Don't underestimate this oil lamp. A lamp costs twenty taels, and the profit can reach ten taels. If you sell 10,000 lamps, you will get one hundred thousand taels. If you sell one hundred thousand lamps, the profit will reach one million taels. huge.
If the secret of lamp oil could be known, it would be no problem to make tens of thousands of taels of silver just by selling lamp oil. How could the Jiangnan merchants not be tempted?
This new oil lamp was followed by the simplest snowflake candy. No one understood it at all. It is said that even Zheng Zhilong didn't know the secret of making it.
Although ordinary cane sugar is cheap, it doesn't look good and tastes bitter when you eat it. Snowflake sugar is completely different, and its price has increased several times.
The market price is as high as a hundred cash, and even if purchased in large quantities, the price per kilogram will not be less than ninety cash. There is no other reason. There is only one production in the world, and that is the factory controlled by the prince.
Many merchants tried their best to find out the secrets, but all the people sent were caught. You can imagine what will happen next. You can say that you made the wrong move, but who would be bold enough to climb over the wall?
Nowadays, snowflake candy and the resulting candies have become an indispensable delicacy for the wealthy gentry in Jiangnan. When there is no hope of imitation, they can only buy it from the prince, and that's it.
Many imperial historians reported that the prince used snowflake candy to compete with Min for profit. Emperor Chongzhen responded that he would either make it himself to compete, or ask the prince for advice on how to make it.
There is no hope for the former in the short term, and most people of the latter would not dare to go to Beidu to get into trouble. What's more, there are rumors in the market that the prince will pay a sky-high price to reveal the secret recipe, with a price tag of up to 10 million taels of silver!
If you really have ten million taels of silver, how can you still find ways to sell snowflake candies?
What's more, in the entire Ming Dynasty, except Zheng Zhilong and the vassal kings from various places, who could accumulate so much wealth?
After the oil lamp, Xuehuatang finally let it go.
The censors who were bribed by merchants were in vain even if they jumped up and down. No censor dared to go to Beidu.
The reason is very simple. The former Northern Capital Censors headed by Guang Shiheng are mining in Shandong...
The censor of the Southern Capital went to the Northern Capital and angered the prince. What do you think will happen to him? ? ?
Why don't you put aside your good official duties and go mining with Guang Shiheng?
Who is not a fool!
One person makes a mistake and harms the whole family?
When I really arrived in Beidu, I was afraid that I would kneel down and surrender to the Crown Prince and tell everything I knew!
Do you think you can win by being strong-willed?
You can ask Guang Siheng!
The censor was also so spirited at that time!
But this does not affect his family’s mining...
There are only two ways to get out of that hell on earth.
One of them was pardoned by the prince, and the other was pardoned by the emperor.
Shandong was under the jurisdiction of the Beiting, and Emperor Chongzhen didn't bother to take care of it.
If you really take care of this matter, then why don't you take care of the millions of disasters in Shandong?
The northern part of Nanzhili borders Shandong, but the two places are as far apart as heaven and earth, with completely different conditions.
The prince did not allow a large number of disasters to enter Nanzhili, which made the Nanting officials feel lucky.
Before rashly getting involved in Censor Mining, think about the terrible consequences of doing so!
It's not that there are no censors in Beiting, but it is very different from the past. Basically, they are right and wrong.
The job is to monitor the problems of subordinates and the sufferings of Minjian. After learning from past mistakes, no one dares to criticize the prince.
The censor of Nanting privately called these colleagues the prince's lackeys, who had given up on the noble moral character of scholar-bureaucrats.
There was a letter from the censor of Beiting mocking him, asking anyone who is not convinced to give it a try. If you can do what you say, you can become a master.
The implication is that the censors of Nandu are strong on the outside but hard on the inside. They bully the weak and fear the strong. If they really encounter a ruthless person, they will kneel down and beg for mercy.
Prince's lunch and dinner only use four dishes!
The prince built airships and missiles!
The prince has increased the monthly salary of officials!
