"Go directly to Deng Fei and tell him about this, and he will arrange the manpower. I'm afraid Zheng Yi and the others can't do the tea road thing alone. You need to help with the details." As the wedding day gets closer, Zhao Xin said to him in words. Shen Jingdan also became polite, which made Boss Shen very satisfied.
Shen Jingdan twirled his beard and said, "Don't worry, I also met two tea merchants when I was in Guangzhou... Hey, I just came back, are you leaving again?"
Zhao Xin nodded and said: "Yes, let's continue talking to Manqing."
He paused and hesitated before saying, "Do you know who the Qing Dynasty sent this time?"
Shen Jingdan said seriously: "I heard about it in Guangzhou, it's Liu Chongru."
"Yes, the big enemies of the Xu brothers and Ah Quan."
In fact, Zhao Xin didn't care whether they negotiated or not. He was really curious about Liu Yong and wanted to take this opportunity to meet this famous minister who was extremely famous in history and among the people.
Since the Qing prisoners of Ningguta began their labor reform, the road from Fuldan City to Ningguta has been widened a lot. Cao Peng, a blasting engineer from the power plant, is now here again, leading several apprentices from technical schools to dig into the mountains and blast rocks.
On the mountain road from Dongning to Ninggu Pagoda, several deafening roars can be heard almost every few days. A group of Qing army prisoners could often see a small mountain being blown up into the sky, and then turned into rubble all over the mountain and valley.
After the whistle indicating safety sounded, the prisoners, tied together with ropes in groups of five, were sent to clear the gravel, widen the road, and dig roadbeds and drainage ditches.
As mentioned before, because this area is covered with frozen soil, excavation of the roadbed is very difficult. The road surface must first be dug to a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters, and then backfilled with gravel and soil to ensure that the road will not collapse due to the melting of permafrost.
When Zhao Xin rushed to the road construction site with a battalion transferred from the training base, Cao Peng was scolding several apprentices.
"How many times have I told you what you should pay attention to every time you drill holes to bury explosive sites?!"
"You can't drill holes and load the medicine at the same time..."
"Then why can't you remember! Also, what did I say about the water pipe? When the hose is connected to the steel pipe, it must be twisted firmly with double strands of No. 8 iron wire to prevent the pipe from breaking and hurting people! It's all pig brains!"
An apprentice said shakily: "Master, it's too cold, we just want to hurry up."
Cao Peng hated the iron and said angrily: "Cold? If you can't do it, go back! If something happens to you, how will I explain to your parents?!"
After he finished scolding his disciples and kicked out all the boys in his 16s and 17s, the door curtain swung and Zhao Xin walked in.
Cao Peng looked surprised and said, "Hey, why are you here? Just arrived?"
Zhao Xin chuckled and said: "Go to Ninggu Pagoda. I just listened to you training people, so it's inconvenient for me to disturb you."
Cao Peng said: "Why are you going to Ninggu Pagoda in this cold weather? I heard that you are not getting married at the end of the year?"
Zhao Xin waved his hand and said: "It's too late. Qianlong sent Liu Yong here as a negotiator, and I plan to meet Liu Luoguo."
Cao Peng has been in Beihai Town for a year, and he has heard about the old stories in Dongtai. At this moment, when I heard that I was going to meet Liu Yong, I quickly said: "Isn't it convenient for you to take me with you? I have been here for so long, and apart from the prisoners outside, I have never seen any celebrities of this era."
Zhao Xindao: "Can you go away? I just heard you getting angry. Can I leave, apprentice?"
Cao Peng said: "Just wait for me for one more day, and I will finish drilling these holes and blow up a few big rocks."
While waiting for Cao Peng, Zhao Xin checked the food and accommodation conditions of the Qing prisoners. Although Beihai Town treats these people harshly, they do not treat them badly in terms of food and clothing. They were fed with corn flour steamed buns, and they could also eat white flour steamed buns once a week. They also treated injuries and illnesses, which made the prisoners shed tears of gratitude.
There are two roads built starting from Ninggu Pagoda, one leading to Sanxing City and the other right here. Although the weather in the outer Northeast is cold in October and the ground is frozen hard, you can set up firewood to burn it and you can dig after it softens. The civil affairs plan was to stop work in November and let the prisoners do some manual work before continuing in March of the following year.
Five days later, Cao Peng followed Zhao Xin's team to Ninggu Pagoda. Because when Na Qitai initially retreated, he asked the people in the city to act as a rear guard to block the Northern Navy's pursuit. Therefore, not many residents of Ninggu Tower have escaped, and most of them have been brought back by the Northern Navy.
But since then, the trade routes between Ningguta and Hunchun, Jilin and even Shengjing have been cut off. At present, except for a few pawnshops and a newly opened Beihai trading company, all other shops have not opened.
On the second day after Zhao Xin arrived at Ninggu Pagoda, he was in a pawn shop called "Hengfengdang" on the southeast corner of Cross Street in the outer city.
