Chapter 81: Recognizing relatives, loyalty, and flattery

At this time, it became quiet and stable. The Jiaozhou magistrate Wu Wensong and Liu Fulai were related to their hometown. After Liu Fulai took the initiative, he took the initiative to curry favor with him and got the position of Jiaozhou magistrate. He also followed the way, and just took the letter of thanks.

After reading the letter and listening to Wu Wensong's story, Li Meng then breathed a long sigh. The whole thing was like hearing that someone won the big prize lottery in modern times. Just listening to it felt so incredible.

The face of the old eunuch was already a little blurred in Li Meng's memory, but seeing such a miserable old man with such good luck, Li Meng was also happy for him. Looking at the silver notes of one thousand taels in his hand, Li Meng shook his head, thinking that the two ships of salt goods included the ship's capital and even added dozens of taels of silver to the old eunuch, which was about two hundred taels, the other party gave so much at once.

I am not short of money, so I can't take advantage of this. I asked Wu Wensong, the new Jiaozhou Tongzhi, said:

"I really want to ask Lord Tongzhi to come here. I thought it was just a chance meeting, but who would have thought that Eunuch Liu actually found it? It's really..."

Seeing Li Meng admitting this matter, Wu Tongzhi's attitude became more and more polite, and even respectful. When he heard Li Meng say "trouble", he actually stood up and said with a smile:

"It's okay, it's just a little thing."

It made Li Meng feel very awkward again, thinking that I was just meeting Eunuch Liu, so Wu Tongzhi would not be so snobbish.

In other words, Li Meng came through time. If it were people of this era, they would think that Wu Tongzhi's performance was really normal. When Wei Zhongxian was at its most powerful, a temple was circulated throughout the Ming Dynasty, saying that Jiu Qiansui was called Jiu Qiansui. Everyone knows that there were such jokes circulating in the capital, saying that civil and military ministers all worshipped Wei Zhongxian as their adoptive father. The Minister of Rites XX said to Wei Zhongxian that he was young and could not worship Jiu Qiansui as his adoptive father. Why would my son be a godson for Jiu Qiansui? People at that time said that he was indeed the Minister of Rites and knew etiquette.

Although the above is a joke, it also shows how powerful the Silijian is. Many officials in the capital, who are known as famous officials, are even so servile to eunuchs and eunuchs, let alone a little co-priest who gets the official position because of others.

To be honest, Li Meng also felt a little happy now. It was not that he had a prominent eunuch acquaintance, but that he felt that he had an acquaintance. After traveling to this world, Li Meng always felt a little lonely. His peers at Lingshan Guard soon became his subordinates. After entering Jiaozhou City and Shandong, he dealt with some merchant Yan Xiao. They were all interested in each other and were guarding against each other. There was no one to talk about, lacking friends, knowing more people who had no interest and having more people to talk to, which was always a pleasure.

Li Meng was about to ask if he could send a reply letter through the post station, but he thought about it but didn't say anything. The post station would have disappeared a few years ago. If there was this post station, Li Zicheng, the rebel army, must have been a postman, instead of coming out to rebel and claiming to be a general.

"I dare to ask you, but I have any way to send the letter to the capital. I really didn't expect that this Eunuch Liu would have such an opportunity. I would like to write a letter to congratulate you."

Wu Tongzhi's face has always maintained the most kind and polite smile. When he heard Li Meng ask this, he immediately replied:

"This is simple. The yamen runners from the magistrate's yamen are just to go there. My brother is the inspector and Eunuch Liu is also the official writing of the inner court. Isn't this a business deal?"

The place where Shandong to Beizhili is located is not the convenient transportation of modern times. It is really a big deal to send people to leave once, but it is all the expenses of the yamen. Wu Tongzhi doesn't have to spend money on his own, and he pleases others. Why not do it? Naturally, Li Meng wouldn't argue anything, and he nodded and laughed.

The letters on both sides were back and forth. If it weren’t for the rapid military situation, there would be no need to think about news for a month, and Li Meng wouldn’t have put too much thought on it.

The fact that Tang Lao Er was fired and the salary deducted by riding a horse was specially transmitted to various salt squads under the arrangement of Li Meng. It was another warning to everyone that Tang Lao Er had an older brother in his family, and his parents were not young. After returning home, his parents and brothers felt that they were blind, and they could not boil salt and sell salt in the future, and their income became smaller, and their livelihood was greatly affected. The whole family felt that they could not raise their heads in front of their neighbors.

