I want to embrace the moon for nine days

It was misty and rainy, and the sky was blue.

In the afternoon, the living room of John Barrow's house was filled with more than a dozen of the most powerful businessmen in Songjiang Prefecture.

Some of them had thick braids with red ropes and jade hanging down their backs. They wore melon-pipe hats and silk gowns with red blessing groups. They sat at the table, frowning and saying nothing.

Some are wearing feathers, cranes and cloaks, with white jade crowns and rings hanging around their waists. They are sitting on the sofa, looking slightly anxiously playing with a pair of golden walnuts in their hands.

John Barrow, the owner of this family, is nearly sixty years old this year. He is a little stout and does not like to wear formal clothes. He only dresses in a woolen sweater and suit trousers. His beard is carefully trimmed, and the two beards on his upper lip are just like that. Like black scissors, it goes around the corner of the mouth and hangs down.

John Barrow's grandfather was once the secretary of the mission that visited the Qianlong Dynasty on behalf of the British royal family. He learned Manchu and Chinese and understood the layout of the mainland as a family tradition.

When the British occupied Songjiang Prefecture, John Barrow was one of the translators who accompanied the army. Later, although the British withdrew, he stayed and became a representative figure of foreigners doing business in Songjiang Prefecture.

But even with his status, when facing these people who come to the living room now, most of the time, they interact with each other on an equal footing.

Although he can be said to be the representative of local foreign businessmen, any one of these people also represents the will of a group of wealthy businessmen in Songjiang Prefecture, and they are by no means alone.

"After this period of observation, it can be confirmed that the prefect's Yamen is not just showing off and showing off its teeth and claws, hoping that we will sell some of our interests in exchange for their silence."

The British people's universal love for tea is a bit difficult for Chinese people to understand.

The old man in Yuyi took a deep breath.

"There are already many factories that ignored this decree and were quickly controlled by Songjiang Prefecture to enforce it."

The old man in Yuyi had a dark expression, "Since he doesn't want money, he just wants fame. There's no need to go to this level just to gain fame."

The braided businessman by the window sighed, "The so-called newly added regulations on working hours in the Songjiang Prefecture Code are not just a poor excuse, but are really intended to be implemented."

"A reply from Downing Street is still far away, and Governor Staunton is very concerned about this and has convened the directors to discuss a solution."

For these truly successful wealthy businessmen, they understand very well that a person is most determined when doing something.

"Have you noticed that the first group of people who responded to him are themselves cigarette sellers. How cruel it must be to make people who sell cigarettes take the initiative to stop smoking, and even ask smokers to stop smoking. Wrist, how much does it cost?”

"He can even do things like ban smoking, so what else can he not dare to do?"

"Gentlemen, listen to what I have to say."

Among ordinary residents of Britain, there is also a rumor that many merchants will use sheep dung to re-flavor the soaked tea and sell it to customers again.

John Barrow listened to the discussions of these people, silently picked up the teacup and took a sip of the steaming black tea.

When the old man in Yuyi heard this, he sneered.

The most powerful three warlords in mainland China, out of consideration for their troop resources and capabilities, have ordered to ban the sale and smoking of tobacco in their territories.

"It is no longer possible for us to rely on words and money to persuade the prefect's Yamen to make concessions."

This is authentic Keemun black tea.

"Originally, many of my partners wanted to incite the workers, using the excuse that the government was going to make them lose their jobs, and encourage them to march in front of the government to protest against the greedy prefects."

The businessmen in the reception room were all in high spirits.

If you can't earn back the initial investment, you will never be willing to accept it.

The golden walnut made a clicking sound in the palm of my hand.

He said sadly, "Reducing sixteen hours to eight hours has completely cut off half of the profits, and many delivery dates have to be delayed. The real loss of the manufacturer is far more than 50%."

John Barrow put down his tea cup, "I have sorted out the recent report from the Songjiang Mansion. I will use my limited favors to make this report appear at the Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street and the Governor of the East India Company and John Stang as quickly as possible." On Earl East’s desk.”

