Lu Ming

"Coincidentally..."

After a few words of politeness, Du Dewei went to sit aside, and someone brought a teacup later.While drinking tea with his head down, Du Dewei looked up and found that besides the two small shopkeepers, Cao Hu and himself, there were five or six businessmen sitting in the flower hall at the moment.

He didn't make him wait long, after a cup of tea, a man in Tsing Yi walked into the flower hall with a smile on his face, accused the others, and then led Du Dewei into the back house.

There are still many craftsmen working on renovation projects in the back house. Du Dewei followed behind the man in Tsing Yi and turned into a door with hanging flowers. Finally, he saw a complete house. The master - Xu Xinsu.

……

Xu Xinsu is Du Dewei's last retreat.There were great changes in his family back then, and the first boat that Du Dewei sailed to sea at the age of 15 was Xu Xinsu's merchant ship.

It was on Xu Xinsu's merchant ship that Du Dewei gradually grew into a qualified captain.In the end, even after Du Dewei raised his flag to stand on his own, he still couldn't do without Xu Xinsu's support in the dark, and he could be regarded as a secret confidant.So to this day, after seeing Xu Xinsu, Du Dewei still uses the old name of "Dongjia".

"Wait until you have time." Xu Xinsu pulled Du Dewei into the room as he supported Du Dewei who was about to cup his fists in front of him.

After the two sat down, there was a look of admiration on their faces.

"Boss, this time I've lost my money! Dewei is single and weak, so I can't help much. I hope my boss will forgive me."

"Hehe, tens of thousands of people are fighting, what are you doing?" Xu Xinsu shook his head with a smile, and then said: "Burn down my house, burn down my shop, and kill my shopkeeper and buddy. This trip is also retribution!"

Du Dewei naturally didn't know that Xu Xinsu was referring to Zheng Zhilong being ambushed, he took it for granted that he was talking about a shipwreck: "Oh, it's a pity that Yuegang is a great foundation."

"It's okay."

As soon as this aspect was mentioned, Xu Xinsu's aura of a big businessman suddenly emerged: "The business will eventually be moved to Xiamen, and this place will just be an ordinary sea market in the future, so don't feel bad."

"Xiamen?" Du Dewei couldn't help being startled when he heard this: "Currently, Zhongzuo is in the hands of the shopkeeper Li Kuiqi, so the owner has discussed it with the shopkeeper Li Kuiqi?"

"Hahaha" Xu Xinsu looked up and laughed twice when he heard this: "Dewei, you're thinking about it. Then Li Kuiqi has no business skills, and he only wants to rob. It's not that I underestimate him, he doesn't have the ability to manage hair. "

Xu Xinsu paused and then said: "A few days ago, Kuiqi sent someone to negotiate, and asked me to Xingyuegang again, so that he can 'do business' in the future."

When Xu Xinsu said this, he couldn't help but sneer: "It's really a long-term vision..."

At this moment, Du Dewei was confused by someone's attitude towards Li Kuiqi: "Boss, Dewei came here today to ask the boss for guidance. Is it convenient for Dewei to go to Li Kuiqi?"

"It's convenient, but it's not convenient." Xu Xinsu nodded first, and then shook his head.

Du Dewei was completely confused now.

……

Xu Xinsu did not explain further, but first picked up the tea bowl on the table and signaled Du Dewei to drink tea.After the two of them drank, Xu Xinsu picked up a glossy black, strange-looking short pipe on the table, and squeezed out a pinch of shredded tobacco from the porcelain bottle.

After a long metallic sound of "ding", Du Dewei watched in amazement as his boss lit his pipe with a silver-white square fire sickle, and smoked beautifully.

After taking two puffs of cigarettes, Xu Xinsu opened his mouth and asked, "Where's your good brother?"

Du Dewei hurriedly replied: "Oh, Hu Ba is looking after the house on Haimen Island."

"I knew it earlier." Xu Xinsu nodded: "You have always been inseparable, but this time I'm afraid you will have to split things up. This is convenience and inconvenience."

