Chapter 432

  Master Earl left Xi’an Town, which greatly relieved the officers of the Expeditionary Task Force who were quite nervous, and once again returned to a happy and carefree life of making money.

  For the expeditionary task force armed to the teeth, there is no enemy in the Horn of East Africa.

  The United Kingdom is its own. The British fleet that frequently travels to and from India sometimes berths in Xi'an town. At such moments, it is a day of carnival in Xi'an town.

The town will organize dragon and lion dances, dry boating and other oriental welcoming ceremonies. Nearby farmers will send the planted fruits, vegetables, pigs, cattle, and sheep to the dock. Pretty good.

  Especially for the fleet returning from India, those British sailors wandered around the tavern brothel like hungry wolves all day, tasting the unique Chinese cuisine in Xi’an town, and purchasing a dazzling array of goods until the last penny in the flower pocket.

  Ship officers are naturally entertained by high-end officers’ clubs. They can provide authentic French wines, Australian beef and smoked sausages, plus belly dancing Arab women. Everyone can return with joy and leave an unforgettable beautiful impression.

  Especially the unique Chinese delicacies in Xi’an town. The cooking and frying are exquisite and delicious, which can't be enjoyed in other places.

  French warships sometimes visit, and regard it as a small town under British rule. The logistics and special pastimes make people linger, and the overall impression is good.

  The most docked ship is the 19th Century United Shipping Company under the ocean routes between Europe and Australia. The town of Xi’an has almost been used as a fixed logistics supply base and must be docked to supplement vegetables, fresh water and meat.

this age

The technology of food preservation is quite backward, and chemical products have not been widely used to extend the shelf life of food. Even fresh water will deteriorate. Therefore, most ocean-going ships are filled with beer, not to mention the food, which is basically hard biscuits. Add salty dead people's bacon.

  The hard biscuits of the Royal Navy are relatives of bricks. Don’t be deceived by their appearance. You won’t know how hard they are until they hit their heads. Many sailors are even bored to carve various gadgets on hard biscuits.

  As for the cured meat, it is even more terrifying, so that some British soldiers commented on the corned beef of the Royal Navy;

  It must have been placed in a wooden barrel from the beginning of God’s creation. When it is boiled, the smell you can smell is like the smell of an Egyptian mummy.

  Although it will not spoil or deteriorate, these foods will still grow worms, so try to close your eyes when eating, so that you don’t see.

So as long as the conditions are available, whether the British army or ocean-going freighter, there will always be some living things on board, such as cows, pigs, chickens and ducks, which can provide officers and crew with some fresh meat, but this kind of opportunity is too rare. Most of the time, I can only eat hard biscuits with a taste of wood, and eat salty bacon that makes people doubt life.

from this angle

   can understand the welcome of the crew and sailors to Xi’an Town, and count the days with their fingers on the boundless sea. How many days will it take to arrive in Xi’an Town?

  From Australia

The ocean freighter arrived at Chennai Port, India after a dozen days of voyage. After taking a break here to replenish fresh water and other food, it unloaded some Australian specialties and loaded them with Indian tea, cotton and high-quality jute from the Bay of Bengal. This is the best in the world. Jute, one of the important raw materials needed by the British textile industry.

Then set off for the next stop in Xi’an town, after ten days of sailing across the Indian Ocean into the Gulf of Aden, the crew’s dream of Xi’an town is right in front of them, where you can eat authentic beef stew with potatoes, sausages and fried chicken with peppers, and drink Shanglaobaigan shochu meets the needs of a Chinese appetite.

  After resting here, crossing the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, and then entering the Mediterranean to the destination piers of European countries, it will take about half a month, during which time there is no need to berth again.

  When returning

  The freighter, loaded with European products, arrived in Xi’an again for replenishment, rest and reconditioning. After unloading some cargo, it was loaded with African ivory, ore, lapis lazuli from Persia, and saffron, and Arabian horses continued the rest of the voyage.

  After the refurbishment via Chennai Port, India, the ocean-going freighter replenishing fresh water and vegetables continued to move forward and finally arrived at the destination port in Australia to complete a complete transoceanic voyage.

