"Then I have no choice but to inform you with regret that according to the order of the Senate, a trade blockade is currently implemented on the areas surrounding Xiamen, Kinmen, Anping and Weitou Bay, and all trade ships are prohibited from entering the area. I think you don't know this order,
No penalty will be imposed this time. Go to other ports immediately. Otherwise, the cargo will be confiscated if intercepted for the second time." He looked at the navigation certificate and said, "It has been many days since you received the navigation certificate, and you have no bad records. You should know that.
Rules of the Senate."
Liu Deshan had no choice but to admit it, and his hope of making a small fortune in Weitou Bay was shattered. However, selling salt was also a convenient thing to do. If he could do it, it would be good. If he couldn't, it wouldn't be a problem.
The patrol officer gave a few more instructions and returned to the deck of the patrol ship. The sailors on the ship were about to withdraw the cables when suddenly an officer in gray uniform came out of the cabin and whispered a few words into the ear of the Australian Navy officer.
, the officer nodded, climbed onto the deck of Dongshanju again, and took them to the stern cabin.
"You can go to Weitou Bay to trade." The officer said to the suspicious Liu Deshan and Chen Huamin, "But-"
"I don't dare, I don't dare..." Liu Deshan quickly said, "I don't dare to disobey the Senate's will..."
The officer smiled and said: "Go if you are told to go. What are you afraid of? It's just that after you go, you have to go to the Maritime and Trade Bureau in Hong Kong to report what you saw and heard."
Liu Deshan's legs went weak. He wanted to be a spy by himself! He secretly hated himself for not pursuing the idea of going to Xiamen to sell salt and buy foreign goods for small profits. If the Zheng family found out about this, not only would he not be able to keep the cargo, but he would also
Even his life is not guaranteed - maybe it will harm his cousin and his steward, the sailor. That is really a big sin.
He was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, and his words were incoherent: "This, this, the little one is not going... I am not going..."
"Don't want to go?" the officer said, "What a pity. As long as you are willing to go, I will extend your navigation license for twelve months for free or upgrade it to a Class A license for free."
At present, Dongshanju is applying for a Category B certificate. It can only sail and trade at various ports along the coast of China. The furthest is Taiyuan, Kaohsiung, and Jeju Island. If you want to go to Japan, Ryukyu, Manila and other places, you must apply for a Category A certificate. Naturally,
The usage fee is also much higher.
When Liu Deshan heard that he could upgrade to the Class A certificate for free, he immediately became energetic and spoke clearly: "Since it is an order from the Senate, I will serve you wholeheartedly, even if I die!"
Manager Liu was secretly worried at the side, how could he get involved in such a job as a spy! He was about to say something to stop him, but Chen Huamin pulled him back.
When Chen Huamin saw that the two of them had finished talking, he asked: "If someone from the Zheng family asks about the various deeds of the Australians..."
"Whatever you see, just say it. There is no need to hide it," the officer said.
After watching the inspection ship sail away towards the south, the Dongshanju raised its three main sails again and continued to sail towards the north.
Manager Liu kept complaining in the cabin: How can such a thing be done? Liu Deshan also felt that he was a little bit disgusted with Meng Lang, but Chen Huamin disagreed:
"The Zheng family is now divided. It's unclear whether the situation in Weitou Bay can last until next year. Let's do business, and we don't need to inquire about anything. Just listen and watch. Free upgrades are a small matter, now help the Australians
With a little help, business at sea will be even greater in the future."
"This is true. Australians are the most honest in handling things!" Liu Deshan nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely not suffer any loss if I serve the Senate."
Manager Liu was worried, so he discussed it with Wang Chengqi and told the crew to keep it strictly confidential.
After sailing north for more than two hours, the Dongshanju finally arrived at Weitou Bay.
Chen Huamin stood beside the boat, staring blankly at Weitou Bay and speechless.
In the past, ships came in and out frequently, and sails could be seen everywhere. There were many boats and oars in each port. Now, there is only an empty sea, except for a few fishing boats still fishing. After sailing for a long time, no big ship was seen coming in or out.
There were no ships moored on the shore.
Wang Chengqi asked: "Captain... where should we anchor?"
This is a question for Chen Huamin. In the past, ships engaged in coastal trade all sailed to Zhongzuo Suo or Anping. But now the situation is completely different. He already knew from the Australian "Boat Paper" that the original Zheng family's ship in Weitou Bay
The forces were fragmented. Anping, Kinmen, Zhongzuo and other places were each controlled by the generals and relatives of the original Zheng family. They had no communication with each other. Although they did not attack each other at the critical moment, it was obvious that the relationship was not harmonious.
However, Liu Deshan was well prepared and arranged a direct flight to Kinmen Island - he was going to do business with Zheng Zhifeng.
Zheng Zhifeng is still the most powerful faction of the Zheng family, much stronger than Zheng Cai, Zheng Lian brothers, and even stronger than Zheng Sen. However, Zheng Sen has the support of the government, and Zheng Lian and Zheng Cai brothers sit on Xiamen Island and control the Jiulong River estuary area.
