Chapter 86: Piglets

Yin Hai said in a deep voice, "The news should be reliable. The conflict between Nalan Yuanshu and the British consulate hasn't been a matter of one or two days. I estimate the British have had enough. What's more, Nalan Yuanshu is a radical reformer. This time, with the old witch launching a coup, I fear he will also be among those to be liquidated."

Yin Qi nodded slowly and said, "Continue to pay attention to this matter and see who will take over after Nalan Yuanshu leaves."

In fact, he also coveted this position.

Although it was normal for the Manchu Qing to sell offices, the Provincial Commander was a first-rank military official and could not be bought with money.

One had to know that the current Hangzhou New Army had as many as twenty thousand men.

If he could become the Provincial Commander, these twenty thousand New Army troops could be pocketed.

However, Yin Qi was not in a hurry. Next, the Revival Society would enter a fast lane of development, and the Hangzhou New Army would be their key target for infiltration; sooner or later, it would have to bear the surname Yin.

……

The next morning, Yin Qi received a telegram from Hangzhou.

Yes, Shaoxing Prefecture had also laid down lines.

The telegram was sent by Nalan Yuanshu, asking him to set off for Hangzhou immediately.

Yin Qi was confused. What did Nalan Yuanshu want with him?

And looking at the content of the telegram, the lines were filled with a sense of "urgency." Could it be because of the failure of the Wuxu Reform, or because of the impending transfer?

With confusion, Yin Qi gave instructions to Zhang Youchu and then rode a fast horse with Yan Zhendong to Hangzhou.

Yan Zhendong had completely defected to him.

He was not only his head of personal guards but also the martial arts coach for the militia.

Usually, Yan Zhendong didn't need to protect him personally. Shaoxing was his lair, and basically, there were no individuals or forces that could harm him. But this trip to Hangzhou was different; it was safer to bring the man along.

……

Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Even in this chaotic era of the late Qing Dynasty, Hangzhou remained extremely prosperous.

After entering the city, Yin Qi said, "It's almost noon. Let's find a place to eat, and then go to the Provincial Commander's Yamen in the afternoon."

Yan Zhendong naturally agreed.

The two rode their horses, walking slowly so as not to collide with pedestrians.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A burst of noise came from ahead.

Yin Qi looked up and saw a large number of commoners gathered not far ahead.

A young man with his queue cut off and wearing a Western suit stood on a high platform, shouting energetically: "Come and take a look, come and see! Fellow villagers passing by, don't miss out."

"My name is Wang Ergou. I used to be like you, a child from a poor family."

"I couldn't eat enough or wear enough, and I almost starved to death."

"Fortunately, heaven doesn't cut off all paths. My cousin came back from America."

"He saw that I was destitute and gave me a hundred silver dollars directly. Only then did I know he had made a fortune."

"Sure enough, after I asked my cousin, I found out he went to America."

"Everyone knows about America, right?"

"It's a hundred and eight thousand miles away from here."

"There is a place called San Francisco, where there are gold mines everywhere, and even the rivers flow with gold dust. That's why they call it San Francisco."

"My cousin made his fortune panning for gold in San Francisco."

"At my begging, my cousin decided to take me with him to pan for gold, and also give you fellow villagers a chance to make a fortune."

"Now my cousin has made connections with the Americans and chartered a passenger ship."

"As long as you pay the travel fee of ten silver dollars, we will take you to San Francisco, America, to pan for gold."

"In less than two years, you can come back to buy land, take wives and concubines, and live the rest of your lives happily."

"Fellow villagers, this opportunity is rare."

"Strive for two years, be happy for a lifetime."

The man in the suit had an impassioned voice, and his speech was very infectious.

As he kept shouting, more and more people were attracted.

Everyone's blood was boiling, and their eyes were shining with golden light, as if wealth was right in front of them.

"San Francisco, just hearing the name, I know there's gold everywhere!"

"No wonder foreigners are so rich; it turns out they have so many gold mines there. If I go, can't I also make a fortune?"

"Ten silver dollars, this travel fee is so expensive!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Wang, the travel fee of ten silver dollars is too high. We are all poor commoners, where can we get it?"

