Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 76 What Are You Covering?
This dispute gradually fermented in Suzhou Prefecture.

Wu County refused to impose a sentence, and these people sued the Suzhou magistrate's office.

Huang Tongpuan did not want to be involved, so he forwarded the case to Magistrate Ma.

Ma Zhongyi was very surprised, and for a moment he couldn't believe what the plaintiff said.

Destroying fields and spreading salt is something that normal people cannot do.

He sent someone to check it privately and found it to be true.

The domestic slave Liu Lu also quietly sent a document.

"Master, this is the receipt for the shareholding of Xishan Coal Mine from Navigtang Li Yu."

"Oh?"

Ma Zhongyi took it and browsed it over.

I put it away in the study drawer.

There is no reason not to accept the money delivered to your door.

At the end of the year, you can get dividends.

A mere bully would never dare to fool himself.

Liu Lu asked cautiously:
"Master, is this guy's quality okay?"

"Well, I think that someone who can do such evil things as destroying fields, spreading salt, and robbing fisher girls is not likely to be a rebel."

"Master's words are too profound, and I can't understand them."

Ma Zhongyi smiled and waved his hand, indicating that this trusted servant could leave.

The meaning here is so profound that it would be better not to explain it.

In a fish and meat town, a bully who destroys fields and steals women must support the imperial court!
……

Li Yu also breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news that Ma Zhongyi had accepted the documents for the shareholding of Xishan Coal Mine.

If the emperor's loyal servant suspected that he was a rebel, he would not accept the share purchase document.

Otherwise, once something happens, Qianlong will not be able to clean himself up because of his petty mind.

This logic is very clear.

Don't worry that Ma Zhongyi is pretending to numb himself.

"Let's go, who will follow me to Mianyue Tower?"

As soon as Li Yu shouted, Du Ren and Fan Jing came running immediately.

"No, you two can only go alone."

"What?"

"With such a big family property, no one can be left to guard it. If something happens, there will be no backbone."

"Then who's going and who's staying?"

"Guess the punch."

Fan Jing was elated, while Du Ren was dejected.

It feels like I saved hundreds of millions.

However, he suddenly discovered that Lin Huaisheng had also followed.

"Why can he go?"

"Because I am a bodyguard, I can kill three or five people when I encounter them."

Lin Huaisheng put the short knife into his boots as if he was playing with treasures, put the flint-hair gun into his arms, and hung a sword on the side of the saddle.

As if this was not enough, there was also a cylindrical thing slung across his back, wrapped in blue silk.

"what is this?"

"I said it was Xiao, do you believe it?"

"I believe in you asshole."

Li Yu motioned to show him.

Lin Huaisheng obeyed and unwrapped the blue silk cloth.

Inside is a leather cylinder.

After laying it flat, a truncated matchlock gun slipped out of the barrel.

"The barrel was cut off by more than half, and the butt was also cut off."

"Oh, by the way, the caliber is a bit big."

"Who invented this? Is it so ugly?"

Li Yu nodded to express his approval.

It's really ugly, coming from his hand.

The reason for this design is based on the experience of the Taihu Lake water war.

Xiaowu described the battle that day, talking about gang-hopping.

The navy of the Qing Dynasty was brave, and all kinds of water thieves liked to join gangs and fight.

Mainly because the artillery is weak, this tactic is very effective in rivers and lakes.

So, Li Yu designed such an ugly weapon.

It was designated as the "Lee Model II Sailor's Sawed-off Shotgun".

……

Lin Huaisheng chuckled and made some gestures.

"Hold this thing across your waist, wait for the enemy to rush in, and then spray it like this."

"More than a dozen pieces of coarse iron sand are very beautiful."

Du Ren looked shocked:
"Can you hit me?"

"Within ten meters, there are dozens of them."

Fan Jing nodded, indicating that he could testify.

That day I found a group of livestock and poultry and sprayed them.

The screams almost burst my eardrums, and the scene was so miserable.

This made the women who were helping the kitchen curse all the time.

Dig out half a bowl of iron sand.

In Li Yu's impression, the British Royal Navy had a highly similar naval flintlock shotgun.

They specialize in attacking enemies who board ships, and their caliber is even thicker than his.

Also riding a horse is a double barrel.

When he gets the flintlock machine, he might also launch one.

Everyone said that the truncated shotgun was very useful for fighting in the arena.

Next time there will be another gang going to war with Vigtang.

Arrange for a brother to do this.

Then I'll kill someone again, but I can't imagine the effect.

Many people, who were already muttering silently, rushed to the door without opening their eyes.

