Chapter 52 Section five

The hillsides near Luyang Mountain green ten days earlier than the Pingchuan land in Yaowangmiao Town. The first new greens that shine on the ridges are mostly licorice, sealwort, bellflower, anemarrhena, atractylodes, Guanzhong and other northern medicines besides winter wheat. Spring-flowering varieties, some of which are the same as winter wheat, are sown in the fall of the previous year, the perennial roots survive the winter, and germinate in early spring.Some are sown in early spring.Poppies are early-maturing crops that return home within 90 days, and can be sown in spring and autumn.However, because Fan Chenxiang and Zhao Yizhuo had missed the autumn sowing season when planning with Zhao Yizhuo last year, the 600 mu of land allocated by Zhao Yizhuo had to be sown in spring, and all of them had been planted during the spring equinox.Although those tiny, mustard-like tender seedlings are very fragile, when viewed from a distance, they are verdant and full of vitality.

Zhao Yizhuo's gang has a total of one hundred and ten people, and they eat horses and feed them a year, which costs more than the cost of a sentry in the Qing Dynasty.Therefore, just tying big tickets, eating big households, and robbing black money is not enough to meet daily needs. Occasionally, he also acts as a bodyguard, betting on goods for wealthy businessmen and so on.Ever since Fan Chenxiang showed him the way of the gods and designed this broad avenue for the development of opium plantation, he seemed to have finally found a good way to solve the living expenses for a long time, and he was so happy that he became an acquaintance with Fan Chenxiang.Around Luyang Mountain, there are at least 50 or 60 rich families with hundreds or even more than a thousand acres of arable land. Each family takes out 10 to 20 acres of land to plant poppies for them in exchange for their protection and no longer harassing them. , it is easily accepted by these rich families.In this way, the two sides will no longer have any grievances. For Zhao Yizhuo and the others, the source of living expenses has been solved once and for all. For the wealthy households, it is equivalent to paying a little joint defense expenses to ensure their own living and working in peace and contentment. It is a happy thing for both parties.It is precisely because of this situation that this time Zhao Yizhuo implemented the distribution of the 600 mu of opium fields without much trouble, and he was never rejected wherever he went. very good mood.Every day when he leads a few ladles under his command to inspect the opium fields, he is always so happy that he can't keep his mouth shut-after three months, there will be a truckload of silver dollars in his hands, so he must do more inspections to deter every rich man. The households are serious about planting and managing the opium fields, and they also hint and remind the official forces headed by He Muqiao in Guangning City to save face and not come out to make trouble.

One evening, just after Zhao Yizhuo finished his inspection, he wanted to go to Yaowangmiao Town to find Han Baoshan for dinner in Fanjiayuan, but he saw a flying horse approaching on the bridge of Yanqi River, so he reined in his horse and stood by the river to watch, and saw a horse on the flying horse. The officers and soldiers kept yelling: "Please receive the letter with a big spoon! Please receive the letter with a big spoon!" Zhao Yizhuo stood on the bridge and ordered the officers and soldiers not to shout anymore, the man found out that the person in front of him was Zhao Yizhuo with a big ladle, he took out a letter from his pocket and presented it.

Zhao Yizhuo hurriedly obtained the letter and read it, which read: "Hou Lu Hu Jin, sue you for coercing good people to grow opium illegally, why have you ordered me to wait for the opportunity to attack, and hope to be prepared." After Zhao Yizhuo read it, he tore the letter to pieces, and said to the officers and soldiers: "Please tell Lord Xiaoqi, whoever touches a hair in my opium field, I will kill him!" The officers and soldiers made no promises and drove away. Zhao Yizhuo turned around and ordered to Guo Shouyi, the second in command: "You take people to Houlu Town tonight, and kill Hu Jin! Leave a message on the door: Informer warning! Zhao—Yi—Zhuo!"

The next day, when He Muqiao heard that Zhao Yizhuo had killed Hu Jin at night, he couldn't help being furious—it was the time of the Constitutional New Deal, and when it became more and more difficult to be an official, he was always careful and afraid of making mistakes.Zhao Yizhuo dared to be so lawless and blatantly killed people, which was equivalent to giving him eye drops. If the higher-ups knew about it, how would he explain it?He hurriedly called Guo Yanxiong, and asked, "You are the only one who knows about Hu Jin's report. Now that Zhao Yizhuo killed him overnight, what should you do?"

Ever since Emperor Qing abdicated and He Muqiao was in constant panic, Guo Yanxiong had been dissatisfied with him and always wanted to get rid of him in order to replace him.Hearing his question now, he sneered and said, "I can't bear my lord's words. I'm the only one who knows about Hu coming in and telling your lord something, but how many people he told you in the town, how can your lord know?" He Muqiao felt that Yu Guoyanxiong couldn't explain clearly, so he ordered: "Immediately send troops to Luyang Mountain, and bring him to justice!" "Master Guard," Guo Yanxiong said, "Zhao Yizhuo's killing of Hu Jin was truly lawless, but his men are all foreign guns after all. I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for us to attack in the daytime. It's better to attack at night."

"Then take advantage of the daytime and send troops to Luyang Mountain to eradicate all of Zhao Yizhuo's poppy fields." He Muqiao had long suspected that Guo Yanxiong and Zhao Yizhuo were secretly colluding, and now he insisted on taking a general of Guo Yanxiong's army. Guo Yanxiong was not in a hurry when he saw that He Muqiao had lost his temper. He smiled slightly and said, "Master Shouwei, you and Boss Fan Chenxiang are relatives. I have never heard that Zhao Yizhuo's 600-acre opium field is a member of the current Prime Minister's family." Do you have an order?"

"Nonsense! How dare the Prime Minister's family violate the series of bans issued by the president on bans on smoking, gambling, and foot binding!" He Muqiao said angrily, "It's all nonsense, how can you accept Bewitched by such rumors!" After hearing He Muqiao's words, Guo Yanxiong knew that Fan Chenxiang hadn't confessed to him, and also knew that Fan Chenxiang saw through that He Muqiao was a pedantic person, and it was useless to talk nonsense with him, so he deliberately beat around the bush and asked: What do you mean, take Boss Fan Chenxiang's words as deceptive rumors?"

"This..." He Muqiao was stunned and asked, "What does this have to do with Fan Chenxiang?" "Boss Fan once told me personally that Zheng Yingkai, the manager of Prime Minister Zhao Bingjun's family, ordered opium with him, and he ordered the goods for the 600 mu of land with Zhao Yizhuo. At that time, he asked me to take care of him. I said it was for Mr. He Do you dare not take care of the last general? Now, since Mr. He knows nothing about it, Boss Fan must have no chance to tell you, but I dare not say that he intends to deceive the public because it is not a trivial matter. Besides , there is no such thing, can he make up such a famous manager?"

"Then what do you mean..." He Muqiao looked at Guo Yanxiong suspiciously, waiting for his answer. "Of course I listen to Lord Guard." Guo Yanxiong said, "Just to remind Lord Guard, it's better to think twice before acting against the people around the Prime Minister." He Muqiao squinted his eyes and looked at Guo Yanxiong for a while, then stroked his beard vigorously and said, "Okay, I will ask Han Baoshan of Shennong Hall about this in person, and then make a decision. You have to follow the plan."