The next morning, Liu Sheng and his party met the so-called "Governor of Macau" Faria. The reason why I say "so-called" is because this governor is illegal.
Historically, since 1616, the first 92 "Governors of Macau" were illegal. Because Macau during this period was a leased territory by the Ming and Qing governments, not a colony, the Macao and Portuguese authorities had to pay 515 taels of land rent to Xiangshan County every year.
It is illegal for Portugal to send a governor to Macau, and the Portuguese in Macau have always been secretive about this act. When the Macao and Portuguese authorities faced Qing officials, Faria never showed up.
The problem was that Liu Sheng and the others didn't understand this at all, so the two sides still had a polite conversation, and Liu Sheng also gave them the prepared gifts. Faria and several city councilors expressed great surprise at the products "produced" in Beihai Town. In addition to their mediocre attitude towards cigarettes, whether it was matches, lanterns, or the razors given to them, they all showed great surprise. strong interest.
But privately, the Macao-Portuguese people just regard razors as a novelty. In these days, most men have to grow beards, which usually only need to be trimmed. No one shaves their chins like the people in Beihai Town. .
Regarding Liu Sheng's proposal to conduct a two-day business inspection in the local area, Faria and the members of the municipal committee who accompanied the meeting expressed their full support. These people have learned about the tonnage of the Thor from Matos. The cargo capacity of such a ship can be equivalent to seven or eight three-masted sailing ships at a time, which is undoubtedly very attractive to Macao and Portugal.
At this time, although Macau had the privilege of 25 merchant ships designated by the Qing government, it had been reduced to a supporting role in world trade. Its external routes include only Manila, some ports in Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, as well as Batavia, Timor, Brunei and India and Ceylon. If the Qing government had not forced all foreign businessmen from Guangzhou to spend the winter in Macau, the Macao and Portuguese authorities would not even be able to earn rent money.
After their meeting with Faria, Liu Sheng and the others, accompanied by a special person from the Municipal Committee, visited various businesses in Macau.
Like other European cities of the same era, the urban area of Macau is based on a wide straight street as the central skeleton. Residential areas, commercial areas, and other public facilities are distributed on both sides of the straight street like a fish skeleton. The entire straight street starts from Fengshuntang Church in the south and ends at St. Anthony Church in the north. The various residential areas in between are divided according to church parishes.
The first stop for the group was Sanba Temple. In July 1762, due to the comprehensive expulsion of the Jesuits by the Portuguese royal family, St. Paul's College in San Ba Temple was forced to close. It is currently managed by the Macau Municipal Council.
Because they had little interest in Catholicism, Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng just walked around the church and came out, not even intending to talk to the clergy. In another fifty years, the church will be destroyed by fire, leaving only a large archway.
A dozen soldiers from Beihai Town showed great interest in those Baroque-style sculptures and decorations, which were not seen at all in Beihai Town. Although several priests worked hard to introduce them, these soldiers from the island countries and Henan were originally very resistant to Catholicism, and Beihai Town did not have such soil.
Afterwards, everyone went to the Mazu Pavilion. It was the turn of the Chinese gods, and it was Mazu who protected the safety of the sea. Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng both offered incense and paid homage.
What Liu Sheng and the others did not expect was that the Bugalao Cannon Foundry, which was once prosperous in the late Ming Dynasty, had closed down more than a hundred years ago. Now the Macau authorities only have a small workshop for the maintenance and repair of various types of artillery; The famous "Wannu Store" has turned into a business dealing in tea and European watches and jewelry. Although the plan to recruit craftsmen fell through, Liu Sheng and the others also learned that there are currently six forts in Macau, and the number of various types of coastal defense artillery is as high as one hundred.
As for the shipbuilding industry, there are only two shipyards in the entire peninsula, Neiwan and Gongbei. Due to the Qing government's strict control over Macao and Portuguese shipbuilding, Gongbei's shipyards only built some small fishing boats and barges.
Fortunately, when Liu Sheng and the others visited the Inner Bay Dockyard, although the dock was not very good, they found that there were a large number of teak and ironwood piled here, making it look like a timber trading market. They were so pleasantly surprised by the discovery that they ordered a batch.
However, when Liu Sheng and others expressed their intention to recruit several shipbuilding craftsmen with high salaries, Macau officials expressed difficulty. Forty-eight years before Qianlong's reign, the Qing government adopted a policy of banning the shipbuilding industry in Macao, requiring all craftsmen to be protected and registered. Anyone who dared to build ships privately would be punished. These Chinese shipbuilders worked in the dock building ships during the day and left the city at night before the locks were closed. If they dared to follow Liu Sheng, their neighbors would be held accountable by the government.
However, in view of Liu Sheng's purchase of a large amount of wood, Macau officials recommended two Portuguese engineers and several Portuguese craftsmen who were unemployed at home. Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng discussed it and decided to meet with these people tomorrow morning.
It is said that the current main commercial streets in Macau are the "Three Streets", namely Camp, Caodui and Guanqian Street. When everyone arrived, they found that the streets were crowded and shops were lined up in rows. Chinese people wearing long robes and mandarin jackets mixed with foreigners wearing Western clothes, and Cantonese and Hokkien accents filled the streets.
