Lu Ming

Unlike the rich and noble people among the guests who do not understand practical matters, Bai Juren's generation climbed up from the bottom, so he has a clear personal view on the information he received today.

He has decided to try the palm oil business.

With the development of social productivity, although it is not as exquisite as the Qing Dynasty, the iron pot cooking in the Ming Dynasty has been popularized.Especially in areas like Guangdong where iron materials are produced, the iron pots in Foshan Town have become famous at home and abroad in this era, so Ming people are no strangers to iron pot cooking in their daily meals.

In this way, at the promotion meeting dinner today, many people clearly pointed out the problem after tasting the dishes fried with palm oil for the first time—it tasted like chewy meat, not as good as ordinary vegetable oil.

After making a judgment, people focused their attention on rice, tropical fruits and other crops that seemed more promising and safer.After all, the fried chicken drumsticks and cake shops described by Mayor Ding desperately brag about them, in the eyes of wealthy men of the Ming Dynasty, they are a bit ahead of their time: Fried rice noodles in fried chicken shops are everywhere, and you can eat mud legs if you want?What kind of "high-calorie food" will be exclusive to mud legs in the future... Do you want to fart?

That's why the palm oil route was snubbed by attendees.

However, Bai Juren saw business opportunities in it.

Bai Juren started out as a grocery store owner, and he is well aware that there is a link in this process: the more expensive the product, the fewer consumers there will be.

For example, the kerosene lamps and lamp oil produced in Yizhou, although they are good things, actually do not occupy much share in the current grocery sales network, and they are used by merchants to show their strength.After all, in a Zhuangzi, there are not many people who can afford such good things.

In fact, the bulk of the grocer's sales are just some inconspicuous goods: bundles of hemp rope, stacks of straw hats, and baskets of hoes.

Therefore, in Bai Juren's view, this novel palm oil fruit is precisely a bulk commodity that can be sold in large quantities.As for the bad taste... It's a joke, he sells this oil wholesale to the common people.As long as you can satisfy your hunger, in Mr. Ding's words, it means enough "calories".

In this way, the benefits of palm oil are reflected: it is cheap, large in quantity, and suitable for the working people.

Of course, the premise of all this is that the data and prospects that Mayor Ding promoted when he promoted are true-the endless "tropical" land in Nanyang, the palm gardens of tens of millions of acres, the refined steel oil press workshop, the huge The ship enters the port and unloads barrels of incredibly cheap oil.

But Bai Juren was the least worried about this.But if he had even the slightest doubt about the time traveler, he wouldn't be sitting on the balcony of the White Swan Hotel today.The huge factories in Taiwan, and the recent dealings with a certain force in the military and political circles have already made Bai Juren feel the strength and pride of the crossing people-with such huge power and wealth, they will not hesitate to play tricks to deceive him. family property.

This is the crux of the problem: going to Nanyang to pioneer landowners, this kind of huge investment, complicated and long-term action, is simply beyond the grasp and control of the participants.That being the case, then the only thing to do is to leave everything to the people who travel through, and just follow the path planned by them.

In a word, believe it or not?

After thinking about the key aspects of the problem, Bai Juren followed his usual habit of betting heavily to make big profits, and decided on an investment project before going to sleep: Palm Garden.

……

After another night, the guests once again gathered in the large meeting room of the Baietan Hotel.

Today's meeting is more pragmatic, from yesterday's general introduction to specific implementation matters.Regarding this aspect, of course, it is the map first: the large-scale general map of Nanyang was replaced by a large-scale map of the Philippines.

The location for the first start of pioneering will be located around the Philippines.The shortest distance from the southernmost tip of Taiwan to Luzon Island in the north of the Philippines is less than 400 kilometers, and even from Taijiang, it is less than 1000 kilometers to Manila.With such a short distance, for the first-time pioneering organization, the pressure on both logistics and military aspects will be lower, so there is no doubt that an island in the Philippines is the first choice for pioneering.

In addition, the rich mineral resources in the Philippines are also the coveted target of the crossing.With copper, bullet casings can be considered, and with nickel and chrome, stainless steel can be used.Even if these quantities are insufficient, the wire and stainless steel tokens that are urgently needed can be produced.So going to Nanyang to open plantations is one aspect, and on the other hand, regarding minerals, it has always been one of the purposes of going through the hidden world without revealing it.

