The prismatic castle.

The mellow wine shone in the candlelight and emitted white light, but the dishes on the table did not move at all. A layer of grease was condensed on the surface of the dishes that slowly became cold, but He Bin just sat in a daze without saying a word.

"Husband, is it because the dishes cooked by the chef are not to your taste? If so, why not make some delicious side dishes with me?" He Bin's Japanese wife asked carefully.

He Bin walked out of the daze, waved his hand, looked at the table of dishes, shook his head slightly, drank the remaining wine in the glass, and said, "Forget it, I'm not hungry, take these dishes for the children to eat."

"Husband, don't be so sad. No matter what, you shouldn't stop eating." My son got closer, picked up a shrimp from the plate with his own hands, carefully pushed it away, dipped it in the dish, wrapped it in garlic, and placed it in the plate in front of He Bin. She said, "I heard that this lobster was caught in the deep sea of ​​the extreme north, and it is also a rare treasure in Ming Dynasty. I saw the cook made it with my own eyes. The craftsmanship is really good. Husband, please try it."

He Bin picked up the fat shrimp meat, suddenly looked at his son and asked, "Aizi, do you also want me to be hiding under the Tenglong Trading Company and run for him Li Mingxun?"

My beloved son lowered his head and felt quite aggrieved, saying, "I dare not think so. Since I followed my husband, I have never been indifferent. Even if I am wandering, I have nothing to say. I just thought that we were going to Japan and staying in Nagasaki, and I was happy and afraid."

He Bin nodded slightly, and understood his son's concerns. Speaking of which, before he became his woman, he had been away from Japan for many years. He had not returned home for more than 20 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is homesick, but his son is not an ordinary Japanese, but a Christian Chizhi Dan. However, Japan issued a ban on religion eleven and eight years ago, forcing the Japanese Chizhi Danists to give up their faith. Chizhi Danists were immediately slaughtered. In the context of the shogunate lockdown, the Japanese Japanese who were wandering abroad could not return to their country, whether they were Chizhi Danists or not. Although He Bin still had some industries in Nagasaki, he was still living under someone else's roof. If he pursued it, he would suffer disaster.

"This Budai Port is not a place for a long time," He Bin whispered.

In He Bin's view, even if Li Mingxun and the Dutch reached a cooperation, it was only temporary. The Dutch, who had been seeking to dominate the ocean, would not allow an opponent to exist in such a throne as the Taiwan Strait. Everything he saw in the past few days also showed that Li Mingxun was neither a businessman who was merely apart, nor was he willing to be inferior.

"Will your husband refuse Mr. Li's invitation?" Aiko asked a little disappointed.

He Bin shook his head slightly, and he said with a smile: "No, on the contrary, I am happy to be one of them, but not in Taiwan, but in Japan, Aizi. Actually, you are worried. If we go to Nagasaki like this, even if we have many property I stayed there, we are just a rich man who is uneasy all day long. But if we join Tenglong Trading Company, we will not be a random bug. Aizi. You don't know that in the past few days, I have seen it, there will be no less than 300 dans of raw silk on the cargo ship to Nagasaki. With this strength, Tenglong Trading Company will not be underestimated in Japan."

Aiko nodded slightly, feeling much more relieved. Although she still had to go to Nagasaki, she would naturally have to go there alone and be much safer. She asked, "What's the worries of your husband?"

He Bin said: "I, He Bin, are forty-five years in the sea. How can I be inferior to others? I am worried that Li Mingxun does not trust me and will not entrust important tasks in Nagasaki. Instead, I will listen to the orders of the barbarians under his command."

"Would you have a strategy?" Aizi asked. She suddenly thought of something and said, "Why would you like to ask the shopkeeper Lin Cheng. I found that Mr. Li respects this shopkeeper Lin very much. You and shopkeeper Lin are old friends."

He Bin shook his head slightly: "Don't be so abrupt. I have lived in Japan for many years and have a good understanding of the customs and customs of Japan. Li Mingxun has not been there once. I think there are many aspects that rely on me, so there is no need to panic."

As he was talking, a manager knocked in and saw He Bin and said, "Mr. He, my shopkeeper asked you to come over."

He Bin stood up, took out a purse from his arms with a smile, handed it to the manager, and asked, "I dare to ask, is the fleet going to set sail for Nagasaki?"

Yesterday, He Bin saw a large amount of cargo loaded on three large sand ships, and the fleet also had two large and small schooners escorted. Now the cargo has been loaded and is afraid it will set sail, so he asked this question. The manager collected the money and said with a smile: "No, the fleet you mentioned is the northbound one, but it transported winter food and some commercial goods to Yuling Island. It was a few days late because of a conflict with the Dutch."

