A violent explosion woke up Lu Tongzhi from his dream.
At first, Mr. Lu thought it was thunder outside.
He lay on the bed and thought for a while. It was the dry and cold winter, not the summer with thunderstorms.
If Dou E hadn't been reborn, such a thrilling thunder wouldn't have happened.
There was only one Dou E in the previous dynasty, and she only lived in the mouth of the storyteller at Goulan Tea House.
There were many Dou E's in the Ming Dynasty. Over the years, Mr. Lu had sold as many as eight hundred women to brothels in various places.
Among these women, there must be someone who is more unjust than Dou E.
Life and death are determined by destiny, wealth and honor are in heaven.
In Mr. Lu's opinion, doing this is at least better than letting these untouchables freeze to death and starve to death.
Not long ago, Hong Maoyi Jinnige came to Lu Mansion for a banquet and accidentally mentioned the Black Triangle trade that was in full swing on the other side of the continent. The red barbarians set out from their home country to load salt, cloth, wine and other commodities. They were exchanged for slaves in Africa and passed through the Atlantic along the so-called "Central Sea Route". In the Americas, they were exchanged for plantation products such as sugar, tobacco and rice, as well as gold, silver and industrial raw materials. Return.
I heard that you can earn several times the profit from such a trip.
Lu Tongzhi was greatly inspired after hearing this, and felt that he was really insignificant compared with these European counterparts.
Inspired by the spirit of free trade, Lu Tingping decided to establish a relationship with this group of red barbarians and actively get involved in the Tang Dynasty business in Macau.
According to Jinnige, selling women to Macau as slaves is more profitable than selling them directly to brothels.
Although slaves were quite common in the late Ming Dynasty, selling Chinese people to foreigners was against Ming law.
As the Portuguese gradually gained a foothold in Macau, the flow of labor force became unstoppable.
Local officials along the coast of Guangdong are deeply concerned about this matter.
In the 41st year of Wanli reign, Zhang Minggang, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, erected a stone tablet in Macao, on which were engraved five laws that the Portuguese in Macao must abide by. The second of them stipulated that the Portuguese were not allowed to purchase "children of the Tang Dynasty".
But under the trend of huge economic interests, the role of morality and laws is ultimately pale. Every year, countless coastal Chinese flock to Macau to do business with the Portuguese or become their slaves. (see note 1)
Lu Tongzhi pushed aside the sleeping concubines on his left and right, put on a big cloak, and the eight-step bed creaked under the weight of his ball-like body.
"I am also helping them find a way out, which can also benefit the people."
He muttered something silently in his mind, stood up and lit the candles on the table, lay down in front of the window, and looked outside through the gap in the window.
Two months ago, Lu Tongzhi's shipload of southern goods was robbed by a group of water pirates near Piedao Island in Korea. After reporting it to the Ministry of War, there has been no follow-up. Later, through his connections in Dongchang, his cousin learned that the goods might have been stolen by Ping Liaohou. He was robbed by his men.
Lu Demin is now the commanding officer of Tianjin Guard, and his rank is two levels lower than Liu Zhaosun. I think back then, he could be robbed by this killer in Tianjin Guard, and it was even more beyond the reach of North Korea.
The new year is approaching, and money has to be spent to support the gentlemen in the capital. The Zhenfusi, Liubu, and those greedy officials and censors were all indispensable. Lu Tongzhi's business in Zhangjiagang had to rely on the care of these masters.
Thinking that the goods had been robbed by Qiansha Liu Zhaosun again, Mr. Lu didn't want to eat or eat. He lost two kilograms in just one month.
In the dark night, an orange-red mushroom cloud rose in the direction of the east gate.
Lu Demin was lying behind the window, his face full of shock: "The arsenal... the arsenal exploded?"
The explosion of tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder created a huge shock wave, like a storm, washing away this sinful city.
"Master! Master!"
A rapid knock on the door rang in his ears. Lu Demin recognized the voice of his servant Tong Laosan. He quickly wrapped his cloak tightly, opened a crack in the door, and asked impatiently:
"Tong Laosan, if you're not staying at the dock, why did you come back?"
"Master! Our goods have been robbed!"
Lu Demin grabbed Tong Laosan by the collar and found a few blood stains on his face.
"What did you say?"
The servant was out of breath, as if he had just escaped death.
