Lu Ming

Land expropriation maps were hung on the four walls of the lobby, and all the land along the coast of Gaoqiao Town had been marked on them by color blocks of different colors.

These color blocks represent different land properties. Not only the area of ​​the land, but also the topography and landforms are marked on it, and the information including the land owner and the actual controller is also on it, which is clear at a glance.

In the side room, the accountants are busy, and the materials after verification are still being sent in a steady stream.Xiong Dao's ambitions are quite large, and a core area of ​​one square kilometer is far from satisfying his desires. Taking this opportunity, he hopes to do a good job of surveying as much surrounding land as possible.

Although it sounds unreal to wantonly buy land in the Jiangnan area, people who are not up to Xu Jie and Xu Ge's level usually dare not have such a dream; but who is Xiong Dao?Behind him is an ambitious empire, so Master Xiong wants to test the market this time and see how deep the water in the Jiangnan area is.

The complicated information collection work is very time-consuming. It took several days just to copy the materials from the county government, and they had to be checked one by one afterwards.

In the Ming Dynasty, there were not only bullies and gentry who occupied the official land for nothing, but also a large number of small and medium landlords, tenant farmers and self-cultivating farmers.There are many small households living on a few acres of fragmented land, and the land property rights are different. There are many hidden fields. In short, the work equivalent to a small-scale land survey is very cumbersome and takes a long time to complete the data.

So when Yu Bende came to the door with money, he saw this busy scene.Fortunately, his two apprentices were here as temporary consultants, so Lao Yu quickly figured out the situation.

After seeing Master Xiong in the study, Yu Bende first took out the first share capital of 5000 taels of silver, and then he signed the contract to open a toilet paper workshop on the spot.

Then it's time to get down to business.

After following Xiong Dao into the lobby, Lao Yu carefully studied the color blocks of the map on the wall for a while: he had never seen this straightforward way of expressing information before, but he quickly got used to it, and he was very impressed with it. This kind of marking method is full of praise.

Next is Xiong Dao's explanation.Holding a pointer, Xiong Dao pointed at the map while revealing his plans.

It wasn't until this time that Yu Bende figured out the real scale and purpose of Mr. Xiong's large-scale acquisition of land—the information he had received before was vague and concealed, but now the reason why it was disclosed to him was because everyone signed the contract. became one of our own.

However, after listening to Xiong Dao's grand plans for a while, Yu Bende couldn't take it anymore: "How many people are you going to fight against?"

So he couldn't help interrupting Xiong Dao's explanation: "To tell you the truth, master, this kind of land placement has offended too many people, it's really shocking."

"It doesn't matter, it's not that you want to see success in a day, just take your time." After hearing the words, Xiong Dao used his pointer to draw a circle along the river outside Gaoqiao Town: "Let's get the core land of the port first, and then Slowly expand."

"Even so..." Yu Bende twitched his sparse beard, and pondered, "May I ask Mr. Xiong, is the rightful owner of the land requisition and opening of the port, General Cao from Fujian?"

As early as when Tangzhuang was doing business in the early days, Xiong Dao played the banner of an agent of a certain pirate leader in Fujian.After Cao Chuan was recruited, the banner officially came out: the business got bigger and bigger, and the immigrants received more and more. If Cao Chuan did not recruit, there would be problems here in Hangzhou Station, so anyone who is interested can inquire now. To the background of Bear Road.

And at this moment, when Yu Bende asked this sentence, Xiong Dao immediately understood what he meant: the enemy army is too strong, so he can tell what hidden bosses are there.

"The lord is General Cao." Xiong Dao nodded without hesitation: "A few days ago, my general was granted the title of deputy general by the court's grace, and opened his residence in Xiamen. Old Yu, is that enough?"

"Enough is enough, enough is enough!" Yu Bende didn't expect that the Fujian general had already opened the mansion, so he nodded quickly.

As a person in the system, Yu Bende can understand the meaning of Xiong Dao's words: the generals who have been clearly assigned fiefdoms by the imperial court are the army of the military system, and the Ministry of War needs to make military registers and send out more Junshang is no longer the kind of black household who doesn't even have a establishment after surrendering.

In a sense, the status of the Cao family army is now equivalent to that of the Guan Ning army, and it is a regular army recognized by the Ming Dynasty.

In this situation, a general who opened a mansion with a heavy army in his hand would not be easy to handle even if he was a big boss, let alone an ordinary gentry-if he was in a hurry, he would force the Cao family back, and the southeastern half of the wall would be corrupt Who will take the blame?Is it true that Chongzhen can't kill people?Then whoever was cut...

