If we were not overly wary of Han Qian's machinations, cooperated with Xuzhou, and tolerated the Chishan Society to establish a foothold on the west bank of Fanliang Lake, it would only be good for Huaidong, and there would be no harm.
At present, nearly 3,000 people have gathered near Baiti Gang. If the scale continues to expand, it is difficult to pose any substantial threat to Huaidong.
It is impossible for the Chishan Society to lurk in the dark for a long time. As long as the number of people from the old Zuo-Guangde Army moving north reaches a certain scale, even if the Huaidong side does not report it, Guangde Mansion, Privy Council Staff Division, Jinyun Division, and the Forbidden Army soldiers stationed in Chuzhou will
It's impossible not to notice the clues.
As long as the court connects Chishan Society with Xuzhou and Han Qian, no matter how docile Xuzhou and Chishan Society are, even if the court cannot kill Chishan Society in a short period of time, it will inevitably further strengthen its attack on Xuzhou.
Suspicious and wary of Han Qian.
Huai'an will also be under much less pressure; Huai'an also urgently needs three to five years to stabilize and consolidate its internal rule.
Of course, Huai'an cannot casually allow the men, horses, and supplies of the Xuzhou and Chishan Army to transit through Yangzhou.
Regardless of whether the new salt law is effective or not, Yin Peng now made additional demands: "Two merchant ships from Xuzhou have entered Yangzhou recently, so Yangzhou will naturally not cause trouble, but the withdrawal issued by the Salt and Iron Envoy will not be allowed to be purchased.
Yangzhou must abide by the system, and we also ask Xuzhou to abide by it."
To put it bluntly, whether it is Xuzhou or Chishanhui, commercial goods must transit through Huaidong, and Huaidong must extract 1 out of 10 goods, and in addition, the goods must be purchased at a flat price according to a ratio of 4 out of 10 as a tax.
On the one hand, the wild geese are plucking their hair, but on the other hand, it is also necessary to prevent a large number of elite soldiers, war equipment and even warships from being transported into Baishu Gang by Han Qian, causing the Chishan Society to gather in the west of Fanliang Lake and threaten the military power of Huaidong.
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In particular, Xuzhou's shipbuilding capability is far stronger than that of Huaidong.
After discussion between Yin Peng and Wang Wenqian, the first thing to be restricted was to strictly prohibit large-scale elite warships from Xuzhou from entering Fanliang Lake.
"Okay." Han Qian accepted the conditions put forward by Yin Peng on behalf of Huaidong, and then discussed more specific details.
Huaidong prohibits Xuzhou's large-scale armed merchant ships from entering Fanliang Lake directly, so the Chishan Society will purchase a house on the south side of Zhuyu Bay, at the riverside dock next to Hangou, and build a warehouse for the transfer of materials; at the same time, Huaihe River will be needed
Dongqing Chishan Society sent two small sailing ships with a load of 400 stone to and from Baitigang and Zhuyu Bay to transport these supplies.
Between Baitigang and Zhuyu Bay, there are more than 110 miles of waterway and more than 140 miles of land. However, it is more difficult to transport materials worth three to four thousand stones by water than by land, even if they are transported by small awning sailboats.
Much more convenient.
In the absence of horse roads or post roads, two small sailing ships are equivalent to a land transport team of two to three hundred mules and horses.
Of course, Yin Peng required the Xuzhou merchant ship to turn from the Yangtze River waterway into Hangou, and the two small sailing ships crossed the center line of Fanliang Lake and sailed to Zhuyu Bay, both of which needed to be subject to Huaidong's supervision.
In short, Huaidong must do everything possible to monitor the movements of the Chishan Society on the west bank of Fanliang Lake.
Yin Peng even proposed that Yangzhou send people directly into Baitigang, but Han Qian firmly rejected this.
After preliminary discussions on all this, Han Qian asked Feng Yi and Guo Xiao to follow Yin Peng to Yangzhou. After Huaidong officially agreed, the two of them directly arranged for the merchant ship to enter from Yangzhou, eliminating the need for the twists and turns of returning to send messages.
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"Han Qian is in Baitigang. How long will he stay?"
It is easy to confirm that the refugees who are fleeing the river and heading north gather in Baitigang. Yangzhou itself is responsible for the surveillance and vigilance of Su, Chang, Su in the south of the Yangtze River, and Tuzhou on the west side of Hangou.
In a serious sense, He Aba was placed in the western region of Chuzhou by Yin Peng.
Later, in order to control the access channel between Hongzepu and Fanliang Lake, King Xin Yang Yuan moved an elite force to the western area of Dongyang County north of Fanliang Lake, and then to the northeast and north of Chuzhou and Haozhou west of Hongzepu.
, the scouting matter was brought under the control of Dongyang Xingying.
