Chapter 10: Heart Worrying About the World
Seeing Li Mingfeng behave like this, shocked Bo Gui: "Why is Brother Li so?"
Li Mingfeng looked so sorrowful: "I, Li Mingfeng, although serving in the British army, am after all a child of the great Qing. Alas, with the English and French occupying Guangzhou, the situation is chaotic, and I fear that there will be troublemakers taking advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble. But now the government offices have no one in charge, what can be done?" As soon as he finished speaking, Li Mingfeng covered his forehead with the sleeve of his Western-style uniform, as if wiping away tears.
Everyone is a sensible person, Li Mingfeng has just done this little thing, and Bai Gui has also turned his mind around. If he were appointed as the Governor by foreigners, wouldn't it be possible for him to manage Guangdong affairs? In the future, when the foreigners retreat, even if someone impeaches him in the imperial court, he can still shirk responsibility and claim that he was not serving under the foreigners, but rather governing Guangzhou according to the imperial laws. After all, the imperial court has a clear order to 'stop fighting as the priority', if one only holds onto the idea of self-preservation, what if some local rioters provoke the foreigners and expand the war disaster? Wouldn't he become a criminal then?
With the war and turmoil at this time, there are naturally more things that people ask of me. The silver that was extorted from me by those fake foreigners this time, can it be somewhat compensated for?
At this point, Bo Gui couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Younger brother's words indeed make some sense. The sage said, 'The people are the most precious, and the country is next.' Now that Guangzhou has fallen, what fault do the common people have to suffer such a great calamity? I, Bo Gui, have studied the teachings of the sages since childhood, but today I avoided going out due to personal gain. I'm ashamed to face the teachings of the sage. Luckily, younger brother's words pointed out my mistake, and I haven't made a big error yet."
Let Bai Gui be an emperor, he dare not, but when it comes to being a corrupt official, he can be faster than anyone else.
Li Mingfeng lazily listened to this nonsense, sighed and said: "Governor Fu is determined to pacify the people, but in Guangzhou City, there is still General Mu Ke Dun, who is in charge of military affairs. Although he is a high-ranking official, I heard that he has been summoned by foreigners when I came over. I don't know if General Mu can respond to the foreigner's request and come out to defend the border and pacify the people."
Bai Gui was secretly worried, he knew exactly what kind of person Mukden was, and that was someone who feared death in battle. In Guangdong, there were two high-ranking officials, one being the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the other being the General of Canton. The power of the General of Canton surpassed even that of the Governor-General, especially when it came to military matters, most of which rested in Mukden's hands. A few days ago, upon hearing that foreigners had arrived with a ultimatum, Mukden immediately feigned illness and refused to come out, handing over all authority to Ye Mingchen. Could someone like him possibly not listen to the orders of the foreigners? Bai Gui absolutely did not believe it.
Bai Gui is a seasoned person, and since Li Mingfeng mentioned this matter, there must be room for maneuver. Bringing up Mu Ke Dun is just to get more benefits, this trick he has used countless times, how could he not understand?
The governor furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said "wait a minute", turned around and rushed to the back hall.
In the hall, Andrew gathered all the soldiers and divided their newly acquired spoils according to the "usual" ratio. These foreigners didn't recognize silver tickets, and Li Mingfeng had never planned to share these 30,000 taels with anyone else, so the silver tickets all belonged to Li Mingfeng. Andrew inherited the good tradition of the British, and didn't forget Li Mingfeng's contributions, so three large gold ingots ended up in Li Mingfeng's hands. Money doesn't burn his hands, Li Mingfeng isn't that kind of hypocritical person, he directly put the gold into his pocket.
Suitcases aren't suitable for carrying gold, they're better suited for carrying banknotes. If you fill them with gold bars, the overall appearance won't be as good.
After dividing the gold, the relationship between Quan Lian's warriors and Li Mingfeng became even more harmonious. After all, they were old comrades-in-arms who had both "fought against guns" and "divided spoils" together. The British soldiers, satisfied with their gain, were driven away by Li Mingfeng, leaving only him waiting for the cunning old fox, Bo Gui.
I don't know where this old guy got the silver, did he go digging underground? In ancient times, large families usually made their silver ingots very large and buried them underground, which was also a way to prevent theft. That kind of silver ingot was what Li Mingfeng least wanted to take, but under such circumstances, he could only reluctantly agree.
Just as the sun was about to set, that old fellow Ba Gui finally came running back, still holding a small box in his hand.
It's this silver ticket thing again
Bai Gui had changed into casual clothes and was holding a box, beckoning Li Mingfeng to follow him to the inner courtyard house.
"My younger brother, you've helped me out with this matter, and of course, there are expenses that can't be avoided. Although I'm poor, I couldn't let you spend money on my behalf. This is all the savings I've accumulated over the years, please accept it."
Li Mingfeng's eyes lit up as soon as he heard the four words "all savings". Bai Gui's hands, which were holding the box, had just moved forward a little when they were suddenly snatched away by him.
"What is this?" Li Mingfeng looked at a box of various contracts in confusion.
"These are the deeds to three pleasure houses in the eastern part of the city and four wine shops, as well as this deed to over 800 mu of good land in Northern Zhili. I've spent forty years as an official to accumulate all this."
Li Mingfeng never thought that Bo Gui would take out these things, in the midst of war and chaos, these brothels and taverns were all closed businesses, what's the point of coming here? Glancing at Bo Gui, his tone was somewhat impatient: "Those foreigners are greedy, if they want to plot for power, they must first bribe the foreigners. What use do those foreigners have for these brothels and good land? They only recognize gold and silver."
Bo Qi's face turned gloomy as he said: "But I'm afraid our entire household can't come up with another two silver coins."
"Then go and borrow, although the wealthy families in Guangzhou have been robbed by foreigners, which family doesn't secretly hoard silver? Those foreigners only rummage through the hidden items in the cabinets, but what's buried underground or stored in secret passages is where the true wealth of these rich masters lies." Li Mingfeng finally revealed his greedy face.
"Easy to say, but how can they bear to part with their silver?" asked Bai Gui with a bitter face.
"This is easy to handle, just need the adults to spread the word that this new governor's position has already been obtained by you, and if they want to ensure their family's safety, wouldn't they all come running to give you silver?" Li Mingfeng continued to encourage.
"This is a good plan, but what if the foreigners have not appointed me as the circuit intendant? Wouldn't that offend the wealthy and influential people of this city? In the future, I would be unable to stand firm in Guangdong." Bo Gui still had some doubts about Li Mingfeng's ability to handle things.
"Don't worry, brother is here. This matter will be settled without a hitch, all on my shoulders. Within three days, I'll make sure the adults take office." Li Mingfeng thought to himself, guessing that within these three days, this group of foreigners would also set up a puppet government, and Bai Gui would definitely be the most suitable candidate at that time.
