Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 98: Burning the Thirteenth Floor
Guangxing was not in a hurry either. He took Wu Chengjian and walked slowly towards Xiguan.
After leaving the Guangzhou prison, not long after walking out of the city, someone came running to report something. Cai Qinghua asked and found out that the fire in Baietan was very fierce. Perhaps it was because of the long drought and the dry weather, or perhaps it was because it was the trading season and the goods were in a mess. Once the fire started, it could not be stopped. Now the Shundahang warehouse on the left and the Kangtaihang warehouse on the right were both affected.
After hearing this report, Cai Qinghua felt that something was wrong.
After walking a few more steps, they arrived at the west gate of Guangzhou. Even through the city wall, they could see a red light rising into the sky from the southwest direction. Cai Qinghua cried out inwardly that something was wrong.
Guangxing was also a little uneasy, so he asked: "How big is the Sanjianghang? How could it burn so badly?" After coming to Guangzhou, he had been hiding in Qicheng and had never been to Shisanhang.
Cai Qinghua said: "The warehouses in Shisanhang are all very large, but looking at the trend of this one becoming popular all over the place, could it be that Shunda and Kangtai are also on fire?"
Suddenly, he turned around and asked Wu Chengjian , "Is it you?"
Wu Chengjian said: "What me?"
Cai Qinghua glared at him, and Wu Chengjian seemed to understand what he was asking: "Master Cai, how can I answer this? How could it be me? The warehouses of the Thirteenth Bank are connected together, the goods are densely placed, and the personnel are chaotic. This matter has long been a hidden danger. My eldest brother mentioned it to Cai Shiwen twice two years ago, but Cai Shiwen ignored it. This matter is on record at the Business Insurance Conference Office, and you can find out if you check it out. Besides, if it was really me who set the fire, I should have burned Xingcheng Bank. How could I leave Xingcheng Bank alone and burn Sanjiang Bank, which has nothing to do with me? Am I sick?"
Cai Qinghua snorted, and half-believing and half-doubting, he and Guangxing left the city.
The fire in Shisanhang came extremely quickly and violently, changing almost every moment. Every time Guangxing and his companions walked a short distance, the severity of the fire in Baietan was different, and there was a delay in the transmission of information - every time Cai Qinghua and his companions received the news, the severity of the fire in Baietan had already changed again.
As soon as they left the west gate, a servant from the Lu family came rushing to report: "Master Cai, it's bad, the fire at the Thirteenth Floor can't be stopped! Now the Yihe Floor is also on fire!"
Cai Qinghua became anxious when he heard this, but before he could speak, someone was even more anxious than him. Wu Chengjian, who was being held captive and had not spoken a word all the way, shouted, "How could it burn down our Yihe Bank? Our Yihe Bank has the best fire prevention in all Thirteen Banks! There is a high wall between us and Shunda Bank to prevent fire and theft."
"Ah, this is Hao Guan." The Lu family's clerk recognized Wu Chengjian in the light: "Hao Guan, your Yihe Bank's warehouse was set on fire."
"Piaohuo?" When Wu Chengjian heard these two words, his expression became even uglier.
"Yes," said the Lu family's clerk, "The wind is strong now. Shunda Bank has a lot of paper, and Sanjiang Bank has a lot of silk. After the fire started, the strong wind blew and a lot of fire flew all over the sky. Some of the fire fell to your Yihe Bank with the wind and set it on fire."
Wu Chengjian shouted, "Are you putting out the fire? Are you putting out the fire?"
The Lu family's servant said, "Help! The servants from several families, the coolies from Baietan, and everyone who arrived were trying to put out the fire. Ou Jiafu's hair was on fire from all the efforts, but the fire was too big to put out. When we poured water on it, it all turned into smoke. We couldn't stop it."
Wu Chengjian jumped up and shouted to Guangxing: "Quick, quick, let's go!"
It was rare for Guangxing to see Wu Chengjian so angry. He wanted to rush over, but seeing Wu Chengjian like this, he pretended to be calm and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? If the fire is really that big, even if you rush over now, it will be useless to put it out."
Wu Chengjian shouted, "You!" But he knew it was useless to say more.
Guangxing waved his hand and the group continued walking.
