The patriarch’s surname is Xu, and his name is Xu Yaozu. His ancestors were Han officials who were assigned to Ninggu Pagoda. The tradition of passing down poems and books to the family still remains. The old man Wen Zou Zou is very prestigious in the clan.
"Hello, Patriarch Xu, my surname is Bao, and I am the fleet manager of Yangzhou Huaihai Company." Bao Youzhi did not say that he was a soldier of the Huaihai Navy, so that it would be easier to deal with the Heilongjiang general later.
If it is the Huai Navy, the Heilongjiang general will definitely report it to the Qing court when he finds out. If the Qing government pursues the case, it will cause some trouble for the Huai Navy's development in the Far East.
"Guanshi Bao, it's a coincidence that my ancestor is from Huai'an Prefecture. I have something unclear, please forgive me. Why did you take a Rakshasa gunboat?" Patriarch Xu asked.
So Bao Youzhi polished the story of how they discovered that the Russians had invaded Temple Street and how they had beaten the Russians away, and told it to Patriarch Xu and the others.
Everyone clapped their hands after hearing this. They didn't expect this company and a caravan to be so powerful. It seems that they have lost their understanding of the Han people in the Central Plains after living in the Northeast for a long time.
"Brother Bao, you are really good. The folks have suffered a lot from the Rakshasa people over the years. These Rakshasa people are greedy and rob everything every time they come here. They are brutal and brutal, just like hungry wild beasts.
" Patriarch Xu recalled painfully.
Their Xujiatun was also robbed by the Russians, so when talking about the Russians, Patriarch Xu gritted his teeth.
"Yes, these Rakshasa people are greedy beasts. When our caravan first arrived, we happened to encounter Rakshasa people occupying Sakhalin Island, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. This place is under the jurisdiction of the Heilongjiang General. Doesn't he care?
These things?"
"Hey... the original Heilongjiang General's Mansion was located in the old Aihui City in the east of our river, but within a few years it was moved to the south of Mergen City, and a few years later it was moved to Qiqihar City. Since moving to Qiqihar, there have been
More than a hundred years ago."
"We are moving further and further, further and further south. We haven't seen officers and soldiers patrolling the border here for a long time. We can't see officers and soldiers here, and it is even less likely that there will be anyone in the east. Besides, many areas there are still undeveloped.
Where are the naturalized tribes? How can the officers and soldiers of Heilongjiang General Mansion have time to take care of those? It would be nice to report the situation to the court."
After Patriarch Xu finished explaining, he asked: "Brother Bao, do you have anything to do when you come to Jiangdong this time? You are all members of the Han family. If there is anything that requires my help, I will definitely do my part."
"Thank you, Mr. Xu. I have two things to do here. The first thing is trading. We brought some goods from the south this time." He said and winked at the steward of the caravan next to him.
The steward immediately brought a bunch of gifts.
"Old sir, I came here to bother you this time. I would like to thank you for your kindness, but please don't take it personally." Bao Youzhi said to the old patriarch, clasping his hands and saluting.
When Bao Youzhi came out, a caravan from Huaihai Company came out with him.
Commercial activities are always more acceptable than armed activities.
"Oh, little brother Bao, why bother? We Han people have lived in the Northern Wasteland for a long time. It is already a great joy to see our compatriots today, so why bring gifts?" Patriarch Xu quickly declined.
"Old sir, these are just the wishes of this junior. Just accept them and regard them as samples of our transaction."
As he said that, he stepped forward to help the old gentleman introduce the pile of products.
"Old sir, you see, this cotton cloth is machine-woven, and the price is much cheaper than homespun cloth."
Mr. Xu picked up a piece of cotton cloth, touched it in his hand, and said: "Well, it is indeed good cloth, with a very fine texture. The weather here in the Northeast is too cold and cotton is not produced. We have to buy all the cloth from outside. We can do it in the future."
Send more and we'll exchange them for leather."
Mr. Xu picked up a jar of fine salt, looked at the big word "Huai" written on the jar, pinched a handful, and tasted it: "Good salt, this is the salt of my hometown, the taste of my hometown."
"From now on we will all eat the salt of your caravan."
Chief Xu likes these things very much. They are all urgently needed materials for the clan. Moreover, the price given by Huai Haijun is very reasonable.
The transaction of daily necessities was settled, and Bao Youzhiyou had someone carry a long wooden box over.
"Old man, there is something here that I think the old man might like. With it, when the Rakshasa people come over in the future, everyone will not have to be beaten passively."
"Oh? What is it?" The old gentleman's curiosity was piqued.
At this time, a man came over and used a crowbar to pry open the box. A smell of gun oil came out from inside.
Ten flintlock muskets are neatly arranged in the box. These are take-out products produced by Huaihai Haijun. (Rifled guns and breech-loading rifles are not sold by Huaihai Haijun.)
Because these guns adopt standardized craftsmanship, they look very exquisite. Yes, they give people a sense of beauty.
Before Mr. Xu could speak, the young men beside him poked their heads out one by one, their eyes shining brightly.
The villages in Jiangdong are all military villages. They are both soldiers and farmers. They usually own weapons and practice them from time to time. Of course they are no strangers to muskets. There are also a few old muskets in the village, which are the treasures of Xujiatun.
Every time the Russians came to rob, the villagers always lost because they did not have muskets. The Russians always had one musket in hand, and their own bows, arrows and spears could not reach others at all.
