Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 615 Warning!

Upon completing the siege of Macau, Jia Lian summoned the Wang family's business representatives in Guangzhou to receive instructions.

Things are different now. When the Wang family representative stood before Jia Lian, he lowered his once arrogant head and bowed, saying, "This humble one, Wang Ping, greets my son-in-law!"

Jia Lian ignored his attempt to claim kinship, his face expressionless, his eyes cold as he looked at him: "Do you know why you were summoned here?"

Wang Ping knew something was wrong and guessed the reason, but he could only continue to play dumb: "I don't know!"

Jia Lian, who had been leaning back in his chair, sat up straight, his tone growing increasingly cold: "The Wang family occupies a stronghold in Annam. Inland officials, out of consideration for the kinship between the Jia and Wang families, give them some preferential treatment. But what have you done? Constant smuggling and tax evasion, even smuggling opium—which the court has banned—you're helping Westerners poison the people of our country, making money through unethical means. Tell me, is the Wang family really so short of money that they're starving? Or are you simply insatiable and greedy?"

Wang Ping dared not deny it. He knew very well that Jia Lian must have figured out the details before saying those words. If he insisted on denying it, he would be humiliating Jia Lian.

"Business is all about making money, isn't it?" Wang Ping could only reluctantly admit it, making sure not to leave any evidence against him.

"Hmph..." Jia Lian sneered. The Wang family's business was a long story indeed.

The Wang family was arguably at the forefront of the industry, with countless ways to make money. Had they dared to explore new avenues, ventured to Southeast Asia, or partnered with Jia Lian, the Wang family would be in a completely different world. Unfortunately, they chose conservatism, missing out on numerous subsequent opportunities. If they had remained conservative, it wouldn't have mattered; after all, keeping a low profile meant life was the same no matter what.

The reality is that the Wang family has developed a path dependency, maintaining business ties with the Sassoon dynasty. Even knowing that Jia Lian's relationship with the Sassoon was extremely poor, the Wang family made no changes. Now, they have become one of the Sassoon's accomplices in the opium trade, relying on their geographical advantages to have tentacles reaching deep into the interior via both sea and land routes.

While the imperial court lacked a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the harmful effects of opium, and most officials didn't take it seriously, the temptation of bribery meant that most officials' integrity was less than a prostitute's belt. The imperial court had laws, but local officials had their own ways of dealing with it. Indeed, this illegal business went unpunished, didn't it? In short, they were very flexible!

When Jia Lian was in power, local officials in Guangdong and Guangxi were quite resolute in implementing the anti-smoking policy. But after Jia Lian left, the officials below him gradually became bolder.

It can only be said that, in fact, the Annamite royal family, which held the fiefdom, played an extremely negative role in this matter.

"I have no reason to be angry with you. Go back and tell the person in charge of the Wang family that I said so. Before I leave, I hope to see the Wang family take some action. Wrongdoings cannot go unpunished. Since the Wang family believes they have effectively separated themselves and can disregard the imperial decrees, I will immediately petition the court to suspend all contact between Annam and the interior, and decide whether it constitutes a rebellion based on the Wang family's subsequent actions!"

After Jia Lian finished speaking, Wang Ping knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Young master, you mustn't!"

Jia Lian didn't even look at him, got up and left. Wang Ping got up to chase after him, but was stopped by Zhu Zi and two others, who lifted him up, covered his mouth, and threw him out of the Xue family's gate.

Guangzhou was already sweltering in early summer. Wang Ping, who had been abandoned on the street, felt as if he were lying on ice. Ignoring the dirt on his clothes, he got up and ran back to send a message back to the Wang family as soon as possible.

Putting the Wang family's affairs aside for now, the situation in Macau is in complete chaos due to the sudden notification.

Undoubtedly, the Macau side was completely unprepared, and even more so, it did not expect the Zhou Empire's attitude to be so tough and resolute.

On the same day the notice was given, the army appeared on the outskirts. The new army began digging trenches and constructing artillery positions. At sea, the South Sea Fleet deployed ten warships to blockade the area. Ships leaving the port had to undergo inspection; only those found to be smuggled were allowed to leave, and any found were immediately seized. As for ships attempting to enter Macau, they also had to be inspected first, and even if there were no problems, they were not allowed to enter but had to leave immediately.

When the Governor of Macau, Maduro, discovered that the Zhou Empire had arrived in person, he immediately made a personal request to meet with the imperial envoy for face-to-face negotiations.

Upon receiving the report, Jia Lian did not give him a chance to meet. Instead, he gave the order: the content previously conveyed to the other party was a notification. Do you understand what a notification is?
Maduro now hates Sassoon so much that he hasn't slept for two days due to anxiety and anger. He's pulling out clumps of hair, and his teeth are aching badly, so he can only drink some thin porridge.

