"In August, I was lucky enough to cut five places. The representative of Lingshan Commercial Bank arranged for Caiqian City to inquire about something, saying that Ding Xu, the mine supervisor, was particularly happy that day. specially asked someone to take out the wine he bought back in the capital and drink a few glasses. ”

Although Mu Yunyao was very lively in front of Li Meng, when he was talking about business in the inner study. But it's very serious. She sat upright beside her, and Liu Ru read their analysis in a clear voice beside her. Li Meng had a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, but he listened very carefully.

"Commander Huang led his subordinates to the earthlings in the diary of that day. There is also news that the Jingshi has a messenger to enter the city in the early morning, and at the end of July, when the camp went to Caiqian City to clear the bandits, there was a horse out of the city. It was said that it was an urgent letter to the Kyoshi. ”

Speaking of which. Liu Ru paused and continued:

"Master, Miss Mu and the slaves reasoned. The resignation of the old man should be the hands and feet of Ding Xu, the supervisor of the mine, and after Yang Sichang, the secretary of the military department, was appointed to supervise the teacher, it can almost be confirmed. ”

Li Meng had been listening very carefully, but after hearing the inferences of these female vassals. After pondering for a while, he still asked:

"It's a little weird. It's nothing but a dispute over money. As for the trouble that came to this point?"

Liu Ru turned his head and glanced at Mu Yunyao, who was sitting on the side, and Mu Yunyao said softly:

"I can't figure it out, maybe there's something else going on in there. After the old man came from Nanjing. Inquire in detail, presumably there will be a knot. ”

The names of these people just now are quite interesting. Liu Ru and Gu Hengbo both call themselves slaves, but Mu Yunyao can use "I" relatively closely, which also shows the difference in the status of these people in the mansion. Gu Henglang on the side didn't say anything, but took the pen and ink to prepare to record.

According to the predetermined schedule. Around the tenth day of the first month of September, Liu Fulai was about to come to Jiaozhou City from Nanjing, and when the time came, he would see and analyze it as an old eunuch. Presumably there will be more accurate results.

Li Meng nodded and exhaled lightly. Looking at the three women with appreciative eyes, he opened his mouth and praised:

"With a few of you, it's as if I have three more heads out of thin air, I can see and hear more, and I think more thoughtfully than before, and do it well. The resources of the Jiaozhou battalion informed me, and you can all use them. ”

Mu Yunyao's cheeks flushed with excitement. Gu Hengbo and Liu Ru also had joy in their eyes. What Li Meng just said. It is equivalent to officially acknowledging the location and legitimacy of the tent in the Li Mansion, and those words are not spoken to intimate female dependents. It's a tone of business.

For these three girls, it may have been set up on a whim, and after Li Meng realized their abilities, his attitude towards the land became supportive, and the intelligence collection and analysis system was the most central thing in a collective, and all kinds of potential risks had to be considered no matter who it was handed over. Mu Yunyao and her three daughters are the safest choice, and Tuan Wei is the female concubine of her own private house. Ordinary actions do not leave the inner house, and the communication with the outside world is only words and conversations. For the sake of etiquette. You can't even face to face with an intelligence officer. There is no talk of cultivating one's own local power. The most reassuring.

"Big brother, is the next step to arrange people to keep a closer eye on Lai Qian Cheng and Mine Supervisor Ding Xu?"

Mu Yunyao was happy when she heard the praise and acknowledgement. Thinking about striking while the iron was hot, Li Meng waved his hand. Said with a smile:

"There's no need to put in that much effort. I have some other things to do. ”

After saying this, Li Mengjian smiled. Said with some praise:

"An officer. In the face of bloody swords, coercion and temptation, he can actually withstand it. There is also the mind to think about counterattacking, with such courage and insight. It's amazing!"

In September, Emperor Chongzhen issued an order. Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of War, was appointed as the supervisor, but he did not leave immediately, and there were still many ceremonial procedures to go. For example, if you want to resign, you have to give an edict to encourage, and the Jingshi side is still making a lot of noise, but it has nothing to do with Shandong.

