Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 120 Yangzhou Dream

Shilichang Street Market Jinglian, look at the gods on the Yueming Bridge.

Life is only the death of Yangzhou, Zen Zhi Shanguang good cemetery.

……

Yangzhou City, a prosperous and picturesque ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River with a ten-mile bluestone long street, is a place that has been fascinated by countless literati throughout the ages.

Because it is located in a plain, the land is fertile, and the water system is rich in resources, it has been an important grain production area since ancient times, but the most commendable thing is the Huai salt, which is of the highest quality in the country, making Yangzhou Prefecture the largest salt production base in China.

Although the handicraft industry in Yangzhou is far inferior to that of Su Song, the Siyamen is located here thanks to the transshipment of the two Huaihe Rivers. The richest salt merchants in the world gather here. It can be said that this is the most prosperous place in the southeast.

Even though there is no Qinhuai Riverside in Nanjing City, there are many brothels here, and even a ten-mile green brick street, showing the style of a prosperous city in the south of the Yangtze River.

"The land of fireworks is Yangzhou!"

"Here, it can be said that he is a bridegroom every day!"

"Stop bragging, Miss Liu Yan has already revealed your affairs!"

……

Since the end of the Spring Festival, salt merchants in the South Zhili area have gathered in Yangzhou City, so this time of year is the busiest time in Yangzhou City.

The people of Yangzhou City have long been accustomed to this. Which salt merchant spends a lot of money for which brothel girl, and which oiran takes away a lot of money from where the salt merchant came from. These are all things they talk about after dinner.

It's just that prosperity has always belonged to the upper class, and the living conditions of the lower class people are actually not as good as many people think, and there is even a hint of helplessness.

Painted boats take the spring to break the dawn smoke, and silk pipes blow elm money all over the city.

The daughters of thousands of families teach music first, and planting flowers for ten miles counts as farming.

……

Due to the prosperity of the entertainment industry, many people rely on growing flowers for a living, and some people even teach their daughters to play music since childhood. Naturally, there are many "adopted daughters" from all over the country.

Although the poem "Yangzhou dream once every ten years" is very beautiful, the prosperous age boasted by the civil official group is only a prosperous age for a few people, and Yangzhou is one of the representatives.

Although Zhu Youtang, who is far away in the capital, has already heard of the prosperity of Yangzhou, but he was an excellent industry researcher in his previous life, so he can naturally see that Yangzhou is a false prosperity.

If China's economy wants to really take off, what it needs is an industry that can continue to create value, not an entertainment area for the rich that relies on stealing salt profits.

It is also for this reason that after he ascended the throne, he was not keen on the so-called reforms. Instead, he wanted to point the finger at Yangzhou and make these moths pay the bloody price.

History may not be able to restrain the "thousands of adopted daughters first teach music, and planting flowers for ten miles counts as farming", but even if he abandons Hongzhi Zhongxing, he will support Wang Yue to clean up here.

Not far from the Siyamen of the transfer envoy of the Huaihe River, there is a brothel called "Yangzhou Dream", where salt merchants from all over the South Zhili gather.

"How many citations will the imperial court release this year?"

"The new emperor spent a lot of money on his enthronement, surely it can't be worse than last year?"

"It doesn't matter how much he puts, anyway, Lao Tzu's quotation has been set in advance!"

……

A large group of acquainted salt merchants gathered in the hall of the brothel. Since the imperial court probably released the quotations at this time, they were all planning to transfer them from the two Huaihe Rivers to the Si Yamen to purchase the quotations.

Although the salt law of the Ming Dynasty still implemented the method of opening the middle, but in the Chenghua period, salt and silver had already appeared.

The opening of the middle law was designed to solve the military needs of the frontier army, but the military needs are not an endless bottomless pit, not to mention that the Ming frontier army in the Chenghua Dynasty reproduced the style of the Ming Dynasty's iron cavalry.

Taking the Battle of Weining Sea alone as an example, Tatar Yisi Mayin was about to attack Yansui, and Yu Zijun, Minister of the Ministry of War supported by the civil official group, strongly opposed sending troops, but Wang Yue urged the eunuch Wang Zhi to send troops.

Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen was a courageous monarch, but he did not adopt the opinions of Yu Zijun, Shangshu of the Ministry of War and his important officials. Instead, he ordered Wang Zhi to supervise the army, and Admiral Wang Yue went to crusade against Yisi Mayin.

Wang Yue and Wang Zhi lived up to their expectations and led their troops out of the fortress to attack Weininghai, Yisi Mayin's old nest, causing thousands of casualties and achieving a great victory.

Since the military pay of the Ming Dynasty was divided into rations and travel rations, the stability of the Nine Frontiers actually reduced military expenditures, and the large number of commercial settlements in the Nine Frontiers eased the problem of military rations, resulting in the accumulation of 16 yuan of salt in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River in Chenghua in [-] years.

