Chapter 66: Sweet Harbor Storm - Dirty Tricks

“Tell them not to worry. If they work hard enough, they can squeeze oil from a stone. Besides, do they dare to argue with the Haiyitang?” Third Master Zhu sneered. “When the Haiyitang tightens the money supply, these money-grubbing dogs will be crying for their mothers.”

The Haiyitang, as the sugar guild, was powerful and wealthy. It was not only a local sugar tycoon but also controlled the local finances. Ordinary merchants and wealthy people dared not to cross them.

“You,” he pointed to another subordinate standing by, “go and tell Zhao Jijiao to keep a close eye on South China. In three to five days, South China will definitely have a problem. Tell him to seize the opportunity and act!”

Then, he instructed a few more subordinates to carry out each matter. He was not very confident in Zhao Jijiao’s men and had made his own arrangements. He kept these ruffians on his payroll mainly so that if something happened, he could use these fearless scoundrels as scapegoats.

After sending everyone away, Third Master Zhu closed his eyes and rested for a while. The plan was proceeding step by step. As soon as South China’s money supply was cut off, all his tricks would be unleashed. He was sure they wouldn’t be able to withstand this series of moves.

As he was plotting, a young servant rushed in and whispered something in his ear. Third Master Zhu’s eyes flew open. “Really?!”

“That’s right! The people at the pier saw it with their own eyes. The ship that arrived this morning, the people from South China are unloading the cargo now. They are all heavy iron boxes! It must be silver!”

“I didn’t expect them to be so bold! They actually dare to transport silver from outside at this time.” This move was somewhat beyond his expectations. To dare to transport silver by ship at a time when the seas were so chaotic, that took guts!

Appreciation was one thing, but this complicated matters. Third Master Zhu pondered for a moment and asked, “Where did the ship come from?”

“Reporting to Third Master, I heard it came from Guangzhou!”

The word “Guangzhou” made his eyelids twitch. Had the Gao family started to get involved? Or was it just the funds they had raised in Guangzhou?

Third Master Zhu’s mind was spinning like a windmill. The young servant, seeing that he was not asking any more questions, dared not to speak or leave. After a long while, Third Master Zhu finally asked, “How much silver was transported? Do the people at the pier know?”

“Well, it is said that a total of one hundred iron boxes were unloaded from the ship. As for the weight, it’s really hard to tell.”

Just by the number of boxes, it was naturally impossible to calculate how much silver there was. Third Master Zhu had heard that old bandits had a skill where they could tell how much silver was on a cart just by looking at the tracks. Unfortunately, he did not have such talent on hand.

“How many people carried each box?”

“Reporting to Third Master, only one person!”

That meant that each box contained at most one thousand taels of silver. Third Master Zhu felt a little relieved, but then he thought, even if it was one thousand taels per box, that was still one hundred thousand taels. If South China really had one hundred thousand taels of silver in hand, his plan to crush them would be in vain—not only in vain, but the consequences of not receiving any sugar this year would be unimaginable!

At this thought, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“Hmph, it could also be an empty fort strategy!” Third Master Zhu muttered to himself. He immediately ordered, “Go, get the secretary, prepare ink and brush, and write a letter!”

A moment later, a secretary who specialized in handling his correspondence arrived.

“Immediately write a letter to Guangzhou and ask: one, the current sugar market in Guangzhou; two, the tightness of the money supply in Guangzhou; and three, has anyone been raising a large amount of funds recently, and what is the interest rate?”

The secretary’s brush flew across the paper, quickly writing down these questions. He looked up at him.

“That’s all. Seal it immediately and send someone to Guangzhou by express. Tell him to reply as soon as possible.”

“Third Master, there are no ships to Guangzhou today—” the secretary reminded him.

“Get someone to send a special boat. Don’t load any cargo, leave immediately!” Third Master Zhu waved his hand. “Be quick! Wait in Guangzhou and come back as soon as you have news! Go and do it.”

Zhu An deeply felt that the communication with Guangzhou was too slow. The things he wanted to inquire about were not secrets. An investigator could find out where South China’s silver came from and on what terms it was raised just by visiting a few large teahouses of the guilds for a day. Unfortunately, this precious information would take at least ten days to reach him, and in ten days, who knew what else would happen!