Ding Xu, the mine supervisor, knew the news of the fall of Liu Fulai, the eunuch of Nanjing, earlier than others. It is said that this backstage collapsed, and as soon as the news spread. There must have been many people who came to trouble Li Mengdi, the chief soldier of Shandong, with new and old hatreds. Who would have thought that the whole Shandong was calm and calm, without a trace of abnormality.

By the seventh day of September. The production of Caiqi iron ore has been stopped for a long time, and Ding Xu is also a little unbearable, so he privately sent someone to discuss with the owners of those coal mines in Jining, saying that the backstage of your Li Zongbing has collapsed. I don't know what the situation will be in the future, what will these people hold on!

Who would have thought that those coal mine owners would not dare to make any reaction. At first, one or two families met at the beginning, but the second time the mine supervisor Ding Xu's subordinates went to the field again, they stirred up the two coal mines where they met. It's already a change of owner. There are examples of this. I didn't even dare to talk about it later.

However, the Jiaozhou Camp Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau has already moved towards Caiqian with great fanfare, and Ding Xu, the mine supervisor of Caiqian Iron Smelting Institute, has real powers. In fact, only this iron mine and iron smelting plant can be managed. The civil administration has no right to interfere. The Jiaozhou battalion was directly building in Caiqian City, and he was helpless.

The soldiers and horses in Laiqian who obeyed his orders did not dare to move. Because one of the battalions of the Jiaozhou battalion was stationed outside the city. On that day, they were killed in the city, and the majesty is still intimidating.

The Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau is in the process of being relocated. The demand for raw materials is also much less, and the few blacksmith workshops that are still in operation are almost enough to use the iron obtained from the small iron mines in various places and some private storage near the vegetable coriander.

Mine supervisor Ding Xu from the beginning of the happy and gloating to a little confused, he has been the emperor of the soil in Laiqian for too long, and the communication is directly to find the great eunuch of the inner court, lack of in-depth understanding of the situation in Shandong, this time I saw that the general army of Shandong was safe, but the Caiqian iron mine was a little unable to do it. Finally I felt that something was wrong. Ding Xu, the mine supervisor, also began to panic.

In addition to the relocation of the weapons manufacturing institute, Li Meng also planned to set up an institution similar to the old camp in Jiaozhou in Jinan City. The garrison soldiers and horses should also be strengthened, after all, they are the commanders of Shandong. And Jinan City is the center of Shandong, which is convenient for the control of other state capitals. The city of Jinan was repaired into a semi-fortress city, which was also for this consideration. However, Li Meng's mind is not on this now.

Ding Xudi, the mine supervisor over there, panicked. Moreover, the intelligence and analysts of the Jiaozhou camp also found out the relationship between him and Liu Fulai's resignation. But Li Meng didn't bother to pay attention to it at the moment.

The area around Jiaozhou has become a completely military restricted area. Every day, a large number of local cavalry and foot soldiers patrolled the vicinity, and unrelated people were expelled. Especially the area between the Jiaozhou camp and the seaside. It's almost a carpet search. However, this is the territory of the Jiaozhou camp, even if outsiders see it. Recently, there has been nothing important on the ground in Shandong worth mentioning. If the Jiaozhou battalion wants to mobilize the division like this, it can only be understood as a drill.

As a matter of fact. Li Meng was married to Yan Ruoran at home for about half a month. I started to leave Jiaozhou every three or four days, and came back in another three or four days.

It was said to the outside world that General Li went to inspect various military camps. It's a pity that no one pays attention to it, and the so-called Li Mengdi can't see any trace of Li Mengdi when he goes to some military camps.

Li Meng went to Xinyang Town to watch the troops. Go and see the thousands of young men trained by Yang Si, the "Great Sage of the Sea", it is said that this training of soldiers has not been a year and a half, and it will not produce any results at all, and in mid-September, Yang Si's men are only young and strong when they gather at night, not as chaotic as the first time they watched. Although there is no formation, everyone is basically in the team to which everyone belongs. It won't get separated.

