Three days later, Fu Yong brought news that he had found some maritime merchants willing to open up shipping routes to the West.
Han Du also went to a restaurant owned by Fu Yongxuan as promised.
Fu Yong had been waiting for Han Du at the door, and he rushed to greet Han Du when he saw him coming.
"Master Marquis, they are all waiting upstairs."
Han Du nodded and walked ahead to the third floor. When he opened the door, he saw eight merchants standing in the room, obviously waiting for him.
When the eight merchants saw Han Du coming in, they quickly bowed and said, "I'll pay my respects to the Marquis."
"Everyone, get up." Han Du said calmly, walking to the empty upper position and sitting down.
After taking a look at the eight people, they were all tall, short, fat and thin, all wearing light silk. In the Ming Dynasty, except for Jiaofangsi, merchants were not allowed to wear silk and satin, but in Nanyang, all the governor-general offices turned a blind eye, and no one would ask what merchants were wearing. Even Lao Zhu acquiesced to this privilege because these businessmen brought him huge taxes every year.
After Han Du looked at a few people, he suddenly felt that they looked familiar, but now was not the time to ask, so he waved his hand and said: "Stop standing, sit down."
"Thank you Lord~"
After several people bowed to Han Du, they slowly sat down.
Including Fu Yong, nine people sat around the table, looking at Han Du with longing eyes.
Han Du pondered for a while, subconsciously tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and said, "I think Fu Yong must have told you about my purpose of coming to you, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Marquis, Brother Fu has told us carefully." One of them was wide and fat, and the silk on his body stretched his fat into circles. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he replied with a low smile.
Han Du nodded slightly, suddenly looked confused, and asked: "Why do I see that you guys look familiar?"
Fu Yong quickly smiled and replied: "Mr. Hou, some of them went out to sea to do business in partnership with the villain, and some of them were met by the villain later. But Mr. Hou, don't worry, they all have a very rich net worth, and they also have ideas. I want to explore the idea of shipping routes.”
So that's it, Han Du suddenly realized this time, no wonder he looked familiar. At the same time, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. I am indeed the first person to go overseas to do business. Even if you have a fortune, you still have the courage to explore the road again.
Unlike some people who only want to be rich and contented. After making a little money, they don’t think about pioneering and enterprising, but just want to enjoy life in Wenwen Village.
The fat merchant wiped the sweat from both sides of his face, bowed with a smile and said, "Please don't give up, Lord Marquis, and support me more."
Since people are willing to take risks to support him, Han Du doesn't mind giving them reassurance. He waved his hand and said generously: "In the Ming Dynasty and Nanyang, I may not be able to protect you. But I promise you that I will not let you suffer or be bullied in the West."
"With these words from the Marquis, I am willing to go through fire and water for the Marquis!" Fu Yong immediately bowed his hand and made a solemn promise to Han Du.
Han Du nodded, and then said: "I am very pressed for time and will set off in five days. You should take advantage of these few days to prepare the goods and ships."
"No need to prepare." Fu Yong said immediately.
Han Du turned his head and looked at Fu Yong in confusion. If he didn't prepare goods, what would he exchange with others when he went to the West? You can't be a bachelor, right?
Of course, from Han Du's own heart, he didn't mind doing business without capital and robbing some kingdoms. But this is the harvest of the navy, and Han Du has never thought of distributing things belonging to the navy to these maritime merchants.
Seeing Han Du frowning, Fu Yong quickly explained: "Master Hou,
(This chapter is not finished, please turn the page)
Unbeknownst to them, the villain and the others have just arrived from the capital, and the goods are still on the ship in the port and have not been unloaded yet. Now that we are going to the West with Mr. Marquis, our unloading skills have improved, so we can follow him directly and set off at any time. "
Yes, the day I met Fu Yong, he went to the Governor's Mansion to pay taxes. Since he was paying taxes, it must be that he had goods that had just arrived at the old port.
Since these people's goods are neatly loaded on the ship in the port, it will be easy to handle.
However, Han Du then asked: "But your goods were originally shipped to the old port, and now they have to be shipped to the West. Is it appropriate?"
Han Du's eyes swept towards everyone.
The merchant on the right hand side spoke quickly and explained: "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, it's perfect for the goods that I'm waiting for to be sent to the West. Originally, the goods that I'm waiting for were also planned to be sold to those Western merchants, but now they are sold directly to the West. You can even make a lot of money.”
It’s a sure thing to make a lot of money, after all, there are no middlemen to make the difference!
This person can sit in the same row as Fu Yong. Obviously, his strength and status among the nine people are second only to Fu Yong. When he spoke, Han Du didn't feel offended.
"In that case, it doesn't take five days. Let's set off on time in three days." Han Du originally wanted to give them some time to prepare the goods, but now that they don't need it, Han Du naturally saves this time.
"You little man, please obey~"
Returning to the Governor's Mansion, Han Du reported the matter to Zhu Biao, with the key suggestion of setting off in three days.
Zhu Biao nodded indifferently and said, "In that case, let's set off in three days."
...
After Han Du ordered the navy to prepare and replenish food and fresh water. Then he came to the flagship and quietly glanced at the three pirates imprisoned in each of them. These three people cannot die now. Although the two men were interrogated separately and the possibility of collusion in confession is very small, it is not absolutely impossible.
