After an uneventful journey, the Dongshanju left Kaohsiung and headed for Shanghai. It sold some goods in Shanghai, purchased a large amount of cotton and grain, and then headed to Longkou. After selling in Longkou, Hu turned around and returned, stopping at several ports during the period.
It was already the end of January 1634 when we finally arrived at Lingaobopu Port.
Although Lin Ming has been obsessed with Lingao in the past few years and has always paid attention to collecting news about Lingao, this is the first time he has returned to Lingao. Standing on the deck, he saw that the port was getting closer and closer to him, stretching into the sea as wide as a street.
The stone trestle, the tall crane, the "automatic car" that smoked and breathed fire on the track and pulled the carriage... Finally, there was the "big iron ship" of the thief. He originally thought that these things would no longer allow him to have
Too many surprises - in the past few years, he has heard too many people say these miracles that can only be excused by the "power of ghosts and gods", and he himself has secretly snooped around the construction site of Guangzhou Great World, and has seen some of them.
Something similar. However, when the port under the rule of the Kun thieves actually appeared in front of him, his breath was held for a moment. The scene in front of him was a world that was completely beyond the scope of his understanding.
Chimneys large and small spewed black smoke into the air, and white steam spewed out with the low impact of iron tools, filling the sky above the pier like a layer of light clouds. Various cranes, pipes, tracks criss-crossed, whistles and whistles
Sharp whistling, one after another.
"It's like arriving in the kingdom of lions and camels, with demons dancing wildly!" Lin Ming couldn't help but have such an association.
The harbor was full of ships. The Dongshanju was flying the Lingao sailing flag. It was not the first time he came to the port. Gangshou was already familiar with the roads and quickly contacted a tugboat to tow the Dongshanju to the berth.
Stop on top.
As soon as the ship stopped, a small boat was already coming towards the Dongshanju with black smoke. Several people on board were wearing the official uniforms of the thief - Lin Ming knew that this was called "uniform", and all the thief's men were "official"
"They all wear this. It's a routine thing for them to come to the ship, but it's also their first test."
If you can't even pass this level, sneaking into Lingao to find your sister-in-law to collect information is just empty talk. You'd better go home early.
Liu Deshan and Chen Huamin, along with the main stewards on the ship, were already waiting on the deck. Lin Ming pretended to be immersed in work beside the mast, peeking at what was going on on the deck.
I saw the thieves in the small boat getting on the boat. As the rumors said, all of them had monk-like hair. They probably thought it was indecent to be bare-headed. So everyone in the "official business" wore a hat.
There were ones made of rattan that looked like soup pots, and there were also simple cloth hats with a long brim sticking out in front of their foreheads. In Lin Ming's opinion, they were really weird.
The clothes on the body are also tight, and there is a belt around the waist. It can be seen that the "official uniforms" are all made of cloth. They are all of the same color. Not only are there no silks, let alone patches, there are not even basic patterns -
They are worse than the officials on duty at the yamen gate. At least they are decorated with a bird feather on their hats. As for decoration, it can barely be said to be the small colorful pieces of cloth on their collars and a row of numbers sewn on their chests -
Lin Ming knew that they were called Arabic numerals, and there were two Chinese characters below the numbers: "Port Affairs".
As for the belt, although it is leather, it does not look like valuable fur. It is just an ordinary cowhide. There is a sense of poverty all over the body, but the black curve is exposed from the triangular leather cover on the belt.
The handle was quite majestic. Lin Ming knew that it contained the thief's "wheel-turning gun". It was the most powerful military weapon.
Such powerful firearms were actually hung on the waists of a few small "officials". This thief was really extravagant. Lin Ming thought that ever since he went to work at Baihu Station, the weapons issued by the imperial court were not suitable for use.
Yes, how is the steel mouth of the swords I received? Some of the handles and blades are not securely installed. They will fall apart if they are bumped. They are not as useful as the ones stocked in hundreds of households decades ago. Foshan is still a place where
It’s easy to say: In the Taiping world, even if there are some bandits and pirates, most of them don’t need the Jin Yiwei to go out. Occasionally, if you go out on errands, you don’t need to use knives or guns. But the brothers in the north complain that they have to buy their own weapons when they go out on errands, otherwise they will encounter
When you are desperate, you have to get out of the trap.
While I was sighing, I heard a few words from the conversation between the captain and the thief:
"…Are there any immigrants on board?"
"No, they are all my own guys." This was Chen Huamin's voice.
Suddenly, Manager Liu's voice came in: "Yes, there was one, didn't the young man who got on board the boat say he wanted to find a way out in Lingao?"
Lin Ming knew that this was about him, and couldn't help but secretly complain. He originally planned to get off the boat quietly, then blend in with the crowd and stay quietly, but unexpectedly, Manager Liu stabbed him out.
He secretly cursed in his heart: "I will never die", but I didn't dare to move. I continued to do my own thing, and continued to listen carefully with my ears raised.
