Ming politicians

(Thanks to Houde Liren and Baihu Laoxiong for casting valuable monthly tickets, and thank you for choosing the middle route for neither left nor right, and the rewards of the bandits. Thank you.)

The scouts came back to report soon. After the people from the Changle County Chamber of Commerce returned to the county, a large number of people went to the chamber of commerce to gather. The scouts paid attention to the observation. The number of people was at least around a hundred, and the atmosphere in the county immediately became tense. , People kept checking and guarding on the street. The four gates of the county town, the southeast, the northwest, and the sergeants guarding became tense, as if a big war was coming. In fact, after the Jiangning battalion entered Fujian, because of the news, some officials The tension has already begun, but the news is transmitted very slowly, and the atmosphere of the battle is not very obvious.

Bigger changes are yet to come. The scouts discovered that people in strong attire kept leaving Changle County, and they didn't know where they went. These people rode fine horses and did not follow the official path.

The scouts realized something was wrong and left the county quickly. That is to say, after the scouts left the county, all the gates to the north, west, and east of the county were closed, and the south gate was open. People don't have too many restrictions.

After listening to the scout's report, a sneer appeared on Su Tiancheng's face.

Lu Xiangsheng, He Renlong, Liu Tiehan, Zheng Hongkui, and Zheng Chenggong all stood by Su Tiancheng's side. The army temporarily stopped marching. They all came over to see if there was any change. He Renlong and Liu Tiehan , I vaguely felt that Su Tiancheng might have to change his mind.

It was Liu Tiehan who spoke first. He had the oldest qualifications in Jiangningying.

"My lord, how should the army act?"

Su Tiancheng looked at Liu Tiehan, did not answer directly, but spoke to Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong.

"Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Chenggong. You have been in Fujian for a long time and are familiar with the situation here. Please tell me what kind of power the merchants in Fujian have. Tell the truth and don't have any worries."

The hidden meaning in Su Tiancheng's words.It's my own decision, and I'm afraid there may be problems. The biggest problem in Fujian may not be the government or the guards, but these merchants.

Sure enough, Zheng Hongkui spoke.

"Since my lord has said it, my subordinates will bluntly say that the merchants in Fujian are different from those in other places. General Xiong knows better, but General Xiong has not been in Quanzhou for a long time, and he has not had many contacts with these merchants, so he does not fully understand them. , when the eldest brother governs the sea area, we should also pay attention to these merchants. How can I say that the navy can crack down on foreign smuggling merchant ships. It can also attack smuggling merchant ships from other places, but generally does not move Fujian merchant ships. There is a lot of power behind them .”

Su Tiancheng smiled and interjected.

"I'm afraid you have to think this way. You and your family are in Quanzhou, Fujian, and offended the merchants in Fujian. Life is hard for you, and life for your family is even more difficult."

Zheng Hongkui's face turned red.He did not deny such views.

"Your Excellency is right. Brother also considered this back then, but as long as there is enough force to deter, it won't be like this. Brother, there were more than 2 sergeants, and they also considered attacking merchants in Fujian. The smuggling of these merchants is too arrogant, but what makes the elder brother hesitate is that even if there are more than 2 sergeants recruited, some of them support the merchants, and I am afraid that there are also spies arranged by the merchants. This shows that the strength of Fujian merchants is very strong. powerful."

After Zheng Hongkui finished speaking, Zheng Chenggong continued to speak.

"My lord, I have something to add. This subordinate first declares that it is by no means alarmist. I have lived in Fujian for many years. I have heard and seen some things. I have followed General Xiong these years and have had direct contact with some merchants. , The subordinates believe that the merchants in Fujian can completely control the government, and their power has penetrated into the government. Low, the merchants also took a fancy to this opportunity and donated a lot of money to the government, but the merchants did this for a purpose. Their purpose is to ask the government to serve them, not only to control the decisions made by the government, but even to control the government. the army."

"I'm afraid that in all parts of Ming Dynasty, there is such a situation in Fujian Province. The guards of merchants are far stronger than the strength of the government army. The subordinates are not polite. The security of the Fujian garrison can also be controlled by merchants."

Su Tiancheng nodded. In fact, the situation Zheng Chenggong mentioned would not be a big deal after hundreds of years. The economic foundation determines the superstructure. Businessmen who have money can control the government, and they can spend a lot of money. One's own spokesperson becomes the head of the government, and all decisions made by the government are in line with one's own interests.

