Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

Chapter 91 2.68 Mr. Zhen is not ready to give money anymore
Volume Two

2.68 Mr. Zhen is not prepared to give any money.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and what Xue Xun said about "delivery within three or two days" was not a lie. At midnight on October [-]th, at Jinling Yanziji Pier, a tall sea-going ship slowly moved under the command of a signal from the shore. Driving into the berth, although it was nighttime, dozens of torches and lanterns on the pier illuminated the place as if it were daytime. There was no such thing as "hidden" or "secret".

"Second Uncle, if you do this, what if the government gets involved?" In modern times, he was used to hearing about all kinds of "secret transactions." Seeing the completely open activities on the dock, Zhou Yang asked worriedly, "This salt smuggling After all, it is a serious crime, and even if you are slightly careless, there may be irreparable consequences."

"Salt goods are often sold in huge quantities, so how can there be any 'secret'?" Take a pound of salt when you go out. Of course, this time is an exception. If the Zhen family can't arrange even this little thing smoothly, they won't have the shame to call them 'the first family in Jiangnan'."

Zhou Yang froze for a moment, then turned his head to look at the bustling work scene behind him, because as soon as the cargo ship docked, Lifu, who had been waiting for a long time, went directly to unload the cargo, obviously very "skilled", this kind of thing is the same in ancient and modern times, so It's a big scene, and there's no one to cover it. It's nonsense to think about it. Now that it's done, it must have been arranged.

"This time, one ship contains approximately 240 grains of salt. I have arranged for more than [-] people to unload the cargo alone, plus the [-] salt cubes that were arranged in advance just in case, and the same number of salt cubes on the ship. As well as a ship worth five to six hundred materials, if such a big scene can be kept secret by myself, it will be impossible unless I secretly build a dock myself.

The time agreed with the Zhen family is to deliver the goods on time, but the second son Zhen Lang has never been in the habit of being on time, which is convenient for me to arrange. The Zhen family has been suppressed overtly and covertly by various families in the south of the Yangtze River in recent years, and their lives are getting worse every day. I heard that the deficit in the imperial court has exceeded one million taels, and I must find a way to make up for it. "Xue Xun pointed at the prosperous scene and said.

"A shipment of 240 materials, a total of 1000 and 8000 materials. Nowadays, the market price of salt in this coastal area is about [-] yuan. According to the regulations, salt factory shipments are calculated at half price, and we have given a [-]% discount. In this way, such a big The amount of money in this scene is less than [-] taels." Zhou Yang asked doubtfully.

"If the salt industry can be as simple as my nephew's calculation, then there won't be any 'eight major salt merchants' in the world." The price of salt is either low-quality private salt that does not pay taxes, or it is priced but not available. If you want to eat it on weekdays, you may have to smoke from the ancestral graves.

The Zhen family would not do this kind of business without income, and the eight major salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River would not do such good deeds. For example, the salt goods of the Zhen family have always been bulk cargoes from the Yangtze River and corresponding waterways, covering more than half of the south of the Yangtze River, and the general price is four It ranges from ten to sixty articles, depending on how in-depth it is.

According to the law, the salt produced by the imperial salt field should indeed cost about ten cents, but this is a requirement of the imperial court. If it is really shipped like this, what will the big and small gentlemen eat?Not to mention shipping according to the price, if it is doubled, you have to have connections and ways to get it. Even the Zhen family themselves can't expect to get the goods like this every time. "

"I'm ashamed, nephew!" Zhou Yang touched his nose awkwardly, looked at the unloading scene and asked, "So, what is the price of salt we have set with the Zhen family?"

"According to 25 cents per pound, the biggest cost of water transportation is actually the safety money along the way. The Zhen family doesn't need it. It's not an exaggeration to earn twice as much per pound by transporting it." Xue Xun said with a smile, "At this price, Zhen Yingjia still has to pay I have to write a letter in person, thanking me for my openness, promising a flat price of 5000 taels, and making it clear that the past has been written off."

"It seems...a little less!" Zhou Yang frowned and asked softly. What he was thinking of now were various rumors about "rich salt merchants", such as spending millions on the so-called "Oiran Competition" to save face. Gold, just to praise a bitch.

"Just trying the water." Xue Xun smiled faintly, "Although the Zhen family has no foundation, but thanks to the grace of the Supreme Emperor, it has been firmly established in Jiangnan for 30 years. Unfortunately, due to family background, no matter which family in Jiangnan it is, it has nothing to do with them. There is no friendship, and the same goes for the Xue family. The eldest brother is known to be good at dancing, but the contact with the Zhen family has always been through the Jia family.

However, since the Supreme Emperor entered the Longshou Palace to be raised, the situation of the Zhen family has gone from bad to worse. After all, His Majesty will not trust them now, and all the families in the south of the Yangtze River have joined forces to suppress them. Nowadays, the Zhen family's losses are no longer a secret. Zhen Yingjia even deliberately released The second son, Zhen Lang, has ruined his business several times, and his reputation has long been ruined. Naturally, I won’t believe it. "

"That's it!" Zhou Yang understood this time. "After deducting the almost insignificant cost of this business, and deducting the reward money given to the sons, labor wages, and the money needed to buy the road, it is easy to make a net profit of half; even if it failed, Even if five cargo ships are compensated, it is less than 3 taels, which is nothing."

