1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2001
Ma Zhengping and Yang Chengye's parents were brothers who had died together. Knowing the hard-won situation today, he naturally couldn't bear to see the Yang family, which was originally quite prestigious among the Hui nationality salt merchants, defeated by Yang Chengye.Today, Yang Chengye did not appear in Daijiazhuang to participate in the discussion. He was already named by Dai Yingda alone. Ma Zhengping also knew that Dai Yingda would never just stop at verbal warnings. If Yang Chengye still did not repent later, the Yang family would be kicked I am afraid that the countdown will begin after the birth of the seven major surnames.

If the Yang family loses this special status, the impact will be far more than Ma Zhengping mentioned "There are many businesses that cannot be directly involved in", and even the existing business will be greatly reduced due to the change of status. Turning to decline is likely to be decided in a few words.

The "seven surnames" are the upper-class figures in the Huizhou salt merchant group. They are rich, powerful and influential, and they have the best market resources. Losing this special status means that they will probably lose what they have in hand. Part of the market and sales channels - these excellent resources must be given over to subsequent successors to ensure that they can enjoy the treatment that matches their status.

The composition of the "seven major surnames" is generally decided by the existing seven major families through deliberations. As long as more than four families agree, the existing members can be changed.Therefore, although the Yang family has a certain influence in the group of Hui nationality salt merchants, it does not mean that its status will be stable forever. If Dai Yingda takes the lead in proposing to remove the Yang family from the seven surnames, then everyone except Ma Zhengping The other families are very likely to go along with Dai Yingda and kick Yang Chengye out.

Yang Chengye himself, as the party concerned, obviously did not realize the seriousness of his situation and the problem, and Ma Zhengping was also angry about it.

Yang Chengye said helplessly: "Uncle's education is good, but today my nephew is in Yangzhou City, and I don't even know that Ningbo salt merchants have come from outside the city, let alone that Mr. Dai called everyone to discuss it. My nephew just didn't receive it in time. The notice does not mean to avoid the discussion on purpose."

Ma Zhengping said: "Even if I believe you, other people may not believe you. If you want others to believe you, you have to do something to prove your loyalty and role to the seven surnames."

Yang Chengye was puzzled and said, "How to prove this?"

Ma Zhengping said: "Let me ask you, who is our biggest opponent?"

Yang Chengye was taken aback for a moment, and replied hesitantly: "That is naturally... the Shanshan salt merchant across the river."

Ma Zhengping nodded and said, "It's good that you know! You have a close relationship with Lu Kangtai, have you ever thought of using him to attack Shanshan salt merchants?"

Hearing this, Yang Chengye's heartbeat quickened a lot, and he quickly shied away and said, "Uncle was joking, my nephew and that surnamed Lu are just acquaintances, so there's no way to talk about taking advantage of it!"

Ma Zhengping sneered and said, "If you want people not to know, unless you don't do anything about it, you and Lu Kangtai showed up in Yangzhou City, and you really pretended that no one saw it?"

Yang Chengye didn't expect Ma Zhengping to say such a thing, so he murmured: "Uncle, don't blame...it's just an ordinary entertainment, it can't be taken seriously..."

"You don't need to explain. I'm not forcing you now. Master Dai has already ordered you to be responsible for attacking Lu Kangtai. If you can do it, then of course you will forget the past. If you do well, there will definitely be more For example, the Yang family can enter the salt market in Suzhou and Songjiang that Lu Kangtai originally controlled." Seeing that Yang Chengye's attitude softened, Ma Zhengping further threatened and lured him.

If Yang Chengye was a person who put his interests first, he would not have mixed up with Lu Kangtai, and he himself did not have a strong sense of professionalism, so he didn't even think about snatching the market from Lu Kangtai.Hearing Ma Zhengping's suggestion, he was also a little dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond.

When meeting with Lu Kangtai earlier, the other party asked him to inquire about the internal news of Huizhou merchants to determine whether the Ningbo salt merchants that appeared outside Yangzhou were related to Huizhou merchants.This already made Yang Chengye feel very embarrassed. He didn't expect that when he got home, there was Ma Zhengping waiting for him, and his request was even more exaggerated than Lu Kangtai. Yang Chengye felt that he was now a mouse in the bellows , get angry at both ends.

