Gaoji had Yanyin as a mortgage, so he called together the wealthy businessmen in the city: foreign merchants, salt merchants and Chaozhou merchants to share the loan per head. Although the interest on this loan was not high, with Yanyin as a mortgage, there was no loss at all.
As a result, the 400,000 taels of silver were quickly divided. Gao Li couldn't help bragging a lot, and his prestige among Guangzhou businessmen also improved.
The fact that Gao Ji raised the city redemption fee through borrowing money was quickly passed on through Meng Xian's channels. As one of the largest exchange banks in Guangzhou, Delong also lent 5,000 taels of "city redemption fee" in this collective loan.
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After Gao Ju collected the silver, except for the 300,000 taels that Li Fengjie sent out in batches to the Australian military camp outside the city, the remaining 100,000 taels were deposited in Delong according to his wishes.
Make a note and hand it to Governor Li.
Boxes of silver were checked one by one in the military camp and shipped one by one. This cash will greatly alleviate the current problem of insufficient reserves of precious metals at high prices.
Gao Ji went to the military camp outside the city several times in person, and presented a batch of gifts to Wen Desi and others, and also sent a lot of sheep wine to reward the three armies. This time, his attitude towards the Australians became more respectful. They were not only
They are rich and capable tycoons, and they are also robbers armed to the teeth. Fortunately, they are also businessmen who keep their promises. As business partners, the Australians can be regarded as models.
Gao Ji is happy that he can maintain a good cooperative relationship with the Australians. In addition to Eunuch Yang, the Australians can also be a great backer. Compared with the greedy Eunuch Yang, the Australians obviously belong to the "rich people make everyone rich"
"The kind of person who shares interests equally.
The gifts given by Gao Zhou were of high value, and most of them were luxuries and enjoyment items of this era. Wen Desi was very satisfied after seeing them, and his caregiver accepted them all. After listening to Gao Zhou's compliments, the two sides talked freely about their future development.
"Wider scope" and "deeper" cooperation. Gao Zhi also readily expressed his willingness to provide the political and business channels in the capital that he had been reluctant to provide.
During the last visit, He Chengzong also went with him. The two sides reached an agreement on starting the second phase of negotiations in Macau. According to Li Fengjie's wishes, Li Luoyou will be specifically responsible for the negotiations in Macau. As for the time for the Australians themselves to return to Guangzhou, Li Fengjie requested
In mid-December - after the commotion has subsided a little.
Wen Desi and others then hosted a banquet in the monastery for Gao Ji, He Chengzong and his entourage. Both parties exchanged glasses and toasted several times, and then presented gifts, including Li Fengjie and others, with valuable Australian goods.
The host and guest parted happily.
Now that the city redemption fee has been paid, there is no need for the task force to stay outside the city. Chen Haiyang and others levied a "reasonable burden" outside the city, and after fully declaring the wind, they chose a day to withdraw from the province.
On November 20, the task force fired 24 cannons. The entire army boarded the ship and left the camp. The task force arrived in Humen that evening and joined the remaining troops in Humen. Most of the facilities here have been dismantled and the supplies have been transferred to Hong Kong.
, leaving only 2 squadrons of spy boats and 1 naval company to continue to garrison - this is a bargaining chip reserved for the next negotiation with the Guangdong local government. After a night's rest, Chen Haiyang and others led the fleet to leave the Humen anchorage on the 21st.
At noon on the same day, it passed through Macau, Mo Dao Yang, and entered Victoria Bay. The fleet finally anchored at the Central Anchorage. The two-month-long "Pearl River Basin Crusade" came to an end.
In the past two months, the construction of the 852 Base in Hong Kong has begun rapidly - a large number of prisoners have enriched the labor force. When Chen Haiyang and others returned to the 852 Base, several outposts and forts covering the entrances and exits of waterways around Hong Kong had been completed.
The first major road built near Central is under intense construction. This major road roughly runs along the coastline. Hong Kong's first wharves, warehouses, and trading houses will be developed along this major road.
Because the negotiations have not officially ended, the General Military Administration's order to the task force is to rest on the spot in Hong Kong. Some ships that need repair and maintenance can return to Lingao, while other ship personnel continue to be on standby. Once the negotiations break down, they will re-enter.
