Wanli 1592

Chapter 481

Shanxi is a magical province. From the early Ming Dynasty to the middle and late Qing Dynasty, Shanxi, a northern province, has always been one of the wealthiest provinces in China and has never declined.

Even in the decline period from the late Qing Dynasty to before the reform and opening up, it was a helpless decline under the general environment.

China as a whole was in decline, and Shanxi could not be alone. However, after the reform and opening up, Shanxi quickly bloomed its own magical light again, creating the world-famous coal boss.

However, compared with the rich and powerful but no cultural influence brought by the coal bosses, the ancestors of these coal bosses were in the middle and late Ming Dynasty and the middle and early Qing Dynasty, which was a symbol of national wealth and culture. , It can be said that he has enjoyed all the glory and wealth, and lived a luxurious life.

Kang, a representative figure of Shanxi Merchants, once said a word during the severe drought in Shanxi—there is an old sky above, and there are millions of Kang below, if there is no rain for three years, there are ten thousand stones in the old grain!
What arrogance, and how full of confidence, after three years of no rain, the people have already fled to nowhere, but even if they sit and eat, they don't know when they will finish eating.

The influence of great Shanxi merchants radiated throughout the Guanzhong region of North China. They bloomed everywhere in Shanxi, digging caves in hidden places in valleys, hiding grain, salt and other things that are good for storage, and sealing them well. Generally, they can be stored for decades. Long.

They accumulated wealth in this way, and soon they became rich beyond compare.

This is not a joke that the country is so rich that it is really rich. The combined family assets of the wealthiest families of Shanxi merchants are indeed more abundant than the treasury of the famous imperial court and Zhu Yijun's internal treasury. Zhu Yijun really does not have them rich.

Unlike the coal bosses, their ancestors were well versed in the methods and routines of the rulers. They have been routinely practiced for more than 1000 years, and everyone has cultivated to become a master.

With the popularity of imperial examinations, a new anti-routine of "the best in business leads to officialdom" has long been explored to trick the imperial court, and the Ming court has been successfully used in this way.

The famous chief assistant Zhang Siwei of the Ming Dynasty, and the famous official Wang Chonggu, these two were born in the wealthy family of Shanxi merchants. They were educated by elites when they were young. political power.

Even a fierce man like Zhang Juzheng didn't dare to attack the Shanxi merchants directly, but instead used Zhang Siwei as an arm, which shows the strength of the Shanxi merchants.

The union of the Ming court and the Tumed tribe, and the birth of a goddess of peace like San Niangzi, naturally cannot do without the credit of Wang Chonggu, who was once the governor of Xuanda.

Wang Chonggu did this with two meanings. One is out of consideration for the country, hoping to stop fighting and stop fighting, and the other is to benefit his own Shanxi merchant family.

Who will benefit the most once a trade market is opened between Datong, Shanxi and Mongolia?

Of course, it is the Shanxi merchants who are close to the water. The Shanxi merchants sold iron, salt, and grain and indeed got a lot of benefits from the Tumed tribe.

However, it is a good thing for them, but it may not be a good thing for the Ming court. On the one hand, the Mongols who have gained the benefits of salt and iron have increased their combat effectiveness, and on the other hand, the Ming court cannot collect a little tax from it.

Just kidding, Shoufu belongs to the Shanxi merchant family. Do you want to collect taxes from Shoufu?

The civil servants were collectively speechless. At this time, their double-standard faces were fully exposed.

It is precisely because of this that the Ming court was pitted by Shanxi merchants very badly. If the trade with the Mongols more or less brought peace, then the trade with the Jurchens was a stab in the back of the Ming Dynasty, which aggravated the situation. This led to the defeat of Ming Dynasty and accelerated the speed of China's fall.

As a non-Shanxi merchant official, Mei Guozhen is a conscientious official with the world in mind, so he is naturally very aware of the activities of the Shanxi merchants and those in the court.

He also knew that since Zhang Siwei and Wang Chonggu, the power of Shanxi merchants has been out of control. He, the governor of Datong, is soft-spoken, and he can't do things that Zhao Zhigao can't do.

What he hopes is that these rich and oily Shanxi businessmen can come up with a little bit of food, even if it is borrowed, it is better than rekindling the border war. After all, this policy is the result of their former spokesperson Wang Chonggu and What Zhang Siwei promoted, now, they have to bear the consequences of this kind of thing.

When Tumed was rich, they ran to do business with Tumed. Now that Tumed was in trouble, they disappeared without a trace, and they didn't even go out of the gate. Mei Guozhen couldn't understand the reason for this .

"These big merchants and rich merchants in Jinzhong each have tens of thousands of wealth. They are truly wealthy, and they don't pay taxes. The income is very generous. The imperial court has nothing to do with them.

When the general was guarding the border gate, he often heard people say that they had enough food for all the soldiers on the nine borders for ten years. The general was thinking, how much food is that? "

Walking on the streets of Datong City with Mei Guozhen, Ma Gui couldn't help but feel a little bit emotional. Compared with these businessmen, he is at most a small local tyrant, and he is still very unpopular.

In this way, he often took out food to help the sergeants, but those wealthy businessmen with a large amount of food in their hands would rather seal up the food than sell it, and they really had bad intentions.

"The harm of the rich, we have seen it very clearly during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Hoarding strange things, being rich can rival a country, manipulating the throne, seeking to seize the king's power, and having a heart to punish, so there is a measure of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business.

But today, you have become a businessman and you are an official. The children of businessmen can become officials. The former chief assistant Zhang Siwei, Governor Xuanda, and your immediate boss Wang Chonggu are all children of this wealthy businessman in Shanxi! "

Mei Guozhen sighed unceasingly: "Businessmen attach great importance to profits and have no sense of national justice. They smuggled firearms and irons to the Mongols, which greatly increased their combat power. They used money to accumulate tens of thousands of wealth, but our border soldiers were killed and injured by firearms and irons produced by Ming Dynasty. , how ironic?"

Ma Gui knew about this for a long time, and of course he also knew why the court did not rectify it.

Shoufu is the son of a merchant, so what are you talking about?

"Is there really nothing you can do?"

Magui still has a little hope for this.

"The hustle and bustle of the world is for profit, and the prosperity of the world is for profit. Only good things can impress them. If you want to win with them, you have to offer more attractive benefits. The current profit is to prevent the border from rekindling the flames of war. , so that they can continue to make money, they will understand that once there is a war, without Daming’s protection, they will not be able to keep their wealth.”

Mei Guozhen can only say so.

All the way to the gate of the Kang family's house in Datong City, Mei Guozhen saw a group of white-bearded old men in extraordinary clothes who had been waiting for him at the gate for a long time.

(End of this chapter)