After Han Qian left, Wang Wenqian confirmed very early that Chishan would settle down in the eastern part of Chuzhou, at Baiti Gang. However, they did not expect that Han Qian did not return to Xuzhou, and they could not even confirm when Han Qian would leave Chuzhou.
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"Dad, are you starting to get suspicious again?" Wang Jun stood aside and said with a smile.
Yin Peng coughed lightly to resolve the awkward situation.
Wang Wenqian blushed and glared at Wang Jun. He saw her flipping through a book excerpting the new method of drying salt, and asked: "Jun'er, do you think this new method of drying salt can be used?"
"My daughter has never been a salt official. How do salt people know whether this new method is feasible?" Wang Jun said, "If dad is eager to know how many officials and merchants in Yangzhou know how to cook salt, ask two people to come and ask.
, we can see some clues."
"Then forget it." Wang Wenqian shook his head and said.
They tried every possible means to prevent the new law from spreading to Jinling. They asked two old officials and merchants who were good at salt matters to come over for consultation. After consulting, they wanted to prevent the news from leaking. Is it possible that they would kill to silence them?
Wang Wenqian took the salt-drying method booklet, walked to the desk and sat down. He opened it and read it carefully, while secretly pondering and thinking about it. After a long while, he raised his head and sighed: "If this method is really verified, it can be widely practiced. The imperial court is here
There are 40,000 salt farmers along the Huaidong coast, and they can produce not only 30% to 40% more sea salt, but probably twice as much sea salt!"
"So many?" Yin Peng asked in shock.
The total demand for salt in Dachu is fixed. Excluding private salt, the total annual demand is roughly around 1.2 million dan.
It is useless to produce twice as much sea salt at the Huaidong Salt Farm. But on the other hand, if the sea salt production remains unchanged and the new method of drying salt is feasible, it actually means that nearly half of the labor can be saved?
The imperial court could spare 20,000 kitchen households and salt farmers in the eastern part of Huaidong. No matter what they did, Huaidong would be doubly miserable.
Han Qian disclosed this law to Huaidong because he wanted to implement the threat to Huaidong and it was not a bluff.
"Take Feng Yi and Guo Xiao and take another trip to Chuzhou." Wang Wenqian said to Yin Peng. The matter was so important that he still couldn't make any decisions. Yin Peng took Feng Yi and Guo Xiao.
He rushed to Chuzhou and went directly to King Xin Yang Yuanyan to report the matter.
King Xin sent people to attack Baiti Gang before, but did not even say hello to Yangzhou, so it would be better for His Highness King Xin to make the decision on this matter.
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Feng Yi and Guo Xiao followed Yin Peng to Chuzhou, but they never saw King Xin Yang Yuanyan from the beginning to the end. They were put under house arrest in a small courtyard in Chuzhou City for less than half a month.
When Yin Peng appeared again, Yin Peng directly said that he believed in the king and took them back to Yangzhou without stopping.
Feng Yi also guessed that King Xin Yang Yuanyan should have summoned old officials who were skilled in salt matters to deliberate on the new law, and perhaps try out the new law on the Haizhou coast under their control.
Feng Yi somewhat didn't understand why Han Qian wanted to tell all about the new method of drying salt, but so far, the effect was pretty good. However, it was already August 23rd when he and Guo Xiao returned to Yangzhou.
When Feng Yi and others arrived in Yangzhou, Wang Wenqian appointed a confidant to be responsible for the contact between the two parties. Then they headed south non-stop and rushed to Guazhou Port in Jiangdu County. They hired a small boat and boarded it and anchored in the middle of the river south of Guazhou Port.
Two Xuzhou merchant ships that have been there for several days.
This time, the person in charge of supervising the movement of merchant ships eastward was Lin Zongjing.
The boy who was fourteen or fifteen years old at that time, seven or eight years later, is now an impressive young general.
The merchant ships in Xuzhou are all armed merchant ships.
Although large and medium-sized war equipment is not allowed to be carried, and merchant ship guards are only allowed to be equipped with some ordinary weapons and leather armor, Lin Zongjing led the boatmen and escorted more than 120 people on the Yangtze River, but he was not afraid of small groups of rivers.
The bandits and bandits were harassing the lake - Lin Zongjing did not need to conceal his identity as the general of Shuiying in Xuzhou, and he always wore armor directly with his left and right officials.
"Is everything okay, sir?" Lin Zongjing asked as he avoided the response officials sent by Yangzhou after fetching Feng Yi and Guo Xiao onto the ship.
"It's okay." In the past month, Feng Yi had been either in a hurry or under house arrest and under surveillance. He was extremely depressed. At this time, he finally boarded his own ship and stood at the bow, talking to Lin Zongjing and looking out.
