Chapter 100 (1/2)
At the end of September in the 15th year of Dawu.
Yingzhou Lake Palace.
The whole family is busy. Zhao Qirui's face was blue, and he urged the steward from time to time. When he moved faster, a bodyguard ran to him and whispered a few words. After Zhao Qirui thought a little, he told the steward some important matters again, so he took the bodyguard and left quickly.
In the study, five or six merchants also looked embarrassed and frowned. Seeing Zhao Qirui coming in, they got up and saluted one by one. One of them took the lead in saying, ”Lord, the situation is out of control now. What should we do?”
Zhao Qirui's face was gloomy and glared at the man. The man hurriedly retreated and buried his head in silence. The others dared not speak again.
The bandits and bandits are powerful, and the state troops and criminal arrests everywhere can't resist them at all. Those alert rich grain merchants fled overnight to find Zhao Qirui, the ”main messenger”! Zhao Qirui has just learned that Yingzhou mansion has been conquered and is planning to escape. How can he show them a good face.
”It's all your bad work. What do you want to do with me at this time? I also tell you frankly that it's best to control your mouth. If things are exposed, I will be punished at most, and you will fall on your head!”
Several merchants hate and resent, but they have to accept this reality! A bolder man whispered, ”Lord, the situation is critical now. We should work together! Yingzhou can't stay any longer. What should we do? Please give me an idea!”
The subtext is: I'm following you anyway. We'll go wherever you go. The reason why Zhao Qirui saw these people was that he just wanted to give some warnings, but listening to them, he felt that it was also reasonable to ”help each other in the same boat”, but more people around him would be good for the future.
”Then go with me to Wuzhou Prefecture to find Mou Lin, who is quite capable and should have a way to deal with these refugees and bandits. Remember it for me and go out to publicize it to me. Chen Miao has failed to deal with all this!”
Zhao Qixuan, who returned to Yingzhou to clean up a group of corrupt officials, didn't care much about the news from the southwest. Instead, she was eager to meet a new leader of Xinglong guild, Jin Laoyou. Jin Laoyou was very clear about Princess Linlang's mind. He didn't refuse. He said he was willing to ride in front of and behind Princess Linlang.
Literati and beautiful women from all over the world have arrived in Hezhou one after another to prepare for the poetry, wine and beauty pageant! When King Ping arrived, Hezhou was already overcrowded! He doesn't need to do anything, just show his face. At the moment, he is bargaining with Zhang Zhou, who secretly returns to Hezhou and runs the double meeting.
Zhang Zhou was worried that Guan Yuniang, who was pregnant, could not bear the fatigue of the double Association, so he used a proposed Longzhou investment plan and got a few days' holiday from Zhang Shuhe. Because the double meeting has many eyes, in order to avoid being caught by political enemies, they can only secretly preside over relevant matters behind the scenes.
”How can you score some benefits this time!”
”Brother Ying, aren't you authentic? Why did I let you come to Hezhou to sit in the double meeting? It's not to raise your reputation. What a priceless investment? It's reasonable that you should give me silver as a reward for your image public relations!”
”Hey, hey, aren't we brothers? What else do you offer? See more!”
”What a brother! It's really nothing to blackmail me!”
”You don't know. After that incident, the strength of my Chuang Tzu's hands has been seriously damaged. This time, there are not enough hands and silver in the layout of the south. It's difficult to succeed! Just watch my brother suffer?”
”Three hundred thousand taels! Is that ok?” Zhang Zhou clenched his teeth.
”Well, you Zhang Zhou, you gave your mother two million Liang last year, and you came to me three hundred thousand liang? It's too stingy!”
”Brother, dear brother, do you want me to settle accounts for you? Besides, I didn't do that last year to please my mother. Frankly, I didn't force you to...”
”Well, well, don't talk about the past. Just add a little more! Okay? Did you force me to ask the queen mother to speak?”
”I've convinced you! Half a million! There's no more than one or two!”
”Yes, yes! It's a good brother!”