The prince proposes a policy of using work as a substitute for relief!
The prince is reorganizing border affairs...
Anyone who dares to say something bad about the Prince is just picking on the eggs!
Once reported by others, the factory guards will arrest him first, and then the three judicial departments will interrogate him. It must be investigated clearly. Why did the suspect say this and what evidence is there?
It is a crime of great disrespect to deliberately spread rumors and slander the Crown Prince without any real evidence.
This is equivalent to saying that your neighbor's ancestor is a stupid pig!
Will the neighbors be happy?
If I don’t beat you up, that’s considered polite!
On the Nandu side, it is not impossible to deliberately find out the prince's shortcomings. At least competing with Min for profit is a matter of conclusive evidence!
Donglin once instigated some censors to sue Emperor Chongzhen for competing with Min for profit, especially the sale of items made by the prince, which caused commerce in the south of the Yangtze River to decline and Min's resentment to boil over.
Chongzhen did not directly curse, but said something according to the reply content in the bound book, which directly silenced the civil servants who were looking for trouble.
That is, as long as Nanting provides three million taels of silver to the internal funds every year, I will not sell objects. If it is not possible, two million taels will be fine.
Spend two million taels of silver a year to support the emperor?
A bunch of merchants in Jiangnan are determined not to have this idea!
Either compete with Min for profit, or give money directly, choose one!
The emperor reached out for money when he had no money. Wasn't this what Emperor Wanli did back then?
The northern officials who accompanied the driver south knew very well that they learned this method from the prince.
But don’t tell me, it really works. If you don't have money, don't talk too much nonsense. Talking too much will hurt your feelings and you will easily lose your official position.
As for the actual sales, the merchants were helpless. The Yongwei Camp controlled the Nandu City.
Some merchants sent people to cause trouble, but they were caught by the Yongwei camp. They confessed under torture and were immediately identified as the remnants of Xincheng Bo Zhao Zhilong's gang!
The dog tore the intestines of the sheep, and no less than a hundred merchants were implicated. In the end, each of them paid thousands of taels of silver to atone for their sins, and the case was settled.
Stealing a chicken is a waste of money. Instead of messing with Huang Chongzhen's business, he instead made a fortune. This made everyone feel ashamed and angry, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Later, Donglin, Fushe, Jishe and other gangs thought of asking scholars to petition and merchants to organize city miners to go on strike, thus forcing Emperor Chongzhen to make compromises and concessions.
The strike during the Wanli period was so loud and the Emperor Wanli was afraid of affecting the tax revenue in the Jiangnan area that the merchants finally won.
This strike during the Chongzhen period was different. A certain emperor was worried that he could not afford to support the Yongwei camp.
Now, each merchant starts with five thousand taels of silver, and there is no upper limit!
It’s easy not to pay enough, you can use your family property to make up for it!
If your family income is not enough, you can still use your family members to make up for it!
Fortunately, there was no commotion. If there was such a commotion, almost all the merchants participating in the strike in Nandu City would become hostages in the hands of the Yongwei Battalion!
One hundred merchants are worth half a million taels of silver!
Two hundred merchants are one million taels of silver!
The merchants were called "two-legged silver ingots" by the soldiers of the Yongwei Camp!
Chongzhen suppressed the Min people in cold blood?
A certain emperor would never admit this. Huang Degong did everything!
Regarding this, Huang Degong also shook his head and shied away. Everything was done by his subordinates!
In this regard, the subordinates refused to admit their mistakes and said that the prince acted like this and he was just imitating it!
The emperor passed the responsibility to the generals!
The general passes the responsibility to his subordinates!
The subordinate passed the responsibility to the prince!
But was the prince wrong?
If so, why don't you go find the Crown Prince to reason with me?
Hearing such a reply, it was as if they were being fooled by fools, and the merchants were already furious!
He didn't catch anything and didn't say anything, and he became a prisoner in an instant!
As the new chief minister, Qu Shiqi was so anxious that he hurriedly went to see him.
