The Last Mecha

Chapter 3 Tiger Stove, Smelting Machine, Regulations
"Hey, good morning little brother, I heard that you have a happy event today, so please do your best."

When Wu Gou went up the street, he was facing two dancing girls who lived on the second floor. They had just returned from the night shift. Their fringed cheongsams were covered with large clusters of red, green and green patterns, and peonies and cranes were stacked together.When the two of them saw Wu Gou, they smiled like crescent moons with their brows covered in makeup.

The street gradually became bustling. The city of Jiangsong woke up very early. On the crowded Huaining Street in the concession area, you can see a Breton gentleman wearing a silk hat, at least on the surface; with a samurai sword on his waist, The high-spirited Fusang military officer, their country used to be proud of learning from Daxia, but now the west wind is blowing; the teacher Frank who was invited to teach is gesticulating with the chartered bus master in bad Chinese for the university they are going to. The priests who came were very rough; Milligan's sailors roared all the way in the carriage, and the black double-barreled shotguns were strapped behind the powder-stained fur coats.
The year 1692 in the new calendar is a stormy moment for Daxia. Since the Europeans discovered the magical mineral Qi metal, the whole world has begun to speed up, weapons, transportation, production. This almost distorted cognition The metal has revolutionized every industry.

High-speed ships whizzed across the sea, carrying giant cannons whose power and range had soared by more than ten times, and searched all over the world for this treasure that opened a new era.

The contact between the West and Daxia began 40 years ago. At that time, this land was still in the peaceful and prosperous age of Wanle Emperor Ji Changzhao. It was peaceful and peaceful. A low-level actor and porter.

So when the old warship was torn apart by steel beasts on the sea, the whole country didn't understand what went wrong, but the great prosperous emperor faintly realized that his dream was shattered, so he was very happy. Soon to be depressed.

After that, Great Xia experienced more than [-] years of bewilderment when the prince was in charge. It wasn't until the young Wu Emperor Ji Yu succeeded to the throne ten years ago that everything began to change.

The new Emperor Xia is a capable man. When he was five years old, he was persecuted by political power. He was chased all the way to the end of Koli Island. In the end, he was forced to go to the west accompanied by a nanny and a military officer. take refuge.

It was a tribulation, but at the same time, he also witnessed the rapid development of Westerners. Frank, the Church State, Breton, and Qi metal technology were imprinted in his young mind.

Many years later, when he was only 17 years old, he regained his throne and cleared out all dissidents with an iron fist. The first thing he did was to promote the Western School, new technology, new army, new school, and new organization. Over the past few years, the entire country has changed more than in the past century.

Jiang Song has benefited the most from this change. Who would have thought that such a city was just an inconspicuous small county a few decades ago. The introduction of port regulations and concessions made it grow rapidly, and soon the so-called concessions that separated China and foreign countries also existed in name only. Countless Xia people rushed in with their families and their mouths in order to make a living.

Wu Gou knew very well in his heart that there needed to be a balance between money and risk, and that he was not the Mech War God looking down on the world, and had to rely on his brain before his fist hardened.

He made some preparations in advance according to the plan, then turned around, stopped in front of the dilapidated tiger stove, and raised the bottle in his hand at the boss, "Shopkeeper, a bottle of cooked water."

The so-called tiger stoves are cheap black bathhouses that also sell boiled water.This place looks like a patchwork of dilapidated shacks full of dust and mold. There are two upper and lower floors, and the lantern made of transparent oiled paper on the top has four big characters "Clear Water Soup Pot" written with a brush.

The shopkeeper Liu with bald head and beard was wearing a black mandarin jacket. He yawned, scratched his chin with his big shag hand, and finally pointed to the busy guy not far away, meaning that he didn't sleep well, so don't bother him now he.

This person is a character, from Wushan. He decided to take another gamble after earning a lot of money in black shipping in the early years, but he didn't want to catch up with the naval battle between Daxia and Breton. Lose it to the bottom of your ass.

After that, he went around several times but failed to make a fortune. In the end, he had to open an unlicensed black tiger stove in Jiang Song's concession to pay off his debts. Anyway, the city council didn't care about it.

In Wu Gou's memory, the muscular bald man in his previous life was uneasy when he came to Jiang Song. He secretly bought a cheap old-fashioned smelting machine and hid it in a tiger stove to smelt Qi metal secretly. He wanted to smuggle and make a lot of money. It was quickly seized by the government.

At that time, conflict broke out between the two sides, and there was a fierce gun battle in the street, and many people died.

The sound of thunder and screams could be heard across two streets that day. Half a day later, Wu Gou passed by here, and saw a cart with two horses loading a huge machine as tall as a person on it. The seal of the sewer was blocked by a large stream of dried red shavings and minced meat, making people sick.

Of course, Wu Gou didn't intend to expose shopkeeper Liu, after all, it would be dangerous without a reward.Just according to memory, it was only one month before Shopkeeper Liu's father Wu Yiou's accident happened, so he should be still in the preparation stage, so it's considered safe.

If he had obtained that old-fashioned smelting machine, he would definitely hide it in this tiger stove and use it indirectly.

