Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 507 Hoi An Tang Town

The attack on the imperial city of Hue was a shocking event in Annan.And as the big ships of the Northern Navy stayed moored outside Hue Port for a longer and longer time, the relevant news seemed to have wings and spread rapidly along the post roads to all parts of Thanh Thien Prefecture, as well as Guangzhi Prefecture and Quang Nam Prefecture on the north and south sides.

Just four days after the imperial city of Hue was shelled, in Hoi An City, more than 200 miles away from Hue, a group of Chinese businessmen from Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong left their homes and gathered at the foreign businessmen's hall by the Qiupan River. .

Starting from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, with the rise of Hoi An Port, Chinese businessmen from the southeast coast of China set off a climax of trade to Vietnam, which also brought about the formation of the Hoi An Chinese community.By the middle of the seventeenth century, the Chinese community in Hoi An's "Great Tang Street" had become quite large.Among them are the merchants from Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang who went south to pan for gold, as well as the survivors of the Ming Dynasty who went south to seek refuge during the Ming and Qing revolutions.

In the early days of Hoi An, there were the most Chinese and island people. After the Tokugawa shogunate promulgated the sea ban, the Japanese towns in various parts of Southeast Asia declined rapidly, but the number of Chinese businessmen who came to Hoi An for trade increased day by day, and the scale of Tang Street also followed. swell.

In the early [-]th century, Annan had two major trading ports, namely Xiannan at the Red River Port in the north and Hoi An in the south. Their prosperity and prosperity could not even be compared with Hue, the capital city.However, since the Xishan Uprising, the business environment of the two places has been severely damaged, and it has never returned to its former glory.

Fifteen years ago, the army of the Zheng family and the army of Xishan fought a battle in Jinsha, 15 miles north of Hoi An. After that, Hoi An changed hands several times between the old Nguyen, the Zheng family and the new Nguyen, and suffered from wars.At present, many houses in Hoi An City were newly built after the establishment of the Xishan Dynasty, but there are still ruins in the streets and alleys, as well as shelters made of straw and bamboo.

In the light rain, the bluestone courtyard in front of Tianhou Temple in the hall was cleaned spotlessly, like a big mirror, reflecting the surrounding flower and tree houses.

In the conference hall in the east wing of the courtyard, a businessman from Fuzhou took out a small white flat box with text patterns from his pocket, opened it, took out a match from inside, and then stuck the red match on the side of the box. With a stroke on the black strip, there was a sound of "cha", and the match immediately lit up.

"Everyone, this is a product made by Beihai Town. It is called a match. It is very convenient to start a fire in an instant. The current selling price in Jiangnan is 1000 taels of cash per box, and each box has one hundred sticks."

"Hey~~" The eyes of the Hainan businessmen and Guangdong businessmen in the conference hall suddenly dropped to the ground, and they all got up and gathered around to take a closer look. Several local Chinese engaged in maritime trade business were full of curiosity. The crowd spoke in Fujian and Cantonese dialects, and there was a lot of discussion.

"Brother Lin, bang, have you done Sangyi with Beihai Town?"

"It's embarrassing for Ligong (you're joking), how could Lin have such a way. This was bought from 'Huang Shengtai' in Shanghai County. Nobody uses flint and scythe anymore."

"This thing is easy to fasten, but it's too expensive!"

"Yes, yes! 12 cents a piece, this is not a fire, it is a waste of money!"

Another businessman from Guangzhou whispered mysteriously: "You guys don't know something, Mr. Chai heard from people in Shisanhang that this item is very popular with Westerners, and it is sold in Europa for at least five silver dollars a box." .”

God!Several local Hokkien businessmen in Hoi An opened their mouths wide open, thinking that if they bought hundreds of boxes and sold them to the local Frangji and the Dutch, what kind of rice and wood would they waste!If it can be loaded on half a ship and transported to Hoi An, it will be a lot of money to change hands.

"Lin once heard that since the imperial court lost Ninggu Pagoda and other places last year, Beihai Town has controlled more than half of the ginseng supply outside the pass. Nowadays, Fujian and Guangdong ginseng supplies are scarce, if we can make connections."

An old man interrupted: "Brother Lin, be careful! Although we make a living by sea trade, not everyone can touch it. The North Sea is a rebellion by the imperial court. Last year, soldiers came to Dagukou Now that they are attacking Hue, they have become enemies with the Nguyen Dynasty. If you go to them at this time, once they are seized by the government, they may be killed."

"Yes, yes, yes, what the old man said is true! Someone once heard rumors that the leader of Beihai Town is from the Ming Dynasty, and it is said that he is a descendant of King Zhao."

A Guangdong businessman said in surprise: "Ah, isn't that from our Huizhou?"

"Oh? Brother Wang, tell us quickly."

