Zhang Fenglai, the deputy envoy to the sea route, is considered a relatively honest official. He usually only accepts some filial piety from his subordinates in the fields he is responsible for, and only accepts some filial piety from his subordinates in the field of military preparation. He usually turns a blind eye to maritime merchants. But this is not the case. It does not mean that there is any problem with his loyalty to the imperial court. Zhang Fenglai avoided the imperial party, but his general sentiment was towards the Qingliu faction or the Donglin faction.
Zhang Fenglai. Lord Zhang's understanding of maritime merchants is limited to knowing that they are all outlaws. They run around on the sea regardless of their wealth and life, and work hard for money. The sea seems to be unfathomable and dangerous to Zhang Feng, deputy director of the sea route.
He relied solely on Luo Pingwei's connections at Xingquan Bingdao to board a merchant ship bound for Taiwan Port. This ship belonged to the Li family in Fuzhou. It was said that it was carrying goods for the governor.
From the moment he landed in Taiwan, Mr. Zhang Fenglai, deputy envoy of the sea route, began to regret his reckless behavior: the dock management staff very rudely asked him to queue up to register and make a deposit. Because he was not a VIP merchant and was a businessman who came to Taiwan for the first time. He had to Detailed registration of all matters related to household registration. As a fifth-grade civil servant, he had never had such an experience. Later, when he checked in at the inn, he was questioned by the shop owner for a long time because he did not look like a businessman. Fortunately, Luo Pingwei I had a lot of dealings with businessmen. I used some words to deal with it.
At this moment, Zhang Feng came and Master Zhang looked at the street scene downstairs curiously. He kept harassing Luo Pingwei with all kinds of annoying questions.
"There are a lot of Fanyi people coming and going on this street. Why are there so many black Fanguis?"
Luo Pingwei was busy tasting the fresh seafood from Leshan Tower. He said perfunctorily: "You don't know something. Yin Feng, the leader of the China Company, has hundreds of black guards around him. They are all so black and shiny. Guy."
"There are many people here wearing Confucian clothes. They should be people from my Confucian school. Why are they here?" Zhang Fenglai frowned and pointed at a few young scholars walking together on the street.
Luo Pingwei raised his head slightly and took a look. He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "There are elementary schools, technical schools, military schools and many other schools set up by the China Company here. Most of these scholars who failed in the imperial examinations teach in these schools; within the China Company .We also aggressively recruited some scholars of our generation. They just did some book office, copywriting and other work."
Zhang Fenglai had a sullen face, tapped the table with his knuckles, and said with a sneer: "You really don't have the backbone of a scholar. A dignified scholar, who has read the books of saints, but comes to work for a businessman in a place like this. It is really insulting to gentlemen."
"I heard that Yin Feng's mother-in-law is a foreign woman."
"No. This woman is a fake foreign woman. She is just Yin Feng's concubine. Moreover, she is the daughter of a merchant born overseas. She believes in foreign religion and is no different from a barbarian. Yin Feng's real wife is me, Quanzhou The daughter of a wealthy businessman from the Zeng family in Beimen. A few years ago, Japanese pirates came ashore to harass Taiwan Port. She was frightened and died in childbirth. Captain Yin now dotes on this fake foreign woman. I heard that they often go to the streets together openly to avoid suspicion." Luo Ping Wei was an official in Quanzhou and knew Yin Feng very well.
Zhang Fenglai shook his head: "Huayi are different. Men and women are different. How could Yin Feng be so immoral."
Suddenly, the entire harbor and market area were covered by a huge noise.
"Master Luo, who are these people on the dock? Why are the people cheering so much?"
I saw people from the whole street downstairs rushing towards the pier. They were shouting and shouting: "We're back! The first brigade is back."
"The Chinese army returns triumphantly."
Suddenly, the fort in the direction of the dock fired. At the same time, bursts of gunfire came...
Zhang Fenglai was in charge of the patrol troops. He could hear the sound of gunfire. He couldn't help but stood up in shock: "What? Are there Japanese pirates attacking? Why are there so many gunshots?"
Luo Pingwei quickly stuck his head out of the window and looked around. He heard someone beside him say slowly: "Where are the Japanese pirates? They are just soldiers on the dock celebrating their victory."
The two officials dressed as businessmen looked back. They saw a middle-aged man holding a feather fan, wearing a Taoist priest's robe and a Taoist crown on his head, looking out the window with a smile.
