[Note: The previous chapter on the time of Qian Qianyi's tenure was incorrect, and has been revised]

"Just tell me what you have in mind."

Others were not surprised by the change in Mr. Guo's attitude.

"What ideas can you have? It is nothing more than to get stuck in the way of cotton harvesting first. Guo Zengfu looked around, "This is up to all the proprietors in the line to work together." ”

"The head of the line is only to command." Everyone is in one hand.

Guo Zengfu was satisfied with everyone's attitude, and said: "Now most of the local cotton in Song and Suzhou has been harvested, and there is nothing to the south, and most of the cotton goods on the market are still from the north." ”

Someone immediately helped beside him, "Most of the cotton boats in the north are coming from Huangdu and Xinjing, and the shallow husbands and acquaintances of the water tanks and lake gates on the Wusong River and Yantietang are mostly from Qingpu and Changshu counties, and Chen (Changshu Qian's) and Yang (Qingpu Cai's) have to help more." ”

Chen Yuanwai looked a little embarrassed, "Those masters are used to being treacherous, I'm afraid they won't listen to it, and besides, before they harvested cotton, they relied on their own financial resources, but now they ......."

However, the proprietor of the Cai family Yang was quite knowledgeable, "At this time, the eye holes can't be bigger, is it possible that Chen Yuanwai thinks that he is in Changshu, so he really has nothing to do with us in Songjiang?" So why are you here today? Now Wan Tong behind the clear is through the South Seas Australians, last year's loss has been considered small, listening to the news of Yangzhou now they have served the emperor, to say a word of arrogance, in the silver above the heavenly family is what kind of moral temple when you have not understood enough? ”

A few Huating cloth merchants who had just helped continued to gossip.

"I don't know if your lord's family has seen the Australian's "Xinhua Daily"? Those short-haired thieves are now in Nanyang, but they have already established their own grammar, and they dare to call themselves Xinhua, and in time, it will not only be a big disaster in my Jiangnan, but a disaster in the Ming Dynasty. ”

"I've also heard that they are pushing paper money, gathering gold and silver, and attacking everywhere in those islands, and I have heard that merchants who have recently gone to sea have come back and said that now Luzon has changed hands, and it is really hard to look down on."

"It's okay in Liangzhejiang, you haven't read the copy, the coastal people in Fujian have fled to Nanyang in the past six months, and the governor is having a headache."

"Why don't you make some more silver?" Chen Yuanwai tried again, interrupted all kinds of rumors and continued to gossip, as if he had heard these things a long time ago and was not interested at all, and only pulled the topic back to himself.

Shopkeeper Yang also clapped his hands and agreed, "By the way, these gates, there are nearly 1,000 people in active service plus the levy, release the news, those important gates and shallow heads have enough silver, but all the cotton boats in the north will be detained." ”

After listening to people for a long time, he finally got to the point, Guo Zengfu also patted the handrail and said: "That's exactly the reason, that Hu Ba doesn't have his own weaving factory, and each of your families still has thousands of weavers, and there are tens of thousands of people who drag their families to bring their mouths." On weekdays, there are also green hands who protect the field, and the team training in Qingpu and Huating has not been less than the main family behind the staff, so why do I ask what to do? That Hu Ba is nothing more than some silver in his hand, I'm afraid most of it is given by Australians, there are not many people who pass through, as long as he controls the source of goods, he can turn the sky upside down. ”

When the rest of the families heard this, they seemed to have figured it out, and they echoed it one after another.

"But this is just one, and the official face has to go." Guo Zengfu was satisfied with everyone's reactions, and continued, "When I go back today, I also ask all of you to send a letter of worship to the officials in Fuzhong County, and make sure to explain the benefits and disadvantages. ”

"It's a matter of businessmen, I'm afraid the officials won't interfere, right?" This time, it was still Chen Dongzhu who was questioning.

