Xiao Zishan and his entourage hurriedly stood up and agreed to return the gift. 【Read the latest chapter】. The original suspicion and fear of people from other time and space are also much reduced - they are just like us, they are also living people. Especially the high-profile achievements in these trades made them feel that this person was trustworthy and worthy of being associated with him. He would definitely be of great help after traveling through time in the future.
After some polite remarks, let’s get down to business. With the help of the newly purchased hydraulic trolley, a total of four warehouse pallets and more than 100 boxes of goods were dragged over.
Xiao Zishan’s promotional items are no longer available. The goods for this transaction are all purchased from the market. We purchased many mirrors of different sizes, disposable lighters, and various frosted and spray-painted glassware. Wen Desi checked a lot of information and found that pearls were very valuable in the late Ming Dynasty, so he went to buy many cultured pearls, both large and small.
At that moment, the steward took apart the samples of the goods and showed them to Mr. Gao one by one. Every time Australian maritime merchants came, they would find strange goods. Mr. Gao was already mentally prepared for this, but he was still secretly surprised every time he took out a new thing. Especially the disposable lighter, he couldn't put it down. The convenience of making fire with this thing was unmatched by any fire and sickle.
Mr. Gao looked at the Wenzhou lighter in his hand - now the translucent plastic could no longer arouse his surprise - he lit it several times, stared at it for a while and exclaimed: "The method of making fire with this thing is incomparable to that of fire, sickle and flint." It's just that oil is used instead of tinder, and the wheel is turned to strike the fire. There is nothing rare in it, but the craftsmen in your place can combine their ingenuity to make such exquisite and convenient objects. It is really unparalleled."
Wen Desi and the others secretly nodded, who said the ancients were ignorant? Mr. Gao understood the principle of this lighter as soon as he got it. Of course, the gasoline inside was not something that ancient people could make, but he also realized that the liquid inside was oil.
"But this kind of lighter cannot be refilled with fuel," Wen Desi explained, "it is useless after use."
"That's it. It's a pity." Mr. Gao stopped lighting the fire and said, "Why can't you add more oil? Wouldn't it be a pity that such a delicate and practical thing should be wasted."
How does Wen Desi want to explain the concept of disposable goods? To tell him that we have a one-time life in this time and space, wouldn't it scare him. He vaguely said that the craftsmen were making improvements.
After the goods were delivered, a total of more than 30,000 taels of silver were sold. Among them were several full-length mirrors, which made Master Gao's eyes almost fall off. Even if this thing entered the palace, Long live the Lord would be dumbfounded.
The pearls they brought also won the favor of Gao Zu. Since the chaos in Liaodong, the tribute pearls in the Northeast have been cut off, and the harvest of pearls from the South China Sea has not been much. There is a severe shortage in the market.
Master Gao knew that they liked gold, so he exchanged one thousand taels of gold and ordered people to take out the porcelain from the warehouse and put as much porcelain as they could on the warehouse board, all tied up with straw ropes. To be honest, he didn't know how these three people were able to transport more and more goods at a time. Although he didn't dare to ask, he wondered if these people knew any magic such as transportation.
Xiao Zishan felt a little dizzy when he saw the boxes of gold and silver in the hall. Fortunately, I bought a hydraulic trailer. Otherwise, how could I move nearly a ton of gold and silver? I was just thinking about it when I heard Wen Desi ask about the entrustment to buy a house.
Gao Zhang pondered for a moment and said: "This matter is not difficult to handle. It's just that several of the waiters are overseas merchants. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, they cannot buy houses and live here. It turns out that you are all Chinese Miao people, and your speech and appearance are also Chinese. , it’s not difficult to live quietly if you change your clothes. It’s just that these rare items have been on the market recently, and my place has attracted quite a lot of attention..."
At this point, they understood that this was a big tree attracting the wind. I don't know how many eyes and ears are paying attention to the sudden appearance of many unprecedented things in Guangzhou.
However, the original plan to set up a stronghold in Guangzhou City came to nothing. According to a key link in the overall strategic plan of crossing: Guangzhou will serve as the mainland trade gateway of the base area, exporting modern industrial products manufactured in the Hainan base area and importing various materials. ,personnel. It is also a window to observe the trends of the Ming Dynasty.
Seeing Wen Desi and his party looking disappointed, Gao Ji finally revealed his plan. He had considered this plan for a long time. When Mr. Gao thinks about it, the reason why Australian maritime merchants want to buy a house is simply because they want to trade for a long time and need a stable place to live. This is the same as the purpose of the people of Fo Langji who bribed the officials to rent Haojing Ao. It's the same, except they don't have such a big appetite.
"However, I have another idea..." Holding a few sparse beards high, he looked at the crowd inquiringly.
"Master Gao, please make it clear."
