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Chapter 208 Zhangjiakou Upstart

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, congratulations on getting rich, business is booming, wealth is abundant, wealth is prosperous, everything is going well, everything is going smoothly, two dragons are flying, three goats are in prosperity, four seasons are safe, five blessings are coming, six and six are going smoothly..., in a word , is a very auspicious day.But on this auspicious day, Zhangjiakou's eight major locust merchants, headed by Fan Yongdou and Huang Yunlong, walked on the festive Laiyuanbao Market Street, but their mood was colder than that of the snowy grassland. , and the mood is even lower than that of the Mariana Trench. There is no other reason. This kind of goods is backlogged in the warehouse, and there is no chance to make a move.

Of course, the one who caused heavy losses to the Eight Great Locust Merchants was Young Master Zhang, the bad breed with sores on his head and pus on the soles of his feet. On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Young Master Zhang left Zhangjiakou and suddenly killed another carbine. Being found out, he failed to catch the handle of the eight major locust merchants, but also scared the three spirits of the eight major locust merchants away, and delayed two days to dare not ship, wasting two days of time that is more precious than gold .On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, after confirming through various channels that Master Zhang had entered the territory of Datong, the trembling Eight Locust Merchants ordered to accept the order again. Yunlong suddenly came to Zhangjiakou under the pretext of inspecting the border. He also brought [-] Mongolian soldiers who had performed outstandingly in the Horqin Grassland during the Northern Expedition of the Ming Army. All kinds of goods suddenly shattered the dream of the eight major locust merchants to make a fortune in the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month.

Probably to show their loyalty to the Ming court, these Mongolian soldiers who officially joined the Ming army after the Northern Expedition of Horqin fought extraordinarily hard to carry out their missions, and did not take any bribes at all, let alone the wooing of the former defenders of Zhangjiakou , only listen to Hei Yunlong's words, and never let all kinds of goods in and out of Zhangjiakou Fort be turned upside down!In just one day, the merchants in the border city of Zhangjiakou seized countless private salt and tea and various goods for tax evasion and tax evasion. Sneaked into the big prison, and will never release them unless they pay a fine and pay taxes—fortunately, those caught are all small businesses and small households who took risks in order to make a fortune. The names of the eight major locust merchants were not involved.But in this way, the Eight Great Locust Merchants are even more afraid to smuggle and smuggle prohibited materials. They are very popular in Zhangjiakou. If they are caught, they may give young master Zhang a chance to hit hard. , Therefore, in the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month, the eight major locust merchants could not make a shady profiteering business, and the business naturally plummeted.

Unknowingly, the Eight Great Locust Merchants had already reached the street where Fan Yongdou Silk and Satin Shop was located. After a long distance, the Eight Great Locust Merchants saw the crowds on the street. Flocking in front of Fan Yongdou Silk and Satin Village—the Wuji Silk and Satin Village next door, they scrambled to greet Wu Er, the owner of Wuji Silk and Satin Village, the owner of Wuji Silk and Satin Village.Seeing this scene, almost every locust merchant spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm, "Bah! The villain is successful!" A few locust merchants even growled in a low voice, "Master Fan, you have a lot of acquaintances in the capital, can you sue the surname black?" That bastard tartar? Why do other merchants have to inspect the goods entering and exiting Zhangjiakou, but the goods surnamed Wu and Ma are not inspected?"

"Success? It's easy to say, my uncle surnamed Wu is the head of the barbarian's six officials and the chief assistant of the cabinet. Except for Cui Chengxiu and Feng Quan, who are old barbarian officials, who would dare to find him unhappy?" Fan Yongdou He snorted coldly, and said in a very depressed manner: "Besides, these two young masters have been doing business in Zhangjiakou for almost two years. They know more or less about our affairs. If they really want to make things worse, pull out the carrots and bring out the mud. Let's Several companies will still be implicated."

