Even though he was sitting in a bamboo silk sedan, even though there was a good-looking boy servant fanning him in the sedan, and Li Fengjie had just eaten a cup of iced plum soup. 【No pop-up novel website】I still feel unbearably hot. This official robe feels hot and heavy on the body. He wished he could take it off quickly to cool down and relax.
He just came back from Baietan - he attended a banquet, which was held in a restaurant next to Baietan. The banquet was nominally a "summer gathering", and of course there were elegant things like composing poems and singing songs at the banquet. . But the main topic at the banquet was how to "make money".
The banquet was mainly attended by powerful local gentry. The state of war with the Kun thieves and the ensuing disastrous defeat made the gentry in the provincial capital very uneasy. This includes hedonic aspects - not only has Ziminglou, a gold-selling den, closed down, but Australian products have gradually disappeared from the market, which has greatly affected the quality of life of the master, wife, young master and young ladies.
Secondly, the Lingao Economy has a multifaceted economic impact on Guangdong, and they have long used Guangzhou as a port for material procurement, which has resulted in the formation of many industries that directly or indirectly rely on the Lingao Economy for their operation. upstream and downstream industries.
As a trade window, Guangzhou has many people profiting from the Lingao-Guangdong industrial trade chain. The current hostility between Guangdong and Lingao has severely affected one of their profit channels, and no one can make much money anymore - especially the upstream suppliers of Lingao's industrial system. They were particularly hit hard by the loss of their export opportunities.
Nearly a hundred iron smelting yards in Guangdong have closed down, and a large number of workers have lost their jobs. The trading houses that used to traffic in raw materials such as coal, wood, and grain have also suffered a heavy blow.
Even downstream sellers are feeling the pain of losing product supply. Prices of Australian goods have skyrocketed, but few people are stocking up in large quantities. Even though there was sufficient inventory, sales fell after the price increase.
In addition to the inconvenience in life and business losses, the gentry were also very dissatisfied with Wang Zunde's actions. With Liu Xiang constantly harassing the coast and robbing ships to extort money, the pirates and the government were helpless. The Australians who honestly did business in Lingao and provided all kinds of goodies became the targets of the extermination. In their view, this was simply putting the cart before the horse. , "taking the initiative to provoke others". Many people secretly encouraged officials in the province in Beijing to work among the officials and censors to prepare for impeachment.
Some headless posters and pamphlets began to circulate in the provincial capital, adding to the dissatisfaction. Many yamen, official offices, and mansions of officials and gentry were quietly thrown into the public domain. Some are even posted on the street. Many of the messages revealed not only made the officials and gentry dissatisfied, but even incited the common people. All kinds of rumors are spreading all over the sky.
It seems that it is only a matter of time before the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi changes his position. Li Fengjie became eager to try this position. However, he knew very well that his plot would be challenged by Xiong Wencan - and Xiong Wencan's holy family was much better than him.
From all aspects, Lao Xiong is more confident than himself if he wants to seek the position of governor. Li Fengjie thought about it again and again and felt that the only way to start is to recruit the Australians as soon as possible. Although this has certain risks, it can greatly please the gentry, merchants and people in Guangzhou. To take a step back, even if he cannot seek the position of governor of Guangdong and Guangdong, he can still maintain his position as governor of Guangdong.
His staff also believed from a military perspective that there was no hope of continuing the "suppression". According to the reports of defeated soldiers and reports sent from various places in Hainan: the Australians' military strength far exceeded their estimates, and they became a very dangerous and terrifying enemy. Moreover, this enemy also has powerful maritime power. They may break into the Pearl River at any time and carry out large-scale looting and destruction of the rich delta area.
Li Fengjie's sedan chair was carried into the governor's Yamen. After getting off the sedan chair, he went directly into the study - this was where he and his staff discussed matters, and it was very quiet.
The servant helped him take off his official robe and put on a poplin shirt and a square towel, and brought him water to clean him. After a while, someone brought herbal tea again - his favorite fruit shaved ice was completely gone because Ziminglou closed down.
Li Fengjie drank tea and casually looked at the various documents sent by his personal servant.
On the table were the latest announcements circulating in the city. The contents of the unveiling posts are varied, but the firepower is concentrated on Wang Zunde and the staff and cronies around him. Its origin is self-evident. Either Wang's enemies or the Australians concocted it.
Many public posts described in detail how Wang Zunde planned to go to war with the Australians. How did Tian Da use Qi Wan's power to extort money everywhere, until the blackmail reached Zi Zihao, forcing Guo Dongzhu and others to escape... The details of the content and the vividness of the dialogue can only be understood by those who have experienced it. Written.