"They said they were sent by Master Haiphong Dao to help him deliver the goods to Liaodong for sale!"
"Ding Bi is dead! I stopped doing business with Liaodong a long time ago! Don't you all know? Can you believe Yang Hao's words? He is Liu Zhaosun's father-in-law!"
Tong Laosan said quickly:
"Sir, of course I know that. The gang then started to kill people with knives. Fortunately, I ran fast, otherwise I might not be able to see you, master."
At this time, the two concubines on the bed behind him were finally woken up and asked the master sweetly what happened. Lu Demin waved his hands impatiently.
"Go away, go back to sleep!"
Lu Demin kicked the head servant, pointed at his nose and cursed:
"Bullshit, all the guys in your hands are working for nothing! Let others snatch our goods?! Do you know how much money this goods is worth? It won't be enough for you to sell them all to the Jiaofang Division!"
The more Lu Tongzhi talked, the angrier he became. He turned around, picked up a whip from the table, and beat Tong Laosan, cursing as he beat him:
"I asked you to just visit the brothel on weekdays! I asked you to cause trouble for me!..."
After being beaten for more than ten times in a row, Lu Demin was panting from exhaustion. Seeing that the master had vented his anger, the servant said uneasily:
"Master, my brothers can't beat them. They have firearms and bows and arrows. They seem to be from Liaodong, and they all have Liaodong accents."
"Liaodong accent? Could it be that killer again! How many are there?"
The scene of being robbed by Liu Zhaosun two years ago immediately came to mind.
Tong Laosan thought for a moment and said uncertainly:
"Maybe there were thirty or fifty people. The younger ones fought their way out. They didn't give much chase. They were busy setting up fortifications at the dock. It looked like there were a lot of people. By the way, sir, the red-haired barbarian who came to our house last time was also there. After being caught by them, I saw with my own eyes a thug with a Shaanxi accent beating the red-haired barbarians."
Lu Demin was trembling all over. He looked up at the still burning Shuiying Arsenal in the west gate, and his teeth chattered with anger. He didn't care much about the life or death of the red-haired barbarian. What he cared about most now was the horse he had stored in Zhangjiagang. With hundreds of boxes of tea and spices, he can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver, which is equivalent to his profit from buying and selling people in a year.
"It must be Liu Zhaosun's person!"
"This killer is a born rebel. Back then in Tianjin, I should have killed him. Now he has sent people to Tianjin to blow up the arsenal. It seems that he is really going to rebel! I have to go to the imperial court and punish him. His nine clans!”
The servant was wearing only a single piece of clothing and was shivering from the cold outside. He looked at Lu Demin eagerly and wanted to go inside to warm up.
"Master, what should we do now? Liu Zhaosun's people are still in Zhangjiagang, and the ship cannot go out to sea at night."
Lu Tongzhi thought for a moment and then ordered:
"I will immediately send someone to inform Commander Fan of Shuiying, asking him to mobilize soldiers and horses to surround Zhangjiagang. Don't let a thief escape! Go to the guardhouse in person, pick some guardsmen, and go to the dock together to kill These thieves alone will avenge me! In addition, I will send someone to my cousin's house to report the matter, and ask my cousin to report to me overnight, saying that Liu Zhaosun has rebelled."
The servant stood there shivering, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
"Old... Master, it's too cold outside. It's midnight. It's dark. Many people are asleep. I'm afraid they won't be able to get up. It's better to wait for dawn..."
Lu Demin glared at him, suddenly took off his cloak and put it on the head servant.
"They'll run away when it gets daylight!"
"Tong Laosan, put on my cloak and hurry up. If you can snatch this batch of goods, I will reward you with a thousand taels of silver! Go to Wengcheng and tell the guards that if anyone can't get up tonight, I will give you a reward." Just let him not get up for the rest of his life!"
After hearing this, the head servant was filled with gratitude and was about to turn around and go out when there was a knock on the door in the courtyard outside.
The master and the servant looked at each other. Who would come to the door in this chaotic situation?
"The Jinyi Guards are commanding the Qianshi. Following the emperor's order, they came to the Tianjin Guards to investigate the rebellion in Dongchang. Please ask Lu Tongzhi to come forward and speak!"
Note:
1. "The Confusion of Indulgence—Business and Culture in the Ming Dynasty"·Bu Zhengmin (Canada)
Lewen
