Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1578 Xiguan ([-])

"Xiguan is really a good place." In the luxurious cabin of the "Thousand Islands" armed transport ship, Shao Shuguang, the general manager of the Bank of Taiwan, opened a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet, poured it for Huang Hanhua, and said: "Guangzhou people are now I like to come here to do business and buy things. Not only rich people come here to buy things, but ordinary people also come here sometimes. Therefore, there are gradually more shops, taverns, tea shops, brothels, etc. here, and it is very lively. And we and those Cantonese businessmen The most important trades are also delivered in the special market over there, and then they are transported back to the trading station for storage."

The commercial station Shao Shuguang mentioned naturally refers to the Haizhu Island Commercial Station. This fortress-style commercial station built by the Bank of Taiwan with huge sums of money now has more than 200 armed personnel stationed and equipped with more than ten artillery pieces. The arsenal, warehouse, etc. are all available, and the self-sustaining ability is extremely strong-if it is not for the Portuguese, Dutch, and English who are equipped with powerful firepower to attack, the army under Li Chengdong's cold weapons still dominates the mainstream. If you want to recover, you can only besieged for a long time.And once the siege lasts for a long time, the people on the east bank are not deaf or blind, and a large number of people will come to rescue them in battleships. With their strength, any enemy in front of them will have no choice but to flee, including the King of Guangdong and Nanming Huiguo Gong Li Chengdong.

After the rapid growth in the past two years, the trade volume of the Haizhu Island Commercial Station has now entered a mature and stable period—in other words, it has entered a bottleneck period—that is, merchants in Guangdong are willing to do business with people on the east coast Most of them are here, and those who are unwilling, naturally have other channels to do business. No matter how powerful the warships of the people on the east coast are, they are limited in quantity and performance, and it is impossible to block the entire coastal waters of Guangdong and Fujian. It is impossible for the warships of the shore people to stay here all the time, their tasks are heavy.

Most of the merchants from Guangdong who came to trade were from Guangzhou and Huizhou. The main commodities were tea, raw silk, brocade, medicinal materials, and porcelain. Occasionally, some other rare commodities such as tung oil and pig bristles were resold over long distances. People also accept all the bills, as much as they have, no matter what.

After the above-mentioned commodities were purchased by the Bank of Taiwan, they were basically entrusted to a few motor-sailboats on the Indian Ocean route to be transported back to the country for sale, which was very profitable. After all, they were urgently needed materials in the local area.And it is precisely because of this that Bank of Taiwan has been able to accumulate huge profits within a few years and increase the value of the company, becoming the famous hen that lays golden eggs. Can't sell it and look for money everywhere.But now, if you want to buy shares, it is very difficult to have a chance. Shao Shude, Shao Shuguang and his son hold less than 10% of the company's shares, which is already quite enviable.

And the root of all this is undoubtedly the trade with mainland China.Therefore, from the standpoint of the Bank of Taiwan and Shao Shuguang and others, they are absolutely unwilling to give up this sweet pastry, because it involves huge interests.For this reason, after having some money in the company's account, Shao Shuguang has already ordered two "Star" class light cruisers in the country in the name of the Bank of Taiwan—not old ships, but new ships—which can be regarded as quite satisfactory. He lost face, and spent a huge sum of more than 4 yuan for this. Obviously he was slaughtered, but he didn't care, because the money was well spent and it was necessary. After all, the Bank of Taiwan cannot always rely on Let's live off the ships of the Okhotsk Sea Squadron of the Third Fleet?

"The city of Guangzhou, in this chaotic world, is really a rare quiet place. It has abundant products, a large population, convenient transportation, and a developed economy. If it is not occupied by a vulgar old man like Li Chengdong, it would be Let’s go to the next level.” Shao Shuguang handed the wine glass to Huang Hanhua, and said, “Xianghe wine from South Africa is rare in the Far East. Try it, you will miss it very much.”

"Your bottle of wine is here, and it can probably sell for tens of yuan a bottle. A lot of homesick people will probably ask you to buy it at a high price." Huang Hanhua took a sip lightly, and joked: "Such a good wine, with The delicacies, together with the prosperous scenery of Xiguan, can really get drunk, people can vaguely see a scene of the prosperous age, but they don’t know what the city of Guangzhou looked like during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.”

