333. Chapter 333 About the canal and about the Caobang
Since the Emperor of Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, "the emperor guards the country", I have to say that this has been of great benefit to the rule of the entire Ming Dynasty. However, with the prosperity of Beijing and the increase in population, an urgent problem has become prominent -
—With the grain production capacity near Beijing, it is completely unable to meet the needs of the huge army and the growing population.
This is not the prosperous Jiangnan. The only way to solve this problem is to transport the food from the south to the north. Thanks to the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty for the expansion and connection of the Grand Canal, and to the dredging of the successive monarchs of the Tang Dynasty.
Even the short-lived emperors of the Yuan Dynasty had to express their gratitude, because with their continuous maintenance and renovation, the grain produced in the prosperous Jiangnan of the Ming Dynasty could be transported directly to Beijing by ship without any hindrance.
This diversion of grain from the south to the north is called water transportation.
After understanding the origin of water transportation, and then looking back at the Cao Gang, it becomes clear what kind of people they are. Water transportation is led by the government, but of course these big men in the government will not go shirtless to sail a boat or pull fibers.
When it comes to escorting, the real effort comes from the hundreds of thousands of people on board the canal and the grassroots escorting military attachés.
The masters have issued an order, but they don't care how you transport the grain. Anyway, if you do something wrong and miss the deadline, you will definitely be punished.
But is this job so easy to handle?
The local gangsters on the docks, the tax bureau, and the inspection department are all guys asking for money. If their demands cannot be met, all kinds of difficulties will come. What will happen to the people who actually transport the grain?
Wherever they go, the laborers needed to get on and off the ship, although they all come from poor families, but if they can make a little more money, they will also slow down their work and make excuses to delay the time. At this time, these people who really transport grain
What should people do?
There are also various official ships that go on the canal, such as ore ships. They are used to running rampant on the canal. They wiped them. How can a ship carrying grain be as stable as a ship carrying stones? This ship sank.
Well, who’s to blame? As for the ships that those officials take when they take office and carry out errands, they are even more untouchable. If they see a ship, they have to give way. If the deadline is missed, who’s to blame?
What's more, the hateful navy has never paid attention to these grain ships even though they are the ships of the imperial court. If there is a stumbling block, can you reason with them?
Under this situation, the Caobang came into being. The boatmen fully understood that if they did not form a group, even if they relied on this bustling canal, they would have nothing to eat sooner or later. By the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, the Caobang
There are already tens of thousands of official gang members, and there are hundreds of thousands of people living on both sides of the canal who rely on the Cao Gang. By the way, the predecessor of the "Qing Gang", which is well known in later generations, is the Cao Gang.
!
The chief helm of the Caobang is in Suzhou. Compared with the prosperity of Suzhou, Tianjin can be regarded as a barren land. In the past, Qiu Cao'er's husband worked as a Xiangtou in Tianjin. Even if he tried his best, he was just a
To the point where you are not full and starving to death. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that you engage in illegal activities and wander on the edge of gray.
Therefore, although the Caogang gang members in Tianjin, who are Qiu Caoer's current subordinates, are not as good as their fellow gang members in the south, they are also famous for their daring to fight and kill. The so-called "poor and tyrannical"
"Poor and horizontal" probably means this situation. When Qiu Cao'er said that pirates want to enter Tianjin, you have to ask her what she meant. This is really not a boast. Someone has had the idea of Tianjin before and wanted to build a city here.
Qiu Cao'er's husband and his men ended up fighting for several times in a private port. The pirates left dozens of corpses and left in despair.
"You also have a warehouse in Jining?" Qian Wubing stood on the bow of the ship, looking at the rows of houses on the shore, and asked a little strangely.
It had been several days since Qiu Caoer boarded the ship. Qian Wubing didn't have much objection to this woman who took the initiative to provide him with cheap supplies. Even though Zhu Yunniang looked unhappy, he still found her for her.
He temporarily stayed in a cabin. The more he learned about the Cao Gang, the more he felt that his trip to Jiangnan would be impossible to avoid this gang. Now there was someone who was familiar with all the affairs of the Cao Gang.
, it is better than bumping into the other party rashly.
"The Caobang Group in the world is one family. Where there is a dock, there is our Caogang Group. What are a few warehouses?" Qiu Cao'er glanced disdainfully: "It's just that there are some things here that belong to our Tianjin Branch.
!”
Qian Wubing wanted to ask where those things came from. When the words came to his lips, he smiled and shook his head. What's there to ask? It was nothing more than plunder and extortion. If he dared to put it here openly, he should still see it.
They are bare. Compared to sneaking around in fishing villages to find those things for sale, these things should come from a cleaner source.
