Beiyang new warlord

Page 673

Maybe everyone has such a demon of getting something for nothing in their hearts!

Just like in a Hong Kong movie, in the magnificent hall, there are exquisite gaming tables, beautiful dealers in shirt jackets who look extraordinarily shrewd and capable, and well-dressed gamblers elegantly waiting for the cards to be dealt and rolling the dice, looking very expensive.

Among them, Zheng Zhilong's brother Zheng Zhibao is definitely the most conspicuous one. He has been in contact with Westerners a lot, and this big pirate also learned to wear a tuxedo, but his strong arms stretched the tuxedo tightly, and his hair was loose. In the back, wearing a pair of Dongjiang sunglasses, and holding a Dongjiang snake in his mouth, this guy is yelling vulgarly.

"Deal the cards and deal the cards!"

"I have plenty of silver, hahahaha!"

The Zheng family has a big business, and they can survive a loss of several 10 taels a day, but some people can't support it!

After learning from Las Vegas, Mao Jue also has a large row of slot machines, but he can’t get the one that automatically spits out chips when the electricity is turned on. The joystick slot machine is a bit similar to the wind-up one, pull the joystick a few times , the three bobbins will be spun rapidly, and if the three circles can match a pattern, the betting chips will be paid ten times at once, and the special pattern can be paid one hundred times.

Two mirrors were set up like periscopes, one facing the revolving drum, and the other facing the staff behind the wall. Once they met the matching flowers, the staff immediately poured down the wooden carving chips.

In later generations, many professional gamblers who love to play slot machines do not even want to win money, but just for the pleasure of the chip falling out for a moment.

The addiction rate of the slot machine is really astonishing. Gong Zimian, a talented man from the Gong family in Jiangzuo, fell into it. When Gong Zi came, he was huddling pitifully in front of a slot machine, followed by a man wearing dioramas. The treasurer of the East India Company, wearing a robe and waistcoat, took this account book, and he was waiting there calmly but impatiently.

"What's going on, in broad daylight, is there any law to detain the people of my Gong family! Hurry up and let them go, or my Gong family will let you eat and walk around!"

I really don't know how tough this Gong family is. As soon as he came in, this Gong Zi didn't understand something, on the contrary, he raised his voice and yelled loudly.

The voice shouted, and the whole hall swiped to look around.

But the shopkeeper has been trained for a long time. Hearing his aggressive questioning, the shopkeeper calmly smiled and clapped his fists.

"Master Jiangzuo Gong, I've heard you like thunder, so I ordered the young master to guarantee the loan in the name of the Gong family, so I borrowed it immediately!"

"Today, if Mr. Gong wants to take away Mr. Ling, he can do it, as long as he leaves a copy of the calligraphy here. Jiangzuo Gong's family owes 7 taels of silver! As long as there is a calligraphy hanging here, I have an explanation to the regent and his old man. , Let them go immediately!"

When it comes to the Regent, he clenched his fists heavily towards the north. The word Regent made Gong Zi's pupils shrink uncontrollably. This was pointing at him, and this was in the territory of the Northern Dynasty. No matter how powerful your Gong family is, you can’t control Lao Tzu! If you are a dragon, you must be guarded by Lao Tzu, and if you are a tiger, you must be guarded by Lao Tzu!

However, the arrogant attitude of the Jiangnan clan is too hard to change. Pointing at the lobby, Gong Zi cup roared arrogantly.

"It's tempting to gamble and deceive the sons of a good family. He is also the regent, and this is allowed by the regent? My Gong family is not to be bullied. Even if this matter comes to the regent, my Gong family will not let it go!"

Still looking so indifferent, the shopkeeper smiled lightly and nodded.

"Mr. Gong is right, so Mr. Gong looks here!"

Following his fingers, Gong Zi's eyes couldn't help but tighten up again. On those slot machines, there were more than a dozen big characters written in flying and phoenix dances.

Gambling is harmful!

