When Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng heard that Zhao Xin, who had returned, mentioned the discovery of the Eliza, they immediately became angry.
"You bastard! Are you planning to treat them to dinner?! I'll shoot them down and sink them now!"
"Don't worry, listen to what I have to say first."
"Zhao Xin, I don't care if you want to make money from the British, but there is no need to discuss this matter! If I don't beat the crap out of the British, my surname will not be Liu!"
"Fuck you!" Zhao Xin was furious. He glared at Liu Sheng and said, "Okay, if you want to fire cannons, okay, then destroy all the sailboats on this sea!"
Liu Sheng roared: "What does it have to do with me teaching the British a lesson?!"
"Because all the sailboats here are selling opium! And it's a legitimate trade!"
"."
Ding Guofeng looked at the two people who were glaring at each other, and quickly advised: "If you have something to say, let's talk about it. Why are you two arguing?" He first persuaded the two of them to sit down, took out their cigarettes and lit them respectively, and then said to Zhao Xin: "Zhao Xin said:
Boss, don’t worry, what’s going on here?”
Zhao Xin sighed helplessly, and said to Liu and Ding: "I just listened to the doctor briefly say a few words, and I don't understand much. But from the look on his face when he spoke, this is normal trade. To be honest, do it.
I have nothing I can’t bear to do; but before the matter is clarified, will it affect Liu Zheng and the others if we launch a rash move?"
Ding Guofeng suddenly realized: "So you want to invite them to dinner?"
Zhao Xin nodded and said, "I don't know anything about the opium trade before the Opium War. We have to figure out what's going on here first."
At around six o'clock that evening, several British people who accepted Zhao Xin's invitation boarded the Thor in their costumes. Just like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, these people followed the Thor sailors who led the way and entered the second floor of the poop.
level restaurant.
When they walked into the restaurant, they were immediately stunned by the sight in front of them. The long table was covered with snow-white tablecloth, and the backrest seats were trimmed with blue leather. Apart from these, what attracted their attention the most was the large tables.
The bright windows provide an unobstructed view of the sunset over the sea.
"My God!" Several British people were stunned and dizzy.
At this time, Zhao and Xin, who were wearing white captain's uniforms bought from another time and space, exchanged greetings with several British people and invited everyone to take their seats.
To put it briefly, this dinner made several British people very satisfied. Whether it was red wine steak or vegetable salad, it whetted the appetite of the British people who had not eaten fresh food for more than a month.
During the dinner, several British people not only kept probing in their words, asking about Zhao Xin's origins, but also talked about their trade with the Manchu Qing Dynasty in this era. This gave Zhao Xin and others a preliminary understanding of Guangzhou's import and export trade at this time.
.
The cigarettes and coffee snacks after the meal made the British envious and opened up a lot of topics. At this time, Captain Marquis made a request to visit the ship, and Zhao Xin and the other three readily agreed. So in addition to the cockpit
and engine room, Zhao Xin and others took these people to visit and explain everywhere.
The British were extremely shocked by the steel and mechanical equipment that they could not understand everywhere. They did not expect that this group of Seris people who called themselves "Han people" could be so advanced and developed.
Zhao Xin took advantage of the opportunity to show the other party around and casually brought the topic to the opium trade, making Captain Ravi think that he also wanted to buy some opium. At this point, Zhao Xin hoped that the other party could explain the opium trade.
Case.
"Captain Ravi, although I have heard that opium is extracted from poppies, we actually know very little about it. As I introduced before, the area where we Seris people live now is extremely cold, so many people can't even
Never heard of it.”
As soon as he said this, Liu Sheng and Ding Guofeng immediately pretended to be curious.
Well, in view of the Saris people's attentive hospitality, the hostility of Captain Ravi and others was eliminated a lot. When everyone came to the main deck, enjoying the sea breeze, coffee and cigarettes, the topic about the opium trade finally started.
Dr. Higgins, who is a part-time botanist, first spoke: "Gentlemen, there are about dozens of species of poppy plants, but there are only two species that can produce opium, the opium poppy species and the bractaceous poppy species. However, they are currently used for opium in India.
The main production is opium and poppy seeds.”
