She sat on the deck at the stern of the ship, pretending to lower her head to arrange the fishing nets, and observe the Australian harbor from under her bamboo hat. 【Read full text】
The Australians' main ports, where many large ships are anchored, do not allow civilian ships to enter, just as their main cities may allow outsiders to enter.
Only a small area in the west of the city was open to civilian ships and outsiders. A small natural port was renovated, and a street was built around the port as a commercial area.
Anyone can enter and exit this commercial area and do business here. Although it is also surrounded by fences and trenches, it is separated from the main city by trenches. You must pass through sentries and suspension bridges to enter the main city. Australians are very wary of outsiders.
Li Siya had already observed that the Australians had forts and towers on the top of Qishan Mountain. The naughty girl said that their cannons have a huge range. It seems that she was not lying otherwise they wouldn't have set up a fort on the top of the mountain.
Just seeing the size and strength of the Australians from the sea, Li Siya knew that no one in East Asia could destroy this city with a "frontal attack". On the island of Taiwan, whether it is the Dutch, the Minnan immigrant group nearby, or the Spaniards far north of the island, they are insignificant.
It is too difficult to make the Dutch and Australians fall out.
Li Siya's confidence was somewhat shaken. But she soon thought that the Dutch had the entire East India Company behind them. If they can really anger the Dutch and make them realize that the existence of the Australians is a matter of life and death, they will definitely go out in full force to fight the Australians to the death.
To do this, you have to look at your own skills and abilities.
"We are about to dock." The captain reminded her in a low voice.
Li Siya nodded.
The fishing boat quickly entered the port because it was flying a fishing license flag issued by the Coast Guard. No one came to check and inquire. The small fishing boat quickly moored to the pier.
The pier was filled with rattan baskets and wooden boxes filled with catches, and fish scales and scattered small fish and shrimps were scattered on the ground. A strong fishy smell filled the air. From time to time, men or women walked across the trestle in pairs, carrying heavy catches dripping with sea water.
A large wooden house with a thatched roof not far from the trestle is the fishing club's acquisition point. Fishing tax is also collected here. There was a row of "floor scales" at the door. This was the first time Li Siya had seen such scales mounted on the ground. What she saw most on the coast of East Asia was the Chinese crane scale. Whether in Macau or Batavia, Chinese businessmen always use steelyards of different sizes to weigh various goods for buying and selling. So much so that the Dutch and British had to accept their weights and measures at some point.
The fishermen put their catch on the weighing scale, and the scaleman moved and quickly reported the weight. The person supervising the harvest looked at the catch and quickly reported the name and grade of the catch: "First Class", "Second Class", "Special Class", "Exceptional"...
On a large blackboard next to it, there is a purchase price list of various types and grades of fishery written on it. Li Siya feels that this is worthless because almost no fishermen can read. This concept of graded acquisition according to species is also found in traditional Chinese fishing pens. However, fishing pen owners take advantage of the fact that fishermen are all illiterate and rely heavily on small loans provided by fishing pens. They often use good things to say bad things and cheat at will. The best fish and shrimp are often sold at extremely low prices in the end. Sometimes there is a good harvest at sea. As soon as the boat docks, the fishing pens here will be closed and harvest will be stopped to keep the price down.
Li Siya is not here to inspect the fishery, but she is very sensitive and knows that this is a way for the Australians to win over people. "Price based on quality" and "fair trade", if you can achieve these two points, you can immediately win over a large number of people's hearts. In particular, fishermen along the coast have long been at the bottom of the food chain of "buying high and selling low". They endure exploitation at all levels, and often have a warehouse full of fish but not enough to eat.
The Australians' ability to confuse people is well-deserved. No wonder so many fishermen come here. Not only are there fishermen from Zhangzhou, Quan and other places, but also many fishermen from Guangdong who listen to their accents. Li Siya thought to herself that she sometimes chatted with the breast girl, and found that she also said good things about the Australians from time to time, praising them for being "capable and kind-hearted."
She walked along the street with such complicated emotions. On one side of the fishing shop is a large shop that sells fishing gear, grain, lamp oil, cloth and other daily groceries needed by fishermen. There is a wide range of products. Li Siya was not interested in this, but she could see that the fishermen were very interested in this place. People came in and out from time to time, coming here to buy goods with the money they had just received, and returning home with a full load.
There is a bulletin board next to the store with a large notice. There is a person holding a loudspeaker and saying something loudly. There is a circle of people surrounding it. Li Siya originally wanted to see the notice, but suddenly realized that she was a fisherman, so she stopped and listened behind the crowd.
