Chapter 170: Three Men in a Slum

Zhao Yigong saw off Wu Zhixiang, returned to his study, and asked again if there was any new news. At this moment, he was most concerned about the merchant ships of the China Merchants’ Bureau heading north.

The twenty sand ships of the China Merchants’ Bureau, besides the fifty thousand shi of grain, were also loaded with a large amount of goods. Liaodong was short of everything, especially cotton cloth and cotton. To survive in this cold and bitter land, besides grain, one also needed enough winter clothes. In history, the Ming court had to transport a large amount of cloth and cotton to the various garrisons in Liaodong every year. Therefore, this time, the sand ships were loaded with a large amount of such winter clothing.

For this northward transport of grain and provisions, the freight was all reimbursed by the Ministry of Revenue, as was the custom. And since they were “official ships,” they did not have to pay any taxes when entering any port or waterway. It would be a waste of this great opportunity not to take the chance to “smuggle on behalf of the government.”

Carrying private goods had always been the main source of revenue for the tribute grain boats, so the sea transport of grain and provisions naturally had to make a profit.

Besides cotton clothes and cotton cloth, there were also a large number of iron pots, tea bricks, and other “Mongolian goods.” Trading with the various Mongol tribes to buy horses was an important business for the Guanning Army. The Mongolian horses they bought were not only used to supplement the cavalry but were also sold in large quantities within the pass for profit. As long as these goods were transported, there would be no worry about selling them.

However, going to sea in the summer also carried great risks. The threat of typhoons was great, and the sailors of the sand ships were not familiar with the coastal routes to Liaodong. Therefore, this time, Zhao Yigong did not send his own pilots and core sailors as he had for the trade with Japan, but instead used the original sand ship sailors entirely, only sending a few trusted subordinates to accompany the ships.

However, in ancient seafaring, there were no weather or sea condition forecasts, and accurate sea charts were lacking. Sea ships often took great risks when they went to sea, and shipwrecks were very frequent. When Zhao Yigong looked up the historical materials on the sea transport to Liaodong, he saw countless records of ships being destroyed and people being killed in storms. As for the term “lost at sea,” it was everywhere. This made him very worried about the safety of this coastal voyage, even more so than the trade with Japan. For this reason, he had sent pigeon trainers on the ships, who would release a pigeon every three days to report the progress and situation of the voyage.

The news that came back relieved him a little. Although the ships had had to wait for the wind several times, they had been gradually heading north, and no ships had been damaged or run aground. The journey seemed to be going smoothly.

The following news was about the “rice riot” in the four prefectures of northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. Zhao Yigong was greatly shocked. He had known about the incident in Lin’an County a few days ago, but he had not paid much attention to it at the time. In his view, such things were not surprising. Peasant uprisings, peasant riots, when had such things ever stopped? Looting a rice shop was just like looting a wealthy household in a famine year. It was not a big deal at all. The government would probably not bother to investigate it seriously.

But this matter had actually spread to so many prefectures and counties in a few days! Out of a modern person’s “political sensitivity,” Zhao Yigong immediately thought that someone might be manipulating this matter behind the scenes, or at least someone was connecting people.

Zhao Yigong was very clear that the recent sharp rise in rice prices was directly related to the large-scale purchase of rice by the China Merchants’ Bureau. If someone were to trace the source, the China Merchants’ Bureau would be hard-pressed to shirk the blame.

Purchasing and transporting a large amount of grain in a famine year… Zhao Yigong’s blood ran cold at the thought. This crime was a solid one. If someone were to use it to incite the common people, and one person started a rebellion and ten thousand responded, the consequences would be unimaginable. At that time, he would probably end up with a ruined reputation and a disgraceful escape.

“Quick! Send a message to all localities. I want to know the detailed situation of the rice riot!”

Outside Hangzhou city, there was a place called Nanxiawa, a “slum,” or in modern terms, a shantytown.

This was a place where refugees from outside gathered. Whenever there was a disaster elsewhere, the victims would come to the provincial capital with their old and young to eke out a living. Some died here and became roadside corpses, some survived the famine and went back, and some settled down here. The land in Nanxiawa was all low-lying and prone to waterlogging. Whenever the Fuchun River rose, this place would be flooded. It was not suitable for farming or building houses, so it became a piece of deserted land that no one cared about.

The refugees settled down on this wasteland, building shacks with all kinds of scavenged materials. Gradually, it became a shantytown that can be found in any city. The terrain here was originally low, and the sewage was difficult to drain. When it rained, it would immediately flood, mixing with all kinds of garbage and becoming a stinking mud pit.

Except for the poor who were forced to live here, anyone who passed by would have to hold their nose.

In a shack near a graveyard in this dense shantytown, three men were currently sitting, drinking wine around a small, broken table with one leg missing. The missing leg was propped up with broken bricks. On the table was a large bowl of snails, which served as a side dish for the wine. In Jiangnan, this was the cheapest meat dish. By the river or lake, you didn’t even have to buy it; you could just go to the shore with a bowl and get a bowlful.