"Where is Sassoon now?" Maduro asked his men, receiving the reply, "In India!"

"Alright, one last try!" Maduro set off again and stopped them at the border once more.

Last time I was able to see a battalion commander, but this time I only saw a squad leader, who very rudely instructed his men to fix bayonets on their rifles.

"I have important news to report to your imperial envoy, and I need to see him." Maduro spoke with great confidence, causing the officer blocking his way to hesitate. What if it was true?

"You wait!" The team leader quickly went to report, and the message was passed down from one level to the next, until it reached Jia Lian.

"This imperial envoy has absolutely no interest in Western intelligence. To reiterate, this is a notification." Jia Lian told the new army commander who came to report, utterly speechless. If he weren't a disciple of a Jia family retainer, Jia Lian would have kicked him!

Maduro's side met with another setback. The team officer, who had been thoroughly berated by his superior, was furious and pointed at Maduro's nose, yelling, "Listen up, this is the last time I'm giving you this notice: withdraw from Macau by the deadline!"

Jia Lian had always found something strange: as one of the great powers, the Chinese were actually willing to reason things out. And they would only resort to force as a last resort—this was quite remarkable.

It can only be said that the Chinese people have a deep understanding of the current world situation. The world at this stage is a nakedly brutal world where the strong prey on the weak.

As one of the great powers, China has a huge population base. As long as it can seize territory, it will definitely be able to maintain it.

This is very important, especially after the start of the Second Industrial Revolution. China, which lacks oil resources, must occupy some oil-producing areas in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as the oil-producing areas in Central Asia.

Once China overcomes its weakness in oil and has a vast and effective territory as a foundation, it will be invincible once it successfully enters industrialization.

In short, I'm determined to be the world's hegemon, and I'll do whatever it takes to sit on that throne in my lifetime.

While others weren't in a hurry, Jia Lian truly felt that time was of the essence, as he had wasted too much time in the past.

Just as Jia Lian was methodically resolving the Macau issue, the Wang family in Annam also received a message from Jia Lian. At the same time, Cui Cheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, also received an official document from Jia Lian in Guilin.

Jia Lian's official document was very clear: sever all land border ties with Annam and crack down on any form of smuggling.

Cui Cheng was a key official promoted by Zhang Ting'en and once served as the Governor-General of Huguang. Because of his background at Qingyun Academy, Cui Cheng became closer to Li Qing after Zhang Ting'en retired.

Therefore, when Jia Lian went south as an imperial envoy, Cui Cheng timed it perfectly and deliberately went to Guangxi for inspection.

What this means is that Choi Sung considers himself a strong contender for the cabinet position and is unwilling to face Jia Lian, who is also a strong contender for the cabinet position.

Not to mention, Cui Cheng was twenty years older than Jia Lian, and they were both graduates of Qingyun Academy. Cui Cheng could rely on Zhang Ting'en, but he was unwilling to bow down to Jia Lian, and did not want outsiders to misunderstand that he was in cahoots with Jia Lian.

This mentality is subtle and difficult to articulate; it might be described as the political insight of a seasoned bureaucrat with twenty years of experience. To put it simply, if his relationship with Jia Lian becomes too close, the obstacles to his future entry into the Grand Secretariat will increase significantly. And once he's in the Grand Secretariat, he'll have to compete with Jia Lian for the position of Grand Secretary.

Yes, that's exactly what Cui Cheng was thinking. If Emperor Chenghui were still on the throne, he wouldn't have this idea, but now that Emperor Chenghui is gone, Cui Cheng feels that his opportunity has arrived.

To put it simply, Cui Cheng judged that of the current five cabinet ministers, Lin Ruhai might serve another term, but the others would basically have to be replaced.

The reason is also very strong: a new emperor brings a new court, and Li Yuan will definitely appoint his own people as cabinet ministers.

Who are our own people? For example, teachers! And former officials from the time we were born before the emperor.

So, is that really what Li Yuan thinks?

This would naturally be what Li Yuan thought before he was demoted to Southeast Asia.

Having experienced several years of decline in Southeast Asia, Li Yuan's mindset underwent a tremendous change.

When it comes to hiring people, Li Yuan's primary consideration is whether they can succeed, followed by whether they have an enterprising spirit.

This was entirely influenced by Jia Lian!

Therefore, in Li Yuan's view, the current cabinet of five ministers is a very good cabinet team left by the late emperor. They are all capable ministers, but their shortcoming is that they are too conservative.

