The atmosphere of the first dinner between the British and Beihai Town was quite pleasant. After visiting the Thor, Marquis and others, although they were confused and confused about many mechanical equipment, they were still very concerned about these. The strength of the self-proclaimed "Serys people" is extremely shocking. In their opinion, this is an opponent they cannot challenge at all.
However, when Captain Ravi proposed to visit the two rapid-fire cannons on the Thor, Zhao Xin and others refused on the grounds of military confidentiality. Just kidding, I won’t even show you the rifle, but I want to show you the machine gun, what a dream!
When several British people took their leave and got into the boat, they returned to the Trust together. Several people came to Marquis' captain's cabin and reviewed today's contact with the Seris people, and Dr. Higgins took notes.
Everyone first recalled everything they saw, including the ships, people, mechanical equipment, and the short guns on the waists of the Beihai Town soldiers, and guessed who the two big guys covered by canvas on the main deck were. After everyone finished speaking and recorded their speeches, Dr. Higgins raised his own question.
"These people are a little strange, I mean..." He hesitated before saying: "Captain Marquis, Captain Ravi, I have doubts about the purpose of these Siris people inviting us to dinner."
"Oh? Can you tell me your opinion, doctor?" Captain Ravi asked with interest while holding a glass of rum.
"If it was a normal exchange, they should introduce themselves more and provide us with a catalog of goods. But gentlemen, what did we learn this night? Personally, I only know that they come from the far north, Its territory borders the Russians. But where is that place? Europe or Asia? Or which island?"
Marquis suddenly realized: "Yes! We were dazzled by everything on their ship, and were gagged by the fine wine, steak, coffee and the delicious cigarettes they provided. Now that I think about it, every time we mention When we talk about these specific issues, Zhao will come up with something new to divert our attention."
"That's exactly what I want to say." Higgins frowned: "What they asked us about the most was about opium, and at the same time they showed little interest in the price or quality of other goods. Moreover, I found What they are most concerned about is the opium trade from Goa to Guangzhou. Judging from our visit on the Thor, it is easy for such a giant ship to sail to Europe. I believe you have all seen the cargo room below the deck. It has a huge cabin. I guess the main purpose of this ship is to transport cargo. Facing such a huge ship, if those Seris people use it to carry opium, it will be very difficult for us to do this business in the future!"
After everyone heard this, their hearts suddenly trembled. The prospects for the opium trade are now good. Starting five years ago, the Qing Dynasty imported hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of opium every year.
If such a disruptor appears, it will have a great impact on businessmen in the UK and other countries. At this time, Captain Ravi asked in a serious tone: "Dr. Higgins, do you mean they will get involved in the opium trade?"
Before Higgins spoke, Captain Marquis said: "I think Brad's guess is very reasonable. This matter must attract our attention. At present, we don't know whether these Seris people have a trading network in the interior of the Qing Dynasty. ; But I think with their similar appearance and similar language to the Tatars, it is much easier to establish an opium smuggling network than the rest of us. Alas! This is really a headache!"
Several British people discussed it for a long time and found no good solution. Faced with the threat posed by the North Sea, all they could do was wait until they or had a ship to return to India in advance and report to the East India Company first.
After nightfall, Captain Ravi and the ship's doctor, who returned to the Eliza, heard that several of the wounded were seriously injured. In view of the fact that the conditions in the cabin were not conducive to recuperation, Captain Ravi, after careful consideration, took advantage of the thick darkness and secretly sailed the ship to Hengqin Island in the southwest.
Since 1780, the British have secretly set up a smuggling point in Yanzi Bay on the west side of Hengqin Island. And here is the earliest drug trafficking base of opium traffickers in China.
The British thought they were doing it without anyone noticing, but what they didn't expect was that the movements of all the ships in the Chicken Neck Ocean did not escape the radar monitoring of the Thor. It's just that at this time, Zhao Xin and the others don't know what is there in Yanzi Bay.
