Li Zicheng has always been a decisive person. As long as he wants to do something, he will never hesitate. After confirming that there will be no big battle near Nijiang River, he quickly transferred Li Yan and Lu Weiliang back and started the next step. Following the Tongling Battle
After a few days of calm, southern Zhili became turbulent again.
On November 14th of the third year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng took Liu Zongmin as the vanguard and stormed Nanling City of Ningguo Prefecture. Now the main force of the Beijing camp is in Wuhu, and the Xuanfu army is in Luzhou Prefecture. The troops in Ningguo Prefecture are limited, and the strength of the soldiers and horses is uneven. It only took half a day.
At that time, under the siege of 20,000 peasant troops, Nanling City fell. After taking Nanling, Liu Zongmin was so eager to make a contribution that he bypassed Xuancheng and went straight to Ningguo County in the southeast.
Liu Zongmin made a dangerous move, but he made the right bet. More than 3,000 guardsmen in Xuancheng did not dare to go out of the city to stop them, so they just watched Liu Zongmin's vanguard army swaggering around. November 10
7. The 10,000 peasant army stormed Ningguo County. Ningguo County only had less than 2,000 soldiers and civilians, so how could it be the opponent of the peasant army? It’s ridiculous to say that Ningguo County was defeated after holding on for less than an hour.
After Liu Zongmin captured Ningguo County, he quickly led his troops towards Tianmu Mountain without waiting for Li Yan's troops to arrive.
Tianmu Mountain, Tianmu Mountain, immortals have been in Lin'an since ancient times. The moment the peasant army stepped onto the west Tianmu Mountain, it meant that the peasant army had stepped into the boundary of Zhejiang. The peasant army's troops pointed directly at Zhejiang, and the whole world was shaken for a while, and Hangzhou was in chaos.
Zhejiang is a very special existence for the entire Ming Dynasty. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Su Yang and Zhejiang have paid almost one-third of the taxes of the Ming Dynasty. The prosperity of this place is no worse than that of Su Yang. Although in recent decades,
Taxation in Jiangnan has always been a big problem, but because of this, this is the lifeblood of Qingliu officials. The court has fixed procedures for tax collection, and Qingliu officials have many methods, but when it comes to rogue bandits, there is nothing they can do.
.
The bandits will not tell you any truth, let alone any procedures. They will rob without any scruples. This is Zhejiang. If the bandits are allowed to plunder, half of the country in the south of the Yangtze River will collapse. At this time, South Zhili
The officials were really anxious. At this time, they didn't have much else to worry about. No matter what kind of troops they had, as long as they could save Zhejiang, they were willing to pay any price.
The six ministries in Nanjing have become a mess, not only busy deploying troops and generals, but also busy appeasing the people. Now the Southern Zhili gentry is extremely disappointed with Nanjing. Before the fall of Tongling, there was at most panic. But now, the rogue bandits have been defeated.
Tianmu Mountain has reached its peak, and one hand has reached out to Zhejiang. This is a real threat. Almost all the gentry and dignitaries in Nanjing have interests in Zhejiang, especially those wealthy businessmen. Zhejiang is really going to go wrong, including silk, satin, porcelain, and tea.
, all will be affected. This is not the most important thing, the most important thing is salt. The eight major salt farms in Zhejiang are in charge of the food and drink of millions of people in several southern provinces.
The rogue bandits have just conquered Tianmu Mountain. Salt prices in Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Jiangdu and other places have risen. Those who are crisis-conscious have already begun to buy salt in large quantities. This is just the beginning. Once the rogue bandits really wreak havoc in Zhejiang, it will affect the salt farms.
If it works, the price of salt will inevitably skyrocket. By then, no matter how rich you are, you may not be able to buy salt.
The skyrocketing price of salt at this time is different from the deliberate hoarding of goods by salt merchants, which is caused by the real lack of salt. This is not as good as the deliberate hoarding of goods by salt merchants. At least there is still salt. Now, all major salt merchants are worried
Dead. Shui didn't expect this situation before. Let alone the bandits reaching Zhejiang, even if they hit Luzhou Prefecture, it would be a fantasy. Therefore, the salt merchants did not deliberately stock up on goods. Now they have realized that,
It’s a bit late to stock up on goods.
Salt must not be cut off. Of course, salt merchants do not consider people's livelihood issues, but proceed from their own vital interests. Salt merchants rely on salt diversion and shore diversion to sell salt every year. These are numerous and are settled every year.
, in order to get the corresponding
The salt merchants are desperately trying to grab the salt to divert the salt to the shore, hoping to sell the salt later. The rogue bandits are raging in Zhejiang, and once the supply of the salt field is cut off, it doesn’t take more than one month, and the salt merchants will suffer huge losses.
, even the cost of one year cannot be recovered.
This seems a bit ridiculous. Isn’t the official salt trade a huge profit? Similarly, the official salt trade is a huge profit, but correspondingly, it is not easy to get the salt lead and the shore lead. If you want to get a share from the salt company, you have to pay a lot.