"Since there is an immigrant, let's ask him to come and register. We will arrange for him to disembark for quarantine in the next few days."
"Yes, I'll call him right now." Manager Liu raised his throat as he spoke, "Young boy! Young boy!"
Lin Ming naturally couldn't pretend to be deaf, so he had to act ignorant and hurried over:
"Manager Liu, did you call me?"
"Young man, don't you want to come to Gao to find a way out? Register with these people quickly. Once you register, you will be considered an immigrant. Australians take care of food, food and housing." Manager Liu said with a smile.
"This..." Lin Ming groaned secretly. He already knew the tricks of the thief Kun. If he really wanted to register, the next step would be to enter some kind of "Jinghua Camp", where he would shave his head, take a shower, spread his buttocks and look at the anus. He would have to be there.
I was "in jail" for more than a month. I had no freedom of movement for at least two or three months. How could this be done? Besides, how could I go back to Foshan after shaving my head?
He quickly said with a smile on his face: "Masters, please take this as a warning! My parents take care of my body and skin. Young ones don't dare to shave their heads. They just want to make a living in Lingao..."
One of the thieves interrupted him: "I understand what you mean! Don't worry, our Senate does not force people to shave their heads. It's just that you don't want to shave your head. Even if you don't join the army, you can't recruit workers. I think you speak politely.
, probably a scholar..."
Manager Liu interjected: "Master, you are very discerning: this young boy has read poetry and books, can write and calculate, and can also play chess well."
The port manager nodded: "You are a scholar and educated person. You can become a cadre in just a few months here. Why do you have to work hard as a hawker for a few hairs? It's not worth it!"
Lin Ming was very good at his work. He wiped his eyes and said: "The boss is kind-hearted. I also understand that every word of wisdom is good. But I don't dare to violate the teachings of the saint. My parents died early. Please help me."
A heart of filial piety..." He started to cry as he spoke.
He was sincere and moved the other party. The port manager waved his hand and said: "You are a grown man, why are you crying? Since you are so filial and don't want to shave your head, just don't shave it. Anyway, we are here voluntarily. I just feel that
Pity."
Lin Ming quickly lowered his head and said, "Thank you, sir, for fulfilling my filial piety!"
"But even if you don't want to shave your hair, you still have to register and get a certificate, otherwise you won't be able to make a living in Lingao." The port manager said, opening the folder and taking out a quill, "Would you like to register your name first?"
"Lin Min."
"age……"
The port attendant probably asked about his name, age, place of origin, and where he came from. After registering them one by one, he asked him to take his fingerprints. Finally, he tore off a piece of paper and handed it to him:
"After the quarantine period is over, go to the customs building within three days -" he said, pointing towards the towering bell tower by the harbor. "Go to the immigration registration office to register and collect the certificate. Remember to go on time!"
"Yes, yes, I understand, little one."
Lin Ming nodded and bowed as he took it. He took it and saw that it had a "Temporary ID Card Application Form" printed on it. Below it was a printed format: a string of Arabic numerals, with his name already written on it, and which ship he was coming from.
Waiting for information. From the large official seal on the saddle, it can be seen that these are the upper and lower couplets. The upper couplet must have been left in the hands of the so-called "port affairs" of the thief.
After handling the immigration affairs, the port staff checked the weapons and gunpowder on the ship one by one to see if the rewards had been awarded, and randomly inspected the goods according to the cargo manifest. Although there is a customs in Lingao, the implemented tariffs are very low, and many goods have zero tariffs, so the inspection
Smuggling is not strict. After inspection, there is a routine of disinfection with disinfectant. However, there have been no recent reports of disease outbreaks in the ports Dongshanju has sailed through, and the quarantine procedures are relatively simple.
Seeing the port manager disembarking from the ship and leaving, Manager Liu walked over and shook his head: "What a pity, what a pity, people value you very much..."
"The little one really can't bear it..."
"I know, I know." Manager Liu nodded and said, "Everyone has his own ambitions. We can't get off the ship right now, so I'll ask you to stay with me, this old man, on the ship for a few more days. The wages will be paid to you by then."
Only then did Lin Ming realize that he couldn't get off the ship yet and had to go through a "quarantine period" of several days. During this period, no one was allowed to get off the ship. The health of the personnel was reported to the patrol ship every day. If anyone was sick, he had to report it immediately and a doctor would be sent to the shore immediately.
look.
"This Australian is so kind and cares about medical treatment..."
Manager Liu laughed a few times: "Young man, what do you know? They are afraid of spreading the plague! So no one is allowed to get off the ship. If someone really gets sick, we all have to go to the 'Jinghua Camp' - then I don't care about you.
If you are not filial, you will have to shave your head, bathe every day, and eat porridge for several months. Maybe even the ship and its cargo will be dragged out to sea and burned!"
Lin Ming was shocked: "Is it really that serious?"
"Of course, nowadays, there are so many people coming and going in Lingao, but the epidemic rarely spreads. It depends on this system. Although it is a bit unreasonable, it is very useful!" (To be continued)