Zhao Wenji nodded heavily: "What you said is very reasonable, and the old man can be regarded as an eye-opener." ”

"How dare you, how dare you. This is the blessing of the Oriental Trading Company Li Da shopkeeper, Tamsui can now pan for gold, and now every few days there are ships to transport people, the big shopkeeper is worried that because of the steering gear, out of the shipwreck, the big guy does not dare to go, so it is mandatory to use this new rudder. "Heming is a big shopkeeper, and all he says is flattery.

Zhao Wenji nodded, and entered the official hall arranged for him by Haiming, Chen Ping called Haiming to come in, and said, "Haiming, we will take your boat on this trip, can your master explain?" ”

Hai Ming remembered at this time, and hurriedly said: "Yes, the master explained, you two identities are not allowed to tell others, and when you go to Tamsui, you are not allowed to tell the Oriental Trading Company, just think that I have not transported you two." ”

"Well, but I heard that you have a lot of respect for that Li Zhaoji, so I can't guarantee that you don't say it." Chen Ping clenched the handle of the knife and said coldly.

Hai Ming was frightened and immediately knelt on the ground: "General Rongyu, the small one is the shopkeeper in charge of the ship, between Macao and Tamsui on weekdays, don't you know, in Tamsui, you have to say good things about Oriental Trading Company and Li Zhaoji like this, otherwise it will be difficult to do business."

The small one is also said to be smooth, and it has not been changed for a while. But the little one knows that the Hai family is the little parent of food and clothing, and no matter how strong the Oriental Trading Company is, no matter how powerful Li Zhaoji is, in the Governor's Mansion, that is, he can be pinched to death with a finger, where does the small one dare to disobey the will of the Governor's Mansion. ”

Chen Ping nodded, and knocked Hai Ming's head with the handle of the knife: "Count your acquaintance, go and do things, let me find out that something is wrong, and I can't spare you." Don't say that your lord is a businessman, even if he is a person of merit, the governor will do it when he says it. ”

"Yes, yes, the villain must be honest."

Zhao Wenji rubbed his chest, endured the feeling of dizziness, and said to Chen Ping: "General Chen, the old man thinks that the shopkeeper of the sea is faster, but he doesn't dare to provoke us, so why scare him so much." ”

Chen Ping smiled and said: "Mr. Zhao, although you are in the Governor's Mansion to help the Governor deal with the criminal name Qian Gu, what you do is also practical, much better than those who can only write poems and lyrics, but you have less contact with these people, on the ship, it depends on who has the big fist, if you are not tough, they will inevitably harm you." ”

"That's fine." Zhao Wenji nodded, he took out a pill from a pocket and put it in his mouth, and said, "General, when you get to Tamsui, don't be so domineering anymore." People have to bow their heads under the eaves, and our posture should be lower even if we don't compromise on this trip. ”

Chen Ping nodded: "In the end, everything will be at your command, and I will never make trouble for you." ”

Zhao Wenji was relieved.

This is a lucky boat to transport immigrants, with Chen Ping and the others, there are more than 100 people on board, all of them are going to Tamsui, men, women and children. Zhao Wenji lived in the official hall, and when he was feeling well during the day, he also chatted with the people on the ship, and learned a lot of rumors about Tamsui and the Oriental Trading Company from his mouth.

After four days of sailing, the Fu boat successfully arrived at Tamsui Port, and saw the city wall of Tamsui and the busy port from a distance. ”

"No, just don't make a noise." Chen Ping said coldly and took Zhao Wenji off the boat.

This part of the port leading to Tamsui City is the busiest, the streets are full of shops on both sides, people come and go, rubbing shoulders, if it weren't for the barbarians with many tattoos in the crowd, Zhao Wenji would have thought that he had fallen into a certain market in Guangzhou.

"It's really prosperous." Zhao Wenji said.

Chen Ping smiled: "I heard Haiming say that the winter in this freshwater is very dry and the climate is good, and the work in the field is over, many barbarians come to Tamsui City to sell their labor, and they don't need to give money, some iron and cotton cloth can let these barbarians work."

And the food and clothing that can be earned by working, some barbarians will not leave when they come. ”

"Oh, that's right." Zhao Wenji looked around, and sure enough, he found that among the people who worked hard, there were really a lot of barbarians.

"Mr. Zhao, I think let's find an inn to rest first." Chen Ping said, seeing that Zhao Wenji seemed to hesitate, he said again: "When are you going to see Li Zhaoji?" ”

Zhao Wenji thought for a while and said, "Don't worry, don't worry." I see that there are a lot of novelties in this freshwater, so let's take a rest, let's take a stroll around and see the excitement. If we see Li Zhaoji, he will not be able to see through the depth of the Oriental Trading Company. ”

Chen Ping nodded: "I see, Li Zhaoji is very ambitious. I thought that there would be a dirt city, a military camp, a barn and the like here, but I didn't expect it to be so large-scale and so prosperous. ”

Zhao Wenji smiled: "The ambition is big, and the patience may not be small." General Chen, on the ship we came, many people could not survive in Guangzhou, some were chased by landlords, and some were bullied by the powerful. Especially that family, if it weren't for the place of fresh water, a few children would have to be sold. ”

Chen Ping smiled, unwilling to argue with him, but he sighed in his heart, how long would he pretend to be against Li Zhaoji and an enemy of the Oriental Trading Company?

The two entered Tamsui City together, Chen Ping found an inn closest to the south city gate and lived in, leaving Zhao Dahe's name in the list, and at night, Tang Mu accompanied Li Zhaoji to the inn, and after Zhao Wenji fell asleep in the middle of the night, he met Chen Ping in the back hall of the inn.

