Kangzhai
After all the guests dispersed, the hall fell into a deathly silence for a short time.
Kang Yisheng looked solemnly, looked at Kang Zexing aside, and said solemnly: "Xing'er, you pack up tonight and leave Taiyuan early tomorrow morning for Xuanfu."
"Father." Kang Zexing's face changed suddenly and he said anxiously: "How did the matter become so urgent?"
Kang Yisheng said coldly: "The Marquis of Yongning has murderous intentions. I'm afraid people have already started to investigate the business going to Liaodong, and they may be leaked out at some point."
No evidence, just a hunch.
Kang Zexing frowned and said, "Didn't my father just say that Marquis Yongning was just asking for food? Besides, we are not without the ability to backhand him."
Kang Yisheng shook his head and said: "The power of those counterattacks is nothing more than a small worm shaking a tree. We merchants cannot go against the trend and can only follow the trend. Marquis Yongning has set his sights on us, so we need to be cautious now."
In fact, Wang Chengyin's death shocked Kang Yisheng very much, and a general with a heavy army killed him at will.
Coupled with Jia Heng's "black history" of persecuting merchants in Yangzhou, he already felt a murderous intent.
Originally, he was still thinking about making a fortune from the imperial court, but now he has given up the idea and plans to avoid his influence and plan later.
This is the merchant's sense of powerlessness and vigilance in the face of the knife. People under the eaves have to bow their heads.
Otherwise, you really have the mace and I have the Tianling Gai?
Kang Yisheng's eyes flickered and he whispered: "As long as Yongninghou is defeated, we will be safe and sound. After you go to Xuanfu, contact your elder brother to observe the war situation between Han and Qing Dynasties. Also tell Jiang Yu that if my Kang family is killed , the next one is the Jiang family, let him see what happens to Wang Chengyin."
Kang Yisheng's eldest son is now in Shengjing, Liaodong, and was originally engaged in the business of smuggling grain, silk, salt, and pig iron to the Jurchens.
Kang Zexing looked solemn and raised his hands.
Kang Yisheng took a deep breath. Wang Chengyin died too quickly. Now his little arms couldn't twist his thighs, so he could only go with the flow.
In the face of absolute strength, conspiracy and tricks can't turn the tide, and his Kang family's century-old foundation cannot be destroyed in one fell swoop.
In fact, not only Kang Yisheng, except for Kong Wenjun, who had the support of Qufu Yanshenggong, the other families were terrified of him and began to lurk their minions.
In the first round, because Jia Heng came with a heavy army and killed two generals, Shanxi merchants chose to avoid his attack.
The next day, the morning light once again enveloped the entire city of Taiyuan. Jia Heng sent people to deliver the written memorial to rectify Taiyuan's soldiers and horses back to the capital, and began to send troops to rectify and eliminate the soldiers in the town.
As Jia Heng vigorously reorganized Taiyuan Military Town, the entire city was enveloped in a chilling and awe-inspiring atmosphere.
The cavalry troops in the Beijing camp kept coming and going, arresting generals from Wang Chengyin's party, and the soldiers in the Zhenbing camp were a little frightened.
It was not until the afternoon that news came from the General Military Office that the sergeants' salary would be repaid for three months. For a while, the originally panicked military morale calmed down.
The money was recovered from the military pay deducted by Wang Chengyin and the generals, and was all used by Jia Heng to win over people's hearts.
On the second day, Jia Heng went to the camp of Taiyuan Prefecture soldiers, summoned a group of middle and low-ranking generals, and said: "Wang Chengyin was greedy for military pay, oppressed the sergeants, and was killed by me. Taiyuan Prefecture soldiers eliminated the old and weak, and from now on the actual army Real wages, no longer suffering from exploitation and deduction."
The middle and lower ranks of the town army cheered loudly. The negative impact of killing Wang Chengyin was suppressed to a minimum by Jia Heng.
Later, Song Yuan and Fan Yi led the Beijing Camp Army to reorganize the Taiyuan Town Army, eliminate the old and weak, and set a quota of 60,000, temporarily organizing it into the Six Guards. They transferred generals from the Beijing Camp and led the six guards to command and envoys.
At noon, Jia Heng returned from the Zhenjun barracks with the retinue of the Jinyifu guards. Just as he arrived at the General Army Yamen, the Jinyifu guards came to report. The chief envoy Luo Jingwen and the prefect Jiang Yan led Kang Yisheng, Fan Hongqing and other merchants. Asking to see Jia Heng.
