Chapter 2105 Flower War (thirteen)

  Chinese people know very little about the outside world. Even in Guangzhou, where foreigners are common, they still can't tell the race of foreigners and regard all foreigners as "red-haired people".

This name may originate from the Portuguese and Dutch who first came into contact with the southern Fujian region. They once fought against the Ming Dynasty. These European merchant ships were equipped with cannons, and they were also both merchants and troops. Therefore, the thinking in the Chinese mind was that these " "The Red-haired Man" is using trade as an excuse, but is actually preparing to invade China. If it is a merchant ship, how can it be equipped with cannons?

   But they keep this kind of thought hidden, only showing contempt for foreigners, even children. They are more imitating adults, and stubbornly believe that foreigners have no way to receive a good education overseas and are "foreigners".

  Nick found that most Chinese people are more diligent than each other, even if they live on four or five shillings of capital a day, they still live happily with their meager income. I hope that I can wear silk clothes on festivals, and I will save the balance carefully. I can exchange the copper coins I have saved for silver taels, or change my wandering, unstable, and luck-dependent work into a fixed career. In this way, not only life is guaranteed, but also Income will also be better.

A cash-strapped sailor like Captain Yao probably got into some bad habits, otherwise he would have saved enough money to go ashore at his age and become a ship owner, or his son would inherit his position, and he would not dress like that. Shabby.

Nick did not go back to the hospital immediately after the attack, but looked for people in the casino where sailors gathered, and soon found Captain Yao who was playing Pai Gow. He can speak English mixed with Hindi, and it is said that he was in Singapore. I learned, and the first thing I learned was curse words.

   He must have lost a lot of money, cursed himself for being out of luck, and left the table to play cockfighting instead.

Two roosters will be placed in a fence, and they will have a strong fighting spirit when they see each other. As soon as the master lets go, he will flap his wings and grab each other with his claws, and peck each other with sharp beaks. The attack speed is dizzying, until the defeated cockfighting cock. Finally jump up or die, the gladiatorial fight is over.

  Captain Yao kept shouting and cheering for the chicken he bet on, even though he knew it didn't understand, the chicken brought him good luck, he won a lot of money, or he didn't lose so badly.

   He is different from other gamblers who lost their money and went bankrupt. After winning, he stopped gambling and left the casino.

Nick followed him away. Captain Yao lived on the boat. One could watch the goods, and the other was to save travel expenses. When he came to a place with dark lights and no one around, Nick took out his Spanish jackknife and walked quickly. past. He became alert when he was about three or four steps away from Captain Yao, and subconsciously looked back. Just as he showed a surprised expression, Nick rushed over and forced him into the corner.

   "Forgive your life!" Captain Yao said quickly.

   "Why did you go back on it?" Nick said in English.

   "I was warned not to bring foreigners on board." Captain Yao replied immediately.

   "Who made you do this?"

   "You don't know." Captain Yao said slyly, this is another characteristic of the Chinese, just like the shopkeeper shouting a high price for a worthless gong.

   "Tell me his name.".

   "His surname is Qian, we all call him Boss Qian." Captain Yao said quickly, "He is a money exchange businessman."

  Nick thinks he is joking, he is called "Money Boss" when he does money exchange business?

   In the eastern provinces, a coin is 100 copper coins, and 10 coins is equivalent to a Mexican eagle. However, there were 18 provinces in China at that time, and the number of coins varies from place to place. For example, Taiyuan has 83 coins, and Zhili has 33 coins.

This sounds like a fantasy, but it is completely related to the quality of the coins. The imperial court monopolizes the casting rights of copper coins, and the law protects the circulation of copper coins minted by the imperial court. Even if the copper coins have quality problems such as trachoma and wind skin, some are thin and small. Mixed with soil, sand and copper, there must be no choice but to accept the different copper coins cast by the imperial court.

