A British ship!

Not to mention that Shi Shi was surprised to see his compatriots in Britain here, even Zhu Mingzhong was surprised to the emergence of British merchant ships. After all, he knew very well that Britain in this era was not Britain in the 18th century, and Britain had not yet established their maritime hegemony.

But even so, a British merchant ship appeared on Yuzhou Island!

Despite some coincidences, the arrival of British merchant ships still made Zhu Mingzhong very excited. Because he originally planned to order people to go to Macau to find European captains, so that he could lead the fleet into Southeast Asia and sail to Myanmar.

Of course not only that, after a century and a half of training in the Age of Great Discovery, the navigation technology of European countries has left China far behind. Compared with China still relying on the captain's experience, the navigation science of European countries has long since gotten rid of relying on the wind on the sea to determine the direction, and instead applied the North Star, the Sun, latitude, etc. to navigation. Now European navigation has become a science, not experience.

If you want to be a captain in Europe, you first need to go to a professional school and spend a few years learning how to make these necessary calculations. Then, after twenty or thirty years of training, when he is familiar with all the tools, tables and charts, and can control the crew from all over the world, he may be hired as a captain by the ship owner.

And now, all this is exactly what Zhu Mingzhong needs!

Perhaps, he didn't know if Thomas was a very outstanding captain, but he was able to command the "Oriental" to sail all the way to China, and even traveled through the winter wind to the estuary of the Yangtze River, not just by good luck.

As for Smith, he is just a businessman, and for businessmen, interests are the most important.

"See Your Excellency General!"

Whether it was Smith or Tang Mashi, when he was surprised by the youth of this Ming official, he also knew that the young official's most famous general in the Ming Dynasty, even in Guangzhou, had heard of the name of this man. Even the Qing people in Guangzhou knew that he defeated the Qing army - he clearly mentioned his name in some official newspaper of the Qing Dynasty.

Although he didn't know that this was the Qing Dynasty's plan, Smith still seemed very excited. After all, many Europeans in Macau said that he might be the best general in China in decades - even for Europeans, they also like Ming, not Qing.

"His Excellency General, after hearing that you have won the victory, we immediately head towards the north where you liberated. I believe that in the future we can start a more favorable trade between you and me. Therefore, in order to express our congratulations to you, please allow me to offer you 500 bundles of woolen hairs to you as congratulations..."

congratulate!

How could this Smith be so generous?

Not to mention anything else, even Thomas didn't believe it, believing that this stingy Mr. Smith would be so generous.

Because he knew that there were 500 bundles of woolen hairs on the "Dongfang" list, Zhu Mingzhong just nodded and said.

"Mr. Smith, since you come here, you are a customer. Since you are here, you are just to make money. When you are in business, you will never let you do business at a loss. The goods on your ship will be purchased at the price..."

Although Zhu Mingzhong could speak English, he still used Shishi as a translator. Sometimes, proper hiding and excavation were not a bad thing.

In just a moment, Smith became excited because of Shishi's translation words, and sold all the goods so simply? Even though there was no other party's offer, he believed that the general would never let him suffer a loss.

"I hope you will tell the Europeans after you return to Europe that they will welcome them here!"

When Smith expressed his gratitude and promised to bring the news to Europe, Zhu Mingzhong had already turned his attention to Thomas. Looking at the European captain who looked like I was about 50 years old, Zhu Mingzhong asked with a smile.

"Mr. Captain, congratulations to you on becoming the first European captain to sail to Yuzhou! Today the arrival of the "Oriental" will become a history, and this history was created by you!"

"Thank you, General. If you don't have your captain's guidance, it will be difficult for us to get here. After all, we don't know that there is a port here, and it is a port open to everyone."

Even until now, Thomas was still in a shock, because when he arrived in Yuzhou, he saw a busy scenery at the foot of the snow-covered mountain, full of shipbuilding workers everywhere, and soon, a continuous stream of ships would be built from here.

"Yes, everything here is just beginning!"

Zhu Mingzhong nodded in agreement.

"Not only the port, but also the same is true for my fleet. Many of them are newbies, so we need people like you who are proficient in navigation to teach them the science of navigation. How about you? If you are willing to stay here and teach my captains, I will give you the most reward."

