novelAbuy Chapter 293 Officials and People
Chapter 293 Officials and People
August 25th, sunny.
Early in the morning, several more people boarded a small boat and went up to Huangbudun. The two leading figures were Mo Tianyou and Qian Dayong.
The former brought Yang Mao as his attendant, while the latter was accompanied by Zhou Siwen and Zhao Yinong.
Undoubtedly, Mo Tianyou now essentially represents the underworld of Wuxi Prefecture. The moment Zhu Chen died, he acted ruthlessly, using the pretext of renegotiating the salt smuggling territory to assassinate Zhu Chen's two "agents" in Wuxi. He then went straight to Luoshe Station, wiping out the last remaining operation. His actions were swift, precise, and ruthless. Who says this man is stupid? He may be brutal, but he's certainly not stupid.
When Shao Shuyi found out, he could only accept the fait accompli and increase the supply of smuggled salt to Mo Tianyou, since he still had a lot of territory to conquer.
However, he also took the opportunity to set conditions: he demanded that Mo Tianyou not interfere in the Yixing Prefecture market, and that Mo Tianyou send men to cooperate in controlling the area. Mo Tianyou also needed Shao Shuyi's help. After some back and forth, the two sides decided to jointly send people in early September to thoroughly clean up the local smuggled salt market. Shao Shuyi initially decided to send Liu Xing, the younger brother of Madam Liu, to develop the market, since he was unhappy with his job at the patrol office. All of this happened before the annihilation of Bi Si's gang. Now that Bi Si has been captured and the gang has been destroyed, the situation has become somewhat delicate again.
"Cao Luo, you're quite capable." Mo Tianyou said this as soon as they met.
Shao Shuyi was looking at a map of Wuxi that he had somehow gotten his hands on when he heard this and burst into laughter, saying, "The four families of Wuxi have been united; Master Mo is quite capable indeed."
Mo Tianyou sat down directly, looked into Shao Shuyi's eyes, and said, "My skills are only useful in Wuxi. They are greatly diminished outside of Wuxi, and I don't want to leave Wuxi."
Shao Shuyi understood the implication in his words.
He had no other ambitions; he only wanted to be a local tyrant in Wuxi. He felt that such a large private salt market was enough for him to live off, and that Wuxi's population of over a million was enough for him to make a fortune and act arrogantly.
Although they were impolite today, they only brought Yang Mao as their follower to the island, leaving their lives in the hands of others. This was already a tacit admission of weakness. However, as big shots in the underworld, they couldn't afford to appear inferior, at least not outwardly.
Shao Shuyi had only increased the amount of private salt he was supplied with to 50,000 catties before, and then sent 70,000 catties in early August. This was far more than Mo Tianyou’s previous business scale, but it was still not enough, far from enough. This was the main reason why he was able to back down.
As for Wuxi, Shao Shuyi was temporarily unable to attend to the matter, so he smiled and said, "I am well aware of your ambitions, sir. I've heard that you have other businesses and rely heavily on the Grand Canal. Why haven't you intervened when Bi Si rebelled?"
Mo Tianyou didn't hide anything and said directly, "Qian Dayong and the others also paid me, but the bandits on Taihu Lake took the opportunity to cause trouble and rob merchants, so I led some men to patrol the lake."
Shao Shuyi looked at Qian Dayong.
Qian Dayong nodded and said, "Cao She and Master Mo are the two pillars of Wuxi. Without them, the Grand Canal would be filled with suffering, and countless people would lose their livelihoods."
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi nodded slightly and said, "Please sit down, Master Qian. Then..."
Having said that, he stood up, looking at the increasing number of boats outside Huangbudun, and said, "The Huai bandits are coming south in droves, killing and robbing, blocking trade routes, and even establishing themselves as mountain kings. In just two or three years, there have been several incidents that have required the government to launch major operations. And there are countless other smaller disturbances that haven't been publicized, or smaller gangs that have moved in and out quickly without their leaders being caught. The Huai River region is in chaos, and in the future, more and more bandits will cross the river, making Jiangnan increasingly chaotic. This time Bi Si was wiped out, but who knows if a Zhang Si or Li Si won't emerge in the future?"
Qian Dayong frowned upon hearing this.
This is the truth. Ordinary people might not care much, but these merchants who travel all over the country are the most perceptive. In the past two years, there have indeed been more and more thieves. They often hear about someone getting into trouble or someone's goods being stolen, which makes them very worried.
A deteriorating security environment can significantly impact their income. This is especially true for merchants who deal in grains and oils, who often operate on a low-profit, high-volume model. If they are robbed even once, they may not recover for several years.
"What does Cao She mean?" Qian Dayong asked hesitantly.
"See that warehouse?" Shao Shuyi walked to the window, pointed to a spot on the north bank, and said, "That's a warehouse I rent. I often store salt, grain, silk, cotton cloth, and bamboo products there, transporting them between the south and north. Starting next month, I plan to renovate the buildings and docks there, and increase manpower and boats to transport goods and patrol between Huangbudun and Lianhu. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Dayong was secretly delighted and said, "If Cao She can inspect this waterway, the route from Danyang to Wuxi will be smooth, which will greatly benefit us. But manpower and boats cost money." Shao Shuyi glanced at him and said, "I can't possibly pay for it myself while you reap the benefits, can I?"
Qian Dayong's face stiffened.
Mo Tianyou stared intently at Shao Shuyi and couldn't help but ask, "Cao Luo, have you forgotten our agreement?"