Whether it is betraying fellow villagers or friends, in Yang Chengye's view, it is a taboo that cannot be done.Besides, he made friends with Lu Kangtai not for the purpose of obtaining any practical benefits from the other party, and even his objective conditions were better than Lu Kangtai's.In terms of family property, Lu Kangtai may not be richer than him; in terms of appearance, Yang Chengye is also considered a good-looking talent, far better than Lu Kangtai who weighs more than 200 catties; In fact, after returning from the imperial examination, Lu Kangtai was purely a businessman.

Yang Chengye believes that his friendship with Lu Kangtai has no desires, and most of the time they are just friends who can talk about wine and meat, but now both parties have put forward some extra demands on him, which made him faintly aware of this personal relationship Too many interests have begun to be mixed in, making him feel uncomfortable.

But he also understands that he cannot break away from the current environment. After all, his background as an Hui nationality salt merchant has already limited the range of choices he can make, unless he can really give up his current status and the corresponding special treatment. But if he could make such a decision, how could he be in the current dilemma.

"Uncle, you also know that my nephew has never been good at fighting, so this is really impossible!" After thinking for a while, Yang Chengye continued to evade, refusing to accept Ma Zhengping's request.

Ma Zhengping said angrily: "You don't need to plan this matter yourself, as long as you deal with it, someone will follow up and make a plan later, and you just need to cooperate well at that time. Then Lu Kangtai's musketeers are extremely helpful to us." He is a big threat, if this person is not eliminated, our Huizhou merchants will have trouble sleeping and eating every day, don’t you understand this truth?”

Yang Chengye fell silent again. He had also heard a little about the mysterious armed force under Lu Kangtai's hands. He even knew that several attacks on Ningbo salt merchants in nearby state capitals were caused by this armed force. Its strength is indeed It is possible to be far above one's own side.

But so far, he knows that Lu Kangtai has not used this armed force to deal with Hui nationality salt merchants, and the two have never discussed this issue in a tacit understanding. After all, if Lu Kangtai kills Yang Chengye's fellow villagers, then The personal relationship between the two could no longer be maintained.Even if Lu Kangtai asked Yang Chengye to provide internal information about Huizhou merchants, he only said that he was worried that these Ningbo salt merchants were a trap set up by Huizhou merchants. pierce.

Yang Chengye knew that there was no way to persuade Ma Zhengping to accept his idea. After all, the conflict of interests between Huizhou salt merchants and Shanshan salt merchants had lasted for a hundred years. cases, but none of the results ended well.Now it seems that the relationship between him and Lu Kangtai is going in this direction.

Yang Chengye sighed and said, "Does Master Dai have any specific plans?"

Hearing that he was about to let go, Ma Zhengping quickly said: "You lure Lu Kangtai to the place where the Ningbo Salt Merchant docked his boat these two days, and it would be best if he could come forward to have a talk with the Ningbo Salt Merchant, and then we will find an opportunity to do it." , and then put the blame on the Ningbo salt merchants. This can not only get rid of Lu Kangtai, but also lead the fire to the Ningbo salt merchants. Isn't this the best of both worlds? Don't worry, you won't be asked to do it yourself, and then you will Someone steered you away."

Yang Chengye thought to himself that I just met Lu Kangtai nearby, if Old Man Dai knew about it, he might be so angry that he would vomit blood for three liters.But this matter must not be publicized. After all, he just claimed to have a casual acquaintance with Lu Kangtai just now, and he didn't even participate in the internal discussions of Huizhou merchants today, but went to observe the movement of Ningbo salt merchants with Lu Kangtai. I can't justify it.

However, the plan that Ma Zhengping mentioned really made him shudder.Although Lu Kangtai is vigilant, if Yang Chengye wants to use his mind to calculate without intention, there is at least a [-]% to [-]% chance that Lu Kangtai will fall into this trap. At that time, someone will pretend to be a dock laborer to attack Lu Kangtai at the berth of the Ningbo salt merchant. , There is indeed a great opportunity to muddy the water - after all, in the recent attacks on Ningbo salt merchants, Lu Kangtai played the role of the behind-the-scenes, and it is reasonable for people to find clues and come to revenge.

And such a ruthless strategy, obviously only the wily and calculating Dai Yingda could come up with it. Yang Chengye couldn't help thinking, if he was unwilling to obey the arrangement of the council, how would Dai Yingda deal with him?If the Yang family was only removed from the seven surnames, it would probably be the lightest degree.

