latelenovela Chapter 863 Existence is everything
Chapter 863 Existence is everything
There are more than forty streets and alleys in Yuancheng, and Gulou Alley is located in the city center, which is a prime location.
Half of this street belongs to the Ma family.
After more than a dozen generations of accumulation, the salt merchants have become rich enough to rival a country. Although the turbulent times in the past few decades have inevitably led to the loss of some of their wealth, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The layout of the Ma family compound shows their former glory.
Exquisite wood carvings can be seen everywhere, especially in the flower hall used to receive guests, which is almost entirely decorated with fine hardwood carvings.
In Shanxi Province, wood is much more expensive than bricks and stones. The more and better wood a family uses to decorate their house, the more wealthy it is.
Ma Mingyuan is no longer young and often gets up at dawn. He has a lot of things on his mind, does not sleep well, and has dark bags under his eyes.
After getting up, he would wash up with the help of the servants, then sit on the official hat chair in the main hall, drink Yan tea and eat snacks, which was considered breakfast.
He ate very little, only occasionally picking up a piece of crystal cake to taste, but he drank cup after cup of tea.
Although he came from a wealthy family, Ma Mingyuan did not like tea from the south. He preferred to drink cheap brick tea. Regardless of winter or summer, he would boil water in a ceramic pot and let the tea bubble in it. It would not take long for the tea to become thick and black.
I don't add milk to it like the people on the grassland do. I just drink it. After a few sips, I feel refreshed and then I think about things while drinking.
When it was bright, Ma Mingyuan would have plans for what to do and who to meet that day. Often at this time, he would concentrate on some important matters.
The housekeeper came in and handed over a white copper hookah. He rubbed the cut tobacco and stuffed it into the mouthpiece. Then he took a piece of straw paper and rolled it into a stick. He held it to the lamp and lit it. He waved it to extinguish the flame, and then used the paper to ignite the tobacco.
Ma Mingyuan smoked very hard, and the hookah made a humming sound.
"It was so busy outside the city yesterday, but did you gain anything?"
The housekeeper bowed and said, "Both the military police and the garrison sent people out of the city, but it was too dark, and the enemy was riding horses, so they couldn't tell which group they were from. They could only fire from a distance. The enemy didn't dare to get close, and the Japanese didn't dare to go too far. There was a lot of fighting, but they didn't actually catch anyone."
"What are those two doing?"
Ma Mingyuan was referring to Lin Ze and Hua Gu Zheng.
The housekeeper continued respectfully, "It's very quiet over there. They must have been tired from the journey and went to bed early."
Ma Mingyuan puffed up his cheeks and blew a breath, blowing out the burnt ash in the pipe. The housekeeper then filled it with a pinch of tobacco.
"That Japanese officer is nothing to worry about. Commander Lin is the real boss! Look, Yuancheng is about to fall into chaos. Maybe the life and death of our Ma family will depend on this Master Lin."
The butler placed the fire paper close to the tobacco and whispered, "It's a good thing that the higher-ups sent people to pacify the area, right? If there's peace all around, trade routes will be easier and business will be better."
Ma Mingyuan sneered, "Commander Lin is the commander-in-chief of the Jinmen Military Police, with the rank of Colonel, far superior to Takeuchi Tokai. Did the Japanese send him here just to fight a few guerrillas and capture a few bandits?"
"what do you mean......."
Ma Mingyuan started smoking again. After a while, he exhaled a column of smoke. "I suspect they are going to use troops against Zhongtiao Mountain!"
The housekeeper wondered, "If they want to fight, the fighting won't spread to the city. Maybe we can even supply some military supplies and make some money?"
Ma Mingyuan shook his head and said, "Back when Commander Yan's troops were still standing, I often visited him. He was right. Everything is for existence, and existence is everything. How have we, the salt merchants of Yuancheng, been able to survive so long?"
He put down his hookah. "When the imperial court was in power, they relied on us to issue salt permits and transport military rations. Those military lords, county magistrates, prefects, and even provincial governors all relied on the silver we sent them to pay off their debts to the capital. After the reforms, it's even more complicated. This one needs to set up a new army, that one needs to recruit troops, and where does the money come from to pay salaries and buy arms? First, we rely on those who open bill offices and banks, and second, we rely on salt merchants!"
At this point, he let out a long sigh. "But things are different now. The Japanese are here. They have money and technology. Look at the salt company. They produce a lot of good salt. Now they have machines, which makes the cost even lower. They can obviously monopolize the salt ponds, so why do they keep us here?"
The housekeeper couldn't understand such a thing.
Ma Mingyuan asked himself and answered, "It's not because of our money, but because we salt merchants have been in Yuancheng for more than ten generations. We are familiar with everyone. We have connections everywhere and can talk to everyone. Zhongtiao Mountain has more than 200,000 troops deployed. The Japanese can't take them down in a short time. That's why we need to act as a middleman to balance the forces of all parties and maintain the operation of trade. But what if... the Japanese take over Zhongtiao Mountain? Once they completely control this place, will the salt company still give us a way to survive?"
The old butler bent over and didn't dare to speak.
..........
At the Salt Merchants Association, Lin Ze had just finished his breakfast and was sitting in the flower hall drinking tea when Ma Mingyuan came to visit.
He smiled cheerfully, a typical businessman, and greeted as soon as he came up: "Commander Lin, did you have a good rest last night? Were the staff's service satisfactory?"
Lin Ze drank his tea and motioned him to sit down. "Old Ma, everything is fine. It's just that the gunshots rang out in the middle of the night. It seems that the resistance forces around here are still rampant. This time I come, I must clear out the area around Yuancheng so that you can live in peace."
Ma Mingyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Commander Lin, you don't know that the guerrillas and bandits here are just like that. No matter how many times we destroy them, another will appear. The source is still the Southern Army in Zhongtiao Mountain. If they don't withdraw, they will always send people to cause trouble."
After saying this, Ma Mingyuan stared at Lin Ze, trying to see something from his expression.
Lin Ze remained calm and asked, "Are you familiar with the south?"
Ma Mingyuan was stunned by the question and could only smile awkwardly: "To be honest, we are businessmen who have always been building roads wherever there are mountains and bridges wherever there are rivers. I can't say that I am familiar with the south, but I occasionally hear people talk about the situation there."
Lin Ze added: "Chairman Ma's business is huge!"
His questions were too radical. After just a few rounds, Ma Mingyuan found it difficult to cope and sweat broke out on his forehead.
Asking questions in a jumping manner and taking the initiative in the conversation are almost essential skills for those in a higher position.
Many people often feel strange. When they go to their leaders to talk about something, the leaders often avoid the topic and talk about other things. They wonder if their brains are not working well.
It is not ruled out that a small part of it does not work, but the vast majority are just habits. He needs to give himself enough time to think.
And often he is not asking random questions. For example, when you are reporting something to him, he suddenly asks you how long you have been in the company and what positions you have held. He may want to judge your experience and position, or he may want to remind you that he knows about this matter and there is a reason why he did not do anything about it, and this reason is not your concern.