There is a reason why shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun are jealous and hated by the eight major locust merchants. After Hei Yunlong's direct troops stationed in Zhangjiakou Border Market, all merchants in Zhangjiakou Border Market have to strictly check their goods when they enter and exit, even if they pay less than a penny. Hei Yunlong took a look at them, and as long as the convoy of goods with their company banner entered and exited the checkpoint, they would let them go without checking or asking— —Obviously, Hei Yunlong has teamed up with two live treasures.Originally, it didn't matter who Hei Yunlong teamed up with, but in this way, in the twelfth lunar month when the business of every inch of light and gold is the most prosperous, other merchants' goods must either pay full taxes before they can be exported, and their profits will be greatly reduced, or they will have to look at them with bare hands. Others make money, only the Wu family and the Ma family have sufficient goods and cheap prices, so the business is naturally in full swing.

After a long time, some shops have also learned to be smart. They found the shopkeeper Wu Er to discuss with Ma Jun, paid part of the profits, and borrowed the flags of their shops to plant on their trucks to enter and exit the customs. As expected by these smart businessmen, Wu's family Behind the flag of the Ma family, those wolf-like soldiers of the Ming army did not check or ask, and let them go, and watched them carry all kinds of prohibited materials to pass the customs.After the news spread, almost every merchant in the market near Zhangjiakou approached Wu Er and Ma Jun and borrowed flags from them to deliver the goods, but all of them laughed crookedly. As long as they put the flags of these two firms, Even if it is carrying private salt without official stamps, no one cares about it, so that all merchants have made a lot of money. The shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun don't spend a little effort to sit on the ground and collect commissions. He has become the leader of Zhangjiakou's border market, and his limelight is approaching the eight big locust merchants with deep roots. No, just after the Chinese New Year, all the merchants who count on the tiger's skin to pull the banner this year have all gone to the second shopkeeper Wu to flatter them.

Some people want to ask, since those smart businessmen can borrow flags from Wu Er and Ma Jun to transport goods and resell smuggled and contraband goods for huge profits, why don’t the eight smarter locust merchants borrow flags from Wu Er and Ma Jun to make money? ?The answer is very simple. The black-heartedness of shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun is not under the new Governor of Xuanda, Young Master Zhang. All merchants use the flag to ship goods, and shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun have to take [-]% of the profit of the goods as a commission ——Twenty percent of the profits were taken away by others for no reason. In order to make money, ordinary small merchants with no backing can only grit their teeth and agree. Shame——in his own territory, outsiders collected protection fees, and local snakes were picked up by dragons crossing the river. If it is spread out, the water transport merchants in Tongzhou and the salt rats in Yangzhou will laugh their heads off?

Shame is shame, face and self-esteem can't be taken as food. For Yin Zi's face, after hesitating for a day or two, Tian Shenglan and Jin Liangyu still had the cheek to go to shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun, asking them to help make their A batch of private salt passed the customs, never thought Wu Er shopkeeper and Ma Junshi opened their mouths - [-]% of the profit!In this way, Tian Shenglan and Jin Liangyu jumped three feet high, and said with a livid face: "Treasurer Wu Er, shopkeeper Ma Da, are you too much? It's fine to sit on the floor, and [-]% of the profit can be counted as well." Why are we begging you, you want to take half of it?"

"Tian Da shopkeeper, Jin Da shopkeeper, don't be angry." The second shopkeeper Wu said with a smile: "Twenty percent is because we look down on those small businesses with small capitals, so we take [-]% of their profits, like yours. These big shops, can you compare with them? Do our two brothers dare to put the two big shopkeepers and those small shrimps together? The [-]% draw, this is our two brothers' respect for your two big shopkeepers!"

"The [-]% of others is to look down on them? The [-]% of us is because we respect us? What's the reason?" Tian Shenglan and Jin Liangyu were confused.Shopkeeper Wu Er said plausibly: "Two big shopkeepers, think about it carefully, can those small shops compare with you? They can only transport salt at most ten or twenty, and it will not exceed the sky. Fifty Yin, even if something goes wrong, the risk we take is small! But what about the salt that you two shopkeepers transported, I am afraid that any illicit salt transported at any time is enough to kill the head of the whole family? If something goes wrong , haven’t we taken the corresponding risk?”

