Chapter 33: Li Dan's Son

  The Fu boat navigated carefully through the narrow entrance of the waterway, which was a naturally excellent harbor with a narrow entrance, rocky cliffs on both sides, and surrounding mountains. It was an ideal place to avoid wind, and inside it was very spacious. There were already five ships anchored in sight, and several docks along the shore where the Fu boat could berth. The mountain slope on the shore was steep and rocky, with a few cannons on one of the peaks. On the flat area near the dock, many wooden houses had been built, including some shops and brick-and-stone warehouses. People were coming and going outside, making it seem like a small town. Song Wenxian and Hei Pao seemed to have come here many times before, looking calm and composed, while Lu Zizi was curiously looking around everywhere.

  There were seven or eight people standing on the wooden bridge, led by a man who was about thirty years old, tall and slender, with a handsome face. Among his followers, two were dressed as Japanese warriors. As the boat approached, he saw that the protective board was broken, and everyone was tied up with white headscarves, their faces showing different expressions.

  The rope was thrown over the side of the boat, and people on the shore helped to slowly moor the boat. After dropping anchor, a gangway was set up, and Song Wenxian led the way down. The man who had been leading the group came forward, bowed his hands together in greeting, and asked, "Mr. Song, what brings you here?"

  Song Wenxian briefly explained what had happened, and the man shook his head and sighed: "We people who make a living on the sea can't avoid this day. When Uncle Zhao returned to the Ming dynasty that year, I thought he should have been able to avoid some danger, but even going twice a year wasn't too much, yet it still ended up like this."

  Perhaps having seen too many life and death situations, the man immediately returned to normal, exchanging greetings with Hei Pao Han Bin and others, until Chen Xin walked up to him. Song Wen Xian introduced from the side: "Li Gongzi, this is the new financial officer on the ship, Chen Xin. Rarely is someone both literary and martial, he personally killed the murderer of the great master, avenging the deep blood feud for the great master."

  He then said to Chen Xin: "This is the master of this private port, Li Gongzi."

  Chen Xin bowed and said: "Chen Xin has seen Master Li."

  Mr. Li also returned a gift: "I am Li Guozhu. Vice President Chen's demeanor is extraordinary, and he will surely make a name for himself in the future."

  Chen Xin naturally wouldn't take this polite talk seriously, and with a slight smile, he retreated to the side. Behind Li Guozhu stood a ruggedly handsome warrior, Hei Pao and Han Bin said to him: "Xin Youweimen brother." The man only slightly nodded, which was considered a greeting.

  Li Guozhu arranged for his men to help the wounded and sailors, after which he went with Song Wenxian and a few others to a large courtyard on the mountain. As they walked in, it looked like a Chinese-style courtyard, but inside it was decorated like Japan, with a long table set up on the tatami mats. Everyone sat down, with Li Guozhu at the head, while Shin Uemon did not join them and instead sat behind Li Guozhu.

  Several maids in kimonos brought wine and water, their bodies indeed had the fragrance that Old Cai mentioned, which was actually a mixture of agarwood and sandalwood incense. The spices from Southeast Asia to Japan were among the largest trade items every year. At this point, Japanese goods were no longer rare things, all kinds of dishes were seafood, Chen Xin enjoyed himself greatly. These people didn't say they would fast for Zhao Dongjia, Hei Pao and others also ate without hesitation. The group had eaten biscuits and dried meat on the boat for twenty days, and they were already tired of it.

  After three rounds of wine, Li Guozhu ate a little and stopped, smiling and waiting for the others to finish eating. He asked Song Wenxian, "How much cargo did you bring this time?"

  Song Wenxian replied, "Chen Cai's deputy has an account book, mostly satin and silk, valued at nearly 100,000 taels. If Young Master Li still wants to take it all, the price can be slightly lower."

  Han Bin added on the side: "There is also a Japanese ship, anchored in the southern bay, with a lot of cargo on it, estimated to be several tens of thousands. Chen Cai, isn't that right?"

  Chen Xin replied: "The Second Master is almost right. The boat was too small to count clearly, and there were always a few tens of thousands."

  The two of them have already spoken of over a million taels of silver, yet Li Guozhu's expression doesn't show the slightest surprise. Chen Xin can't help but reevaluate his strength. However, this place is very close to Pinghu and Nagasaki, so why didn't Song Wenxian sell it himself, instead letting this person act as an intermediary?

  He calculated the goods on the Fuchuan, and the purchase price was around 50,000 taels. According to Song Wenxian's meaning, it should be sold for 100,000, with a profit margin of only about one time, which is quite impressive but far from the rumored ten times. Moreover, when returning from Japan, they can also bring back Japanese swords, lacquerware, folding fans, and other items to make some extra money, among which the profit margin of the latter is low, but the profit of Japanese swords can reach three times.

  Li Guozhu nodded slightly to Han Bin, "This time Zhao Shu has left, the goods on your ship are still the old rules, I'll take them all and won't lower the price. Don't mention the Japanese ship to others, wait for two days after those two ships leave before entering the port. You can choose the goods you want to bring back in these few days. Anyway, we have to wait for those two ships to leave, so there's no rush."

  He finished speaking and turned his head slightly, instructing the new Right Gate behind him: "Move all the wounded from their ship to another house. Find two doctors to take a look." The new Right Gate responded with a sound.

  Han Bin, this annoying guy, is very honest in front of Li Guozhu, with a very respectful attitude, and a flattering smile on his face, which is completely different from when he faces Chen Xin and others. Song Wenxian heard Li Guozhu's words and asked Chen Xin: "Brother Chen, there are three lots of goods that belong to the master, and after selling them, they will be worth about 30,000 taels. Do you want to buy these goods back?"

