On the second day of March, there was less than one day left before the auction started.
"Let's go." Yu Maosheng and Mu Jiao got into the car one after another and ordered Yu San'er to drive.
Besides, everything is ready for the auction, and only shopkeeper Mu will cut the ribbon early tomorrow morning to announce the opening, so the two of them rushed to Qixian County to meet everyone on the last day - logically speaking, the two heads of the escort agency and the company are still You should have arrived early to prepare, but I have to say that He Nan was too reassuring.
The gambling house was temporarily transformed from an inn, and it was still in a "trial operation" stage in the past two weeks, but the numbers on the accounts submitted by He Nan still surprised Mu Jiao - for her, this number was also There is nothing surprising, but if this number appears in a gambling house, it is really...a bit exaggerated.
As we all know, the most profitable industries are "eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling". The profit model of Shengguo Casino is mainly divided into two types. The first is calculated based on time and charges venue fees; the second is based on gambling. Rake money based on the winning or losing of customers - no matter which one it is, the profits gained are very considerable. In addition to building a casino, hiring gambling supervisors, and regularly matching the government, it is almost a business with no capital and huge profits. In some cases, the rake ratio can reach an astonishing 20 to 30 percent, that is, 20 to 30 percent of the chips earned by the winner are taken away. Therefore, the more important part is naturally the income brought by rake. Assume that during the dice game, if ten gamblers bet on the number of people, there are five of them, and none of them bet on other projects, then if the casino does not If there is no pumping, the profit from such a trading session will be zero.
Although this example is a bit extreme, there have indeed been incidents in the past where some gamblers secretly teamed up to cheat high-rolling casinos. The casino obviously cannot accept such a result, so in order to ensure that both parties have the possibility of survival, In the end, a rule was gradually formed that the rake ranged from half to 10% according to the size of the casino.
But Mu Jiao knew that it was impossible to generate such an amount of revenue just by relying on venue fees and rake, even if some rich man spent a lot of money - what kind of person could be robbed of hundreds of taels of silver just by rake at the gambling table? If the commission is 5%, it will be a turnover of two thousand taels of silver... Not to mention a lot, at least the inn is definitely enough - but judging from the accounts, the turnover of a thousand taels is not the same. He didn't show up, but he definitely made more than one hundred taels of silver.
After fully reading the half-month-old account book transcript in his hand, Mu Jiao's first reaction was that He Nan had made false accounts in order to highlight his ability and win her trust. We can't blame Mu Jiao for guessing that He Nan is despicable. After all, this number is too weird, and He Nan usually gives people the impression that he is someone who can do such things... Don't you see, this is the biggest fake at the auction. Was he the one who suggested it?
But Mu Jiao still misunderstood him - although He Nan gradually exposed his nature of using extravagant tactics to escape responsibility after losing the shackles of Shanhe Mansion, in this matter, he obviously had no need to cheat. .
This account was proofread and transcribed by He Nan himself. Every number on it is undoubtedly true. As for how it was done... Speaking of which, this matter is inseparable from the Black Sea Chamber of Commerce. The "legacy" left by these foreigners has been completely wiped out.
It is not that there has never been a game of gambling between the banker and the players in Shengguo, but due to the restrictions on gaming projects, it has not become popular on a large scale. After the Black Sea Chamber of Commerce settled in the Laizhou Gambling House, the gambling method popular among foreigners was The game also spread to the soil of Shengguo.
It is very different from the local gambling in Shengguo. Foreigners prefer a card game called poker. Just like the rules of mahjong vary from place to place, the playing methods of this kind of cards are more diverse and bright. Shen Fang learned seven or eight kinds from Andre. However, this new way of playing has not been widely popularized. After all, most of the customers in Laizhou Gambling House are Jianghu people and are not too interested in foreigners' stuff. On the contrary, some businessmen who often deal with foreigners are very interested in it. That’s why the two uppermost private rooms of Laizhou Gambling House offer this type of game.
Shen Fang also thought about why this same interesting game has completely opposite acceptance among different groups of people. Finally, he analyzed the possibility - because the game based on poker has a different relationship between the dealer and Player gambling is more tolerant. Since there is no rivalry between the Player and the Player, this occasion is more relaxed. Compared with the traditional dice game in the Sheng Kingdom, the Banker and Player gambling also has some skills. It is not just gambling, so it is more acceptable to gamblers who pay more attention to status and dignity and are not just for profit. The key to attracting people to become addicted to gambling in the traditional sense is obviously that it is a life-and-death game, and the sky is high and the sea is vast, and the abyss is vast.
And the smart boy Shen Fang obviously realized that the method that did not work in Laizhou Gambling House was a big business opportunity here. Yueyue City itself was a commercial capital, and foreign merchants and foreign goods were not uncommon, so it naturally had higher acceptance. So Shen Fang began to train everyone to master this new technology, and as Shen Fang expected, the wealthy businessmen from all over the country who were attracted here because of the news of the auction were very interested in this new gadget.
