Dragon Sea Empire

What Yin Feng will do immediately is to sell goods to Mai Bo, and buy Mai Bo's little pearls.

At this time, because Yin Feng had saved his family, Mai Bo disclosed all the secrets to him.These pearls were secretly picked by their Dadan Gang Danhu half a year ago, and they were sold to Boss Li of Yazhou Haozi Company—that is, Fatty Li, who bought Yin Feng's silverware.Stealing the court's pearl ponds is a serious crime of beheading and ransacking one's home, so Danmin naturally kept silent until Wang An, an official who was ordered to supervise the mining of pearl ponds in various places in Guangdong, came suddenly.

At that time, pearls were naturally stocked, and the pearl production cycle was as long as 10 years. In the past, the imperial court only picked them once in more than ten years.The best Big Egg Pearl Pond in Yazhou was picked only half a year ago, and the pearl picking the day before yesterday was simply a performance of pearl picking by the Dan people.The miracle did not happen, but an accident happened. The Portuguese boats from Macau suddenly appeared, making Wang An, the internal official, find an excuse to slip away, and the pearl fishing business came to an end.

Mai Bo told Yin Feng that Boss Li was actually the in-law of Mr. Zhou Judgment Zeng, and the brother of Zeng's father-in-law.The Zeng family is the local representative of Fujian businessmen in Hainan.Over the years, the Dan people have secretly picked small pearls more than once, and they have sold them to the Li family's famous business.As for how Fatty Li got rid of those little pearls, Uncle Mai didn't know.Yin Feng recalled that Zeng Yue once said to him at that time that "the dead must continue to harvest", and now he understands that the Zeng family is also deeply involved in this matter. Yue also had to watch the Dan people take risks in the water.

As for the purchase price of Boss Li’s pearls, Maibo’s family and Danhu only got 200 taels of silver for 10 taels of pearls, all of which were used to repair the fishing boats damaged during the typhoon season.

Yin Feng used his 24 taels of silver to buy the remaining 80 taels of pearls from Mai Bo's family, but Mai Bo refused to accept them in every possible way.In the end, his son Mai Xiaohai proposed to return Yin Feng one-tenth of the "Ya Yong" according to the rules of the tooth shop at that time, and Yin Feng had no choice but to accept it.

Yamen, also known as Yaren, was the intermediary of various transactions in history at that time. It played the role of intermediary and wholesale.Its mode of operation is very flexible, or sell on behalf of the seller, or buy on behalf of the buyer, or purchase and sell on behalf of the buyer.Inadvertently, Yin Feng may have become the first "private tooth" in Yazhou's history to directly trade with Western fan merchants; Merchants are not allowed to trade directly with foreign merchants.The trade that Yin Feng is doing now is actually illegal smuggling.

And this batch of pearls, no matter whether they are sold to Beijing, Luzon, or Malacca, it is estimated that they can be sold at several times the price.

Bernardo, a new Christian, was very satisfied with the batch of pearls, and offered a price of 80 taels of silver. Yin Feng hesitated, and Bernardo immediately raised the price to 100 taels, and handed a list to Yin Feng, hoping to Buy some goods locally in Yazhou.Of course the Portuguese knew the rules of the Ming emperor, but they didn't care, because smuggling was the job the Portuguese were most willing to do after they came to the coast of China.

Yin Feng looked at the shopping list, was taken aback, and looked at Bernardo with a puzzled face: "According to the captain, when you set off from Macau, you set off with a full load?"

"Raw silk, basically raw silk and silk. And this damn storm leaked the hull and ruined the sails; besides the silk that was unpacked and used to put together the sails, my raw silk was also damaged by seawater soaking .This disaster destroyed nearly half of my cargo."

The slender Bernardo said with a sad face: "I hope that some goods can be collected locally to make up for our losses. Of course, I will buy them in cash. The key is whether there is a source of goods and the price."

Yin Feng looked at the manifest, which listed: small pearls, raw silk, silk, porcelain, tin, lead, mercury, alum, white wax, iron pans, iron nails, sugar and some agricultural products.Yin Feng was a little dizzy. Except for small pearls and iron products, he had no idea what Hainan Island produced at that time.

He scratched his head and made up his mind to make the deal.This is impossible only with myself who is less than a month old in this era.The only way he can think of right now is to find Zeng Yue.

