In the city of Beijing, with the beginning of the war, Beijing once again became noisy because of this incident.
Many ordinary Eight Banners family members were also in a daze, and most of them wanted to leave Beijing and return to Liaodong.
At this time, Emperor Hongguang, who was under close guard, and Zhu Yousong, who was named Prince Xian, were also sitting boredly in the courtyard, enjoying the shade.
As the offense and defense changed between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties' control over Zhu Yousong became increasingly tight.
Last year, he could chat and meet with King Lu and the Queen Mother, but now he can only stay in the courtyard and cannot go anywhere.
"When does this day end?"
Zhu Yousong rubbed his soft belly, full of melancholy.
The originally fat body has actually lost some weight over the years, and the double chin has also been significantly reduced.
In the eyes of people at that time, a chubby body was a symbol of happiness.
"Lunch is here—"
Suddenly, the courtyard door creaked and there was a burst of shouting.
Through the crack of the door, a food box was put in.
It was more than two feet tall. When I opened it, I saw that there were vegetables, meat, and a jug of wine. The food was not warm at all. It was obvious that I had been waiting for a long time.
Zhu Yousong opened the lunch box skillfully, then put the dishes in order, took a sip of wine, and then started eating.
In the past, if there were not seven or eight people serving him, he would not be able to use chopsticks at all, but now he can only do it by himself.
He was devouring the food, and suddenly, something felt wrong in his mouth.
When I took it out, it turned out to be a ball of paper:
Emperor Shaowu sent troops in three directions, and soon he would capture the city of Beijing.
"Am I saved?"
Zhu Yousong was stunned and immediately became very happy.
Someone is tipping him off!
This has never happened before.
When he is in a good mood, he feels more energetic about eating.
In the following days, there were more and more paper rolls in the rice balls, and there were more and more words.
Although he has only been emperor for two years, Zhu Yousong has a natural intuition for power:
"Someone is planning to change the door."
And in the inner city, in a mansion.
At a time when grain prices in Beijing had fluctuated over the past few days, merchants, led by the eight imperial merchants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, tried their best to raise money, grain and materials.
It's a pity that the cost of Beijing city alone is too much for them to bear.
"Yesterday, another ten thousand taels were brought in. The regent asked me to collect gunpowder. Where can I find the best sulfur and saltpeter in the world?"
Liang Jiabin, one of the eight imperial merchants, was gritting his teeth and sitting on the Grand Master's chair, his face full of resentment.
"The price of food in the capital has reached three liang and one stone. The imperial court wants me to continue to provide food. But except in the south, where else can there be food?"
Huang Yunfa shook his head, his face full of bitterness.
"Okay, I'm calling you here, not to complain, but to find a solution."
As the leader of the eight imperial merchants, Fan Yongdou glanced at the three of them and said angrily.
Among the eight imperial merchants, the Fan family was the most important, occupying the bulk of Zhangjiakou's trade, and even the Changlu Saltworks was operating, and valuable medicinal materials such as ginseng and furs from outside the customs were also in their pockets.
It can be said that the Fan family's net worth is half that of everyone sitting here.
Wang Dengku, whose status was second only to Fan Yongdou, coughed, shook his head and sighed: "Today is different from the past. The huge northern provinces have become a mess."
"There are military disasters in Shanxi and Shandong. Our business cannot be done, so that's it. The Ming court instigated Hui merchants and Shaanxi merchants to establish various guilds, so it is difficult for any supplies to go north."
"Isn't this business just about mutual exchanges? We can only stay in the north and there is nothing we can do."
These words were approved by everyone present, and they were filled with hatred for the despicable and shameless Ming Ting.
In the trade between the north and the south, it is an indisputable fact that the north is more dependent on the south. However, once the lock-down policy is implemented, the damage to the north will be incalculable.
"Ahem——"
Fan Yongdou coughed, attracting everyone's attention.
Immediately, his sharp gaze swept across everyone, like a knife, capable of stabbing people all over.
"Do you regret it? I tell you, it's too late."
Fan Yongdou had a sullen face, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be sarcastic.
Qiwei Huangshang's face was pale and extremely ugly.
The moment they were admitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and became an imperial merchant, it foreshadowed that they had been hanged on a tree.
Scholars, peasants, industrialists, and merchants, once the humblest businessmen get involved in political speculation, they will either lose their families or rise to the top. There is no second choice.
It's too late to regret, there is only one way to go.
"What do you always say? How dare we regret it?"
Everyone spoke one after another, expressing that they never meant that.
"That's good!"
Fan Yongdou snorted coldly and said sternly: "Whether it is food or gunpowder, we must try our best to get it. Even if we exhaust ourselves to death, we cannot delay the court."
"If the imperial court disappears, we will wait for the confiscation of our homes and the annihilation of the clan! I have decided to invest all my wealth in it. I can still make money even if the money is gone. I don't want to give it up at this time. Are I planning to give it to the King of Hell?"
The imperial merchants could only respond with a grimace.
In mid-June, the summer heat is in full swing and the summer harvest is approaching, but there is a wailing sound throughout Shandong, and the common people and gentry all have sad faces.
With the opening of the two major battlefields in Henan and Shanxi, the pressure on the Manchu Qing Dynasty increased sharply, thus accelerating the exploitation of Shandong and Beizhili.
As a result, even though the Ning Army and the Eight Banners of Dezhou were suppressed, under the instigation of the Ming Army, uprisings in Shandong continued one after another.
The gentry who were dissatisfied with the Manchus before were now semi-openly supporting the rebels, thus shaking the Manchu rule in Shandong.
Forcing Yanzhou and approaching Jining, the Ming army's offensive was aggressive.
In the north tower of Jining City, a young military general held his hand on the hilt of his sword and paced back and forth behind the female wall, his thoughts changing over and over again.
The sweltering heat in the south made him irritated. Shandong was still too hot compared to Liaodong.
I don’t know what happened to my wife and children at home.
He looked at the sparsely lit marketplace in the city, and a wave of thoughts surged into his mind, and he couldn't stop it no matter what.
At this moment, he suddenly heard an unusual muffled sound and quickly turned his head to look outside the city.
The moonlight was dim, and the earth was covered in darkness, with only a few stars in the distance.
He frowned and stared into the distance, then went down to the tower again and listened close to the ground.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves sounded, and a cavalryman rushed to the city, raised his head and shouted: "The Ming army invades the north——"
When the general heard this, he was horrified. He turned around and shouted: "Bang the drum, please inform the king quickly——"
In an instant, the drums in the city tower were beating loudly, and the entire Jining City suddenly woke up. A large number of soldiers stood up according to instinct and obeyed the arrangements.
Wu Sangui wore armor and shouted as he walked: "Is the Ming army coming?"
"Indeed!"
"I've known for a long time that they can't stand the loneliness, but now they finally come."
Wu Sangui didn't know why, but he breathed a sigh of relief in vain.