On June 23, after a rapid march, the Manchurian army was stationed 50 miles from Zhangjiakou.

The Azig sent a clear message: Ming officials in Zhangjiakou had ordered Ming merchants to enter the Bianmen market, which could be opened at any time.

According to the rules set by the Ming State, the object of this exchange of markets was still nominally Chahar, but Manchurians could participate. The Mongols and Manchurians could only exchange gold, silver, cattle and sheep, leather goods, horsetails and other items with the Ming State for cloth and utensils, but not for grain and iron tools.

Abahai asked: "Did the Ming Kingdom promise to make peace?" ”

The envoy of Azig replied: "The Ming people say that without the order of their emperor, they do not dare to make their own decisions. After Ning finished crying, I dried my tears, and admonished in a hoarse voice: "Master, this is a delaying tactic in the southern country." Nanguo has no sincerity in making peace with us in Manchuria. Master, master, don't be fooled! ”

Dai Shan shouted angrily: "Get out of here!" ”

Dai Shan said to Abahai: "Although the Ming Kingdom has played tricks, after all, the two families have begun to reconcile, and the Great Khan can't let go of this opportunity." Abahai unexpectedly sent someone to call Fan Wencheng to hear Fan's guerrilla opinion.

Fan Wencheng suggested: first exchange markets with the Ming Dynasty, and then attack the Ming Dynasty.

Fan Wencheng explained: "Once the mutual market began, the Ming officials in Zhangjiakou were like girls who had lost their virginity. We went one step further with strong coercion, and the Ming officials could only comply. ”

Abahai laughed.

Fan Wencheng said at the same time: "At this time, we must strictly rectify military discipline to show that my Eight Banners are not bandits and robbers, but the demeanor of a teacher of benevolence and righteousness." ”

On 24 June, the Manchurian army marched to the Karaba Gasun area outside Zhangjiakou, only 20 miles away from the Ming border. Send a member of the ministers of each banner to trade with the silverware of the ministers of Zhubeile to Zhangjiakou in the Ming Dynasty.

……

Zhang Jiakou, also known as Zhang Yuan.

In the fourth year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army built a fort here. In the eighth year of Jiajing, a secret door was opened on the fort wall, and he was called "Zhang Jiakou" because of the surname of the guard officer.

In the five years of Longqing in the Ming Dynasty, Zhangjiakou became the entrance of the city. The rapid rise of Zhangjiakou attracted wealthy businessmen and tycoons from all walks of life and a large number of bankrupt peasants.

Outside the Zhangjiakou Fort Wall, there is a market similar to Wengcheng, which is open for three days every fifteenth day every month.

On the day of the opening of the market, nomads were inspected and entered from outside the border, while Ming merchants entered from inside the fort. Usually the people of the Ming Dynasty want to have a place in the market in Zhangjiakou, that is a dream.

To do business in the market in Zhangjiakou, you must first have a lot of silver. The market was full of big deals with the Mongol princes, and whenever the market opened, the amount of wealth was as large as a flood, and ordinary people could not afford it. Second, there should be a relationship. The buying and selling in the market is a sure way to make a profit, and there is no hard way, and even the door of the market cannot be entered. There are more than 20 merchants in the Zhangjiakou market, and each family has the background of the government, which is not a game for the common people.

However, in the late July of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the merchants were not prepared for this sudden mutual market.

For example, the Xue family. The Xue family has industries in Shanxi and Yangzhou. The common people described the Xue family as rich, saying: "The harvest year is good and snowy, and the pearls are like earth and gold like iron." ”

Speaking of the Xue family's fortune, it is related to the second grandfather of the Xue family back then. The second grandfather was awarded the rank of sergeant in the Longqing period, and the officer was the head of the military department; The imperial court implemented the "Open China Law", allowing merchants to send grain to the border army in exchange for salt, and the third prince of the Xue family concentrated on the salt and grain business; The third master made money, so he handed it over to the eldest master to buy fields in Tiancheng, Yanghe and other places.

The Xue family did not divide the family, did not divide the property, the population was prosperous, and they concentrated on being officials, doing business, and farming. Now there are as many as ten tributes to the Xue family, and their families are serving in various places, and their family properties are all over Shanxi and Jiangnan. When they heard that this time it was a mutual market with Jiannu, and in consideration of the family's safety, the Xue family refused.