Although it was not yet dark, the room was very dim. An oil lamp had already been lit on the table. The shack was built with a mixture of broken bricks and tiles, small stones, rotten wood, straw, and mud. There were no proper windows, only a window hole in the wall, inlaid with a piece of discarded, broken bright tile. The roof, made of bamboo strips and straw, was very low. A slightly taller person would almost hit their head when they stood up.

Although the room was small and simple, the owner had kept it as clean as possible. Bricks supported a bamboo bed board, which was rare here. On the bed was a worn-out mat, which, though worn, was clean. A broken bamboo hat hung on the wall. Against the wall was a wooden board that served as a table, on which were paper, ink, a brush, and an inkstone. Although they were all cheap things used by accountants, it showed that the owner of this place was a cultured “scholar.”

On the table were a few dirty and dented tin wine warmers, and three chipped and cracked bowls served as wine cups. The air was filled with the smell of low-quality yellow wine dregs.

The unpleasant smell of wine, the sweat of the three men, and the snail shells all over the table, if someone had burst into the room at this moment, they would have thought they were in the middle of a lively drinking session. And these three men were using this pretense to hold a meeting.

Hao Yuan, who had stood up during the rice riot a few days ago, was among them. He was wearing a patched waistcoat and playing with the “wine bowl” in his hand.

Of the other two men present, one was the “poxue dang” Cao Guangjiu, dressed as a down-and-out scholar. The other had a scarred and ferocious-looking face. It was Gou Chengxuan, who had escaped from Lingao.

After escaping from the defeated army on Hainan Island, Gou Chengxuan had gone through great hardships to escape back to Guangzhou. He did not dare to show his face. Such a major defeat would inevitably implicate many people. A person of unknown identity like him, who had escaped from the routed army, was very likely to be beheaded as a Kun thief spy. Therefore, he did not dare to reveal his identity in Guangzhou. Although he still had twenty or thirty taels of silver on him, he did not dare to show his wealth and simply lived by begging.

By a chance opportunity, he met Lin Ming in Guangzhou, who was looking for his sister-in-law. Gou Chengxuan’s familiarity with Lingao and the Kun thieves was a godsend to this clueless Jinyiwei. After talking with him for several nights, he learned many important things. Lin Ming asked Gou Chengxuan to go back to Lingao to gather information and gave him some silver. Gou Chengxuan was already scared out of his wits. How could he dare to go? He used the opportunity of sneaking back to Lingao to quietly escape.

Gou Chengxuan had a guilty conscience. The consequences of offending the Jinyiwei were serious. He no longer dared to stay in Guangzhou. Seeing that Guangdong had become a place of trouble, he simply went all the way north and fled to Jiangnan.

His luck was not bad. Not long after arriving in Jiangnan, with his knowledge of the Kun thieves and Australian goods, he was taken in by a large household as a retainer and lived a life free from worries about food and clothing.

Gou Chengxuan never knew why his master had taken him in until not long ago, when he learned that his master had been paying attention to the Kun thieves from a very early time.

A year ago, Gou Chengxuan was ordered to go to Hangzhou to investigate Master Zhao. When he first saw the Wanbi Bookstore and Phoenix Mountain Estate, he knew that the black hand of the Kun thieves had finally reached Jiangnan.

Gou Chengxuan’s first reaction was to flee for his life. But then he thought that the world was in chaos now, and Jiangnan was at least a place with laws. It was also thousands of miles away from Hainan. Even if this Master Zhao had three heads and six arms, wouldn’t he have to be a submissive subject of the court?

Although his master was very interested in the Kun thieves, it was clear that he did not approve of Master Zhao’s various actions. Obviously, the master and the Kun thieves were not on good terms. Under the protection of his master, not only could he be safe and sound, but he might even have a chance to take revenge. Gou Chengxuan knew that it was probably impossible for the Ming Dynasty to destroy the Kun thieves, but it was still possible to find an opportunity to kill a few Kun thieves and give them a big setback.

Unfortunately, the Kun thieves had always used the tactic of colluding with officials and gentry in the Ming Dynasty. This Kun thief surnamed Zhao, who knew what kind of Australian magic he had used, had charmed the local gentry of Hangzhou. It was said that he had also established a relationship with the scholars of the Fushe. Now he was a respectable figure in the local area. Not to mention that he couldn’t touch him, even his master was a little afraid. He just told him to keep an eye on Master Zhao’s movements at all times.

All the matters of Zhao Yigong’s sericulture reform, loan distribution, and even manipulation of silk prices in Hangzhou were sent to him by a special person for him to compile and organize.

Gou Chengxuan was very familiar with these tactics. They were all a replica of what had been done in Lingao. This Zhao Kun thief was so bold, he had actually come under the nose of the court to “change China with barbarism.”

However, his master had never shown any reaction to the news and comments he had collected and organized. Just when Gou Chengxuan was beginning to feel that his plan of revenge was hopeless, his master finally sent him out.

His task was to maintain contact with this person named Hao Yuan and convey the master’s will. As for this Cao Guangjiu, he was also a person the master wanted him to keep in contact with.