Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 871
Chongzhen thought that wronging Fu Zonglong would calm the officials for a few days, but his wishful thinking failed. The situation did not ease with Fu Zonglong's dejected imprisonment and Sun Chuanting's relegation. On the contrary, it became more tense.He would rather depose a minister of the Ministry of War than protect Yang Menglong's family, which completely angered the civil servant group. Since the Song Dynasty, it has always been only the emperor who wronged the military general to please the civil servants. Now, in order to please the general, he actually dismissed a serious Jinshi Minister of the Ministry of War, it's gone against the sky!In addition to being angry, they also panicked, because behind this move was Chongzhen's hopeless dependence and trust in Yang Menglong, as well as his disappointment in civil servants, which they could not tolerate!

I have to kill you!

Then there was the financial war against Jiangnan led by the Heluo-Huguang consortium. Under the blockade of the Heluo-Huguang consortium, the channels for purchasing grain in the Jiangnan area were almost completely cut off, and the market fell into panic. Many wealthy businessmen flocked to Heluo, using all their wealth to buy food stocks, and countless people became rich overnight.Echoing the smirks of the merchants are the screams of the common people, the price of food has risen too exaggeratedly, even if they lose their fortunes, they can't afford a stone of rice!Many Jiangnan officials came to Beijing to complain and ask the imperial court for disaster relief. Chongzhen just found it incredible that in the prosperous Jiangnan, heaps of gold are like sand and silver are like dirt, and there is no natural disaster. They actually came to the imperial court to ask for relief. You The fuck are you kidding me? Jiangnan officials said that Jiangnan is very rich, yes, but food has been completely dependent on Huguang and Shandong for supply. Now these two goods say that there is not enough food in stock, and they refuse to sell it. We have no food to eat, so we won’t ask you Who? In desperation, Chongzhen allocated [-] shi rice for disaster relief. As you can imagine, the [-] shi rice was divided up as soon as it came out of the grain depot, and then bought by Jiangnan merchants at a higher price. After getting up, the people in the south of the Yangtze River didn't eat a single grain.

Sadly, this dirty deal was reported to "Nanyang Daily" by Jin Yiwei, and now it's more fun! "Nanyang Daily" made a special report on this. The flow of the batch of grain, the name of the person who handled it, and the amount of the transaction were all detailed. Once it was published, it immediately caused an uproar!Although Chongzhen was so angry that he almost lifted the dragon chair, the people in the Jiangnan area were also extremely angry. Wherever those rich businessmen in Jiangnan went, what they got was no longer the envious eyes of the common people, but an angry curse: "Let these moths die! , The life of our poor people is also life!" This incident has greatly affected the prestige of Jiangnan gentry, of course, they don't care, in their eyes, parents are not as good as Yinzi, who takes the lives of those poor ghosts Is it the same thing? What annoys them is "Nanyang Daily". This newspaper with increasing circulation and increasing influence keeps bothering them. What scandal did they do? The newspaper published it immediately Come out, making them quite embarrassed.The Donglin Party asked Chongzhen to block Nanyang Daily more than once. Chongzhen said that I also like to read this newspaper. What should I read if it is blocked? No block!

In addition to the riots caused by the soaring food prices in the Jiangnan area, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the lifeblood of the empire, has also encountered huge troubles.The real culprit behind the assassination of Yang Menglong was the Cao Gang. The Heluo New Army wanted to bloodbath the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, causing rumors that millions of waterworkers were buried with Yang Menglong to be buried in the sky, and making the waterworkers who have been living on the canal for many years fearful.The Cao Gang does have this suspicion. The reform led by Yang Menglong to replace the water transport by sea has seriously damaged the interests of the Cao Gang. Cutting off people's money is like killing their parents. , How can people not be afraid? A large number of waterworkers fled one after another, and the water transportation of the canal was almost completely paralyzed.The paralysis of the canal caused panic in Beizhili, and prices began to soar.There is no way, the northern Zhili is poor, and they largely rely on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to provide them with blood transfusions. Once the water transportation is cut off, the trouble will be big.The Wenchen Group took the opportunity to attack Heluo's domineering new army and persecute the waterworkers, making Chongzhen feel overwhelmed and tired of coping!
Chongzhen, who was complaining endlessly, did not realize that a bigger crisis was coming to him.

When the situation was most turbulent, Fan Wencheng walked into the Wen residence with a tired face.He worked hard enough. First, he gathered a bunch of auspicious signs in Shenyang to accumulate popularity for Huang Taiji's ascension to the throne. Then he bargained with the senior officials of the Guan Ning Army to win over the Guan Ning Army; Going to Jiangnan, negotiating with the Jiangnan consortium, and dealing with Yang Menglong... Now that Yang Menglong has been assassinated, the affairs over there have finally come to an end, and he returned to Tianjin by boat, and secretly entered Beijing... These few months have been really colorful for him. It's delicious.Now the first adviser of the Hou Jin is exhausted, but he has to cheer up to meet the most important negotiation in the whole plan. This is related to the fate of the Hou Jin. After that, the Hou Jin may enter the Central Plains, He will also become the number one hero in the founding of the country; if he fails... maybe there will be nothing.

Wen Tiren looked at Fan Wencheng coldly, with sharp eyes that seemed to pierce his heart.

Fan Wencheng smiled back, calmly blowing the bubbles on the surface of the tea, and said, "Master Shoufu, your affairs are not beautiful!"