The battle begins on the Pearl River.
Li Luoyou witnessed the Australian fleet sailing out of the Pearl River Estuary under the escort of small boats emitting black smoke. He knew that the overall situation was decided - the most urgent thing now was to clean up the mess. Sure enough, there was news from Guangzhou.
came the order to start negotiations with the Australians immediately.
Li Luoyou's mood for this negotiation is both resistance and expectation. The expectation is naturally that after this negotiation, trade can be restored and the normal life order on both sides of the Pearl River will be back on track, whether from the perspective of his personal interests or the interests of the people.
, the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Australians is of great significance.
The reason why he felt conflicted was because he already knew what the Australians had done on the Pearl River in the past two months. The officers and soldiers once again showed their absolute incompetence. The Australians had dozens of boats and one or two thousand people.
They wreaked havoc on both sides of the Pearl River as if they were in uninhabited territory, extorting "reasonable burdens" everywhere, killing many local gentry, taking thousands of prisoners, and taking away a large amount of property.
What the Australians did was like they were slaves again. Of course, they were more polite to the people than the beast-like slaves. They did not arrest people casually, nor did they rob, murder and set fire everywhere. They were just particularly ruthless to those who resisted. Li
Luo You is keenly aware that Australians are much smarter and more dangerous than slaves.
The location for the negotiation was chosen to be Huang Shunlong's private residence. Huang Shunlong felt honored to serve both shopkeeper Li and the Australians, so he set aside the best courtyard for their use.
The negotiator sent by Lingao was Skelder, the office director of the Ministry of Colonization and Trade. This peace advocate had always advocated negotiating peace with Ming Dynasty as soon as possible and even accepting recruitment. This time, the Executive Committee agreed with him to negotiate peace, but did not allow
What is "recruitment"?
In addition to the conditions already agreed upon in Guangzhou, including the return of all Zihao properties, compensation for losses, and the reopening of bilateral trade, Si Kaide also made six demands:
First, Australians are free to purchase and hire people, and can dispose of them and export them as they please, without any interference from the government.
Second, all ships under the names of Australians entering Guangzhou for trade are not taxed. The goods on board are exempted from taxation, that is, they are exempted from paying tariffs.
Third, Zihao and other Australian industrial and commercial enterprises continue to pay various official business taxes, but are exempted from all unfavorable regulations.
Fourth, Australians enjoy extraterritoriality in Guangzhou, and all arrests, detentions and interrogations involving Australians must obtain the consent of the Australians.
Fifth, Australians can freely purchase land and build houses in Guangzhou.
Sixth, Hong Kong Island and surrounding outlying islands are controlled by Australians. Quasi-Australians can act freely on it.
Si Kaide finished reading these six items. Li Luoyou felt a little relieved - there were no terrible compensations or annual coins. Because of the lessons of the two Song Dynasties, the Ming Dynasty was extremely vigilant against such things. But the last item
It aroused his attention. Doesn't this so-called "control" mean that he wants to cede Hong Kong Island?
In the history of the Ming Dynasty, Xiangshan Ao was far less famous than Haojing Ao. Even businessmen like Li Luoyou, who had been doing business along the coast of Guangdong for a long time, were not very familiar with it. However, regardless of whether they were familiar with it or not, ceding the land was absolutely necessary.
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"It is absolutely impossible to cede Xiangshan Ao." Li Luoyou knew very well that this little-known island is probably under the control of the Australians now. Their request to add this clause during negotiations is nothing more than excessive.
It's just a matter of showing the way and confirming one's own rights.
Skade said nothing and continued to listen to his statement.
"...not to mention that Lord Fujun dare not agree to this request to cede Hong Kong Island, even the emperor dare not mention the word 'land cession'." Li Luoyou said, "Furthermore, Lord Fujun also refuses to accept this clause.
I dare not report it to the imperial court in order to reach heaven to hear it."
Si Kaide continued to remain silent. These issues were also mentioned by Yu Eshui of the Great Library when the negotiation conditions were drafted - as far as the current situation is concerned, Ming Dynasty is required to sign a treaty similar to the "Treaty of Nanjing"
It is institutionally impossible. No governor or governor would dare to sign such a document.
