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Mongolia Chapter 45 Li Dong¡¯s reaction

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    The Guards arrived at Taiyuan Prefecture in Shanxi on the first day of March. Xu Yongda, the prefect of Taiyuan, had received a notice from the Ministry of War a month ago, saying that the Guards would go to the Shanxi border for training and asked all prefectures to provide food and grass supplies for the army.  Piaotian Literature Network ()

    Xu Yongda originally thought that this was a border matter. His Taiyuan Mansion was far away from the border. Even the Tartar invaders had never attacked Taiyuan Mansion. Since the Guards were going to the border for training, it had nothing to do with Taiyuan Mansion.  .

    But a day ago, a cavalryman came to the door and said that the Guards would pass through here. He was afraid of causing misunderstandings in the local area, so he came to inform him.  When Xu Yongda heard the news, he immediately arranged for people to set up the barracks, arrange food for the army, and also arranged a table of good food in the largest tavern in Taiyuan, ready to wash the dust for the officers of the Guards.

    If there were troops passing through the border in normal times, local officials like him would just send people to bring some cattle and sheep to express their condolences in a symbolic way. They would not make such arrangements at all. Besides, the civil and military roads are separated, and the nobles and military are cheap. How could he, a civil servant, be willing to do so?  I deigned to make friends with those vulgar Qiu Ba, but there is always an exception in everything. The Guards are the personal soldiers of Lord Long Live. It is said that they are all the children who were brought out by Lord Long Live when he was still the prince. They grew up with Lord Long Live.  He is very close to the current Holy Emperor. Not only is he flattering, but at least he cannot be offended!

    But when Xu Yongda arrived at the barracks with the laborers' condolences, he was stopped by the guards. The guards guarding the barracks said politely, "I'm sorry, sir, but our generals are not in the camp. Whether you can accept these things or not, we can't."  live!"

    "May I ask where those generals have gone?"

    The guard glanced at Xu Yongda warily and said coldly, "Even if I know where the general has gone, I can't tell you! This is military law!"

    Xu Yongda frowned and looked at the guard with dissatisfaction. He said to himself that a little guard dared to talk to me like this. He wanted to get angry but then thought about the relationship between these people and Long Live Lord. He also couldn't figure out the official rank of the Guards.  , who knows whether this guard is the same group who grew up with Long Live Lord, it is better not to offend him, he tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart, "In this case, when your general comes back, please tell them, Taiyuan Magistrate Xu Yongda  Been here!" Xu Yongda originally hoped that by giving his name, he would scare the guard and kowtow to apologize for his sins, but unexpectedly, the guard had no expression on his face and simply nodded, and then stood up without squinting.  Post.

    Xu Yongda had no choice but to bring back the things that had been working for the army. As soon as he entered Taiyuan City, Xu Yongda thought about the marriage proposal to Chen Shanming yesterday and felt that it would be better to ask Chen Shanming's wife for her opinion in person, although it seemed that he was too eager.  , but he can't care so much anymore. This marriage must be done no matter what, otherwise he will be in big trouble!

    Last winter, he misappropriated money from the treasury to hoard a large amount of goods. Originally, these materials were to be transported to the grassland, and he would make a lot of profits every time. By then, he would quietly block the holes without anyone noticing.  Previous prefects have done this, and it has become an unspoken rule in Shanxi officialdom, but no one has said anything about it.

    But there was no way he would allow the goods to be shipped out after they arrived at the border. No matter who he found or how much money he spent, the goods had to be shipped back. Now they are still piled up in the warehouse. It seems that his matter will be revealed. If he is in  He couldn't think of a way. Not only would his official position be over, but he was also afraid that his house would be confiscated and executed.

    In the end, his master came up with an idea for him to marry the Chen family. The Chen family is an imperial merchant. The most important thing is that he is also a shareholder of Haina Trading Company. Now the only border between Datong and Shanxi is Haina.  If the trading company and his family can clear the customs, then it will be enough to sell all his goods to Haina Trading Company.

    There is another advantage, that is, Chen Shanming can talk to Long Live Lord and marry him. Why doesn't Chen Shanming help his in-laws? If he wants money and connections, I'm afraid Xu Yongda's career will be ruined.  It's about to rise by one liter.