Moreover, because of its magical power that makes it difficult to get rid of, cigarettes are considered by them to be a lower-risk and more important commodity to sell.

"And I found out that some of the people who control various factories are actually retired from the factories. They are familiar with the conditions of the factories where they have worked, and they have great rapport with their co-workers."

The prefect's Yamen and the opium dens in various temples must have been losing large amounts of money every day in their recent accounts.

The waves of tea rippled, and against the backdrop of the white porcelain teacup, it seemed to glow with an orange-red light, exuding a faint apple aroma.

It is not driven by sudden emotional impulses or emotions, but it has been a long time and a lot of things have been invested in planning this matter.

Businessmen in London would even collect the tea residues brewed by nobles, then mix and dry them with Prussian blue, then mix them with hawthorn, blackthorn and elderberry leaves, and sell them to the lower classes, claiming to be imported Wuyi tea.

The British East India Company used cotton to counteract the dumping of tea, and the second was to rely on tobacco.

"As a result, because of the presence of retired workers, the plan failed before it even started."

"The prefect's Yamen was able to predict the methods we wanted to use. Obviously planning these things was not accomplished overnight, but was carefully considered over a long period of time and with great energy."

"What kind of madness has Ling Duxian committed? If he keeps going like this, his own taxes will be reduced by more than half. I'm really not afraid that when the adults from all over the world come to collect the money, they will despise him because of the lack of money and give up his official position. Yet?"

After losing so much, how can I make it back? I'm afraid that when the time comes, half of them will have their homes confiscated and used as a stepping stone for the rise of new warlords.

Even so, the British demand for tea is still skyrocketing every year.

"No, no, if our side mobilizes troops like that, there will only be more trouble. However, the sooner this matter is resolved, the better. It cannot be delayed."

Although some factories under John Barrow's name were ordered to undergo rectification and control, what alarmed him even more was the ban on smoking.

On the other hand, Songjiang Prefecture’s recent smoking ban is the real force that makes tobacco growers angry.

"I think this person is very ambitious. I'm afraid he is not satisfied with the position of the prefect's yamen, but wants to completely win over people's hearts and truly dominate one side."

But regarding the intensity of execution, it’s simply a joke.

They couldn't figure out what methods the prefect's Yamen used to make those retired workers active, but they could imagine that the price must be high.

The old man in Yuyi said: "Could it be that the British government wants to personally come forward to remove Ling Duxian from his post? Then it is best to bring enough troops."

John Barrow explained, "So the Governor-General, in the name of the entire East India Company, hired the famous Tianjue Organization to solve the problem of Songjiang Mansion, and generously paid a 30% deposit."

"Of course the remaining 70% of the deposit needs to be paid by us together."

The face of the old man in Yuyi changed slightly: "Tian Jue?!"

Tianjue is a famous killer organization that has emerged in the past two years. It is said that its headquarters may be in Liaodong, or even close to Tsarist Russia.

Among the nearly 100 warlords in the mainland, at least 20 have completed dynasty changes in the past two years with the participation of the Tianjue organization.

Those who claimed to be generals and commanders were killed by hired assassins by their subordinates, sons, adjutants, father-in-laws, etc., and the territory was taken over by the hired assassins.

The most terrifying thing is that this Tianjue organization has participated in several battles between foreigners.

The foreign slave owners in Nanyang hired Tian Jue to kill their opponents.

After Tianjue accepted a high deposit, he showed his ability to directly attack the city and seize the territory of several local armed forces and handed it over to his employer.

How can such behavior be considered a killer?
It is said that foreigners have called the Tianjue organization the most powerful mercenary group in the Far East.

"This... if the people from Tianjue and the people from the prefect's yamen come to fight, it will be no different than a war."

The braided businessman said hesitantly, "Our industry will not be destroyed in the war, right?"

John Barrow nodded and said: "The Governor has also considered this matter for us. We can directly explain this in the mission requirements."