As the British had formal contact with Beihai Town, starting from the next morning, sailing ships from other countries successively sent people to visit the Trust and inquire about the situation of the Thor; and the most interested ones were the Americans. .
Let's turn our attention back to Thor. Early in the morning, large and small fishing boats from Tan Tsai, Ji Tou, Ma Liu, Qing Kok, Ring Road and other islands covered the water of Ji Ning Ocean. In addition to selling aquatic products to sailing ships from various countries, these fishing boats also sell all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, beef and mutton.
These nearby fishermen must have been engaged in this activity for many years, so sailing ships from various countries were very familiar with them and did not expel them. Some of the bold fishing boats slowly approached the Thor and began to loudly sell various products on the ship. Ingredients.
After Ding Guofeng heard about it, considering that there were not many vegetables on the Thor, he asked people to put down the gangway and sent the chef down to buy some. Who would have thought that Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng, who had gotten up early in the morning, also came after hearing the news. They looked at the various ingredients on the fishing boat with binoculars and instructed the chef to buy this and that.
This area of Macao is extremely rich in fish resources, including local oysters, crabs, various groupers, and rarely seen golden eels, yellow eels, and blood eels, and the prices are not expensive.
With Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng as two foodies, the cook finally bought a lot of things. After calculating the price, it was only three taels of silver. Zhao and Liu thought it was too cheap!
After the catch was hoisted onto the deck of the Thor, the fat cook of the Thor followed Zhao Xin's instructions and took out a handful of shiny silver coins from his pocket to pay for the goods. Some were given four, some were given five, and the fisherman who sold the most goods got ten.
Several fishermen saw that the silver coins given by each other were shining and beautiful, and they liked them very much. They often do business with foreign ships, have also received some silver coins, and know how to identify them. Then I heard the fat cook explain that these five silver coins were equivalent to one tael of silver, and I couldn't help but be overjoyed. One of the fishermen took the silver coin and looked at it carefully for a long time. Before leaving, he asked the cook: "Master, which deity is engraved on this coin of yours?"
The fat cook followed what he had heard before and said with a smile on his face: "This is the ancestor of the Han people, Emperor Xuanyuan."
Several fishermen were stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "Sir, you are really good at joking."
The seafood bought in the morning was not frozen in the warehouse, so Zhao Xin decided to have a seafood feast at noon as a toothpaste for everyone on the boat. However, when Ding Guofeng proposed having seafood barbecue on the deck, he was ridiculed by Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng.
"You're spoiling such fresh seafood by roasting it! Steam it! Make soup! It's a must!"
So the fat cook took a dozen sailors, and under the personal guidance of two foodies, Zhao and Liu, began to pack various ingredients and prepare to make a seafood feast.
The main dishes planned by Zhao Xin for today’s lunch include steamed grouper, grouper soup, boiled prawns, braised prawns, pan dragon eel, braised blood eel, steamed crab, oyster sashimi, various vegetables... .
As a result, just after 10:30 in the morning, Zhao Xin, who was in the kitchen, received a report from the sailor on duty that a large boat with various flags was coming from the direction of Macau.
When Zhao Xin saw the apricot-yellow Haiphong Yamen flag on the opponent's mast through the telescope, he knew it was Wang Ping's turn to appear.
Wang Ping, who came to the deck after receiving the notice, looked respectful. He bowed to Zhao Xin and then said: "Mr. Zhao, there should be someone sent by the governor on the ship. I will go over and say hello later, so as not to There was a misunderstanding.”
Zhao Xin nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Wang."
"Don't dare."
Ever since he saw the power of the two rapid cannons on the side of the Thor yesterday, Wang Ping finally knew what the eight things covered with canvas on the side of the ship were. If these rebel gangsters start another fight like they did with the British yesterday, He Shen will have to skin him without going back to Beijing!