The name opium actually comes from the Greek "opion", while the Arabs call it afyun. It was not until the 15th century that the word "opium" appeared in Chinese classics. During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, Gansu Province
Wang Xi learned the method of extracting opium from Muslims. However, this technology was not promoted, and there was no opium consumption market in the Ming Dynasty. At this time, opium was mainly used to treat dysentery, vomiting and other diseases.
Zhao Xin and the others all knew that to obtain opium, one had to use a knife to cut open the outer skin of the poppy fruit. This had been seen in film and television works from another time and space. However, what they did not know was that after oxidation, the collected white juice would turn into
Brown or black solid, this kind of directly collected opium is called raw opium. The surface is dry and brittle, and the inside is soft and sticky.
Only half a gram of raw opium can be obtained from one poppy head, so to produce 1 kilogram of opium, one thousand poppy fruits need to be collected. After the raw opium is dissolved, cooked or fermented, it becomes cooked opium.
Just listen to Captain Ravi's introduction: "The quality of opium must be identified through texture, color, smell and other characteristics. The texture of good opium is quite solid. When small pieces are light-transmitted, they are dark yellow, and when large pieces are almost black, they have a strong smell.
, it doesn’t feel gritty to the touch. But if the texture is very soft, it’s usually not a good product.”
Dr. Higgins further explained: "The best opium is mainly produced in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Benares. The opium in these places is collectively called 'Bengal opium', but the best quality ones are also
Produced in Bihar, the quality of Mawa opium from Rajputana and central Indian states is also very good."
In this era, there was no analysis of the medicinal uses of opium, but later studies in the mid-19th century found that anacrotine contained in opium had a good clinical effect on intermittent fever and malaria; this would not be possible.
The addictive part is only about 5% to 6% in opium. As for the addictive morphine, each unit of Mawa opium in this era only contains 4.61%.
In the chat among a group of British people, they mentioned how Indians consume opium. This surprised Zhao Xin and others that the largest opium consumer group in this era was not Chinese, but Indians.
Just listen to Higgins' introduction: "There are opium addicts in all parts of India, but there are more in the north than in the south. Bengal, Rajputana in the north, Central India, Gujarat, Punjab, etc. are all major consumer provinces.
Opium smoking is extremely popular among the Rajputana and Punjabi Sikhs."
Liu Sheng asked curiously: "How do they smoke? Do they use a big smoking gun?"
Higgins asked in surprise: "Smoking gun? Sorry, I've never heard of it. Indians make opium into small pills or strips. They call this 'Abkari', or directly
Either swallow it, or mix it with other drugs and spices to make a small pill called Balaguli. As for the local nobles, they mix opium in drinks and drink it."
"Ah?" This time it was Zhao Xin and the other three who were confused.
"Gentlemen, in fact, Indians consume opium for three purposes. Islamic law prohibits drinking, Hinduism also opposes alcoholism, and Brahmins are strictly restricted from drinking. Therefore, the doctrine of prohibition makes Indians use opium during religious celebrations.
Replace alcohol to create a festive atmosphere."
Ding Guofeng asked: "Mr. Higgins, you just mentioned three types, what about the others?"
Captain Marquis interjected: "You all know the medicinal uses. The last one is murder or suicide. When Indians execute political opponents, they usually give the opponent a glass of water mixed with opium. If he drinks it for a period of time, the opponent will
You'll become an idiot."
"What about the opium trade?" Zhao Xin finally asked the question he was most concerned about.
Captain Ravi suddenly said: "Mr. Zhao, I don't understand why you are so interested in this issue. But what I can tell you is that the first people to transport opium from Goa to Guangzhou were the Portuguese; and later the Dutch.
.Opium is only a small part of our annual trade with the Qing Dynasty. In addition to the dozens of boxes of opium on the Eliza, there are also sugar, cotton, wool and white copper produced in India. If you are interested, I can
Sell you part of it."
Zhao Xin smiled and said that this topic should not be brought up again, so the few of them chatted about other topics.
In fact, no one here knew why the opium trade did not rise on a large scale from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. This is all thanks to one person, and that is Zheng Chenggong!
