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"The two largest salt merchants in Dongmen are the Ling and Qian families. The Ling family is a local tyrant, with over a thousand salt miners and seven or eight hundred salt stoves, making them the largest private salt farm owners. They have about six ships and an estimated three hundred soldiers. The Qian family is a salt merchant from Hongzhou, and is related to the commander of the garrison by marriage. They don't own salt farms, but they have many ships, at least a dozen, and maintain a thousand soldiers. Both families have some connections with the Lu family, making them the most likely candidates to be sent."
In the big tent, Cheng Xi gathered everyone to analyze the situation, and the first thing he gave was the biggest hidden danger.
Li Niu pondered, "Then it seems more likely that the Qian family is behind this. They're connected to the Wei family and have so many ships. If they attack while our fleet is at sea, it'll be really difficult to deal with them!"
Cheng Xi shook his head. "It's precisely because they're involved with the Wei family that they won't be fully committed. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Red Flag Gang has no intention of opposing the government for the time being. Why go to such great lengths to provoke a powerful enemy?"
"But if it's the Ling clan, they won't be able to stand up to us head-on, right?" Li Niu scratched his head in confusion. "Since this is such a big deal, they'd need at least a dozen ships to fight us, right? With just a few ships, wouldn't it be like meat being served to us?"
"Even if we can't resist, we have to think of a way. The Ling family can't just turn a blind eye to a 'tiger' like us. I'm afraid they will encourage some people to take action together." Cheng Xi said bluntly.
Li Niu said with a frown, "Boss, are you talking about other salt merchants? But I see that the relationships between those ten or so families are complicated, and many of them have fought each other before. Can they join forces?"
At this moment, Tian Yu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly snorted: "These scumbags are like flies and dogs. Even if they join forces, they will still be scattered. We must divide and conquer them."
Li Niu: “???”
What do you mean? Can't you be more clear?
Cheng Xi glanced at Tian Yu, smiled, and nodded. "The Ling family will definitely join forces with other salt merchants, but not every family can work together. The ones we should be most vigilant about are the large and small salt merchants passing through Luoling Island. We can start with them and see if we can divide and win them over."
Now Li Niu understood!
Large salt fields like Dongmen supply salt from all directions. The private salt ships passing through Luoling Island are only a part of them. Another group will take other routes. These people will definitely not care about the Red Flag Gang.
It is estimated that not all salt ships passing through Luoling Island are willing to fight them head-on, and many of them are probably just waiting and watching.
In this way, there is still an opportunity.
Li Niu nodded excitedly: "Then I will find some people to see if I can get in touch with these salt merchants."
Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi shook his head. "It's still early. If we try to persuade them to surrender without mobilizing troops, we'll probably return empty-handed. Let's first see if the wealthy families in Dongning County have any connection with them, so we can make a warning. And we can't let our guard down, either. If they're also persuaded by the Lu family, even if they refuse to use their full strength, they'll still be a formidable enemy."
Does this mean we're being attacked from both sides? Li Niu wasn't afraid at all: "Don't worry, Boss. The soldiers in the main camp have all been trained, and it's time to bring them out and see some blood."
How could his soldiers lose to others? Humph, they must show off in front of the gang leader this time!
…
"Have you heard? Mr. Wan from the neighboring village has been arrested!"
"What's going on? Didn't Master Wan have a sister who married County Magistrate Zhang? Is this a crime?"
"That woman must have been divorced by County Magistrate Zhang a long time ago..."
"What do you know? A few days ago, someone went to the county government office to file a complaint, saying that a man named Wan had seized people's land and property and forced innocent families to death. The county magistrate was furious and ordered people to arrest him. I heard that a fight broke out in front of the Wan family's gate, and several people died."
"Hiss, this Wan guy is really too bold. He even dares to disobey the people from the county government?"
"I think this is a good thing! That evil thief has been running rampant in the village for years, and it's all thanks to the great justice of heaven!"
"I don't think so. I heard that Wan offended a big shot in the Red Flag Gang. I'm afraid they're trying to kill him."
"Ah? This, this can't be..."
"Why not? Don't you know how powerful the Red Flag Gang is?"
"But didn't we hear before that the Red Flag Gang led people to resist taxes?"
"That's the salt tax that was collected indiscriminately. If we can get the county magistrate to take back the wrong people, he will definitely be able to punish the evildoers!"
"Shh! How can you say such nonsense?! Shut up, shut up..."
No matter what the people below speculated or what rumors there were, the news had already spread among the wealthy families in Dongning County. It was the Red Flag Gang who was behind this.
Yes, Wan Quan had offended someone badly. He had even opened a rice shop to squeeze out the Wan family's shop. Now that he had occupied Luoling Island, his power was even greater. How could he allow such an enemy to stay in Dongning?
It was because Wan was unwilling to give up that he thought he could survive by relying on County Magistrate Zhang. However, he didn't expect that Zhang was more resourceful and had connections with the county magistrate.
It is said that the yamen runners were investigating the case, but it would be strange if the yamen runners in Dongning were so vicious. I'm afraid that the Red Flag Gang directly sent people to block the door, making it impossible to escape.
Countless people were glad that they did not have an enemy relationship with the Red Flag Gang. Several other big grain merchants were also on edge, fearing that their businesses were being targeted. Unexpectedly, the county magistrate suddenly took action again and sent people to clean up the land registers in the government office.