"Tell me back one by one, what does it look like?" Mr. Xu scolded the young people around him.
Patriarch Xu raised his hands to Bao Youzhi and said, "You make little brother Bao laugh. The younger members of the clan don't understand the rules."
Bao Youzhi quickly replied: "It's okay, old gentleman, why don't you pick a few young people and give them a try!"
Mr. Xu nodded and made a move with his hand.
Five young people immediately stood up, with excitement clearly in their eyes.
Each of them took a gun and rubbed it in their hands. The butts of these guns were machined from a whole piece of wood with a lathe. They were polished and painted with tree paint, making them smooth and comfortable to hold.
.These young men were holding guns in their hands as if they were holding the most beautiful girls in the village.
Bao Youzhi had someone give each of them a paper-shell medicine pack. Because these muskets of the Huaihai Navy adopted standardized processes. Each gun was almost the same, so the amount of charge was also the same, so they used custom-packed paper-shell medicine.
The bag is very convenient.
A soldier next to Bao Youzhi also stepped forward and picked up a gun, setting an example for the young men.
Without using targets, everyone aimed at the big tree dozens of meters away and fired a volley. All six guns fired, and a few sawdust jumped from the tree. This shows that the flintlock device of this gun is very reliable.
.
The gun was tested, but several young men seemed reluctant to put it back.
Bao Youzhi saw it in his eyes and said: "These little brothers have done a good job in testing the guns. I think these guns will be given to these little brothers."
Upon hearing this, several young students all beamed with joy.
Patriarch Xu glared at a few people: "Brother Bao, this gift is a bit heavy, and we must never accept it. The clan has also accumulated some gold sand over the years, which was all mined by the ancestors. Wait.
Let’s pay for the price of these muskets soon.”
"Brother Bao, our place is relatively remote. There is not much income in the village. The money from selling mountain products every year is basically used to buy daily necessities, so we cannot afford many muskets." The old patriarch said regretfully.
Bao Youzhi smiled and said: "Old Patriarch, Youzhi can understand your difficulties. I just said the first thing, and now there is a second thing, which must be nodded by the old Patriarch."
Patriarch Xu: "Oh, come and listen."
Bao Youzhi: "The old patriarch also knows that our Huaihai Company has just arrived. This time we drove away the Russians on Temple Street. But there is no guarantee that the Russians will not come to retaliate next year, so we decided to build fortifications on Temple Street. You also know that this is near Temple Street.
The population is sparse, so we want to hire some people here in the village to help build fortifications. We pay the wages on a daily basis and have three meals a day."
Patriarch Xu was puzzled: "Brother Bao, you also know that winter is coming soon, and all the villages are stocking up on supplies, which requires a lot of labor. But since the little brother has spoken, I will allocate half of the young men from the villages to help you.
Live. What do you think?"
Bao Youzhi: "Old Patriarch, it is not convenient for us to go deep into the shore. I would like to ask the old Patriarch to convey our intentions to each village on his behalf. In addition, our goods will also be handed over to your village for resale. What does the old Patriarch think?"
Bao Youzhi said this to give Xujiatun a way to make money.
After all, the old patriarch is old and has a deep city. He doesn't show any expression on his face, but he is already happy in his heart. Huaihai Company's goods are of good quality and cheap, and they are necessities for every village. As long as his own village sells them, they will be destroyed.
It can make a fortune and also improve the prestige of Xujiatun in Jiangdong.
"Okay, little brother, I don't want to be pretentious anymore. Please leave this matter to me. You stay in the village for two days, and I promise to recruit people for you."
That night, a banquet was held in the village to entertain Bao Youzhi and his party. Except for the left-behind personnel guarding the ship, everyone else in the fleet participated.
Large pots of pheasant stewed with mushrooms, pickled cabbage and meat dumplings, and local delicacies were all served on the table. The old patriarch even brought out the sorghum wine brewed in the village.
Bao Youzhi, a southerner, was used to drinking rice wine. After half a bowl of sorghum wine, his face turned as red as a monkey's butt.
At this time, a young girl with a ponytail and floral clothes brought a pot of vegetables to the main table where Bao Youzhi was.
Patriarch Xu said to the girl: "Yue'e, I haven't come over to meet your brother Bao Shi yet."
Yue'e then bowed to Bao Youzhiying. After bowing, she lowered her head, as if she was a little shy.
As he spoke, Patriarch Xu looked at Bao Youzhi and said, "Youzhi, this is my granddaughter, a country girl. She doesn't understand etiquette. Please forgive me."
Bao Youzhi then looked at the girl and saw that although the girl was plainly dressed, she was also a beauty. Although her head was lowered, she could still see her round chin and long eyelashes.
"Old sir, you are too modest. If you are ambitious, you are just a rough businessman."
When Bao Youzhi was talking, Xu Yue'e also looked at him secretly. This big brother was quite handsome. Just now when a group of people were demonstrating muskets outside, Xu Yue'e saw the tall Bao Youzhi in the crowd.
Although Bao Youzhi is tall, he still has a bookish air. He does not look like a rough man with well-developed limbs and simple mind. He has a strong bookish temperament.
Which girl doesn't miss spring? The eldest girls in the Northeast are as straightforward and bold as the white mountains and black waters. Before the meal, Yue'e shouted to help serve the dishes. Usually the eldest granddaughter is not so diligent. The elder of Xu Lao clan has become a mature person, how can he not
He knew what the girl was thinking, so he said those few words just now.