Han ride

Chapter 403 Gathering in Cloud City

"Hmph, Mr. Chen is very calculating, but I don't know what benefits Li Xin has given you to make the court officials willing to work for him?" Yang Sichang sneered.

"Your Majesty Yang, I don't agree with the officials. The Duke of Liao is a Duke appointed by the emperor. He sits in the cloud and resists the slaves. I don't know how many meritorious deeds he has made. As colleagues, we also serve the court together. To serve the emperor, how can Master Yang mean to serve the Duke of Liao?" Chen Xinjia said dissatisfiedly: "I am a scholar, and I know that I am loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but Master Yang, why do you want to grab some low-status merchants who are full of copper stink? Why don't you let it go?"

"You?" Yang Sichang's complexion changed, but he was speechless. Naturally, he couldn't say it. This was the imperial decree of Emperor Chongzhen, to deal with the seven great families of Shanxi merchants and cut off Li Xin's source of income.As soon as these words come out, I am afraid that people in the world will be extremely disappointed with Chongzhen, and those rich people will not follow Chongzhen.

"I heard that the seven great families of Shanxi merchants have many connections with Jiannu. I wonder if it's true?" Huang Yougong said suddenly. That's it.Huang Yougong had also been in and out of brothels and restaurants, and knew about these things, seeing that Yang Sichang had nothing to say, he hurriedly explained.

"Master Huang is talking about the Jin family? Just because he colluded with Jiannu and Mongolian Tartars, he has been destroyed by the Duke of Liao. Today, the seven major families of Shanxi merchants serve the court and the emperor. How could they collude to build? Where are the slaves?" Chen Xinjia rolled his eyes, and said with a smile: "Now that the Duke of Liao is in charge of the grassland, who else has the ability to collude with the slaves? General Huang, you are joking." Chen Xinjia is not a simple person, Seeing that Huang Yougong was in trouble, he pushed the matter to the Jin family without even thinking about it. Anyway, Li Xin had already destroyed him, so you can't ask anything if you want to.

"Master Chen is really clever." Yang Sichang's mouth twitched, and finally he cupped his hands towards Chen Xinjia, and said with a sneer, "I hope Lord Chen can explain these words clearly in front of the emperor!"

"In front of the emperor, this is still the way officials talk." Chen Xinjia said without hesitation.

"I hope so." Yang Sichang shook his robe sleeves coldly, then turned to face the civil and military ministers of the Xuan Mansion, full of gentry, he still had a smile on his face, but if someone is careful, he must have seen his smile It was extremely reluctant, and the anger could not be concealed in the eyes.

"My lord, there is no problem!" Hou Shilu looked at Yang Sichang worriedly, and said softly to Chen Xinjia.

"Don't worry, what can he do if he knows. There is the Duke of Liao outside the pass, and Lord Wen in the court. Although he has Shang Fang's sword in his hand, don't forget that Yuan Ni is a lesson from the past." Chen Xinjia said confidently.The Yuan Ni he was talking about was Yuan Chonghuan. Poor Yuan Chonghuan never recovered his reputation until Chongzhen died.

"Those old fellows are really hateful. They transported all the silver to Datong, and even sent a few servants here. Master Yang has a good temper. If it was me, he would have jumped up a long time ago." Hou Shilu laughed. Said.

"If not, what can we do?" Chen Xinjia said proudly.He knew that Yang Sichang came here this time not to govern the Xuanfu, but for money. The court was short of money, Emperor Chongzhen needed money, and he didn't want Li Xin's power to increase again, so he thought of this trick. It's good for the big family to support the imperial court, but if they don't, then simply kill them and seize their money.With tens of millions of taels of silver, Yang Sichang can win face again in front of Chongzhen.This is obviously not the result Wen Tiren wants to see.So Chen Xinjia did not hesitate to borrow Hou Shilu's hand to release the seven great families of Shanxi merchants.

"I think these guys have already arrived in Yunzhong. I don't know if the Lord is here?" Hou Shilu suddenly sighed: "The Lord is fighting the world. I heard that the emperor has allowed the Northern Army to enter the Central Plains."

"What? The general is planning to follow the Northern Expedition Army into the Central Plains to suppress the bandits?" Chen Xinjia asked with a smile.

