latelenovela Chapter 860 Contradictions and Conflicts
Chapter 860 Contradictions and Conflicts
During the meal, everyone toasted him frequently, and Lin Ze accepted all of them.
Ma Mingyuan politely said, "Our remote and small place is narrow and poor, and we don't have any special local delicacies. I hope Commander Lin and Lieutenant Colonel Hua Gu will forgive us."
Lin Ze smiled and said, "Mr. Ma, you're so polite! I see these bear paws and abalone shark's fins, it's really luxurious!"
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this distant city looks rustic from the outside and is covered with yellow earth when the wind blows, but the Salt Merchants Association is really wealthy!
All the delicious dishes of Peking are available here, such as braised black sea cucumber and shark fin soup. Even things that are not available in Peking are available here. This place has a developed trade, with wild delicacies from the Qinling Mountains and big fish caught in the Yellow River. The chefs are also very skilled and their dishes are unique in flavor. It was a new experience for Lin Ze, who was used to Peking Shandong cuisine.
When the wine was in high spirits, Ma Mingyuan clapped his hands again.
Hua Gu, who was a little drunk, joked, "I've read quite a few ancient books and heard this story before. Could it be that President Ma used a high-five as a signal to ambush the assassins?"
If Lin Ze had made this joke, it would certainly be harmless.
Master Lin is a kind-hearted man who values loyalty and never blames others easily. This is well-known. Although these people are in a distant city, they have many channels of information and know a little about Master Lin's character.
But Hanatani is from Tokyo, who knows what his temper is like?
No one dared to respond, but Lin Ze saw through the clue and said, "Mr. Huagu is absolutely right. They say sex is like a knife that scrapes bones. So, a beautiful woman is also a knife-wielder!"
There was a burst of laughter in the room. Nan Yun Takuya laughed the most exaggeratedly, and tears came out. It was not known whether he really understood or was pretending to understand.
Ma Mingyuan felt a chill down his spine, and gratitude welled up in his heart. He quickly raised his glass to greet Lin Ze.
Then, a group of beauties came out from behind the screen. The oldest one was no more than 20 years old. They were dressed in light veils and gauze and danced gracefully.
Lin Ze was dazzled by the sight. These girls were of all types, mostly with small faces, fair skin and slim waists, but there were also beauties with strong complexions that were rarely seen nowadays. Two of them even had obvious exotic auras.
Ma Mingyuan was very proud. "Your Excellency Commander, this dance and music troupe was purchased with great effort by the Salt Merchants Association. They say that Jiangnan is famous for its beauties, and we in the Northwest are no exception. These people were purchased from Qin and Jin provinces, and were specially taught by teachers from Datong. They are both talented and beautiful. An old man like me can only envy them but cannot enjoy them. I have already ordered them to serve Commander Lin and Lieutenant Colonel Hua Gu."
When he said "purchase" and "buy" he downplayed it. Sure enough, in the eyes of these big salt merchants, these girls were just objects. Maybe he thought he had done a good thing. If he didn't buy them, with the current chaos and their looks, they would either be raped or sent to shameful places. Now they can eat and drink well here and entertain the nobles with their music and beauty. What's wrong with that?
This is not the time to play the role of a moralist. There is no time to think about whether these girls are willing or forced. Lin Ze pulls Hua Guzheng together to indulge himself.
Wang Hualong, who was sitting at the table, snorted and whispered to Ma Mingyuan, "The Salt Merchants Association is really generous!"
Ma Mingyuan pretended not to hear and ignored him at all.
While people were still playing music and dancing, gunshots suddenly rang out outside the city!
It was late at night and most people were asleep. The city was not very big, so the sound of gunfire could be heard clearly and could not be drowned out by the sound of dancing and music.
Everyone frowned. Lin Ze waved away the female musicians and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
Not long after, someone from the gendarmerie came to report that some salt workers were causing chaos, snatching guns from the salt pond guards, and after an exchange of fire, they fled to the west.
Ma Mingyuan's face darkened. "It must be the people from the Red Zone who instigated this!"
Lin Ze remained calm. Today's dramas were one after another. Yuancheng was really a small temple with big demons!
Wang Hualong stood up and saluted Lin Ze and the others. He said, "There are many salt workers in Yuancheng. They used to be called salt workers, but now they are called workers. Therefore, they are very popular in the Red Zone. However, the Salt Merchants Association holds the financial resources and is unwilling to pay them. Our detective team consists of only a few dozen people. We have to monitor the city and guard the outside world. If the Salt Merchants Association can provide us with some money to expand our manpower and purchase weapons, I, Wang Hualong, will be able to suppress these salt workers and prevent them from causing trouble!"
Ma Mingyuan said coldly: "So this is what Captain Wang was planning. If you didn't know, you would think that you arranged for someone to do what happened today!"
Wang Hualong was a rough man, and he cursed out loud, "You old idiot! You have a fortune, but you're so stingy! I know you're afraid. You're afraid of being put on the wrong side of the Red Zone, afraid of being killed in the night!"
Before Lin Ze could say anything, Hua Gu, with a gloomy face, slammed the table and shouted, "Baka!"
Lin Ze watched coldly. The scene seemed very clear, yet a little confusing.
The detective team needs money to hire people and buy guns. The Japanese will definitely not give them money. It is also unrealistic to rely on the Administrative Committee. The common people are all poor and cannot make any money. Naturally, they have to turn to the Salt Merchants Association.
But it seems that the salt merchant always has concerns, fearing that the balance of power will be disrupted and that he will be targeted by the guerrillas and the Special Operations Department. Therefore, he maintains the size of the detective team at dozens of people and is unwilling to pay more money, which has caused Wang Hualong's dissatisfaction.
As for the salt workers' unrest...
Since ancient times, salt merchants and salt workers have been a pair of contradictions. In order to make money, salt merchants have to produce salt continuously, and salt production is inseparable from the labor of salt workers. In the past, it was all under the control of the government, but now the world is in chaos, and many salt fields have fallen into private hands. The wages of salt workers have affected profits, and if the wages are too low, the salt workers are unwilling to work, so the two sides are constantly playing games.
There are at least tens of thousands of people in Yuancheng Salt Lake who make their living from salt, so the Red Zone will naturally not miss the opportunity to develop its team.
Lin Ze said, "Never mind. Hanatani-kun and I are exhausted from the journey. We'll stop here today. Captain Yada and Lieutenant Takeuchi, lead your men to strengthen patrols and prevent the rebels from causing trouble in the city."
Tanida Shun and Takeuchi Tokai both stood up, "Ha!"
When they arrived at the residence in the back, Takuya Nanyun from the Salt Company also followed.
Niu Saner made tea and left. Lin Ze asked, "Mr. Nanyun, you've been in Yuancheng for quite some time, right? Tell me what you know."
"Ha! Commander-in-Chief, Yuancheng is located at the junction of three provinces, and the situation is very complicated. The main source of income for the entire region is the salt industry, which is divided into several major groups. The main production, sales, and transportation are handled by our Salt Company. Several major local families also control some salt fields. These people form the Salt Merchants Association. In addition, the garrison has also secretly opened some salt fields and forced laborers. However, their production and quality are poor, so they can only find agents to sell to the mountains to the west."