The Western candy in Qiu Cao'er's mouth, Qian Wubing knew what it was as soon as he asked about it. The name of this Western candy is really correct, especially the dozens of Portuguese and Romans on the ship. However, the name is more appropriate.
, in Qian Wubing’s opinion, it’s just sugar, a very ordinary thing.
However, the reactions of Grisha and Benson were a bit strange. The light in their eyes was just like when they saw boxes of money. When Qian Wubing pulled Grisha aside and asked,
Qian Wubing was also dumbfounded.
It turns out that in Europe of this era, sugar was also a top luxury product. If Europeans wanted to have some sweetness, they had to find a way to get it from honey. As for the white-as-snow Western sugar produced in the Ming Dynasty, they were all kept in drug stores.
If you don't have any wealth, you really can't afford this thing.
Qian Wubing had always thought that at this time, Europeans' thirst for spices was overwhelming, but he did not expect that white sugar was also among their desperate cravings. It seemed that this ship
Among the goods transported by the team, sugar can really be added.
Benson, a bunch of country bumpkins, first arrived in the Ming Dynasty, and they tried their best to hide the gold and silver they obtained. When they discovered that porcelain and spices that were as good as gold in their country were everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, they were of high quality and low prices.
Lian, the goal of their collection has become porcelain and spices. Now that their employer has heard that he wants to purchase a whole shipload of Western sugar, they are beginning to worry. They should also collect some of such good things.
Ah, when I bring it back home, it will be bags of gold coins, but each person can only take so much with him, and he is reluctant to throw away any of them. It is really confusing!
"Sir!" Benson took a look and pulled Qian Wubing aside: "After the agreement reached by my crew and I, we hope that you will change our payment settlement method!"
"Tell me!" Seeing this guy's evasive appearance, Qian Wubing smiled and said, "Is it because the money is too little?"
"No!" Benson saw the cold light flashing in Qian Wubing's eyes, and couldn't help but shudder. He now knew the identity of this employer clearly. In the territory of the Ming Empire, he wanted to
If you dare to violate the contract, you will never be able to return to your hometown.
"We hope that, in addition to our necessary expenses, the remuneration you give us will be deposited with you first. After the contract between us and you is completed, it will be settled with Daming's goods..."
"for example?"
"Such as spices, fine porcelain, silk, and sugar!" Benson's eyes were shining. A shipload of goods returned to Europe would be a shipload of gold coins!
Qian Wubing patted him on the shoulder: "This thing shocked me. I thought you regretted it? Work hard and I guarantee that you won't have to worry about it for the rest of your life after you return to Europe!"
"I guarantee with the honor of the Portuguese Navy that my men and I will be loyal to you without any reservation!"
The ship slowly stopped. Qian Wubing frowned slightly. Benson, who couldn't wait to show his loyalty, immediately ran up to the deck to see what happened!
"Ship jam?" Seeing the boats in front of him that stretched almost all the way to the pier, Qian Wubing was stunned for a moment. The canal is so wide, there is such a thing as a boat jam. I don't read much, so don't lie to me!
"It's just tax collection!" Qiu Cao'er pouted and said to Qian Wubing, who looked surprised: "Don't blame me for not reminding you. The goods in your cabin are somewhat shady. Maybe this inspection
The people in the department will recognize it, and when the time comes, I won’t admit that it has anything to do with me!”
Qian Wubing looked towards the river. Sure enough, there were several sand shuttle boats shuttled in the long fleet. From time to time, people climbed onto the docked boats, wandered around on them and then got off.
, and then the boat was released, and the people on the small boats returned to their boats and continued to the next one.
"How long will this take!" Qian Wubing muttered. Looking at this situation, it would take at least half an hour for his ship's turn. Although he was not prepared to pay any taxes, at this moment, his ship
With both the front and rear ships blocked, it was impossible to turn around or break away from the fleet.
Grisha stayed in her cabin, and she didn't know what to do. Zhu Yunniang probably felt that the ship had stopped and got out of the cabin. In the past two days, this little girl had been severely seasick.
The appearance she came out of was no longer the energetic Sailor Moon she had been before. Instead, she looked listless and looked like Lin Daiyu who was ill.
"You still want to go to sea like this. Look at Grisa. Nothing has happened!" Seeing her like this, Qian Wubing laughed and joked, "If we don't get to Jining, let's go ashore to rest for a day or two. There's no rush anyway."
!”
"No! Grisha said, just get used to it!" Zhu Yunniang glared at him and Qiu Cao'er beside him fiercely: "Why did the ship stop? Why do I think this looks like a trap set up by our border military?
ah!"
