Chapter 245 Unbalanced Strength Comparison (Please vote for me!)
When hundreds of people shouted the slogan "Boycott Zheng's Salt", the melon eaters were shocked and immediately looked at Lin Jieyuan.
People with rich experience understand that Lin Jieyuan's statement is the most critical.
But to everyone's disappointment, Lin Jieyuan did not respond at all to the slogan "Boycott Zheng's Salt".
Instead, he turned around again and called affectionately toward the door: "Swallow! Swallow! You have to be happy! I will come to see you tomorrow!"
Everyone: "."
In this current situation, why do you, Lin Jieyuan, have to sell your affectionate character?
The main fighting force of the Zheng family has been crippled and has no ability to fight back for the time being.
Moreover, with the strong support of hundreds of "folks", Lin Jieyuan can definitely rush into the Zheng family's annex and directly snatch Bai Huakui away!
Why do we have to arrange a "to be continued tomorrow" for everyone?
It can only be said that depending on the height of the position, the level of viewing the problem will be different.
Then Lin Jieyuan took out a piece of paper from nowhere, waved it and said: "This is the poem you wrote to me. I finally wrote the most satisfying poem!"
If you take it to participate in the Pingshan Hall Poetry Competition, you will definitely win the first prize! I will read it to you tomorrow when I come!"
Although the melon-eating crowd could not clearly see the poem in Lin Jieyuan's hand, no one was worried about it.
Sure enough, in the crowd, someone began to distribute printed manuscripts again.
A scholar opened it and looked at it, and saw a seven-rhyme poem on it:
"So close to the horizon, as far as the eye can see, there are twelve heavy curtains and red railings.
The fragrant grass stretches across the sky, and the east wind is extremely cold.
The birds in the cage can survive again, but the water in the basin may make it difficult to contain them.
The falling flowers and dancing catkins are like spring water, but the red curtain below is unbearable to look at."
There was something about a woman bidding farewell to a man in the poem. After reading it, everyone sighed, if this was written by a woman, then it would be of a good level and she would be worthy of being a Suzhou courtesan.
When such a vigorous event happened on the streets in the morning, Zheng Yuanwai was at home to receive his fellow villager Wang Yuanwai.
Both of them are from Huizhou, and both are engaged in the salt industry. The scale is quite large, so it is not strange for them to move around each other.
"What kind of wind brought Brother Wang here today?" Zheng Zhiyan was a few years younger than Wang Qing, so he called him brother.
Wang Qingdao: "I came here today to inquire about someone from my brother.
There is a young descendant of Wang Yusheng from the Wang family in Dongshan, Suzhou. He often travels to Suzhou and is well-informed. Have you ever heard of him?"
Officer Zheng smiled and said: "This person was not well-known before. If you want to ask me, I may not be sure, but now I can tell you a thing or two."
Wang Yuanwai asked curiously: "Why is this?"
Zheng Zhiyan answered in detail: "During the Chinese New Year, someone in Suzhou wanted to demolish Wang Jiayi's old garden, but Wang Yusheng stepped in to stop it.
In the end, Wang Yusheng was disgraced, and half of Wang Jiayi's old garden was demolished."
Wang Yuanwai was shocked: "Who can forcefully demolish the Wang family's garden?"
In Wang Yuanwai's mind, a force like the Wang family in Dongshan should be nearly invincible in the local area. How could someone forcibly demolish half of the garden?
Even if Suzhou's chief minister, Shen Shixing, returns to Suzhou City, he may not be able to do such a thing.
And the key point is that Wang Yusheng is so cowardly and dares to come to Yangzhou to talk and point out the country. He is indeed "knowing people, knowing faces but not knowing people's hearts".
Zheng Zhiyan just said: "The people who forcibly demolished Wang's garden are now in Yangzhou City."
Suddenly, an old steward rushed into the hall very rudely and interrupted Mr. Zheng's words.
Just listen to the old steward shouting: "More than a hundred people sent by our Zheng family were suddenly besieged by hundreds of Suzhou people and have been completely wiped out!"
Zheng Yuanwai thought it was a ridiculous rumor at first. How could there be hundreds of organized thugs in Yangzhou City?
But after repeated confirmations that such a force really appeared in Yangzhou City, and when the victims were still the main force of his own thugs, Zheng Yuanwai felt that his brain was about to explode.
In all these years of wandering around the world, Zheng Yuanwai has never encountered such people and things.
Wang Yuanwai, who was present here, was equally astonished. He had also heard in the past two days that there was a "Sentimental Lin Jieyuan" from Suzhou who was competing with the Zheng family.
But Wang Yuanwai just regarded this matter as an anecdote after dinner, and never paid much attention to it.
But I didn't expect that this matter could develop to such a rapid extent.
Not only did the fight escalate to the level of hundreds of people in the street, but the slogan "Boycott Zheng's Salt" was also shouted.
Of course, the entire Zheng's Salt Group has more than one hundred people, but these more than one hundred people are mobile forces that can be called upon at any time. Once they are disabled, it will be difficult to mobilize large-scale troops in a short period of time.
