Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 298 Arson
At about Haishi that night, two grain stores, two silk and satin cloth shops, a salt store, and two grocery stores set up by Sihai Commercial Company in Yangzhou City were on fire one after another.

The merchants under Mr. Huang poured a lot of tung oil on these wooden houses, and piled up some straw and dry firewood to support the combustion. After the open fire was lit, the fire blazed.

The scorching flames devoured everything unscrupulously, and the crimson flames flickered, and the flames illuminated the dark night sky like daytime.

"It's flooded!! Put out the fire quickly! Run for your life!"

A watchman who was on the watch first found a shop on fire. He threw away the clapper he was holding and ran to the fire while shouting loudly.

The watchman's shouts alarmed the residents and merchants around the grain store. In an instant, the cries of children, the screams of women, the roars of men, and the barking of dogs rang out together.People who were sleeping soundly woke up from their dreams one after another. The doors of many residents opened one after another, men, women and children in disheveled clothes rushed out of the house one after another. All kinds of cries resounded through the night sky from the burning shops.

While people were busy fighting the fire and escaping for their lives, the four-entry courtyard of Huang Boss in Tianshui Lane was brightly lit. Lanterns were hung in every corner of several main courtyards, and howling and loud noises could be heard from several large rooms from time to time. Laughter, the gamblers inside are fighting fiercely with money on the table with their chests exposed.

The third courtyard is Boss Huang's inner house. At this time, he is drinking and having fun with a few of his cronies in the flower hall. Four or five coquettish women in tulle are sitting around them. The smell of sweat from the man's body mixed together, making people want to vomit.

Boss Huang, whose real name is Huang Zhi, was in his prime of life. He was originally a shabby resident in Yangzhou. Because he learned a few fists and kicks when he was young, he developed a bad habit of fighting and fighting. Blackmailing is the number one person in Yangzhou City.

This fellow Huang Zhi is a man with all kinds of poisons, and any money he gets won't last the night, it's either spent on wine tables and women, or he loses it all in the casino, although he has done a lot of secret tricks for some big families He got a lot of bounties, but quickly squandered them all.

As time went by, Huang Zhi's reputation for being cruel, clean and tidy, and tight-lipped has gradually become known to interested people, and he has gathered more gangsters in Yangzhou City.

After getting more money, Huang Zhi bought the current house, half bought and half forced to move out the surrounding residents, expand and renovate, and used coercion to take all the half-closed prostitutes in the city under his door. Casinos and brothels opened directly in the courtyard.

Since ancient times, these two industries have the fastest money, and it can be said that there is no profit at all.Although Huang Zhi acted greedily and fiercely, his mind was very shrewd. He knew that if he wanted to survive for a long time, the government and officials must never be offended.He usually has a good relationship with government officials and officials with real power in the county government. After opening a casino and brothel to make a fortune, he even spent a lot of money to bribe Yangzhou government officials, and his connections with government officials became closer. The days are getting more and more moist.

Today the housekeeper of Xu's mansion came to the door and told about what his master had planned, and said that there would be a big reward afterwards, Huang Zhilue thought it over and readily agreed.

He knew the backgrounds of all the gentry in the city well, and of course he knew who was behind Xu Qiming. In addition to the huge reward promised by the other party, he had no reason not to agree to the murder and arson.

Although Huang Zhi had also heard about the origin of the Four Seas Trading Company, it was said that it was run by nobles in the capital palace, but Huang Zhi didn't take it to heart.The county magistrate is better off taking care of it now, offending a big shot in the capital is no big deal, even if the news of the incident spreads back to the capital, and the boss of the capital sends someone down to investigate the matter, don't they still have to go through the local government?At that time, the people in the government office will definitely let themselves go out to avoid the limelight, and come later when the matter is over.Even if it's a big deal, under the prevarication and wrangling of all parties, won't it be settled in the end?The dignitaries and dignitaries of the capital seem to be annoying, but they are actually easy to fool.

But if I offend these local officials and gentry in the city, my good life will be blown away by wind and rain in an instant. They are a family. , people will still favor their own family.

The county magistrate who broke the family, the governor who killed the family, Huang Zhi spent half his life on the road, so he knew very well who was the steel knife on Bo's neck.

After giving the order, Huang Zhi didn't think about it anymore.These things have been done a lot, and the subordinates are also very proficient. Besides, there are people in the government covering them, and the curfew order is useless to them. Just turn around after setting off the fire.

"Boss, Zhou Min and the others have turned around! Everything has been done, and several shops are on fire. Although there is no wind tonight, the fire poured with tung oil will be useless even if the fire army rushes away. After half an hour These shops will be burned to the ground!"

