Chapter 80: This Wang Zhaozheng is indeed a wonderful person!
In an independent courtyard in the backyard of the carriage shop outside Fuchengmen.
Zhang Cheng said to Niu Sheng: "Niu Sheng, I think you should stay here. Didn't they find a manager at the restaurant in the city? Make arrangements in the next few days and I will meet him."
After a pause, Zhang Cheng said again: "If you stay in the capital and take charge of the business, you can choose some suitable people to hire as shopkeepers. When I return to Dushi this time, I will send you two teams of sergeants.
In the future, not only the capital city, but also Baoding Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, and even Hejian Prefecture and Shunde Prefecture in the south will have some footholds. In addition to carriage shops, grain stores and restaurants will also be opened."
"General, when we go into battle to kill thieves, we will never frown, but we are really scratching our heads about this matter. We have been the general's people in this life, and we don't dare to be vague about anything we are asked to do, but we are just afraid of embarrassing the general.
It's a big event." Niu Sheng took advantage of the wine to reveal his inner thoughts.
Chen Zhong continued his words from the side and said: "Niu Sheng, you are a man. The general left you here in the capital. It is because of his respect and trust in you. You should cherish it if you can stand alone for the general."
ah."
Niu Sheng smiled embarrassedly at what he said, but Wei Zhice next to him reminded him: "Niu Zi, please introduce the situation of Wang Zhaozheng to the general, so that the general can understand it first."
After being reminded by him, Niu Sheng remembered and said hurriedly: "General, although this Wang Zhaozheng is also a scholar, he is not very concerned about fame and fortune, but he is very proficient in eating, drinking and having fun, and he is also quite tactful in people's ways. His shortcomings are
He's just a lavish person, not a businessman."
"Oh, you actually found such a person?"
Zhang Cheng seemed to be very interested, and he continued: "This kind of person is very suitable for activities in the capital. With a scholar's status, although it is lower, it is easier to communicate with officials than me."
Wei Zhice continued: "General, this Wang Zhaozheng is Yu Shi's wife and nephew. He came here two years ago. The family's original intention was for him to study in Beijing so that he could take the imperial examination next year.
But he has indeed been lingering here since then, unwilling to return to his hometown. Na Yu Shi has been worried about this. When I returned to the capital last time, Yu Shi mentioned this matter to me, so I called Wang Zhaozheng.
A stubborn master indeed,
He has only been in Beijing for more than two years, and he is really capable of listening to operas and singing, playing cards and drinking, walking birds and doing weaving. Seeing that he is very smart, I asked him to take charge of our Tongchun Building first. After he took over,
Our Tongchun Tower is indeed quite famous among ordinary officials in Beijing."
Niu Sheng, who was next to him, also added: "General, this Wang Xiucai is really powerful. We didn't expect that such a great scholar could actually pull the beads on an abacus and make them snap. We were afraid that his ancestors were in business."
"This Wang Zhaozheng is indeed a wonderful man!" Zhang Cheng said while taking a sip of rice wine and narrowing his eyes.
"Hahaha……"
While they were joking, everyone in the room laughed in unison. Even Li Changsheng, who didn't talk much on weekdays, teased Niu Sheng: "I said Mr. Niu has become rich now. How many taels of silver does this outfit cost?"
Niu Sheng was a little embarrassed by what he said. Zhang Cheng took over the topic at the right time and asked: "Niu Sheng, you will stay in Beijing to take charge of the overall situation from now on. If there is someone else here, I will confirm your general."
Don't worry either.
As for the business in the city, dealing with various officials and other miscellaneous matters, after I have seen Wang Zhaozheng, if there are no serious problems, I can leave them to him to handle them. You can just pass on the news.
One more thing, if there are suitable people here, you can also recruit them to my command. I can add a team of elite soldiers to you after I go back, but for the time being, I cannot send more, so I allow you to expand the team on your own.
In the future, Baoding Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, even Hejian Prefecture, and Shunde Prefecture will all have arrangements. They will all be grain stores and restaurants in the city, and a large carriage and horse shop will be opened outside the city as a cover.
Further afield, the key points at Zijin, Daoma, Longquan, and Jingxing must also be arranged. I will allow you to act cheaply here, just pay the money and food you need."
Niu Sheng's eyes widened after hearing Zhang Cheng's words. He didn't expect that the general would have such a big layout in the capital.
Wei Zhice was no less shocked than Niu Sheng. He could not imagine why Zhang Cheng wanted to make such a large-scale layout in the capital, what was his intention, and what was his ultimate goal?
Could it be that Zhang Cheng actually wanted to gradually control the capital?
Wei Zhice did not dare to think about it deeply. He knew that Zhang Cheng would never spend so much energy, money and food in the capital for no reason and make such arrangements. This move must have deep meaning and purpose.
Shaking his head to get rid of the lingering questions in his mind, Wei Zhice took another sip of rice wine, while Chen Zhong, Li Changsheng, Lei Zhancheng and others beside him did not have so many thoughts.
They are the simplest: whatever the general says, we do it, we don’t care why, we just execute it.
Everyone ate and drank and chatted for a while. Wei Zhice stood up and said: "General, I think the city gate is about to be closed. I will go into the city right now. You can rest here. I will greet you at the city gate tomorrow."
"
"It's easy to say, so you can help me, Brother Zhice!"
…………
On the first day of June in the twelfth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Cheng once again came to Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Outside Fucheng Gate, he sat on his horse and looked at the majestic figure of the capital.
As the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Beijing deserves to be the largest city in the world. It can even be said to be the largest city in the world at this time. The Forbidden City on Saturday and the Imperial City on Thursday are surrounded by a forty-five-mile circumference.
Inner city.
During the Jiajing period, due to the expansion of Beijing's population, another heavy city was built in the south of the capital, and its circumference also reached a width of 28 miles.
The total area is nearly 100 square kilometers, and the population is as many as one million. In the West at the same time, even cities such as London and Paris at the beginning of the 18th century had a population of less than 500,000.
The capital of the Ming Dynasty was indeed once the most prosperous place in the world, attracting countless people to yearn for it. However, after a period of prosperity, the capital at this time has already shown signs of decadence.
Outside the Fucheng Gate, you can see an overwhelming number of famine victims. Their clothes are knotted in knots, and they are naked in the sun. They are all sallow and thin, just waiting for relief from the government.
There are also those children who cry out intermittently from hunger and exhaustion, or their voices are mournful, or they are weak, and their condition is so miserable that people cannot bear to see it.
Zhang Cheng saw officials and soldiers helping people outside the city gate, but there were too many people and not enough food to help them. He was afraid that they would not be able to provide relief. These were all people from the capital who had been displaced due to the invasion of the Tartars.
Although the captives had retreated, local officials did not gather the refugees in time and organize production to help themselves. This resulted in the refugees wandering around and relying entirely on the government to provide relief to the hungry.
Although there are many houses and shops outside Fucheng Gate, they are not as orderly as in the city, and are slightly messy and scattered. However, when the Donglu invaded, the damage here was not serious, so it looked better.