……

"Let's go to Mianyue Tower."

The three of them rode wildly, leaving behind a trail of smoke and dust.

Recently, it hasn't rained for a long time.

Du Ren sighed and continued to inspect the projects outside the fort.

I don’t know why Ayu spent so much energy digging drainage ditches.

Waste of manpower.

But the public hut is a bit interesting.

Recently, the number of illnesses inside and outside the fort has dropped significantly.

There is also a new rule, there are two rivers near Lijiabao.

One river takes water, and the other river washes sand.

After taking the water, it must be boiled thoroughly before pouring it into the large vat.

For daily drinking water, only water from the tank is allowed.

Those who break the rules will have their meals for free for the day.

If you violate the rules three times, you will be sent directly to Xishan to dig coal.

Li Yu has recently been refining the refugees he has taken in, and at the same time replenishing them with fresh blood.

Discipline purification is only the first step. The refugees who cannot pass this level have no mercy.

The second step, the purification of courage, is about to begin.

The third step is the purification of loyalty, the ultimate test.

On the other hand, in Fucheng, he was called a "good man" by many people.

Because these days, anyone who is willing to give someone a bite to eat is a kind person.

Even the prefect Ma Zhongyi asked a few questions.

Although he didn't encourage him, he was impressed that this person actually had some good intentions.

In an industrial society, a healthy person is at least worth exploiting, even if he has no special skills.

Agricultural society superimposed on feudal society.

The labor force is extremely surplus, and being squeezed is a kind of "lucky".

Take the trackers on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal as an example. The wages for hauling one mile are 2 cents.

During the Qianlong period, one tael of silver was equivalent to approximately 1000 wen.

If converted into today's prices, one tael of silver is equivalent to 250 yuan.

A pound of rice is 10 Wen, pork is 60 Wen, official salt is 80 Wen per pound, a single piece of cotton is 400 Wen, and a cotton coat is 800 Wen.

A day-to-day worker in rural areas earns 30 Wen/day during busy farming hours.

For long-term workers with food and accommodation included, the income is 3 taels per year.

……

However, chatting about life with one of the seven fairies in Mianyue Tower and sipping a few sips of green tea cost hundreds of trackers a month's income.

"Fan Jing, have you ever thought about buying a fame?"

"What do I want that for now?"

"I'm serious. Firstly, I want to find an official position for you, and secondly, I want to put an end to your regrets."

Li Yu said it very seriously, he had indeed been thinking about it recently.

It would be more convenient if Fan Jing was allowed to serve as Shihu inspector.

No matter how powerful Weigtang is, there are some things that are inconvenient to come forward.

We need to introduce a reliable brother and go official.

Although the inspection is small, it is only for the ninth rank.

But he is a serious official, master of force.

Weigtang kills people secretly.

Patrol killings can be carried out in broad daylight.

If Weigtang's business is to develop, this step is indispensable.

"Master Li, you are finally here. Teacher Huazhi is always looking forward to your coming, and you have become thin."

"Really? I don't believe it."

The beaded-haired madam almost ducked, which made it difficult for people to answer.

I can't handle such a straight customer.

"Then I'll go and fetch her?"

"No hurry, I have something to trouble you with."

"Hey, Sir, no matter what you said, we are all one family, no need to worry about anything."

"Introduce someone to me. I want to buy an official."

When the madam heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief:

"Don't worry, I understand, I'll take care of it."

Li Yu smiled and dismissed her.

There are some inconspicuous people who are often key nodes in the network.

You may not be able to imagine how wild a high-end market manager or a fortune teller can be.

Wild to the sky.

……

The girl Huazhi floated in like a breeze.

After an insincere exchange of pleasantries, the tea ceremony began on the spot.

Serious tea art, brewing Kung Fu tea.

The fine white porcelain from Jingdezhen complements the green tea.

Li Yu frowned, pointed his hand, and asked:

"Why do you always cover Yue Xiong's mouth with your hands?"

Huazhi was stunned. This question was so difficult to answer.

"Officials, the slave family is always like this."

"Did you learn it from your colleague in Yangzhou Prefecture again?"

"alright."

Huazhi felt aggrieved. Isn't it normal to cover Yue Xiong's mouth like this?

"Don't do this again. Tell me, are you afraid that people will see you? Or are you afraid that people won't be able to see you?"

Huazhi was happy and said quickly:
"The slave family is afraid that people with no money will see it, and they are also afraid that people with money will not see it. It will make the officials laugh."

Happy times are always short-lived.

It seemed that only 2 minutes had passed, but in fact, two hours had passed.

