Zhao Yingong sent people to inquire about news for several days in several states and counties where the rice riots broke out. The information returned made Zhao Yingong uneasy.
Although the intelligence personnel at the Hangzhou station were limited and could only obtain enough detailed information, from the information he obtained, it was clear that the rice commotion was premeditated and organized. Moreover, the other party was experienced and skilled in actions, and was obviously a veteran. Moreover,
Judging from the many posts they collected, it was clear that the target of the rice commotion was against themselves.
In a year of famine, children all know the consequences of being labeled as "hoarding and making huge profits".
Not to mention how terrible and destructive the power of the poor and hungry people would be once it broke out. Even those tyrannical gentry could make a big fuss about this and want to look good for themselves.
Not only that, but the forces behind being able to organize such a large-scale commotion are by no means ordinary people.
Zhao Yingong shut himself in the inner study, drank pot after pot of strong tea, and smoked cigars one after another. He originally thought that the most dangerous people were the local gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, but he didn't expect that there were people who didn't complain.
It's dark.
The most frightening thing is that he doesn't even understand the background of the other party. Who are they? What is the purpose of dealing with him so generously?
No particularly useful information could be collected from various information channels at Hangzhou Station, and the enemy was still hiding in the fog.
He thought over and over again, and while sending a message to the Foreign Intelligence Service to report the current situation, he ordered to strengthen security at Phoenix Villa and Wanbi Bookstore.
"The most important thing is to dig out the mastermind behind the scenes." Zhao Yingong thought to himself, if he can't dig out, he will be in the dark and I will be in the light, which means that he will be transparent in one direction. He is very passive.
At this time, Zhao Yingong realized that although the intelligence network deployed by himself and the Foreign Intelligence Bureau was quite extensive, the intelligence that could be collected was basically public intelligence. Indeed, there was probably no one in the entire Jiangnan who was better informed than him at the moment.
Not only can he get news from all the major cities in Jiangnan within three days, but he can also get same-day news from Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Denglai and other places. However, the collection of secret intelligence is still limited.
The awareness of secrecy in ancient society was very weak. Not to mention ordinary wealthy gentry families, even if the news in the government offices was paid, it was easy to find out. Some so-called military affairs were not officially announced, and gossip in the capital was revealed.
It's already flying all over the sky.
However, the intelligence gathering network he had painstakingly constructed did not know anything about the mastermind behind the rice commotion. This made him realize that his opponent was by no means an ordinary enemy, and must be an organization with considerable experience in secret activities. He thought of himself
When I was receiving training at the Foreign Intelligence Service, I heard from a bookstore with a great book sense that the secret religion in the Ming Dynasty was very prosperous, with not only many members, but also a well-organized organization.
"Could he be a cult member?" Zhao Yingong murmured to himself. However, the collected posts did not have any doctrinal color of folk religions.
If this happened in Lingao or a similar place, the violent institution of the Senate would still operate very efficiently. But now he is in the Ming ruling area, and the violent institution is not in his hands.
The first thing to do now is to find out who the opponent is. Only by knowing who the opponent is can it be possible to consider the next countermeasure.
There is no doubt that the opponent is pointing the finger at himself, and by constantly inciting public sentiment, he is preparing to further provoke a greater popular uprising.
Once a large-scale civil uprising breaks out, not only will the foundation he has laid in Jiangnan be severely damaged, but his reputation will also be ruined, and it will be almost impossible to continue to carry out activities in Jiangnan.
Countermeasures must be taken as soon as possible. Thinking of this, he ordered people to call Zhao Tong to discuss countermeasures.
Although Zhao Tong was a naturalized citizen through the Qiwei Escort Bureau, he was actually a true member of the martial arts world - he was an escort master who was a secret escort, and he was equivalent to a "self-employed" in the escort agency, specializing in escorting priceless people.
Honey, all those who use secret escorts are solitary and unpredictable. Not only are they skilled in martial arts, but they are also bold and careful people who are familiar with the world.
"I think there are people with Taoist knowledge involved in this matter." Zhao Tong said after reading the materials.
"How come you can see that?" Zhao Yingong was secretly surprised. Although Zhao Tong handled most of the collection of these materials, many of them came from other channels, and there were other people who compiled and compiled them. He only glanced at them briefly.
I came to a conclusion similar to my own.
"Secret sects like theirs are best at this technique." Zhao Tong said concisely. "Also, please don't forget, this is Hangzhou."
"What happened to Hangzhou?"
"Have you forgotten the temples beside Gongchen Bridge?"
"Oh!" Zhao Yingong suddenly realized how he had forgotten this! "Luo Jiao."
The Gongchen Bridge outside Xinguan in the north of Hangzhou is the starting point of the Grand Canal. It has always been a place where water transport and grain ships berthed. It is said that in the Ming Dynasty, three people from Miyun named Qian, Weng and Pan from Songjiang lived in Hangzhou and jointly promoted Luoism.
That is to say, they built a nunnery in each place to worship Buddha statues, eat vegetarian food and recite sutras, so they were named Qian'an, Weng'an and Pan'an.
