Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 518 The older you get, the less courageous you become~
It's funny.

When Wu Ting's intelligence personnel sneaked into the capital, they actually had to ask the local escort agency to provide protection along the way.

This move may seem absurd, but it is actually full of wisdom.

If we don’t hire an escort agency, what should we do if our convoy encounters soldiers or bandits blocking the road?
If a conflict arises, unnecessary trouble will be caused.

There will be no such trouble if you hand it over to the escort agency~
Since ancient times, there are three elements to open an escort agency:

The government has strong connections, the underworld has strong ways, and the bodyguards have strong ideas.

Those that are not strong enough have closed down long ago.

……

Liu Qian put on a melon-shaped hat and walked quickly into the escort agency.

A middle-aged escort came over quickly, saluted with fists clasped, neither humble nor arrogant.

"I've admired you for a long time."

"I've admired you for a long time."

"Trouble you, Senior Brother. We need to escort 53 carts of goods to Beijing. The escort fee is 1300 taels."

The escort was cheered up, his straight back couldn't help but bend a little, and he forced a smile:
"Please come in and discuss in detail."

A quarter of an hour later, the two sides reached an agreement.

With it written in black and white and each party’s fingerprints put on it, the cooperative relationship between the two parties is officially effective.

……

In the courtyard of the escort agency, dozens of young men were strengthening their muscles and practicing using guns and sticks.

On one side of the weapon rack, all kinds of cold weapons are available.

Liu Qian smiled and said:

"Captain Dong, this escort is very valuable, and I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Don't worry, as long as the dart is alive, the man is alive. If the dart is dead, the man is dead."

Perhaps in order to demonstrate his strength, Dong Escort Captain called in a young escort.

"Show your skills to the boss."

"Yes."

The young escort picked up the bow and arrow, and the arrow was like a meteor, hitting the bull's eye of the target 20 feet away.

Then, he raised his chin proudly.

He also did not forget to brag:
"Boss, I'm from Cangzhou and I started practicing martial arts when I was 4 years old."

Escort leader Dong Jichuan added:

"All the people in our escort agency are from Cangzhou."

……

Liu Qian nodded and praised:
"The escort from Cangzhou is trustworthy."

After hearing this,

Everyone raised their heads proudly, feeling honored.

It was just time for dinner, and the big steamed buns and braised pork with cabbage were delicious.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,

The food standard of the bodyguards is even better than that of ordinary small landlords, simply because this is a cruel industry and nutrition is fighting power.

That day,

The escort leader began to make preparations.

The next morning, the convoy set off on time.

Both the front and rear cars had flags flying on them - Cangyi Escort Agency.

The 25 bodyguards were holding long weapons and looked very majestic.

……

When we left the city gate, the soldiers let us pass with a smile.

Pass the checkpoint without any inspection.

It is obvious that Cangyi Escort Agency is strong enough.

along the way,
Dong Jichuan walked in front, greeting passers-by from time to time. His reactions were different when he met different people.

Some just nodded slightly, some bowed their hands, and some walked over and offered some change.

Escorting is not fighting.

The bodyguards try to use as little force as possible.

Taking action means casualties, and the escort agency has to support disabled escorts.

Taking action means making an enemy, and the risk of escorting goods next time will be doubled.

Escorting is essentially a business. Escorts do not advocate the pleasure of revenge, nor do they like bloodshed. They focus on "conquering people with virtue", "opening the way with money" and "intimidating people with force".

Good escort agency,

The amount of public relations expenses spent on buying roads every year is a staggering figure.

Jianghu is not about fighting and killing; Jianghu is about human relations.

……

Liu Qian sat in the bumpy carriage~
He found that Jinmen Prefecture was different from the others, with too much underworld elements.

Along the way, countless pairs of covetous eyes were cast towards the convoy.

Tea, a hot commodity.

If it weren't for the reputation of Dong Jichuan and the escort agency, I'm afraid these people would have evil ideas. They would rob if they could, and steal if they could.

There are countless despicable tricks used in the underworld.

The operatives of the Intelligence Agency drove the car with their heads down, dressed in a very honest manner.

but,

It still couldn't hide from the escort's eyes.

……

"Dad, these guests are not simple."

