Chapter 1054 Testing Master Qianhu

Almost at the same time that Wanfa received Gong Shiqi and his party, another fortune ship slowly docked at another dock about two miles downstream of the Qiantang River. Several laborers were waiting for the springboard to be set up.

They wanted to rush forward to take the job, but when they saw that all the men who got off the boat had standard swords hanging on their waists, they immediately stopped in fear. A team like this that swaggers through the market with swords is not a high-status one.

The dignitaries are the military attachés. No matter who they are, they are the ones that ordinary people need to keep a safe distance from.

Not long after, a middle-aged man got off the boat. He was wearing a silk robe with five bats and a square scarf on his head. He had a thick short beard on his chin. He was not tall but quite powerful. He walked slowly from the gangplank with his hands behind his back.

He walked down, his steps were extremely steady. If you are knowledgeable, you can tell from the way he walks that his footwork is very solid, a quality that only those who have practiced martial arts for many years can possess.

The man went down to the pier, looked around, and then said calmly: "It's getting late. Hire some people and move the luggage and items off the ship quickly. Don't miss entering the city today."

At that moment, a follower called out to the laborers who were watching the excitement and asked them to come over and do some work. A brave man approached the follower and whispered to the follower about the origin of this team. The follower proudly replied: "My master is from Dinghai, Ningbo Prefecture."

Mr. Qiao Nanqiao, from the Qianhu Family of the Wei Examination, is here to handle official business in Hangzhou... You must be careful when carrying the boxes, there are many valuable items inside, and you cannot afford to pay for them if they are broken!"

Since he is the military attache stationed in Ningbo Prefecture, his behavior seems very reasonable. However, Hangzhou is the administrative center of Zhejiang Province. There are hundreds of officials in the city. These thousands of households are just military attachés from the fifth grade.

He may still have some influence in Ningbo, but he is actually not a big shot in Hangzhou. After hearing that the entourage reported his master's identity, the laborers felt a lot more relaxed.

This group of people spent an hour unloading the goods at the pier, hired three more carts, and a four-person soft sedan, and then set off towards the Chao Chao Gate in the southeast of Hangzhou City. Fortunately, this place is already 30 kilometers away from Hangzhou City.

Not far away, otherwise they would most likely not be able to enter the city before the city gates were closed.

The Houchao Gate was first built in the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties. During the construction of the city, bricks and stones were packed in bamboo cages and transported to the bottom of the city by vehicle to serve as the city foundation, so it was named Bamboo Car Gate. During the Southern Song Dynasty, this city gate was rebuilt because it was on the verge of collapse.

You can watch the ebb and flow of the tide in Qiantang River every day, so it was renamed Houchaomen. In the book "Old Things in Wulin" written by Zhou Mi, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, there is a record of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty going out of the city from Houchaomen to watch the tide.

There are also many pavilions built outside the tide-watching gate, such as Yingjiang Tower, Cao Pavilion, Yingfa Pavilion, Zhangting Posthouse, etc.

When the team of Mr. Qianhu came all the way to Houchao Gate, the soldiers guarding the gate were already moving the Juma lying on the roadside back to the city gate, preparing to close the door. They watched this team of people coming in a hurry

, the small school leader who led the team waved his hands impatiently and said: "You guys stop! You can't enter the city today. Come back tomorrow morning!"

"Sir, wait a minute, we are all our own people!" The entourage here hurried over and told the small school the identity of this group of people, and showed him the official document signed by Ningbo Prefecture Haiwei,

It states that Qiao Nan, a member of the Qianhu Family, went to Hangzhou to handle military affairs.

The colonel took another look at the people in front of him. Although they were not wearing military uniforms, they did have a murderous aura that could not be concealed. It did not seem to be disguised. Moreover, the swords worn by several people on their waists were obviously military.

The standard equipment in the equipment. Although the pilot from the out-of-town guard station was not a high-ranking official when he arrived in Hangzhou, for a low-level officer like him, he was still a big shot who could not afford to offend. He immediately called two of his subordinates and planned to pretend to check.

Let’s see if there are any contraband on the large trucks entering the city.

Seeing this, the attendant added: "Please be careful when checking, these boxes contain a lot of gifts for adults in the army. Among them are Haihan glassware shipped from the south. It is very easy to break. Don't do it."

Touch it, otherwise it will be difficult to explain."

