The southern gate of the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou, is where the Opium War broke out. It is also the oldest foreign trade port since the founding of the Qing Dynasty. The famous Thirteen Lines are located here.
However, at this time, the Thirteen Lines had already disappeared in the long river of history. A fire during the Second Opium War completely destroyed the Thirteen Lines' station. Although it has been partially restored, it no longer has the glory of the past.
It was not just the Thirteenth Line that declined, but also the city of Guangzhou. When the coastal cities of the Qing Dynasty opened up one after another after the Second Opium War, Shanghai suddenly emerged and replaced its boss position and became the number one port in East Asia.
At this time, in Guangzhou, compared with a few decades ago, the trade volume was not even one-third lower. When the old boatmen looked at the number of sails at the dock and on the open sea, and then recalled the scenes of their youth, they could only There was a long sigh.
"You've done something wrong, I can't survive this life... If I'm hungry again, I'll go to Nanyang..."
The complaints on the dock have been made for a long time. Business is slow and it is difficult to do business. Even the people who can do it cannot have enough to eat. In addition, a year ago the Manchurian general insisted on enclosing the land and setting up some kind of special zone, which caused countless Thousands of refugees came out, and these poor people who had no food rushed into the city, making the already difficult life even more difficult.
At first, people scolded Xiao Letian. This bastard couldn't live a good life. If he didn't write good books, he would create some kind of special zone. He took away all the livelihood fields of the common people. He must have a son without an asshole.
But as time went by, everyone was dumbfounded when the news came from the north. The land in the Shanghai Special Economic Zone was exchanged, one acre for two acres, and the land was well irrigated. The red-top businessman Hu Xueyan was so bold.
Looking at the special zone in Tanggu, it is even more shocking. Xiao Letian, the God of Wealth in the North, bought it with cash and also gave the people a big temple, satisfying the people both materially and spiritually.
Only then did people realize that it was not the industrial zones that were bad, but the people who created the zones. Hey... people said that the Han people were taking care of the Han people. It was like Guangzhou City. When they encountered this group of Manchu men, they would rob them. ah.
Complaints should be made, but complaining will not satisfy the hunger. The fierce Changmao has been suppressed by the court. These common people who have lost their land dare not start trouble. The generals in the city are waiting for them to make trouble. It is estimated that if the land is not returned by then, the head will have to be borrowed.
What, you ask what is the use of borrowing heads? Isn’t this nonsense? Once the lime powder is soaked, it will be a good trophy. A pile of heads can be used by the court to ask for rewards and money.
"Hey...the poor are really being killed these days..."
Just when everything was gloomy and gloomy on the pier, suddenly a low voice came from the distance of the harbor. Many coolies who were sunbathing to cure their hunger actually jumped up and looked towards the sea one by one.
"Look quickly, is that the Chen family's ship in Nanyang? Why is it hung with a Chinese character flag? Could it be that the owner has changed? Don't sleep, everyone. They are here to buy and sell the Chen family's cargo ship in the Lion City. Tonight everyone Maybe we can make some wine..."
The crowd rushed over with a roar, waiting to grab the jobs given by the Chen family's cargo ship. With the boss's cargo, it is estimated that all the hard workers present will have jobs.
Countless ships on the Pearl River Estuary watched helplessly as the cargo ship with the strange Chinese character flag sailed in. Many familiar ship bosses started shouting from afar.
"Chen family... why do you have such a Chinese character on it?" Before the bronze-faced captain could reply, people on the dock were surprised to find that this was not the only ship with this Chinese character on it.
"Look, all the ships behind have a zodiac sign on them. What's going on..." In everyone's sight, more than a dozen ocean-going cargo ships followed the Chen family's merchant ship. All the tops of the masts were decorated with large and small zodiac signs. Xiao Ziqi.
"Hahaha... Let me tell you, this Xiaozi flag is the flag of Ryukyu Prime Minister Xiao Letian who shocked Europe. The one on my ship was given by the Prime Minister... Your Excellency has already led troops into the Lion City and is about to return to defend Ryukyu. …”
"Prime Minister Xiao is still alive and well. He has returned with his troops..."
This is a big deal. Guangzhou has been a gathering place for Chinese maritime merchants since ancient times. It is one of the most well-informed cities in China. Over the past year, the legend of Xiao Letian has become a cocoon in people's ears.
"Oh my God, Prime Minister Xiao is still alive. Didn't they say he was dead before... Some said he was stabbed to death by a bayonet, and some said he was killed by pirates on his way back home..."
"Yes, some people say that French warships chased him all over the world and blew him up on the sea. I even cried once at that time. He is a good man who can go to Europa to vent our anger."
The bronze-skinned captain stood on the deck with his arms akimbo domineeringly and shouted, "It's all farts, it's all nonsense... The Prime Minister returned to the Lion City in good condition, and even the British lined up to welcome him... We hung out the Chinese characters The purpose of recognizing the flag is to tell everyone that the Prime Minister has returned to China and the end of the French is not far away..."