For example, if they brought it up, they would agree on how to deal with it if they were caught. It is very possible that there is something wrong with the confession that Han Du obtained.
Therefore, Han Du cannot kill three people yet. Just go to the place where they confessed and take a look. If it is false, then Han Du will let them know the consequences of deceiving him. Not only to make their lives worse than death, but also to make them reveal their true identity.
Contrary to Han Du's calmness, Hard was extremely afraid of these three pirates. Even if they are all chained up, even if they are all locked up tightly. Hader still always felt that these three people would suddenly rise up and kill him.
"Honorable Lord Marquis..." Seeing Han Du turn around and walk outside, Hader quickly stopped Han Du.
Han Du paused, looked back at Harder, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Lord Marquis, pirates are filthy maggots. Why don't you kill them and throw them into the sea to feed the fish?" Harder was very puzzled.
Han Du took a steady look at Hard, who understood Chinese, and then said: "How do I know if you have concealed your real address? If they told you the address, but you deliberately gave a false address Are you deceiving me?"
Hader's expression changed, and he immediately knelt down in front of Han Du and raised his hands and said, "Hader is willing to swear in the name of Allah that Harder has never deceived the Marquis."
Han Du shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter what you say. Whether you have deceived me or not, I will know as long as you take them to the place you said."
After saying that, Han Du left without looking back.
Hader was left kneeling on the spot, and after Han Du walked away, he slowly stood up. Of course he didn't lie to Han Du, but as Han Du said, he couldn't guarantee that
(This chapter is not finished, please turn the page)
Pirates wouldn't lie to him.
So, anyway, it's best to take the pirates there. Whether it is to eliminate his suspicion or to help Han Du find the treasure, it will be of great benefit.
Originally, Hader wanted Handu to reward him with a ship and goods so that he could go back and pay off his debts, but now he didn't even dare to mention it.
...
Three days later, Zhu Biao boarded the flagship and led the navy toward the strait.
The strait gradually narrows from west to east, becoming especially thin at the end near the South Ocean. Moreover, there are many islands and reefs here, and only a few slender and curved waterways can pass through. In order to prevent people from the six families from escaping quietly through the strait, Han Du specially ordered Zhang Chao to set up a water stronghold here. Although the waterway cannot be cut off, there is still no problem in completely monitoring the strait.
Until now, there are navy troops stationed in the water village here.
Zhu Biao stood on the bow of the ship with the sun on his back, blowing the sea breeze, and his whole body was like a spear standing upright, pointing straight into the sky.
When passing by the water village, I saw the bright golden dragon flag flying above the water village and couldn't help but ask: "Is there a navy guarding here too?"
Han Du nodded and explained: "This strait is the only seaway leading to the Western Ocean. Didn't I pursue the Six Families in Nanyang? I was worried that they would kill me and turn around and sneak away from this strait, so I sent people here. Blocked them. Although no one was blocked later, the location here was too good, so I stayed."
Zhu Biao also came out of the army and was no stranger to marching and fighting. He just took a few cursory glances, nodded in agreement and said: "The terrain here is indeed advantageous, but unfortunately there are still some shortcomings, and the sea channel cannot be completely cleared." Seal it. If this strait can be completely sealed, then this place can really become the gateway to Nanyang."
Han Du smiled and shook his head, "There is no way to completely seal the strait."
Zhu Biao asked curiously: "How to seal it? You can't build the water stronghold into the sea. God knows how deep the water is."
"Of course it's impossible to blockade it with water fortresses." Han Du nodded in agreement, agreeing with Zhu Biao's statement, "But please see, Your Highness, the islands on both sides of the strait have steep mountains. If we can install dozens of cannons on both sides, we will be able to The range of the cannon can barely seal the waterway. In such a long and narrow waterway, the speed of ships will definitely not be too fast when passing by. As long as the ship enters the range of the cannon, it will be a living target. If the cannons on both sides cannot be pulled out, no matter how many ships there are, Don’t even think about entering Nanyang.”
"Use cannons to block the strait?" Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Han Du's method was not only feasible, but also a clever trick. Cannons mounted on ships can sink the opponent's ships, but there is no reason why cannons mounted on cliffs cannot sink ships on the sea.
"good idea!"
Zhu Biao first sighed in admiration, then looked towards the cliffs on both sides, and suddenly frowned again. Turning back to Han Du, he said: "But it is not easy to move the cannon to the cliffs on both sides. The cliffs are so steep and high from the top. If you want to install the cannon, you can only directly dig out the rocks of the mountain. It will not take a while. It can be done soon."
Han Du nodded and said: "What His Highness said is reasonable, but it is not easy for us to install the cannon, and it will be even more difficult for others to dismantle the cannon in the future. And we are not in a hurry. Now our navy is all over the sea. If you resist, you don’t have to worry about anyone’s ships daring to come to Nanyang, just build it slowly.”
"That's right!" Zhu Biao nodded with a smile.
They were careful when crossing the strait. Eighty warships and forty grain ships, plus more than twenty merchant ships belonging to Fu Yong and others, stretched out a long line on the sea, stretching for more than ten miles.
(End of chapter)
7017k
