plumnovel Chapter 19 Confiscating the Property of Shanxi Merchants
Chapter 19 Confiscating the Property of Shanxi Merchants
The first month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen's reign passed peacefully, just like the beginning of each year.
The biting wind from the north still howled like a knife against the walls of Zhangjiakou Fortress.
Yet, the interior of this major border town, the first major trading town in the nine border regions, showed no signs of winter desolation. On the contrary, it was bustling and lively day and night, even more lively than the Lantern Festival in Jiangnan.
The main street running east to west inside the fortress is the most valuable area in the entire Xuanda border region.
The two sides are lined with deep courtyards, with blue brick walls over two zhang high and stone blocks at the corners, making them as sturdy as military camps.
At each of the four corners of the compound stood watchtowers, and privately kept guards, armed with gleaming swords and bows, patrolled day and night. The security was so tight that even a stray dog could hardly break in.
These residences, warehouses, and shops were basically firmly held in the hands of eight wealthy Shanxi merchants.
They were known among the common people as the wealthy merchants of Shanxi. These merchants traveled between the north and south, connecting tea and horses, and became the richest people in the world.
Only the core members and managers of these eight wealthy merchants knew that their true immense wealth never came from the tea-horse trade and salt and iron trade permitted by the laws of the Ming Dynasty.
Making money that way is too slow, far too slow.
Their audacity stems from the Later Jin regime in Liaodong, north of the Great Wall!
From the time Nurhaci rebelled against the Ming Dynasty at the end of the Wanli era, for a full twenty-four years, these eight families engaged in the most dangerous and lucrative business in the world, defying the laws and life-or-death bottom line of the Ming Dynasty.
They continuously smuggled strategic resources such as grain, salt, and iron, which the imperial court had explicitly forbidden from leaving the country, and sold them to the Eight Banners Jurchens.
Those cartloads of wheat and sorghum became the lifeline for the Eight Banners Jurchens to survive the famine.
Pig iron and armor plates became the weaponry that enabled the Jurchens to continuously expand their army and wage war against the Ming army.
Cloth, tea, and crudely made iron pots were the bargaining chips used by the Jurchens to maintain the allegiance of the various Mongol tribes in southern Mongolia.
Over the past twenty-four years, the Later Jin dynasty has grown from a small tribe that was confined to Liaodong to a powerful force, repeatedly breaking through the passes and plundering, with its military might reaching as far as the capital region, harming the people in the border areas, and causing hundreds of thousands of Ming soldiers to perish on the battlefield.
The core source of funding behind this is these eight Shanxi smuggling merchants in Zhangjiakou!
They used the blood and sweat of the Ming people to feed the wolves that devoured the country, yet they remained shameless and smug.
Sitting at the very top of these eight families, practically controlling the entire private trade network, is none other than Fan Yongdou, the current head of the Fan family.
At this moment, inside the warm pavilion of the main hall of the Fan family's third courtyard, the floor heating was scorching hot, and the silver bone charcoal in the charcoal brazier burned quietly without a trace of smoke, only warming the entire room with a cozy warmth, a world apart from the freezing cold outside.
Fan Yongdou was sitting upright in a pear wood armchair covered with a sable fur cushion. He was wearing a dark blue brocade robe with dark patterns, a jade belt around his waist, graying temples, and a gentle face.
His eyes and brows carried the composure and dignity of someone who had held a high position for many years, without a trace of the vulgarity and crudeness of ordinary merchants. On the contrary, he had more demeanor and style than many high-ranking officials who had retired to their hometowns.
He is nearly sixty years old this year, has been in charge of the Fan family for more than twenty years, and has controlled the lifeline of private trade in Zhangjiakou for more than ten years.
Such a ruler, who rose step by step to the point where even the Later Jin Dynasty had to respectfully call him "Imperial Merchant," had naturally seen many storms and developed a composure that remained unchanged even when Mount Tai collapsed before him.
But today, even someone as composed as him couldn't hide the slight excitement in his fingers as he held the teacup.
Yes, he hadn't been this excited about next year's projected profits in a long time.
Inside the warm pavilion, seven people sat on either side, each dressed in brocade robes, with ruddy complexions and high spirits.
They were the other seven leaders who shared the same interests, wealth, and smuggling dealings with Fan Yongdou.
All eight major smuggling merchants from Shanxi Province in Zhangjiakou have gathered today, not one missing.
On the table were smoked venison, dried lamb leg, milk skin, mare's milk wine, and exquisite pastries, fresh fruits, and candied fruits transported from Jiangnan.
The sounds of string and wind instruments drifted faintly from the flower hall in the backyard. The maids stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to make a sound. The only sounds in the room were the eight people's cheerful laughter and barely suppressed joy.
They had just finished a two-hour meeting, finalizing the details of the smuggling supply and transshipment routes to the Later Jin for the entire coming year.
The root cause of their extreme excitement was the battle three months earlier when Dorgon led the main force of the Eight Banners into the pass.
This war was seen by the Ming emperor and his officials as a terrifying national crisis.
But in the eyes of these eight families, this was not a disaster, but rather another golden opportunity to get rich quick, delivered by God.
