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February 10, 1856 was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. The fifth day of the Lunar New Year was commonly known as the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. In Chinese customs, firecrackers were set off outside of every house on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. It was said that all the unlucky things and all the demons and ghosts should be blown away, so that they would stay far away from us, the further the better. In particular, they would set off two kicks (two sounds), which was called "Breaking the Poor", to drive away the "bad luck" and "poverty" from home. People had not worked for four days from the first day to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. After setting off firecrackers before sunrise, they had to work hard for a day, which was called "Hating the Poor". The fifth day of the Lunar New Year meant that as long as they worked hard in the new year, they would be able to live a good life.
At this time, the military governor's office had basically controlled the situation in Guangdong, and the management of Guangzhou was even more powerful, so the ban on firecrackers was lifted for this year's New Year. After the first Crow Pian War, the British took Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Island itself was not big, so the British forced the Manchu Qing government to cede Kowloon and other concessions to provide Hong Kong Island with buffer areas and food supply areas.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Huang Fengzhi and his father, Huang Weiming, set off from Kowloon and took a small boat in the direction of Guangzhou. On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the people also resumed normal work, shops opened, and businesses opened. There was a lot of trade between Hong Kong and Guangdong, and ordinary boats were the most common means of transportation.
There were a few long bamboo poles on the boat, and Huang Fengzhi sat on the bamboo poles. This was a very ordinary action, but Huang Zhifeng's figure was a little strange. From his careful look, it seemed that the bamboo poles were more important than Huang Zhifeng. After passing the pass, a few large boats with black awnings suddenly appeared on the waterway. A red military flag was hung on the bow of the boat, and the flag was embroidered with two large simplified yellow characters: "Recovery"!
This was the ship of the Liberation Army's Pearl River Navy, and the civilian boats on the waterway generally did not have much reaction to this ship. The Liberation Army's water fleet did not disturb the people. They were only responsible for arresting pirates and managing the navigation order on the waterway. If there was a collision, they would also rescue those who fell into the water, deal with the collision, and mediate disputes. When Huang Weiming and Huang Zhifeng's boat saw the patrol boat approaching, they quickly moved closer to the shore, wanting to get further away from the patrol boat.
However, the patrol boat didn't have a good impression of such a respectful attitude. The bow of the boat turned and the patrol boat headed straight for the Huang father and son's boat. The Navy Inspection Team member at the bow of the ship held a loudspeaker and shouted, "Stop the ship in front and accept inspection! Stop the boat in front for inspection! "
How could the Huang Family's small boat dare to resist? Moreover, on this waterway, a small boat definitely couldn't outrun a big boat. Soon, they were forced to the shore. The members of the inspection team used a wooden stick to knock on the bamboo pole that Huang Zhifeng was carefully handling. Huang Weiming's expression was still somewhat calm, but Huang Zhifeng's expression changed.
Soon, the inspector took out a small knife and cut open the outer shell of the bamboo joints that were making muffled sounds. Inside was a black object that emitted a strange fragrance. The inspection team members sneered at Huang Weiming and Huang Zhifeng. They sneered and said, "You guys are really bold! Now they even have the guts to transport Big Tobacco to Guangzhou! "
"Sir! Sir! "Huang Weiming immediately put his hand into the inside pocket of his clothes to take out money.
"You still want to f * cking bribe us! You guys are guilty! "The inspector immediately tied up the Huang father and son and took away the tools used in the crime.
A few days later, Hong Renxuan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Recovered Viceroy's Office, received an official note from the British side. During the meeting, the British asked the Recovered Viceroy's Office to withdraw the detention of Huang Weiming and Huang Zhifeng, who were residents of the Hong Kong concession, and to withdraw the sentence of smuggling Big Tobacco. At the same time, the British officially informed Hong Renxuan, asking him to immediately withdraw the "discriminatory propaganda" of the Recovered Viceroy's Office against the Big Tobacco. After listening to the British's shameless request, even a more rational person like Hong Renxuan's expression changed.
There was no discriminatory propaganda against the Big Tobacco. No matter how much this poisonous thing was advertised, its destructive effects could not be exaggerated. Before he sought refuge with Vézé, even though he was in Hong Kong, Hong Renxuan was still very concerned about the Recovered Viceroy's Office in Guangdong. The other actions of the Recovered Viceroy's Office were their secrets, and a considerable part of the moral intelligence that could be successfully collected was related to the ban on smoking.
In the past, the ban on smoking in Manchu Qing was completely based on administrative means. Manchu Qing did not have any grass-roots personnel, so the ban on smoking had always been a matter of the upper echelons. Perhaps the upper echelons really wanted to ban smoking because the people around them had been harmed by the Big Tobacco.
It was just that Manchu Qing's decadent and degenerate system was bound to have decadent and degenerate ways. No matter what the attitude of the upper echelons was, any middle-level implementation of the policies of the upper echelons was all for the purpose of profit. For example, the Big Tobacco traffickers smuggled Big Tobacco into bamboo poles, using this method to avoid interrogations. When the group of middle-level officials found this kind of smuggler, they would knock on the bamboo pole. Both the Big Tobacco ban and the Big Tobacco traffickers were well aware that after paying the toll money that should be paid, both sides could get what they needed.
In the end, this practice even created a new common term, "extortion."
