On the eighth day of October in the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong's reign, a bird ship named "Xiazi No. 62" set out from Gaizhou Port early in the morning after being loaded with cargo. By noon, the Bohai Strait was clearly in sight on the east side.
This ship came from Xiamen, carrying a load of 2,000 shi. In addition to more than 200 shi of soybeans, the cargo on the ship also contained hundreds of bags of melon seeds, fungus, beef tendons, venison, etc.
Since the ship had already paid taxes at the customs office at Lianyun Island, there was an apricot pennant hung on the top of the mainmast. The customs offices south of Gaiping along the way would not notice the pennant on the ship when they saw it.
Send another ship for inspection.
In the Qing Dynasty, merchants from southern provinces began to trade in the Northeast after the maritime ban was opened in the middle of Kangxi. By the late Kangxi, a large number of southern maritime merchants came to the Liaodong Peninsula to engage in trade. Merchants from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi also built a Sanjiang Guild Hall in Gaizhou.
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In these years, those who came to Liaodong to engage in maritime trade included sand ships, but also bird ships, guard ships and east ships. Sand ships generally came from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, while bird ships came from Fujian; guard ships and east ships, as their names suggest,
They are from Tianjin and Shandong.
Before Beihai Town was founded, the commodities imported to Liaodong by sea ships from various places were mainly cotton, silk, tea, paper, sugar, porcelain and other handicraft products, while the export commodities included soybeans, cereals, dried fruits, seafood, mountain medicinal materials, etc.
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Since the 51st year of Qianlong's reign, due to the large-scale deployment of troops by the Qing government outside the customs, rice and other grains were not allowed to go to sea. At the same time, the demand for cotton cloth, grain and various medicinal materials increased sharply, so the sea trade of the entire Liaodong Peninsula became increasingly intensive.
Prosperity.
As of the 53rd year of Qianlong's reign, the total tax collected by the 25 tax gates of Shanhaiguan Customs exceeded 200,000 taels. In addition to the three types of taxable silver, the surplus tax exceeded 100,000 taels.
Many people may not understand this. Taking the forty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign as an example, the total tax revenue of Shanhaihai Customs that year was 130,000 taels, with a surplus of 70,000 taels of silver.
It can be seen that war is indeed an important driving force for economic prosperity, but we don't know how long this "prosperity" can last.
When "Xiazi No. 62" was sailing more than 20 miles away from the Bohai Strait, the sailors on the deck accidentally discovered that three large ships suddenly appeared from the sea-sky line on the east side.
At this time, the view on the sea was excellent. The cold wind blowing from the northwest blew away the light mist that rose in the morning. How big was the ship that could be seen twenty miles away?
As a result, the bow of the ship and the sailors on the deck all forgot the work at hand, and all used their hands to cover their heads to look around. Those who were resting and busy in the cabin also ran up to watch after hearing the news.
Not far behind "Xiazi No. 62", several accompanying bird boats and sand boats apparently also discovered anomalies in the sea in the distance. However, what is different from sand boats is that because Fujian is close to Guangdong, some bird boats
The bow of the ship will be equipped with a telescope smuggled from the open sea. So when Niu Boss on the bow of the "Xiazi No. 62" opened the telescope and looked into the distance, he was shocked to see the figures of the three big ships approaching quickly, and he could open his mouth wide.
Stuffed two duck eggs into it.
After a while, the figure of the Thunder God became clearer and clearer. When he saw the blue and white hull, Boss Niu lamented: "Uncle Tiangong, what a disaster! Why did you encounter these gangsters?"
It is said that in the past few years, the Thor and the Thunder have become a presence on the coast that everyone fears and every ship hides.
Not to mention that Zhao Xin bullied the British off the coast of Guangzhou and bombarded the Macau Fort and the Xiangshan Water Camp, which caused great turmoil along the Fujian and Guangdong coasts; just what Deng Fei did with the Thunder and two motor sailing ships in Rongcheng last year caused even more
It made everyone on the merchant ships from various places who ran Liaodong sea trade aware of it and became frightened.
Fortunately, the large ships of the Northern Navy generally sail in the Yellow Sea, and even if they are anchored, they are near Wutiaosha, the junction of the inner and outer oceans. The routes of coastal merchant ships are all in the inland sea, so everyone does not interfere with the river, and the Northern Navy has never been in trouble.
Things of looting.
At this time, the north wind was strong, and the sailor Jin Aguang next to Niu Boss on the bow said: "Dua, let's raise the sail and leave quickly?"
"I've beaten you! Come on! That's a big iron ship from the God of Thunder. It can travel thousands of miles a day!" Boss Niu finished cursing, frowned and thought for a while, and then ordered everyone on the deck: "Let's break up! It's time to do it!"
Why don't you go! Just pretend you didn't see it and let's go our own way!"
