Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 481: Frustrated at the Start, Change of Approach

"There will be no room for drawing a salary without doing anything in the future. If you want to get rich, follow me and go out to rob. No, go out to do business." Jia Lian spoke quickly and told the truth.

The officers below heard this and were calm. One is the long-term vision, the other is the immediate interests. Which side do you choose?
Jia Lian didn't care whether they were happy or not. Right now, there were only a few thousand people, so he pulled them out for training to see their training level first.

"Everyone, listen to my command. March 20 miles and keep the overall formation intact. This is my order!"

Jia Lian gave the order directly, and Qi Yun and his subordinates had no choice but to obey no matter how angry they were. Military orders were as heavy as a mountain, and Jia Lian could kill anyone who disobeyed!
They are all veterans who have been in the military for many years. They have seen civilian officials kill people to establish their prestige. Only a fool would offer their heads in surrender.

In fact, Jia Lian didn’t really think so. He just wanted to see the training level of this army.

Qi Yun and his subordinates began to arrange their departure. Jia Lian just watched coldly without making any comment.

Judging from the dispatch, Qi Yun was quite an expert. The front, middle and rear troops left the camp in sequence, which was quite organized and not chaotic.

After Jia Lian and other rear troops had completely left the camp, they mounted their horses with their family soldiers and inspected along the marching route.

The combat effectiveness of an army can be seen during its march.

During the inspection, we found that although the soldiers of this army were relatively old, they were well disciplined and the team basically maintained a complete formation during the march.

Even so, Jia Lian still couldn't be satisfied, for a simple reason: a skilled soldier would not have much fighting spirit on the battlefield. When encountering a strong enemy, he might just run faster than his companions.

Are there any strong enemies now? It seems that there are really no strong enemies on land.

Just make do with it for now, and we'll deal with the layoffs after we get more soldiers.

Marching twenty li is equivalent to ten kilometers. In this era when measurement units are not integers, calculating these is very troublesome.

As the march progressed, various problems gradually arose in the entire team. Everyone had different physical strengths, and some soldiers gradually fell behind. After half of the march, the formation began to become disorganized.

Jia Lian still did not make any comments. He waited patiently for the team to reach their destination before giving a new order: "Return along the original route!"

The lieutenant general beside Qi Yun asked him worriedly: "Sir, will Governor Jia take the opportunity to..."

Qi Yun interrupted him directly: "Impossible, he has accepted our money and will not embarrass us."

"Then he won't let people eat empty salaries?" The lieutenant general defended himself. Qi Yun said, "Do you take it seriously just because he pretends to do so?"

"I hope so!"

The development of the matter seemed to indicate that Qi Yun was right. Jia Lian said nothing and went straight back to the governor's residence.

"These people are not very useful, they are good for maintaining local public security, we must hurry up and recruit soldiers. We must start tomorrow. As for the money, I will go to the governor. You can use the 150,000 taels sent by the government first. The provincial garrison will be supplemented with 15,000 people, and the governor's standard soldiers will be fully staffed." Jia Lian directly instructed Zhang San. Qi Yun's people could not be relied on, so he turned around and reorganized them into a public security army.

"General Wang took away many officers. Our brothers can fill the positions of captain and garrison commander, but there may be a shortage of positions below team officer," Zhang San reminded.

"That's a problem. If the grassroots officers are not good enough, the combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Let's first pick some from the existing army. There will always be some talented people with the right age. Recruit soldiers first and solve the stationing problem. I will go find money." There are so many things to deal with, and we must grasp one thread, and that is money.

As a recruiting ambassador, Zhang San set up a stall at the city gate to recruit soldiers. He offered a salary of five yuan a month, including food and lodging. However, he was turned down on the first day.

What was going on? There were many people watching the fun, but only a few people came to apply. Even if there were a few people who came to apply, you could tell at a glance that they were there to cheat for a living.

Zhang San is also a veteran, but this is the first time he has seen such a situation. Speaking of recruiting soldiers, who is suitable to be a soldier?

The ancients had already given the answer: the good family sons of the Six Towns.

It would be strange if Zhang San could recruit suitable soldiers by setting up a stall at the gate of Guangzhou city.

Zhang San, who had been frustrated, came back to report the situation and told what he knew: "I asked someone to investigate and found that the locals were unwilling to serve in the army. Previously, when Wang Taiwei recruited soldiers, most of them were recruited from Guangxi." Jia Lian was also a little confused at first: "Let's stop for now! Let me think about it carefully."

At night, Jia Lian was alone in the study. After careful consideration, he realized that his past experience was not applicable locally.

Guangzhou is a place with a developed economy. Local young men work as porters at the docks. They may not earn as much as soldiers, but they are not subject to military discipline. In addition, being a soldier depends on the conscience of the superiors. If they encounter a bad conscience, it is common for them to owe wages and deduct money. In addition, after Wang Ziteng's incident, many locals would rather go to Annan to start over than to be soldiers.