Therefore, as long as the current Cao Chuan does not make any big news about rebellion and planting flags, such as forced demolition and forced relocation, bullying the market, and forcibly robbing a civilian girl, the court will not even ask.

That's why Yu Bende said that enough is enough: Since the BOSS is strong enough, at least officially, no one will come out to obstruct Xiongdao's port opening plan.

We must know that Zheng Zhilong in history also bought land and built luxury houses in Fujian after he was recruited. Chinese-style expansion, both civil and military.

……

Seeing Yu Shuban nodding repeatedly, Xiong Dao continued to talk.After he pointed to the map and explained the plan, Yu Bende first pleaded guilty, and then he studied the map for a long time in silence before putting forward his suggestion.

Yu Shuban first divided the demolition objects into two parts.He did not divide according to official and private fields, but ingeniously divided the groups according to property: grassroots and officials.

Grasslanders here include all self-cultivating farmers, tenants and small landlords, while officials include all people with power above the middle landlord.

Here, Yu Shuban put forward a strategic idea: he and his apprentice, the Yaren, would take care of all the grassroots, and Xiong Dao himself would handle all the officials.

Yu Bende's thinking is very clear: What are the strengths of subordinate staff?Deceiving the upper and lower, intimidating and defrauding, colluding with each other, and oppressing the common people.That's right, all the skills of subordinate staff are useless in front of officials.

However, when dealing with those grassroots who can't read, Mumunana, who regard half an acre of land as big as the sky, the subordinate staff can come in handy.

You must know that there are a large number of these grassroots. If Xiong Dao's elites went from house to house, it would be a waste of resources. It is Yu Bende, a well-known local subordinate who is a professional counterpart—in the eyes of the grassroots, he is The big official.

"Old Yu, Lao Yu, as expected of an old man, this plan is very good and powerful!" Xiong Dao couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "Don't worry, as long as you work hard, I can take the shares of the workshop. Reward you in advance."

Speaking of this, Xiong Dao stretched out his hand and patted Lao Yu's shoulder, then he walked to the side of the map, and punched a certain map representing the coast: "I will take Zhang Su Tan first tomorrow!"

And Yu Bende also came over in time, and smiled around a certain plot with a pointer: "Master Xiong, please transfer the money, and I will go to Zuojia Village tomorrow."

"It's easy to say, easy to say, if you don't have anything else, you will have more money."

……

That night, in a small courtyard of Luo Yuan's back house, Xiong Dao dictated the content of the telegram while pacing the room.

The telegrapher sitting on the side quickly sent out the content: 50 additional action team members will be sent to our office... along the way, 20 taels of silver will be used as start-up capital... please pay close attention to public opinion... keep informed...

Chapter 340 Opening of Port ([-])

Wu Sanye stepped hard on the gravel ground under his feet, and after feeling the rebound force from the thin-soled cotton boots, he nodded in satisfaction, and then led the people to continue walking forward.

It is not easy to lay sand and gravel on a river beach full of mud. It is labor-intensive, material-intensive, and most importantly, money.

However, the third master paid the money after all.He is a bully with vision and dreams, and he firmly believes that his efforts will be adequately rewarded.

The river beach that Wu Sanye is inspecting is called Zhang Su Beach.

It is adjacent to the estuary of the Yangtze River.As the sea water returns from time to time, crops cannot be planted in the surrounding land, and Zhangsu Beach has become a wasteland full of thatch and reeds for a long time.

However, this place seems to be a wasteland, but there is actually a universe inside.There is a small island on the coast of Zhangsu Beach, which is also covered with trees.In the curved waterway between the island and the land, there is a wooden trestle protruding out secretly.

This is a private port.The location is good, the line of sight is concealed, and it is a private port that is convenient for people from all walks of life to come here to do business.

The business of Zhangsutan Private Port is still very busy.Salt dealers who went north and south would stop here, captured bandits would bring their stolen goods, and most of the fugitive slaves who planned to go by sea would come here to find ships.In addition, some fishermen who can't bear the extortion by the cruel officials at the official wharf sometimes place their goods here-even though Zhang Sutan also has to pump water.

And it is Wu Sanye and his subordinates who strongly maintain the order here and benefit from it.

Wu Sanye's single name has the word "Meng", which is Zuo Jinren's family name.In the early years, this person gathered a group of idlers to commit crimes and do some shady things.One day about 10 years ago, when Wu Meng and his men were hiding from official errands in the reeds of Zhangsutan, someone said, "This place is a good place to build a private port."

After that, there is today's Zhangsu Beach Private Port.

