Chapter 989 1080 Inquiring for Information

Chapter 989 1080 Inquiring for Information

"There's one more thing."

Just when the two thought the matter was over, Deng Zilong spoke again.

When they heard that there was something else, both of them looked respectful, waiting to hear what the general on the opposite side had to say.

"You have been to Manila so many times, you should know what kind of things grow there, called sweet potatoes or something."

After asking, Deng Zilong stared at them without blinking.

"Sweet potatoes. Oh, you are talking about sweet potatoes, right? Indeed, many sweet potatoes are red. It would be more appropriate to say sweet potatoes."

Li Jin's face first showed doubts, and then he seemed to think of something and immediately smiled.

"Sweet potato, you said that thing is called sweet potato?"

Deng Zilong asked strangely.

"Yes, that's what it's called over there."

Li Jin immediately smiled.

"Yes, sir, it's called sweet potato over there, but some crew members saw that most of the things were red, so they also called it sweet potato."

Chen Zhenlong has been with sailors for a long time, so he knows that many sailors call him this.

He also thought that it must have been his sailors who said this to the outside world, so the general opposite asked curiously.

You know, there are a lot of foodies in Daming. When they hear about strange and strange things that they have never eaten before, many people will be curious and want to try it.

“Alas, sir, you don’t know.

The sweet potato is really delicious when roasted, sweet and soft, and tastes great. Unfortunately, the Yi people do not allow us to take away the sweet potato vines. Otherwise, adults can eat sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes in the Ming Dynasty. "

Li Jin said.

"I heard that the product has a high yield and does not require careful cultivation. How much water does it require?"

Deng Zilong asked again.

"I heard that this is the case. This sweet potato grows underground. I heard that it can grow on any land, as long as it is not a saline-alkali land near the sea. The only problem is the yield.

I also heard this from the Yi people, saying that this thing is not afraid of drought and cold, grows very fast, and can be harvested in three months.

They said that there is a very large piece of land in the east, which is covered with these things. It is very cheap. People there eat this and corn as their staple food.

Because it is easy to grow, the Yi people also carry sweet potato vines everywhere, just to quickly replenish food.

Adults also know that the risk is still very high at sea. "

Chen Zhenlong said.

"Yes, yes, I heard them say that too."

Li Jin hurriedly agreed.

“Our boss has also had the idea of ​​sweet potatoes before and wanted to bring them back to Daming for planting.

Unfortunately, the Yi people are very strict and do not allow us to take away raw sweet potatoes and sweet potato vines. "

Chen Zhenlong hurriedly echoed his boss's words.

"That's it. Can you think of a way to bring back sweet potatoes or sweet potato vines?"

As he said that, Deng Zilong pointed at the two large ships in the distance and said with a smile: "A ship as big as yours should be able to be brought out if it is hidden in a secret place."

Hearing that Deng Zilong's request was actually this, Li Jin was determined.

The other party wanted to help him obtain sweet potato seeds, which was exactly what he wanted, because he had wanted to do this for a long time.

Unfortunately, it never succeeded.

Now that the navy general has also raised the issue, he should discuss the matter with the steward.

"We must find a way to bring this sweet potato back to Ming Dynasty."

Li Jin hurriedly patted his chest and promised.

"My name is Deng Zilong, and I am the deputy general of the Nanhai Navy. Once you get the sweet potato seeds, you can contact the water village near Yuegang, and I will naturally know then."

Deng Zilong said.

Of course he didn't know about sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., but when he was in the capital, he heard Wei Guangde mention it, and it seemed that he was talking about sweet potatoes.

This is why he was very interested when he heard something called sweet potato.

If something is good above, it must be good below. Mr. Wei Ge pays attention to things, so he naturally wants to find a way to get them.

I didn't know about sweet potatoes before, so it was okay. Now that I know this thing exists, I have to find a way to get it and send it to the capital.

They made an agreement with Li Jin here, and soon Chen Zhenlong returned to the ship to pick up the silver and sent it over, and signed and stamped it on the Nanhai Navy's customs defense.

Because it was the private account of the sailor, there was a specially printed bill for collecting money on the ship. However, the bill did not concern the merchant. It only stated the reason for the seizure and the amount of the tax to be paid, and the other party signed and approved it.

Having this thing is equivalent to controlling the fate of maritime merchants and making them admit to smuggling.

