Lu Ming

For example, sealed in a wax pill, the mysterious pill that can cure sailors from scurvy.

For example, the church's favorite oil lamps and kerosene can bring light to believers in the long winter in Europe.

These dazzling but expensive commodities immediately emptied the pockets of all visitors.

Merchants from various countries who have adapted to this new trade model quickly discovered the crux of the problem: everyone no longer needs to spend their energy on finding the source of goods from the Ming Dynasty and fighting each other, because no one can monopolize and buy short in the hands of others. of goods.

The only thing that needs to be done now is how to quickly and efficiently transport the goods needed by the cross-country to the damned and tempting Taijiang Port, and then use those magical goods to make a fortune in Europe.

Therefore, due to the tightening of money in Europe during the 30-year war, the Spaniards, who had lived a miserable life, launched a large-scale battle that had never been seen in history against the natives of the Philippines half a year ago: the Battle of San Seta.

And the red hair entrenched in the Spice Islands is not far behind.

Originally, the greatest governor of the Dutch East India Company in history, Jan Petersjohn Cohen, will die of dysentery during the siege of Batavia by the indigenous Matalan Sultanate last year at the age of 43 .

And on this plane, because bleach was sprinkled in the water cellar of the Governor's Mansion, Governor Cohen survived in good health until the Sultanate was withdrawn from the siege.

This year, the Dutch, who had recovered their breath, launched a new round of campaign against Mataland under the command of Cohen: both for revenge and to capture slaves.

So, suddenly discovering that there were a large number of unplanned slaves in their hands, the high-level officials turned their attention to the well-known Jinguashi mining area in the mountain nest in Taipei.

There are not only gold mines there, but also copper mines, which is the most valued by the time travelers.

Chapter 504 Taipei ([-])

Wu Sanye's name is Wu Meng, and he was a criminal sent to Taipei.

What crime?Anti demolition.

Anti-demolition is to oppose the demolition by force, and then try to retaliate against the society. After the failure in the end, the third master was dispatched.

When Mr. Xiong Daoxiong was demolishing Shanghai Port, Wu Meng, who was a local snake and private port operator, made a big mistake because he couldn't figure out the origin and background of his opponent, resisting the demolition, and finally fought against Mr. Xiong twice After Sanshou, he lost to Taihu Lake.

Afterwards, when the Taihu bandits attacked the port, Wu Sanye played the role of the leading party/home return group again, and was defeated and captured.

Fortunately, the time-traveling people from later generations still have the legal concept of "de facto marriage". Mr. Xiong also recognized Wu San's previous ownership of the private port, so in the end the third master was not beheaded, but sent to Taipei to do hard labor ——Property rights cannot offset crimes, each belongs to its own.

After being stuffed into the bilge with a few younger brothers, after arriving in Taipei in the dark, seeing this wild isolated island and slave savages everywhere, the third master thought he was doomed.

Unexpectedly, not long after, the third master returned to his old job: dock management/supervisor.

Although Taipei is a base for exiled prisoners, it is also divided into ranks and ranks.

Among them, the lowest status is naturally the South Asian slaves.These are purely consumables. To build roads in the primeval forests and swamps of Taipei, a ship of "goods" will be consumed within two or three months.

Followed by natives.The "naturalized people" who were forced to burn down the village and live together basically contracted all the construction and miscellaneous work in Huanggang Town.

But the good thing is that the natives don't have to worry about wages for food and clothing, and they don't have to be sent to build roads in the forest.In addition, for those who can pass the simple daily Chinese test, the Huangang Township Government will "raise the flag" for him, enjoy the treatment of ordinary citizens, and are eligible to enter the hospital for medical treatment.

The highest class is naturally the Han people.

Among these people, although there are some criminals who were sent here because of stealing, robbery and abduction, the "elites" of various ethnic groups who were dispatched in disguise have the highest proportion of the population.

As mentioned earlier, since the cross-travelers absorb the population from Daming without restriction, there will naturally be many immigrants who migrate with their families.

The clan power among them is undoubtedly a threat to the nobles' career, at least in the early days.Therefore, the cross-travelers are not polite to these patriarchs and young masters who come to grab power, and they all send them to Taipei to seek life.

But in the same way as Wu Sanye, these people did not suffer any injustice when they came to Taipei-the local malaria and harsh natural environment were already the biggest punishment.

In fact, apart from the inability to leave this place and the unilateral input of information, the Ming people living here are not very different from those in Tainan.

