Seeing that the two of them liked each other quite well, Lin Ruhai felt more and more at ease, "Wen Yan, sit down, sit down."
Wang Wenyan sat down, and then Lin Ruhai said in a deep voice: "Wenyan, please tell Ziying some of the things you have learned and collected in the past few days. Today, Ziying has told Mr. Cui of the Ministry of Household Affairs about the situation. They also told the Yangzhou Prefecture Office
I told the water transport department that there should be some arrangements, but they still felt that Ziying was exaggerating a bit, thinking that the danger would not be that serious, and Ziying was also a little unsure..."
Wang Wenyan coughed lightly, then nodded and said: "Dong Weng, Mr. Feng, because this group of officials from the imperial court had nothing to do with the salt transfer envoy Si Yamen, so Wen Yan did not deliberately collect and understand the relevant information.
However, maritime development is a major matter, related to the national destiny and people's livelihood in Jiangnan, so I have some understanding. A few days ago, Dong Weng mentioned the relationship between Mr. Feng and Dong Weng, so Wen Yan also made a special effort to understand it in the past few days, and he still gained something...
…”
Being able to gain such an understanding in just a few days, Feng Ziying was a little shocked by Wang Wenyan's ability and the energy of the salt transfer envoy Si Yamen.
Wang Wenyan must have some ability, and he can create such a great influence in history. If his fame is unfounded, he would be looking down on the ancients.
In addition to knowing that Feng Ziying of the Department of Salt Transfer, Si Yamen, was in charge of the salt transfer money, he also knew that this should be a small treasury cash machine for successive emperors.
Well, of course, this must have reached some kind of tacit agreement with the court and cabinet, and it is reasonable and reasonable, but it is not compliant with the regulations and is not legal. This kind of tacit consent exists.
As for what's special about the Salt Transport Bureau, Feng Ziying doesn't know much about it, but judging from Wang Wenyan's attitude today, this Yamen must have considerable resources, at least in the area of intelligence information.
Unique advantageous resources.
Seeing a somewhat inquiring look in Feng Ziying's eyes, Wang Wenyan naturally understood that this person must be interested.
It's a pity that there is no rule of father-to-son inheritance in the Salt Transport Bureau, and Wang Wenyan also believes that if he really takes over the position of Salt Patrol Censor, it may be a surprise to others, but not necessarily to Feng Ziying, even
The losses far outweigh the gains.
Of course, if Dong Weng wants to hand over certain resources to his son-in-law, he still has half a year, so he can make some preparations.
"..., according to Wenyan's understanding, the overall response to the imperial court's opening of the sea in the south of the Yangtze River was still favorable. The vast majority of the gentry held a supportive attitude. Of course, there were also some people with more old-fashioned ideas who believed that the imperial court paid too much attention to merchants and ignored the fundamentals of farming. Such remarks
It doesn’t have much impact, and it’s not worth paying attention to…”
"..., but there are still some people. This group is not large in number and usually keeps a low profile. There are more of them in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangxi and Guangxi. There are some in Nanzhi, but less. They are us.
Maritime merchants mentioned in a general sense, well, or to be more precise, they are smugglers who have connections with the Japanese..."
"Initial estimates of the number of this maritime business group should be between thirty and fifty. They are not visible in the local area and are very low-key. However, they have huge wealth and extensive connections. Local government officials often have connections with them.
, but they are not celebrities among the local gentry. Their influence is limited and their reputation is average, but their potential power is very strong. Of course, these thirty or fifty families are only a rough estimate. In fact, there must be hundreds of families attached to these thirty or fifty families.
, but the scale is definitely not as large as these homes...
"This group should be the most opposed to the imperial court's opening of the sea, because they know that once the sea is opened, the gentry from various places who have greater influence, reputation and even greater monetary capital than them will join in openly, and compared with these, they
It is not enough for the gentry and noble families who are very influential in the local area and even the government is in awe. In the past, these people were unwilling to intervene because of their reputation and court regulations. But now that the court has lifted the ban, even if they
I will not participate, but my nephews and nephews in the family will definitely participate..."
This was all within Feng Ziying's estimation. He nodded slightly and signaled Wang Wenyan to continue.
"But although this group opposes the imperial court's opening of sea, most of them are still relatively rational. They believe that this is an adjustment of imperial policy and a general trend, so they cannot stop it. Although the most powerful ones oppose it, they will retreat after knowing that the opposition is ineffective.
The second best thing is because they are familiar with people and have rich experience, and their scale is relatively large, so even if the court lifts the ban, they are actually not too afraid of direct competition with new entrants..."
"... As for the small ones, the opposition is not too fierce, because they are at the bottom. Before the ban was lifted, they would be used as scapegoats by the local government if they had the slightest trouble. Now that they have entered, the competition is fierce, but
They have more room for choice and can have more partners to cooperate with, and the legal risks from the court are gone..."