After hearing this, the primary school officer naturally felt that one more thing would be better than one less thing. He immediately omitted the inspection and asked his subordinates to let the team enter the city quickly. It was not that he was really afraid of breaking some precious objects, but he knew that Ningbo

Most of the officers in Dinghaiwei are merchants who donated their money to serve as officers. There is no telling whether there is something that cannot be seen in the luggage in these carts. If it is found out, everyone's face will not look good. It is better to just let it go.

By entering the city, they can save themselves the trouble and can collect the team early and go back to rest.

After the team was halfway into the city, another follower came over to thank the small school: "My lord told me that all the brothers have worked hard on duty. I have some silver. Please stop the team and have a drink." After that, he left a group of people.

Fifty taels of silver were stuffed into the hands of the principal.

The principal was very happy now, and he quickly clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for the reward, sir!"

After this group of people entered the city, someone came to pick them up and took them to an inn not far from Houchao Gate to stay. This inn is also one of the industries operated by Haihan in Hangzhou City, but considering the complexity of the city

Due to the situation and the identities played by Gaoqiao Nan's team, the hotel was not cleared like Cheng Fengxing before moving in. It was just that the courtyard where the upper room of this inn was opened was reserved, while operations in other areas continued as usual without any changes.

Not long after Gao Qiaonan and his party settled in, the innkeeper came to see them.

"In the humble position of Zhang Wanfu, see Shangguan." The innkeeper is a man in his forties, with a harmless look on his face, but he is indeed very suitable for running a business like an inn that requires frequent dealings with people.

"Boss Zhang is free of charge." Gao Qiaonan was still very polite to his own people, without any airs: "The Ministry of Commerce has notified you before, right?"

Zhang Wanfu responded: "Beizi was notified five days ago, and he ordered people to tidy up the yard early. However, the instructions from above were unclear, and there were no details. He only asked Beizi to cooperate with Shangguan. If there is any need, Beizi

We will try our best to complete it.”

"The things we have to do in Hangzhou this time cannot be made public. You are from the Ministry of Commerce. The less you know, the safer it is for you." Gao Qiaonan explained a few words and then warned: "We

This group of people is staying in your inn as officers of the Ming Army. From now on, you must be careful in your address and don't call yourself a humble person. You are the innkeeper now, and I am an officer of the Ming Army. I am your guest. Here

There is no superior-subordinate relationship, so don’t let others take advantage of you!”

"Yes, yes, I remember." Zhang Wanfu was shocked and quickly changed his words.

Zhang Wanfu is not a professionally trained agent or soldier. Just because he was born in Zhejiang, the Ministry of Commerce chose him to run this inn in Hangzhou. As a result, he was recruited by the Ministry of Security as a part-time intelligence agent. In fact, his main job here is

He is not collecting intelligence. Most of the time he just presides over the management of this inn. However, he has always kept his true identity a secret. Until now, no one around him knows that his true identity is Haihan.

This reception of the team led by Takahashi Minami was the first time he had received a large number of people from Haihan since he joined the company in Hangzhou. Although he was a little excited to see his teammates from the same camp, he was more concerned about the unknown situation.

I was worried because the purpose of this group of people coming to Hangzhou was secret, and they all had dead faces. They obviously didn't come here to relax. What Gao Qiaonan said just now showed his attitude.

To be clear, I just don’t intend to involve him in it.

Zhang Wanfu is not as active as Cheng Fengxing's Wanfa. He only has a part-time status in the security department. If he wants to perform in such a secret operation, he is really risking his life. Takahashi Nan is unwilling to

Zhang Wanfu wanted nothing more than to discuss operational arrangements with him. He did not want to take great risks and be involved in these matters.

Gao Qiaonan asked again: "How far is it from Fengshan Gate?"

Zhang Wanfu answered truthfully: "It's nothing more than Li Xu."

Gao Qiaonan nodded noncommittally, and then ordered: "Tomorrow, find one or two guides who are familiar with the local area to take us around the city. Don't tell us our identities yet, just say that we are merchants from Zhoushan. We can pay you

It needs to be richer, but one must be reliable and able to control one’s mouth.”

Zhang Wanfu responded: "This matter is easy to handle. Hangzhou is a big city in eastern Zhejiang. There are many idle people in the city who specialize in the tour guide business. Some of them have extensive connections and can even help officials from other places to open up connections."