On the big boat not far away, in addition to Chen Xinhuai, the military and civilian commander of the Guangzhou Prefecture and the Macau Coast Guard, and his patrol officers and soldiers, there was also a staff sent by the Guangdong Governor's Yamen, and two Portuguese officers headed by the Macau Governor Matos. people.
(Director, namely Procurador, municipal councilor, transliterated as "婩域多" in official documents of the Qing Dynasty.)
And the commander who fled in a hurry yesterday was standing on the bow of the ship, looking dizzy at the huge Thor, and cursed in a low voice: "These barbarians are going to die at home?! A good ship must be painted white." ! So damn frustrating!”
Not far behind him, an official in his seventies was sitting on a chair, surrounded by seven or eight subordinates. This man is not tall, thin, and has snow-white beard and hair. Wearing a full-fledged fifth-grade official robe with white embroidery, the crystal crown on the hat on his head shines brightly.
This person was Chen Xinhuai (alias Guilin), a military and civilian advisor of the Guangzhou Prefecture and Macau coastal defense appointed by the Qing court. Because he was only a Gongsheng student, Chen Xinhuai had been working as a county magistrate in a remote place in Guangdong these years. He was transferred here from the Yazhou magistrate at the age of sixty-eight. As a fifth-rank official, he was responsible for managing the affairs of the Portuguese people in Macao, supervising the sea, and prohibiting smuggling. He also had the authority to command the Xiangshan County Chief Government Office and the Macao garrison.
Chen Xinhuai held up a monocular telescope. When he saw the two dark blue "Thunder God" characters on the outside of the bow of the white ship, he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise on his face. Could it be that this ship was called Thor? It's ridiculous! But how come these overseas barbarians use our Chinese characters?
It is said that the Chinese people's concept of barbarians has lasted for more than two thousand years. With this strong cultural awareness, no one from the court to the people would regard barbarians as human beings. Therefore, all countries outside the Chinese civilization are barbarians; they look like humans, but are not truly human in nature. This is what people in the Qing Dynasty say nowadays: "Although they are animals, they also have human form."
This concept has naturally affected island countries, North Korea, Annan and other places.
As for the people in Guangzhou, they all call the British "red-haired ghosts", the Americans "Citizen ghosts", the Danes "yellow-flag ghosts", the Portuguese "Western ghosts", and the descendants of the Portuguese in Macau are called "Macau Ghost" and so on.
So from this reason, we can know the current attitude of Qing court officials towards foreign ships and foreigners.
Chen Xinhuai put down the telescope and ordered his men: "Shout and ask them to put down the ladder to board the ship for inspection!"
Upon hearing this, several officers and soldiers felt numb in their hearts. The hull of the boat is really too high. If you use a rope ladder to climb up, you will fall into the water accidentally.
The two Portuguese people standing behind Chen Xinhuai looked at the Thor not far away with shock on their faces. Yesterday, after the Macau City Hall heard that a white giant boat of unknown nationality had a conflict with the British, in order to maintain the stability of trade in the Jingguang Sea, it appointed Matos to personally accompany the Haiphong Yamen to negotiate.
The arrival of such a giant ship with unknown nationality and fierce firepower in Macau is a blessing or a curse. The top leaders of the Macao and Portuguese people are very concerned about it and are waiting for Matos to bring the news back.
At this time, a coastal defense soldier holding a copper trumpet on the boat came to the side of the boat and began to shout at the top of his voice: "People on the boat, listen! Under the order of Mr. Chen, the military and civilian commander of the Macau Coast Defense of Guangzhou Prefecture of the Qing Dynasty, hurry up and Put down the ladder, we need to board the ship for inspection!”
Before he finished speaking, everyone on the boat saw a man wearing a robe and a mandarin jacket suddenly appear on the side of the other side's tall ship, with a bright head, and he couldn't help waving at him. It's just that because of the backlight, I can't see clearly at all.
At this time, a guy who looked like a master standing behind Chen Xinhuai came to Chen Xinhuai's ear and whispered: "Sir, that person is the one I mentioned to you yesterday."
