Seeing this, Li Zhen, Shi Nai'an and others all widened their eyes, not knowing what Zhu Han was doing again.

"Good, very good!"

Zhu Han smiled and distributed the fruit wine in the wine jar to everyone.

After a few people tasted it with curiosity, they all showed a look of surprise.

"Good wine!"

"Treasures of fine wine!"

"Mother, it's not bitter at all!"

"The wine in Jinling City is not as smooth as this."

All of a sudden, several people were all impressed by this jar of wine.

They asked Zhu Han one after another what kind of spell was used to turn the originally bitter and astringent cheap fruit wine into such a fine wine.

Zhu Han smiled slightly and raised the glycerin bottle in his hand.

"Didn't you see it, it's just this thing."

The tannic substances in the fruit wine will be quickly absorbed and transformed when it encounters glycerin, so that the bitter taste will no longer be produced.

Moreover, glycerin itself has a slightly sweet taste, which can also make the drink have a good wall-hanging effect.

If you add some flavors, it is completely the way of the later industrial brewing method.

Shi Nai'an, Li Zhen and other old drinkers are full of praise for this fine wine.

"Seventy-five, if it's that simple, then we're not going to make a fortune!" The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, said suddenly.

Subsequently, he calculated an account for Zhu Han, and now a jar of inferior fruit wine in Jiangnan is only fifty or sixty yuan per jar, and the same restaurant wine must be at least five or six hundred yuan.

"Five or six hundred wen, it's still the cheapest goods, and what kind of fine wine is a few taels of silver, that's a lot." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

As the general representative of the Jiangbei Red Turban Army, the second brother-in-law Li Zhen every time he goes to Jiangnan, he is served with the best delicacies and delicacies, and he has already developed great skills in taste.

"A few drops of glycerin can turn this boatman's inferior wine into a fine wine dozens of times more profitable, which is more profitable than selling salt." Shi Nai'an couldn't help but exclaim.

For the various money-making methods that Zhu Han came up with, Shi Nai'an always felt that it was almost the same, and he couldn't come up with any new tricks, but Zhu Han was always able to play more powerful tricks.

For example, now it's just chatting and drinking, and it's easy to make a big killer of bad wine into good wine.

"Haha, what Mr. said makes sense, we can purchase wine from Jiangnan, and then process and transfer it, back and forth, the difference of ten times the price can always be earned." Zhu Han said.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, fortunately he had a senior drinking experience before, so he knew some knowledge, otherwise he would never have thought of this idea.

This matter is naturally to be handed over to the second brother-in-law Li Zhen to manage.

The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, took the glycerin white porcelain bottle in his hand, but his face was as serious as he had never been before, and even made Zhu Han feel a trace of murderous intent.

"What's wrong with the second brother-in-law?" Zhu Han couldn't help but ask.

"Seventy-five, such a secret method, do you know that there are too many people?" The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, said, and rushed to the mouth of the boatmen and servants next to him.

Zhu Han was immediately taken aback by the idea of the second brother-in-law.

He could see that the second brother-in-law wanted to dispose of these subordinates in order to keep it secret.

"A little business experience will not kill people." Zhu Han said.

At this time, several boatmen and servants next to them were also so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they knelt down and kowtowed to forgiveness.

"Adults spare their lives, villains don't understand anything."

"Spare your life, the villain didn't see anything."

Regarding their begging for mercy, Zhu Han waved his hand to reassure them.

The second brother-in-law Li Zhen changed into his original honest appearance at this time, he scratched his scalp and said with some embarrassment: "Qiwu, it's not that I'm ruthless, I'm really afraid that you will suffer." ”

Zhu Han smiled slightly, naturally knowing what the second brother-in-law was thinking.

The second brother-in-law basically thinks about his brother Zhu Yuanzhang and himself everywhere, and has some excessive means and ideas, of course Zhu Han can understand it.

The mighty merchant fleet of Jiezhou soon entered the vicinity of Jiqing after entering the Yangtze River.

