Ming Zuo

Chapter 788 Who is the enemy and who is the friend?

The Yangzhou Yangzhou Yangdu Lane behind Chaoguan, the path is winding and intricate, just like a sheep intestine.

If you are not a local, you will never dare to come here.

It's easy to get in, but hard to get out.

The first one at the intersection of Yangdu Lane, everyone knows, everyone knows.

On this day, it was raining heavily, the dirt roads in the alleys were muddy, and the sewage was flowing. People who were not in a hurry would never go out.

The dilapidated chai gate was knocked, causing some dissatisfaction among the people in the house.

"Who is it?"

The chai gate was opened from the inside, and a tall man stabilized his figure, looking at the visitor vigilantly.

Outside the gate of the courtyard, a handsome young man held an umbrella. Although his trousers and shoes had been soaked in mud, he looked calm and composed, like a fairy in a painting.

Behind the young man, a dozen sturdy warriors had already spread out to avoid anyone approaching.

"May I ask if Shi Dake, the Tiger of the Dock, is face to face with Brother Shi?"

"You are……"

The strong man was a little nervous, and instinctively felt that these people seemed to have a lot of background.

The young man smiled slightly.

"Brother Shi, since you eat dock rice, how will you eat this bowl of rice in the future, I'm here to inquire."

Shi Dake's heart was beating like thunder, and at the same time, there was a trace of fear.

"It has always been the trough gang who have the final say on the wharf. You have found the wrong person."

Young people are not surprised.

"What if the trough is gone?"

Shi Dake was struck by lightning, dumbfounded, as if he saw a fairy.

"Young people don't know the heights of heaven and earth. Do you know how powerful the gang is? Those people are cruel and murderous without blinking an eye. Anyone who dares to offend them will have their family ruined. You don't want to kill me."

The young man put away his umbrella and walked into the yard from Shi Dake's side.

Shi Dake resisted instinctively, but ended up in vain.

He rubbed his eyes and couldn't figure out how the young man got in.

The young man turned his attention to the guest and sat down at the main seat automatically, just in time to see the food on the dinner table.

There was less than half a bowl of brown rice left, and a plate of stewed wild vegetables, no smell of oil or meat.

Shi Dake's mother-in-law sat on the other side of the table holding a half-grown child, too frightened to move.

Shi Dake jumped back into the house and stood next to his wife and children.

"who are you?"

The young man pointed to the stool next to him and motioned him to sit down.

"It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that such a hard life... Has Brother Shi not had enough?"

Seeing the young man's playful eyes looking at the crude and simple meals, Shi Da couldn't help being short of breath.

"That's how people living on the docks live."

"But that's not right."

The young man spoke slowly, but with undeniable toughness.

"You people come and go in the wind and rain all day long, working hard and sweating, but you can't even eat enough, are you willing?"

Shi Dake gritted his teeth.

"This has been the rule on the pier for hundreds of years, so what can we do?"

The young man chuckled.

"It's because of the gang, right? The gang is greedy and takes all the benefits, so you can only suffer from hunger and starvation, and you can't even get your children to study."

What he said was the truth.

Shi Dake lowered his head, unable to refute, but dared not speak out the bitterness in his heart.

"Brother Shi, I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm from Shandong. The Zao Gang united with merchants to disrupt the market and cut off transportation. You deserve to die. You coolies have been oppressed by the Zao Gang all this time. If you want to live a good life, let me tell you a happy story. If you want, After the trough gang is finished, you come out and work hard. From now on, the rules on the pier have changed."

Hearing that Shandong was going to deal with the Zao Gang, Shi Dake's heart was pounding, and he couldn't suppress the joy in his bones.

"There are so many people in the trough gang, it's hard to deal with."

The young man threw his head back and laughed.

"A mere river and lake gang, can it be more powerful than the army?"

When he said this, Shi Dake finally understood.

That day when the new army entered the city, he also secretly went to see it.

He had never seen such a mighty and majestic army in his life.

No matter how powerful the trough gang is, they are nothing but a mob.

Is it really going to be the end of all hardships?

"What should we do?"

The young man didn't expect much from him.

"Among the coolies at the pier, Brother Shi is highly respected and respected by everyone. You don't need to risk your help to deal with the gang. You only need to be able to gather all the coolies after the gang is destroyed, so that the canal can be restored to flow."

Hearing this, Shi Dake couldn't help letting go of his worries.

If the young man asked him to deal with the gang together, he would not dare.

After all, these unarmed coolies still dare not do anything under the coercion of the trough gang all these years.

But without the gutter gang, they don't have to worry about working hard.

"Your life is too hard. When the trough gang is over, new rules will be implemented on the pier. In a word, everyone is human, and we have to behave ourselves."

Shi Dake burst into tears and nodded heavily.When I didn't raise my eyes easily, I could faintly see the sky in the east...

It's sunny!

Taizhou is an important place for salt production in Huaihe River and Huaihe River.

People here work with salt.

Therefore, next to the salt field, there are no sides at a glance, and there are all dilapidated and low wooden sheds.

All the salt workers live here.

You can go to work when you get up early and go out. After a tiring day, you can get a meager income, barely make ends meet, and there is no more.

Looking at this dilapidated scene, Chen Jie was most moved.

Back then, he was just like these people, living a life that would have been worse than death, with no hope in sight.

Later, Cheng Xiaoer took Mayor Fu to the door himself, and also brought a new life to the Qingdao salt workers.

Now he is the general manager of Shandong Salt Industry Company.

After receiving Zuo Menggeng's order, Chen Jie came starry night to prepare for taking over the Lianghuai Saltworks.

The last stop is Taizhou.

"The Ji family is very powerful, and here they only cover the sky with one hand. Anyone who dares to resist and be beaten to death will not be held accountable by the government."

The impoverished salt workers quickly opened their hearts to Chen Jie, who had the same background.

Who in this world doesn't want to live a good life?

Who wants to go hungry?
But they are afraid.

What are you afraid of?
I am afraid of those aristocratic families who have monopolized the production and sales of salt industry.

These families are as rich as an enemy, and their energy is as high as the sky. They say what they say in the local area, just like the emperors of the land.

They have the heart to resist, but they don't have enough strength.

Enough power comes now.

Chen Jie said confidently: "The Ji family will not survive tomorrow. Without the Ji family, the salt farm will be reformed and a salt industry company will be established. And you will be the first batch of employees of the company. The company will build new houses for you and give You pay monthly. There is only one requirement, and that is to work hard and ensure the output of salt, can you do it?"

All the salt workers looked at me and I looked at you, and quickly unified their opinions.

"As long as Ji's family is finished, we will listen to Manager Chen."

Seeing the sun come out from the dark clouds, the bright sunlight floods the earth.

In the endless salt fields, the pure white salt flowers are more eye-catching than silver under the reflection of sunlight.

Chen Jie smiled.

He knew that the outcome was decided!

(End of this chapter)