit up, but then he wondered, how did this marshal know that there were gold mines on the West Coast?

"Ask the Indians who have lived there for generations, and they will tell you the answer. Don't think about buying arms from Wu Sangui, he is a farther way to the west coast than I am. Moreover, his ship could not pass through my area of control.

I know what you're thinking about, building a city on the West Coast. Used to dodge taxes! Because of the long distance, it will become a haven for tax shelter. Of course, you know how to deal with the Native Americans.

Here's my answer to you, go back and think for yourself. Li Xiao waved his hand and signaled to see off the guests.

Watching the two of them walk away, Ao Canghai asked, "Can they agree to your conditions?" ”

"This old Washington is a miser, and a bad breed. He defrauded the aborigines of a lot of land, but there was one good thing. He can help us and put a fire behind the butts of the British. As long as the North American colonies became independent, the British Empire would pay more than 30% less taxes.

Do you think about what to do if you don't have enough money at home? If he wants to hire a doctor with money, or build munitions and warships, the Queen of England may not be used to it. ”

"So at that time, Wu Sangui will either obey the Queen of England, or raise a rebellion and declare his independence from the United Kingdom."

"Yo! You've become smarter. ”

"Humph! With you, it's not easy to learn well. Ao Canghai leaned back on the rattan chair and smoked a cigar very comfortably.

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In summer, the Indian Ocean is still choppy, and the blue sea seems to be boiling water. Bursts of undercurrents gushed out at the bottom of the water, and waves were everywhere.

A fleet sails through rough waves, and the raging waves will lift the ship up the waves, and then smash the ship into the trough.

Li Xiu held the handle in his hand and watched the large rain curtain smash against the huge glass screen. The weather is not suitable for sailing, but it is also something that cannot be helped. It is necessary to sail the ship to the place called the Middle East as soon as possible and find Li Hu as soon as possible. Li Xiu was very worried about this brother, and according to his temperament, he would definitely cause a big disaster in the Middle East.

I just hope that before I arrived, Li Hu had not been divided by the locals. If that was the case, Li Xiu vowed to kill everyone there to bury Li Hu.

It was Jingyuan, Laiyuan and Zhiyuan that went to sea, and the huge wind and waves made many old seafarers vomit.

Li Xiu stood on the bridge of the Zhiyuan ship and looked at the dark sky outside, his heart was sad, the Indian Ocean climate in August was changeable, the storm was coming, the huge Zhiyuan ship was like a leaf in front of Tianwei, one would be pushed to the top of the wave by the huge waves, and then slide down the deep valley, even if it was full of horsepower, the Zhiyuan ship still seemed to be drifting with the waves.

Deng Yongchang tied himself to a pillar with an iron bucket around his neck, and vomit kept gushing out of his mouth. Chen Laohu's face was pale, he didn't vomit, people who grew up by the sea are no strangers to storms of this scale, what he is worried about is that such a strong wind and waves Zhiyuan ship doesn't know if it can survive it.

What made Chen Laohu feel even more frightened was ......, whether the fleet would get lost.

The sea was pitch black, and there were two bright spots floating like ghosts in the distance. This is the signal light of Jingyuan and Laiyuan! The three ships struggled to maintain this visual distance, and the ships could not get too close at this time. God knows if the turbulent undercurrent will stick the two ships together!

If a boat is hit in this weather, it will definitely be a disaster, and it is estimated that no one will survive.

"Second master! We have left the center of the storm, and now the course is a little wrong, there are clouds in the sky, and the astrology will not work, and the compass can only point out the direction, and I suggest that we not make corrections now, and get out of the storm, we must stay away from the coast, and if we accidentally hit the reef, the whole fleet will be finished. "Chen Laohu knows that these three ships are the confidence of the Ming Dynasty to defend the strait and cross the Indian Ocean, and there is no room for error!

"Bang!" Li Xiu slammed his fist on the table, and the hard walnut broke Li Xiu's hand.

How did he not know that such weather was very dangerous. But Li Hu is even more dangerous, maybe he can rescue Li Hu by arriving a day earlier. The family has suffered a great disaster, but I dare not lose a brother.

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, so close that the purple electric fork hit the sea, emitting a puff of white smoke. Deng Yongchang actually saw a few sparks on the sea.

He couldn't imagine what it would be like if lightning struck a ship.

"Afraid of a ball! Our ship has a lightning rod, and as long as the lightning hits the hull, the lightning rod can pour the electricity into the sea. Chen Laohu glanced at Deng Yongchang.

This kid is a real lucky guy, because he came up with an idea when Drake led the LinkedIn fleet to attack Xinjiapo. suddenly became a celebrity in Li Xiu's eyes, and now he has become the acting captain of the Zhiyuan ship. You must know that the Zhiyuan ship is now Li Xiu's flagship.

The kid who is fortunate to be in the middle lacks some training, at least Chen Laohu will not be frightened by this lightning.

As the farther away from the storm came the sea, the sea finally calmed down a bit, and at dawn countless sailors poured out of the hatch and began to repair the storm-damaged facilities.

The situation was better than expected, with only minor damage to some surface facilities, which did not affect combat effectiveness and navigation. This is already a blessing in misfortune, if this is not an ironclad ship, but a wooden sailing ship, it is estimated that it would have been torn to pieces by the storm by now.

The sun didn't come out, and the sky was just a piece of light. But the sky was still gloomy and terrible, and it was clear that another storm was brewing, and August was the most unseaworthy month in the Indian Ocean, and God seemed to release all the demons and monsters in this month to feed, and the food was those who wandered on the sea.

Standing on the Jianqiao Bridge, no matter which way you look with a telescope, you can't see the coastline. Li Xiu knew that he was already in the deep sea. The good thing is that you don't run aground here, but the bad thing is that it's easy to get lost.

God knows where he will be when he sees the coastline again.

Inside the telescope, two other warships were seen. Li Xiu relieved his mind at this time, and contacted him with the language of the lamp when the sky was light. The two ships were not bad, but a few sailors fell and broke their heads.

After experiencing such a big storm, such a loss can be regarded as God's help. Li Xiu sincerely thanked the Sea Dragon King in his heart, although he didn't know which Dragon King was under the jurisdiction of the sea under his feet.

Chen Laohu stood in front of the slipway, holding a compass in his hand, his eyes looking at the chart. The hand kept gesturing on the chart, and from time to time he sketched it with a pencil.

"How much is it off?" In this case, it must deviate from the course, and Li Xiu just begged not to deviate too much.

The yellow-haired man said that there didn't seem to be much deviation. According to our current route, it is estimated that we will be able to reach the port of Jeddah in three to five days. Chen Laohu pointed to the yellow-haired guy opposite.

This is a guide specially found by Li Xiu, although he is also an old navy, Li Xiu has never sailed so far in the Indian Ocean.

"Good! Arrived at the port of Jeddah as scheduled, Lao Tzu rewarded him with 100 silver coins! ”