Not long after they walked away, another Green Camp soldier came running over and reported, "Master Cai, it's bad, Xingcheng Bank is on fire!"
Cai Qinghua's face changed at this point: "What!"
Guangxing also shouted: "What's going on!"
The Green Camp soldier shouted, "The fire at Yihe Bank cannot be contained. It has burned past Xingcheng Bank. We have sent troops to put out the fire, but the fire is so big that we may not be able to stop it."
Cai Qinghua asked anxiously: "Where is that batch of goods?"
The green camp soldier said, "Master Cai, you said that no matter what happens, no one is allowed to approach the secret warehouse, and those boxes are not allowed to be moved. The commander did not dare to act on his own, so he quickly sent me here to ask for orders."
Although it was General Wang Degong who led the siege of the Thirteen Hongs, it was certainly impossible for him to guard the warehouse of Xingchenghang day and night. The highest-ranking military officer among the Green Camp soldiers stationed in Xingchenghang to guard the secret warehouse was a Dusi.
Guangxing shouted, "Why are you asking for your life? If you can't put out the fire, move the things out quickly!"
The Green Camp soldier didn't know who he was and just looked at Cai Qinghua. Cai Qinghua shouted, "Go quickly! Go quickly! Rescue the boxes given to me at all costs!"
The Green Camp soldiers then hurried away.
Cai Qinghua looked at Wu Chengjian, and saw a complicated expression on his face, one of worry and hope. Cai Qinghua guessed that he was worried about the fire in Yihe Bank, and what he hoped was that the fire would burn the stolen goods.
Guangxing also guessed it, glared at him and said, "Mr. Wu, stop gloating over other people's misfortunes."
Wu Chengjian said, "Why should I be happy? The fire came from Shunda Bank on the left. If it spread to Xingcheng Bank, then our Wu family's warehouse would have been burned through. Even if I am lucky enough to escape punishment, if our money and goods are all burned, our Wu family will be ruined. The disaster of ruining our family is right in front of us. Why should I be happy?"
Cai Qinghua and Guangxing thought about it and it seemed to make sense.
When he heard that Xingchenghang's warehouse was also on fire, Guangxing Cai Qinghua also became a little anxious and urged the sedan bearers, "Hurry up, hurry up!"
Although Wu Chengjian was worried, he couldn't help but complain: "Why are you in such a hurry? If the fire is really that big, even if you rush there now, it will be useless to put it out."
Guangxing was furious and said, "Slap him in the face!"
A banner soldier went over and tried to hit Wu Chengjian on the face, but Wu Chengjian dodged and refused to let him hit him.
Cai Qinghua said angrily: "What are you still making a fuss about? Get on with your journey!"
They were finally able to travel at full speed, but before they had gone two miles, another garrison came riding up ahead. His face was grey and black, and it was obvious that he had just escaped from a fire.
Before he could say anything, Cai Qinghua and Guangxing had already secretly realized that something was wrong.
As expected, the guard shouted as he approached: "Master Cai, the fire was too strong. We failed to get the goods out. Now the entire Xingcheng Bank is a sea of fire."
Cai Qinghua was furious and said, "What did I say just now! Didn't you hear me say that you must get the goods out no matter what?"
The garrison officer shouted: "Master, don't you see the fire?"
At this time, we were still some distance away from Baietan, but we could already see the sky over there was red, and even a fool could see that the flames covered a large area. It was beyond human power to put out such a large fire in this era.
The garrison commander said, "We were guarding Xingchenghang well, but the fire came from the sky and from the next door. In the blink of an eye, the ground was even heated up, as if it was going to burn out from the ground. Anyway, we didn't know where the fire came from. The fire came too fast. If it hadn't come out sooner, we would all have turned into roast geese."
Cai Qinghua said angrily: "If you can't stop the fire, can't you move the things out?"
The garrison officer shouted, "Master Cai, the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office issued a strict order that no matter what happens, no one is allowed to touch those boxes. Whoever does will be beheaded. That order was conveyed by you. How dare we, a mere Dusi and a garrison officer, disobey the order of the Governor's Office? As for the person you sent to let us snatch the boxes, I met him on the road. I'm afraid that person hasn't arrived at Baietan yet, but before I came, the fire had already engulfed the entire warehouse of Xingchenghang!"