Some of the ships parted and went straight to Jiqing City.

The other part followed Zhu Han and Li Zhen to continue sailing eastward, and then continued into the canal, and entered Suzhou after several voyages.

"People say that there is heaven above, and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou below, and the market in Suzhou is really much more prosperous."

Early in the morning, Zhu Han stood on the bow of the boat and began to enjoy the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River in front of him.

The so-called richest place in the south of the Yangtze River, Suzhou's population and houses are definitely incomparable except for the state.

Even, Suzhou in this era can surpass the existence of Jiqing Jinling City.

Hearing Zhu Han's emotion, Shi Nai'an also walked out of the cabin.

"Deputy marshal, these riverside scenes you see are the best side of Suzhou, in fact, the people in the back of the market can't be compared with today's excavation." Shi Nai'an said.

His words were definitely not sycophants, but really from the heart.

Sure enough, Zhu Han and the others soon saw the poverty behind the bustling market.

Soon after their fleet entered the canal, a headwind blew in the sky.

The smooth water was slightly headwinded, and it was immediately impossible to sail forward, and even if it did, it would not be much faster than a turtle climbing.

The water surface on the canal is narrow, and it is impossible to walk on it in a zigzag pattern to borrow the wind and go backwards.

"I'll arrange for someone to find a slender man."

For this situation, the second brother-in-law Li Zhen already has experience.

As the fleet docked by the canal, Zhu Han and the others also took this opportunity to go ashore, anyway, it was almost dark, and it was much better to stay in an inn on the shore than in a cramped cabin.

Moreover, Mr. Shi Nai'an seemed to be very familiar with the local market, and soon guided a magnificent inn restaurant, which was full of guests.

Zhu Han looked at the few artists singing music under the restaurant, and couldn't help but guess Shi Nai'an's thoughts.

"I can't imagine that Mr. is still a man of temperament." Zhu Han quipped.

Ever since he entered the restaurant, Shi Nai'an's eyes have been staring at the women singing songs.

"Don't you know, the story of Song Xuan and Liangshan sung by these strange women is a must."

Zhu Han listened to a few words, and sure enough, he sang a story similar to the Water Margin.

In this way, Mr. Shi Nai'an is here to collect creative inspiration.

Zhu Han didn't understand these dialect tunes very well, and soon became interested, so he took Chen Baodao, Lan Yu and others back to the edge of the canal, ready to see how the slender man was looking.

When Zhu Han came to the edge of the canal, he saw a very spectacular scene.

About hundreds of slendermen, dressed in tatters, gathered on the edge of the canal, dragging long ropes, and began to tie them along the canal.

"Seventy-five, why are you here?" The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, greeted him.

"Second brother-in-law, are they all the slender men you are looking for?" Zhu Han asked.

"Yes, I've already asked, it's been a headwind day lately, you can't do it without a slender man, we are a big ship again, and there are so many slender men." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

Zhu Han's merchant fleet was all large ships, and each ship needed at least a dozen slender men to be able to go against the wind.

"These people are so thin that they can really pull a big ship?" Zhu Han felt a little shocked.

Because, no matter how old or young these slender men in front of them, they all look lean and lean, many of them are barefoot and bare-chested, only a pair of tattered calf nose pants on their legs, and the bones on their bodies are clearly visible.

Zhu Han always felt that the slender man had to be strong at least, not to mention the tendons and flesh, and he couldn't be such a pitiful appearance.

"Don't worry, they look thin, and their strength is okay, even if the strength is not enough, we can hire more slender men, anyway, these slender men are very cheap." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

"Oh, how much does it cost to hire a porter?" Zhu Han asked.

"Looking at the itinerary and time, these people are a hundred dollars." Li Zhen said.

"One hundred wen, so cheap? Package meals? Zhu Han asked.

"It's a hundred dollars, eat and sleep and figure it out by yourself." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

Sure enough, after Zhu Han saw a few slender men tie the ropes, they took out a few straw mats and found a secluded place to sleep.