Wen Tiren asked coldly, "How do you say this?"

Fan Wencheng said: "You have said that once Bandit Yang is assassinated, you will plunge the whole of Beizhili into turmoil. Although Beizhili is in chaos now, it is far from turmoil! On the contrary, the Jiangnan area is in chaos. It's too much!" He showed deep dissatisfaction at this point.Just kidding, the Jiangnan Consortium is the beneficiary they finally found after the Shanxi Merchants Group was wiped out. In the future, Houjin's food, fodder and military pay will be largely provided by the Jiangnan Consortium. If Jiangnan is in chaos, it will be worth it!

Speaking of the Jiangnan Consortium, Wen Tiren couldn't help showing a wry smile, and shook his head: "Teammate Pig, I can't move it!"

Fan Wencheng was stunned for a moment: "What does Shoufu mean?"

Only then did Wen Tiren come to his senses, hey, I accidentally learned a sentence from Yang Menglong just now!He coughed in embarrassment, and said: "The chaos in the south of the Yangtze River has nothing to do with the old man. The old man has tried his best to ask the court to allocate food relief to stabilize the situation in the south of the Yangtze River, but the rich merchants in the south of the Yangtze River don't appreciate it. Any effort to bring down the food price will make them a thorn in the side, a thorn in the flesh, they are killing themselves! Teammate pig, I really can’t move it!”

Fan Wencheng also smiled wryly.In order to deal with Yang Menglong, he also stayed in Jiangnan for a period of time, conducted a more in-depth investigation of the Jiangnan area, and knew the nature of the Jiangnan scholars and gentry to die. For his own self-interest, he really ignored everything. The government? What kind of onion is the government in your eyes? Do you believe that a broken boot array can scare the magistrate and the magistrate? Do you believe that the tax collector who collected taxes was pulled off his horse and beaten to death? It is said that the people in Jiangnan are weak in character, but Once their interests are touched, these frail scholars immediately become more ferocious than jackals!The soaring price of food in the south of the Yangtze River is undoubtedly a catastrophe for the common people, but it is a feast for the gentry group. Do you want them to stop? Dreaming!

"Why hasn't Thief Yang's family been caught yet?" Fan Wencheng expressed his dissatisfaction.

Wen Tiren said: "Heluo's new army is too strict to protect his family. I have already lost dozens of good fighters, but I still can't succeed!"

Fan Wencheng said a little irritably: "At all costs, capture his wife and children as soon as possible. If there is no way to capture them alive, they will all be killed, and then put the blame on Chongzhen! No one can guarantee that the thief will die. Once he gets through, we'll be in trouble!"

Now Wen Tiren is very upset, he is the chief assistant of the empire, he is under one person and above ten thousand people, how has he ever been dictated by others like this!He said displeasedly: "Don't bother pointing fingers at this old man, when will Hong Tai ascend the throne?"

Huang Taiji had to take quite a risk when he ascended the throne. The majesty of the emperor cannot be offended. If Daming lost all his warriors like in history and was unable to go out, let alone ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, even if he claimed to be the emperor of the universe, Daming would have nothing to do. But now that the power of the Houjin Kingdom is declining day by day, the fighting power of the Ming army is getting stronger and stronger. If he ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor, he will inevitably provoke a fierce attack from the Ming army, and the consequences will be serious.Fan Wencheng stroked his beard and said: "When the old man returns to Shenyang, King Khan will proclaim himself emperor immediately, and then he will rely on Lord Shoufu!"

Wen Tiren said: "I will definitely do what I promised you, and I hope you can keep your promise!"

Fan Wencheng said: "That's natural!"

Wen Tiren said solemnly: "This old man made such a bad plan for the sake of the common people in the world, not for personal gain!"

Fan Wencheng cupped his hands and said: "Master Shoufu is selfless, high-spirited and upright, I admire you!"

Wen Tiren bowed his hand to return the gift, and said: "Master Fan, you are overwhelmed! Mr. Fan has worked so hard for the cause of Jianzhou, devoted himself to the cause, and has the legacy of Marquis Wu, which is very admirable!"

Fan Wencheng smiled all over his face: "Where is it, the chief assistant has won the award!"

Both of them cursed in their hearts: "Hypocrisy!"

Although they have their own little calculations and their own interests, Fan Wencheng and Wen Tiren have completely the same views on dealing with Yang Menglong: this person must die!The Heluo system he created must die!
Even if the cost of killing him is the invasion of foreign races and the loss of the whole country, he will not hesitate!

Three days later, Fan Wencheng secretly left Wenfu, took a carriage to Tianjin, and boarded a boat back to Shenyang.

It was snowing, but the carriage ran fast and steady.Just this year, Chongzhen ordered the construction of a concrete road from Beijing to Tianjin. This move was unexpectedly approved by the ruling and opposition parties. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that with such a cement road, the traffic between Beijing and Tianjin will be smooth. Much more, and the transportation of goods is more convenient. Whoever opposes such a good thing is an idiot!After more than half a year of hard work, the cement road was successfully completed, and the traffic between Beijing and Tianjin was greatly improved.No, the carriage runs fast and doesn't bump at all!Fan Wencheng looked at the straight and flat concrete road, thoughtfully: "Yang Menglong still has his advantages... It's a pity, why didn't you come from a scholar? It's a pity!"

The wheels were rolling all the way north, and the wind and snow covered the ruts, leaving a vast expanse.

(End of this chapter)