Chapter 853 Island Casino
There are not many commercial facilities at Cangdong'ao Wharf. In addition to a row of warehouses on the shore, there is only a hotel-restaurant shop. You can eat downstairs and live upstairs and in the courtyard behind. But the scale of this store is quite large. The upper room in the backyard alone has five courtyards and a total of more than 40 rooms. The entire store can accommodate more than 300 people at the same time. According to Xu Ke, there is also a shop of similar size built at Tian'ao Wharf next to it, which is used to provide temporary accommodation for outsiders.
However, the prices in this bandit's den are not cheap. Xu Ke asked for two guest rooms and an upper room in the backyard, and spent ten taels of silver to get out. Zhao Cheng picked up more than a hundred kilograms of fish, shells, shrimps and crabs from the boat and sent them to the kitchen, and replaced them with fresh water and seasonal vegetables needed on the boat, which actually saved Tishike a fortune.
Zhao Bencheng wanted to take this opportunity to wander around the island. He never thought that the Haisha Gang was extremely fortified and only allowed outsiders to move in a small area near the dock. The road leading to the interior of the island was specially designed to A checkpoint was set up, and Zhao Cheng was stopped without any suspense. In desperation, he could only walk around the dock. The peninsula that separates the three bays is all hilly, and it is impossible to see the situation in the other two bays on the left and right from the pier of Cangdong'ao.
Compared with ordinary fishing port towns, this place is indeed more prosperous. There are roughly twenty or thirty merchant ships seen at the dock. Although the sun is almost setting, there are still several ships on the pier busy loading and unloading goods. You can also see foreign merchants and sailors who look obviously different from Ming people, swaggering on the pier. However, this harbor is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the area available for development near the sea is not large, which limits the scale of commercial development here to a certain extent.
Zhao Cheng has been to many trading ports under Haihan's rule, and he is also a man who has seen the world. In comparison, the scale of business here is nothing. If we want to make an analogy, at most it is with Haihan's early operation at the Pearl River Estuary. The developed Wanshan Port is almost complete. Of course, in terms of the complete supporting facilities and institutions, this place is still not comparable to Wanshan Port. In addition to the most basic docks, warehouses, and hotels, Wanshan Port also later built specialized hotels and pubs, in addition to seaside facilities. Han civil affairs, finance, health and other institutions have set up offices on the island, and matters such as immigration, money transactions, and medical care can be handled on the island in a timely manner.
The Haihan militia's coastal defenses at Wanshan Port defeated the pirate Liu Xiang's fleet in the early Pearl River Estuary War, laying the first contribution to Haihan's seizure of control of Guangdong waters. Later, although the trading function of Wanshan Port was gradually moved to the Hong Kong area occupied by Haihan in the later period, the basic institutions of this place still remained. Some merchant ships heading from the Pearl River Estuary to Hainan Island would still choose this small port with complete facilities for transit. supply.
Compared with the shore defenses of Wanshan Port, Zhao Cheng believes that the defense strength here in Cangdong'ao can only be regarded as better than nothing, especially the shore defense firepower is almost zero, which is not enough to threaten the Haihan fleet. Just a few exploration-class warships with the smallest tonnage are enough to suppress the pirate forces here. However, the area of Liuheng Island is larger than that of the Penghu Islands. If you want to wipe out the pirate armed forces on the island, it is difficult to rely on the navy and Han army alone. It must be done by both land and water.
After nightfall, except for the lights in this hotel, the entire harbor was plunged into darkness. Considering that the terrain here was completely unfamiliar and there was no reliable leader, Zhao Cheng finally gave up his plan to go out for reconnaissance at night. After all, it's dark outside, and even if no one is on guard, no useful information can be found.
With nothing to do, Zhao Cheng simply went downstairs and listened to the sailors who were also stationed here drinking and chatting. These people come from various mountains and countries. Most of them are not pirates. They are just ordinary people who serve the smugglers who come here to trade. Among them are Westerners with deep eyes and high noses who speak a lot of Chinese.
After listening for a long time, 70% to 80% of the conversation was about complaining that the cost here was too high, the food and drinks provided were too poor, and there were no adult services on the island, which made these angry men who had been wandering at sea all year round very angry. It's unpleasant. Zhao Cheng smiled and thought that what sailors who go to sea miss is nothing more than eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. The food here is mediocre, the drinks are not that good, the prices are high, and there are no other entertainment activities. No wonder these sailors are complaining.