"Tianjue's excellent reputation is because they can meet the employer's requirements to the greatest extent."

After everyone discussed it and asked about the specific amount, they finally made up their minds. "How dare you change sixteen hours to eight hours? You don't want to give us a way to survive."

"Let's just let him die first!"

Late that night, John Barrow personally went to the appointed location in the suburbs to hand over the gold paid by everyone to the people of the Tianjue organization.

The wooden frame and steel-skinned carriage was painted black, with angry wind lanterns hung at the corners.

The sound of horse hooves, accompanied by the ringing of the bell on the horse's neck, rang softly in the quiet night.

The coachman had been John Barrow's personal guard for many years. He had a capable temperament and good martial arts skills. However, after arriving in the suburbs, while the carriage and horses were walking, they suddenly heard John Barrow exclaim.

"baron!"

The driver quickly turned around.

In the carriage, John Barrow was seen sitting blankly. The black leather box he originally held in his arms had disappeared, leaving only a note in his hand.

"Yes, it was Tian Jue's people who took the things away."

John Barrow, who was in shock, looked at the words and marks on the note and breathed a sigh of relief.

He suddenly remembered that there were mission requirements that needed to be handed over to Tianjue Organization in his jacket pocket, but when he reached out and touched them, he discovered that the paper recording the mission requirements was also gone.

John Barrow looked at the carriage and his guards, feeling for the first time that this carriage was so unsafe.

During the whole process, he, who was holding the box personally, had no idea what had taken the box away.

"Go back quickly, quickly, quickly!"

John Barrow urged the coachman to return home.

There was a figure in fluttering white clothes standing not far in front of the carriage, but from beginning to end, these two people were completely unaware of it.

After the carriage left, another well-dressed man came to the man in white with a box and a piece of paper.

"Elder, there is no problem with the gold. It is their request on paper."

The man in white held the piece of paper and looked at it.

"No smoking?!"

The man in white's eyes flashed, "When I received the commission from Standong, I already felt something was wrong."

"Now it seems that the news that Songjiang Mansion sent back to the Jiao Zhong Zongtan is totally wrong."

"The Samana's mission was a complete failure, and he himself may not have a good ending."

Yes, this leader of the Tianjue organization who just returned from overseas is actually a member of the Xiantian Sect.

In other words, the entire Tianjue was originally part of the Xiantian Sect.

The senior leaders of the Xiantian Sect initially established this killer organization not because of any foresight, but because of a very difficult problem to discuss.

Xiantian Sect... is short of money!
The White Lotus Sect, from the Yuan Dynasty to the Jiaqing Period of the Qing Dynasty, changed its name several times during the process of naming it the Xiantian Sect.

During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, this direct descendant of the White Lotus was called the Bagua Sect. Although it worshiped Maitreya Bodhisattva, its slogan was "Niu Eight Suns and Moons", which was the same thing as resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty.

Maitreya Bodhisattva refers to a future Buddha at the door of the Buddha. When it comes to the Bagua sect, there is another way of saying it.

They claim, "The old thief Sakyamuni stole the opportunity of Maitreya Bodhisattva and became the Buddha of today's world, so he raised a world full of villains and thieves, making the world uneasy and causing all honest and dutiful sentient beings to be in trouble. Suffering cannot lead to rebirth."

Now that the great calamity is approaching, Maitreya Bodhisattva has a prophecy, "With the restoration of Qing Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, Maitreya Bodhisattva will be born in the great light, drive away Sakyamuni, and kill the princes and generals until they are rekindled. From then on, all the young and old men can achieve bliss."

Just by looking at this set of four different sayings, you can tell that the so-called Bagua religion is to use the huge grievances and sufferings accumulated by the people at the bottom since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs to seek trouble for themselves.

Nine and a half out of ten brothers and sisters who burn incense and set up altars in various places just take the opportunity to develop believers and then sit back and collect incense money and foundation money.

