Chapter 1526: Deep Background
After Noshichiro reunited with Hao Qing, he told about the situation he had just gone to inquire about. He pretended to be someone looking for work on the construction site, went in and asked the foreman, and pretended to ask if people were needed here, how much they would be paid, etc. While asking, he kept an eye on Guo Ziping. The foundation has just been completed on this construction site, and the pillars of the house are being erected, so the line of sight is wide. Norishichiro can see that Guo Ziping seems to be meeting with someone on the construction site.
But due to his disguised identity, he couldn't get close enough to observe, so he could only watch from a distance. I don't know if it was Dianqilang's illusion, but he always felt that Guo Ziping was a bit groveling in front of that person. It's just that the man kept his back to Noshichiro, so he never saw his appearance.
Hao Qing asked: "Have you ever inquired about the relationship between Guo Ziping and the owner of the weaving workshop?"
Noshichiro said: "I was afraid of arousing suspicion, so I didn't dare to ask directly. I just asked about the background of the proprietor. According to the foreman, the proprietor does have a government background. From the land acquisition to the groundbreaking of this workshop, all the procedures were followed. It only took less than seven days to complete, and the weaving workshop is under the jurisdiction of the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau. This is one of the most profitable businesses at the moment. If there is no way, the Weaving Bureau may have to be stuck. It’s been half a year.”
Hao Qing heard what Norishichiro said made sense. He couldn't blame him for not doing things well for not finding out what he wanted to know. At that moment, he asked in detail about the various conditions at the construction site, including the foreman. Noshichiro was young and had a good memory, so he recounted what he had just seen and heard in detail. It's just that he is not a professional after all. The details he can notice are actually relatively limited, and the amount of information is not enough for Hao Qing to infer more content from it.
Hao Qing silently sorted out what he had at hand and thought that it was basically certain that the owner of the weaving workshop had a government background. This was not a surprise. After all, if it was an ordinary person's business, then why would Li Song need to send himself out? to handle this difficult task. But if Guo Ziping's group on the dock and the weaving workshop were also owned by the same owner, Hao Qing couldn't figure out whether the matter would become simpler or more complicated.
Hao Qing then thought about the forces he could mobilize at present. There were less than ten people in total, which was very insufficient even if he wanted to carry out assassinations, let alone other armed operations. If it weren't for Li Song's pressure, Hao Qing would probably have given up on this unrealistic attack plan.
But he knew that he could not give up on this mission. Even if it was for his family to regain their freedom, he had to fight for this opportunity with all his strength. It's just that the difficulty of this matter was indeed far beyond his expectation. He originally thought that he could take action directly by stepping on the disk. Unexpectedly, the more information he saw, the more guilty he felt, and his intention to take action became much weaker. If he didn't figure out the owner behind this, Hao Qing knew that it would be difficult for him to carry out this task.
After Hao Qing made up his mind, he ordered Norichiro: "You go and keep an eye on Guo Ziping later, and I'll keep an eye on the person he met. Don't be anxious if you have any news. I'll come to your place to find you tomorrow." .”
Norishichiro had already described to him the clothing of the person Guo Ziping met. Although the appearance was unclear, it was enough for Hao Qing to identify the target. Since it was Hao Qing's order, Norishichiro did not doubt him and accepted it.
Not long after, Guo Ziping left the construction site with his men, and Hao Qing asked Dian Qilang to follow behind to find out where he was going. He himself continued to stay near the construction site, waiting for the person who met Guo Ziping to come out.
This time, after waiting for a long time, Hao Qing finally saw the man Norishichiro mentioned coming out of the construction site surrounded by several strong men. But this person was quite grand. Hao Qing could only see his clothes and figure. Before he could figure out his appearance, a black sedan came up to pick him up immediately after he came out. Then the group headed towards Hangzhou City. . Upon seeing this, Hao Qing followed from a distance. He thought that it would be easier to follow the sedan once it entered Hangzhou than outside the city.
When Hao Qing followed him to the city gate, he saw that the sedan was stopped by the soldiers guarding the city, but the people in the sedan did not show up. Someone came up and said something to the soldiers guarding the city, and then let him go. . Hao Qing was not surprised by this. Since the other party might have a government background, it would be extremely easy to get the privilege of exempting himself from inspection when entering the city. Even he, Hao Qing, had such qualifications.
