Chapter 304: Business in Xiamen

The cargo was already loaded. Just as Chen Huamin was about to order the sea sacrifice and set sail, a group of porters suddenly rushed onto the pier, all pushing the “Gale” style two-wheeled carts sold in Lingao, which were piled high with many straw sacks. They were heading for the berth of the Dongshanju.

“What is this?” Chen Huamin was wondering. The cargo for the Dongshanju was already fully loaded, with nothing missing, and supplies like food and water were also on board. But then he saw Liu Deshan at the end of the line, panting as he followed.

When the porters reached the side of the ship, Liu Deshan had already boarded first. Without even a greeting, he instructed the sailors to open the hatch covers and prepare to load the cargo.

“Cousin! What is this?” Chen Huamin was bewildered. “Isn’t our cargo already loaded?”

“Stack it up, stack it up,” Liu Deshan said, gesturing and directing the porters as they loaded the cargo. “This is salt. I just bought it.”

“Salt? Who are you selling it to? We’re going to the Nan-Zhili area. Without a salt permit, how can the government allow it to be imported…”

“Hehe, who said I’m selling it to the government?” Liu Deshan took a towel from his pocket and wiped his sweat. “This is for Xiamen! That’s the Zheng family’s territory, what do they need a salt permit for? I got news that the price of salt in Fujian is very high. If we transport this salt there, I can’t say how much we’ll make, but the expenses for this round trip will definitely be covered.”

“Cousin, isn’t this a bit improper?” Chen Huamin knew that Fujian had always been a salt-importing region, but their ship was flying the Australian sailing flag. To go to the territory of the Australians’ enemy to sell salt, putting aside what the Australians would think, would the Zheng family tolerate it?

“Don’t you worry. I’ve already made inquiries. All the factions in Weitou Bay have said that no matter whose ship it is, as long as they can transport goods there, the safety of the ship and cargo is guaranteed, and there will be fair trade without needing to buy a command flag. I heard that not only are the prices of salt and grain very high there, but there is also a backlog of foreign goods to be exported, and the prices are very low. We can transport them to Guangzhou and sell them to Master Qin, and make a good profit!”

“This…” Although Chen Huamin thought his cousin’s business sense was good, he still felt something was not right. But he couldn’t think of any reason to object at the moment. The ship’s cargo was not fully loaded, and a trip was a trip’s expense, so naturally, the more cargo loaded, the better.

“In that case, let’s prepare to set sail.”

As they were speaking, a man with a sturdy, dark, muscular body, a Han-style sword hanging from his waist, and a wooden plaque with the words “Deputy Boatswain” on it, and a thick beard, walked up to Chen Huamin, clasped his fists, and said, “Boatswain, the auspicious time has arrived!”

Chen Huamin muttered under his breath, “Xiao Wang! How many times have I told you, you have to call me Captain now!” Then he solemnly straightened his hat and long gown, took three sticks of incense from the altar, lit them, and bowed respectfully three times, murmuring, “May the goddess Mazu bless us, the people who plow the sea, for a smooth voyage, free from disaster and pain, and a safe return home! Respectfully offered by Chen Huamin, Liu Deshan, and all the crew and staff!” After offering the incense, Chen Huamin arranged the fruits on the altar, cut a piece of the suckling pig with a small knife and placed it in front of the altar, and finally filled three small porcelain cups with wine.

Chen took the first cup of wine, raised his hand to the sky and sprinkled it, saying loudly, “To Heaven! Weigh anchor!”

The Deputy Boatswain Wang beside him repeated loudly, “Yes, weigh anchor!” The anchor master standing by the hawsehole shouted towards the capstan, “Weigh anchor!”

The anchor hands immediately turned the capstan with all their might, bringing the iron anchor to the surface while chanting loudly, “Weighing anchor—goods—like—a—wheel—turning! Ten—thousand—taels—of—gold!”

Chen Huamin took the second cup of wine, waved his hand and sprinkled it towards the sea, saying loudly, “To the Sea, cast off!”

“Yes, cast off!” the cable master shouted after him. “Cast—off—!”

The cable hands, while untying the mooring lines from the shore, chanted, “Casting off, smooth—sailing—! A—peaceful—journey!”

Taking the third cup of wine, he sprinkled it on the forecastle deck. “To the Gods, hoist the sails!”

“Yes, hoist the sails!” the sail master shouted towards the base of the mast. “Hoist—the—sails—!”

The sailors quickly pulled on the halyards, raising the cloth sails on the three masts, and chanted in unison, “Hoisting the sails, a—fair—wind—! The—sea—is—calm!”

Chen Huamin saw that the sails were at the top, and the sea breeze was filling the three cloth sails. He took a deep breath and waved his hand towards the open sea outside the port. “Set sail!”

The Dongshanju left the Pearl River estuary, passed Humen, crossed the Lingdingyang, turned due east at Tonggu Tan, entered Tuen Mun, and rounded Ma Wan to enter the Hong Kong waterway.

Just a few years ago, Hong Kong was a little-known, desolate place, with only a few scattered small fishing villages. Apart from the riverboats that came at fixed seasons to buy fragrant wood, there were only a few occasional sea-going ships passing by.

