1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2223
The waiter saw that Dai Chengrong was so familiar with his restaurant, so he answered, "Master Jun seems to be a regular customer. We also have the delicacies from the Yangtze River in our Zhoushan branch, but because the transportation is not easy, the price must be higher than that in Zhoushan. Yangzhou is more expensive."

Dai Chengrong said happily when he heard the words: "You really know how to do business in the second floor! The more expensive, the more expensive, as long as it is fresh!"

Xiaoer said: "If you are worried, you can go to the back kitchen to have a look. They are all live fish. If there is a half-truth, you can ask the military master as a villain!"

Dai Chengrong waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. I often go to your family's head office in Yangzhou City, and I'm familiar with the two shopkeepers, Wang and Wu. I'm sure you can rest assured about the ingredients. By the way, the one brewed by your family Yuqiongjiang, bring me a pot... I remember correctly, it should be eight taels of silver per pot, right?"

Xiao Er sneered and said: "Master Jun, the jade fine wine has to be transported from Yangzhou, so the semicolon here is a little more expensive, at ten taels of silver per pot."

"Ten taels is ten taels, let's deal with it quickly!" Dai Chengrong turned over his hand, and threw a small ingot of broken silver on the table: "Here, the rewarder, be quicker!"

Xiao Er accepted the tip, thanked Dai Chengrong and went happily.Although the Erfen Building often has high-rollers who spend tens of taels of silver for a meal, there are not many who are willing to give high rewards to the serving waiter. Dai Chengrong's move is almost half a month's income. Naturally very happy.

Dai Chengrong turned his head and said: "The instructor is from Yangzhou, so he should have eaten three delicacies from the Yangtze River, right?"

Chen Xiaoyu responded with a smile: "I was born as a fisherman, do you think I have eaten it? But it's already past the season, and you can still eat these kinds of fish. This second floor really has some tricks!"

Yangzhou’s three delicacies from the Yangtze River refer to shad, saury, and catfish that are unique to the waters. Chen Xiaoyu has been fishing with his family on the Yangtze River since he was a child, so he has eaten them.However, most of the time, these types of fish with high market prices are still sold to various restaurants in Yangzhou City for money - Erfenlou is one of them.

Of course, these kinds of fish do not grow near Zhoushan. They can only be caught in Yangzhou, and then shipped to Zhoushan together with the river water. The cost of such a toss is very high, and the quantity is very limited.Rare things are expensive, and probably only the rich and wealthy can enjoy these special ingredients, but Dai Chengrong didn't even ask the price, and just ordered it. This straightforward attitude also made Chen Xiaoyu feel his sincerity.

Not long after, Xiaoer came up with some cold dishes and Dai Chengrong's Yuqiongjiang, but this time he didn't come alone, followed by a chubby middle-aged man, Xiaoer introduced to them: "Two Master Jun, this is the shopkeeper Wang of this restaurant."

The shopkeeper Wang bowed his hands and greeted: "I heard that the two military masters are regular customers of this restaurant. The villain came to say hello, and these cold dishes will be served with the two of you."

Dai Chengrong nodded and said: "Looking at the face of shopkeeper Wang, he is somewhat similar to the shopkeeper Wang at Yangzhou Headquarters. I don't know how to call you two?"

"The one from Yangzhou is a villain brother...the villain dares to ask the name of the military master?" Upon hearing Dai Chengrong's question, shopkeeper Wang confirmed that the other party was indeed a regular customer of the restaurant, and his status should be either rich or noble, and he was even more respectful at the moment.

As for why this young nobleman from Yangzhou was wearing the uniform of the Haihan Army, he actually felt a little strange.Moreover, the Haihan garrison on Zhoushan Island basically spent money issued by the country, while Dai Chengrong rewarded Xiaoer with broken silver, which is really not common.

"My surname is Dai. I've only been here not long ago. I was out on business today. I happened to see this familiar sign outside, so I decided to come in and eat some home-style food."

Dai Chengrong only gave his surname, and the shopkeeper Wang quickly thought of his identity, and quickly responded: "It turns out that it is the young master of the Dai family, sorry for your disrespect... By the way, there is a private room here, and the guest who happened to make a reservation is busy today. Here we are, why don't you invite the two of you to sit in the private room?"

"Okay, then I'll be busy." Dai Chengrong smiled and stood up.In fact, he knew that Xiaoer’s earlier statement that there were no more private rooms was probably just an excuse, and places like the second floor would definitely reserve one or two private rooms for emergencies, so he deliberately revealed his extraordinary status when ordering food. Bring the shopkeeper to meet.

