Chapter 27: Kidnapping

  Treasure? What could be more heart-stirring than this? Qiao Yu had also heard that Shi Dakai had hidden a lot of treasure before he died, and it turned out to be true?

  "My father once found a dilapidated temple not far from the Dadu River, who would have thought that under this temple there was actually an underground chamber? Although it's already empty, my father took the gold, silver and precious books and paintings he had with him and hid them inside. Altogether they're worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. However, it's a bit far from Chongqing. If you're short on money, young master, you might as well go find this treasure!"

  Qiao Yu immediately lost interest when he heard that there were only a few hundred thousand taels, and most of them were just some calligraphy and paintings. Although the money was not insignificant, it was not enough to overwhelm him, and the location of the treasure was too far from Chongqing. It's better to leave it there for now, and wait until Sichuan is conquered before taking it out. Who knows, maybe one day it will become a tourist attraction? Moreover, the cultural value of these things far exceeds their economic value, after all, they are evidence of a period in Chinese history.

  Qiao Yu smiled and asked: "Isn't this treasure of Shi Shu's quite valuable? It's your family's wealth, how can you bear to give it to me?"

  "They are all external things, didn't my father, a hero for a lifetime, also die miserably at the hands of the Qing court? Now that I've reached this age, everything is clear to me, being able to stay alive is already the greatest blessing!"

  "Just leave it as is, and later we can take out the treasures. Who knows, maybe one day we'll even build a museum for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to record that period of history, so future generations will remember it!"

  Shi Dingzhong still cared about his father, and when he heard that a museum could be established, he was overjoyed. After handling Shi Dingzhong's affairs, Qiao Yu gained another helper by his side. Although Shi Dingzhong had been in the official circle for a long time and was only a minor official, he was very familiar with various rituals and systems, and he was also very cautious and reliable in doing things. Assisting Qiao Yu in handling miscellaneous matters, Qiao Yu's burden was greatly reduced.

  Moreover, Niu Chuan Shan's faction, Shi Ding Zhong, assisted Qiao Yu, but in fact, he wanted to let him monitor Qiao Yu. However, these people became a family, and Niu Chuan Shan was still kept in the dark, knowing nothing.

  With the completion of the second phase of the textile mill project, the output of the textile mill doubled, and soon the products of Limin Textile Mill occupied more than half of the market in Dongchuan. Sales were very prosperous, and even in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, some cloth shops selling Limin products appeared one after another, and this brand had already been established.

  Match factories cooperating with the British have also been put into production, and high-quality and affordable safety matches are selling very well. In addition, Wang Dongcheng, Wang Gui, Xue Shan and others either built their own factories or cooperated with Sichuan Investment Company to successively establish flour mills, cement plants, brick and tile factories, furniture factories, and Xu Hua also established a noodle factory with his own unique ideas.

  Sichuan Zhongjiang hanging noodles have a history of over 1,000 years. The noodles are as thin as hair, white and hollow, smooth and flexible, with a unique flavor, and can be reheated like new. They are very popular, but they are all produced in small workshops by hand. Of course, handmade production has its advantages, but the output is limited and the price is high.

  Businessman Xu Hua cooperated with a Sichuan investment company to order a batch of machines from Germany, relying on the machines for production, resulting in a large output. With the development of industry in Chongqing, a large number of workers have emerged, and people's pace of life has accelerated significantly. As a result, many people are accustomed to buying this convenient and affordable food, which has allowed Xu Hua to earn a lot of money quickly and is now preparing to expand his business.

  Time flies, and it's already April. Qiao Yu has recruited another 1,000 patrolmen, bringing the total to 2,000. The first batch of 1,000 patrolmen is now capable of independent operations, firmly controlling the streets of Chongqing. The revolutionaries have retreated to the concession areas, but recently they've been making small moves again. Qiao Yu is well aware that the Huanghuagang Uprising is imminent, and the Sichuan revolutionaries are also preparing to respond, but their strength is limited, so they haven't launched yet.

  Thinking of the Huanghuagang Uprising, Qiao Yu unconsciously thought of Yu Peilun and others, who were among the first people he met after his rebirth. Dazed, Qiao Yu seemed to see Yu Peilun, Qin Bing and others covered in blood, their lives lost at Huanghuagang. Just as Qiao Yu's mind was in turmoil, he suddenly heard the door being violently kicked open, and someone stumbled in.