Wang Kun, who was in charge of monitoring the Zhangjiakou market, had no choice but to lower the threshold for entering the market again and again. Many small businessmen have been given the coveted opportunity to enter the market.

Fan Yongdou is one of these small businessmen.

The Fan family's ancestral home is Shaanxi, and they first moved to Jiexiu City, Shanxi, and then moved to Zhangyuan Village outside Jiexiu City. Five generations in a row, generations of poor peasants.

Fan Yongdou's father was poor when he was a child, and he stole a few dates from the family and was beaten by Fan Yongdou's grandfather. Fan Yongdou's father was so angry that he stole a wheelbarrow and went away to Dushikou. Fan Yongdou's father started as a small business, became more and more prosperous, and returned to Zhangyuan Village after 12 years, and used the money he earned to buy 60 acres of jujube orchards in one go.

Fan Yongdou has three brothers, Yongkui, Yongxing, Yongdou, and Fan Yongdou is the youngest. Fan Yongdou's father took his eldest brother Yongkui back to Dushikou, and it took another ten years to save thousands of taels of silver.

Fan Yongdou inherited the business of his father and eldest brother. With thousands of taels of silver as the capital, he worked the periphery of the markets of the Great Wall.

Fan Yongdou knows that his family has no background, and he wakes up earlier than the chickens and sleeps later than the chickens every day. Run more diligently than dogs, fight for credibility, and specialize in picking up small businesses that big businessmen have missed.

However, in the past few years, the mutual market with Chahar has been intermittent, and Fan Yongdou is also surveying and maintaining a non-loss and no profit.

Knowing that Zhangjiakou had such an opportunity to enter the market, Fan Yongdou did not hesitate to come from Dushikou and bet on his entire net worth.

What kind of tribe is Manchuria, Fan Yongdou doesn't know, but he knows that cloth and silk are money on the grassland, and the prince who is rich on the grassland likes the high-grade python satin in the south of the Yangtze River the most. Fan Yongdou exchanged all his thousands of taels of silver for the highest grade Hangzhou python satin at the price of four taels or five yuan per python satin.

After basking in the sun in the market for a long time, someone suddenly made a noise: "Coming, coming!" ”

Fan Yongdou was clever and cheered up, and more than a dozen masters entered the side door of the market.

Fan Yongdou greeted warmly: "Dada, have you eaten?" ”

During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Mongolian people called their fathers "Da" and "Dada", because the Mongolian nomadic herding was based on the family unit, so it also had the meaning of "chief" and "adult". The Han people in Shanxi and northern Shaanxi gradually accepted this name.

Based on Fan Yongdou's experience, everything that is outside the mouth is called "Da", and everything that is inside the mouth is called "master", and it is impossible to make money with harmony.

Dazi reached out and stroked Fan Yongdou's python satin sample and asked, "How to sell it?" ”

Fan Yongdou smiled all over his face: "The best Hangzhou satin feels like an aunt, and a horse only costs five taels and five dollars of silver." ”

Fan Yongdou waited for Tatsuko to make a counteroffer.

Tatsuko waved his hand, "It's all over!" ”

Fan Yongdou instinctively waited for his head to thump.

If you pay a lot, you can earn more than 200 taels for a sale! Happiness came too suddenly.

Dazi rubbed the satin back and forth on his face, and smiled so much that he leaked a mouthful of big yellow teeth: "I brought these satins back to Shenyang, and one horse is worth two hundred taels!" ”

——————

Resources

Historical materials covered in this chapter

"Manchu Old Files" June file

On the 23rd, the army was left in the place.

On that day, he sent Aibari and Kamaty to Azigbel.

On the same day, Dayazi Tabu, who was sent to Azigbel, came to report the news that he had sent people to trade with us at the border gate of Zhangjiakou with goods.

On the 24th, the army went to the Karaba Gasun place outside Zhangjiakou and set up camp to dig a trench.

On that day, the Longshi and Baigeyi who were sent to Azigebel were returned.

On that day, he sent Baduli to lead a member of the ministers of each banner to trade with the silverware of the ministers of Zhubeile to Zhangjiakou in the Ming Dynasty.

File Chongyuan Note: In the past, it was easy to get python satin with five taels of silver in peacetime, and after the army, Liaodong and Shenyang were captured, and when they were in domestic trade, a python satin was worth two hundred taels. This time, it is easy to take python satin every five, two, or six taels.