Andrei said to the Chinese captain next to him in disbelief: "You said they wanted me to hand over the Buck to them for repair, why?" ”

The people Andre was talking about were the Chinese officials standing across from him. The Chinese captain who was questioned by him turned his head to talk to his compatriots for a moment before he told him easily and frankly: "The one in the middle opposite is the chief engineer of the Tianjin Shipyard, and he saw it on the shore before, the moment your Buck entered the Haihe River.

He thinks that your Buck, although very different in appearance from other European ships, is much lighter and more agile to ride. He had never seen a ship of this proportion, so he wanted to be able to make a comprehensive survey of the ship.

Of course, in return, they'll do a free refurbishment of your Buck. IMHO, from what I've observed these days, your Buck has probably been out of service for a long time, and I think you should accept the offer. ”

The frankness of the Chinese captain did not make Andrei gladly accept the idea, he thought for a moment and then refused: "No, I don't plan to stay here for months and so long.

It is said that according to the weather of previous years, it will freeze here in about a month. But in my opinion, it probably won't take that long. If we don't leave here before it freezes, we will have to wait until the end of February or early March next year, when the ice in the river has melted.

In other words, if I hand over my boat to them for surveying and repair, then I will not be able to leave here until this river freezes. If I were to spend a few months here in vain, it would be a huge loss for me. So I'm sorry, I can't accept their kindness. ”

After hearing his refusal, the Chinese captain beside him shook his head helplessly, and then turned his head and told his compatriot on the other side.

After listening to the captain's explanation, the Chinese officials opposite Andre exchanged words with each other for a moment before saying something to the Chinese captain.

When the Chinese captain heard this, he said to Andrei: "They asked me to tell you that they are willing to buy all the goods you have brought with you, if you are willing to agree to their demands." Moreover, they already know your intentions, and they are willing to assist you so that Your Majesty can get the news of your arrival as soon as possible.

I think you should know that if you follow the normal procedure and get the message of you as the representative of the King of England, it will be a very long process.

In addition, in order to make up for the loss of your winter here, they are willing to subsidize you and your crew until the beginning of spring at the rate of 5 yuan per person per month. ”

The Bucks had a crew of 119 on board, including 23 trainee sailors, who received half a pound a month. There were also 66 ordinary sailors, whose monthly wages were £1 and 5 shillings. The rest were the officers, who, in addition to their annual salaries of £30 to £50, also enjoyed a share of the profits of the merchant trade.

According to Andrew's investigation, every 1 Ming dollar is equivalent to 2 guilders, and every pound is equal to 10 guilders. That is, these Chinese officials on the opposite side are willing to pay a pound per person per month to subsidize their crew.

This is indeed a good deal, after all, the other party will also carry out some repairs for the Bucks and buy the goods he brought. To be honest, the goods on his ship could not be sold for a good price in either China or Japan, except for fooling the natives of Southeast Asia.

The Bucks cost a whopping £3,000, which is a lot of money. In today's Britain, the average squire like him earns only £400 a year.

And the Bucks is not the result of his personal investment, but the joint investment of nearly 7 squires. But on this boat, he personally invested more than half. This huge investment has not brought him the expected high returns in the past two years.

In addition to the annual expenses and dividends, he only recouped £1,000, an average of £500 a year, which is slightly higher than the fact that he ran his own estate in his hometown.

The Buck was a good ship, but André was not a shrewd businessman. He was accomplished in botany and seamanship, but never mastered the art of business.

For example, when he first traveled from Europe to India, he shipped a large number of English woolen woolen and French chintz, which he obviously did not anticipate that was not suitable for India's tropical climate, and that French chintz technology came from India.

This was his second trip to Asia, but he was sent to the Pattani Merchant House by the company. Andrei was not resistant, after all, the East India Company did not have a foothold on the Indian mainland, and Pattani was at least much closer to China, which was paved with gold bricks on the ground.

Compared to mainland India, the British were clearly more difficult to do business in Southeast Asia. Because in this sea, there are not only the Spaniards, the old enemies of Britain, but also the existence of the aggressive Dutch East India Company, which is on the rise.

The Dutch not only monopolized trade with the Spice Islands, but even wanted to monopolize the waters north of the Strait of Malacca and west of the Pacific Ocean. The Dutch did not take into account the fact that Britain was still their Protestant ally in this commercial war for trade rights.

André did not intend to give in to the Dutch, he hoped that he would open the trade route to China for the company, but when he arrived in China, he felt that his expectations for trade with China seemed to be too high.

