The origin of domestic piracy can be traced back to the mid-to-late 1980s. To use the fashionable words of the time, it was the contradiction between the people's growing material and cultural needs and the backward productivity. The existence of a contradiction does not mean that there is no solution. The Chinese people have always loved to use their wisdom in the wrong places, so the piracy industry, which is not very respectable, was born with such a sense of mission.
At first, piracy was limited to the book market. In the mid-1990s, with the popularization of home VCDs, it gradually expanded to audio and video products. Then in the new century, from the people's livelihood to the high-tech field, there was almost nothing that could not be pirated, and the times gave it a new and loud new name: Shanzhai!
In Qingzhou in 1996, except for Wen Liang, no one knew how huge the industry would eventually develop into. Not only the general public, but also many people in the government believed that piracy was just a small problem. Of course, small problems are not taken seriously. The final result of not taking them seriously is that they will grow, burst the dam, and flood. When we have to go back to clean up, we don’t know how much effort and hard work it will take.
In the past fifty years of the Republic, this vicious cycle has been repeated endlessly at all levels of society, and no one learns from each failure!
Wan Guangming was just a small figure in a corner of Qingzhou. His confession could only outline a vague underground world for Wen Liang. But it was this glimpse, like seeing flowers in the fog, combined with what he saw and heard in his previous and next two lives, that a clear map of the piracy industry appeared in Wen Liang's mind.
Lingnan, as the Republic's window to the outside world, has naturally become the base camp of the piracy industry. In the past decade, with their unparalleled market sense and imitation spirit, they have grown piracy from nothing to a scale of tens of billions. The production, transportation and sales are efficient and safe, forming a complete industrial chain, which has slowly eroded half of the Republic's market.
The north is of course no exception. Almost all supplies have to be imported from the south. Which books to steal, how much price to set, and how many to print are all controlled by the upstream. Although many northern booksellers have become rich because of this, they have zero actual control over the market. In addition, the journey from south to north is really long, and various risks, costs, and variables mean that a business that could have made ten dollars can only make five dollars. Merchants are profit-driven and are often unwilling to accept this.
But for most people, they can only feel unwilling. If they want to start a new business, they must have money. Without money, they cannot build production lines, expand channels, and even more so, they cannot meet the needs. Second, they must have power. Without power, they cannot guarantee safety, stabilize people's hearts, and it is even more impossible to last. Third, they must have authority. Without authority, it's like a beautiful woman lying naked in a busy city. It's obvious that rape is not a crime, but harassment is justified. Anyone can come and take advantage of her. How can she have time to make money
No one had been able to do all three of these things at the same time, and the north remained in disarray until five years ago, when someone suddenly chose Huanghuai Province, adjacent to Jiangdong, as a base. With abundant funds and connections to both the black and white worlds, they integrated the entire northern market in just two or three years. Although it has not yet reached the scale and height of the south, it has redrawn the north-south dividing line of the piracy industry and has gained enough influence.
In the past two years, this influence has covered most provinces in the north, and almost all major transactions come from the Huanghuai region. There is even a saying in the industry that "without the Huanghuai region, there is no book."
"… This was not the first time that Xinhua Bookstore sold pirated copies. They had cooperated before, but the demand was a little larger this time. The other party had to supply to multiple cities at the same time and could not meet the demand at once. Yan Fuqiu bought 300,000 copies through other channels as an emergency measure. Unexpectedly, this caused dissatisfaction on the other party's part, and they even sent people to smash the store to vent their anger without any scruples…"
Wen Liang listened to Liu Tianlai retelling Wan Guangming's words, and his brows relaxed slightly. The doubts he had about what he had seen and heard today finally had a reasonable answer.
It was a shady business, and you can imagine how much bloodshed there was in the process of occupying the northern market. Yan Fuqiu of Qingzhou Xinhua Bookstore dared to bypass them and purchase goods from the south, which not only broke the rules, but also damaged the prestige. As mentioned earlier, it is far from enough for someone to build such a huge industrial chain in five years to be rich and powerful. Without decisive determination, how can people be in awe of him? Without awe, how can he monopolize this lucrative market
"Wan Guangming hasn't told the truth yet. Yan Fuqiu is not a fool. He knows how powerful the other party is. The only motivation that can make him ignore the danger is profit. The two of them should have made a lot of money from this batch of 300,000 pirated copies..." Wen Liang changed the subject and said, "After saying so much, who is this big man who controls the pirated market in the north?"
Liu Tianlai looked solemn and said, "It is said that it was the Buddha of Guanshan, but no one has any evidence to prove this."
"The Buddha statue in Guanshan?" Wen Liang remained silent. After a long while, he chuckled and said, "It really has a great origin."
"It has been confirmed that the 300,000 books in the South City warehouse are all pirated. The source should be somewhere in the south. However, Yan Fuqiu is still nowhere to be found, and Juanmao and others have not confessed. The clues are cut off here. What do you think we should do next, Master Wen?"
"Have you found out Curly's identity?"
"The curly-haired guy is called Yang Gang, a native of Qingzhou. He has lived in Guanshan since he was a child. Later, he followed Master Buddha. His nickname is Yangchang. He ranks seventh among the twelve beasts..."