As a result, he did not see the emperor and was stopped by Wang Chengen.
Qu Shishu said that once the situation spreads to the entire south of the Yangtze River, it will inevitably affect the annual income.
Wang Chengen said that His Majesty has tasked Huang Degong to handle the matter with full authority, and the chief assistant can discuss it with this person.
What is the emperor doing?
Chongzhen is accompanying Concubine Tian to enjoy lotus flowers!
This flower grows out of the mud but remains unstained, and all the "mud" outside has taken to the streets!
With no other choice, Qu Shichen went to find Huang Degong again, but the latter looked confused and claimed that he had no knowledge of the matter!
Qu Shichu and Chen Ming had a powerful relationship. Huang Degong said that the annual income of Nanzhili has always been important, and there are many Diao Min, so it is necessary to adopt the thunderous method to collect taxes!
Since we can't get it by trick, let's grab it openly!
If conventional methods don’t work, let’s take unconventional ones!
Our Yongwei camp is particularly good at unconventional routines!
The prince had done this before in Beidu and it was a great success.
It won't hurt if the Yongwei camp does it again in Nandu!
Qu Shishu was shocked when he heard this. Is this what the emperor's general said?
Huang Degong also took full responsibility for this, saying that the matter had nothing to do with the chief assistant, but was done by Yongweiying!
Is the chief assistant worried about taxes and money?
joke!
Aren’t those people in prison just tax money?
It’s over!
th!
Now Qu Shishu knew how the prince behaved in Beidu. No wonder he was able to raise the military salary in a short time. That's it!
As a result, many merchants were offended. How would the court operate in the future, let alone collect taxes?
As a military commander, Huang Degong can be ignored, but as the chief assistant, Qu Shiqi cannot be ignored!
Qu Shishu went to find Qian Qianyi, but Qian Qianyi said that the matter had reached this point and was irreversible.
Either fight to the end or bow your head and admit defeat, there is no other way.
It's easy to admit defeat, but how to fight?
Qian Qianyi said, "It is better to guard Min's mouth than to guard Chuan." However, if everyone talks about gold, it is impossible to guard against it!
If the emperor cherishes his reputation, he will eventually give in, otherwise he can continue to insist.
Qu Shishu felt that Qian Qianyi was too optimistic. Chongzhen was not Wanli, or he had received advice from the prince before going south, and the matter might get out of control.
Not getting a solution, Qu Shichun went to Cifu Gao Hongtu.
This second assistant had previously been a member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a censor of the capital, a censor of the left deputy capital, and a right minister of the Ministry of Industry. He was originally dismissed by Chongzhen and returned home, but this time he was reinstated, but he was no longer willing to get involved in this matter. .
For no other reason, Gao Hongtu asked Wu Di, the second assistant of the Northern Court, for advice on how to protect himself wisely, and the latter told the first assistant Xue Guoguan's "four-word secret"...
Therefore, the secondary assistant's strategy is to have money and get things done easily. If you don’t have any money, we won’t think about raising money, and we won’t do anything for you. We’ll just watch the fun!
Gao Hongtu had helped Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and others before him, and he was still on good terms with Zhao Nanxing, but that didn't mean he agreed with Dong Lin's ideas and suggestions.
In contrast, he was more inclined to the prince's pragmatic and efficient style of acting. After learning that the prince had recommended him to his majesty, Gao Hongtu understood.
Gao Hongtu's existence was to contain Qu Shichun, but at this time, Qu Shichun could not restrain the already powerful Huang Degong, so Gao Hongtu could just sit back and watch.
For more than a month, the two sides just kept going at it, with no one willing to give in.
One thing that was overlooked by Dong Lin and other gangs was that Chongzhen came with money!
The amount was as high as several million taels, which meant that Chongzhen could afford it and could carry it for at least one or two years!
Can merchants afford it?
It depends on where it is!
You can't even spend three days in jail!
Because if you don’t pay the money for atonement, you won’t be given food!
