Since ancient times, official salt has been a huge profit, but the official salt trade is closely connected with the officialdom. At the same time, if you are not careful, your whole family may be killed. The Shen family, a salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River, was once prosperous.
However, the enemy country was beaten to the point of no return because it damaged the officialdom of Nanzhili.
There are two middle-aged men sitting in the private room on the second floor of Nuanxin Pavilion. They are Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le, the heads of the Xiao family and Xu family. They came to Nuanxin Pavilion today to continue talking about things. I don’t know what happened before.
No matter how many times we tried, we still couldn't reach an agreement. However, we didn't give up. From this point of view, Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le didn't refuse to cooperate, but they had other worries.
Before Tie Mo and others came, Xu Le looked at the old acquaintance next to him and said with a faint smile: "Brother Zhenlin, how have you considered what Xu mentioned before?"
Xiao Zhenlin frowned slightly, put down the tea cup in his hand, and said with some annoyance: "Brother Xu, please don't mention this matter again. Xiao can only say that it is absolutely impossible at this time."
"Huh? Are the rumors true?" Xu Le asked in surprise, "Brother Zhenlin, you have to think clearly, there are already Hailanzhu, Chang Minyue and Aqige around the Iron Governor.
Niece Xiao’s talent, appearance and status seem a bit inappropriate.”
"Brother Xu, do you think Xiao will be so confused?"
"Then why are there rumors... could it be Xiao's niece?" Xu Le opened his mouth half-open, and when he saw Xiao Zhenlin nodding, his eyes showed disbelief. Xiao Ruxue himself wanted to marry Tie Mo? This woman
Haven't you always been arrogant? How could you do this?
After learning the truth, Xu Le wisely stopped mentioning the matter of marriage. Xiao Ruxue had an idea of her own and wanted to arrange a marriage between Xu and Xiao. Isn't that asking for trouble? Xu Le had always wanted to let Xiao Ruxue
As your own daughter-in-law, if something like this happens now, you will naturally not be in a good mood. As for Xiao Zhenlin, she will not be happy even more.
The two of them wisely put aside this topic and talked about the main topic, "Brother Zhenlin, I guess you feel it in your heart, right? The supervisor has repeatedly asked the two ladies to come to us, probably because of the salt farm matter. If the supervisor mentioned it personally,
How should we respond to this matter?"
How could Xiao Zhenlin not know what Xu Le was thinking? After thinking for a short time, he said frankly: "To be honest with Brother Xu, Xiao has no idea in his mind. In fact, you and I both know that official salt should not be touched lightly. Many things are not decided by you or me.
Yes, but the Superintendent cannot be offended easily."
Xiao Zhenlin finally expressed Xu Le's depression. If he wasn't in a dilemma, why delay it until now? This time when he came to Nuanxin Pavilion, the Iron Superintendent would probably talk to him in person. It would be unreasonable to think about delaying like before.
Okay. The Superintendent needs a clear attitude here, but the Nanjing officialdom cannot be offended.
During the conversation, light footsteps came from outside, and the two of them closed their mouths in unison and sat upright. Soon, the door was pushed open, and Tie Mo led Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue in. They entered the door.
, Tie Mo cupped his hands and smiled sheepishly: "I encountered some temporary business and was delayed. Sorry, you two have been waiting for a long time."
Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le quickly stood up and returned the salute, saying respectfully: "What are you talking about, Superintendent? Superintendent is busy with official duties. If it's important, it doesn't matter if I wait a little longer!"
The two parties exchanged pleasantries and sat down. Because Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue had already talked to Xiao and Xu many times before, Tie Mo didn't want to talk more and went straight to the point. He frowned, a little
He sighed in annoyance: "You two, I think you know the official salt situation in Southern Zhili better than I do. The price of salt in Yangzhou has soared to two taels of silver per catty, and there is a further trend. Now the people are gnashing their teeth in hatred, so
We are drinking the blood of the people. Yes, you said that the bandits have been driven away, so why does the price of salt increase instead of falling? Most people are blaming the salt merchants for having no conscience. If this kind of thing continues, I'm afraid something will happen.
Big problem.”
Xiao Zhenlin couldn't help but feel a little bit in their hearts. They were really afraid that something might happen. When the Superintendent opened his mouth, he mentioned the matter of official salt. They didn't want to talk about it, but Tie Mo brought it up personally. They couldn't pretend not to know. After a long time,
After that, Xu Le nodded gloomily, "We also know about this, but you also understand, Superintendent, that the salt price is really beyond our control. At the moment, Hangzhou and Xiuzhou are in a mess.
The salt field is occupied by salt cubes, and not even a grain of official salt can be transported out."
Xu Le seemed to be sincere, but what he said was half-truth and half-false. At least Xiuzhou could have produced some official salt, but due to Hangzhou's decree, the salt field was directly blocked. The Xiao and Xu families were the leading snakes in Jiangnan.