Although this person does not have any celestial spirit to speak of, he is of medium height, capable and energetic, with bright eyes. Zhang Feng came from a high position and had no words. He felt really uncomfortable in his heart. Luo Pingwei cupped his hands and saluted: " This Taoist brother, I am new to Taiwan and I don’t know the allusions here. Can you give me some advice?”
The Taoist priest sat carelessly at their table and said with a smile: "You two probably just came to this place. You don't know the news about the China United Company's victory over the Ganlu people in Luzon Island."
Luo Pingwei frowned: "Oh. Are the Guanlu people here again? It's not that the motherland of the Guanlu people is thousands of miles away. How can we come all the way to Luzon to start a war? We are just getting involved in trade and we don't know the current affairs overseas. .Please also ask the Taoist priest to tell me something."
The Taoist priest didn't show up either. He grabbed the wine pot on the table and drank it by the spout. Zhang Fenglai shook his head in disgust and said coldly: "What matters overseas have nothing to do with me, the Ming Dynasty. It doesn't matter if I don't know."
The Taoist priest smashed the wine bottle on the table. He laughed and said, "What this brother says is ridiculous. Do you know the emperor's Nanku?"
Zhang Fenglai shook his head. Luo Pingwei continued: "Isn't it the Haichengyue Port Governor's Pay Hall? It is said that it can collect one hundred thousand taels of silver for the emperor every year."
Zhang Fenglai still shook his head: "It's just a place where the tax supervisor and the people compete for profits."
The middle-aged Taoist priest sneered: "Competing with the people for profit. Don't you see that the people of Yuegang live a prosperous life and live and work in peace and contentment. Is it called Little Suzhou and Hangzhou? Let's talk about this Taiwan Port. Businessmen from all over the world come to trade. This port. From all over the world. No tax is charged when ships dock. Only transaction tax is collected during shore trade. I estimate that the transaction tax alone can reach 200,000 taels per year. Visitors from all over the world eat, drink and sleep in Taiwan Port every year. Money is used everywhere. This is the only place in Taiwan. The port can support tens of thousands of small traders, inns, restaurants, shops, etc., and can pay more than 100,000 in taxes every year. The annual income tax of this port alone is several times higher than that of the entire province of Fujian."
Zhang Fenglai and Luo Weiping looked at each other as they grew up. Luo Weiping asked in disbelief: "This, this, this, this. How is this possible? How can a port be so wealthy without having to pay entry tax? It is said that this Chinese company returns many ships to the sea every year. Merchant ships are distributing their own flags. They are suspected of paying tolls..."
The Taoist priest sneered: "The kings of the imperial court are in trouble every day for paying the frontier soldiers. Last time, the frontier soldiers in Zunhua, Jimen, and Yongping could not get their pay for several years. As a result, they rebelled. The capital almost suffered disaster. And the local Zhonghua Company Guard. Each soldier can receive a military pay of 10 taels per month. The lowest soldier can receive a military pay of 5 taels of silver.
And the Chinese company here has sailed thousands of miles, operated overseas, attracted merchants from all over the world to trade here, and fed hundreds of thousands of people. They sold our goods from the Ming Dynasty, earned money back, and made millions of domestic merchants live; and Captain Yin's escort team escorted our maritime merchants overseas. They repeatedly defeated Western barbarians and Japanese pirates, and greatly demonstrated the ambition of our people. Haha. This is the ironclad proof right now."
The Taoist priest pointed out the window. Everyone turned to look. They saw a large group of blond and blue-eyed Fanyi, with high noses and bulging eyes, walking down the street dejectedly. On both sides were a group of Chinese soldiers in black armed with guns to guard them. This was the Chinese army's attack on the Pasig River this time. Spanish Expeditionary Force prisoners captured in the Northern Campaign. This was a unique prisoner presentation ceremony. It was not a prisoner sacrifice for the emperor. It was a display of the might of the Chinese army to the Taiwanese people.
The mood of the people reached its climax, with thunderous cries, and they rushed to watch the unlucky group of people who had come all the way to be prisoners.
Following the procession of prisoners were the victorious soldiers of the First Brigade. Yin Feng personally greeted the soldiers at the dock. First, he announced that all officers would be promoted to one rank. All soldiers would receive double their military pay this month.
Yin Feng also personally awarded various medals to meritorious soldiers: most of the medals were "imagined" by himself. Such as the "Medal of Heroes" and so on. In fact, they were all copied by Yin Feng from later armies.