A small gamble is fun, but a big gamble hurts the body! Do it in moderation!

"According to the regent's order, gambling is harmful! When I ordered the son to borrow money, I also persuaded him, and the attendant at the side also persuaded him three times. You are a sincere gentleman, sir. Is there such a thing?"

Either he was stupid from reading, or he was scared out of his wits. In Gong Zi's frantic eyes, the little man nodded foolishly.

"Father, Xiaodie did persuade me, but it cost hundreds of taels of silver! I really want to win it back!"

"Mr. Gong, how are you?"

I don't care about you if you have a relationship! I didn't understand the reasoning. Seeing the shopkeeper holding an abacus with a smile on his eyes, Gong Zi finally softened. He looked around fearfully, and immediately dragged the shopkeeper over. On the side, sadly spoke soft words.

"My brother! I really didn't bring so much money with me when I went out. How about I pay 1 taels first, and pay off the rest when I return to Changzhou and sell the property, how about it?"

The casino really doesn't have a big cost, what it sells is a service, and it's a point if it can be recovered. If the attitude of Gongzi is better, according to the reputation of the three Jiangzuo masters, the shopkeeper really agreed. Unfortunately, as soon as he came in Pretend to be a grandpa, now it's too late to pretend to be a kid!

Shaking his head very solemnly, the shopkeeper in charge of lending said in a businesslike manner.

"Sorry, the regent's property, that's the rule! If you have no money, even if you owe this indebted calligraphy, in the future, the company will treat your Gong family as an untrustworthy person, and you will not be allowed to enter, otherwise, 7 taels of cash Not a lot."

"Mr. Gong invited!"

Several tables were put together, and a banner the size of a couplet was placed in front of him. Looking at the smiling face of the shopkeeper, Gong Zi shook his hand holding the big writing brush violently. After a long time, just now Gritting his teeth, he fell to the ground hard.

He had expected this situation a long time ago. Mao Jue left a wall in the lobby of the casino to hang these papers. Looking at the ink-stained Gong family owed 7 taels of silver on the wall, it was not too much to watch. A large group of gamblers were laughing there, especially Zheng Zhihu, who flicked his cigarette ash with a sense of superiority and disdain, and hummed there arrogantly.

"If you don't have any money, what kind of uncle are you pretending to be here?"

Amidst the heated discussion and contempt, Gong Zi led his stupid son out of the door in desperation.

This matter is not just as simple as owed a silver. In the past, relying on the network of connections, the aristocratic family who was domineering and domineering in the south of the Yangtze River encountered such a big setback for the first time. It was a big blow to the authority of the entire family! The bourgeoisie with money can openly mock the land aristocracy of the imperial examination!In Daming, this has cross-age significance!

Of course, in the center, people didn't think so much at the time, only Mao Jue, who had planned all this long ago, held a glass of bright red wine, looked at the ink-stained IOU under his feet, and let out a vampire-like sneer smile.

This chess game in the south of the Yangtze River is starting to be fun!

Chapter 643. The beginning of turmoil

Although Gong Zi took his stupid son Gong Zimian away in a desperate manner, humiliating the face of the Gong family of the three major families in Jiangzuo, he still retreated completely, but he did not have the backing of the Gong family in Jiangzuo Gamblers are not so lucky.

On the first day, they lost all their money in the casino and had no money to pay back. There were 80 No. [-] people who were arrested. These people were trembling with IOUs and signed contracts of sale, and were immediately locked up.

This is the second role of the casino, attracting people!

Who built America?Prisoners, exiles, illegitimate children, hooligans, rogues, rascals, and poor and desperate people in Britain are generally not a last resort. Even adventurous Westerners are actually unwilling to leave their homeland and move to a strange new continent to survive. This is still the case for Westerners, let alone the people of Ming Dynasty who are reluctant to leave their homeland.

