Chapter 9 Guns and People
After the banquet.
Yu Guotai and his son talked to Yu Xiao.
The old patriarch said: "Reducing the rent for the villagers is a great act of kindness, but it may bring you some trouble. After all, there are still several landlords in Xiaohe Town, and their land is also cultivated by nearby villagers..."
This is like selling sesame cakes.
They are all sold at two yuan each and are selling very well.
Suddenly a troublemaker jumps out and insists on selling them for one dollar each, or even giving them away for free. Isn't this a nuisance? I'm afraid those landlords will not just sit back and watch!
"Don't worry, old patriarch. Since I'm going to do this, I've naturally thought about the consequences and impacts."
Several local rich men in the countryside didn't dare to deal with him.
How will we deal with the bigwigs, warlords, even the Dajing court and the Western powers in the future?
Even if you have to be a little more humble.
There is no need to go to this extent.
How can you build a reputation if you are too timid?
The old patriarch was relieved to see that Yu Xiao was not acting on impulse.
"Ah Xiao, even though the landlord is not easy to deal with, our Yu family is no pushover!"
Yu Qinghai said: "You have helped everyone so much. If anyone dares to mess with you, the villagers will not let him go first!"
"Thank you, uncle. By the way, uncle, how are the things I talked about a few days ago going?"
Yu Qinghai said quickly: "I have already inquired about the ways to buy guns in the county. Although it is not difficult to buy guns, the price is really not cheap. I think it is better to send someone to Yangcheng to get the goods directly from the foreigners."
Guangyue Province area.
With the convenience of "free port".
The smuggling of various commodities is rampant.
Nowadays, the capital city of Guangzhou is full of trading companies and foreign firms, all of which are more or less engaged in smuggling business, and some even make it their main business. Arms are undoubtedly the top priority of smugglers.
Every day, a large amount of arms are re-exported from Macau and Hong Kong into the mainland. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can get not only foreign guns but even cannons.
That's why.
Bandits are extremely rampant in Quang Viet Province.
When Yu Xiao was doing research, he saw 54 reports about local bandits in just one month's edition of the Lingdong Daily, covering eight counties, an average of articles per day.
There was a bandit force called "Shihuzhai" near Meixian County.
It is said that it has been entrenched for several years.
The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi wrote in his report to the court: "In Guangdong Province, all bandits are gang-like, and all bandits are armed. The weapons they carry are all foreign guns and cannons..."
It can be seen that arms are rampant.
This is why it is important to arm yourself as soon as possible.
As for whether to go to Guangzhou? After weighing the pros and cons, Yu Xiao decided to give up for the time being.
Admittedly, this allows the purchase of more types of arms at cheaper prices. After all, those foreigners and compradors are the first-hand wholesalers, while the channels in Meixian are all distributors or second-hand dealers.
There are two risks.
First, there is the transportation risk.
Meixian is seven hundred miles away from Yangcheng.
Once the news leaks out, bandits will surely swarm in.
Although the imperial court was in the last years of the dynasty and was extremely corrupt, it had not yet completely collapsed.
The laws of Dajing do not prohibit civilians from owning guns, but they strictly prohibit the sale, especially the smuggling of guns. If a large number of guns are purchased and transported this time, the consequences will be unpredictable if they are discovered. It will be troublesome if they are accused of intending to rebel.
Second, there are local risks.
There are too many interests involved in this kind of business.
Although these local channels are just second-hand dealers, they are basically gangs, local tyrants, and even government offices. Bypassing them and purchasing directly from the provincial capital would infringe on their interests.
Yu Xiao was not afraid of offending one or two small country landlords.
But before I have enough strength and confidence.
It's best not to conflict with tough people.
The relationships of importance and the primary and secondary contradictions must be clearly distinguished. When it is time to rush forward, there is no need to be hesitant. When it is time to hide, one must be able to hide. Only in this way can one develop and grow safely.
The day.
With the help of Yu Qinghai.
Met with several gang and business leaders.
Finally, a total of 15 Mauser military pistols and 8 Mauser M98 rifles were purchased in batches. Both of these are the most advanced imported products in the world. The current production volume is not very high, so it is very good to be able to buy them.
The former is an automatic pistol, also known as a Mauser pistol or a box gun, with considerable firepower and power.
The latter is equivalent to a more optimized Hanyang-made rifle, with a magazine capacity of 5 rounds and an effective range of over 800 meters. It has excellent accuracy, range and lethality, and is believed to become the mainstream on the battlefield in the next fifty years.
