Since the emperor attached great importance to the case, Tang Yi, the minister of Dali Temple, tried it personally and announced the verdict: "...Since the defendant did not know that afurong was poison and there was no relevant law in this dynasty, the corresponding punishment was exempted. The verdict was given to merchants Zhou Zhi and Chen Bangding,
Jin Xuekong, Li Guangxun... were acquitted. The defendants were sentenced to immediately hand over all the afurong, which will be destroyed centrally by Dali Temple. After the promulgation of the "Order on Prohibiting Planting, Selling and Banning Afurong", if the defendant commits another crime,
This crime will be included in the count!"
Li Guangxun's body went limp and he collapsed on the spot. He thought he was going to die.
Several merchants left Dali Temple together. Zhou Zhi said: "I don't dare to stay in the south. I want to apply to immigrate to Shandong with my whole family."
"Yes, yes, we must not stay in the south." Li Guangxun was terrified.
Although Dali Temple acquitted them, the horrific sequelae of drug abusers after being imprisoned had already spread throughout Nanjing.
And those more than a thousand smokers are either rich or noble.
In fact, seven people died due to drug addiction. This debt should not be settled with the emperor, but with the merchants who sold afurong.
A group of businessmen returned home and ordered their families to prepare for relocation. Then they went to the government to apply for relocation. They were willing to bear all the immigration costs themselves.
I'm afraid that if I walk too slowly, I'll be harassed by officials every day, or even be charged with crimes and die!
Chen Bangding and Jin Xuekong were not reconciled, and they gathered together to discuss in secret.
"Brother Chen," Jin Xuekong said, "neither you nor I can be called rich, and we don't have many other ways to do business. So we went to the north. What can we do to make a living?"
Chen Bangding thought the same way, but was afraid of being punished: "What if I don't go to the north? The son of Minister Li, and Mr. Ximing himself, have suffered a lot because of aphrodisiac this time. If they stay in Nanjing, they are likely to be retaliated against!"
"
"Go overseas!" Jin Xuekong said.
Chen Bangding asked: "Brother Jin has connections overseas?"
Jin Xuekong said: "Although this drug is harmful to people, as long as it does not harm the people of the country, it will be fine. We will sell the drug to Japan, North Korea, and Annan, first to the local rich, and then to the local nobles. The more people who smoke it, the more likely it will be."
The more, the richer we will be. If Your Majesty had not banned aphrodisiac and sent so many people to prison to detoxify, we would not have known how hard it is to get rid of this stuff. Since it makes people want to stop, it is a big business. This is
What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Chen Bangding hesitated and said: "But poppy cultivation is prohibited everywhere, so where can we get so much opium and sell it?"
Jin Xuekong smiled and said: "My younger brother still left some poppy seeds, which were not confiscated by the officials. Let's go to Annan first and find a piece of land to plant. After the business in Annan is booming, we will hire a sea ship to do business in Japan!"
There is also a rental business for sea-going ships. Because sea transportation is very dangerous, some ship owners simply sit back and collect rent.
A deposit must be paid first, and there must be collateral. If the ship capsizes in a shipwreck, the ship owner will not return the deposit, and then ask the government to make a judgment to compensate for the collateral.
Chen Bangding said: "Annan has never been there."
Jin Xuekong said: "I have a fellow countryman who is doing business in Annan. I heard from him that the southernmost territory of the Ruan Lord in Annan was occupied by expansion in recent decades. The indigenous people there were driven out and killed by Annan, and the population has not yet recovered.
Come here, there are still many unowned lands in the mountains. The Annan government also encourages the Han people to cultivate it, as long as they pay the taxes honestly. Let's ask the Annan government to get some land and grow opium poppies as medicinal materials."
Chen Bangding was hesitant.
Jin Xuekong urged: "If you are willing, tell me quickly. Let's go together and we can take care of each other. If you don't want to go, then I will go by myself."
"People die for money, and birds die for food. Do it!" Chen Bangding gritted his teeth and fought.
These two unscrupulous guys now know full well that aphrodisiac is poisonous, and they are still going to kill people for money.
Although the victims were not Chinese, if Zhao Han found out about it, he would be severely punished. Because once drugs spread in neighboring countries, they would spread back sooner or later. Just look at the United States in later generations.
The two first moved their families to Qiongzhou. After settling down their families, they headed to the southernmost part of Vietnam together.
The poor place they chose is located at the junction of Annam, Champa, and Nan Phan. It can probably be understood as a three-no-no zone, and at the same time it is actually controlled by the Vietnamese Nguyen regime.
After everything was settled, Jin Xuekong stayed in the local area to smoothen relations, while Chen Bangding went to Yunnan to buy afurong.
They even couldn't wait to grow it themselves. After buying the ready-made product, they presented aphrodisiac to the local officials, saying that it was a medicine for relieving fatigue and curing diseases. When the other party became addicted, they said that this is a Chinese delicacy and that all literati like to smoke it.
Clothes.
In just half a year, we acquired more than 200 new customers, all of whom were Vietnamese officials and gentry.
The process was unexpectedly smooth. The two of them did not want to go to Japan anymore and concentrated on developing their business in Vietnam, which made officials of the Nguyen regime a lot of drug addicts. This was the land Zhao Han wanted to take, and he would definitely be wanted everywhere in the future.
!
For these businessmen, for 100% profit, they dare to trample all human laws; for 300% profit, they dare to commit any crime, and even sell the rope to hang themselves.
Let’s not talk about the two drug dealers, but only the serious maritime merchants from Zhejiang, Suzhou, Guangdong, and Fujian.
As more and more ports were opened, and even European merchant ships were allowed to dock, these coastal merchants actually rolled up.
