"Wait, that's nonsense!"
"What if you promise to sell salt at seven cents a pound and then close all the shops in the city?"
I saw Cao Shunhe on the side thinking for a moment and then said slowly.
The people who had been cheering for joy earlier reacted quickly after hearing Cao Shunhe's words.
"Yes, they only promised to reduce the price of salt to seven cents per catty, but they didn't promise that we can buy salt!"
"Maybe tomorrow, many salt shops in the city will have to close down and won't sell a pound of salt to us!"
"This is just their escape tactic. They have no intention of lowering the price of salt!"
"Everyone surround them, don't let them escape!"
After Cao Shunhe pointed out the loopholes in this to everyone, countless people present felt that they had been deceived.
This emotion quickly turned to anger, and the people became even more excited. They ignored the guards around them and began to gradually approach Liang Hong, Li Lide, and He Jin.
"What are you doing? Don't come over!"
Seeing this situation, the guards responsible for guarding the salt merchants immediately panicked. While protecting these people, they retreated while threatening the people.
"Damn Cao Shunhe, just wait, I will never forgive you!"
Seeing that his trick was exposed by Cao Shunhe, Liang Hong's eyes were full of resentment. After cursing secretly, he gradually retreated under the protection of the guards.
When Cao Shun and his guards saw this, they wanted to pull out the long sword from their waists and go to protect him.
"Are you my bodyguards or theirs?"
When Cao Shunhe saw this, he put his hands behind his back and watched coldly.
"Sir, we just..."
Seeing Cao Shunhe say such heart-wrenching words, the guards present did not dare to make any more moves. They hurriedly knelt on the ground and apologized to Cao Shunhe.
"Since you are not their guards, then you should be watched carefully by me!"
"If you dare to make any small moves again, I will never give you mercy!"
Cao Shunhe glanced coldly at the subordinate in front of him and said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
After hearing this, the guards slowly stood up from the ground and stood with Cao Shunhe, quietly observing the development of the matter.
At this moment, looking at the huge crowd in front of them, Liang Hong and the others were frightened and just kept retreating.
Soon, they reached the point of no return, and the guards who had been responsible for protecting their safety had long since disappeared.
"This bunch of trash, I usually raise them in vain!"
After Liang Hong cursed secretly, he could only bite the bullet and face the people in front of him.
"Everyone has misunderstood, we will never do such a thing!"
"Tomorrow, all salt stores in the city will still be open for business! There will never be a situation like what the governor just said."
Seeing the critical situation, Liang Hong gritted his teeth and said solemnly, as if he had made up his mind.
"Yes, yes, the salt shop will be open as usual tomorrow! And it will be sold at the price of seven cents per catty."
Li Yide, who was on the side, saw this and followed suit.
"I use the credibility of my He family to guarantee that Yanhao will be open for business normally tomorrow."
Seeing that both of them had made corresponding promises, the remaining He Jin also followed suit.
"I still say what I said. There is no proof for what I say. You should establish a written proof!"
"It happens that there is pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the table in my study. Go and get it for me."
After hearing the guarantees made by Liang Hong and others, Cao Shunhe chuckled and gave the order.
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
The guards on the side heard this and quickly responded respectfully.
In full view of the public, these guards still did not dare to disobey Cao Shunhe's orders.
Therefore, someone quickly went to the study room and took out the pens, inks, papers and inkstones, and also brought an empty table along with them.
Seeing that the pen, ink, paper and inkstone were all ready, Cao Shunhe nodded, then spread out the paper, picked up the brush, and dipped it in ink. As the pen moved, an agreement appeared in front of everyone.
The content above is that the price of salt in the city must be restored to seven cents a pound! And salt accounts must not be shut down in any form so that people cannot buy salt.
"Everyone, please!"
After Cao Shunhe waited for the ink on the paper to dry, he turned his eyes to Liang Hong, Li Yide and He Jin and said slowly.
"Okay, we admit it!"
The three of them looked at each other, and then came to Cao Shunhe angrily. The guards on the side had already prepared ink pads.