"Furthermore, the imperial court is extremely wary of people from overseas, and the debate over Shanghai ban and its release has never stopped. You still want to come to Guangzhou openly and pretend to be Australians, let alone Mr. Fujun.
He cannot cover the sky with one hand - there are several officials in this city who can directly report to the imperial court - even if he can do it, what will happen if the governor of Guangdong changes his position? "
Si Kaide was very convinced: "What do you think, sir?"
"This matter can only be known to you and me, and must not be made known to the world." Li Luoyou said.
Li Luoyou said that the Guangdong local government could only secretly agree to the various conditions put forward by the Australians, and both sides would make a fortune in silence. They could not openly state them in writing, and they could not blatantly use the banner of the Australians.
The Ming government prohibited all foreigners from living and doing business in Guangzhou. Except for the Portuguese, who had the privilege of entering Guangzhou twice a year for trade, no foreigners could live in Guangzhou. Of course, Australians could not.
If this power is demanded forcefully, even if Li Fengjie is willing to sue for it, the back-and-forth in the court will never yield results in just three or four years.
"Fortunately, Australians are also of Chinese descent, and their faces are no different from those of Ming Dynasty people. Why don't you just continue to be Ming Dynasty people?" Li Luoyou came up with a plan to let them pretend to be Aboriginal in Guangzhou.
As long as the identity problem is solved, everything can be easily solved.
Since they are natives of Guangzhou, they can buy land, build houses, buy and sell people, hire workers, etc. The government will never interfere. As for large-scale population exports, Li Luoyou believes that as long as they are transported away
The government will not only not obstruct the influx of refugees from other places, but will also welcome them - otherwise they would have prevented Australians from exporting people from Guangzhou a few years ago.
As for the second article, the issue of ship tax, since Australians are considered indigenous to Guangzhou, and the ship sails between Lingao and Guangzhou, it is an authentic domestic coastal trade, so there is no need to pay the tax of overseas merchant ships and foreign ships.
If necessary, draw a share and pay taxes on water.
As for the third tax exemption issue, as long as we can reach a tacit agreement with the government, it is of course not a problem - the commercial taxes of the Ming Dynasty were not high in the first place. As long as the merchants had a certain backing, local officials did not dare to demand excessive extortion, and the merchants paid taxes.
There is not much pressure. Of course, some necessary bad rules are unavoidable, but given the reputation of Australians for killing people without blinking an eye, I am afraid that no one would want to take this money without opening their eyes.
Regarding the request for extraterritoriality, Li Luoyou smiled bitterly and said: "You still care about this? There is no one in Guangzhou who is so blind that he can punish your crimes. You are now a wealthy gentry. If a picture is sent to the Yamen, you are committing murder and arson."
Even the criminal thieves can be saved."
Regarding the issue of Hong Kong Island, Li Luoyou firmly opposed their occupation of Hong Kong Island. He believed that the governor would never agree to this matter.
"The Fujun can only turn a blind eye to this matter. It is absolutely impossible for you to rent this place like the Portuguese." Li Luoyou said, "This matter is not a trivial matter. The Portuguese can settle in Hao Jing Ao. It is their luck. You cannot force it."
After more than ten days of bargaining and exchanges of letters and telegrams from both sides to Guangzhou and Lingao, the two sides finally reached a principled agreement in Macau. It was later known as the "Treaty of Macau" in history, but the imperial historians are not sure whether this agreement was genuine.
The treaty is highly controversial. The mainstream view is that this treaty can only be regarded as a memorandum of understanding between the empire and the local government of the Ming Dynasty. The text of the treaty has not been formally signed and sealed, and even the text preserved by the Ming Dynasty was later
It can no longer be found. It is not an international treaty in the true sense. This document can only be implemented in Guangdong by relying on the powerful force of the empire's ships and artillery.
Since the Guangdong government concluded this treaty in private, of course it would not be publicly stored in the archives. It was only stored in Li Luoyou's mansion as a top-secret private document for reference. And this document has long been
Lost. According to the text preserved in the Great Library, the entire "Treaty of Macau" has eleven articles.