   Such a chaotic currency value is a paradise for changers, not only the Chinese money industry is promising, but foreigners also get involved. This led to not only the popularity of silver taels, silver dollars, copper coins, and foreign coins, but the Manchu Qing should be regarded as non-standard compared to the gold and silver standard in Europe.

Under this currency system, it is difficult to find an equal and reciprocal trade with China. Guangzhou Thirteen Bank itself is also a monopoly of foreign trade. He Zhongtang also knows that doing business with foreigners can make money, but does not allow it It is run by people outside the thirteenth line.

Thirteen banks are not only thirteen commercial banks, but there is actually no set number, because Heshen handled the big corruption case, created the criminal bank system to solve financial problems, quelled the peasant uprising, and solved the financial crisis. Heshen manages the Thirteen Banks of Guangzhou and foreign trade. Heshen made huge profits through the thirteen lines, and at the same time, in order to gain a place in the "thirteen lines", not only businessmen, but also officials were courting Heshen.

  Nick finally took out a knife and threatened Captain Yao. Captain Yao, like the suspects in the Soul Call, overturned his previous confession, saying that the smuggler threatened him.

   Anti-smuggling is the main business of Guangzhou Navy...

   "What is Guilty Silver?" Leon asked suddenly.

   "You better not ask." Georgiana said indifferently, "If it was a good idea, Heshen wouldn't be killed."

  He thought about it for a moment, and made an air of listening intently, so Georgiana continued to read.

   The isolation and isolation of the country has kept 300 million wise people isolated from the outside world for a long time. Shouldn’t this be a matter of course?

   Almost all of Europe has established insurance companies. This form can be promoted in a wider range. Trade and industrial product circulation should not be stopped because of harassment by pirates.

  Abide by this ridiculous edict will not benefit anyone, it has long since become a dead letter, but the emperor is still holding on to it...

   "Read it," said Bonaparte.

  Georgianna skips over Nick's political views and goes to the story.

"He let Captain Yao go, and then went back to the hospital. The servant told him that the officers and soldiers had come, and I hope he will go to the Admiral's Mansion tomorrow." She said dryly, "He remembered when he was lying in bed, that the In the store, he really wanted to buy a cup made of agate with flowers and fruits carved on it. The whole work was perfect, giving people a sense of novelty. If he hadn’t repeatedly suppressed his desire to buy, he would have spent three hundred dollars. The silver dollar bought the piece, but he wouldn't buy it if he could only buy the cheap stuff, because the unglamorous stuff doesn't have any appeal compared to the good stuff. If there were no shipping difficulties, he might have Buy a large porcelain vase with either the pain of life or the torment of **** on it, or a bronze elephant with platinum decorations on it.”

   "In fact he wanted a lot of things, but he didn't buy them because he had no money," Bonaparte said. "So he hesitated when the English asked him to draw a map of the coast."

  Georgiana looked at the pattern depicted on the engraving. A bird stood on a branch and spread its wings. The bird was inlaid with colorful gems, as if it were imitating a phoenix.

   She compared Albus's pet phoenix, Fox, and felt that the living phoenix was more beautiful.

   "People can be happy no matter what the situation is, but it takes more courage to endure pain than death."

   "You think it's painful to suppress your desires?" Georgiana asked.

   He turned his head sideways, staring at her intently.

"I don't know which is more painful, the trouble you brought me, or the loss of you." He said softly, "That day at the canal, I tried to restrain myself with reason, but I was still a person, more than moral Constrained, it is easier to be at the mercy of evil.”

   She looked down at the book, but couldn't read a single word.

   "Do you want to hear the violin?" asked Bonaparte, "I want to hear it."

   "I'll call someone." She put down the book and left the bedroom.

   He didn't stop her and let her go. She looked back at him at the door, and he was also staring at her back.

   She hesitated, then went back to the bed and picked up "Nick Polo's Travels".

   "Why didn't you close the door?" he asked with a smile.

   "Read carefully!" she said sternly, and then continued to read seriously.

   (end of this chapter)