It's just that this truth is impossible to imagine in the Ming Dynasty, which was dominated by agriculture.

"Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Chenggong, I believe what you said. During the Jiajing period, Japanese pirates ran rampant along the coast, and there were many merchants here. They colluded with Japanese pirates inside and outside, regardless of the life and death of the people. Smuggling, in order to earn a lot of silver, the Japanese pirates were completely defeated, but these merchants still want to earn silver, so their targets have shifted to the government and officials."

"I have said long ago that money can turn ghosts. Where do those merchants get their money? They rely on smuggling and selling smuggled salt by sea. It is impossible for merchants who really do business to accumulate so much money in a short period of time. For those with huge wealth, merchants have money and need to protect their own interests. I once described a wealthy merchant as like a child who walks on the street with gold ingots and is snatched away by someone without paying attention. How can such a situation be allowed to happen, so we must protect our own interests."

"The government must protect the interests of these merchants, otherwise it would be no wonder that the merchants came up with their own solutions, but the government protects the merchants who are doing business in a legitimate way. As for those merchants who commit crimes, the government must take a strong crackdown. I am all over the Ming Dynasty. The official government has not done a good job in this regard, which must be admitted."

"The merchants in Fujian are special because they are in different positions and have different protection interests. Their behavior is definitely not the object of government support. Zheng Chenggong is right. The strength of Fujian merchants is very important. As usual, probably because their wealth came so easily, they use a small part of their wealth to protect their own interests and earn more money.”

"In my opinion, our deployment must be changed. It seems that the main opponent of the Jiangning Battalion in Fujian is not the guard army, but these merchants. I can infer that the most powerful force in Fujian is these The guards of the merchants, they control all aspects, and even decide the actions of the government, and it is probably these merchants who are confronting our Jiangning camp."

"Many government offices in Fujian, including many officials, are almost impossible to say that they have no connection with merchants."

"If we directly attack the government, the process may be very simple, and we will soon be able to control the government at all levels, but then we will encounter major problems in our governance. The merchants in Fujian will not support us and will do other things behind the scenes. By then, Fujian may be a place full of bandits."

"That's why we have to wipe out the merchants in Fujian first."

"Remember, the merchants we need to exterminate are those merchants who have been engaged in smuggling and selling smuggled salt at sea for a long time. These merchants are called rich people in Fujian. The guards in their hands must not be weak. Liu Tiehan , order the scouts to rush to Xinghua Mansion immediately, inform Qu Qingze and Xiong Zijian, and focus on attacking these rich people in Fujian."

Everyone was very quiet, listening to Su Tiancheng speak.

The most surprised are Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong. They have been in Fujian for so many years, went deep into it, and observed these situations. To put it bluntly, Zheng Zhilong did the same thing back then. Unexpectedly, Su Tiancheng explained the truth clearly in a few words. And said the solution.

The army's itinerary was quickly adjusted. After discussing with everyone, Su Tiancheng decided that the army would temporarily station outside Changle County, and launch a small-scale attack on Changle County, but not to fight.

Su Tiancheng's explanation is also very simple. This battle can be declared to the outside world. It is to attack those so-called rich men in Fujian. Afterwards, they can get evidence of collusion and collusion with officials from their mouths, and it will become logical to clean up the government offices in all parts of Fujian. This will make life easier for Zhou Yanru, who is sitting on pins and needles in the capital.

As for not launching a large-scale attack first, the purpose is more clear, that is, to wait for the guards of these rich people, and a large number of them will start to concentrate. It is Su Tiancheng's request to cut grass and roots. The rich people in Fujian are powerful and have many guards. These guards are concentrated If they are scattered, it will be easier to wipe them out. If they are scattered, it will take a lot of effort in the future.

The Jiangning Camp is stationed outside Changle County. In fact, it has adopted the tactics of besieging the city and fighting for aid, allowing the rich to mobilize guards to protect their own interests. Good effect.

The situation in Changle County is special, that is, there are a lot of rich people here, and some rich people have a lot of money and goods concentrated here. I believe that many rich people will spare no effort to protect them.

The army quickly made preparations, but did not launch an attack for the time being.

The scouts began to think of ways to enter the county to investigate and obtain relevant information. The mere Changle County could not help the scouts of the Jiangning camp.

With the start of the investigation, the information that Su Tiancheng expected was gradually confirmed. For two consecutive days, a large number of young and middle-aged people began to enter Changle County, and the security in the county became even stricter. (To be continued..)