Now, countless people were getting restless. Who didn't have some land with dubious origins? Why were they checking the land registers for no apparent reason? Could it be that they were targeting other wealthy families? How could County Magistrate Cao have the nerve to do that? Besides, even if they were occupying the land and resisting taxes, they were well-known gentry. Aren't you, an outsider county magistrate, afraid of incurring public outrage?
Some people were furious, some were anxious, and some went straight to look for relatives and backers.
Unexpectedly, the attitudes of the officials in the county government changed drastically. They even refused to accept gifts and advised those who came to them not to take things to the extreme. The situation is different now.
Why is it different? The county government has inexplicably added a hundred new bailiffs, all of whom are brave enough to fight and kill. No one wants to test the sharpness of someone else's knife with their own neck!
There were some people who refused to give up and wanted to find another way out, so they tried to push the situation upwards. As a result, the house caught fire that night.
Although no one died, they were scared to death and could not find out where the fire came from.
Didn't Wan Quan almost lose his life last year? Is this a warning or a threat? Is there still law in this world?!
But no matter how loud the complaint was, he dared not utter it. Just at this moment, the Wang family grain shop announced that it wanted to take over some land.
Now many wealthy people finally understood what the Red Flag Gang was up to. Those evil villains were plotting to take their land!
However, finding out the other party's plan actually made some people feel relieved. You know, a gang didn't come to kill them, but instead colluded with the county magistrate to eliminate dissidents, which can be considered as abiding by the rules.
Besides, if you're rich, what else can you do if you don't buy land? The high officials in the imperial court all have thousands of acres of fertile land. Could it be that they bought it with their salaries? Now, just spending money to avoid disaster is already good enough.
But others were unwilling to accept this. "If you can collude with the thieves, can't I find help? Dongning and the salt fields are so close, how could they have no connection at all? Even if the garrison refused to intervene, they could always ask the salt smugglers to intervene, right?"
Now, countless people ran to the East Gate, which made those who were already determined to deal with the illegal salt dealers very happy.
They've come to our door begging for money, and we're giving them money and people. The chances of winning against the Red Flag Gang are definitely better! These thieves are too bold. They've just established themselves in Dongning and are already stirring up trouble, angering a group of wealthy people. Isn't this courting death?
However, while some people were excited, others had other thoughts.
"Brother, are you crazy? How can you join the Red Flag Gang at this time?" Zhao Liang was so frightened by his cousin that he almost jumped up. Didn't Shopkeeper Ling say that we should join forces to deal with the Red Flag Gang? Now all the wealthy families in Dongning County have come to help, and I heard that the Qian family will also send a ship. What kind of power does this have! Who would not join the enemy to make a living?
Zhao Pu rubbed his beard and snorted, "You know shit. This Red Flag Gang's methods are extraordinary. Every other gang is abusive, murderous, and looting gang. The more serious ones just rob the rich and give to the poor. But what have these Red Flag Gang done since they came to power? They've provided rice credit to fishermen, bought up seafood, cracked down on bandits, and now they're colluding with the government to deal with the wealthy. Is this something any ordinary person could do?"
Zhao Liang was stunned. "Even if they have superb skills, they don't have enough manpower. I heard that the Qian family will send eight ships, and Manager Ling has mobilized so many people, so I estimate there will be 20 to 30 ships. How many troops are there? The Red Flag Gang has sent more than half of their ships to transport goods. How can we fight them? If we choose the wrong side, our family will be annihilated."
"Do you think those who sent out ships and people are all following Ling Yue wholeheartedly?" Zhao Pu curled his lips in disdain. "I think the most anxious one is the Ling family. They don't have any background to begin with, and they just rely on their large numbers of people and ships. If they run into a ruthless person, they can suck the fat out of his bones. The others are just following to take advantage. If they really encounter an unfavorable battle, who knows how fast they will run away. If we follow Ling Yue at this time, even if we win, we won't get much benefit. If we lose, we will definitely lose everything. Joining the Red Flag Gang is like a timely help. As long as we can win, we will definitely make a lot of money. If we occupy the salt fields, we still need someone to manage them. Who else can we turn to if not us?"
"What about the Qian family? They are related to Wei. If the imperial court sends troops, they will still die..." Zhao Liang was still hesitant.
Zhao Pu chuckled, "Do you really think the Wei army can fight? They don't have the support of General Zhenhai anymore. How can they send manpower to suppress the bandits who can even occupy Luoling Island? I'm afraid the Qian family doesn't have that much face. They just say it to sound good and calm those idiots."
This seemed to make sense, but after thinking for a while, Zhao Liang said weakly, "It's just that the risk is too great..."
"Smuggling salt is a life-threatening business! What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Pu slapped his thigh and stood up. "The Ling family hasn't been able to control this illegal salt farm for years, while the Red Flag Gang has been clearing out the nearby pirates in just a few months. Damn it, wealth and honor are achieved through risk. Instead of messing around with that idiot, it's better to find a solid backer!"
The elder brother is the one who has the final say in the family. Since he has made the decision and has made it sound so reasonable, let's go all out and do it! Zhao Liang also made up his mind: "Whatever you want to do, just give me the order!"
Zhao Pu thought for a moment and said, "I'm worried if someone else goes. You stay at home and I'll go to Dongning to take a look..."
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