It turns out that professional things should be done by professional people. Even if it looks like a layman, it must actually look miserable.

No matter what industry it is used in, it is almost the same truth. It's like now, when the guy who didn't know he had been stitched hundreds of stitches was dragged in.

Zhu Guoqiang couldn't help but regret it a little.

How does this look so much like a scarecrow from a horror movie?

Hey, the more this happens, the more scary it gets.

Tick......

Although there were hundreds of people in the hall, the ticking sound was still clearly audible when the blood dripped from the "skin".

and the pungent smell of blood, everyone in the hall was dizzy.

Peel and weed!

Really, really peeled off......

When Zheng Yuanxun and the others were frightened and speechless, some timid people were even frightened and fainted when the skin bag was dragged in.

For these mediocre and respectful salt merchants, when have they ever seen such tyrannical methods. It's just ......

No one dared to say those two words, they didn't dare to say them, and as for those officials and many timid salt merchants, they were even more frightened. A stench filled the hall.

But even so, Zhu Guoqiang still sat there quietly, holding a teacup in his hand, just looking at the salt merchants in the hall.

What does the prince want to do?

The salt merchant who was targeted by him, the moment his eyes made contact, he only felt that his crotch was hot, and the ground was wet.

In the end, Zhu Guoqiang set his eyes on Zheng Yuanxun, and his performance made him quite satisfied, at least he was not scared of and urine.

Seeing that Shi Ziye was looking at him, although his heart was cold and his legs trembled, Zheng Yuanxun's mind still flashed countless thoughts.

What does this prince want to do?

Check for smuggled salt?

No, what good is it for him to check for smuggled salt?

Benefits, yes, benefits...... What is the benefit, the benefit is silver.

Suddenly, Zheng Yuanxun figured out the reason and hurriedly spoke.

"Lord Shizi, the villain is willing to donate one million taels!"

One million taels!

That's a lot!

Enough should be enough!

Big guy, you take some and I'll pay some, which adds up to a lot.

Each of the eight major merchants took out one million taels. There are more than 100 other ones, and every family has taken out some more, which is really astronomical.

Are you still not satisfied?

Just when everyone thought so, they only heard the prince say slowly.

"One million taels, Zheng Yuanxun, tell me, how much salt is in Yangzhou a year, and how much silver should be paid according to the law?" According to the "Gang Salt System" of the Ming Dynasty: the merchants who held the salt quotation were divided into 10 classes according to the region, each of which was 200,000 yuan, and each of them was 300 catties of salt, or six coins and four cents of silver, which was called "Woben", and three taels of silver were taxed, and three taels of silver were paid to the minister (transportation).

And this amount of salt introduction was set a hundred years ago, how much has the population increased in the past 100 years, and how much has the demand for salt increased? Not to mention these, even the base set back then, these salt merchants have never paid it all!

Hearing the prince say this, Zheng Yuanxun and the others were all stunned, they didn't expect the prince to want to settle this account.

"What? Nothing to say? Then I'll do the math for you! ”

After sneering, Zhu Guoqiang began to calculate.

"According to the salt tax amount set by the imperial court, for every 6 taels of taxable silver, 6 taels and 4 cents of silver, 13.28 million taels of silver should be obtained! But in fact, at most, there were only 2.5 million taels of silver, and the salt tax was lost eight or nine out of ten. ”

After asking rhetorically, Zhu Guoqiang stared at the pale-faced salt merchants and said.

The people of the time said, "Xin'an Dajia, fish and salt are the industry, there are millions of Tibetan people, and the other two or three hundred thousand are in Jia'er." But some people say that Yangzhou salt merchants are extravagant in the world, and those below one million are called small businessmen. Less than one million are all small businessmen, how many big businessmen are in this house, how many small businessmen can you talk about? Salt merchants are rich in the world, can they not be rich? How much tax did you steal one by one? How much silver was missing! Come, say it one by one, come out and listen! ”

In the face of the prince's question, no one dared to answer, and he knew in his heart that according to the official designation, there were 710,000 citations of salt in Yangzhou and two Huai, but in fact, with the addition of private salt, they sold no less than 2 million citations, and tax evasion and tax evasion in a year were more than 10 million......

Li Kunyang, who received more than 100,000 taels, was stripped of skin and grass, and even the stinky "skin" was still hanging in front of their eyes.

When I think of this crowd, I feel a chill in my heart. Didn't this prince want to pick off all their skins!

It's too ruthless.

It doesn't matter if they don't speak, Zhu Guoqiang is still holding the teacup, sitting there silently, warming his hands with the teacup.

sat like this, until the early hours of the morning, Lu Yuxiao rushed over and walked into the lobby of the Drunken Immortal Building, although the smell in the hall was really bad, and there was a bloodstained "skin" hanging there, but he still reported quietly,

"Qi Shi Ziye, Xia Guan confiscated 16 salt merchants such as Qiu, Yang, Sun, Qi, and Lu on the orders of the Shi Ziye, in addition to finding many evidence of their collusion with Jiannu and selling illicit salt, a large amount of money and goods were also seized, and 565 children of 16 traitorous merchants were seized, and 4,512 domestic slaves were seized......"

