Chapter 395: Leaving Beijing and returning to Liaodong
No matter how Emperor Chongzhen used the resources of Dongjiang Town to show his love and compassion for the people, he was a benevolent emperor.
The issuance of the imperial edict made immigration to Liaodong a national policy, which was much stronger than Dongjiang Town's propaganda and solicitation.
Immigration also solved many problems for Chongzhen, such as the Liao people who escaped and were resettled in the Gyeonggi area, and the tens of thousands of refugees in the northwest, which all caused social instability.
In the eyes of Chongzhen and his court officials, the return of the Liao people to their hometowns and the peaceful settlement of the refugees meant that the source of disaster was eliminated.
In addition, in March, the Shaanxi peasant uprising army entered Shanxi, broke through Shaanxi Province, and spread, which had to arouse the vigilance and attention of the monarchs and ministers.
In a situation of internal and external difficulties, Chongzhen became increasingly aware of the drag of the Liaodong war. If the military expenditure was not too high, the imperial court could provide money and food to help the victims, so how could the refugee rebellion intensify?
Now, Zu Dashou's more than 30,000 troops have shrunk back to Ningyuan. Chongzhen only regards them as a buffer to close the door, but has no hope that they can pacify Liao and destroy the captives.
Therefore, the important task of Pingliao had to fall on Dongjiang Town. Chongzhen agreed to Mao Wenlong's proposal without much hesitation.
As long as you don't spend your own money, you can talk about anything. Besides, they all hope that Dongjiang Town will wipe out the slaves!
As long as he can save money, Chongzhen's IQ drops sharply and he thinks little about the consequences.
Originally, he wanted to buy the musket from Dongjiang Town, but after seeing the quotation, Chongzhen asked the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, and changed the idea to have it copied and made by the Ordnance Bureau.
But this money cannot be saved. According to the craftsmanship system, there are corrupt officials at the top and craftsmen who are messing around. How big can the muskets and blunderbuss that the Ming army feared like tigers be?
the difference?
In addition to muskets, under the suggestions of Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua, the plan to build Hongyi cannon was also put into practice.
However, because Dongjiang Town was not rare, it was of little use to other Ming armies. The artillery that Sun Yuanhua was responsible for building was basically used to strengthen the defense of Ji Town and the capital.
Today's situation is much better than in history. Although the impact of the war in Gyeonggi was bad, the final losses were not too great.
The plundered people returned to their hometowns to rebuild their homes, and the imperial court also provided some financial aid, so spring plowing finally took place. People's hearts gradually stabilized, and the situation seemed to have stabilized.
But this is only on the surface. The earthquake in the court caused by Jian's accession to the throne and Yuan Zonghuan's imprisonment is still lingering, and the drama of fighting for power is far from over.
It is said in history books that the remnants of the Eunuch Party took the opportunity to overturn the rebellion and attack the Donglin Party. Han Xu, Qian Longxi, Cheng Jiming, Li Biao and others in the Donglin Party cabinet resigned and were replaced by Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren and others.
The sycophant minister took over the cabinet.
Who allowed the Donglin Party to write history books? All of their people are upright and honest. But in fact, they are all corrupt and shameless.
The Donglin Party was attacked again. How similar is this scene?
When Emperor Tianqi first came to the throne, he also placed great emphasis on the Donglin Party, so-called "all the people are upright and prosperous in the court." But when Emperor Tianqi saw their faces clearly, he had to use the eunuchs to attack and suppress the Donglin Party.
After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he denounced the Eunuch Party, and the Donglin Party made a comeback. However, in just two years, they messed up again.
A bunch of hypocrites who only know how to talk and talk nonsense, and are incompetent people who don't do shit.
This is Guo Dajing's evaluation of the Donglin Party. Just look at the performance of the Donglin Party's stronghold, Jiangnan, in the turbulent late Ming Dynasty, when the country's subjugation was not far away, and you can clearly understand the character of the Donglin Party.
Qian Qianyi, one of the leaders of the Donglin Party, bought luxury houses and famous prostitutes, and was famous for his "water is too cold";
Which of the other officials of the Donglin Party, whether in office or retired, does not have thousands of acres of fertile land and high-rise houses?
The north is in dire straits, while the south is singing and dancing to bring peace. However, the Donglin Party still wants to cheer for the businessmen and gentry, asking the court to stop competing with the people for profits, and increasing taxes and taxes will put pressure on the peasants who can no longer afford to eat.
Not only the Donglin Party, but also the nobles and nobles of the clan were all the same. Chongzhen was so poor that he urinated blood and shamelessly asked for donations. These guys had gold and silver, but they were unwilling to spend a little money to save the country and care for the people.