"I heard that the shopkeeper was going to Hong Kong, and the cargo ship heading to Nagasaki also set sail from Hong Kong. The youngest guessed that the shopkeeper should have invited you to Hong Kong and then return to Nagasaki." The manager said in a low voice.

He Bin nodded slightly. Since the Dutch valued Hong Kong so much, he was unwilling to give up the opportunity to see him. After he responded, he followed the manager. As the manager guessed, Li Mingxun invited He Bin to Hong Kong to avoid letting the fleet return to pick him up. He Bin cleaned up briefly and boarded a sloop sloop named Nautilus with his wife and children. On weekdays, communications and important cargo transportation between Hong Kong and the base camp were completed by the sloop.

In just one and a half days, He Bin saw the Hong Kong Island in the distance. He Bin couldn't help but be amazed at the speed of the Nautilus. On the deck, the captain was making loud calls. Whether Han or the native sailors in the East were able to skillfully operate the rigging according to the order, lower most of the sails, and lower the speed of the ship. In the morning mist, the helmsman turned the steering wheel hard. The deck made a creaking sound. Without the small boat dragging it, he leaned on a dock.

Half a year since Hong Kong was opened, Tenglong Trading Company has invested a lot of resources here, and has quickly mobilized Nanyang goods and ginseng and antler fur into Hong Kong. The purchase of Ming goods such as raw silk and porcelain was made of real money and silver, which quickly made Hong Kong's trade prosperous. After the wealthy merchants and gentry from Guangdong and Guangxi settled in, the trade here reached a climax, greatly promoting the speed of infrastructure construction.

Now the wharf has been formed, and the lighthouses, trestles, warehouses and other facilities in the port are all equipped, but it is still like a large construction site. Rock-built breakwaters are being built. On land, each company has built its own shops along the street. The island is filled with land nests and tents, and tens of thousands of people are busy.

It was hard for He Bin to imagine that half a year ago, this place was just an uninhabited deserted island. At a moment of surprise, a paddle boat appeared on the side of the Nautilus ship. After seeing the flag sign on the ship, he turned and left, stopping a large wide ship that had just been moored. He Bin was surprised that the tax collector on the paddle boat did not board the ship, but just looked around and sailed towards another ship, so he asked in surprise: "Why don't you charge taxes for these ships?"

"Nautilus is a community ship, and there is no commercial tax. As for those ships, have you not seen some wood tied to the ship?" the captain said with a smile.

He Bin nodded slightly. The sides of these merchant ships were tied with thick wood, some longer than the hull, which was difficult to notice. The captain explained: "These are cargo ships from Guangdong and Guangxi to Nanyang. The wood on the ship was teak bought from Nanyang. This is a cargo that the club has shortage. With it, not only the clubs will bear the money for water diversion, but also trade first. Our shipyard also points to these good wood to build warships."

"Brother He, get off the boat." At this time, Li Mingxun came over and said with a smile.

Before He Bin could react, there was a sound of gongs and drums on the dock. He Bin followed Li Mingxun to the pier from the springboard and saw a man bowing: "Lin He welcomed the shopkeeper."

"No need to be polite, Lin He, you are the hero of the community. Now you are in charge of the entire Hong Kong. In the future, you must pay more attention to your identity to avoid losing the prestige of the community." Li Mingxun held up Lin He and said with a smile.

He Bin's eyes were always on Lin He's face, and he felt more and more familiar, but Lin He was dressed in gorgeous clothes and was quite arrogant in every move. He Bin didn't dare to recognize each other for a while. The beloved son beside him whispered: "Husband, why do I look at him more and more like Lin Tongshi from Dayuangang?"

He Bin suddenly realized this time, and remembered that there was indeed such a professional person who was proficient in Dutch and Spanish in the Dayuangang. He used to be quite cursing to himself, but he disappeared later. He never thought that he would see him here today, and the other party was already in a high position.

"Mr. He, I didn't expect to see you here." Lin He said with a smile, owing his body.

He Bin coughed lightly: "Yes, it's so lucky."

He Bin said this, but he didn't feel any joy. Once upon a time, Lin He was just a little man, and Li Mingxun couldn't get into his eyes. Now, they are all in high positions and rich, but they are still so down.