In order to provide customers with the best entertainment experience, Shen Fang also went out of his way to go into battle personally. He would personally organize card games every other afternoon and invite all the bosses to the table, killing everyone in the dark.
As the saying goes, do what you do and love what you do. As early as when he first came into contact with this poker, Shen Fang had already begun to think about ways to win. According to his experience, as long as the technique is fast enough, it is much simpler than mahjong. After all, the soft texture of playing cards makes them easier to hide. And basic skills such as card counting and card counting are even more important - this is a required course for every gambler.
But when dealing with these players who are very unfamiliar with the gambling field and have deep pockets, Shen Fang will not deliberately make heavy moves. Instead, he will return some chips to the losers after the day's gambling. This is undoubtedly a way to whet the appetite of others. Well, it was Shen Fang's move that created an illusion for everyone involved that "even if they lose, they won't lose much." On the contrary, the winning numbers are better looking. This kind of manipulation of the gambler's psychology also This is the secret that makes Shen Fang one of the most gamblers in the world.
To sum up, this dazzling account book is actually mostly the result of Shen Fang making the bosses happy, and these people are so proud of themselves in the casino that they naturally spend a lot of money.
However, Mu Jiao didn't know the whole story yet, so she could only hold the account book and mutter in her heart. Just half a street out of Yu Mansion, the carriage held by Yu San'er suddenly stopped.
"Oh...it's him?" Mu Jiao leaned out of the car window first, but saw someone he didn't want to see. Yu Maosheng saw his wife's expression and had to get out of the car to deal with the embarrassing scene. .
The harassing person was none other than Xu Gong's father, Xu Jingming.
The couple naturally knew about Xu Gong's secret supply of poison, but because Li Zhanchun's instructions were to wait and see what happens, they did not quarrel with Xu Jiaming. Later, Xu Gong was directly taken to the capital by Zhao Xike. After that, the two families no longer had any contact with each other and returned to the original indifference.
Let’s not talk about whether Xu Jingming knew that his son was playing these little tricks in private, but his attitude of "it is necessary for people to go forward, but it is not necessary for people to go behind" is quite disgusting. Yu Maosheng, an old family friend, would not accept Xu Gong's visit every two days - but the appearance of Xu Jingming at this time gave the couple the idea of "nothing good" at the same time.
However, Mu Jiao also felt that he was too nervous today. First, he suspected that the conspicuous package of congratulations would make it difficult to make false accounts, and then he speculated that his old friend Xu Jingming had come with bad intentions - but in fact, he only heard about the auction. So I came here to congratulate him in advance, and I also said that I would go to Qixian County tomorrow to cheer up my friends.
"Am I... too anxious?" After bidding farewell to Xu Jingming and starting his journey again, Mu Jiao put one hand on the window edge and supported his forehead. This shrewd woman also noticed the fluctuations in her mood and leaned tiredly on her husband.
"It's been very hard for everyone during this period, especially you..." Director Yu was born as a martial artist. Even though he was an old married couple, he was not very good at saying words of concern, but more in action. He saw that his wife's face looked a little... Feeling uncomfortable, he quickly put on a coat.
Seeing their mother in such a tired state, the two children of the Yu family also felt a little more concerned. They asked their father to free up a space and sit on either side of their mother, chatting and joking with her.
There are twenty Yu family fleets. In addition to the two heads and two children, the escorts and key members of the company are also dispatched to ensure that tomorrow's plan can be carried out smoothly. Go down. As for the goods, in addition to the auction items that are about to be sold, there is also the most important thing... the fakes prepared for the appearance of the evil sword are also in the convoy.
In order to avenge the shame this time, the Taiping Escort Bureau is ready and fully armed, and only needs this last step - but as the saying goes, a man who walks a hundred miles is half a dozen, and sometimes the last step is the most relaxing one. time.
And the most relaxed moments often hide the most terrifying crises, hiding... darkness under the lamp!
The avenue faces the sky and is open in all directions. It is adjacent to the Chunjiang River on the left and Haoqiongyuan on the right. But there is such a group of people who are extremely good at concealment, tracking, and assassination, so they can hide even in the wilderness with no cover.
Such a beautiful place has so little life.
"Isn't it... coming again?" Wu Yin, the escort leader, saw an ominous premonition coming over him when he saw the leading chariot halting his horse. He quickly scratched his head and broke into a cold sweat... They were all robbing escorts, and this time the battle was going to be fierce. Much bigger than last time.
It was also a robbery escort. The last time the Taiping Escort Bureau was on Shouhugang, there were twenty people. This time, there were more than a hundred people in Haohao Tangtang. However, the robbery escort party still followed the route of elite soldiers and was not surrounded by a black mob. , there were only nine people as far as the eye could see.
But judging from the auras of these people, there are nine of them who are as good at martial arts as Yu Maosheng, the head of the Taiping Escort Bureau!
Mr. Yu gently moved his head away from his wife's hand on his wrist and sighed: "I really don't know if bringing Taiping with me this time is a good thing or a bad thing..."
"Tomorrow's auction will be held as usual."
With that said, dismount and pick up the gun!