The accompanying municipal official complained: "There are too many Qing people coming now, and they have taken up all the land outside the city wall."
Ding Guofeng heard this and asked: "What? Can't you go out of the city to build a house?"
The official explained: "It all started because of the Fu'an religious incident decades ago, and Macau suffered as well."
Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng became even more curious when they heard this, and continued to ask questions. The official only spoke briefly, but he spoke from a Catholic standpoint.
In the twelfth year of Qianlong's reign, due to his involvement in the Fu'an Missionary Case, Haiphong Tongzhi led troops into Macau in an attempt to seal down the Abaro Monastery, which aimed to pursue "Chinese Catholicism." As a result, the priest and the bishop refused to hand over the keys to the church. In the end, the Haiphong fellow just posted a seal notice and left. Since then, Chinese people have been strictly prohibited from living in Macau. All Chinese working in Macau are not allowed to bring their families with them, and Chinese people south of Guanzhai must register with them.
As a result, except for those who married Portuguese women, all the Chinese in the city moved to live outside the city. Nowadays, the city of Macau has been surrounded by Chinese communities outside the city, which makes the Macao and Portuguese authorities extremely unhappy, and disputes between Chinese and foreign countries are also increasing day by day.
Everyone turned to the commercial street in the evening and found that most of the Chinese shops here sold various daily necessities, such as fish, salt, grain, cloth, etc. These are supplies for daily life in Macau, but for Beihai Town, it is really There is nothing to buy.
After Liu Sheng gave the accompanying general manager a pack of cigarettes, the general manager's conversation became much more relaxed. He learned from him that there are only three types of businesses in Macau that are most prosperous now: entertainment, services and real estate, and opium smuggling.
The entertainment industry developed because the Qing government strictly prohibited Western women from landing in Guangzhou. Therefore, a group of foreign businessmen are like ascetics. They have to stay on Sanhang Street in Guangzhou all year round except winter. Only in winter can they return to Macau to see women. As a result, the business of various brothels and bars in Macau will be very prosperous in winter.
Services and real estate are also related to the above-mentioned reasons. Consuls, executives and their families, as well as business people from Britain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Prussia and other countries have lived in Macao for many years, and some wealthy businessmen have also purchased high-end residences. The British and Dutch East India Company also rented huge warehouses in Macau.
Finally, there was opium smuggling. Because the Macao and Portuguese authorities had 25 ships exempted from inspection, the Portuguese took the opportunity to put opium in the cargo and sneak it through the customs. In order to monopolize the opium smuggling trade market in Macau, Macao and Portugal stipulated on their own that businessmen from other countries selling opium in Macau could only be represented by Portuguese businessmen. Businessmen from other countries smuggling opium to China could only be transshipped by Portuguese merchant ships and unloaded in Macau.
At this time, although the Guangdong Customs explicitly banned opium from entering the customs, they knew that the Macao and Portuguese people in the Chinese officialdom were accustomed to paying bribes. They also set up a special "corruption fund" for bribery, charging 40 yuan of double-column silver coins for each box of opium. fund.
The Australian-Portuguese monopoly on opium smuggling made the British East India Company's opium smuggling situation difficult. Five years ago, British businessmen resold more than 1,600 boxes of opium accumulated in Yanzi Bay to Portuguese trading houses in Macao at a low price of 210 yuan per box.
In the history of another time and space, this approach of Macao and Portugal eventually led to British opium dealers forcing their way into Huangpu eight years later, and finally staying in Huangpu for more than a year without any harm. This behavior caused Whampoa to replace Macau as the base for British opium smuggling, and the drug epidemic became even worse.
In a British trading house, Liu Sheng saw that the first line in the product catalog was the quotation of Indian Mawa opium, and the British clerk enthusiastically invited him to take a look at the goods. If Ding Guofeng hadn't stopped him, Liu Sheng would have almost destroyed this business.
Later, when the group asked for product price lists from other merchants, they found that opium was listed; even later, opium was also sold in several merchants opened by Guangdong and Fujian people. Seeing this, Liu Sheng couldn't help but get angry.
"Da Liu, don't be impulsive! You have to think about Liu Zheng. He will stay here for a long time in winter! If we smash Macau, Liu Zheng will be in danger." Since Ding Guofeng became the captain, he has been more trouble-free than ever. I was a lot calmer before.
"Then what do you think we should do?!" Liu Sheng stood on the side of the street, gritting his teeth, scanning the various shops on the street coldly, thinking that none of them were good!
"Calm down and do what we need to do. Go back and discuss with Zhao Xin, he will definitely have a way!"
On the Thor, Zhao Xin was currently receiving a middle-aged man wearing a coarse cloth with braids on his head and his men. This person was Zheng Lianchang, the boss of the Hongqi Gang. After receiving the report from Shrimp Ball Zai, it took him more than half a day to take hundreds of his men and 20 boats from Lei Yue Mun to Tan Zai Island.
However, Zheng Lianchang didn't take action immediately. He listened to Shrimp Ball Boy's report and knew that the opponent only used two rapid-fire cannons that were no thicker than his forearms, and he was able to hit the English ship and run away; for such a powerful character, it is better not to take action easily.