Previously, Jia Heng's words had been conveyed to the ears of businessmen through Jiang Yan, Fan Hongqing and others, which to some extent had a certain confusing effect.
In the general military office, in the festival hall——
Jia Heng sat down, picked up the tea cup on the side, and looked at the merchants. His eyes fell on the face of the old man next to Jiang Yan, knowing that he was the head of the Kang family.
"Master Marquis, we heard that the army is short of food, and we are willing to raise three million dan to alleviate the problem of military supplies." Kang Yisheng said with a smile on his face.
Jiang Yan on the side explained: "Master Hou, according to the price of food in Shenjing last year, we will sell it to the court for one stone and one tael of silver."
Jia Heng nodded and said: "In the land south of the Yangtze River, eight coins of silver are worth one stone. The imperial court's purchase of rice this time is very large. You are all righteous merchants. Now the country is sending troops to the north. It is time for you to contribute and donate to the country." .”
After he killed Wang Chengyin yesterday, these merchants were not stubborn people. They had already felt the cold and began to hibernate, but it was of no use.
He was determined to get the Shanxi merchants, and he couldn't stop Huang Taiji even if he came.
When Kang Yisheng heard this, his heart skipped a beat, but the expression on his face remained unchanged and he said, "Marquis Yongning is right, I will sell it to the court for eight coins and one stone."
When the merchants around him heard this, their faces were gloomy, but they dared not speak out in anger.
Eight coins of silver doesn't make much profit anymore. They are working so hard. Are they doing things for the imperial court?
Why don’t you donate and pay back? What did the court give them? The Yangzhou salt merchants also had the title of participating in politics and council. Since their Shanxi merchants withdrew from Jianghuai, what had the court given them?
Jia Heng's face softened a bit and he said: "In that case, we will first purchase one million stones and escort them to Datong, and I will go to the border town at a later date."
It is not yet time to wipe out all Shanxi merchants. It is not only the perception of the people in the world, but also other reasons.
Kang Yisheng bowed his hands and said yes, secretly breathing a sigh of relief in his heart, and said: "The Marquis has come all the way from Shenjing. We have prepared a small banquet to welcome the Marquis."
If you want food now, they can give it to you, but when things go wrong, they will fight back.
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "No need, I still need to reorganize the army. Soldiers need to be quick. I will speed up the preparation of military rations to avoid delaying the military aircraft."
When Kang Yisheng heard the words, he looked respectful and said yes.
All the merchants present felt the tyranny and strength, but they could only submit, but their hearts were filled with hatred.
After the merchants left, Gu Binghe seemed to remind them: "General, there are many court officials behind these merchants who are looking after them. I think that if we don't create extraneous plots, we shouldn't force them too much."
Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Then I would like to see which of the adults in the court will support those merchants."
The Jinyi Mansion has already launched an investigation into the smuggling activities carried out by these merchants, and in Datong, Sun Shaozu is also fighting fiercely with the Qiao family and the Fan family, and the time to close the network is not far away.
Gu Binghe didn't dare to say anything more, his face was expressionless, thinking about the young man's intentions.
Is this intentionally forcing Shanxi merchants?
A group of merchants came out of the general military office with ugly faces and blood dripping from their hearts.
For eight coins and one stone, they still have to pay.
"Too much bullying!" Fan Hongqing got on the carriage, patted the armrest, and shouted angrily in a low voice.
On the other side, Kang Yisheng's face was also livid.
Eight cents of silver per stone is really cheap. Doesn’t this mean they don’t make any money at all? Forced buying and selling!
But at this moment, the situation is stronger than the person, but it cannot happen.
A group of merchants headed towards Kang's house in a mighty manner.
Kang family residence
Kang Yisheng was sitting in the hall, with a gloomy look on his face, and said, "You have also seen that this Yongning Marquis is extremely powerful, and it is not easy to stand up to him."
Fan Hongqing said in a deep voice: "He has acted so recklessly. Can the imperial censor in Beijing impeach him for being arrogant and domineering, killing generals and bullying gentry?"
The Shanxi merchants also subsidized some scholars, with money to clear the way, and they also had some mouthpieces in the court who could speak on their behalf.
Hou Qinyi asked expectantly: "What do Master Jiang and Master Luo say?"
The two of them had received some bribes from Shanxi merchants. In fact, even the governor Gu Binghe had also accepted banquets from Shanxi merchants.