"Man, you pure man... you really shame us... Do you still have a flag? My boat will also fly one..." The Pearl River Estuary was immediately shocked by the news. After the Manchu generals and Han governors came over, The entire river and sea are already filled with Xiao characters and flags.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry... Go to the capital quickly and deliver a message to the emperor. How come this troublemaker is back alive?" The generals in the city slapped their thighs angrily.
The Han governor stared at him like an idiot: "Kuaima, you are really confused. No matter how fast the horse's legs are, can it run across the sailboat? By the time your letter reaches the capital, the cucumbers and vegetables will be cold... I If it is passed on at this speed, the Ten-day Capital City will definitely believe it..."
It takes ten days for news to be transmitted from the Lion City to Beijing. This is somewhat exaggerated, but a conservative estimate is that there is still no problem in about fifteen days. Xiao Letian's viral messaging method is already the fastest and most reliable method in this era. The sex is also higher than the homing pigeon method.
The most important thing is that this method of information transmission can create a sensational effect in a very short period of time. The Prime Minister of Ryukyu Kingdom is not dead. He has returned with the victory of the expedition to Europe. This explosive news suddenly appeared in the sky of East Asia. A mushroom cloud exploded.
The Chinese businessmen in the Lion City faithfully carried out Xiao Letian's orders. Countless merchant ships sailed on the seas of East Asia with the flag of "Xiao". As long as they saw Chinese merchant ships on the sea, including merchant ships from countries friendly to Ryukyu, they Immediately pass through several flags.
One ship turned into two ships, two ships turned into four ships, four ships turned into eight ships... In just a few days, there was no ship in the entire South China Sea that did not fly the Chinese flag, except of course French merchant ships.
What is even more surprising is that such a strange thing happened in the South China Sea. A cargo ship from the Huang family in the Lion City and a merchant ship from Surabaya were meeting on the sea to change flags. As a result, they encountered pirates roaming the South China Sea. Goldeneye snapper.
This golden-eyed sea bream is a powerful figure in the South China Sea. He is so bold and ruthless that he even dares to attack foreign merchant ships. The three pirate ships he has transformed from cargo ships are all the fastest type. His thousands of subordinates are all reincarnations of evil gods. People who don’t have ten or eight lives in their hands are embarrassed to say hello to others.
When Golden Eyed Snapper saw that the fat sheep were having a meeting, he might be talking about some shady business. How could he fall behind in grabbing oil and water? Three pirate ships directly surrounded them.
"Tell me... what are you trading? Is it big opium? How much did it cost? Give it to me, even the goods..." How could a small merchant ship be the opponent of pirates? Soon the two captains were attacked by pirates. It's neck-breaking.
"Uncle Jin, please forgive me. We are just trafficking in timber. We really don't have much profit... We met to change flags and send a message to Prime Minister Xiao."
"Bullshit, changing flags when you're full, what kind of bullshit is that, Prime Minister Xiao... Wait, what did you say, that Prime Minister..."
When the golden-eyed sea bream heard that it was Xiao Letian, the prime minister of Ryukyu, he said to himself without saying anything, "Damn, why didn't you tell me earlier..."
Robbers also have morals, of course they do. Robbers also have idols in their hearts. They were born and raised by their parents and grew up eating human food. They also have the simplest values in their hearts.
Do you have the guts or not? Of course Xiao Letian has the guts. Thousands of people in East Asia are in silence. Everyone is bullied by the foreigners and they don’t even dare to fart. Although these pirates don’t know why, they also feel aggrieved and uncomfortable in their hearts. .
This is the power of culture, the blood genes implanted in us by the nation that gave birth to me and raised me. Even if Golden Eyed Seabream is a robber, when I was a child, I heard about the Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses, and Yue Quanchuan, and they still have a very simple heart. National view.
"The Prime Minister is a Han, and he has given face to all the Han people in the world. Even if I rob the foreigners, I feel that I have a hard back. For such a well-rounded Prime Minister, we have to help... Young people, show more dignity. The word recognizes the flag, let's go north..."
The sailors of the two cargo ships could never see the scene in front of them. The golden-eyed sea bream roaming the South China Sea did not snatch money, but actually snatched a large pile of flags and left happily.
From that moment on, the pirates in the South China Sea also became voluntary news disseminators. The pirate ships flew north with the flag of Xiao Letian, and the news of Xiao Letian's return to China began to spread like a virus.
Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Keelung, Tainan, Ningbo... In the end, even the Huangpu River estuary in Shanghai had flags flying with the Chinese character "Xiao".
In Shanghai in 1866, the first batch of concessions already took shape. The British and French colonists followed the simplest principle when enclosing land, that is, the safe area of the colony was within the range of naval guns.
Along the broad Huangpu River, rows of Western-style houses have been connected. Although it is not as large as in its heyday, it was already an extremely prosperous place in East Asia at that time.
But today, when the first Chinese sailing ship flying the Chinese flag at the Huangpu River estuary rushed into the Huangpu River, the whole city suddenly fell silent. After only a few seconds, the Huangpu River was filled with joy.
"That man is back... Prime Minister Xiao is back..." People rushed to tell each other, and all the incredible and dreamy news mentioned in the newspapers before came true at this moment.