"Want to be rough"

He does not mean that.In the evening, the discussions of the merchants in the Foreign Chamber of Commerce quickly spread to the ears of two groups of people.

Needless to say, the local government in Hoi An immediately compiled the rumors about Beihai Town into text and sent people to Hue.But to another group of people in the area, the rumors about Beihai Town were like a bolt from the blue.

"What did you say? A descendant of King Zhao?!"

In the back house of a firm called "Lianchangji" on Tang Street, an old man in his fifties was stunned when he heard his son's words.He stood still for a while, then got up and hurried out of the flower hall, making the whole family who were sitting at the dining table waiting for the meal stare blankly, not knowing why.

The old man walked to his bedroom, opened a camphor wood box, and found a wooden box from the bottom.He put the wooden box on the table in front of the window. After opening it, he unwrapped layers of yellow satin, and finally revealed a gorgeous and delicate golden hairpin.

The head of the hairpin is a hollowed-out golden phoenix, which is stacked layer by layer with the method of threading. The gold wire on the abdomen, wings and tail of the phoenix is ​​more suitable for fine and complex. The head and neck are made of thin gold pieces, and even the feet are The auspicious cloud is also stacked and hollowed out with gold pieces, which looks extremely graceful and luxurious.

Although this golden hairpin has become a little black due to being stored for too long, and it does not look so golden, but this workmanship is unique in the world, and it is not less luxurious.

"120 years, two Jiazi" the old man muttered to himself, his eyes gradually moistened.

"Father, what's the matter with you?" The old man's youngest son, Ye Chengxiang, opened the door and walked in. Seeing that his father didn't even bother to eat, he couldn't help feeling a little worried, so he came to see what was going on.

"Chengxiang, sit down. Dad has something to tell you." The old man wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, and then said in a deep voice, "Do you know why our Ye family took root in Hoi An?"

Ye Chengxiangxin said that Beihai town was only mentioned at the dinner table just now, why did father ask this again?However, he still said solemnly: "Father said before that during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Gao Zu did not want to serve in the Qing Dynasty, and feared that the Qing court would harm him, so he asked his great-grandfather to travel south with his family and settle in Hoi An, in order to ensure the safety of his descendants."

"Oh, that's just what your great-grandfather said because he was afraid of causing trouble for his family. I told your elder brother before, but he... well, now that you have passed the weak crown, as a father, it is time to tell you that old thing .”

Ye Chengxiang's heart skipped a beat, feeling that what his father was going to say might have something to do with the King Zhao of Beihai Town just mentioned.Sure enough, what his father told about the past made his heart skip a beat and he couldn't help sighing.However, what surprised him even more was the true identity of the owner of the large tomb in the family cemetery.

The old man was a little tired after talking for a long time, took a sip of tea, pointed to the wooden box on the table and said: "Make arrangements tomorrow, take this to Chengtian Mansion."

Ye Chengxiang fixed his gaze, and said in astonishment: "Father, you want your son to find someone from Beihai Town? But what if King Zhao is fake?"

The old man thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "Since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, I have heard of the one who played the banner of the 'Third Prince Zhu'. He pretended to be King Zhao, just a clan of a vassal king. What is he trying to do?"

"My Ye family has helped him keep the secret for more than 100 years, and now it's time to have an explanation." The old man's face that was originally calm turned into resentment, and he looked at Ye Chengxiang and said: "Eight years, this Of all the shops on Great Tang Street, who has no relatives who died in Jiading? I can’t control others, but your eldest brother’s family can’t die in vain. If you don’t avenge this revenge, I, Ye Zhanrong, have no face to face the ancestors of the Ye family!”

Outside the window, the rain became more dense, and the cool wind blowing from the river made the bamboo in the courtyard sway uncontrollably.

It is said that after Ruan Wen and He Xingquan returned to the grand master Pei Dexuan that day, Pei Dexuan and other ministers of civil and military affairs were choked by the aggressive words of the Beihai Navy.

At this time, Xishan fought against Jiuruan in the south, and rejected the Manchus in the north, and everyone was crazy.After experiencing the panic of the initial failure, I slowly woke up.No matter how big the boats in Beihai Town are and how fierce the cannons are, there will always be times when the cannonballs will run out, right?So the next step is to send troops ashore?

According to what Ruan Wenming and Xingquan saw and heard on the Thunder God, Pei Dexuan learned that all the men and women in the Beihai Navy were tall and tall, and most of them spoke with a northern accent.After learning about this situation, Pei Dexuan was even less anxious.

"Hmph, my Annan has always been a place of smog. For those who come from the north, only four or five out of ten are left. This grand master will spend it with you, and see who can't bear it first!"

