Chapter 1990

Although Gong Shiqi's plan to implement the plan in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is simple and crude, he will perfect the details as much as possible before taking action. This is a professional habit developed over the years. Gong Shiqi is not that familiar with the situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

, In addition to the intelligence reference from within the Ministry of Security, if someone like Ji Yuanqing who is good at performing field tasks and familiar with local conditions can give advice, it will undoubtedly greatly improve the probability of success of the operation.

Of course, Gong Shiqi also took this opportunity to test the other party's intentions and see if Ji Yuanqing was really as capable as Wan Fa said. If this guy is just a strong man on the outside, he can't come up with anything effective.

Therefore, Gong Shiqi will naturally find other ways to make him step aside and prevent him from affecting his action plan.

Then Ji Yuanqing said in a deep voice: "Brother Gong's plan is generally feasible, but there is still a lack of corresponding plans for how to evacuate the local area after success. Our opponent is not an ordinary country rich man, but a rich and powerful salt merchant.

Not only do they have private armed forces, they may also have support from local governments, and they even need to consider the situation of local garrison troops. If a more extreme situation occurs, the retreat plan designed by Brother Gong may not be feasible."

Gong Shiqi nodded slightly after hearing this. It was not that he had not considered the details mentioned by the other party, but he had deliberately reserved them in his explanation just now. The purpose was to see if Ji Yuanqing could detect these loopholes.

Ji Yuanqing continued: "Since the purpose of our operation is to solve the problem, we must avoid causing more problems due to this operation, so how to quickly evacuate the dangerous area after we succeed is also one of the links we must consider.

I suggest that in addition to the original evacuation plan, enough fast horses should be prepared locally in advance, as well as an evacuation route to the seaside, in case of emergency."

Gong Shiqi said: "What Brother Ji said is true. In fact, the Ministry of Security sent people to the area yesterday to arrange the evacuation in advance as mentioned by Brother Ji."

Ji Yuanqing was not a newbie. After hearing what Gong Shiqi said, he understood that the other party was deliberately trying to test him. However, he also thought that the other party would definitely have such a move, but he did not feel offended by it.

Ji Yuanqing responded expressionlessly: "Fortunately, Brother Gong thought carefully, otherwise the preparation would have been delayed for a day, and the subsequent actions would have been affected by this. At least it would have saved one day."

Although the two of them spoke politely, they were each somewhat cautious and constantly tested the other's attitude. They belonged to different organizations, but their functions actually overlapped, and there was an objective competitive relationship, so this time

Although the joint execution of the mission was an arrangement from above, in fact, both Gong Qiqi and Ji Yuanqing had some desire to win - at least they could not lose their own face during the operation.

At this time Wanfa also came, not to participate in the discussion, but to invite these two to dinner. After all, this place is the venue of the Security Department, and as the host, he must do these basic hospitality tasks well. So,

The two of them suspended their discussions and went to dinner with Wan Fa first.

However, after dinner, Wan Fa also joined them, because Gong Shiqi's plan required the use of Haihan's intelligence network in the Ming Dynasty, so Wan Fa had to be the central coordinator, make arrangements in advance, and try his best to

Gong Shiqi's action plan provides assistance.

The Military Intelligence Bureau actually has its own intelligence network, but because it was established much later than the Security Department, its scale and operating efficiency are far inferior to the Security Department, so Ji Yuanqing did not take the initiative to ask for help in this link. Of course.

Well, for Ji Yuanqing, having access to the intelligence network under the Ministry of Security is also a rare opportunity to observe his competitors up close, and he is still looking forward to it.

Wan Fa originally thought it was just a brief meeting to report on the progress of their respective preparations, but he did not expect that the discussion would last from after dinner until midnight. When the things he was responsible for came to an end, he yawned and left first.

, the other two are still sitting in the study room, studying the action plan together with the map, their energy level is indeed far beyond what other people can achieve.

He didn't realize that these two brothers were rivals in chess and were already secretly competing against each other. Both of them knew that the other was indeed a good player in the industry. Opportunities to compete in the same field did not come often, and each wanted to do their best to show off their strength.

The other side.

Although Gong Shiqi had already drawn up a rough action plan on the way here, the actual preparations still took more time than he expected. Especially the arrival of Ji Yuanqing added many unplanned items to the preparations.

