Chapter 225 The End of Heaven


It was misty and rainy, and the sky was blue.

In the afternoon, the living room of John Barrow's house was filled with a dozen of the most powerful businessmen in Songjiang Prefecture.

Some of them had thick braids with red ropes and jade hanging down their backs. They wore melon skin hats and silk gowns with red blessing groups. They were sitting at the table, frowning and saying nothing.

Some people are wearing feathers, cranes and cloaks, with white jade crowns and rings hanging around their waists. They are sitting on the sofa, slightly anxiously playing with a pair of golden walnuts in their hands.

As the owner of this home, John Barrow is nearly sixty years old this year. He is a bit stout and does not like to wear formal dresses. He only dresses in a cardigan and suit trousers. His beard is carefully trimmed and his upper lip is The two beards are like black scissors, hanging around the corners of the mouth.

John Barrow's grandfather was once the secretary of the mission that visited the Qianlong Dynasty on behalf of the British royal family. He learned Manchu and Chinese and understood the layout of the mainland as a family tradition.

When the British occupied Songjiang Prefecture, John Barrow was one of the translators who accompanied the army. Later, although the British withdrew, he stayed and became a representative figure of foreigners doing business in Songjiang Prefecture.

But even with his status, when facing these people who come to the living room now, most of the time, they interact with each other on an equal footing.

Although he can be said to be the representative of local foreign businessmen, any one of these people also represents the will of a group of wealthy businessmen in Songjiang Prefecture, and they are by no means alone.

“After this period of observation, we can confirm that the prefect’s Yamen is not just showing off and showing off its teeth and claws, hoping that we will sell some of our interests in exchange for their silence.”

The braided businessman by the window sighed, "The so-called newly added regulations on working hours in the Songjiang Prefecture Code are not a poor excuse, but a real intention to implement them."

"There are already many Because the factory turned a deaf ear to this decree, Songjiang Prefecture quickly sent people to control it and enforce it. "

He said sadly, "Reducing sixteen hours to eight hours is a full cut. Lose Half of the profit has been lost, and many delivery dates have been delayed. The real loss of the manufacturer is far more than 50%."

"What kind of madness has Ling Duxian committed? His own tax has to be reduced by more than half. Is he really not afraid that when the adults from all over the world come to collect the money, they will despise him for the lack of money and give up his official position? "

Did the old man in Yuyi hear this? Then he sneered.

"He can even do things like banning smoking, so what else can he not dare to do?"

The old man in Yuyi had a dark expression, "Since he doesn't want money, he just wants fame, and fishing for fame is also a good idea. There is no need to go through this process "

"I think this person is very ambitious. I am afraid that he is not satisfied with the position of the prefect, but wants to completely win over people's hearts and truly dominate one side."

"You guys. Have you noted I noticed that the first group of people who responded to him were themselves cigarette sellers. It would take a lot of cruelty to make the cigarette sellers take the initiative to stop smoking, and even make the smokers stop smoking. Expenses? ”

“And I found out that some of the people who control each factory are actually people who have retired from the factory. We can talk.”

"Originally, many of my partners wanted to incite the workers, using the excuse that the government would make them unemployed, to encourage them to march in front of the government to protest against the greedy prefects."

"In the end, because of those Because of the existence of retired workers, the plan failed before it even started."

The golden walnut made a clicking sound in the palm of my hand.

The old man in Yuyi took a deep breath.

“The prefect’s Yamen was able to predict the methods we wanted to use. Obviously planning these things was not accomplished overnight, but was deliberated over a long time and with great energy.”

"It is no longer possible for us to persuade the magistrate to make concessions with words and money."

For these truly successful wealthy businessmen, they understand very well that a person is the most determined when doing something.

It is not driven by sudden emotional impulses or emotions, but it has been a long time and a lot of things have been invested in planning this matter.

If you can’t earn back the initial investment, you will never be willing to accept it.

They couldn't figure out what methods the prefect's Yamen used to make those retired workers live vigorously, but they could imagine that the price must be high.

