A large number of peasants pushed their carts and carried sacks and meandered along the road like a long line, with occasional soldiers mixed in. More soldiers stood on both sides of the road with weapons in hand, and the size of the team and the sweat on the heads of the porters could be estimated, and the amount of goods transported was not a few.

The accumulation of nearly 200 years of inheritance in Datong is the accumulation of the palace in addition to the gold and silver treasures in the mansion, which is a large number of fields in Shanxi. The grain produced in these fields is an important weight that affects the price of grain in Shanxi. The grain problem in the nine sides is not a simple tax issue, but a bigger problem lies in the circulation of channels and commodities. First of all, the Ming court was unwilling to bear the cost of transporting grain from the interior to the border fortress, so it passed on this part of the cost to the merchants.

No one in the world is engaged in a loss-making business, and if you add the possibility of losing your life, no one cares. Therefore, the abolition of the Kaizhong Law is the inevitable development of the times, not the problem of a certain person or a certain province. After that, the food supply of the Nine Sides was controlled by the merchants and the local gentry. Although these people have the problem of pushing up grain prices and maliciously speculating on grain, they must also realize that if they are not given these benefits, then no one will do this business, and the grain supply of the Nine Frontiers will collapse as soon as possible, and the entire Nine Border Defense Line will cease to exist.

It was only the inaction of the Ming court in this issue that was the most important factor leading to the gradual deterioration of this series of problems. The imperial court did not want to bear the cost of transportation, but also could not give up the nine-border defense line, so it could only adopt the method of raising the soup to stop the boiling, and issued a large amount of silver to the nine-border, and then the grain merchants continued to increase prices, forming a vicious circle.

It is difficult to return, and in the Wanli period, even if it is a person like Zhang Juzheng, he can only find a way to get more silver to transport to the border, trying to make the border army live better, and not so good that he can support himself without being restrained by the imperial court, which is the ultimate that can be done.

The solution Fan Jin had thought of before was to solve the problem in the channel and break the old monopoly, but the resistance in Shanxi was greater than he thought, and the plan did not go smoothly.

These gentry were able to form a monopoly position, but it was not all by luck, first of all, they really had food in their own hands to ensure that the situation did not collapse. When needed, they will also sell some grain at a low price to ensure that they can maintain their basic survival security. Or provide food and grass to their own henchmen to ensure that they are armed on their side, all of which need food as security. A large part of the grain shortage in the nine sides is fried out, not really to the point of being so short. Even in another time and space, the so-called food crisis at the end of the Ming Dynasty does not refer to the total crisis, but to the distribution crisis, and the same is true for land.

At present, these grains are an important weight to leverage the price of grain. Their number is staggering, nearly 100,000 stones, and more importantly, they are in the hands of Fan Jin, not grain merchants or local yamen.

"The fields of the palace are all over Shanxi, and most of the grain produced has to be shipped to Datong, after all, it is close to the border fortress, so it is best to sell it at a price. It is impossible for the Zhu family to be in charge of these things personally, and all the work is handed over to the stewards below and people like Zhuangtou to complete. The rats in the granary are the fattest, this is a truth that everyone understands, and these rats are even more unscrupulous when there are no cats to supervise. Every stone of grain that is transported to the lord's family will be added with at least a bucket of sediment, and the corresponding grain will be turned into his own income. And the main family actually didn't care, because it was the border army who bought the grain along with the sediment in the end, and no matter how bad the food was, they would buy it, so no one cared about the wear and tear in the middle. ”

"As time goes by, these rats control more and more food in their hands, and they also put it on Datong's side, waiting to sell it at a good price. I believe that a large part of this batch of grain may have been ready to be sold to Xin Ai. It's just that they were unlucky, and before they could ship, they were caught by me. If these grains are put on the market, the price of grain can be reduced by two or three percent, or even more. After all, if I operate it, the effect will be much better, and one stone of rice can be used as one and a half stones. ”

Fan Jin sat on the dirt slope and pointed to the team below. The third lady sat next to him, and on the other side was Mei Ruyu. The third lady had already changed her clothes at this time, took off her disguise, and changed into a chivalrous dress. It seems that he thinks that he is the same as Mei Ruyu, he is Fan Jin's inner favorite and female bodyguard, unless he has seen the third lady, he will not recognize this as the loyal lady who gives orders on the grassland.