Looking at Thomas ignoring his shock, Zhu Mingzhong continued.

"Of course, if the crew members on the "Oriental" are willing to stay, I will also provide them with corresponding positions. If they are senior crew members who are proficient in navigation, they can also get rich rewards!"

What?

What is he talking about?

Thomas looked at the general, and his eyes were full of surprise and puzzled. He didn't know why the other party wanted to keep him, but... it seemed that the general wanted to hire him and then ask him to teach his crew sailing.

"Your Excellency General, if you don't have a captain, it may be difficult for the "Orient" to return to England, then..."

Smith, who was originally dreaming of making money, was about to refuse, when Zhu Mingzhong reached out to stop him and said.

"How much is the "Oriental" worth? I will buy this ship, don't worry, you will never suffer a loss!"

Then, Zhu Mingzhong looked at Thomas again, looked at the senior crew members beside him, and Zhan Yan smiled.

"Gentlemen, you must understand that this is a chance!"

Chance!

The other party's reminder asked Jackson to look at the general. He first thought for a moment, and then asked as he looked at the general.

"God General, I am the first mate of the "Orient". During my voyage, I have been assisting the captain. I graduated from the best crew school in the UK... What kind of reward can I get if I am willing to stay and teach your crew?"

When Jackson said this, everyone looked at him, and his colleagues around him even had some expectations in their eyes.

"How much is your income now?"

Zhu Mingzhong did not answer directly, but asked with a smile.

“2…240 pounds!”

Jackson appropriately increased his income, which increased by about 100 pounds. You should know that even many rural gentlemen earned only about 200 pounds a year. And 140 pounds was just because he was voyage to China to get such a high salary. If it weren't for this special situation, his annual income would not exceed 100 pounds.

Of course, now, facing this invitation, Jackson involuntarily improved his identity. Perhaps he was afraid that the other party would expose his "lie" so he spoke again.

"God General, not only does this income contain my salary, but I can also make a certain profit from the sales of merchant ships under the contract, and there are also some goods on the ship that belong to me, so £240 is appropriate."

The seemingly reasonable answer is actually just a cover-up. After all, he cannot come to China every year. Zhu Mingzhong just smiled slightly and looked at the first mate of the "Oriental" who was already moved.

“400 pounds!”

Zhu Mingzhong offered a high price without hesitation, what is "a thousand gold to buy bones"? Jackson and even the others on the merchant ship of the "Oriental" were all horse bones.

Although Gu Yanwu and others entered the government office, and scholars came to the "Juxian Pavilion" every day, it did not mean that Zhu Mingzhong's desire for talents was satisfied. For example, in terms of naval and navigation, he needed professionals from Europe to introduce modern navigation technology into China, so that China could set sail like other European countries in the dawn of this era of great navigation and seize the interests of China in the era of great navigation.

What!

Not to mention other people, even Smith, who is a businessman, was shocked by this number.

£400!

Since the upper class gentleman in London earns at most £400 a year, how many such upper class gentlemen are there in the UK?

At most, there are only a few thousand people!

And now, the general directly offered Jackson, a guy who earned only one hundred pounds, such a high salary, which was not surprising. Even Smith was moved by it. Compared with the risky maritime trade, perhaps, this is the best choice.

"Good, sir, is this true?"

Faced with Jackson's stuttering question, Zhu Mingzhong smiled.

"What, do I need to pay you cash in advance now?"

Although I don’t know much about the current exchange rate of the pound, Zhu Mingzhong vaguely remembers that it should be around 1 to 3.8 and 400 pounds, but it is only more than 1,000 taels. It seems to be a high price, but it is worth the return compared to it.

"How about it, my captain, are you willing to stay?"

Turning his eyes to Thomas, Zhu Mingzhong thought to himself that maybe this guy hasn't discovered how lucky he is yet!

"If you want..."

“£650!”

Thomas, who had been silent, finally broke the silence.

"If you are willing to sign a contract with me for more than five years, and pay £650 a year, I am willing to stay here to teach your crew about navigation and teach them how to sail on the sea!"

Thomas's agreement made Zhu Mingzhong laugh, and the senior crew members who were originally hesitant also agreed. At this moment, Smith, who knew that without the captain and merchant ship, could not leave here, said anxiously.
Chapter completed!