”When you return to Kyoto this time, take along my birthday gift for your majesty, a total of ten carts of carpets, and the 500000 Liang I filial piety to my mother!”
”How nice of you to send it yourself?”
”You took me 500000 Liang for nothing. I can only save on the road fare!”
“……”
The two also exchanged views on some recent events, and talked about the disasters in the southwest states. Zhang Zhou also secretly thought about how to recruit some refugees back. There are many droughts and floods every year. In short, I didn't pay much attention to it.
Wuzhou Fucheng.
Although Zexiang's management right has been owned by others, in order to expand the influence of Kyushu business, some people still participate in marketing operation, among which the role of Zexiang's image spokesman is particularly important.
Wu caier was born in a poor family. Forced to make a living, he participated in the first Hezhou double meeting. As a result, he was recruited by Kyushu commerce and trained as the spokesman of Zexiang in Wuzhou area. Job placement is also the principle of ”where to recruit, where to go”. Wu caier returned to his hometown, Wuzhou. Because of his bold character, good judgment and strong public relations ability, he was appointed the general director of several surrounding states. The so-called spokesperson is Ze Xiang's senior salesperson. Most of his contacts are women and famous girls from rich and powerful families. He can also be regarded as one of the social circles of the upper class.
The water disaster in Mingzhou was too sudden. The personnel of Kyushu commerce in Mingzhou only escaped two spokesmen and one supervisor. In this regard, Wu caier, as the person in charge, was very guilty, so he decisively withdrew all relevant personnel from Yingzhou to Wuzhou for standby, so as to avoid greater losses.
Wu caier also has a secret identity. She is also a ”shadow” member and a ”commercial spy”. She also has two companions on this line, one of whom did not escape in Mingzhou. The other is a woman named ”lingdang”, who has just withdrawn from Yingzhou. Now she is telling her what she knows.
”What you said is true?”
”I'm very sure that the exiles will attack Wuzhou! Because Mingzhou is a vast ocean and has no foothold, and Yingzhou can't meet the needs of so many refugees.”
Can be valued by the ”shadow”, naturally have some insight.
After all, Wu caier is a girl and has not experienced such a big mess. It is inevitable that she is a little nervous! But he soon cleared his mind and calmed down.
”In any case, the personnel shall evacuate Wuzhou first. You can go with them in the afternoon!”
Ling Dang asked, ”what about you, sister?”
”I can't leave for the time being! Stay and see what happens first!”
”Sister cai'er, you're too risky! Even if those exiles can't reach Wuzhou for a while and a half, it's hard to leave when a large number of refugees pour in!”
”Refugees?”
”Yes, when we withdrew from Yingzhou, the vagrants had not attacked Yingzhou Prefecture, but thousands of vagrants had entered the city. When the garrison of Yingzhou Prefecture found the trace of the vagrants, there was no chance to close the city gate. It was not so much that Yingzhou Prefecture was captured by the vagrants as that the vagrants crushed the defense of Yingzhou Prefecture! We got the help of the army of knowing Yingzhou and used it The rope laid down the wall and was able to escape! ”
Wu caier thought for a while and sighed, ”it's really difficult to distinguish refugees and bandits at some times!”
”Yes, after the refugees entered the city, there were many looting incidents. At first, the criminal arrest and the State Army were able to deal with it, but later they couldn't take care of it!”
”First there are refugees, then there are bandits. Because there are bandits, there are refugees again!”
”What does sister mean?”
”Previously, the people who withdrew from Mingzhou said that before entering Yingzhou, the vagrants looted the territory of Mingzhou, plundered the reserves for the lives of most people, forced these people to flee to Yingzhou for their lives, and then became vagrants! Where the vagrants go, most of them make a living by begging, and when the vagrants arrive, they will directly destroy the resources they rely on for survival and their lives If they can't continue, they can only continue to move, and then the vagrants will follow. Eventually, the vagrants will lose their last reserve and become vagrants, from begging to blatantly plundering others... ”
”Then we should leave at once. The refugees come at once. It's too dangerous!”