With the help of the future "Eight Greats", the Tatars and Wu Sangui who captured Taiyuan City will certainly have everything they need!
Although those Shanxi merchants are unable to collect rent this year, they still have money and channels to purchase grain. If you directly use the money to buy it in the Fenhe River Basin, will you still be able to receive hundreds of thousands or millions of stones?
Moreover, after Li Zicheng arrived in Taiyuan, he strictly enforced discipline and did not allow his soldiers to act recklessly. He also resolutely implemented the line of "equalizing the land without grain", which allowed most of the farmers in Shanxi to plant a whole season of wheat with great enthusiasm, making it more convenient for Shanxi merchants. acquisition.
In addition to food, Shanxi merchants in Shanxi also provided a large amount of high-quality gunpowder to the Qing army!
It is said that when Wu Sangui's men were in the Ming army in Ningyuan, they had never seen such good gunpowder...
However, the success of Shanxi merchants in the Qing Dynasty also facilitated Zhu Cihong's Jin Yiwei to carry out espionage and infiltration activities.
Because there are also many Shanxi salt merchants in Yangzhou. Although these salt merchants have been in the southeast for a hundred or two hundred years, they still have roots and connections in their hometown of Shanxi. While inspecting the Four Salt General Managers of Shanxi and Shaanxi, Zhu Cixiang extended his tentacles to Shanxi by accepting the subordinates of the Four Salt General Managers (that is, accountants, shopkeepers, stewards, and clerks). Shanxi merchants were a very large group, including not only owners, but also clerks of all sizes. The criteria for classifying merchants in this era were different from those in later generations. Merchants in later generations mainly referred to individual industrial and commercial households and capitalists, excluding employees. In ancient times, guys were merchants just like Dong Weng.
In addition, those business gangs in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were accustomed to using fellow villagers. The Hui Clan all use people from Wannan, the Jin Clan all use Laoxi, the Chao Clan all use Chaozhou people, the Ningbo merchants all use Ningbo people, and Zheng Zhilong's people are basically all Fujian people.
And Lin Yihu, a member of the Qianhu Family of Jinyiwei, now transformed into Jiabusi, the young master of the Jia family in Pingyao (the name sounds awesome). He took the gift list and walked into Wu Sangui's handsome tent with a smile.
Wu Sangui had just returned from patrolling the camp and saw a businessman standing in his handsome tent with a smile on his face. He frowned and said, "Liu Sheng, what's going on?"
Yes, King Ping Xi is busy. Where can he find the time to talk nonsense with an old Western businessman? Liu Sheng can handle the bribery himself.
"Your Majesty," Liu Sheng smiled and handed over a gift list, "Please take a look."
"Alas..." Wu Sangui just shook his head, but still took the gift slip in his hand, opened it pretendingly, and then he was shocked!
Because there was a piece of letter paper sandwiched in the gift list. The letter paper was full of words. It was Zhu Cihong's notes!
"Back off, everyone!" Wu Sangui closed the gift list and scolded everyone around him. Then he sat down behind the handsome case, opened the gift list, took out the letter paper and read it carefully.
At first glance, I was stunned again.
"This is not for me..." He looked up at Ren Yizhou, "You, the messenger, have gone to the wrong place. This letter is for Liu Liangzuo!"
Lin Yihu smiled and cupped his hands, "Your Majesty, the letter is written to Mr. Liu, but it is a copy. Mr. Qiantose asked his subordinate to send it to the prince. There are also letters written to Mr. Xu and Mr. Liu of Yanzhou. I also asked the lower official to bring copies of the two letters."
"What?" Wu Sangui was confused. What did Zhu Cixiang mean?
He lowered his head to read the letter, and his expression changed after reading it for a while.
"This, this, this..." He raised his head and looked at Lin Yihu, "When did I say that I would change things anyway?"
Lin Yihu smiled and said: "How does the official know?" He took out three more envelopes and handed them to Wu Sangui with both hands, "Your Majesty, this is a letter written to Mr. Xu and Mr. Liu of Yanzhou, and there is also a letter This is written by Master Qiantose."
"Bring it quickly...bring the letter written by Master Qiansui to this king!" Wu Sangui was a little impatient. How could Zhu Cixiang write randomly?
Not to mention that now is not the time to fight back, even if it is, we can't tell Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Xu Dingguo! Are the three of them talking about each other? Will the news be leaked to Dorgon?