"That's right, that's why we gave you two shopkeepers [-]%." Ma Jun also said confidently: "As much profit comes, there is as much risk. The two big shopkeepers have been in business for so many years, and they don't know how to do this." Don’t you understand the reason? As long as you give up [-]% of the profit, our two brothers will keep your goods and pass the customs smoothly, and even if something goes wrong, our two brothers will carry it for you!”

Tian Shenglan and Jin Liangyu were dumbfounded. After leaking the news to several other locust merchants, the other locust merchants were also dumbfounded, but they couldn't find a word to refute the fallacies of Wu Er and Ma Da.After a moment of hesitation, the golden period of business has already slipped away from her hands. Finally, on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhai Ying, who had hoarded a large amount of private tea in her hand and was eager to sell, had no choice but to find the second shopkeeper Wu and the big shopkeeper Ma, and bargained down the price. Finally, shopkeeper Wu Er and shopkeeper Ma Da finally mercifully agreed to only take [-]% of the draw, and shopkeeper Ma Da personally came forward to help Di Ying's private tea pass the test. As a result, all of Di Ying's old private tea passed the test smoothly, and Teng After paying out the money, he planned to go to Jiangnan to purchase new tea next year, but [-]% of the white money went into the hands of shopkeepers Wu Er and Ma Da, making Di Ying, Shanxi No. [-] picker, so distressed that he couldn't even eat the New Year's Eve dinner.The other locust merchants were also helpless, so they had to discuss using the opportunity of the Chinese New Year to pay New Year greetings to the two treasure shopkeepers, to further win the relationship, and see if the two wolf-hearted treasure shopkeepers could reduce the commission.

After queuing on the street for a long time, until the afternoon, the eight major locust merchants finally entered the silk and satin shop of the second shopkeeper Wu, and the shopkeeper Ma Da, who was inseparable from Meng and Meng Buke with the second shopkeeper, was also in the silk shop. After presenting the New Year gift in the back hall, Fan Yongdou, on behalf of the Eight Great Locust Merchants, put forward the transaction terms to the shopkeepers Wu Er and Ma Da. All the goods of the locust merchants are entrusted to these two live treasure companies to pass through the customs.Fan Yongdou also said straight to the point: "Two shopkeepers, what you said is reasonable, as much profit comes with great risk! But have the two big shopkeepers ever thought about the size of the goods that our eight families pass in and out of the customs every day? ? Each of your family takes [-]%, how much money do you earn every day? I’m afraid that the goods of all the stores in Zhangjiakou combined are not half as much as our eight families? "

"Shopkeeper Fan, what you said makes sense." Shopkeeper Wu Er nodded and admitted, and then said with a smile: "But it's still the same sentence, it's too dangerous to do business with you! Everyone is looking for a living in Zhangjiakou. What kind of business is it that can be hidden from the court, but cannot be hidden from colleagues, in order to prevent accidents, so our commission must not be lowered, if something happens, our two brothers will also have money for activities, right?"

"Yes, that's the reason." Ma Jun also said without blushing: "Well, for the sake of the big shopkeepers, it is the same as the batch of tea leaves from the big shopkeepers. Forty percent, the goods of the big shopkeepers pass the customs. For any goods, [-]% of the profit will be taken!"

"Thirty percent!" Fan Yongdou gritted his teeth and offered the reserve price.Unexpectedly, shopkeeper Wu Er and Ma Jun shook their heads together, and said in unison, "Forty percent! Anything less!"