"Ladies and gentlemen, after more than two months of worry, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief today."
The first to speak was Wang Dengku, who was smiling with his eyes narrowed.
He was the second most important figure among the eight families, second only to the Fan family. He controlled all the transit warehouses, passes, and secret passages in Datong Prefecture for many years, making him the most crucial link in the entire smuggling route.
In his daily life, he was the most well-informed and the boldest.
At this moment, he picked up the mare's milk wine in front of him, drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth with a satisfied smile, and the greed and excitement in his eyes were almost overflowing.
"The Qing Dynasty has made it clear that we need to double our smuggling volume this year—a full double! That's equivalent to two years' worth of work in one year! We'd better roll up our sleeves and go all out this time!"
Jin Liangyu, the representative of another merchant family among the eight, stroked his beard, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with undisguised pride and arrogance.
"Brother Wang is right! In previous years, when the Eight Banners entered the pass, they would return with mountains of grain and cattle and sheep everywhere. They had no shortage of food or clothing. Our grain can only be sold for two or three taels of silver per shi, and they are picky about it."
But this year is different. Dorgon's army made a long march and fought for several months. The food supplies they took with them were exhausted, and all they brought back were dead and wounded soldiers and empty food bags.
Now, north of the Great Wall, the main force of the Eight Banners, numbering over 100,000, plus the three tribes of Southern Mongolia that have submitted, number in the hundreds of thousands, all waiting for food to be cooked!
Looking across the entire world, only the eight companies in Zhangjiakou can reliably supply them; there are no other branches. We should make the most of this money!
As soon as Jin Liangyu said this, the room was filled with hearty laughter and echoes of agreement from the others.
As the saying goes, scarcity increases value; the more prohibited an item is, the more astonishing the profits will be.
In the interior of the Ming Dynasty, a bushel of millet could be bought for only one or two taels of silver. But once it was transported out of the pass and delivered to the place designated by the Qing army, the price could increase five, eight, or even ten times!
The profits from contraband such as pig iron, saltpeter, and sulfur are even more shockingly high, often increasing tenfold or more.
In recent years, the Eight Banners had a certain amount of grain reserves, and with the substantial gains from raiding Korea and entering the pass to seize grain, they could basically only operate on a "small profit, quick turnover" basis.
This year, it is no exaggeration to say that the Qing Dynasty is in dire straits. And now, apart from the support of the Shanxi merchants, where can the Qing Dynasty buy enough military rations?
The price they set for the grain is whatever they decide.
Fan Yongdou slowly put down his teacup, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. He glanced at the seven people present and made up his mind in a loud voice.
"First, starting this spring, all smuggled goods—grain, iron, cloth, tea, medicine, saltpeter—will be doubled in volume throughout the year. Whatever was smuggled in previous years, double that amount this year!"
"Secondly, the settlement price for all goods will be increased by 30% on top of the previous year's pricing."
"Third, all payments for goods throughout the year will be settled in the form of pearls, ginseng, top-quality mink fur, and fine horses from the grasslands. These rare goods can be transported to Suzhou and Hangzhou in the Jiangnan region and resold for four or five times the profit, which is more cost-effective than us directly receiving silver."
"Fourth, and most importantly."
The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty has personally promised that as long as our eight families stabilize this supply line and ensure that the Eight Banners have no shortage of supplies throughout the year, our eight families will become the founding heroes of the Qing Dynasty after the Eight Banners march into the pass!
At that time, our eight families will be officially appointed as Imperial Merchants by the Qing Dynasty, with hereditary titles and a monopoly on trade between the north and south of the country, as well as the profits from salt, iron, tea, and horses. Our descendants will enjoy eternal wealth and honor, unmatched by anyone else!
Upon hearing this, all seven people in the room were instantly shaken, and the smiles on their faces turned into uncontrollable ecstasy and excitement!
The merit of following the emperor led to hereditary imperial merchants who monopolized trade throughout the land!
What does this mean?
This means that their adventurous actions over the next year will pave a future of wealth and prosperity for their descendants for generations to come!
All these years of risky smuggling, besides making money, wasn't it all for the immense wealth and glory that would last for generations of their family and the honor of being a benefactor to the emperor?
"Good! Good! Good!"
Jin Liangyu cheered three times in a row, stood up excitedly, raised her glass to Fan Yongdou, and her voice trembled.
"With the old master's strategic planning and the concerted efforts of all eight families, this time, we are truly going to achieve great success!"
Rest assured, sir, the Jin family manages double the usual output of pig iron, wrought iron, and armor plates this year. Not a single piece of iron will be lacking!
"My Wang family is the same!"
Wang Dengku immediately agreed, patting his chest to assure him.
"I have already given the order to the twelve transit warehouses in Datong Prefecture to quickly gather all the grain collected from southern Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong into Zhangjiakou."
"This time, we guarantee to send the Qing Dynasty whatever amount of grain it needs!"
"The Liang family is responsible for doubling the supply of fabrics, tea, and medicinal herbs this year, and the entire process will be handled through our secret passages, ensuring there won't be the slightest mishap!"