"Of course not. I want to go to the north and fight against Jiannu with the Zhengbei Army." Hou Shilu gritted his teeth and said, "Master Chen, do you know? Originally, I wanted to be a real soldier, and I wanted to train soldiers in Xuanfu." Ma, one day I will be able to go north to attack Jiannu. Unfortunately, at the imperial court, I don’t see anyone who can deal with Jiannu. Yuan Chonghuan is just a scholar. Later, although Sun Chengzong is very powerful, he can’t use people. In other words, He has no soldiers and horses to use. Zu Dashou is certainly a general of the imperial court, but unfortunately, he only stared at his one-acre three-point land. The last battle of the Daling River, if the Duke of Liao did not appear, the imperial court would have really I don’t know what it’s like to be defeated? My Hou family is also a family of generals. Last time I had a hard fight with Jiannu, but unfortunately I lost. It’s not because I, Hou Shilu, is afraid of death, or because I’m not good at commanding battles. It’s because our soldiers haven’t practiced for a long time, the army lacks food and salaries, and the soldiers have no way to eat, so how can they fight? This is not a crime of war! Look at the Northern Army, there are only 10,000+ people. , but the Duke of Liao sits on the grassland for thousands of miles. Except for the Han people who migrated there, the rest of the Mongolians are natural cavalry. It can be said that the Duke of Liao can form hundreds of thousands of cavalry as long as he gives an order. The Duke did not do this, he would rather spend a lot of money to train elite soldiers. And look at what their soldiers eat, it is enough for our soldiers for several days."

"National affairs are difficult, and you and I can't control them." Chen Xinjia sighed: "Although the emperor is wise and powerful, the officials in the court are corrupt and corrupt, and Mr. Wen Ge is more than capable! There are famines everywhere in Shanxi, Shanxi, and Henan. There is a shortage of food, but in the south of the Yangtze River, none of those big families are rich in clothes and food. I heard that Qian Qianyi has countless beautiful wives and concubines in his family. Days, just like this, they are still restless, discussing government affairs all day long, criticizing Mr. Wen Ge, alas, the world is like this, it is mostly the credit of these people."

"Originally it was a good expedition to the Northern Army. Although it is only a short distance away from us, it is like a robe. Now you and I are leaving. I really don't know if the Xuanfu will still be the same as it is today?" Hou Shilu sighed a little. road.He offended Yang Sichang this time, so he will definitely leave. Yang Sichang is going to help Huang Yougong to the top, and then deal with Li Xin. Hou Shilu is here to block the way.

"Hehe, at that time, it will not be a matter between you and me." Chen Xinjia said casually: "Although the soldiers and horses of the Xuanfu are considered elite, they are still far behind the North Army. Yang Sichang is about to run into a wall. !"

"Look, our lord Yang is waiting over there for his lord to hand over matters concerning the Xuanfu." Hou Shilu gestured to the distance, and sure enough he saw Yang Sichang and others waiting in front of the government office.The two immediately got off their horses and went up to meet them.

On the vast grassland, a large army was slowly moving. After several months of fighting, Li Xin finally returned to the grassland.Unlike the Central Plains, Li Xin felt that the grassland was Li Xin's home.On the grassland, the Del herdsmen along the way saw Li Xin's golden eagle banner and bowed down to the ground to welcome their king.Those Han people also cheered. Here, they live a happy life, either grazing, or planting some food crops, without worrying about being exploited by landlords, let alone worrying that their fields will be exploited by rich families. Merged by the gentry.And all of this was brought by Li Xin. These ordinary people living at the bottom don't care who is in charge of the world, they just care about their own one-third of an acre of land.Since Li Xin satisfied their requirements, they naturally followed Li Xin's lead.

"Whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world, my lord, in this regard, you are much better than Emperor Chongzhen." Shi Yuanzhi said while stroking his beard.The people of the Central Plains do not have a good life, but on the grassland, this place that is regarded as a barren land by the Central Plains, is now like the south of the Yangtze River. The people live and work in peace and contentment. .

"Grandpa, this place is much more beautiful than the Central Plains." On the other side was Yang Wan, who was disguised as a woman. She opened her big watery eyes and looked at everything around her curiously.She had never been to the prairie before. At this time, she was brought to the prairie by Li Xin, and only then did she discover the true face of the prairie.