These young men have an advantage over the recruits trained by Li Meng, that is, most of them were born as pirates and robbers back then. I have seen blood on my hands, and I am not a character who is fortunate to be in battle. In the vicinity of the town of Xinyang. Some of the big families have moved elsewhere. Watch thousands of murderous men train around their homes every day. Although the restraint has been quite good, it is also terrifying to watch.

The Zhucheng County Order has already reported to the top many times, saying that he is old and sick. Asking to resign and return to his hometown, God knows what he said about being old and sick, if he is forty-one years old, he is still old. In March, he also married a concubine, which is considered a sick place, because he has reported to the top several times here, and he has ignored his land requirements.

Originally, after September and ten. Li Meng was going to wait for Liu Fulai in Jiaozhou. But there is news from Jining Prefecture. It is said that the old eunuch wants to play in Jining and Qufu, and it can be regarded as revisiting the place where he suddenly soared, and at present, Kong Sande, the big shopkeeper of Wenru Commercial Bank, is accompanying him there.

Li Meng simply went to Xinyang Town a few more times. One last time though. The guards around him were not horsebacks. Rather, by boat, there are now fifteen ships under the name of the Jiaozhou battalion. Three of them were so-called ground gunboats, the rest were merchant ships. Although the Zheng family was vigilant, they did not control the merchant ship so strictly.

The merchant ships on the ground, from the captain to the bottom of the sailors, are all children of Shandong, and these parents live under the control of the Jiaozhou camp. Naturally, he knows what to do, and that is to be loyal to Li Meng.

On September 17th. Li Meng led his men out of the private port of Lingshan and went to Xinjiu Town. The boat was followed by 500 guards. There are several old leaders of the Zheng family, all of whom don't quite understand and think that this young man is in a high position. There is always some flamboyant thinking.

Otherwise, on their own turf. Why bother to go out with 500 people every time, and five merchant ships are enough, but you have to take all a dozen merchant ships away. What do you want to do with this pomp, these dozen big ships run like this. How much silver to earn. But after all, it's not a family, and these words are just a joke in private.

After arriving in Xinyang Town. Li Meng led two hundred men down from a dozen merchant ships. It is already in the campsite last time, and at present, Yang Si has built some simple grass houses and shacks here, and it is said to the outside world that he is the place where he raises villagers, this place is already barren, not to mention that the Great Sage of the Sea has stirred up the talk. And no one came to find it uncomfortable.

After Li Meng led the people over, he saw that the apartment had prepared food and enough supplies to last for a month. Two hundred of them stayed here.

The dozen or so ships did not return to Jiaozhou City, but waited on the sea, when it was not dark. Yang Si led his and his men to push the small boats into the water, and then went to the big boats, climbed onto the big boats, Li Menglai was silent, Yang Si and his subordinates seemed to have not noticed that there were people living on the other side of the shack, but only used the small boats to carry food, weapons and everything needed.

Although it is at sea. However, the efficiency of the more than 2,000 young men was not as chaotic as in the 6th place, although there was no neat team and formation, but they climbed the boat and rowed, and when they got to the boat, they performed their duties. It's all pretty fast. And it's efficient.

Li Meng's ship went to the sea outside Xinyang Town in the morning. By the time it was dark, the dozen or so merchant ships had already set sail. Towards the South......

Li Meng in the modern era. Although the geography class is average, it can still be pointed out that Lianyungang is a Haitian city facing the north of Jiangsu Province, but in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the location of Lianyungang City is still on a big island. On this island, a thousand households of the Ming army of the Southern Zhili were stationed - the East China Sea.

However, the officers and soldiers of this Qianhu Institute have long had no combat effectiveness. The reason for the lack of combat effectiveness is not the common practice of withholding military salaries and driving officers and soldiers to work as serfs. It's about living too comfortably. Serving as a soldier on a horse, you can get a full military salary every year, and if you are lucky, you can get three or four times the income.

The reason is simple: the East China Sea and a city are separated by a narrow strait. That city is the richest place in the world - Haizhou.