The vast scenery of river and sky on the left and right.
"When will your Excellency return to Xuzhou?" Lin Zongjing asked with concern.
This is also a matter of concern to all the generals who stayed in Xuzhou.
Han Qian left Xuzhou in April, and in the blink of an eye it was already the end of August.
"Who knows when he will have enough fun?" Feng Yi said, spreading his hands.
Theoretically speaking, when things have reached this point, Han Donghu, Su Lie, Dou Rong, He Liufeng and others will stay and direct the old Zuo Guangde Army to execute the plan according to the plan. Xuzhou has also transferred a group of craftsmen to support the camp.
There won’t be any big mistakes in construction.
Otherwise, it would be enough to leave his brother Feng Liao in Jinling to coordinate and liaise with all parties.
Feng Yi also felt that there was no need for Han Qian to stay in a dangerous place at the risk of being charged with sneaking without an imperial edict, as he would not be able to play a big role if he stayed.
Especially within Huaidong, there are not ten but eight people who know their whereabouts accurately. Who knows if any of these people will secretly release the news?
However, based on Feng Yi's understanding of Han Qian, I guess Han Qian may be worried about any changes in the situation in Jianghuai in the near future, so he has not returned to Xuzhou, right?
Of course, there was no way to explain this level of speculation to Lin Zongjing in detail. It was purely Feng Yi's own intuition.
"What's that ship for?"
Feng Yi noticed that Lin Zongjing asked his subordinates to use a telescope to observe a ship moving slowly from west to east along the south bank of the Yangtze River. From a distance, he saw that there was nothing special about the ship and asked curiously.
"It was the Weaving Bureau's procurement ship from Jinling, but in the past few days, three similar procurement ships have passed by!" Lin Zongjing said.
The Weaving Bureau is affiliated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is responsible for the clothing of the palace and courtiers, the procurement of fabrics, weaving and other matters. It is one of the few organizations in the palace that is directly assigned by the Empress Dowager to be responsible for the envoy of Cishou Palace, Lu Qingxia.
In the past, the Weaving Bureau used official slaves to be responsible for weaving, but the Empress Dowager disliked the poor workmanship of official slaves. Recently, weaving institutes were set up in Suhu, Yuehong and other places to specialize in procurement.
This actually means that after the disbandment of Wanhonglou, the Weaving Bureau became the eyes and ears of the Empress Dowager, Lu Qingxia and others inside and outside the palace, and Yang Yuanpu also ordered the prefectures and counties to cooperate with the Weaving Bureau's procurement in various places - this is almost the same as Yang Yuanpu's
The result of a compromise with Cishou Palace.
It is normal for a purchasing ship from the Weaving Bureau to pass by occasionally. Three purchasing ships passed by in just a few days. It was obvious that they had parked their merchant ships in the heart of the river south of Yangzhou, which had already attracted the attention of the Queen Mother and Lu Qingxia.
People pay attention.
Then let alone Jinyun Division.
"Xuzhou and Huaidong are currently the two major vassal forces in Dachu. It is inevitable that they will collude to resist the pressure of the imperial court. I believe that the princes in the imperial court have already realized this." Feng Yi said to Lin Zongjing.
They did not care that the merchant ship led by Ci would attract Jinling's attention. This was something they had expected in advance. However, no matter what, the imperial court could not prohibit the normal trade between Xuzhou and Huaidong without reason.
Feng Yi took the telescope from the person next to him and looked south.
The ship procured by the Weaving Bureau hung the dragon and phoenix flag, with the words "Weaving in the Chamber" and other words. There were soldiers in brown uniforms on the ship. Although the number was not large, it was enough to intimidate the local states and counties to obey orders.
Feng Yi pointed his telescope at the bow of the ship and saw Chun Shisanniang and Yao Xishui among a group of eunuchs and female officials leaning on the railing and looking over at them. He was slightly startled.
"If they want to see it, let them see it." Feng Yi retracted the long tube telescope, handed it back to Lin Zongjing's subordinates, and asked Lin Zongjing, "When I left Baitigang, I said I wanted to arrange for a group of congregation members to arrive.
Jiang Xinzhou nearby is waiting to enter Yangzhou with you, why didn't you see them on the boat?"
"Han Donghu and Su Lie are on the left and right, but people from Cishou Palace are keeping an eye on them, so they don't dare to act rashly for the time being." Lin Zongjing said worriedly.
The strong men and women and some healthy young people dispersed across the river. Under the guidance of the guide, it was very easy to walk a few days overland to Baiti Gang.
However, there are a large number of old, sick, and young children in Zuo Guangde's old army, and it will be difficult for them to be dispersed and moved.
According to the established plan, they were transported by boat from Dingjiagou via the Taihu Waterway to a sand island in the Yangtze River and hid there, and then escorted to Baitigang via Yangzhou.