He also arranged for a group of Siraya indigenous girls to scatter flowers for the soldiers on the dock. He also invited a troupe to sing "Guan Gong passed five passes and killed six generals" on the roadside. Then he organized company employees and the soldiers' families to greet them at the dock. The whole triumphal ceremony climaxed one after another. The young soldiers were very excited.
Behind the captive team was a group of officers. They were high-spirited and high-spirited officers of the Chinese Army. Most of them were less than thirty years old. Many were in their twenties or teens. In the eyes of court officials, they were simply young. Too much.
The Chinese army officers, headed by Zhao Tie, rode through the streets and enjoyed the cheers of the crowd.
Zhang Fenglai felt uncomfortable in his stomach. He sat down and said coldly: "He is so arrogant and militaristic. He arbitrarily starts a war with foreign barbarians. He has nothing to do with the imperial court. This warrior is so arrogant. How unworthy is it?"
Luo Weiping was taken aback. He felt that Zhang Fenglai's words were too explicit and that others might see through his identity. He winked at him desperately.
The middle-aged Taoist priest snorted coldly and said: "When the foreign barbarians are slaughtering our people in the Ming Dynasty, what are the high-ranking officials of the imperial court doing? The Japanese pirates are unscrupulously harassing our Ming Dynasty again and again. Which imperial general dares to lead an expedition to Japan."
Luo Weiping said: "This country is a country that our dynasty Taizu listed as a country that should not be conquered..."
"So let other countries come to conquer our Ming Dynasty. Didn't Emperor Taizu also decide on the policy of banning the sea? How come our dynasty has another move to open the sea in Longqing?"
Zhang Fenglai couldn't bear it any longer. He stood up and shouted in a low voice: "Who are you, such a wise old man? How dare you be so presumptuous? You make wanton comments about the imperial court and are lawless..."
The Taoist priest smiled calmly, bowed his hands and said: "I call myself Taoist Gourd. My surname is Xu and my last name is Hongji. I was originally a Tongsheng in Hangzhou. I am now the secretary of the Taiwan Inspection Department and the secretary of the board of directors of the China United Company. I am a member of a thousand households. Captain Yin Feng Yin Please ask your two senior officials to inspect Sicheng for a while.
This Taoist priest was the mysterious Taoist priest on Luzon Island. He followed Yin Feng's army everywhere. He was judged as a court spy by the agents of the Ministry of Security. As a result, he was imprisoned the day before the Battle of Pasig in Hebei Province. In the Spanish After the failure, Yin Feng suddenly remembered him before returning to Taiwan and called him for interrogation. As soon as Xu Hongji saw Yin Feng, he bowed his head and worshiped him. He called him a villain. He said that he was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. He had taken the imperial examination and had lived for ten thousand years. That's right, Lao Tongsheng. Now he has come to join Yin Feng. He is willing to hold any position under him.
Yin Feng couldn't help but smile: this was the first time he met a scholar who came to serve. Could it be that his bastard spirit had reached a new level.
In order to set an example for more newcomers, Yin Feng accepted this scholar traitor who took the initiative to serve. However, he did not reuse him at first. He was only used as a general secretary.
At the same time, he also sent people from the Security Department and the Business Information Department to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province to check the details of this person. This time he talked with Zhang Fenglai and two others. In fact, it was Yin Feng who sent him. Zhang Fenglai had just set foot on the land of Taiwan. The direction of Quanzhou is A flying pigeon sent a message: informing that a deputy envoy from the imperial court came to Taiwan for a private visit incognito. Therefore, Zhang Fenglai and others were monitored at all times after they arrived in Taiwan.
Zhang Fenglai saw a group of big men gathered around him, and Chinese soldiers in black uniforms also appeared at the stairs. He gave up the idea of escape. He walked up to Xu Hongji and said angrily: "You are also a scholar. How can you be willing to do things for this thief?"
Xu Hongji smiled coldly: "Look towards the street. Do you see? There are so many scholars and scribes there. They are all working for Hezhonghua Company. At least they will not go hungry here. The imperial court selects scholars based on the system of subjects. There is nothing Shiji. All the sons who have been selected for the exam have always been rich men. This is why talented people from all over the country have been trapped in the cold for a long time and cannot move forward. That is why: if the king is not upright, the ministers will defect to foreign countries; if the father is not upright, the son will flee to another country. This is the case. That’s all.”
Xu Hongji pointed to the seaside outside the window and said: "Now the coast of the East China Sea has long been the territory of my Captain Yin. With time, Yin Feng Ship may not be able to achieve great things."