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"What, the salt fields at the east gate have been occupied? Didn't the battle just start?" County Magistrate Cao was frightened when he heard the news reported by Sun Erlang.
He knew about the fierce fight between the Red Flag Gang and the salt merchants from the very beginning, and he also knew that many wealthy families in the East Gate were interfering. After the war started, Sun Erlang even stopped two teams from transporting grain to the seaside.
However, even so, County Magistrate Cao felt that this matter would take some effort.
This was a major event planned by a dozen salt merchants. There were more than 20 to 30 ships, and I heard that there was also a background of the garrison. If something went wrong, it would cause chaos.
After all, the commander of the garrison was two levels higher than him. Even with the support of the Red Flag Gang, County Magistrate Cao was still feeling uneasy.
Thanks to Master Yang's repeated persuasion, saying that they had already offended all the wealthy people in the county, and if they offended the Red Flag Gang again, they would have no way out, County Magistrate Cao was able to calm down and cooperate with him fully.
After just a few days of trepidation, news of the Red Flag Gang's resounding victory arrived. How could he not be stunned? Could it be that the Red Flag Gang had deliberately spread false information to deceive him?
Unexpectedly, Sun Erlang said solemnly, "There's no doubt about this. Lingjia Village has been captured, and none of his ships have escaped. The mastermind, Ling Yue, has been executed, and a few have escaped. With a little skill, we should be able to eradicate them completely. Now, with the exception of the imperial salt fields, all the illegal salt fields at the East Gate are under the control of the Red Flag Gang."
County Magistrate Cao opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
Isn't this too fast? Is the Red Flag Gang really that powerful? There are thousands of salt smugglers there, how can they be wiped out so easily?
Sun Erlang didn't wait for him to answer and continued, "However, the Qian family did not participate in the battle this time, and the gang leader does not want to break up with the guards. I hope you can mediate."
County Magistrate Cao suddenly came to his senses. That's right, wasn't that the reason the Red Banner Gang had approached him? He'd agreed to the offer out of selfish gain, and later, because of the salt merchants' influence, he'd been deeply troubled and unable to sleep or eat.
Now that the Red Flag Gang had triumphed, everything was completely different! In just a few days, they had defeated the largest salt dealer in Dongmen and consolidated all the illegal salt fields in one place.
So, what is there to worry about?
Magistrate Cao straightened his back, unconsciously stroking his long beard with his hand, and smiled slightly, "Don't worry, Erlang. My wife has already been to the garrison and is very close to Commander Liu's wife. Wait for me to send a letter and talk to him in detail."
One person guards the guard post, and the other guards the county government. Neither can easily leave their jurisdiction.
But they can't, the ladies can! If there is something that can't be said directly, let the ladies meet first and make arrangements. This is the most common way to get promoted in the officialdom.
There are not many people like the Red Flag Gang who ask their wives to discuss serious matters.
Sun Erlang was startled for a moment, then he bowed and said, "Thank you, sir."
No matter what means are used, as long as it works, it’s fine.
Only after the garrison is cleared will they be able to reorganize Dongning in a big way.
What happened at the Dongmen Salt Field quickly spread to several nearby counties.
Those who had thought of reaping the benefits before were all dumbfounded.
No matter how incompetent the Ling family was, they were still a powerful family that dominated one side, but they were destroyed in just a few days.
What kind of means and strength does this require?
Regardless of what people in other counties thought, the wealthy people in Dongning immediately backed down.
Of those who had colluded with the salt merchants, two fled with their families on the spot, and the rest all shamelessly went to look for the manager Wang Caiwang.
Didn't the head shopkeeper say he wanted to buy some land? They don't have much else, but they have a lot of land! They're either offering it as a half-buy, half-gift deal, or simply handing over the land deeds. Some even have tenants ready, just in case they refuse.
Even though Wang Cai had seen some of the world, he was still shocked. It seemed that these wealthy people still needed to be whipped! However, how to reclaim the land or whether to reclaim it was not up to him to decide. He could only put on airs and speak some confusing nonsense.
This gesture frightened even more people. Could it be that the Red Flag Gang was planning to wipe them out? They had some ulterior motives, but they didn't succeed! Why didn't they even leave a way out, forcing people to leave their homes?
The imperial court doesn't care, but isn't there a guard post at the East Gate? So the commander-in-chief doesn't care?!
Liu Yu, the commander of the East Gate Guard, really didn't have the heart to care about others. Such a big incident happened right under his nose, which gave him a splitting headache.
He knew the cause of this incident better than anyone else. Both the Ling family and the Qian family were entrusted by the Lu family to cause trouble for the Red Flag Gang.
The Lu family has people in the court now. What if we offend them if we are not careful?
But he didn't want to offend the Lu family, and he couldn't afford to offend the Red Flag Gang either! He had previously thought it was just a small gang. No matter how powerful it was, the Ling family and the Qian family could join forces to deal with them.
As a result, in the blink of an eye, the Ling family collapsed, and the salt fields that had been broken apart for decades were all gathered together with only 200 people!
When Liu Yu thought of this, he felt cold all over. Even when General Qiu was alive, he had never seen such a strong man.
Although the garrison had ships, it was difficult for them to deal with the salt merchants, let alone those evil bandits.
Feeling troubled, he had to find the Qian family to discuss something.