After listening for a long time, there was no valuable information. Zhao Cheng was about to summon a few men to go back to the room to discuss arrangements for tomorrow when he saw Xu Ke and the seventh brother coming out of a private room arm in arm. When Xu Keye saw Zhao Cheng, he waved to him to come over.
"Seventh brother said he wanted to take me to a good place to play. Old Zhao, come with me!" After Zhao Cheng approached, Xu Ke lowered his voice and said to him, and a strong smell of alcohol poured into Zhao Cheng. into the nasal cavity. Zhao Cheng didn't ask any more questions, nodded, then turned around and gestured to his men, indicating that they should go back to their rooms on their own.
Brother Qi led the two of them through the atrium to the courtyard at the back, twisting and turning into a small independent courtyard. There was a banquet table in the main room, and seven or eight young and strong men were eating, drinking and chatting. When they saw Brother Qi bringing someone in, they all just nodded and said no hello. Brother Qi took Xu and Zhao and walked straight past the banquet table. There was actually a door behind the screen.
Brother Qi pushed the door open and walked in. There was a short corridor, about four feet wide, with another door at the end. Zhao Cheng looked at the uncarved natural mountain wall above his head and asked casually: "Is this in the mountains?"
Brother Qi looked back at him, nodded and said: "This is a cave, and it is also the most interesting place on Liuheng Island."
The three of them entered the door at the other end of the corridor, and sure enough, they immediately stepped into a different space. This cave is about three feet high. There are a number of trays hanging from the ceiling with iron chains. Large butter candles are lit inside. The terrain in the cave is flat and very open. There are forty or fifty large tables, and there are other tables next to each table. There were several floor-standing candlesticks, and Zhao Cheng noticed that the glass cover covering the candlesticks looked very familiar. It was actually an item produced by Haihan. Hundreds of people gathered around these tables, shouting and yelling, all playing gambling games like pai gow and dice.
Brother Qi introduced: "If you two want to play, just call the waiters in red and tell them how big the game is, and they will take you to the appropriate table to play. You can also give them the money to exchange for chips. , you just need to sit and play. If you are tired or hungry, you can also call them and they will take you to eat and rest, so that you can continue playing.”
Zhao Cheng pretended to hesitate and said: "I don't know where I am, but I don't have much cash with me!"
Brother Qi waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter. If Brother Zhao wants to borrow money, we can borrow it here. As long as he pays it back before leaving the island, no interest is required. With the credit of the boss, I will help you guarantee five hundred taels of silver." No problem.”
Xu Ke pretended to be angry: "Brother Qi, so my credit is only worth five hundred taels of silver?"
Seventh Brother laughed and said: "Okay, okay, it's my fault, one thousand taels! Brother, your credit is worth one thousand taels, this is better, right?" Of course Zhao Cheng would not really want to borrow one thousand taels without knowing how to advance or retreat. Two taels of silver came to bet, but at the moment he only said fifty taels, while Xu Ke borrowed two hundred taels himself. Brother Qi raised his hand to make a gesture, and immediately a waiter in red came over to listen to his instructions. After a while, he brought over two hundred and fifty taels of chips. I don’t know what kind of wood this chip is made of. It is light and tough. The amount of money is engraved on it, starting from one coin to fifty taels of silver. Zhao Cheng turned the chip over, and the word "Haisha" was engraved on the back. It was quite neatly made and much more presentable than ordinary underground gambling houses.
Seeing that the two of them had divided the chips, Brother Qi said goodbye: "You two brothers are playing slowly. Brother, I still have business to do, so I have to take a step first. If you are tired of playing and plan to leave, the passage just now can only be entered but not exited." , you need to ask the waiter to take you out. I wish you both good luck and lots of money!”
As soon as the seventh brother left, Zhao Cheng gave Xu Ke a hint. The two of them separated first and found a random gambling table to play for a while. After realizing that no one was paying attention to them, they got back together and had a brief exchange. sentence. Neither of them thought that there was such a place on this island. Although Xu Ke had been here a few times, he never stayed here for too long. He only had a nod with the little pirate leader here. This was the first time. By tricking the other party by eating and drinking, I unexpectedly got an unexpected reward.