"Confused, this is a financial plan, does Master Chen think that those officials are all people who don't eat fireworks in the world? Besides, it's just a matter of asking them to sit on the sidelines, at most one more thing, do they still want to finish the weaving goods in Gongnei this year? ”

"Exactly, I heard that the new Dafu is from Linqingzhou, so I think I can understand."

Most of the scholars who can come out in Linqing are businessmen, and the things on the canal are clearer than anyone else, and the truth of the situation should be better than anyone else.

"Even if Zhang Dafu can't be considerate, Sun Erfu must be okay." One reminded.

After Guo Zengfu's reminder, everyone here remembered the key to it, the new Songjiang prefect Zhang Zongheng has only been in office for more than a month, and now the affairs in the house are all the same as Sun Yingkun Zhiying, this Sun Erfu has been in the house for 44 years to serve as a water conservancy judge, and he is old enough to do the river and the thief. Now that he has been promoted to the second of the house, the key is also the position of Qingpu Magistrate, with this current position and former sophistication, it does seem that he will not come out. As for Suzhou, I believe that as long as the Qian family has launched, there will be no lack of response, after all, it was he Qian Qianyi who took the lead in initiating the discussion between the DPRK and China on the boycott of Australian goods.

"As long as the official face greets you, it's enough, but there is another one that you have to be more careful."

"I don't know what else to teach the leader?"

"The pure and good land in the south of the Yangtze River naturally values public opinion the most, how to deal with the tax supervisor at the beginning, and how to deal with this nonsense now."

When everyone heard this, they all frowned and didn't say a word, Guo Zengfu looked at it and explained, "Who in your family doesn't have a famous son and nephew, let them go to the classmates to lobby, if the weaving industry in Jiangnan is affected, it is not only us who are businessmen." The school palace should also have people who can speak to agitate, the professor does not say, those who divide the teaching on weekdays which family of children do not take less money, Chen Dongzhu also go back to ask the main family to support one or two in the court, I heard the news that the township test in this province this year, the great master has recommended Ling brother-in-law to preside, if he is willing to speak, this situation will be decided. ”

This time, Chen Dongzhu also nodded and was taught, saying that he would discuss with his sister when he went back.

As for the Gu family, I am afraid that because of his in-law Xu Xianggong, he does not intend to conflict with Wan Tongtong, plus the relationship between the Pan family and the Gu family, the other families in Songjiang Mansion no longer plan to directly attack the county seat of Shanghai, and other states and counties alone are enough.

…………

"Da Lang is still not at ease? Do you think that these measures are not enough? ”

When everyone dispersed, Guo Zengfu and his entourage took their own carriage out of the county seat and drove onto the official road to Huating, and the old steward sitting opposite the carriage asked.

"I always feel a little uneasy in my heart, but the rest should not be said in front of everyone."

"The old man still has something to say, this time so many people join forces, even if there is a guild to come forward, involving money and benefits, I am afraid that everyone will not be able to work together, I am afraid that there will always be bad things."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about, because I've left a few backs."

"And what is Dalang going to do?"

"They only said that I want to deduct goods in the canal to fight for cotton for the weaving mill, in fact, how can it be that simple, but this plan to draw wages from the bottom of the kettle is to be multi-pronged."

"In that case, it's better to keep quiet."

Guo Zengfu nodded yes and ordered: "You will let a little guy ride back first and let Fang's mother arrange it, and let Shanniang come to my room to serve tonight." ”

The old steward nodded thoughtfully when he heard this, and he knew a little in his heart.

At night, Guo Xingshou, who had been running around for a day, returned to his home in the east of Huating County, and the house was already ready to stop.

After supper, bathing and changing clothes, Guo Zengfu and the concubine named Shanniang had a good time.

When he was warm afterwards, Guo Xingshou finally cut to the chase, "I've been busy with things on the counter these days, and I've snubbed you." ”

"When the master said this, the slave family was very frightened." Shanniang is not stupid, and when her mother came to arrange it in the evening, she was aware of it, "But something is wrong with the counter?" ”

Guo Zengfu pretended to sigh, "It's useless to talk about these things with you, let's rest early." ”

But where would Shanniang give up the opportunity to compete for favor at home, she has no children under her knees, and it is her mother's family that can have the identity of a little girl, and it is not the first time that Guo Zengfu has acted like this.