The Ministry of Household Affairs decided to sell the accumulated salt at a price of one, two or three qian, which was regarded as a benefit for Jiubian Stability.

It's just that the most difficult thing to guard against is people's hearts. With this opening, the salt merchants in Lianghuai immediately saw business opportunities, and even saw an opportunity to surpass Shanxi salt merchants in one fell swoop.

You only need to spend a mere one or two or three dollars to get a Lianghuai salt quotation, and they have already established a good relationship with Lianghuaidu to transport Si Tiyan, and they have a monopoly market. This is simply a lucrative business.

Everyone knows the subsequent development. With their help, the imperial court started the "Yanyin" money printing machine, which led to Yanyin having to lower the price.

Nowadays, the imperial court sells "accumulated salt" every year in exchange for silver, which also allows the transfer of both Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers to make Si Yamen an additional avenue for making money.

A big bald broker stared at a handsome salt merchant, and learned that the other party was a newcomer from Huguang. After learning about the details, he patted his chest and said, "Give the small one 50 taels, and the small one can do it." Arrange for you and the transfer envoy of Lianghuai to meet here!"

Since Wang Yue escaped at the pier that night, he took off his ragged padded jacket and put on a silk and satin suit with a piece of beautiful jade hanging around his waist, resolutely the image of a rich man.

In order to thoroughly find out the depth of the transshipment mission between the two Huaihe Rivers, especially the money carried by the ship that night proved that the amount of ink corruption by the salt official was far greater than imagined, so he pretended to be a new salt merchant from Huguang.

Wang Yue was well aware of the reason not to act too hastily, so he picked up his teacup and said suspiciously: "You are not a scammer, are you? Although it is the first time for me to set foot in the salt industry in Yangzhou from Huguang, I will not go to the doctor in a hurry!"

"Look at what you said, you just ask anyone here, who doesn't know me, Zhu Laoliu? Besides, since you are going to do big business, do you care about this small amount of money?" Zhu Laoliu slapped his chest, Then it was questionable.

Wang Yue took a sip of tea, then nodded lightly and said: "It makes some sense, then I will believe you once!" Then, he turned his head and glanced at Zhang Cai next to him, even if Zhang Caidang happily He took out a large ingot of silver.

Wang Yue put down the teacup, and said with a smile again: "You put away the silver, it's up to you whether the old man can meet Mr. Li as he wished this time!"

Facts have proved that people in the Jianghu can only believe half of their mouths.

The next day, in the private room of the Dream Brothel in Yangzhou, it was not Li Zhiqing, the transshipment envoy of the two Huaihe Rivers that Zhu Lao Liu brought over, but his Master Qian Gu, a shrewd middle-aged man with a mustache.

Zhu Laoliu looked in awe of this master, and solemnly introduced to Wang Yue: "Mr. Hu, this is Mr. Li's Qiangu Master, Master Li!"

"Aren't you going to introduce Mr. Li for us?" Zhang Cai asked suspiciously when he saw that it was not Li Zhiqing himself.

Zhu Laoliu was not embarrassed at all, instead he asked in a natural way: "Look at what you said, can Mr. Li meet you in person?"

In fact, it has nothing to do with the amount of money or the amount of money. Li Zhiqing is a very cautious person. He would never come forward in person for such matters, and even Master Li might not come forward in person.

Wang Yue seemed to have already guessed this point, but he pretended to be worried and said: "Uh, that's the truth, but what about the salt I want?"

"Mr. Hu, I wonder how much you want to attract this time?" Master Li saw Wang Yue's extraordinary temperament at a glance, so he went straight to the point.

Wang Yue also had no idea, so he tentatively asked: "Two thousand quotations, do you have any?"

"Hehe... You came all the way from Huguang, do you want this?" Master Li glanced at Zhu Laoliu next to him, and said disappointedly at Wang Yue.

Wang Yue knew that the other party might be trying to test him, so he looked very calm and said: "I'm afraid it will be too much, you don't have it! Besides, I'm new to the salt industry, and it's impossible to put all my net worth at once!"

"Don't worry, there is nothing we can't give you!" Master Li said with relief when he saw that Wang Yue was more cautious than himself.

Wang Yue picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea, then tentatively said: "Is there also ten thousand quotations?"

"I can give you the upper limit of [-] quotations for my lord!" Seeing that the other party really has some background, Master Li immediately promised.

Putting down the teacup, Wang Yue asked the question he was most concerned about: "Okay, but what about the price?"

"The silver for today's class is eight cents and four cents as set by the imperial court, but the salt fee... four taels for one!" Master Li stared into Wang Yue's eyes, saying the price.

(End of this chapter)