The prefect's Yamen and the opium dens in various temples must have been losing large amounts of money every day in their recent accounts.

After losing so much, how can I make it back? I'm afraid that when the time comes, half of them will have their homes confiscated and used as a stepping stone for the rise of new warlords.

John Barrow listened to the discussions of these people, silently picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the steaming black tea.

The waves of tea are rippling, and against the backdrop of the white porcelain tea cup, it seems to be glowing with orange-red light, and it also exudes a faint apple aroma.

This is authentic Keemun black tea.

The British people's universal love for tea is a bit difficult for Chinese people to understand.

Businessmen in London would even collect tea leaves soaked by nobles, then mix them with Prussian blue and dry them, then mix them with hawthorn, blackthorn and elderberry leaves, and sell them to the lower classes, claiming to be imported. Wuyi tea.

Among ordinary residents of Britain, there is also a rumor that many merchants will use sheep dung to re-flavor the soaked tea and sell it to customers again.

Even so, the British demand for tea is still skyrocketing every year.

The British East India Company used to offset the dumping of tea. The first was to rely on cotton, and the second was to rely on tobacco.

Moreover, because of its magical power that makes it difficult to get rid of, cigarettes are considered by them to be a lower-risk and more important commodity to sell.

Although some factories under John Barrow's name were ordered to undergo rectification and control, what alarmed him even more was the ban on smoking.

The most powerful three warlords in Mainland China, out of consideration for their troop resources and capabilities, have ordered to ban the sale and smoking of tobacco in their territories.

But regarding the intensity of execution, it is simply a joke.

On the other hand, Songjiang Prefecture’s recent smoking ban is the real force that makes tobacco growers angry.

"Gentlemen, please listen to what I have to say."

John Barrow put down his tea cup, "I have compiled the latest report from Songjiang Mansion, and I will use my limited favors to make this report available as quickly as possible. at the speed of appearing in the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street and the Governor-General of the East India Company, On the desk of Earl Staunton."

"A reply from Downing Street is still far away, and Governor Staunton is also very concerned about this and has convened the directors to discuss a solution. ”

The businessmen in the living room were all in high spirits.

The old man in Yuyi said: "Could it be that the British government wants to personally come forward to remove Ling Duxian from his post? Then it is best to bring enough troops."

"No, no, if our side mobilizes troops like that, the trouble will only be more, but the sooner this matter is resolved, the better, and cannot be delayed."

John Barrow explained, "So Lord Governor, In the name of the entire East India Company, the famous Tianjue organization was hired to solve the problem of Songjiang Mansion and generously paid 100%. Thirty deposits."

"The remaining 70% of the deposit must be paid by us together."

The old man in Yuyi changed his face slightly: "Tian Jue?"< br>
Tianjue is a famous killer organization that has emerged in the past two years. It is said that its headquarters may be in Liaodong, or even close to Tsarist Russia.

Among the nearly 100 warlords in the mainland, at least 20 have completed dynasty changes in the past two years with the participation of the Tianjue organization.

Those who claimed to be generals and commanders were killed by hired murderers by their subordinates, sons, adjutants, father-in-laws, etc., and their territory was also taken over by the hired murderers.

The most terrifying thing is that this Tianjue organization has participated in several battles between foreigners.

The foreign slave owners in Nanyang hired Tian Jue to kill their opponents.

After Tianjue accepted a high deposit, he showed his ability to directly attack the city and destroy the army, seizing the territory of several local armed forces and handing it over to his employer.

How can such behavior be considered a killer?

It is said that foreigners have called the Tianjue organization the most powerful mercenary group in the Far East.

"This...if the people from Tianjue and the people from the prefect's yamen come to fight, I'm afraid it will be no different from a war."

The braided businessman said hesitantly, " Our industry will not be destroyed in the chaos, right?"

John Barrow nodded: "The Governor has also considered this matter for us. We can directly mention this in the mission requirements. Understand.”