After Lu Yuxiao finished reporting, Zhu Guoqiang said casually.

"The female dependents were not slaves and maids, and they were rewarded with domestic slaves to the soldiers in the army, and as for the men, ......"

With a cold face, he glanced at the dozen or so salt merchants who had lost their souls and even forgot to beg for mercy, Zhu Guoqiang sneered.

"Traitors should be punished! …… Kill! ”

The moment those two words fell into his ears, Zheng Yuanxun only felt his heart tremble suddenly, and then he watched Qiu Yilin and them being dragged out!

Even faintly he heard screams coming from outside the door.

He's dead!

Qiu Yilin: They are really dead!

The son of this world, but, it's really ruthless!

At this moment, Zheng Yuanxun saw Wang Chuyang, the oldest of the people, standing up in shock and saying a long way.

"Shi, Shiziye, difficult, difficult, do you want to kill me and other Yangzhou salt merchants?"

Zhu Guoqiang said in a deep voice.

"Kill according to the law!"

Over the years, Wang Chuyang, who has not known how many dignitaries and dignitaries he has dealt with, has heard the meaning of his words from this sentence - according to the law, he must be killed.

But the law is nothing more than human affection. You can also not kill!

Actually, the big guys have heard it, the real purpose of this prince is not to kill people, but to - silver!

But anything that can be solved with silver is not a big deal! Our salt merchants in Yangzhou have a lot of silver if they don't have anything!

Suddenly, everyone's hearts were relieved!

Now there is only one question left, that is, how much silver does this master want!

Wang Chuyang looked at Zheng Yuanxun, he had paid one million taels of silver before, but he didn't talk about it, it seems that this master wants a lot of silver!

How much silver does he want?

"The law is not humane, can the prince be accommodating?"

When Wang Chuyang's words fell, Zhu Guoqiang had already stood up.

"Master, I have to go tomorrow, I haven't slept this night, I'm really a little tired, you can discuss it yourself!"

After that, leaving a room of dumbfounded salt merchants, Zhu Guoqiang left.

From beginning to end, he didn't say a word of threat, nor did he mention money, but he ...... Just kill a few people!

……

Zhu Guoqiang didn't care about how much silver the salt merchants in Yangzhou would give, in order to buy their lives, they must be willing to come up with a suitable figure.

"Prepare, let's leave for Nanjing this afternoon!"

"Lord Shizi, just let them go like this? Shouldn't we take the opportunity to rectify the salt law now? ”

Ge Shizhen asked with some puzzlement.

"Rectify the salt law? Can we receive the silver? ”

After casually asking rhetorically, Zhu Guoqiang said.

"This time I came to Yangzhou to eat fat sheep, first dig up a piece of meat on them, and then kill the pigs after they are fattened, and the leeks will be cut ...... stubble."

At present, Chongzhen doesn't care about the salt law, so why should he do more? Besides, wouldn't it be nice to let them raise them for a few years, and then come back in a few years, and then kill another wave?

Leeks should be cut in stubble!

Now that they have been cut at once, in a few years when they need to use silver, who will they cut?

Today, these leeks are gathered together, but only for the sake of cutting the head of the leek. After a few years, they grow up and gain weight, and then they will be uprooted again.

At that time, uprooting was not just cutting leeks, but renovating the entire leek field from the roots.

Thinking so in his heart, Zhu Guoqiang specially commanded again.

"Well, this time we copied so many salt merchants in Yangzhou, it will definitely cause a sensation in various places, and when the time comes, they don't know how they will arrange us. By the way, are you familiar with that mimeograph machine? ”

Because the mimeograph machine prints leaflets very easily, so a few days ago, Zhu Guoqiang specially commissioned a small factory on the other side to make 100 mimeograph machines of various specifications, which have simple technology and can be produced by small workshops, and then sent a few to Yangzhou.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhu Guoqiang said.

"Then write out the reasons for the confiscation of more than a dozen salt merchants, focusing on how they colluded with the construction of slaves, how they led the way, how they provided them with grain, grass, and salt, in a word, to let them know that those people should be killed and deserved to be raided, and then try to print as many as possible, and the propaganda should be in the direction and posted as much as possible. Let someone send more to the other side...... Anyway, it's to let people know about this as much as possible, and if you don't fight for public opinion, others will win it, understand? ”

Subsequently, Zhu Guoqiang chatted with Ge Shizhen for a while about how to win public opinion, after all, when he arrived in Nanjing, there was another public opinion battle waiting for him.

After he was busy with everything, it was already noon, and because of time, Zhu Guoqiang did not return to the Hidden Garden, but rested in the barracks.

Of course, I left by boat from Yangzhou in the evening......