On the eighth day of March in the fourth year of Chengshun in the Chu Empire, Song Zushun, the governor of Jiangbei in the Ming Dynasty, led more than 7,000 remnants of the Jiangbei New Biao Army in Yangzhou City, more than 8,000 guardsmen, and more than 20 civil servants including the prefect of Yangzhou.

More than a hundred gentry surrendered to the Chu Empire.

This ended the Yangzhou Campaign that had lasted for more than a month.

After Song Zushun surrendered, Luo Zhixue, the emperor of the Great Chu Empire, appreciated his talent and awarded him the rank of major general in the army. He was appointed as a senior adviser to the army and was transferred to the staff department to observe and study in order to understand and adapt to the Chu army's combat methods.

In the Jiangbei New Standard Army under his original command, officers above the rank of sentry officer were on a voluntary basis. Those who were willing to continue joining the army and passed the assessment were arranged to enter the Army Officer Academy for further training, and they would be assigned to another post after the training was completed.

Those who are unwilling to continue serving in the army can be discharged and returned to the field, or they can be transferred to civilian positions.

Ordinary soldiers, grass-roots non-commissioned officers, team officers, etc. joined the large and small officers transferred from other units and were reorganized into the 102nd Class B Division. They were transferred to Chuzhou to garrison and cooperate with the Second Army.

Thousands of young and strong soldiers from the guards were organized on the spot into multiple reclamation camps, transportation camps, construction camps, etc.

Immediately afterwards, the engineering troops of the Great Chu Empire, with the assistance of a large number of surrendered troops and young people, began to clean up the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in this section of Yangzhou City.

Previously, in order to defend the city of Yangzhou and prevent the Chu army's river warships from moving north along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the Ming army directly used shipwrecks and other means to block the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Only then can the transport ship go all the way north to Huai'an along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

By this time, the Yangzhou Campaign has come to an end, and the aftermath has almost been dealt with.

The next thing to do in Yangzhou City is to eliminate the stubborn elements and crack down on the tax resisters. However, these have nothing to do with the main force of the military. Naturally, the local patrol police and armed tax police are responsible.

After the armed tax police stationed in Yangzhou City, they would naturally cause a bloody storm.

In the first three days alone, the armed tax police, with the cooperation of the military, confiscated 86 houses of recalcitrant officials, gentry, and feudal lords' villas.

Combined with the gold, silver, grain and other materials previously confiscated from the official warehouse, the gold, silver, money and grain that the Chu Empire obtained in a city like Yangzhou was equivalent to half of what it had previously obtained in Jinling City.

And the proportion of gold, silver and cash is higher.

Because there are many salt merchants in Yangzhou city, and many of these salt merchants are actually the white gloves of the Ming court dignitaries, cabinet ministers, and vassal kings. There are no big bosses in the court to support them. If you want to make a lot of money as a salt merchant in Yangzhou,

That's impossible...

How can ordinary businessmen maintain huge profits worth tens of millions of taels?

Therefore, behind the big salt merchants in Yangzhou City are basically various bigwigs from the Ming court.

The assets of these Ming court bosses were naturally confiscated by the Chu Empire. As for the salt merchants, they were just a group of white gloves, and they had no power to make the decision themselves!

If you have a good attitude, after confiscating most of your assets, you will still be left with some left over, which is enough for these white-glove salt dealers to have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives, and there will be no threat to their lives.

Those who had a bad attitude and tried to resist basically had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated.

After a few days of copying, the expenses incurred by the Chu Empire in launching the Jiangbei Campaign were basically recovered by more than half...

Chen Xingkai, who was accompanying him, excitedly reported to Luo Zhixue: "Your Majesty, the confiscated proceeds this time have been basically counted. The gold, silver, copper coins and cash alone amount to more than eight million taels."
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"There are also a large number of paintings and calligraphy curios, shops, houses, farmland and many other industries, as well as a large amount of salt, cloth and other materials."

"After these treasures, industries, and materials are gradually processed, it is estimated that more than 6 million taels can be recovered."

"More importantly, through a large-scale crackdown on Yangzhou salt merchants and taking over the salt fields in Yangzhou Prefecture, our salt industry company will also be able to obtain a large number of salt fields, and the subsequent costs of the salt industry company will be further reduced.

If the supply volume is further increased, this alone will increase the annual profits and taxes of the salt company by at least three million taels."

"As expected of Yangzhou, which is an important town in the salt industry, there are many rich people!"

As Chen Xingkai spoke, he couldn't help but sigh. He had confiscated many cities, but this was the second time he encountered such a wealthy city.

The last time it was Yingtianfu Jinling City.

And where is Yingtianfu Jinling City? It is the core of the entire Jiangnan. As for the pseudo-Ming capital, it is normal for tens of millions to be confiscated.

However, as for Yangzhou City, strictly speaking it is just an ordinary city, and it is not a wealthy place. It just has more convenient transportation and is close to the salt field.

Just relying on salt merchants can push this city to such a high level, which shows how rich the salt merchants are.

Luo Zhixue is also very satisfied with this: "Your tax department has done a good job this time, and we will continue to work hard in the future. There is also Huai'an to the north, which is also an important town for the salt industry and water transportation!"

Chen Xingkai said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The Jiangbei tax patrol police under our tax department are fully prepared. They have seized and confiscated many industries outside Huai'an City in advance. They have controlled the local coastal salt fields and are waiting to come in and take them all in one fell swoop."

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"According to our estimates, Huai'an Prefecture can squeeze out at least another 10 million taels."