"Tianjue's excellent reputation is because they can meet the employer's requirements to the greatest extent."

After everyone discussed and asked about the specific amount, they finally made up their mind. "You dare to change sixteen hours to eight hours, because you don't want to give us a way to survive."

"We will let him die first!"

In the middle of the night that day, the gold paid by everyone was personally handed over to the people of the Tianjue organization by John Barrow at the agreed location in the suburbs.

The wooden frame and steel-skinned carriage was painted black, with angry wind lanterns hung at the corners.

The sound of horse hooves, accompanied by the ringing of the bell on the horse's neck, rang softly in the quiet night.

The coachman has been John Barrow's personal guard for many years. He has a capable temperament and good martial arts skills. But after arriving in the suburbs, while the carriage and horses were walking, they suddenly heard John Barrow exclaim.

“Baron!”

The coachman turned around quickly.

In the carriage, John Barrow was seen sitting blankly. The black leather box he originally held in his arms had disappeared, leaving only a note in his hand.

“Yes, it was someone from Tian Jue who took the thing away.”

John Barrow, who was in shock, breathed a sigh of relief when he looked at the words and marks on the note.

He suddenly remembered that there were mission requirements that needed to be handed over to the Tianjue organization in his jacket pocket, but when he reached out and touched them, he discovered that the piece of paper recording the mission requirements was also gone.

John Barrow looked at the carriage and his guard, feeling for the first time that this carriage was so unsafe.

During the whole process, he, who was holding the box personally, had no idea what had taken the box away.

"Go back quickly, hurry up, hurry up!"

John Barrow urged the coachman to go home.

There was a figure in fluttering white clothes standing not far in front of the carriage, but from beginning to end, these two people were completely unaware of it.

After the carriage left, another well-dressed man came to the man in white with a box and a piece of paper.

"Elder, there is no problem with the gold. It is their request on the paper."

The man in white held the piece of paper and looked at it.

“No smoking?!”

The man in white’s eyes flashed, “When I received the commission from Standong, I already felt something was wrong.”

“Look now Come on, the news that Songjiang Mansion sent back to the Jiao Zhong Forum is totally wrong.”

"The Samana's mission was a complete failure, and I'm afraid he himself will not end well."

Yes, this leader of the Tianjue organization who just returned from overseas is actually a member of the Xiantian Sect.

In other words, the entire Tianjue was originally part of the Xiantian Sect.

The senior leaders of the Xiantian Sect initially established this killer organization not because of any foresight, but because of a very difficult problem to discuss.

Xiantian Sect... is short of money!

The White Lotus Sect, from the Yuan Dynasty to the Jiaqing Period of the Qing Dynasty, changed its name several times during the process of naming it the Xiantian Sect.

During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, this direct descendant of the White Lotus was called the Bagua Sect. Although it worshiped Maitreya Bodhisattva, its slogan was "Niu Ba Ri Yue", which was the slogan of the uprising against the Qing Dynasty and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty. set.

Maitreya Bodhisattva in the Buddha's doorway refers to a future Buddha. When it comes to the Bagua Sect, there is another way of saying it.

They claimed that "Sakyamuni, an old thief, stole the opportunity of Maitreya Bodhisattva and became the Buddha of today's world, so he raised villains and thieves all over the world. The world is unrest, which is called honesty." All sentient beings are suffering in water and fire and cannot be reincarnated."

Now that the great calamity is approaching, Maitreya Bodhisattva has a prophecy, "With the restoration of the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, in the great light, Maitreya Bodhisattva was born, drove away Sakyamuni, and killed the princes and generals until they were rekindled. From then on, the old and young men All have attained bliss.”

Just by looking at this set of four different sayings, you can tell that the so-called Bagua religion is to use the huge grievances and sufferings accumulated by the people at the bottom since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs to seek trouble for themselves.

Nine and a half out of ten brothers and sisters who burn incense and set up altars in various places just take the opportunity to develop believers and then sit back and collect incense money and foundation money.

