After Liu Ziguang came back, he told Hu Yimin about his plan. Miss Hu also believed that smuggling could not be stopped at the source. It can be said that wildfires are endless, and spring breezes blow again. If you want to curb smuggling, you must
To increase tariffs, we must start from the root cause - the Shanghai Shipping Department. Now that Lai Youwei has promised to provide evidence of corruption in the Shanghai Shipping Department, the next step is to thoroughly clean up the Shanghai Shipping Department and then hire his own people.
The Municipal Ship Bureau is so rampant in protecting smugglers and collecting large amounts of bribes. Without the local Daotai Yamen, it would be almost impossible to rely on the connivance of the Chasi and other officials. A smuggler in the Lai family would have to spend three million taels of silver every year.
To bribe officials, it would be strange if other yamen could not get the money.
"A single move can affect the whole body. If we attack the Shipping Department, it will inevitably cause a backlash in the entire Shanghai officialdom. Shanghai is no better than Suzhou, and the Shipping Department is no better than Jiangnan Weaving. They all have military power in their hands. If forced,
If they get anxious and cause a stir in the south of the Yangtze River, the consequences will be serious." Hu Yimin was still a little worried.
"The Inventory Ship Department is following the emperor's order. I am an imperial envoy equipped with Shang Fang's sword. If they dare to make trouble, I will have the courage to kill them. What are you afraid of?" Liu Ziguang snorted coldly. He is not a compassionate character. Dealing with complexities is complicated.
The most convenient and quick way to fight in officialdom is to use the word "kill".
"What about the Fuyuan? If Lai Youwei helped you deal with Shibosi, do you want to recruit him and his Fuyuan?" Hu Yimin had a bad impression of the smugglers and mentioned Lai Youwei.
When he said his name, his red lips curled up obviously.
Liu Ziguang pondered for a moment and said seriously: "According to my observation, Lai Youwei does not seem to be a person who can be subordinated to others. Even if he temporarily joins our South Factory, it is a cooperative relationship rather than a superior-subordinate relationship. They have hundreds of merchant ships on the Fuyuan
, Thousands of sailors are a considerable force. I am giving him a chance now. If he can understand the situation clearly, he can also use his special skills. If he just messes around, I am afraid he will be dead."
The order to mobilize troops was first sent back to Suzhou by fast horse, and then sent back to the capital by telegraph from Suzhou. Everything that happened in the south of the Yangtze River was sent directly back to Nanchang by telegraph every day, and then sent directly to the emperor's desk without going through the cabinet and the ceremonial supervisor.
After Suzhou reported back to the capital what the Cao family had done, I heard that the emperor was very happy. This time, to move the Shanghai officialdom, we needed to mobilize the capable forces of the Red Shirt Regiment, as well as the guards and naval forces around Shanghai.
The emperor's approval is absolutely unacceptable. Liu Ziguang is convinced that the emperor will act according to his suggestions quietly, avoid the eyes of the court bosses, and strive to resolve the Shanghai matter as soon as possible. After all, this is something they have discussed long ago.
, the two cancers of the imperial court, Jiangnan Weaving and Shibosi, were solved, and the household revenue could immediately increase by more than 30%. In this way, the military expenses for the Northern Expedition and the research on various interesting technologies could be solved.
"Tomorrow I will find a way to find out the background of Shishi Shipping Company, and then it's time for the imperial envoy to come forward. After all, staying in Suzhou is not an option." Liu Ziguang said.
"Before your men are transferred over, use Rishengchang's swordsmen first. They are all fast and well-trained swordsmen. It will not be a problem to deal with hundreds of people. I'm afraid those dock coolies you organized will not be used in a short time.
." Miss Hu was very concerned about Liu Ziguang.
"Then I'd rather be respectful than obey your orders." To be honest, the quality of these swordsmen in Rishengchang is indeed very high. Their level of secret combat in the city is much higher than that of everyone in the South Factory. Their coordination and organization are also excellent. If they can receive
Being under my command is definitely a beautiful thing.
"If Shibo Division is controlled by us, then Rishengchang's income will be guaranteed, and Nanchang's share will not be missing. In addition, I will give you a big gift. Look at the sixty swords
How are you doing?" Hu Yimin seemed to have guessed what Liu Ziguang was thinking, and suddenly threw out such a big bait.
"Haha, let's talk about it after it's done." Liu Ziguang was secretly happy. He was very sure about this matter. These sixty swordsmen would become the new recruits of the South Factory in the near future. How could this not make him happy?
"I've been wanting to ask a question these days." Hu Yimin hesitated and changed the topic.
Just as Liu Ziguang was about to answer, he suddenly heard someone from outside reporting: "Mr. Zhao is here with something important." It turned out that it was Zhao Kang who had returned with the account book of the smuggling ship.
The conversation between Liu Ziguang and Hu Yimin had to be interrupted, Zhao Kang was welcomed in, and the three of them discussed ways to deal with Shibosi.
In the evening, in the private room on the second floor of Xiaonanguo, a famous hotel in Shanghai, Lai Youwei, the owner of the Fuyuan, was hosting a banquet for Governor Cheng Liangjue. Governor Cheng was from a well-known family and had been selected as the number one scholar. He was tall, good-looking, and had three wisps of beard.
