"This is a repetition of the original Muddy Vault......"

Qingpu Cargo Station, a corner of the warehouse is a commercial area, many merchants are directly here to unload silver goods, tea houses and restaurants and other service facilities have been built a lot. Although it is close to the noisy wharf, it is this bustle that makes the merchants feel particularly energetic when they talk about business.

In a teahouse, a table of people now felt that the hustle and bustle was particularly irritable, and one of them muttered in a low Jiangxi accent.

The other shook his head: "It's different, that time I used gold to whitewash the peace and appease people's hearts, but this time it was an announcement before the killing of the mighty stick!" ”

Another person nodded: "Yes, hundreds of companies have popped up in Dongguan and Foshan, pouring into the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, and I heard that the Sanjiang Ticket Bank has deposited hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in two or three days." ”

The topic turned to this, and several people were indignant.

"Why do they only pay the lowest level of dues!? It's only five hundred taels a year, and we're all one thousand taels! ”

"Looking for the first judge of the Security Council! Let's go! Let's get a bunch of people together and see how Li Xi steps down! ”

"Judge!? The new directors can drown us! The proprietors of Dongguan and Foshan are all locals, and they couldn't be more obedient to Li Shi. ”

"Whatever you say is a workshop, you have property and industry, you just squat there and can't run away, only against an official house, we are different businessmen, there are too many officials to deal with, I think it's all rhetoric!"

The man who shook his head snorted, "I just said, this is a notice, and it is telling us, don't take yourself too seriously, he still has more cards in his hand." ”

The first worried person sighed: "Li Tianwang was assassinated, and we outsiders also suffered. ”

When the word "assassination" came out, the air suddenly became solemn, everyone looked at each other, their eyes began to flicker, and they didn't dare to speak easily.

After a long time, someone condensed his heart and said: "After all, it's the head of Yu Song in Hunan, and we didn't do it on the surface......

Before the words could be spoken, the sound of footsteps drowned out the noise outside the building, and a group of gunmen rushed in and surrounded the table. The dress of this group of soldiers is roughly similar to that of Qingtian Siwei, all of them are mid-length plackets with large buttoned jackets, narrow trousers, and thick-soled boots. But the jacket and trousers, even the short-brimmed round hat on the head are heavy black, the arms are covered with red sleeves, and a white "forbidden" word is embroidered, which is extremely dazzling.

Just looking at this piece of black, the merchants are all soft on their seats, this is the new department of the Qingtian Guard, the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard, privately known as the "Black Guard". What exactly it does, this common name can be seen, it is no different from the Jinyi Wei of the Ming Dynasty, which is the minions that Li Shi used to deal with those who have different intentions in his own territory.

Half a month ago, Li Shi was assassinated in Qingyuan, and then the Janissary Department was established to comprehensively investigate the connection between the Cantonese Chamber of Commerce and the assassination.

"He Yiqing! Sandrie! Huanglin! ”

The leader of the black-clad guards looked around at the table and read their names in a deep voice. The Jiangxi businessmen at this table looked at each other a few times, pointed their fingers and chin to leave their seats, and quickly showed the three of them.

"Take it!"

The leader was cold, and the soldiers twisted the three of them, and the three of them shouted one after another, why did they take me and myself to violate the royal law and something like that, not only the soldiers ignored it, but the other merchants didn't dare to say a word.

"If you know the inside story of these three people colluding with the government, report it as soon as possible, if they bite out, then it is no wonder that ......"

The leader glanced at the others, these businessmen, you look at me, I look at you, and their hearts are hesitating. The Praetorian Guard didn't arrest them, they really had a ghost in their hearts, and they could just run away. But then there is no way to do business in Guangdong, and even the money of Sanjiang Ticket Bank and Sanjiang Investment, and the dues paid will be wasted...... In a moment, these people all had a choice, and one by one they laughed and said, "We do have an inside report." ”

Qingpu Cargo Station, Yu Hanyi, who also changed into black, his face was as black as his clothes, he was like this during this time, and after listening to the report of his subordinates, he was still not satisfied.

"I'm sure I'm not done! Let Zhu Blind come up with the means he used to use in Panyu County! This is the first battle of our Praetorian Guard Department, and the General Director wants us to wear black, so we want to do it! There are no scruples about dealing with such people! ”

Yu Hanyi roared, spitting on his subordinates, and his subordinates bent their waists and shrunk their necks, saying in their hearts that Yu Tou'er must have been scolded by the general director.

Regarding the assassination of Li Shi, the intelligence department presided over by Yu Hanyi did not receive any news in advance and saw a little sign. Li Xi didn't blame him, and let him go from behind the scenes to the front desk, presiding over the newly established Praetorian Guard, and he himself was ashamed.