Under the support of this idea, Wu Gou walked towards the man carrying the water basin. He was a young man in his early 20s, dark and thin, not tall, and he probably came from a farming family.

"A bottle of boiled water, okay."

The guy replied feebly, then grabbed Wu Gou's bottle and walked towards the water tank room.

He walked into the room, only to find that the young man was following behind him, so he scratched his head, "Young master, just leave it to me, just go outside and wait."

"No, I have other business with you."

As Wu Gou said, he took off the long gown with legs that was draped outside, revealing the delicate and shiny suit underneath, and took out a green-shell certificate from his bosom, with a silver scale badge printed on it, and a secretive smile on his face. smile.

The guy's eyes jumped when he saw these two things. Anyone who does street business knows that this is the emblem and certificate of Jiangsong Municipal Bureau.

Of course, it’s not real in Wu Gou’s hands. In this era, Jiang Song only needs to go to the suburbs a little bit, and he can see all kinds of license advertisements posted on the old earthen walls. It only costs three to fifty cents to own A high imitation certificate.Renting clothes is even more convenient. It only costs two cents and you can be decent for half a day.

"Let me introduce, I am from the newly recruited undercover investigation team of the Taxation Department of the Municipal Council. You also know that the government lords have fallen in love with this set recently, recruiting guys like me who have no background, are inconspicuous, easy to do things, and easy to ignore if something happens. , the most important thing is cheap. I am responsible for the tax investigation of Huaining Street this month. I hope you can provide me with the water, coal and electricity, and income accounts of Guihuo Stove within three months without the knowledge of the shopkeeper. "

This is Wu Gou's simple plan. He knows that shopkeeper Liu, who doesn't even bother to memorize water bills by himself, will not do the bookkeeping by himself, let alone think of any secrets that can be seen on ordinary books. .

The guy was stunned by Wu Gou's words. On the one hand, he doubted the authenticity of Wu Gou's identity;

"Don't worry, little brother, the city council knows that you are a black tiger stove without a license. In fact, no matter whether you bought the bulky honeycomb hot water machine from Lawson Heavy Industries according to the regulations, or the black shell water heater from Fusang We don’t care how many fire hazards there are in the machine, your shopkeeper has paid for that.”

"Everyone is trying to survive, and I am the same. I will be fired if I don't see that your boss has no proof of tax evasion. In order to retaliate, I can only suspend your business in accordance with the formal "City Appearance and Safety Management Regulations." It will make you lose your job. Even worse, you should know that the police is a lower-level department under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Council. It is not difficult to use some connections to find someone who violates the regulations to charge you a fine, or even let you stay for a few days. After all, young people are impulsive."

As Wu Gou said, he walked slowly with his hands behind his back, approaching the guy.

His words are very ingenious. On the one hand, he quietly reveals his understanding of the tiger stove and the laws and regulations. On the other hand, he constantly exerts pressure through his tone, eyes and body movements, so that the man in front of him is not focused on the authenticity of his identity, but on his identity. You shouldn't cooperate obediently.

The guy swallowed, rubbed his fingers subconsciously, and rolled his eyes.

"You're a smart man, aren't you? I'm not asking you for money. Take out the account book secretly and show it to me in person. If there is no problem, everyone will be happy. Even if there is a problem, we will just find your boss another day and give him Some cautionary fines, and your identity is protected under the rules. Compared to that, the cost of rejecting me is much higher, isn't it?"

The 15-year-old boy patted the guy on the shoulder, and then heard a heavy exhalation and the sound of swallowing saliva.

Half an hour later, Wu Gou carried a bottle filled with boiling water and walked out of Huaining Street. The mild morning wind blew across his face, making him very comfortable.

It is easy to see from these books that the water bill and revenue have not changed significantly, but the coal and electricity bill has increased by nearly [-]% this month.

The answer behind it can only be that there is an extra machine in the tiger stove this month that has nothing to do with boiling water, an old-fashioned smelting machine made in Milligan, Breton or the Church.

Shopkeeper Liu is afraid that he just got it and is tinkering with it. The extremely complicated machine will kill him a lot of time, and contacting the source of goods is the most troublesome part.

Wu Gou's expression couldn't help but relax, he had already found the first condition to make money.

Qi metal, as a rare metal with strategic significance, is naturally the red line that various countries focus on and strictly guard against.To smuggle Qi metal is to fight against the whole Great Xia, and it is a bet of hell to earn a lifetime of prosperity and wealth by pinning your head on your belt.

But of course Wu Gou didn't intend to fight with his life, let alone join forces with that bald man. He was just a poor man who was going to earn some rations for his family, and he didn't intend to touch the line of the law.

In 1692, Daxia’s second edition of the “Regulations on the Control of Rare Metals” strictly guarded against the various acts of transporting Qi metals out of the country, but the parts related to the private refining of Xia people and small-scale transactions within the country were vague.

It is not known how many dignitaries and local warlords were involved in this set of decrees promulgated during the Regent period. It was not until the third edition of the regulations in 1695 that the current Emperor Xia fully grasped the lifeblood of domestic Qi metal in his own hands.

It is naturally impossible for ordinary civilians to know the famous halls inside, but now, this is his opportunity.

(End of this chapter)