The conditions that are very attractive in the north are really not attractive here.

After thinking about it until midnight, Jia Lian finally figured it out. He slapped his forehead fiercely and said, "Empiricism is killing people!"

In fact, there are still things we can learn from past experiences, such as learning from Qi Jiguang.

Jia Lian was still awake, and neither was Baochai. After waiting for a long time, she came to the study to see what was going on. Just then she heard Jia Lian mumbling to himself, so she stepped forward and said, "Master, it's time to rest!"

Developed land is just different. In just a few days, Sister Bao has become much fuller. In addition, it is hot in the south, and the thin clothes she wears in the inner house show off her good figure, which is very charming.

Master Jia, who had figured it out, had an idea in mind and took Baochai's hand: "You came just in time!"

…………, Ying'er waited for a while at the door, and heard a faint pleading voice from inside: "Go back to the room..."

It was obvious that the master, who was in high spirits, did not restrain himself, but became even more aggressive. The young lady was really in a difficult situation. Ying'er felt weak in the knees after hearing this, and secretly hoped that the young lady would get pregnant soon so that she could have a share of the spoils.

They are all maids. Others are not like me. They must first keep an eye on the young lady and also be on guard against other vixens. Unfortunately, the master is not very picky about the place and time, so the maid's job is very difficult.

Finally, it was quiet inside. Ying'er lifted the curtain and peeked out. She saw that the young lady was like a fish that had been landed, breathing rapidly, her heart open, and slumped in a rattan chair.

"What are you looking at? Go get some water." Baochai said angrily and raised her hand to gather her clothes to cover her chest.

When Ying'er came back from fetching water, she asked Baochai to take it without even entering the house.

The next day, Zhang San came again to ask for instructions, and Jia Lian gave the following instructions.

"Recruit soldiers from other places. The first choice is the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong and southern Hunan, and miners are preferred. As for the price, each person will be given 20 taels of silver as resettlement allowance, and the local government will be asked to guarantee it. The unit is the battalion, and each county will only recruit one battalion, and no more, to ensure that each battalion is made up of people from the same place. In addition, we will try to recruit educated people who are willing to join the army."

Zhang San was immediately worried when he heard this: "In this case, the money on hand is not enough!"

"Money is the hardest and the easiest. Just do it and leave the rest to me."

It is very difficult for people to break free from the shackles of old cognition, and the same is true for Qi Yun and others.

Jia Lian put them aside without any action, in fact, he was just trying to see if they were willing to step out of their comfort zone and take the initiative to join the common cause. The reason is actually very simple. If the existing pattern is to be broken, there must be a vigorous and thorough social revolution to eradicate the existing interest groups, and only then can the country be fundamentally changed.

It is very difficult to do this. The most important thing is that the thinking cannot keep up. Without a systematic ideological weapon, the revolution will surely become the next cycle of the dynasty, and there will be no change.

Considering the high moral standards of the people in Dongda, it is highly likely that they will go out to do business. Simple robbery is too unskilled and tasteless. We need to exhaust all resources to achieve sustainable development.

Jia Lian set his sights on Southeast Asia because he saw that the Spanish and Dutch empires were aging and easy to bully.

Considering the nature of Britain and France, the content of the contract will spread quickly in Western countries. Therefore, time is still relatively tight, and a preparation period of two or three years will be a great deal.

Britain and France may not oppose the demarcation of spheres of influence, but they will certainly do something behind the scenes. If they don't do anything, can they still be called Britain's supporters or troublemakers?
Jia Lian even suspected that Spain and the Netherlands had already learned the news and were beginning to prepare to send envoys to seek a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

For these two declining small countries, force is the best means.

The recruitment of soldiers was arranged properly, and Jia Lian started the second round of operations: inspection!
The inspection naturally started from Guangzhou City. Jia Lian got up early in the morning, changed into plain clothes, and went out with a few followers and two revolvers in his arms.

If you want to see the most authentic places in a city, there are nothing more than stations and docks.

Now that there is no station, the pier is naturally the first choice.

When Jia Lian, disguised as a traveling scholar, appeared at the dock, the first thing he smelled was a strong fishy smell.

Oh no, we went to the wrong place at our first stop. Our plan was to visit the shipping terminal first, but we ended up at the fish terminal.

This is caused by the language barrier. When I asked for directions earlier, the old man pointed me to the pier, and it was not wrong for him to point me to the pier.

Let's just make the best of it. Since I've chosen to go on an incognito visit, that's all I can do.

This wharf is next to the Pearl River, and there are many small fishing boats of the Tanka people on the river. These people have lived on boats all their lives. No matter how the dynasties change, it seems that going ashore to make a living is not their thing. It was not until a great man led the people to overthrow the three mountains that they had the opportunity to go ashore and be treated as human beings.