Later, after the imperial navy was disbanded, the nearby islands became the strongholds of “heroes” on the water, and even fewer merchant ships passed by. Everyone preferred to take a longer route and pass through the outer waterways of Hong Kong.

But now, the entire Victoria Harbour channel was bustling with activity. The Australians had dredged the inner river and outer sea channels from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, cleared out the pirates, set up navigation buoys, built lighthouses, and marked all the reefs and shoals, greatly improving the safety of navigation.

Most of the ships here belonged to the Australians. These ships, whether small boats or large vessels, were much faster than the Dongshanju and were very agile. From time to time, ships would either quickly overtake the Dongshanju and head east, or come straight at the Dongshanju, only to pass by at the last moment, leaving behind a trail of good-natured laughter.

Clumsy local ships, such as Guangdong junks and Fujian junks, were also present. The Australians’ own fleet had a serious shortage of transport capacity, and many freight businesses were contracted out to shipowners. These ships sailed slowly, so much so that the Dongshanju had to give way to them.

This complex traffic situation forced the Deputy Boatswain, Wang Chengdi, to stay at the bow, constantly watching the situation and issuing commands to the helmsman and tillerman at the stern to avoid the passing ships.

On both sides of the harbor, various warships and merchant ships were anchored. Many new piers, warehouses, boat sheds, and cranes had been built. Occasionally, one or two large Australian-style stone houses or buildings stood out, looking particularly conspicuous. The most conspicuous of these was the large fortress near the Central Pier, standing majestically with the Australian flag flying from its corner tower. Chen Huamin had once gone there to handle sailing procedures and had a deep impression of this fortress.

“Look, that’s where the Dongshanju was built!” Following Chen Huamin’s hand, Liu Deshan saw that the eastern beach of Hong Kong Island had become a large shipyard. One after another, wooden ships in various stages of completion were lined up, and densely packed workers were crawling over the hulls, diligently working on their creations.

“The first time I saw this ship here, I fell in love with her immediately. I felt that both her smooth shape and her sturdy bow were very much to my liking, as if she were specially built for me. A ship like this must be my ship. Although at that time she was just a hull, and even the masts hadn’t been set!” Chen Huamin said, gently stroking the wooden handrail of the ship’s side, slowly recalling.

“The funny thing is, at that time, because this ship’s design was so different from the traditional Guangdong and Fujian junks, no merchant dared to buy this ship, so she was left on the slipway for half a year. When I saw this ship and immediately decided to buy her, I didn’t have enough silver with me, alas!”

“I remember now. That time, as soon as you came back, you wanted me to give you four-fifths of the silver in the treasury. It scared me, I thought something big had happened. That was almost a year’s profit for us!”

“‘To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools’! And now that we have a new ship, we can earn it back with just a few more trips.” Chen Huamin smiled, then said seriously, “And many of the big sea merchants have several sea-going ships, but their profits are not as good as what a barbarian’s single ship can make in one trip. Their foreign ships have a large cargo capacity, and they have cannons to protect the ships. They are fast and can sail on the open ocean. That’s why the barbarians’ ships are getting bigger and bigger, while we are falling behind and have to learn from the barbarians to build ships. I heard that the Australians are even better at shipbuilding than the barbarians, and can even use iron for the ship’s frame. I can’t figure it out. If you use iron for the ship’s frame, the ship will be much heavier for no reason. How can it sail fast?”

“Fortunately, it seems the shipyard’s business is not bad now. More and more merchants understand the importance of a good ship,” Liu Deshan said. “Speaking of iron frames, I heard that only their warships use iron frames. But the last time I sailed past the shipyard, I saw the patrol boats they were building. They all used iron frames, but they sailed nimbly and quickly. It’s truly incredible!”

“I heard that the Australians’ merchant ships also use iron frames.” Chen Huamin pointed to the hull of a huge T-800 on the beach. “It’s a pity this ship is too big, and it’s inconvenient for port transport. Otherwise, I would like to try something new.”

“Hehe, cousin, you really are fickle. You’ve only had the Dongshanju for a few days, and you’re already looking at a new ship.”

“We are sea merchants. The ship is our tool for making money. Naturally, we have to prepare a few good ships. I heard from a Westerner before that a well-built large ship, if properly maintained, can be used for a hundred years without any problem. But here, we prefer to build disposable firewood ships.”

“Cousin, isn’t that a scholar’s tone? Your family are also sea merchants. Don’t you know that maintaining a ship costs money every day? It’s really better to build a new one for each voyage.”

“That’s the old way of doing business,” Chen Huamin said with enthusiasm. “I think the future of sea trade will not be the same as our fathers’ and grandfathers’ ways. The ships have changed, the rules of the sea have also begun to change, and the way of doing business will naturally have to change.”

While the two were chatting, the Dongshanju had lightly passed through the Hong Kong waterway and turned northeast to continue its voyage.

Leaving Lei Yue Mun, passing the Ninepin Group, crossing Mirs Bay, and turning northeast by east, they sailed straight for Xiamen.