It turned out that the notice was a recruitment notice. The Australians were recruiting sailors and hired workers. Anyone who was willing to come could help resettle their families and allocate houses.
"... Come with your whole family, we have plenty of houses and food!" The person shouting loudly with a loudspeaker shouted passionately in Hokkien, "The elderly, children, and women at home can all work and make money!"
In order to supplement the rapidly expanding fleet with enough sailors, the Navy turned to the fishermen who fished here. Although the recruitment results are not very significant, hundreds of people have been recruited. The Navy set up a local training team to train these new recruits.
The Australians are recruiting sailors, are they preparing for war? Li Siya thought to herself, whether it was true or not, this sign was a good excuse to stir things up. She was deep in thought when she suddenly heard someone shouting in Hokkien: "This girl, walk slowly!"
Li Siya was startled. She didn't expect someone to stop her, so she quickly forced herself to calm down. At this time, a fat, middle-aged woman came in. She was wearing the kind of blue short-sleeved trousers and jacket that the women under the Australian men often wore, with a smile on her face.
"Girl, where are you from?" The fat woman seemed familiar and took her hand first.
Li Siya looked shy, lowered her head and said, "Mom, please don't do anything. The slave family is from Zhao'an County."
"I can't believe that Zhao'an County still has talents like this girl!" The fat woman looked up and down several times, as if she wanted to eat Li Siya alive, and praised her with her tongue. Li Siya couldn't help but feel scared: although she painted her face black and braided all her hair to hide her Portuguese heritage, her nose that was taller than the average woman and her appearance that was different from ordinary people were... You can't hide it with makeup. It's easy to reveal flaws if someone looks closely like this. I was secretly worried. If I were exposed, this was the territory of the Australians. If I were caught, I would definitely be in trouble. Not to mention, I had to kidnap Chairman Hewen. It would be enough to be used by the Australians when facing the scene. Cut into pieces by a thousand cuts.
She suppressed her fear and said with a calm smile: "Madam, don't cancel the slave family. The slave family has to buy things and go back to the ship..."
The fat woman nodded repeatedly and said: "I know, I know. You look like a fisherman's daughter. You go through wind and waves every day. It's rare for you to be so talented. Now I have a good place for you and your whole family to enjoy." Endless..." She rambled on, but Li Siya had already understood. It turned out that this fat woman was a tooth.
This type of people specializes in searching the streets of busy cities to see if there are any "talents that can be made" among the daughters of poor families. After inquiring about the specific details, they then go to the houses of wealthy families who want to take concubines and maidservants as matchmakers.
I didn’t expect it to be available here! She secretly wondered, where could a wealthy family come from here? However, she immediately understood: Could it be that she was buying maids for Australians?
Just listen to the other party continue to talk: "... The Australian gentlemen are now buying their maids. I think you are a tall girl, and your eyebrows are very suitable for their requirements. If you are interested, come with your family Come here and write a deed that your family is from southern Fujian, and you come here to fish. You should know the credit and ability of the Australians. If you work as a maid for them, you will be more noble than the average young lady from a middle-class family, and your family can also It's a lot of glory..." As if she was afraid that she wouldn't believe it, the fat woman even showed her identity card. "Young lady, look, aunt, I am a real clerk of the Australian Human Resources Office. Even in Daming, I can be considered a 'not yet in the stream'..."
Fortunately, Guo Huaiyi's people arrived at this time, and Li Siya took the opportunity to get rid of him. She wandered around the streets pretending to be shopping: the streets in the market were very short, and apart from the fishing community purchase stations and shops, there was only one ship repair yard that specialized in providing ship repair services for fishermen, and one that bought and sold deer. There are shops selling daily necessities and a restaurant serving simple meals. Further inside is a restricted area blocked by wooden fences. Looking in from the outside, it seems to be all warehouses and workshops. All kinds of catch seem to be transported inside for processing. Several red chimneys stood emitting black smoke, and a strange smell of rotten fish and shrimp mixed with soot came from time to time.
The only people who come to this market are fishermen and some nearby aborigines and Han hunters. Almost all of them come here to sell deer skins and venison, and also buy grain, salt and daily groceries here.
Li Siya walked back and forth along the street twice, but found no weakness worth exploiting. The place seems open and relaxed: there are only some strong men with sticks on the streets to maintain order, and no soldiers with swords and guns can be seen. However, no specific defensive measures can be seen at all. It is obviously loose on the outside and tight on the inside. A surprise attack from the sea would involve risking enemy artillery fire, and with the opponent's fleet so close at hand, I'm afraid there would be no chance at all.
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