nashuaworldcup Chapter 524 The First Port in the Far East
Chapter 524 The First Port in the Far East
The hardening and reinforcement of Dengzhou Port has begun to show results, but the military camp outside the city has not yet taken shape, so Liu Ye has to prepare to leave.
Ever since Liu Ye promised to marry Lin Tianming, Lin Tianming has been relentlessly pressuring him to get married. Every few days, under the pretext of inspecting the new military camp or exchanging views on port construction, he'd barely exchange a few words with Liu Ye before the conversation drifted to the wedding, subtly hinting that he should return to Guangdong to prepare. With such a nagging future father-in-law around, Liu Ye couldn't stand it any longer and had no choice but to flee.
On the dock, Liu Ye put his arm around Liang Xiaoming's shoulder and said, "Mingzi, work hard. Once the port and military camp are all set up, Dengzhou will basically be ours. This will be our bridgehead against the imperial court and the Later Jin..."
"I know, I know, these are all things I'm familiar with... But when we get back to Lingao, you can keep an eye on the progress of the tram. Before I leave, I'll entrust this matter to the students of Baicao Academy, with the leader called Su Erdi."
On the other side, Dong Xiaowan and Li Xiangjun were also saying goodbye.
Dong Xiaowan: "Xiangjun, you're so lucky! Master Liang is keeping you here in Shandong, so you don't have to go back to Qiongzhou to face the first wife. You're living a carefree life..."
Li Xiangjun sighed, "What's so good about it? An ugly daughter-in-law eventually has to meet her in-laws. I'm just leaving a few days later than my sister. I heard that although his husband comes from an ordinary family, he's very strict and doesn't even allow the maids to touch him. I'm afraid he won't have a good life from now on... On the other hand, the Marquis of Pingnan is still unmarried and only has a few concubines. Neither you nor they can do anything to each other..."
A hint of worry flashed across Dong Xiaowan's eyes: "Sister, didn't you hear what he said to Governor Lin of Dengzhou and Laizhou? He's getting married soon when he returns to Qiongzhou, to the daughter of Governor Lin. I wonder if a daughter of an official family would be able to accept a woman like me from a lowly background?"
Li Xiangjun comforted her, saying, "As long as the Marquis of Pingnan values and protects you, even a young lady from an official family cannot harm you in the slightest."
Dong Xiaowan gave a bitter smile and didn't answer. Liu Ye hadn't given her a clear title yet, so how could he possibly value or care for her? Referring to herself as a concubine at the banquet seemed more like a perfunctory response to Lin Tianming; he hadn't mentioned it again since.
After saying goodbye to Liang Xiaoming, Liu Ye boarded the ship again. When he arrived in Hangzhou, he took Suwen with him, as he had promised her he would take her home.
Suwen was overjoyed to hear this. After learning about Dong Xiaowan's situation, she quickly became friends with Dong Xiaowan and they became sisters. She then handed over the management of Wanhua Tower to Li Fulai.
We set off again, our destination being our base camp in Lingao.
After a series of operations including the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, the surprise attack on Zhongzuosuo, and the bombardment of Manila, all worthy adversaries were either eliminated or subdued. From the Bohai Bay to the South China Sea, the entire East Asian seas practically became the inland lake of the Qiong Navy. Even if Liu Ye were to travel in a small sampan, as long as he flew the Qiong Navy flag, he could safely return to Lingao, let alone with warship escort. After more than a month at sea, Liu Ye finally returned to his base camp after a long absence.
Thanks to the presence of customs and the strong support of the Qionghai Navy for maritime trade and open port operation, Bofu Port has now become the most prosperous port in Guangdong and even the Far East: merchant ships from Southeast Asia, Guangdong, Fujian and Japan are densely packed in the port, their sails covering the sky, and long queues have formed in front of the customs, all of them maritime merchants waiting to pay taxes and leave the shore.
When the fleet led by the "Lingao" entered the port, merchant ships entering and leaving the harbor saw the flag flying the character "Liu" and hurriedly made way for this maritime overlord—in Lingao, it was a consensus among all maritime merchants that you couldn't afford to offend Liu Ye, even if you offended the Emperor himself. Some merchants hadn't realized this before and were unwilling to pay taxes at the Tainan or Bofu customs offices. As a result, this man led his fleet directly to Nagasaki, and in front of the Nabeshima family at the magistrate's office, he broke the legs of the tax-evading merchants and confiscated their cargo. The usually arrogant Nabeshima family didn't dare to utter a single word.
Dong Xiaowan and Suwen followed Liu Ye off the ship, taking in everything at the dock with great interest. They had seen ports and docks of all sizes before, but none were as bustling as Bofu: Cantonese snacks, Southeast Asian goods shops, Fujian tea merchants… all sorts of shops filled the streets, dazzling the eyes. There were even brothels between general stores and Japanese goods shops, frequented by sailors reeking of the sea, yet somehow they seemed perfectly at ease.
Liu Ye followed Dong Xiaowan and Suwen's curious gazes and saw the brothel. He smiled and said, "Don't think that only scholars know about romance. Seafarers also know about romance, but what they want is simpler and purer. Taking a break from the monotony of ocean voyages is a way to relax and vent."
Although Dong Xiaowan and Suwen were being tactful, wasn't that still prostitution?
As Liu Ye walked out of the dock, he immediately saw two railway tracks on the ground. His eyes lit up. Could it be that the horse-drawn carriages have been built?
After a while, the sound of bells rang out, and a horse-drawn carriage came along the tracks. Liu Ye quickly went over to see, and it was indeed the horse-drawn carriage that Liang Xiaoming had mentioned.
The carriage stopped in front of a restaurant, and the driver, sitting in the front of the carriage, shouted in a loud and clear voice, "We've arrived at the Zuixianlou Restaurant at Bofu Wharf. Those who want to get off, hurry up!" As the driver called out, several people got off the carriage one after another and headed to different shops.
The familiar wording made Liu Ye smile. He walked to the front of the long carriage and looked inside through the window. There were two or three other passengers inside, and a boy was sitting at the front of the carriage, taking notes with a pen and notebook.
He asked, "Sir, is it free to ride in this car?"
The driver answered skillfully, "Ten coins for a ride. We'll stop at the next stop, and you can get on and off at any time."
Liu Ye pressed further, "Who designed this arrival announcement?"
The boy, who was engrossed in taking notes, looked up and the rickshaw driver replied, "This was a suggestion from our school's teacher, Mr. Lin. He suggested choosing 'landmark' buildings along the route instead of station names, and any shops that use these names have to pay an advertising fee..."
Liu Ye smiled knowingly. Isn't this just a bus from later generations?
The driver didn't recognize Liu Ye. He asked, "Would you like to get in, sir?"
Liu Ye chuckled and got into the car with Dong Xiaowan, Suwen, and Shimazu Chiyo.
After everyone was seated, the driver gently flicked the whip, and the carriage started moving smoothly. Liu Ye asked the boy, "Little fellow, what's your name? What are you doing writing and drawing in the carriage?"
The boy said with some dissatisfaction, "I'm seventeen years old now, not a little kid anymore. My name is Su Erdi, and I'm doing the homework that Teacher Lin gave me: to walk around the carriage several times a day, record the problems during operation and the passengers' opinions, so that we can make improvements. Right now, this carriage is only in trial operation, with only two carriages traveling in opposite directions. When it's officially in operation, we'll need to put in ten carriages."