"know."

Dong Jichuan strode forward in front, full of energy.

The eldest son followed closely and asked worriedly:
"Will there be trouble?"

"Just do your job well and don't think too much. We are escorts, not advisers."

The son stepped back awkwardly.

suddenly,

A dispute broke out ahead on the official road.

The two groups of people were fighting with each other and some were shouting for help.

Dong Jichuan was not moved at all:
"The subordinate said, go around."

……

The four most ferocious escorts, armed with long weapons, protected the convoy and took a detour of two more miles through the mud.

Dong Jichuan came last and carefully observed the wheel tracks.

Different depths!

Some of the ruts were definitely not caused by the weight of a full load of tea.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be copper, iron, gold, silver, etc.

He couldn't help but wonder about the cargo on the car. His eldest son was right. This group of people were indeed a little strange and they needed to be extra careful along the way.

……

Liu Qian hurried over and asked:
"Captain Dong, where are we going to rest tonight?"

"There is a village three or five miles ahead. There is a young Mr. Wang in the village. He is a warm-hearted person. His house has a large yard and is easy to accommodate the motorcade."

"is it safe?"

"Don't worry, we'll be on guard."

The escort agency has friends everywhere.

Mr. Wang was very enthusiastic. He asked the tenants to come out to boil water, kill chickens and ducks, get the pickled goods, change the straw on the big bunk bed in the house, and also feed the animals pulling the cart in advance.

Naturally, all expenses were paid by Liu Qian.

Young Mr. Wang accepted the 25 taels of silver with a big smile on his face, which was considered fair.

You know, food prices in the north have skyrocketed.

When eating,
Liu Qian asked casually:
"Boss, how much is one stone of rice now?"

"4 taels!"

"Oh."

……

Liu Qian had some doubts in his mind. According to intelligence, the price of grain in the north had reached 6 taels last year.

The price has dropped?
Where did the Qing government get its food?

Could it be that those bastards from the 4th Legion are engaging in smuggling?

Young Mr. Wang was a smart guy, he said with a smile:

"You don't know, sir, too many people froze to death in the winter, so the price of food went down."

"what?"

"More than 200 people froze to death in just five or six surrounding villages. It's tragic."

Speaking of which,

Young Mr. Wang also showed a sad expression on his face.

After the spring, everyone spontaneously went out of their homes, dug up the thatched huts of their neighbors that were crushed by the snow, and carried out the frozen corpses one by one.

I don’t know how many new graves have been added this spring.

……

That night,

Liu Qian was drawing a map under the oil lamp, recording what he saw and heard along the way.

Tuk Tuk ~
There was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"Master, it's the slave."

Liu Qian opened the door and looked at the woman at the door.

"The master asked me to come here, saying that if the master likes me, he would give me some copper coins."

Liu Qian dared not to act casually, and said coldly:
"Why do you treat yourself like this?"

The woman's eyes turned red:

"I am a widow with a son, I am a widow~"

Liu Qian looked her up and down and saw that she was pretty, so he pulled her into the house.
He took out a small ingot of silver and shook it.

"Be good and I'll give it to you."

"Hey."

……

A quarter of an hour later, the woman was pushed out of the house.

He went back happily holding the silver ingot.

I thought that although this benefactor was ugly, short and had peculiar habits, he was generous and much more handsome than those tall and big men in the world.

Although Liu Qian is lustful, he is also alert.

After dragging the woman into the house, they covered her head with clothes and ordered her not to uncover them or make a sound.

After finishing, push the person out of the house.

It can be said to be very ruthless.

……

The next day,

Just as they were about to set off, a group of people came to the outside of Zhuangzi.

The leader was wearing a green jacket and trousers with his collar open, and a pair of embroidered shoes with blue cloth socks.

"According to the order of the county magistrate, we are going to the countryside to collect the taxes and grain for the 45th year of Qianlong." Everyone was immediately happy~
Now it is the 44th year of Qianlong's reign. Can we still do this if we collect next year's grain this year?
Young Wang laughed angrily, pointed at the leader and cursed:
"How dare you open your teeth? I won't hand it over."

"Okay, let's try some fighting skills? A fight?"

"Wen Da."

