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Chapter 142: Building Harmony Together for the Senior Year of Senior High School
Zhang Youfu had already been waiting outside the main hall to greet the marquis, and he was considered an old acquaintance of Xi Yazhou. Every time the county interacts with the Chuan Chuan Group, he is the one who comes forward. Among the landowners and gentry in the county, he is the one who has the most favorable impression of the Chuan Chuan Group - he has earned a lot of remuneration in the past few months.
Welcoming into the hall, there were bright candles inside, and the Eight Immortals table was lifted up and a banquet was set up. A middle-aged Confucian scholar in the main room saw Wen Desi and others coming in. He stood up and bowed his hands in greeting. He smiled and greeted them to sit down. His expression was extremely warm and he was completely without the restraint of first meeting. Everyone knows that this is what today is like. Invite the right host to a banquet.
The person who came was none other than Wu Mingjin’s master, Wang Zhaomin. The whole process of Xiong Buyou's arrival was hidden behind the screen and he could see clearly. He also read the letter several times afterwards.
He has been around for many years and has experienced a lot. The purpose of the time traveler's team training and joint defense is clear. He estimated that this group of thieves with unknown origins had the same plan as Zheng Zhilong, who had recently been recruited by the court: he did not want to be an enemy of the government, but he hoped to occupy a piece of land in the coastal area for maritime trade. Similar to Zheng Zhilong occupying the center left position.
No matter how smart and experienced Wang Zhaomin is, he would never have thought that the real purpose of this group of people was to replace the Ming Dynasty. In his opinion, not attacking the county seat would mean that the thieves were showing to the government that they would not cross the bottom line - in contrast, Zheng Zhilong also occupied the central and left city of the imperial court.
Based on this premise, the conditions proposed by the thieves were not too exaggerated. After Wang Zhaomin thought about it again and again, he thought that he could talk to the thieves about the price and conditions. After all, the other party sent over a hundred genuine pirate heads as a meeting gift, which showed his sincerity.
Wu Mingjin was helpless, he was unwilling to do anything, but he was unable to do anything about the current situation, so he had to act indifferently. Wang Zhaomin was sent out to negotiate.
If the banquet dishes at Landlord Zhang’s house were placed in another time and space, they would be simply shabby to people who had traveled across the sea. However, for these people who have been eating fish and vegetables for several months, whole chickens, whole ducks, large ducks, etc. Pieces of stewed meat, and a whole roasted suckling pig with crispy and brown skin. This thing alone made the traversers who were short of oil and water salivate at a faster rate.
Naturally, there are also some fresh vegetables and other things, and there are also a lot of drinks, which are local products. On the other hand, things like "raw seafood" are not on the table - there are too many of them locally and they are not valuable at all.
Out of the need to put on airs, the eight traveling companions who were accompanying them as bodyguards could not join the table together. Only Xi Yazhou and Wen Desi took part in the banquet despite everyone's resentment.
Everyone was squatting in the main room outside. There was a table here, but it was just a virtuous chicken and a few bowls of vegetables. There was a bowl of meat slices that was piled high. After one person picked off a piece, the bottom was It's all just fried sweet potatoes, and there are only 8 slices of meat - Ganqing only made it after calculating the head count.
However, no one dared to eat anything - after being threatened by several doctors from the health department with parasite problems, they still remained wary of locally cooked food, and at the same time, they were also wary of the possibility that it might be poisonous. At the moment, two people were guarding the door, and two others were guarding the sides.
Everyone exchanged a few polite words, drank a few rounds of wine as usual, and after the two committee members took a few bites of roast suckling pig, the conversation got down to business. The first person to speak was Zhang Youfu. He once again tried to test the executive committee's request for each village to go to Bairen City for a meeting. At the same time, he said that the gentry in the county were willing to provide food and salary to the executive committee. As long as the number was set, it would be delivered on time. It doesn't matter if they organize a team to practice joint defense.
Wen Desi asked bluntly: "Is this the intention of the Ming government or the intention of the gentry in the county?"
Zhang Youfu was speechless for a moment. He glanced at Wang Zhaomin in embarrassment. These words were actually spoken by Wang Zhaomin, the county magistrate's master. As far as the gentry is concerned, they are not opposed to organizing teams to practice joint defense - the northern part of Lingao has always been very hard to be invaded by pirates, and many bandits in the countryside have colluded with pirates to block roads, rob, and extort people for ransom. The gentry and tenant farmers suffered greatly. The gentry have somewhat lost confidence in the county government, and they would be happy if such a powerful group was willing to take the lead in organizing it.
Wang Zhaomin said: "Of course it is the intention of the gentry."
Xi Yazhou sneered slightly: "What do the gentlemen mean?" He tapped the table with his fingers, "On December 17, Wu Ya said something to the village elders in Meitong Village. On December 20, Fu Bowen went there. The three villages of Da, Meiyang, and America, what they said was the day before yesterday, and your Dianshi went to Bowen Village to say that when the heavenly soldiers arrive, they will be turned into ashes."
Wang Zhaomin had a sudden thought. He didn't expect that these thieves knew everything about the county's actions. He forced a smile and said: "It is common for county officials to go to the countryside for inspections——"
"We can't control those who don't patrol. It's the responsibility of the adults." Xi Yazhou said, "Recently, the county is in a hurry to go to the countryside to catch up with the autumn grain. There probably isn't enough."