In this way, cars and boats can be arranged along the way, saving you the trouble of traveling overland.
If Han Donghu and Su Lie are both around, it means that a lot of women and children have been transferred to the nearby sand island to hide.
The Yangtze River goes east from Chaozhou and enters the lower reaches. Since there are no restrictions on both sides of the dam, the river is vast. When the water level rises greatly in summer and autumn, the river surface is even open for hundreds of miles.
When the Yangtze River water reaches this point, its flow speed suddenly slows down, and sediment accumulates. From Runzhou eastward to the estuary, there are numerous large and small sand islands.
Because the adult sand island is located in the middle of the river, it is flooded and impacted by the river current, and the terrain is extremely unstable. As far as the world is concerned, it has little development value, but it is a rare opportunity for landless farmers or refugees fleeing the war.
's shelter.
Therefore, Han Donghu, Su Lie and others would not attract any special attention if they took people to hide on the sand island.
Of course, in order to prevent the breeding of river bandits, the water camps in Jinling and local prefectures and counties would regularly send troops and horses to drive away the refugees.
With Cishou Palace's spy on him, Lin Zongjing still couldn't directly pick up Zuo Guang's former troops hiding on the sand island to board a ship to Yangzhou.
More importantly, they could not confirm whether Cishou Palace's spy was the only one purchasing the ship in front of them.
There are many boats on the left and right rivers. These are civilian boats, merchant ships, fishing boats, and ferries. Without obvious signs, it is difficult to confirm whether there are people from Cishou Palace among them.
Lin Jingzong is more inclined to believe that there is a high probability that other informants from Cishou Palace are hiding in it.
"This is easy. Miss Yao and Chun Shisanniang and I are old acquaintances. We can't help but say hello when we meet," Feng Yi pondered for a while and then said to Lin Zongjing, "Send me over and say hello to Miss Yao and the others.
Look to see if there is any movement on the left or right!"
It's a plan to alert the enemy.
Lin Zongjing immediately ordered another merchant ship to stay where it was and was responsible for receiving the officials sent from Yangzhou. He ordered the merchant ship at his feet to raise anchor and sail, and went to the Weaving Bureau to purchase the ship to intercept it.
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The merchant ships dispatched by Xuzhou at this time were all large ships of 4,000 stone. Even though the ship's side did not have floor cabins like the building ship, the hull was much wider than the 800 stone ship of the Weaving Bureau.
Lin Zongjing thought of a strategy to alert the snake, and saw how many secret rooms of Cishou Palace or Jinyun Division were hidden in the boats on the left and right. He ordered the three masts and thirteen giant sails to be fully hoisted, and they sailed on the vast river as fast as they could escape.
The stringed arrow quickly approached the Weaving Bureau for purchasing, looking somewhat menacing.
The generals on the left and right and the other courtiers standing at the bow of the ship were all worried. Yao Xishui's beautiful eyes were fixed on the approaching Xuzhou merchant ship. At this time, she and Chun Shisanniang had also seen Feng Yi's careless face, which was just his expression.
Slightly sinking.
Seeing the Xuzhou merchant ship lowering its sails and slowing down, approaching the ship's side, Yao Xishui frowned and said, "Do you know that you are approaching the palace ship for no reason and treat it like a bandit and kill it without mercy?"
"Miss Yao has completely forgotten all the scenes of banquets with us in the past. When we met, we didn't say anything about shaking hands and cheering. We jumped up and down with joy, but there is no need to be so ruthless, right? I, Feng Yi, don't have that.
Have you ever done anything to hurt Miss Yao?" Feng Yi said with a salivating smile, "I was so happy just now that I met an old friend on the river. It seems that I am too sentimental."
Yao Xishui saw two people on the Xuzhou merchant ship using telescopes to observe the river on the left and right. Naturally, he knew that Feng Yi's move was intended to alert the snakes and alert their hidden eyeliners so that they could better hide Xuzhou.
A secret deal with Huaidong.
"When merchant ships from Xuzhou enter and leave the Ruan River, their personnel and goods must be reported to the Secretary. But I didn't see Feng Yi's name on the Secretary's list..." Yao Xishui was not in the mood to flirt with Feng Yi, staring.
asked Feng Yi with a playful face.
"It's the eldest daughter of the Wang family's birthday these days, and Han Qian prepared a gift for me to send to Yangzhou. This is a private matter, and I don't want Miss Yao and you people to make wild guesses, so I didn't say anything specifically. Could it be that Miss Yao wants to send me to Yangzhou?"
Take him to Jinling to hold him accountable?" Feng Yi asked with nonsense.
The speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention.
Hearing what Feng Yi said, Yao Xishui's face became even gloomier...