When Yin Feng came to Zeng's mansion, his servants told Zeng Yue that he was just at Boss Li's place.Yin Feng turned around and rushed to the Haozihao firm.In the past few days, Yin Feng has been running around Yazhou Fuya and Dayan Port, and he has almost explored this small capital city. In order to hurry, he turned into an alley to take a shortcut.It was already noon at this time, the sun was shining fiercely on the whole city, and there was no one in the quiet and cool alleys.Yin Feng turned around a cross alley, the sound of footsteps behind him, and then someone put an arm around his waist.

Yin Feng was already alert when he heard footsteps.He used to cover land expropriation disputes, but was beaten by a real estate agent. Since then, whenever he walks alone in a strange place, he is particularly vigilant about the noise behind him.

As soon as someone hugged the waist, Yin Feng had already bent down to lower the center of gravity of his body. The instinctive reaction cultivated by long-term judo training in his youth made him quickly move his foot back between the waist hugger's feet, and forcefully separated the opponent's right arm with both hands. Relying on the advantage of his own strength and strength, he held the opponent's right arm, twisted his waist and turned his hips to add his hands, and the waist-hugging person suddenly flew over the top of Yin Feng's head and flew forward.

"Ouch!!" "Ah!" Two screams came out, and it turned out that a short man in black was flashing out of the alley ahead, holding a stick in his hand and rushing forward, intending to give Yin Feng a blow in the head, but At this moment, the waist-hugging man flew out into the air and just hit him, and the two of them rolled on the ground into a pile, screaming incessantly.

Yin Feng heard hurried footsteps behind him and in the alleys on the left and right, he didn't dare to stay, and didn't have time to identify who was plotting against him, so he ran forward.The footsteps behind him seemed to have no intention of chasing after them, and slowly disappeared.

He rushed to the door of the Haozihao firm in one breath, panting heavily, wondering in his heart: I came to Yazhou --- no, it's only been less than a month since I came to this era, who would treat me like this ?Have you got the wrong person?

It is Yin Feng's principle to let go of those who don't understand. He shook his head, straightened the folds of his clothes, and was about to enter the shop.

"Brother Yin, why are you so anxious?" Zeng Yue just appeared at the door and bowed his hands in salute.

Yin Feng gathered himself together, bowed his hands and saluted, and handed over the shopping list: "The group of Flang robots want to buy locally, a large amount of goods."

For a moment, Zeng Yue's face was full of joy, and he quickly changed into a deliberate expression: "I hope Brother Yin can translate these Fanbang characters."

Looking at Yin Feng's crooked calligraphy, Zeng Yue couldn't laugh or cry. Yin Feng also blushed a little, put down his pen and said, "I was born overseas since I was a child, and I have never studied calligraphy. I should read it. Brother Zeng, let's write."

Zeng Yue nodded his head to express his understanding. According to his thinking, it would be great for an overseas refugee like Yin Feng to be able to read and write.

After a while, Zeng Yue was also in a daze looking at the list under his pen. Fatty Li on the side was full of eyes, and said eagerly: "Good thing, there are so many goods, comparable to the shipment volume this spring."

Zeng Yue nodded: "Not only that, but the key is that we can trade directly with Frangji. This is thanks to Brother Yin. Fatty Li suddenly asked: "How did Mr. Yin think of giving this business to our company?" Do? "

Yin Feng smiled, looked at Zeng Yue and looked at him with questioning eyes, cupped his hands and said: "First, I don't have that much money; second, the key is the source of goods, and I don't know the source of goods; Yazhou, Mr. Tso's family has helped me a lot, I trust you."

Zeng and Li looked at each other and laughed together.

Yin Feng went on to say: "Right now, the repairs to the Flang machine ship have begun, and they will be able to go to sea in less than half a month. According to the owner of the ship, at least 5000 taels of silver must be replenished this time, and pearls, silk, and ironware are the best. .”

"Half a month's time is really too tight. If the boat is allowed to dock for too long, Master Zhizhou will probably be in trouble... Time is too tight!" Zeng Yue stood up, took a square step, frowning, Old-fashioned look.Yin Feng couldn't help being a little amused: This seemingly calm and old-fashioned young man is only in his early 20s.

That night, merchants from all the local commercial guilds gathered in the Haozihao firm, and there were about 10 people.Yin Feng found out that they were basically businessmen from Xiamen, Quanzhou, and there were not many powerful local businesses.But right now it's not the season to receive goods in autumn, and there are a few shops where only the shopkeepers are present, and the shopkeepers are not there.