They can more easily obtain various goods supplied by the inland. In contrast, Zheng Zhifeng, who only controls the Kinmen Island and the Big Kinmen Island, has considerable difficulty in obtaining goods: In order to expand financial resources, all parties in the bay suppress their opponents.
They blocked each other's trade routes, but set up checkpoints on the main traffic roads in the areas they controlled, and levied lijin on the goods they bought and sold only in passing.
Fujian has many mountains but little land. There are limited roads that can carry bulk goods, and land transportation is blocked. The cost of Zheng Zhifeng's trade goods is much higher than others.
Since his current strength is limited and the Australians outside are eyeing him, it is not a good idea to fight each other. Zheng Zhifeng focuses on coastal trade to obtain goods. For this reason, he does not hesitate to send people to various places to publicize that he is willing to pay high prices to attract ship owners engaged in coastal trade.
Heading to Kinmen.
As the Dongshanju gets closer and closer to Kinmen, the desolate and depressed atmosphere in Weitou Bay becomes more and more obvious. The small islands it passed by used to be inhabited, but now they are all reduced to rubble, with only the charred ruins of the houses remaining.
, almost all the trestles were burned down, leaving only charred wooden piles standing alone in the undulating sea water.
The tragic situation in Liaoluo Bay is even more shocking. It was originally the main berth of the Zheng family's fleet. During the Battle of Weitou Bay, it was mainly attacked by the fleet. The fire lasted for 48 hours before it was extinguished. Hundreds of ships were moored here.
All ships, large and small, were burned. Although nearly half a year has passed, the wreckage of burned and sunk ships can still be seen on the water, with countless scorched and twisted remains.
Several people witnessed the scene in front of them and couldn't help but feel awe in their hearts: This is really devastating.
While sighing, I saw a small boat flying the Zheng Zhifeng flag sailing out from one side of the island to divert water for berthing. The Dongshanju dropped most of its sails and followed at a low speed until it anchored next to the newly built pier.
.
It can be seen that the pier is completely new, and both the houses and the trestles are built hastily. Zheng Zhifeng re-fortified and built the Kinmen Islands. Liaoluo Bay was completely abandoned because there were too many sunken ships and it was inconvenient to clean up.
The wharf looked like it was in a state of exhaustion. Bricks and timber were piled high. A row of warehouses were under construction. Workers were coming and going. It was very lively, which added a bit of vitality to this deserted and lonely bay.
However, there were not many ships in the harbor. There were only about a dozen ships moored. Most of them were not flying the flag of the Zheng family. After chatting with the leader of the Zheng family who came aboard, he learned that in order to prevent a sudden attack by the Australians, Zheng Zhifeng's ships
Most of them are anchored in the northern waters of Kinmen Island, where only foreign merchant ships are allowed to anchor.
"There are not many merchant ships..." Chen Huamin said deliberately.
"There used to be a lot of people coming in. Recently, the Kun thieves are sealing the sea. It would be good if one of the ten ships can come in." The leader said with a grimace, "You haven't encountered any patrol boats from the Kun thieves?"
"We have encountered them before. We said we were going to Shanghai to do business, and they went there."
"That's considered lucky." The leader said, "If you can come to Kinmen, you can make a small fortune. You can make a lot of money from just these salts!"
After the war between the Australians and the Zheng family, the original salt trade has completely stopped. Coupled with the recent maritime blockade, southern Fujian was originally a salt-scarce area and had to rely on imports from outside. As a result, the price of salt has skyrocketed.
The salt price offered by Zheng Zhifeng was quite good. The salt Liu Deshan bought was from the Haibei Salt Farm controlled by the Australians. It was originally cheap "private salt" that did not pay official taxes. When it was shipped here and sold, the gross profit increased by 400% - although table salt
The unit price is very low, and the profit is limited, but the profit is enough to cover the cost of the voyage, and all subsequent transactions will be net profits.
Liu Deshan laughed so hard that his mouth was about to burst to his ears: This deal was really worth it! He said good things about the whole car. In addition to the benefits that the leader deserved, he also gave red envelopes to various related people on the dock as usual: "The boss
"Weigher", "signer", "warehouse level"...
After selling the salt, the leader of the Zheng family inspected all the goods on the Dongshan Ju. However, seeing the various goods loaded on the Dongshan Ju, the leader couldn't help but look disappointed: the main cargo on the ship was sugar, and Fujian was originally sugar.
In the place of production, Zheng Zhifeng has a large amount of sugar products in hand, and there is no shortage.
When Liu Deshan found out, he immediately offered to buy the Fujian sugar products here. The leader was overjoyed and immediately expressed his willingness to give a preferential price. The sugar products on Kinmen Island are mainly brown sugar, brown sugar and brown sugar and other crude products, white sugar,
Fine goods such as rock sugar are limited, but the price is not very cheap. The average price of coarse sugar is about the same as the lowest-grade Leizhou white sugar in Australia. The price of white sugar and rock sugar is much higher, and the quality is far inferior to the Leizhou sugar sold by Australians.
But even at this price, it is still profitable to transport it to Jiangnan. At the worst, you can make a profit by transporting it to Daguan and selling it to Hongmao. The salt in Dongshan Jushang has been sold out, and the space is used to carry additional sugar cargo.