It was Huang Zhi's confidant Ganji who came to report from the front yard. He was appointed by Huang Zhi to wait for news in the front yard.After seeing the subordinates who went to arson in several places return one after another, I came here to send a message to Huang Zhitong.

"Okay, okay! Now that the matter is done, just teach them how to drink! Come, come, there is a seat reserved for you, come sit down and have a drink! Tomorrow, you take a few people and drive a car to the back door of Xu's mansion to get it. Silver reward! This time the Xu family is very generous, with a full 2000 taels of silver! Hahaha! Eat and drink!"

Huang Zhi happily greeted the dry chicken to sit down, and the fans next to him heard so much money, and immediately begged Huang Zhi for rewards one by one.

The drunken Huang Zhi was in a good mood, and just about to open his mouth to agree to hand out the reward, suddenly there were a few loud noises in the front yard, which seemed to be the sound of firecrackers during the New Year's Day, but much louder than the sound of firecrackers, accompanied by Loud bangs and loud shouts.

"Grandma's! It's not Chinese New Year, so firecrackers are set off! What kind of turtle is in a hurry! Calling a ghost in the middle of the night!"

"It doesn't sound like firecrackers! I'll go check it out!"

Hearing the sound, the untouched dry chicken felt a little strange in his heart. He stood up and was about to walk out of the flower hall, when there were several loud noises again, this time from the second courtyard in front. There came a few howls and scolding sounds, and Huang Zhi and the others got up quickly in a daze. They all took out the short knives in their arms, ready to fight at any time, and the drunkenness disappeared. Mostly.

Before they could make a move, a burst of chaotic footsteps came towards the courtyard of the flower hall. In an instant, under the bright lights, more than a dozen warriors in blue armor and brown caps broke into the courtyard Among them, after seeing the people in the flower hall, they quickly divided into three teams, two teams outflanked from the side, and one team rushed towards the flower hall.

"Who the hell is not good-looking! Dare to break into Huang Lao..."

There was a loud "bang!", and the little leader who was facing the door with a sense of alcohol seemed to have been hit head-on by a giant hammer. He backed up a few steps and fell straight to the ground, the short blade in his hand fell with a clang. His mouth was wide open, his face was hideous and terrifying, and there was a big hole in his naked chest, blood gurgling out, flowing slowly along the ground, a thick puff of smoke rose a few steps away from him, and then slowly Slowly drift away.

In the misty and rainy south of the Yangtze River, although Huang Zhi and Gan Ji have heard of firecrackers, they have never seen what a firecracker is, nor can they distinguish the sound of a firecracker. The loud noise in the front yard just now is The sound of the short flintlock in Jin Yiwei's hand after being fired.

"Kneel down! Throw away the weapon! Put your head in your hands! Anyone who dares to mess around will be killed!"

"Jin Yiwei handles the case! Those who disobey orders will be killed!"

"Silence!"

After several cold-blooded reprimands, the woman's screams stopped abruptly.Huang Zhi, Ganji and the others quickly took a peek at them, and saw warriors holding long knives, bows and crossbows at the front and rear doors and outside the flower windows. It was impossible to escape after fighting, and they quickly discarded the short blades in their hands and knelt down When they got down, several women were so frightened that they fell to the ground and shivered into a ball.

"Who is Huang Zhi?"

Xiao Qi, who led the team, imitated Shangguan's usual style, walked slowly into the flower hall with his hands behind his back, and asked.

"Master Guancha, a villain is a villain, a villain is a villain! The villain is on good terms with Mr. Li, the head of the government office. I don't know if the master official and Mr. Li know each other?"

Huang Zhi has dealt with officials for more than ten years. Although he has not seen today's big scene, he has not been frightened. According to the common sense of dealing with officials in the past, he knelt and moved forward a few times with a smile on his face. He entrusted his relationship in the government.

Although he has also heard the name of Jin Yiwei, but in his knowledge, Jin Yiwei is always active in the capital, and the people who are arrested are officials and lords, and they have nothing to do with their roles.In addition, when the Yangzhou Thousand Households Institute was first established, Liang Qi and his subordinate lieutenants were too busy collecting all kinds of connections between officials, big and small, and gentry in the city, and had no time to take care of them, so he was not very afraid.

With a crisp "pa", Jinyi Xiaoqi took off the scabbard casually and slapped it on Huang Zhi's left face. Huang Zhi screamed and fell to the side, blood and a few broken teeth flowed out of his mouth.

"Dare to say a name like a pig or a dog, it will dirty the ears of the master! Just find the right owner and take him away!"

Xiao Qi didn't even look at Huang Zhi who was lying on the ground. He retracted the scabbard and hung it on his waist, then turned and walked.

　Thanks to the old book friend and rudder master Xinghui: Spirited Away for the reward, please subscribe, hehe.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)