  It can be seen from here

  Xi’an Town is at an extremely important node position. The grain, fruits, vegetables, and poultry products produced on this oasis, including the marine fishery products that will be developed in the future, have a wide range of demand, so as long as they are produced, there is no need to worry about selling them.

Each ocean freighter departing from Australia will carry Australian specialty salted sausages and a large amount of soybeans. During the long voyage, the soybeans can be sprouts into bean sprouts and provide the only fresh vegetables. The salted sausages are steamed in a pot. It can be eaten with white rice, and the nutrition intake is more balanced.

  In a secluded and deep courtyard

  More than ten military officers and several town officials gathered here. They are the shareholders of the 1,500-ton smuggling vessel. They are listening to the introduction of the largest shareholder and the convener of the gathering, Captain Li Yong.

  Li Yong has become proud of the spring breeze. He has been promoted and made a fortune. He has already fallen in love with the hot land of Africa and is ready to make a lot of money before returning to Australia.

  He didn’t know, he had no chance to return to Australia to work.

  "Gentlemen, gentlemen;

Our custom-made 1500-ton seagoing vessel in Australia will arrive soon. This is a power-enhanced seagoing vessel. It uses a medium-sized horizontal steam unit and is driven by two boilers. The maximum speed can reach an astonishing 16 knots. The old sailing ship will certainly not catch up.

It’s time for a big fight. The Mesopotamia and Persia have always been rich and prosperous, with a huge market with a population of more than tens of millions. The demand for quality Australian products is almost infinite, especially for the use of Australian high-quality pure wool. Carded tops and combed tops make Persian carpets with richer, softer and brighter colors and better quality, but the price is much cheaper. They are popular products.

  Our milk, cane sugar, spices, bicycles, and canned food are all popular products. As long as they are shipped, they can be exchanged for real money.

  In Basra

  There are countless wealth that we can earn. We have found opportunities to connect with influential families in the local area, and can leave the Persian merchants alone. "

  "If you do it alone, you can bear all the risks on your shoulders." Someone raised different opinions.

"I think such a risk is worth taking. A cargo of four to five thousand pounds can double or even more in Basra. Our ship has a speed that the Ottomans can’t match, and we have enough armed guards. The important thing is... if it doesn’t work, you can still display the flag of the British merchant ship. The Ottomans are now counting on holding the British thigh to fight against Tsarist Russia. They don’t have the courage to buckle our ship. The actual risk is zero. Since there are sales channels in Basra, we Why let a large sum of money slip from your hands and throw it away to the wicked Persian businessman?"

  The interests are moving, and Li Yong's remarks touched the vast majority of shareholders.

  A customized sea-going vessel is worth a lot, but in the long run, all the investment is worth it.

Most of the smuggling ships along the Persian Gulf are sail cargo ships, with a cargo capacity of about one or two hundred tons. The 1,500-ton steel ship they invested and built can be worth or even higher than the income of ten other ships. On a lot.

The advantage of a steam freighter is that it uses a small crew, a fast sailing speed, and does not require high wind direction and weather. It can run almost endlessly on the route from the Gulf of Aden to the Persian Gulf. After a month or two, it can get all the investment back. , And the rest is a net profit, which can be described as a huge profit.

This is also due to the special system and situation of the Ottoman Empire. The internal corruption of this empire spanning Europe and Asia is rampant. The officials and the army are almost rotten. The clan does everything possible to oppress and exploit.

  This caused continuous uprisings of various nationalities within the empire. Pressing the gourd to float up, the Ottoman Empire did not consider reforming its officials, but raised its butcher knife to brutally suppress it.

  The interior of the empire is divided into islands. Warlords and powerful nobles occupy one side, and they are very vigilant to forces from other areas within the empire, for fear of jeopardizing their own rule.

  In addition, the army and local officials are aggressively conquering, and there are many checkpoints along the road. It is difficult for normal commercial circulation to proceed. This leads to an extreme shortage of goods.

  This is a scene of the doomsday dynasty, and it is also a good time for coastal smuggling.

  Lei Xiaopeng was very satisfied with the current situation, nodded his head to express affirmation and asked; "Yong, there is nothing wrong with the next house in Basra, right?"

