Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1382 Three people in the slums
Zhao Yingong sent Wu Zhixiang away, went back to his study, and asked if there was any latest news - what he was most concerned about at the moment was the cargo ship of China Merchants going north.

The [-] scrap ships of China Merchants were carrying a large amount of goods in addition to [-] shi of grain. Liaodong was short of everything, especially cotton cloth and cotton.To survive in this bitterly cold place, in addition to food, there must be enough winter clothes. Historically, the Ming court had to transport a large amount of cloth and flowers to the guards in Liaodong every year.Therefore, a large number of such warm clothes were shipped on the sandship this time.

This time, the transportation of food and salaries to the north was fully reimbursed by the Ministry of Households according to the rules.And it is an "official ship" status, and there is no need to pay various taxes when entering any port waterway.Not taking the opportunity to "smuggle with officials" is a waste of this great opportunity.

Carrying goods has always been the main revenue item of tank ships, and the shipping of food and salaries naturally has to generate a fortune.

In addition to cotton clothes and cotton cloth, there are also a large number of "Mongolian goods" such as iron pots and tea bricks.Trading with the various tribes of Mongolia and buying horses is an important business for the Guanning Army.The bought Mongolian horses were not only used to supplement the cavalry, but also resold in large quantities to the pass to make money.As long as these commodities arrive, they will not worry about selling them.

However, going to sea in summer also takes great risks. The threat of typhoons is great, and the sandboat sailors are not familiar with the offshore route to Liaodong.So this time Zhao Yingong did not send his own navigator and backbone sailors like he did in the trade with Japan, but used all the original sandboat sailors.Only a few cronies were sent to accompany the ship.

However, in ancient voyages, there was no forecast of weather and sea conditions, and lack of accurate charts. Seagoing ships often took great risks when going to sea, and shipwrecks were very frequent.When Zhao Yingong inquired about the historical data of Liaodong Shipping, he saw that there were countless records of ship crashes and fatalities in storms.As for the word "drifting", it is everywhere.It also made him have great doubts about the safety of this short-sea shipping—even more worried than going to Japan for trade.For this reason, a pigeon trainer was sent on board, and a pigeon was released every three days to report the progress of the voyage and the situation of the voyage.

The news sent him a little peace of mind. Although the ship waited for the wind several times, it has been gradually heading north. No ship was damaged or stranded. It seemed that the journey was smooth.

Zhao Yingong was taken aback by the following news involving the "rice commotion" in the four prefectures of northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu - he knew about the incident in Lin'an County a few days ago, and he didn't take it seriously at the time. In his opinion, such a thing Not surprising, when did things like peasant uprisings and peasant riots stop?To put it bluntly, robbing a rice store is the same as eating a big family in a famine, and it is nothing at all.I'm afraid the government is too lazy to pursue it seriously.

But this matter has spread to so many states and counties in a few days!Out of the "political sensitivity" of modern people, Zhao Yingong immediately thought that someone might be manipulating this matter behind the scenes—at least someone was in cascade.

Zhao Yingong knew very well that the recent soaring price of rice was directly related to China Merchants' purchase of rice in large quantities. If someone wanted to trace the source, China Merchants was to blame.

A large amount of food was purchased and shipped out in famine years and months... Thinking of this, Zhao Yingong's blood is almost cold-this crime is appropriate, if someone really uses it to incite the people behind, and one man initiates chaos and thousands of people respond, the consequences will be... Unbelievable.When the time comes, I'm afraid I will be ruined and run away in embarrassment
"Hurry up! Send a message to various places, I want to know the details of Mi Riot!"

There is a Nanxiawa outside the city of Hangzhou, which is a "Xiazhijiao". According to modern terms, it is a slum.

This is the place where the migrant households fleeing famine gather. Whenever there is a disaster in other places, the victims flock to the provincial capital with their old and young to have a meal.Some died here and fell on the road, some went back after going through the famine, and some just settled here.Nanxiawa is full of puddles, the terrain is low, and the Fuchun River is full of water. It is quasi-waterlogged here, and it is impossible to cultivate land or build houses.It became a deserted wasteland.

The people fleeing famine settled down on this wasteland, and built shacks with various scraps they picked up, and gradually it became a shanty town like any city.This place was originally located under the terrain, and it was difficult to get rid of the sewage. When it rained, the water immediately accumulated, mixed with all kinds of garbage, and became a big stinking quagmire.

Except for the poor who are forced to live here, anyone passing by must cover their noses.

In one of the densely packed shacks near a cemetery, three men were sitting at the moment, drinking wine around a broken table with missing legs. The missing table legs were padded with broken bricks. There is a bowl of snails on the table, which is the cheapest meat dish in the south of the Yangtze River. You don’t even need to buy it by the river and lake. You can get a bowl by yourself.

