As for what was the resistance to the Senate's rule in Guangdong, Thorpe's opinion was that apart from natural factors, it was the social environment.
Thorpe's eyes swept over the people in the front cabin. Cummins and Xie Peng were still discussing tirelessly.
Guangdong is different from Hainan: Hainan has a small population, land conflicts are not acute, powerful landlords and clans have limited power, and can easily succumb and transform under the force of the Senate. In Guangdong, it's not that simple. The historical grievances between Guangchao Shantou people, Hakka people and Cantonese people are enough to make Director Liu, who is very ambitious and ready to take office, drink a pot.
The wheels of history are so powerful that they can crush them directly. It is easier said than done...
He recalled the information he had read about how to accept the transformation of old society and old cities. It was almost the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, and a full moon hung in the sky. The lights on the boats moored in the river bay were dim and shadowy, and distant sounds were heard. The sound of the flute and pipa, the river breeze is moist and refreshing, the river is gurgling, and it is extremely quiet.
Looking at Zhaoqing City on the north bank of the Xijiang River, backed by Jiangjun Ridge and facing the Xijiang River. Overlooking the river. The city wall has a circumference of 2.8 kilometers and is covered with bricks. Although it is not a majestic city, it has complete defensive facilities such as turrets, battlements, enemy towers, and moon city. Thorpe took a rough look at it visually and found that the height of the city wall was about 6 meters. Even without a telescope, you can see the large and small forts built on the city walls.
He saw a three-story pavilion on the city wall, which was quite spectacular, and asked, "Is this the Piyun Tower?"
Lin Ming hurriedly said: "Piyun Tower is at the north gate, this is Kuixing Pavilion."
Thorpe nodded. Kuixing Pavilion is dedicated to Kuixing, but from the appearance, it can be seen that it is actually a military fortress with densely populated embrasures and arrow holes. These defensive measures are of little use. No wonder Magartney had nothing but contempt for the Qing Dynasty after meeting Qianlong - you must know that the generation gap between Britain and the Qing Dynasty is much smaller than that between the Senate and the Ming Dynasty.
While he was deep in thought, he suddenly saw that Lin Ming and his men had set up tables and chairs on the bow deck. He personally took out the food and wine from a large food box and arranged them. He was diligent and quick, as if he was a waiter in a restaurant. He couldn't help but frown slightly: This Lin Baihu is really a smart, capable and versatile character! No wonder he is a small household. Guan'er, who looks like sesame seeds and mung beans, can thrive on the ground with just three words: "Jinyiwei"!
I imagine that such a person will be able to enjoy life under the rule of the Senate in the future. It's easy to get around...
"Mr. Suo, the moon is shining tonight. It's boring to sit here. Gaoyao County just happened to send us a banquet. Why don't we drink and enjoy the moon together." Lin Ming greeted him quickly when he saw him leaving the cabin.
Thorpe nodded: "That's very good."
There were only four of them at the banquet. The banquet was sent by the county magistrate and was very sumptuous.
"Come on, come on. This is Guilin Ruilu wine from Guangxi. It's hard to drink in Guangzhou..." Lin Ming was about to pour wine for them. Cummins glanced at Thorpe. Thorpe knew that all veterans could drink it. , but this time it was "performing a mission" and drinking was "violating discipline".
"Today is an exception. It's a day off." Thorpe said with a smile, "Let's have a few drinks and don't get drunk."
Several people passed glasses to each other, although Thorp also poured a glass of wine. But it's just a taste. Watching everyone drinking and admiring the moon, and listening to the melodious sound of silk and bamboo coming from other boats on the river, no one said a word. It seems as if they are all intoxicated.
At this time, a woman's cry could be faintly heard in the wind, and Thorpe didn't pay attention. Since arriving in this time and space, I have become accustomed to all kinds of miserable and painful things. I know that a moment of benevolence cannot bring peace and tranquility to the world. Moreover, I am here to consult on the trip, not to hold a charity reception.
Lin Ming put down his wine glass and frowned: "What a terrible sight!" He wanted to get up, "I'll go take a look and give you a few bucks to send it further away..."
Thorpe shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter, just cry. There are so many sad people in the world, how can we manage them? Just drink."
But Cummings said: "This... the voice sounds like a woman. Is it possible that she is being bullied by bad people? It's not good for us to just stand by and watch."
Thorpe smiled. He said: "I didn't expect that you are still a compassionate person. Since you said that, let's go and mind this nosy business." Then he called an escort and ordered him to find out who was crying.
"If she's just in trouble, just give her a few taels of silver," Thorpe ordered.
After a while, the escort came back and reported: "She is a singer, and her accent sounds like she is from Nanzhi. She was brought here as a concubine two years ago. This year, the owner of the family died and she was kicked out. I live here, selling and singing on the pier to make a living. I borrowed the money from the owner of the flower boat here, and now I am forced to do nothing, and I am crying. "
"Since you owe money, ask how much it is and just pay it back for her."
The escort smiled, as if he still had something to say. Lin Ming smiled and said: "This matter cannot be solved with money. The only people who can get married on the big pier in Zhaoqing are the characters on the ground. I don't think these few taels of silver are what I saw in the picture. , I want her body."
