Late Qing Dynasty Executioner

Chapter 42: The Code of Conduct of the Aristocratic Family

What do you want?
The head of the Bian family did not speak because of his status. Instead, Bian Shichun stood up and pointed to the middle of the river, saying, "My Bian family wants this Tong'an shuttle boat."

这艘大型同安战船别的先不说，就说说它本身的几个数据，全长11丈（36.7米），最宽2丈（6.7米），桅杆高6丈（20米）至8.1丈（27米）。

Three masts over 20 meters high may not seem like much from a distance, but when Chen Gu got on board just now, he discovered that the two small masts have a diameter of more than one meter at the bottom.

Before the Opium War, although the Qing Dynasty had 1,000 offshore warships and 700 inland warships, there were less than ten large Tongan warships, and they were distributed in the Yangtze River, Pearl River, Yellow River, Quanzhou, Heilongjiang and other river basins.

In the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, there is actually only one ship, the Addis.

Chen Gu was not sure how much this Tong'an warship was worth, but it was definitely very valuable, extremely valuable.

"Do you dare to use this ship?" Chen Gu asked in surprise.

No matter how valuable this warship is, it belongs to the imperial court and there is no way it can be seen.

Liu Er sneered and said, "They want to dismantle it and hide it."

"Do you mean to take advantage of us because we are poor?" Chen Gu couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Only a large family with hundreds of years of history like the Bian family has the ability to dismantle such a large warship and find a place to hide it.

Chen Gu understood what he meant. As for big families, their existence is calculated in hundreds of years. Even if the whole country changes its surname, they still exist. The Qing Dynasty did not dare to use them, so it would just use them in another dynasty and then directly contribute them to the new court, which would be a great achievement.

Chen Gu looked back at the warship, he couldn't help but feel a little envious, but he also knew that he didn't have the ability to dismantle the warship and hide it. Dismantling it was easy, but hiding it was not easy.

The head of the Bian family smiled and said, "Brother, you are exaggerating. When Senior Chen Yonghua came to Shu to establish the Tiandihui, the Bian family also contributed manpower, money and effort. Although things did not go well afterwards and everyone went their separate ways, over the years, they have taken care of each other. The friendship has always been there. Who would bully who?"

As long as it is well preserved, not only the wood on the boat, but even the sails can be used when the time comes.

The Bian family is naturally the local boss here, but Chen Gu does not consider himself a weakling.

In this world, the strong prey on the weak, and the poor are easily bullied. Outsiders who want to perform have to report to the local boss first and give some gifts before they can open a stall.

"You are doing business on my family's land. My family has already taken the risks for you. How can you say that we have not contributed anything?" Bian Shichun retorted.

After all, if you want to use it again in the future, it is not an easy thing to hide it. You can't simply bury it in the soil or throw it into the water, right?
That's no different than burning it directly.

"That's my fault. I'll apologize to you first!" Chen Gu cupped his hands and continued, "I understand the rule that everyone who sees it gets a share, but the weight of a Tong'an warship is really too big."

"Okay, then I'll give you this warship." Chen Gu said helplessly, and then changed the subject, "But you didn't do anything, but you took advantage of it. Isn't it a bit unreasonable?"

"What kind of compensation does Brother Ji want?" asked the head of the Bian family.

"It's not that I want any compensation!" Chen Gu shook his head and said with a smile, "It's that you are prepared to give some compensation to show your sincerity. Sincerity is the most important thing."

Seeing Chen Jue's expression of "you are ignorant", the father and son of the Bian family wanted to curse him. It was obvious that he wanted to take advantage and take the initiative. The head of the Bian family hesitated for a moment and said, "The tributary below the rocky beach is called Shitou River, the upper reaches are called Tang River, and the upper reaches are called Dacao River.

There is a place called Fobaochang in the upper reaches of the Dacao River. It is surrounded by mountains and has poor transportation, but it has nearly ten thousand acres of fertile land. Now there are only a few hundred households. The people and the land belong to the Bian family. How about I give it to you?"

Ten thousand acres of good farmland would cost forty to fifty thousand taels of silver. Would the Bian family be so kind?

Chen Gu instantly thought of the Bian family's purpose, "Do you want us to hide in the mountains?"

"Since you committed such a big crime, shouldn't you hide for a while?" asked Bian Shichun.

It is indeed necessary to hide for a period of time, but how to hide and where to hide are certain things that require some thought.

Originally, Chen Gu and Liu Er's plan was to remain unchanged in the face of all changes, as if this incident had never happened. Those who should return to the mountain village should return to the mountain village, and those who should return to the county town should return to the county town. They would live a quiet life and make plans after the storm had passed in a year or two.

Of course, the premise is that no one knows that they did it, or those who know will keep silent.

But the Bian family obviously didn't think so. In their view, it would be best for these people in the mountain village to hide in the mountains, and they should hide under the control of the Bian family. If something happened and necessary, these culprits could be handed over to eliminate the disaster and solve the problem.

Of course, it would be best if nothing happened. At that time, these bandits could live a stable life in the mountains and be slowly assimilated by the Bian family. Everything they gain at this time will naturally become the Bian family's.

For a big family that has existed for hundreds of years, they may not be good at open warfare, but when it comes to forcing others to lose their wealth and property, and finally sell their children and daughters to become their vassals and slaves, such things are things that big families are very good at.

Chen Gu thought for a moment and said, "We need to discuss this before we can give you a reply!"

"Of course, think twice before doing anything!" said the head of the Bian family with a smile.

Chen Gu and Liu Er returned to the boat, saying that they were going to discuss something, but in fact there were not many people they could negotiate with. Zhang Haomin was one, Lao Nian was one, and the others were just like that.

Watching Chen Gu and Liu Er leaving, Bian Shichun couldn't help but ask his father, "Dad, what will they choose?"

"Who knows?" The head of the Bian family smiled and said, "Going into the mountains should be their best choice at the moment!"

"That Chen Gu is not a simple person. What he created are very powerful. Can we really restrain them?" Bian Shichun asked with a frown.

The head of the Bian family shook his head and said with a smile: "Shichun, don't think about controlling anyone. As a family, we don't need to be invincible or the only one in the world. We only need to consider two things.

How a thing benefits us.

To put it simply, what are the benefits and dangers of doing this for us?

If there are benefits and no dangers, then do it. If there are both benefits and dangers, then you have to consider whether it is worth it and whether the risks are something you can bear.

If we act according to this principle, many things will be easier to choose. We don't have to be enemies with anyone. If the other party is really that powerful, then why not rely on the strong? "

(End of this chapter)