Baradas was hesitating to get out of the car when the door of Yin Feng's house suddenly opened. A thin servant came out, looked around dissatisfied at the people gathered around, and said with a straight face: "Captain Yin hasn't returned yet.
At home, there are only female family members at home, so it’s very inconvenient. What are you doing disturbing me here so early in the morning?”
The big men looked at each other, and then a man walked out of the crowd. He was slightly older than the people around him. He bowed his hands and saluted, and then said: "I am a fisherman from Zhaojiao, Haicheng County. I am Zhao Tie, and I and a few brothers from the same clan."
Earlier I was doing labor work for others in Luzon Island, thanks to Captain Yin for rescuing me..."
When the servant of the Yin family heard that they were the survivors of the Luzon Massacre, his face became a little better, and he quickly bowed his hands and said: "If so, I am neglecting you. But just now you insisted on seeing my master, and you don't want to see me."
I’m willing to explain why, it’s really inconvenient for a family full of women!”
Zhao Tie quickly bowed and said: "I don't care about my brother's business. It's too rude for me to wait. However, we really have no way to live, so we came to see Captain Yin. The hurricane in August last year destroyed our Zhaojiao
All the fishing boats were destroyed, and most of the farmland in the village was destroyed by the flood. We brothers returned from Luzon Island with a narrow escape, but we had no means of making a living and could no longer survive. Previously in Dongfan, we
We were so dizzy that we did not listen to Captain Yin's plea to stay and insisted on going home... But he promised us at the time that we could come to him if we had any difficulties... We all had some strength and had a relationship with him in Luzon Island, so we were willing to go.
Captain Yin’s escort team eats food and works.”
The servant of the Yin family spread his hands in embarrassment: "I can't help you with this. My master is busy with all kinds of things every day. He hasn't been back home in three months since he went to Dongfan. In this way, all the folks can rush to Quanzhou Shihu immediately.
Go to the port and find the merchant ship "Haolai". A batch of goods will be shipped to Dongfan recently. You can go to Dongfan together and you should be able to find my master."
Zhang Yuning pulled Yang Caipu on the carriage, dragged him into the carriage, and said with a smile: "Okay, we don't have to get off the car, let's go directly to Dongfan. Shopkeeper Yang, what do you think? What's going on with Mr. Bao?"
explain?"
Baradas came here just for Yin Feng, so of course he would not have any objections; Yang Caipu arranged for his men to handle business and returned to the outer port of Quanzhou with them. The carriage circled around the capital of Quanzhou like this.
He rushed back to the starting point. Baradas just regretted that he had not visited this legendary port city, so he kept looking at the scenery outside the car along the way, admiring the red brick buildings of Southern Fujian style.
He was very interested in the appearance characteristics of Qiang Dagong. He didn't know it yet, but this trip closely connected his fate with Yin Feng and his career. In the future, he would have countless opportunities to visit Quanzhou.
…
Tainan in later generations includes the entire Tainan area relative to Taipei and Taichung in a broad sense, and includes Tainan and Kaohsiung in a narrow sense. Due to the relatively convenient transportation with the mainland and the largest plain in Taiwan is located here, it is the earliest place in Taiwan.
The developed area was also the earliest Han Chinese immigration area.
Out of laziness and some YY thoughts, Yin Feng simply called the current location of the China United Company Taiwan. The original pirate harbor became "Taipei Port" (the so-called backwind inner harbor by the Dutch), and the original "Taipei Port" in the south
"Danyuan Port" (where the Dutch built Chican City in Yin Feng's previous life) thus became "Tainan Port". Yin Feng shamelessly plagiarized the naming patent rights of some people in another time and space, and did so without any scruples.
Zhang Guanli wore it. In his sleep, he often dreamed that he had completed the feat of unifying Taiwan in one fell swoop, and that Taipei and Tainan were all in his pocket...
Historically, Yingang, or what was officially called Beigang in the Ming Dynasty, was diverted by a rushing stream. Floods destroyed the entrance and exit of the Yingjia Peninsula to the mainland, turning Yingang into an isolated island. Human agricultural activities intensified river sedimentation, leading to siltation of waterways.