Xu Ke called a red-clothed waiter and asked a few questions. The casino in this cave is open day and night. Come and gamble as you please, don't worry about no one being around. If you want to play bigger, the casino can also arrange corresponding gambling games on your behalf. The people who can enter here are basically certified regular customers. It is the first time for strangers to Liuheng Island. It is impossible to enter this place without someone. As for ordinary sailors, it is true that they cannot afford the gambling here. If they are not lucky, their monthly income will be gone in a few seconds, so this place is not even open to such low-income people.
The two of them had heavy responsibilities and were in no mood to gamble and have fun here. They were discussing whether to continue visiting here or go back to rest, when they saw another group of people coming in at the entrance. Xu Ke glanced at it and lowered his voice: "The leader is Li Luotou, the bandit leader here."
Hearing this, Zhao Cheng pretended to be casual and turned around to look around, and saw a bald man in his forties patrolling the field surrounded by seven or eight people. From time to time, people would greet him with clasped fists and bows, but Li Luotou didn't have much airs about him and responded with a smile.
Zhao Cheng secretly noted down his appearance, planning to ask his soldiers responsible for depicting the terrain to draw the appearance of the bandit leader Li Luotou after leaving here tomorrow.
Then Li Luo turned his head to Xu Ke, and the two of them also followed Li Luo's example and raised their hands in greeting. Li Luotou was very considerate. Seeing that they were strangers, he took the initiative to ask. Xu Ke introduced himself and said that he was brought in by so-and-so to avoid making him suspicious.
After hearing this, Li Luotou did not doubt the identity of the two people, but immediately ordered: "Come here, take twenty taels of silver chips and give them to these two new friends!"
Although these twenty taels of silver were not a big amount, Li Luotou's move had an excellent effect in winning people's hearts. If Xu and Zhao were not on a mission, they might actually be grateful for his "goodwill". Of course, Xu and Zhao are not newcomers to society. They naturally understand that Li Luotou's gesture of goodwill is certainly one of the purposes, and probably not many people can take out the chips given away. Anyway, they don't need them. How can you be content with money if you don't use it to try your luck at the gambling table? Maybe you won’t be convinced after losing and will continue to throw money into it. This move may seem generous, but in fact it is fishing. If you are greedy for money, you will probably get into a gambling situation and be unable to extricate yourself.
After Li Luotou patrolled the place, he did not stay any longer and quickly left with his men. After Xu and Zhao combined their efforts, they continued to play for a while, then pretended to be tired and asked the waiter to take the remaining chips to settle the account, and then left the secret casino in the cave. After calculating, the absent-minded Xu Ke lost more than thirty taels of silver, while Zhao Cheng was lucky and won seven or eight taels. In addition, Li Luotou gave away twenty taels of chips, so there was not much loss.
The two were taken out of the casino through another passage, and when they came out, they were in a warehouse on the pier. Looking at the quiet port outside, it is hard to believe that there is actually a lively casino hidden in this place.
On the way back to their residence, Zhao Cheng asked: "Boss Xu, have you noticed that there are other entrances and exits in the cave?"
Xu Ke nodded and said: "The cave seems to run east-west, just between Cangdong Ao and Tian Ao to the east. I think it is very likely that there is a passage leading to the east. People who can disembark at the dock there can also Enter this casino through the passage in the mountain ”
Zhao Chengdao: "I think so too. Looking at the size of this casino, the daily income is only three to four thousand taels of silver. Over time, this income is really quite a lot. It was previously estimated that this Haisha Gang's land has an annual income of three to four thousand taels. The income of one million taels seems to be a small amount now. The income of this casino alone is this amount every year.”
Xu Ke said: "With so much cash flowing into the island, the Haisha Gang may not be able to spend the money quickly. If the coalition forces capture this place, they will have to search carefully. There must be a secret bank to store this money." Silver.”
Zhao Cheng remembered that after the Yueqing Boat Gang was annihilated in Wenzhou's Yueqing Bay, Xu Yuzhuo sent people to Yandang Town to raid the gang's bank account, so he decided to tell Xu Ke. After hearing this, Xu Ke also sighed: "The pirates in Yueqing Fishing Port Town have so much savings. The Haisha Gang has been entrenched on Liuheng Island for many years, and the money must be even richer. The coalition forces said this time Maybe you can make a fortune!”
(End of chapter)