"Brother Wang, can you talk to your cousin and take us to San Francisco first, and then pay the travel fee after we pan for gold dust?"

……

Everyone was talking at once, and the noise was deafening.

The man in the suit curled his mouth secretly and pretended to be in a difficult position, saying, "Everyone, my cousin and I are taking you to make a fortune, but even the travel fee has to be paid by us? How about this: after you go back, borrow some from your relatives and friends. Once you make a fortune and come back, are you afraid you won't be able to pay it back?"

"Brother Wang, we are all poor commoners, where can we borrow ten silver dollars!"

"Brother, San Francisco is full of gold everywhere. Once we pan for gold dust, we will pay you back immediately!"

"Yes, at worst we will give you some interest!"

The commoners pleaded one after another.

Various pleas and emotional cards were played.

Yin Qi's face was a bit ugly. San Francisco being full of gold everywhere was simply nonsense. The purpose was to sell these people to America as coolies, commonly known as "piglets."

These piglets were no different from slaves, having to complete heavy labor every day, and they were not fed enough. Medical conditions were almost non-existent, so people died every day from exhaustion or illness.

Take the Pacific Railroad in America, for example; tens of thousands of Chinese workers participated in the construction, and the final death toll reached more than two thousand.

It could be said that this railroad was built on the bones of Chinese workers.

"Young Master, is this San Francisco really full of gold everywhere?"

Yan Zhendong asked curiously.

To tell the truth, if he hadn't defected to Yin Qi, he would have been tempted.

Yin Qi said coldly, "How is that possible? Foreigners are greedy and value money as their lives. If there were really gold mines everywhere, would they allow us Chinese to pan for gold dust?"

Yan Zhendong thought about it and agreed. He had been to Shanghai with Yin Qi and had seen many foreigners; basically, every word out of their mouths was about silver.

He asked curiously, "Since that's the case, what are they doing?"

Yin Qi said in a deep voice, "It's very simple: trick people into going to America and sell them. They call these people 'piglets'!"

"Piglets, they deserve to die!"

A fierce light appeared in Yan Zhendong's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master, we should go and expose them. These people are simply conscience-less; they can do anything for silver."

Yin Qi nodded, clamped his legs on the horse's belly, and walked toward the high platform.

Since he had run into it, how could he stand by and watch?

On the high platform, the man in the suit looked like he couldn't bear the pleas, sighed, and said, "I'll do a good deed to the end. Since that's the case, we will take you to San Francisco first. However, to prevent people from reneging on their debts after arriving in America, this IOU must be signed, and we will also charge some interest. I hope everyone can understand."

"Good, Brother Wang is righteous!"

"Thank you, Brother Wang, you are really a good person!"

"Good people have good rewards. Once I get to San Francisco and make money, I will pay you back immediately!"

……

Everyone was overjoyed.

The man in the suit smiled and said, "We are all fellow villagers; these are all things we can do within our capabilities. How about this: everyone line up over here, and sign the contract with a thumbprint one by one."

On one side of the high platform, a row of tables was set up, with more than a dozen registration personnel sitting there.

Whoosh!

Hearing this, everyone moved, all crowding over, scrambling to be first.

The man in the suit said loudly, "Don't crowd, come one by one. The contract is in duplicate, everyone will have one."

"Eh, why is it all in foreign language?"

The first batch of people about to sign the contract suddenly turned and asked.

The man in the suit explained calmly, "The ship belongs to the foreigners, so this contract is naturally in foreign language. Everyone will need this contract to board the ship, and after arriving in America, you will also need this contract to get a work visa. Otherwise, it's smuggling and you will be repatriated."

"Oh!"

Everyone nodded suddenly, so that was it.

Sure enough, America was different; they even had work visas for panning for gold.

"Wait!"

Just at this moment, Yin Qi shouted loudly.

It will be launched tomorrow at noon, so I won't open a separate chapter.

I asked the editor, and there are more than five hundred followers.

In that case, ten chapters tomorrow as a base.

If the first subscription exceeds four hundred, add one chapter, and then add one chapter for every one hundred first subscriptions, with no cap.

I'm asking for first subscriptions here, please help support me!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 87 =====