She sat on the deck at the stern of the ship, pretending to lower her head to arrange the fishing nets, and observed the Australian port from under her bamboo hat.
The Australians' main ports, where many large ships are anchored, do not allow civilian ships to enter, just as their main cities may allow outsiders to enter.
Only a small area in the west of the city was open to civilian ships and outsiders. A small natural port was renovated, and a street was built around the port as a commercial area.
Anyone can enter and exit this commercial area and do business here. Although it is also surrounded by fences and trenches, it is separated from the main city by trenches. You must pass through sentries and suspension bridges to enter the main city. Australians are very open to outsiders.
alert.
Li Siya has already observed that the Australians have forts and towers on the top of Qishan Mountain. My sister said that their cannons have a great range. It seems that she is not lying, otherwise they would not set up forts on the top of the mountain.
Just seeing the size and strength of the Australians from the sea, Li Siya knew that no one in East Asia could use a "frontal attack" to destroy this city. Whether it was the Dutch nearby, the Minnan immigrant group or the distant
The Spaniards on the north side of the island were insignificant.
It is really difficult to make the Dutch and Australians fall out.
Li Siya's confidence was a little shaken. But she quickly thought that behind the Dutch there was the entire East India Company. If they could really anger the Dutch and make them realize that the existence of the Australians was a matter of life and death, they would definitely come out in force.
Fight to the death with the Australians.
To do this, you have to look at your own skills and abilities.
"We are about to dock." The captain reminded her in a low voice.
Li Siya nodded.
The fishing boat quickly entered the port because it was flying a fishing license flag issued by the Coast Guard. No one came to check and inquire. The small fishing boat quickly moored to the pier.
The pier is filled with rattan baskets and wooden boxes filled with catches, and fish scales and scattered small fish and shrimps are scattered on the ground. A strong fishy smell permeates the air. From time to time, men or women come together in pairs.
Carrying the heavy catch dripping with sea water, I walked across the trestle with a "clop" sound.
A large wooden house with a thatched roof not far from the trestle is the purchasing point of the fishery cooperative. It also collects fishing taxes. There is a large row of "floor scales" at the door. This is the first time Li Siya has seen this kind of scales installed on the ground.
The scales she saw most on the coast of East Asia were the Chinese crane scales. Whether in Macau or Batavia, Chinese businessmen always used steel scales of different sizes to weigh various goods for buying and selling.
So much so that the Dutch and British had to accept their weights and measures at some point.
The fishermen put their catch on the weighing scale, and the scale clerk moved and quickly reported the weight. The person overseeing the harvest looked at the catch and quickly reported the name and grade of the catch: "First Class", "
On a large blackboard next to it, there is a purchase price list of various types and grades of fishery written on it. Li Siya feels that this is worthless because almost no fishermen can read. This concept of grading purchase according to type is not popular in traditional China.
There are also fish farms, but fishing farm owners take advantage of the fact that fishermen are all illiterate and rely heavily on small loans provided by fishing farms. They often use good things as bad and cheat at will. The best fish and shrimps are often sold at extremely low prices in the end.
Only when the level is high can it be sold. Sometimes there is a good harvest at sea, and as soon as the ship docks, the fishing pens here will be closed and the harvest will be stopped to keep the price down.
Li Siya is not here to inspect the fishery, but she is very sensitive and knows that this is a way for the Australians to win people over. "Quality and price" and "fair trade", if you can achieve these two points, you can immediately win over them.
It touches the hearts of a large number of people, especially fishermen along the coast. They have been at the bottom of the food chain of "buying high and selling low" for a long time. They endure exploitation at all levels and often have a warehouse full of fish but not enough to eat.
The Australians' ability to confuse people is well-deserved. No wonder there are so many fishermen here. Not only are there fishermen from Zhangzhou, Quan and other places, but also many fishermen from Guangdong. Li Siya thought to herself that she sometimes talks to her breasts.
Chatting with my sister, I found that she also said good things about Australians from time to time and praised them for being "capable and kind-hearted".
With such complicated emotions, she strolled along the street. On one side of the fishing line was a shop selling fishing gear, food, lamp oil, cloth and other daily groceries needed by fishermen. The shop was very large and had a dazzling array of products. Li Siya said this
Not interested, but it can be seen that the fishermen are very interested in this place. People come in and out from time to time, coming here to buy goods with the money they just got, and return home with a full load.
There was a bulletin board next to the store with a large notice posted on it. There was also a person holding a loudspeaker and saying something loudly. There was a circle of people around. Li Siya originally wanted to see the notice, but suddenly realized
Now that she was a fisherman, she stopped and listened behind the crowd.
