Qiao Yu led his army straight to Fushun, and several big salt merchants in the city also gathered together to discuss how to deal with it. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, salt merchants have relied on close cooperation with the court to bridge all channels up and down.
Officials safeguarded their own interests. Now that the Qing Dynasty was increasingly declining, and the time was coming for a change of dynasty, the salt merchants also took action to protect their privileges.
Some time ago, Qiao Zhen led the army to Fushun. Many salt merchants were still waiting and watching. They were not sure whether this force rising from Dongchuan could successfully unify Sichuan, so they only maintained their cooperation on the surface, but Qiao
In accordance with Qiao Yu's instructions, Zhen quickly calmed down the Fushun area and abolished Lijin. The salt merchants also benefited greatly from this.
Immediately came the news of the conflict between Sichuan and Yunnan, and then the news of the Sichuan Army's victory over the Yunnan Army. Sichuan was immediately shocked. Qiao Yu's ability to defeat the Yunnan Army proved that he definitely had the power to unify Sichuan, so the most sensitive salt merchants also
Decided to put the treasure on him.
"Everyone, Qiao Yu is coming to Fushun. What should you do?" Zhang Deyang, the old man of the Zhang family, the largest salt merchant family in Fushun, was the first to speak.
"Mr. Zhang, I think it's nothing more than money. As long as something can be solved with money, it's not a problem. The man named Qiao is also a businessman. He doesn't understand our demands. I don't think he will deliberately embarrass us?"
A salt merchant named Liu said.
Zhang Deyang nodded, then shook his head: "I think everyone should not underestimate Qiao Yu. He abolished Lijin as soon as he took the position of governor. He suddenly captured the hearts of the people of Sichuan and immediately gained support from the people.
, this defeated the Yunnan Army again. It can be seen that this person is first-class in both military and government affairs. Moreover, he advocates rent and interest restrictions, and has repeatedly said that he will reduce the burden on the people. I always feel that he will be disrespectful to us.
Shang starts!"
Lu Nai didn't say anything, but he secretly thought that the powerful old fox actually saw that Qiao Yu would attack the salt merchant, but you never thought that Qiao Yu would break your jobs and re-establish a set of rules. Lu Nai at this time
I was extremely glad that I was tied to Qiao Yu. Otherwise, if he could defeat the Yunnan Army, it would mean that the salt merchants would have a dead end if they wanted to confront him head-on.
"Brother Lu, you have been to Luzhou and met Qiao Yu. What do you think of this person? Can you protect the interests of our salt merchants?" Zhang Deyang would not let him go if Lu Nai didn't speak. The old fox naturally knew Lu Nai very well.
The daughter of the family had already fled to Chongqing, and maybe the Lu family had hooked up with Qiao Yu. However, Zhang Deyang did not look down upon Lu Nai, thinking that such a fake foreign devil and such a crazy girl could not be put on the stage at all.
"Old man, please don't laugh at me because my daughter is doing such nonsense. I only have a relationship with Qiao Yu. He is strict in military management, upholds rules, and cherishes his reputation. However, he has not yet secured his position as Sichuan Governor.
, I’m afraid they don’t dare to attack us, but I would like to remind everyone that Qiao Yu has abolished Lijin, but our salt prices have not dropped, but have increased in many places. This will inevitably cause others to suffer.
Misunderstanding!"
"What Mr. Lu said is wrong. The place is not safe now. How much more tolls will we have to pay and how much more labor will be spent? These costs will be included in the price of salt. I think the price of salt should be higher."
Rise!" The salt merchant named Liu spoke again.
Lu Nai said in his heart that you were unrepentant, and I couldn't help but give you some advice, so I simply bowed my head and said nothing. In addition, two other businessmen who were close to Lu Nai also saw the problem and stopped talking. The rest of the salt
On the contrary, Shang cheered and supported Liu's idea of increasing the price.
Zhang Deyang lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said: "Brother Lu is not wrong at all. The government didn't take it, but we took it. Isn't this another demonstration to the government? What will people think of us? Since
It’s a change of dynasty, so we should give the new court some face. From now on, the price of salt will be reduced to 95 cents per pound, so that people know our sincerity!”….
Zhang Deyang gave the order, and all the salt merchants obeyed the order, and the price of salt began to adjust downwards. At this time, Qiao Yu led the army on a rapid march to Fushun. Fushun was originally a small town that prospered because of salt. It was the richest in Sichuan.
It is second to none. Near the outside of the city are the residential areas of major salt merchants. They are magnificent, with painted buildings and carved beams. It looks like you have arrived at the Lingxiao Palace. The slums not far away are also low-rise and dilapidated houses, forming a distinct
In contrast, most of the people living there are salt workers.