Just when Du Dewei seemed to understand, Xu Xinsu took out an official document from the desk bucket and put it in front of him: "I know you are proficient in writing and ink, so read it yourself."

Du Dewei couldn't help but open his eyes wide after reading the official document a few times: "Boss, the court ordered you to help with recruiting? But Zheng Yiguan is dead!"

"Hehe, who told you that the imperial court will stop recruiting after Zheng Yiguan died?" Xu Xinsu Xu Xinsu looked at him playfully: "The imperial court is not run by Zheng's family. Without butcher Zheng, you still have to eat hairy pigs?"

A certain person understood everything at this moment, and then he became excited: "Boss, who does the court want to recruit? Let's tell Dewei, so I can lead my brothers to go there earlier and get a lottery!"

At this time, Xu Xinsu played with mystery, and he slowly shook his head while puffing out a cigarette: "Don't say it, don't say it."

After finishing speaking, looking at Du Dewei who was eagerly waiting for the next article, Xu Xinsu laughed silently: "I will write a book for you here, and you can take your brothers to Fuzhou. Hu Ba will stay for me, I will be useful."

Chapter 232: The Completion of the Talents ([-])

Du Dewei left Yuegang soon after having a secret talk with Xu Xinsu.

After returning to Haimen Island, Du Dewei and Hu Ba quickly closed the door and started a secret discussion. During this period, a fierce dispute occurred.Of course, as usual, it was Du Dewei who won in the end.

So the two parted ways the next day.Du Dewei went north and disappeared, while Hu Ba went straight back to the center and left to vote for Li Kuiqi.

Not to mention how Li Kuiqi cleaned up the mess in Xiamen, but only said that Du Dewei and his party of 20 miscellaneous boats, after breaking up with Hu Ba that day, went north to Fuzhou without any delay.

It's the southerly season right now, so the 20 or so boats of the Du family are still traveling northward very quickly.Although dragged down by some dilapidated fishing boats, they still rushed to the Luoshan Islands, the northernmost part of the Haitan Islands, on the evening of the third day.

After anchoring in a bay in Dongluo Island, which is only more than 30 kilometers away from the mouth of the Minjiang River, Du Dewei changed into a fisherman's bunt early the next morning, and then picked an unremarkable broken fishing boat from the team. Then head towards the direction of Fuzhou City.

All the way to the north along the coastline, after reaching the mouth of the Minjiang River, it turned to the west, with twists and turns. It was not until the afternoon that the fishing boat found a place to dock at the Jingloumen Wharf in the north of Fuzhou City.

Du Dewei casually took out copper coins and sent away the sharp-mouthed monkey-cheeked tax collector. Du Dewei stood on the pier and looked around, then lowered the bamboo hat on his head a little, and then said: "Let's go." So the three of them went to the well in silence. Go to the door.

Outside the gate of Jinglou is the government-run Minjiang shipyard and private shipyards of all sizes.This place is like a forest of masts and sculls. There are countless timbers and boats piled up along the river, and private docks of all sizes are densely arranged. The flow of people is like weaving, and craftsmen are like clouds.

The three of Du Dewei saw a western scene at the pier today.

After a few steps on the shore, a strange procession appeared in front of them: two yamen servants in official uniforms walked behind their backs, and seven or eight white servants walked in front with sticks and chains in their hands; The ones waiting were about 10 prisoners with their hands tied and their foreheads marked with black paint.

Not long after the team walked, they turned into a large bluestone wharf.

At first glance, this wharf is owned by a wealthy businessman: the whole body is made of long strips of large bluestones, and some thin plaster is caulked between the bluestones, making it smooth and solid.

At the moment, there are three brand new Dafu boats parked on the pier.And under the boat, there was a group of tattered and disheveled beggars who were being driven onto the boat by some sailors in short robes.And the last thing Du Dewei saw as he was drifting away was the yamen servants handing over the prisoners to the sailors on the pier, talking and laughing.