Since the Emperor of Ming Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, "the emperor guards the country", I have to say that this has been of great benefit to the rule of the entire Ming Dynasty. However, with the prosperity of Beijing and the increase in population, an urgent problem has become prominent -
—With the grain production capacity near Beijing, it is completely unable to meet the needs of the huge army and the growing population.
This is not the prosperous Jiangnan. The only way to solve this problem is to transport the food from the south to the north. Thanks to the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty for the expansion and connection of the Grand Canal, and to the dredging of the successive monarchs of the Tang Dynasty.
Even the short-lived emperors of the Yuan Dynasty had to express their gratitude, because with their continuous maintenance and renovation, the grain produced in the prosperous Jiangnan of the Ming Dynasty could be transported directly to Beijing by ship without any hindrance.
This diversion of grain from the south to the north is called water transportation.
After understanding the origin of water transportation, and then looking back at the Cao Gang, it becomes clear what kind of people they are. Water transportation is led by the government, but of course these big men in the government will not go shirtless to sail a boat or pull fibers.
When it comes to escorting, the real effort comes from the hundreds of thousands of people on board the canal and the grassroots escorting military attachés.
The masters have issued an order, but they don't care how you transport the grain. Anyway, if you do something wrong and miss the deadline, you will definitely be punished.
But is this job so easy to handle?
The local gangsters on the docks, the tax bureau, and the inspection department are all guys asking for money. If their demands cannot be met, all kinds of difficulties will come. What will happen to the people who actually transport the grain?
Wherever they go, the laborers needed to get on and off the ship, although they all come from poor families, but if they can make a little more money, they will also slow down their work and make excuses to delay the time. At this time, these people who really transport grain
What should people do?
There are also various official ships that go on the canal, such as ore ships. They are used to running rampant on the canal. They wiped them. How can a ship carrying grain be as stable as a ship carrying stones? This ship sank.
Well, who’s to blame? As for the ships that those officials take when they take office and carry out errands, they are even more untouchable. If they see a ship, they have to give way. If the deadline is missed, who’s to blame?
What's more, the hateful navy has never paid attention to these grain ships even though they are the ships of the imperial court. If there is a stumbling block, can you reason with them?
Under this situation, the Caobang came into being. The boatmen fully understood that if they did not form a group, even if they relied on this bustling canal, they would have nothing to eat sooner or later. By the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, the Caobang
There are already tens of thousands of official gang members, and there are hundreds of thousands of people living on both sides of the canal who rely on the Cao Gang. By the way, the predecessor of the "Qing Gang", which is well known in later generations, is the Cao Gang.
!
The chief helm of the Caobang is in Suzhou. Compared with the prosperity of Suzhou, Tianjin can be regarded as a barren land. In the past, Qiu Cao'er's husband worked as a Xiangtou in Tianjin. Even if he tried his best, he was just a
To the point where you are not full and starving to death. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that you engage in illegal activities and wander on the edge of gray.
Therefore, although the Caogang gang members in Tianjin, who are Qiu Caoer's current subordinates, are not as good as their fellow gang members in the south, they are also famous for their daring to fight and kill. The so-called "poor and tyrannical"
"Poor and horizontal" probably means this situation. When Qiu Cao'er said that pirates want to enter Tianjin, you have to ask her what she meant. This is really not a boast. Someone has had the idea of Tianjin before and wanted to build a city here.
Qiu Cao'er's husband and his men ended up fighting for several times in a private port. The pirates left dozens of corpses and left in despair.
"You also have a warehouse in Jining?" Qian Wubing stood on the bow of the ship, looking at the rows of houses on the shore, and asked a little strangely.
It had been several days since Qiu Caoer boarded the ship. Qian Wubing didn't have much objection to this woman who took the initiative to provide him with cheap supplies. Even though Zhu Yunniang looked unhappy, he still found her for her.
He temporarily stayed in a cabin. The more he learned about the Cao Gang, the more he felt that his trip to Jiangnan would be impossible to avoid this gang. Now there was someone who was familiar with all the affairs of the Cao Gang.
, it is better than bumping into the other party rashly.
"The Caobang Group in the world is one family. Where there is a dock, there is our Caogang Group. What are a few warehouses?" Qiu Cao'er glanced disdainfully: "It's just that there are some things here that belong to our Tianjin Branch.
!”
Qian Wubing wanted to ask where those things came from. When the words came to his lips, he smiled and shook his head. What's there to ask? It was nothing more than plunder and extortion. If he dared to put it here openly, he should still see it.
They are bare. Compared to sneaking around in fishing villages to find those things for sale, these things should come from a cleaner source.