There are also a wide variety of goods here, as well as newspapers that can understand world affairs, and there are also jobs to do.These people who were distributed in disguise were all elites of the landlord class in the Ming Dynasty before. They were neither lacking in culture nor generally lacking in money, so as long as they were willing to participate in the construction of Huanggang Town, they would be able to survive in the end.

And with the formation of Huanggang Town, many of them have also set up property here, which can be regarded as a different kind of settlement.

The only problem is that the death rate is too high.

Huanggang Town was developed from a seaside wooden trestle.In the early days of pioneering, the dreaded malaria and various mosquito-borne diseases were unavoidable.

Confined by the harsh natural environment here, most of the immigrants who came here in the early days have died in just a few years.Hidden behind the rapid expansion of Huanggang Town is an astonishing "renewal" data of immigrants that appeared on the desks of all the offices.

Fortunately, no matter how many people die here, there will always be a steady stream of people from all walks of life to be added later, and Wu Sanye and his younger brothers are one of them.

The third master, who first arrived in your place, was in a gloomy mood.Looking at the lawlessness of the General's Mansion, since he was sent into exile again this time, he might not be able to sober himself up with a [-]-odd stick of killing power stick first?

As a result, when the government clerk here read the file of the third master, he found that not only could he count, but he could also live in the turbulent private lord Yangang for many years. Talents with special "management experience"!

So Sanye, the exiled prisoner, hastily took up his post as soon as he disembarked from the ship—the assistant to the general manager of the Yangmingshan Highway Section of the Second Construction Corporation.

Specifically, the third master and a few younger brothers became the supervisors of the most advanced sections of the highway section, the kind of vicious supervisors with guns, knives and whips.

The third master quickly adapted to the new life. After all, it is much easier to control the slaves to work than to work at home.

The sophisticated man is different from those iron fools. The third master is full of awe for the Second Construction Corporation and the Huanggang Town Government above his head. After all, he has thoroughly experienced Cao Dashuai's skills when he was in Jiangnan.

In this way, the third master, as an excellent employee, has escaped several disasters invisibly—the third master who has carefully studied the documents issued by his superiors, reminded his subordinates in time: the superiors attach great importance to mosquitoes, and we still keep the camp Do a good job of anti-mosquito work, and wear long sleeves when you go out, no matter how hot the weather is.

With the passage of time, Wu Sanye, who survived the previous ghost gate, gradually improved his qualifications and became a senior person in the highway section.

During this process, the third master gradually learned something hidden under the water. Through various information, he finally knew what kind of giant the General's Mansion... the "fan town" now called the Marshal's Mansion is.

Now he has been transferred from the Yangmingshan section and has become the deputy director of the newly opened Jinguashi section. He is responsible for driving the 500 "quota" slaves assigned to him to frantically kill people to clear the way from the new town stronghold by the sea. At the beginning, the gravel road was paved in the direction of Jinguashi in 1.1 meters.

And the fair-skinned young master Yusheng who is always smoked by the third master is the third master's colleague in the company.

Although Master Yusheng is the same supervisor as the third master, but because he was born into a wealthy family and has good handwriting, he is usually more responsible for copywriting in the supervision office.

Huang Yusheng is the descendant of the clan who was dispatched as mentioned earlier.

Leaving the clansmen who could be called at any time and the huge power he once had, Huang Yusheng's father died of illness and emptiness half a year after immigrating to Taipei.

And the reason why Master Yusheng survived happily is thanks to his own character.Huang Yusheng is a natural optimist. In addition, perhaps because the young man has not tasted the taste of power, he does not feel much injustice about his situation. This is probably because he can find the right position in this place and survive. down the root cause.

Chapter 505 Taipei ([-])

Master Huang Yusheng is from Sanming, Fujian.

Sanming is a mountainous area, so the Huang family is a small clan from the valley.

Accompanied by successive years of natural disasters, severe drought, and increasingly severe exploitation by the government, the Huang people, who felt that life was really difficult, decided to flee the famine collectively.

This kind of collective fleeing from famine was very common in ancient times.Especially in the northern region, whenever there is a catastrophe and military chaos, a large number of Han people will collectively migrate southward—the Western Jin Dynasty, the end of the Tang Dynasty, the end of the Song Dynasty, the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Hakka groups from all over the world.

What is different from the past is that this time the Huang family has a new choice for collective escape: Tainan.