In the mid-17th century, when opium began to spread in Southeast Asia and the Dutch were frantically exploring the Southeast Asian opium market, China was going through an era of great changes at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. After the Qing army entered the customs, the anti-Qing armed forces along the coast were retreating steadily.
In order to block the landing of anti-Qing armed forces, the Manchu Qing Dynasty issued the "Sea Relocation Order", basically cutting off domestic trade with the outside world.
(I remember that in a certain movie, it was said that the "Sea Relocation Order" was promulgated by Shunzhi in support of Zheng Chenggong's return to Taiwan. I really don't know what the intention was! You can't talk nonsense when praising the Manchus!)
When Zheng Chenggong regained Taiwan, he expelled the Dutch, the largest drug trafficking group in the world at the time. These events delayed the spread of opium in China to a certain extent. By the time Kangxi lifted the sea ban in 1683, the San Francisco Rebellion had already begun.
After the Ping Dynasty, the Zheng family in Taiwan had surrendered, and the domestic political situation had stabilized. At this time, those Fujian expatriates who returned from Java came back with opium.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the method of smoking opium cigarettes began to spread rapidly in China. The spread of opium cigarettes was faster than the spread of opium swallowing. This was due both to its greater addictiveness and to tobacco smoking.
The atmosphere has become strong.
Historically, when the Qing government officially promulgated the "smoking ban" punishment regulations in the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, the number of opium imported through Guangdong every year was 200 boxes, which is 20,000 kilograms. According to the popular consumption method at the time, it was estimated that it would be enough for more than 20,000 people at most.
One year's dosage.
In the fifty-first year of Qianlong's reign, the number of opium imported each year has risen to more than 2,000 boxes, which can be taken by nearly 200,000 people for one year. Since the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, the amount of opium imported into China every year has increased by 4%.
The magnitude is increasing year by year, and the scale is getting bigger and bigger. However, the import and export trade of the Manchu Qing Dynasty is still in a leading position, and whether it is Qianlong or a group of officials, they only care about how much money they earn, and they do not care about it at all.
Opium is a serious matter.
Zhao Xin, Liu Sheng and others did not know at this time that in the fiftieth year of Qianlong last year, that is, in 1785, the opium smoking method in China had changed from swallowing to the era of smoking guns!
This change in the way of smoking also caused the CIF price of opium to soar from 1.3 taels of silver per catty to 2 taels of silver, and has remained high for a long time since then, making opium trafficking to China the most profitable business for merchants from all over the world.
Liu Zheng, who had just arrived in Guangzhou, witnessed this change with his own eyes.
It is said that Liu Zheng and his party of thirty-three people landed from the pier on the Pearl River in the evening, and then got on the Cai family's carriage and rushed to Thirteenth Street. The distance from the pier to Thirteenth Street was not far, and it was very fast.
Liu Zheng then saw the barrier on the east side of Thirteenth Street.
At this time, the lanterns were coming on. Looking through the gap in the curtain of the carriage car, one could see that the streets in Guanlan were crowded with people, and the shops were all brightly lit. Liu Zheng was saying to wait until the carriage approached and then take a closer look. The first carriage was
But he turned left and soon stopped at the entrance of a Western-style store.
At this time, Liu Zheng only heard someone outside the carriage saying "We're here", so he didn't care about the servants. He hurriedly opened the curtain and took a look. He saw a row of large red lanterns hanging high outside the gate, which made it look particularly festive. There were more than thirty of them.
The gorgeously dressed male servants lined up at the door, and Cai Shiwen's housekeeper walked up and said to Liu Zheng: "Master Liu, we are here."
Liu Zheng got out of the carriage and saw that all his men had also gotten off the carriage, so he asked curiously: "Where is this place? I mean, what is the name of this street?"
The housekeeper said: "This is called Jingyuan Street, and going further west is Jinghaimen."
Liu Zheng nodded. He knew that if there were no accidents, he would have to move around the fences on both sides of the street. At this time, the group of people suddenly appeared at the entrance of Wanhexing, attracting countless attention from the surrounding people.
The group of people did not let the servants help carry their luggage, but hurriedly entered the business building. After sitting on the sailboat for a day, Liu Zheng and the others were shaken very much, and their faces were not very good. Liu Zheng himself was also anxious to wash up.