This kind of thing is neither big nor small.

As the news spread, the punishment ranged from heavy fines and confiscation of ships and cargo to the seizure of the ship's lead.

Naturally, these are things that maritime merchants should try their best to avoid.

The only ones who dare to do this openly, or who are not afraid of naval patrols at sea, are only a few companies connected with Wei Guangde.

When Yu Dayou greeted them, when the official ships under the Nanhai Navy met them, they mostly turned a blind eye and passed by pretending not to see them.

Something happened here, and soon the two fleets separated.

The Nanhai Navy's fleet continued sailing towards the north of Luzon Island, while the maritime merchant Li Jin's fleet went further south, and its destination was naturally the city of Manila in the south of central Luzon Island.

Standing at the stern of the ship and watching the navy ship leave, Li Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled.

"My boss, this navy gunboat really looks like that."

Chen Zhenlong often went to sea, so he had naturally seen the barbarians armed merchant ships and warships, so he spoke at this time.

"Indeed, this gunboat looks like a barbarian."

Li Jin said: "If the government didn't allow it, I would buy more artillery and put it on the ship."

Chen Zhenlong nodded, and suddenly remembered what happened before, so he said again: "My boss, that's what the adult on the boat said."

"Think of a way. As long as we can get sweet potatoes back to the Ming Dynasty, we will definitely make a lot of money from growing them."

Li Jin said.

They actually had cannons on board, but they were small cannons, obtained from the Coast Guard at a high cost.

The performance is naturally not very good, that is, it only scares people. It only becomes lethal when pirates approach the ship. There are also some blunderbuss and bows and arrows.

In fact, the government also knew that these prohibited items were taken out to sea, but they just pretended not to know.

After all, if there is no armed force at sea, there is basically only a dead end.

Perhaps the Ming government did not approve of it at first, but after seeing the armed merchant ships of the barbarians, they all fell silent.

At this time, Li Jin was not thinking about bringing back the sweet potato seeds, but wanted to take the opportunity to contact Deng Zilong.

The other party is so interested in sweet potato seeds, and believes that if they can get sweet potato seeds, they can rely on Deng Zilong's big ship.

This is not to say that only civilian officials controlled the country in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, military generals also played a large role, mainly depending on whose hands things fell into.

The Li family is engaged in maritime trade, so they naturally have to find ways to curry favor with the navy generals, which is beneficial to them going to sea.

In this matter, civilian officials can only contribute on the shore. When it comes to the sea, it is the naval general who has the final say.

Just like what happened today, if anyone has any bad thoughts, the two people on the boat will explain it here.

"Uncle Chen, find a way to get the sweet potato or sweet potato vine back. Perhaps, with the help of the things, we can get closer to General Deng. In the future, whether it is the firearms purchased at sea or in the navy, they can help us." Bundle."

Now that he thought of it, Li Jin whispered to Chen Zhenlong behind him.

"Master, I understand."

Chen Zhenlong immediately nodded and agreed.

Just like Deng Zilong said, it is impossible for two such big boats not to be able to hide even a small sweet potato, as well as sweet potato vines.

After they learned about the policies of the Yi people, they gave up their thoughts on this.

After all, they are businessmen. Although bringing sweet potatoes back to the Ming Dynasty can help them make money, the income from farming is not as fast as that from sea trade.

Naturally, they were worried about offending the barbarians, so they gave up their plan to introduce the species.

It's different now. A general from the Ming Dynasty has taken a liking to this thing, so it's worth taking the risk.

A few days later, two merchant ships entered Manila Bay and docked at the pier under the guidance of a guide ship.

After the springboard was set up, Li Jin and Chen Zhenlong disembarked first and negotiated with the representatives of the Yi people on the shore.

They were all old acquaintances, and it was not the first time that Li Jin's merchant ship came here, so he was given a warm hug when he saw him on the other side.

"Dear Li, what treasure did you bring us again? The silk cloak you sent last time was really great. All the ladies in the city liked it very much. They have been looking forward to you coming again."

The tax official smiled at Li Jin.

"Oh, that's great. You have to know that those who can board my ship are the best products of my Ming Dynasty. They are definitely the best."

Li Jinle chuckled.

"It's just that the price is absolutely outrageous, too high."

The tax collector smiled bitterly.

"But it's worth the price, isn't it? Garcia."