Huai salt marketing Daming. The production base of Huaiyan is Haizhou, and everyone in the world knows that salt merchants are rich in the world. But the salt merchant refers specifically to the Yangzhou salt merchant for most of the time. Salt merchants from Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Anqing in Weizhou live in Yangzhou and sell Huai salt all over the world.

The salt goods marketed by these salt merchants are distributed to Haizhou, and the seawater near Haizhou has high salinity, and the sun exposure time and wind are particularly suitable for salt production. Every year, except for the short time in the second month of the lunar month and the first half of the first lunar month. The rest of the days are salt that can be produced without asking.

Most of the salt merchants in Yangzhou have their own representatives and semicolons in Haizhou, Haizhou Zhizhou Yamen and the nearby Donghai Zhongzhong, from high-grade local civil officials and military generals to the lower local officers and soldiers. They are all treated very well, and to put it bluntly, it's like raising a watchdog. But there's too much food to feed the ground.

Comparatively speaking, the salt workers working in the salt works near Haizhou are treated slightly better than in other places. A year of hard work. The time of starvation is only ten days, not to mention such a year of catastrophe everywhere.

Haizhou's salt production is always insufficient, and two-thirds of the land eaten by the regiment is Huai salt, and in areas that are not within the scope of official salt marketing, salt merchants always have a way to occupy this local market with private salt, and the two Huai salt merchants have accumulated for hundreds of years. Whether it is in the officialdom, the military or the so-called recklessness, a large number of local relationships and favors have been accumulated. These are deeply ingrained in the background. Make it easier and smoother for them to do business.

Fujian's lack of salt has almost become one of the weaknesses of the Zheng family. But even with the Zheng family's strong maritime strength, they did not seize their own territory in the salt field, so they could only deal with the two Huai salt merchants in a low voice.

After so many years, the two Huai salt merchants controlled the local market. There is only one variable. That's Shandong. There are almost no local salt merchants in Shandong, and the local salt farms only rely on petty trafficking to make ends meet. But out of nowhere, a salt dealer squeezed them out of Shandong Province.

This salt dealer had no official connections, and he didn't know what the means of doing business, but he gathered some poor and crazy military households. Take a thick bamboo pole as a spear and kill everyone who stands in their way. Everyone is harmonious and wealthy, how could such a barbaric rough person come in.

More than 100 years of business for salt merchants. I have also encountered such brute bandits and the like, but the salt merchants naturally have the means to deal with them. Or buy through the bandits. Or buy off the generals. Countering violence with violence and killing people is also a hundred.

Who thought of that salt dealer in Shandong. Defeated the two Huai salt merchants every effort. After Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Caozhou, was suddenly killed by "thieves", several salt warehouses belonging to Huai merchants in Jining Prefecture were destroyed, and nearly 1,000 children and cronies of Huai Shang died in Shandong.

It has always been the two Huai salt merchants who are high above. Finally, I didn't dare to continue fighting like this. In particular, the enemy in their land has been inspected from the Salt Administration Division, and has become a garrison, a capital division, and a general, and now he is the general of Shandong, and he has been added to the left capital to supervise the town and lead the general. There is also the support of the eunuchs in Nanjing.

Keep fighting like this. The only result was that both sides would lose or die together, and the two Huai salt merchants finally compromised and withdrew from Shandong.

The Manchus entered the Kou. The two Huai salt merchants were not worried about the invasion of these beasts, but gloated and waited for Li Meng to be unlucky. Others have already discussed in advance how to distribute Shandong's salt works and territory. Although Shandong has been a catastrophe every year. But the salt land market has made Li Meng's business very mature and turned into a piece of fat.

Of course, the results disappointed them again.

Recently, Liu Fulai, the eunuch guarding the town of Nanjing, fell down, giving them a new hope in their hearts, but these salt merchants are not as lonely as the mine supervisor Ding Lei. They knew that what Li Mengdi did was not relying on the so-called shadow, and his own strength was even stronger.