So today's protagonist has changed from Ding Liqiu to Commander Wang Bo.

After introducing several islands suitable for development on the map, Mayor Ding left the stage to Commander Wang.Then Commander Wang came to power and made a report on the military aspects of the colonial operation.

This includes not only the current preparations of the pioneering army and the navy, but also the war plan with the natives of Nanyang, pirates, and European colonists.In short, the plan was very detailed and the response was sufficient, which was enough to fool the bright and wealthy people in the audience.

However, no matter how loud the mouthpiece is, it will not be convincing if it is done honestly.So at the end of today's meeting, Commander Wang released a David satellite who stunned everyone present.

I saw him draw a circle on a certain point on the map with a pointer, and then said seemingly inadvertently: "No, the Japanese generals will lead their troops to level this place, so as to test the effectiveness of the recent military training. At that time, all guests can be in the lotus stem. Take a seat at the gate, drink tea and watch the wind... I will know how good my subordinates are at that time."

Chapter 536

The news that Wang Bo broke at the end of the meeting was shocking.The circle he drew on the map at that time was not Shenzhen, but an island not far away.This island was called "Hao Jing Macao" at that time, and it was called Macao in later generations.

The Ming people at the Baietan Hotel meeting that day, although their origins are more complicated and come from all walks of life, there is no doubt that these rich Ming people are all social elites, they have enough information, and even many of them were former foreign Big guys in maritime business, they know exactly what Macau represents.

Naturally, General Wang's words caused an uproar on the spot.

The absurd point is that such a shocking event as the attack on Haojingao was placed in front of everyone with a small reason of "showing pioneering ability".

The participants are honored, and the participants are deeply concerned. No matter how much they think about it, the participants have not realized that one day their family will be so important, so important that it will trigger the "two countries" to fight each other?

The participants were flattered, and the participants were flustered.

……

In the 32nd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1553), the Portuguese obtained the right of residence in Macao from the Guangdong local government of the Ming Dynasty at that time, and became the first Europeans to enter China.

After the Portuguese settled in Macau, they gradually expanded their territory and built and developed this small island for a long time. It has been more than 80 years since the arrival of the crossing people.

For the ancients whose average life expectancy was less than 30 years old, the Portuguese entrenched in Haojingao has become an inherent situation that existed in their ancestors.

Regarding this situation, the Ming Dynasty, which seemed to be huge in size, was already weak and sick, and obviously lagged behind the development trend of the world, and was powerless to change anything.

In real history, just two years before the appearance of the "Travelers", there was a serious confrontation between the Guangdong government and the Portuguese over the construction of the city wall by the Portuguese in Macau.In the end, although the Portuguese demolished the wall as the end, the only means used by the Guangzhou government in this matter was to close the gates and cut off food weakly...

Large and small conflicts like this were often staged in the years when the Portuguese occupied Macau.Without exception, the Ming government chose soft solutions such as cutting off food or sending people to mediate.Cai Shanji, the former chief minister in Fuzhou city, was famous in history because he personally dealt with a Portuguese disturbance incident because of "driving in Macao by bicycle".

Here comes the question, for a small place that is close at hand and not blocked by rivers and seas, why not just send a large army to level it?

However, the civil servants and military generals in Guangzhou are not fools. The reason why they did not level the Portuguese in Macau was because they could not.

So what is it that endorses the Portuguese?Naturally, it is not the benevolence of the Ming Dynasty and the superficially recognized jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty by the Portuguese, but the bronze cannons installed on the St. Paul’s Fort, and the armed merchant ships docked in Macau Port, and those that have been tempered by global colonial activities. Sailors from various countries and local Portuguese soldiers with good nutrition and rich combat experience.

In short, in Haojingao at this time period, the Portuguese are undoubtedly the real owners of this small island, not the Ming government that seems to have all rights.

This is also the reason why the guests of the Ming Dynasty were in a commotion after Wang Bo announced his plan to attack Macau today——Haojingao is not just a bandit village in the mountains, but a bandit on the sea, it is a barbarian entrenched, with strong ships and powerful ships , there is a giant cannon pass, and there is an "enemy country" with a controlled army.

Yes, no matter how you deny it, Macau, a tiny place, is an out-and-out colony...an "enemy country" in the eyes of sensible people.

