Chapter 16: Hegemony in the Qiongzhou Strait

The decision to go to Lin’gao was known to no one in the Li residence except for a few confidants. Li Luoyou estimated that the imperial court would sooner or later send troops against Lin’gao, so the fewer people who knew about this, the better. Besides Quaker, he only brought Gu Baocheng, his personal servant Saoye, and a few capable family retainers.

Although the matter was settled, it was already the end of the year. The new year of the third year of Chongzhen was just around the corner. The end of the year was a busy time with many social obligations. After handling all public and private matters, and after the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head, Li Luoyou finally had some free time to arrange his trip to Lin’gao.

The most convenient way to go to Lin’gao was, of course, to take a ship from the Gao-Guang Shipping Company in Guangzhou. Although these ships mainly carried cargo, they also took passengers, and the fare was very cheap. However, the environment was noisy, and it was uncomfortable with people and goods mixed together. Using his own private boat would be too ostentatious, and the sea was not very safe. If some heroic figure on the sea found out and kidnapped him for ransom, it would be a problem. While he was pondering this, Saoye reminded him that the Yangrun Kaitang in Foshan had business dealings with Lin’gao. Why not use their connections?

“Do you remember, Master? Last time, Master Lin of Foshan invited you to a banquet. At the table was a Master Liu from Lin’gao, who said he was the shopkeeper of a pharmacy there. It seems his family is related to Master Yang of the Yangrun Kaitang. Taking this route would be both safe and have someone to look after us. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?”

Saoye’s words reminded Li Luoyou. He immediately had his diary brought to him. He had a habit of writing down everything in his diary, no matter how trivial. Of course, his diary was not about his bad mood for the day, who was a bastard, or which concubine needed discipline. It was about business matters: what deals he had made that day, whom he had met, what they had talked about, and what new ideas he had.

He had learned this habit from the Portuguese merchants in Macau when he was doing business there. He found it a good way to not forget things and had made it a habit. No matter how busy he was, he would write it down before going to bed.

Flipping through his diary, he found details even richer than what Saoye had said. So, the Runshitang pharmacy in Lin’gao was indeed a channel he could use.

He then summoned his chief accountant, Feng Shiye, and asked him if there was a branch of Runshitang in the local area.

“Runshitang has no branches in Guangdong,” Feng Shiye said, his memory sharp. He knew every shop and person who had done business or had contact with the Liaohai Trading Company. “But they have an accounting office in Foshan, specifically for dealing with Yangrun Kaitang and trading medicines. The manager is called Liu Benshan.”

“If Master wants to go to Lin’gao, you can ask Master Yang Shiyi to make the connection,” Feng Shiye said. “The Runshitang in Lin’gao and the Yangrun Kaitang in Foshan are two leaves from the same branch. The owners of the two families are first cousins.”

Although the trip to Lin’gao was a secret and the fewer people who knew, the better, there was no need to be wary of Yang Shiyi. This man had trafficked Liaodong goods with him and had connections with Lin’gao. He would definitely not blabber about it outside.

Having made up his mind, he sent another of his personal servants, who specialized in confidential matters, to Foshan to handle this.

When Yang Shiyi heard that Li Luoyou was going to Lin’gao, he naturally did not dare to neglect this “God of Wealth” and immediately contacted Liu Benshan. In just a few days, the servant returned from Foshan, saying that everything had been arranged.

Because the matter was confidential, when Li Luoyou left Guangzhou, he only announced that he was going to inspect the Foshan branch. He was a prominent merchant in Guangzhou, with visitors every day. It was impossible for him to disappear secretly for ten days or half a month. After arriving in Foshan, Liu Benshan would arrange for his trip to Lin’gao.

Yang Shiyi fawned over this God of Wealth, specially chartering a two-masted Fujian-style ship—one that regularly sailed to Lin’gao. The captain was familiar with the route. He also had the cabin meticulously decorated and wanted to send his own trusted family servants to attend to him on the ship, but Li Luoyou declined—he didn’t want to make a big scene. Yang Shiyi could only send a lot of wine and food for the journey.

The voyage was uneventful. On a fine, sunny day, Li Luoyou came out of his cabin for some fresh air on the deck. He saw that the sea here was very narrow, with green hills, trees, villages, and fields on both banks clearly visible. He couldn’t help but feel curious and asked:

“Where are we?”

“We’ve reached the Qiongzhou Strait. That over there is Leigong Island,” the captain said, looking very relaxed, pointing to a small island near the coast on the left side of the ship.

