On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Yan rushed to Jinan with a team of cavalry after the New Year, and Henan was not quiet in this winter. Through reading the Di newspaper, it was learned that the army of thieves who broke into Shanxi in Chongzhen's three to five years had successfully crossed the Yellow River antenna and broke into Henan from Shanxi, which was the first time that the thieves entered Henan.

……

In the winter of the sixth year of Chongzhen, the officers and troops transferred by the Ming court gathered in the border areas of Shanxi, Hebei and Henan provinces. Since the main battlefield had been moved to northern Henan at that time, the officers and troops of Henan Province were called the main soldiers, with a total of more than 8,300 soldiers; There were 19,600 guest soldiers from Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing, and the total number of officers and soldiers participating in the encirclement and suppression should be more than 30,000 with the Shaanxi soldiers under the command of Cao Wenzhao and others.

The room for the activities of the thieves is getting smaller and smaller, and it is extremely difficult to provide food, and they are facing the danger of being surrounded and annihilated by the officials and soldiers. So, the leaders of the thieves tried to find a way out of their predicament.

In November, Zhang Miaoshou, Chuang Tian, Flying All Over the Sky, Xing Hongwolf, Chuang General (Li Zicheng), etc., falsely claimed to Wang Pu, the chief soldier of the Beijing camp, that he was willing to accept Zhao'an, "Kowtow and say: We are all good people, and because of the drought in Shaanxi, we have committed a great crime." Now I vow to surrender and return to my homeland to resume business. ”

Wang Pu and the eunuchs Yang Jinchao and Lu Jiude didn't know what to do, thinking that they could immediately put down the big trouble without much effort, and agreed to accept surrender. On the 19th, 12 people, including He Shuangquan and Zhang Miaoshou, the leaders of the thieves, went to Wu'an County, Zhangde Prefecture, Henan Province (now Hebei Province) to meet Wang Pu, Yang Jinchao, Lu Jiude, and Bingbei Dao Chang Daoli, expressing their "sincerity" in accepting Zhao'an. Yang Jinchao and others believed it and immediately reported to the imperial court, and at the same time stopped the attack on the thieves.

The list of leaders of the thieves reported in Wu'an is:

He Shuang's new Tiger Nine Dragons

King Chuang (Gao Yingxiang) led the troops to the mountain brave general

Flying all over the sky, a dragon is green

Coaxing Star (as a Mixed Star)

Three Hands and One Word King Chuang General (Li Zicheng)

Scorpion blocks are full of stars and seven dragons

Guansuo (as Guansuo) Eight Kings

Soap warbler Zhang Miaoshou Xiying Eight Kings (Zhang Xianzhong)

Old Zhang Fei deceived Xing Red Wolf

Breaking into the sky (Liu Guoneng) horse harrier

Nanying Eight Heavenly Kings Hu Claw Coaxing the World King (as the King of the Mixed World)

A piece of the general of the King of the Cloud Troubled World

The second general of the star (Hui Dengxiang).

Coaxing the King (as the King of Chaos)

Tiger Lonely Tiger Old Return (Ma Guangyu)

High Creek Sweeper King Neat King

Five dragons, five Yama kings, Xing Chuang Wang

Cao Ying (Luo Rucai) rice pole forced on the road

Four Tigers, Yellow Dragons, Great Heavenly Kings, Piri Needles

Zhang Feishi collapsed (when the system shot collapsed Li Wanqing)

Xue Rengui Golden Winged Peng Eight Golden Dragons

The sole is bare-tiled with a tiled back, Liu Bei

Drill the Sky Harrier on the Sky Dragon

Sixty-one in total.

Under the cover of false surrender, the thief army paralyzed the civil and military officials of the Ming court, purchased clothes such as furs and boots from the officers and soldiers and local people, and actively prepared to cross the river to the south.