The news was so explosive that people who reacted were at a loss for a while.Even at the end of the meeting, the legendary General Cao personally appeared to communicate with the participants, endorse the tea and wine exhibition and talk about the future, but he couldn't suppress the shock deep in the hearts of the guests.

After the meeting, how the guests returning home digested and dealt with the "welfare" news that was obviously given in advance by the time-traversing people, they didn't care about it.What is really important is that with the official disclosure of this news by the cross-travelers, the next attack on Macau will enter the countdown.

……

For Macau, there is no doubt that Travelers has planned for a long time.

Having wiped out the pirates and put on official clothes, they have actually controlled the crossing people along the coast of Fujian and Guangdong. The next step is naturally to set their sights on Nanyang, which has rich resources.However, Macau is like a nail stuck in the mouth of the Pearl River, maintaining the Portuguese-exclusive trade network on its own.

As the saying goes, a toad crawls on the instep, doesn't bite, and responds to others—in today's increasingly expanding power across the world, the bosses naturally can't tolerate this Portuguese colony coming to bite Lao Tzu's teeth again.

In fact, long before General Cao personally went north to King Qin, the crossing forces entrenched on both sides of the Taijiang River had already started a dialogue with the Portuguese regime in Macau.Of course, it is usually difficult to reach a consensus on this topic based on the competition for development space, so it is not surprising that the talks between the time-traveling forces and Macau collapsed.

The next thing is that General Cao returned from King Qin's great victory, was promoted to take over the seal, and usurped the sea power of Daming and part of the military power of Fujian and Guangdong.

By this time, military action against the Portuguese was virtually irreversible.The only thing that the Travelers lack is the policy... Ming Dynasty's political permission.

After all, the Portuguese have been entrenched on that island for more than 80 years, and everyone in the ruling and opposition parties knows it.With the current friendly relationship with the Ming court, the people who travel through can't ignore the emperor's reckless actions, so no matter what, the imperial court's imperial edict of "doing things cheaply" must be obtained by the people who travel through.

So, by coincidence, Xiong Wencan came to Guangdong.

After the old bear came, everything was easily solved.After passing the dormant period of new officials taking office, Xiong Da began a series of administrative actions.In addition to ordering the Zhangchao general to send troops to "assist" the local bandits, there is another item: a formal report to the imperial court, pointing out the various hazards of the Portuguese entrenched in the Pearl River Estuary, and asking the emperor to agree to eradicate them.

Of course, the old bear will not fight alone.Those who went to Beijing together with Lao Xiong's memorial, those who waved the flag and clamored for the people, and there are also many memorials from the local conservatives in Guangdong who have long disliked the Portuguese.

In ancient times when the information was not smooth, once the big officials in the frontier who had the right to make decisions on the fly, once they wrote such a clear-cut government report, the matter would basically be double-starved: the court either agreed, or issued an order to reprimand .

So will the imperial court order to reprimand the old bear?It's a joke, not to mention that Cao Zongbing was vaccinated when he met the saint, even in the imperial court, Lao Xiong now has more reinforcements that have never been seen in history: the deputy prime minister Wen Tiren and the eunuch Fang Zhenghua alliance.

So just five days before the White Swan Promotion Conference was held, the governor's yamen of Guangdong officially received an order from the imperial court: Xu Xiong Wencan acted cheaply.

Chapter 537

It is said that after the curtain call of the Baietan Merchants Fair that day, most of the guests dispersed and went home amidst discussions.However, some of them were eager to stay after the meeting at their own expense.The purpose of these people is simple: make more connections with the conference organizers and collect as much information as possible.

Zongben is one of them.

Zongben is an authentic native of Guangzhou City, from a wealthy family.He is 35 or [-] years old, neither tall nor fat, with an average appearance, short beards on both cheeks, wearing an ordinary southern silk robe, speaking softly and politely, with a professional smile on his face, he is very unremarkable at first glance. people.

Although he was the seventh young master from a wealthy family in Nancheng, Guangzhou, Zongben could only be regarded as a younger brother among the wealthy businessmen present at the meeting.Although Gein Zongben has a little background, he is just a big shopkeeper in charge of the family store business, so he can't actually represent the family.