After receiving this sum of silver, the South China Sugar Factory immediately increased its purchasing power. The number of weighing stations was increased to ten, and the unease and restlessness that had been gradually building up were once again extinguished. The Dengyingzhou left the pier that night, fully loaded with nearly 600 dan of sugar. This news threw the Haiyitang into chaos. This was unacceptable! Two ships had already transported sixteen hundred dan of sugar. If South China was allowed to continuously ship out the sugar they received and cash it in, Third Master Zhu’s plan would be completely ruined—the common people outside didn’t know, but everyone in the sugar firms knew very well: the price of sugar in Guangzhou was three taels and eight qian. If the sugar was shipped out, it would bring back money!

“Third Master! Don’t be so stubborn anymore! If this continues, we’ll have no food to eat this year!” the fat manager of Riyuelai pleaded bitterly.

“I haven’t even received five thousand dan of sugar yet! It’s all gone to the South China Factory!”

“What are we going to do? It looks like they have silver again.”

“I told you so, this shouldn’t have been done this way!” the armchair strategist was giving his high-minded opinion.

The commotion of the crowd made Third Master Zhu feel annoyed. He shouted, “What are you all shouting about!” He stood up and glared at everyone, and they all quieted down.

“You bunch of short-sighted people!” Third Master Zhu berated them. “You only care about the few coins in front of you! The knife is already at our necks, and you’re still thinking about your own little profits. If we don’t deal with South China, in a few years, the sugar masters begging at the entrance of the Zou Heshang Temple will be our predecessors!”

He then waved his hand. “Are the sugar masters so great? You’ve all been in this business for decades. How much silver did it cost to hire a sugar master last year? Three meals a day, and every meal had to have meat, otherwise he would walk away immediately. And this year? If you can give his whole family a bowl of coarse rice, he’ll work for you day and night! Do you all want to end up like them?!”

These words made everyone’s face turn grim. The strength of South China was obvious. Whether it was their strange skills or sorcery, South China had indeed changed the sugar industry landscape of Leizhou for over a hundred years. Now, South China was pressing on step by step, not only getting involved in sugar production but also extending its reach into the most profitable field of transportation and sales. Given the capabilities that South China had already shown, it was not a pipe dream for them to control the entire export of Leizhou sugar.

“Why don’t we make peace with South China?” Feng Guangfeng suggested. “Let South China also join the Haiyitang. Each firm can give a share to South China. This way, everyone can have a meal. And South China is good at making sugar, with high output and good quality. If we cooperate, we may not lose out.”

The crowd buzzed again. This idea didn’t sound bad. South China was powerful and had the unique skill of making sugar. If they joined forces, it might not be a bad thing.

“You are all muddle-headed!” Third Master Zhu, seeing his plan about to fail, said in a deep voice, “What is South China here for? Isn’t it to monopolize the sugar of Leizhou! They are rich and powerful, how could they be willing to share with us?”

“I also object!” the young master of “Rixiecheng” also jumped out. “South China’s wings are not yet full. If we don’t take this opportunity to strike them down, when their wings are full, this Haiyitang will be renamed the South China Hall!”

“Besides,” Third Master Zhu knew that these people’s minds were all wrapped around greed, “the share of Leizhou sugar is only so much. If we give a share to South China, how much should we give them? If it’s too little, they won’t be satisfied. If it’s too much, we will lose out.”

At this, everyone nodded again. After all, it was hard to spit out what you had already swallowed. No one wanted to lose their current dominant position. Seeing that the situation was under control, Third Master Zhu told everyone to disperse and not to worry.

After sending this group of people away, Third Master Zhu couldn’t help but curse them for being “short-sighted”! But he had to force himself to think of a new plan. No matter how pig-like his teammates were, they were still a group of people who shared his fate.

Just as he was about to get up and go back to his residence for a short rest, a young servant came over and whispered something. Third Master Zhu looked impatient, but after a second thought, he said, “Let him in.”

A moment later, someone brought in a man in rags. This man had rough hands and feet, a dark complexion, and his hands were covered with burn scars. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed when he entered the hall.

“What is it?” Third Master Zhu asked with some annoyance. He actually knew what this man was here for without asking.

“We really have no other way, that’s why we came to beg you, Master,” the man kowtowed again. “The silver you gave us last time is almost all spent. The women and children are starving. Please have mercy, Master, and grant us some more silver…”

“Hmph!” Third Master Zhu’s face was full of displeasure. “Silver? Do you think this is a charity hall?”