The three ladies wearing this heroine's costume became more and more heroic, so that Mei Ruyu's eyes were more and more full of resentment when she looked at her. The three ladies have seen a lot of this kind of look, and I replied that those Kedun and many noble ladies on the grassland have cast similar glances. Some of them were later cut off by her and played with them in her hands, while others were prostrate at their feet, their eyes daring only to look at her boots. As for Mei Ruyu...... The third lady didn't even bother to think about her ending, and a female slave dared to be jealous, which was simply beyond her strength.

Although Mei Ruyu and Fan Jin were also very close, and they were still resting their heads on Fan Jin's shoulders at the moment, the three ladies looked at each other like torches, and they could see at a glance that the actual relationship between the two was normal. She dared to swear that Fan Jin definitely didn't regard this woman as her own Ke Dun, at most she was a female slave with warm feet. When I was most spoiled by her, I would have sex with such a woman, and she wouldn't care. A woman of this status also deserves to be jealous of herself? A smile appeared on the third lady's face, and her eyes were only on Fan Jin's face.

This man's serious appearance is very attractive, especially when he says these words, the confidence revealed, although he does not have the domineering of a king, but the feeling of a wise man holding everything in his hands is enough to make a woman feel at ease. The third lady has seen the real king of Ida, this strange man who has been on the grassland for decades, and even dared to besiege the Daming Jingshi, is like a red sun, scorching and hurting and difficult to approach. Even though he gave herself the highest power, she was still afraid that he would respect him and not love him.

Compared with Meda, Fan Jin is like water, looking tame and harmless, and people are willing to approach him and hug him. The sky is indispensable, but everything is inseparable from the moisture of water, the third lady has been dry for too long, and she will not give up when she encounters a water source.

"Such a large amount of food, if it is used to distribute to the border army, or if it really lowers the price of food, everyone will definitely praise Master Fan's kindness. And with this food, the morale of the border army will be improved, and even if Xin Ai wants to fight, he may not have good fruits to eat. Isn't it a waste to take it to the grassland? ”

"This food may solve the problem now, but it doesn't mean much for the future. I can't stay in Shanxi forever, and when I'm gone, the market will change back to its original state, and the life of the border army will be the same. Everyone will thank me, but they will still hate the court, then my work will be meaningless. Xin Ai on the grassland did not dare to attack this time, and he could always find an opportunity in the future. In other words, a Shunyi king who has no deference to the Ming Dynasty, we don't want. On the contrary, use this grain to support a Sai king who is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and ensure that the war will not be prosperous, and the children of the border pass will not fight for decades. I can still understand who is more important than the food that is saved, the money that is rewarded, and the most precious human life. After all, I am a scholar, and I am good at settling accounts, and I don't do a loss-making business. ”

Mei Ruyu glanced at the smiling third lady, resentment gradually rose in her heart, and couldn't help but say: "Don't forget, master, it's better to ask for others than for yourself." ”

The third lady nodded and said, "That's right, this girl is right." We barbarians have always been untrustworthy, and if we gain benefits today, we may turn our faces tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of stone grains, as well as those armor and weapons, if you don't do it, they will all be lost. I just said casually, but I have never killed a black ox or a white horse, there is no ceremony, and even if I say it, it can't be called a violation of the oath. ”

Fan Jin smiled, "I believe that Madame's character has nothing to do with who you are." Your commitment is the most effective guarantee for me, more important than any ceremony. ”

The smile on the third lady's face was even bigger, and the smile was sweeter, and she nodded towards Fan Jin and said, "Since this is the case, I will be disrespectful to Master Fan's generous gift." I just don't know, how are you going to give these things out? Relying on Wu Shishi's gang alone, they don't have such great ability. If there were dozens of merchant gangs at the beginning, maybe it would still be possible. ”

"We need someone to help with this matter, this person I think will come to the door in half a day, and Mrs. can meet at that time."

Datong City, inside the Zhang family's mansion.