    Thinking of this, Xu Yongda stamped his feet, and the steward outside the sedan asked in a low voice, "What are your orders, sir?"

    "Go to Chen Mansion!"

    "It's the master!"

    The sedan didn¡¯t take more than two steps before it stopped. ¡°Sir, the road ahead was blocked by some soldiers, saying that today there is martial law here and no one is allowed in or out!¡±

    "What bastard soldiers!" Xu Yongda was already very angry, but he didn't expect anyone in Taiyuan Prefecture to dare to stop his sedan, "Tell them to get out of here!"

    "Sir I don't dare, there are also Jin Yiwei among those people!"

    "Ah? Jin Yiwei? You go over and ask, what kind of remarkable person does it look like?" When he heard that Jin Yiwei had come to Taiyuan Mansion, Xu Yongda was so frightened that he almost peed his pants.

    "It's the master!"

    After a while, the person in charge came back and said, "Sir, those soldiersThey all refused to say anything. I asked the people watching the excitement and heard that many military officers on horseback came here this morning, but they didn't know why the place was closed!  "

    "Military Master?" Xu Yongda suddenly felt relieved. He raised his head sharply and muttered in a low voice, "None of the Guards officers are in the camp Another military commander on horseback came here inexplicably." He smiled slightly, "Then  But he is a third-rank official of the imperial court! He came to Shanxi and wanted to pay him a visit. This Chen Shanming is really respectable!" He was now more sure of his thoughts and must form this marriage with Chen Shanming!  "Hurry up and find the best matchmaker now, and then prepare gifts to propose marriage to Chen Mansion!"

    "It's the master!"

    In the courtyard of the Chen Mansion, Chen Shanming gave all the servants in the mansion a day off early this morning. Even his own wife and children found an inn and arranged to stay temporarily. There was no one to serve them in the entire compound.

    "Common peopleLong live my emperor!" Jiang Zuohai, Chen Shanming, Song Zifeng, and Kong De saw Li Dong kneeling down and kowtowed.

    "Get up! Get up! Just give them a kiss. They are all members of the family, and they are always so polite!" Li Dong smiled and helped them up one by one.

    "Your Majesty, please!" Chen Shanming bowed and led the way.

    After entering the inner hall, Li Dong was not polite and sat at the top. Generals Li Xiang, Wang Ping, Dewey and other generals walked behind Li Dong and stood there like javelins. Jiang Zuohai and the other four stood at the bottom with their heads lowered.

    "I can't stay in Taiyuan Mansion for too long. After talking to you, the army will break camp and return to the capital. This time I ran out secretly. I don't know if I was found in the capital. If I were discovered by the ministers, I'm afraid there would be a lot of excitement.  ." Li Dong laughed loudly as he spoke.  Jiang Zuohai and others also laughed dryly, and the atmosphere in the inner house was a bit awkward.

    Li Dong was also helpless. Since he became the emperor, not to mention the shareholders who could not see him several times a year, even Wang Ping and Dewey were more disciplined when they saw him than before. After all, imperial power was in the minds of the ancients.  Occupying a very high status, in the eyes of ordinary people, the emperor is like heaven.

    "Okay, let's get down to business. How much money can I get this year? I've been a little tight lately." Li Dong said jokingly.

    After listening to Li Dong's words, Jiang Zuohai and others' expressions froze. Chen Shanming opened a small cabinet, took out a ledger and a dozen banknotes and placed them on the desk next to Li Dong. Then he bowed back and stood side by side with Jiang Zuohai and others.  Stand still.

    Li Dong ignored the banknotes, but picked up the account book and looked through it page by page. He looked at it very carefully.  Seeing Li Dong's concentration, Jiang Zuohai and others' foreheads were covered with sweat.

    To be honest, Li Dong couldn't understand this account book. The numbers in ancient China were all written in capital letters such as one, two, three, and four, plus some professional terms such as purchase and shipment, accounting and deposits. Li Dong did not study accounting, so naturally  He looked confused, but Li Dong still had to pretend to understand, drawing one of the lines with his finger from time to time, smiling and nodding.