……

The three ordinary fishermen passed through the Jinglou gate easily. Of course, a few copper coins were still required to pay the toll.After entering Fuzhou City, the three of them first ate a bowl of pork blood rice noodles at a roadside shop, and then walked all the way to Chuanxing Street as planned.

Chuanhang Street is near the Jinglou Gate. It is a traditional pattern of front street and back river: the street is in front of the store, and the Wuhui River is behind the store. It is very convenient for boats and unloading.Since most of the merchants on the street are set up to support the shipyards outside the city, there are many shipyard owners' offices on this street, including some wholesale stores for raw materials such as rope, sail and nail wood, as well as ship guild halls.

Du Dewei had been here many times because he ran a boat when he was young.And just two years ago, he bought a second-hand bird boat here, so he didn't feel strange when he revisited the old place today.

The only thing that surprised him was the ground beneath his feet.

The mud floor in my memory has been replaced by bluestone slabs at some point, and like the pier outside, the gaps between the slabs are also caulked with a kind of gray fine mud. The bluestone slabs are paved densely and evenly, like Flat mirror in general.

What surprised Du Dewei about this street is not only the ground, but also other aspects: there are latrines on the street, and old men in short coats are constantly sweeping the street.The whole street is clean and tidy, even the beggars who are necessary in the streets and alleys are gone here.

The three of them came to the end along the familiar yet unfamiliar street, and then Du Dewei saw the destination of the trip: a shop named "Haidong Commercial Bank".

The situation here is not consistent with the scene in Du Dewei's memory: the row of shops that used to be scattered in height and height have now disappeared.Instead, there is a row of seven gates with the same shape.

These 7 large pavements are all made of water-filled red bricks, and the outer walls are whitewashed with lime, which is extraordinary.Except for the door plaque of the first one that says "Haidong Commercial Company" in gold letters, there are lacquer plaques on the doorways of the other shops, with the words "sea transportation", "wholesale", "labor" and other business types.

At the moment, a large number of carriages and sedan chairs were parked in front of the shops, and many people dressed in silk with the appearance of merchants and housekeepers were shuttling back and forth between several shops.

Seeing such a noisy scene, Du Dewei couldn't help frowning slightly.He is now dressed as a fisherman, if he went in rashly to find someone, he might cause some trouble.So he didn't go forward, but continued to stroll towards the end of the street with his entourage - no matter how good the business was, there was always a time to get off work.

……

Unexpectedly, the three of them didn't go far, and saw another western scene.

The original locations of the seven large shops were at the end of Chuanxing Street, next to the Ganye Temple and a stele field.

Now the Ganye Temple, which covers an area of ​​tens of mu, has long since disappeared, and even the bald donkey in the temple has disappeared.

The same is true for the site full of half-finished steles.Originally, there was a fat engraver here who impressed Du Dewei deeply. This person was in the same family as him, and his surname was also Du.What made Du Dewei unforgettable was that Fatty Du always had a sad face, and said to everyone: "Oh, this year, all the gentlemen live healthy lives, and this business can't be done..."

...and instead of the above two places, there are large open-air warehouses along the river.What surprised the three country buns the most was the barbed wire fence outside the warehouse.

The two-meter-high barbed wire, fixed on thick wooden piles smashed into the ground at regular intervals, stretched out along the side of Chuanxing Street, isolating the planned freight yard along the Wuhui River from the outside world.

When Du Dewei came to the barbed wire fence in amazement and stretched out his hand to grab it, the idle man watching the excitement showed a contemptuous smile: three more country bumpkins came.Not long after, the guards of the cargo yard patrolling along the barbed wire also came over, and without saying a word, they gave Du Dewei two sticks through the wire: "Get out, if you break it, I will arrest you to work and pay for it!"

The three country bumpkins dressed as fishermen were driven away amidst laughter.

Of course, Du Dewei didn't go far.He just walked forward for a short distance, then stopped, and then observed the freight yard through the wire mesh.

The land that was originally the location of the main hall of Ganye Temple had already been flattened and compacted, and a layer of fine gravel was paved.Stacks of cement bags were piled up on large planks padded with ashlar; in addition, bamboo sheds were built on some plots piled with lime and sand.Further away, there are neat piles of red bricks.