The guards dispersed the crowd watching the fun, left the road under the guidance of Lin He, and came to their residence on the hillside. This place was originally a camp for the imperial garrison. There were several houses. After renovation, the community members temporarily lived here. Li Mingxun arrived, and the best room was naturally packed up for him. Li Mingxun resettled He Bin's family and sent everyone away, leaving Lin He alone into the house.

"Lin He, I originally wanted you to keep a good family and business, but I never thought that you have such a talent for being able to do things under my hands. I would be wronged by you." Li Mingxun said with a smile.

This really scared Lin He. Lin He immediately felt his head blank, his knees softened, and he actually pounced on the ground. After awakening, he said repeatedly: "The villain is panicked, the villain is panicked."

Li Mingxun laughed, pulled Lin He and sat on the chair, pointed to a brocade box placed on the table when entering the door, and said, "Lin He, open it and take a look."

Lin He hesitated a little and looked at Li Mingxun. Seeing that he insisted, he had to open it with his own hands and found a golden seal on Li Mingxun. He turned it over and saw that it was engraved with: Lin He, Consul General of Tenglong Trading Company in Hong Kong.

"Big shopkeeper, is this..." Lin He asked in confusion.

Lee Mingxun smiled: "This is my official position. From today on, you will be the Consul General of the Society in Hong Kong. When I am away, you will be fully responsible for all things in the Society in Hong Kong, including diplomacy, administration and trade."

After hearing this, Lin He opened his mouth and knelt directly on the ground and said, "Thank you for the cultivation of the shopkeeper, thank you for the cultivation of the shopkeeper."

"This is what you deserve." Lee Myung-hoon said.

In fact, it is not an exaggeration to give Lin He such power. Lin He's contributions far exceed Li Mingxun's expectations. He originally only hoped that Lin He could maintain the situation in Hong Kong when he was away, but he never thought that Lin He had turned Hong Kong into a concession for a community through various means.

Now the entire Hong Kong has been leased to Tenglong Trading Company by the Ming Dynasty for 30 years. Everything on the island is managed by the association, including civil disputes and business activities. Although in addition to renting, the Guangdong Maritime Bureau will also charge commercial taxes on ships entering and leaving, but this activity is also coordinated by the association. What the association cannot do is build a turret, place artillery, and station the army. However, all this is not a problem. The association has its own dock and two sloop schooners. In the future, as the fleet expands, warships can be used to protect Hong Kong's security. The army itself is difficult to define. The association stationed 200 people in the name of the guards and patrol teams, and sailors can be armed at any time. This is also inevitable when merchants are equipped with more weapons.

It can be said that Lin He has created the dominance of the community over Hong Kong, which can be implemented in other places as a sample in the future. Lin He’s contribution is not only that, but has made great achievements in port construction and town design. The key is that Lin He has also handled the relationship with the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xin'an County Government and Guangdong gentry and gentry. At least so far, all parties have gained their own benefits and are in peace.

"The court received rent and taxes in Hong Kong, and the gentry and wealthy families were willing to give us convenience. But one thing is, the Portuguese in Macau is a hidden danger after all. Two days ago, we sent armed ships to conduct close reconnaissance. If the Golden Eagle was not there at that time, it would be unfair." Lin He poured tea for Li Mingxun and told him about the difficulties in Hong Kong.

"Did Hong Kong's opening a port have a great impact on Macau?" Li Mingxun asked.

Lin He nodded: "It's very big, and it can even be said to be a firefight. The shopkeeper may know that Portugal was losing ground in Southeast Asia, and this year it lost Malacca, and its trade with India was almost cut off. Japan also refused to trade with Macau. The biggest profit of the Portuguese was to transport Ming Dynasty goods such as raw silk and porcelain purchased from Guangdong to Manila. However, as soon as Hong Kong opened its port, Macau's unique trade status in the Ming Dynasty was lost."

Li Mingxun's face became solemn. As Lin He said, the Portuguese in Macau had the exclusive status of trade with the Ming Dynasty. In the past, they could go to Guangdong to purchase goods every year. Usually, many merchants from Southeast Asia had no conditions to transport the purchased goods to Macau. However, Hong Kong's ports completely broke this point. The Portuguese in Macau only obtained limited precious metals from Manila (Spain restricted the import of silver to the East for a long time) and a small amount of Nanyang goods, while the Tenglong Trading Company in Hong Kong was more competitive. The fur, ginseng, antler, medicinal materials, seafood, and whale oil produced by Nuergandus were all scarce goods from the Ming Dynasty. The club had obtained sufficient Nanyang and India's goods through the British East India Company, and the more frequent trade with Japan also brought precious metals beyond Macau.
Chapter completed!