Cai Qinghua was furious and said, "Even if my words haven't been passed on yet, don't you know how to adapt to the current fire?"
The garrison commander frowned and said nothing. Cai Qinghua was a teacher after all, so he immediately understood.
Since the Governor's Office had originally ordered that the boxes must not be moved under any circumstances, and anyone who did so would be beheaded, then they would not move without asking their superiors for permission, no matter how critical the situation was - if they moved, they might be rewarded, but they might also be beheaded; if they did not move, no one wanted a fire to fall from the sky, and they would have room to shirk responsibility.
This is actually the common unspoken rule in the officialdom: it is better to have no achievements than to have mistakes. If Cai Qinghua were in the position of Dusi or Shoubei, he would do the same.
Since Xingchenghang was burned, all the valuables and stolen goods were gone. Without evidence, forcing Wu Chengjian would be meaningless. Thinking that his plan for more than half a year had failed, he turned to look at Wu Chengjian angrily, only to see Wu Chengjian kneeling on the ground, looking at the sky that was burning so hard that the clouds were reflected red, and he didn't know whether he was praying or mumbling.
Guangxing was naturally aware of what this meant, and shouted anxiously, "Wu Chengjian, you are so bold! How dare you burn stolen goods!"
Wu Chengjian came back to his senses and shouted, "Master Guangxing, if you want to frame me for the stolen goods, please find a better explanation. I'm in prison and you guys are watching me closely. How can I burn the stolen goods?"
Guangxing sneered: "You are in prison, but your men are still outside!"
Wu Chengjian said: "My subordinates, my subordinates are all under your noses! Master Cai, you should know this better than anyone else."
Cai Qinghua snorted, and Guangxing said, "This is your territory. Who knows where else you have hidden people?"
Wu Chengjian said, "Master Guangxing, although I am a little smarter than others, no matter how smart I am, I am just a human being, not a god! Master Cai, you have been in Guangzhou for some time. I don't believe you haven't checked how many people I, Wu Chengjian, have available."
"Alright, alright!" Cai Qinghua said, "Let's go to Baietan first. Let's go!"
Along the way, every mile we walked, new information came in. The fire was getting bigger and bigger. It was no longer limited to Changlong, Sihai, Hongyun, Yihe, and Xingcheng. Not long after the fire started in Xingcheng, the fire also affected the Tonghe Bank next door.
Since the Thirteen Hongs were all adjacent to each other, judging by the extent of the fire, if the Tonghe Hong, which occupied the largest area and carried the most goods, also caught fire, I'm afraid the warehouses of other merchants would not be spared.
Xiguan. Pan's old house.
As early as the fire broke out at Thirteen Hongs, someone had already reported it to Pan Youjie, and then he reported it word by word.Soon the fire spread and fell on Tonghexing.
Seeing that the Tonghe Bank was on fire and the Xingcheng Bank next door was also on fire, Manager Liu and Pan Haigen could no longer sit still. Pan Haigen said, "I will urgently dispatch people to put out the fire. We must not let the fire spread to our Tonghe Bank at any cost."
However, Pan Youjie hesitated for a moment and said, "No, let it be."
Pan Haigen thought he had heard it wrong: "Huh?"
As a result, due to the failure of Tonghexing to put out the fire, Tonghexing actually caught fire earlier than Xingchengxing. Afterwards, Heyihexing attacked from both sides and burned Xingchengxing.
When Guangxing, Cai Qinghua and others arrived at the Baietan Pond, the entire Thirteen Hongs had already been reduced to a sea of fire. After the Tonghehang caught fire, the Wanbaohang next door was also affected. The Wanbaohang caught fire, and the original site of the Hongtaihang warehouse - now divided up among several companies but not yet completely delivered - burned down even faster because the people guarding it were even less effective.
Cai Qinghua and Guangxing both suspected Wu Chengjian was up to something on the way, but after seeing the scene before them, their suspicions were dispelled by about 70% - because the fire was so big!
Incredibly big!
So big that it seems beyond human control!
On one side, the river meets the sea, and on the other side, the fire clouds are connected. Not far away are the river and the sea, but not many steps away from the shore is the raging flames.