10 years.Wu Meng spent 10 years building this land, and regarded it as the capital for himself and his brothers to settle down.And Zhang Sutan did not live up to Wu Meng's expectations.This river beach land with a radius of [-] mu has been continuously bringing profits to Wu Meng since the trestle bridge was built.

To this day, Wu Meng, Mr. Wu, has used the influence of this place to make a fortune in the arena and become a big tycoon who sits on the ground and distributes the spoils.

……

With about 10 subordinates, the third master patrolled the dock all the way to the pier according to the route he walked every day.The cold air in early spring was icy cold, the river surface was bleak, and even the pier was much deserted.

There were not many people beside the trestle, and there were only two boats berthed, a fishing boat and a fast boat.

The fishing boat has finished unloading the fish, and the boss of the boat is pulling the anchor and pulling the sails to leave.After seeing the third master and his party walking on the trestle bridge, they saluted at the bow of the boat with a smile on their faces.

The third master was always kind to people who came to give money, so he also smiled and waved to the boss of the boat.

As for the other fast boat, after the third master glanced at the tough sailors wearing bamboo hats and waist knives on the boat, and then at the slender hull and the linen bags being unloaded, he already had a solid idea.

"What's the origin? Look at the face." After walking over, the third master asked while opening the sack to inspect the goods.

"It's the first time I've seen you. It's said that the big dealer in Huainan sent us to scout the way." Someone next to him immediately provided information.

"Hmm..." After grabbing a handful of high-quality salt grains from the sack, Mr. Wu nodded: As he judged, these strangers are indeed salt dealers.

"Since you are a wayfinder, then give us a good price." The third master, who is a complex of salt lord + fish bully, naturally would not refuse to come to buy and sell.In fact, he is in a good mood at the moment: this kind of refined salt is usually operated by a big salt lord, which shows that the other party is probably a colleague from Huainan who came here especially for his name.

With the joy of "the influence has expanded again", Wu Sanye not only decided to give the visitor enough money for the goods, but he also stepped forward in person and chatted with the visitor across the bow of the boat.

The only person on the other side who talked to Mr. Wu was a dark and thin middle-aged man.This person called himself "Gu Le", spoke Huainan dialect, was taciturn, said very little, and seemed very suspicious.

And Mr. Wu was already familiar with this situation: salt dealers who are away from home all have this kind of virtue, they are always careful and ready to fight with others at any time.

So after a few brief conversations, he bowed his hands and said goodbye with a smile. Before he left, he ordered his subordinates to bring some food and drinks to the Clippers—one time was raw and the second time was familiar, and they were all guests. After a few more interactions, this group of people would let go of their guard. up.At that time, with his means, he will naturally be able to connect with Huainan, and everyone will make money together.

The third master's good mood came to an abrupt end the moment he walked off the trestle bridge: the subordinates who ran towards him told him that the Duya people from the county town had come and said they had something important to discuss.

It is definitely not possible to build a house for criminals in the barren grass beach, so whether it is eating, sleeping or hiding fugitives here, everything is in the nest in the grass.

When the third master hurried to the shack, Du Yaren, who was dressed in a toga, with a round face and always smiling, was already sitting on a wooden bench with his young attendants, having tea.

Du Yaren is a well-known lobbyist in the county.This person has a wide range of businesses and can eat both black and white. He is often invited to make peace between some big and small conflicts.

Not only that, this person also acts as the mouthpiece of the government on weekdays.Some tacit understandings that are inconvenient to announce to the public, but must be understood, are often conveyed to people from all walks of life by Du Ya people.

So this guy usually doesn't do good things when he comes. Most of the time, he comes to extort filial piety on behalf of the officials. Mr. Wu and his gang have occupied the official land and smuggled contraband for ten years, and those officials are not How can a dead man be tolerated if there is no benefit?

So when the third master heard that Du Yaren was coming, he couldn't help being in a bad mood.And after a while, his mood won't be bad...because he's out of anger.

"What? You want me to hand over Zhang Sutan and make a living by myself?!" After hearing Du Yaren's words, Mr. Wu was furious, stood up abruptly, and almost pushed back the straw roof over his head.

"Third Master, don't get angry. Let Du finish his sentence."

Du Yaren was rich in speaking and experience, and he was not moved by the emotions of the target at all. Next, he still spoke out the other party's conditions in a leisurely manner.

"Master Xiong has already deeded the beach land with a radius of several tens of miles. It is the silver that is waiting for the land to be supplemented. The county lord is very happy."

"Master Xiong knows that the third master has a business in Zhang Sutan...plans to pay a sum of money...after all, this place already belongs to them."