"There is no smog in the Central Plains, no intrigues between civil and military officials, and no rebels burning, killing and looting. It is naturally better." Li Xin nodded and said: "But in terms of prosperity, the Central Plains is still strong, Jiangnan It’s a pity that this place is occupied by a group of incompetent people.”

"My lord will naturally be able to see the prosperity and beauty of the Central Plains in the future." Shi Yuan said with a straight smile.

"Have the Seven Great Aristocratic Families of Shanxi Merchants arrived in the cloud?" Li Xin suddenly changed the subject.

"It's already arrived." Shi Yuanzhi pondered for a moment and said: "This time the transfer of the seven major families of Shanxi merchants, the Hou family and his son played a lot of roles in it."

"Did he ask for something?" Li Xin thought for a while and said, "He helped a lot this time, which shows that the Ming Dynasty has been corrupted to the extreme. Emperor Chongzhen really failed in life!"

"General Hou is a smart man. Like Chen Xinjia, he is a smart man. Needless to say, the seven great families of Shanxi merchants have played an important role in us. If something goes wrong with them, the lord may have to raise troops. The first The one fighting is the Xuan Mansion. Although the soldiers and horses of the Xuan Mansion are very powerful, they can't compare with us. What's more, the Xuan Mansion has been eroded by us a lot over the years. If we really fight, will these people still know Hou Shilu? His command may not be known." Shi Yuanzhi said disdainfully.

"If it wasn't for the fear of angering the imperial court, I would just occupy the Xuan Mansion, why should I think of other ways out?" Li Xin said slightly dissatisfied.Ever since he knew Chongzhen's plan, Li Xin knew that it was almost impossible to use Xuanfu as his base camp to enter the Central Plains.

"Shanxi's internal and external rivers and mountains are the roof of China! Occupying Shanxi is equivalent to occupying the gateway to Guanzhong. Shanxi enters Shaanxi and Gansu in the south, and enters Hebei in the east. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. This is God's Lord. How can you not Take it?" Shi Yuanzhi laughed loudly and said: "More importantly, although Datong is the land of Shanxi, in fact, it is also outside the pass, and there is still a distance from Taiyuan. Even if we take Datong, Emperor Chongzhen At most, it’s enough to get angry, because between Datong and Daizhou, there is still a section of the Great Wall as a barrier. With this section of the Great Wall, perhaps Emperor Chongzhen has the confidence to keep us out of the Great Wall.”

"If Yanmen was really useful, the Han Dynasty would not have led the Huns to invade the Central Plains, and Emperor Sui Yang would not have been trapped in Yanmen. Relying on the Great Wall is better than not having the Great Wall." Li Xin said disdainfully.He knew that from Datong to Taiyuan, there is a Daizhou in the middle, and there is a famous building in Daizhou, that is Yanmen Pass.

"Nine fortresses in the world, Yanmen ranks first. His Majesty the emperor will definitely believe in Yanmenguan." Shi Yuanzhi said confidently: "So if the lord wants to achieve Datong, and then ask Emperor Chongzhen to explain this point, Emperor Chongzhen will be in his heart." If you are dissatisfied, there is nothing you can do."

"It doesn't matter. Now I'm worried about the situation in Baicheng." Li Xin nodded and said, "We found a huge silver mine in Baicheng, but Baicheng is close to Jiannu, so Jiannu can easily find this It will take a lot of time to fight for the place, and the center of gravity of our army will be in the Central Plains in the near future."

"My lord, do you think that even if you enter the Central Plains, the lord will lead an army of [-]?" Shi Yuan explained with a smile: "[-], the lord can only lead an army of [-] at most. It's the only way to get the court's attention, cough cough!" Shi Yuan suddenly noticed that there was Yang Wan next to him, and stopped talking immediately.

"[-] troops are enough. Maybe there are too many." Li Xin shook his head and said, "The grassland is our foundation, and the grassland cannot be lost." Li Xin understood very well that although capturing the world, occupying the Central Plains is the most important thing. However, the grassland is Li Xin's foundation. If there is a mistake in the grassland, even if he has won a brilliant victory in the Central Plains, he may still be eaten by the court in the end. The most important thing is to leave enough soldiers and horses to sit on the grassland.

"Look, what a beautiful city!" Yang Wan on the side suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "It's actually blue."