On the 24th, the weather was suddenly cold, and a section of the Yellow River between Yuanqu in Shanxi Province and Jiyuan in Henan Province was frozen into a bridge. The army of thieves and robbers took advantage of the unpreparedness of the officers and soldiers, spread the door board on the ice and added another layer of soil, galloped through the horses in three ways, and arrived at the horseshoe nest and wild boar nose in Mianchi County, Henan. Yuan Daquan, an officer in the south of the Ming River in the defense of the river, rushed to meet the battle and was killed by thieves. In this way, the main force of the thieves broke through the natural danger of the Yellow River in one fell swoop, leaving behind the heavy troops transferred by the Ming Court.

……

At the end of the sixth year of Chongzhen, the Manchu Qing Dynasty obtained the surrender of Kong Youde and Shang Kexi, and successfully pulled out the great trouble of Lushun......

……

A team of more than 30 horsemen, stepping on the snow and heading towards Jinan.

On the fourteenth day of the first month, Zhao Yan came to Jinan Shandong Hall. When a small guy in front of the hall saw Zhao Yan coming, he hurriedly bowed his head and bent down to greet him with a smile: "It's Zhao Gongzi who is here, Zhao Gongzi please come in." ”

Zhao Yan nodded, took out a tael of silver and threw it over, and said with a smile: "I will reward you." ”

The little guy stretched out his hands together, caught the silver thrown over, and smiled happily: "Thank you Zhao Gongzi, the little one will go and inform the master immediately." ”

Zhao Yan walked into the hall, looked around, and said to Zhao Quan: "The hall is very deserted!" Didn't they arrive? ”

"When the New Year is bigger, there are naturally fewer people." Zhao Quan said with a smile: "How could they stay in the guild hall stupidly, and it is estimated that they will go to a place like the Qinglou Teaching Workshop to be happy." ”

Thinking about it, Zhao Yan laughed and walked upstairs to the hall. As soon as he stayed in the guest room, Zheng Shilian arrived.

When the two sides met, they couldn't help but greet each other for a while.

"I really want to congratulate my nephew! has succeeded in imitating the diorama, and the nephew will definitely be able to make a lot of money in the future. Zheng Shilian smiled, but he had thoughts in his heart, presumably the batch of dioramas sold to him last time were also copied by the Zhao family.

Although there is some insincerity, it is not easy to pursue. That batch of dioramas did make him more than twenty taels.

"Shi Bo smiled, the little nephew is just a fluke, and a lot of raw materials have to be bought from Westerners!" Zhao Yan said with a haha.

After greeting each other, they took their seats. Zheng Shilian asked people to serve two cups of good tea and began to discuss the matter of inviting Shandong to help major businessmen in Ming.

According to Zhao Yan's meaning, the Zhao family's glass mirror was sold to the merchants of the Shandong Gang, and the Zhao family would not have dealings with the Jin merchants.

The sale of the glass mirror to Shandong merchants was naturally to unite a part of the forces. Tie the merchants of Shandong to their chariots.

As for the Jin merchants, the strength of the big merchant gang at the end of the Ming Dynasty far exceeded that of the Shandong merchant gang.

The Jin merchants specialized in the trading of Guan officials, mainly serving the needs of the border army. But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was different, these Jin merchants not only did the business of the official army, but also did the business of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Most of the goods plundered by the Manchus were sold by Jin merchants. Most of the materials needed by the Manchu Qing Dynasty were also provided by the Jin merchants.

The Jin merchants and the Manchu Qing Dynasty were simply inside and outside.

The Manchus relied on the supplies provided by the Jin merchants to increase their power. The Jin merchants relied on smuggling materials to the Manchus and ate the property plundered by the Manchus in the Guan.

As soon as the Manchus entered the Central Plains, the Jin merchants immediately turned into Manchu imperial merchants.

The boycott of the Jin merchants was not only out of the interests of the Shandong merchants, but also the means that Zhao Yan had to take to attack the Manchus. Even if you can't hit the Jin merchants, you can't let the strength of the Jin merchants increase.

Hearing this, Zheng Shilian kept nodding his head and agreed with Zhao Yan's meaning. The competition between the Shandong merchants and the Jin merchants was very fierce, and the main area of competition was the military quartermaster of the Ming court.