“This is the border between Lin’gao and Chengmai. After passing Leigong Island, we’ll be along the coast of Lin’gao County. It won’t take more than two hours to reach Bopu Port.”

Li Luoyou nodded. He had never been to Qiongzhou and had no concept of this large island. His business was spread all over Guangdong, but he had never set foot in Qiongzhou Prefecture. The place was sparsely populated and had few resources. Apart from timber, coconuts, betel nuts, and red and white rattan, there were no major local products for export, nor could they sell much there.

What on earth did the Australians rely on to make such a desolate and remote small county prosper? Li Luoyou was deeply interested in this.

Quaker also emerged from the cabin. He was dressed entirely as a Ming person, but wore a black, flat-topped square scarf to cover his hair. However, his blue eyes still revealed his identity.

The captain had seen foreigners before and was not surprised by this.

“God, what beautiful scenery,” Quaker said. He greedily breathed in the fresh sea air—he had not dared to show his face for the past few days and had only just emerged.

“The captain said we’ll be in Lin’gao in a few hours.”

“Really?” Quaker said excitedly. “I really want to see the legendary great iron ship.”

As they were talking, a lateen-rigged sailboat was seen breaking the waves near the coast. Li Luoyou immediately realized it was not a Chinese ship—the hull shape and rigging were clearly different, more like a Western sailing ship.

“What kind of ship is that?” he asked, pointing it out to Quaker.

“It’s a lateen-rigged cutter!” Quaker was no less surprised than Li Luoyou. It was a typical lateen-rigged cutter, looking exactly like the ones he had seen on the coast back home in England. But he had never seen this type of ship in Asia—they were usually used for coastal navigation and not for long-distance trade.

“That’s an Australian patrol boat,” the captain interjected. “From here to Lin’gao is Australian territory.”

“The Australians are patrolling here?” Li Luoyou was a little surprised. They were really open about it! “And the navy doesn’t do anything?”

“The navy has to have the ability to do something, right? The navy only knows how to ask for money. They run faster than rabbits when they see a few pirates! How dare they meddle in the Australians’ business?” The captain’s words were filled with contempt for the government troops. “The Australians patrol here every day. They destroy any pirates they encounter and are willing to rescue ships in distress, without any hesitation. Since the Lin’gao patrol boats appeared, the strait has been much more peaceful—the pirates don’t dare to enter.”

“This ship, it’s sailed so beautifully!” Quaker exclaimed. “Sailing against the wind! God!” He let out another shriek as the ship heeled over to a degree that made it look like it would capsize.

“The Australians are first-rate sailors!” Quaker said, taking out a large handkerchief to wipe his sweat. “Even in my home country, they are no better.”

“They were able to cross the great ocean in a large iron ship, so naturally they are skilled in navigation,” Li Luoyou said, watching the lateen-rigged boat’s movements. It was both fast and agile. The clumsy and old ships of the court’s navy would have a hard time even defending themselves without cannons.

The patrol boat slowly approached, so close that he could see the sailors in blue short jackets running back and forth on the deck, handling the sails. On the tilting and rocking deck, the sailors could still run and work quickly. Nets were hung from the masts to the sides of the deck, and he didn’t know what they were for. Everything on the deck was in good order, and the most eye-catching things were the long, tubular objects wrapped in tarpaulins on the fore and aft decks. They were probably the Australians’ cannons.

“Quick, hoist the flag!” the captain ordered a crewman. A moment later, a triangular flag was flying from the mast. The lateen-rigged boat seemed satisfied, and its bow turned away.

“What does that mean?” Li Luoyou asked with interest.

“This ship is registered in Bopu,” the captain said. “So we have a flag. Once it’s hoisted, we can sail directly to Lin’gao without inspection. If a ship is not registered, they might order you to stop for inspection.”

“Interesting,” Li Luoyou thought. The Australians’ management was very methodical. It didn’t seem like the work of merchants, but more like a government.

“What if you don’t stop?” Quaker suddenly asked.

“What are you saying, you red-haired master?” the captain said. “Don’t stop? Not to mention a single cannonball from their big guns would be impossible to withstand, even a volley from their muskets would be enough to deal with. Besides, the inspection won’t take your money or goods, why ask for trouble?”

The captain added, “The Australians in Lin’gao are very nice. The officials are very polite and don’t ask for bribes. Recently, there’s no tax on ships entering or leaving the port. All the merchants who go there to do business say it’s good.”