There is a long queue at the fish trading office. After all the fish are brought ashore, there is only one option: they are not allowed to trade privately.

The local industry bosses hired thugs in black shirts to maintain order. They had the final say on the quality of the fish and the price.

If you want to sell fish, there is no place to sell it except here. If you find someone to sell it privately, it will definitely cost the lives of your entire family.

This kind of thing is inevitable in any era. Jia Lian does not intend to change this. As long as these people do not over-exploit the fishermen and give them a way to survive, then they will continue to do so.

As the saying goes, "be polite before using force", Jia Lian would not take action without prior warning.

But what can I say? The protagonist's halo brings trouble.

Before Jia Lian got close, he was stopped by someone: "What are you doing? Why are you running around? If you want to eat the porridge cooked by the little girl from the boat family, please go to the front and see the red light hanging on the bow."

The men who blocked the road were quite polite. Although Jia Lian was dressed in plain clothes, he did not look like an ordinary person. He was accompanied by several followers. An expert could tell at a glance that the followers had killed many people.

Jia Lian was not angry either. He folded his hands with a smile and said, "The fresh fish porridge cooked by the little girl from the boat family is really good. I will definitely find a chance to try it. Today I came to check the market and do some business."

The local gang members immediately felt relieved after hearing this official language. They wondered which young man was doing business for the first time and had come to the wrong place.

"Boss, if you want to do business, go to the fish market. There are bosses over there who can make the decision. But your accent is that of a Northerner. There is also a sea over there. Why would you come here to trade in fish? I don't believe it!"

Jia Lian was exposed, but he didn't feel any regret. He smiled and took out a cigarette and passed it around: "Smoke, smoke!"

The gang leader took it and looked at it: "It's Fengya brand, it costs 200 Wen a bag locally."

As the gang leader smoked, his attitude became much better. Jia Lian leaned in and whispered, "As for me, my family does some business, but we don't trade in fish."

The little leader smiled and nodded: "Boss, don't speak so quietly, it's okay here. If you want to do business, go to the Governor's Mansion to find the Xue family, they do exclusive business. I'm not saying it harshly, but if you want to bypass the Xue family and find the source of goods yourself, be careful not to lose your life on the road."

Yes, he was considered an opium dealer. It was expected that Wang Ziteng became the chief leader of the opium smuggling in Guangzhou. In order to make money, this guy really did everything he could.

Just when Jia Lian felt that he could not gain any more and was about to leave, there was suddenly a commotion ahead.

But a middle-aged man was seen kneeling on the ground begging a man in black: "Boss, my wife needs money to buy medicine to save her life. Please be kind and give me a good price for this load of fish."

When Jia Lian saw this, he calmly stepped forward and bumped the leader with his shoulder: "What's going on?"

The little leader looked at Jia Lian and said, "Luo Lao San liked the girl and wanted to marry her. She didn't agree, so he deliberately made things difficult for her. Lao Cai's dried fish has always been top-notch!"

The little leader still blinked, Jia Lian suppressed his displeasure, smiled and nodded: "Understood! Let's go, take this pack of cigarettes and share it with your brothers."

After giving the little leader a pack of cigarettes, Jia Lian turned and left, seemingly unconcerned about what was happening before his eyes.

After walking a long way, Jia Lian turned back and said to Zhuzi, "Go, follow that Lao Cai, help him to find out the money for the medicine, and find out the whole story. These fishing tyrants really need a beating."

The second step of Jia Lian’s plan was to rectify the public security environment. Of course, the starting point was to start with rectifying the local gangs.

Don't think that Jia Lian will let them go after receiving the money. That's not true. They have to set rules for them and do things according to Lord Jia's rules. That's what a legitimate businessman is.

Things always need a handle. I was originally planning to look for clues at the freight terminal, but now there is a ready-made one, so I don't have to bother any more.

Cracking down on individual fishing tyrants actually cannot solve the fundamental problem. Jia Lian in Dengzhou saw this. Killing a few people is really useless. The local power is intertwined. If you want to make a quick move, you can only start by setting rules. There are so many unfair things in this world that Jia Lian cannot handle them all by himself. He can only deal with them one by one.

It just so happens that today, Luo Laosan is unlucky.

Not far ahead, Jia Lian found a roadside snack shop to have his morning tea and wait for Zhuzi.

After about half an hour, Zhuzi finally came over with a man. Jia Lian took a look and found that the man was barefoot. It was not that his shoes had fallen off, but that he was not wearing any shoes at all.

"What happened? Was he beaten?" Jia Lian asked calmly. Zhuzi asked Lao Cai to sit down and went forward to report: "Luo Lao San kicked him and a load of dried fish was confiscated."

Jia Lian glanced at Old Cai, who was sitting on a stool in a daze with his eyes dull, and whispered, "Take him back to the mansion and find a doctor to see him. Be careful that he doesn't commit suicide."

(End of this chapter)