Wu Zhenzhou, the pawnshop owner sitting behind the counter, suddenly heard the door creaking softly and quickly leaned forward to check. I saw a guy wearing a ragged mink hat and covering his face poked his head into the door. When his eyes caught his eye, he turned around and looked out again, then walked in and closed the door behind him. .
When the man took off the scarf covering his face, Wu Zhenzhou couldn't help being surprised. He knew this man.
"Ouch~~ Mr. Chang! Why are you back?" Wu Zhenzhou said as he hurriedly walked out of the counter, welcomed the other party to sit down in the main room at the back, and made preparations for him to make a cup of tea.
"Shopkeeper Wu, the imperial court is about to negotiate with Zhao Ni. Mr. Liu Chongru will go to the retreat station in a few days. I am here with the soldiers from the front station."
This person's name is Chang Wu, known as Chang Wuye. He is a relative of Na Qitai's concubine, the former deputy capital of Ninggu Pagoda. "Hengfengdang" is a joint venture between Na Qitai and Wu Zhenzhou, but externally it is a joint venture between Chang Wu and Wu Zhenzhou.
It is said that during the San Francisco Rebellion, because the Qing government transferred all Ning Guta's troops to the south, Han people began to live in the city, and the urban economy began to rise. There are currently 95 merchants in Ningguta City, including 12 pawnshops.
However, no matter what the shops were doing at this time, they could basically only be opened if they had connections with the government; even if foreign merchants wanted to do business locally, they had to form a partnership with someone from the government.
For example, the Guanglai Cloth Store in Xiguan was opened by the Yin family who worked in the Deputy Government Office, while the grocery store on Beidajie was opened by the Wang family who specialized in setting prices. In addition, there are also blacksmith shops, grinding shops, candle shops, noodle shops, grocery stores, restaurants, etc., just like every one.
Wu Zhenzhou asked: "Then why are you here?"
Chang Wudao: "Please count the money on the cabinet, I want to take it with me."
Wu Zhenyi heard this and said anxiously: "Fifth Master, how can this be done? If all the money on the counter is taken away, our business will be over!"
Chang Wu sneered: "Even if it's over, we can't leave it to someone named Zhao!"
Gu Wu Zhenzhou said: "Fifth Master, please listen to me. Ever since the Northern Navy entered the city, everyone has been frightened. Many merchants are anxious to go back to the south. The pawn business in the city is now at its best. How about you wait a few more days? ?”
After the Beihai Navy imposed military control on Ninggu Pagoda, it did not specifically make it difficult for local Manchu residents and shops jointly owned by various government and businessmen. First, most of the Manchus in Ningguta were organized into the Eight Banners by the Hezhe and Kurkaqi people and belonged to the "Yi Che Manchu", which is the new Manchuria. Not to mention massacring the Han people, many of them even went to Shanhaiguan. I have never been there, but I still live a primitive and simple life. Second, if we attack these shops right from the start, it will cause instability in the market and panic among people.
But even so, some merchants who opened shops in partnership with government officials still felt uneasy. They all pawned their valuable household goods and prepared to go back to the south when the snow stopped. The good business that Wu Zhenzhou said stems from this.
Chang Wu shook his head and said: "No! The master told me before I came that the stock money must be brought back! To tell you the truth, the Ningguta court cannot take it back."
When the Beihai Navy fought against Mingliang, Wu Zhenzhou was in the city. He saw with his own eyes the smoke at the Ning Guta Camp and knew that what Chang Wu said was true.
He thought for a while and said with some embarrassment: "The money on the counter right now is only seventy or eighty thousand yuan, and the silver is only a few dozen taels..."
Chang Wu looked surprised. He stared at Wu Zhenzhou blankly and asked, "Why is it so small?"
"Fifth Master, where are you thinking? If I, Wu Zhenzhou, were like that, I would be struck by lightning!"
Wu Zhenzhou then explained to Chang Wu. Among the items he has pawned recently, furs and ginseng are the most numerous. They were all used by those guys who took advantage of the recent chaos and went into the mountains to poach and dig ginseng privately.
"Now that the trade route to the south is cut off, these leather goods and ginseng have all dropped to a carrot price." Wu Zhenzhou hesitated and said, "How about this? Mr. Wu, you should just take the leather goods and ginseng away. These things will arrive in Jilin." You can exchange money with Ula. If you pass the customs, I estimate that you must have five thousand taels of silver. I will continue to collect it here. When the money on the cabinet is almost spent, I will close the shop and go back to the south. "
Chang Wu thought about it for a long time and felt that this was the only way to go. After all, even if he takes all the money on the cabinet back, he can't explain it to Na Qitai.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard someone outside the door saying: "Sir, the short-haired officer is here!"
"Official officer?" Chang Wu was startled and whispered: "It's broken! Are you here to catch me?"
Wu Zhenzhou opened the door and asked the waiter: "How many people are here? Do you have any muskets?"
"Three, without muskets. Two have been here before, and the other one has never been seen before."
Wu Zhenzhou felt relieved after hearing this. He turned around and said to Chang Wu: "Did you hear that, Mr. Wu? This is not an arrest. There are many rules in the short-haired government. They come to check at every turn and say they know the situation. How old is our shop?" It’s been a long time, so I often come to ask about other shops.”
