No one knows the specific reasons, but we can make a bold guess.
For example, they wanted to use the smuggling of the eight major Shanxi merchants to prevent the Manchus from invading Shanxi.
After all, the eight major Shanxi merchants were in Shanxi. When the Manchus came to Shanxi for a stroll, other places were looted and massacred, but nothing happened to the eight major Shanxi merchants.
You don’t have to be a fool to realize that there is something wrong with the eight major Shanxi merchants!
In addition, Shanxi's terrain with thousands of ravines is really unfriendly to cavalry operations.
As long as the eight major Shanxi merchants exist, there is a high probability that the Manchu Qing Dynasty will not invade Shanxi again!
You know, Shanxi in the late Ming Dynasty had Datong Town and Taiyuan Town (Shanxi Town), two of the nine sides.
As long as the Qing Dynasty did not invade Shanxi, the elite border troops from these two towns could be mobilized, whether they were used to quell the bandits in the pass, or to be transferred to Liaodong to guard the captives.
It can greatly alleviate the military pressure on the Ming court.
However, these people did not realize how important the materials provided by the eight major Shanxi merchants were to the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
Give me an example!
Before Jiashen, the Qing army invaded Shanxi on five large-scale raids, but only entered Shanxi once in the seventh year of Chongzhen.
You know, at that time, Shanxi had just experienced two years of large-scale war, and it was a time when people's livelihood was exhausted.
In the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign, the bandits entered Shanxi, and the government troops fought fiercely with the bandits. The whole territory of Shanxi was in ruins.
Immediately afterwards, in the sixth year of Chongzhen, Lin Dan Khan invaded the border areas and brought more than 10,000 Mongolian cavalry from the Xuanfu area of Datong into the Customs and plundered Shanxi.
Within two years, Shanxi was harmed several times by bandits, soldiers, and Mongols.
You can only imagine how dilapidated it is!
However, in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the Manchu and Qing invaders invaded the border area again. The Qing army entered the pass from Zhangjiakou and headed straight for Shanxi.
What are they here for?
Shanxi has been plagued by disaster for two consecutive years. How much can the Manchus gain from Shanxi by coming to Shanxi?
Besides, as for the terrain of Shanxi with thousands of ravines, are the Qing Dynasties full of food? Instead of going to the Great Plains of North China, where horses can gallop, do you have to come to Shanxi for excitement?
Isn't he afraid that the cavalry, which has lost its mobility advantage, will be severely damaged by the Ming army in Shanxi?
Besides, considering the situation in Shanxi at that time, if the Manchus came to Shanxi for a walk, could they get their money back?
What would Huang Taiji do to lose money?
Therefore, when the Qing Dynasty invaded Shanxi in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, they did not come to rob anything at all.
The fundamental reason lies with the eight major Shanxi merchants!
Shanxi has been in turmoil for two years, and the eight major Shanxi merchants' trade routes to the outside world have been cut off for two years.
Because, although their protective umbrella can control the Ming army from robbing their caravans, can they still control the rogues and the Mongols?
Two years of war caused the Manchu Qing Dynasty to lose the eight major Shanxi merchants as a stable source of supplies.
Then, the Manchu Qing invaded Shanxi in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign.
To put it bluntly, when the Manchus invaded Shanxi in the seventh year of Chongzhen's reign, they were not there to plunder, but to collect goods.
This shows the importance of the eight major Shanxi merchants to the Manchu Qing Dynasty!
Therefore, it seems that the plans of some people in the court have not failed.
Their deliberate indulgence of the eight Shanxi merchants seemed to have really eased the military pressure on the Ming court.
But this is complete bullshit!
These people are really stupid, the kind of stupid people who have no brains at all!
With the vast terrain of Shanxi, why are we so afraid of Qing troops entering the Pass?
As long as the Qing army dared to enter Shanxi, most of their cavalry would be useless.
The Ming army mobilized its forces and fought in Shanxi with the Qing army, which had lost its cavalry mobility advantage.
Infantry versus infantry fighting each other!
Is it better than using infantry to fight the Qing cavalry group on the Great Plains of North China?
Besides, how much money can be obtained by killing eight major Shanxi merchants and ransacking their homes?
It can definitely greatly alleviate the financial pressure in the late Ming Dynasty, even if it is only temporary.
To be honest, these officials in the late Ming Dynasty were worse than pigs!
Even if a pig were put in their place, the performance would not be worse than theirs.
At least pigs are not corrupt!
…
Facing his son's question, the indigenous leader just shook his head and said.
"Robbing won't work!"
"I ordered people to investigate. This Chinese is very powerful. It has an army of nearly a thousand people, as well as muskets, artillery and other firearms. If we try to rob it, our tribe may not be a match."
His son nodded and agreed with his father's statement.
While they were waiting, reinforcements from the Liberation Army arrived. Shi Yongxin personally led the team to rescue the mining team against a company of troops.
When reinforcements from the Liberation Army arrived, the siege of the mining team by the natives was automatically lifted.
Shi Yongxin shouted loudly in the direction of the figures in the forest.
"Didn't you say we need to negotiate?"
"I'm here, why don't you show up?"
At this moment, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly came from the forest.
"Hahaha!"
Sanchez, the leader of the indigenous tribe, walked out of the woods, followed by a large group of guards, all of whom stared at the Liberation Army soldiers opposite with very vigilant eyes.
Sanchez looked directly at Shi Yongxin and spoke in relatively proficient Chinese.
"I will only talk to your leader."
Shi Yongxin asked rhetorically.
"How do you know I'm not the leader?"
Sanchez didn't argue, just shook his head and said.
"Please don't think of us as fools!"
"You suddenly appeared around our tribe's territory and have even violated our tribe's territory, posing a great threat to our tribe."
"We can't possibly know anything about you before negotiating with you!"
Shi Yongxin smiled and said nothing more.
Not only these indigenous tribes are doing this, but the Liberation Army is also doing it.
Now the Liberation Army has a certain understanding of the location, population, military force, etc. of the tribes around the river valley!
It won’t make your eyes black!
"If you want to talk about anything, you can tell me and I will convey it to the general!"
Shi Yongxin said.
Sanchez waved his hand and said.
"No need!"
"Since your leader refuses to come and talk to me, it will be the same if I go to him!"
"Lead the way!"
Shi Yongxin couldn't believe Sanchez's words. He, an indigenous tribal leader, was going to the Liberation Army's camp?!
Isn't he afraid of losing face in negotiations and being detained?
Sanchez's son and daughter heard this and stepped forward to dissuade him.
"Abba!"
"Abba, don't go, it will be dangerous."
"Yes, Dad, what if the negotiation breaks down and they hurt you?"
Sanchez waved his hand and said.
"I believe that the general would not do such a thing!"
Sanchez said this not because he had confidence in Zhu Hongyu's character, but because he was sure that even if the negotiations broke down, Zhu Hongyu would not hurt him.
Because there are several indigenous tribes around the Liberation Army's valley camp.
Facing the pressure from the Spanish in the direction of Manila, these tribes have been holding together for warmth and have a very close relationship.
If something happens to Sanchez, other tribes will never sit idly by.
When the time comes, no matter how strong the Liberation Army is, they will never be able to defeat the siege of several tribes.
…………
There is no relevant historical information about the eight major Shanxi merchants. The relevant content in this chapter is just the author's own guess and understanding of history.
But the author feels that the truth should be like this. Some of the officials in the late Ming Dynasty were really bad, and some were really stupid.