The soldiers of the Yongwei camp will not beat you or scold you, but they will starve you!
The merchants were still abusive at first, but gradually became mute as time went by.
In the end, he was so hungry that he had no choice but to beg for mercy from the guarding soldiers.
Iron-clad?
Vow not to compromise?
How many businessmen can be so courageous?
That means that your family property belongs to others, your wives and concubines belong to others, and your money also belongs to others!
If you end up like this, why don't you beat your chest and beat your feet?
Originally, the men and horses of the Yongwei Camp had to spend money to purchase food and grass, but now, it’s all free of charge.
No one killed anyone, didn't set fire, and didn't disturb the women's families. The merchants begged for food and supplies!
There are still such despicable people in the world.
If you don't mess with him, he will mess with you!
After provoking him, he realized that he couldn't offend him at all!
But it’s too late to regret it, you have to pay a price!
Poisoning food?
It's impossible for the Yongwei camp to fall into the trap, let the person who sent the food and grass eat first!
If something happens, it will be poisoning the emperor's troops, which will be regarded as launching a rebellion.
Huang Degong also has a combined book on dealing with merchants. According to the above strategy, many merchants can be divided and disintegrated.
The person who pays the silver first can pay part of it less. The more he pays it first, the less he pays.
Anyone who reports on his peers will be deemed to have surrendered and will receive special treatment in the industry in the future.
Taking care of him meant dividing his colleagues' business. Huang Degong could feed these people who had taken refuge in him without spending even a tael of silver.
If you are stubborn and want to fight to the end, it is impossible to succeed.
After ransacking their homes, handing these nasty merchants over to the prince, they would soon be able to find evidence of tax evasion, and then convict and execute them.
Huang Degong is naturally very clear about these established procedures. When the factory guards are short of manpower, Yongweiying can do all the work for them.
Huang Degong was not afraid of the situation escalating. Anyway, the closest troops under Hong Chengchou were in the west of South Zhili and could march eastward to help him at any time.
You won't get much money by suppressing the bandits, but you can earn a lot of money by suppressing the merchants. This order must be very tempting to the officers and soldiers who are hunting down the bandits all over the mountains.
As for the number of merchant casualties, Huang Degong didn't care at all.
The prince once said that merchants are like leeks. After cutting one crop, a new one will grow!
No matter how hard the merchants in the northern capital were at first, didn't they just follow the prince's lead now?
The merchants of Shanxi and Shanxi colluded with the Eastern captives to bring disaster to the Ming Dynasty, and it was not a pity to die. Now the successors all bow to the prince.
It can be seen that as long as the right method is found, merchants will become the money-making tools of the emperor and the prince.
Therefore, for the merchants in the Jiangnan area, it is better not to cut them all at once.
Strive to kill one person to scare others, destroy the prestige, and get money is the first priority.
After that, Huang Degong received another nickname - the Living King of Hell!
There is a saying - it is better to provoke the Lord of Hell than to mess with Huang Degong!
The Lord of Hell wants his life, and Huang Degong wants money.
In the eyes of businessmen, money is of course more important than life!
Life is saved, but the money is gone. That is really worse than death!
After Huang Degong obtained the bound edition, he still had a sense of discretion in letting his subordinates act.
It is definitely not possible to kill people wantonly in the street. The main purpose is to arrest, supplemented by intimidation.
As long as the other party's family obediently paid the money, he could pretend it never happened.
Emperor Chongzhen was very leisurely during this period and did not need to go to court. All matters were left to his chief assistant and Huang Degong to handle.
With this insinuating reminder, Huang Degong felt more at ease when he acted.
At the end of the matter, just find some people who have gone too far and convict them, and send them to Beidu to accept the punishment of the Crown Prince.
These guys are so arrogant and unreasonable towards merchants, they must be benefiting from the protection of the prince.
To untie the bell, the person who tied it must be handed over to the prince, which is the best result.
Whether it was three drinks as a penalty or running hundreds of steps, Huang Degong had no control over it.