  Chen Xin didn't expect to be asked, and after a moment's pause, he replied: "This matter is still best left to Mr. Song and Hei Pao Ge, I've just arrived not long ago, I don't know much, it doesn't seem quite right for me to make decisions."

  "Hei Pao said to Song Wenxian, 'I'll discuss it with Brother Chen first. The madam wasn't too willing to open that pawnshop in the first place. Now that the master of the house is not around, it's hard to say whether she'd still be willing to stay in Tianjin.'"

  Li Guozhu interrupted, "Uncle Zhao has a ready-made route in Tianjin. This trip can still make some profit by bringing back some goods. It's really not worth it to just bring silver." He naturally hoped they would bring goods with them, so he could pay less in cash.

  Hei Pao was moved by the words and immediately consulted with Chen Xin. Chen Xin suggested buying goods with the cargo money from Fu Chuan's ship, selling the goods on Zhu Yin's ship and keeping some silver, which would earn them a profit. If Madame needed money urgently, they wouldn't have to use all of it for goods. Hei Pao didn't have any ideas about this aspect anyway, so he agreed.

  Han Bin saw that these two people did not discuss with him, completely treating himself as an outsider. He couldn't help but feel unhappy in his heart, and his face inadvertently revealed it again. In the past, among the resources controlled by Zhao Dong's family, Li Guozhu was on the Japanese side, and Song Wenxian was behind the scenes on the Ming dynasty side. Now that Zhao Dong's family has passed away, whether this matter can still be done depends on who can get support from both sides. Many people have ships, but those who can really engage in maritime trade and grasp profits are indeed few.

  He toasted Li Guozhu repeatedly, saying: "Young Master Li, I don't know how that person from the south is doing recently. If Young Master Li wants to take action, if there's a need for me, Han Bin, I'll definitely help out."

  Li Guozhu's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing in them, and Chen Xin felt that the new right guard behind him also moved slightly, apparently Han Bin's words were his very sensitive issue. He quickly recovered to normal, rubbing the cup in his hand and said to Han Bin: "The second master has a heart, but unfortunately that person's power is now surging, colluding with the Dutch and netting a group of pirates, with nearly a thousand ships. For now, I can only observe their movements and wait for an opportunity."

  Hei Pao Dao: "Although we are no longer under Li Gongzi's command, if one day he decides to clean house and needs our help, just give us a call."

  "This Zheng is nothing but a scoundrel. I've heard that Yan Siqi used to indulge in beautiful young boys, and the two of them must have had some illicit affair."

  Hei Pao and Han Bin burst into a fit of sly laughter, while Li Guo Zhu smiled faintly and said with hatred: "He first swallowed up a large amount of wealth from my Li family. Less than two months after my father's death, Yan Siqi also died mysteriously in Xiao Liuqiu (the name for Taiwan at that time). Zheng Yi Guan took over Yan Siqi's troops, such a coincidence, I have always been suspicious that there was another hidden reason."

  Chen Xin heard Zheng Yiguan's words and suddenly remembered who the person in front of him was. This Li Guozhu was actually the son of Li Dan, a famous sea merchant at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Li Dan was a real legendary figure and also the first person to open up Taiwan. In his early years, he was in the Philippines and was the leader of the local Chinese community. The direct cause of the Spanish massacre of Chinese people in 1603 was said to be because of him. Later, he was punished to work as a slave on a Spanish ship for nine years, after which he escaped and ran to Nagasaki, becoming the most powerful sea merchant on the East Asian seas, with extremely strong forces. He began to migrate and develop in Gangkou, Taiwan. The Dutch and British called him the Chinese Captain (also known as Li Dan, the A-bi-dan).

  Zheng Yi Guan in Li Kuo-chi's mouth was Zheng Zhilong, who later became more famous. During the Dutch period, he was Li Dan's adopted son and was first assigned to work as an interpreter for the Dutch. Later, he took charge of Li Dan's business in Southeast Asia in Taiwan. He had a talent for doing business and gradually gained favor. In the fifth year of Tianqi (1625), Li Dan fell ill on his way back from Taiwan to Pinghu and died shortly after arriving in Japan. Zheng Zhilong then seized all of Li Dan's silver, money, and goods in Taiwan. Li Kuo-chi, who was Li Dan's biological son, naturally felt extremely resentful towards this adopted son. In September of that year, Yan Siqi, another pirate leader in Taiwan, mysteriously died, and Zheng Zhilong was pushed to become the leader of the Yan faction. Although he was only in his early twenties, his power surged rapidly, laying the foundation for him to become the master of the East Asian seas later on.

  Zheng Zhilong later repeatedly defeated the Dutch in the southeastern coastal areas, allowing China to withstand this wave of Western colonialism. However, China failed to resist the more backward and barbaric colonizers from the north. Zheng Zhilong did not show any national dignity in front of these barbarians, nor was he even shrewd. The second half of his life can be described as miserable and humiliating.

  If excluding the factor that he is Zheng Chenggong's father, Chen Xin doesn't have any special admiration or disgust for him. However, now that they are in the same era, if Chen wants to engage in maritime trade, it will be inevitable to interact with this person. According to Chen's knowledge of history, Zheng Zhilong was not always smooth sailing either; even after he surrendered, he still had to fight against his former comrades along the Fujian coast for several years before establishing his dominance. Moreover, Chen doesn't know him personally, but Li Guozhu is a ready-made connection, and Li Dan has been operating in Japan for many years, with great influence and power that Zheng Zhilong cannot easily deal with. What should he do to be most beneficial to himself?

  Chen Xin remained silent, listening to the conversation of several people in his ear while thinking quickly.