The money spent by the seven surnames on entertaining guests in Erfenlou every year ranges from [-] to [-], especially the Dai family, who is definitely one of the big customers of Erfenlou.Dai Chengrong believed that after his identity was reported, as long as the shopkeeper of the second branch building reacted, he would definitely save face and make some arrangements to make up for his previous negligence.

The shopkeeper Wang was sent to the Zhoushan branch to take charge of the business. He really had some discernment. After a few words, he realized Dai Chengrong's true identity, and quickly raised his salary.As for the authenticity of this identity, Shopkeeper Wang has no doubts. He believes that no one will go to Zhoushan Island to pretend to be the young master of the Dai family. After all, this identity can only bring him an upgrade in treatment, but it will not be exempted at checkout.

However, this young master of the Dai family is now wearing a Haihan military uniform, and his demeanor is somewhat military.This restaurant was originally a place where all kinds of news gathered, and shopkeeper Wang also knew that a big salt merchant from Yangzhou had come to Zhoushan for activities recently, and it was said that he wanted to discuss cooperation with Haihan officials.But these Dai family children have already joined the Haihan army, and the cooperation between the two parties seems to be not limited to the field of trade.

The Dai family, the head of the seven surnames, actually asked the younger members of the family to vote for the Haihan army, which means that Haihan's tentacles have officially extended to Yangzhou.Shopkeeper Wang couldn't help sighing secretly that his boss had a long-term vision. Last year, he came to Zhoushan Island, which is [-] miles away from Yangzhou, to open a semicolon, which was much earlier than the seven surnames.

Shopkeeper Wang was polite again, toasted the two of them with a glass of wine, then left the room, and ordered the waiter to wait for orders at the door of the private room, so as to serve the two people inside.

Chen Xiaoyu gave a thumbs up and praised: "Dai Chengrong, I really have you!"

Dai Chengrong said with a smile: "I made the instructor laugh! If it was in the second building in Yangzhou City, it wouldn't take so much trouble. As long as people go there, the store will take the initiative to arrange a private room. But the shopkeeper Wang is also a clever person." , if he doesn't express anything, then I can only ask him how much money he needs to sit in the private room."

Chen Xiaoyu said: "Actually, it's just you and I having dinner, and we won't talk about important national affairs or military secrets. It doesn't matter if we sit outside."

Dai Chengrong shook his head and said, "Instructor, I understand what you mean, but to me, it's just a matter of course, not to show off in front of you."

This reflects the difference in their backgrounds. Chen Xiaoyu was born as a fisherman, and he probably never imagined that one day he would sit in a private room on the second floor and enjoy a banquet of tens or hundreds of taels of silver, even if the money was not enough. There is no need for him to pay for it himself, and he will still feel a little restrained.

As the son of a salt merchant, Dai Chengrong followed his uncles and elders to various high-end places since he was a child, and he was used to all kinds of extravagance when the elders entertained officials. Naturally, his understanding of the standard of dining is similar to that of Chen Xiaoyu. significant difference.In his opinion, the dining conditions must be upscale in order to show his respect for Chen Xiaoyu as an instructor, not just to show off his status.

Chen Xiaoyu probably knew that he couldn't argue with this well-informed apprentice, so he smiled and changed the subject: "This second-floor building is indeed famous in Yangzhou, but I have never known what it means. You You often go in and out of this restaurant, you must know the allusions in it?"

Dai Chengrong replied: "Speaking of this, I asked the shopkeeper of the restaurant specifically. The so-called two points came from a poem "Recalling Yangzhou" written by a Tang Dynasty poet Xu Ning. The rascal is Yangzhou. This restaurant is based on the artistic conception in the poem, and the restaurant signboard is divided into two."

Chen Xiaoyu's education level is extremely limited, and he only started to receive literacy education after he was voted in the Haihan Army, and he can only recognize two to three hundred commonly used Chinese characters.He half-understood Dai Chengrong's explanation, only knowing that it was written by a poet in the Tang Dynasty, but he still didn't quite understand its meaning.

But that's not important anymore, Chen Xiaoyu raised this question originally to change the subject, as long as he knew the source of it was enough.

While talking, the dishes ordered by Dai Chengrong were brought in one by one, and the table was filled in a short while.Chen Xiaoyu originally wanted to say that this was a bit of a waste, but seeing Dai Chengrong's expression remained normal, he swallowed back the words that came to his lips.