"Wen Yan, are you saying that it is the group in the middle that has the strongest opposition?" Feng Ziying nodded.
Wang Wenyan had put a lot of effort into this, at least he didn't understand it in such detail. He only knew that there were fierce opponents, but he didn't study the type of people these people belonged to.
"We still have to divide." Wang Wenyan is determined to impress Feng Ziying, and the first impression must be profound.
Lin Ruhai had already talked with him. After a few days of contact, he felt that Feng Ziying was basically trustworthy. Of course, further investigation was needed, but if nothing unexpected happened, his family fortune would basically be handed over to this future son-in-law.
Moreover, he feels that the pattern of his future son-in-law is not just what is revealed now. In the future, it may be directly aimed at the level of the six bosses, or even directly targeting the cabinet ministers. It is not surprising.
Therefore, Lin Ruhai's words also made Wang Wenyan feel more excited.
Although the Duyuan Salt Envoy Si Yamen has a lot of power and a wide range of contacts, the level is still a little low, and the structure is too narrow, and the fuss is always made around the word "salt".
Salt is very important and involves a wide range of things, but it is still limited after all, and it certainly cannot be compared with the higher-level six-ministry affairs.
Both Lin Ruhai and Wang Wenyan realized that with Feng Ziying's current growth momentum, she would definitely have a place among the important officials of the imperial court in the future.
This is equivalent to a bet, putting all your wealth and your own destiny on this young man, but it is worth it!
"Still want to divide?" Feng Ziying was attracted.
"Well, this group is not small, and it has to be divided. In fact, the vast majority of merchants are never willing to confront the government. No matter what the circumstances are, at least they are not willing to confront the government head-on, so the middle
Although this group faces great pressure, they can also have some countermeasures, such as forming a community of interests by forming a group, jointly investing and sharing dividends to compete with those large merchants and gentry..."
"..., but after all, there are still some unwilling ones. They are slightly less powerful than the big merchants at the head, so they cannot compete with the gentry and noble families who are preparing to enter, but if they want to form a group, it is difficult to
They feel that their own interests will be damaged and affected, so they are the most unwilling to do so, and some of these people are trying to block and interfere with the advancement of the imperial court's sea-opening strategy. Under certain circumstances, they may take desperate measures."
Wang Wenyan peeled off the cocoon, detailing the entire maritime trade group and those who were planning to enter the maritime trade in the future. He also analyzed those who were opposed but would not act violently, and those who were unwilling but could only do so.
If you obey, who else may be at risk?
Identifying these risk groups and monitoring them in a timely manner can basically eliminate the biggest risk sources.
"Mr. Wang, have you recently come to Yangzhou with people from these dangerous groups?" Feng Ziying was not polite.
"Master Feng, Yangzhou is a place where thousands of merchants gather. The Fujian and Zhejiang maritime merchants are closely connected with South Zhili. Many goods traveling from south to north are traded in Yangzhou, especially from Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Ningbo.
There are more merchants in Yangzhou. I dare not say who has the problem. However, I compared the number of merchants from Fujian and Zhejiang entering Yangzhou in the previous three months. There was a slight increase. Logically speaking, it is November now.
It is neither the beginning nor the end of the year, nor is it the best time for business in May, June, September or October. Generally speaking, from November to December, there should be a slow decreasing trend, so this abnormality, I
It's hard to judge, but there must be something fishy..."
"And some of the suspicious objects I identified did come to Yangzhou a few days ago, but they disappeared today without knowing where they were..."
The last sentence shocked both Feng Ziying and Lin Ruhai.
"Wen Yan, are you sure?" Lin Ruhai knew that it was impossible for Wang Wenyan to say such things without hesitation, but he still felt that he had to ask clearly, and it was amazing that he could identify some specific people.
"Dong Weng, in fact, it is not that mysterious. When these people come to Yangzhou, they can only stay in a few inns. It is more likely that they will stay in the villas of some local merchants in Yangzhou. The latter is both comfortable and secluded.
, or the convenience of conditions, are far from comparable to the former, so you only need to keep an eye on this area. There are only thirty or fifty merchant houses and villas in Yangzhou that can meet the needs. Take a targeted look at them.
It’s not hard to find.”
Wang Wenyan's understatement made Feng Ziying even more impressed by this person's insight and inductive analysis ability. It would be difficult for ordinary people to consider these aspects.
"Of course, this does not mean that such people will do evil things when they come to Yangzhou, but if they came in the past, they would either go to the theater or have a banquet, but this time they came in a hurry and acted secretly, instead of going to this place.
The occasion of lively and debauched life will inevitably arouse suspicion..."