The price of the salt merchant. There are twelve months in a year, and ten of them are collected.
After paying back the cost, the remaining two months are the real money-making. Even if you only make money in two months, you can earn at least tens of thousands of taels per month. Because of this, it is said that official salt profits are huge, but similarly,
If you can't get salt for two months this year, you will definitely lose money.
Of course, it is easy to make money, just raise the price of salt. However, the price of salt is officially supervised and strictly controlled. Does it mean that the price can be raised by raising the price? In normal times, everyone relies on connections and collusion between government and businessmen to raise the price slightly.
Not bad. If you dare to raise the price at this juncture, it will arouse public resentment. In order to appease the people, the court may kill you.
Wealthy merchants gathered in Suyang and other places, mainly salt merchants and weavers. Among them, salt merchants can be said to be the mainstream of merchants. The four major salt merchants in Jiangnan, Wu, Yang, Xu, and Xiao, were all concentrated in Yangzhou and Nanjing. However, Yangzhou and Nanjing were no more than
It was separated by a river, so after the rogue bandits went south to Tianmu Mountain, all the major salt merchants went to Nanjing to put pressure on the imperial court.
The salt merchants are also forced. If they cannot fight off the bandits as soon as possible, they may lose all their money. The official salt business means huge profits, and compared with other businesses, it is also very stable. Because of this, the salt merchants
Businessmen’s annual investment is astronomical, absolutely
It is not comparable to merchants in other industries. It is common for salt merchants to go to the Salt Transportation Department to get a share, which can easily cost several million taels. Take this year as an example, the Xiao family and the Xu family are trying to win over Yangzhou Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture.
The shore, plus the purchase of salt, is 9 million taels for one family and 7 million taels for the other.
If such a large amount of money is lost, even big families like the Xu family and the Xiao family will be hurt. If the gangsters are struggling for half a year and the official salt business plummets, then the more you invest, the more you will lose.
, Therefore, the salt merchants were definitely the ones who most actively put pressure on the imperial court, and the ones taking the lead were the Xiao family and the Xu family.
Recently, due to the epidemic, Xiao Ruxue obtained a large amount of medicinal materials from Henan Prefecture, allowing the Xiao family to make a fortune by taking advantage of this trend. But before they had time to be happy, the bandits invaded South Zhili.
for reselling medicine
The joy brought by the material was washed away in an instant. As the head of the Xiao family, Xiao Zhenlin naturally wanted to come to Nanjing in person for such a big matter as putting pressure on the court. Xiao Ruxue also came here. At this time, Xiao Ruxue
Xue was in a very bad mood.
Xiao Ruxue came to Nanjing not to quarrel with those court officials. She came here for other people. There were some things that others didn't know, but she knew.
Ever since the Xuanfu soldiers and horses arrived at Luzhou Prefecture, two virtuous housekeepers from the Tiemo family had quietly entered Nanjing. Although this matter was secretive, for Xiao Ruxue, who paid close attention to these two women, she wanted to know
, is not a difficult task.
The gentry and dignitaries in Southern Zhili all set their sights on Tie Mo, but they had no idea how terrifying these two women, Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue, were. The rogue bandits entered Southern Zhili. To say that Tie Mo had no idea about it was purely false.
It was a liar. In Xiao Ruxue's opinion, the bandits were deliberately let into Nanzhili by Tie Mo. Now that the bandits have arrived in Zhejiang, I would like to ask the two women how this matter will end.
After entering Nanjing City, Xiao Ruxue asked the servant to drive the carriage to the Qinhuai River. The servant was very puzzled, "Miss, don't we follow the master to the Salt Transportation Department?"
"No, go to Nuanxin Pavilion!" Xiao Ruxue frowned, looking worried. From the beginning, she and her father Xiao Zhenlin had different ideas. She felt that at this time, she would go to the Salt Transportation Department to put pressure on the court.
Not a good idea.
What good solution do those officials from the Sixth Department of Nanjing have? If they could drive out the bandits, why not wait until now? So, it is useless to go to those officials, and it is even more useless to put pressure on the Salt Transportation Department.
.At this time, the only person who can really turn around the situation in Southern Zhili is Tie Mo. Recently, this guy has almost been hiding behind the scenes, hiding in Luzhou Prefecture and doing nothing. This is too abnormal.
Nuanxin Pavilion is a very famous restaurant by the Qinhuai River. Because this restaurant is located in the middle section of the Qinhuai River, with more than a dozen hook-and-rail boats on the left and right, the business is naturally booming. Nuanxin Pavilion integrates restaurant accommodation, and welcomes guests who come and go.
Even many Nanjing gentry would stay here for two days every month.
The haze of war hung over the south of the Yangtze River, and the entire southern Zhili was panicked. But on both sides of the Qinhuai River, it was a different scene. After nightfall, lanterns were hung high on both sides of the river. Although the winter was cold and the boats were no longer there, the hooks and railings were still there.