“Tax-free imports and exports. This is to attract merchants to trade there,” Quaker said excitedly. From this point of view, the Australians welcomed merchants to trade. The possibility of him establishing a factory there was very high!

Macau was good, but it was, after all, Catholic territory. If it weren’t for Li Luoyou’s protection, he would have been expelled by the fanatics long ago—he might not even have escaped with his life. Quaker knew very well what happened to his countrymen who were caught smuggling slaves in the Americas by the Spanish. As for Guangdong, he could only stay in the Li family’s residence and warehouse, trying not to go out. Life was comfortable, but a bit too boring.

If he could establish a warehouse in Lin’gao, he could use this base to do business with the mainland, purchasing silk, sugar, and porcelain. After storing them in Lin’gao, he could then take a ship back to Surat to resell them. When he had more money, he would buy his own ship for transport. When he was stronger, he could negotiate with the Australians again, asking them to allow the establishment of an English factory, so that more English merchants could come to Lin’gao to trade. He could then act as the factory’s agent, and the benefits would be immeasurable…

John Quaker’s heart pounded violently, as if countless gold coins were glittering before his eyes. He was almost bursting with impatience.

Quaker Qiong swallowed hard and asked, “Are there many people who go to Lin’gao to do business?”

“Not many at first, but it has increased in the last six months,” the captain said, smoking his pipe. “You can sell almost anything there. And you can bring back a lot of good-selling Lin’gao goods on the return trip. You don’t go empty-handed either way, so you make double the money. Why wouldn’t everyone be willing?”

“I see.”

“Are you two also going to Lin’gao to do business?”

“How can you tell?” Li Luoyou asked.

“Who would go to that place if not for business,” the captain said with a smile. “And there’s this red-haired master. Red-haired people are early risers when there’s profit to be made. They’ll go through fire and water for money, and even scoop up money from a pot of boiling oil.”

Quaker Qiong laughed heartily and agreed that it was true. Mercantilism was popular in Europe at the time. To a Chinese person, this statement was a depreciation, but to him, an Englishman, it was a compliment.

Li Luoyou found it interesting and chatted with the captain for a while longer. He only returned to his cabin when the wind and waves at sea gradually picked up.

“Pack everything up. We’ll be there soon,” Li Luoyou instructed Saoye, his brow furrowed. “Where’s Baocheng?”

“To answer your question, Master,” Saoye said cautiously, “he is still seasick today and can’t get up from his cabin.”

“So delicate!” Because of his seasickness, he had been allowed to rest in his cabin since the beginning of the voyage. It’s been five or six days, Li Luoyou thought, and he’s still not over it. This child was about to get married, yet his body was still so weak. Would the only bloodline of his wife’s family be able to revive the family business? The thought made him worry secretly.

As long as he was alive, he would of course do his best for him. But his own health was getting worse and worse. If something were to happen to him, Baocheng would not only be unable to stand on his own and revive his family, but he would also have a hard time even finding a place for himself in the Li family. Li Luoyou knew that several of his close relatives were annoyed that he was taking care of and promoting an outsider like this.

Many of his clansmen had sent people to his father or other elders in the clan to try to get their own sons and nephews under his wing, saying they wanted to “learn some skills.” And Gu Baocheng’s existence had repeatedly become the evidence of his unwillingness to be close to his own clan.

“Hmph, useless at work, but all of them are experts at being greedy,” he thought. In recent years, more than a dozen of his clansmen had come to Guangzhou to seek refuge with him. Apart from a few, most of them were prepared to live a comfortable life by relying on the benefits of a common ancestor. And that was the better ones. What was worse was that they were extremely scheming, constantly trying to get close to him to “serve” him, so that they could get a position as a “shopkeeper” or “manager” who handled large sums of money.

“You can’t write two ‘Li’s’ with one stroke. If a nephew doesn’t care about his uncle’s business, who will?”

Li Luoyou was almost sick of hearing such words. Facts had proven that his own clansmen were less reliable than the hired clerks with different surnames—and they were even more righteous when it came to taking money: “It’s all the Li family’s money, why can’t I use it?” Li Luoyou was helpless against this kind of person and couldn’t just drive them away. He could only arrange a sinecure for them, providing them with good food and drink to avoid trouble.

The thought of these clansmen made Li Luoyou feel annoyed. To amuse himself, he picked up a book to read. It was a copy of the Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections, a work by the Song dynasty scholar Qin Jiushao.