Chapter 137 New Inspection (4)
Although Wei Ping was a little ignorant, he was not a fool. He basically had a clue as to what the Haihan people had planned for doing this.
The Haihan people hope to use generous treatment to bribe these people sent by the Yazhou government. This kind of bribery does not require the inspection department to do something for the Haihan people. On the contrary, the purpose of the Haihan people is to hope that they will do something in Victory Port. Don't do anything, don't even go out of this designated yard. Rather than so much confinement, it would be more accurate to say captivity.
There are patrolling soldiers walking around on the nearby wall from time to time, and there are also people standing guard outside the small courtyard. Coupled with the low fence surrounding the courtyard, it is clear that this place was specially designed by the Haihan people to facilitate surveillance of the inspection department. .
Wei Ping suddenly remembered that Luo Shengdong had emphasized several times before that it was not difficult to make a little fortune as long as you followed the arrangements of the Haihan people. And the situation he encountered now seemed to confirm Luo Shengdong's words. If he did as the Haihan people said, he would just stay in this yard and do nothing. Even three meals would be prepared and delivered to Shu. You can be a comfortable uncle without exposure to wind and sun, and you can earn hundreds of taels of silver every year. It is indeed a hundred times better than working as an errand in a desolate place like Tianya Town.
This kind of treatment has never been heard of in Wei Ping's past, and the temptation of Haihan people offering fifty taels per month is really hard to resist, but Wei Ping still feels uncomfortable. Why should I listen to a bunch of Haihan people when inspecting the Ming Dynasty? The dealer's arrangement? Is it important to have a few bad money?
When Wei Ping thought about this, he was about to have a seizure when Luo Shengdong gently pulled his sleeve. As soon as he was distracted, he heard Ning Qi continue: "If Inspector Wei feels that the conditions here are not suitable, then just go back to the cliff." Just go to the state, we will never stop you, but if you want to stay here, you must follow our rules.”
"What will happen if I don't follow your rules?" Wei Ping finally couldn't hold it back and asked with anger.
"I won't do anything to you." Yan Chujie, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke: "But there have been pirates cruising nearby recently, and they might land here in two days. In order to protect the local people, Inspector Wei led his men to fight If you die of exhaustion, we will definitely send someone to Yazhou to ask for your credit.”
threaten! This is simply a thinly veiled threat! Wei Ping was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. Just as he was about to turn his back and deny anyone, he saw Yan Chujie take the copper whistle hanging around his neck to his mouth and blow it. Soon he saw dozens of people appear outside the fence. Soldiers in green clothes holding matchlock guns surrounded the small courtyard. The leading officer gave the order, and immediately dozens of guns were pointed at the dozen or so people from the inspection department from several directions.
When Wei Ping saw this, he yelled: "I am the Yulin Inspection Department inspecting Wei Ping. Why don't you and other rioters retreat quickly!"
The soldiers had numb faces and stood there without even the slightest reaction, as if they had not heard his roar at all.
"You are training your troops privately and do not obey the law, so you are not afraid that Ming Dynasty will send troops to suppress you!" Wei Ping knew that with his abilities, he would not be able to leave here safely, so he simply broke out, hoping to scare the other party.
"It's useless." Luo Shengdong patted Wei Ping on the shoulder with sympathy: "If I could scare them with just one mouth, I would have scared them to death several times!"
Tao Donglai said slowly: "Inspector Wei, why are you doing this? Business cannot be done with righteousness. If you speak so harshly, we will not be able to let you go back to Yazhou. So, let's give it to you. You have two choices. One is to stay in this yard and do your inspection in Yulin. We will raise you with good food and a good place to live, and then let you go back in a year or two.”
"What's the second way?" Wei Ping asked unwillingly.
"The second way... You should have seen those hard workers on the dock just now, right? If you are unwilling to adopt the first method, then we will have to reluctantly send you to work on the construction site. Of course, on The inspection department is not as comfortable there. If you don't work hard enough, you will be whipped!" Tao Donglai's tone was very calm, as if he was saying something natural: "But there is no need for such a hard worker! Do it for a lifetime, and after one or two years, we will let you go back to Yazhou.”
Tao Donglai looked at Wei Ping who was gritting his teeth in anger, and continued: "As for your subordinates, if you choose to enjoy happiness, then they can all enjoy happiness with you. If you choose to do hard work, then they will also have to go with you. Two years of hard work!”
Wei Ping looked at the expressions of the people on the left and right. Most of them lowered their heads and did not dare to look at him, but no one stood up and said anything to support him. Wei Ping sighed, knowing that with such a huge difference in conditions, if there were still people supporting him to go against the Haihan people, he would be really crazy.
"If I obey you, can I keep the thirteen people in my group safe?" Wei Ping knew that a hard fight was hopeless, so he could only give in.
