At the same time, in Yanghe, Shanxi, where the Xuanda Governor's Mansion is located, it can be said that there is a bustling crowd. One after another, sturdy and thick-felt carriages were seen parked at the door of the mansion, and many were flat-bed carriages, with boxes of goods piled on them. thing.
The people who got out of the covered carriage seemed to be very shrewd. When they saw each other, they all smiled and said hello.
"Brother Fan, I didn't expect that we arrived together!"
"Brother Wang Xian, it seems that you left home half a day earlier than brother Wei, so we can arrive together, haha!"
"..."
Just as they were saying hello, motorcades came one after another, and the people who came out obviously knew each other, and they greeted each other at the gate of the Governor's Palace.
It was heard from their conversation that they had made an appointment to visit the Governor's Mansion today to pay New Year greetings, so they arrived together.
These people are all Shanxi merchants, namely Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa, eight Shanxi merchants who will be notorious in later generations.
Chen Xinjia, the governor of Xuanda, already knew that the benefactor was coming to the door, so he personally greeted him, clasping his fists with a smile on his face and saying, "Happy New Year, everyone!"
"Happy New Year, Governor-General!" The eight Shanxi merchants clasped their fists and bowed in return, not showing themselves as benefactors at all.
"Come on, come on, it's too cold outside, please take a seat at the back office." Chen Xinjia said with a smile, "I have heated up the wine, let's have a few drinks to warm ourselves together!"
Just like that, the group entered the Governor's Mansion and went to the back office, talking and laughing among themselves. It can be seen that this is not the first time they have met.
Not long after, they were drinking in the living room of the back office. You toast me a toast, and I toast you a toast, and we congratulate each other on our prosperity and happiness. If people who don't know see it, they will think that the world is peaceful and there is nothing to worry about.
"Fan Mou, here's a drink to Governor-General!" Fan Yongdou, the leader, stood up first and said to Chen Xinjia with a smile, "With Governor-General sitting in our land of Jin, it will be more convenient for us to do things in the future. As the scale expands, we will earn more!"
Upon hearing this, the younger Wang Dengku immediately stood up with a wine glass and said: "Yes, yes, the Governor is here, and we are all relieved. Finally, we don't have to worry about it. We can all make a fortune together, how wonderful!"
When other Shanxi merchants met, they all imitated him and complimented Governor Xuanda, holding wine glasses and wanting to toast him together.
Chen Xinjia saw it, with a smile on his face. He also stood up with a wine glass and said: "If it weren't for your efforts, I, Chen, would not be in this position. To be able to be where I am today, I will never forget your help. From now on." It is under my jurisdiction, so you can rest assured."
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at each other and smiled boldly, then they showed each other the bottom of their glasses and laughed together.
After sitting down, Liang Binbin smiled and opened another topic: "Now the Qing army is making a fortune in the pass. It is invincible and must have gained a lot. The Qing emperor has always been generous. This time this year, the demand is probably greater. It seems that we This year’s business will be huge again!”
"Yes, after entering and plundering the customs three times before, the demand in Liaodong surged." Huang Yunfa laughed and said, "The Qing emperor used almost all the gold and silver looted to buy goods from us, and the most important thing is that Don’t bargain, you are really the best buyer!”
However, after Fan Yongdou, the leader of them, heard what they said, he frowned slightly without a smile on his face. He looked at Chen Xinjia and asked: "Your Majesty Governor, now Lu Xiangsheng has been promoted to Minister of War again, and he is once again in charge of the Qinwang soldiers in the world. Ma, I wonder how the situation will develop?"
At this point, he looked worried, and continued to add: "Lu Xiangsheng has also served as the governor of Xuanda for a long time. We all know his abilities. Just the commander-in-chief Yang Guozhu he brought out, Hu Da Wei, all of them are brave and good at fighting. I don’t know why, but Fan is a little worried!”
What he was worried about was obviously not that the people in the pass were in ruins, but that the Manchu and Qing troops would no longer plunder as much as before. Everyone here can hear this.
Upon hearing this, these Shanxi merchants remembered what Lu Xiangsheng had done as Governor of Xuanda and had seen his ability in leading troops. Suddenly, the atmosphere at the banquet became obviously much colder.
Wang Dayu looked at Chen Xinjia and asked with the same concern: "The Governor is familiar with the Qing army, and he is also familiar with the Ming officialdom. I don't know what you think, can Lu Xiangsheng be an opponent of the Qing army?"
As soon as he asked this question, everyone stopped talking and looked at Chen Xinjia, expecting his answer.
After hearing this, Chen Xinjia pondered for a moment, and then replied without a smile on his face: "If Lu Xiangsheng wants to have a decisive battle with the Qing army, I am not worried. You can also rest assured. He will definitely not be a match for the Qing army. This Click, I can guarantee it!"
At this point, he paused, and his face became a little ugly again and said: "But what if Lu Xiangsheng did not fight a decisive battle with the Qing army, but just lurked around the Qing army like a tiger, ready to launch a decisive battle at any time? , that will inevitably affect the Qing army's operations. The longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it will be to the Qing army. It is very likely that in the end the Qing army will not gain much and will have to withdraw from the pass."
Upon hearing this, Wang Dayu immediately became anxious and asked quickly: "Mr. Governor, what should we do?"
"Yes, Mr. Governor, if the Qing army gains nothing, then we will have nothing to gain! I have hoarded a lot of supplies!" Liang Jiabin immediately followed worriedly.
Seeing that other people also wanted to speak, Chen Xinjia stretched out his hand to stop them from talking, and then said to himself: "Since I heard that Lu Xiangsheng was re-promoted to Minister of War to command the world's soldiers and horses, I have written to the Yangge Department, requesting the Yangge Department to advise the emperor and give Lu Xiangsheng put pressure on him and forced him to fight the Qing army as soon as possible. In this way, Lu Xiangsheng will be defeated. Even if he does not die in battle, he will not be able to escape the civil and military impeachment of the Manchu Dynasty!"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but be overjoyed and began to flatter the Governor for his foresight.
In the original history, the last battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty was the Battle of Songjin in the 15th year of Chongzhen. The commander was a famous commander. No matter what, at least on the battlefield inside the Guan Dynasty, he was the main one who made the bandits run wild. , he is Hong Chengchou. The army under his command gathered all the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty.
At that time, Jinzhou was besieged for many days, and reinforcements from outside were cut off. If there are soldiers who have escaped from Jinzhou and it is expected that the ancestors will live a happy life, please use large forces to force them through with car camps, but do not start a fight easily. At first, both Hong Chengchou and Emperor Chongzhen believed that the advance should be cautious and slow. Hong Chengchou thought that the troops were weak and wanted to be more serious.
However, Chen Xinjia, who was the Minister of War at the time, advocated a quick battle and insisted on a four-pronged attack. He sent Zhang Ruoqi to lobby and persuaded Emperor Chongzhen to change his mind and issued an imperial edict. In the end, Hong Chengchou rushed to a decisive battle, which led to the loss of food routes and a complete defeat. , thus ruining the Ming Dynasty.
Now, he thought of using this trick to deal with Lu Xiangsheng.