Fujian and Tainan are separated by a sea, and Xiong Wencan's attitude of "reopening" makes Fujian the province of Ming that is most heavily infiltrated by cross-travelers.

The process of the Huang family's migration this time is very simple: just go to any coastal city, find the "labor recruitment points" opened by Marshal Cao in various downtown areas, consult with the clerk about the conditions, and then the whole family can set off.

After the refugees set off, as long as they hold the certificate issued here, they can find a special reception point in any county along the way, and all food, drink and accommodation will be reimbursed.

So the Huang family came to Tainan in this way, and it was so easy that it didn't look like an escape from famine. The time was at the beginning of last year.

After that, the treatment everyone received was quite satisfactory.Not only did everyone live in a beautiful wooden apartment, but there was also a cafeteria where they could eat their fill.

Of course, the premise of all this is to pay back the debt for Dashuai Cao.

However, Huang Yusheng's family was treated differently.One morning, half a month after arriving in Tainan, the family of four was singled out again and ordered to be packed and packed. Without a word, they were sent to the boat to Taipei, and they were not even given a chance to say goodbye to the family.

After the family arrived in Taipei in fear, they were apprehensive at first.Especially Huang's father, he judged very firmly: his family will be wiped out by the surname Cao... After all, there are rich abbots in poor temples.

Although these silvers were forcibly exchanged into banknotes before, banknotes are now deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Everyone knows that this thing is equivalent to silver in Tainan.

Facts have proved that Huang's father thought too much.Although the environment in Taipei is a bit harsh, the social outlook is no different from that of Tainan. It is still in a period of rapid development, and there is no government to blackmail his family's money.

Father Huang found out the real reason soon after: it turned out that this was the place where the dignitaries of the clan were exiled!

After learning that the neighbors living in the simple house had the same experience, Huang's father finally found out the real reason.However, it was too late to say anything at this time. The information about Taipei flowed in unilaterally, and outsiders didn't know the slightest bit of the situation here.

In this way, after being beaten back to his original form and losing the people he could rely on in the past, Huang's father, who was used to the power of his body, couldn't bear the psychological gap, and soon died of illness.

But as the saying goes: a dragon begets nine sons.

Huang Yusheng, the theoretical young patriarch, was born with an optimistic temperament, which was different from his father who valued authority very much.

From Yusheng's point of view, since everyone has already put down their faces and defected to Marshal Cao, life and death are naturally in the hands of manpower, let alone being scattered and resettled?

Besides, based on the situation they saw in Tainan, the people of their own family must be living well now, so don't worry about it, let's take care of each other.

Therefore, after the patriarch's old father died, the official head of the family, Yusheng, took out his savings in time to buy a newly built two-story building facing the street in Huanggang Town.

At this time, due to the new development of Huanggang Town, the environment is harsh, so there are many people waiting and watching, but not many people are willing to spend their money to buy properties.

So Huang Yusheng picked up a bargain: a new small brick-concrete building cost only half of his family's savings.

After owning the property, his family lived on the second floor, rented out two rooms by the way, and opened a grocery store on the first floor. In this way, Huang Yusheng settled his mother and younger sister.

As for himself, he signed up to work as a financial supervisor/supervisor in the second construction company that is currently flourishing in Huanggang Town.

Huang Yusheng's two choices are virtually in line with the current "trend" of development.

First of all, with the arrival of a large number of resources and slaves, Huanggang Town is becoming more and more prosperous. After just one year, it is impossible to spend that little money to buy a small building now.

Secondly, after working in the second construction company equivalent to a state-owned enterprise, Huang Yusheng obtained far more information than ordinary people, so he gradually recognized the hidden power of the Marshal's Mansion, and gradually integrated into the new system through daily work.Coupled with the fact that young people accept new ideas quickly, so today's Young Master Yusheng has become a qualified middle and lower level managerial personnel needed by an emerging regime.

During this process, Yusheng also got to know many people, among which the most appetizing young master is the reckless Third Master Wu.

Wu Sanye is undoubtedly a man with a story.In addition, on the dangerous construction site, Wu Sanye saved the life of Master Yusheng twice, which cannot be ignored.

As a result, two people with completely different backgrounds and identities formed a year-end friendship in this way, struggling together in this land where vitality and crisis coexist.

……

After the noon break that day, Mr. Wu and the others sent off the boat that transported the corpses, took turns to wash their hands, and after eating, they stayed on the construction site until the evening before organizing a team to leave work.

After several years of groping, the traversers are now quite experienced in how to manage slave camps.

