"This damn imperial court is trying to cut off our wealth. All the great shopkeepers, please tell me what to do."
A town in Bianguan, Shanxi.
The notice from the capital had already reached the border and other places in just seven days.
After receiving this order, the local government immediately blocked all city gates and banned all transportation.
Among all transportation to the grassland, there is no doubt that Shanxi merchants accounted for the majority.
It is no exaggeration to say that nine out of ten are Shanxi merchants.
This is naturally related to the tradition of Shanxi merchants. Some villages have simply become mainly engaged in business.
After all, no one can bear to see other people bring back a lot of money and meat every year during the Chinese New Year, while I still stare at the handfuls of rice in the pot.
A Shanxi merchant shopkeeper said: "It is absolutely impossible for the imperial court to block our financial path, but the apparent losses will be huge for us."
"We are not like those smugglers. There are so many bulk goods. It is not easy to hide them from others."
"I personally think that everyone should combine all their current financial resources, manage everything from top to bottom, and jointly open up a trade route. Only in this way can we recover a lot of losses."
"There is a Qianhu household over there at the health center, who is from Shanxi merchants. Then we can think of some ways to try."
As the big shopkeeper spoke, others in the lobby nodded.
Naturally, they wouldn't have the guts to work with the imperial court, but no one would be willing to give up.
If you are used to living a good life, who would want to live a miserable and miserable life?
Soon, everyone started making suggestions.
Those who provide money provide money, and those who provide connections use connections, hoping to open up a few secret passages.
.....
Datong Town.
Ding Zhongxian, the commander of the Datong Guards, frowned as he looked at the notice in his hand.
Below are the five thousand households summoned.
"Master Commander, I think the imperial court's intention is to completely cut off this trade route. What should we do here?" Seeing this, Datong Wei Zuo Qianhu asked after a slight hesitation.
A guard station has five thousand-household stations, namely left, right, middle, front and back.
In today's world where Zuo is respected, Zuo Qianhu is naturally the confidant of the commander-in-chief Ding Zhongxian.
Therefore, when speaking, he is much more casual.
Hearing this, the capital commander Ding Zhongxian thought for a while and said: "Our town of Datong is an important town in the army, and we have always been vigilant about the grasslands. Now the capital's intention is to rush eight hundred miles ahead and reach Jiubian first."
"In my opinion, the capital is more than just a notice. It will inevitably be followed by censors and even multiple supervisions."
"Besides, as far as the Chamber of Commerce is concerned, you all know about the Qunying Chamber of Commerce."
"The Qunying Chamber of Commerce had many spies on the grassland in the early years. If there was any smuggling route, how could it not be known to the Qunying Chamber of Commerce? I see that the embargo on the grassland is probably proposed by His Highness Taisun.
.”
Hearing this, Datong Youqianhu couldn't help but said: "Sir, I heard that this group of British merchants are the biggest smugglers. Even Shanxi merchants don't have such a big name. Wouldn't it be self-destructive for Your Highness Taisun?"
Way to make money?"
Zuo Qianhu of Datong said: "What do you know? How can there be any profit in these hardships on the grassland? Even though the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is famous here, when it comes to making money, you still have to look at Jiangnan."
"I think the commander is right. This embargo order was most likely proposed by His Highness Taisun."
"My lady's cousin here is a guy from the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. I heard that the Qunying Chamber of Commerce has been comprehensively collecting goods on the grassland, and even consciously reduced them. Many of the guys who are doing business on the grassland have been dropped.
Come back."
"His Royal Highness Taisun must have issued the order a long time ago, and the Qunying Chamber of Commerce has received the news in advance."
After hearing this, everyone nodded.
After several hesitations, the capital commander Ding Zhongxian made a decision in his mind.
"From now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave any place in Datong. Anyone who goes to the grassland privately will be arrested for treason regardless of the reason."
Faced with this situation, Ding Zhongxian simply implemented a one-size-fits-all approach.
Although the embargo says what cannot be shipped and what can be shipped, there will always be some people who get away with it.
He also knows very well that in the past, these businessmen below have made a lot of money for his brothers, especially those above the general banner, who can more or less receive some filial piety.