But when the real storm comes, the role they can play is limited. These old bureaucrats are more slippery than anyone else.
Kang Yisheng shook his head and said, "Master Jiang only has one sentence: Marquis Yongning is the emperor's favorite and cannot be manipulated by anyone."
Everyone looked horrified, aware of the dangers involved.
In fact, Jia Heng didn't even realize that this was no longer the time when he went to Yangzhou to rectify the salt affairs. At that time, he was just a count and only put down the chaos in the Central Plains. Now he is leading tens of thousands of elite troops with the power of capturing the Jurchen prince alive.
It can be said that other than waiting for Jia Heng's defeat, even the chief ministers and assistants of the cabinet did not dare to face the challenge directly.
But precisely because of this, Shanxi merchants were filled with fear.
Kong Wenjun reminded: "The reason why Yang Ge resigned and went into seclusion is actually related to the Yongning Marquis. The war against the Jurchen was peaceful, and the fight in the court was also very fierce. Now the Yongning Marquis who is the main battler has the upper hand."
"It seems that we can only wait until they are defeated, and then we can settle the general ledger." Hou Qinyi said in a low voice.
Everyone looked at each other with a tacit understanding.
The eight Shanxi merchants originally maintained close relations with the Jurchen high-ranking officials. Unlike the salt merchants in prosperous places like Yangzhou who smuggled through sea trade, and some were afraid of the imperial court, all the eight Shanxi merchants had contacts with the Jurchen high-ranking officials.
This is due to the harsh business environment for Shanxi merchants to do business. Without smuggling to the Jurchens, this big business would not be possible.
Kang Yisheng said in a cold voice: "Let's raise the rice and grain first and keep to the point. The rest will focus on the outcome of the war. I'll see how he dies!"
Everyone was equally angry and nodded in agreement, obviously disgusted by Jia Heng's behavior of holding his head and drinking water.
Some things have not been said yet, but everyone tacitly communicates the intelligence of the officers and soldiers to the Jurchen high-level officials.
General Military Office
Jia Heng returned to the hall of the back house and prepared to have dinner. He looked at Chen Xiao and asked, "How is the situation? Have you found out?"
Chen Xiaodao: "We found out some clues. According to the Jinyi Baihu in Taiyuan Prefecture, the Kang family has a good relationship with Jiang Quan, the general of the Xuan Prefecture. He may have taken the smuggling route of the Xuan Prefecture and entered Liaodong. The specific person in charge seems to be Kang. Two brothers from home.”
Jia Heng's expression paused and he said, "This is a piece of key information. Can you follow the clues?"
Chen Xiaodao: "They handled the matter very cleanly. There is no evidence for the general. I was drinking with Kang Zexing, the second young master of the Kang family. I heard that the second young master of the Kang family was testing the general to smuggle to Liaodong."
Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Send someone to arrest the second young master of the Kang family for questioning."
Chen Xiao said: "We have sent people to arrest him, but Kang Zexing has left Taiyuan Mansion overnight. Jinyi Mansion Tiqi is chasing him. At the moment, unless Kang Yisheng, the head of the Kang family, is captured, he will be tortured."
Jia Heng shook his head, his eyes darkened, and said: "The time is not yet ripe now. After they have raised food and grass, the evidence must be more complete, otherwise it will not only be someone gossiping."
It's not that he can't arrest people first and then find charges for his "factory boss" behavior. It's just that it damages the prestige of the court, and deep down in his heart, he still has a vague plan to use Shanxi merchants to set up a trap.
Since Shanxi merchants maintain contact with the Jurchens, can they use them to mislead the Jurchens in their decisions?
Lure Huang Taiji to a certain city... set up the Hongyi cannon and blast it.
Otherwise, the one-ton Hongyi cannon on the grassland would be unable to pull.
"The money you use to buy rice grains, do you want to give it to Shanxi merchants?" Chen Xiaoqing's eyes flashed and he asked.
"Give some of the money and keep the rest on credit. You can't deny it at all, otherwise they will be suspicious and will be lazy in collecting rice." Jia Heng said with sharp eyes.
He could obviously rob it directly, but he still had to pay for it.
Afterwards, the Shanxi businessman's case of treason was discovered. Who can say that he deliberately fabricated accusations to make himself look ugly?
Chen Xiao thought for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he said thoughtfully: "That's the salary for the inspection and recovery."
Jia Heng looked indifferent and said in a low voice: "There are almost a million in wealth, which can be given to Shanxi merchants first. It is a way of comforting myself. I will give these merchants my free money..."