"What the distinguished guests want is nothing more than to have a place to stay in the city. I have a place in the city. If the distinguished guests don't mind it, you can use it."
Immediately, he raised his head to repel the maid, and two personal servants were sent to lead the way, taking the keys in their own hands. The group of people walked through the lanes until they reached the backyard. There was the smell of mule and horse urine in the air, and they knew they had arrived at the mule and horse courtyard. Seeing that Master Gao did not go in, he went around the corner and saw a small house at the bottom of the corridor. There was an old servant sitting at the door. When he saw the master coming, he quickly stood up.
"Open the door." Gao Zhang ordered.
The old servant took out a tube of keys from under his clothes and led them into the house. Another small door covered with iron sheets opened on the wall of the inner room. After locking and bolting, I saw that I was already outside the mansion. This is an extremely secluded gravel path, extending along the base of the city wall. On one side is the wasteland under the wall foundation, and on the other side is the high wall in the backyard of a wealthy family. There is no one around, and the roadside is overgrown with weeds. Walking along the way, you can occasionally see side streets.
"The alley leads to Qianmen Road, and there are wooden gates at the entrance. They are usually locked. Although this road is public land, ordinary people cannot enter."
After walking several hundred meters, I came to a back wall that was extremely tattered and peeled off by wind and rain. I unlocked the door and entered, revealing a small bluestone backyard. There are some banana flowers and plants planted, which is very quiet. Going further inside is a small courtyard with three entrances. It is very clean and has all the furniture and supplies.
"This is my foreign residence. It was originally intended for use but not for use."
It turns out that this is Mr. Gao's secret house. He has many such houses outside Guangzhou. This one is used as a temporary escape in case of any disaster.
The front door of the house does not face the street. What faces the street is a grocery store. On the surface, it looks like an ordinary oil and salt store, doing business for the big families on the street. In fact, it was arranged by Mr. Gao. There is an inconspicuous small door on the side of the shop, which is directly connected to the house through a corridor, making it easy to enter and exit.
There are also servants taking care of the house. Seeing that the master has brought people, he is busy boiling water and delivering tea.
"Those of us who trade in foreign countries have to be very cautious!" Mr. Gao lamented, "It's not easy to make a living."
In the smuggling business, the people you associate with are not good people. All kinds of water bandits, pirates, and mountain bandits are all people who are motivated by wealth. Things like robbing people, extorting people, killing people, and stealing goods are not news in this industry.
Although they have backers in the government, province and capital, the officials are tyrannical and they often need blackmail. Moreover, the imperial court had doubts about the opening of the ocean, and there were frequent discussions to ban the Francois from trading in Guangzhou. Local officials often use this to threaten merchants in order to report the news.
"These are more or less manageable! However, pirates have been everywhere recently, and many foreign and foreign ships have suffered a lot. Our livelihood has also become difficult."
Xiao Zishan thought this was a good opportunity to inquire about the current situation of pirates along the coast of Guangdong and Fujian, so he deliberately said:
"I've been sailing all the way from Australia, and the road has been quiet."
"This is the destiny of the distinguished guests." Mr. Gao smiled bitterly, "But compared to Fujian and Zhejiang, it is relatively peaceful here. Haicheng has been ruined now."
Since the second year of the Apocalypse, the pirates along the coast of Fujian and Guangzhou have recruited disciples to form gangs and proclaim themselves kings and countries. Among them, Yang Liu, Cai San, Zhong Liu and others are the strongest. In the sixth year of the Apocalypse, Yu Zigao, the commander-in-chief of Fujian Province, and the Guangdong Navy launched a joint campaign, recruiting Yang Liu, Cai San, and Zhong Liu to flee, which somewhat curbed the arrogance of the pirates.
However, not long after, pirates such as Zheng Zhilong, Zhong Lingxiu, and Li Kuiqi raided the coasts of Fujian and Zhejiang. The coast of Fujian was the most severely affected. Yuegang in Haicheng County, China's largest export trade port since the opening of Longqing, was in dilapidated condition. The number of ships going out to sea from there has been greatly reduced due to fear of being plundered by pirates.
"Here in Guangzhou, Commander Yu of Fujian Province and the navy of this province have been relatively quiet since last year's campaign. The Fo Langji people are also patrolling at the mouth of the river because of Hao Jing'ao's interests."
In this way, during this period, the focus of pirate activities was along the coast of Fujian. This situation greatly enhanced their confidence - at least they would not face boss figures like Zheng Zhilong and Li Kuiqi at the beginning.
"However, it's better to be careful." Gao Ju said, reminding them that although there were no giant pirates along the coast of Guangdong, there were numerous small groups of pirates and bandits. They come from afar and are unfamiliar with the land, so they have to be especially careful when berthing and getting on board the boat.