It is a melodious music, the music is constantly playing, passers-by are smiling, and there is a prosperous scene on the long street. A scene of a long river, a scene of joy, as if the haze outside has nothing to do with this place.
A window in the private room on the third floor of Nuanxin Pavilion was slightly open, and the cool breeze was blowing. Two beautiful women stood at the window, looking at the night view of Qinhuai. The sound of silk and bamboo could be heard from both sides, and occasionally accompanied by the melodious singing of girls.
A woman is
Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, without the slightest hint of joy. After a while, one of them closed the window and sighed softly: "Finally I know why the ancients would sigh. The merchant girl didn't know the hatred of the country's subjugation, but she still sang the flowers in the backyard across the river. This feeling and scene are incredible.
That’s it?”
Tonight, Hai Lanzhu truly realized that artistic conception. How helpless she felt when she wrote such a poem? Of course, these have nothing to do with her. It seems that the more this happens, the more beneficial it is to herself.
Chang Minyue sat at the low table and filled a cup of hot tea. Just when she was about to take a sip, she turned her head and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and sneezed. The two girls had lived in the north for a long time and were not afraid of the cold, but they were not afraid of the humidity and coldness in the south.
The climate was a bit uncomfortable. A few days after arriving in Nanjing, Chang Minyue caught wind and cold, but fortunately it was not serious.
After drinking tea and warming up her body, Chang Minyue smiled lightly and said, "Sister, don't worry about the ancients. Let's think about the next step. Have you decided on the price?"
Hailanzhu thought for a while, smiled slightly, and made a vague gesture in the air with his delicate hand, "Now is not the time. What price we want depends on how much noise Zhejiang can make. If we need to increase the amount of money to find those people now, I'm afraid they will
You think we are fools. But the business here is really tempting, and the money here is much better than in the north."
"Yeah, how else can we talk about raising people in the south of the Yangtze River?" A look of helplessness appeared on Chang Minyue's pretty face. The fur trade business is also hugely profitable. It can be said that the fur trade business has supported Shanxi merchants, but think about the fur trade.
, take a trip to Kulunurg, and half of the ten people are left. Huge profits from furs, that is a hard work. How can this business in Jiangnan also make a profit of one million taels a year, and the wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan are lying down and leisurely at home.
Just make a profit, unlike the business in the north, which is so scary.
Perhaps it is because of the abundant profits and prosperous life in Jiangnan that merchants from Jiangnan unite to resist the inflow of external forces. For decades, merchants from the north have tried to find ways to bring their business to the south, but they have all failed. This is probably because the government and businessmen in Jiangnan are integrated.
, unanimously to the outside world, how can a mere northern merchant succeed?
This time, Chang Minyue wanted to extend her hand.
The rogue bandits causing trouble in southern Zhili was a disaster for Jiangnan merchants, but for Chang Minyue, it was an opportunity.
The two chatted for a while, and then a maid knocked on the door, "You two ladies, the eldest lady of the Xiao family wants to see you. She is downstairs now."
Hai Lanzhu was stunned for a moment, but she was not too surprised. Xiao Ruxue knew that they were in Nanjing City, which was normal. Xiao Ruxue was a very shrewd woman. I am afraid that when the bandits broke into Luzhou Mansion, she would have
He noticed it. He put down the hot tea in his hand and smiled at Chang Minyue: "Sister, I think Miss Xiao came to us to ask for punishment this time!"
Chang Minyue smiled and said, "Initiate an investigation? So what? As long as there are enough benefits, Xiao Ruxue will still cooperate with us. As long as there are enough benefits, Xiao Ruxue will still cooperate with us. She, asking for guilt is false, but asking for benefits is true."
Hai Lanzhu nodded in agreement. She agreed with Chang Minyue. If Xiao Ruxue really wanted to ask questions, she would not be here alone. If she really wanted to ask questions, Nuanxin Pavilion would probably be crowded with Jiangnan merchants by now.
, those officials from the Southern Zhili Province would also rush forward unceremoniously to ask for an explanation.
Soon, Xiao Ruxue went upstairs. She and Hai Lanzhu were already familiar with each other, so after meeting, she asked directly with a cold face: "Madam, what are your intentions? Supervisor
Your Excellency, if Chen Bing doesn't go forward, let alone the fact that the rogue bandits are attacking Zhejiang, it has nothing to do with you."
These two women must be the first to know what Tie Mo does. If there is any conspiracy involved, how can Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue not know about it?
Xiao Ruxue sat at the table with a cold face. Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue looked at each other and smiled. Chang Minyue filled a cup of tea and said softly: "Since Miss Xiao is here, we won't hide it from you. The bandits went to Zhejiang.
It does have something to do with us. So, what are you going to do? Tell the officials in the palace to arrest us?"
Chang Minyue admitted simply and answered more straightforwardly. But the more this happened, the more confused Xiao Ruxue became, and she didn't know how to answer the question for a while.