Although the British merchant ships were not as skilled as the Dutch, André thought that he was still much better than the Chinese ships sailing near the sea.

The reason why he still hesitated and did not agree to the other party is that China already has the best commodity in the world, and if these Chinese learn how to build ships that sail across the ocean, will there be other people on the ocean in the future?

However, there was another voice in his heart that persuaded him, just to ask the other party to measure the size of the ship, and those Chinese could never have learned how to make a good ship like this, and he could get a good extra profit.

Although it is said that with good maintenance, a wooden sailboat can last for decades. However, merchant ships between Asia and Europe tend to be the least maintained, with an average service life of about four voyages between Asia and Europe. After that, if the ship is not overhauled, it can no longer sail across the ocean.

If the Bucks can be maintained here once, it will obviously be much safer when it returns to Europe next year. When Andrei put his hand to his chin, still hesitating.

The Chinese official on the other side suddenly said a few more words to the Chinese captain beside him, and the captain was stunned for a moment before turning to Andre and saying: "He said that the subsidy can be increased to 10 yuan per person per month, which is the most favorable condition he can give." And he wants me to tell you, and you'll get his friendship in addition to that.

In the future, if you encounter any trouble here, you can ask him for help, his name is Li Yangrui. ”

The extra income of more than 300 pounds, and the favor of a Chinese official, this condition finally shook Andre's already hesitant heart.

He glanced up at the official opposite, and then said seriously to the Chinese captain beside him: "I can promise him, but when I ask for the ship to be repaired, my people are present." And they must also ensure that the ship's structure is not dismantled. You know, I also need to sit it back to the UK. ”

After some serious and rigorous discussions, Andrei finally signed an agreement with the Chinese officials to ensure the integrity of the ship's hull.

Over the next two days, the Bucks were loaded and unloaded and transported to a warehouse on the docks. The pulley lifting device used by the Chinese greatly reduced the time and labor for loading and unloading goods, and also fascinated Andre, who watched the unloading on the side.

After unloading the cargo, the Buck, under the operation of the first mate and half of the crew, slowly drew an arc on the river surface, turned around and headed for the shipyard at the mouth of the sea.

Less than a day after the Buck's departure, a messenger from the capital finally arrived, and the Ming Emperor was ready to summon him and personally receive his English credentials.

Andrei, who got the news, finally became a little excited, and while asking his boatswain to restrain his crew from making trouble here, he selected two young trainee sailors who had not been spoiled by the old sailors as his entourage.

Andrei went to the capital with two retinues, followed by the messenger and the Chinese captain who acted as an interpreter, and with the gifts for the Chinese emperor made up by the Pattani Merchant House.

The city of Beijing, which is taller and grander than the city of London, certainly amazed Andre, but it did not shock him inside. After all, compared to the pyramids of Egypt, the city of Beijing is not a miracle.

But the horse-drawn railroad tracks he saw in the capital finally shocked Andre, and he even forgot for a moment what his mission was here.

André even thinks that being able to see the existence of this railway is the biggest benefit he has gained from coming to China.

In this capital, the horse-drawn railway is probably only considered by those Chinese, but it is just a novel and convenient tool for travel.

But in Andrew's view, this new mode of land transport can change the changes in the UK's inland transportation.

As an island country, the main way for Britain to transport bulk goods is river transportation plus sea transportation, in short, it is inseparable from ships.

Although the east coast of the United Kingdom is relatively straight, the west coast is very rugged, and the long north-south and narrow east-west island shape also makes communication between the east and west coasts of the United Kingdom more difficult.

Many British gentlemen believed that the only way to change the poor land transportation in the interior was to dig canals and use them to connect the natural rivers, so as to improve the inland transportation situation on the island.

Although Britain is an island nation, lowland hills and plains occupy most of the area, and digging canals is indeed a good option.

But the British Treasury could not afford the imagination of these local gentlemen, and when Elizabeth I died, she left the English Treasury with a debt of 400,000 pounds, which by the present James I had reached nearly a million pounds.

With such a financial situation in the kingdom, it is obviously impossible to dig a canal. But the horse-drawn railway in front of him gave Andrei a new inspiration.

If he could find someone to invest in the east and west coasts of England, or from Wales to London, to build such a railway, and then charge the right freight, it would obviously be a good business. Looking at the two thin iron bars on the ground, it shouldn't cost much iron.