We have to make those people who are already miserable beyond belief, squeeze out some oil and water from the bones and dregs, and fatten themselves.

When the incident really happened, this kind of person would be the first to run away.

In the early years of Jiaqing, the Bagua Cult broke out in a big way, affecting several provinces, claiming to have millions of followers, and shaking half of the dynasty.

As a result, in only three years, they were defeated and the rest of the army retreated and fled. In the next few years, they suffered in the deep mountains and old forests.

The biggest reason is that these senior brothers in the middle and upper classes who are incense masters really cannot hold up their big posts.

Before the incident, he was already rotten. As soon as the incident happened, his true colors were exposed.

When the Bagua Sect changed its name to the Xiantian Sect, it was partly due to the new leader’s martial arts skills and the participation of many masters, and partly due to luck. They actually captured the Forbidden City, occupied the palace, and ambushed them. He met Emperor Jiaqing who was rushing back from his summer resort at that time.

However, within the sect, from the most basic management level, most of them are money-frauding speculators, and this style still continues.

It was clear that he wanted to kill the emperor, the world-famous leader of the rebellion, but for so many years, he could only circle around the Forbidden City and the Taihang Mountains. Branches in various places were destroyed one after another, and his power declined instead of increasing. This shows how good the Xiantian Sect is. .

In the past two years, the senior leaders of the Xiantian Sect have discovered that even the most basic territory around the Forbidden City is too poor and a little unstable because of their poor governance.

This group of people will certainly not reflect on where they have spent all their money over the years, and it is absolutely impossible for them to launch self-inspections and raid their homes.

Even the Shaman Taoist priests, who are considered ambitious in the Xiantian Sect, will only think about making money from outside quickly and come back to stabilize the situation.

Secretly contacting the Songjiang Mansion, using threats and inducements, and planting opium poppies on a large scale are one of the strategies used by the Xiantian Sect to increase their efforts to make money.

And this "Tianjue", which combines the traditional killer organization and the Western mercenary system, is also one of the strategies to make money.

Going directly to various places to kill people and plunder will easily make too many enemies, and it will be difficult to fully transport the resources obtained.

Taking advantage of the inherent contradictions within various local forces and hiring people to kill people and seize wealth, the methods appear to be more relaxed. Afterwards, a group of temporary accomplices can help cover up the operation.

Assassin is known as the oldest profession in the world. In the long history, no matter how the dynasties change, it has always been full of vitality and shines with a special brilliance. It indeed has more advantages than the simple bandit profession. .

The British, the Dutch, and the forces that opened up colonies were all called the East India Company.

Xiantian Sect has tasted a lot of benefits in the past two years, and is also thinking internally, thinking that it can develop a Tianjue mercenary company.

Their customers now spread all over the country, as far away as Southeast Asia and other places.

If there is a complete transformation, it may not be possible to quickly realize the revival of Xiantian Religion from another level, even surpassing its peak period in the past.

In the name of a mercenary company, you can reasonably select your allies, get deposits, become famous, intervene in the political affairs of various countries, and have influence at home and abroad. Isn't it much more profitable than being trapped in one place and being the leader of a sect? ?

Therefore, Xianqi, which was initially not taken seriously by the Tianjue Organization, has been promoted several times within the Xiantian Sect.

The person directly responsible for the organization was changed from the incense master to the protector, and moved up the ranking of the protector.

This year it has been replaced by Elder Fa Wuchang, the sworn brother of the leader and the leader of the elders of the Xiantian Church.

“Ling Duxian’s identity was originally somewhat unclear, but now it seems that he has finally revealed his ambition.”

Fa Wuchang said softly, “Others look at him Crazy, I think he is very brave.”

“Back then, when we were so small, we dared to enter the Forbidden City, how many people didn’t think we were crazy?”

A stern and expectant smile appeared on his face, "Okay, you can make arrangements according to the above requirements, and we will personally meet the newly renovated Songjiang Prefecture Yamen!"

(End of this chapter)< br>


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