Although it was not yet dark, the room was very dark.An oil lamp was already lit on the table.The huts are made of broken bricks, small stones, rotten boards, straw and mud.There are no decent windows, just a hole in the wall with a broken tile that was discarded.The roof made of bamboo and straw is very low, and taller people almost touch the top when they stand up.

Although the house is small and simple, the owner has kept it as clean as possible.The bricks support a bamboo bed board which is rare here, and the bed is covered with a broken kang mat. Although it is broken, it has been scrubbed clean.A broken bamboo hat hung on the wall.There is also a wooden board that is used as a table against the wall, and there are paper, ink, brushes and inkstones on it-although they are all cheap goods used by the accountant, it also shows that the owner here is a cultured "scholar".

On the table, there were several dirty and shriveled tin skewers, and three cracked bowls were used as wine cups.The air was filled with the smell of bad rice wine lees.

The smell of alcohol, the smell of sweat from the three men, and the snail shells all over the table, if someone broke into the room at this time, they would think they were having a good time drinking.And these three people are using this illusion to hold a meeting.

Hao Yuan, who stood up in the rice commotion a few days ago, was among them. He was wearing a patched gown, playing with the "wine bowl" in his hand.

Among the other two people present, one is Cao Guangjiu, the Broken Boots Party, he is dressed like a dilapidated scholar, the other has scars all over his face and looks very hideous, it is Gou Chengxuan who escaped from Lingao back then.

After Gou Chengxuan escaped from the defeated army in Hainan Island, he fled back to Guangzhou after all kinds of hardships.He didn't dare to show his face - this kind of big defeat will inevitably involve many people, and an unidentified person like himself who escaped from the rebellious army is likely to be regarded as a gangster and spies and have his head chopped off.Therefore, he didn't dare to reveal his identity in Guangzhou. Even though he still had two or thirty taels of silver, he didn't dare to reveal his identity, so he simply made a living by begging.

By chance, he met Lin Ming in Guangzhou who was looking for his sister-in-law. Gou Chengxuan's familiarity with Lingao and Kun Bandit made this clueless Jinyiwei feel like a treasure.After talking with him for several nights, I learned many important things.Lin Ming asked Gou Chengxuan to go back to Lingao to inquire about the news, and gave him some money. Gou Chengxuan was already scared out of his wits, how dare to go?So he took the opportunity to sneak back to Lingao and escaped quietly.

Gou Chengxuan has a guilty conscience—the consequences of offending Jin Yiwei will be very serious. He no longer dares to stay in Guangzhou. Seeing that Guangdong has become a place of right and wrong, he simply goes all the way north and flees to the south of the Yangtze River.

He was lucky, not long after he arrived in Jiangnan, he relied on his experience with thieves and Australian goods.She was taken in by a rich family as a guest, and lived a life without worrying about food and clothing.

Gou Chengxuan never knew why his boss took him under his sect. It wasn't until not long ago that he knew that his boss had noticed the thief from a long time ago.

A year ago, Gou Chengxuan was ordered to go to Hangzhou to find out the details of Mr. Zhao. When he first saw Wanbi Bookstore and Phoenix Villa, he knew that the gangster's black hands had finally reached Jiangnan.

Gou Chengxuan's first reaction was to run for his life, but thinking of the chaos in the world today, Jiangnan is a place with kingly laws, and it is thousands of miles away from Hainan. Even if Master Zhao has three heads and six arms, he can't obediently be an obedient citizen of the court?
Although my boss has a strong interest in the Kun thief, it can be seen that he doesn't take all kinds of actions of Master Zhao seriously.Obviously, the boss and the Kun thief are not going to deal with each other.Under the protection of his master, not only will he be safe and sound, but he may even have a chance to avenge his hatred——Gou Chengxuan knew that it would be impossible for Daming to kill the thieves, but he found a chance to kill a few thieves and let them die It is still possible to eat a deflated.

It is a pity that the Kun thief in Daming has always used the routine of colluding with the officialdom and gentry—this Kun thief surnamed Zhao did not know what Australian ecstasy technique was used to seduce the local gentry in Hangzhou.It is said that he also developed relations with the scholars of Fushe.Nowadays, someone who looks good can be regarded as a prominent figure in the locality, not to mention that he can't move him, even the boss is a little jealous.Just tell him to pay attention to Master Zhao's movements at any time.

Zhao Yingong's work in Hangzhou, such as silk improvement, loan issuance, and even silk price manipulation, was sent to him by a special person, and he sorted it out.

Gou Chengxuan is very familiar with these routines - they are all replicas of the ones he did in Lingao back then.This Zhao Kun thief was so courageous that he actually got under the nose of the court and "turned barbarians into summer".

However, the owner has never said anything about the news and comments he collected and sorted out.Just when Gou Chengxuan began to feel hopeless about his revenge plan, the boss finally sent him out.

His task is to keep in touch with this man named Hao Yuan and convey the wishes of his master.As for this Cao Guangjiu, he was also the one the owner asked him to keep in touch with.

(End of this chapter)