And at the gate of the warehouse separated by barbed wire, a large number of craftsmen and housekeepers were bargaining with the accountants at a row of wooden tables.Teams of coolies are pushing small carts to transport the cement, red bricks, and lime from the freight yard to Hebutou, where a string of small boats are lined up for work.

Du Dewei soon saw an acquaintance through the barbed wire: that Fatty Du who carved the stele.

At this moment, Fatty Du was completely different from Du Dewei in his impression.I saw this guy with an arrogant face, wearing a Songjiang fine cloth robe, and sitting behind a lime line with a row of craftsmen.In addition, there is a small table in front of this product with tea and snacks on the table.

And behind this guy, there are two high-spirited apprentices standing on the left and right.

The second general Hengha had one hand on his hip, and the other was holding a cover. The two covers were embroidered with the words "Professional flooring with first-class qualification" and "Silky touch of a century-old stele".

……

Du Dewei stood behind the barbed wire until 5:[-] p.m. before he had a good look at the western scene.Except for the bag of cement that he didn't understand, it was probably all there. He already understood seven or eight points of the operation mode of this place.

Then it's time to get down to business.

In the Middle Ages, there was no electricity, so ordinary shops closed earlier.Generally speaking, from You hour (17:[-]), people will close the doors one after another.

After Du Dewei wandered outside the freight yard until after 5 o'clock, he estimated that the time was about the same, so he came to the door of Haidong warehouse with his entourage.

Seeing a row of big shops that were much deserted, he didn't hesitate this time. He picked one at random and walked in. He went straight to a counter with red and yellow straw mats of various colors, and asked the clerk inside: "Xiao Sorry to bother you, may I ask Stephen Chow if shopkeeper Zhou is here?"

The guy at the counter was stunned for a moment, and then immediately reacted, and then said with a smile on his face: "Yes, yes. Come with me, honored guest."

The guy who spoke came out from the counter, and then took them out courteously, turned left, and entered the last room of this row of shops... Along the way, the guy didn't care about the fishermen's attire of the three of them.

This shop sells boards, and the lobby is filled with machine-made wood boards of various thicknesses.The next moment, Du Dewei and his party walked through the lobby and were led to a study in the backyard to sit down and drink tea.

After half a cup of tea, the door curtain was lifted, and a tall, fair-skinned middle-aged man walked in.

As soon as this person entered the door, he cupped his fists and said, "Next is Zhou Xingchi, I don't know the guest's name?"

Du Dewei hurriedly stood up at this moment, and also clasped his fists in return, and then said according to the secret signal Xu Xinsu taught him: "Don't dare, it's not expensive, and get rich next week."

After the middle-aged man heard the words Chow Yun-fat, he chuckled, first he stretched out his hand to signal Du Dewei to sit down, and then he said cordially: "It must be Du Dewei, shopkeeper Du, in person? I'm Xue Haiyuan."

Chapter 233: The Completion of All Talents ([-])

Hearing that the other party opened his mouth and reported his family history, Du Dewei was slightly surprised at first, and then he was relieved: Xu Xinsu should have sent a clipper to report the news, and the speed must be much faster than the 20 miscellaneous boats here.

After figuring out the joints, Du Dewei slowly took off his bamboo hat, revealed his true colors, and then said with a smile: "It turns out that it was Shopkeeper Xue in person, disrespectful and disrespectful, but it was Du Dewei."

Having said that, Du Dewei took out Xu Xinsu's handwritten letter from his pocket.After reading the letter, Xue Haiyuan nodded and said to him, "I have admired Shopkeeper Du for a long time. I don't know when you left from Haimen Island?"

Du Dewei knew that the next step would be the inevitable "Troubleshooting" procedure, so he didn't hide anything, and answered Xue Haiyuan's series of questions honestly.

The "chat" with the guests ended up taking half an hour.After all the information was matched, Xue Haiyuan got up and began to greet the guests to "wash the dust".