"Oh? Is there such a way?" Thorpe frowned.
"Listen to what this dignitary said, this singer is a self-inflicted child, and her identity is not in the hands of the wife. She can make up her own mind whether or not to sell herself on the boat, when to sell her body, and who she sells to or not. , the money you get is also equal to **21 plus 5. If the benefactor gives it to you, you can keep it yourself."
At this point, Thorpe already understood that this woman must have thought that the money she earned from her was not enough, and wanted to change from cooperation to merger. He frowned and said:
"In that case, just help her."
Lin Ming said: "It's not difficult to help her, it just depends on how far it goes..."
Cummings said impatiently: "Old Lin, stop hiding it and tell me!"
Lin Ming laughed a few times: "If it's just to help the present, help her out and pay off the debt. But after the first grade of junior high school, there must be fifteenth grade. As long as she is still hanging around at the Zhaoqing dock, sooner or later she will fall into the hands of others. . If you really want to help her to the end, you have to help her leave here, no matter where her family and relatives are, send her to Ansheng..."
"It's like being a matchmaker and having a son." Thorpe said with a smile, "That's why I say kindness cannot be used. We have so many things to do, we can't take care of these. Let's do this, you can give her more money and let her find another place. Go, the rest depends on her own destiny."
"Yes, it's up to the chief to ask for advice." Lin Ming said with a smile. He thought that this matter would probably not be resolved just by going to the escort master. Someone in the officialdom would have to come forward. So he volunteered at the moment and said: "I still have to deal with this matter. go."
Cummings said: "I will also go and have a look."
Thorpe smiled and said: "Go and watch it, but don't act in a martial arts drama."
The two of them went ashore with an escort, and not far away there was a small temple. It looks like there is still incense. Lin Ming knew that many such temples had vacant rooms for rent, and they were known as "monk shops". It's not surprising that the woman who sells and sings "self-promiscuity" on the dock lives here.
The buildings in the east courtyard of the monastery are very low. There are small rooms in the east, west, north and south of the courtyard, one next to the other, and there are more than ten rooms lined up in sequence. Most of the rooms had no lights, only a few still had oil lamps burning, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps. The escort signaled, and then Lin Ming noticed that the door of a small room to the south and west was open. There were some packages thrown in front of the door. There was a person squatting under the eaves, a vaguely female figure. The crying sound came from there.
He slowly walked over, leaned down and asked, "Were you crying just now?"
"..."
The woman squirmed but said nothing. Lin Ming couldn't see clearly her face through the moonlight. He saw that she was about thirty years old. But he couldn't see her face clearly. He could tell that she looked very upright. He couldn't help but sigh secretly and asked again: "How much do you owe me?" ?”
"Fifteen taels." The woman looked up at Lin Ming, sighed, and said no more. Lin Ming felt that the voice sounded familiar, so he wanted to ask again. Someone in the room sneered and said, "Don't listen to her fart!" Following the words, a woman in her fifties came out, pointed at her and said, "Last year she borrowed I spent seven taels of silver to buy clothes for my head, counting the profit plus three. I haven't paid it back yet. This year she was sick and lent me another eight taels, which is forty-eight taels with principal and interest!" She seemed to be turning the beads on an abacus. Crisp and noisy, saliva splashed everywhere.
Just listen to the woman say: "Tianli Conscience, the jewelry I gave you, not to mention the forty-eight pieces, there are four hundred and eighty taels..."
"Those pieces of silver and copper jewelry of yours, some of them are jade. How much do they cost?"
Lin Ming knew that the money lent to the woman on the boat was a debt to the king of hell with compound interest. If he wanted to settle the account with her, he would never be able to settle it clearly. Immediately he said: "I will pay back the money for her."
He took out a Delong note from his sleeve and threw it to the ground and said:
"This is fifty taels of delong's money! She and you will settle the matter."
The madam hurriedly lay down on the ground and picked up the note. He looked under the light and saw that it was indeed Delong's note. The paper was special and the pattern printed on it was even weirder. There were never any fake ones on the market. Once you got it, you knew it was genuine. . But she sneered and said: "If you pay it back for him, you deserve it! Let me tell you, Uncle Cao has taken a fancy to this little girl from Guangxi, and he is willing to give her three...five hundred taels of silver. You can give her fifty taels." Are you going to cut off my income?"
As he said this, the note was held motionless in his hand.
Lin Ming knew that she was raising the price from the ground up, so he didn't bother to talk to her. He immediately took out his badge from his waist and waved it: "How much money do you think this is worth?"
The wife thought it was some kind of jade pendant, so she opened her eyes wide to see it. Under the moonlight, it was clearly a badge of Jin Yiwei. She was the madam of the romantic place on the big pier, and she was well-informed. When she saw this badge You knew you were in trouble. He quickly smiled and said: "What did you say? This is a priceless treasure. Even if I eat the heart of a bear and feel the courage of a leopard, I won't dare to take it..." (To be continued)
ps: Note: The Xijiang Three Gorges in the previous section was reversed, so it has been rewritten. The plot is the same, but the geographical location has been adjusted. If you are interested, you can re-watch chapter 475