"Hehe, yes. However, I am also worried about how long the prosperous scene of Xiguan and even Guangzhou City can last. Once there is a military disaster, the hundreds of thousands of people and millions of wealth in Guangzhou City may disappear overnight." The time will be gone." Shao Shuguang first smiled when he heard the words, then sighed softly, and said: "Some people just have trouble with ordinary people who want to live a peaceful life! Wu Sangui, an old man, knows that he is dead. The impending doom, time is running out, so all the troops started to attack the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. Emperor Yongli of Kunming panicked and kept calling for reinforcements from all over the country to escort him. Although Li Chengdong, the Duke of Huiguo, is domineering on weekdays, he knows the importance after all. No, he has sent his son Li Yuanyin to lead an army of [-] people from Guangzhou to the west, intending to enter Yunnan through Guangxi and fight against Wu Sangui's army. In addition, the Ming army and chieftains in Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places also responded one after another. It is admirable to gather troops to fight the Wu thief to the death. But the Zheng family in Fujian, although they no longer entangled with Li Chengdong in Chaozhou Prefecture, did not send any powerful soldiers Ma Xijin King Qin, but just blindly purchased muskets, cannons and horses. Forging all kinds of ordnance, it seems that he wants to protect himself, this idiot, doesn't he hear that there are no eggs under the nest, alas, he is really short-sighted."

Huang Hanhua was silent after hearing this.He was formerly the secretary of Liang Xiangjian, the captain of the Denglai pioneering team, so he was naturally very well-informed and able to understand some information that ordinary people are difficult to know.He doesn't have a good impression of the Zheng family in Fujian. He thinks that although this person shouts slogans all day long and is very respectful to the Southern Ming court, he is actually a warlord who is out-and-out, and his intention to separate Fujian is very obvious. .

In fact, there were many such people in the late Ming Dynasty. They may not have any ambition to become kings and hegemons, but they just want to separate themselves from one side and enjoy themselves. This Zheng family is a typical example.However, no matter what, now that Wu Sangui is bringing [-] elite men and horses to march south, and he is still recruiting and accepting rebels along the way, the situation of the Nanming court is not optimistic. Bringing more than [-] people to land westward through the Liangao area, there is indeed something wrong with this attitude, and it is self-inflicted to be criticized for this in the future.

"I heard that there are quite a few chieftains in southern and western Sichuan who don't listen to Wu Sangui's orders, and secretly communicate with the Ming Dynasty. How can Wu Sangui dare to lead the army to the south with confidence? If there is a defeat, Shunjun Zuoying will also Breaking through the defense line of Kuizhou Mansion, driving straight in, and these chieftain soldiers jumping out to rebel, he will be in big trouble." Huang Hanhua assured the glass in his hand, and said a little puzzled: "Is it just to pave the way for future generations? His children and grandchildren are so unbearable, so they must not be able to benefit?"

"Let's make it happen in two ways. There are both the Qing court's urging factors and his own urgent desire. The old thief Wu has been asking the Qing court for food, wages and weapons for so many years. Although the Qing court did not give it every time, it still allocated it Quite a few, if the old thief Wu doesn't work hard to fight the war, he can't justify it. Besides, he is old after all, sons who are useless are useless, and hostages are hostages, so there is nothing to cultivate. That Wu Yinglin You’ve heard of it, right? It’s written in the gendarmerie’s intelligence that this person’s ability is average. Once Wu Sangui goes west, can he really forge ahead like his father? Don’t be ridiculous, it’s good to be able to keep the achievements, and still be aggressive? Hehe, it's impossible! There are arrogant soldiers inside, the Manchu Qing court with ulterior motives outside, and Shunjun Zuoying, a life-and-death enemy, his life is not easy." Shao Shuguang said, expressing his respect for the descendants of the Wu family in his words. There are many abilities that I don't like.

"Wu Yinglin, there should be very few rumors in the outside world, right? And there are many false rumors, which are not credible! But he really has nothing outstanding. It's really difficult for him to forge ahead." Huang Hanhua looked at the bustling crowds by the Pearl River outside the porthole, shook his head slightly and said: "Now it depends on what kind of territory his father can build for him. If he can really And Dang Nanming unified the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, and if the integration and digestion are completed, the Wu family will be able to advance, attack, retreat and defend. With the richness of this base in central Sichuan, it can take Guangdong, Guangxi and Hubei to the east, and peep into Guanzhong to the north. The worry is probably that Guangyuan and Hanzhong are still firmly in the hands of the direct line of the Qing court, like a thorn in the back, and the threat is quite great. If Wu Yinglin can inherit such a big situation and control Guangyuan, Hanzhong, and Kuizhou, then It is really too difficult to control, the whole independent kingdom."

