At the Yangtze River Wharf of Jiangdu, the main docked sea ships carrying more than 3,000 stones were docked here. With the discovery of the Mingzhou continent and the expulsion of the Arabian sea merchants from the east of Malacca, the Ming sea merchants lived a more prosperous life. In order to open up farther and more profitable routes, sea merchants have built larger and stronger sea ships. The lucky ship with a load of 3,000 stones can only be regarded as light sea ships.

A large lucky ship carrying 5,000 stones leaned on a berth at the Yangtze River Wharf. Looking at the neatly arranged square gun doors on the hull, you will know that this is an armed merchant ship. According to the "Marine Law" of the Ming Empire, the imperial Navy Department can grant some merchant ships "armed licenses" during wartime, allowing them to load artillery, participate in logistics transportation or directly participate in the war. The hull of this wooden ship is strong and has a brand new wood color. It should have been a special armed merchant ship specially used to carry out dangerous maritime trading.

On the dock, some coolies wearing cotton jackets were shouting labor horns to transport goods to the armed merchant ship.

The sailors also rushed over one after another, all of whom were carrying armor and carrying horizontal knives, looking a little like naval officers and soldiers. The middle-aged man who seemed to be on the bow of a boat was fierce and had a big beard on his face. He was whispering to a customs official wearing a navy blue official uniform.

"Leitou, why are all your people wearing army equipment? Do you want to take them to the robbery in Tianzhu?"

"The army is more powerful. This trip is to the war zone, but it's dangerous. Of course, you have to buy strong armor."

"I won't sell it when I arrive in Chittagong, right? This is suspected of smuggling!"

"President Li, you scared me. I, Lei Batian, are a good person who is law-abiding. How could the gentry of the Ming Dynasty do such an illegal thing?"

"Okay, okay. You are a good person... I don't care about this steel armor. Who gave you an 'arming license'?"

"I'm giving the people below the country a steel armor. I'm going to the war zone to transport goods, and all the goods are transported. If I encounter an enemy robbery, I have to take my brothers to fight to the death!"

"Haha, you are really loyal to the emperor and patriotic!" The customs official shook his head.

Lei Batian was originally a maritime businessman who was traveling to the Japanese Koryo route of the Ming Dynasty. He was fined tens of thousands of yuan by Jiangdu Customs for suspected smuggling saltpeter to the Kamakura army in Japan.

Originally, the ship's license and gentry card had to be revoked, and most of them had to go to prison, but this matter was not under the jurisdiction of the customs. Instead, the Jiangdu Judgment Department had to make a judgment. As a result, this guy found a good lawyer and took advantage of the opportunity. While the ship's license and gentry card were still there, he took over the "beheading deal" of the Navy and obtained an armed license.

According to the "War Mobilization Law" of the Ming Empire, civilians mobilized by the army will be detained unless they kill and rebel, and all other lawsuits will be settled. After the war, the people who were dragged will commit some trivial matters. Wouldn't they be avoided by suing them?

"Are everyone in one place?" The customs officer surnamed Li was not interested in quarreling with Lei Batian anymore. "If everyone is together, apply for a passport. After the application, hurry up and go to loyalty to the emperor and patriotism."

Chen Dexing's Ming Dynasty allowed the people to move freely, and no one cared about the local area. However, you still have to apply for a passport when and when you go abroad or enter the country. However, this passport is not handled by the place where you register, but by the customs where you enter and exit the country. It mainly records when someone went abroad or entered the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, you also have to register the person's ethnicity, nationality, identity, belief and household registration. After arriving in the Ming Dynasty colony overseas, you can use this passport to prove that you are a people in the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the various contents registered on the passport are all conscience words they say. It is difficult to judge whether it is true or false. The Ming Empire now only issued parchment ID cards to nobles, gentry and naturalized Chinese people that can carry with them. Ordinary Han people only registered their household registration books by household registration, and do not have ID cards.

"Are you all here?" Lei Batian roared at the bow of the boat.

"There are two less." A small manager on the ship immediately replied.

"Who hasn't gotten on the boat yet?"

"Two people with the surname Lai," said the young manager, "these two guys are reluctant to spend money to buy good armor. They have chosen two broken armors and are repairing them."

"Choose armor-breaking? They dare to save money?" Lei Batian shook his head repeatedly, "What's wrong with your life? What did you tell them we are going to do?"

"I said it, go to Tianzhu."

"Nothing else said?" Lei Batian raised his eyebrows.

"No," the manager smiled, "if they said that, they dared not come!"

Then there was a burst of laughter. The customs official named Li could only shake his head after hearing this. His judgment was basically correct. This was a pirate ship! He didn't want to go to Tianzhu to pick up goods for the army. He probably wanted to rob and make a fortune at sea or on the ground of the Tianzhu people!

However, he couldn't control this matter. Such merchant ships that had obtained the "armed license" could have gone to the navy to accept combat missions, including robbing at sea and harassing the enemy's rear.

...

"Okay, just like the new one, I'll wear it on my body and keep it invulnerable to swords and guns!"