In order to expand overseas colonies, Mao Jue also had to think of a tough move. Now all prisoners in the north, even those on death row, will not be sentenced. As long as they are serious crimes, they will be sent to Dengzhou for more than ten years. Find out all the rotten gamblers in the society who love leisure and work hard. It happened that Wu Sangui voluntarily stayed in India, and he took a boat and sent him there.

Although these people are useless in China, they are useful overseas. Those who dare to commit crimes are first of all courageous and unruly. Bad gamblers are generally smarter and good at petty theft. Such a person can survive in the harsh overseas environment more easily than an honest person.

Of course, the biggest advantage is that you don't feel bad after death, and the waste is used!

After the opening of the first day was full, the second day, the Empire Plaza was not so hot to the extreme, but it was still very lively compared to the ordinary small shops, and it became the largest exchange place for goods from the north and the south. Southern merchants brought all kinds of Nanyang spices, sumac, agate, etc. to the department store, and were immediately exchanged by northern merchants for special products such as mink fur, ginseng, and antler. Many Jiangnan merchants who came here also took over some wholesale North and South goods are sold to the Nanming market. After all, these are not produced in Jiangnan. Whether it is luxury goods, liquor, cigarettes, or cheap Dongjiang homespun cloth, Jiangnan also needs them.

But if people with a discerning eye pay attention, this transaction is extremely unfavorable to Jiangnan. After all, raw silk, tea, silk, and bulk rice grains, which are special products in Jiangnan, need to be taxed extra. These large trading ports in Quanzhou, purely importing, absolutely trade in excess, is equivalent to sucking the blood of the northern Ming Dynasty a little bit, and sucking out the money accumulated by the sea trade in the south of the Yangtze River more than 100 years ago.

Once the money is exhausted, Jiangnan's economy will collapse.

Another point of change is happening slowly in important trading ports such as Hangzhou, moistening things so quietly and unobtrusively, but extremely significantly changing people's lives, that is banknotes!.

People travel less and less directly with silver and copper coins, and they are more willing to take out silver bills for transaction and trade payments. After all, silver is heavy, but this thing is light and light, and it is divided into 100 taels. , 50 taels, 20 taels, ten taels, five taels, one taels and other denominations, you are not afraid that you will not be able to find it if you pay, and most cities have already opened the Imperial Bank. If you want to exchange for silver, you can exchange it at any time. Don't worry about credibility issues.

In fact, it’s not that China has never issued banknotes. For example, Jiaozi in the Song Dynasty, gold banknotes in the Yuan Dynasty, and Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty also issued Daming Banknotes, but these banknotes issued indiscriminately thanks to reserves will be like castles in the sky one day, depreciating too quickly , the common people don’t agree with it, but money is also indispensable if you want to develop business! So Mao Jue can only accept the lesson carefully, and come a little bit.

But the omens are looking good now!

Things in the world are all ebb and flow, Mao Jue's Beiming is good, while Nanming's life is very uncomfortable.

In order to catch people to do business with Dongjiang, the Daxi Army in Sichuan once again plucked up their courage and launched an attack to the south. Mu Wangfu cried for his father and mother.

The tug-of-war between Li Zicheng and Zuo Liangyu in Huguang, the main grain producing area, has been going on for more than a year!To what extent is Zuo Liangyu's trash holding 20 troops, fighting back and forth with Li Zicheng's 17 remnant army who was beaten to tears, and in a year, he once again beat the [-] Dashun army to [-] Eight or nine thousand, the originally fertile Chu land was in flames of war.

On the Jiangnan side, the thriving towns and cities that have finally flourished are rapidly sluggish like mushrooms that have been frosted after autumn. But it is only 80.00% to 5.00%, and the rest are almost all poor people. After Mao Jue got stuck on the export road, this population could not support the domestic demand to cope with the spread of business. The town has turned into a ghost town, and the silk and satin village and tea house are closing down at a speed visible to the naked eye. Recently, the rice grain export has suffered another big defeat. The rice that was expected to turn the situation around can only rot in the cabin or rot on the ground. inside.