From the beginning of General Fubo's Southern Expedition to Jiaozhi, it was never the issue of soldiers and officials that restricted the Central Plains dynasty's governance of the southwest frontier and large-scale military operations, but the miasma that made people discolored.Not only people will fall ill from miasma, but even horses will get sick and die.

Before Sun Shiyi led the army to go out in autumn and winter, it was also because the miasma in the border area subsided.In the Qing-Myanmar War, the infectious diseases caused by acclimatization and miasma were the main reasons for the war weariness of the Qing army in the later period.

Although it is said that the miasma in various places in the south occurs after the Ching Ming Festival and is stored after the Frost's Descent, the miasma in southern Annan is different from other places. It can be said that the miasma lasts all seasons, especially in winter and spring.

Most of the miasma-prone places are stacked mountains, few trees, rain and sun, hot and humid climate, many rivers and streams are either green or red.

This is what Pei Dexuan relied on. He and other civil and military officials of the Xishan Dynasty agreed that as long as the Beihai Navy dared to land and fight, the Xishan Army would retreat all the way to the west and lure the enemy to go deep. Seize the opportunity and turn defeat into victory.

However, what Pei Dexuan didn't know was that Man Qing couldn't deal with miasma, but Beihai Haimen was clear!On the way south, Hong Tao and the members of his medical team repeatedly emphasized to everyone that they must never drink raw water or eat raw or cold food after landing. Violators will be regarded as violating military discipline.

Isn't it just a malaria parasite infection caused by mosquitoes? That's nothing to worry about.The biggest "magic weapon" that Hong Tao prepared for this trip south was artemisinin. Of course, he also prepared a lot of things like quinine, chloroquine, and pyrimethamine.

Although the soldiers can't go ashore these days, and the ship is quite hot, there is an ice machine on the Thunder God, so it's no problem to cool off from the heat.Although a few people have bad stomachs because of eating too much cold, a few anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-diarrheal drugs can fix everything.

Two days later, because the Xishan Dynasty did not agree to the conditions of the Beihai Navy, Deng Fei ordered the two D30s on the Thor to continue the bombardment of the Hue Imperial City.With the cooperation of drones, successive explosions blew Ruan Guangping's palace into a mess, and turned the palaces into ruins. Even the outer wall of the imperial city was blown down to a large extent.

At the same time, Beihai No. [-] and Beihai No. [-] were also approaching the Shi (pronounced Tongnuan) Haikou—that is, the later Hue Xunkou, intending to pass through the Haikou and enter the lagoon between the seawall and the land.

At this moment, a small fishing boat sailed out of the lagoon suddenly, and was immediately stopped by the speedboat sent by Beihai No. [-] for interrogation.The people on the boat claimed to be Tang people from Hoi An, surnamed Ye, in their early twenties, with two subordinates.This person repeatedly stated that he had important secrets about Prince Zhao and asked to see the leading general of the Northern Navy.

After Deng Fei, Wang Yuanfang and Hong Tao learned about it, they were all very amused, and said to themselves that the biggest secret of "Prince Zhao" is that he is a Xibei product.However, in view of the begging of the young man surnamed Ye, the three of them couldn't help being a little more curious, so they asked Hai Pingzhi to send him over.

Two hours later, Ye Chengxiang, who had been searched repeatedly, sat in the meeting room of Thor, looking around curiously.Not long after, the door opened, and a skinny man in a white coat and glasses walked in, followed by two guards.

Ye Chengxiang got up hurriedly, saw the other party smiling and said: "Hello, my name is Hong, what's your name?"

Ye Chengxiang hurriedly bowed to the ground, bowed and said: "The villain Ye Chengxiang, whose name is Zhifang, was originally from Huizhou, Guangdong. His family ancestor came here from Guangdong in the fourth year of Yongli, and now lives in Datang Street, Hoi An."

"Great Tang Street? What's that place?" Hong Tao immediately asked the other party to sit down and talk, and asked for a glass of water.

After Ye Chengxiang briefly introduced An Da Tang Street, Hong Tao blurted out, "Oh, China Town."

Ye Chengxiang was stunned for a moment and said, "Your Excellency is right."

After the gossip was over, Hong Tao went straight to the point: "What do you want from us?"

"I don't know if King Zhao is here? The villain is here to pay a special visit to King Zhao this time."

Hong Tao shook his head slightly and said, "I didn't come. Just tell me if you have anything to do."

Ye Chengxiang thought for a while, and since the real master is not here, he can't talk about that matter.But he came here with great difficulty, and he couldn't return empty-handed, so he hesitated for a moment, then got up suddenly, and before the guards behind Hong Tao could stop him, Ye Chengxiang knelt down, cupped his hands, and said, "Ye is accepted!" Entrusted by thousands of people from Tang Dynasty, I implore your lord to uphold justice for us!"

(End of this chapter)