Hundreds of people were wailing in the fire, and many Hongmen members were running around there - probably trying to put out the fire.
"It's a disaster, a big disaster!" Guangxing murmured.
The fire had spread to this extent, and what was affected was not just Guangzhou, or even the Qing Empire - the Thirteen Factories were the largest land-based trade center in East Asia, and even the largest trade center in the world!
In this era, Guangzhou is not only the commercial capital of China, but also the commercial capital of the world!
Now, the flames have engulfed the entire city, and the hot air is causing those trying to put out the fire to retreat continuously.
Cai Qinghua had been here several times and was familiar with the topography of this area. However, the fire changed everything. The Thirteenth Bank warehouses had been burned into a mountain of fire. Amid the smoke and fire, he could not even tell which was Yihe and which was Xingcheng.
"It's over... It's over..." Wu Chengjian looked at the Flaming Mountain, as if he had lost his soul: "The Thirteen Lines are over..."
Liu Quan was on the highest attic of the Supervisory Mansion, looking at the flames rising into the sky outside the West Gate.
"The fire did not start from Xingcheng Bank, nor from Yihe Bank, but the fire broke out in Sanjiang Bank, which was not under control for a while. Now the whole Hong Kong... is all affected." Sweat dripped down Jishan's forehead. He no longer cared about the red goods. If this fire broke out, his official career would be over - if the emperor or the retired emperor was in a bad mood, he might even lose his head.
Liu Quan pondered and said, "You say... could it be that the fire was set by Hao Guan?"
"Ah?" Jishan was stunned for a moment, then he subconsciously said, "This can't be... Who can be so cruel and dare to do this! This is not just burning a few houses, this is burning all the gold and silver in the world! Burning the wealth and life of the whole world!"
By the Baietan Pond, Cai Qinghua was also listening to the report from the commander. Not only was his face covered in dust, but one of his eyebrows was also burnt off. It was obvious that the situation just now was indeed extremely dangerous.
"Because we were prepared, we tried our best to put out the fire that fell from overhead, but the fire came too quickly. It started from Yihehang and we tried our best to resist it, but before long Tonghehang also caught fire. There was fire on the left and right, and the billowing fireworks dazzled our eyes. Then, I don't know how, the fire came from behind..."
"Behind?" Cai Qinghua interrupted.
"Not behind, not behind!" Another garrison under the commander said, "Master Cai, the fire came from underground. The fire that comes from underground is the most powerful. Once the smoke spread, even if we wanted to save the boxes, it was too late."
"Nonsense!" Cai Qinghua said, "How can fire come from underground?"
The commander also said, "Yes, yes, it should be burning from the back... Alas, this guy must have been blinded by the smoke and can't tell left from right and up from down."
The garrison officer was still talking when someone shouted, "Look, look! Water is flowing out of the fire!"
When everyone looked up, they saw that there was indeed flashing water in the fire. The water was a small trickle at first, but later it gathered into a small river and flowed out of the fire.
Water flows out of the fire and gathers into a river. Who has ever seen such a miraculous sight? I have never even heard of it.
So in a moment, people gathered together, all trying to see it.
When the "small river" flowed closer and everyone could see it more clearly, they felt that there was something wrong with the water.
Finally, someone shouted, "Oh my God! That...that's not water! That's silver. The silver melted and turned into a river!"
At the edge of the fire scene, countless people were stunned. Although everyone has always described Shisanhang as a "mountain of gold and sea of silver", the description is always exaggerated. But no one expected that under the fire, silver really flowed like a river!
"Ah, silver, silver!" Suddenly someone jumped up and rushed towards the Milky Way like crazy.
Then someone reacted and rushed forward like crazy, and then almost everyone rushed forward.
The tongue of fire was like a snake's tongue, hesitant and spitting. Some of those who rushed forward were hit by the fire and retreated screaming, but more people rushed forward regardless of their lives - the river made of silver was like sweet poison and a beautiful devil.
The first person who ran to the edge of the Milky Way was overjoyed. He reached into the "river" to fish out the silver, and then let out a miserable howl.
The liquid silver covered his hands, but his flesh and bones were instantly dissolved. He rolled on the ground in pain. The people who came later were scared at first, but no one backed down. They all went to get things to fish out the silver!