……

When the group left the city, they saw refugees everywhere.

There are beggars on both sides of the official road.There are those who sell their children and girls with straw stickers.

There are also those who are lying on the ground, with air coming in but not coming out.

It is in sharp contrast to the lively and prosperous city.

A boy, kneeling on the ground, holding a grass tag.

Behind him lay two bodies, one large and one small.

Li Yu stopped.

Looking at this thin boy swaying in the wind, I felt a little sympathetic.

"Master, buy me. Just give me some money so that my father and my sister can be buried."

Li Yu nodded and took out a piece of silver.

Throw it to the tea stall owner setting up a stall next to him:
"Buy two rolls of straw mats, two feet of white cloth, and find a place to bury him."

"Don't worry, you won't dare to be sloppy. There is a god in your head."

Li Yu looked at this slippery guy and smiled:
"Whether there is a god or not, I don't know. But if you just find a place to throw people away, I will know."

Lin Huaisheng drew out the long sword beside the saddle and performed a sword show.

The tea stall owner immediately turned pale with fright, and quickly raised his hands and swore:
"I swear to God, I swear to my ancestors."

Seeing that the effect was achieved, Li Yu threw out another bunch of copper coins.

Instruct the stall owner to get some food for the boy.

The boy trembled and kowtowed three times.

Then he moved with difficulty and started eating with trembling.

Warm tea and a piece of sesame cake soaked in the bowl.

The stall owner explained in a normal way:
"Sir, if you've been hungry for a long time, you can't eat hard food. Your stomach will explode as soon as you eat it. It will soften after you soak it in this way."

Li Yu nodded, knowing that this man was telling the truth.

……

After soaking the sesame cakes in a large bowl of tea, the boy obviously regained some strength.

"My benefactor, I will come with you. I can do any job."

"what's your name?"

"Tiger."

"Where's your name?"

"I don't have a name. My father's surname is Qian."

"From now on, please call me Li Dahu, after my last name."

"Okay, listen to your benefactor."

The boy kowtowed twice more before getting up.

He waddled behind the horse.

Li Yu just took a few steps out and was stopped by more people.

"Kind master, please buy my child, just like buying a kitten or puppy."

"Master, do you want a girl?"

A large group of homeless people who looked like skeletons were lying down or moving, using their last strength.

The purpose is to find a way out for his children.

Being a slave of a rich family is better than starving to death.

The recent city gates of Suzhou Prefecture were heavily guarded, and all refugees within 200 meters were driven away.

So, as long as you don't leave the city.

It’s still paradise on earth.

Fan Jing looked at Li Yu with a troubled expression.

However, Li Yu had some other ideas.

He took out a few ingots of silver and motioned to the vendors watching the fun not far away to come over.

"Master, what are your orders?"

"I think your truck is carrying rice?"

"Yes, a cart of aged rice is given to the winery in the city to make wine."

"I bought them all, how much does it cost?"

"2 taels."

The cunning little dealer obviously raised the price a little higher. According to the normal market price, 1 tael and 5 yuan is as high as the sky.

But Li Yu was too lazy to bargain and just threw him 2 taels.

tell him:
"Go and get some bags, and exchange them for 8 pounds for a boy and 4 pounds for a girl.

This is how the human trafficking started.

In peacetime, this would be a serious crime.

At this moment, it is a great thing to do good deeds!
In half an hour, Li Yu took in 23 children.

I gave away 200 kilograms of rice.

……

The hawker smiled happily, he made a profit today.

He looked at the slow-moving Li family's team and whispered:
"This person is really stupid. What can he do if he buys such half-grown children? At least he will have five years of food in vain."

The tea stall owner also echoed:

"These days, no one wants a child if it is given away for free. If the girl is old enough, she can be sold into a brothel."

However, slander belongs to slander.

He still borrowed a truck honestly.

He pinched his nose and pulled the two corpses, one large and one small, into the car.

They were wrapped in white cloth and straw mats and taken to the mass grave in the distance.

Under a big tree, a shallow pit was dug and the person was buried in it.

After thinking for a while, I found another broken board and erected it.

"Walk slowly on the road to hell. Choose a good place to be reincarnated in your next life. If you are not reincarnated in the capital, you will be reincarnated in Suzhou."

The tea stall owner dusted himself off, sighed, and left.

If it weren't for Li Yu's threats, he wouldn't be so honest.

I must find a place to throw it away.

As a typical cunning man in the market, he has his own survival wisdom.

Ordinary people can be tricked, and so can those from well-off families.