A young officer stood in front of Zhang Yaoling, being reprimanded. This young man named Zhang Zongdao is also a member of the Zhang clan, and he has to call Zhang Yaoling grandpa in terms of seniority, and he is a distant weak branch, so he is more deferential in front of Zhang Yaoling. He is brave in his own martial arts, and he is a famous general in the Datong Army. With the support of the towering tree of the Zhang family behind him, and his own ability, his achievements will naturally not be bad. Although he is young, he already has the rank of fourth-rank officer, and he is a general in the reinforcement camp of General Cao Zhen. On weekdays, he is also an important party in the army.

But in front of Zhang Yaoling, he was still just an insignificant little person, and he didn't dare to show the slightest displeasure despite Zhang Yaoling's scolding and insults. Even the slightest disrespect in demeanor may be judged as disloyalty to the family, and then you will lose everything you have earned so hard, including your life.

For a young officer like Zhang Zongdao, the Zhang family has trained no less than fifty people. Most of them served as key officers in the main force of the Xuanda defensive line, while others were scattered in other defensive lines. His official position is not very high, and he will not be paid special attention to by big people, but he has real power. Each person has hundreds of troops in his hands, although in absolute terms, it is nothing in the face of Xuanda's huge army, but on the battlefield, the performance of these thousands of people can often change the outcome of a war.

The Zhang family was able to become a behemoth influencing Shanxi, relying on not only the wealth in his hands, but also the pen of the literati and the knife of the martial artist. Whether it is smuggling supplies out of the country or controlling the outcome of a battle, the power of these officers is naturally indispensable to make the situation on the border evolve according to their imagination. It's just that in the eyes of the Zhang family, after all, civilian officials are the mainstay, and military generals are just auxiliaries. is still a little polite to the children who can read, and for this kind of people who rely on martial arts to make their lives, they don't have a good face.

Of course, in addition to Zhang Zongdao's own status, another important factor in Zhang Yaoling's current attack is also that the development of things is somewhat unexpected by him. I thought that it would be difficult to inspect the land and check Dingkou, but Fan Jin would definitely not be able to do it. At that time, Liu Jin wanted to investigate the actual situation of the military field, but the Ningxia Mutiny broke out, and Liu Jin also went to a dead end. Now that Fan Jin is doing this, even if the end is not as miserable as Liu Jin, at least he is disgraced, so he doesn't care too much. No, Fan Jin's work can be completed so smoothly, and the effect is unprecedented.

In a very short period of time, the rural land and land conditions around Datong have basically been registered, and the information of the personnel has also been recorded. Datong, as a large military town, originally only had military households. However, with the changes of the times, a large number of households moved over. The biggest reason why these people came to live in such places was to avoid servitude, and they were the most resistant to the inventory of the population. But because Fan Jin first cleaned up the acting king, and then went to do this work, it was tantamount to coming with the general trend, and ordinary people didn't dare to fight with him at all. Moreover, the parties themselves are very cooperative with this work and have no intention of resisting.

Those who fled to Datong were either desperate tenants or criminals with a criminal record and nowhere to stay. The neglect of civilians in border cities, coupled with the distorted mentality that force is a natural way to resolve disputes, has led to a clear pattern of oppression among these refugees. Strong-hearted and ruthless bandits abused honest farmers, and military households not only did not uphold justice, but instead aided in the abuse. Since they are all people who advocate force and are brave and ruthless, those military households and robbers are more likely to have a common language, and even call brothers and sisters in collusion, and as for the arrest of fast dukes, they are naturally even less expected.

When these desperate people were forced to join the royal palace or some wealthy families, hoping to get the support of these high-ranking families, they found that those villains who oppressed them were the thugs raised by these high-ranking families. For a long time, the peasant tenants, who make up the majority of the population, have been oppressed, and their lives have been worse than in the past, and they are threatened by these villains when they want to escape, and their lives are not guaranteed, and they dare not even run.

At that time, Zhao Quanneng successfully organized a large number of people to flee, and a large part of the reason was that these people really couldn't survive, and would rather run to the bitter cold land to find a future than stay and wait for death. The people's dissatisfaction with the government is increasing day by day, and if no one relieves it, it will explode in a roar after a few years, uprooting the entire palace and even the Ming Dynasty.