Wen Liang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Twelve Beasts?"
Liu Tianlai laughed and said, "They are all nicknames. They call themselves the Twelve Guardians. But coincidentally, the nicknames of these twelve people, from Rat and Ox to Dog and Pig, are all zodiac signs, so outsiders call them the Twelve Beasts."
Wen Liang suddenly realized. He remembered that among the Buddha's subordinates he met on Tianlou Mountain, there was a flatterer named Niu Dao, and another with good skills named Ma Chao. He also heard the word "mouse mouse" from the Buddha. Together with the sheep intestine he met today, there were already four people among the twelve beasts whom he had met and not met.
"Sheep intestines, this nickname is quite unique..."
"This man is the most shameless one among the Buddha's men. He is hated by everyone in the underworld, so they gave him the nickname Yangchang, which means narrow-minded. I didn't expect that he didn't feel ashamed, but instead was proud to call himself that."
Wen Liang tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips. His mind was no longer on piracy. Instead, he thought of what Ning Xi had said after the conflict with Master Buddha, and of Master Yu, who seemed omnipotent and superior.
"Now that we have found out Yang Chang's identity, and he is Buddha's man, he is naturally under Buddha's orders. Can we follow his lead?"
Before Liu Tianlai could say anything, his cell phone rang. After listening to two sentences, his expression suddenly became extremely ugly. He stood up and asked, "What?"
After he hung up the phone, Wen Liang asked calmly, "Are you under pressure from above?"
Liu Tianlai's face was full of anger. Hearing this, he asked in surprise, "Master Wen, how did you know?"
Wen Liang is not a god. Since he knows that Zhuang Shaoxuan is behind the Buddha, and it has been six or seven hours since Yang Chang was captured, it is time for all the gods to show their power. However, he did not say this to Liu Tian because it was unnecessary. He asked, "Tell me, is there anyone in the province who has spoken to you for mercy?"
"No, it was the Provincial Public Security Bureau who sent people here directly. They insisted on taking Yang Chang and the others away, saying that the number and amount of pirated copies involved in this case were too large, and that the Provincial Public Security Bureau would take over from now on..." Liu Tianlai was infected by Wen Liang's calmness, and his impatient mood suddenly eased. He calmed down and gritted his teeth and said, "I'll rush over right away. No matter what, they can't let them take the people away. What a joke. Do they think Qingzhou is something? Do they think I, Liu Tianlai, am a wimp!"
Wen Liang waved his hand and said, "This is a joint operation of the city. You are just a police chief. Why do you have to bear such a heavy burden? Go report to Xu Fuyan and see how he handles it."
Of course Xu Fuyan would not agree. It's not that he values this political achievement. He has never heard of any official who was promoted by cracking down on pornography and illegal publications. It's just that he wants face. What's wrong with the Provincial Public Security Department? They didn't even inform the Municipal Party Committee and wanted to directly promote people from the Public Security Bureau. What is they trying to do
This is too much!
"Liu Tianlai, how do you do your job as the police chief? I asked you to investigate a case. Did you investigate it thoroughly? No? You didn't investigate it thoroughly and even lost the suspect. How are you going to close the case?"
Liu Tianlai responded to the statement submissively, then turned to the deputy director of the provincial department, Lin Liwen, who led the team, and said with a smile: "Director Lin, you see, this case is under the unified leadership of the city, with the industrial and commercial and cultural departments taking the lead. We are just assisting. It is true that the person is detained in the bureau, but it is still in the verification stage, and I don't have the power to transfer it."
Lin Liwen is the uncle of the former director Lin Zhen. How could he have a good impression of Liu Tianlai? It can be said that he deeply hates every tree and blade of grass in Qingzhou. If it weren't for the eldest son's casual remark, the Buddha alone would not have been able to invite him to come to Qingzhou in person to ask for someone.
"Director Liu, it was the department's decision to take over this case. Do you want to call Director Dai to talk to him?"
Dai Anlong is Yu Peidong's favorite general. He has been the head of the provincial department for ten years. He has a sharp style and a hot temper. He is known as the stabilizer of Jiangdong. Even if Liu Tianlai had two more courage, he would not dare to make this call.
Although it is one hundred percent certain that Dai Anlong does not know about this!
But you, Lin Liwen, are not Director Dai. Liu Tianlai sneered in his heart. His name, Liu Dapao, was well-known in Jiangdong. There was no need to beat around the bush with Lin Liwen. He said, "Director Lin, although I think the Qingzhou Municipal Bureau cannot handle this case, even if it is to be transferred to the department, the Municipal Party Committee must have a resolution and report the case to the Provincial Party Committee before the Provincial Department can take over..."
“Bang!”
Lin Liwen didn't expect Liu Tianlai to be so disrespectful. He slammed his palm on the table and said angrily, "You don't want to be the director anymore?"
Liu Tianlai's eyes were slightly mocking, and he said, "Director Lin, whether I want to do it or not, it's not up to me to say, and it doesn't matter what you say!"
(It's the end of the month, if there are still tickets left, please vote for me) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)