"Big shopkeeper, but you want me to die." Chen Ping and Li Zhaoji hugged each other.

Li Zhaoji laughed: "I want to congratulate you, Chen Ping, I heard that you have been promoted to guerrilla?" ”

"Some time ago, four pirates surnamed Humen invaded Humen, and I beat them back, killing more than 40 and arresting more than 20. Shen Youlong intended to cultivate me, so he let me be a guerrilla, but there was no battalion leader to take care of me, and I still had about 30 personal soldiers under my command.

Judging by what he meant, he wanted to arrange me into the training of the water division. Chen Ping said.

Li Zhaoji nodded, asked Chen Ping to sit down, and asked, "Are you sure?" ”

"With this certainty, this time he sent me and Zhao Wenji to Tamsui, and Zhao Wenji's task is to let you go to the banquet in Hongbin Building, Guangzhou, on October 15. And my task is to settle the suspicion with the big treasurer.

Shen Youlong meant that you would recommend me to preside over the sailor group training. Chen Ping said.

Li Zhaoji smiled: "Chen Ping, you and I have made trouble in front of so many people in Guangzhou for a while, he Shen Youlong is sure of this?" ”

Chen Ping smiled: "Of course not, what he means, if you and I are reconciled, you come to recommend, I will be the general of the regimental training, and if you and I make trouble again, it will reach the ears of the gentry, and those gentry will find someone who is at odds with you in order to prevent you from arresting their military power, and most of this mission will fall on me." ”

"Okay, then it's up to you. It's just that the banquet in Hongbin Building was made by me and the gentry, what does it have to do with the Governor's Palace? Shen Youlong asked.

"Shen Youlong is a loyal minister, he saw in the Tang newspaper that the thieves were making trouble in the Central Plains, and he had already established a country. I also thought that we would quickly pacify the four pirates, and then gather a group of soldiers and horses to help the imperial court go to the north to fight. Chen Ping said.

Li Zhaoji smiled: "It turned out to be this plan." Zhao Wenji, since he has arrived in Tamsui, why didn't he come to see me. ”

Chen Ping said: "He said that he would go shopping tomorrow, but I saw that he had bad intentions." Thinking that Shen Youlong wanted to know the depth and truth of the trading company, Zhao Wenji came to investigate. ”

"Let him look at it casually, let him see the strength of the trading company and the ability of my Li Zhaoji."

Early the next morning, Zhao Wenji was woken up by a crackling sound, as if someone was setting off firecrackers. Zhao Wenji covered his head with a thin cup and wanted to sleep for a while, but the sound of firecrackers came and went, and there was no sign of stopping, so he could only get up.

"Little Er, what day is it today, why are the cannons being fired outside?" Zhao Wenji asked Xiao Er, who brought hot water.

Xiao Er smiled and said: "Guest officer, today is not a day, it is the day when the gossip kiln opens, many people go to congratulate them, and even the Red Mansion has given gifts." ”

"Gossip kiln, brothel, whose business?" Chen Ping entered the room, heard this, and asked lightly.

The guest officer laughed, it was not a brothel, or a kiln that burned bricks and tiles, which was not the same as what we had seen in the past. There are four or five proprietors, some merchants from Fujian, and some from Jiangnan. I heard that the big shopkeeper of the trading company also bought a share in it. Xiao Er said.

"Oh, a brick kiln is also a shareholder, and it seems that all decent transactions here have shares of the Oriental Trading Company." Chen Ping said.

Xiao Er shook his head: "I've heard people say that that share is not to take money into shares." ”

"Of course I know." Chen Ping said.

Xiao Er saw him like that, and knew that Chen Ping thought that he was using shares to supply to the Oriental Trading Company, and he quickly explained: "You guessed wrong, Tamsui originally had a brick kiln, in the north of the city, which was designed by the big shopkeeper himself, let the craftsmen build it, and the people who worked would catch the mountain barbarians.

The kiln is a new French style, and it is said to be very powerful. And those merchants saw that the local city and houses were built and the demand for bricks and tiles was great, so they built their own brick kilns and used the French style of the gossip kiln invented by the big shopkeeper, so they gave the big shopkeeper shares. ”

Chen Ping snorted coldly: "You little two know something, hurry up and bring it early." ”

"General Chen, it's okay left and right, you and I have breakfast, how about going to see the gossip kiln?" Zhao Wenji said.

Chen Ping nodded: "Everything is at your command." ”

The two of them had eaten early, came to the north of the city, and saw the huge oval brick kiln from a distance, and the roof on the brick kiln was made into eight corners, which was very similar to the gossip pattern, Zhao Wenji took a look, and knew the origin of the name of the brick kiln.

The gossip kiln in front of me is indeed completely different from those dragon kilns in Guangdong, and in the brick kiln, recruitment has begun.

Soil selection, crushed soil, clear mud, cooked mud, adobe making, adobe drying, adobe inspection, kiln loading, roasting, kiln out, each must require a large amount of labor, and the main thing is to carry out manual labor, the technical requirements are not high.

This has become the preferred occupation for new immigrants.

Not all immigrants go directly to the gold panning when they arrive in Tamsui, if they want to enter the gold factory to pan for gold, they need to have an identity, and they need to bring their own rations, and the identity needs to be obtained, and it is difficult for people who do not have a job to get the identity plate smoothly.

"If you work for a month, you can get an identity tag. Listen, the five days are fixed, and the first five days are all third. After five days, the grade will be determined according to the ability to work, and the first-class workers can pay one stone of rice and one hundred yuan per month.

There is a dormitory, and the wife and children can go in and live, and cook together. "The recruiter shouted so loudly that he suppressed the noisy crowd.

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