But you can’t cheat this kind of young man who is rich and arrogant.

Because he really dares to kill you!
Li Yu spent 2 hours on the way back.

These newly purchased children are extremely weak.

Without ten days and a half of rest, I can't recover.

When they arrived outside the fort, everyone was shocked.

You went out and picked up so many children?
"Our master is a good man."

"Hey, these kids are lucky."

A group of refugees who were working sighed with emotion.

Li Yu pointed at these children and shouted:
"You all stand still."

"From now on, you are all from my Li Family Fort."

"My name is Li Yu, and I will be your master from now on."

……

Wash, change clothes, shave, eat.

None of these steps can be omitted.

"Master, these people's hair is full of lice. I'm afraid they can't be washed clean." A woman held up scissors and asked for instructions.

"Then shave your head."

"Yes, sir."

As a result, there were 23 more bald children in Lijiabao, regardless of gender.

For the first three days, only pickle porridge is allowed.

After three days, you can gradually eat normal food.

Temporarily assigned to the labor team under Yang Yunjiao, let’s take a look at their temperament first.

Others said it was Li Yu who had a kind heart.

Only Yang Yunjiao guessed some of Li Yu's thoughts.

Children are a blank slate. After a few years of patient training, they will become very loyal.

As for adults, their worldview has already been formed and their minds are complicated.

My master, everything he does is a bit out of the ordinary.

I'm afraid it will get into trouble if someone tells me about it.

Yang Yunjiao felt that she should seriously remind her if she had the chance.

Because her father was not secretive back then and was reported.

Adopting orphans is not a secret in the salt merchant circle.

It's just that after they are raised, they select outstanding ones to be nursing homes or singers.

……

Recently, there seem to be fewer mosquitoes.

People in the fort said it was because of the salt. When I stood on the observation tower and looked around, there was less green around me.

Li Yu used bully methods to rapidly expand the surrounding territory.

The money paid is just the normal market price.

If they were buying land normally, it would be impossible for these people to sell it to themselves.

Fan Jing guessed his thoughts and asked quietly:
"Military advisor, are you deliberately desecrating yourself?"

"Correct."

"It should be all right now?"

"Ma Zhongyi is an insidious person. You must be particularly careful in your actions in the future."

Fan Jing nodded. He understood the stakes and said:
"In the future, I will buy supplies from afar instead of near, and buy them from Huzhou Prefecture."

"Well, especially strategic materials."

Lijiabao purchases large quantities of steel, iron, copper, leather, saltpeter, sulfur, masonry, stone, and wood.

If a thoughtful person does a careful calculation, he will find that something is wrong.

Therefore, only by decentralizing your purchasing and purchasing in different places can you avoid trouble.

At this time, Li Yu thought of Fucheng.

Some time ago, I sent a letter to myself, but I don’t know if he has responded.

In this era, carriages and horses were very slow.

Long distance communication is very frustrating.

Guangdong is a good place with developed industry and commerce.

It is the place where the influence of imperial power is the weakest among the coastal areas.

Li Yu considered purchasing from Guangdong as much as possible in the future.

Get to know some wealthy local businessmen, and it is best to establish relationships with foreign businessmen.

With Fucheng's connections, this is feasible.

A sea-going ship can purchase thousands of tons and hundreds of tons of materials.

It’s worth countless sporadic purchases now.

……

Gunpowder workshop.

A fence was erected around it and no one was allowed to come near it.

When other houses are built, Li Yu will move here.

I pass by the powder keg every day, and I always feel uncomfortable.

Opening the door, a dozen women were busy.

If you ignore the color, it's a bit like making pastry.

Everyone has a separate desk to operate.

Moreover, running and fighting are strictly prohibited.

Uncle Wu sat on a chair, quietly looking at the sky in a daze.

His behavior was like that of an extremely aged old man.

"Uncle Fifth, would you like to follow me to see the salt-alkali land outside the fort?"

"Hey, good."

Uncle Wu finally came back to his senses, slowly putting on a piece of clothing and leaning on a cane.

Li Yu felt that walking like this was too slow, so he simply asked someone to drive a donkey cart.

The water in the rice fields has long been drained.

The rice fell to the ground and mixed with the soil.

The soil surface begins to harden, salt flowers appear, and initial results are achieved.

"Do you think so?"

"It will take time. Once the saline-alkali land is formed, it will only get worse unless manpower intervenes."

These hundreds of acres of saline-alkali land have become the best evidence of Li Yu's bullying.

The reputation of a great philanthropist is quickly disappearing.

This made Li Yu a little sad.

(End of this chapter)