1. Australians are free to go to Guangzhou and several surrounding prefectures and counties under the control of the Guangdong Governor's Office to live, do business, and farm, and can bring their family members, servants, and associates. However, they must pretend to be natives of Guangdong and cannot openly call themselves Australians.
Second, the Purple Shopkeeper is responsible for all affairs of Australians in Guangzhou. If there are any business or civil disputes, he has the full authority to deal with the government.
Third, all Australian properties in Guangzhou are subject to tax as usual in accordance with government regulations, except for miscellaneous fees and various fees.
Fourth, Australians can buy land and real estate in Guangzhou.
5. Australian ships entering Guangzhou for trade are exempt from paying all rates, quotas and fees. However, they must pretend to be Ming ships and cannot call themselves Australian ships. Otherwise, all taxes and fees will not be exempted.
Sixth, Australians can freely conduct any trade in Guangzhou and transport goods, gold and silver in and out freely, and the government shall not interfere.
7. Australians can hire and purchase people in Guangzhou and can freely take them to wherever the Australians wish to go.
8. The Australians were repairing ships and staying in Xiangshan Ao, but the Guangdong government would not interfere.
9. All the properties, land, trade names and property owned by the original Australians in Guangzhou will be returned. Since some of the goods have been sold and some of the wealth-producing equipment have been destroyed, the two parties have now reached an agreement that the Guangdong side will pay a one-time payment of 30,000 Kuping silver.
Both shall be compensated.
10. The government is not allowed to infringe upon all Ming people who were implicated in the previous arrests of the Australians. Those who have been captured will be released. The government will pay a one-time payment of five thousand taels of Kuping silver to compensate for the property they have infringed upon.
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11. After all compensation, release and return work is completed, all Australian troops stationed in Humen will be evacuated.
In addition to the eleven paragraphs, there are additional treaties and several agreements. Many details were drawn up personally by the arbitral tribunal’s staff, and the writing format was very grand.
Generally speaking, the Executive Committee does not attach great importance to this treaty, because this treaty is generally just a private agreement reached between the Senate and Li Fengjie. The binding force on the Ming Dynasty government is limited to the period when Li Fengjie is in charge of Guangdong. Once Li Fengjie
If you resign, the entire agreement will be invalidated.
However, the traditional characteristic of Chinese officialdom is that the inheritance of bad rules is extremely serious. As long as this agreement operates smoothly for a few years and forms an interest group surrounding it, the newly replaced Guangdong Governor will have no choice but to do anything. Moreover, according to the current development
Momentum, it is still unknown how long the Ming Dynasty can maintain its rule in Guangdong, and how many governors of Guangdong can be replaced.
The reason why this low-level memorandum has to have detailed terms and grand style is that Ma Jia's main intention is to satisfy the Senate - to give the senators a sense of satisfaction that they have signed an unequal treaty. In Ma Jia's view, especially
The countless goods, population and the 300,000 taels of city redemption fees brought back by the fleet were worth all the treaties.
Although the treaty itself was of little significance, after the telegram of the signing of the Treaty of Macao reached Lingao, the Senate still ordered that 24 cannons be fired at Bopu and the whistle beeped for one minute as a celebration.
The Treaty of Macau did not involve the disposal of the remnants of He Rubin's troops trapped in Qiongshan. Li Fengjie believed that the matter had nothing to do with him in the first place. Moreover, so far, no state or county in Qiongzhou Prefecture had reported the trap. He was happy to pretend to be deaf and dumb.
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On the day after celebrating the signing of the Macao Treaty, news came from Guangdong: Wang Zunde, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, died of illness while taking office in Zhaoqing, and Governor Da Yin was temporarily cared for by Li Fengjie.
In this way, the task of how to clean up the mess in Qiongshan and rescue He Rubin's troops fell on Li Fengjie. Of course, he could continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb until the new governor of Guangdong and Guangxi came to take over and let him handle it. But in Li Fengjie's heart
He had an idea: he hoped that he could change from "nursing" to "agency", and finally become a full-time official. To this end, he sent people to Beijing to send a message to Beijing, so that the master of his Zhezi Study Room could be active in Beijing immediately.
Li Luoyou was sent to Lingao again to try to reach an agreement with the Australians on rescuing the remaining troops of He Rubin as soon as possible.