In fact, even attending the meeting at Baietan this time was Zongben's personal act.He had visited the organizers of the conference many times before, and he got an invitation card through his relationship. This time, the target of the invitation is the "powerful" people in Guangdong. Zongben's net assets are not enough, and he can mobilize There are not enough social resources, so he was not originally on the meeting list.

After the meeting, Zongben stayed at the Baietan Hotel for another day.During this period, in addition to communicating with his peers, he tried his best to participate in every small event organized by the organizer, and tried his best to collect information.

It was not until the morning of the second day after the meeting that the treasurer Zong Benzong "harassed" the organizer's clerk for the last time, and then walked out of the hotel full of "big plans".

Standing on the transparent and reflective marble steps that can reflect human figures, Zongben first glanced at the misty Pearl River and Guangzhou City in the distance, and then looked back at the strange building that brought him endless ambitions and opportunities. Finally heaving a long sigh, he said to his companion, "Let's go."

After walking down the steps of the hotel, Zongben ignored the taxi parked on the side of the road.The drivers of these four-wheeled carriages all wore bright red double-breasted vests, the carriages were equipped with double horses, and the carriages also had glass windows... In fact, it was the kind that people in later generations often saw in British film and television dramas.

Zongben, who deliberately didn't take a car, took two companions and walked on the Binjiang Road under construction not long after.

Binjiang Road, which was built a long time ago, is now slowly but firmly extending towards Guangzhou.On the road paved with machine-made blue bricks, there are exquisite stone railings on one side and long green flower beds on the other.Except for the difference in building materials, everything is built in a style familiar to later generations.

Zongben walked along the Binjiang Road in the morning like this.After about half an hour, Binjiang Road came to an end.Ahead is the construction site, the ground is full of blue bricks and stones, and many workers in orange vests are working.

Stopping in his tracks, Zong Ben sat down on the wooden bench that must be found at every other section of Binjiang Road.Facing Dajiang, he folded his hands on his lower abdomen and fell into silence.

On the surface of the Pearl River, there is an endless stream of civilian boats going upstream and downstream.During the period, occasionally a fast ship with black smoke and white sails would pass quickly from the center of the river. After seeing it from a long distance along the way, civilian ships gave way one after another.

Seemingly looking at the scenery, like contemplating, Zongben just sat silently in the warm wind of March in the southern country. The face of the shopkeeper, who was usually full of smiles, was now full of dignity, until he was interrupted by a burst of laughter. .

After suddenly awakening, Zong Ben turned his head and found that the loud laughter came from the mouths of road construction workers not far away.

In the new district built according to the standard urban specifications of later generations, although many places still cannot deviate from the basic appearance of the seventeenth century, all the places that can be changed have been changed.

This of course also includes road workers.

The not-so-bright orange vests dyed and woven with plant pigments, the labor protection gloves, cloth shoes and trousers made of local cheap earthen cloth, these workers first tried their best to travel through the era in the memory of the public. move closer.

There were smiles on the faces of more than a dozen workers.Each of them was holding a large coarse porcelain bowl, and there was a man who looked like a cook next to him, using a large iron spoon to scoop out the full food from the bucket and pour it into the bowl one by one.At this time, someone didn't know what to say, and the crowd burst into laughter again.

Zong Ben's eyes fell on the food in the worker's bowl.

As a successful businessman who always pays attention to the market, Zongben is no stranger to potatoes, a new ration that is related to the national economy and people's livelihood.

It is said that the new grain brought back by Mrs. Cao from overseas was quickly promoted in a large area in Fujian and Guangdong. It is the poor who can satisfy their hunger (high in calories).The name of the image of the potato has long been known to the lower class people.

And in those porcelain bowls that Zongben saw just now, there was also half a bowl of golden potato cubes first, and then the cook covered it with a large spoonful of mixed vegetables and minced fish and shrimp.

In the new area, all those who work for the Cao family have three full meals a day, which is very clear.In fact, this kind of thing is the same as Potato and many news about the new area. No one believed it at first, but soon the natives knew it was true.

"Duandi is a good bowl of rice."

Zong Ben nodded secretly.Today, he not only saw the food situation of the people at the bottom of the new area with his own eyes, but also felt a vitality that had never been seen before the Ming Dynasty from the joyful faces and powerful movements of these people.

"Master Cao's words are good, rich and strong, rich and strong, first rich can be strong!"

Zong Ben thought of this, stood up, no longer hesitated, and said with his hands behind his back: "Go back to the house."