"Uncle, I'm afraid this plan won't work. What the Lu family wants is Luoling Island, how can it be taken down so easily?" Qian Qian had just rushed back to the East Gate. Their fleet had been guarding for several days, but Luoling Island had not sent any ships to support them. As a result, just as they were waiting anxiously, they received the news that the Ling family had fallen. This scared him, the person in charge, and he hurried back.
Liu Yu was surprised by his nephew's blunt words upon his return. "Are you really not going to fight anymore? Aren't you afraid of offending the Lu family?"
Qian Qian smiled bitterly and said, "Although Madam Lu promised a lot of benefits, they were all superficial gains, mainly to save Lord Lu's face. But the situation is different now. If we anger the Red Flag Gang, they will send troops to attack the salt fields, and our foundation and lifeline will be cut off."
Liu Yu hesitated and said, "But the bandits are powerful, and they may not be satisfied with just taking the salt fields. If they covet the salt fields, won't we still be unable to resist? If we can borrow Lord Lu's help..."
Qian Qian sighed softly: "Since Lord Lu has spoken, it is not us salt merchants who will come, but soldiers and officers."
Liu Yu immediately shut up. He made his living from the salt fields. If someone else led the troops to suppress the bandits, how could he hold on to his position? What if the Ministry of War held him accountable and the emperor got angry? Who could bear it?
Seeing his uncle's expression, Qian Qian lowered his voice and said, "Mrs. Lu is willing to spend a lot of money to hire someone, so it must be a matter of great importance. It may even be related to Lord Lu's entry into the cabinet. If we have a request to the Lu family, we must naturally see to it. But if we don't want this big Buddha, it would be better to watch it collapse on its own."
Liu Yu immediately understood what the other party meant.
Is Luoling Island important to the Lu family, or to Madam Lu? Of course it is. Otherwise, why would they bother asking the Qian and Ling families for help?
But was the Lu family important to him and the Qian family? That wasn't necessarily the case. Lord Lu came from the Ministry of Personnel, and as long as he couldn't enter the cabinet, he couldn't control a small commander like him, who lived thousands of miles away.
And now, the scandal of the feud between the Lu brothers has spread like wildfire. For such a big thing, there must be someone behind it.
If that’s the case, why don’t they cut ties with the Lu family and just sit back and watch them suffer?
As soon as he understood, Liu Yu couldn't help but stroke his beard and nodded: "In this case, I have to meet Lord Cao."
Qian Qian was stunned: "Which Lord Cao?"
Liu Yu smiled and said, "Of course it's Cao Jian, the magistrate of Lin County. His wife came over for a drink a few days ago and had a very pleasant chat with your aunt. Now Lord Cao has sent another letter saying that the world is in turmoil and that Dongning and Dongmen are neighbors, so they should take care of each other."
Qian Qian blinked in disbelief: "Is Lord Cao colluding with the Red Flag Gang?"
Everyone knows what kind of person Cao Jian is.
Such a mediocre person dared to come and try to establish a relationship with the guards. He must have someone behind him! But this seemed to be a good idea. They had to talk to the Red Banner Gang after all. Compared to having the Qian family take the lead, it would definitely be safer for two court officials to talk.
Moreover, there are countless forces involved behind the private salt fields. It is impossible to offend all of these people. We have to give them a warning and appease them a little. It will be more convenient after all if we put on the government's skin.
As soon as he understood, Qian Qian said immediately: "There is no time to lose. Please, uncle, finish this matter as soon as possible so that I can go back and report."
Both sides were anxious and passionate, so how much effort would it take to talk? Within a few days, the Qian family's fleet easily left the East Gate, carrying goods and sea salt.
The Red Flag Gang's appetite was indeed not big. Apart from the Ling family's salt fields, they had no intention of taking over anyone else's. Several other salt merchants could keep the salt fields as long as they paid a "toll".
With the badges granted by the Red Flag Gang, these salt-carrying ships could freely navigate the gang's territory. If they encountered pirate ships, they could simply notify them, and the Red Flag Gang would come and suppress the bandits, protecting their safety at sea. With such thoughtfulness, what was a small fee?
In addition, they made a profit overall from the several salt fields they had divided up previously, which also made the companies that supported them breathe a sigh of relief.
There was no movement from the Wei Suo and the Qian family, and it was obvious that they had secretly made a deal with the Red Flag Gang. Seeing that the outcome was set, the gentry behind Yantian immediately joined forces to suppress those forces that had suffered heavy losses.
No one knew who leaked the news, but not long after, the heads of the Ling family's patriarch and several other people who had been caught in the net were sent back.
At this time, what's the point of being related by marriage? Those who should divorce should divorce, and those who should divorce should divorce. Instead of trying to curry favor with the big guys like the Red Flag Gang, are you going to be tied to this unlucky star?
One thing after another made it clear that the Red Flag Gang's control over Yantian was a foregone conclusion. The wealthy families who had previously hoped that the garrison would make a difference fell into despair and increasingly wanted to curry favor with the Red Flag Gang through Manager Wang to see if they could escape disaster.
As a result, Wang Cai was under great pressure. After putting on airs for a few days, he could no longer bear it and secretly ran to the camp.
When he saw Cheng Xi, he cried, "Boss, are we going to harvest those people's fields? I can hardly bear it. If this drags on, there might be trouble again..."
It feels like sitting on a volcano. You can't help but feel nervous and worried that it might explode one day.
After all, those gentry families are not completely without connections. If they are forced into a corner and the matter is exposed, no one will suffer any consequences!
Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "There is no need to harvest the fields. Let's spread out the money first. We need to find another way to take the money from those people."
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