Chapter 91

This fat man named Kontirinoah, although a descendant of foreigners, spoke fluent Chinese and claimed to be proficient in various languages, including those of Tianzhu, Dashi, and Persia. Therefore, daily communication was not difficult, and he even affectionately asked me to call him by his nickname, "Fat Kong."

Of course, as a foreigner, he was also a registered merchant in Guangfu, owning a store that specialized in various imported goods. However, this store was merely a cover for his real business, which involved smuggling.

Guangfu, being a key hub for both land and sea routes in the Lingwai Seven Circuits and the East and West Sea Routes, was a place where goods and resources were abundant. However, most of the lucrative industries were either monopolized by the government, controlled by powerful families, or managed by regional guilds. As a result, a large number of smuggling operations naturally emerged to meet the vast market demand.

However, even in the smuggling business, not just anyone could succeed. With the massive volume of maritime trade, occasional leaks were manageable, but to establish a stable and long-term business, one needed the cooperation and support of local strongmen or powerful forces.

Moreover, Fat Kong was not content to compete for the scraps left by the major powers. He was determined to find a unique path and do a good business in military equipment. However, such a venture was not something an ordinary person could easily get involved in.

The Southern Dynasty had a large-scale military equipment supervision system, with various manufacturing plants and workshops distributed across the country, as well as numerous contracted suppliers. These entities, with their deep backgrounds, formed a network of interests and protection, naturally resisting new competitors.

As for the various clients in the area, they also had to consider the stability of their long-term suppliers, social relationships, and potential risks.

Thus, his persistence kept him in Guangfu for several years, but he failed to open up the market. However, this also led to a connection with the Yuwen family, who were attempting to expand their trade in the western seas.

I don't know how Yuwen Luoluo convinced him, but it was clear that he saw this as a significant opportunity and a breakthrough, leading him to personally recruit and negotiate this business.

With a demand, we could talk happily, and I took the chance to ask him about the customs, cultures, and current situations of various countries in the west, before finalizing the initial intentions.

"Rozhi's territory, and the potential demand and market of the entire Borneo territory?"

I asked the mysterious creature that was eagerly waiting beside me to count the items.

"You really dare to say that... Was he really tricked into it?"

"Even for a one-time deal, some preparation is necessary."

After arranging the necessary personnel and precautions, I finally saw the signal reflected back from the river.

Regardless of the methods Kontirinoah used to bring the goods into the outskirts of Guangfu, the small boat traveling up the river brought the items we needed on schedule.

Opening the wooden box marked "Handle with Care for Porcelain," I moved aside the top layer of sample goods, revealing the heavy metal items wrapped in straw to prevent scratches. The cold, shiny metal put my mind at ease.

There were 160 flat-tipped spearheads, 350 fine-tipped throwing spearheads, 80 short spears with conical tips, 60 single-bladed axes, and 40 single-tipped hammers.

There were 26 standard crossbows from Xixia, 10 repeating crossbows, 1,100 arrows of various lengths, 30 iron-armed bows, 400 wooden arrows, 60 military arrows, and additional mouth harp pull rods.

There were 55 thin-bladed curved swords made of Tianzhu iron, 15 thick-backed long swords in the Tang style, and 86 other various lengths of swords, along with whetstones, oil, cloths, leather sheaths, scabbards, and various other accessories.

Finally, three flying fire bombs from Xizhou were included as a bonus and sample.

Although they looked like refurbished old items, they were well-maintained and covered with a thin layer of oil.

I randomly picked one and lightly tapped the metal blade with my finger. The sound was deep and clear, indicating good forging and a dense, uniform metal, not just a shiny facade.

After tallying everything, the total came to 3,200 strings of cash. The spearheads and swords only made up a small part, while the crossbows and bows were the main items, averaging 40 to 50 strings each, which were things that ordinary people couldn't afford even if they had the money.

Compared to the items I had seen in the north, these clearly had a Western style, with key parts reinforced with iron, showing a certain advantage in craftsmanship.

For example, the bow arms were made with high-quality horn and wood, with iron sheets as the core, wrapped in wear-resistant leather. They felt slightly heavy in the hand but had a powerful feel when drawn.

Each crossbow was carefully equipped with a spare string, made from special materials twisted into a composite strand, which could hum for a while when lightly plucked. The heavy crossbows and repeating crossbows had special ratchets and pull rods for stringing, and the repeating crossbows had additional 10-shot and 5-shot magazines.

The wooden arrows were made of sturdy white hard wood, not the common bamboo in the south, and came with two types of arrowheads: one with a barbed tip and the other with a diamond shape. The military arrows had conical tips with spiral grooves for bleeding.