"Crazy, crazy..." Cai Qinghua witnessed the crazy scene in front of him and froze there. When he came to his senses and wanted to ask the officers and soldiers to stop the crowd and maintain order, he found that no one was available - both the Banner Soldiers and the Green Camp, all rushed over, one by one trying to fish out silver in the raging flames!
Some shop assistants and shopkeepers rushed over and shouted, "Don't move! Don't move! The silver belongs to our Wanbao Bank!"
"Bullshit! That silver is common among us!"
"Nonsense, that's from our Sanjiang Bank!"
The scene was already in chaos, and the closer they got to the sea of fire and the galaxy, the more chaotic it became.
Only a few hundred steps away, there was a small boat parked in a river. On the boat sat an old man and a strong man. They were the two generations of thugs of the Wu family - Lao Gu and Tietou Junba.
Not far from this small boat there were two other small boats, which were responsible for keeping an eye on the two of them.
"How annoying!" Lao Gu said, "They're still staring at you!"
Tietou Junba said, "As long as the superiors don't give the order, they will probably keep watching us. Although we both know that it's meaningless for them to keep watching us."
Old Gu smiled and said, "This time, I thought I would do something big before I get old, but I didn't expect that I would just sit here and watch the show."
He looked at the sea of fire with great interest and deep emotion: "The prosperity of the Thirteen Hongs for so many years, the accumulation of so many generations, will all be gone in this fire!"
"Maybe not." said Tietou Junba.
"At least his vitality has been seriously damaged." said Lao Gu.
Tietou Junba said: "No matter how badly it hurts, as long as there is a port of trade, it will recover sooner or later."
Lao Gu laughed: "That's right, that's right. I didn't expect that a rough guy like you would have such insight."
Tietou Junba said, "After spending more time with Hao Guan and Master Zhou, I can learn something. Hao Guan once said that the lifeblood of the Thirteen Hongs lies not in the warehouses or the rare goods, but in the policy of opening the trade port."
Old Gu smiled and nodded, and stopped talking about this topic. He turned his head to look at the fire in the distance that had not been controlled yet, and praised: "Anyway, Old Ye's fire... was set well."
Cai Qinghua stared at Wu Chengjian, and Wu Chengjian said, "Master Cai, please stop staring at me like that. I didn't want things to turn out like this..."
Cai Qinghua said sternly: "Although there is no evidence in this matter, after thinking about it, only you can benefit!"
Wu Chengjian said: "If this is the case, then the chief officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple will have an easy time. In the future, they will not need to ask for evidence or confessions. When a case occurs, it will only depend on who benefits in the end. That person will be the murderer or criminal."
Cai Qinghua said sternly: "Isn't it?"
Wu Chengjian said: "If it is possible, I do want to set this fire, but if I really want to burn it, why don't I just burn Xingcheng Bank directly, but burn our Yihe Bank's warehouse as well?"
Cai Qinghua said: "You are just trying to cover up your tracks."
Wu Chengjian said, "I am hiding my true identity. What about the other guarantors in the Thirteen Hongs? Are they also playing this trick with me? And in order to play this trick with me, they have burned their own property? Master Cai, do you think Pan Youjie is such a person? Do you think Ye Dalin is such a person?"
Cai Qinghua finally fell silent...
If it was just a fire in the secret warehouse, then even if there is no evidence, Wu Chengjian must be involved.
But the entire Thirteenth Floor was burned down...
This... Although I don't want to believe it, it is really unlikely.
On a huge British ship in Baietan, Milton stood on the side of the ship, watching the fire spread from smoke to the sky, and angrily muttered some British country dialect that the Chinese could not understand.
And in that small building on Xiguan Street...
"Finally..." Zhou Yijin closed his dark-rimmed eyes and lay down: "I can have a good sleep now."
The huge wealth of the Thirteen Hongs, along with the opium that was about to flow into China and the "red goods" that could bring disaster to the Wu family, turned into ashes on the banks of the Pearl River and Baietan.
No one could estimate how much wealth would be burned by this fire, and no one present could afford the huge losses. However, the commercial war this time also came to a temporary end in the fire.