On this deserted island isolated from the world, Wu Sanye and his supervisors have relatively loose supervision of the slaves—if they want to run away, they can just go, escaped slaves can live in the primeval forest of Taipei in the 17th century After three days, you will be able to do it.

Therefore, after the slaves got off work, they all consciously lined up and returned to the slave camp under the escort of guards with guns.

Due to the continuous relocation of the construction section, the so-called slave camp is actually a camp made of tents and temporary straw sheds.

Here, the slaves' day's work is considered complete.The steaming big iron pot has prepared enough calories to feed them.

The main food is brown rice and miscellaneous fish, which were replaced by potatoes and fish later.As for vegetables, it is not a problem at all in Taipei, where the climate is mild. Just a few vegetable gardens can guarantee the food needs of the workshop.

After eating, the slaves had time to completely relax.Of course, there is still a ghost gate to pass before this: temperature detection.

Malaria is not the only disease that can cause mass attrition.In this era where the East and the West blend, there are at least dozens of infectious diseases that threaten the human population living in groups at all times.

Therefore, temperature detection has become the only most effective detection method: any slave who shows signs of elevated body temperature will be isolated and observed separately.Once this person continues to have a fever in the next few days, then I'm sorry, Wu Sanye's youthful hammer will be knocked off...even if it is a simple cold, it will be like this, because the slave camp has no medicine to treat colds, and it is impossible to judge Is it a cold?

After such a difficult day, that night, a company clerk came to the slave camp out of breath and brought a shocking document to Wu Sanye and Yusheng: a new department "Pioneering Army" is currently recruiting people everywhere. The second construction company also received the official letter.

Chapter 506 Demolition Payment

The notification from the Headquarters of the Pioneering Army to assist in the conscription was sent to all the departments under the crossing regime.Among them, the ones that really caused some waves were in places like Taipei.

Without him, interest.

These people in Taipei, whether it is Wu Sanye or Yusheng Young Master, although their lives are not much different from other places, and their wages are not too high, but these people have an invisible shackle: they are not allowed to leave this place.

To put it bluntly, the higher-ups treated them as exiles.

Wu Sanye will not say anything, he is a real violent labor reform prisoner.As for people like Yusheng, although they didn't say it publicly, everyone knows that the clan members who were immigrated to Taipei are actually exiles in disguise, and "don't leave Taipei for no reason."

In the words of later generations, that is "deprivation of political rights for a period of time."

This punishment is sometimes quite severe.Still talking about Mr. Wu: After he came to Taipei before, he had actually applied for cashing in the demolition funds for his family's land acquisition in Shanghai.

However, the answer he got in the end was: When your labor reform period expires, you will be eligible to go to the senior officials to handle this matter.

The same is true for Yusheng: In theory, he cannot leave Taipei in his life. Perhaps when the regime of the Chuanzhong is stabilized, future generations will escape from this place and remove this shackle.

So when the pioneering army's conscription notice was delivered to Taipei, there was an uproar among these second-class citizens at the first time-the document clearly stated that anyone who joined the pioneering army would have all previous crimes cleared, and their status was equivalent to that of "ordinary people." ".

Everyone is quite familiar with this routine, because since ancient times, emperors will not only give amnesty to the world when they change their terms, but also enlist criminals, son-in-laws, and petty officials to join the army in foreign wars.

And this ordinary person's identity in the document is the identity that a group of exiles have dreamed of.

Wu Sanye and Yusheng seriously considered this matter immediately.

Judging from the general introduction in the document, this Laoshizi Pioneering Army was formed to attack the natives of Nanyang who "disobeyed the king".And this kind of work, in fact, they have already done it on the natives of Taipei before, and they are considered familiar with it, and there is no obstacle to execution.

As for saying that everyone has never been to Nanyang... just kidding, everyone has never been to Taipei before, aren't they all places of foreign culture?No matter how bad it is, what's the difference?

So after a brief discussion, Mr. Wu, Yusheng, and a few younger brothers who came with him decided to seize this opportunity to clear their charges and serve in the Pioneering Army.

That night, the impatient people boarded the boat to Huanggang overnight, and rushed from Jinguashi to Huangang Town overnight along the coastline, following the light from the lighthouse of Huangang in the distance.

Early the next morning, there was a long queue outside the human resources department of the Second Construction Company's Huanggang Branch: the act of applying for transfer to the Pioneering Army was quite marketable in this place where there were many prisoners of reform through labor.