"The price of goods in Jiangnan is expensive, I'm afraid that a hundred yuan is just enough to eat." Zhu Han couldn't help but say.

For these slender men, Zhu Han is really not worth it for them.

Except for the ordinary soldiers in the state, even the lowest-ranking soldiers, they all have a military salary of 100 wen a day, and they are full of three meals a day, as well as monthly vegetable money, cloth, shoes and socks every quarter.

After a full fight, the salary of a small soldier is several times that of a slender man.

"How about such a good man, how about going to be a soldier and eat food?" Zhu Han asked his second brother-in-law, Li Zhen.

Li Zhen shook his head and said: "It's not so easy to be a soldier and eat food, and I'm afraid they won't dare to work hard." ”

Zhu Han understood that these slender men always felt that there was a job to make a belly in the lake right now, and no one wanted to be a soldier desperately.

However, Zhu Han is a kind-hearted person, and when he saw these slender men strange and pitiful, he said to his second brother-in-law Li Zhen.

"Second brother-in-law, send someone to buy some food and give them a full meal, otherwise I'm afraid they won't be able to bear it tomorrow." Zhu Han said.

The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, is also a kind-hearted person, so he nodded quickly and said.

"Okay, then I'll send someone to buy some pickle rice."

Then, not long after, some of the guys in the business bought back a lot of food.

While beckoning the slender men from the left and right to come to dinner, they arranged the order of the queue.

These slender men were all in order, which surprised Zhu Han.

Because according to Zhu Han's insight, the low-level people in today's era have many shortcomings, and one of the biggest ones is that the surname of order is not strong enough.

Not to mention the ordinary queue, even if someone is next to them to educate them to queue, it will have to be busy for a long time.

Except for many farmers in the state, there are such shortcomings.

The slender man in front of him was very cooperative in queuing, and he couldn't help but be surprised.

"These slender men are from different backgrounds, and they pay attention to the same pace, although their orderliness is not very good, but for this simple queue, they have long been accustomed to it." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

Zhu Han immediately understood, when pulling fibers, pay attention to the size of the strength and the tall, short, fat and thin lineup, otherwise they will not be able to show their respective strength.

"In this way, they are really good seedlings to be soldiers." Zhu Han said with emotion.

These hard-working slender men, when they saw that there were free meals to eat, all swallowed their saliva one by one.

When they received their food, they all devoured it.

After eating, many slender men kowtowed in the direction of their second brother-in-law Li Zhen, grateful for such a kind-hearted good customer.

Many people's eyes were still filled with tears, obviously they hadn't eaten such a hearty meal for a long time.

Zhu Han quietly walked around the slender men and began to chat, intentionally or unintentionally.

After some conversation, Zhu Han was even more surprised by the news he received.

"One hundred yuan, but only sixty yuan?" After Zhu Han heard the words of several slender men, he was almost shocked and angry.

A slender man in his thirties sighed with a bitter look on his face and said, "Alas, if you don't pay the forty yuan tooth money, then don't want to eat this bowl of rice in the future, and we can't do anything." ”

"Forty yuan, you can feed two mouths, just feed those bastards for nothing!"

"If it's a job given by a tooth merchant, it's just that they don't do anything, it's just pumping forty percent!"

After these slender men have taken over the business themselves, they must give 40% of the income to the local landlord as the money for the rules of the industry.

Zhu Han originally thought that the income of the slender man was not high, but now there are still people who want to eat forty percent of the salary, and he immediately upsets them up.

"With such hard work, there are still people who want to drink blood, why not do something else to make a living?" Zhu Han said.

The slender men all said helplessly: "We are all outsiders, and we don't have any skills, except for our strength, we don't have anything else to do." ”

"If you don't work as a slender man, you're going to starve to death."

Zhu Han learned again, and he had some understanding of the survival of these slender men.

Once the slender man is sick and injured, it is basically cut off from the family's food and livelihood, and many slender men do not dare to rest after encountering illness, and would rather die of illness than starvation.