It is said that even sweeping the cracks in the floors of rich people's homes would be enough to feed the poor for three years.
But in the eyes of the clan, nobles, officials, and wealthy businessmen, any damage to their interests is as painful as having their flesh cut off.
How can they live a life of "tightening their belts" when they are used to living a comfortable life? In their view, neither the country nor the people are more important than their own self-interest.
Guo Dajing has already seen this clearly and is holding back his energy. When he takes over the world, he will take action against the fat "Zhu" and the unkind bastards who serve the rich.
The intelligence personnel of the Military Intelligence Department far away in the capital have also entered a rotation period. Some have left, some have stayed, and some have come new. The general principle is to reduce the number of intelligence sites.
Yuan Chonghuan was no longer a problem. Guo Dajing did not want to care about the affairs in the court and Chongzhen's actions, and he could not care about them.
And with the imperial edict encouraging immigrants, He Guizhong had even more legitimate reasons.
The tavern had been sold out, so he packed his bags and was about to go to Qinhuangdao with his two waiters and subordinates, escorting a group of livestock back to Liao.
He Guizhong had eaten early, walked around the shop and courtyard with his hands behind his back. If he said he had no feelings, that would be a lie.
This is a shop that he put his efforts into and made his name famous. He has wiped every table and every chair. He even knows clearly which table has what kind of scratches.
It seems that the noise of drinkers is still in his ears, and the aroma of wine and meat is still in his nose. The excitement is lively, and making money is not fake, but this is not his home after all.
Two familiar figures appeared in front of them. Xiaocui and Xiaolong bowed to Boss He and saluted, somewhat hesitantly not knowing how to speak.
He Guizhong smiled and said: "You don't need to see me off, the most important thing is to find a good place to live and a good job as soon as possible."
"No, it's not." Xiaocui finally spoke with some difficulty, with a red cloud on her face, "We, we want to follow you."
No wonder I blush, no wonder I can't express myself easily. This is capricious and bald.
You know, half a month ago, He Guizhong had already started to sell the store to foreigners and dismissed the hired workers. At that time, he asked the Xiaocui siblings and told them that they didn't have to worry about their livelihood in Liaodong.
But Xiaocui politely refused, which made He Guizhong feel quite unhappy. However, he still gave his sister and brother two months' wages as severance pay in accordance with the standards of other employees.
Seeing that Boss He frowned and didn't speak immediately, Xiao Cui felt aggrieved and prostrated deeply on the ground, saying in a trembling voice: "It's because I'm ignorant and don't understand good people. Now I regret it so much and I'm so shameless."
, and asked Boss He."
Xiaohu also kowtowed and said: "Boss He is the most kind-hearted person in the world. It's because we are ungrateful and because we don't know how high the heaven and earth are..."
The siblings were apprehensive and even fearful about going to Liaodong. This was the main reason why they had not agreed to He Guizhong before.
But in this capital city, it is really difficult for the siblings to live.
At that time, most of the men were working to support their families, and there were no women working part-time to make money. Some were also maids, or people doing laundry, but I didn't see any pubs or teahouses using waitresses.
Xiaocui still has a half-year-old brother, so where can she find a good job that provides food, shelter, and wages?
Not only did they run into obstacles everywhere, but they also had plates broken, beaten up, and even teased. It is difficult to describe all the hardships. Only then did the siblings realize that the world is difficult, and in desperation, they shamelessly came to seek help from He Guizhong.
Hearing the words of regret and apology, He Guizhong couldn't help but softened when he saw the bruises on Xiaocui's hands.
"We're leaving today. If you're not ready, you can't wait." He Guizhong's words were firm, but his tone had softened.
"Ready, everything is ready." Xiaocui responded quickly and without any hesitation.
Xiaolong also said quickly: "We were just wandering outside the store yesterday, and we didn't have the nerve to come in."
"Get up!" He Guizhong rolled his eyes and said, "Have you eaten? If you haven't eaten, just buy some bedding on the street. Do you still have money?"
"Yes, I have money." Xiao Cui and Xiao Long stood up and handed a few taels of silver to He Guizhong, "It didn't cost much. We followed Uncle He and the money must be paid back to you."
He Guizhong waved his hand and said: "No need, you can keep it for yourself!"
At this time, two men led the horse and drove the car to stop at the door of the store, and came in to greet He Guizhong. They were not surprised to see the Xiaocui sister and brother. They were the ones who let the person in, and their attitude was still very close.
"Let's go!" He Guizhong walked out of the gate, looked back at the "Dong Laishun" sign, smiled to himself, took the reins of the horse, got on his horse, and walked towards the city gate.
At the feet of the emperor, the capital is prosperous, but it is just meager.
