Northern suburb of Yangzhou, Jiangyuan.

In the study of Wang Wanchun, the leader of the four major salt merchants in Huibang, Yangzhou, a few people were sitting like wooden chickens. In his fifties, there is Wang Wanchun, a talented Confucian businessman, and today Lian Lichun

Wei Chunhua, a court lady from the Qing Dynasty who was an expert in poetry, chess, calligraphy and painting, didn't want to go to the meeting. She just gathered the guests in the study room, holding a copy of the decree, and looked at it carefully over and over again without knowing whether to read it.

For how long, I couldn't say a word. Ji Kun, who had gone to Zhu Cihong to report Zhu Guobi and Xu Yongji's rebellion, was also in this spacious and bright study, gently shaking his paper fan, frowning, looking like he was thinking hard.

The appearance of.

It was quiet inside the room, and the only sound that could be heard was the sighs of the great talent Wang.

At the end, Wang Wanchun let out a long sigh, gently placed the copy of the decree on the desk in front of him, and said with a wry smile: "This is not about abolishing the Salt Law and abolishing the Salt Administration... You clearly want me to do this.

The fate of the general merchant of the salt industry... The salt industry is very profitable. It involves too many aspects, and all aspects have to be divided. A general merchant like me is just looking at the scenery, but in fact he does not have much wealth..."

"... Once the Salt Law is abolished and the Salt Administration is abolished, I will no longer be able to make money for everyone! At that time, will they be able to let me go and let me enjoy my old age? What little money I have is not a blink of an eye.

Just eat it up and wipe it clean? Maybe even your life is involved!"

Listening to the desperate words of Wang Wanchun, all the guests present felt sad, and some of them shed tears. These people were not businessmen, but scholars from poor families who were supported by Wang Wanchun. Most of them had the reputation of being scholars. In

As a guest of the Wang family, on the one hand, he studied to prepare for the exam; on the other hand, he traveled around official circles and sought benefits for the Wang family.

This practice of wealthy businessmen subsidizing children from poor families to study in the hope that they will become official backstage after high school is very common among the wealthy businessmen in the southeast in the late Ming Dynasty. The Yangzhou salt merchants, because their core competitiveness is political and business relations, pay more attention to funding wealthy people.

A talented boy from a poor family.

In the Huaiyang Second Prefecture and Huizhou, Chizhou, Ningguo and other prefectures, which are the strongholds of Huizhou merchants, as long as the talented people from poor families are selected as scholars, most of them can get financial support from businessmen, and they no longer have to worry about food and clothing.

Help the distinguished guests of the salt merchants.

And these guests under Wang Wanchun's sect are the best among the talented people from a poor family. Not only are they good at writing eight-part essays, but they also have some practical talents and are well-versed in the world. Once they become officials, they will be able to serve as officials.

But this group of future capable officials still can't figure out why the decree to abolish the Salt Law and abolish the Salt Administration came out so quickly? When did the Ming court become so vigorous and resolute in its affairs? It was too late for everyone to find it.

The relationship is gone...

In addition, Mr. Qian Ge, who joined the cabinet not long ago, is an old friend of the Huibang salt merchants. Why can't he find a way to delay it? Could it be that Mr. Qian Ge wants to turn his back on others and want to eat up the wealth of the four major salt merchants in the Huibang Group?

?

Wang Wanchun knew that his group of disciples could no longer deal with this chaos, so he had to turn to Ji Kun for help - the news of the abolition of the Salt Law and the abolition of the Salt Administration was brought by him yesterday morning!

Ji Kun shook his head: "He doesn't really want to abolish the Salt Law, but he is asking for money! The annual output of salt in the entire Ming Dynasty is not less than 2 billion jins, and the total sales price is 30 to 40 million taels.

The imperial court only has a few hundred thousand to more than a million taels, can anyone be satisfied?"

"How much does he want?" Jiang Wanchun asked with a bitter look on his face.

"If you don't have 10 million a year, I'm afraid I won't be able to feed you enough! How much did the court earn from the salt industry in the Song Dynasty every year? How could it be more than 10 million? What about this dynasty? How much was it last year? How much is it this year? I

Look at the Lianghuai Salt Industry making 6 million taels of silver a year..."

"Six million taels!?" Wang Wanchun said coldly, "How is this possible?"

"It's impossible, the general manager knows better than me." Ji Kun shook his head, "In which year will the Lianghuai Salt Industry's income be less than 15 million taels? Is it too much for the court to charge 40% of the salt tax? This salt industry is already hugely profitable.