When he followed the housekeeper to his residence, Liu Zheng took a quick look and said to the housekeeper: "Please bring some hot water, I want to wash my face."
After he washed up and drank two sips of hot tea, he felt a lot more comfortable. While he was carefully looking at the furnishings in the house and constantly admiring them, the housekeeper knocked on the door again.
"Master Liu, my master, please move here to relieve your fatigue."
Liu Zhengxin said that it was different in ancient times. To relieve fatigue, listen, it must be a massage and fanning by a beautiful girl. It would be even better if you can soak your feet.
But when he followed the housekeeper through the yard and came to the flower hall in the front yard, he saw an extremely exquisite Arhat couch placed on the west side of the house with a small table on it, and Cai Shiwen, the boss of Wanhe Bank, was
Sitting on the left side of the Luohan couch, he greeted Liu Zheng with a smile.
"Brother Liu, you've been tired of traveling all the way, please come over and relieve yourself."
Liu Zheng's eyes almost popped out of his head in shock. He was very familiar with this scene. Cai Shiwen wanted to ask him to smoke opium!
"Is there a big smoking gun these days?" When Liu Zheng was still stunned, Cai Shiwen said with a smile: "Brother Liu, please come quickly! Take a smoke, it will relieve fatigue and feel comfortable. This is more effective than any other method.
"
"Boss Cai, what are you smoking?" There was an indescribable sweet smell floating in the flower hall. Liu Zheng thought it smelled a bit like apples. In fact, opium smells like apples after it is lit. The higher the purity, the better the taste.
It's thick, but Liu Zheng doesn't know it.
"This thing is called aphrodisiac. Brother Liu, you are from overseas. I'm afraid you don't know the fun in it. You know, we used to prepare it with various medicinal materials and then swallow it. But now we use bamboo as a tube and pick cigarettes in the box.
It is really one of the great joys in life! Please sit down quickly and light a drink for Mr. Liu." Cai Shiwen smoked a big cigarette and turned to order the maid to come and serve him.
Damn it! Liu Zheng, who had woken up, was so frightened that he ran back. It was only 1786, and there were still more than fifty years before the Opium War!
He didn't reply: "I'm sorry! I really can't bear it!"
Seeing each other turn around and leave, Cai Shiwen, the housekeeper and several maids all looked at each other. What did we say wrong?
When it was time for dinner, Cai Shiwen came to invite him in person, but Liu Zheng refused to show off, so he reluctantly attended.
Wan Hexing's banquet was extremely sumptuous, but Liu Zheng had something on his mind, so he took a few bites and toasted a few glasses of wine with Cai Shiwen before asking: "Boss Cai, when did this big smoking gun start?"
of?"
Cai Shiwen smiled and said: "Last year."
"Oh? Did this come from foreigners?"
"Haha, I didn't expect that brother is still interested in this thing." Cai Shiwen gave Liu Zheng a spoonful of food, and then continued to explain: "I heard about it too. A few years ago, there was a woman in eastern Guangdong. After the young man lost his husband, he
She became a nun. The year before last, this woman suffered from a strange disease and her legs were paralyzed. This woman's family was also rich, so her relatives searched for rare treasures in order to make her smile. Later, someone gave her a bamboo stick.
One, a bottle of toilet water, a lamp for foreigners’ dances, and a container of opium paste. This woman used a foreign lamp to bake opium paste in her spare time, and then accidentally invented this method. Who would have thought that at the end of last year,
Smoking is very popular in Guangzhou, and even people in Fujian are starting to use this method."
"Bang bang!" The ivory chopsticks in Liu Zheng's hand fell on the plate, and he was stunned. What he never expected and could not accept was that the smoking gun was actually invented by the Chinese!
Speaking of poppies, they had been introduced in the Tang Dynasty, but at that time they were only used as ornamental flowers. By the Song Dynasty, poppies were widely cultivated. In addition to being ornamental, poppy seeds, also known as poppy rice, were also used as medicinal materials. The so-called "convenience"
It sharpens the mouth and throat, regulates the lungs and nourishes the stomach."