My Ming Dynasty, I have the final say

Just when there was trouble in the capital because of Bi Ziyan.

After more than ten days of trekking, Luo Sigong, the commander of the Jinyi Guards of the Ming Dynasty, finally secretly returned to the capital with two prisoners.

After entering the capital from the Anding Gate in the north, Luo Sigong was like a thief. He didn't even dare to return home, so he used his subordinate Lu Chuan to deliver an audience notice to the palace.

After learning that the emperor lived in Xiyuan, Luo Sigong hurried to wait outside the gate of Xiyuan.

When Luo Sigong's post came to the emperor, he was watching the soldiers playing football on the school field.

Taking the post from outside from the little eunuch's hand, Liu Shimin's expression changed after looking through it for a few times.

"Your Majesty, Luo Sigong, commander of the Royal Guards, is here to see you."

After looking at the emperor who was waving his fist to cheer up the soldiers, Liu Shimin did not dare to neglect, moved forward to the emperor, and whispered.

"He said he had something secret to report, and he used Qianhu Lu Chuan's post."

"Oh?"

Hearing Liu Shimin's words, Zhu Youxiao turned his head and looked at him in surprise.

"Secret report? Is there someone in Liaodong who is planning to rebel?"

Not daring to neglect, Zhu Youxiao quickly stood up from his horse and headed towards the imperial study.

"Xuan!"

Soon, Luo Sigong, dressed in black robe, entered the imperial study room where the emperor was.

Looking at Luo Sigong's weathered old face, Zhu Youxiao suddenly felt a little emotional for some reason.

Although Lao Luo is a bit crooked in his ass, he is still somewhat useful in terms of ability and loyalty.

"Your Majesty, Luo Sigong, respectfully sends your greetings."

"I'm fine, please forgive me."

"In their letters, Xiong Tingbi and Sun Chengzong expressed their appreciation for your contribution in fighting spies in Liaodong. I am very satisfied."

After taking the tea cup from Liu Shimin and taking a sip, Zhu Youxiao looked at Luo Sigong and asked.

"I don't know if you are coming to Beijing this time, but is there anything important you want to tell me?"

"Back to Your Majesty, I have been in Liaodong for more than half a year, checking on the movements of the slaves and providing intelligence to the army."

The first sentence is to explain what he did in Liaodong.

"Now that Jiannu has retreated and the situation in Liaodong has gradually stabilized, I dare to return to Beijing to make an announcement."

The second sentence simply explains the situation in Liaodong and that he can leave.

"Previously, I found a group of traitors in Liaodong who were communicating with each other to build slaves. I didn't dare to state it in the memorial. This time, I specially returned to Beijing to ask Your Majesty to make a decision."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao frowned and looked at Luo Sigong carefully.

This guy has just been washed briefly and hasn't even changed his clothes. You can see a lot of wrinkles.

What is it about the internal thieves who communicated with the slaves that made the commanders of the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty so cautious?

"Tell me."

"Back to Your Majesty, when I was investigating spies in Liaodong, I discovered a group that has existed for a long time and sells large amounts of materials to the slaves every year."

Seeing that the emperor was concerned, Luo Sigong quickly took out a memorial and two large envelopes from his sleeves.

Instructing the young eunuch to get the memorial, Zhu Youxiao said.

"specific."

"When I first arrived in Liaodong, I found out that some of the merchants who were doing business in Liaodong provided food, grass, and equipment to the slaves in the name of selling grain and horses. After these people were arrested and interrogated, I learned that this was a huge man from Shanxi. Colluding with the slave-building gangs.”

"Shaxi merchant?"

Hearing Luo Sigong's words, Zhu Youxiao's eyes instantly narrowed and he looked up at Luo Sigong.

"Is there a confession?"

"it's here."

Hearing this, Luo Sigong quickly took out the faith in his hand.

"I caught the first one."

"Silence."

As soon as Luo Sigong's words came out, Zhu Youxiao stretched out a finger to stop Luo Sigong's next words.

After signaling Liu Shimin to drive all the maids and eunuchs out of the room, Zhu Youxiao just sat on the chair, opened the envelope and read it.

At this moment, only Luo Sigong and Liu Shimin were left in the imperial study.

"Speak now."

"The minister obeys the order."

Seeing the emperor's high-profile secret discussion, Luo Sigong also breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason why he came to Beijing secretly this time without shooting was because he was afraid that the matter would be spread out in advance and cause turmoil in the court.

Looking at the people who colluded with the businessmen, Luo Sigong knew that if this matter was brought to the court, he would have to fill in the blanks whether or not the truth would be found out in the end.

"The first one is a confession obtained after interrogation by Shanxi businessman Fan Jincai."

"The second copy is the confession of Liu Zhong, the commander of Jinyi Weixuan."

Looking at the emperor, Luo Sigong talked about the situation he had found out so far.

According to the information currently available, this is a traitorous group that uses merchants as clues and includes many guards officers from Datong, Xuanfu, and Guangning.

"Since the end of Jiajing, the imperial court has opened trade with many northern tribes such as Mongolia and Jurchen. There are people doing business with them. This is nothing."

Listening to Luo Sigong's narration, Zhu Youxiao thought for a while before speaking. "But since the Jiannu rebellion, the imperial court has issued an explicit decree to close the trading market with the Jiannu. Do they really dare to resell supplies to the Jiannu?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed true that the Jin Yi Guardsmen also got the stolen goods."

Seeing that the emperor knew about the court's foreign trade strategy, Luo Sigong immediately continued the report.

