Chapter 8 Yuhang (Part 1)
Zhang Xuanning stood on the deck and looked at the two banks.
This boat was rented for one hundred taels of silver and could carry ten tons. There was wind at this time, the sails were fully spread, and it was moving on the river at a speed as fast as a galloping horse.
After Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty in this world ascended the throne, he unified the south with the north and ordered people to dig a canal to connect the north and the south. The canal was wider and more massive than any canal in history, which enabled such a speed.
"Master, it's almost dawn. Let's find a place to rest. We have arrived in Yuhang." The one who spoke was Xing Rong. On the boat, Gui Xiliang, Zhou Feng, and Wang Chengzhi, the three Erzhu team leaders, were almost all present with their thirty brothers. As for Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, they temporarily joined Jiang Feng and relied on the newly recruited gangsters to maintain daily life on the street.
Zhang Xuanning didn't want to use Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, but he felt that these two were a kind of disaster stars, because wherever they went, trouble would arise even if there was nothing happening.
Although this is a way of fighting to support their fighting and to temper their fate, for an organization, for Zhang Xuanning, they do not want to encounter such disastrous things. Others are not Xiaoqiang, who will die if they die, so he does not want to bring them out at all.
"Okay, find a place to stop and take a rest. Be careful not to show up. This is the territory of the Haisha Gang. I will take Suan Si Cao, Gui Xiliang, Zhou Feng, and Wang Chengzhi ashore." Zhang Xuanning said confidently, "Don't go to the special pier. You will definitely not escape the attention of the Haisha Gang there. We just need to stay away from it."
Sure enough, he found a secluded river channel, stopped, went ashore, and then took the four people ashore. It was daybreak at this time. After walking for half an hour, he entered the city gate and went to the dock area. He first took the four people to a bun shop and ordered five baskets of buns.
At a glance, there were countless ships with masts like a forest. Hundreds of porters were loading and unloading cargo, and merchants and travelers were coming and going. It was very busy and lively. As for various gangsters with knives, they were also among them. So even though the four of them carried knives, they were not conspicuous.
The four of them breathed a sigh of relief. No one was stupid enough to come out wearing clothes embroidered with bamboo.
Not far from the steamed bun shop is the most famous Salt Street, where more than 20 salt shops with high and wide storefronts are lined up on the sea side. Behind the shops is the pier, where large and small ships loaded with cargo are moored.
All of the more than 20 shops were crowded with people. Salt was piled up like mountains in the shops. It was so cheap that it seemed like one could take away a bag or half a bag without paying.
Zhang Xuanning smiled: "It seems that the business here is still good."
The four of them nodded in agreement. The prosperity before them made them feel a little overwhelmed, but they didn't know Zhang Xuanning's true intention.
The Song clan was the most powerful aristocratic clan in the south, and its leader, Song Que, known as the "Heavenly Sword", was known as the best swordsman in the world. When Yang Jian unified the country and established the Sui Dynasty, he adopted a policy of appeasement towards them because he was concerned about the power of the Song clan and named Song Que "Duke of Zhennan". Song Que also knew that the Southern Dynasty was doomed, so he surrendered to protect his family.
Despite this, the Song clan also had foresight. One of the conflicts in the world was over "money". The Song clan's biggest money-maker was to transport private salt from coastal counties to the inland via the Yangtze River to make huge profits. Therefore, the Song clan was very strong in salt profits.
Du Fuwei won a great victory and destroyed Song Hao and his 3,000 infantry and cavalry. It can be said that he eliminated the Song clan's main pawn in the coastal area, and the Song clan's strength was greatly reduced. In this case, how will the situation develop? How will the Song clan respond?
While thinking about it, Zhang Xuanning became alert. He glanced towards the street and found a group of burly men patrolling the street with fierce looks. It was obvious that they were members of the Haisha Gang.
Moreover, in almost every salt shop, there is one or several strong men leaning inside, not saying anything, just watching, supervising the business transactions of the salt field.
"The salt profits here are all handled by special shops. Outsiders can't buy it. Of course, there are some scattered ones, but they are small shops that only sell a few hundred kilograms. We must contact the Li family store. Of course, try not to be targeted by the Haisha Gang." Zhang Xuanning didn't expect the supervision here to be so strict, so he said: "Forget it, you take my iron plate and contact the Li family store. You don't have to pick up the goods on the spot. We are waiting for your news."
"Boss, I understand." In order to avoid some problems, Zhang Xuanning is now called the boss: "Don't worry, I can still do this."
As he said this, he went out into the street. Because of his appearance, that of an old gangster, he did not attract much attention. He pretended to walk through the street as if nothing had happened, glanced at the storefronts, and then walked around from one store to another. After a while, he entered a store.
After a while, Suan Si Cao came out and nodded.
Zhang Xuanning said: "Just wait here, I'll go take a look."
After saying that, he followed in and saw an old man behind the counter, calculating on an abacus. The old man said coldly without even raising his head, "Let's talk inside."
Zhang Xuanning walked inside, passed the shops outside, and saw a middle-aged man standing there respectfully in the inner hall.
"You came here with the sign?"
"Yes, you are?"
"You don't need to care who I am. The goods here are divided up by the government, gangs, and big businesses. If you didn't have Mr. Yan's brand, I wouldn't even bother with you. Okay, how much goods do you want?" the middle-aged man said impatiently.
"My boat can carry 10,000 jin."
"That's one hundred bags of salt. I understand. You, my brother, stay here first, and you go back first. I will bring you the goods in the evening. Pay attention, I advise you to go back to the boat honestly and don't walk around. If you get noticed by the Haisha Gang, this business will be over." The middle-aged man said, without even asking about the money, and waved his hand to indicate that he could leave.
Zhang Xuanning had no choice but to go out first. As soon as he left the store, he saw a few big men in blue clothes walking towards him not far away. Wherever they went, passers-by made way for them and greeted them. It was obvious that they were powerful figures in the local area. They even saw officials and were whispering to each other.
Zhang Xuanning also hid on the side of the road and did not seem to attract any attention. The big man in charge just glanced at him. When he returned to the bun shop, several subordinates followed him.
"Let's go, don't hang around in the salt shop, this is a key area, let's go somewhere else."
Sure enough, once they left the salt shop, the four of them immediately felt relieved. Although there were still people from the Haisha Gang, they didn't watch them with a covetous eye. Especially at the dock, there were all kinds of boats mixed together, and there were countless people holding swords and knives, which was of course not surprising.
"It's so big!" Zhang Xuanning looked at a huge ship, ten feet high, like a huge animal. It seemed that it could carry hundreds of tons. The shipbuilding industry in this world was really abnormal. It was almost comparable to the treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty. On the ship, warriors in white warrior uniforms were patrolling on the deck.
This is another non-historical thing. The white samurai uniform can be considered a feature, but fortunately it is different from the samurai uniforms of later Japan.