When Hao Qing arrived at the door, he took out a token from his sleeve, waved it to the soldiers guarding the city, and said in a deep voice: "The official is on duty."
Li Song managed to get his token from Jin Yiwei. Although there is no corresponding organization and he is not allowed to call himself Jin Yiwei outside, in fact, this token is enough for him to gain a lot in daily activities. convenient. For example, when entering and exiting the city gate, as long as you take out the token and wave it, you will not be stopped and inspected by the defenders.
This time was no exception. Hao Qing showed his sign, and as expected, the other party immediately let him go after seeing it clearly, without even trying to verify his identity. After all, the Jinyiwei organization is quite special. If ordinary soldiers dare to provoke people from this yamen, the best way to deal with them is to keep a respectful distance. If you want to verify your identity, if you are resented by the other party, wouldn't it mean that you will be left with nothing to eat afterwards?
Hao Qing followed this group of people into the city from Fengshan Gate, and then walked around to outside a courtyard. After the accompanying strong man came forward and knocked on the courtyard door, the people on the sedan did not get off the sedan at all. The bearer carried the sedan directly into the yard.
It was naturally impossible for Hao Qing to follow him now, but now that he had found a place to stay, it would not be difficult for him to inquire about the other party's identity. He followed the wall around to the front gate of the courtyard and saw that there was no sign such as a plaque. However, looking at the mahogany door with copper nails, which was about one foot wide, he also knew that this family should be either rich or noble. It will be ordinary people.
Naturally, Hao Qing would not rush forward to inquire rashly. Instead, he first found a small teahouse nearby. After sitting down, he used a few copper coins as a reward to find out the situation of this family from the clerk. However, after learning this information, Hao Qing did not feel any lighter. Instead, he became more and more uneasy because the owner of this family was Wang Yuan, the general judge in charge of punishment in Hangzhou City.
Hao Qing used to do the business of killing people and selling goods, so he naturally knew what the official position of general judge meant. If he had fallen into the hands of Tong San, he might have been sentenced to death long ago, and there would be no chance of regaining his life. Hao Qing wanted to be as far away as possible from this high-ranking official in charge of six doors, so as not to get into trouble.
But he realized more and more clearly in his heart that the task assigned to him by Li Song might be the one he had to deal with, Wang Tongpan. And this can also well explain why people like Guo Ziping can do whatever they want on the Hangzhou pier without worrying about being jailed. It's just that Hao Qing still doesn't quite understand. If the weaving workshops under construction are also Wang Yuan's property, then why would an official like him suddenly get involved in the weaving industry that is completely unrelated to his duties? Could it be that they just took a fancy to the huge profits of the weaving industry? But starting from scratch in this industry will also face considerable business risks. Are there any other reasons for Wang Yuan to do this?
Hao Qing's brain is actually not bad, but the intelligence information he has is limited after all. The problems he can think of can only reach this level, and there is still a lack of evidence to prove his inference. At this time, in this courtyard, the judge Wang Yuan was meeting with this mysterious guest who visited in secret. Contrary to Hao Qing's judgment, this mysterious guest did not act under Wang Yuan's orders, but was an honored guest invited by Wang Yuan. This time I came to Hangzhou specifically to help Wang Yuan arrange business methods so that Wang Yuan's weaving business could gain a foothold in the industry.
"Mr. Sun, it was a long and tiring journey all the way. Wang didn't take good care of me, so I hope you can help me." The dignified Lord Tongpan of Hangzhou looked groveling in front of this stranger. It can be said that he lowered his stature quite a bit.
However, Mr. Sun seemed to be accustomed to such an attitude. He just nodded and said: "It's not hard work, but I heard that Mr. Wang has always been a stern judge. I didn't expect the real person to be so friendly."
The smile on Wang Yuan's face was so bright that it could not be associated with the word "iron face" at all, and his words became more and more humble: "Master Sun is overly praised. Wang is taken care of, and he should be like this."
Mr. Sun said: "I went to see the three construction sites today. The progress of the construction can only be said to be barely satisfactory. I hope Mr. Wang can keep a close eye on the construction period and start operating as soon as possible and make profits as soon as possible. Sanya is not satisfied with the construction progress in Zhejiang. , the huge city of Hangzhou, you should know how to fight.”