As he spoke, he shook his head.
Chen Xiao looked at the young man with a strange look under his beautiful eyebrows, always feeling that Jia Heng had something to say.
"There is also Jiang Gan who needs to be on guard." Jia Heng looked a little more solemn and said with a faint look in his eyes. He said thoughtfully: "Let Jinyi Mansion send a letter to Wang Ziteng in Xuan Mansion and keep an eye on Jiang Gan."
Wang Ziteng is now in Xuanfu as a general dispatched by the Peking Army, and he shares the military power of Xuanfu. This is actually Li Zan's check and balance strategy.
Chen Xiao looked at the young man with concern and asked, "Are you leaving tomorrow?"
Jia Heng said: "The military situation is like a fire, and the soldiers are valuable and fast. I will leave Qi Jianhui here to wait for Runan Hou Weiqi to lead the cavalry to Datong."
This time, the people who led the infantry of the Beijing camp were Weiqi the Runan lord and Cai Quan, who was guarding the Hongyi cannon. A veteran martial artist came here with the intention of supervising the army. He took the initiative to mobilize them.
Of course, other founding figures such as military pilots Shi Guangzhu and Chen Ruiwen, as well as Mu Sheng and Jia Heng, the sons of Prince Dongping who volunteered, did not agree to come to the Northern Expedition.
Chen Xiao looked at the young man with clear eyes, pursed her unrouged lips lightly, and said softly: "Then be careful. I'll rush over after I finish cooking here."
Jia Heng looked at the map and whispered: "I have just thought carefully about it. Shanxi merchants should not be smuggling in Taiyuan on a large scale. I think you will follow me to Datong first. Sun Shaozu of Datong should be collecting intelligence on their smuggling. They are in Taiyuan’s hands and tail were handled very cleanly.”
Chen Xiao: "..."
Are you so inseparable from her? Take it with you wherever you go?
Well, probably not.
Jia Heng explained: "Because this place is too far from the border, the military generals involved in smuggling in the border towns should be in Xuanfu, Ping'an Prefecture, and Datong. This is just a place for Shanxi merchants to inquire about provincial government information and make friends with officials. Nothing should be found." clue."
In fact, this is indeed the case. Taiyuan is the gathering place of the vassal and government offices in Jin Province. It has many eyes and ears and does not have the conditions to form a party and smuggle.
You can't bribe a group of civil and military officials who can't urinate in the pot. This is simply unrealistic. Otherwise, officials would have been reported to the police long ago.
Moreover, Wang Chengyin really didn't like the benefits of smuggling, and he mostly accepted bribes from Shanxi merchants and provided official convenience.
The hardest-hit areas for smuggling should be Datong, Xuanfu, Ping'an Prefecture and other trade routes, such as the Ping'an Prefecture trade route that Jia She used to smuggle in the first place.
Chen Xiao relaxed her frowning eyebrows, looked at the young man with clear eyes, and said, "What should I do here?"
Jia Heng looked solemn and said: "Let the Tiqi and detectives from Jinyi Mansion monitor the Shanxi merchants. After I meet Uncle Lin, let's go to Datong."
Shanxi merchants are different from salt merchants. Salt merchants only seek wealth, while Shanxi merchants are traitors to their country.
Chen Xiao nodded, looked at the map, and asked, "What about the grassland?"
"I hope Ezhe can withstand the invasion of the grassland from Datong. If he can't withstand it, not only Datong, but also Ping'an Prefecture will be in danger. The Jurchens can bypass Datong and attack Ping'an Prefecture. This is the outpost of Taiyuan Town. Then it will be necessary Divide the troops." Jia Heng's eyes were fierce, as if he had penetrated the fog of war and saw the changes in the future war.
This is the famous general's sense of war, or this is the empty place of the big man. If he and Huang Taiji were in a different place, he would also make a fuss from these places.
Ping'an Prefecture has a dangerous terrain, remote from the Great Wall, connected to the desert to the outside, Juyan to the back and facing Yanjing; to the right is the Pass and to the left is Yanmen, to the south is Ningwu, and is among the three passes. The mountain is surrounded by water, and the four fortresses are solid. The ancient piers and wild garrison are protected by loops, and a large choke point in the northwest is solidified.
As Gu Zuyu said in "Minutes of Du Shi Fang Yu": "Apart from the Hong River to the west and the vast desert to the north, the vassal guards of Zhuang Yanmen are the lips and teeth of the clouds, standing tall in the north and the great defense of the entire Jin Dynasty."