So after another half an hour, the huge figure of the Thor was fully revealed, and a man's voice came from the loudspeaker on the bow: "Those ships in front, stop! Don't be afraid, we are
I want to do business with you."
At this time, the sailors on the bird boat all looked at Boss Niu, and Jin Aguang asked again: "Dua, what are you talking about?"
"Shai Xiao!! This is asking us to anchor and stop the ship. How will we explain to our boss when we get back!"
The financial deputy standing next to Mr. Niu twirled his beard and said: "Not really, haven't you heard of Beihai's rare goods? Yu once saw something called matches at the owner's house. The price was fifteen taels, and a box was worth tens of taels.
The roots can be set on fire with just one stroke. I think we might be able to make a fortune this time."
Therefore, faced with the pressure of the three large ships approaching, the five bird boats and the two sand boats behind them had to lower their sails and anchor.
With a series of deafening metal friction and roars, the large anchors on both sides of the Thor were thrown into the sea, and Beihai 1 and 2 also stopped on the left and right sides of the Thor.
Not long after, everyone on the bird boat and the sand boat saw two white brackets protruding from the deck of the Thor. A black boat was hung on the brackets, and there were several people on it. Then there was a buzzing sound,
So the boat quickly landed on the sea.
At this time, the sailors on each ship gathered around the side of the ship and watched. They saw that the people on the black boat neither raised the sail nor operated the oars, but made a roar and came towards the fleet of bird boats.
Boss Niu and the other sailors' hearts were in their throats. They saw that the black boat was moving very fast, with white waves constantly surging at its tail. In the blink of an eye, it was on the outside of their bird boat.
At this time, the speed of the black boat slowed down. A person on the boat held up a gray-white trumpet-shaped object and shouted at Boss Niu and others: "Put the ladder down! We want to go up to discuss business with you!"
"Dua, what should we do?" All the sailors looked at Boss Niu, waiting for him to make up his mind.
Boss Niu's eyes were rolling around, hesitating, and he just listened to the deputy financial officer: "There is no harm in lowering your head when you are under the eaves? Boss Niu, this opportunity is not to be missed."
"Do it! Put down the ladder!"
The baffle of the Narcissus Gate on the ship was quickly removed, and a rope ladder fell down. Then the speedboat slowly approached. After a while, three people from Beihai Town got on the deck, and two people with weapons were left on the speedboat.
Marine battalion soldier.
When the sailors on the deck saw the people coming up, they unconsciously stepped back and formed a semicircle.
"Who's in charge here? We won't rob you, everyone does business fairly."
Boss Niu felt his mouth and tongue were dry. He took a step forward, cupped his hands, and stammered: "Here, below is the boat, the bow. What kind of business do you guys want to do?"
The headed clerk from the Trade Department smiled and said to Niu Laodao: "Don't worry, we are here to buy soybeans, as much as we need. At what price?"
When Boss Niu heard this, he turned around and looked at the financial deputy. It would definitely not work if he didn't sell it. He didn't know how much it would cost.
The treasurer on the ship hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "This year there are floods in various places in Zhili, and the imperial court is using troops again, so the price of food has increased a lot. We have traveled thousands of miles, and if this, this price is not suitable, we can't keep up with you when we go back."
The proprietor explains."
"It doesn't matter, you just decide the price."
After hearing this, the deputy finance officer began to calculate. The price of the soybeans purchased from Gaiping this time was 1.1 taels of silver per stone, which was already three points higher than in previous years.
"Isn't it too much to add 30%?" Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and said, "Each stone costs one, two, four, and five cents of silver."
The clerk from the Ministry of Trade nodded, and under the anxious eyes of everyone on the ship, reported a figure that surprised everyone.
"In this case, I will give you two taels per stone. It will not be easy for you to travel all the way from Fujian."
Everyone was in an uproar immediately, thinking that there was such a good thing, and couldn't help but be overjoyed.
This is when the clerk asked again: "How many do you have?"
"Two hundred stones."
"What? Only two hundred!"
Seeing the other party's surprised look, the finance deputy quickly explained: "Well, you don't know something. The imperial court stipulates that all ships going to Liaodong for the bean trade must obtain stamps before leaving the port. Even if you want to buy more, you can't.
.And the upper limit for a large ship is 200 shi, and for a small boat is 100 shi. After buying, you have to pay the tax with a stamp. If the bill and the goods are found to be inconsistent when you return to port, the minimum penalty is 100 shackles and a stick, and the worst case is three years of exile.
"
The mission this time is to purchase 80,000 dan. Even if the following ships cost 200 dan, it is only over 1,000 dan, which is far behind!
The clerk from the Trade Department said helplessly: "Okay, two hundred is two hundred! In this way, if you pull the ship next to the big white ship, someone will naturally trade with you. I have to go to other ships to talk, so I'll take my leave first."