Wang Yuan had already taken notes while listening, planning to go back and slowly study related matters. He has been cooperating with the Haihan people for some time, and has really benefited a lot from Haihan. If you lower your attitude in front of Mr. Sun, you will definitely get more rewards in the future.
The person in charge of this matter, Sun Jin, was not a businessman or a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but was from the Ministry of Security. Sun Jin has been working in the Security Department for a long time, but she still lacks a significant contribution to enable him to move up the ranks. After working in Zhejiang for several years, Sun Jin finally got the opportunity to target the weaving industry in Hangzhou Prefecture and gradually bring this industry, which was originally managed by the Hangzhou government and Weaving Bureau, under the control of Haihan.
This goal is easier said than done. Simple capital operations can no longer meet Haihan's needs. In addition to the efforts of the Ministry of Security, it also requires the cooperation of shipping, commerce, diplomacy, finance and other departments to mobilize large amounts of funds as a basic means. , and gradually eliminated all relevant functional departments of Daming. Relying on the cover of a powerful local snake like Wang Yuan, opening a weaving workshop in Hangzhou City was the first step of this plan.
Of course Wang Yuan didn't know the answer to how much capital Haihan could devote to operating these industries, but judging from the impression of daily contact, he was not surprised at all that Haihan could spend astronomical amounts of money at any time. Therefore, in addition to his respect for Haihan in terms of force, economic strength is also one of the key points.
The three weaving workshops under construction outside Hangzhou are actually Haihan's properties, and Wang Yuan received part of the shares as gifts from the Haihan people by virtue of his official position. That's why Wang Yuan would take the initiative to bow his head and behave in such a polite manner to a big benefactor who could bring him at least tens of thousands of taels of silver every year.
Sun Jin continued: "Guo Ziping came to see me before. This person is more than brave in doing things, but not enough in planning. I am a little worried that he will lose control and cause trouble. Since this candidate is recommended by Mr. Wang, then please invite Mr. Wang Sir, please remind him not to make any stupid mistakes and delay the business.”
Wang Yuan patted his chest and said: "Guo Ziping is very loyal. As for other things, I will make arrangements for him. Even if he commits a murder case, I can still find a way to get him off the hook." .”
Sun Jin said: "Guo Ziping has been engaged in mergers and acquisitions at the Hangzhou docks in the past few months. If they don't succeed, he will find excuses to beat people away. Although this method is effective quickly, it is also easy to make enemies. Guo Ziping does this. , I don’t know how many people are waiting to take his life. I was worried that one day someone would suddenly scratch Guo Ziping’s neck from behind. When I talked to him about it today, he seemed nonchalant. Sir, let me review it with you again. What we want is not a desperado, but a capable person. If Guo Ziping can't do this job, then we should replace him earlier."
Wang Yuan noticed that Sun Jin was slightly unhappy in his words, and wondered if it was Guo Ziping who had offended him with his unreasonable remarks. He immediately responded: "Master Sun, you have taught me a lesson. I will call him out in two days and give him a good scolding." scold him. Lord Sun, don't worry, if he is really useless, I will never protect him. I will withdraw when I need to, and I will follow Lord Sun's arrangements."
Wang Yuan's attitude was so humble that even if Sun Jin wanted to find fault, she couldn't find it. Seeing that Wang Yuan was so cooperative with her, Sun Jin couldn't say anything harsh, so she brought the topic back to the weaving industry.
The three weaving shops opened in Hangzhou City in Wang Yuan's name were a test of the waters, firstly, to see whether production could be organized quickly, and secondly, whether other local weaving shops would maintain a hostile attitude towards the emerging counterparts. As for how much they can earn from running this business, it is not as exaggerated as He Guanzhi and Li Song thought. After all, there is still a big gap between the ideal figure and the actual operation, not to mention that Haihan has not tried to do this before. No one can say for sure whether a localized factory will lose money or be able to operate in the long term.
Naturally, people from the Ministry of Commerce are responsible for formulating business strategies, and the reason why Sun Jin is in Hangzhou is to ensure that local colleagues will not take unfriendly or even violent measures against the new workshop due to the coming competition.
(End of chapter)