People live in the Ming Dynasty, evil spirits are soaring into the sky

Chapter 56: Southeastern gentry colludes with Japanese pirates to invade! Chen Han accepted the move!

Zhang Siwei soon received a letter from several southeastern provinces united to him.

To be honest, his family also runs a business.

A big reason why Shanxi merchants were able to flourish was because Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was able to open up the Middle Kingdom.

At that time, these traders made a fortune by exchanging grain from the imperial court for salt from Huaihe River.

At that time, there was a huge food shortage in the important town of Jiubian.

Shanxi merchants are very good at making grain.

Because they were relatively close to Jiubian in Shanxi, the imperial court originally wanted to use their business methods to transport grain to the important town of Jiubian nearby.

But the imperial court could not provide the money at that time, so it could only exchange salt yin. Shanxi merchants took the salt yin issued by the court and went to Lianghuai to extract the salt and sell it all over the world.

This offsets their account of transporting grain to Jiubian.

They can purchase grain from various places at very low prices.

In addition, they have been in business for many years and have connections with post stations and official roads in several provinces, so the freight is very low.

It’s another bulk grain transaction with lower costs.

Compared with the cost of food, the salt these people received was much more valuable.

Moreover, this group of people was quite shrewd in doing business and well-versed in people. After arriving in Lianghuai, they colluded with the salt merchants in Lianghuai.

Half comes from the official salt, and half comes from the private salt.

What they took was one thousand catties of salt, but they got two thousand catties of salt in exchange for huge profits.

Taking this as an opportunity, although Shanxi is far away from several southeastern provinces, the businessmen in these two places are actually quite closely colluding.

Zhang Siwei's family has been in business for generations, and the reason why his uncle Wang Chonggu was able to succeed in the position of Governor of Xuanda was successful.

It would not have been possible without the support of Shanxi merchants.

Shanxi merchants wanted to inherit the kindness of Southeast merchants, so when Zhang Siwei received this letter, he was also stunned.

Unexpectedly, several provinces in the southeast would recommend his uncle to go to the southeast to become the governor of Zhejiang Province. This was a huge job.

If you get to the southeast, your uncle will be in charge of the southeast, and it will be much easier for Shanxi merchants to do business with the southeast merchants.

Besides, people have made it very clear in the letter, both overtly and covertly.

From now on, the Lianghuai salt in the southeast can be sold at 20% profit margin.

The dividends from the smuggling trade can also be paid out at 10%.

Smuggling in several southeastern coastal provinces is already on the surface, and everyone turns a blind eye.

Even the imperial palace set up a weaving bureau in the southeast.

And is the silk from the Weaving Bureau really only sold through a port in Yuegang, Fujian?
No.

During the Jiajing period, the royal palace and local government expenditures were very high. Where did the money come from?
Of course there is trade.

If the trade is just formal trade, going out to sea from Fujian Yuegang will be easily robbed by Japanese pirates.

Therefore, the Weaving Bureau in the southeast has always been responsible for delivering silk to the palace and doing business with overseas merchants.

Huge profits were made from this, and the palace and local smugglers split the profits 50-50.

If we can really get a 10% dividend from the smuggling trade at sea, then both Zhang Zhuanjia and Shanxi merchants can enrich their pockets.

Zhang Siwei looked up at the person who brought the message and asked: "Gentlemen in the southeast, are you so sure that the Japanese pirates will come ashore?"

"My lord, you are joking. How could we have predicted that? Japanese pirates have always existed. If the imperial court did not send the governor of Zhejiang Province, I am afraid that several southeastern provinces would not be able to shoulder the important task of eradicating Japanese pirates."

As the saying goes, one can know the elegant meaning by hearing the sound of strings. Zhang Siwei could tell it by listening to the words of this staff member.

On the surface, Japanese pirates often burn, kill and loot on land. In fact, secretly, it means that we can control the actions of Japanese pirates at any time. Zhang Siwei is not a fool. He understands the current situation very clearly.

If Chen Han is allowed to reform, not only the wealthy gentry in the southeast will suffer losses, but also those doing business in Shanxi will be implicated.

Once Chen Han succeeds in reforming in the southeast, he will definitely implement it throughout the world, and Shanxi merchants will definitely bear the brunt of it.

Because the reason why the southeastern gentry have been repeatedly targeted is that they control the southeastern coast, and Shanxi merchants are also a piece of fat.

If Chen Han really succeeds in reform, can he let Shanxi Shanxi merchants go?

This is one's own interests.

So Zhang Siwei smiled: "Okay, the letter you pushed up means that I received it.

But now we can only do our best to obey fate, and you don’t have to have high hopes. "

The staff is also a smart person. Smart people always speak to the point, not only to leave room for themselves, but also to save face for the other party.

The staff immediately wanted to resign.

Zhang Siwei ordered his servants: "Go to the accounting office and pay this gentleman one hundred taels of silver. It will all be considered as travel expenses."

The staff member bowed and saluted, "Thank you, sir!"

After the aide went out, Zhang Siwei took the letter and looked at it carefully, then burned it with a candle and turned it into ashes.

That night, he summoned Shanxi officials and solicited their opinions in the name of drinking.

……

Chen Han's mansion.

Chen Han is currently discussing matters with Xu Wei.

At this moment, Li Rubai hurried in.

Li Rusong was pouring tea for Chen Han and Xu Wei at this time.

Seeing his younger brother coming over and standing up, Li Rubai hurriedly saluted Li Rusong: "Brother!"

Li Rusong patted Li Rubai on the shoulder: "Good boy, I've been promoted to Beizhen, okay, okay, dad's letter came here, saying that both of us brothers are promising.

I became a disciple of Mr. Xu and worked under Ti Shuai, which gave him face. "

Li Rubai laughed, and then said quickly, "Brother, I came today because I have something important to report to Tishuai!"

"Then go quickly!"

After Li Rubai went up to see Chen Han, he hurriedly took out a secret note from the bamboo tube at his waist and handed it to Chen Han.

"Tishuai, I just received news from the southeast. As you expected, the wealthy gentry in the southeast have joined forces to lure the Japanese pirates in.

The Japanese pirates had already harassed the villages in Ningbo, burning, killing, and looting all the way. They had acquaintances leading the way, and they were unstoppable along the way. The officers and soldiers followed them, always a step slower.

It seems that the Japanese plague, which has not appeared for a long time, is about to start again.

Now the governor of Zhejiang has submitted a memorial, saying that he is asking the imperial court to appoint the governor of Zhejiang to eliminate the Japanese invasion. "

After Xu Wei heard this, he read the secret note sent from the southeast and sneered: "It seems that the wealthy gentry in the southeast will not change for thousands of years. The way to resist the imperial reform is to support the invaders with self-respect.

These guys are doing this again, how can Ti Shuaiqian break the situation? "

Chen Han said, "I have expected it a long time ago. Since Hu Zongxian could once be the governor of Zhejiang Province, shouldn't I be able to?
I am not afraid at all to have you, a military advisor who once commanded the southeast, as my commander-in-chief.

They come whenever they want, and I just want to take advantage of this opportunity to see how difficult these monolithic southeastern gentry are! "

……

(End of this chapter)