Then Niu Mancun told his origin in a few words. At this moment, the faces of the three people kneeling on the ground all changed. Guo Laizi himself didn't have much courage, and he was even more paralyzed on the ground at this time, while Master Li kept shaking his head, as if he wanted to say something?

Niu Mancun reached out and pulled out the towel that Master Li had gagged. Master Li immediately said loudly: "Brother Niu, I'm sorry!" I was so confused that I did the wrong thing! Shall I pay you the money? I have money, I have a lot of money! ”

Niu Mancun smiled and said, "Don't worry. I have something to ask you. ”

Master Li nodded again and again and said, "You ask, you ask!" As long as I know everything, I will tell you everything, and I will never hide it! ”

Niu Mancun asked, "Is there any news from my father, my brother, and my brother over the years?" ”

Master Li shook his head and said, "There is no news at all!" There's been no news of you since you fled! It's just that someone from Linxian County once said that they had met the four of you, father and son, and then there was no news at all! ”

Niu Mancun hurriedly asked, "Tell me more details." ”

Master Li immediately used his brain and told all the news he knew. Finally, he said: "Brother Niu, your father and brother should be fine, but I don't know where they fled to!" For their sake, you can let me go! ”

After speaking, he pouted to Guo Lezi Nunu and said, "It's him!" They all blame him! He did it all by knocking me down! He said that your father used to beat him, so he brought me down and attacked your family! ”

But how could Niu Mancun fall for him? He was no longer the ordinary peasant. He clearly knew that in this matter, the main criminal was Master Li! It was he who expressed his greed, and then someone would be willing to help him choose a target, which led to the tragic end of the Niu family!

Thinking of his father and brother who didn't know life and death, Niu Mancun's heart was like a knife! At first, he imagined how he would scold Master Li and Guo Laizi when he saw them. But at the moment he couldn't say a word.

In the end, he just said lightly to the three people: "Since you want me to die, and you want our family to die, then, it is our luck that we escaped." Now, I want you to die too, and it's your luck if you don't. ”

The three people kneeling on the ground felt that the situation was not good, and just as they wanted to shout, they were gagged by the people next to them. One of his subordinates grinned and asked, "Chief, what are you going to do with these three crumbs?" Shredded with a knife? Or do you want to use them to practice the skills they learned in the torture hall? ”

Niu Mancun shook his head and said, "No need." It's winter, and they look cold, so put more firewood and grass and light a fire to roast them! ”

When the three people on the ground heard this, they were immediately terrified, and they writhed even more violently on the ground! But the people who bound them were veterans, and they couldn't struggle at all.

Several people who received the order pushed the door and went out, dragged a large amount of firewood and grass from the firewood room, and threw it inside and outside the house. One of them came in with a jar and said, "Luckily, I found a big jar of lamp oil to refill them!" ”

After several people finished arranging, they all exited the room and stood at the door with Niu Mancun in their arms. A man lit a torch and handed it to Niu Mancun. Niu Mancun took the torch and took one last look into the room, only to see that the three people were still struggling desperately, and couldn't help but laugh happily a few times, then threw the torch into the room, and then closed the door.

A few people stood outside the house and waited until they saw the flames through the window paper, and then they quickly climbed over the wall and left. However, they still did not go far, but hid in the shadows, observing the situation of Master Li's house. When they saw that the flames were above the fence and someone had already noticed the fire and started shouting "water", they left stealthily and returned to the inn.

As for the size of the fire, whether it will affect other people, they don't care! As field agents of the Intelligence Agency, they have been given instructions since they joined, and everything is given priority to the mission. A small number of casualties among ordinary people is considered an acceptable price. Needless to say, this one was passed down by the old Jinyiwei, but this was perfectly inherited by Liu Jiang.

At dawn the next day, several people scattered and left the county seat. In the process of leaving the city, they even leisurely inquired about the fire last night.