Lin Yihu took out the letter Zhu Cixi wrote to Wu Sangui and handed it over. The letter was contained in a sealed envelope. Wu Sangui tore open the envelope, took out the letter paper inside, read it carefully, and then slapped the table.
"Master Chitose harmed me, Master Chitose harmed me..."
Liu Sheng looked at Wu Sangui, "Your Majesty, what's going on?"
"What else can he do?" Wu Sangui was so anxious that he almost shed tears. "He arranged three Jiang cadres for me! Three... He also wrote to me, telling me to be careful, because Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Xu Dingguo are all unreliable, and they may have contacts with the Tatars!"
Liu Liangzuo was from the Liao Army, and someone in his family was a traitor. Even Wu Sangui knew him, so he wouldn't believe it even if he said he had no contact with ghosts! And Liu Zeqing and Xu Dingguo are also warlords in separate factions, and it is conceivable that they have several ships under their feet.
Now that the situation on the battlefield seems to be unfavorable to the Qing army, the three two-handed warlords may not expose Wu Sangui immediately. Once the situation reverses, it is not obvious what they will do.
As for whether the situation will be reversed, Wu Sangui has no doubt at all! He has fought against both Tatars and bandits many times and knows the details of these two families.
Wu Sangui was really on the verge of crying, "He, he, he...isn't he trying to harm me? He is still my brother-in-law! How could he be like this..."
Liu Sheng reminded: "Your Majesty, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty was a ruthless man. He imprisoned his father and chased his younger brothers. When he arrived in the southeast, he ransacked the homes of four Shanxi salt generals and killed 90% of Nanjing's nobles and ministers. ..."
yes! He is a cruel person! He even cheated his own father and younger brother, so why would he still care about himself? Wu Sangui put his hand on his forehead and thought: How could I have forgotten this!
"What do you mean by Master Qiantai?" Wu Sangui looked at the messenger Lin Yihu and asked, "Does he want to force me to change anything? But this matter must not be rushed! Thirty thousand people with two white flags of the Tatars are staring at I, I can't defeat them anyway, I'm just seeking death..."
Lin Yihu shook his head, "Your Majesty, I am just a Qianhu, a member of the Imperial Guard. What knowledge can I have? However, I believe that Qian Suiye is definitely interested in the Prince and will never force the Prince to die."
Wu Sangui rolled his eyelids, he was now on the road to death!
Liu Sheng on the side walked to Wu Sangui's ear and whispered: "My lord, don't be anxious, my subordinate just thought of a way out..."
Is there a way out?
Just when Wu Sangui was about to ask, he saw Lin Yihu. Zhu Cixiang's envoy was disgusted by the sight!
"Jia Shangchai should go and rest first." Wu Sangui said to Liu Sheng, "Liu Sheng, send him out."
"Here." Liu Sheng responded, turned around and sent Lin Yihu out of Wu Sangui's tent, and then turned back after a while.
"Say it quickly, say it quickly!" Wu Sangui kept asking questions when he saw him coming back.
"Your Majesty," Liu Sheng took out a topographic map of Shanxi and laid it on the table in front of Wu Sangui, "What do you think of this route?"
He drew a line on the map with his finger, heading south from Taigu to Qinzhou, Lu'an Prefecture, Zezhou, across Wangwu Mountain, and into Huaiqing Prefecture.
"Are you trying to get behind the rogue Eastern Route Army?" Wu Sangui frowned.
"Your Majesty, as long as you enter Henan Prefecture, you will be like a tiger entering the mountains and a dragon swimming across the sea!" Liu Sheng said, "Now is the opportunity...it is better than waiting under the city of Taiyuan Prefecture!"
"Can the Prince Regent agree?" Wu Sangui hesitated.
"There is no need for the Prince Regent to agree," Liu Sheng said, "As long as Prince Yu and Prince Ying can agree... Now the news from Shanxi and the capital is intermittent, and the two of them must be uneasy. If the prince is willing to send troops, They will definitely agree to take advantage of the rogue bandits.
Besides, the relationship between the prince and Prince Fujun of the Ming Dynasty is not a secret, so how can they really rest assured? I'm afraid I wish the prince would lead his troops southward! Taiyuan here is nothing more than a siege. It doesn't make much difference whether there are 30,000 people from the prince or not. It's just that Chen Yongfu can break through easily, and Taiyuan Fucheng can still be captured by the soldiers of the two white flags.
And as long as the prince arrives at Henan Mansion, he can advance and attack, retreat and defend, and can deal with all parties with ease. "
Wu Sangui thought for a while and then sighed, "It seems that this is the only way..."