Chen Xiaoyu stopped talking, but Dai Chengrong had many topics and wanted to take this rare opportunity to ask Chen Xiaoyu.In particular, he hoped to know about the upcoming training content of these salt merchants' children and the arrangements after the training.

After hearing his question, Chen Xiaoyu knew what he was worried about, and couldn't help laughing: "Actually, what you are learning now is basically the same as what I was trained in when I joined the army, but the training intensity is different. That's all. The most basic things will be taught to you, but how much you can learn still depends on hard work and your own understanding. But if you want to turn these skills into your own skills, you have to do it on the battlefield. Only after that.”

Dai Chengrong listened very carefully, and after Chen Xiaoyu finished speaking, he asked again: "Then when I return to Yangzhou after I finish my studies, if I don't consider the cost, can I form a private armed force with a combat power similar to that of the Haihan Army?"

Chen Xiaoyu replied: "I'm afraid it will be a little difficult. First of all, the weapons and equipment currently installed in the Haihan Army are prohibited from being sold to foreign countries, and the military is also very strict about this. Even if you are willing to pay a high price, it probably won't be possible It is good to buy a few guns in the market. At most, you can get a few guns here and there. The tactics you are learning now are all based on the weapons that our country will provide you. It will be different from the tactics of the Haihan Army. different."

Chen Xiaoyu's words were reserved, but Dai Chengrong was well-informed after all, so he could hear the meaning of his words.The military assistance provided by Haihan is limited. Although it will teach combat skills and provide standard weapons with huge lethality, it is not the same type used in the Haihan army.

According to this statement, no matter how diligently these children of salt merchants study hard, their actual combat power after they become an army is still impossible to reach the same level as the Haihan Army.

Dai Chengrong was trained in the military camp these days and has seen the drills of the Haihan Army, and even watched the live ammunition target training. He is very envious of his combat effectiveness, but after hearing the answer given by Chen Xiaoyu, he must be lying if he said he was not disappointed. human.With his own financial resources, why doesn't he want to train an armed force like the Haihan Army in Yangzhou, but Chen Xiaoyu's answer can be said to completely deny such a possibility.

Chen Xiaoyu comforted: "Don't worry, the military aid provided to you by our country is definitely enough to enable you to defeat your competitors in Yangzhou. As long as you don't rebel in Yangzhou, I believe it will be difficult for the local people to compete with you in terms of force in the future." rivals."

Dai Chengrong said with a strong smile: "Of course I have this confidence. It's just that there is no limit to fighting. Of course, I hope that the militia we form in Yangzhou will have an even stronger level in the future!"

Chen Xiaoyu said: "If you really want to be a martial artist and want to learn the most powerful skills in the army, you might as well consider joining the army and join our Haihan army!"

Dai Chengrong shook his hands slightly when he heard the words, and the piece of fish caught on the chopsticks immediately fell back into the bowl, and hesitantly replied: "I'm afraid this is a little inconvenient?"

"What do you mean by inconvenience?" Chen Xiaoyu saw his reaction in his eyes, and smiled slightly: "Are you worried that your family will not allow it, or do we disagree?"

Dai Chengrong put down his chopsticks and said worriedly: "It should be both! To tell you the truth, my family intends to let me take charge of my militia. My identity?"

"As an outsider, I can't comment on your family's affairs. But you don't have to worry about your identity in the Haihan Army. In fact, many of the officers in the army are from Fujian and Guangdong. For people with family background like you, it is much easier to win an official position in the Haihan Army than in Daming."

Dai Chengrong replied: "But I heard that in the Haihan army, it is not allowed to buy officials with money?"

"You misunderstood me." Chen Xiaoyu replied: "The advantage I said is that you can practice literature and martial arts from an early age, your brains are easy to use, and you have seen the world. Naturally, learning things in the military middle school is better than people like me. It’s much faster, and there are more opportunities to get promoted. To tell you the truth, my performance during the recruit training period should be far below your level.”

In terms of physical condition, education status, vision, and ability to deal with people, it is true that a background like Dai Chengrong will have greater advantages, and it is easy to get more opportunities in the army.However, his family's financial status and the support they can give are only secondary factors that have little influence in the Haihan Army, which pays attention to military exploits.

Although Chen Xiaoyu has only been in the army for a few years, he has also heard about the promotion history of many officers through various channels in the army, and what he said to Dai Chengrong can be regarded as heartfelt words.

(End of this chapter)