The Jin merchants' favorite thing to do was to buy grain from Shandong, and then resell it to the border to obtain salt, and the Shandong merchants can be said to be close to the water, and the competition between the two sides naturally happened.

Selling is the most common business practice in this era. The only one who put his property into the industry is the Longyou merchant gang in the southwest.

Almost all of China's top ten merchant gangs rose in the late Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the commodity economy had reached its peak.

……

Jinan's largest restaurant Pinxian Building, one by one Shandong businessmen came one after another, the restaurant owner widened his eyes, today said to go to the banquet of Shandong businessmen, no less than twenty or thirty people, each of which is well-known in Shandong.

Good food and wine were served on the table, and these oily merchants came to the banquet one by one.

When everyone had gathered, Zhao Yan walked upstairs and appeared in front of these merchants.

"Huh! Zhao Gongzi is here. ”

"Zhao Gongzi, let us wait!"

"No matter what you say, you have to pay three glasses of wine."

The eyes of these businessmen were focused on Zhao Yan, and Zhao Yan at this moment was naturally their god of wealth. Those glass mirrors are fools who can see business opportunities, so Zhao Yan appeared and was warmly welcomed by these big businessmen, and the atmosphere became very lively.

"Okay, I'll fine three glasses of wine and apologize to everyone." Zhao Yan picked up the wine glass and said in a loud voice: "First glass, I would like to greet everyone in my old age." ”

"Second cup, I wish you all good luck."

"The third cup, I wish you all a prosperous new year." Zhao Yan drank three glasses of wine cleanly, and everyone couldn't help but applaud.

"Sit down, everybody! The table is open. Zheng Shilian greeted with a smile. Zhao Yan sat down on the seat, and under the greeting of Zheng Shilian, the people at both tables started with chopsticks.

Everyone has a little ninety-nine in their hearts, and they haven't talked about the topic for a while.

After three rounds of drinking, Zheng Shilian got up and said: "I think everyone also knows the purpose of Zhao Gongzi's invitation to come today, Zhao Gongzi has successfully imitated the diorama, and wants to discuss the sale of the diolus." ”

"Zhao Gongzi plans to send everyone a way to make money, the Zhao family does not interfere in the sale of dioramas, but is only responsible for manufacturing dioramas, and the dioras made are only sold to our local merchants in Shandong." Zheng Shilian announced.

Suddenly, the people at both tables were lively, talking to each other. One of the businessmen asked Zhao Yan, "Zhao Gongzi, is this true?" ”

"Naturally, take it seriously." Zhao Yan said with a smile.

The merchants present couldn't help but show joy on their faces, thinking that the Zhao family was going to sell it themselves, and they could only drink soup on the side, but they didn't expect the Zhao family to send a piece of fatty meat.

"It's just that although my Zhao family doesn't participate in the sale, when you sell dioramas, you also have to set a rule, so as not to hurt the harmony when selling dioramas." Zhao Yan raised his voice and said.

"Yes, there are no rules, there is no circle, since only I, a local in Shandong, can sell dioramas, naturally I can't hurt the harmony because of this, and I should be consistent with the outside world." A businessman said.

"In terms of price and publicity, we must unify the price and caliber, so that everyone can earn more silver, what do you think?" Zhao Yan asked.

"It's the pole, it's the pole."

"What Zhao Gongzi said is good."

In a chorus, Zhao Yan asked Zhao Quan to take out a sample of the glass mirror, and explained the pricing and publicity on the spot.

The mirrors that Zhao Yan took out this time are divided into three grades, one is a palm-sized mirror, one is a bowl-sized mirror, and the other is a mirror as big as a cake.

Zhao Yan took the smallest palm-sized mirror and said: "This kind of smallest mirror is priced at eight hundred taels, and the cost is about two hundred taels. My Zhao family and you each earn half and sell it to everyone for five hundred taels. ”

"This medium-sized mirror is priced at 1,300 taels, and the cost is about 300 taels, and it is also half of the same with you, and it is sold to everyone for 180 taels."

"The largest is priced at 2,000 taels, and the cost is about 500. And he sold it to them for a thousand two hundred taels of silver. ”

When everyone heard about this price, they all calculated it in their hearts. A small mirror, if sold out, can earn three hundred taels, five hundred taels for the medium one, and eight hundred taels for the large one.