His suggestion was not just a retreat plan. After Gong Shiqi expressed that he could speak freely, he proposed many modifications to Gong Shiqi's plan. However, most of these details had room for improvement, and Gong Shiqi could only

You can admit that the other person's vision and experience are very sophisticated.

Three days later, near the mouth of the Yongjiang River in Ningbo Prefecture, the starting point of the sea passage for various materials from Ningbo Prefecture and the surrounding areas, a wide variety of goods were sent from here, and one of the most important export goods in recent months is Ningbo

Sea salt produced locally in the province.

In fact, Ningbo has always produced sea salt in the past, but because various armed pirates were rampant in the Zhoushan Islands in the past, it was difficult for the official salt field to engage in production activities safely, so the production capacity was far from being comparable to that of the Jiangsu coast. By the Tianqi Period

At that time, Ningbo's salt fields had little output, and the salt on the market mainly came from the Jianghuai area. It was not until Haihan came to Zhejiang and gradually controlled the coastal areas that the salt production industry was brought back to the forefront.

agenda.

What really directly promoted this was the participation of local officials. These local officials provided many conveniences for the development and operation of the salt industry, allowing the salt field led by Haihan to be put into operation as quickly as possible and with official

Recognized sales qualifications.

Of course, turning the output of these salt fields into official salt is only an operation of the Ningbo government, and other local governments may not recognize it. For example, in the area north of Hangzhou Bay, many places have converted the sea salt produced in Ningbo into official salt.

It is regarded as private salt and is not allowed to be sold on the market. Although there is no public ban on sales, there are many ways to cause trouble in private, and the previous attacks can actually be regarded as one of them.

However, the impact of several attacks outside Ningbo Prefecture on the public is actually very limited. Many people have not even heard of these incidents. Only a few people who have direct interests in them can experience the attacks.

The trouble caused. However, the business that needs to be done must still be done. You can't take the initiative to close down the business just because of a few attacks. This is a big deal involving hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year, and it is absolutely impossible to give up just now.

.

The salt produced in Xiangshan and Shipu is not transported directly from the salt field to the destination. Instead, it is first transported to the salt industry distribution terminal at the mouth of the Yongjiang River. It goes through an official ceremony here and obtains official salt certification before passing through various channels.

Salt merchants transport it by land or sea to other places for sale.

In the several prefectures around Ningbo, there is no big problem using this sales method. However, north of Hangzhou Bay is the traditional sphere of influence of the Jianghuai salt merchants. Ordinary salt merchants cannot transport salt from other areas for sale in these places.

However, there are so many motivated new salt merchants in Ningbo. Although they are aware of the risks, some people are still organizing shipments of goods to the Jianghuai direction.

The two salt ships departing from here today are said to be filled with locally produced refined salt and destined for Yangzhou Prefecture for sale. In the eyes of insiders, this is simply an act of stroking the tiger's whiskers, even if Ningbo's salt production technology is

Coming from Haihan, the salt is finer and cheaper, so if you want to grab the market at the doorstep of the Jianghuai salt merchants, you will still face a lot of risks.

A group of laborers were sitting in a tea shop by the dock, drinking a large bowl of hot tea worth two copper coins, and discussing the whereabouts of the two salt ships they had just loaded.

A lean man said: "The salt transport team that went north in the past two months had several incidents. At this time, they are going to Yangzhou to sell salt. I think this boss is brave enough!"

A person next to him sneered: "Zhang Laoliu, what you said is right. How dare you not sell private salt? This is called wealth and wealth. If you can sell all these two ships of salt, you can make thousands of taels at least."

Silver, you will never make that much in your lifetime!"

The man known as Zhang Laoliu responded: "Although the salt is produced by the Haihan people's salt farm, since it is approved by the government, it is no longer considered private salt."

"How come it's not private salt? This Xiangshan salt and Shipu salt are 20% cheaper than the previous official salt. Isn't this what private salt is doing!" Others also disagreed with Zhang Laoliu's statement.

"If such cheap salt is transported to Yangzhou, doesn't that force the local salt merchants to cut the price of meat? In my opinion, there is no way that these two ships will have to be driven back in despair after arriving in Yangzhou."