Because the place was close to where the grain ships were moored, sailors from the ships often stayed there. Over time, they converted to Christianity, and the nunnery became the sailors' own property. As more sailors moved in, the number of Luo Jiao temples also gradually increased.
According to the memorial given to Yongzheng by Li Wei, the governor of Zhejiang in the Qing Dynasty, most of the water transport sailors in Zhejiang believed in Luoism. Although it had begun to decline at that time, there were still more than 30 temples, and at its most prosperous time there were 72.
Sailors save money every year to provide for their support, and they rest here when the winter moon returns, not counting the rent. If there is a need for legal fees along the way, there are dedicated personnel in Huai'an, Tianjin, Tongzhou, and the capital to take care of it, so
Soon a gang of water transport sailors was formed.
He and Shen Tingyang were planning to "abolish the canal and convert the canal to the sea" after returning to society. This time, the China Merchants Bureau also carried Guanning's grain and salary shipment to the north. Thinking about this, it is no wonder that the people in the Cao Gang regarded themselves as a thorn in their side. Zhao Tong's speculation is that
Very reasonable.
It's easier to deal with potential suspicious elements. At least you know what methods to use to deal with them.
"That's good." He couldn't help but say.
Zhao Tong looked at Mr. Zhao in surprise. If Luo Jiao really targeted him and said, "That's fine," would this leader be insane? Although Zhao Tong knew what the Senate was capable of, there was a lot of trouble here. In Hangzhou under the Meiji era, Australian gunboats were not patrolling the Pearl River and could reach Guangzhou at Baietan at any time.
Ever since Duan Jinan, the second emperor of Luo Jiao, led his disciples to Mount Tiantai in the fourth year of Wanli reign of Shenzong, preached the doctrine, gathered a crowd of three thousand, and was finally suppressed by local officials, various branches of Luo Jiao have maintained a low profile, unlike the White Lotus Sect, which has set off many resistances. Although it is the trend of the imperial court, it is also a folk religion that cannot be ignored in the rivers and lakes. Especially the branch believed by the water transport sailors, although its religious color is the weakest, it has great influence on both sides of the canal.
"Can you find out the details?"
"I'll do it right away." Zhao Tong promised. He is very familiar with people in the world, and he can get a lot of information by turning around and around.
After Zhao Tong withdrew, Zhao Yingong thought about it and decided to inform Shen Tingyang and Fushe about the matter: someone was secretly doing something detrimental to the Investment Promotion Bureau.
If the Cao Gang is really behind this matter, he has no intention of resisting alone - he has to drag these two families into the water no matter what. No matter how powerful the Cao Gang is, it is still a "viable social organization" and will never make it public." "Fight against forces". The safety of Hangzhou Station can also be temporarily preserved. I will slowly mobilize my strength to deal with them.
To say the least, if things really got out of control and the Cao Clan rose up, it would be a pity that Hangzhou Station would be completely abandoned. This would be a great opportunity for the Senate to directly intervene in the south of the Yangtze River and control the north-south route.
However, the news brought by Zhao Tong a few days later surprised him again: there was no news within the Cao Gang that Zhao Yingong was going to be dealt with!
The Cao Gang is just a sailor gang. Although it has a large organization, it is not very strict internally. There is no role such as a general gang leader, and there are no incense halls everywhere like folk sects. Even the Cao Gang does not have a strong religious flavor. They are roughly distributed along the canal, and there is a gang in each place. Although the seniority in the gang is respected by the disciples, it is just a status. There is no dominance relationship between the gangs, only cooperation.
Caobang is too far away from Hangzhou. Even if they know that China Merchants Bureau's transportation of grain and wages is a great threat to the future of Caobang, it is difficult to directly intervene. Therefore, the various gangs in Nanzhi and Zhejiang must take the lead.
If the Caobang really wanted to deal with Zhao Yingong, with such a loose organizational structure, at least the middle-level personnel of the Hangzhou Caobang should have gotten the news by now.
However, Zhao Tong ran for several days but found nothing. The entire Cao Gang was busy repairing the ships - in a few months, the autumn grain would be available. The prefecture and county yamen opened warehouses to collect grain, grain households paid, and the canal boats arrived at the dock. Acceptance for shipment is called "acceptance". This is the most important thing in Caobang's year. Not only can it not miss the "official business", but also "looking at the beige color" and "clearing customs" during acceptance are all opportunities to blackmail the state. This is a great opportunity for the county. Not only will the key members of the gang who are in charge of it be able to make money, but it will also be a huge source of income for the whole gang.
In this state, it is hard to imagine that the Caobang, who is busy generating income, would think of dealing with Zhao Yingong. Even the fact that food and wages were transported northward did not have a great response among the Caobang: firstly, this is not the norm, and secondly, it is only 50,000 shi of brown rice.
Compared with the more than 2 million shi of grain received each year, it is just a drop in the bucket.
Zhao Tong was also confused - he was originally very confident in his inference, but he didn't expect that it was not the case.