Chen Xinhuai's eyebrows moved, but he just nodded slightly and did not speak. I saw a few more people emerging from the boat opposite, standing on the side of the boat and busy. Chen Xinhuai didn't understand what he meant and was about to ask someone to question him when he saw a ladder slowly falling from the side of the ship; one end was hanging in the air and the other was close to the hull. Look at the suspended height of the ladder, which is almost the same as the height of the ship's side.
After asking for instructions, the sailors on the sailing ship lowered the sails, moved the ship to the gangway, and put up a springboard.
At this moment, dozens more people appeared on the side of the Thor; these people lined up on the side of the ship, standing upright. In the eyes of everyone on the shuttle boat, these people were dressed in white, with strange-style hats on their heads, and they seemed to be carrying a musket on their shoulders.
"Who is this?" Chen Xinhuai asked several people around him, and one person stepped forward and said, "Sir, this should be a Yi sailor. There were also English sailors on the ship before, but their clothes were different."
"Hmm." Chen Xinhuai twirled his beard and shook his head: "It's not a good choice to choose a color. I have to choose white. Is there a funeral on their ship?!"
At this time, the person who looked like an aide behind Chen Xinhuai said, "Mr. Chen, please go ahead and say hello to them."
Chen Xinhuai cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou."
The man named Zhou walked across the deck and quickly climbed onto the gangway. He gingerly held on to the railing and boarded the Thor, stopping step by step. After a moment of dizziness, he saw Wang Ping with a smile on his face.
"Oh, it's really Manager Wang! Long time no see!" The man surnamed Zhou quickly stepped forward and saluted.
Wang Ping smiled and said: "Mr. Zhou, how are you doing, Mr. Tu?"
"Well, Sir! Before I leave yesterday, the Governor asked me to take care of this matter." The Master Tu mentioned by the people surnamed Zhou is Tu Sabu, the Governor of Guangdong who just took office; this person is from Manchuria The Guarjia family from Zhenghong Banner is Heshen's close comrade-in-arms. He Shen arranged for this person to come to Guangzhou from Hubei. In addition to controlling the money bag of Guangdong Customs, he was also helping to deal with the Thor's trip south.
Mr. Zhou continued: "Manager Wang. When you come this time, you are making a bit of a fuss!"
Wang Ping waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "That was an unprovoked provocation by the red-haired people, so these people gave them a lesson. It doesn't matter!"
Mr. Zhou asked suspiciously: "How do these people compare to barbarians?"
Wang Ping sighed and said: "To be honest, I have never heard of a strong ship with powerful guns. Even the foreign ships in this area cannot stop it."
"Ah!" Zhou's expression suddenly changed. He thought for a moment and then said, "Mr. Chen is on the boat below at the moment. Do you want to pay a visit to Manager Wang?"
"Mr. Zhou, what you said is inappropriate. I have a special status on this trip. I can't show my face or reveal my whereabouts easily. I can't afford to be punished by Mr. Zhongtang. I just saw that there are Westerners on your ship?"
"Exactly, it's the Macau Westerners. As usual, they also want to board the ship to ask."
"You see, then I won't even come forward. I might as well tell you the truth, these people want to visit Macau before leaving."
"Oh? Just going to Macau, but not closing the wall? How many days will you stay?"
"But we won't close the wall! We'll leave in three days!"
The two men stood in the shadow of the ship building and muttered for a long time, and it took half an hour to finalize the relevant details. Afterwards, Zhou got off the boat and wrote back, and Wang Ping was also led to see Zhao Xin.
"Mr. Zhao, the Haiphong Yamen will not board the ship for inspection. However, if you want to go to Macau, the Westerners will still have to board the ship for inspection, so you have to deal with it."
Zhao Xin and Liu Sheng looked at each other and thought that it was really troublesome! However, they did not dare to sail the ship directly into Macau without the guidance of a pilot. If it ran aground on the rocks, they would be blind!
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