The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 248 Harvest

This Western merchant ship is also three-masted, about twenty feet long, and more than eight feet wide. It is very spacious and is divided into five floors. The bottom floor is loaded with sand and gravel as a counterweight to prevent capsizing. The second and third floors are used for loading. Cargo, in addition to the bottom layer, the second, third and top decks all have gun positions and are equipped with artillery, forming a high and low artillery fire coverage. The fourth and fifth floors are a loft located at the stern of the ship, surrounded by baffles, forming a safe The sealed cabin is divided into two floors and is where the crew usually lives and eats. A heavy cannon is installed on the top of the attic.

After a brief exchange between Jia Huan and the red-bearded Luo Er, they started wandering around the ship with great interest. First, they went to the loft at the stern, which is where the crew lives and eats. However, the environmental sanitation is really worrying. It is smelly and contains excrement. Near the wooden barrel is a simple kitchen. There are still soaked vegetables left on the chopping board, and blowflies are flying around on it.

"These foreigners are really careless." A soldier complained in a low voice, holding his nose.

Jia Huan climbed up the narrow wooden ladder to the fifth floor. This place was relatively tidy. It was probably a sleeping place. The most spacious room was probably the captain's cabin, which was stocked with books, compasses, and ship charts. thing.

Jia Huan found that the navigation picture was very detailed, so he folded it and put it in his arms, smiling.

Next, Jia Huan went to the third-level cabin, which was where the goods were stored, but it was empty at the moment, so Jia Huan went down to the second-level cabin. This cabin was fully loaded, and there were piles of cargo. There are copper ingots, iron ingots, and boxes of various porcelains. But looking at the inscriptions on the bottom of the porcelains, it turns out that they are all produced in Dajin. This is interesting.

It turns out that some time ago, the red-bearded Luo Er brought a shipload of Western goods to Nagasaki Port in Japan to trade with the Japanese.

It must be mentioned here that during this period, Japan had ended the chaotic Warring States Period and entered the period of shogunate rule. Like the Jin Dynasty, Japan also pursued a limited foreign trade system, but its pace of opening up was obviously slower than that of the Jin Dynasty. To go even further, we must maintain close trade relations with Westerners.

However, Japan, an island country, is short of materials and has just ended the chaotic Warring States Period. It is extremely poor and cannot export much. It needs to import a large amount. However, it has an advantage, that is, copper, iron, silver, etc. Metals, especially silver mines, are very rich, and the trade deficit has been reversed by exporting a large amount of silver, which is equivalent to directly printing money to buy goods from Jin Dynasty and Westerners.

In addition, because of the tributary trade system of the Jin Dynasty, it is difficult for Westerners to obtain Jin goods, such as porcelain, tea, silk, etc. These things are very popular in Western countries, and a ship can be brought back several times or even ten times. Several times the profit, so Western merchants were very greedy and tried their best to get it. However, the trade quota given by Jin Dynasty was too small and could not satisfy the appetite of Western merchants. Therefore, these Western merchants could only obtain it through smuggling or even robbery. .

But smuggling and looting are risky. After all, the navy of Jin Dynasty is not a vegetarian. They often patrol and raid along the coast of Jin Dynasty. So the Japanese became second-rate dealers, first importing large quantities of goods from Jin Dynasty, and then selling them to Westerners. , and earn profits from the price difference.

Therefore, the porcelain on Red Beard Luo Er's ship was actually produced in Jin Dynasty, and was slaughtered by the Japanese middleman.

By the way, why can Japan get goods from Dajin?

It turns out that decades ago, a fierce man emerged in Japan, who overthrew all the warlords who were separatists, unified Japan, and ended the so-called Warring States Period. After this fierce man unified Japan, he looked around and found that his former opponents had either been killed by him or had become his younger brothers. Life was so lonely as snow, and he could no longer find an opponent with whom he could compete. So his ambitions grew and he set his sights on North Korea, a subsidiary state of the Jin Dynasty.

This fierce man was really fierce and ambitious. He immediately summoned troops and sent troops to North Korea. The Japanese soldiers, who had just finished the civil war, were quite powerful in combat and almost destroyed North Korea in one fell swoop. The King of Korea hurriedly asked for help from his suzerain country, Jin Dynasty. Jin Dynasty was also very interested. He immediately sent troops to Korea and fought for many years. Finally, he drove the Japanese out of the Korean Peninsula. He also strengthened his troops and threatened to invade Japan.

At this time, the Japanese warrior had already died in depression, and his successor hurriedly submitted his petition to the Jin Dynasty. However, the Jin Dynasty did not want to cross the sea to fight, so he accepted it as soon as possible, thus avoiding a military disaster.

The Japanese took the opportunity to propose trade with the Jin Dynasty, and the then Emperor of the Jin Dynasty agreed. In the following decades, the two countries were in peace and had frequent trade exchanges. Therefore, Japanese merchants were able to obtain a large amount of Jin goods through normal channels, so they Taking advantage of this, he became a second-rate dealer and resold goods to Westerners for profit.