The three of them were then led to a guest room in the courtyard, and then a young servant brought several buckets of hot water and three sets of inconspicuous green cloth robes.After tidying up, it was already dark, and Du Dewei was taken back to the room just now.

A bright kerosene lamp has been lit in the room at this moment, and a few dishes of food and wine are brought out... Xue Haiyuan is sitting there with a smile waiting for him.

After simply touching a glass of water and wine, Xue Haiyuan said straight to the point: "I already know the purpose of Shopkeeper Du's visit. It is said that Shopkeeper Du is willing to serve the country and the country, and join the army of the imperial court to fight for the future of his family. This is a good thing. It's the true nature of a man."

"It's just a joint here." Speaking of this, Xue Haiyuan stared at Du Dewei's eyes, and said slowly: "The public is uncomfortable, and the self-comfort is not public. Brother Du, the number of Zhengjun and Jianghu are different. Once you put on the number Kan, some things are beyond your control."

……

Du Dewei understood the meaning of Xue Haiyuan's words.

Since ancient times, bandits who have played Zhao'an can't escape the government's tricks of breaking up and separating.However, this set of interaction between what you love and what you want can be said to be enduring in the past dynasties. There will always be people who will not hesitate to fly moths into the flames just to become civil servants in the system.

There are many people who are as unlucky as Liangshanpo among them; however, there are also those who have operated in place and flourished after being recruited: Zheng Zhilong is an example.

But for most of the small forces who accept the recruitment, they don't have the ability to turn the table like Zheng Zhilong and Li Chuangwang, so the government is stronger than them.In other words, their ability to resist abolishment is weak... lacking bargaining power.

You must know that the tiger skin still exists in the Ming Dynasty, and it has not rotted to the time when warlords will walk everywhere ten years later.This is the core question Du Dewei is facing now: whether he has the confidence to mortgage his property on the scale in exchange for a chance to adapt to the system.

This opportunity belongs to venture capital.Du Dewei came to Fuzhou this time, to put it bluntly, he just traded his brothers for a chance to mix himself up with the system.

However, Du Dewei had considered the above reasons countless times during his days as a pirate.Again, since he is sitting at this table without hesitation today, it means that he is willing to take all risks—nothing can stop his desire to be a "good person" now.

"Dewei understands." After listening to Xue Haiyuan's provocative words, Du Dewei said sincerely: "If it hadn't been for the great changes in his family when he was young, Dewei would not be reduced to where he is today. Now I have made up my mind , and hope that Mr. will be fulfilled."

After Xue Haiyuan listened to it, his evaluation of this gentleman was: clear organization, strong heart of "Xiang Dao", obviously well thought out. "That's good..." Xue Haiyuan nodded, smiled and picked up the wine glass, and the two of them drank the crucial glass of wine tacitly.

Now that the ugly words have been said, the atmosphere on the table has improved a lot.

"Treasurer Du, your trip has come at a good time." After taking two bites of food, Xue Haiyuan's face was glowing red, and he said to the person in front of him with a smile: "Since ancient times, there have been thousands of gold to buy horse bones, and now it is' When my general is thirsty for talents, shopkeeper Du, the future is boundless!"

When Du Dewei heard this, his heart was clear.

From Xu Xinsu's place before, all he got was the vague concept that "the government has been preparing for the recruitment and never gave up".And when he said goodbye, what Xu Xinsu told him in the end was: After going to Fuzhou, he must follow the lead of "Zhou Xingchi", and under the arrangement of this person, he will maintain his health and wait for the "Master".

The "Mingzhu" here refers to the person who will eventually be recruited by the government in the future and entrusted with the task of suppressing bandits.But just now after hearing what Xue Haiyuan said, Du Dewei knew that this "Master of the Ming Dynasty" had already appeared.

Du Dewei, who had been depressed ever since Zheng Zhilong's accident was confirmed, finally let go of his worries at this moment, and his heart of making contributions came alive.

……

Du Dewei rested in Haidong Commercial Bank that night.

In the early morning of the next day, Xue Haiyuan took people and led Du Dewei and his party to Mawei Island by boat.