Chapter 112 Bombing
After the Hope docked, the crew members took turns to go off the ship to rest. After not stepping on solid land for several months, the soldiers felt both novel and excited.
People on the street also looked at these yellow-skinned, black-haired men with curiosity. They were strong, wore clothes of unique styles, and even had long hair tied up. It was really strange.
This time, no knight stopped the people, but no one dared to go forward to check. After all, they were not stupid. These yellow-skinned people looked difficult to deal with, and they all carried weapons.
The soldiers delivered the items purchased by Bishop Ennis to the Vatican. Ennis stroked the fabrics. The beautiful silk seemed like a girl's delicate skin, soft and delicate. He didn't know how comfortable it would be to wear clothes cut from such fabrics.
He liked exquisite porcelain even more. He heard that this kind of thing was very fragile and would break if it was dropped lightly. Ennis held a porcelain bottle in his arms as if he was holding a child. Such a noble thing was destined to be enjoyed only by nobles.
He had one hundred pieces of silk packed and ordered his knights to deliver them to nobles in various places at full speed. After these Oriental people left, his business would be back soon.
*
The translated name of the merchant is Gladnicho, a Venetian merchant. Because the name is too difficult to pronounce, Zhao Xiao calls him Lao Qiao.
He brought Zhao Xiao and his party to the center of the town, which was the most prosperous area in Genoa. Small vendors could be seen everywhere on the street, selling a wide variety of fish, shrimp, food, services, and so on.
Most of them were things that Zhao Xiao and his friends had never seen before, but they had no interest in trying them because the things here were too simple compared to the goods in Daqi.
As they walked, Old Joe introduced: "This is one of the largest cities in the Papal States, with a total population of 150,000. There is a very magnificent church halfway up the mountain. You really should stay a few more days to take a good look around."
After listening to Song Yutang's translation, Zhao Xiao couldn't help but burst out laughing. This is the largest city?
Not only are the streets dirty and messy, but the stench of sewers is so nauseating that one can even step on sticky feces if one isn't careful.
It is February now, and the weather is cold, with feces and urine still frozen on the streets. You can imagine how it will smell in summer. A city like this is not even as good as the county town of Daqi.
Old Qiao didn't know what Zhao Xiao was laughing at. He thought he was attracted by his introduction, so he said quickly: "There are many items here that can't be bought anywhere else. If you need anything, I am willing to serve you."
Zhao Xiao actually wanted to buy something. Before leaving, Song Yuzhu gave him a booklet with pictures of many vegetables and fruits he had never seen before, and asked him to bring back some seeds.
Zhao Xiao handed the booklet to the businessman and asked him to take a look to see if he recognized the items.
There are corn, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, etc. These vegetables are currently not available in Daqi Dynasty.
Corn was not yet popular in Europe. Only a few places in Northern Europe had manors that grew it. Because of its taste, nobles rarely ate it. It was eaten by the poor and slaves or fed to livestock. Cabbage and broccoli were very common vegetables on the street, and both nobles and common people often ate them.
As for tomatoes and peppers, the merchants were a little curious, wondering what they wanted to do with them. After all, tomatoes are still called devil's fruit in Europe. Locals think that this kind of thing is too charming and may be poisonous, so they dare not eat it and only regard it as an ornamental item.
Old Joe took a look and said, "I've seen all of these things. I wonder how many adults need?"
Zhao Xiao thought for a moment and said, "The more the better. I also want the seeds of these things."
"Then you may have to wait a few more months. It's cold now, and many vegetables can't grow. They will only grow when it warms up."
After Song Yutang finished translating, Zhao Xiao nodded and said, "Don't worry, there are still so many goods on the ship, it's almost time to sell them all."
Zhao Xiao asked him to find these things and he would pay him ten US dollars in gold coins.
Old Joe was very happy and kept thanking him, calling him a generous man.
The group walked around the street for most of the day. Zhao Xiao stepped on three piles of shit and was really not interested in walking any further.
Old Joe took them to a nearby tavern to rest. Zhao Xiao wanted to drink some wine, but unfortunately there was only beer and malt wine in the tavern, and wine could only be brewed in aristocratic manors.
Zhao Xiao took a sip of beer and spat it out. It tasted like horse urine and was extremely unpalatable. It was not as good as the beer they brought with them.
After dinner, Old Joe said cautiously, "Sir, I know you have a lot of cargo on board. Can you do business with us?"
Song Yutang was stunned and refused directly: "We have just promised the bishop that we can no longer sell goods to people here." Honesty is the key to doing business. He has been doing business in the pharmacy for so many years, and the reason why he has been so successful is that he treats people with sincerity, so he absolutely cannot do such a thing.
"Oh, you misunderstood. I don't want to do business with you here. How about we do business on the sea after we go out to sea?"
This did not violate the promise. Song Yutang said, "I want to ask our general."
Seeing the two mumbling to each other, Zhao Xiao couldn't understand a word they said, so he couldn't help but pat Song Yutang on the shoulder and asked, "What is this person talking about?"
After Song Yutang finished communicating with Lao Qiao, he said, "He said he wanted to buy our goods."