"This is our home, Yunzhongcheng." Li Xin's face changed a lot, he pointed at the distant cloud with his whip, and sighed again: "It's a pity, we lost General Jutu this time."

"It is inevitable that the general will die in battle, and General Jutu followed the Lord behind him. Maybe he has already thought that this day, this man is a general of a foreign race, but the Lord trusts him a lot. This alone is enough to make General Jutu feel grateful." Shi Yuan said comfortingly.

"The pensions for the soldiers who died this time must be paid in place, and there are still things to do after the aftermath. The soldiers worked hard for me, Li Xin, and I, Li Xin, can't let them have any worries." Li Xin thought for a while, and said: "Those who died in battle There are old and young soldiers in the family, and Zheng Beijun can take care of them until the young ones grow up, and the old man passes away with a smile. As for those who are unwilling to remarry, Zhengbei Army must also consider her life issues. The dead soldiers cannot They are cold."

"My lord is Shengming." Shi Yuan nodded repeatedly, sighing in his heart, just in this regard, it is not known how many times better than the imperial court.Although the imperial court has pensions, but when the money is in the hands of the families of the dead, it is already very good to have one out of ten left.

"My lord, Army Master Song has come to welcome us." Gao Meng pointed to the distance and said loudly.

Li Xin looked and saw a welcoming team in front of him. The leader was short and ugly, whoever it was if it wasn't Song Xiance. I also saw people from the seven major families of Shanxi merchants inside.

"Congratulations to the triumphant return of the lord." Song Xiance and others saw Li Xin's army approaching, and said loudly.

"Get up! You almost got dumped by the court this time, it's not a triumph." Li Xin jumped off the horse, helped Song Xiance up himself, and said, "Mr.

"Subordinates dare not." Song Xiance shook his head again and again, but was extremely moved in his heart. Of course, this ordinary person can also be a virtuous corporal. Maybe he Song Xiance has some talents, but this appearance is really speechless. Mr. Accountant seemed a little sorry, but Li Xin asked him to be a military adviser. When Shi Yuanzhi was gone, he would handle the affairs of the Yanhuang tribe.This allowed him to enjoy power, but at the same time, he was more moved, and it was Li Xin's trust in himself.

"Sir, I haven't seen you for a long time, I miss Li Xin so much!" Li Xin helped Zhang Cai up again, this Zhang Cai was forcibly brought back from the Central Plains by himself.In the south of the Yangtze River, who knows what those gentry will say about Zhang Cai!It can be said that Zhang Cai's reputation was ruined by himself, and Li Xin also felt very sorry.

"The Duke of Liao is so powerful beyond the Great Wall, and he has returned from victory this time. Zhang Cai is here to congratulate the Duke on his triumphant return." Zhang Cai's attitude has improved a lot, and in his expression, it already seems that he regards Li Xin as the lord.This made Li Xin very happy.

"Everyone get up! Get up!" Li Xin said with a smile: "Everyone at the night banquet at the Liuli Palace tonight, please don't be late."

"Thank you, my lord." Everyone also said one after another.

"Mr. Fan, these gentlemen came from afar. According to the logic, I, Li Xin, greeted you in person, but I didn't expect you to be greeted. This is all my fault, Li Xin. Let's go, go to Liuli Palace." Li Xin waited to appease After the crowd, he pulled Fan Yongdou and others and said.For those Fan Yongdou and others who were regarded as the number one traitor of the Han people in the late Ming Dynasty in history, Li Xin originally ransacked his family and wiped out his family, but then again, businessmen were originally profit-seeking, and in the Ming Dynasty, businessmen did not Regardless of the status, Fan Yongdou and others are now the richest in the world, but if any official of the imperial court really wants to attack Fan Yongdou, no matter how much money Fan Yongdou has, it will be useless.It will still end up in the end of ransacking the family and exterminating the clan.

At this time, the buds of capitalism had already emerged. People like Fan Yongdou may not have the demands of political power in later generations, but they longed for their own status to be guaranteed, and their money would not be confiscated by the government at will.The status of merchants in the Ming Dynasty was low, and this wish would naturally not be guaranteed, so they found Jiannu.Jiannu fulfilled their demands and became an imperial merchant.Although Li Xin was disdainful, it was understandable.

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(End of this chapter)