In front of everyone, Yin Feng was directly appointed by Zeng Yue as the second shopkeeper of a good brand.All the businessmen were very respectful to this young man and congratulated him and Yin Feng.Of course, everyone knows that standing behind Zeng Yue is Master Zeng Qi, who was born in Jiansheng in Fujian Province and is also the de facto leader of the local Fujian merchants.In Yin Feng's view, this is a typical example of the combination of government and business, but in the eyes of businessmen at that time, it was too late to envy this form.

Zeng Yue introduced the situation straight to the point, and explained that the time is tight, the price is favorable, and that everyone can make money.

Everyone had a heated discussion, and most of the shopkeepers were willing to provide their remaining inventory in the first half of the year.Some people asked about the quantity of ironware needed, and they were willing to supply all the iron pots distributed by their own homes; some merchants asked, will these Frangji foreigners come again in the season of overseas trade next year?

In the past, Hainan Island’s export trade, except for the short-distance Champa and Annan line, other trade routes such as Macau and Luzon, were basically monopolized by maritime merchants in the Zhangzhou area of ​​​​Chaozhou.Every year, merchants from Fujian and Zhejiang come to Hainan to purchase goods, and then sell them to maritime merchants in Zhangchao, and then resell them to Macau or Luzon respectively.Although the Zeng family is from Quanzhou, they are not ranked among the local big businessmen. In terms of overseas trade, the most fatal shortcoming of the Zeng family is "no boats".If you do long-distance trafficking in the mainland, the risk is too high, there are too many checkpoints, the cost is too high, and you lack a strong bureaucratic background; for overseas trade, you do not have your own ships, you can only become the most elementary supplier, and the price and sales volume are controlled by others.

Now, Zeng's family has an opportunity to directly trade with foreign businessmen, and it is possible to become a wholesaler in Hainan Island.The realization of all this is inseparable from Yin Feng, who is currently the only one in Hainan Island who is proficient in the language of the Macau Frangji.

While the merchants were bargaining enthusiastically, Yin Feng, the second shopkeeper of the firm, was a little distracted, and his mind was completely free from the topic of the conference center.The merchants here are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty, but the hotly discussed topic now is the smuggling trade, including ironware, a substance that the imperial court explicitly prohibits export.Yin Feng, who has read some books on the history of Sino-foreign exchanges, looked at the group of businessmen in front of him, and unconsciously became a journalist again. He couldn't help thinking about the problem from the perspective of a third party: How did these businessmen of the Ming Dynasty view the country and the court? of?Do they know that most of the ironware exported to the Portuguese will be re-exported to Japan, and Japan urgently needs Chinese-made ironware to make firearms; at the same time, China and Japan seem to be at war in North Korea, right?

Yin Feng in his previous life was not a businessman, and now he only does business with the Portuguese to ensure his own safety and live a good life, so he has never been able to understand what these Ming Dynasty businessmen were thinking about besides making money.

The merchants discussed and calculated all night long.At dusk, a supply list was placed in front of Yin Feng who was dozing off.Zeng Yue yawned with red eyes, woke Yin Feng up, sat down in front of him and drank tea, and said: "Except for silk and tin and lead, other goods can be supplied. The insufficient part can be used by people in several surrounding counties. The householders went to pick pearls."

"Are there any more pearls?" Yin Feng was a little surprised: "According to Mai Bo, the pearl ponds in Yazhou are basically exhausted."

"So I have to go to Sanya Port or Le'an to pick up the goods. Wanzhou also has Zhuchi, but time is tight. You are relatively close to the Danhus, so I entrust this matter to you! All the commissions will belong to you Bar."

In the temporary tent by the beach, Captain Barreto was wearing the clothes sent by Yazhou, sitting on a box and writing the logbook.Bernardo, a new Christian, was frowning and writing something.Seeing Yin Feng coming in, the two stood up together.The captain generously gave Yin Feng a bear hug, laughed and said, "God bless you, Mr. Yin. You always bring us good luck. What good news do you have for us now?"

Yin Feng took out the list with a smile, and said to Bernardo, "All your goods are here."

Bernardo shook his body and made the sign of the cross on his chest: "Really, that's great. Because of this serious disaster, I was still worried about how to explain to my family!"

The captain is also very happy. According to the rules, if the goods of the cargo owner can be bought at a good price, his income will increase accordingly.

"Actually, this business is not important. I hope we will have better cooperation in the future."

"How to cooperate?" Bernardo's eyes lit up.

"How did you buy pearls before?"

"Macao, or some of the coastal islands, will have Chinese businessmen supplying them."

"In the future, you can get first-hand sources of goods here, and the price is the cheapest in China." Yin Feng said confidently.