Li Meng changed the rules for paying wages again. Now his subordinates have a total of 2,200 people. Li Meng has to personally send the wages for these people.

In the past, when paying wages, they would hand over the money to the captain of the Yanding Team, and then they would give it to them. Whoever took the money was naturally to give it to them. Of course, these Yanding people knew who was the leader now, but if they went on for a long time, they would really not be sure of their thoughts.

This time, the rules were simply changed. When the garrison was rotated, Li Meng took the accounting room and the clerk to distribute them together. The real name of the silver was distributed to individuals. Moreover, every salt priest had to stand attentively and answer loudly: "Thank you, Lord Li!" Don't underestimate this slogan-style language. The subtle effect is very powerful, and you will gradually cultivate the impression in the hearts of these young and simple salt priests.

In late September, Li Meng was already feeling like he wanted to add clothes. He felt a little cold in the morning and evening wearing a single shirt. Li Meng finally realized that the weather is not cooler now, but much lower than modern times, and the winter is longer.

Laizhou salt and Dengzhou salt slowly and effectively penetrated towards Jinan Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture. Compared with Huai salt merchants, Li Meng and his salt goods have better quality, lower prices, and more diverse sales channels. After all, Huai salt merchants are outsiders. They sell salt to official salt merchants in prefectures and counties, relying on these people to sell salt privately.

The salt owls of Laizhou and Qingzhou who were dependent on Li Meng were all very grassroots classes. When they bought and sold salt goods, they directly found the powerful gentry in those places. The so-called scattered sales of private salt were mostly carried out through these local snakes. Li Meng was familiar with the people on the side and could figure it out clearly, so they went to the door.

The powerful and powerful gentry in these places are not afraid of the official salt and salt merchants in the local prefectures and counties. The reason why they operate the business together is just a combination of interests. However, Li Erlang of Laizhou and the famous salt bars of Laizhou have all heard of it. Perhaps there are some unlucky people who have appeared, so they should be treated with caution. Moreover, the salt merchants in Li Meng's side are not bullying others by their power, but by taking the path of everyone making a fortune and selling publicly. These local snakes are naturally willing to make money together and get rich together.

Everything was going slowly and regularly, and Li Meng's anxious mood was a little relaxed. The barrels of the muskets made by Guo Dong and the Liao blacksmiths gradually thickened and the caliber continued to increase. The dosage of lead and gunpowder was getting bigger and bigger, and the effect was getting closer and closer to Li Meng's requirements. The range and power were increasing. Although there was still a lot of gap with the requirements, they were finding the right direction after all.

After the two Jinyiwei came once, it seemed that there was no news. Li Meng was still careful at first, but after a long time, he didn't take it seriously. He thought that maybe the two Jinyiwei passed by here to fight Qiufeng and chased away without any trouble. Jiaozhou is not a wealthy place. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, so there will be Jinyiwei thinking about it every day.

The most interesting thing during this period was that Zhang Butcher, who opened a casino in Fengmeng Town, came to the city to give gifts. This butcher originally just opened a small dice shop in Fengmeng Town. Because Ma Gang was detained, he dealt with Yan Ganzi. Now both sides are no longer on the same level. Whether it is Li Meng or Ma Gang, they are naturally too lazy to pay attention to it.

Who would have thought that Zhang Butuhu’s small dice shop has gradually been done over the past year. Fengmeng Town is becoming more and more prosperous, and vendors from all over Shandong gather here. These people are all desperate people with money. Eating, drinking, gamble and gambling are big things to spend money.

There is no entertainment in the town, so the small dice shop naturally has a prosperous business. Li Meng’s requirement for such a gambling shop is that he cannot force people to desperate situations, and cannot do things that are harmful to nature, and try to do it fairly.

Li Meng was too lazy to manage these irrelevant small businesses, so he set a few rules and ignored them. After coming to Li Meng to report those dice shops and various illegal transactions, even if they were protected by salt poles, they were not allowed to make trouble there. The compensation was to inform the inspection department at any time, and some small things were left to them.

No one makes trouble and try not to make any fools as much as possible. Naturally, everyone is willing to play in such a place. Zhang Butuhu's business has become more and more prosperous with the convenience of the geographical advantage.

It turned out that just a group of people gathered together to play dice, but later things like Paijiu were all on the market, and the bets became more and more. Li Meng's business became bigger and bigger, and Zhang Butuhu's casino also rose with the rise. Several large houses were built in Fengmeng Town and hired more people.
Chapter completed!