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Chapter 329 Sensitive Topic 2

When chatting with Hong Tao, either ask and answer questions, or be vigilant at all times. Because you never know when the answer to the previous sentence will become the key point of the next question, and it will be too late to change it.

"...I know that I am guilty, and I deserve death!" Wang Zheng was petrified on the spot. After a few breaths, his legs went weak. He threw away his notepad and charcoal, and knelt down to beg for mercy. This is really knocking his forehead against the hard stone, and even the black gauze hat fell off.

Unexpectedly, the emperor actually knew about this matter, and even asked the question after deliberately eliciting what his uncle said when he was appointed Tongzhi in Datong Mansion. It was obvious that the emperor already had evidence that his uncle's family was involved in smuggling. The crime of aiding the enemy is second only to treason, but if you want to kill everyone, you must be afraid, and your heart will pop out.

"Your Majesty, I would like to vouch for Wang Zheng. He has always worked conscientiously in the machinery factory and forging factory and has never interacted casually with outsiders."

Now Xu Guangqi could no longer ignore the matter and hurriedly knelt down to express his love. Wang Zheng is his apprentice or subordinate. Once he is convicted, how can his master and superior get away with it?

"Okay, I can't catch any fish today...Wang Chengen, help them both up!"

The float had just made some movement, but the two men kowtowed and were killed again. Hong Tao simply put the fishing rod on the ivory pole and turned around to talk about it.

Reports on Shanxi and Shaanxi border town army generals collaborating with local businessmen to smuggle grain, tea, ironware and even armor and weapons to Mongolia and Jurchens were reported when Chen Ju was still in charge of Dongchang. When Wang An took over and Jin Yiwei's work got back on track, a chain of evidence was quickly formed, which was conclusive.

Since he knew it so early, why didn't Hong Tao intervene or reprimand the local officials? You can't just watch someone cheating and subsidizing the enemy country.

How should I put it? Hong Tao really watched the strategic materials leak out. Not only did he not intervene, he even made no motion to the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Cabinet. The reason is simple, it’s not that I don’t want to, but that I can’t.

If you want to investigate or stop this matter, it is useless to just punish the border troops and businessmen. They are just superficial and do not touch on the fundamentals. If we want to eradicate it from the root, it involves too many areas. With the power we currently have at our disposal, we are not sure how to change it, so we simply don’t alert the enemy yet.

Just like reforming the government, going too fast will not only fail to achieve a good effect, but will also plunge the court and the country into chaos, which is of no benefit to anyone. We can only do it step by step and slowly.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the remnants of the Mongolian Yuan forces on the northern border continued to try to move southward, forcing the court to dispatch a large number of troops to store up troops. This gave rise to a question, what about logistical supplies?

At that time, the northern provinces had been affected by war for a long time, the people's livelihood was in decline, and the population and agriculture had not yet recovered. They were certainly unable to afford the supplies for the frontier troops. Grain, grass, and equipment had to be transported north from the rear.

However, due to the limitations of transportation conditions, long-distance trafficking of bulk goods caused great losses, and at the same time, a large number of laborers were recruited, making it difficult for the newly established Ming Dynasty to continue.

There is a saying that as long as the mind does not slip, there are always more solutions than difficulties. After discussion, the imperial court decided to contract out the work of transporting grain and equipment to the front line to private merchants. As a reward, salt will be provided according to the agreed ratio afterwards, which is a letter of introduction for buying salt and selling it in another place, or a bill of lading.

Many dynasties in Chinese history regarded salt as a prohibited commodity, which was exclusively sold by the court and private individuals were not allowed to buy or sell it without permission. History also tells us that any monopoly will inevitably produce huge profits, and obtaining a license to buy and sell salt has become a shortcut for businessmen to make a lot of money. Both sides have needs, so they hit it off naturally. So the merchants tried their best to transport sufficient grain, grass and equipment to the northern front line to meet the needs of the border officers. At the same time, they obtained permission to buy and sell salt and profit from it. This was the "Kai Zhong Method" implemented during the Hongwu period.

Many businessmen have made a fortune by opening up China and France. Among them, Shanxi businessmen are the most numerous and are called Shanxi businessmen. Why Shanxi? Because this place has been the border since the Tang and Song Dynasties, it has always been on the front line of the confrontation between farming people and nomadic peoples, and wars have continued.

Coupled with the poor climate and land, it is common to have insufficient food during good years. People who don’t have enough to eat are very courageous and fear nothing but death from starvation, including being hacked to death.

As soon as the Kaizhongfa came out, Shanxi had to be first-come-first-served. Countless people bid farewell to their hometowns, relatives and friends, and embarked on the trade route leading to the border between Han and Mongolia, carrying simple luggage and only capital.

In later generations, we often hear the term "walking through the west exit". In fact, this term existed in the Ming Dynasty. It refers to the behavior of Shanxi merchants escorting war supplies from the Great Wall Shuozhou Killing Hukou to the Mongolian Plateau. It is similar to the people along the coast of Fujian who sailed to Nanyang. They made a lot of money if they succeeded, but they died without a burial place if they failed.

Relying on hard work, careful planning and unity, Shanxi businessmen gradually became bigger and stronger. From Gansu to Liaodong Town, they can be seen in almost all border towns in the north.

From needles and threads to guns and cannons, whatever was valuable was transported, and whatever goods were profitable were sold. Gradually, a relatively close business group, or business gang, or Shanxi merchants was formed.

At this point, I have to quote a famous saying from later generations again: when the profit reaches [-]%, capital will trample everything in the world.

A businessman's pursuit of profit is like a person's need to eat when he is hungry. It is not an acquired habit but a natural tendency. It can only be suppressed by reason, morality and law, but cannot be eradicated. Once there are cracks in reason, morality and law, nature will rebound in an instant.

Kaizhongfa did solve the supply problem of the border army for a period of time and ensured the stability of the northern border in the early Ming Dynasty. However, laws and policies are not truth and have obvious time limits. The result of being unchangeable is that the advantages gradually disappear and the defects become larger and larger.

When the northern frontier is no longer the biggest threat, opening up the Chinese law has become a weapon for some officials to seek power and rent. Whoever can provide them with benefits will be able to successfully obtain salt. Anyone who doesn't understand this favor will have many difficulties in obtaining the salt guide, and even if they get the salt guide, they won't be able to exchange it for salt.

Only a few officials may do this at first, but as long as one person profits from it and is not punished, other officials will feel unbalanced. Those with higher qualities keep themselves aloof, while those with average qualities simply imitate others, and even do something bigger and more fancy than the role models.

Once this trend is formed, imagine how the businessmen who originally transported materials in exchange for salt and profit would feel. We are all human beings, so why should you have your back against a big tree to enjoy the shade, while I, after working hard for a long time, will not only make no money but may even lose money!

(End of this chapter)