Gradually, the Chambers of Commerce from all over the world cooperated with each other.
They had a common Business League.
This mansion was specially allocated to be used as a meeting hall for the Merchant Union.
Usually,
Each Chamber of Commerce had their own hometown hall in Guangzhou. Most of the time, the meeting hall of the Business League was empty.
Such a huge mansion was empty.
However, it was also a waste. It had always been managed by Lin Ruoshan, who had a good relationship with each Chamber of Commerce.
Today, Lin Ruoshan held a banquet in the hall.
He invited his colleagues to the banquet.
The lords of the Chamber of Commerce chatted and laughed as they filed into the hall.
The ground was covered with dried kapok.
The residual red gradually turned into the same color as the soil.
"The flowers on the ground are about to turn into mud.
It's so dirty. I think the sweeping is lazy. "They chatted idly.
Lin Ruoshan came out to welcome them with a smile.
"Welcome, welcome.
I've already prepared a banquet.
We're just waiting for you to take your seats. "
Lin Daiyu and the others all entered the hall.
They walked quietly to the courtyard alone.
She picked up a fallen flower on the ground and looked in the direction of the hall. She asked the boy who was sweeping softly.
"Why do you let the red fall into the dust and mud, but don't pick it up?"
The boy who was sweeping the floor had just been reprimanded by the lords of the Business League.
Then, he heard Mr. Xiaoxiang, who had always been kind to them, say something.
He explained with a belly full of grievances, "It's not that I'm lazy. It's Commander Lin who said, 'This kapok.
It's a free flower.
It's also called the hero flower. I often hope that the free flower will never wither.
I often hope that the hero flower blooms all the time. However, the flower blooms and withers.
The hero lands, and the free flower withers. Don't sweep it, leave it to rot into mud. It's also a lesson. 'That's why I don't sweep it. "
Lin Daiyu fell silent when she heard that. A moment later, she sighed and threw the flower on the ground.
"The flower blooms and withers..."
The banquet was brightly lit until late at night. The lords of the Business League were all helped back by their servants.
Behind each carriage, there were a few shadows quietly following them.
Lin Daiyu walked to Lin Ruoshan's side.
Her uncle had his hands behind his back as he stared at his colleagues who were being helped into the carriage at the entrance of the hall.
"Uncle …" she called out. "You …"
After the news of the Qing Dynasty approaching Guangzhou reached Lin Ruoshan's hands, Guangzhou City was calm and peaceful.
Lin Daiyu saw that the commoners were all peaceful, the merchants were still doing their business, and the church had a bell every day.
He did not feel the slightest bit of fear from the approaching army of the Imperial Court.
As usual, Lin Ruoshan drank and chatted merrily with the people from the Business League. From time to time, he would listen to the wind, admire the flowers, and play the flute in Lin Hai.
However, in the middle of the night, Lin Daiyu often heard the sound of many people walking around the house. She bumped into them a few times, and they were all young people.
They never avoided her when they talked. These young people were from all walks of life. There were men and women, and all kinds of people. Some of them looked familiar to her. They seemed to be officers from the Free Army, and some of the Business League officials that Lin Ruoshan directly controlled. There were also young workers that she had never seen before. They were dressed like coolies, and there were even some with heavy makeup … … one look and she knew that they were brothel women.
They had a common characteristic: they would only be led to the Lin Family's mansion in the dead of the night when there was no one around.
It seemed to be extremely secretive. During the day, if they met her, they would never act like they knew her.
This secretive situation lasted for about half a month.
Until tonight.
"Shh … …" Lin Ruoshan turned around and raised a finger. He said with a smile, "Don't ask anything. Yu 'er, you just need to watch. Watch carefully. "
But there was no smile in his eyes.
It was a night with strong winds. The waves were high, and the night sky was filled with lightning and thunder.
A rainstorm was coming.
It was already late at night. Thousands of families, except for some of the merchants who were transporting goods out of the city and the dock workers who were doing hard labor, hid in their houses early. They reunited with their families under the dim yellow kerosene lamps.
"Open the door! Open the door! " The coolie porter, Ah Yi, wiped the sweat that flowed down his forehead. He hit the city gate hard, and his throat was sore. He tried to ask his old acquaintance who was guarding the city gate to let him out.
The person who poked his head out of the city gate was not the familiar city guard, but a set of blue uniform that everyone in Guangzhou City envied. It was the Free Army.
Lightning flashed. In an instant, it illuminated the young officer's face. That face was frowning. And the gun was tightly held in his hand.
Ah Yi looked back and was so scared that he almost peed. He didn't know when, but he was surrounded by the Free Army with swords and guns.
The leading officer was murderous. "Tonight, not a single mosquito is allowed to leave the city!"
Ding Mansion.
Ding Shihao was hugging his concubine and making love. Ding Shihao, who was lifted up from the bed, was still naked. His fat white body was frightened and shook up and down. "You … who are you?" He wanted to call for help, but before he could, his mouth was slapped.
"I am the vice president of the Business League. I am the president of the Yunnan Chamber of Commerce. How dare you …"
"Dog!" The person who came shouted. He was hit in the chest again.
That concubine was scared stiff. Her snow-white body was paralyzed on the ground. The intruder, the gardener from the Ding Family who had come a while ago, turned a blind eye to it. He signaled his accomplice to gag her mouth and tie her up. Then he put Ding Shihao into a sack and dragged him away.
Ding Shihao had lived like a prince for decades. When had he ever been treated like this? He struggled on the ground like a dead dog, but was still sent to the carriage.
Yue Mansion.
"Who are you?" The Mi merchant with the surname Yue confronted them with a dagger. His panicked shout attracted the attention of the servants outside. Heavy footsteps were heard.
The people who came looked at each other and hardened their hearts. The light of the dagger shone brightly under the candlelight. Blood splattered on the ground.
When the servants broke in, only the corpse of the owner whose throat had been cut was left on the spot.
Qin Mansion, Li Family …
"Who are you? Father, Father! Someone come! " Seeing her father being dragged away, the woman wanted to shout again. However, she was cut down by the dagger. Her body stiffened and she collapsed on the ground. Blood flowed everywhere.
…
The next day, when Guangzhou woke up from the dawn, people realized that the weather had changed.
That night, in the silence, many important members of the Chamber of Commerce who held important positions in the Business League were overthrown. He was captured and locked up in a prison.
Anyone who resisted would be killed on the spot without distinguishing between right and wrong.
Some even had their entire family killed.
The ones who took action were the Freedom Army, which had always been regarded as the arm of the Business League.
The one who gave the order to take action and kill those who resisted was Lin Ruoshan, the commander of the Business League's Freedom Army, who was trusted by all the Chamber of Commerce.
There was a bright red piece of paper on the notice board of the Merchant Union at the city gate. The words were written in black ink:
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