"Not bad!" Xue Xun looked at Zhou Yang and nodded with satisfaction, "It's just that my nephew is more conservative. If it succeeds this time, the net profit will be at least 2 taels, and the rest is the cost - they are here!"

Zhou Yang:.
"Second Master Xue, you've been waiting for a long time!" The two of them said nothing. They watched a gorgeous carriage coming from the opposite side. After waiting for half a cup of tea, they saw Zhen Lang walking out of the car door disheveled and coming down. He quickly closed the door, but by the light of the torch, the charming scenery in the car still flashed by, not to mention the word "hate" that was full of wind and dust, plus the rouge lip marks on his face that had not been wiped clean.

"Hahaha, I've heard the name of Second Young Master Zhen for a long time, I'm already prepared!" Even the eldest son Zhen Jue was like this when she came to the Saint Lady, let alone the second son whose reputation as a playboy spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River.

"Second Master Xue was joking." Zhen Lang didn't feel the slightest bit ashamed. He looked at the scene carelessly and asked directly, "Have all the goods been unloaded?" "Anyway, it only takes one more stick of incense, so fast." Xue Xun said calmly. He said, "I just don't know if Mr. Zhen has ever brought any silver."

"Just unload it." Zhen Lang nodded with satisfaction, "No need to bother anymore, just put it on the dock. The Zhen family will gather a fleet to transport it away in two days, so Mr. Xue doesn't have to worry."

"It seems that Second Master Zhen is not going to give the money?" Xue Xun didn't mean anything strange, but just asked one more question with a sneer, because Zhen Lang talked for a long time, but didn't ask for money.

"Why, are you afraid that the Zhen family will have no money?" Zhen Lang said angrily, "Young master just came here in a hurry and forgot to bring it with you. I will just deliver it to your door tomorrow. Is Mr. Xue worried?"

"In that case, let's follow the rules!" Xue Xun didn't even bother to talk nonsense. In fact, since Zhen Lang showed up, the two of them hadn't exchanged a word. It was obvious that they had been prepared for it.

"Mr. It’s hard to find in the river.”

Xue Xun didn't even bother to answer. After waving his hand, hundreds of people on the scene wielded swords, guns and sticks and went to kill him. However, they naturally avoided Zhen Lang and his carriage. They were obviously already "skilled" and even Lifu was unloading the goods. None of them were affected. The only difference was that there was another group of 40 people on the boat following with lit matchlock guns.

Of course, it’s not without problems
"Second uncle, is this how you use this matchlock gun?" Zhou Yang pointed at the scene stupidly, and saw these gunmen rushing directly to the periphery of the two sides of the salt team who were already fighting in a chaotic manner, almost holding Zhen's back. The family members put the blunderbuss in their chests and threw it down after they finished shooting. They drew their weapons and rushed over to fight.

"Of course!" These treasures pointed out are really easy to use, and they are 100% clickable. They are very powerful when used conveniently, almost one at a time!"

"Indeed - so!" Looking at Yan Ding of the Zhen family who had been completely suppressed after being blinded, and then glanced at Zhen Lang who was also confused, Zhou Yang admitted that this usage was indeed "unexpected", but it was not easy to use it again. If I say more, I can only correct it later.

After less than a cup of tea, more than half of the Zhen family's Yandings were killed or injured and completely collapsed. Those who could run away only regretted that their parents had lost two legs. Fortunately, there were still loyal ones who came up and wanted to carry Zhen Lang away. .

"Get lost! Useless trash!" Zhen Lang had a sullen face and kicked away the two big men who came up to him. Then he turned around and said to Xue Xun, "Very good, Mr. Xue's 'favor' , I have written it down—bring it over!”

The coachman quickly fired another trumpet, and soon two ordinary box carriages came over. The coachman opened the door and saw several boxes piled inside. A few close men came up behind Xue Xun. After checking for a moment, he turned around and nodded. .

"Second Young Master Zhen, just take note of it." Xue Xun nodded, took a firecracker with a match rope from the hands of the people around him, walked to Zhen Lang's gorgeous carriage, gently opened the door, and casually He glanced at the stumbled woman who was naked and wrapped only in a silk sheet, "It turns out to be the red brand Xiaoyi girl from Yixiang Garden. What a pity - I'm worried that you can't remember clearly, so I'll help you - bang!"

Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of the gun, Zhen Lang trembled all over and subconsciously looked at the carriage. He saw that Hong Mao, who had been accompanying him for some time, had a face full of fear and a bloody hole in his chest. However, he did not stand up immediately, but his body could not help but twitching. , letting out a vague and vague cry of pain, but gradually stopped moving.

"Old man Xue, dear—"

"No delivery!"

PS: It’s hard to describe the firearms tactics in Chinese history. The “shooting in the face” style of play has continued until the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Both sides were still using it. Moreover, the more elite the troops, the shorter the shooting range. CCTV TV series It is shown in "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom". Historically, you can refer to the "Three-Eyed Gun" of Guan Ningjun in the late Ming Dynasty, which is essentially the same usage.

(End of this chapter)