The Western candy in Qiu Cao'er's mouth, Qian Wubing knew what it was as soon as he asked about it. The name of this Western candy is really correct, especially the dozens of Portuguese and Romans on the ship. However, the name is more appropriate.
, in Qian Wubing’s opinion, it’s just sugar, a very ordinary thing.
However, the reactions of Grisha and Benson were a bit strange. The light in their eyes was just like when they saw boxes of money. When Qian Wubing pulled Grisha aside and asked,
Qian Wubing was also dumbfounded.
It turns out that in Europe of this era, sugar was also a top luxury product. If Europeans wanted to have some sweetness, they had to find a way to get it from honey. As for the white-as-snow Western sugar produced in the Ming Dynasty, they were all kept in drug stores.
If you don't have any wealth, you really can't afford this thing.
Qian Wubing had always thought that at this time, Europeans' thirst for spices was overwhelming, but he did not expect that white sugar was also among their desperate cravings. It seemed that this ship
Among the goods transported by the team, sugar can really be added.
Benson, a bunch of country bumpkins, first arrived in the Ming Dynasty, and they tried their best to hide the gold and silver they obtained. When they discovered that porcelain and spices that were as good as gold in their country were everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, they were of high quality and low prices.
Lian, the goal of their collection has become porcelain and spices. Now that their employer has heard that he wants to purchase a whole shipload of Western sugar, they are beginning to worry. They should also collect some of such good things.
Ah, when I bring it back home, it will be bags of gold coins, but each person can only take so much with him, and he is reluctant to throw away any of them. It is really confusing!
"Sir!" Benson took a look and pulled Qian Wubing aside: "After the agreement reached by my crew and I, we hope that you will change our payment settlement method!"
"Tell me!" Seeing this guy's evasive appearance, Qian Wubing smiled and said, "Is it because the money is too little?"
"No!" Benson saw the cold light flashing in Qian Wubing's eyes, and couldn't help but shudder. He now knew the identity of this employer clearly. In the territory of the Ming Empire, he wanted to
If you dare to violate the contract, you will never be able to return to your hometown.
"We hope that, in addition to our necessary expenses, the remuneration you give us will be deposited with you first. After the contract between us and you is completed, it will be settled with Daming's goods..."
"for example?"
"Such as spices, fine porcelain, silk, and sugar!" Benson's eyes were shining. A shipload of goods returned to Europe would be a shipload of gold coins!
Qian Wubing patted him on the shoulder: "This thing shocked me. I thought you regretted it? Work hard and I guarantee that you won't have to worry about it for the rest of your life after you return to Europe!"
"I guarantee with the honor of the Portuguese Navy that my men and I will be loyal to you without any reservation!"
The ship slowly stopped. Qian Wubing frowned slightly. Benson, who couldn't wait to show his loyalty, immediately ran up to the deck to see what happened!
"Ship jam?" Seeing the boats in front of him that stretched almost all the way to the pier, Qian Wubing was stunned for a moment. The canal is so wide, there is such a thing as a boat jam. I don't read much, so don't lie to me!
"It's just tax collection!" Qiu Cao'er pouted and said to Qian Wubing, who looked surprised: "Don't blame me for not reminding you. The goods in your cabin are somewhat shady. Maybe this inspection
The people in the department will recognize it, and when the time comes, I won’t admit that it has anything to do with me!”
Qian Wubing looked towards the river. Sure enough, there were several sand shuttle boats shuttled in the long fleet. From time to time, people climbed onto the docked boats, wandered around on them and then got off.
, and then the boat was released, and the people on the small boats returned to their boats and continued to the next one.
"How long will this take!" Qian Wubing muttered. Looking at this situation, it would take at least half an hour for his ship's turn. Although he was not prepared to pay any taxes, at this moment, his ship
With both the front and rear ships blocked, it was impossible to turn around or break away from the fleet.
Grisha stayed in her cabin, and she didn't know what to do. Zhu Yunniang probably felt that the ship had stopped and got out of the cabin. In the past two days, this little girl had been severely seasick.
The appearance she came out of was no longer the energetic Sailor Moon she had been before. Instead, she looked listless and looked like Lin Daiyu who was ill.
"You still want to go to sea like this. Look at Grisa. Nothing has happened!" Seeing her like this, Qian Wubing laughed and joked, "If we don't get to Jining, let's go ashore to rest for a day or two. There's no rush anyway."
!”
"No! Grisha said, just get used to it!" Zhu Yunniang glared at him and Qiu Cao'er beside him fiercely: "Why did the ship stop? Why do I think this looks like a trap set up by our border military?