“Please have mercy, Master!” the man lowered his head. “We… we have no choice. There are hundreds of mouths to feed. With fifty taels of silver, we have been very frugal…”

This man was named Lin Zhuang, and he was originally a local sugar worker. This year, because of the opening of the South China Factory, a large number of sugar workers had lost their jobs and were living in hardship. So they publicly elected this man to go to the yamen to submit a petition, demanding that the government prohibit South China from continuing to use machines to make sugar, but it was rejected. With nowhere to turn, they had to come and ask for help from Third Master Zhu of the Haiyitang and received fifty taels of silver in assistance.

But this assistance was not unconditional. Third Master Zhu had instructed him to take his men and loiter outside the sugar firm, waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble.

“You have the nerve to say that!” Third Master Zhu leaned back. “What about the things I told you to do? It’s been seven or eight days now, and there’s been no movement at all! If I throw the silver into the water, at least I’ll hear a splash. You hundreds of living people haven’t even let out a fart yet.”

“This…” Lin Zhuang was at a loss for words. He said in a pleading tone, “It’s not that we are not trying, but this matter is against the law. South China has a plaque inscribed by the county magistrate. If we do this, we are afraid, afraid…”

“Afraid of what?!” Third Master Zhu glared at him. “The South China Factory has made you unemployed and ruined your families. Don’t you have any backbone? I have plenty of silver, but I never give it to useless people!”

Lin Zhuang seemed to be moved by his words. He kowtowed again and said loudly, “Third Master, don’t worry. We will show you in a few days whether we are useless or not!”

Third Master Zhu nodded. “Tell everyone, if something happens and you get into trouble with the law, I, Third Master Zhu, will naturally take care of you when you get out. The Haiyitang will support your families! If anyone is killed or injured, the Haiyitang will pay for the funeral expenses and compensation!”

He then gave Lin Zhuang a few more instructions. Lin Zhuang’s face became more and more ugly, but in the end, he still nodded. “Third Master Zhu, leave this matter to us. But you must also keep your word!”

“When have I, Third Master Zhu, ever not kept my word?” Zhu An said sternly and shouted, “Someone, get fifty taels of silver for Lin Zhuang first!” He lowered his voice. “After this is done, there will be another reward for you!”

Lin Zhuang’s face flushed, and he replied, “Alright, I’ll go and arrange it now.”

Seeing Lin Zhuang go out, Third Master Zhu smiled to himself. Just this sugar worker causing trouble would be enough for them to handle.

He then called for a sedan chair to go home, planning to take a short nap before making further plans. However, the arrival of the fifty thousand taels of silver had greatly soured his mood. What was originally a sure thing had suddenly taken a turn.

“Could it be that South China is not destined to perish?” A strange thought suddenly occurred to Third Master Zhu. He had been a dominant figure on Haian Street for decades. During this time, there had also been big shots from other places who had tried to get a piece of this fat meat, but he had always driven them out with various methods. Why was South China so hard to deal with?

Thinking of this, he became even more unable to sleep. His sixth concubine, who had recently been favored, saw him tossing and turning and came in to serve him.

“Get me a bowl of tea!”

There was no good tea produced locally, but there was no shortage of tea from Jiangxi. In a moment, a bowl of strong tea was brought over. Zhu An drank it while thinking.

Continuing to make a fuss about South China refusing to buy sugar was already weak now that a large amount of silver had arrived. The cane farmers still hoped to sell their sugar. Even if they overthrew South China, at most they would just be venting their anger; the sugar would still not be sold. Since the cane farmers were still holding out hope, they would not be resolute in their actions. As long as the people from South China had some adaptability, they could deal with it. On the other hand, Lin Zhuang’s group of sugar workers now had nothing and had his guarantee, so they would act without any scruples. But the other party had the escort agency’s men to hold the fort, and they also had several hundred employees. It was hard to say how effective it would be. However, once an incident occurred and there were casualties, it would be enough to give South China a headache.

Just this was not enough to bring South China to its knees. Unfortunately, the financial situation of South China was still unclear. Third Master Zhu drank cup after cup of strong tea but still couldn’t think of a suitable solution.

Looking at his sixth concubine who was busy serving him, an idea suddenly came to him.

The sixth concubine was the sister of his sworn brother at sea, Gu Dachun. Gu Dachun was the leader of a small band of pirates nearby. To say they were pirates was an overstatement; they were actually a gang led by the Gu family, composed of relatives and fellow villagers. They had three or four boats and seventy or eighty people. They usually fished and did some small-scale coastal trade. When they saw an opportunity, they would also rob passing merchant ships and coastal villages.