"Brother Peng, don't worry, the Yassin family is a famous family that has been in Basra for more than 400 years. Ahmed Yassin, who took the initiative to contact me, is an outstanding and powerful person. He has studied in Europe and the United States and can speak fluently. Although he is the second son of the family, he has always been very ambitious to succeed the family in English and German. The cooperation with us is simply a match made in heaven. He attaches great importance to it and will personally arrive at the scene during the transaction."

   "Well, can the Yashin family eat so much of our goods?"

"Please don't worry about this. As long as you get the goods, Ahmed Yassin will quickly increase the price and transfer it to some close families, and sell them through the family's traditional channels. These are all popular high-quality products that you can't see on the market, especially The carded tops, which are important raw materials for weaving Persian carpets, are in great demand, and they almost eat as much as they want."

  "Iraq itself has many pastures. Doesn’t it produce wool?"

"Hehe, Iraqi local sheep are coarse-haired mutton sheep, they are delicious and delicious, but the wool quality is very poor, and the wool workshop is very primitive, the carpets made are far less famous than the Persian carpets, so the biggest cargo they smuggled from Persia is Persia. Carpets, now with our Australian wool, the Iraqis are not bad at making carpets, and they can also produce high-quality carpets."

   "Oh... it turns out to be like this." Lei Xiaopeng suddenly realized that he nodded and said yes.

  Due to historical and national customs, the Iraqis in Mesopotamia are used to sitting on the ground and using tapestries and carpets. This is almost the biggest expense of a wealthy family.

  As long as conditions permit, not only hang on the wall, but even spread a thick woolen carpet on the ground. It is soft and comfortable to sit on, and it smells good to sleep when lying down.

  Only 100,000 households in Basra area, even if only a few people can afford it, this is a staggering number.

  Buy one piece if you save enough money, buy another piece if you save enough money, and put it on the ground after you have it hung on the wall. This is almost the nature of the Arab nation in the Mesopotamia.

  You can have nothing at home, except for carpets, otherwise there will be no place to sit.

  Adding hot products such as toffee, spices, cane sugar, canned food and bicycles, it is really hard not to make a fortune.

Lei Xiaopeng was obviously showing signs of blessing in middle age. He looked at the crowd and said, "Okay, then according to what Yongzai said, let's get rid of the Persian smugglers and do it alone. As long as we have guns in our hands, forgive them for making trouble. There is no moth.

  As long as the Yassin family has roots and foundations, it is easy to handle. If you dare to hack our goods, let him taste what it means to die, and you will not stay.

  In the first transaction, go to more people, then take the two spare 60mm field quick guns in the warehouse, show them the force, don't give me any thoughts.

  One more thing

The brothers of the second company and the gun company also want to mix in. If we do it alone, it will cost money to prepare so many goods. We can’t make it together. It’s better to bring them in and do it together. The **** force can be richer, everyone is relaxed. "

   "Since Brother Peng said that, I'm fine."

   "Okay, it's all Pozawa brothers. Maybe one day I will live on the battlefield, and I will have no problem."

   "It's good, but how many shares do you want to own?"

Everyone answered, some readily agreed, and some expressed doubts. Lei Xiaopeng smiled calmly and said; Even if they own 10% of the shares in the new ship, it is enough to sell 30% of the shares. After they get the shares, they will go back and divide the shares. Everyone in this room will reduce the proportion of shares. This part of the money is mainly used to raise money. Some bank loans are almost the same."

"OK, no problem."

   "I have no problem, Brother Peng, just do what you say."

Everyone agreed, and a huge smuggling group was formed. The sign of an Australian private shipping company hung on the surface. It was actually an armed smuggling team supported by the main military and political officials in Xi'an. The power hidden under the water was quite amazing. .

  This smuggling group quickly expanded its business to various parts of West Asia, thrived in the vast territory of the Ottoman Empire, and extended its tentacles to the Persian Kingdom, and established a fixed trade channel with the Kingdom of Ethiopia. The business grew bigger and bigger.

   is something later, so I won’t press it for the time being.

  (End of this chapter)