, its port status was later replaced by the neighboring Budai Port. Yin Feng knew the consequences, so from the beginning, he set the external port at the "Tainan Port" in the Anping area in the south, while Jingang-Taiwan Port was
It was used as a military port for berthing warships.
Later Kaohsiung Port, which has long been ranked among the top three in the world's ocean freight, is still in its embryonic state; the predecessor of Kaohsiung Port, Dagou Port, is still a small fishing port for indigenous fishermen, and the surrounding area is full of indigenous people.
The territory of the Kadaao people was basically swampy and dense forest, which had not yet been developed. Therefore, Yin Feng had no choice but to set up a foreign trade base at the "Tainan Port" first.
The "Holy" ship carried dozens of cattle, hundreds of farm tools, and countless ceramic products fired at various kilns in Fujian, plus dozens of men from Zhaojiao, international friends Baradas and others,
We arrived at Tainan Port three days later. Of course, two businessmen, Zhang and Yang, were also on board.
Everything here is under construction in full swing; there are dozens of large and small merchant ships in the harbor, proving that the port's trade activities are very busy; there are trestles and approach bridges under construction on the seaside, and neat stone roads are being laid on the port shore.
There are a large number of workers digging sewers and laying ceramic sewer pipes;
Entering the gate built with a bamboo fence, there are five-meter-high brick watchtowers on both sides of the gate. On the watchtowers, there are soldiers in black holding matchlock guns and looking warily at the sea.
Baradas was surprised to see that there were cannons placed on the watchtower and outside the gate. On the watchtower were two huge 24-pound bronze cannons, and outside the gate were two small six-pound cannons, placed on movable gun mounts.
Above. After he entered the city and walked around for a while, he found that this small town under construction actually had a total of 24 cannons installed in the defense facilities on both the sea and the land.
Barradas visited many Chinese cities. Like his mentor Matteo Ricci, he also felt that there were too few cannons in the defense systems of Chinese cities, and the structure of the city walls was not suitable for exerting the power of cannons. Even Quanzhou
There are no cannons on the tower like here; what kind of organization is this joint company? With such firepower, why do they only build some fences and walls as defense facilities?
As soon as he arrived in Taiwan, Baradas was only surprised by the construction scene here. From this, Baradas began to feel doubtful and puzzled.
He didn't know that Yin Feng was a cannon and giant ship believer. These cannons were bought from Siam and Malacca during this period. They would be installed on battleships in the future. Now they were just put there temporarily for show. Unfortunately, Bala
Das was startled.
Real cannons for city defense were also purchased, but they were still being manufactured in Siam.
Along the newly paved smooth stone road, Zhang Yang, the two businessmen, Baradas, Chinese missionary You Wenhui, and dozens of members of the Zhao family, looked around curiously like country bumpkins entering the city. Zhang, Yang
The two of you followed Yin Feng to "tong the Japanese" - when you went to Japan to do business, you visited Dongfanjing Port and Damuan Port and other places, and saw that the Han refugee settlements here were nothing more than thatched shacks and stilt bamboo houses. But now
The Port of Taiwan is turning into a real port city.
According to Baradas's estimate, there are approximately more than 10,000 craftsmen and laborers working in the entire town, which is like a large construction site. Everyone is working, and no one is idle.
He looked curiously at the buildings on both sides of the street. They were all the Minnan-style residential buildings in Quanzhou that he had just seen. The red bricks had obvious characteristics. Most of them were newly built, and most of them were not yet completed.
Yang Caipu inquired about several workers who were working in Quanzhou dialect, and then told everyone: "Yin Feng's father's residence is in the West District, adjacent to the headquarters of the United Company. However, no one knows whether Captain Yin Feng is in Dongfan.
Oh, Taiwan.”
No matter what, coming here across the sea cannot be a waste of time, so everyone decided to go to the company headquarters to inquire about it first.
Along the way to the company's headquarters, many people coming and going were businessmen, and they seemed to be extremely busy. A Jinjiang businessman recognized Yang Caipu: "Hey, shopkeeper Yang, are you here too?
Okay, are you planning to invest in the stock? Look here, in less than half a year, it is already quite large and impressive. Yin Dadong’s family are capable people... Oops, I have to go to the port to load the goods, and I will go to Japan soon.