"Stay here," the treasurer hurriedly stopped the other party and asked, "I wonder if you have any rare merchandise there? This will also save me the trouble of waiting for the ship to return empty."
"You can talk to the people on the boat about this later, and they will tell you." After the clerk said that, he and two soldiers from the North Navy quickly got off the rope ladder, and then the speedboat headed towards the bird boat behind.
The rare goods in Beihai Town are nothing more than leather goods, ginseng, matches, cigarettes, lanterns, etc. Except for natural cigarettes, there are already counterfeit goods in many places in Fujian. Others can be sold at a good price when shipped back.
So an hour later, after approaching the Thor, both bird ships and sand ships sent people on board to negotiate the goods, and the deck of the Thor became a market.
The problem is that there are so many merchant ships of all kinds going south to Liaodong. At noon, those merchant ships sailing from Jinzhou, Yingkou, Niuzhuang, Gaizhou, Xiuyan, Fuzhou, and Jinzhou saw such a scene and started to follow the merchants who had finished their business.
After asking around, colleagues all headed towards the Thor.
Deng Fei considered that it was too cold on the deck, so he asked everyone to go to the restaurant on the second floor of the poop to talk. As a result, people came and went in the corridor and on the stairs. The restaurant that could originally accommodate more than 20 people was filled with people speaking from Fujian and Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
The accent of the merchant.
During this period, the treasurer on board the ship casually asked: "May I ask, sir, are you buying so many soybeans to extract oil?"
The clerk from the Trade Department who was in charge of the reception was so busy that he casually said: "Grind the tofu."
Um?
The restaurant was suddenly silent, and you could hear a pin drop. After a moment, everyone suddenly burst into laughter.
"Sir, you are really good at joking!"
"Yes, yes, let's tell a joke for fun." A cold sweat broke out on the backs of several clerks' necks.
At this time, someone asked again: "I wonder what else adults need besides soybeans?"
"Tea leaves, a large amount of tea leaves, no matter black tea or green tea, no matter new or old tea, one hundred thousand dan is not too small, one million dan is not too much, purchase it at double the market price in Jiangnan every year, there is no upper limit!"
Boom! All the merchants suddenly became restless. Even those who had completed the money delivery turned around and came back after hearing the sound.
At this time, a clerk said: "If it is convenient for you, you can go to Jeju Island. Our Beihai Town has a warehouse on the south side of the island, and you can trade at any time."
"I've heard of Jeju Island, but it's an overseas country! We're all from overseas, so we don't have any plans!"
"yes!"
The so-called "needle map" is an ancient navigation route. There is no map on it, but it says what time and tide level the ship will set sail, what is the ship's speed, which direction it will go, and what the reference objects are; and then where will it arrive at a certain time
, where to go and how much time it will take. At the same time, the position of the Big Dipper and the direction of the spoon handle should also be explained on the night route.
Maritime trade activities reached the Qing Dynasty, and there were basically no problems with the inland shipping routes. However, the north and south routes were still managed separately so as not to offend each other. However, the overseas routes were the secrets of each shipping company, and generally those who wanted to do maritime trade
All the gentry had to hire a captain at a high price and pay a share of the business.
This situation did not gradually end until the end of the Opium War and the Qing government was forced to fully open up maritime trade.
However, this matter is difficult for others, but it is really nothing for Beihai Town. Shen Jingdan started his career in maritime trade. In the past few years, he went to Jiangnan several times, and through means that were half intimidation and half inducement, he got the goods from Jiangnan.
and Shandong to the Li Dynasty, the island country's needle map.
So the clerk from the Ministry of Trade smiled and said: "We have it! Five taels of silver each."
"I want two copies!"
"I also want!"
"Don't be anxious, I'll get it for you right away. Let's pay the money and issue a receipt first."
By the way, five taels of silver is nothing compared to the huge profits from sea trade! Haven't you heard that there is no limit to the amount of tea that people want, and a bird ship of two or three thousand stone can transport it, and an eight hundred stone sand ship can transport it.
Doing this is called pediatrics!
When the ships left at night, people from the Ministry of Trade took inventory of today's harvest and purchased a total of more than 7,000 kilograms of soybeans. The business was very prosperous, and Jeju Island's advertisements were also put out. The problem was that even one-tenth of the purchase was
The quantity is not enough.
Deng Fei and Ding Guofeng calculated that they would have to wait at least ten days to get everything together according to this situation. The question is who has the spare time. Now Wang Yuanfang has begun to use the war horse feed to grind tofu. If it is later, the war horse will not be able to eat it.
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However, according to chatting with these sea trade merchants today, they learned that there are currently a large amount of soybeans in Jinzhou and Fuzhou cities. So Deng Fei and Ding Guofeng immediately decided to set off immediately, enter Jinzhou Bay overnight, and go ashore to grab it tomorrow, oh