Fan Jin's appearance and methods made this huge energy explode in advance, and the target also shifted from the imperial court to the Imperial Mansion and those thugs who were usually rampant and domineering. After all, these people are still simple people, and their brains are not as fast as Fan Jin, and their scheming is not as deep as his. I feel satisfied when I see the bad guy who usually bullies me being beheaded, and I can't think of anything deep.

And the methods adopted this time are also different from Liu Jin's previous methods, when Liu Jin checked the military field, the purpose was still to make meritorious contributions, just like Zhang Juzheng's subordinates engaged in these jobs for their own fame and future. Even a person like Zhang Juzheng has the idea of leaving a name in history, and when he does things, he thinks more about the upper class, and even if he thinks of the people, he starts from the perspective of the group rather than the individual.

Fan Jin is an absolute alternative heresy among officials, and when he does things, he doesn't think that he can get credit or reputation from his work, but just to protect the plate and paste it. Different starting points lead to different means, and the results are naturally different. First of all, it was a thunderous means to kill those Zhuang Tou and the domineering pranksters and even the so-called chivalrous people in the countryside, and then opened a warehouse for relief, taking the opportunity to preach the policy, and the Qipin Patrol personally explained to the people, so that there was no obstacle to the communication of Zhengce.

The people were overjoyed to learn that this registration was a re-survey, regardless of the previous editions, and that they could change from a black household to a good citizen. In addition, the service that was most harmful to the people was also distributed according to the land, and for these extremely poor strata, not only did they not have to serve, but they could also earn money through substitute service, so they were even more happy. In the face of this general trend, conspiracy and trickery will not play a role, not only can Datong's Yellow Book inventory be successfully completed, but it is conceivable that if this news spreads smoothly, it will be even more difficult to obstruct the promotion of the new law in Shanxi.

Compared with this, what made Zhang Yaoling even more intolerable was that the materials stored privately by the head of the village and the steward were seized by the government. You must know that those secret warehouses were originally hidden and did not exist in any official records, and there were some shady things in them, and more importantly, the contents belonged not only to those people, but also to the Zhang family.

Zhang Zongdao, as an important pawn of the Datong army, was actually powerless against all this, neither could he stop it, nor could he control the materials in his own hands, and now let him try to burn down the warehouse, just like the previous times, it is also difficult to do, Zhang Yaoling is naturally intolerable.

"I warn you, if I can lift you up, I can trample you down! Don't forget who you are! If you don't do things well, everyone in your room will die! ”

Zhang Yaoling roared, venting his anger. It wasn't until his temper was almost out that Zhang Siduan walked in from outside, first comforted Zhang Zongdao a few words, whispered to him, and told him to rest outside. When there were only two uncles and nephews left in the room, Zhang Siduan smiled bitterly:

"Uncle, we also spent a lot of money on him, and your temper is too expensive."

"What? How many words shouldn't I scold him as an elder? Just for this little thing, he dared to turn against the water? How can I not believe it? ”

"It's not a question of believing it or not, it's a question of not having to take risks. He really can't do it, not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't have the ability to do it. Those soldiers from Beijing were too powerful, and he couldn't help it. Uncle is embarrassed for him, he is dissatisfied, and he doesn't know when it will happen in the future, which will be a trouble. Since it is a hindrance, except that it is. This time, when Xin Ai Khan entered the army, he was killed. The little nephew went back and found someone to go up. Speaking of this, Zhang Siduan shook his head, looking helpless.

"Uncle is in a bad mood, and the little nephew understands. This loss is not small, if Fan Jinzhen uses those things as a bodhisattva, our losses will be further expanded. But it's useless to just get angry, you still have to find a way to solve it. Fortunately, we are not without chess. ”

Zhang Yaoling was stunned for a moment, "Is there any news from the slut?" I thought she wasn't of any use. ”

"How is that possible? Fan Jin has this hobby, and it is very easy to manipulate him. In just this half day, the fish will enter the net. And the timing was just right. Zhang Siduan smiled, and he was in his chest.