Trade, when I come back, I’ll treat you to a drink at the best restaurant in Quanzhou!”
After the man finished speaking in rapid succession, he hurriedly bowed to Yang Caipu. Without waiting for Mr. Yang's reaction, he immediately left in a hurry, as if his home was on fire.
Yang Caipu laughed: "This businessman Lin from Jinjiang, I heard that he also escaped from Luzon Island and returned from death. His impatience and temper have not changed at all."
The company headquarters is not eye-catching, just an ordinary three-story brick and wood structure building in the traditional Chinese style. If you don't notice the plaque hanging on the side of the door: "China United Company", you will definitely think of this place as an ordinary inn or hotel.
Shop. But everything here is new, the door, walls, stairs and furniture are all new, and even the paint seems to have not dried yet.
It can't be new, because five months ago this place was still a wet, low-lying grassland. A month ago, before the house was completed, Yin Feng, Zeng Jingshan, Han Ping, Li Lihua, Xu Xinsu and other main owners of the company were all
Working in a temporary stilt bamboo house.
On the plaque on the gate, there is an unknown person's calligraphy engraved in regular regular script: "Open the sea and prosper the country, trade and benefit the people."
Everyone was a little surprised when they looked at the facade of the so-called Chinese United Company; the entire port was very gorgeous and beautiful, but the facade of this super "big trading house" was so simple, which was really unexpected.
Yang Caipu looked at the plaque, shook his head and said: "It's right to keep a low profile, but here, the court can't control it. United Company is a local snake. Isn't this unnecessary?" He pointed to the plaque and asked Zhang Yuning: "Brother Zhang
, what do these eight characters mean?”
Zhang Yuning, who had taken the imperial examination, had read a lot of books, but he could not remember the allusion to "opening up the sea and enriching the country". Commerce and benefiting the people were a topic that scholars in the Ming Dynasty also discussed. He shook his head and said nothing, thinking to himself
: "Open the sea. Wang Zhi lost his life for it back then. Now we finally have a moon port to go overseas. It is not easy for the imperial court to truly and completely "open the sea"! Shopkeeper Yin, shopkeeper Yin, what on earth do you want to do?
He didn’t know that “opening up foreign countries and enriching the country” was derived from the Song Dynasty’s national policy of “opening up foreign countries and enriching the country”. For the first time in Chinese history, the rulers of the Song Dynasty proposed “opening up foreign countries and enriching the country” as a national policy, believing that “the benefits of shipping and shipping”
The most abundant, if handled properly, the income can reach tens of thousands, wouldn't it be worth taking it from the people?" However, this policy of focusing on overseas trade was strangled to death during the Ming Dynasty.
Yin Feng deliberately used these eight characters as a plaque, which can be regarded as setting the general direction of "enriching the country and benefiting the people" for the development of Zhonghua Company. Of course, the propaganda component here accounts for the majority.
Since both Zhang and Yang were Yin Feng's business partners, Zeng Jingshan personally received the group. Of course, Yin Feng was not in Taiwan and had gone to Macau two months ago. Within a few days, he
He will return to Taiwan. He asked you to rest at the inn run by the company for a few days and then look for him when Yin Feng comes back.
Reluctantly, everyone had no choice but to stay at the Huaxing Inn, which was across the wall from the company headquarters.
Early the next morning, Baradas, who was very tired from the long journey, was awakened by a burst of rapid drumbeats! Then, bursts of passionate shouts of death came, making the window frames tremble.
Baradas was so angry that he jumped out of bed and pushed open the window. The sight in front of him surprised him: behind the headquarters of the Chinese United Company, there was a flat land that had been leveled. There were now nearly 1,000 people.
The big men wearing upper body clothes are conducting military drills on this flat land. Yes, it is military drills, because these big men are holding a wooden model musket and practicing aiming and assassination. Everyone is training very seriously.
, and there is a Western-looking instructor in charge. Wait, practicing assassination with a musket?
Barradas doesn't know much about military affairs, but fortunately he has an older brother who serves in the Portuguese army. He has also seen Portuguese army training, so he found that some Chinese people conduct military training according to the Portuguese army's method.
Is this China United Company still training the army? What kind of commercial organization is this? What kind of person is Yin Feng?