He looked elegant and chic. Compared with him, Lai Youwei next to him was like a clown.
"I wonder what the governor has to say about Jiangnan Weaving? I heard that the imperial envoy is a young fool. If he arrives in Shanghai, I am afraid that the Shipping Department will be the next Jiangnan Weaving." Lai Youwei said.
"Suzhou is Suzhou, and Shanghai is Shanghai. There is no similarity between Jiangnan Weaving and Shishi Shipping. Mr. Lai is overthinking it." Governor Cheng stroked his beard and said confidently.
This answer obviously did not reassure Lai Youwei, so he asked again: "What should I do if the imperial envoy uses force? I heard that he is a military commander and has made many military exploits in Shandong. He also serves as the admiral of the South Factory. What if?
The adults will naturally not be afraid of him if he gets aggressive, but the people in the Fuyuan Xiaojia Xiaoyuan can't stand the torment."
Hearing this, Governor Cheng put down the wine glass he raised to his lips, and was a little unhappy with Lai Youwei's doubts: "You Jianghu people like to say a saying: a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake, so what if the imperial envoy has three heads and six arms? That's not the case.
In the mortal body, I estimate that they will arrive in the next two days. Then I will introduce you to them and you can entertain them. If that doesn't work, I will make other arrangements. Don't worry, I will be in Shanghai for more than ten years.
I haven't seen any storms in the past year. I can guarantee that within three days, the Imperial Envoy will treat you as brothers."
Lai Youwei naturally knew Governor Cheng's methods, and he couldn't ask further questions for a while. He could only nod his head and said yes, saying that he would follow the arrangements of the Governor. Logically speaking, when Beijing officials were on missions, they should be entertained by local officials. However,
Governor Cheng always assigns this task to Lai Youwei, because Lai Youwei is a good man and generous, and he also has an exquisite villa "Red Mansion", which hides countless beauties, and all the officials who have stayed there are reluctant to leave.
, praise each other.
"Lai will feel relieved after the Governor has a chat. Come on, I'll give you a toast." Lai Youwei knew that he couldn't ask anything valuable, so he had no choice but to stop mentioning the matter.
Governor Cheng and Lai Youwei had a drink with each other and said earnestly: "Lao Lai, you don't have to worry, the Municipal Shipping Department is supporting you, and behind the Municipal Shipping Department there is also the governor. Our Shanghai Road handovers to households every year
The Ministry of Finance accounts for more than 30% of the Ming Dynasty's annual income. Who dares to act rashly in this place? Isn't he afraid that it will affect taxation and be impeached by the censor and dismissed from office by the cabinet? You also know the Shibo Division.
Who can take care of it if there are two other people? Who dares to take care of it? So you'd better relax, the sky won't fall."
Early the next morning, the coolies on the dock received a cart of gifts. The driver told them that it was from Xu Wenqiang. After Lin Sheng had someone unload the boxes from the cart, he left and everyone opened them.
At first glance, I saw that the box was full of axes produced by Lianfeng No. of Liguo Iron Works!
The country's iron tools are famous all over the world. In addition to making weapons, the Lianfeng Hao also makes farm implements and tools. This kind of ax uses the best hardwood as the handle. The stainless steel ax blade is coated with a layer of black paint, and only the cutting edge is white.
Ding Li picked one up and waved it twice because of its metallic color. He couldn't help but praise it: "It's such a good axe."
Lin Sheng also grabbed an ax and touched the blade with his fingers. The sharp blade almost cut his finger. With such a sharp weapon in hand, there was no need to worry about being able to defeat other gangs.
Shanghai is no different than other places. Weapons control is very strict. Bows and arrows and long weapons are absolutely prohibited. Short weapons such as swords are also restricted. Whether they are Shanghai residents or overseas sailors, as long as they are equipped with swords, they must register. Even the famous patrol patrol
The Chengjingjiesi were only equipped with wooden sticks. It can be imagined that the control of weapons was very strict.
However, axes are tools and are not subject to restrictions, so many gangs choose weapons such as axes, kitchen knives, and sticks. Lianfenghao’s axes are extremely expensive and ordinary people cannot afford them. Lin Sheng’s gang can be equipped with such a guy.
, the combat effectiveness has definitely been improved by another level. What's more, these long-handled axes are not ordinary civilian products, but are specially used by the engineers of the Red Shirt Regiment, and the quality is not generally good.
Everyone was playing with the long-handled ax with admiration, but Lin Sheng found a small leather bag under the box. He opened it and saw twelve gleaming knives inside. Lin Sheng was good at using knives. This was Liu Ziguang's special gift.
The flying knives obtained by the Shanghai Lianfeng were perfect gifts to Lin Sheng.
Along with the flying knife, there was a box of silver coins. There were fifty coins in each package, all wrapped in mulberry paper. There were exactly twenty coins. A letter signed stated that this was Liu Ziguang's letter to Lin Sheng's gang.
To mobilize funds, he mentioned the name of the gang by the way.
Lin Sheng knew how to read, and after quickly reading the note, he shouted excitedly: "Brothers, from now on our gang will be called the Ax Gang!"