The three of them quickly pressed their fingerprints on the agreement.
"My Lord Governor, are you satisfied now?"
Li Yide looked at the fingerprints pressed by himself on the agreement and said conspiratorially.
"I am indeed very satisfied. Thank you all for your cooperation."
The smile on Cao Shunhe's face remained unchanged, and he responded immediately.
"Hmph, let's see!"
After Liang Hong said these words, he and the other two people got on their own carriages and left the government office directly.
The crowd gathered at the entrance of the government office couldn't help but fall into a carnival after learning the news.
"We no longer have to endure high prices for salt. This is all thanks to the governor!"
"Your Majesty the Governor, please accept my respects!"
"Master Qingtian!"
Soon, many people who gathered at the entrance of the government office knelt on the ground.
They expressed their gratitude to Cao Shunhe, the governor of Jiangxi, in their own way. Some people even planned to build a shrine to Cao Shunhe!
Cao Shunhe looked at the people kneeling on the ground in front of him and felt something. Then he stepped forward and said.
"As your parent officer, these matters are my responsibilities!"
"Everyone, you should go back. You will have affordable salt early tomorrow morning."
Soon, under Cao Shunhe's persuasion, many people gathered at the entrance of the government office gradually dispersed.
When Cao Shunhe saw this, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately returned to the government office.
…
On the other side, Liang Hong and others fell into a quarrel after successfully escaping.
"It's all your fault. I have to go to the government office. It's okay now. I lost my wife and lost my troops!"
Li Yide turned his attention to Liang Hong and He Jin and said.
"Could I have predicted what is happening now?"
"Who would have thought that this Cao Shunhe would actually use the people in the city to put pressure on us?"
Liang Hong was not used to Li Yide, so he immediately replied.
"you!"
Li Yide became even more angry when he saw that Liang Hong's words were full of shirk and unwilling to assume his responsibilities.
"Okay, everyone, please stop saying a few words! The most urgent task is to come up with countermeasures."
He Jin, who was standing by, couldn't stand it any longer and stood up immediately, playing the role of peacemaker.
"Right now, we are completely at odds with this Cao Shunhe, so let's just stop fighting!"
After Li Yide finished speaking, he made a gesture of wiping his neck.
"What? Absolutely not! This Cao Shunhe is the governor of Jiangxi, a border official appointed by His Majesty himself!"
"If he dies inexplicably, the court will definitely send a large army over, and none of us will be able to escape by then!"
Liang Hong, who was on the side, was also shocked by the idea proposed by Li Yide and immediately refuted it.
"Then since we can't kill him, let's just put him under house arrest!"
"In this case, it can also save a lot of trouble and facilitate the development of our next plan."
Seeing that his suggestion was rejected, Li Yide did not mean to be angry, but continued to add.
"Well, this is a good idea. Let them know when the time comes and let them take action directly!"
He Jin on the side listened, nodded, and immediately adopted the suggestion.
"Speaking of which, do we really want to sell salt at seven cents a pound tomorrow?"
"Humph, sell, of course! It's just that we decide how much to sell."
…
Since Hu Zongxian led the army from Zhejiang, he has been marching towards Jiangxi via official roads.
Now, nearly half the distance has been walked.
"Order the soldiers to stop advancing temporarily and rest where they are!"
Hu Zongxian rode on his horse and ordered Qi Jiguang beside him.
"Yes, Lord Governor, I will give you the order right now!"
Soon, Hu Zongxian's order was passed to the ears of all the soldiers through the generals around him.
"At the current speed, how long will it take to reach Jiangxi?"
Hu Zongxian reined in the reins and asked Yu Dayou on the side.
"Reporting to the Governor, according to the current marching speed of the troops, they will be able to reach Jiangxi at noon tomorrow at the latest!"
Facing Hu Zongxian's inquiry, Yu Dayou gave the answer after thinking for a moment.
"Can we arrive in Jiangxi at noon tomorrow?"
After listening to Yu Dayou's answer, Hu Zongxian fell into deep thought.
(End of chapter)