Sure enough, after Liu Fulai fell, Shandong was not shocked, everything was as usual, and the two Huai salt merchants ignored it, anyway, there were many opportunities. Just be patient. Do your business well first.

But this is a great famine. There was great chaos in the interior and at the border gates, and the sales of Huai salt in the two Huai salt merchants were also reduced, increasing sales. The way to increase income is to expand the new land market, and this new market must be a peaceful place, and residents have a certain amount of spending power. Shandong is the best choice.

So after the fall of Liu Fulai. The Salt Merchants' Guild summed it up. Or send people to take the money to find old relations everywhere for activities, maybe there will be some cheap money to be made.

In October, there are still two months before the end of the year, and it can be used for the Haizhou salt field. When the fork arrives at the peak season of the production area, it is necessary to increase the amount of salt to supply the needs of the first month of the Spring Festival.

On the salt pans by the sea in Haizhou. The foremen kept walking around the salt pans. Loudly urging the salt workers and stove workers to work. Don't slack off.

In October, it was already quite cold in late autumn. But the salters were still busy in the biting waters, and they consoled themselves that by noon, when the sun was in the middle, it would be somewhat warmer.

The hour has just passed, and the time has passed. The saltmen and foremen who were working on the seashore saw a cargo ship sailing into the strait, which was too narrow between Haizhou and the East China Sea. Merchant ships traveling between ports generally traveled on the open sea. And not to walk this strait.

However, there are also some ships that want to enter the Huai River will take this route, but it is also very unusual, and there are no experienced sailors and boatmen in charge. Very few people walk here.

A ship passes by. It's just that some of the salt workers turned their heads to look. And he was shouted and scolded by the foremen, "Hurry up and get to work." Haven't you seen a ship in your life?"

More and more merchant ships entered this waterway. The merchant ships stopped as close to the shore as possible and lowered their sails. The salt workers who worked in the salt pans did not care about the scolding of the foremen. They all looked at the fleet in amazement, and even the foremen forgot to supervise. There stupidly looking at the sea.

The strait was so narrow that the ships were close enough to the shore that they could even hear the shouting and urging of people on board.

There were twelve large ships and thirty small boats, and the people standing on the shore saw the mermaids on the big boats rushing down to the small boats, and a dozen small boats were full of people, and the small boats began to turn slowly, and began to move towards the salt pans on the shore.

"Waka!!"

I don't know who on the shore shouted heartbreakingly. All the people who were busy in the salt pans reacted. I couldn't take care of anything for a while. Throwing away the tools in his hand, he ran wildly in the direction of Haizhou City.

Ships rowed by human power in the sea. After all, they are not as fast as these people on the shore. However, the shrill shouts of the salt foremen on the shore were heard clearly by the wind. Immediately on the boat, a young man with a hot temperament stood up. Pointing to the shore and scolding:

"You're the fucking wolf. Your whole family is a wolf!!"

The man who stood up was immediately scolded by the leader behind him:

"What are you doing standing up? Sit down and row for Lao Tzu. Bastard, I'm going to throw you into the sea to feed the fish in the sea like this!!"

After these small boats have landed on the shore. The personnel on board were not in a hurry to pursue. Instead, they first flocked to the dam that intercepted the sea. The saltmen dropped their tools and began to dig, some of them on guard. Some people dug desperately, in shifts, and there were people constantly dropping on those dozen or so large ships.

Half an hour later, the dam was dug up. At high tide, the sea water pours into the salt pans, and the salt pans release sea water every time. Echelon drying. Add lime and other substances to boil and dry salt. If it is arbitrary, let the sea water soak. I'm afraid this salt pan will be scrapped.

But look at these people who come ashore. I am afraid that the destruction of this salt pan is their purpose. The boats kept moving people back and forth towards the shore. In a short time, a team of good land has been gathered.

It's still like that. The small and medium-sized leaders were there shouting and scolding, and the people below were also yelling. But the degree of gathering into a team is still very fast, although it is not neat, but quickly get together. The strait is indeed not wide. The movement on the Haizhou side gradually became bigger, and the East China Sea naturally heard it.