There are also some posters that look like they were made by Australians: the text is all in vernacular, the text is in popular style, and the printing is exquisite, and it is bound like a book. The content is varied. Some of them revealed shady scandals about Wang Zunde's staff, domestic servants and cronies - Li Fengjie thought Australians were very smart: Wang Zunde's personal morality and reputation were quite good in the officialdom, and it would be difficult to slander him with scandals. But the people around him are not so tough. Some of the posts describe various anecdotes about the emperor's relatives and their ambiguous affairs in the boudoir. There are many detailed descriptions in it, which are vivid and exciting to read. It's like reading a novel, which makes people unable to put it down. Some of the posts are even divided into volumes. There is such a difference between the first volume and the second volume, which makes people think of the second volume after reading the first volume. Many people secretly communicated with each other, and some even secretly printed and copied them privately.
The Australian's post has thus become popular reading and spiritual food for Guangzhou citizens. Even high-ranking officials like Li Fengjie are very interested in this. He was not interested in the explicit descriptions that small townsfolk were keen on, but he was attracted to the various "truths" revealed from time to time in the pamphlets.
This special propaganda tactic was the result of the joint efforts of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the "Publication Steering Group". The publishing leadership group organized a group of veterans to rewrite this kind of booklet by copying and pasting on computers. The booklets are printed in modern "pocket" book sizes for easy portability. The left-behind personnel at Guangzhou Station are constantly being dispersed through various channels.
There are several books on the table to collect the Australian posters that have just been collected. As the governor of Guangdong, the governor's office receives special attention from the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, and the latest pamphlets will be sent here first.
Li Fengjie asked his servant to invite a few close aides and picked up an Australian publication. The above topics are very impactful: "Looking at the so-called "Victory of Tuen Mun" from the secret archives of the Franconian Palace", "The former Ming Dynasty gave a detailed account of the Tianqi Dynasty's recovery of Penghu".
"Australians are very close to current events," he said to himself, preparing to read it later.
On the table, there are several latest newspapers. He opened a letter and read a few sentences, and his expression suddenly changed.
While the Guangdong officialdom was still conducting frequent private trials and discussions on the recruitment issue, news came that the bandits had landed on Hong Kong Island. Then, the news came that the bandits had neatly wiped out Zheng Bao and his gang on Lantau Island. And the sudden escape of Liu Xiang's men made the image of Kun Thief even more terrifying - even the famous shopkeeper Liu Da, who was feared by everyone, disappeared in front of Kun Thief.
In this way, the original plan of Li Fengjie and others to fight with Liu Xiang and Kun Thief to seize the territory of the Pearl River Estuary, using thieves to attack thieves, was completely over. The Australians are ready to open fire on anyone who stands in their way, while Liu Xiang does not intend to expend his own strength by armed defense of the Pearl River Estuary - there is no need to go head-to-head when there are soft persimmons to pinch.
Between Lingdingyang and Huangpu, there was no force worth mentioning that could withstand the attack of the Kun thieves. If they are willing, they can send the boat straight to Baietan and arrogantly become the masters of the entire Pearl River water surface.
"It's too late to recruit Dong Weng." He Chengzong put down the newspaper and said with a worried look on his face. Although He Chengzong was just a scholar, he was highly regarded by Li Fengjie. He is a kind of "strategist" in the shogunate.
According to the news in the Tang News: After the Australians built forts in Hong Kong and eliminated Zheng Bao, warships had already "knocked on the gate" at the Pearl River Estuary, especially patrolling in the Lingding Yang area and measuring the water depth. There seems to be an attempt to enter the Pearl River. If they move large iron ships into the Pearl River and blast the city of Guangzhou with the legendary powerful cannons, not only will the place be devastated beyond control, but Li Fengjie will no longer have to wear his black gauze hat.
"It's probably difficult to accomplish anything just by appeasing someone." Li Fengjie said. He also hopes that there will be a force that can contain the Australians, so that they will not become too big and act more unscrupulously.
Li Fengjie originally hoped that Liu Xiang would stick to his territory. After Liu Xiang slipped away, he turned his attention to the Franco people in Macau.
Due to the trend of interests, the Francois have always been very concerned about the maritime safety of the Pearl River Estuary. They have always had the habit and determination to protect their trade. As long as they point out to them the impact on trade in the Pearl River Estuary once the Ming Dynasty and the Australians go to war, the Francons will definitely dispatch ships to protect the Pearl River Estuary.
Li Fengjie received a report from the Prime Minister of Xiangshan County who was in charge of the war and stationed in Macau: The Francois now have four large ships moored in the port of Macau, all of which are three-masted plywood ships. The ship is equipped with 32 cannons. In terms of ship size, it exceeds all the current Kun Thief ships - except for the big iron ship. The Francons also had several smaller schooners, also equipped with 12 cannons. v! ~!