"Yeah, so now it depends on how the battle is going. Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu and others have rectified some Nanming troops in the past few years, and their lineage headquarters have also been expanded to a certain extent. The equipment should be much better than before. The main thing is to gain a certain amount of respite. Although it is very difficult to resist Wu Sangui's [-] army now, it should not be defeated for a thousand miles. And as long as it is not a quick defeat or a disastrous defeat, then in the long-term stalemate, there will always be There is still a chance, what I am most afraid of now is that the old thief Wu will break the main force in a battle, and then quickly attack the city and conquer the territory, recruit surrender and rebel, then the situation is really over." Shao Shuguang said: "The news sent last time said that Liu Wenxiu lost several battles in Guizhou, losing more than [-] troops, allowing the old thief Wu to occupy a large area, and recruited a group of wall grass chieftains, and his momentum rose. Last month, I went to Guangzhou City to meet Xintaihou Hao Shangjiu met and talked about the situation in Nanming during the chat. He said that although the battle situation is still not optimistic, it has greatly slowed down the speed of the Wu bandits' troops and horses, and their spirit has also been worn down. Hao Shangjiu even mentioned And, Li Dingguo defended the Qujing mansion for several months, and fought with Wu Sangui's general Ma Bao, and defeated him under the government of Nanning County, and won more than [-] soldiers from him, which greatly boosted the morale of the Nanming army The old bandit Wu's slanted division will not be able to reorganize any decent offensive in a short time. Now, it depends on the result of the battle of Guiyang between the main force led by Sun Kewang, Liu Wenxiu and others, and the old bandit Wu's headquarters How is it?"

"That's right, this battle is extremely critical, almost a battle that determines the direction of South China..." Huang Hanhua echoed.

At this time, the "Thousand Islands" had sailed into Lizhi Bay with its whistle sounding, and anchored in the middle of the river.There are many small boats and small boats near the shore. When they saw a huge ship like the "Thousand Islands" (in fact, the standard displacement is only 250 tons), they all avoided it, causing chaos on the river.

At this time, Lizhi Bay was not as silted and shallow as later generations, and the area of ​​Guangzhou City was not as large as later generations. Although there have been many lands formed by river alluvial in Xiguan area, it is still a country of water, and Shibapu area is even more so. There is no trace, so the shipping conditions here are actually very good.But even so, the "Thousand Islands" still did not dare to take risks, but parked far away in the deep water surveyed in advance, and then used small boats to transport people and goods ashore in batches, which naturally included Shao Shuguang, Huang Hanhua was waiting for a group of people.

Shao Shuguang's trip to Guangzhou Xiguan from Taiwan Island was mainly to introduce Huang Hanhua, the new deputy general manager of the Bank of Taiwan and head of Haizhu Island Commercial Station, to merchants here who have close business ties with people on the east coast.In other words, from now on, Huang Hanhua and Huang will be in charge here. Shao Shuguang usually sits at Ningbo Fuding Harbor to coordinate the overall situation, and will not ask about the specific affairs details in the south.

In fact, Huang Hanhua also holds multiple positions. Among them, he is the person in charge of the Haizhu Island Commercial Station, responsible for import and export trade with Guangdong merchants, and also the diplomatic liaison between the East Coast government, Huiguo Gong Li Chengdong and the Nanming court. The top person in charge of the spy network that has been slowly established in the past two years to spy on southern China's intelligence is still not easy, and it involves several fronts, and the requirements for people's abilities are quite high.

However, Huang Hanhua is still very optimistic about whether these things can be done well. He was born as the secretary of Liang Xiangjian and has been in Yantai for many years. He is familiar with general administrative affairs and has a good grasp of people's minds.Later, he was transferred to Laizhou Prefecture to work for a long time. He participated in a series of things such as local construction, emergency rescue and disaster relief, and refugee resettlement, and his ability has improved to a certain extent. This time he was transferred to Guangzhou to take full charge of here (and in order to solve the level problem, he also took the post of deputy general manager of the Bank of Taiwan), which can be regarded as the trust of Jiang Zhiqing, the leader of the Southern Exploration Team, so he will be full of ambition when he takes office as a new official, and plans to make a big show Fist it.

(End of this chapter)