, they are naturally aware of the things inside, but they will not say that there are some things that they cannot interfere with.
Xu Le tried to dodge the easy matter and wanted to get through, but Tie Mo didn't want to let them go easily. He stared at the two of them and said with a serious look: "These words are obviously untrue, right? Why is Guan Yan like this? You two really don't
Do you know? It's just that you don't dare to say it. You don't dare to say it. The governor doesn't care that much. Blocking the salt field at this time is making a joke on the lives of the people in South Zhili and the future of the salt merchants.
To put it bluntly, once things get out of hand, who do you think should bear the final responsibility?"
Gradually, Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le's expressions became a little complicated. Once the official salt incident got serious, the court would definitely find someone to take action in order to calm down the public's anger, so the Xiao family and the Xu family, as the leaders of the salt merchants, would definitely bear the brunt. Moreover,
, the public resentment is getting deeper and deeper. Once trouble breaks out, the first to be unlucky will be the Xiao family and the Xu family. Especially the Xiao family. Jiangdu is too close to Yangzhou. The price of salt in Yangzhou is soaring now.
The area hardest hit by the Salt Rebellion, once the chaos breaks out, the Xiao family doesn't know how much they will lose.
Moreover, the Iron Supervisor just said something. According to the current situation, it is likely to develop to the point where it is uncontrollable. Even if it does not reach that point, the Iron Supervisor will find a way to make the situation uncontrollable. This point,
Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le had no doubts at all. In just one sentence, they not only stated the salt merchant's situation, but also contained a threat.
Xiao Zhenlin frowned. He was very unhappy in his heart, but he couldn't do anything to Tie Mo. He could only sigh: "Supervisor, why do you have to say that? We also know what you want. You and the officialdom of Nanzhili
We also know something about the festival, but if you want to use our hands to intervene in the affairs of Zhejiang Saltworks, we really can't help you. Salt affairs are no better than others. If you are not careful, you will lose everything...
....”
Jiangnan Salt Affairs has always been the heart of the imperial court, but it is also the private treasury of hundreds of officials in Nanzhili and Donglin. If there is a conflict over the salt affairs, it is tantamount to betraying the entire officialdom. Is there still a way to survive?
Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le looked firm, which made Tie Mo helpless. Of course, he could continue to force the two families, but forcing them would only force the Xiao and Xu families to fall into the arms of others faster. Even if they couldn't win them over,
, at least they cannot be made determined to stand with the Southern Zhili officialdom.
Hai Lanzhu and Chang Minyue looked very ugly. They didn't expect that Tie Mo had come to talk in person. They still didn't give Tie Mo any face. Hai Lanzhu wanted to say something, but as soon as he stood up, he saw
Tie Mo made a gesture to signal her not to be impulsive.
The scene was a little deserted for a while, and Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le looked even more embarrassed. After a long time, Tie Mo was the first to break the calm. He smiled bitterly, shook his head, and sighed, "It seems that Tie's request is a little inappropriate.
But what if Mr. Tie doesn’t need you to intervene in the salt affairs? If you have other things to do, can’t you help?”
"Don't interfere with the salt affairs?" Xiao Zhenlin was the first to react. He knew very well that as long as the salt affairs were not involved, with the Xiao family's status and connections in South Zhili, there would be no disaster. Tie Mo had already
After relenting, Xiao Zhenlin naturally would not miss this opportunity and said quickly: "What do you say, Superintendent? As long as it does not involve salt affairs, my Xiao family and Xu family can help with other matters, no matter what."
Xu Le then nodded heavily. As long as the Xiao family and the Xu family are not allowed to interfere with the salt affairs, everything will be easy to discuss. As for Tie Mo's fight with the Southern Zhili officialdom, will they be able to fight against the iron plate of official salt in the end?
To get a piece of meat, it depends on the methods of both sides. If the South Zhili officialdom really loses a move, the salt merchants cannot be blamed.
Finally there was a smile on Tie Mo's face, "That's good. To be honest with you two, Tie Mo would like to ask you to help take over the Zhejiang Dongwan Shipyard."
"Superintendent, the Dongwan Shipyard you want?" Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le were both surprised. They really didn't think about it at all. The two of them are no strangers to Dongwan Shipyard. This shipyard is closely related to Nanjing Longwan Shipyard and Nanjing Longwan Shipyard.
The Fujian Shipyard is different in that it is a private shipyard. Since more than 30 years ago, the Dongwan Shipyard has been run by the Hou family. However, the owners behind the shipyard are not only the Hou family, the Xiao family, the Xu family and the Feng family, but the Xiao family and the Xu family
The family even accounts for the majority. Therefore, the Xiao family and the Xu family are the actual owners of these two shipyards.
Dongwan Shipyard, which is located at the eastern dock of Hangzhou, has been mainly building merchant ships, and the merchant ships it built also supported the maritime trade of merchants in the south of the Yangtze River. Although the Ming Dynasty had never been exposed to the sea ban, in fact, by the end of Wanli, the sea ban had existed in name only.