When he and a group of Hongqi helpers saw the Thor, they were even more frightened. As mentioned before, the Dan family were illiterate and extremely superstitious, so Zheng Lianchang and all his subordinates thought that the Thunder God was either a god or a sea monster, which made them even more afraid to act rashly.
"Zheng Yi, a bastard who doesn't know how to die, actually dares to provoke these people, alas!" Zheng Lianchang stood on the bow of the ship and looked at the Thor, stamping his feet and sighing.
Speaking of Zheng Lianchang, he was conscientious in his work, but his intelligence was mediocre. Although the Red Gang did not grow in his hands, it did not decline either. He was just a stickler for success. However, this person has a clear sense of priorities, right and wrong, and is good at listening to other people's opinions. Zheng Yi is his eldest son, and he is very capable among the children of the Zheng family. He has played and trained with a group of gang members since he was a child, and he has also accomplished several major events. Therefore, Zheng Yi is the one who will succeed him in the future. . This is why Zheng Lianchang brought people here in a hurry.
Zheng Lianchang sent a shrimp ball boy to contact the Thor, and then led several of his men to carry a wooden box onto the deck of the Thor. But when he saw that neither Zhao Xin nor the sailors and soldiers around him had braids, he looked very surprised. He already knew from the shrimp ball boy that people like Zhao Xin could speak Mandarin, so when he saw Zhao Xin, Zheng Lianchang stepped forward and clasped his fists and said, "My lord, Zheng Lianchang, may I ask how you are called?"
"My surname is Zhao. Leader Zheng, please have a seat." Zhao Xin has been in a bad mood these days, so he is not polite.
"Captain Zhao..." Zheng Lianchang thought about it and decided to use the title "Captain Zhao". "My son Zheng Yi is ignorant and has offended Captain Zhao. Please forgive me."
Zhao Xin smiled faintly and said: "This guy is really brave. He actually led people on board a ship to attack at night. Gang Leader Zheng, I heard that your ancestors were under the Zheng family in Taiwan. How come you have become a pirate now?"
"Our ancestors did not want to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, so they had no choice but to settle in the Pearl River Estuary, where they took their brothers to fish and earn a living. As for the pirates Captain Zhao mentioned, they really have nothing to do with us."
Faced with Zheng Lianchang's lies, Zhao Xin waved his hands and said: "This is just for those who don't understand. I know your details very well. Do you dare to say that you have no connection with Annan?"
"You!" Zheng Lianchang was shocked. He didn't expect that such a secret matter would be revealed by the other party.
It is said that in addition to sulfur and ordnance, rice and ironware were also included in the trade embargo list by the Qing court. Due to the war in Annan, there was an extremely urgent need for iron tools, which led to the rise of smuggling trade. With smuggling, there will definitely be pirates. However, at this time, the Pearl River pirates did not pose much of a threat to the Qing court. These pirates, often in groups of three to five, or as many as dozens, robbed fishing and merchant ships along the way, which was called "tadou" in Cantonese. Most of the iron supplies they grabbed were sold to Annan by the pirates.
Zhao Xin smiled slightly. He knew the historical stories of Guangdong pirates from watching movies and TV shows. He didn't expect that the casual deception would turn out to be true. "Gang Leader Zheng, I know you came here to take your son back. I'm not a pirate, so if you have anything to say, just say it."
Zheng Lianchang said: "Captain Zhao, please speak."
"I can let you take the person away, but I have two conditions." Zhao Xin didn't say anything about whether he would agree or not, which meant that Zheng Lianchang had to agree. "I want twenty shipbuilders, and you give me fifty men. These people will work with me for ten years."
When Zheng Lianchang heard this, his face suddenly darkened: "I have plenty of people, including boatmen, but what does Captain Zhao want these people for?"
"I don't want to say the reason. In short, these people will only grow their skills if they follow me; I really don't like the idea of occupying a reef to collect tolls. I don't want these people for nothing. I will give each of them fifty taels of silver." , you can sign the contract, Gang Leader Zheng, I will give you an additional two thousand taels."
"Ah!" Zheng Lianchang was stunned. He also had five hundred taels of silver on board to redeem his son, but he didn't expect that the other party would give him ten times the amount of silver before he gave it away. He quickly asked: "Captain Zhao, where did you come from?"
"Beihai. It's almost six thousand miles away from Tanzai Island."
Zheng Lianchang and the people behind him couldn't help but take a deep breath after hearing this. Mother! More than six thousand miles! But what Zhao Xin said next surprised them even more.
"However, it will take at most ten days to arrive on my boat." After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he ordered a soldier to bring Zheng Yi and Zheng Qi over.
Not long after, brothers Zheng Yi and Zheng Qi, wearing Beihai Town training camouflage, were led by several soldiers and walked over from the bow cabin of the ship.
"Abba!" When Zheng saw his father coming in person, his eyes turned red and he knelt down. Next to him, Zheng Qi also knelt down with a wilted head.
"You bastard!" Zheng Lianchang got angry and slapped his son in the face.
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