What shocked Yuan Zheng even more was that the other party actually dispatched hundreds of people at the same time.
The total number of people in the Zheng Group is several hundred people, but these hundreds of people are scattered in various places to maintain the operation of the group, and it is impossible to be dispatched to one place at the same time.
The more than 100 people dispatched today are already the entire mobile force specially prepared by the Zheng family, and are generally sufficient.
Of course, this does not mean that the Zheng family is too weak, or that its financial resources are not as good as those of Lin Daguan. It is mainly due to the differences in the systems of the two groups.
Lin's association relies on a sufficiently vast and relatively wealthy rural land, with a population base of over 100,000, and low human resource costs.
The Zheng's Salt Industry Group is a purely commercial organization, and its human resource investment is also a purely commercial model, and the cost is much higher than that of the Lin Group.
For example, the thugs in Lin's society earn one tael per month.
A large part of the benefits of joining an association are reflected in invisible aspects such as family tax benefits.
As for the people in the two engineering teams, they are supported by government project funds, and they do not need to pay out of their own pockets.
Moreover, more than half of the 500 people who came to Yangzhou this time were recruited in the name of "service", which is equivalent to the government paying the bill.
In comparison, for the same thugs, Zheng's Salt Industry Group needs to pay two or two months' salary, and the apparent cost is twice as high.
The annual income of the entire Zheng's Salt Industry Group is about 40,000 taels, the salt import cost paid to the government is more than 10,000 taels, the labor and transportation costs are 10,000 to 20,000 taels, and the rest is the profit.
If you calculate the accounts, you will know that Zheng's Salt Industry Group cannot maintain a standing mobile force of several hundred people unless there is no profit at all.
So when it comes to numbers, even if the Zheng family is at home in Yangzhou, how can they beat Lin Daguan, who is based on nine cities?
Unless the Zheng family immediately expands its army regardless of cost, moves out its accumulated treasury and recruits large-scale idle people in society, or rents thugs from other forces, it may be possible to have a fighting chance in a short time.
However, the temporary expansion and reorganization will take at least a few days. During this period, the Zheng family's strike force is in a "vacuum period."
Thinking of this, and thinking of his opponent's strength of several hundred people, Zheng Yuanwai couldn't sit still at home.
He immediately stood up and told his confidant, the old steward: "First, I want a man! First organize all the remaining slaves in the house! At the same time, borrow and hire people, and first get three thousand taels from the warehouse for use!"
Second, please quickly send a message to your colleagues in the industry to ask them not to act rashly or try to fish in troubled waters!
Third, prepare the sedan chair! I’m going to pay a visit to the prefect now!”
After giving instructions on the most important matters, Zheng Yuanwai immediately said to Wang Yuanwai, who was here as a guest: "Brother Wang, can you temporarily lend a group of manpower for emergency response?"
Wang Yuanwai was still in shock and subconsciously responded: "This is what it should be!"
As fellow countrymen and colleagues, when others encounter difficulties, it is moral to give them a little support.
Zheng Yuanwai raised his hand to express his gratitude, and then said: "Now that my manpower is stretched thin, please ask Brother Wang to send thirty people to help me guard the Ganquan Courtyard where Bai Huakui is!"
Wang Yuanwai regained his composure, "If there are hundreds of people on the other side, even thirty people can't defend it."
Zheng Yuanwai sneered: "If they really dare to send hundreds of people to break into the house and act as robbers, then there is no need to stop them!"
For this reason, it would be impossible for Wang Yuanwai not to help. Otherwise, if the news spreads, all the fellow villagers will regard him as unethical.
When Huizhou people do business outside, they still pay great attention to unity, otherwise they will not be able to form a business gang.
It was Wang Yuanwai who was very curious about what kind of person Lin Jieyuan was, who dared to shout slogans that shook up the order of the salt industry in Yangzhou City.
After thinking about it, Wang Yuanwai decided to go to the other hospital in person tomorrow to take a look. After all, hearing is false and seeing is believing. It will never go wrong to collect more information.
After asking Wang Qing for help, Member Zheng hurried to the front hall and waited for the big sedan to be carried.
At this time, another doorman hurried over and reported in a panic:
"A hundred people came outside the gate, all with red cloth scarves wrapped around their arms, looking maliciously at our gate!"
Damn it! Officer Zheng immediately ordered: "Don't go through the main entrance! Use a sedan and go through the side door!"
Then he gave instructions to the old steward: "Take my post to the county government and ask the county government to send some officials to watch the gate first!"
Before Zheng Yuanwai arrived at the government office, Wu Xiu, the current magistrate of Yangzhou, was already listening to the inspector's report.
There is such a big thing happening in the city, and it is impossible for a prefect to know anything about it.
"The total number of this group is about five hundred. They entered the city in batches with road guides a few days ago. They are all nominally sent by Wu County to assist Suzhou's water transportation.