It comes from the monopoly, but it is actually a population tax! In the past, before the abolition of the Kaizhong Law, the salt merchants exchanged grain for imports and transported millions of dan of grain to Jiubian every year. The value of millions of dan of grain today is so high.

The amount is huge. If you also consider the cost of transportation, it will be no less than 10 million taels!"

"But, there is too much money taken from this salt profit!" Wang Wanchun shook his head repeatedly, "How much can really fall into the hands of salt merchants? If we pay another 6 million taels, then everyone will not be able to survive.

"

Ji Kun shook his head, "Now it's not about whether we can pay out 6 million taels, but whose treasure is the bet? Is it the chief merchant who bets his wealth and life... on the success of the prince, or on the defeat of the prince?"

If the crown prince succeeds, all the nobles in Nanjing and Donglin in Jiangnan will have to surrender. Then the general merchant can just curry favor with the crown prince. It is really difficult to plunder 6 million taels for the prince from the Lianghuai Salt Industry, which earns at least 15 million taels a year.

? For the sake of these 6 million taels, will the prince allow those people to eat up the general merchant?

If the prince cannot succeed...then who can prevent him from succeeding?"

Wang Wanchun took a breath and said in a low voice: "Those who are very profitable in the salt industry are firstly the nobles, secondly the internal officials, and thirdly Donglin... all of them should not be underestimated! What does Master Qiantose have there?"

"

"The prince has 60,000 new troops to overcome difficulties!" Ji Kun said, "Now that the prince can control the emperor and command all directions, he relies on these 60,000 new troops... When I saw him on the dock the day before yesterday, he

We are planning to build firecrackers and artillery pieces with Zheng Sen, the young master of Shibazhi! Two Zheng family war ships have brought in an unknown amount of firecrackers, artillery pieces, and gunpowder!"

"But the nobles in Nanjing also have soldiers and horses!" Wang Wanchun said, "The number of soldiers in Nanjing's camp alone is no less than 50,000 or 60,000. When Zhu Guobi and Huang Shu went south, they also brought many Qin Wang soldiers summoned by Shi Kefa.

.And all the wealthy families in Nanjing who have been in the imperial capital for more than 200 years have sufficient wealth!

In addition, Ma Shiying and Huang Degong are also loyal to the emperor. They still have 30,000 soldiers and horses in Fengyang Mansion. Zuo Liangyu and Huang Shu upstream have a close relationship... There are few people on the prince's side!

"

Ji Kun smiled bitterly: "General Merchant, who are you betting on?"

Wang Wanchun rolled his eyes, "Can you bet both ends?"

"I'm afraid not!"

Wang Wanchun glanced at the room full of diners.

"General Merchant, Southern Zhili has always been the domain of Nanjing nobles and Donglin scholars!"

"General Merchant, the prince should not hold the emperor hostage. He is being unreasonable now..."

"General Merchant, a good man won't suffer the consequences. The four Shanshan Salt Managers have been arrested! We are also holding them in their hands now!"

Wang Wanchun nodded, and just as he was about to make up his mind to stand in line, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, and then a young man's voice: "Father, a letter from Jinan Prefecture!"

After hearing the letter from Jinan Mansion, the air inside the study door became even more tense.

Jinan Mansion is the frontier facing Donglu!

Gao Hongtu, who was stationed in Jinan, also had scholars who had been sponsored by Wang Wanchun as his staff. Once there were changes on the front line, the news would be immediately sent to Gao Hongtu.

Wang Wanchun took an envelope from the hands of a young man in Confucian uniform who came in from the door, and hurriedly opened it, took out the letter paper, and read it. Only halfway through, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

"General Merchant, are the Tatars calling?"

Someone immediately asked a question below.

Wang Wanchun shook his head, "No, it was the Tatar Regent who sent envoys to talk to the Crown Prince about peace and marriage... The Tartar Regent will no longer attack Shandong, and will marry his only daughter to the Crown Prince as his concubine!"

"

"What?"

"Is this happening?"

"Is the Great Victory at Dagukou really true?"

"It's impossible, right? Kill 3,000 Tatars in one battle, and those are Tatars!"

"Then why is the Tatar regent willing to marry?"

The people below gasped and felt a cool breeze blowing across their necks. If the Crown Prince's new army can kill, no, defeat, no, even defeat 3,000 Tatars, then Nanjing's Jingying camp

, Huang Degong from Fengyang, and Zuo Liangyu from Wuchang are no longer worthy of mention. This knife handle is reliable and better than anything else!
Chapter completed!