After hearing this, Luo Zhixue nodded: "That's good. This Jiangbei Campaign and the subsequent Northern Expedition will cost a lot of money. The tax revenue alone cannot support it. I can count on these two places to make up for the shortfall. Do a good job.

!"

——

Various confiscations in Yangzhou Prefecture are still going on. The salt industry company also moved in in time and took over a large number of coastal salt fields to allow these salt fields to continue production. At the same time, they reorganized the local salt workers and replaced them with voluntary employees.

The method is to recruit these salt workers into the salt industry company as a whole.

This voluntary employment is because the salt fields under the official control of the Ming Dynasty are often cruelly squeezed, so that the salt workers are impoverished and find it difficult to make a living. Moreover, once they cannot hand over enough salt, they will often be severely punished.

Punishment, so it is often heard that saltmen will flee the salt field...

The salt industry company of the Da Chu Empire did not engage in any contracting system, but adopted the method of recruiting workers to manage production on their own. In the past, the salt workers in these salt fields were employed on a voluntary basis. If you are willing to work, you will be paid.

The wages are high, and you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.

Although the salt industry company in the Da Chu Empire adopted an administrative organization management model, in fact the administrative organization model was limited to the upper levels, such as the salt industry general company and the managers of the salt industry branches in each province.

They are all hired managers and ordinary employees.

On the whole, it is actually no different from other large factories affiliated to the Ministry of Industry in the Dachu Empire. They all adopt a model where senior management is officials, and middle and low-level managers and ordinary workers are employees.

I dare not say whether this government-run enterprise model will be good or bad in the future, but at least at this stage, Luo Zhixue feels that it is working well. Luo Zhixue can control the industrial development process through these government-run enterprises.

——

At the same time, Luo Zhixue stayed in Yangzhou City for a few days. After the engineering troops reopened the blocked Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Yangzhou section, he led his troops to continue northward.

The goal of his personal expedition to the north this time was very clear, that is, to personally lead the army and supervise the battle to capture the two strategic cities of Yangzhou and Huaihe River.

As for the battle further north, Luo Zhixue may not go there in person.

The main reason is that the distance is too far, and the subsequent Northern Expedition will last a long time. After defeating Shandong, we will have to defeat Henan, Shaanxi, and Northern Zhili. After defeating Northern Zhili, we will also directly confront the Eastern Capture. At that time, it will inevitably happen again.

We will continue to fight.

During the long Northern Expedition, Luo Zhixue was destined not to be able to personally lead the army and command operations outside for a long time.

As the emperor of the empire, Luo Zhixue cannot leave his capital for too long, as problems may easily arise after a long time.

Therefore, according to Luo Zhixue's plan, this time he personally went to the Northern Expedition and could almost return after capturing Huai'an City.

As for the main army, they will continue to carry out other parts of the Jiangbei campaign, such as taking Hefei, Fengyang, Xuzhou and other places, and pushing the entire front line to Henan and Shandong.

On March 12, Luo Zhixue led the main forces such as the 1st Guards Division, the 4th Division and three mortar regiments to continue heading north, while some troops of the 15th Division stayed in Yangzhou, Tongzhou and other places.

While Luo Zhixue was heading to Huai'an along the canal, a large number of Chu Empire's inland river transport fleets were already sailing towards Huai'an under the cover of the navy's inland river warships and infantry.

On the first day after the Yangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal was opened, the Logistics Department of the Dachu Empire organized more than 500 ships loaded with various combat supplies and food to go north along the canal.

But even though there are more than five hundred ships, there are not many in fact...

The navigation capacity of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal is limited, and these ships are also small-sized canal ships, carrying a small amount of supplies.

When these ships loaded with supplies arrived at Huai'an City first, the Third Army outside Huai'an City also obtained a large amount of ammunition that was in short supply.

Immediately afterwards, the Third Army launched multiple exploratory attacks on Huai'an City.

By the time Luo Zhixue led the First Army and other troops to arrive outside Huai'an City, the Third Army had almost destroyed the peripheral fortifications outside Huai'an City.

And with the arrival of a large number of forty-eight mortars and fourteen-pound heavy artillery, the Third Army's two and a half divisions alone were actually enough to capture Huai'an City.

However, for the sake of conservatism and to reduce casualties, the Chu army still put the two divisions of the First Army into the battle.

On March 17, tens of thousands of Chu troops, under the command of Luo Zhixue, launched an all-out general attack on Huai'an!

Under the indiscriminate bombardment of hundreds of artillery pieces, Huai'an City's defense system was not as good as that of Yangzhou City, and its military strength was not as good as that of Yangzhou City. Even if Yang Sichang personally supervised the battle, it would inevitably fall.

The fierce artillery fire of the Chu army was simply beyond the ability of the Ming army to resist.

Not to mention that the Chu army also had an absolute advantage in strength. With four and a half divisions and four mortar regiments plus some engineers and naval forces, more than 60,000 people participated in the Huai'an Battle.

Under such a disadvantage, Yang Sichang's troops could not hold on for three days.

On March 19, the infantry of the Chu army had already reached the top of Huai'an City!

That night, after hearing that the Chu thieves had broken through the city, Yang Sichang suffered a stroke in despair and fell into coma.

When the sun rose the next day, Yang Sichang, who had been unconscious all night, finally stopped breathing.

At the same time, a huge Chu army flag, 'black border and red background, black dragon holding sword flag', was also raised on the gate tower of Huai'an City.
Chapter completed!