It was Yan Sanniang who counted him down, maybe it was Bai Honggu's death that made her feel very bad, and she said straight "It seems that I have to do this job for you", this is not serious, Guan Xuan should have unintentionally said "Brother Han Yi is better to lead the troops", which made him dizzy, and the newly established Praetorian Guard Department actually narrowed Yu Hanyi's work authority, and was responsible for internal intelligence collection and investigation, including the conspiracy against Li Xi and various key officials, as well as Qingtian Company and related key units. With the help of Li Xian's transfer of a wing guard as an action team, reliable officials were recruited from Yingde, Nanhai and Panyu County Yali for interrogation and investigation.

After all, the subject was a businessman, not a professional spy, and a steady stream of confessions converged into a report and handed it to the grass hall in the White City of England and Germany.

"Li Xu!?"

Seeing this long-lost name, Li Xi took a breath, he really ignored this guy.

The Jiangxi businessmen confessed that the governor of Jiangxi, Tong Guoxian, had approached them and forced them to be the court's internal responders, looking for an opportunity to solve Li Shi. But they didn't dare, and they didn't have a chance. But Yu Song found them and said that he had a way, once the matter was completed, they would support Yu Song as the head of the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, and he would support Peng Xianzhong to take over the industry of Qingtian Company and help everyone stabilize the situation in Guangdong.

In order to strengthen the persuasiveness, Yu Songdou revealed that his backstage was Li Xu, who was woven in Suzhou.

"Master Li said that as long as everyone works together to solve Li Shi, he will also speak in front of the emperor, not only to keep the Cantonese Chamber of Commerce, but also to leave as much benefit as possible."

Yu Song said so, these Jiangxi businessmen were very happy, and they all began to prepare, and even drew up a plan to buy the guards and inspectors of the Qingpu Cargo Station with a lot of money after Li Xian's death, help stabilize the situation, drive An Jinzhi, and set up Yu Song as the head of the meeting.

Li Xian sighed, the actions of the merchants showed that the order he created in Guangdong was very popular with the merchants, but the surname of the merchants riding on the wall made them very worried about the situation they were dominating, and as soon as the Qing court officials pressed them, they turned back.

"A bunch of idiots ......"

An Jinzhi was also there, and when he heard that Li Shi's assassination was done by an insider of the Cantonese Chamber of Commerce, he was also frightened, afraid that he was also the target, so he hurriedly ran to Baicheng to take refuge.

Knowing the plans of these businessmen, An Jinzhi scoffed, compared to a businessman with a "far-sighted" vision, these guys are really stupid. What did Li Xi rely on to build this order? Force! With Li Shi gone, can the imperial court still allow such an order to exist?

"They don't understand, they always think that the court is not only afraid of my force, but also afraid of the weight they have gathered, so they never thought that they have weight, without a character like me Li Tianwang who dares to stab the court against the court, it is just a soft meat."

Li Shi's self-muttering, An Jinzhi nodded with a complicated expression, indeed, this order is supported by Li Shi's backbone, if you want to change the businessman to sit in Li Shi's position, you will be sure to lie on the ground as soon as possible, and then be pursued by the imperial court a hundred times.

"Li Xu is in Jiangnan, how should this guy deal with him?"

Ahn changed the subject.

That Li Xu must be borrowing his Li Xu's head to earn some points for Yinxu. Li Xian judged it this way, as for how to deal with him, Li Xian smiled slightly, he had left the back door a long time ago, it was time to teach that guy a lesson, and by the way, solve Yu Song's problem together, that guy really thought that he had fled back to Hunan, and he would not be able to deal with it?

"Although the workshop owners in Foshan, Dongguan have been recruited to fill the scene, but with such turmoil, the Cantonese businessmen will be afraid that it will be dangerous......"

An Jinzhi was worried about his own affairs again, Li Shi was going to be ruthless this time, how could he kill dozens of people, most of the businessmen in Jiangxi were estimated to be scared away, and businessmen in other places would also be affected, and the situation of the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce was like a candle in the wind, and the future was worrying.

He was originally a workshop owner, and later became a businessman, although he climbed to the Guangzhou general Guan Yuanzhong, but he was not a well-known person, until he "selected" Li Xian's son-in-law, he went straight to the clouds, and became a big man who shouted on the ground in Guangdong, and everyone had to listen to what he said. The Cantonese Entrepreneurs Association has now become his career, and the more he does it, the more he cares, and he is very reluctant to abolish this business.

"Master An, the workshop owners are not here to support the scene. You are also a workshop owner, you might as well think about it, if the workshop owner can not be exploited by the government, not subject to the strict control of the imperial court, someone invests money to help with turnover, someone helps to find raw materials, and someone helps find sellers, which business is more stable than the business? ”

When he and Li Shi met for the first time, he said that his glazed line was the root of life, if there was really so much convenience, it would not only be the root of life, but also grow into a towering cash cow.

