Chapter 167 Dealing with the Qinglong Gang

The gap between the rich and the poor is huge, but the government in Quzhou is rich, and they are all supported by the Qinglong Gang and the wealthy families in the city.

Lu Chenyang had carefully analyzed the Qinglong Gang's growth for two reasons. First, the Qinglong Gang operated solely within Quzhou, and his involvement was limited to the purchase of fish and shipping. Second, the Qinglong Gang had strong relationships with the wealthy families in the city, and their low prices and safety in shipping were well-regarded.

In other words, the Qinglong Gang was only responsible for purchasing fish from fishermen, then selling them to wealthy local families at a slightly higher price. The wealthy families would then distribute the fish to other places. The Qinglong Gang was also responsible for transportation, and the shipping prices were very reasonable.

Simply put, the Qinglong Gang only exploits ordinary fishermen and will never cheat the rich and powerful.

Therefore, the Qinglong Gang has been developing steadily in Quzhou for many years and has become increasingly stronger.

And these are all nourished by the flesh and blood of ordinary fishermen, which Lu Chenyang cannot tolerate.

This was also the reason why Lu Chenyang chose Quzhou. Although the people of Ningzhou were also subject to the control of the gentry, the gentry had dignity. They had their own rules and were noble, and would not do anything too extreme. After all, they had lived here for generations and still had dignity.

With Lu Chenyang's current power, it would be easy for him to deal with the Qinglong Gang. Well, when his strength reaches that level, all monsters and demons will have to give way.

Lu Chenyang is such an existence now.

However, Lu Chenyang did not want to use violence to suppress the people. He believed that he had to win people over with virtue.

That's fine.

In response to the Qinglong Gang’s monopoly behavior, Lu Chenyang took two approaches.

Now Lu Chenyang is no longer a small county magistrate fighting alone. He has many subordinates who can endure. Now that he has troubles, the ones who should be worried the most are his subordinates. If they can't solve the problems for their lord, wouldn't it make them look incompetent?

Lu Chenyang gathered his men together, told them his plan, and then asked them to find a way to solve the matter.

Gao Ming stroked his short beard and said, "Sir, this matter requires further consideration. You have just arrived in Quzhou. If it can be resolved peacefully, it would be best. If a war breaks out, the people will suffer."

Chen Songyuan, who had just arrived yesterday, also said: "A large part of Quzhou's tax revenue depends on the Qinglong Gang's industries. If it is not handled properly, I am afraid it will affect next year's tax revenue situation." After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Chenyang with sad eyes.

Chen Songyuan was Lu Chenyang's steward, in charge of the money. He knew best how poor Lu Chenyang was.

In fact, Lu Chenyang reaped a lot of rewards from this battle against Quzhou. After all, Quzhou was very rich, and the spoils he gained were enough to offset the consumption of this war.

But his lord was a spendthrift. Lu Chenyang had been constantly purchasing grain, cloth, and cotton, all of which were significant expenses. Furthermore, the Lu family army consumed a vast amount of ironware. Besides weapons, they also had to manufacture farm tools, so Chen Songyuan had always been very careful with his spending.

Chen Songyuan just wanted to remind Lu Chenyang that they were poor.

Lu Chenyang nodded. This was why he was unwilling to use tough measures.

Lu Chenyang said: "So, do you have any good ideas?"

Chen Songyuan thought for a moment and said, "If we can convince the Qinglong Gang, this matter may be resolved peacefully."

Gao Ming thought about it and said, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy. We still need to use both kindness and force."

After listening to this, Lu Chenyang said, "Ask Zhenxi to come over."

Fan Zhenxi, a 26-year-old native of Quzhou, was born into a fishing family. His parents were both fishermen. However, he was gifted and displayed exceptional talent from a young age, which led to his discovery by a teacher at a school. The teacher, appreciating his talent, took him in as a student and began his studies.

Now he has also achieved the title of scholar, which makes him a leader among ordinary people.

Fan Zhenxi's life experience can be considered a legendary one, but compared with Lu Chenyang, it seems a little inferior. So he willingly became a minor official under Lu Chenyang.

His parents were both fishermen, so he understood the difficulties they faced. He was even more excited when he heard that Lu Chenyang was going to solve this matter.

Fan Zhenxi saluted Lu Chenyang, and Lu Chenyang said gently, "Zhenxi, no need to be polite. Sit down first."

Fan Zhenxi sat opposite him respectfully.

Lu Chenyang said, "I hope to resolve the Qinglong Gang incident peacefully and not let the people be implicated. You are quite familiar with the fishermen and the Qinglong Gang's power, so I would like to ask you to persuade them. I allow you to use my influence, whether it's coercion, bribery, or persuasion of the greater good, to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Before the high tide next year, the price of seafood must be raised."

Fan Zhenxi was dazzled. Lu Chenyang gave him great authority.

He quickly agreed, thought for a moment, and then asked, "My Lord, what level do you want me to reach?"

Lu Chenyang leaned back in his chair, his expression suggestive. "Don't worry too much," he said. "The Qinglong Gang is a behemoth in Quzhou, but I don't take it seriously. I'll allow you the right to act as you see fit. The extent of your decision is entirely up to you. I'll cover for you. I can't bear to see the people implicated, but I don't want to hesitate. If this continues, the people will suffer."

Fan Zhenxi understood. It was his first time taking on such a heavy responsibility, and he felt a bit nervous, but mostly eager to give it a try. Lu Chenyang had promised to back him up, so what was there to fear? As long as it was for the good of the fishermen, Lu Chenyang would absolutely support him.

Fan Zhenxi immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Lu Chenyang, "On behalf of the fishermen of Quzhou, I would like to thank you, Lord Lu."

Lu Chenyang waved his hand and said, "Just go ahead and do it. As long as it's for the good of the people, don't be afraid of anything. I'll take care of everything."

Fan Zhenxi had never been trusted so much before, and he left with great confidence.

Lu Chenyang thought about it, picked up his pen and started writing another article.

This matter cannot be accomplished by Fan Zhenxi alone, but requires a two-pronged approach.