Moreover, in the history of parallel time and space, Huang Taiji attracted the Ming Dynasty army by besieging Shuozhou and adopted the tactic of "siege the city and fight for reinforcements".
As for the Eastern Front battlefield, there is a Minister of War sitting in charge, so there is no need to worry too much.
Seeing Chen Xiao looking at the map and thinking, Jia Heng came closer, took Chen Xiao's delicate hand, sat down, picked up the chopsticks and handed them over, saying: "It's time to eat, don't think about it."
In the evening, the guards of the Jinyi Mansion under the eaves of the corridor reported that Lin Ruhai had entered Taiyuan City and was now heading towards the General Military Yamen.
Jia Heng put down the book in his hand, looked at a thousand households in brocade clothes, and said: "Continue to pursue the collection, question the generals and their families, and copy and seize all the property."
With that said, he looked at Chen Xiao aside and said, "Let's go and meet."
Official office, in the hall
Lin Ruhai had been sitting and waiting for a while. After listening to Fan Yi describe Jia Heng's visit to Taiyuan Mansion, he nodded and said, "I went to Linfen to inquire about the local government's grain prices and warehouse storage. The Kang family has many warehouses in Linfen, so they can sell them." Grain is the industry, and it is said that every year in summer and autumn, rice grains are collected from Bashu and Shanxi, and one stone only costs seven coins."
At this time, Jia Heng came from outside and said, "Uncle, you are here."
Lin Ruhai raised his eyes to look at the person coming, with a look of surprise on his face, and said, "Zi Yu."
Jia Heng said: "My uncle came just in time. I was talking about how the rice grains are being transported when my uncle came. I just bought three million shi of grains from Shanxi merchants."
Lin Ruhai nodded and said in surprise: "Three million stones, so much? By the way, Prince Qi has already escorted a batch of grain and grass to the rear with the Beijing army. It should arrive in another seven or eight days."
The Beijing camp's infantry moved relatively quickly, but they were still inevitably hampered by the speed of the baggage convoy.
"I bought it for eight coins and one stone, and my uncle will take it first." Jia Heng said with a smile.
Lin Ruhai nodded and asked: "Eight coins, which is almost one or two coins on the market, how can this merchant from Jin be willing to pay?"
Merchants couldn't afford to go early without profit. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to drive up prices, they were coerced into giving up profits.
Jia Heng said coldly: "What can I do if I don't give in? I am a swordsman, and he is a fish."
Lin Ruhai: "..."
"Ziyu, these merchants will hold grudges and instigate officials to spread rumors and cause trouble in the court, and the courtiers will criticize them." Lin Ruhai reminded.
If you act so unscrupulously in the local area, there must be officials who want to impeach and oppress the gentry and plunder people's wealth.
Jia Heng shook his head and said: "Shanxi merchants are not salt merchants, and Shanxi is not Jiangnan. The foundation of Shanxi merchants lies in the border generals. Since King Zhao did something bad during the Longzhi period, Shanxi merchants have long been rootless duckweeds, and there is nothing to worry about."
Because of this, Shanxi merchants will actively betray their country because they are political orphans in the court.
When Lin Ruhai heard Jia Heng's words, her expression paused, and she suddenly realized something in her heart.
Jia Heng said: "Uncle, tomorrow I will lead 50,000 cavalry troops to Datong. I will leave 5,000 cavalry troops here to reorganize the Taiyuan town army and wait for the infantry to come. My uncle will receive rice and grain from Shanxi merchants and transport money and grain to the front line. Uncle What do you think?"
Lin Ruhai nodded and said: "What the Ministry of Accounts means this time is to give credit first, and then pay back the money when the money comes later."
"In the past two days, the Taiyuan army generals were found to be embezzling soldiers' pay, and a part of the silver, about one million taels, was confiscated. My uncle first used it to deal with the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce to encourage them to actively transport grain." Jia Heng reminded.
If it were all a matter of credit, the Shanxi merchants were not fools, and would certainly not actively provide food and grass, deliberately delaying the supply, which would instead cause instability among the frontline generals and soldiers.
You still have to pay part of it.
When Lin Ruhai heard this, his eyes showed admiration and said: "Ziyu is thoughtful, that's why."
The son-in-law in front of me is really well-rounded in all aspects, and he seems to have everything in mind.
In fact, this was also the reason why Emperor Chongping trusted him so much.
(End of chapter)