It turned out that the notice posted was a recruitment notice. The Australians were recruiting sailors and hired workers. Anyone who was willing to come could help resettle their families and be given houses.
"... Come with your whole family, we have plenty of houses and food!" The person shouting loudly with a loudspeaker shouted passionately in Minnan dialect, "The elderly, children, and women at home can all work and make money!"
In order to supplement the rapidly expanding fleet with enough sailors, the Navy took up the idea of recruiting fishermen who fished here. Although the recruitment results were not very significant, several hundred people were recruited. The Navy established a local training camp for cadets.
The team is specifically responsible for training these newcomers.
The Australians are recruiting sailors. Could it be that they are preparing for war? Li Siya secretly thought, whether it was true or not, this sign was a good excuse to mobilize. She was deep in thought when she suddenly heard someone shouting in Hokkien: "This
Girls, walk slowly!"
Li Siya was startled. She didn't expect that someone would call her here, so she quickly forced herself to calm down. At this time, a fat middle-aged woman came. She was wearing the kind of blue cloth that Australian women often wear.
Wearing short-sleeved trousers and a smile on his face.
"Girl, where are you from?" The fat woman seemed familiar and took her hand first.
Li Siya pretended to be shy, lowered her head and said, "Mom, please don't do anything. The slave family is from Zhao'an County."
"I can't believe that Zhao'an County still has talents like this girl!" The fat woman looked up and down several times, as if she wanted to eat Li Siya alive, and praised her. Li Siya couldn't help but feel afraid in her heart: Although she painted her face
She is black and has her hair braided to hide her Portuguese heritage. However, her nose that is taller than the average woman and her appearance that is different from ordinary people cannot be concealed by makeup. People are getting close to her like this.
It seems that it is easy to reveal flaws. I am secretly worried. If I am exposed, this is the territory of the Australians. If I are caught, I will definitely be in trouble. Not to mention, I have to kidnap Chairman Wen.
The sight is enough to kill the Australians with a thousand knives.
She suppressed her fear and said with a calm smile: "Madam, don't cancel the slave family. The slave family has to buy things and go back to the ship..."
The fat woman nodded repeatedly and said: "I know, I know. You look like a fisherman's daughter. You go through wind and waves every day. It's rare for you to be so talented. Now I have a good place for you and your whole family to enjoy."
Endless..." She rambled on, but Li Siya had already understood. It turned out that this fat woman was a tooth.
This type of people specializes in searching the streets of busy cities to see if there are any "talents that can be made" among the daughters of poor families. After inquiring about the specific details, they then go to matchmakers in the homes of wealthy families who want to take concubines and maidservants.
She didn't expect there to be one here! She secretly wondered, how could a wealthy family come here? However, she immediately understood: Could it be that they were buying maids for Australians?
I just heard the other party continue to say: "... The Australian gentlemen are now trying to bribe their maids. I think you are a tall girl, and your eyebrows match their requirements perfectly. If you are interested, come with your family.
If you come here and write a deed, your family belongs to southern Fujian, and if you come here to fish, you should know the credit and ability of the Australians. If you work as a maid for them, you will be more noble than the average young lady from a middle-class family, and your family will be able to
I've gained a lot of glory..." As if she was afraid that she wouldn't believe it, the fat woman even showed her identity card. "Girl, look, aunt, I am a real clerk of the Australian Human Resources Office. I want to work in Daming.
Count it as 'not yet in the stream,..."
Fortunately, Guo Huaiyi's people arrived at this time, and Li Siya took the opportunity to get rid of him. She pretended to be shopping and walked around the street again: the streets in the market were very short, except for the fishery cooperative purchase station and shops.
Outside, there is only a ship repair yard that provides ship repair services for fishermen, a shop that buys and sells deerskin mountain products and sells daily necessities, and a restaurant that provides simple meals. Going further inside is a restricted area blocked by wooden fences. Viewed from the outside
Entering, it seemed that there were all warehouses and workshops. All kinds of fish seemed to be transported inside for processing. Several red chimneys stood emitting black smoke, and there was a strange smell of rotten fish and shrimps mixed with soot from time to time.
came.
In addition to fishermen, the people who come to this market include some nearby aborigines and Han hunters. Almost all of them come to sell deer skins and venison, and they also buy grain, salt and daily groceries here.
Li Siya walked back and forth along the street twice and found nothing worth exploiting. The place seemed relaxed and relaxed: there were only some strong men with sticks on the street to maintain order, and no soldiers with swords and guns could be seen.
However, no specific defensive measures can be seen at all. It is obviously loose on the outside and tight on the inside. A surprise attack from the sea will also risk the threat of enemy artillery fire, and the opponent's fleet is close at hand. I am afraid there is no chance at all.