"According to the interrogation, it is mainly the Jiexiu Fan family, and businessmen with multiple surnames including Wang, Jin, Tian, ​​Zhai, Huang, etc. are involved. They now have two ways to do business. One is from Tianjin Wei I bought the grain that was transported northward by water, passed through Guangning by land, and transported it to Liaodong to be sold to the Jiannu slaves."

"The second way is to buy grain, iron pots and other items in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beizhili and other places, go out from Zhangjiakou, and sell them to many Chahar tribes on the grassland."

"They colluded with soldiers from many forts and guards along the way and turned a blind eye to their actions."

"This matter involves many generals from Xuanfu, Datong, Guangning, and Liaodong, as well as Li Chengliang, who has died of illness. I dare not arrest him rashly, and I specifically request your Majesty's order."

"Looking for death."

When Luo Sigong finished speaking, Zhu Youxiao's eyes became even more murderous.

Shanxi merchants are Shanxi merchants.

He had never heard of Fan Jincai, but the surname Fan, plus the following surnames, allowed Zhu Youxiao to initially determine that he was a Shanxi merchant.

And coupled with the fact that another way for these people to make money is to do business with the Mongolians, it becomes a certainty.

Many people know that the eight great imperial merchants of the Qing Dynasty historically transported military supplies and various military information to the slaves in the late Ming Dynasty, and played political investments.

But they didn't know that another crime committed by this group of people was to sell all the Mongolian tribes, including Chahar, to Jiannu.

In the early years of Chongzhen, Wuqiao rebelled, and Geng Zhongming and others took the Ming artillery and artillery troops to invest in Houjin.

Then, before the Ming Dynasty was finished, the Mongolian tribes who were good at running around on the grassland were finished first.

With artillery, Jiannu could hit Mongolia accurately every time.

Of course, one of them is Lin Danhan, a man with a lofty ambition and thin talents who does not know how to unite people and engage in internal fighting.

But more importantly, the Shanxi merchants provided Jiannu with a detailed road map of the Chahar tribes. Before he knew it, Lin Danhan had his pants stripped off.

After the Manchus entered the customs, Shunzhi did not forget the help these people provided them. He specially held a banquet in the Forbidden City, summoned these people, and granted them officials and titles, making them "imperial merchants."

But, everyone knows what the urine quality of Qianqing is.

My own brothers can be imprisoned if they are told to be imprisoned, and they are given death if they are given to die. Not to mention you, an outsider.

The title of Huangshang destined their future outcome.

In the third year of Shunzhi, the Qing Dynasty government issued an order: "Any merchant who wants to sail to market copper with heavy capital will be given a letter by the official, and he will be allowed to go overseas to trade in the southeast and Japanese barbarians. When the boat returns, the customs officer will collect it on time. It is for official use."

This seems like a good thing, right?
As the leader of the royal merchants, the Fan family took the first bite without hesitation and started selling copper to Japan.

The Fan family, which was an imperial merchant at that time, together with 12 other private merchants, were collectively known as the "Thirteen Families of Copper Merchants".

But if you buy copper here, the shogunate in the Japanese country is not stupid, seeing such a large amount of copper flowing out of the country.

During the Qianlong period, the Japanese shogunate imposed "protective tariffs" on copper materials, which greatly increased the Fan family's purchase costs.

At the same time, with the domestic copper mining, especially in Yunnan, the price of copper fell, far below the Fan family's purchase cost.

At this time, the knife came.

When the imperial court and your Fan family signed the agreement, it stated "acquisition at current price". Your price must be the same as the market price.

You don't want to sell it to the court and want to run away?
Do you still see the majesty of the imperial court in your eyes?

From this time on, the Fan family became a piece of fish on the chopping block. They could only sell the high-priced copper bought from the Japanese country to the court at a loss price, and eventually ended up bankrupt and confiscated.

"Hold it, hold it."

With one hand pinching his thigh hard, Zhu Youxiao said to himself secretly.

As a person of later generations, he deeply understood the importance of the topographic maps in the hands of Shanxi merchants.

Why did Li Shimin's expedition to the Western Regions go so smoothly?
It was because Master Xuanzang traveled westward and opened the entire map for him.

Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, made several northern expeditions. Why did he return without success several times and ended up leading an army walking horses on the grassland?

It was because the preliminary preparation work was not sufficient that the opponent's position could not be found at all.

Think about how much convenience these Mongolian tribes and the topographic maps of the further western regions in the hands of Shanxi merchants can bring to him in his future conquest of Mongolia.

Then think about how much money you can earn in a year if you can completely take over the huge profit network behind them.

Zhu Youxiao warned himself in his heart that he must not be impatient and should take his time.

Killing a chicken to retrieve the eggs is not cost-effective no matter how you think about it. If you want to do it, you must get back all the chickens that can lay golden eggs.

After a while, Zhu Youxiao calmed down, turned to look at Liu Shimin and asked.

"How is the bank account I asked Liu Zhengyang to handle? Has his family picked it up?"

"Back to the emperor, Dongchang has sent someone to Shanxi to pick him up."

After hearing the emperor's words and thinking that Liu Zhengyang was from Jintong Bank, Liu Shimin's eyes became a little strange.

They are all from Shanxi. Isn’t this a coincidence?

"Luo Sigong, I remember that there are many spies pretending to be merchants in the Jinyi Guards."

"Your Majesty, there are many."

After hearing the emperor's talk about Jin Yiwei's spies, Luo Sigong immediately handed him over.

"This Fan Jincai was found out by the Jinyi Guards that he was selling food and grass to the slaves."

"it is good."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded.

"It's your personal responsibility to select these people."

"Liu Shimin, ask Feng Zhu to go directly to the people behind Jintong Bank as the palace, and ask them directly for Liu Zhengyang, and tell them that the palace needs him." (End of Chapter)