Li Jinle said.

Wouldn't he take this lonely route to Manila if there weren't enough profits?

What a joke.

In fact, the best fabrics in the Ming Dynasty, and the first-class ones, must be produced in China, purchased from the palace.

Of course, some of it will flow out, but it will also flow into the houses of high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

As for Yuegang and Sea Trade, the Yuegang side is actually the worst, which is to fool the idiots like the Yi people.

Many of them are in the hands of merchants like them, either for their own use or for trading to make money.

These fabrics, which could only be considered second-rate in the Ming Dynasty, were definitely regarded as the top handicrafts of the Ming Dynasty overseas.

Yes, it’s crafts.

This is just to fool the Yiren bunch of bumpkins into not knowing, because these are things they, the maritime merchants, would never say.

Chen Zhenlong was left on the dock directing the porters to unload the goods on the ship, while Li Jin and Garcia entered the office building behind the dock to chat.

After making tea for Li Jin, Li Jin smiled and said, "Garcia, you are getting more and more skilled at making tea."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Li's teachings. This tea tastes really good, not inferior to coffee at all."

Garcia answered immediately.

But Li Jin still waved his hands as before and said: "Your things are so bitter, and you still want to sell them to Ming Dynasty. I advise you to give up on this idea.

In my Ming Dynasty, not to mention all, most people are not used to drinking your stuff.

I also gave it to my friends to drink the coffee you gave me last time. It’s okay to drink it occasionally. If you want to drink it for a long time, everyone is willing. "

When the Yi people came to the Ming Dynasty, in addition to purchasing various Ming products they needed, one of the purposes was to promote their products.

As for trading, naturally when buying Ming goods, they also hope that Ming merchants can buy some goods from them, so that they can also make money from them.

Unfortunately, most of their products were rejected.

Except for weapons, it seemed that Ming merchants were only interested in the silver in their hands, and had no intention of buying anything else.

Therefore, except for selling some weapons in small quantities at high prices, they can only trade with silver.

Even though they have money, they don’t make it like this.

"By the way, are there any sweet potatoes? I still miss the taste. It tastes so good when roasted."

Li Jinhu said again.

"Of course. As long as you come here, we will have it here."

Garcia said cheerfully.

Next, Li Jin began to ask about the market situation in Manila and how many businessmen were in the city.

This is very important. Only when there are enough merchants can his goods be sold at a good price.

Next, Li Jin asked about the recent situation in Manila, including the facilities planned and under construction in the city.

"Your Governor, when will you allow me to buy a house in the city? It's really inconvenient to have to stay in a hotel every time I come here.

You know, the last time I encountered pirates attacking Manila, I was frightened.

I hope you can bring me good news this time. You must know that my house in Daming is also built in a city protected by a tall city wall. This can reassure us businessmen. "

Li Jin put away his smile and asked.

"I'm sorry about what happened last time, Li. You know, I've always treated you as a good friend and a good brother.

As for the matter at the house, after it happened last time, I also reported it to the Governor, and he also took it seriously.

After their consultation, you are allowed to buy houses in the city in principle, but the number of people will be limited, that is, the number of Ming people who can live in the city cannot exceed five. "

At this point, Garcia also smiled and continued: "You, Chen, and a few guards, five places should be enough.

As for the servants in the house, you can definitely ask locals to clean the house for you, right?

Those sailors can only rest in the dock hotel. They can go into the city, but they must go out of the city to rest at the dock at night. "

"Ten, my guard, three is not enough."

Li Jin said immediately.

"Okay, I will talk to the Governor and the Commander of the Guards tomorrow. The power is in their hands."

Garcia replied immediately.

"By the way, you have to send more people to guard Manila City. The pirates didn't attack the city with all their strength last time, otherwise your few manpower would not be enough."

Li Jin said again.

"Haha, dear Li, don't worry, this will never happen again.

That pirate Lin will die soon. Anyone who dares to offend my Spanish enemies will be punished by Jesus. We will not let him get away with it. "

Garcia smiled immediately.

"Oh, Lin Feng is still in Luzon?"

Hearing what Garcia said, Li Jin immediately became interested and asked further.

"Yes, I lived at the mouth of the river more than 200 miles north and built a city. It seems that I plan to live there forever, haha."

Garcia smiled contemptuously. (End of chapter)