"Just being driven back is fine. Look at the last time Lai Baozi went to the north with the boat. It is said that he encountered strongmen in Changzhou Prefecture. Not only did he hurt the lives of the migrant workers transporting salt, but they also burned their luck.

If Lai Baozi hadn't run so fast, he might have found his way there!"

"The lives of migrant workers are not valuable. Salt merchants only care about whether the salt can be sold smoothly. They don't care about the lives of little people like you!"

Everyone was talking lively, and two people at the table next to them listened silently. It wasn't until the workers finished drinking tea and returned to the dock to continue working that one person from the table next to them got up and left. This person walked to the back of a nearby warehouse and talked with them.

An old man sitting on a bamboo chair basking in the sun whispered a few words and then returned to the tea shop. The old man got up and walked to the warehouse. After a while, a pigeon flew out from under the eaves of the warehouse and hovered in the air for two seconds.

After the circle, it flew towards the north.

The old man looked up at the pigeons flying away, and whispered to himself: "You dare to go directly to Yangzhou... These people really want money rather than their lives! Forget it, don't make the matter bigger, these Ningbo salt merchants

I won’t consciously restrain myself!”

Gong Shiqi didn't know that when he boarded the ship, someone had already sent out the news that this batch of salt was about to leave Ningbo for Yangzhou. However, he had studied the files of previous attacks and could roughly expect that the other party would definitely

It was only by monitoring the salt transport team's itinerary in advance that they could carry out an ambush attack in the wild. Although he was traveling from the sea, his opponent would not miss his presence, and they should be there before the two ships arrived in Yangzhou.

All prepared.

The reason why we chose the sea route instead of the land route is firstly to consider the itinerary. To get from Ningbo to Yangzhou, you have to pass through Hangzhou Bay and the Yangtze River Estuary. If you take the land route, you have to change ships at least twice, and the detour is quite long.

The efficiency is far less than that of sea transportation. Secondly, Gong Qiqi's goal is to go straight to Huanglong, intending to go directly to the local area to see the other party's true reaction. Although this is very risky, it is also one of the best ways to force the other party to show up.

Disguising himself as a salt merchant to escort a batch of salt to Yangzhou, Gong Shiqi's action plan was bold and direct. Even Ji Yuanqing was a little surprised at the radicalness of this plan when he just listened to the explanation. But Ji Yuanqing did not hesitate because the risk was too great.

On the contrary, he opposed Gong Shiqi's plan, but he strongly agreed with it, thinking that this might be the only solution that could cut through the mess quickly without sending out the army.

"Whoever steps forward will be dealt with until no one dares to stand up again."

Recalling what Gong Shiqi had said before when he explained the action plan to himself, Ji Yuanqing also felt that this guy who was said to be the top thug of the Security Department was quite domineering. This style of conduct was very close to the military's approach. If this guy

If you serve in the army, you must have already distinguished yourself.

"Brother Gong, please forgive me for being frank. You always have a faint murderous aura about you. You don't look like a businessman who makes money by being friendly. You need to restrain yourself a little."

Ji Yuanqing saw Gong Qiqi standing on the side of the boat with his hands behind his back, so he stepped forward to chat with him: "Be calm, otherwise you don't look like you are doing business, you look like you are going to collect debts!"

Gong Shiqi smiled and said: "Brother Ji is right. I would like to ask for advice on why Brother Ji is obviously in the same company as me and does similar things, but he can pretend to be an ordinary person who is harmless to humans and animals. How can he pretend to be an ordinary person who is harmless to humans and animals?

Pretending to be a salt merchant, Brother Ji is indeed much more suitable than me."

Ji Yuanqing said: "Brother Gong, this question is a bit difficult to answer. I didn't do it deliberately. If I have to tell you the reason, it may be because I like to read. If Brother Gong is free, you can also try to read more.

Some books may be able to slowly reconcile your temperament."

Gong Shiqi said: "Then I have to say something shamelessly. In fact, I usually read a lot of books, but maybe the content of these books is not so self-cultivation."

Ji Yuanqing asked curiously: "What books does Brother Gong usually read?"

Gong Shiqi responded: "Military books, historical books."

"No wonder!" Ji Yuanqing said: "These books are like whetstones. Reading them often will only sharpen Brother Gong's sharp knife!"
Chapter completed!