Especially in Zhejiang and Fujian, there are countless fleets going out to sea for trade. Merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are making a lot of money from sea trade.
"Superintendent, what do you want from Dongwan Shipyard? That shipyard only builds some small merchant ships. It's useless if you want the shipyard!" Unknowingly, Xiao Zhenlin's brows furrowed tightly, as if he was nervous inside.
.
Tie Mo curled his lips, leaned on the ground, and laughed softly: "You two, you don't have to hide it from me, right? Since I am interested in Dongwan Shipyard, how can I not do some research in advance? On the surface, the shipyard only builds commercial ships, but
There are a lot of warships produced in the shipyard every year, right? One-third of the warships in the hands of Zheng Zhilong of Taiwan are from Dongwan Shipyard. Dongwan Shipyard has made a lot of money in recent years by relying on Zheng Zhilong, right? And Zheng Zhilong also
Protected the waterway for you..."
Seeing Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le's expressions change drastically, Tie Mo had to comfort him: "You don't have to worry. Tie wants the shipyard not because he wants to cause trouble in sea trade, but because he wants to get a piece of the sea trade. But.
, Tie is different from you, I don’t want to rely on Zheng Zhilong alone, I want to have my own fleet, and I must win the Dongwan Shipyard.”
"This... Well, since the supervisor thinks so, what else can we say? As long as there is a suitable price, we will convince the Hou family and the Feng family to let the shipyard out. However, in the future, the sea trade will
matter......"
"As for sea trade, everyone can rest assured that everything will continue as usual. Tie guarantees that in the future, everyone will only earn more from sea trade than now."
"So good." Xiao Zhenlin finally breathed a long sigh of relief. In fact, they are not obsessed with the shipyard. What they are obsessed with is the interests of the sea. The production of warships at Dongwan Shipyard is not a trivial matter. Every year, just to cover up this
This thing costs a lot of money, and it's still worrying. After all, a group of merchants are building warships in a shipyard, and no one is intervening. If someone really wants to interrogate it and accuses them of treason, then everyone involved will have their homes raided.
Genocide.
It doesn't matter if Tie Mo takes over the past, he can do whatever he likes. Even if he takes out the old treasure ship, it's his business. At least, he is the governor of the three provinces, a dignified supervisor, and a figure in the officialdom. Others can't take advantage of him.
Method. As long as the interests of Jiangnan merchants in maritime trade can be guaranteed, it doesn't matter whether the Dongwan Shipyard gives it to Tie Mo. In a certain respect, the shipyard has developed to this extent and is already a hot piece of gold. The roommate is reluctant to part with it and holds it back.
Always worry about burning yourself.
Things at the Dongwan Shipyard were discussed very smoothly. Xiao Zhenlin and Xu Le did not set any obstacles, and they even felt like throwing the hot potato out of the way. After the matter was settled, everyone was in a much better mood, and the atmosphere naturally became more relaxed. Tie Mo took advantage of
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he insisted on drinking wine and said with a smile: "There is one more thing I need to trouble the Xiao family head. Can you help me contact Xu Wenhai?"
"Xu Wenhai?" Xu Le couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, probably because Xu Wenhai's identity is very special. He is a famous pirate in the East China Sea. Although his strength is not as good as Zheng Zhilong's, his strength at sea cannot be underestimated. Since Zheng Zhilong last year
After responding to Fujian Governor Xiong Wencan's call for peace, he became a maritime guerrilla general. Now the two former pirates became an official and a bandit.
Xu Wenhai was unwilling to work under Zheng Zhilong, so Zheng Zhilong naturally wanted to kill him. However, Xu Wenhai was also very powerful. He was so swaying around the East China Sea that he became the biggest thorn in Zheng Zhilong's heart.
Now that Tie Mo asked about Xu Wenhai, Xu Le would of course be afraid. This kind of piracy incident is a big deal and might affect the entire Xu family. "What...why is the supervisor looking for Xu Wenhai?"
"What can be done? Of course, it is to recruit Xu Wenhai. Xiong Wencan failed to conquer Xu Wenhai, which does not mean that Tie Mou cannot do it either. If Xu Wenhai is recruited, then he will have a ready-made naval force at his disposal, which will save a lot of things.
"
Xu Le suddenly smiled bitterly, "That's it!"
As for why Tie Mo didn't ask Zheng Zhilong to cooperate, Xu Le didn't ask much. Some things can be understood by just thinking about it. Who is Zheng Zhilong? In name, he was recruited by Xiong Wencan and appointed as the guerrilla general of the Five Tigers of the Sea. But in fact, this guy sat on
With an army of hundreds of thousands, he is basically a self-contained entity, he is simply a grass-headed king who has been granted official robes. From this aspect, Tie Mo is almost exactly the same as Zheng Zhilong, except that one is at the border in the north and the other is at sea.