This group of people is known internally as the Wuxian Vigilante Group, and it seems that they have an organizational system and are not just a group of rioters.
Currently, they all live together in the four temples in the northeast of the city. They are very alert and defensive, and even lookout posts are set up high on the roofs.
In addition, according to merchants in the city, they have purchased countless sticks and poles and other items after entering the city."
The more Magistrate Wu listened, the more speechless he became. The more he listened, the more difficult it became. He felt like he had nowhere to start.
First, these people are not refugees and cannot be treated as numbers.
Second, there are too many people, and the combat effectiveness sounds very strong.
So if you want to handle it quietly, you can't do it. If it's bad, it will be an earth-shattering accident.
Third, this group of people all have legitimate names, and they did not commit murder or arson. They attacked the city government office. It is difficult to seek illegal charges.
After being a local official for so many years, I have never encountered such a tricky idea.
At this time, after hearing the report from the disciple, the great salt merchant Zheng Zhiyan came to visit.
This was completely expected by Magistrate Wu. It would have been strange that Zheng Yuanwai did not come to visit, so he invited people in.
The relationship between Zheng Yuanwai and Magistrate Wu is still very good, and it can even be said that they are quite congenial.
Magistrate Wu, like Lin Daguan, is a person who loves engineering very much.
The reconstruction of Pingshan Hall was jointly initiated and implemented by Wu Zhifu and Zheng Yuanwai.
In addition, during his tenure, Magistrate Wu also dredged the city on a large scale and piled up the excavated earth outside the city to create a scenic spot called Meihua Ridge, which became a landmark in the north of Yangzhou City.
Another cenotaph with a long history of time and space is located here at Meihua Ridge.
Anyway, in the project presided over by Magistrate Wu, Zheng Yuanwai contributed a lot, so the relationship between the two can be imagined.
Zheng Yuanwai walked into the back hall of the government office. He didn't even bother to salute or exchange greetings. He directly asked Magistrate Wu: "Can you please ask the Yangzhou Guards to send troops?"
Magistrate Wu asked noncommittally: "Sending out troops is not an ordinary thing. In what name are they dispatched?"
Zheng Yuanwai asked: "If such a big thing happens in the city, can't we ask the Yangzhou Guard to dispatch it?"
As an important town in the north of the Yangtze River, the Yangzhou Guard was quite large, with more than 8,000 banner troops responsible for water transportation. At this time, they had already set off or were preparing to set off.
But there are still more than 4,000 garrison troops responsible for the defense of Yangzhou City.
Magistrate Wu responded: "This incident was just a street fight. No houses were destroyed, no passers-by were affected, and there was no essential difference from clan fights in the fields.
Besides, they did not attack the city government office granary or other actions, and they still have legal status, so there is no reason for the Yangzhou Guard to send troops."
Zheng Yuanwai said angrily: "The problem is clearly here, how can we just let these hundreds of foreign evil forces run rampant in Yangzhou City?"
Magistrate Wu said calmly: "If you definitely want to ask Yangzhou Guards to send troops, how many people can be sent?
It is still common sense for me, the prefect, to ask for help from two to three hundred soldiers. But if there are only two to three hundred soldiers, will it be useful?
According to the latest news, there are 500 people in these Wuxian militia groups. If Yangzhou Guards were to send troops to encircle and suppress them, at least one to two thousand troops would have to be mobilized!
If I, the prefect, can mobilize one or two thousand troops at will, I will be impeached and dismissed from office in a few days!"
If Zheng Yuanwai had memories of hundreds of years later, he would definitely denounce "bureaucracy" at this time.
In a bureaucratic machine that has matured to a certain level, this situation of "doing nothing in the face of a problem is the right thing to do" will indeed occur.
Magistrate Wu added: "If you want to ask the Yangzhou Guards to send out large-scale troops, only the governor can give the order. I, the prefect, cannot command the Yangzhou Guards."
Zheng Yuanwai said angrily and anxiously: "It will take a few days for the governor to arrive in Yangzhou City!"
Now the balance of strength is seriously imbalanced. He, Zheng Zhiyan, can only be humiliated in the past few days, how can he bear it!
If Lin Tailai repeatedly tramples on his dignity by taking advantage of his strength in numbers, will the number one salt merchant lose his face? How will he be able to control the situation in the future?
Magistrate Wu said: "The person who tied the bell needs to be untied. Tomorrow I will invite Lin Tailai to the government office and try my best to mediate for you."
Although Zheng Yuanwai felt that mediation was useless, it was not impossible as a delaying tactic.
So he said: "I'm afraid it will end in vain once, so please ask the prefect to mediate a few more times!"
By the next day, Lin Daguan had come to Zheng's Villa for four consecutive days to perform affectionately.
Every time he comes, the situation becomes more intense, which makes the people who eat melons more and more expectant.
Although many melon-eaters understand that many plots may be performance routines, who cares about the authenticity of the drama?
I also need a guaranteed monthly pass. I am too busy today to write, and I will not divide it into chapters. I owe you one chapter.