Since Liu Sheng led his troops north and left a battalion of troops in Ningguta to carry out the operation, Chen Qingsong sent a team of 20 civil affairs cadres here and transferred 50 security police to cooperate with military control. .
After the Civil Affairs Bureau arrived, they first posted a notice to calm the people, and then they were busy measuring the official villages and private fields outside the south gate, and then they began to conduct thorough inspections of various shops in the city to investigate the situation of displaced people.
According to the measurement results and combined with the Manchu archives in the government office, the cultivated land in Ninggu Pagoda is divided into two types: official villages of the Eight Banners and private fields; the sixteen official villages have a total of more than 420,000 acres of cultivated land, mainly distributed in the south of the city. In addition, there are more than 54,000 acres of private land cultivated by refugees from the customs.
Since the Yongzheng Dynasty, as refugees from the pass have continued to flow into the Northeast in order to survive, there have been more and more cases of private reclamation of official wasteland and joint development of wasteland with banner people. The practice of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was to clear the land on a regular basis. The land cultivated by the bannermen returned to the bannermen, and the land cultivated by the people only needed to pay the grain on time.
After this year's autumn harvest, the grain harvested from various local government villages were forcibly confiscated by the Northern Navy. Together with the grain stored in the former deputy governor's office, it can basically meet the supply of staple grains for the whole winter. Grains will be transferred from Fuldan City in the spring. That’s it.
Ningguta currently implements a food rationing system, with two meals a day being collected by card. Through this operation, Beihai Town has a close grasp of the situation of the local population. According to statistics from the civil affairs, there are 792 local households, a fixed population of 2,952, and 87 businessmen who come here to do business.
After hearing this, Chang Wu's face calmed down a little, and he said to Wu Zhenzhou: "Then I'll go to the side room for a while, and you can go back quickly. Hey, ask the guy to show me the inventory list."
Wu Zhenzhou agreed quickly after hearing this, but when he turned around and went out, there was a look of disdain on his face.
Chang Wu is just a piece of trash. In the past, he just came here to collect money, and the amount was already decided. Fortunately, I was prepared. I made two copies of the inventory account. Let the clerk show him the fake one!
In this year, when merchants opened shops and did business, they usually used their own relatives as clerks. The main reason was that they knew the business well and could be trusted. There were originally two clerks at "Hengfengdang". The one sent by Chang Wu ran away before, and the remaining one was Wu Zhenzhou's nephew.
After instructing the clerk to go to the account book, Wu Zhenzhou walked out from behind and saw three guys wearing thick black cotton coats standing outside the tall counter. One of them was tall and had a smile on his face when he spoke; He has a beard and looks like he is in his twenties.
The man was standing by the counter, looking at the wooden sign hanging on the wall. The wooden plaque was just an ordinary pine board, with three lines written on it with a calligraphy pen from top to bottom and from right to left: Improper divine robes and costumes, inappropriate flags, gongs, umbrellas and fans, and inappropriate low tide jewelry.
"Interesting." This was Zhao Xin's first time entering a pawn shop. He had seen it in movies and TV series before.
Wu Zhenzhou hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "The little man Wu Zhenzhou pays his respects to all the officials."
"Your Majesty, you are Shopkeeper Wu, right? I've heard of his name for a long time." Zhao Xin smiled and cupped his hands.
Wu Zhen saw on Monday that the two short-haired officials who had come before were standing behind each other, and guessed that this one must have a higher official position. However, he has not yet understood the official ranks within Beihai Town, so he clasped his fists and saluted: "Don't you dare, may I ask who you are, sir?"
Zhao Xindao: "Oh, my surname is Zhao. I came from Fuldan City with the army yesterday. I want to know something about the situation with you today."
Wu Zhenzhou said with a smile on his face: "Master, you are too polite. Please sit in the back hall."
After a few people sat down and the waiter served tea, Zhao Xin said: "I heard that Shopkeeper Wu has done a lot of business in ginseng and leather goods in the past few months."
Wu Zhenzhou's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed and said, "It's a small business, just help me."
"Don't worry, I'm not here to check you." Zhao Xin explained with a smile and continued: "You are an old local businessman. I would like to ask Shopkeeper Wu how many gangs there are in the local area that secretly dig ginseng?"
"This..." Wu Zhenzhou's heart suddenly pounded, and he replied hesitantly: "I can't say for sure, but it is said that there are two groups of people, both numbering around a hundred or ten people."
Zhao Xin smiled slightly and stopped talking. And a civil affairs cadre next to him suddenly said: "Shopkeeper Wu, don't have any worries. According to what we know, last month alone, you collected a lot of money from Xu Mazi, Yu Deshui, Lu Qi and Chen Ershou. A lot of ginseng. Why are there two groups of people?!"
Wu Zhenzhou was shocked when he heard this, wondering why such a secret thing was known to the other party? It's so wet now!
. The fastest website to update the mobile version:
