Walking in the fields in the countryside of Yunnan, Wang Hengyue found that he had not felt so relaxed for a long time.
There is no need to think about anything, no need to consider anything, just relax yourself and "reward" yourself.
Several guards watched the surroundings nervously, fearing that any suspicious targets would appear.
Margaret stuck to Wang Hengyue like a plaster. Wherever Wang Hengyue went, she followed him.
The scenery in the fields made Margaret couldn't help but cheer.
Looking at her bouncing back, Wang Hengyue had to admit, well, Margaret is no longer the little girl he met in Tibet. No matter how you look at it, she is very mature.
.
"Heng Shuai, look over there."
The guard pointed to the front and looked along. There was a notice posted on a big tree. Wang Hengyue took a closer look and saw that it was written very strangely and interestingly: "You know that opium harms people, so why throw it away?"
If the broad beans, barley, and wheat are not growing, how can you only grow this harmful opium? Oh, you are wrong. I advise you farmers to still work on the grain and find money, and you will also make a fortune.
When the wheat is harvested, plant some good broad bean seeds, and plant some good barley and wheat seeds. By next spring, the broad beans can be pulled out, and the barley and wheat can be harvested. Sell them for cash, fair and square, and which one will get a penny less.
It’s a rare product, so you have to sell it everywhere. It’s no better than opium cigarettes. It costs a lot of gold when you get to the street market, and you have to weigh the scales when selling them. And the worst thing is that your name is on the cigarette planting book this year.
By next year, if you don't reduce production, you must be breaking the law. The commander-in-chief has issued a notice. Go and take a closer look. I advise you not to grow this harmful opium. It is also a good thing. You all did it, and you also
Think carefully. In addition to instructing the gentry and senior officials to advise you, we have co-authored a notice in vernacular to advise you: The literate people in your villages should read it to the illiterate people, and the people who remember it should listen to the people who cannot remember it: Everyone.
Advice, try your best to prohibit it. This county’s advice to you is over. You should understand, don’t disobey, and strictly warn you.”
At the end of the notice, the seal of Fumin County was changed.
"Hey, this is the first time I've seen such a government notice. I've never heard of it." Wang Hengyue pointed at the notice and found it interesting: "Go and find the governor here."
After saying that, she sat down under the tree, and Margaret also sat down next to Wang Hengyue. Waves of delicious aroma could not stop coming into Wang Hengyue's nose, making Wang Hengyue feel a little excited.
If there weren't guards by the side, what would have happened if this foreign girl was "executed on the spot" right now?
Finally, when the guards came over with the governor of Fumin County, Wang Hengyue calmed down.
"Fumin County Governor Ma Nan saw the patrol envoy.
"Sit down." Wang Hengyue patted the ground beside him.
Manan was startled and sat on the ground. He looked at the patrol envoy again and saw that he was also sitting on the ground.
Such a meeting between a superior and a subordinate was truly unprecedented.
Wang Hengyue pointed to his head: "What's going on?"
Looking in the direction pointed by the inspector, Manan saw the notice and immediately said: "Return to the inspection envoy, most of the villagers can't read. If you write in a sophisticated way, no one will be able to understand it."
So I made it into vernacular so that everyone can understand it once they hear it."
"Well, good, you are good at doing things?" Wang Hengyue nodded repeatedly, "How is the opium situation in Fumin?"
Ma Nan quickly replied: "Although it is very serious, it is much better than other places."
"Oh?" Wang Hengyue became interested: "Tell me what you did?"
Ma Nan sorted out his thoughts: "Forcibly banning opium will definitely not work. It is not that opium has never been banned in Yunnan. It was banned several times during the Qing Dynasty, but once it was banned, the harm of opium was greater. Why? Because?
Many people in Yunnan rely on this for a living. You have banned it, but what about the lives of tobacco farmers? Not only tobacco farmers, but also the porters? What do they eat? So when your limelight is over, they will go back to their old business.
"
Wang Hengyue nodded frequently.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you say!
Tobacco farmers, porters, etc. have to survive. If they don't grow opium, what will they eat and use? It can even be said that the whole family depends on these opium to survive.
"Keep talking." Wang Hengyue said thoughtfully.
Nan responded softly: "So the hard ban will definitely not succeed. There is a lesson. Therefore, the official thought of several ways. One of them was to promote cash crops suitable for planting in Yunnan, such as broad beans, barley, and wheat. This was originally a patrol
Using the method used in Sichuan, it is a pity that there is a financial shortage to enrich the people and agricultural subsidies cannot be carried out
He took a breath and continued: "Then, the lower official tried every means to ask grandpa to sue grandma. He invited several businessmen and took them to inspect the rich people. After some smooth talk, he agreed to a series of discounts.
, allowing them to set up several factories in wealthy people, so that the problems of family income of tobacco farmers, resettlement of porters and local fiscal revenue left after the smoking ban can be solved."