    "Well, not bad!" Li Dong finally closed the ledger, and Jiang Zuohai and others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.  Li Dong casually handed the banknote and account book to Li Xiang behind him, and then asked with a smile, "Tell me, how is the recent development of Haina Trading Company?"

    Jiang Zuohai was the general manager of Haina Trading Company this time, so he stood up and said, "Report to the Emperor that Haina Trading Company had a total surplus of 1.7 million taels this year There are branches in every state capital At present,  Mainly engaged in border trade and maritime trade This year, Haina Trading Company also won several large-scale transactions such as tea and porcelain purchased by the Ministry of Internal Affairs" Jiang Zuohai had already prepared the draft, so what he said was simple and organized.

    Li Dong nodded approvingly, "You've done a good job! I'm very satisfied. I feel relieved that Haina Trading Company is entrusted to you. This year, I hope that Haina Trading Company can reach a higher level, especially the sea trade side must be strengthened in this aspect."  Once done, there will be endless wealth!¡±

    "It's the Emperor!"

    "I know it's difficult to do sea trade. Those aristocratic families in the south have been doing it for several generations. It must not be easy for you to jump in rashly, but with me supporting you behind the scenes, you don't have to worry about anything!"

    "Your Majesty, I have something to report to you!" Jiang Zuohai smiled and stepped forward, pouring a cup of tea for Li Dong.

    "Say it."

    "As for the sea trade, I'm afraid there will be some insights this year!"

    "Oh?" Maritime trade is what Li Dong cares most about. The Age of Discovery has arrived, and all the world's wealth lies on the sea. The Ming Dynasty has fallen behind, so Li Dong is eager to hope that his trading company can enter the ocean.  Open this hole for Ming Dynasty.

    "Your Majesty, at the beginning of the year, Kondela and I packed a boatload of porcelain and planned to go to the Japanese country to visit. But we were intercepted by pirates on the way. After the pirates boarded the ship,When he saw that we didn't fly the safety flag, he said that according to the rules of the sea king, the entire cargo of the ship would be confiscated, and ten people would be killed to sacrifice to the sea god.  .  .  We were all frightened at that time, thinking that this time it would definitely be over.  Unexpectedly, when those people heard that we were Haina Trading Company, they retreated respectfully. The leader even kowtowed to the villain, saying that he didn't know it was Haina Trading Company's ship, which was very offensive.  .  .  Later, he escorted us all the way to the Japanese country. Before we even got off the ship, someone came to ask for our goods, and the price they gave us was quite high.  .  .  Later, we also met Neptune. Neptune was very enthusiastic and said that Haina Trading Company could take this sea route at will in the future!  The little people are still confused.  .  .  "

    Li Dong smiled without saying anything, thinking that Chen Xin must have told his old man this.  "Okay! So, we have also opened up the sea trade area, which is good news!"

    "Your MajestyAlthough Neptune didn't mention it, Neptune's people"

    "Give it to him! Give him as much as you want!"

    "It's the Emperor!"

    Seeing that Jiang Zuohai and others had almost explained everything, Li Dong took a sip of tea and said, "I'm calling you here this time, mainly because I have something to do for you!"

    "Please give me your orders, Your Majesty."

    "Soldiers will always have casualties in wars. If they are injured or killed in battle, although they can get pensions from the court, they are just a drop in the bucket after all. So I plan to make insurance for the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. This is a new industry. To put it bluntly, these soldiers  A certain amount of silver is deposited into Haina Commercial Bank every month. The imperial court gives each soldier the same amount of subsidy and deposits it into Haina Commercial Bank. Haina Commercial Bank also pays the same amount of silver. Three sums of silver are deposited into each soldier at the same time.  Account, when something happens to them, he or his family members can withdraw the money from Haina Trading Company."

    Jiang Zuohai and others are all shrewd businessmen, so they naturally know what this means. If every soldier in the Ming Dynasty deposits their money in Haina Trading Bank, then Haina Trading Bank will not have to do anything. It will only need to take out the money to lend money.  Make a lot of money.  Although Haina Commercial Bank also has to pay a sum of money, after all, this money will not be given until something happens to the soldiers, and it is impossible for all the soldiers to be in trouble at the same time. At that time, those banks do not know how many times they can earn for Haina Commercial Bank.  of interest silver.