Maritime merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang carried goods shipped from the Yangtze River and went to Guangnan (southern Vietnam) to sell at low prices to grab business. Maritime merchants from Fujian and Guangdong also carried goods and went to Southeast Asia to sell at low prices to occupy the market.
The Qing Dynasty's sea ban was so severe that they dared to do this for smuggling. How could they endure it when they encountered Zhao Han who opened the sea?
Batavia (Jakarta).
This is a world dominated by the Chinese and the Dutch.
The Dutch mainly work as farmers, soldiers, craftsmen and officials, while the Chinese mainly work as handymen, supervisors and small traders.
The Chinese and the Dutch have their own residential areas, which are strictly separated from the Malay natives. The Chinese residential areas are managed autonomously, and each block has Chinese leaders. These leaders are called "Kapitan". One or two of them
Chinese Kapitans can be elected as municipal councilors (only have the right to observe and make suggestions).
A Chinese fleet slowly docked, and a large number of Chinese dock coolies went to unload the cargo under the leadership of Dutch officials.
Even the coolies in Batavia are mostly Chinese. The Malay natives cannot be trusted because they are often lazy and stupid, and even drop their goods into the sea.
Even the city's canals, city walls, and houses were built by Chinese, and the construction was contracted by Chinese businessmen such as Yang Kun and Pan Mingyan.
During the construction of the city, the Chinese had to pay a monthly head tax of 1.5 riels (about one tael of silver), otherwise they would be obliged to help build the city wall. The tax paid by the Chinese for the city's fortifications was five times that of other citizens. Construction of municipal administration
The Chinese paid three times as much tax as all other races combined.
Most of these Chinese came during the Wanli, Tianqi, and Chongzhen years, and now account for 20% of the city's total population.
However, most of them have already married and started families, marrying Malay indigenous women. Counting Chinese wives and children, all Chinese families account for more than 40% of the population in Batavia!
Less than 10% of Europeans are purebred, and less than 10% are of mixed Eurasian descent.
After the Chinese fleet unloaded its cargo, the seagoing ships headed to the shipyard for repairs. The shipyard was owned by the East India Company, and the top managers and senior shipbuilders were naturally Dutch. However, the middle and lower-level employees of the shipyard were all Chinese from coastal China.
Lin Changfu belonged to the first batch of Chinese workers and immigrated in the 48th year of Wanli Period.
It was not called immigration at that time and it was difficult to survive in Guangdong. It happened that Mr. Yang was recruiting workers to go overseas, so Lin Changfu took the resettlement allowance and went with him.
They came to build the city from the beginning, and they didn't earn a penny in salary. They only provided food and accommodation. It was okay not to participate in building the city wall. They either traveled back to Guangdong or paid a head tax of one tael of silver every month.
Lin Changfu was deceived so miserably that he cursed Mr. Yang's eighteenth generation ancestors in his heart.
After the city wall is repaired, the canal needs to be dug, and after the canal is dug, the house needs to be built.
The Dutch actually paid the wages, but they were pocketed by the Chinese contractors. After the construction work was completed, the Chinese contractors did not let the workers go back because they paid the workers settlement expenses and advanced the ferry tickets from Guangdong.
Chinese workers must continue to work and pay back the money.
In order to maintain its rule, the Netherlands was afraid that Chinese workers would leave, so it specially arrested Malay women and assigned them to Chinese workers as wives for free.
The Chinese workers got married and settled down here, and they became bonded here, and most of them chose to stay.
Lin Changfu's son is twelve years old and works with him in the shipyard. Now he is just an apprentice boatman. They have learned how to build large ships and are even more skilled in ship repair skills. Skilled craftsmen like Lin Changfu earn a monthly salary of 6 miles.
Er (about 4.3 taels of silver).
It seems like you can earn a lot, but there is still a head tax and prices are quite expensive, so you can't save much money every month.
After working hard for a long time, I finally got some rest.
Lin Changfu gave the meal to his son evenly. The tall boy ate more. How could the meal managed by the shipyard be enough?
This son is smart, but a bit dark, and was born to a Malay female.
Lin Changfu decided to save some more money and returned to his hometown with his wife and children. He had not visited the graves of his ancestors for more than 20 years.
"Changfu," Chen Dongshan came over with a rice bowl and said mysteriously, "Have you heard that the Ming Dynasty is gone and there is a new emperor in my hometown!"
Lin Changfu smiled and said: "I've heard before that the new emperor's surname is Zhao."
Chen Dongshan added: "I have also heard people say that this is a good emperor. In my hometown, farmers can allocate fields. There is not enough food in the fields to eat, and they can go out to sea to fish at will. The new imperial court does not prohibit fishing boats."
"Dividing the land? How can such a good thing happen? Don't listen to people's nonsense." Lin Changfu shook his head repeatedly.
Chen Dongshan said: "Even if we can't divide the land, we can change the emperor. I have saved more than forty taels of silver, and I can buy a few acres of land when I go back to my hometown, and then I can also repair the tombs of my ancestors. I have thought about it, and I will do it after a while.
If we go back, maybe we can catch up with the New Year."
"Where are the wife and children?" Lin Changfu asked.
Chen Dongshan said: "I will definitely take it back. Is it possible to stay here?"
While the two Chinese boatmen were chatting, the East India Company's Eastern Affairs Council was having a heated discussion.
Discuss two topics:
First, whether to fully withdraw from the South China Sea, because it is more profitable for the Netherlands to wait for Chinese businessmen to ship goods to Batavia than to go to China to purchase goods themselves.
Second, whether the Chinese in Batavia should be allowed to build schools.