As He Guizhong's carriage passed through the dark city gate, his eyes suddenly opened up, and the bright spring light shone on him, making people feel refreshed.
The Xiaocui siblings were sitting in the car, getting farther and farther away from the capital. They saw the countryside, green grass and flowers, and felt comfortable.
"I didn't expect Boss He to be so good at riding a horse." Xiaolong was very surprised. He didn't expect his boss to be so proficient in riding skills.
The clerk Chen Zhong laughed and said: "There are many things you didn't expect, and you will find out gradually in the future. Boss He is not only good at riding horses, but also with Guo..."
Finally still alert, Chen Zhong hesitated to speak, smiled self-consciously, waved his hand, and said, "You will know later."
Xiaocui and Xiaolong looked at each other, but they couldn't guess that Boss He had killed Jianlu and fought alongside General Guo.
But they didn't think much about it. They looked at the scenery around them and, with a little anxiety, rushed to Liaodong, thousands of miles away, towards a new life.
………………
Qinhuangdao.
Three docks have been built, one can accommodate the largest sea-going ships of the Dongjiang Army, and the other two are smaller.
Spring plowing has passed, and enough people are finally able to be hired. A few miles away from the pier, a large row of courtyards is under construction. This will be a temporary residence for immigrants, waiting for the ship to sail to Liaodong.
There is a small camp not far away, where more than a hundred musketeers are stationed, guarding the port facilities, responsible for order, and suppressing possible riots.
Meng Hao was sent to Qinhuangdao by Guo Dajing. He was the chief officer responsible for transporting people and horses and maintaining the operation of the port. He was on the list of meritorious officials for the great victory of Zunhua, and his current official official position is Dusi.
"Money is not an issue, the key is quantity and quality." Meng Hao was lecturing a few of his subordinates with a displeased look on his face, "If you don't have the ability, just contact the merchants. As long as their quotations are not too outrageous, you can accept them."
.”
A subordinate wearing a fur coat, with a round face and small eyes, who looked like a businessman, said: "Sir, you don't know something. In Xuan Dama City, you have to bribe the generals guarding the gates and the officials of Ma City.
Only then are they allowed to trade in the horse market. Calculated this way, the price of horses will be much higher."
"Yes!" Another handman agreed: "It's a long way from Xuanda to here, and it takes a lot of money to drive horses and cattle to get here."
Meng Hao asked in confusion: "Then why do some merchants buy horses at prices that are not too high? Don't they need to pay bribes?"
"They also pay bribes." The round-faced man blinked his eyes and said, "But in addition to buying horses, cattle and sheep, they also smuggled contraband out. As they come and go, they make money, and naturally they can keep the price of horses down.
Already."
"If we smuggle, we will definitely be severely investigated by Xuanda's soldiers." Another subordinate continued: "Those businessmen have been connected with them for a long time, so naturally they turn a blind eye."
Meng Hao frowned. He didn't expect that there was such a secret. The soldiers guarding the border were so unworthy that they directly participated in smuggling and even accepted bribes.
"Only the newly opened horse market in Xifengkou is better." His subordinates continued to report: "But the tigers and rabbits outside the border are at war with the Mongolian tribes who are descending on gold, so the scale of horse market transactions is not large."
Meng Hao sighed helplessly, cupped his hands, and said, "I wrongly blamed you."
Another subordinate reported: "Sir, in the horse market trading, the Mongols are more willing to barter. Cloth, silk, iron pots and other daily necessities, as well as tea and grain, are what they prefer."
"Of course, ironware and grain are prohibited items. If you don't make friends with the border guards, you will be easily caught and investigated."
Meng Hao scratched his head, feeling very depressed. He didn't expect that there were so many ways to trade in the horse market.
"It would be better to establish contact with the horse dealers to save trouble." The round-faced men suggested: "Whatever they need, we will find a way to get it. As for how they smuggle it, we have no control and no responsibility."
Meng Hao stretched out his hand and tapped his round face, and said: "Well, your suggestion is very good, let's do this first! You also know that we in Dongjiang Town are short of cattle and horses. The more we buy, the greater the credit."
Several of his men followed the order and left, leaving only Meng Hao sighing and shaking his head.
Originally I wanted to save the price difference to the merchant, but now it seems that it is unrealistic. Fortunately, according to the market price of horses and cattle, if you buy directly from the merchant in large quantities, you can save a lot.
In addition to horses and cattle, there are immigrants. Dongjiang Town is still short of people, but despite the imperial edict, there are still not many people who want to immigrate to Liaodong.
Now, we can only wait and see how many victims the government can send from the northwest. But judging from the efficiency of the government, we can't have much hope.
Meng Hao stroked his forehead, thinking hard about a solution, but he had no idea at the moment.