Although it accounts for a large amount of principal, it is better because the size of the goods is small, the transportation is easy, and those miscellaneous expenses can be exempted.

One of the big businessmen asked, "Zhao Gongzi, the cost of this diorama is so high?" ”

"The craftsmen of my Zhao family have not fully mastered the manufacturing method, and many raw materials have to be purchased from Westerners, and the craftsmen are not skilled, and they can only succeed in making four or five sides, and the cost is naturally high. In the future, when the craftsman is skilled, the cost will naturally be reduced. Zhao Yan ran the train with his mouth full, thinking to himself grandma, it's good to have this money for you to earn, what else do you want?

"In the future, when my Zhao family's research is deepened, the cost will naturally be reduced, and the cost will be reduced, we can sell a dozen taels of silver for a small piece, and we can sell a dozen taels of silver for a large piece. At that time, the people of the whole Ming Dynasty will use this diorama, which is unique to our Shandong merchants, and there is a lot of silver to be earned after doing it! Zhao Yan laughed and drew a piece of cake for them.

The merchants nodded secretly, this is indeed the truth. As the price drops, the market expands.

As long as this thing is still unique to the Shandong Business Gang, the people here will not make less money in the future.

"Externally, it is claimed that this mirror is a 'glass mirror' created by the secret method passed down by the immortal chief of the overseas fairy island, and this mirror can be used to make good fortune, promote and make a fortune, peace and wealth, etc., anyway, it depends on how well everyone brags, as long as it is famous, it is not worrying that no one will buy the mirror from my Zhao family." In order to form a market trend, Zhao Yan began to package the products and hung up the name of a 'glass mirror'.

Glass is naturally not as valuable as glass, glass is a handicraft, it looks much thicker and heavier than glass, and the ornamental value is not comparable to glass.

"Anyway, our mirror, if you buy it, you can make a fortune, you can be safe, you can ward off evil spirits, and you have many functions, so it's right to publicize it to the outside world."

"What Zhao Gongzi said is very true, so those high-ranking officials and nobles naturally have to buy a few noodles."

"Mention something that shouldn't be mentioned, I hope Zhao Gongzi won't blame it." A businessman suddenly spoke up.

"It doesn't matter." Zhao Yan nodded.

"Can Zhao Gongzi betray the method of making this diorama?" The merchant had a look of greed in his eyes.

Everyone present couldn't help frowning secretly, thinking to themselves that this guy was really dizzy, how could the Zhao family buy technology with such a huge profit to make.

"Naturally not." Zhao Yan sneered.

"Then Zhao Gongzi has ever thought that if you don't sell the method of making dioramas, there will be a lot of snoopers in the world, how can you keep it?" The businessman obviously had some background in the official face, and said with fearlessness.

"Whoever watches my Zhao family's mirror-making method is an enemy of everyone here. If only my Zhao family can make dioramas, then everyone here can sell them at as much price as they want, and they will definitely be able to make a lot of money.

If there are people other than my Zhao family who can make it, then there is a second family and a third family, and there is a third family and a fourth family, and the method of making mirrors is no longer a secret at that time. And can it be sold only by the merchants of the Shandong Gang? Zhao Yan said loudly.

"Okay." The two big merchants couldn't help but applaud when they heard this.

"What Zhao Gongzi said is good, if the second family knows the method of making mirrors, we don't need to make any more money in this area, whether we buy or rob, we are the public enemy here." Zheng Shilian got up and said.

Zhao Yan looked around and said proudly: "Besides, my Zhao family is also training the villagers to protect themselves, if anyone comes to rob it, then they will fight to the death." ”

"In addition, my Zhao family is training Xiangyong, and there is still a lack of some horses, saltpeter, and talents. Anyone who can transport these missing things to my Zhao family can sell them to everyone at a better price. Zhao Yan said and took out a stack of lists and said, "The details are listed on this list." ”

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Tickets, currently in the 40th place, let's count the votes to rush higher.

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