The Liberation Army was sincerely banning people, and their method of banning smoking was completely different from that of Manchu Qing. The grass-roots departments established by the Liberation Army began comprehensive publicity throughout Guangdong. First, they closed the public tobacco shops, and at the same time, they locked the terminally ill Big Tobacco Addicts in cages for public display. There were also all kinds of publicity about the harm of Big Tobacco.
In addition to taking the initiative to publicize, they also walked the streets and alleys, contacted the people from all walks of life while publicizing, and collected information about the privately opened big tobacco shops. Those who could open big tobacco shops all had people behind them, or were local tyrants. There were many people who were dissatisfied with them. The Liberation Army did in-depth work with the masses, so naturally, they received a lot of information. After all these years of the poison of Big Tobacco, the decent people were also very disgusted with big tobacco shops. The people were also watching the propaganda of the Recovered Viceroy's Office with such great fanfare.
Facts proved that the Liberation Army did not play tricks with words. Not only did they wipe out all the public smokehouses of all sizes, but they also captured the smokers. This group of smokers was sent to repair the river, build irrigation and drainage construction sites, and these Big Tobacco Addicts were forced to work.
Such a swift and decisive method reached its peak when the Recovered Viceroy's Office publicly executed more than 20 people under the Recovered Viceroy's Office who smoked Big Tobacco. The Recovered Viceroy's Office did not hide the fact that their own people also smoked Big Tobacco in their own newspapers, and once again emphasized that Big Tobacco may be a medicine in medicine, but when used as a stimulant, it was harmful to others and themselves. The Recovered Viceroy's Office would never allow any behavior of smoking Big Tobacco to exist. Ordinary people were captured and reformed through labor. When they appeared in the Recovered Viceroy's Office system, they were killed without mercy!
Hong Renxuan appreciated this kind of steel-like method very much. What he was interested in was not only how the Recovered Viceroy's Office would deal with the people, but also how the Recovered Viceroy's Office would deal with its own people. It was good to deal with the people relatively according to the law, and it was even better to take merciless punishment for the people inside their own organization! It was this attitude of being able to deal with their own people that led to Hong Renxuan's final decision to come out and work for the Recovered Viceroy's Office.
At this time, the British Hong Kong authorities proposed to release the Hong Kong concession residents who smuggled Big Tobacco. Hong Renxuan naturally couldn't help but want to curse in his heart. It was just that he was more rational and didn't want to cause a dispute for no reason, so Hong Renxuan finally tried to solve this problem by judicial means.
At this time, the person in charge of the Political and Legal Committee was Lin Asheng. If he wanted to go through judicial means, he must get Lin Asheng's support. After listening to Hong Renxuan's intention of visiting, Lin Asheng said, "This is our own matter. What does it have to do with the British?"
Lin Asheng didn't like to talk, so when he spoke, he was more direct. Hong Renxuan listened to Lin Asheng's confrontational words and knew that it would be difficult for him to effectively persuade this important figure in the Recovered Viceroy's Office. After thinking for a moment, Hong Renxuan said, "The British will definitely not allow us to ban smoking in Guangdong. This is more unacceptable to the British than the sale of cigarettes at the Tiger Gate!"
"Oh? Why do you say that? "Lin Asheng's face showed an expression of surprise.
"Has Major General Lin seen the information about the Big Tobacco trade compiled by the Viceroy's Office?" Hong Renxuan asked.
"Yes." Lin Asheng replied.
"At first, the Big Tobacco was really used as medicine, and the annual sales volume was actually very small. One or two hundred boxes at most. It wasn't until the Big Tobacco was smoked that the sales soared. When the Tiger Gate sold cigarettes, the Big Tobacco was destroyed, and the people who smoked the Big Tobacco were all there. So the British defeated the Manchu Qing, and the Big Tobacco business grew bigger and bigger. At the moment, our Viceroy's Office is not going to war with the British, and the British Big Tobacco merchants have not been confiscated. But the Viceroy's Office has arrested all the Big Tobacco smokers, and no one has bought their Big Tobacco since. This is equivalent to us completely cutting off the British's source of income. Even if this is only our own internal affairs, even if we are dealing with the Chinese, the British will not agree. "
Lin Asheng listened to Hong Renxuan's words and couldn't help but nod slightly. After Hong Renxuan finished speaking, Lin Asheng sighed and said, "It turns out that Minister Hong is a sensible person."
Hong Renxuan ignored Lin Asheng's faint mockery and said frankly, "I don't want to fight with the British because of my anger, but if the British go to war with us for the sake of forcibly selling Big Tobacco, I, Hong Renxuan, won't obediently lower my head to them. This time, after arresting the residents of Hong Kong, the British officially sent us a note. This matter actually has nothing to do with the Huang father and son smuggling Big Tobacco. What the British want to target is our anti-smoking policy. So I told Major General Lin about this matter first. It's not that I want to fight or not, but the British have probably made up their mind. "
Lin Asheng couldn't help but laugh when he saw Hong Renxuan's explanation. "Minister Hong, I don't care about diplomatic matters. But I want to ask you something. From what I see, Minister Lin, is there a way to not fight? "
"It's not that I don't have the confidence to not fight, but if I can convene a meeting with the British merchants, let them lose less money, and give them a way to make money in the future. I think we might be able to survive in the near future. "Hong Renxuan answered seriously.
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