Having said that, the eight major locust merchants are completely at a loss as to what to do. The profits of prohibited materials are high, but after deducting the transportation costs, labor costs and various operating costs, [-]% is taken away by the second shopkeeper Wu and Ma Jun. The eight major locust merchants can't even earn [-]% of the profit, so this percentage is unacceptable to the eight major locust merchants anyway.Annoyed, Fan Yongdou and the other eight major locust merchants got up and said goodbye together, preparing to carry out the second plan that failed to negotiate, that is, to go to Beijing again, and find a good censor to clean up these two greedy shopkeepers. They cleaned up, and then tried to find a way to re-open the Zhangjiakou checkpoint—after all, Wu Er and Ma Jun dared to sit on the ground so unscrupulously and make commissions, there must be the support of the court officials behind them, and they would not take all the money they got. After they fall, those civil and military officials who count on Zhangjiakou to make a fortune will definitely support the agent businessmen, and then the eight major locust merchants will have an opportunity.Of course, it will definitely take time to do so, and it is not surprising that it can be as little as two or three months, and as long as a year or so.

When rushing out angrily, the eight locust merchants bumped into the three local snakes in Zhangjiakou who were not qualified to go to Yanghe to attend the meeting. Get up and say New Year greetings to these two treasure shopkeepers.When the two sides met, Fan Yongdou asked sarcastically: "My lords, it's really rare for the imperial court to order officials to pay New Year's greetings to two commoner merchants."

"Shopkeeper Fan Da, don't laugh at us." Sun Shangzhi said with a sad face, "We sent people to Beijing to inquire about the news. These two guys are indeed relatives of our immediate boss, and they are very good at talking. Last year, I didn’t make any money in Zhangjiakou, so I wrote a letter and filed a complaint. As a result, the person we sent to inquire about the news still ate melons in the capital. Lao Shi and I have to go to Ningxia to wipe out the rebels! The wind and sand in that place is bigger than Zhangjiakou, and the rebels are so violent, Lao Shi and I don't want to go."

"Boss Qian said this directly? Then why didn't he tell you earlier that his nephew is doing business in Zhangjiakou?" Fan Yongdou asked in surprise.Sun Shangzhi's expression was even more mournful, and he replied in a low voice: "It's my bad luck. When Mr. Qian's nephew went to Zhangjiakou for business in the sixth year of Tianqi, Mr. Qian wrote me a letter asking me to take care of his nephew, but I don’t know that there was a problem with that post station, and I lost this letter! Manager Qian thought I had received the letter, and I didn’t know that his nephew came to Zhangjiakou—damn it, the Xuanfu President I am very hopeful that the soldiers will be replaced, but because of the loss of that letter, it will be cheaper for that bastard Tartar surnamed Hei!"

"Lost the letter?" Fan Yongdou smiled wryly, thinking that this Sun Barbarian is really unlucky. It is common for post stations to lose official documents and letters, but losing this letter that is related to Sun Shangzhi's future and destiny is considered extremely unlucky .Over there, Sun Shangzhi took another peek at Liu Yongzuo, who was talking to Wang Dayu, and whispered in Fan Yongdou's ear, "The shopkeeper Fan Da, the one surnamed Ma, don't make things difficult for me, the one surnamed Wu , you have to be careful too - I received news that Zhang Tangguan from the Ministry of Officials told Liu Yongzuo's people to take good care of Zhang Tangguan's nephew. After finishing this term, Zhang Tangguan may consider transferring Liu Yongzuo to Yangzhou , that place is fatter than Zhangjiakou, I am afraid that even if Liu Yongzuo risked his old life, he would die for this surnamed Wu."

"Fuck! These two cowards have one civil and one military, and they have killed all the civil and military officials in Zhangjiakou!" Fan Yongdou became more and more depressed-Fan Yongdou also has the Zhang family's intelligence network, and he also went to the capital to inquire about Zhang Ruitu and Qian Yuanyi. Zhang Ruitu's housekeeper and Qian Yuanyi himself both admitted that they had these two relatives, who were spoiled and spoiled since they were young, and could not be civil servants or military commanders, so they were put in Zhangjiakou to do business. Make a small fortune, and also specifically told Fan Yongdou's emissary to ask Fan Yongdou, the number one shopkeeper in Zhangjiakou, to take good care of these two nephews, and he will definitely be grateful in the future.It was also because of this that Fan Yongdou did not go out of his way to deal with these two shopkeepers of live treasures as usual, and directly made them disappear from Zhangjiakou.