  Qiao Yu suddenly opened his eyes and saw that it was actually his own brother Qiao Cheng. Normally, Qiao Cheng was calm and composed, but now he had a purplish-green face and a look of grief and indignation on his forehead.

  "Big brother, what's wrong? Don't be anxious, let's think of a solution together."

  "Old Three, take a look at this!"

  Qiao Yu took the telegram from his elder brother with a puzzled expression, and after scanning it, he suddenly felt a bit dizzy. No wonder Qiao Cheng was so flustered - it turned out that Qiao Cheng's wife and daughter had all been kidnapped by a group of robbers, who were demanding thirty thousand taels of silver as ransom. Anyone would be flustered in such a situation. Qiao Yu's mind was racing as he grabbed his elder brother's arm.

  "Big brother, don't worry, sister-in-law and niece will definitely be safe. Let's calm down first and think about why they kidnapped sister-in-law, so we can take the right medicine!"

  Qiao Cheng also recovered a bit, his face looking slightly better: "Old Three, my wife has been with me for over a decade, being filial to her parents and giving birth to our children. She's not had an easy life, and now she's fallen into the clutches of bandits. I'm afraid she won't be able to take it!"

  Qiao Yu nodded repeatedly, also knowing the big brother's worries in his heart. He spoke to comfort him: "Big brother, since they want silver, I think Auntie and niece are still fine. Why don't we gather everyone together and discuss a plan?"

  Qiao Cheng nodded in agreement, and soon after, Bai Kuan, Han Yong, Wang Tianhe, Qian Tai, Shi Dingzhong, Wang Huai, Liu Yunhong and others arrived at Qiao Yu's office. Qiao Yu handed over the telegram draft to everyone, and upon reading it, they were all outraged - wasn't this stirring up trouble on Taishou's head?

  Han Yong was well taken care of by the Qiao family, and his impression of Qiao's wife was also very good. She was a virtuous and gentle lady. How could this misfortune not make people angry? "Young Master, don't worry, we have soldiers and money at our disposal, and we will definitely be able to rescue Madame!"

  "Brother Han, we must rescue the person, but now we need to discuss a strategy. Does everyone know anything about this Tiangong Village that kidnapped Sister-in-law? Is there any connection between them and the Ge Old Association?" Qiao Yu has now calmed down and his thinking is exceptionally clear.

  "The general manager is worried that this time it's the Elder Brother Society's people who are seeking revenge and have contacted the bandits to rob the Big Madam. I think there's no need to worry about this, as I still have some understanding of the Heavenly Punishment Fort. Initially, it was a group of several big thieves and some rioting soldiers who gathered together, totaling 36 people, and they called themselves the Heavenly Punishment Fort. They were active in the area around Fengdu, relying on robbery to survive by targeting traveling merchants. The government has tried to crack down on them several times, but due to the unique terrain, these thieves are too brutal, and all attempts have failed. I think these thieves must be desperate to try to extort us, but we must act quickly to rescue Big Madam, otherwise, it's hard to guarantee that the well-informed Elder Brother Society won't take some action!"

  Shi Dingzhong was indeed a seasoned person, and soon he had clarified the situation. The big stone in Qiao Yu's heart also fell by more than half. It would be easier to deal with if it were just a robbery, whether using hard or soft tactics.

  "Third Master, why don't you just agree to this gang of thieves? We still have tens of thousands of taels of silver on the books, and if we scrape together some more, thirty thousand taels isn't that difficult!" This time it was Qian Tai speaking, he was an old man from the Qiao family, currently in charge of the accounts. Although Qiao Yu's business was now booming, the actual circulating funds were still not very abundant, after all, many factories had just started production and hadn't yet broken even.

  "Absolutely not, if we withdraw 300,000 taels of silver now, more than half of our plans will have to be put on hold, I absolutely disagree!" Qiao Cheng was heartbroken for his wife and daughter, but he also knew how hard it was to establish their business in Chongqing. If they delayed, the losses would be too great, so he was torn with difficulty!

  At this time, Wang Huai suddenly stood up: "Young master, I've heard of the Tian Gang stronghold. They are devoid of conscience and have slaughtered our village's Wang family five years ago. The leader of the Tian Gang stronghold, Chen Heihu, kidnapped Wang's daughter and extorted 30,000 silver coins. Wang exhausted his family's wealth to gather the silver, only to find that Chen had already ravished and killed his daughter, and then slaughtered the entire family, plundering everything. My family also escaped to Wan County after that! This gang of scoundrels is the most ruthless!"