"Of course. Let me reiterate, we don't want to hurt you. As long as you obey the arrangements and live a good life here. We don't want outsiders to interfere in the affairs here, including the Ming government." Tao Dong came to see him and convinced him. After he softened, he stopped threatening him with words. "We are just the Inspection Department, but what about their errands?" Wei Ping pointed at the two officials: "They are here to measure the cultivated land, how can they do anything in this place?"
Tao Donglai looked back at Schneider, who seemed to have been prepared for this, and said: "Don't bother with the measurement, we can measure the land ourselves. As for the registration... you can just write it down casually. One hundred acres will do.”
One hundred acres? Wei Ping felt the deep malice in these words. Where thousands of people live, there is only one hundred acres of cultivated land? Even though I have little education, I didn’t let you fool me like this!
Before Wei Ping could change the thought, he heard Schneider continue: "As for the grain tax, don't think about it. We don't have enough food here to eat ourselves, and we can no longer pay the grain tax to the Ming Dynasty."
Schneider blocked the job with just a few words. Although Wei Ping was dissatisfied, he had long since lost the courage to fight under the aim of dozens of muskets. What's more, even if he wants to fight, the people under him may not be willing to help him. They may be pinned down by his own people before he even draws out the sword. These people are willing to follow Wei Ping to Port Victory because of money. It is impossible for anyone to risk their lives with this group of Haihan people who even have militiamen equipped with firecrackers. If Wei Ping really turns against the Haihan people and takes action, then most of these people will Will choose to fall out with him instead of Haihan people.
Then soldiers came forward and took away the weapons they carried. They even checked their luggage carefully and collected almost all metal objects. However, the money these people carried with them was not touched at all.
Tao Donglai finally pointed at the courtyard gate and said: "Your activity range is within this courtyard. You are not allowed to go into the river casually, you are not allowed to climb over this fence, and you are not allowed to leave this courtyard gate without permission. If you are found guilty of the above behaviors, you will be given a warning once, and you will be punished if caught twice. Sent directly to the construction site to do hard work. ”
Ning Qi added: "If you have family letters or belongings that need to be brought back to Yazhou, you can notify our sentry. We have ships that go to Yazhou regularly and will help you deliver them to your home. The next day, someone will organize you to take a bath and provide a toilet. You must pour it in the designated place and do not pour it into the river!”
Wei Ping listened to these admonitions with a livid face and watched the group of people file out of the yard. Luo Shengdong walked at the end and lowered his voice: "Inspector Wei, please be honest. If they see that you have a good attitude, they won't lock you up for too long, so you can take care of yourself!"
After advising Wei Ping, Luo Shengdong hurriedly followed the team. He still had to hand over the goods on the ship to Schneider and Ning Qi. This time he transported a total of 88 prisoners and hard laborers from Yazhou, as well as some goods purchased by the Yazhou Garrison Office and asked him to send them back to Victory Port. Last time he took a batch of salt to Lingshui, Wanzhou, and Wenchang and sold it very well. He almost sold it as soon as the ship arrived there. Luo Shengdong planned to take advantage of this time to make another trip to the east coast and seize the time to sell the salt. The cheap refined salt produced by the Han people was sold to these places as much as possible. Luo Shengdong heard Schneider say before that this behavior is called "seizing the market." As long as consumption habits can be formed in the local area, the salt market in these places will be firmly in hand in the future.
However, the people in the Inspection Department were not relieved from their uneasy mood. As soon as the executive committee members left, they immediately began to discuss how to escape from here.
When asked about Wei Ping, Wei Ping just sneered and said: "Escape? Where to escape? There are sentries on the front, back, left and right of this courtyard. We will be discovered as long as we make the slightest movement. As soon as the copper whistles on the necks of those sentries blow, We have nothing to hide.”
"Maybe we can go into the mountains at night, or go to the pier to grab a boat." Someone suggested.
"This is the only inhabited area within a few dozen miles. If we go into the mountains, we might have to hide for several days. What will we eat?" Someone immediately retorted.
"It's useless to seize the boat. We don't even have a boatman among us." Someone soon refuted another escape route.
"How about we stay for a few days and see? Anyway, the Haihan leader also said that as long as we don't cause trouble, our lives will not be harmed." Some timid people began to suggest another option.
"Yes, the Haihan people also said that they will pay double our original salary, and there will be some 'office expenses' every month. Of course, Inspector Wei will take the bulk of this money, but we can also drink some as well. Soup!" Some people who have learned more about the policy have begun to wonder how much money they can get.
After discussing for a long time, the group still could not come to a unified conclusion, but it seemed that escaping was not feasible, so they stayed to wait and see the situation, which naturally became their only choice. Wei Ping stood in front of the fence, looking at the busy crowds on the pier in the distance, but he was thinking about another thing - these Haihan people were so generous, how did they get their money? They needed to build a harbor and build a fort here, and also support thousands of hired workers. How did they do it?
(End of chapter)