Liu Qian was confused, but was pulled aside by Dong Jichuan.

"It's okay to be a Tianjin thug. You know your limits."

……

A gangster walked out of the grain-collecting team.

I saw that this person had one shoulder higher than the other, his front leg was lightly pointed, his hind leg was lightly pushed, his head seemed to be neither raised nor slanted, his eyes seemed to be neither slanted nor slanted, and he walked with his left leg and dragged his right leg.

Go to the middle~
Young Mr. Wang sneered, took two steps back and waved his hand.

"beat."

Seven farmhands armed with whips and sticks rushed forward immediately.

The gangster raised his hand:
"Wait a minute."

Then he hugged the back of his head with both hands, protected his temples with his elbows, twisted his legs together like a hemp rope, and arched his body sideways like a shrimp.

"Come on, hit me!"

……

Suddenly, the farmhands started beating with whips and sticks.

The thug was beaten to a dusty mess, but he was still arrogant and cursed:
"Comfortable~"

"Put some more effort, bitch."

"Mr. Wang, your father is a prostitute, your mother keeps a mistress, your sister half-closes the door, your wife cheats on a man, and your son has no eyes."

The gangster's response was an even more crazy beating.

Young Wang jumped up and cursed:

"Hit me, hard."

A sturdy farmhand picked up a carrying pole from the ground and shouted:
"Get out of the way."

Everyone hurriedly ran away.

The carrying pole whistled down, and there was a crack.
The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The gangster's face instantly changed into two colors, first white and then red.

but,

But he still remained stubborn, holding his head and cursing:
"Little Mr. Wang, your mother is cheating on you."

……

The people from the county government cheered in unison.

The morale of the farmhands was low.

One of the farmhands picked up an axe and chopped at the gangster.

The gangster didn't dodge or evade, just stared.

When the axe blade was about to hit his forehead, the farmhand changed his wrist and smashed down with the side of the axe.

The gangster's face was covered with blood.
He fell to the ground and twitched for a long time before struggling to sit up.

He supported himself on the ground with his hands, and his words were still clear:

"Comfortable, really damn comfortable."

"Don't stop if you dare. I'm tired of living like this. Come on, chop here."

……

Young Wang waved his hand helplessly:

"stop."

Then he walked up to the gangster and asked in a low voice:
"Where do you live?"

"Grandpa, I live outside the city of Jinmen."

"Send it back to the good man, and take this silver."

The farmhands removed the door panels and carried the gangster away.

Young Wang Yuanwai bowed to everyone:

"I give in. Give me 10 days."

"Got it."

The people who were collecting taxes and levies left happily.

Even Liu Qian, who had seen a lot of the world, was dumbfounded. Is the underworld in Tianjin so evil?
……

After the convoy set off,
Liu Qian couldn't help but ask Dong Jichuan:
"What is this game about?"

"Boss, you don't know, it's the same in Jinmen Prefecture. Send someone to provoke you, and let you beat him. If he can't stand the beating, and groans in pain or begs for mercy and dodges, he loses."

"What if he gets disabled?"

"It doesn't matter. The key is to see which side admits defeat first."

"If you meet someone cruel, you will beat him to death."

Dong Jichuan smiled:
"If you beat someone to death in public, you will be sued."

"understood."

Liu Qian suddenly realized that this was a special way of playing based on the government order. Tianjin gangsters, humble and cool, rap and outrageous~
……

Dong Jichuan thought about it and reminded:
"If the boss encounters such scoundrels in the capital, don't get stuck in a stalemate with them. It's better to reward them with some silver and let it go."

"Ah."

Liu Qian shook his head, feeling that the world was so vast that he could never learn everything in his lifetime.

At the same time, they realized that the Qing government's finances could no longer sustain.

Eat the food of the year before the year
And it is a common phenomenon.

Zhili, Shandong and Henan have all begun collecting taxes and grain for next year.

only,
There are very few places like Tianjin Prefecture where a gangster would be dismissed when a wealthy gentry family was levied.

The convoy went a long way.

Liu Qian couldn't help but sigh:
"The situation in Tianjin is too complicated!"

……

Three days later, the convoy entered Beijing.

When they saw Guangqu Gate, everyone in the escort agency breathed a sigh of relief.