At the same time, the two surnamed Lai, Lai Hato, father and younger brother, had already obtained their steel armor and had two pieces of armor that had been stabbed in the chest with a big hole in the front! Now it has been repaired with iron sheets.

"Afu, we can save a lot of money now!" Lai Bao took the breastplate of his steel armor, held it in his hand and looked at it again and again. He was so happy that the steel armor was very finely made, and there were patterns on the surface, as if it were three triangles. It was obvious that it was a good thing. If Lai Toad was present, he would have to die of rush to see this scene!

The material of this pair of breastplate is definitely problematic! The authentic breastplate of Nanfen Steel is divided into two parts. How could such a thick medium-carbon steel plate be heated and forged and quenched? If Nanfen Steel Armor is so unsolid, he will die ten times long ago!

Moreover, the blacksmith used the armor to repair the iron, but the cooked iron sheets produced by Nanfenxing, and they were not carburized. They just burned red and beat them up. This cooked iron sheet is very soft and can be shot through even bows and arrows.

When Lai Hata joined the army, the officers responsible for training them repeatedly told them that these good armors could last for several lives. No matter how they could not save money, they must make a careful choice with their tricks. It is best to go to a few famous armor stores to buy their authentic products, even if they spend more money. These famous stores are all about long-term business, paying attention to credibility and not cutting corners.

But Lai Bao, Lai Fu didn't know that he was going abroad to sell white female slaves. The two human traffickers are now meeting a profiteer who cares about human life, and they will soon have to board a pirate ship!

I bought two pairs of armor-breaking from Japanese merchants, which had been transported from Japan for many years. Japan had a great demand for armor, but they did not have enough financial resources to buy Nanfen steel armor, so they could only buy first-class carburized iron armor. However, the carburized technology was not easy to master, so they often bought unqualified iron armor, and sometimes they would return it. These two pairs of armor-breaking iron armor were two of a batch of unqualified iron armor returned by the Kamakura Shogunate. Now they have been repaired casually and were deceived by Lai Bao, who is greedy for cheap.

I bought counterfeit steel armor because I was greedy for cheapness, and I got on the pirate ship because I wanted to make money. The tickets for the passenger boat to Tianzhu were expensive, and the Lai family father and son took out all their savings to just enough travel expenses. Of course, Lai Bao was reluctant to let it go, so he chose another way to go to Tianzhu to be a sailor!

Not only does it take to pay for tickets, but you can also earn a salary. Usually, an adult man with no sailing experience can earn eight cents of money and provide food and accommodation as a sailor. However, Lei Batian's Tiger Number has paid twenty-four cents of money, and can also make twelve months of advance payment, but the condition is that a pair of steel armor and a horizontal knife must be prepared.

If it was an old sailor who ran across the sea, of course he knew it was a beheading business! But Lai Bao and Lai Fu and his son were confused by lard, thinking that they were lucky enough to find a good job with a high salary.

...

"Selasi Solomon, this is the letter of appointment issued to you by the Colonial Department. You are now the vice president of the Atlantic Chartered Chamber of Commerce."

In the Daming Palace of Jiangdu, Chen Dexing smiled and handed a letter of appointment to Selassi and Solomon.

This slave trader is really lucky this time. Lord Chen Dexing has a lot of people and does not care about his view of Baoyin as a white female slave. He also helped him find a vice president of the Atlantic Chartered Trade Chamber of Commerce.

This Atlantic Chartered Trade Chamber is a newly opened official chamber of commerce. The basis for its establishment was the "Atlantic Chartered Trade Act" signed by Chen Dexing. Of course, this bill has not been approved by the Advisory Council, but is only temporarily. However, in the current Ming Empire, the Advisory Council is just a rubber stamp and a supervisory authority. No one of the law Chen Dexing wants to pass dares to say no. They only dare to cause trouble with the cabinet and will never dare to get along with the emperor.

The power of the founding emperor, the king of the demigod, and the king of the world is not something the parliament dares to resist!

Therefore, the Atlantic Chartered Trade Chamber of Commerce was established rapidly. The president was served as the business letter of the Ming Dynasty. There were four vice presidents, nominated by the Ministry of Commerce, the Colonial Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Navy. Selasi Solomon occupied the quota of the Ministry of Commerce.

In addition, in addition to the General Association located in Jiangdu, the Atlantic Franchise Trade Chamber will also set up four branches in Zama, Europa, Macau and Hong Kong, and somewhere near the West African coast. Both the General Association and the Branch are eligible to grant the Atlantic Franchise Trade Certificate.

Merchant ships without a license are not allowed to sail on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Europe and the European Greenland route. Those who violate this regulation may capture or sink it!

In order to implement this "Atlantic Chartered Trade Act", the Atlantic Fleet naturally needs to be equipped with more "New World"-class battleships. At the same time, the Ming Empire of course also had to interact with African countries (tribes) along the Atlantic coast and signed an agreement to "liberate slaves", which are all the work that Selassi and Solomon are responsible for. (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!