"Third Master can go on his own...or he can also work with Master Xiong...Now is the time to employ people..."

"This is the handwriting of the General of Fujian... the third master must not be arrogant..."

It was already an hour after the Duya people told the whole story.And Wu Meng stopped yelling at this time, and sat quietly to the side to listen to the content.

After pondering for a while, Third Master Wu got up and came to the door of the shack. He folded his arms and stared into the distance for a while, then turned to call Du Yaren to stand beside him.

"When the trestle bridge was built ten years ago, the brothers were all poor ghosts at first sight, so they had to fight on their own. As a result, two lives were lost after the trestle bridge was built." At this time, Mr. Wu smiled and pointed The position of the trestle bridge in the distance tells the story.

"Later, after doing some salt business, Ghost Liu'er from Shiqiliqiao was jealous and brought people to fight. In that battle, three more brothers were lost." Wu Sanye said here, turning his head to look Du Yaren glanced at him: "Afterwards, you will make peace."

"Well, there is such a thing." Du Yaren nodded.

Wu Sanye continued as if he had never heard of it: "In these years, for business, I don't know how many fights, big and small. In the barren meadow, the corpses of many brothers were buried."

"Now life is better, and business is booming. No, I just bought [-] carts of gravel to pave the floor last month."

When Wu Sanye said this, he couldn't hide his anger anymore.He turned around in vain, stared at Du Yaren angrily, and said through gritted teeth: "I don't care about Mr. Xiong, General Xiong. Whoever wants to get Zhang Su Tan's idea is my life-and-death enemy!"

With a sound of "choking", the third master and his subordinates pulled out their knives at the same time: "Go back and tell that man surnamed Xiong, don't mess with the men, be careful that my steel knives don't have eyes!"

...Looking at the red eyes of Mr. Wu, Du Yaren stretched out his hand and slowly pushed away the steel knife in front of him, then he gave a dry laugh, clasped his hands together and said, "In that case, Du will leave."

After saying this, Du Yaren left Caowozi with his followers.

After walking a short distance in the wild grass, there was a carriage.After the two got into the carriage, Du Yaren changed his attitude just now, and quickly came out with a helpless smile: "Brother Qingyun, you also saw it just now, this Wu Meng is soft and hard."

The young follower nodded, smiled and said to him: "Yes, Master Du, you have tried your best, and I have seen it all."

"Oh, you're so stubborn..." Du Yaren seemed to be angry and said, "I don't know what kind of regulations Mr. Xiong is. I should ask the government to come forward and give this guy a hard lesson to relieve his anger."

Having said this, Du Yaren raised his head and glanced at Brother Qingyun.However, to his disappointment, not only did this man remain silent, but he was still staring at him with a half-smile.After a long time, Brother Qingyun turned around and said: "There are many methods, just wait and listen."

After the carriage traveled for a while in the wild grass, there was a puddle in front of it.When he got here, the young man jumped out of the car and boarded another carriage waiting here.

The later coachman did not push the carriage, but remained in place.After a while, when Du Yaren's carriage went away, the young man put the pistol in his waist again, and then he picked up the walkie-talkie and started calling: "This is Liu Qingyun, call Gu Tianle."

Soon, a reply came from the walkie-talkie: "Gu Tianle received it, please tell me."

"Act on Plan 2, repeat, Plan 2."

"Gu Tianle understands: Plan No. 2."

Chapter 341 Opening of Port (VII)

As night fell, it was pitch black on the deserted beach.

Wu Meng and his group gathered in the hut were sitting around the oil lamp and plotting.

At this moment, Third Master Wu has a serious expression on his face, which is no longer the reckless expression he had during the day: "Er Qi, go to the county town tomorrow to find your uncle, and find out the details of that Xiong."

"Here!"

"Bingcai, call all the brothers back and get ready guys, this time it seems that there is going to be a big fight."

"Here!"

"Hong Fu, go and say hello to those trash in Daxing, don't let that Xiong hire a soldier."

"Here!"

"Gouzi, go to Taihu Lake and make it clear to Boss Hu that I need someone here at any time, so let him prepare."

"Here!"

The third master arranged here, rubbed his hands, and then looked around with a sullen expression: "We men have never been afraid of anyone in this barren grass beach. If the surname Xiong wants to come to court for death, let him come. It's time to kill and serve wine to the brothers!"

"I'll do it with them!" Now that the elder brother had made the arrangements, a group of younger brothers were naturally excited and agreed.

……

When the big plan was brewing in the thatched hut, the private port in the distance was not idle.