For these officers and soldiers, the salt merchants in Haizhou were more effective than the words of the Nanjing Military Department, and the thousands of households heard the report of the sentinels, and after a stick of incense, they "hurriedly" gathered their soldiers and horses to run towards the coast, and they and the six places opposite had to transport supplies and personnel by boats, so there were also many ships.

Seeing the ships on the sea, the thousand always stopped moving forward. The pro-soldiers on the side were in a hurry, just a few steps forward. I heard an "ouch" next to me. The Qian Zong had already fallen to the ground, and the Qian Zong in the East China Sea had a painful look on his face, and said:

"My whole body hurts, and my old fear of the wind has come again. Hurry up and carry me back!"

The soldier was stunned. I thought that you were pushing pai gow in the barracks, full of spirit. Why did you suddenly get sick. Take a look at your own commander again. To fall to the ground is to fall to the ground, and his face is extremely ruddy. The voice was loud, and there was no way to see what was sick. In the end, this pro-soldier is a cronie of the East China Sea, and perhaps he was selected because of his clever mind. Immediately reacted, and shouted at the soldiers who were running forward:

"Run a ball! Adults are searching for an emergency. Hurry up and carry the adults back to the barracks, it's a big deal!"

The soldiers in the East China Sea hurried out of the barracks and looked at the big and small ships on the sea. has already judged that the number of people on the other side is more than himself, and the pace has slowed down a lot. I heard the thousand general land soldiers shout. Each is a blessing to the soul. They all stopped.

Immediately, he used faster movements to surround Mr. Qian's side, and at this time, it could be seen that the relationship between the officers and soldiers in the East China Sea was really good, and the boss suddenly became ill. The soldiers below didn't care about anything, and they all gathered around Mr. Qian with great concern. Babbling and shouting.

This shouts, "Your Excellency, you're not feeling well." The one yelled, "Be gentle. Lighter. Don't hurt adults. "The group was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a fleet of boats parked on the other side. It was directly carried back by the person.

When you get back to the barracks, close the barracks door tightly. The officers and soldiers nervously hid behind the high wall and stared at the convoy on the sea, and the rest of the people simply gathered in front of President Qian to ask for warmth.

In the seas of Haizhou and the East China Sea, there has not been a fleet of such a scale for nearly a hundred years, and it is still a warship. The sea is indeed not wide, and in modern times it has become six places. It's also very narrow in this era. The regiment is so close to these flotillas. It is very clear to those "Japanese robbers" who have landed on the opposite side.

The island where Senho is located in the East China Sea. On the shore facing Haeju, there is a gap and a high platform. On the other side of the sea, it is very clear that all this is seen.

From the boat slowly sailed into the strait, the small boat was lowered, and the "Japanese coguit" on the boat got off the big boat and boarded the small boat, and then went ashore to gather. Although noisy. However, it is an important aspect of the quality of the fighters that can be quickly gathered into a group, and the ability to quickly gather into a group is an important aspect of the quality of the soldiers.

Although it was not clear from a long distance what kind of outfit these "Japanese robbers" were, those people in the East China Sea saw that the whole process of these "Japanese robbers" from the boat to the shore was fast and fast, and although the formation was very open after going ashore, they did not gather together in a chaotic manner. From a distance, it can almost be observed that they are divided into more than a dozen squads, and they practice according to the level of the East China Sea on weekdays. It's simply unbelievable.

It is common to use soldiers to gather and disperse, and to gather and disperse to a certain extent is to strengthen the army. Officers and soldiers from top to bottom in the East China Sea. Almost all of them are aware of this, this "wolf" is really not simple, at least much stronger than themselves. Moreover, so many big ships on the other side are lying on the sea, if these warships of their own want to cross the sea to rescue. I'm afraid I'm going to sink in the sea to feed the fish and shrimp.

The officers and soldiers of this thousand households were united at this time. I just found a reason to escape. Although the Ming soldiers and horses near Haizhou are all dogs fed by the salt merchants of the two Huai.

But after these dogs are fed, they will not bite