That night, Yin Feng spent in the Portuguese temporary camp, the captain opened up all the wine on board, and got drunk with Yin Feng.During this period of time, Yin Feng's Portuguese proficiency has improved by leaps and bounds, and he can already joke with the crew.

"Mr. Yin, why does your Portuguese sound a bit like that of Coimbra?" Barreto Jr., the second officer of the merchant ship, asked suddenly.

Yin Feng immediately sobered up most of the wine.

During his university career before traveling, Yin Feng studied Portuguese, a modern Portuguese language developed from the Coimbra dialect of Portugal as the standard pronunciation.Now it is the end of the 16th century, and Portuguese is still based on the Lisbon regional dialect.

Fortunately, Yin Feng pretended to be drunk and claimed that he learned Portuguese in Mozambique, East Africa, and learned it from a Portuguese mercenary. He didn't know where he was from; The feats of Francisco Barreto in Farah, Mozambique and other "conquests".While chatting with Bernardo, Yin Feng heard that Captain Barreto was a member of the East African Governor's family.

So, in the joyful carnival, this question was left behind by everyone.

At the beginning of October in the 27th year of Wanli, in the towns and villages of Hainan, it was said that the name of Yin Feng, the god of wealth who had returned from overseas, was said.When the thousand-ton merchant ship Tomar of the Kingdom of Portugal left Dayan Port, it was fully loaded with various goods, and the total purchase price of the small pearl alone was nearly 1000 taels of silver.At the same time, Yin Feng also signed a supply contract with Bernardo for the coming year.

At the same time, Yin Feng made nearly 800 taels of silver for the Haozihao firm, which is quite a profit of Haozihao's trade in Hainan in previous years.Of course, Yin Feng has personally accumulated nearly 300 taels of silver, so he can buy 60 mu of good land locally and become a middle-level landlord.

The family situation of Maibo's family has also improved. In addition to building an additional house, they also added a fishing boat that can "go to the sea".

In the past few months, Yin Feng's life has been very busy and fulfilling.All the business houses are vying to invite him to the banquet, or come to ask him about foreign trade, which is actually just a prelude to dinner.Someone even wanted to be a matchmaker for him and propose a marriage to him, but he was so frightened that he sternly refused.

The only shadow in life is the sneak attack in the alley that day.This keeps Yin Feng vigilant when he is away from home.Moreover, he moved his family to a good name firm in the city, and Fatty Li vacated a separate yard for him.

The days are approaching the end of the new year, and the cool and humid seaside air keeps Yin Feng in high spirits every day.It seems that Yin Feng's first New Year in this era will be spent in peace and joy.In fact, the second shopkeeper doesn't have much to do. For next year's overseas trade, the specific affairs are Zeng Yue and Li Dafat --- Li Gong. Yin Feng has been writing his overseas travel journal these days. , This is something like the overseas experience record that he promised Master Zhizhou to write.

Because of Yin Feng's meritorious service in handling the drifting boats, Zheng Zhizhou has approved the treatment of "Guanli Robe" for him, that is, he can wear the robes of Confucian scholars, but he does not have the honorary treatment corresponding to the privileges of scholars.At the same time, he was also appointed as the leader of the local militia.

There is no remuneration for this position, and you have to pay for some nominal government service leaders, entertain the officers of the Qianhu Office who come to patrol, and you have to participate in the training of the people in name.Although there are nearly a thousand local folks in name, the training for one month a year in name is actually not even a day.

So no one is willing to do this thankless job that costs money.Now the Japanese pirates have disappeared for more than ten years, and the Li rebellion of the Li people on the island has not happened for decades. Therefore, the local folk villages exist completely on paper.On the day when the Portuguese ships appeared, the people who were chased up to the city tower like ducks were completely mobs.

Zheng Zhizhou handed over the position of chief executive to Yin Feng purely for the purpose of rewarding and praising him.Because the money rewards are too vulgar, Yin Feng is not short of money; at the same time, in the Ming Dynasty, "non-examination candidates are not allowed to be officials", and it is impossible for the Zhizhou adults to give Yin Feng an official position, so they all sound like officials. Therefore, Yin Feng was given a position that could reflect a little bit of status.

Of course, whether Zheng Zhizhou, his master, or the state judge Zeng Qi, no one told Yin Feng that there is still a fee allocated to Minzhuang every year, which is allocated by the Qiongzhou government as training expenses. .However, in the past few years, this fee has never fallen into the hands of Minzhuang Duchang.