The city gate officer saw the convoy approaching and excitedly drew his sword:

"Get out of the car and check the cargo."

Jiang Tianmu walked up and slapped the city gate officer twice in front of everyone, and put the Imperial Household Department's badge in front of him.

The city gate officer is ashamed.
He ordered the soldiers to let them pass.

The Intelligence Agency once sent people south to Guangdong to find Fucheng's father and learn all kinds of secrets of the Imperial Household Department.

The old man's original words:
Is a person who is not arrogant and not greedy for money worthy of working in the Imperial Household Department?
Therefore, it is impossible for Jiang Tianmu to give money to the gate officials of the outer city, which is against the rules.

……

When the convoy entered the outer city, Liu Qian stopped it.

First, set up the escort agency on the spot~
Then, the people and goods were separated.

Jiang Tianmu led the ignorant laborers hired temporarily to pass through Chongwenmen.

He took a group of his subordinates and went around drinking tea.

Separating people and goods is mainly for safety.

Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens.

Liu Qian is an old hand, but the older he is, the less courageous he becomes.

……

The Chongwenmen Customs is the number one customs office in the world.

here,

Jiang Tianmu did not dare to be arrogant, and first demonstrated his strength - the approval document from Shuntian Prefecture, the badge from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the handwritten letter from Liu Quan, the steward of the Hefu Prefecture.

In an attempt to obtain tax breaks.

but,

The tax collector was indifferent and shook his head:
“No matter who comes, they have to pay taxes.”

"Even if you come here with your lordship in your own carriage, you still have to pay taxes."

There is no way, how many ordinary people go in and out of Chongwenmen these days? The wives of fourth-rank officials are as numerous as dogs, and the wives of first-rank and second-rank officials are seen every day.

If we are all officials, it means that no one is an official.

……

Jiang Tianmu had no choice but to pull him aside to bargain.

finally,
The tea worth 5000 taels was left to offset the tax.

But he was firm in his attitude and forbade the gatekeepers to check the goods, repeating the same thing over and over again:

“Paying taxes is no problem.”

"But you can't open the box. You can't afford the consequences of opening the box."

"I can't explain it in detail, but I believe you understand. There are so many wronged souls in the Yongding River, and you and I are not the only ones who need to live~"

"Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your whole family."

"Brother, you are still young and have a long way to go. Don't be impulsive. Don't glare at me. You know what I mean."

……

The city gate officer looked at the carts of wooden boxes and gritted his teeth again and again.

Finally, under the persuasion of everyone, he collected 500 more taels.

Let him go!

Anyone who is slightly well-informed knows that the current tea smuggling business is roughly divided into three routes, and the real masters behind the scenes are also different.

Along the way from Hubei to Henan, there are several princes.

The route from Yangzhou to Huai'an seems to be that of the Fucha clan.

The one who went to Tianjin was Heshen.

Anyway,

Even if the front line is losing ground,

The nobles in the capital still drink Wuyi Hongpao, Mingqian Longjing and Dongting Biluo.

Although the price is sky-high, you still have to drink it.

A noble person never asks about the price, and anyone who asks about the price is definitely not a noble person.

……

Tea smuggling routes

The most profitable shipping route is the Tianjin-Mianyang shipping route. The Intelligence Agency only deals in high-end tea, which is exclusively supplied to the dignitaries in the north.

The largest quantity was along the Hubei-Henan route. The 4th Corps was stationed in Hubei and shipped goods frantically to supply northern gentry and ordinary officials.

The most desolate was the Yangzhou-Huai'an route, because the 4th Corps had left, leaving only a few small fry.

Compare,
The Intelligence Agency is relatively honest. After all, most of the profits from smuggling are converted into operational expenses and personnel rewards.

The 4th Legion was very dishonest. They divided the spoils among themselves and took some home to build houses and open shops.

……

After watching the convoy enter Chongwenmen from afar, Liu Qian stood up and entered the city with his subordinates empty-handed.

Just search and check.

Apart from his iron will, he didn't carry a single bit of metal on his body.

Easy pass.

Liu Qian took a deep breath.

The inner city is at my feet.

Imperial City, turn left in front.

(End of this chapter)