After Qiao Yu arrived in Fushun, Zhang Deyang personally brought many salt merchants and wise men from all walks of life to greet him.
"Governor Qiao resisted the Manchus and defeated the Yunnan Army who coveted Sichuan. He is truly a first-class hero in Shu. I would like to thank you on behalf of you!" Zhang Deyang was very polite, and Qiao Yu also hurriedly supported Zhang Deyang.
.
"Old man, I'm really flattered that you come to greet me at such an old age and with such high prestige. In the future, the stability of the Sichuan Salt Industry will have to be maintained by the elderly. I'll leave it to you first!"
When Zhang Deyang heard that Qiao Yu was going on the road, he immediately comforted him. It seemed that the boy was not a stick man, so he was very happy and welcomed Qiao Yu and all his subordinates into Fushun.
"I have given you a welcome banquet for the Governor. Fushun and I would also like to thank you for your kindness. I wonder if the Governor can reward me with this honor!"
It seemed that the old guy was going to give him money, so Qiao Yu agreed wholeheartedly, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves for a while. Lu Nai, who was standing by, secretly admired him. Even though Qiao Yu was young, he could be so calm. It was really amazing.
Qiao Yu had also heard about the strange food of salt merchants, but it was better to meet him than to be famous. It was an eye-opener at Zhang Deyang's house. There were many kinds of dishes, all of which were extremely exquisite. The more common ones included cow hooves and bear paws.
Braised carp without juice and green onion, stir-fried crow's tongue, braised chicken and so on.
In addition, there are also the salt merchant's unique delicacies, such as pig blood soak, dew fungus, and loach. Even though Qiao Yu has seen a lot, he was also shocked by the salt merchant's extravagance. Among them, the simplest small dish
Frog belly is made from hundreds of frogs, whose belly is cut open and stir-fried with lard and sesame oil. There are countless other weird dishes.
The dishes are unique, and the tableware is extremely exquisite. There is a complete set of gold and silver products, including rhinoceros horns, ivory, and official kiln porcelain from the Song and Ming Dynasties. They are basically cultural relics. The table is full!
"Governor Qiao, do you think this dish is delicious? I have specially prepared a special wine from Maotai Town for you. It has been stored for nearly sixty years. It is when the wine is at its most fragrant. Please give it a try!"
With a wave of Zhang Deyang's hand, a pretty girl of fourteen or fifteen years old, holding a wine bottle in her hand, floated up to Qiao Yu like a butterfly.
"Sir, please taste the wine!" As she said this, the little girl poured a glass for Qiao Yu. A gust of fragrant wind blew by, and Qiao Yu suddenly felt his mind wandering.
"Mr. Zhang, the wine today is good, the food is good, and the people are better, but it's hard to swallow. The ancients said that Zhumen's wine and meat are smelly, and there are frozen bones on the road. I didn't believe it in the past, but now I have seen it! A salt merchant in Fushun
It’s really eye-opening for me!”
The salt merchants present thought they were entertaining Qiao Yu with delicious food and drinks, but this guy would never offend them, but he actually slapped them in the face in front of the banquet, and they couldn't stand it immediately.
"Sir Governor, we live a more luxurious life, but this wealth is accumulated from generation to generation, and not a penny is earned through bad ethics!" The salt merchant surnamed Liu was the first to retort, and Zhang Deyang
He also had an angry look on his face. He didn't dare to scold Qiao Yu, so he attacked the man named Liu.
"Old Liu, what are you talking about? The Governor is just joking!"
"Mr. Zhang, I don't mean the slightest bit of joking. If you have the ability, you can rely on your own hands to earn incredible wealth. Not only will I not envy you, but you will also admire me. However, you rely on the exclusive privileges of the government to wantonly raise your wealth."
The price of salt is such that you are enjoying huge profits. The dishes on this table are not ordinary dishes. They are clearly the people's treasure. As the governor of Sichuan, I will never allow you to take advantage of it. From now on, the salt policy must be changed and the price of salt must be lowered!
"
"Governor Qiao, please don't be angry. You have abolished Lijin, and our burden has been reduced a lot. The price of salt will definitely decrease in the future!" Zhang Deyang's face was already a little angry. The boy in front of him was so ignorant.
But now that there is no fight for power, Zhang Deyang had no choice but to agree to lower the price of salt.
"The root of the problem is not as simple as lowering the price of salt. The salt policy must be comprehensively reformed!"
"This is a centuries-old rule!"
"Rules are meant to be changed, not to mention stereotypes! Others don't dare to change, so I have to change them!"