Using these crossbows for a test, even the experienced military man Han Liangchen couldn't help but praise them, as they were indeed good quality, though a bit old. The numbers representing the craftsmen, origin, and batch were removed using special methods.

This made me even more interested in the forces behind Kontirinoah. What kind of people could provide such clearly military-grade equipment...

During the transaction, a small incident occurred. Kontirinoah did not want local vouchers or flying money but insisted on receiving payment in precious metals or treasure coins.

I had anticipated this and waved for Bo Fu to bring out a box containing twelve homemade eight-ounce gold ingots, which he placed in front of him.

Fat Kong tilted his head, and a dark-skinned Kunlun slave split one of the ingots with an axe, revealing a consistent color inside, before he was satisfied and put them away.

He then thought for a moment, reluctantly pulled out a bundle of cloth from his pocket, and handed it to me, which Bo Fu received on my behalf.

"This is a lucky charm that has followed me for many years..."

As Bo Fu unfolded the silk, a copper single-lens telescope was revealed.

"As a good start and witness to our business partnership..."

Fat Kong said with a sincere face.

"I hope it will be a good memento for you..."

"Sure..."

I took the telescope from Bo Fu, and it felt quite heavy in my hand. It was much better than the makeshift one I had made, with a telescoping rod, a fine-tuning spiral slot, and a small stand, making it more like a piece of craftsmanship.

Although it was a second-hand item with some paint peeling, wear, and scratches, it still had value and significance to me.

Finally, he sailed away with the newly filled boat and a small box of gold and silver, satisfied.

This transaction was quite rough and lacked trust, requiring both parties to send representatives to personally oversee and negotiate to complete the process.

For example, the people from Fengjuanqi, holding bows and arrows and hiding in the woods, or the people in Kontirinoah's cabin who never showed up, represented a certain realism and caution.

After all, in this chaotic and complex era, easily given trust was a precious and luxurious thing. But at least we had a good start.

Then, like getting an interesting toy, after transporting most of the weapons, I eagerly returned to my private workshop and carefully disassembled the three small melon-sized flying fire bombs with various tools.

The principle of the flying fire bomb was quite ingenious, fully utilizing the technical level and mature materials of this era.

For example, the ignition tube, similar to a modern fuse, was made of wax-sealed ceramic powder, which could delay and directly ignite a finely made explosive core, then the sticky substance inside the shell would be splashed out in a burning fan shape along with the shell fragments through the internal explosion.

The shell was a special ceramic container, unglazed, containing about half a liter of thick liquid. The refined mixture of burning oil, with particles similar to gelatin, would continue to adhere and burn after the explosion, causing secondary damage.

This design was quite instructive to me. Although it might be too complicated for musket ammunition, what about for cannons or other explosives?

I eagerly called for Bao Tou to record my sudden ideas.

"Improvement directions for the No. 213 cannon fuse and feasibility analysis of directional mines..."

I was talking to myself when someone reported from outside the door.

"There is new news from the naval forces and Lady Chen..."

Fengjuanqi, who had just returned from outside, sweating, reported to me in a low voice.

"Last night, the rebels broke through the defenses at Shimen from the east."

"About 6,000 local militia and garrison troops were defeated, and the reinforcements from the Left Wuwei and Tianning armies have retreated."

"The government is reorganizing the lines in the Baitian and Datong districts, trying to recapture the area."

"The rebels are looting the area, and they may take more people and resources."

"Additionally, the southeastern districts of Huwei, Fuxu, Luede, Dashui, and Ruishi are also being harassed by the rebels."

"The nearest right city is already in a state of alarm, and many citizens are fleeing to the old city and lower city."

"There are rumors that the court will send troops from the old city and upper city to surround this rebel force."

"Among them are the naval forces temporarily staying in our left city."

"We need to prepare in advance..."

"Then we should distribute the weapons in advance," I said decisively.

"Don't worry about damage or injuries; get everyone familiar with them quickly."

"Don't worry about the stockpiling of water; we have already established several storage points."

"If things go wrong, everyone should leave and meet at these storage points."

We have prepared multiple plans for the potential impact of this rebellion.

For example, if the situation becomes uncontrollable, we can retreat to the coast and board the Yuwen family's ships to avoid the conflict, or

In the worst case, we will temporarily abandon these arrangements, take the important personnel, and retreat to Lady Chen's residence in Meishan, forming a group for self-protection.

At least until the hearing of the Zongfan Institute, she wouldn't want anything to happen to me.