"You could say that!"
The middle-aged man said helplessly: "Actually, you guys are unlucky today because you met this Cao San.
This man is the nephew of the boss of this generation. With such a relationship, he openly wants to take cards. I guess this bastard went gambling again last night and lost everything before he thought of going out to make a fortune.
The other people are fine, and they act according to the rules, which is not outrageous. If they pay a few taels of silver, there will be less trouble at the dock and in the city.
For us businessmen, no trouble is the greatest success. "
"Then you give them money so willingly? Isn't this indulging them?"
“I was reluctant at first, but in the end I thought it was okay!”
The middle-aged man pointed at the endless fleet: "Thousands of ships come in and out of the several docks up and down Suzhou every day. The power of the government alone cannot satisfy it.
Queue-jumping, trusting connections, back-door people, local merchants, etc. It’s called chaos. Fights happen from time to time, and even people lose their lives.
The most important thing is that those bastards in the government don't do anything even if they take money. It should be chaos, but it's still chaos, and they bully us.
However, after the emergence of the boat gang and the boat gang, although money was still paid, the order at the dock was much better. Trackers, sailors, porters, carriages, etc. were all regulated a lot.
There is no need to fight over grabbing passengers and cargo ships anymore, and the prices are all clearly marked, so there will be no such thing as price gouging or price gouging.
As long as you dock and report what kind of goods are being shipped and the quantity, etc., someone will naturally make arrangements. After you pay the money, you can leave, and someone will help you get it done.
The most amazing thing is that if your goods cannot be sold, you can also contact them and they will help you do it, but they will only take a certain profit.
So and so, spending a little money, what's the point? If it were you, what would you choose? "
"Pay some money to settle the matter!"
Yang Shaoan answered subconsciously, and then looked at the middle-aged man: "Does everyone else think so?"
"What can you do if you don't think so? In this land south of the Yangtze River, if it is a dragon, you have to coil up, and if it is a tiger, you have to lie down. As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake. That's how it is in the world."
The middle-aged man looked towards the shore: "Okay, the trackers are here to pick you up. Remember, don't complain to the officials when you enter the city. It may not be helpful here."
"Why?"
"It's better to do less than to do more. Suzhou has existed for so long and has a set of free operating rules.
If you find a job for the superiors, do you think the superiors will make your life comfortable?
That’s it for now, just take care of yourself! "
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he returned to the cabin.
Inside the passenger ship, Chongzhen's eyes flickered, and he heard the conversations between Yang Shaoan, Cao San, and the middle-aged man.
If you look at middle-aged men, then the Cao Gang and the Boat Gang are somewhat useful.
But it doesn't mean that he will tolerate the existence of these two, or that he will not exist in this way.
Anything that is a monopoly must be eliminated, otherwise it will fall on it sooner or later.
The most important thing is that the power controlled by these major gangs can pull up a team at any time. This is the most terrifying thing.
"Is what the middle-aged man said true?"
"It's true, that's why I said that such water transportation is unsolvable!"
"If you don't understand, let's not talk about it for now. Let's take a look at the city first!"
"yes!"
After Li Ruolian responded, he continued: "My boss, this... we won't go with Yang Shaoan and the others. We will wait in line here to avoid attracting the attention of Cao San's group and revealing our traces!"
"This is about you..."
"How could you do this? Didn't I just give you fifty taels of wine money? Why do you want it again now?"
Before Chongzhen finished speaking, there was a noise outside. Li Ruolian stepped forward and opened the boat window and found that the three people behind Cao San just now were arguing with Yang Shaoan.
"The third brother took what you just gave us, and none of us are left behind. Please give us another one.
The three of us have ten taels each, and the trackers and porters have ten taels each. We guarantee that your goods will be safely delivered to the city! "
"You really think we are easy to bully, don't you? Where is Cao San? I want to find him!"
"Third brother? Third brother is in Wenrou Village at the moment. It will probably be three days before he wakes up. Don't talk nonsense. We can't make a fortune even with dozens of taels of silver, so you are nothing."
…
"As expected, the King of Hell is easy to mess with, and the little devil is difficult and greedy!"
Chongzhen said coldly: "Let Yang Shaoan give it to them. It is best to induce them to blackmail the two ships of goods and treat it as fishing.
Just when I was thinking about how to do it, something was delivered to my door. Whatever I ate today, I would let them spit it out with profit the next day.
Arrange people to keep an eye on them, find their lair, and wait for orders to catch them all! "
Li Ruolian nodded and quietly exited the cabin.
Half an hour later, the two cargo ships were pulled by trackers and headed towards the dock in the dedicated waterway.
Chongzhen's passenger ship waited from sunrise to the west until it docked at the pier. After paying the head fee, they boarded the pier.
The pier was bustling with people, traffic flowed like a dragon, and there were shouts and chants.
Tongzhou's terminal is already very busy, but compared with Suzhou's terminal, it is still far behind.
But compared to the porters in Tongzhou, the porters on the pier looked more numb and tired. Although the vendors shouted hard, the merchants didn't buy it.
Moreover, the clothes of the vendors are not much better than those in Tongzhou.
The people on the road were in a hurry, their faces even more numb.
From the pier to the city gate, Chongzhen was very puzzled by what he saw along the way.
You must know that this is Suzhou Prefecture, the richest state capital in the Ming Dynasty. Not to mention the people in the capital, but at least it should be relatively peaceful. Why is it so demeanor?
Seeing the confusion in the emperor's eyes, Li Ruolian whispered: "My boss, Wei Zhongxian suppressed Jiangnan back then and collected industrial and commercial taxes and mining taxes from Jiangnan, but it was still less than 30% of the actual amount.
The gentry and wealthy businessmen dispersed this 30% to the ordinary people. They seemed to be satisfied with the military pay in Liaodong, but in the end it was the ordinary people who bore the bitter fruit.
Although Jiangnan is rich, the rich are the gentry and wealthy businessmen. The ordinary people are better off than other provinces, but not much better.
One is the exploitation by wealthy businessmen and gentry, and the other is that 10% of the country’s taxes come from here. "
After Li Ruolian said this, Chongzhen suddenly remembered that in history, after Wei Zhongxian's death, the Donglin Party came to power, saying that the court could not compete with the people for profits, and abolished Wei Zhongxian's industrial and commercial taxes and mining taxes in Jiangnan.
However, as the war intensified and the national treasury was empty, the Donglin Party was helpless and could only impose heavy taxes on the people.
This practice of drinking poison to quench thirst eventually led to the people's resistance, and the rebel army became more and more powerful.
These gentry and wealthy businessmen are really nothing.
Chongzhen's face was livid, and he suppressed the murderous intention in his heart: "Enter the city!"