15 Mauser pistols and 6000 rounds of ammunition cost a total of 1050 silver dollars.
On average, each gun plus 400 rounds of ammunition costs 70 yuan.
8 rifles, 4000 rounds of ammunition, cost a total of 960 silver dollars.
On average, each gun plus 500 rounds of ammunition cost 120 yuan. In addition to the above two types of firearms, 36 old bird guns and hunting rifles were also purchased. Although the power and quality are much worse, together with the bullets, the total cost was less than 300 yuan, which is less than 10 yuan per unit.
This can be seen.
Imported goods are indeed expensive.
In fact, if you go to Australia specifically, you can buy it directly from the red-haired foreigners.
A Mauser pistol costs just over a dozen yuan, and you can buy it in greater quantities and varieties.
Machine guns, cannons, and mines are no problem!
Spent a lot more money.
Yu Xiao didn't care.
With two Mauser pistols tied around the waist, he walked on the streets of Meixian with his back straighter.
These two guns are enough to pose a huge threat to immortal cultivators who are no more than the third level of Qi training. Especially when the immortal cultivators have never seen firearms and lack psychological preparation, a single encounter can cause serious injuries or even kill them instantly.
And in the main world, Baiyunfang.
The third level of Qi training already makes one a top master.
In other words, with these two guns in hand, Yu Xiao already has the basic ability to protect himself. He can hold his head up high even when facing the casual cultivators in the market. At least he doesn't have to be too cautious when doing things.
【Reputation +1! 】
【Reputation +1! 】
After buying the gun.
Reputation has increased slightly.
Although purchased in batches, the quantity purchased was still a bit large in this small place, and it would inevitably attract some people's attention, so the reputation could be increased.
"There is a human market in Mei County. Do you want to go and have a look?"
Yu Qinghai said: "You are already a landlord, you must have some servants to order around."
Human market?
Yu Xiao was stunned for a moment.
Slavery was prevalent in the residences of the princes and ministers of Dajing. From the beginning of the founding of the country, the normal buying and selling of untouchables was allowed, and a "population market" was set up, which was on par with the horse market, cattle market, sheep market, etc.
At the end of the dynasty, people were living in misery.
There are many people who sell their children to make a living.
"Human markets" naturally blossomed everywhere.
Nowadays, it is normal not only for princes and ministers, but also for ordinary landlords to have dozens of servants and maids.
This kind of human trafficking market, which uses indentures as valid proof of transactions, is still legal and compliant.
Most people sell themselves voluntarily just to have something to eat.
Or maybe the family is too poor to support the child.
I just want to find a good family for my children.
These things may seem horrifying to modern people, but in the old times and feudal society, whenever there was war, disaster or drought, there would be starving people everywhere. It would be ridiculous to talk about human rights and freedom.
There are both legal and compliant people in the market.
Naturally, there is illegal human trafficking and even smuggling abroad.
The source of this illegal human trafficking is mostly through robbery, deception, abduction and other illegal means. Beating, abuse and starvation are commonplace. The fate of the trafficked persons is even more miserable than that of black slaves!
According to Yu Xiao's understanding.
The indenture is divided into living indenture and dead indenture.
Live labor contracts are a type of long-term labor that was very common in the old society.
This kind of contract is for ten or twenty years, which is actually not much different from being a servant. If you meet a bad master, you will be treated like an animal. You can decide to stay or leave after the term is reached. Some good masters can save money in advance to redeem themselves.
As for the death indenture, it is simply selling oneself into slavery.
In this case, even the name and surname had to be changed, and from then on the slaves became the master's private property. Although the Dajing laws protected the right to life of domestic slaves, most of the time the local government was too lazy to intervene even if someone died.
According to the current market conditions.
The market price of a healthy, immature boy or an average-looking girl is about 10 yuan.
The market price of a young and strong laborer with a skill or a girl with outstanding appearance is about 30 yuan.
In troubled times.
Human life is so cheap.
Yu Xiao walked into the city dressed in the style of a nobleman.
Many people were scrambling to sell themselves and some even fought over it.
It doesn't matter who you sell it to, as long as you sell it to a good owner, your life will be better.
Yu Xiao was also very sad to see this.
However, he not only wants to buy, but also wants to buy in large quantities.
He has an almost unlimited lifespan and a lot of money that he can't spend. He can choose and train a group of true confidants from among them, who may become the key to building power and expanding his reputation in the future.
(End of this chapter)