"The master can't hide something from the slave family, you and I are now one, if it is something on the counter, it is naturally good if my brother can help."

"It's not a big deal, it's just that the Australian goods are making a lot of noise, and I'm afraid that the business of this cloth store can't be done."

"Australia...... Cloth? "In the past two years, there have been more and more Australian goods on the market, all of which are exquisite and practical things, such as women's toilet water, soap, etc., which have also appeared one after another, although the quantity is still scarce, but it is the favorite of the rich family. Shanniang often has preparations in her own room, but when it comes to the conflict with the Guo family's business, she can only think of Australian cloth.

In fact, Shanniang's maiden family name is Zhang, and her ancestors are all Tan households in Chuansha Castle in the east of Shanghai, but just like most Tan people at this time, his family originally lived adrift, and he would do some shady business in private. Since Shanniang entered the door of the Guo family, her second brother Zhang Lei relied on this relationship to make a living as a bandit. Chuansha is far away from the mouth of the Wusong River, and usually the patrol ships of the Wusong River and Baoshan are not often there, which is also the reason why a single fort should be set up here during the Jiajing period. However, Chuansha Fort is to prevent the Japanese from attacking and harassing the place, but it does not mean to control the raiding of the Tan people at sea.

Over the years, Zhang Lei has been doing more businessless business on the sea, and in five or six years, he has become the leader of a small gang, and there are two or three hundred minions under his clan, and the main livelihood over the years is to help Guo Zengfu cook his opponents in the business, and he is also a ruthless figure at sea.

Guo Zengfu coaxed a few more words, and then Shanniang agreed, and went back to her mother's house the next day to 'save relatives'.

…………

After another ten days, everything in the world was calm, but there was already an undercurrent surging under the calm.

These days, Hu Barong has never broken off contact with the Senate, and the instructions he received have become more and more clear, but there is one difficulty that has become more and more obvious, that is, the ground in Songjiang Mansion can no longer buy cotton.

The people sent to Suzhou in the north also returned in vain, from Changshu to Kunshan, Zhenhai, Jiading there was no stock, and the cotton goods from Shandong were intercepted as soon as they entered Yantietang or Wusongjiang, and they were involved in the economy of Songjiang and Suzhou cloth shops, but the specific buyers did not hear about it.

And what makes him most anxious is that there have been rumors about Wantong in various places recently, and there are even scholars in prefectures and counties outside Shanghai who have taken the lead in writing to say that Australian goods have hurt Jiangnan fundamentally, and weavers from all over the country are also ready to move.

Although there has been no substantial harm yet, now that Hu Barong is consciously 'hanging overseas', he can only hope that Xingzai can help sooner.

But before the support arrived, he waited for the bad news brought back by Hu Feng.

"Boss, it's not good."

Although according to the practice of the Hu Mansion, there have never been outsiders in the inner courtyard to move around at will, he still deliberately lowered his voice, but it was difficult to hide his anxiety, "Something happened to our cargo ship." ”

[References]

1, "Daming Huidian"

2, "Records of Emperor Mingshen Zongxian"

3, "History of the Late Ming Dynasty" Fan Shuzhi

4, "Wanli Ye Ed" Shen Defu

5. "The Record of Crimes: The Biography of the Economic Ministers"

6, "History of the Ming Dynasty • The Biography of Xu Guangqi"

7, "The Biography of Erchen"

8. "Compendium of Materia Medica" Li Shizhen

9, "Weiya Anthology" Huo Tao

10, "Wan Department Miscellaneous Notes" Shen Bang

11. "Instructions for the Ministry of Industry and Warehouse"

12, "Wanli Accounting Record" Wang Guoguang, Zhang Xueyan

13. "Regulations on Food and Grain for Officers and Soldiers in Beijing"

14. Peng Xinwei, "A History of Chinese Currency".