"Agreement to jointly deal with Zhu Chen?" Shao Shuyi turned around and looked at Mo Tianyou.
Mo Tianyou choked. Zhu Chen was dead; was the agreement null and void?
Thinking of this, he felt extremely agitated, and a surge of hot blood rushed to his head, almost causing him to explode. However, upon seeing the yellow-armored soldiers standing solemnly inside the room, he forcibly restrained himself.
The sudden outburst was exhilarating, but it inevitably led to a dead end in Huangbudun. Yet, the anger simmering within me was impossible to vent, causing unbearable discomfort; sometimes I truly wanted to give up entirely…
Shao Shuyi snorted coldly and said, "I'm going to buy this restaurant, the two docks, and the small warehouse on Huangbudun. We're already negotiating. Together with the large warehouse on the north bank, that's all I have in Wuxi. From now on, apart from opening a new Brothers Grain Shop on Huangbudun, everything else is yours. I don't care."
Mo Tianyou's mood gradually calmed down.
They didn't touch his money-making methods; it's just a grain shop. Let it open, as long as it doesn't lose money.
Huangbudun is, in essence, a suburb of Wuxi, not in the most affluent urban area, so it's still somewhat tolerable.
So he didn't say anything, just sat quietly, thinking.
After attacking and killing the other three families, he shared the spoils with officials of all ranks below Darughachi Harsha, acquiring a considerable amount of land, houses, shops, and women. By this time, he had doubled the number of his followers, servants, and servants, reaching nearly a hundred people.
The next step is to think of a way to get some weapons from elsewhere, train them properly, and use them as capital.
He was indeed tyrannical, but he was very clear about the foundation of his livelihood.
Wuxi Prefecture sent him to suppress bandits in Huashan, but he didn't go. As a result, nothing has happened to him to this day. The reason is obvious.
He wasn't entirely satisfied with Cao Luo's involvement in Huangbudun, but given the circumstances, there wasn't much he could do. Cao Luo had annihilated Bi Si and Thirty-Six Bandits in a single battle—that was genuine skill. Although he wasn't entirely convinced and believed he could have won if he were in the fight, seeing the elite soldiers under Cao Luo's command made him somewhat insecure.
Shao Shuyi took in his expression, then looked at Qian Dayong, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Siwen and Zhao Yinong, and said, "The river patrol is settled. The specific procedures will be discussed with you later."
Qian Dayong frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Cao She's noble character and his constant concern for the merchants and people of Wuxi are truly admirable. However, Lianhu Lake belongs to Danyang County of Zhenjiang Circuit, and is separated by Jinling and Wujin counties, so isn't that...?"
Shao Shuyi understood immediately, and looked at Qian Dayong with a mixture of anger and amusement, saying, "What? You don't want to pay once you've crossed the Wuxi border? Don't your goods pass through Changzhou and Zhenjiang?"
Qian Dayong chuckled and said, "From the city of Zhou, travel northwest along the Grand Canal for forty or fifty li to Wumukou, and you'll enter the territory of Jinling County. I'm fine with that, but some people who don't leave the city might feel that the money was wasted. How about adding another section, that is, from the city of Zhou, travel southeast to Wangting, reaching the territory of Changzhou County, to ensure the safety of this fifty-li stretch of waterway?"
Changzhou County belongs to Pingjiang Road, and Wangting is located at the junction of Wuxi Prefecture and Changzhou County, which is a node on the Grand Canal.
Shao Shuyi thought for a moment, then looked at Mo Tianyou.
Mo Tianyou slammed his hand on the table.
Standing behind Shao Shuyi, Tie Niu immediately glared at him angrily and put his hand on the hilt of his knife.
The soldiers in yellow armor standing solemnly inside the room all turned to look, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.
"Qian Dayong, have you lost your mind?" Mo Tianyou didn't dare to lash out at Shao Shuyi, so he confronted Qian Dayong instead. "Going to Wangting requires crossing the entire city, which is quite an eyesore. Where do you place these corrupt officials? Don't they have any shame? If they retaliate, I think you'll be in trouble."
Upon hearing this, Qian Dayong's face turned bitter.
Shao Shuyi watched for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Right now, we just need to establish the rules for river patrols. The specific details can still be discussed. There's no rush. As Master Mo said, the government also cares about its reputation. We can discuss this later; there's always a way."
Qian Dayong cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, but said nothing more.
To be fair, he wasn't just thinking of himself. Some small business owners really don't leave the state, and they would definitely be unwilling to spend any money.
"Alright, that's all for now. There's nothing more to say." Shao Shuyi stepped forward, took Mo Tianyou's hand with his left hand and Qian Dayong's hand with his right, and said with a smile, "Have some breakfast with me first, and then we'll take a boat trip along the canal to see the sights of Wuxi."
Neither of them objected.
Mo Tianyou seemed to have tacitly approved of Shao Shuyi's arrangements in Wuxi Prefecture, since they did not infringe upon his core interests.
Qian Dayong accepted it. Given the times, business was tough, and he was prepared for these extra expenses. His only hope was that Shao Shuyi wouldn't be like the government, just taking money and doing nothing.
It seems that he is still willing and able to do it, and that's good enough.
After breakfast, Shao Shuyi and his companions boarded a large ship called "Zuanfeng Haiqiu" and sailed southeast along the Grand Canal. They passed through Xintangmen (east of present-day Dingsheng Bridge) and entered the city of Wuxi.