.I also know a few reliable people, so I will call them over tomorrow."

Takahashi Minami continued: "While we are staying at the inn, ask your guys not to enter or exit this courtyard at will. If there is any need, we will naturally ask it. Also, no matter what happens, you are just the innkeeper.

There is no special relationship between people, do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand! I understand!" Zhang Wanfu actually didn't understand what was going to happen at all, but he also knew that it was best not to show confusion in front of his superiors, so he agreed immediately before speaking. He was already thinking about this group of people in his mind.

How can I explain to my subordinates how to prevent the shop assistants from entering the yard so as to avoid making them suspicious of the whereabouts of Minami Takahashi and others while they were staying in the shop?

Early the next morning, Zhang Wanfu found two reliable tour guides, negotiated a high price of one tael of silver a day, and took Gaoqiao Nan's people to go shopping around the city. In order not to attract too much attention, he had transformed into

Takahashi Minami, a businessman, and his party no longer carried swords when going out, only a few of them carried daggers as self-defense.

These so-called tour guides are originally idlers without fixed jobs. They can earn an incredible sixty-seven taels of silver a month from various miscellaneous businesses. It is relatively easy for someone to hire them as a guide for a day or two.

Naturally, I would be happy to do the job. Taking this kind of high-roller who is willing to spend money to play in Hangzhou, maybe if you have a good time, there will be other rewards later.

However, the guide's plan may be in vain. The group of people they brought are not wealthy businessmen and scholars who come to enjoy the mountains and rivers, and they do not intend to pass the time in those gold-selling caves where they spend their time and wine. Before coming to Hangzhou, Gao Qiaonan had a lot of knowledge about the city.

I have a certain understanding of some important locations and regional landmarks, and after arriving here, I conducted on-site inspections of the target areas to once again confirm the various paper information I had previously mastered.

The places that Gao Qiaonan is interested in are, firstly, the locations of various government offices in the city, and secondly, in the neighborhoods where official residences are concentrated. Most of the things that Gao Qiaonan needs to do in Hangzhou this time must be done in these two places, so Gao Qiaonan

Nan must first confirm the environment in these places, and then discuss specific action plans with Gong Qiqi, otherwise everything will be just talk on paper.

The two guides took Gao Qiaonan and others around several government offices in the east of the city. They saw that these outsiders had no intention of going to other places to eat or play. Although they didn't say anything, they showed a lack of interest.

It was Takahashi Minami who saw it. He gave a hint to the person in charge of organizing the itinerary in the team. The person who understood the situation called the two of them to the side and explained to them: "You two, my Mr. Qiao came to Hangzhou this time for a business trip.

It’s business, I plan to find connections to donate money to make up for the vacancy, why don’t I find the place first, and then I can pay a visit later! You two will take good care of me, my master will be able to do things smoothly, and your reward will naturally be indispensable."

After hearing this, one of them said: "I know a few people in the Yamen. I wonder if Mr. Qiao wants to donate his fame or directly buy an official position? If he wants to get the title of Juren, or donate to become a county magistrate or something like that?"

Yes, I might be able to help you think of a solution."

These words may be effective in deceiving the country bumpkin, but the person they were dealing with was also an old man in the field team of the Ministry of Security. He had traveled all over the world to meet many people. Naturally, he saw that the guide was just bragging and wanted to defraud a few people of money for running errands. He immediately sneered.

: "The position my master wants to donate is at the fifth level and up. Do you dare to take it? If you are not afraid of losing your head, you can give it a try."

The guide took a breath of air: "Upgrade five? How much silver will it cost..."

"This is just a small amount of money to my master, do you understand? Don't talk too much and do the things assigned to you well. You will be rewarded later!"

"I understand!"

The two guides exchanged glances, and both thought they had met a rich man this time. They had heard of the idea of ​​donating official positions with money, but they were often only minor officials of the sixth or seventh rank, and they had to queue up to fill the vacancy.

This uncle actually wants to spend money to donate money to a fifth-grade official. He is either a fool or he is bragging because he has too much money. But seeing how he is so popular when he goes out and can afford so many bodyguards and followers, he is definitely not an ordinary country man.

Those who are rich are probably, as they say, rich businessmen who do big business. Such people have too much money and no place to spend it. It is possible that they want to spend money to buy an official position to satisfy their addiction to officialdom.
Chapter completed!