Liang Jiabin followed suit, expressing his excitement.
The remaining four families—Wang Dayu, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa—also stood up and took turns expressing their views.
They all pledged to do their utmost to prepare goods, double the shipments, and ensure the entire smuggling route remained unobstructed, without any mishaps, and certainly not to miss this once-in-a-century opportunity to get rich quick.
Eight people sat around a table, raising their glasses in a toast. The clinking of their glasses was crisp and pleasant, and laughter filled the air as everyone dreamed of a prosperous future.
They have calculated everything perfectly.
As the leading household, the Fan family could accumulate at least 1.5 million taels of silver in their hoard and 200,000 shi of grain reserves throughout the year.
The Wang and Jin families followed closely behind, each increasing their cash holdings to over a million taels and stockpiling 100,000 shi of grain.
Even if the remaining five companies have a smaller share, they are still enough to make a fortune.
Of course, there are risks involved in transporting goods to the border regions.
But they were even more certain that this road to wealth would not go wrong within the Great Wall.
Over the past twenty-four years, through their connections and mutual benefit, they have woven a vast network that covers the nine border regions and infiltrates the capital.
The Wang family in Datong was their biggest protector, receiving huge bribes every year and reaping the profits from smuggling. Half of the Wang family's wealth came from these eight families; they were all in the same boat, sharing both prosperity and ruin.
And who among the generals of Xuanfu, the garrison commander of Zhangjiakou, the border generals, captains, and even the small flag officers and clerks at the passes had not received bribes from them?
Then there are the officials in the Six Ministries of the capital, the censors, and the hereditary nobles.
During festivals and holidays, they would send them generous gifts. Many memorials impeaching them for treason were suppressed at each level before they even left Shanxi Province, disappearing without a trace.
Those upright officials who dared to expose them were either dismissed from their posts or died on their way to their new posts. No one could shake the foundation of these eight families under the protection of this network of interests!
Moreover, Emperor Chongzhen in Beijing is currently focused on implementing a new policy of clearing land from the Jingbei Garrison and reducing redundant staff.
The entire court was in an uproar over this, and the gentry and local magnates were all waiting to see Emperor Chongzhen make a fool of himself.
Everyone is now focused on how the emperor will deal with the garrison's land and how he will play the game with the civil official group. Who would be so bored as to travel all the way to Zhangjiakou to investigate the business of a few merchants?
So, in a relaxed atmosphere, the banquet in the warm pavilion continued until late at night, with lights shining brightly all night long.
After a long while, the eight people finally dispersed, having had their fill of fun. However, Fan Yongdou still did not go to bed. He personally went to the backyard of the Fan family to inspect the warehouses where they had been working overnight to load and prepare goods.
One could see granaries with their gates wide open, and sacks of rice, flour, and sorghum being carried by servants, porters, and cart drivers, being loaded onto horse-drawn carts and securely tied.
Deep within the underground vault in this backyard, chests of silver ingots, each worth fifty taels, were piled up like mountains—the lavish wealth they had accumulated over twenty-four years of collusion with the enemy and betrayal of their country.
The head steward of the Fan family bowed and stood aside, reporting in a low voice: "Master, news has come from Datong that 70% of the grain in the twelve transit warehouses has been shipped and will all arrive in Zhangjiakou within three days."
Our main warehouse and hidden warehouse are already emptied and ready to be stored at any time.
We've already spoken with General Wang's men about all the secret passages and checkpoints; they'll let us through without any checks..."
Fan Yongdou stood at the entrance of the granary, looking at the mountains of grain, the endless stream of carts and horses, and the brightly lit Zhangjiakou Fort that stayed open all night. A smug smile appeared on his face.
He has already achieved his dream of getting rich overnight.
Now, the achievements of following the dragon are within reach.
He looked up at the night sky beyond the Great Wall in the north, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The Ming Dynasty?
The Ming Dynasty was long gone!
Nowadays, it's not just the Shanxi merchants who are undermining the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
The official and gentry group in Jiangnan was the malignant tumor that was destined to bring about the downfall of the Ming Dynasty.
Unfortunately, they lacked the fortune to see that the world was in chaos and that the Qing Dynasty was militarily invincible.
This world will eventually belong to the Eight Banners.
And the wealth and power that monopolizes trade between the north and south will sooner or later belong to those eight families!
The Ming Dynasty was corrupt and on its deathbed; who would care?
Sooner or later, the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan would also be reduced to dust under the iron heel of the Qing Dynasty.
At that time, who will be able to do anything to the eight imperial merchants?
The cold winds of the frontier were still howling, but Fan Yongdou's heart was burning with warmth.
The entire Zhangjiakoubao was immersed in this grand and delusional dream of getting rich quick. The lights stayed on all night, and the carriages and horses never stopped. Everyone was frantically preparing for the impending windfall, filled with joy.
However, no one noticed that the shadow of death had silently enveloped the entire border fortress like a large net.
Under the careful planning of the emperor who resided deep in Beijing, a storm that could be considered a catastrophic disaster for the eight major Shanxi merchants was quietly approaching before dawn.