"Collecting royal grain and national taxes is a matter of course, why not?"
"The world has been bad recently, and there are many pirates and bandits. We want to have a team training and joint defense, but the adults don't allow it." Xi Yazhou showed a sinister smile, "There is no guarantee that something will happen to the food transport team on the way -"
Wang Zhaomin's body shrank: he wouldn't be afraid if the other party threatened to attack the city - they would have attacked the city long ago, so why come here to negotiate? It must be just a false threat. However, robbing the grain transport team was of no benefit to the Kun thieves, but it was a matter of life and death for Magistrate Wu.
He smiled hurriedly and said: "You are all good citizens of the imperial court. You want to organize group training for the sake of the local people. This matter can be discussed."
Wen Desi took another bite of crispy suckling pig - the taste was indeed more mellow than what he had eaten in later generations. Said: "Mr. Wang, please open the skylight and speak frankly. Wu Mingfu is always the parent official of this county. Law-abiding people like us who uphold the purpose of ensuring the safety of the territory and the people will definitely not embarrass him. Not only that, we also want to wish him The sun is rising high."
Wang Zhaomin nodded, his calculations settled in his mind, and he winked at Zhang Youfu. Zhang Youfu stood up quickly, found an excuse and went out.
Both sides lowered their voices and began to discuss secretly.
At first, Wang Zhaomin only promised that the county government would take a tacit attitude on this matter, but Wen Desi firmly refused. In his opinion, acquiescence and rejection are the same thing. From the experience of another time and space, acquiescence is for the future. The prohibition left foreshadowing. Although this does not hinder the crossing party itself, each village will have certain concerns.
In the end, the two sides reached an agreement: the crossing party organized a team to practice joint defense, and the county would no longer obstruct it. However, the leader cannot be in the name of the traveling party, and must be the security chief of a certain village. This is not difficult. Wen Desi suggested that Damei Village should take the lead. After the submission is submitted, the county will approve it with a seal.
The traveling party promised to be responsible for the county's defense against pirates, organize the suppression of bandits, and maintain peace in the four townships. At the same time, it will not interfere with the county government's execution of its daily administrative affairs, and will assist the county government in certain tasks when necessary. Such as autumn grain collection. If there is a situation in the county where the summer and autumn grains cannot be paid, the crossing party will provide assistance - the method of assistance will be discussed later.
The crossing party will continue to pay the salt tax and various miscellaneous amounts at the Ma Niao Salt Farm, and an "extra" one hundred taels will be paid every year as miscellaneous expenses for the county. Dongmen City pays 10 taels of miscellaneous taxes every year, and the county government issues "tooth stickers" to Dongmen City to recognize Dongmen City's market status.
The two parties agreed that all the heads obtained by the Crossing Group in suppressing bandits and resisting pirates would belong to the county government, and the same applies to the seized seals, symbols, flags, and documents. Other spoils belong to the crossing party.
If Fu Bowen is willing to return to Bopu to serve as his inspector, the traveling party agrees to his return. He will also build a new government office for him and provide him with twelve archers. The first miscellaneous expenses shall be borne by the traveling party.
The county government will provide all conveniences to the crossing party within the scope of the law, such as capturing escaped slaves, pursuing debt-ridden tenants, and transferring property and fields. Because there is no Ming Dynasty household registration on the crossing side. Wang Zhaomin suggested setting up a Bairen Village in Bairen City and going to the county to register seven or eight households. In this way, even if the traveling party has a legal entity, otherwise all kinds of documents and contracts cannot be written.
In the end, it was natural to discuss personal interests. Wang Zhaomin was extremely concerned about this. Not only was he very active in fighting for himself, but he also worked hard to increase the bargaining chip for Dong Weng.
After some haggling, Wen Desi agreed to give Mr. Wang three hundred taels of silver and Magistrate Wu one thousand taels of silver. The two parties also reached a partnership agreement to sell salt in Lingao County and 14 markets across Lingao. The traveling party is responsible for the supply. As for the procedures and sales of the private change, Mr. Wang will handle it, with a 50-50 split between the two parties.
In order to avoid suspicion, the two parties agreed to use Zhang Youfu as the contact person to deliver the news. If an interview was necessary, the meeting location would be Zhang Youfu's home.
Finally, Wang Zhaomin also persuaded Wen Desi and others that if they want to carry out activities in the county in the future, it is best to wear their short hair and short clothes to avoid being too eye-catching. Wen Desi laughed it off, but later thought that it might be necessary. In the future, there would be many things to do to make friends with the gentry and peasants, which would make his side too special and difficult to penetrate the masses.
The matter has been settled and the burden on both parties has been lightened. The wine was also much more enjoyable. When the wine was full of wine, Wen Desi presented the prepared gifts again. What was given to Magistrate Wu was an oval glass mirror, and what was given to Master Wang was a glass cup. Every other official in the county wears a freshwater pearl bracelet, the kind that sells for five yuan a piece at the pearl wholesale market. According to the information reported by the Guangzhou advance station: the freshwater cultured pearls they brought are very popular in Guangzhou.
Master Wang was naturally overjoyed, these thieves really knew their stuff.
Because it was already dark and the city gate was closed, Master Wang naturally could not return to the city, so he rested at Zhang Youfu's house. Wen Desi finished the work, but was not in a hurry to leave. They still wanted to have a good talk with Zhang Youfu, their contact person. ,.