"My master, my master." When Fan Yongdou and others were wandering on Laiyuanbao Street with a lot of thoughts, Fan Yongdou's right-hand man Chen Dabing suddenly ran over, jumped off his horse in front of Fan Yongdou, and whispered in Fan Yongdou's ear He said in a low voice, "Boss, go home quickly, the envoy of Emperor Dajin is here, waiting at our house, I want to see you immediately, and there are seven other shopkeepers!"

"Dai Jin Khan's emissary is here? Did you pass the code?" Fan Yongdou asked nervously in a low voice.Chen Dabin replied with a wry smile: "Boss, you don't need to use passwords and proofs, because this time the big man is here, and the villain has met you in Shengjing—Ning Wan, I am Mr. Ning!"

"Ning Wan me?!" Fan Yongdou gasped, and said to himself that Ning Wan, one of the three great ministers of the Great Jin, personally took action. It seems that this time the matter is not trivial!Thinking of this, Fan Yongdou hurriedly winked at several locust merchants next to him, rode fast horses together, and rushed back to his house in Zhangjiakou.

The eight locust merchants hurried all the way to Zhangjiakou before the gate was closed, and there happened to be a group of carriages named Wuji Silk and Satin Village leaving the customs. Although the carriages were loaded with long wooden boxes, the wheel marks were also unusually deep. It wasn't silk and satin, but those soldiers of the Ming army who strictly checked other caravans didn't even pay any attention to it, and waved their hands to let them go.While the eight locust merchants were envious, the axle of one of the carriages suddenly broke, the carriage tilted, the wooden box fell to the ground and broke, and the barrel of a small Franco cannon rolled out!

"Cannon!" I don't know how many people screamed, and the guys from Wuji silk and satin shop were all stunned, never dreaming that there was such a beheading thing in our car.The soldiers of the Ming army guarding the gate were also taken aback for a moment, hesitating whether they should go up and take down these caravan guys who dared to swagger and smuggle arms.Here Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku and other locust merchants are also dumbfounded. They have smuggled arms before, but they are small firearms such as muskets and three-eyed blunderbuss, and medium-sized weapons such as Fran cannons. They can't find them even if they want to smuggle them Source of goods - The Ming army has rules, artillery and firearms must be in charge of eunuchs and supervisors, and those supervisors have the courage to sell a few firearms, but if they are asked to sell guns, they will not dare to kill their heads.

"What artillery? It's all wood—it just looks like artillery." A team leader from Wuji Silk and Satin Factory stood up and shouted in a grand manner: "Put the wood on the cart and continue walking."

"Wood is wood for fire, don't worry about it." The general of the Ming army guarding the gate also called out, commanding the soldiers to continue to check the convoys of other companies, ignoring the nearby Franco artillery, Let the staff of Wuji Silk and Satin Shop load the Franji into other carriages, and leave in public in a grand manner.Seeing this scene, the eight locust merchants inevitably looked at each other again, and said together, "It seems that the background of those two boys is bigger than we imagined, and it may not be so easy to drive them out of Zhangjiakou directly." easy."

"Treasurer Fan Da, don't be in a hurry to turn against those two boys?" Huang Yunlong also whispered in Fan Yongdou's ear: "Those two boys can even get the cannon, it may be more beneficial for us to win them over. Let's discuss it again, if we can't give them a [-]% commission—as long as they can help us get more scarce goods, we can get them back with a [-]% commission."

"Go to see Mr. Ning first, and discuss this matter later." Fan Yongdou also began to be tempted, thinking that if he could bring these two extremely hard-working treasures to his side, he would not only make more money, but also be good to Zhang. Gu that little mad dog doesn't have to be so taboo anymore.

(End of this chapter)