Even if he gives the order explicitly, Ding Zhongxian also knows the temperament of the people below him.
Forget it on normal days, if something goes wrong at this juncture, I might not even be able to keep my hat.
The Qunying Chamber of Commerce is too wild here. If it is found out on the grassland, the responsibility will fall on itself.
When the five thousand households under his command heard this, they looked at each other quite a bit.
The last few people's eyes wandered around and finally fell on Zuo Qianhu.
Seeing this, Zuo Qianhu could only bite the bullet and said: "Sir, is this too harsh? After all, the brothers below still want to make a living."
Ding Zhongxian waved his hand and said: "No need to say more, just follow my order. I am not blocking the brothers' financial path. Didn't I already say that you are allowed in but not allowed out?"
"No matter where he comes from, he can only come to the Ming Dynasty. Those herders on the grassland can't stand it, so they can only come. We won't stop them, right?"
"For those who are smuggled, brothers will first respond. When the goods arrive, they will be detained and sent to the capital to receive merit."
"We have finished the matter. His Highness the Grand Sun is not short of money. When the time comes, he will reward you no matter what."
Seconds.
When the five thousand households heard this, they immediately praised him.
Although it seems like a one-shot deal, these days, there are always some people who are not afraid of death. In the past, if you accepted money from others, you should help a few times, but now that the capital has strict orders and dare to bribe, you must be rebellious.
For rebellion, confiscation of all property is a serious matter.
Following Ding Zhongxian's decision, Datong Wei immediately took action.
First of all, all roads in and out are blocked, and no one is allowed to go to the grassland. Even the herdsmen who came here to buy things before are blocked.
A large number of general bannermen also began to lead patrols. Anyone who saw someone trying to leave secretly would be captured.
For a time, Datong Town was in a state of trembling.
All businessmen avoid him.
The news from Datong Town quickly spread to surrounding areas, especially Shanxi Town next to Datong, which was greatly shocked.
Shanxi Town and Datong Town are adjacent to each other. Among these two towns, the number of merchants entering and exiting the grassland is the largest.
The commander of Shanxi Weidu was even more anxious than Ding Zhongxian, who didn't know that there were many Shanxi merchants in Shanxi Town.
Even if His Majesty and ministers in the capital don't know, doesn't His Highness Taisun still know?
The commander of Shanxi Weidu knew very well that when people from the imperial court came, he would probably be the first to investigate.
Thinking of this, I just don't do anything at all.
First, he rejected all banquet invitations from chambers of commerce, and then issued military orders.
"Anyone who leaves the city without permission will be killed without mercy!"
They did it more harshly here. Ding Zhongxian in Datong Town only arrested people at most, and the commander in Shanxi Town simply killed them.
With Datong, these two towns in Shanxi took the lead, and of course other important towns in Jiubian followed suit.
Today's Jiubian is still very powerful.
Although corruption is serious in the military, many of the leaders of this group of border troops are old men who followed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world.
The erosion faced by other businessmen is far from that serious. Apart from making some money, his loyalty to Ming Dynasty is still very high, at least he will not do anything that will greatly damage Ming Dynasty.
Now, it is those businessmen on the grassland who are suffering.
These businessmen on the grasslands basically have connections and connections in the grasslands, or have good relations with certain tribes. They exchange tea, grain, ironware, women, medicinal materials and other materials in exchange for furs, cattle and sheep.
Part of the largest hidden transaction was the treasures robbed by the prairie nobles from other places.
If any businessman can exchange for these treasures, he can immediately transform himself into a wealthy family after returning to the Ming Dynasty.
As the nine sides jointly blocked the grassland, all the tribes on the grassland suddenly became angry.
At this juncture, it is the time for winter. The tribes on the grassland have accumulated a large amount of goods, just waiting for the Ming Dynasty to open the market and conduct a large wave of transactions.
The main items traded were food and women.
Food is for winter, and women naturally want to survive the winter better.
Some single men in Prairie Mountain have already prepared enough furs at home and are determined to bring back a woman this year.
After this winter, by next Spring Festival, my child will be born.
But with the advent of the lockdown, everything turned into a phantom in the water.