The county seat is not big, so the news spreads quickly. They got the news that a fire had broken out at Mr. Lee's house and had affected his neighbors. It is supposed to be a fire caused by a charcoal basin for heating in winter, which is common in winter.

Master Li's house was completely burned down. A total of seven bodies were found in the rubble. Except for the servants who lived in the front yard and did rough work, the people of Master Li's house and one of the maids were all dead. There were no dead or injured in the neighbor's house, but the house burned down. At this time, it was winter, the weather was dry, and the north wind was howling, so there was no way to save the fire.

Niu Mancun, who had finished a matter on his mind, was in high spirits. After he met the others, he took the lead and quickly moved towards Zhangjiakou! There are many more things waiting for them there.

When they arrived at Zhangjiakou, they found that Zhangjiakou was not a very large place. However, because of the economic and trade exchanges with the grassland, it has become more and more prosperous.

Niu Mancun is recalling Liu Pei's description of Zhangjiakou. He remembered one of them: "Everyone here fornicates with the Tartars!" ”

But when Niu Mancun heard this, he didn't know at all

Not surprised. Walking in the darkness, you will naturally see more darkness. It's not like he's never heard of something more outrageous than the Tsutar. In addition, he heard from the head of the family about the situation of several major local businesses.

The merchants mentioned by Liu Pei were the eight imperial merchants of the Manchu Dynasty headed by the Fan family. Of course, at the moment they are not the imperial merchants of the Manchu Dynasty, but their power is not small.

The Eight Imperial Merchants refer to the eight royal merchants of Shanxi merchants, Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Guest, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa. They were a group of profiteers headed by Fan Yongdou, smuggling military grain, salt and iron, collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, and were named the Eight Great Imperial Merchants by Emperor Shunzhi.

As early as the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the Fan family did business in Zhangjiakou and Mongolia, after seven generations, it was passed to Fan Yongdou to become a wealthy Han merchant in Zhangjiakou area to Manchu and Mongolian trade.

At that time, the Jurchen people living in the northeast began to expand militarily, due to the hostile relationship with the Ming Dynasty, the military and living materials they needed could only be obtained through the trade market in Zhangjiakou, that is, to operate in Zhangjiakou as a base.

According to the "Wanquan County Chronicles" in the Daoguang period, it is recorded: "The eight merchants are all from the right side of the mountain, and they came to Zhangjiakou with trade at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Said: Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Fan Yongdou, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, Huang Yongfa, from the current dynasty Longxing Liaozuo, sent people to the city to change, all of these eight masters. ”

Because the eight merchants contributed to the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, after the Qing Dynasty was established, Emperor Shunzhi did not forget to establish the eight merchants who had made great achievements in the Central Plains, set up banquets in the Forbidden City, and gave them clothes. Shunzhi also wanted to give them official rewards, and the eight major merchants were flattered and tried their best to refuse.

As a result, Shunzhi named them "Imperial Merchants" (subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs). Fan Yongdou was appointed to preside over trade affairs and "give Zhangjiakou as a world business". The other seven also have their own rewards. Since then, Fan Yongdou and others have obtained political and economic privileges that other businessmen cannot enjoy. He not only procured goods for the royal family, but also took advantage of the situation to open up a wide range of financial channels and start trading all over the world. In addition to operating the salt industry in Hedong and Changlu, he also monopolized the market for ginseng and other valuable medicinal materials in Ussuri and Suifen in Northeast China, so he was also called "ginseng business" by the people. In the blink of an eye, Fan Yongdou became a great emperor merchant with millions of wealth, and he was the best of the eight families.

Later, it was his grandson Fan Yu who inherited and developed Fan Yongdou's career. In his hands, the business of the Fan family was pushed to the peak.

In the fifty-ninth year of Kangxi (1720), the Dzungar Ministry rebelled again. The Qing government urgently sent heavy troops to conscript. At that time, due to the long distances and the fact that most of them passed through desert areas, the transportation of military rations became a prominent difficulty.