Yang Chengye shook his head and drove this idea out of his mind. He really didn't want to think about the situation that might happen in a worse direction, but one thing he was sure of was that Dai Yingda would never stop at empty words and intimidation To a certain extent, if he did not handle the current situation according to his wishes, Dai Yingda would really be ruthless and use some extraordinary means to deal with the Yang family.

"Uncle, if this matter is to be implemented, there are still many details that need to be perfected, and Lu Kangtai is not a stupid person, sending out an invitation rashly will only make him vigilant. In my nephew's opinion, this matter should not be rushed." Yang Chengye left and right Under the embarrassment, I can only try to delay the time first.

Ma Zhengping snorted and said, "What's on your mind, kid? Don't think that I don't know! If this matter is not resolved until the Ningbo salt merchants leave Yangzhou, then the best chance to make a move will be lost. Do you think you can do it?" How much time do you have to prepare slowly? At most, it will be a day or two! This matter must be resolved quickly without delay! As for the problem you mentioned, if you can’t solve it, it can only show that you are not capable enough. What use are you in the council?"

Yang Chengye groaned secretly in his heart. It seemed that his plan could not be hidden from Ma Zhengping's eyes, but if he really wanted to implement the plan the other party said, he felt that he could not be cruel and design Lu Kangtai.And judging from Ma Zhengping's attitude, it was obvious that Dai Yingda wanted to get rid of Lu Kangtai and hurry up. It is estimated that there would be little room for maneuver in this matter.

If Lu Kangtai does not have an accident, then Yang Chengye himself will be in trouble, and if he wants to protect himself, he will have to drag Lu Kangtai into the water. This seems to be an unsolvable deadlock.

Unless, the group of Ningbo salt merchants in the center of the storm disappeared from Yangzhou immediately, making Dai Yingda's plan impossible to implement, and he did not need to provide Lu Kangtai with internal information about Ningbo salt merchants from Huizhou merchants.But will Ningbo Salt Chamber suddenly disappear?The answer is of course no. Yang Chengye doesn't even think that Lu Kangtai or others can drive away these Ningbo salt merchants in a short time. Since they have the courage to come to Yangzhou to cause trouble, they are naturally prepared accordingly. With all kinds of scruples, I dare not let go of my hands and feet to do things, probably I can only say some harsh words in person to scare the other party.

Yang Chengye had a hard time perfunctory Ma Zhengping, and after sending him away, he still felt a big headache.Now this situation is almost an unsolvable deadlock, both sides want to use him to achieve some of their goals, and he is very aware of this, but he still doesn't want to offend any of them, and of course he doesn't want to sacrifice himself for it Interests.

How should this be done?Yang Chengye only felt that his head was about to split open. To solve this dilemma, did he really have to find a solution from the Ningbo salt merchant?
Yang Chengye recalled some news about these Ningbo salt merchants that he learned from Lu Kangtai and Ma Zhengping today, and suddenly a very bold idea came to his mind.If it can be implemented smoothly, it may really be able to temporarily solve the problem I am currently facing.

But the reason why this idea is bold is because he has to take a huge risk for it, and if he makes a mistake, he is likely to include himself in it.Moreover, his plan may not be supported by any group of local salt merchants.

But after this idea came out of his mind, it was like a fire was ignited in his heart, which could no longer be extinguished.He locked himself in the study for a long time, and still thought that only by doing so could he have a chance to resolve the current predicament. Although the risk was high, the effect was worth looking forward to.

"If you don't take the risk now, it may be too late tomorrow!" Yang Chengye hesitated and finally made up his mind.He was actually surprised that he was able to bear such a big risk, but since the single-plank bridge was already in front of him, he had to be brave enough to try it.

Yang Chengye left the study and asked the boy to call his housekeeper.The sleepy-eyed housekeeper came to the study room and heard that Yang Chengye asked him to prepare for the itinerary to cross the river. He was also a little puzzled: "Master, at this time...you have to cross the river? The gates of the city have been closed long ago!"

"I won't go to the city... If you are told to prepare, hurry up and prepare, don't ask so many questions!" Yang Chengye waved his hand impatiently, signaling the housekeeper to do something quickly.

(End of this chapter)