    "Your Majesty is wise. Although the common people have been doing business for many years, they have never heard of such a method, but when I think about it, this method is really wonderful."

    "Hahaha Let's start with the Guards! I'm just proposing a plan. You are experts on how to implement it, so I won't get involved!" Li Dong started to work as a hands-off shopkeeper again.

    "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the common people will definitely live up to your expectations!"

    "Well! Okay! That's it for today. Do you have anything else to do? If it weren't for me, we would be leaving for Beijing right now!"

    "Your Majesty, the common peoplethe common people have a merciless request."

    "Haha, it really does exist, let's talk about it."

    "The grassroots' son is sixteen years old this year, Song Zifeng's nephew is fifteen years old, Kong De's son is fifteen years old, and Chen Shanming's son is nine years old. The grassroots people want to send these nephews to Long Live  I will serve as my personal guard for the Long Live Lord." This was the idea Jiang Zuohai gave to everyone last night. He meant to completely tie the four families of Jiang, Song, Kong and Chen to Li Dong. Doing so would be considered  Send a proton to Li Dong to reassure Li Dong. Secondly, Li Dong has his own people in the system, so that their wealth can be long-lasting and passed down from generation to generation.

    Jiang Zuohai and others felt that Li Dong was a smart man and he would definitely understand their thoughts. Jiang Zuohai and others thought that Li Dong would be very happy after hearing this, but.  .  .

    Li Dong tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared. The atmosphere in the inner house suddenly became tense. Jiang Zuohai and others did not know what they said wrongly, which made Li Dong unhappy. They  I just felt my knees were weak and I wanted to kneel down right away.

    After a long time, ¡°Do you know the origin of the idiom about buying people¡¯s hearts?¡±

    "The common people are stupid and don't know." Jiang Zuohai and others hurriedly replied, shaking their heads.

    "Do you know why merchants, farmers, merchants, and merchants were ranked last in the past dynasties?"

    "The common people don't know" Jiang Zuohai and others' hearts trembled.

    Li Dong said with a cold face, "Then I will tell you that during the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a businessman named Tian Guang in Qi State. One year there was a famine in Qi State. Tian Guang was kind-hearted and bought grain from various countries to provide relief to the people of Qi State. The people of Qi State were grateful to him.  Later, there was a famine in Qi State, so Tian Guang gave grain to the people of Qi State on credit. He used big buckets of credit to pay the grain and asked the people to pay back with small buckets. On the surface, he would rather suffer a loss himself than let the people of Qi State benefit, but  Relying on this kind of small favor, Tian Guang finally won the hearts of the people of Qi, and then successfully rose to power, collecting all the interest in the entire Qi country in one fell swoop."

    After listening to Li Dong¡¯s words, Jiang Zuohai and othersWith sweat all over his face, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying with a sigh, "The common people have never thought of"

    "When Tian Guang saved the people of Qi, he never thought about usurping the throne in the future."

    Jiang Zuohai and others really didn¡¯t know what to say at this time except kowtow.

    "Do your part well, and I will naturally keep you rich and prosperous for a long time. If you think too much Huh! If I can praise you, I can also step on you!" After saying this, Li Dong walked away.

    The reason why Li Dong reacted so strongly is because businessmen have money. If they are allowed to control the army or participate in government affairs, businessmen pursue profits. In their eyes, they only have interests and no national justice. If businessmen are allowed to serve the country, then the entire country will become like them.  As a tool for pursuing interests, this country will not be far from destruction at that time.

    Moreover, Li Dong wanted to do something big, and the army was very important to him, and he could not allow others to get involved. Li Dong thought that Jiang Zuohai and the others were just doing it unintentionally, so he gave a stern warning. If it had been anyone else, no amount of lives would be enough for Li Dong.  Killed.

    The Guards only stayed in Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi for half a day, and then set off back to Beijing. The people in Taiyuan Prefecture naturally did not regard this matter as a topic of conversation. The topic they are talking about now is why Chen Shanming and Chen Mansion were demolished.  Two majestic stone lions in front of the door.  There are even rumors that Chen Shanming sent someone to reject Taiyuan Magistrate Xu Yongda's request to marry his son.
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