"Industry and commerce, industry and commerce, industry in the front of the business, I was the first to attract businessmen, is to rely on their silver to pave the way, Sanjiang investment silver, and even the membership dues of the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, most of them are invested in Foshan iron and steel and Dongguan machinery, not only I Qingtian company holds the big workshop, but also drove the surrounding countless small workshops, they ...... No, you are the strength that I can rely on more. ”

Li Xian's words are sincere, he is not naïve enough to rely only on businessmen to achieve great things, businessmen are just catalysts, in the past three years, people, finance, the army, and the part of wealth, he has the greatest strength in industry. Whether it is the promotion of technology or the operation of Foshan and Dongguan, in his heart, the important surname is greater than that of businessmen.

It's just that the industry has to show its strength, not only by the constraints of raw materials and the market, but also by the process, and it will not be possible to become a model in three or five years. This time, in order to stabilize the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, he entangled the workshop owners in Dongguan and Foshan as early as possible, promoted them to set up companies, gave them preferential treatment, and supported them from all aspects.

The original plan was to spread the technology and promote industrial development after Foshan Iron and Steel and Dongguan Machinery had become the pillars of Guangdong's industry. Now that this matter is launched in advance, not only the management personnel of the business relations department cannot keep up, but there will be many problems in the details, and the supply of raw materials and the stability of the market have not been solved, and there will be many twists and turns.

"Actually, the problem is not only this ......"

Duan Hongshi came, Li Shi was assassinated, and he was safe and sound, he was not only happy, but also worried.

"Merchants are unstable because the pressure you put on them is not straightforward enough, and force, money, and trade routes alone are not enough to make them take sides."

This question that Duan Hongshi said directly points to the core of Li Shi's current strategy.

Slowly becoming the king, accumulating grain, and building a high wall are the inevitable ways to achieve great causes throughout the ages. The first two are easy to say, the current is a stable Kangxi Dynasty, not a troubled era, and this "high wall" is very troublesome. In order to leave a layer of skin for the Qing court, Li Xi couldn't build a banner, so this wall was soft, so don't blame the merchants for riding the wall, and even thinking about crushing the wall outside.

"The instability of businessmen is still secondary, and now the situation in Guangdong is strange and inexplicable, and the imperial court has left a layer of skin, but not all of us have occupied it. We only had a skeleton and a few pieces of flesh, and the rest of the flesh was neither attached to the bones nor skinned. Just like the Yongan Bandits, there are still a lot of chaos brewing in the small, and there is no telling when it will break out. ”

Duan Hongshi said that Li Shi nodded again and again, the previous businessman's reckless behavior is an example, to put it bluntly, he made the Qing court powerless in Guangdong, but his control has not completely kept up, the blank space in the middle, naturally there are other forces to fill, neither controlled by him Li Shi, nor controlled by the government, I don't know what chaos will wait for him. And if these messes are used by the Qing court, he will really be difficult to handle.

"To suppress this chaos, the wall must be bright, so that people can have a measure in their hearts, so that we can see clearly from us."

Then Duan Hongshi's words made Li Xian's heart tremble, this was saying...... "Raise the flag!?" ”

An Jinzhi said sharply, he was frightened again, although he knew in his heart that there would be such a day, after all, he was also present when Li Xi cut his braids, but he seemed to never be able to make this psychological preparation, every time he thought of the future, he comforted himself with the fact that he was a businessman and did not ask about the affairs of the world.

Li Shi and Duan Hongshi glanced at each other, both fell into deep thought, and after a while, both of them shook their heads at the same time.

In terms of people, the foundation of the people's hearts has only begun to be laid, and in terms of finance, industry has already been boosted by pulling out seedlings, otherwise commerce will not be stable, and militarily, the combat readiness of the three battalions has been expanded to 7,000 people, but one-third has just begun training, and the ordnance is still insufficient. The Foshan Manufacturing Bureau has just started trial production, and there is still a shortage of one-third of the muskets, and the artillery is even more scarce, with more than 30 12-pound guns, half of which were given to the navy, and only two 20-pound guns have been trial-made.

At this time, the time to raise the flag is still immature, very immature, since the skin of the court can still be stretched, Kangxi's brain has not fully woken up, and this opportunity must be grasped as much as possible.

"The establishment of the Praetorian Security Department can have a certain deterrence, the Cantonese Chamber of Commerce will expand, the minds of businessmen can also calm down, the Nanyang Company has eyebrows, the industry and commerce have more outlets, and the gas can live more, and the Huangpu New City can also condense the hearts of many industry and commerce. But this is all about adjusting itself, and externally, that is, to the court, you can't always be so passive, otherwise you will always be exhausted to cope with one move after another, and it will be difficult to make up for mistakes. ”

Duan Hongshi's worries have not decreased, this is also Li Xian's heart, not being able to raise the flag does not mean that he will do nothing, what may he do...... A term known in his previous life popped up, and Li Shi's eyes lit up.

"So...... Let's fight. ”

Li Shi pinched his chin, thinking that he really needed to be ruthless again, before Baicheng only scared the officials in Guangdong, and now he needs to scare the officials of the surrounding provinces.

"At the specified time, in the specified place, beat them hard!"

(To be continued)