"Can he afford it?" Zhao Xiao looked at Lao Qiao with some suspicion. After all, the way he was dressed didn't seem like someone who could afford hundreds or thousands of gold coins.
"He said he wanted to come on board with us, and his family would pay for some of the goods."
The Venetian merchants were the largest group of merchants at sea. Due to geographical reasons, they had been traveling to various ports in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. Therefore, they learned many languages at a very young age to facilitate their business when they grew up.
Zhao Xiao looked at Lao Qiao and saw a very expectant expression on his face, fearing that the other party would disagree.
"Okay." It doesn't matter who you sell to. Since Ennis didn't let them sell on shore, he went to the sea to sell. He had to clear the goods before going home.
When Old Qiao saw him nod in agreement, he danced with joy, looking like a cheering monkey, making Zhao Xiao and his group laugh so hard that they fell over.
*
The group stayed here for only three days before leaving.
Before they left, Bishop Ennis went to the port to see them off. He put his hand on his forehead and nodded slightly, wishing them a safe journey.
The reason why Enis came to see him off was that he made too much money. The silk was sent to nobles in various places and the value of the silk tripled after being resold.
Thirty gold coins for a piece of silk, the noble ladies almost fought over it, and the old bishop smiled so hard that his mouth was crooked.
Zhao Xiao also returned his gift. This was a good place to do business and he would cheat him again if he had the chance.
The Hope continued to sail, and Old Joe, who boarded the ship, was so shocked by the ship that he couldn't recover for a long time.
He walked to the deck with trembling legs, stroked the side of the boat and exclaimed: "Oh my God, this is so great! This is simply a miracle!"
It's incredible that such a large ship can sail on the sea without sails and oars!
Although Old Joe was curious, he didn't dare to ask. As businessmen, they were very good at observing people's words and expressions, and he wouldn't say a word that was not necessary.
After thirteen days on the ship, they docked at the second port.
This is Massa, the second largest port in the Papal States. Before the Hope reached the shore, Zhao Xiao discovered that there were hundreds of sailboats docked at the port, with many armed soldiers on board.
He realized that these people might have other intentions, and originally wanted to cancel the port and sail directly to the next stop. But after a little thought, if he showed weakness now, he would encounter the same situation at the next stop. Those greedy white people would treat this ship as a treasure trove without any resistance and come in droves. Will he still be able to do business?
Zhao Xiao decided to go all out and ordered the Hope directly towards the port.
The others on the boat also gradually discovered the clues. Old Joe ran over anxiously and said, "Sir, I'm afraid we are not welcome here. Let's leave!"
Song Yutang said: "Don't worry, our general knows what to do."
Old Joe was still so scared that he kept praying. He had been on the sea for so many years and knew the Papal States too well. The greedy Pope would definitely take the ship for himself and kill everyone on board.
Soon the Hope entered the harbor. A man in armor on the shore shouted, "Listen, everyone on the ship. You have docked in our country without permission. I am here on the orders of the Pope to confiscate your ship. Hand over the ship immediately, and the merciful Pope will spare your lives."
Old Qiao was so scared that he tried to run downstairs, but Song Yutang grabbed him and asked, "What did he say?"
After translating, Lao Qiao said anxiously, "Let's go quickly. It will be too late if we don't leave now."
Song Yutang asked, "You don't want to do business with us anymore?"
“The premise of doing business is to stay alive.”
"Then you underestimate us, the Daqi people." As soon as Song Yutang finished speaking, the Hope began to spin.
The soldiers on the shore thought they were trying to escape, so they quickly ordered their men to chase them by boat! It was said that the ship was loaded with gold, silver and expensive silk.
The silk imported from the East had spread throughout the Papal States. The Pope received ten pieces of silk from the old bishop and loved them so much that he immediately sent troops to take back all the silk on the ship.
Nowadays, this kind of fabric represents a symbol of status. People who can wear silk must not only be rich but also have status.
The Hope completed its rotation, and with Zhao Xiao's order, a violent roar sounded, like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, deafening.
Old Joe was so scared that he collapsed on the deck. Before he knew what was happening, a second explosion sounded in his ears.
The shells carried on the ship were all large-dose spherical shells. The explosion area of one shell was almost several hundred square meters. After more than ten shells were bombarded continuously, the entire Massa port was almost razed to the ground.
The soldiers on the shore were so frightened that they dropped their weapons and fled in all directions. The ships on the sea also stayed away from the Hope and dared not approach it again.
Old Joe stood up tremblingly, holding on to the side of the ship, and was stunned to see the port that had been bombed into ruins.
Song Yutang patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "We in Daqi are not fat fish that can be slaughtered at will."
With this demonstration, landing became much easier. The bishop of Massa did not show up, but he was very savvy and ordered people to present five boxes of gold coins and jewelry. The meaning was simple, hoping that these Daqi people would leave here quickly and not vent their anger on him.
Zhao Xiao was a reasonable man. He believed that it was not right to take money for free in business, so he left them five thousand pieces of coarse cloth and one thousand pieces of porcelain.
The news of the bombing quickly spread throughout Europe. By now everyone knew that this ship not only had precious silk, but also terrifying cannons. If you provoked them, the consequences would be very tragic!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com