The key is how to spend this winter.
If you have cattle and sheep at home, you can still get by.
But for those cavalry on the grassland, it was really sad.
In addition to the direct soldiers, many of the cavalry on the grassland are free men of the tribe. They usually live a hunting life and are self-sufficient. They will only join the army when called by the Khan.
This method is actually somewhat similar to the health center system.
But the cavalry are not herdsmen, because as tribal warriors, they do not raise cattle and sheep like herdsmen.
Of course, they usually have a lot of gold and silver in their hands.
But you can't eat these.
With the beginning of the blockade, inflation is certain. The price of a cow or sheep in the past will naturally increase several times now.
Otherwise, the only solution is to rob it by force.
When the news spread that the grassland was blocked by the Ming Dynasty, all the people in the grassland panicked.
Many people went to inquire about it and found that it was not a rumor. The Ming Dynasty really prohibited trade.
At the same time, smugglers from the Ming Dynasty were arrested.
Because of their smuggling route, how could they hide it from the Qunying Chamber of Commerce?
It can be said that Zhu Ying gave a direct order. Except for some special lurking personnel, all other personnel of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce in the grassland area were to withdraw to the Ming Dynasty.
Since we no longer lurk in the grasslands, the smuggling routes are of little use. At present, the blockade and sanctions on the grasslands cannot be an overnight problem.
Therefore, all smuggling routes were reported to the Nine Border Guards by the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.
After getting the specific route, the Nine Border Guards sent out troops to ambush without hesitation.
A large number of smugglers were severely cracked down, and all of their goods were naturally confiscated, and this process was naturally accompanied by a large number of deaths.
Although there will definitely be some fish that slip through the net, they are not very important.
The news from Jiubian quickly reached the capital.
After receiving the information, Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood and summoned his eldest son to Qianqing Palace.
"Dasun, we thought the results this time would not be great. We didn't expect the soldiers at these border gates to be so loyal to us. The nine border gates were guarded and defended to the death, each with their own gains. This must be a huge blow to the grassland."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled happily.
Zhu Yuanzhang could not understand the temperament of the border officers, but this time, he showed a clear understanding of justice.
In fact, as long as it was not a big problem, Zhu Yuanzhang basically chose to be a little indulgent and turn a blind eye to some minor issues with border officers.
Soldiers have been like this since ancient times. Zhu Yuanzhang already understood these thoroughly during the war.
"Grandpa, this complete blockade of the grassland is more effective than we thought, but for the tribes on the grassland, it may lead to an invasion of the Ming Dynasty," Zhu Ying replied.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Although it is already winter and the troops are marching on the grassland unchanged, the current situation makes war inevitable for the grassland."
"It would be better if we could rob some. If not, killing some people would be enough for the grassland to survive."
"Next, we can arrange for the soldiers to go over."
Speaking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Besides Lan Yu, is there anyone else from Da Sun who will also be sent?"
Zhu Ying replied: "My grandson hopes that the Fourth Emperor's Uncle and the Third Emperor's Uncle can go to the battle on the grassland here."
"Fourth child?" Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly startled.
Then he said: "It seems that what Dasun said before is true."
"Okay, since you have thought about it, let the fourth, third and Lan Yu go there together this time."
"I think the eldest grandson has already thought about how to arrange it."
Zhu Ying thought for a while and said: "Uncle Sanhuang's previous vassal territory was in Shanxi, and this time he should go to Shanxi Town."
"Uncle Four Emperors' previous vassal territory was in Beiping, this time it is Liaodong Town."
"For Duke Liang, Sun'er means to be in charge of the three towns of Ningxia, Guyuan and Gansu."
"This time my grandson also wants the seventeenth emperor uncle to go with him to guard Daning."
"Daning is connected to Liaozuo in the east and Xuanfu in the west. I think it is the most suitable place for the seventeenth emperor's uncle."
After hearing what his eldest grandson said, Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Sure enough, he is our biological eldest grandson. This is what I thought of him."
In Zhu Yuanzhang's earlier plan, he wanted Zhu Quan to go to Daning.
Now I didn’t expect that Da Sun would think the same way.