Therefore, Li Qing did not intend to make any major moves. Instead, he patiently waited for the cabinet's term to end, then first brought Jia Lian into the cabinet, let him get to know him for a term, and then promoted him to the position of Grand Secretary.

The emperor and his minister are not far apart in age. When Jia Lian becomes the Grand Secretary, the two of them can work together to push the prosperous era left by the late emperor to an even higher level.

Li Yuan was also ambitious and had political aspirations. As for the so-called former officials from the Prince's residence, Li Qing saw it clearly during his time in Southeast Asia; some were not disloyal, but simply lacked ability.

Cui Cheng merely glanced at Jia Lian's official documents, tossed them to the Governor of Guangxi, said "do as instructed," and did nothing more; there was no need to send anyone to oversee their execution.

Even Cui Cheng was disgusted by Jia Lian's official document. "Even though you are an imperial envoy, you have no right to order me around."

According to procedure, the matter should be submitted to the imperial court, and after the emperor's approval, the cabinet should issue a document for implementation. Don't assume that just because the emperor has given you the right to act expediently, you are truly his superior.

Jia Lian and Cui Chengzhen were not familiar with each other. After all, Cui Chengzhen only took over after Jia Lian was transferred, so it can't be considered a succession. Jia Lian was just an acting official before.

Jia Lian, who was staying at the Xue family's residence, summoned Xue Pan and gave him some instructions: "Send someone to Myanmar to tell them to investigate the opium trade. Don't rush into action. Wait until the entire supply chain is clear before launching a decisive attack to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Xue Pan was still a little worried, and confessed again: "Brother Lian, the people in the Xue family business definitely do not do opium business!"

Jia Lian laughed and gave him a light kick: "If I didn't trust you, would I have let you handle this? We don't have troops stationed in Burma, only the so-called merchant guild guards. The British are having some trouble controlling things in India right now, and the Xue family's trading company has contributed to that. But don't get too excited yet, the British government will get involved sooner or later! Our biggest problem is that we don't need the population there."

Xue Pan asked curiously, "Brother Lian, I think those Indians are very easy to manage, so why doesn't Brother Lian like them?"

Jia Lian didn't explain, but said calmly, "You'll know later! Don't ask now, just do as I say."

Xue Pan didn't ask again; he would never have an answer to this question in his lifetime.

Jia Lian was also helpless, as he simply couldn't explain this problem to people today.

The reason why the term "East Asian Monster Room" came about is that this circle, influenced by Confucian culture, was capable of generating revenue.

Therefore, there is a reason why Jia Lian preferred the populations of Japan and North Korea to those of South Asia and Southeast Asia.

As far as Japan is concerned, the current shogunate should actually thank the Celestial Empire. They couldn't possibly support so many people. The shogunate is now making a considerable profit by selling people.

The North Korean royal family is similarly enthusiastic about immigration. The money comes too easily; it's just people, you can just give birth!

After making the arrangements, Jia Lian did not rest, but began to inspect the various garrisons.

The coastlines of Guangdong and Guangxi are long, and it is possible to land anywhere, so many coastal defense posts were established.

Lord Jia didn't want to resort to the tactic of punishing without warning. After arriving in Guangzhou this time, he made it clear from the outset that his purpose was to crack down on opium smuggling.

Therefore, issue the official document first, then conduct the inspection. If even this is caught by the imperial envoy, then Lord Jia cannot be blamed for being punished.

It can only be said that because of Annam, it would be extremely difficult to ban maritime smuggling. Nevertheless, Jia Lian still had to make a show of it first.

After a month-long inspection tour, all the garrisons were quite sensible and did not cause trouble for the imperial envoy.

Wherever Jia Lian went, he would repeatedly warn that this business could no longer be done, otherwise, if he were caught, the imperial envoy would take the lead in dealing with him.

Jia Lian neither knew nor cared how useful it would be. He had already secretly made arrangements, gathering intelligence from all sides and proceeding at his own pace for the time being. First, resolve the Macau issue, then the Wang family issue, and finally, deal with the channels in Burma—launch a campaign to send a warning to the British.

Of course, Jia Lian didn't overlook the official warning.

After the inspection tour, he returned to Guangzhou and summoned Mulligan, the British representative from the business district.

"You are probably already aware of the relevant protest documents issued by our Court of State Ceremonial. We have invited you here to reiterate our country's determination to eradicate the opium trade. We hope that after you return, you will warn your country's merchants not to knowingly break the law, thereby causing relations between our two countries to deteriorate."

Hearing this, Mulligan was also helpless, spreading his hands and saying, "Your Excellency, you are familiar with the specific situation in our country. The actions of merchants are difficult for our government to control. Take India as an example, any action of the East India Company is a commercial matter, and the government cannot interfere."

(End of this chapter)