Back to the subject, Dai Shilin was leading a search on this floor. When he saw Jia Huan coming down, he immediately came over excitedly and said, "Master Huan, the boxes over there are all filled with silver. I'm afraid there are 20,000 taels. This time we Make a fortune.”

When Jia Huan heard the words, he followed over and saw a row of red-painted wooden boxes stacked on the deck. The lids of the upper wooden boxes were all opened. Under the light of the torch, the silver light shone, and they were all filled with silver ingots. The stacks are neatly arranged and the quality is quite good.

Jia Huan took a silver ingot and weighed it. It was estimated to weigh twelve ounces. The bottom was engraved with the words "Yuanhe Sixth Year" in Chinese characters, which should be the year when the silver was minted, and the words "Yuanhe" were engraved on the bottom. , Jia Huan probably should be the reign name of a certain Japanese emperor.

Japan is deeply influenced by Chinese culture, and Chinese characters were once the official text of Japan. Even modern Japanese brush calligraphy is still written in Chinese characters, because it looks classy, ​​so it is not surprising that the year engraved under the silver ingot is engraved in Chinese characters.

Jia Huan put a piece of silver into his pocket, and said calmly: "This time, all the brothers who are going to sea will get one piece, the injured will get two pieces, and the brothers who died will get ten pieces as a pension." Lao Dai , when you go back, you will be responsible for handing it over to their families, but do it quietly without making any noise."

Dai Shilin was secretly happy, nodded and said: "I obey!" After saying that, he shouted to the soldiers around him: "Why are you standing still, why don't you thank the third master." All the soldiers quickly thanked them and happily took a tablet each. The silver, an ingot of ten taels, was almost equal to their usual income for half a year. Hehe, this trip was really not in vain. Everyone was happy for a while, their emotions were high, and they supported Jia Huan more and more.

Dai Shilin also pocketed a piece of silver, but he whispered a little worriedly: "Third Master, the captured loot is supposed to be handed over. Is there any problem if we just divide it up like this?"

Jia Huan calmly asked, "What is the purpose of our sending troops this time?"

Dai Shilin replied: "The remnants of the pirate Kang Dayong are being pursued."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "That's it. These Westerners are not pirates, and this bow boat is not stolen. It is just an unexpected gain during our pursuit of pirates. Brothers risked their lives and got a windfall. Let's take it. Is a little compensation too much? Do you think it’s too much?”

When all the soldiers heard this, they burst out laughing and said: "It's not too much, it's not too much. It's so reasonable."

As a result, everyone's remaining scruples disappeared and they put the money into their arms with peace of mind.

There is a saying that goes well, if you want a horse to run fast, you must first let it eat well. Moreover, Jia Huan is not a pedantic person. When encountering such an opportunity, he will naturally not treat his brothers who have followed him through life and death badly. He took the money first, not because he was greedy for money, but just to take the lead so that the brothers could take it with peace of mind.

Jia Huan divided part of the money, and asked Dai Shilin to count the rest and register it together with the goods on the ship. Just as Jia Huan was about to return to the top deck to continue chatting with Captain Rohr, two The soldier who inspected the bottom cabin looked strange and came to report: "Third Master, there is still a woman locked in the bottom cabin."

Jia Huan's heart moved and he followed the two soldiers down to the bottom cabin. Dai Shilin also followed curiously.

The bottom cabin was very narrow, where sand and stone counterweights were loaded. Jia Huan looked through the light of the torch and saw that there was indeed a person chained up in the dark and damp corner, a blond and blue-eyed Western woman.

The woman was slovenly dressed and huddled in the corner with her hair disheveled. Her appearance and age could not be clearly seen, but her light blue eyes looked at Jia Huan and others through her messy hair. There was no fear, only numbness and indifference, as if she was a body without a soul. Lying in a shell with a chain around his neck, one can't help but feel sympathy.

Jia Huan frowned and ordered, "Take her up."

The two soldiers hurriedly bent over and walked over. The Western woman immediately stepped back warily and nervously pressed against the cabin behind her, with her hands protecting her chest.

"Don't move!" A soldier drew out his sword and cut off one end of the chain with a few blows.

The Western woman didn't know whether she understood or guessed the soldier's intention and did not resist. After the chain was cut, she followed out obediently and refused the soldier's help.

Everyone returned to the top deck. The Western woman looked around and found that Jin soldiers were everywhere. Captain Rohr and others were squatting on the deck with their heads in their hands. A trace of surprise flashed in their eyes, as well as a trace of schadenfreude. .

At this time, Jia Huan was also a little surprised, because the woman subconsciously fixed her messy hair when she looked around. Under the blazing firelight, the Western woman also revealed a delicate and charming face, a pair of blue eyes like crescent moons, The bridge of the nose is high and straight, and the small mouth is like a water chestnut. It not only has the three-dimensional sense of Western people, but also contains a kind of classical beauty of Eastern women. Moreover, at this moment, the Western woman also stood up straight, nearly 1.8 meters tall, slim and graceful. The round hips, narrow waist, and plump chest are the standard pear-shaped figure, very hot.

(End of this chapter)