We have to make those people who are already miserable beyond belief, squeeze out some oil and water from the bones and dregs, and fatten themselves.

When the incident actually happened, this kind of person would be the first to run away.

In the early years of Jiaqing, the Bagua sect exploded in a big way, affecting several provinces and boasting millions of followers, shaking half of the dynasty.

As a result, in only three years, they were defeated and the rest of the army retreated and fled. In the next few years, they suffered in the deep mountains and old forests.

The biggest reason is that these senior brothers in the middle and upper classes who are incense masters really cannot hold up their big posts.

He was already rotten before the incident happened, and as soon as the incident happened, his true colors were revealed.

When the Bagua Sect was renamed the Xiantian Sect, partly due to the new leader's excellent martial arts skills and the participation of many masters, and partly due to luck, they actually captured the Forbidden City, occupied the palace, and ambushed the people who were returning from the summer resort at that time. Emperor Jiaqing rushing back.

However, within the sect, from the most basic management level, most are money-frauding speculators, and this style still continues.

It was clear that he wanted to kill the emperor, the world-famous leader of the rebellion, but for so many years, he could only circle around the Forbidden City and the Taihang Mountains. Branches in various places were destroyed one after another, and his power declined instead of increasing. This shows how good the Xiantian Sect is. .

In the past two years, the senior leaders of the Xiantian Sect have discovered that even the most basic territory around the Forbidden City is too poor and unstable because of their poor governance.

They, of course, will not reflect on where they have spent their money over the years, and they will never launch a self-examination to raid their homes.

Even the Shamen Taoist priests, who are considered ambitious in the Xiantian Sect, will only think about making money from outside quickly and come back to stabilize the situation.

Secretly contacting the Songjiang Mansion, using threats and inducements, and planting opium poppies on a large scale are one of the Xiantian Sect's strategies to increase their efforts to make money.

And this "Tianjue", which combines the traditional killer organization and the Western mercenary system, is also one of the strategies to make money.

If you simply go to various places to kill people and plunder, you will easily make too many enemies, and it will be difficult to fully transport the resources obtained.

Taking advantage of the inherent contradictions within various local forces and hiring people to kill people and seize wealth, the methods appear to be more relaxed. Afterwards, they can have a group of temporary accomplices to help cover up the operation.

Killer is known as the oldest profession in the world. In the long history, no matter how the dynasties change, it has always been full of vitality and glowed with special brilliance. It indeed has more advantages than the simple bandit profession.

The British, Dutch, and the forces that opened up colonies were all called the East India Company.

Xiantian Sect has tasted a lot of benefits in the past two years, and is also thinking internally, thinking that it can develop a Tianjue mercenary company.

Their customers now span all over the country, including as far away as Southeast Asia.

If there is a complete transformation, it may not be possible to quickly realize the revival of Xiantian Religion from another level, even surpassing its peak period in the past.

In the name of a mercenary company, rationally selecting allies, obtaining deposits, becoming famous, taking advantage of the trend to interfere in the political affairs of various countries, and spreading influence at home and abroad. Isn't it much more convenient than being trapped in one place and being the leader of a sect?

Therefore, Xianqi, which was initially not taken seriously by the Tianjue Organization, has been promoted several times within the Xiantian Sect.

The person directly responsible for the organization was changed from the incense master to the protector, and moved up the ranking of the protector.

This year, the leader's sworn brother, Elder Fa Wuchang, who ranks first among the elders of the Xiantian Church, has been appointed.

"Ling Duxian's identity was originally somewhat unclear, but now it seems that he has finally revealed his ambition."

Fa Wuchang said softly, "Others think he is crazy, but I think he is very courageous."

"Back then, when a small number of us dared to enter the Forbidden City, how many people didn't think we were crazy?"

A stern and expectant smile appeared on his face, "Okay, you can arrange a plan according to the above requirements, and we will personally meet the newly renovated Songjiang Prefecture Yamen!"

(End of this chapter)