"Ah, master, why don't you go back to the shop first?"

"No, come back home with me first, I want to see my eldest brother."

"Yes!"

In this way, Zongben took Congren on the road to Guangzhou City.Having made up his mind, he stopped procrastinating this time, and quickly stopped a high-end taxi on the side of the street, went all the way to the pier, and then crossed the river by a liner boat. Before noon, the owner and his party returned to the Arrived in front of the gate of the Zongfu in the southern city of Guangzhou.

After getting off the slow sedan chair, Zong Ben felt more and more the incompatible slow rhythm of the old city of Guangzhou and the new district.

But now he has no time to think about these esoteric social issues—painted with black paint and matched with shiny brass door nails, the majestic and majestic gate of the Zongfu is right in front of his eyes.

After taking a deep breath, the concubine Zongben of the Zongfu didn't say anything else, and walked into the mansion that gave birth to him and brought him endless sufferings without hesitation.

Chapter 538 Talk ([-])

Among the rich and noble families in Guangzhou City, the Zongfu undoubtedly belongs to the second-grade mansion gate.

The first patriarch of the clan, as early as the Jiajing period, won the Jinshi as a poor scholar, and it was logical to change the lintel.Since then, the family has become more and more prosperous, and the descendants have been immersed in the way of scientific research for generations.After more than a hundred years, although the Zong family has not produced any famous ministers and scholars, it has never cut off the supply of scholars. It is a scholarly family in the standard sense, the residence of Confucius and Mencius.

During the reign of Chongzhen, the Zongfu, which specialized in the study of saints, still stood in the city of Guangzhou.There are current Jiangxi Taoist priests in his mansion, as well as the current Gansu county magistrate, and there are also scholars who sit at home, so the so-called official family is also.

Coming from such a land of Confucianism and Mencius, I also know that I don't have any fame, and I can't be successful if I don't have a literary talent. However, I am the seventh young master of the clan's family, Zongben, who is a concubine, so life is a little bit stressful.This is probably why Zongben stood in front of the mansion today, took a deep breath, and did not enter until he had done enough mental preparation.

Stepping up, Zong Ben stepped into the mansion through the side door amidst the doorman's greeting.

Inside the ancestral mansion, which occupies a vast area and many courtyards, there are naturally people coming and going.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the economy collapsed and the population expanded. A large number of unemployed people had nowhere to go, so they had no choice but to devote themselves to the rich and powerful as servants to seek food and clothing.In this way, wealthy families will naturally form a culture of slavery, because the cost of slavery is greatly reduced.

As the seventh young master in the Zongfu, even if he is a concubine, Zongben will always meet servants who salute him along the way.At this time, Young Master Zong was naturally acting in his true colors, all giving gentle smiles, seemingly peaceful.

However, things cannot be seen on the surface, but on the details.When a person who appeared to be in charge saluted Zongben, then straightened up and walked away without waiting for his response, Zongben's true status in the Zongfu was vaguely seen.

The program of slaves bullying their masters has been staged every moment since the feudal society, and it is not the case in ancient and modern China, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties.Better than Zhang Pu, the leader of the first opposition party in the late Ming Dynasty and the leader of the Fushe, who was also born out of a concubine, so when he was young, he was still ridiculed by his family's servants, "What can you do if you are a child?"

Young master Zong turned a blind eye to the scene just now, because he has been used to it since childhood.

In this way, he came all the way to the atrium of the mansion, and met his clan brother Zong Han in the main room.

The existing core clan members of the Zongfu are divided into two branches.Among them, Zong Han is not only the oldest, but also the eldest son of the eldest son who is in charge of the affairs of the clan. He wears a scholar's hat on his outside belt, which is far beyond the comparison of Zong Ben, the second-best son with no fame.

After entering the main room door, Zong Ben waited until the two servants who had reported the matter had left, then got up from the lower chair, stepped forward respectfully, and bowed deeply to Zong Han who was sitting at the top: "I have seen you, brother."

"The seventh brother is here. Well, there is no need to be polite, sit down."

He wears a square flat top scarf and a blue toga.Zong Han is over fifty years old, with a thin face and a gray goatee on his chin.Probably because he scolded all kinds of people all the year round, Zongben's clan brother had a cold and hard face, which belonged to the serious kind.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, brother is well."