What he said there was detailed, and Wang Hengyue listened carefully.
After he finished speaking, Wang Hengyue nodded approvingly: "Ma Nan, you are a good official!"
"Thank you very much for the compliment from the inspection envoy. I feel ashamed to be a lower-ranking official."
"If we want to promote the experience of enriching the people throughout Yunnan, I don't believe that the opium problem cannot be solved." Wang Hengyue said and asked: "Are there any difficulties?"
Ma Nan thought for a moment: "There are definitely difficulties, but others can be overcome and solved, but there is really no solution to the problem of local tyrants."
"Local tycoon?" Wang Hengyue frowned: "Say!"
It is rare for patrol envoys to come here. If they miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to say when they will be able to respond to the problem in the future. Manan suddenly thought about it and said: "Actually, this is not just a matter of enriching the people, every county in Yunnan has
Yes. There is a local tycoon in every county, and all the local opium is under their control. From planting to purchasing, no one can get around them. These local tycoons are very powerful, and every family has a bodyguard. From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty,
As long as the officers and soldiers come to clean up opium, these local tycoons really dare to fight the officers and soldiers. Moreover, these local tycoons have contacts with Guangxi and are not easy to mess with.
"
Wang Hengyue didn't get angry, and thought for a while: "Keep talking."
Ma Nan cleared his throat: "If we want to solve the opium problem in Yunnan, we must first eradicate these local tyrants. These people can be said to be the eyes, ears and accomplices of the Guangxi Clan in Yunnan. If these people are removed, the relationship between the Guangxi Clan and Yunnan will be lost."
Half of them were cut off! But having said that, it is not easy to eradicate them. You have to make great determination and spend a lot of effort."
From his words, Wang Hengyue could faintly feel a sense of distrust.
I'm afraid there have been many such actions in the past, but none of them were successful, which gradually made the local people feel discouraged, and the power and arrogance of the local tyrants became more and more arrogant.
What's more, the only person in charge of Yunnan now is an "outsider" like himself?
However, from the conversation with Ma Nan, the governor of Fumin, Wang Hengyue got some insights into the context of Yunnan's opium problem.
"Governor Ma, who is Lou Hao who enriches the people?" Wang Hengyue suddenly asked.
Ma Nan was silent for a moment: "This man's name is Abiaoji. He has hundreds of men and guns under his command. He currently lives in Fumin County. I have gone to talk to him several times, but he kicked me out every time.
"
Wang Hengyue was furious, and then he restrained his anger and sneered a few times: "Okay, very good.
Even the local officials appointed by me are looked down upon. Governor Ma."
"exist."
Wang Hengyue stood up and said, "I'm going to spend the night in Fumin County where you are today."
Ma Nan hesitated: "Inspector, to be honest with you, Abiaoji had a very good relationship with Tang Jiyao in the past. After Tang Jiyao left power, he has been clamoring to avenge Tang Jiyao, so"
"Revenge, seek revenge from me?" Wang Hengyue laughed "haha": "I haven't paid much attention to Tang Jiyao's tens of thousands of troops, but a small local tyrant has become so rampant. I want to see how he wants to seek revenge from me.
!" After saying that, he asked Manan to lead the way. He called a guard, whispered a few words in his ear, and the guard left quickly.
He glanced at Margaret and was about to speak, but Margaret had already said first: "No, you go there, and I'll go there too."
As soon as he entered Fumin County and saw that the streets were quite lively and prosperous, Wang Hengyue suddenly stopped and pulled a passerby: "Do you know who Lou is?" The passerby was stunned and shook his head in confusion.
"I am Wang Hengyue, the envoy to the southwest patrol." After Wang Hengyue finished speaking, he let go of the man's hand and grabbed another person: "See clearly, I am Wang Hengyue, the envoy to the southwest patrol, and I am here to enrich the people!"
Ma Nan was completely stunned, not knowing what the patrol officer wanted to do.
A Biaoji had malicious intentions. Now that the patrol came to his territory, and he only brought a few guards with him, once A Biaoji knew about it, how could he not take action immediately?
"The patrol envoy will regret the patrol"
As soon as Ma Nan spoke, Wang Hengyue was already smiling and said loudly: "This is your Governor Ma. He came to greet me specially. Go tell A Biaoji that I, Wang Hengyue, have brought rich people!"
Ma Nan's face was as pale as dirt, but Wang Hengyue suddenly lowered his voice: "Don't be afraid, I will deal with Abiao without any effort!"
Manan was stunned for a moment, not knowing what the patrol officer wanted to do. Looking at the guards, they were all very calm, as if they had expected that Heng Shuai would definitely do such a thing.
Wang Hengyue has long been confident that getting rid of Abiaoji is nothing, but he wants to take this opportunity to get rid of all the local tycoons in Yunnan, big and small.
The pacification of Guangdong and Guangxi is about to begin, and in Yunnan, we can also take action against the long-standing opium problem!!