Zhu Han really saw a few people with sallow faces among the slender men, and at first glance, they were obviously malnourished, plus they were suffering from diseases.

There are so many pitiful things, even if Zhu Han wants to manage it, he can't manage it.

"Seventy-five, everyone has their own fate, don't worry too much, even if you eat and drink today, when we leave, they won't continue to be bitter haha." The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, enlightened.

"If we win Jiangnan in the future, we must change the lives of thousands of hard-working people!" Zhu Han said.

"If you are so ambitious, I believe you can do it." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said sincerely.

When Zhu Han and the others were about to leave, they saw a slender man lying on the ground, his brows furrowed, and his mouth kept making painful sounds.

"What's wrong with him?" Zhu Han couldn't help but ask.

A slender man who looked like a leader hurriedly said: "Back to the master, the soles of his feet were pierced two days ago, I don't know why it's not good, and the abscess is feverish." ”

Seeing Zhu Han's solemn face, the leading slender man thought that the employer disliked the injured slender man for eating white rice and receiving money, so he hurriedly huffed his waist and said: "If the master doesn't like it, then I will change someone, and I will definitely not delay the master's trip to pull the fiber." ”

Zhu Han interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

I saw Zhu Han step forward, ignoring the dirty clothes on the injured slender man's body, and carefully inspected the soles of his injured feet.

A wound about an inch wide on the sole of the foot was already very red and swollen, and it was obvious that the infection had caused the high fever.

In normal times, such a powerful bacterial infection basically depends on the individual's destiny, and once your immune system cannot kill the bacterial infection, it is basically waiting for death.

Zhu Han was afraid that he would not be able to resist the life in front of him, so he took out the small medicine bottle he carried with him, which contained some sealed antibiotic tablets.

According to the drug resistance of people today, a few tenths of the amount of conventional drugs used in later generations is enough.

Zhu Han poured out a capsule, ordered someone to take a bowl of cold boiled water, dissolved a little powder, and then gave it to the injured slender man to drink.

Later, he called a man from the firm, instructed the dosage and time, and took it again in a few hours.

Seeing this, although they didn't know how effective it was, they were all very grateful to Zhu Han for saving a slender man regardless of the mess.

Zhu Han and the others didn't say anything more to the slender men, and left the dock and returned to the inn.

After ordering food, the group went back to their rooms to sleep.

Chen Baodao, Lan Yu and others took turns to be on guard, until the next day, when it was bright, and Zhu Han got up comfortably.

Zhu Han is now at the age of rapid growth, and he always feels that he can't sleep enough every day.

After breakfast, the second brother-in-law Li Zhen urged to go.

When they arrived at the wharf on the canal, they saw that the slender men had already pulled their ropes and were ready to go.

"Get on board." Second brother-in-law Li Zhen said.

At this time, there was a commotion nearby.

Zhu Han turned his head to look, only to see a tall slender man trying to approach, but was stopped by Chen Baodao's guards.

"What does he want to do?" Zhu Han asked.

Chen Baodao hurriedly ran over to ask, and soon ran back and replied: "My lord, he said that you saved his life yesterday and wanted to come over and kowtow to you to thank you." ”

"Oh?"

Zhu Han guessed that it should be the injured slender man yesterday, and looking at his actions today, he should have gotten rid of fever.

"Go and tell him that you don't have to kowtow, just take medicine to heal your injuries." Zhu Han commanded.

In front of the public, accepting a man's kowtow, Zhu Han didn't feel that he had any long face.

However, the man was very stubborn, and still insisted on coming over and kowtowing to thank him.

After Zhu Han found out, he simply followed his wish.

"Alright then, just let him come."

Soon, the tall and thin man came to Zhu Han, knelt on the ground without saying a word, and kowtowed three times at Zhu Han.

"Zhang Dingbian thanks the noble man for saving his life, and he will repay the noble man when he is a cow and a horse in the future!"

Zhu Han didn't care about it at first, but when he heard the name, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Wait, what's your name?"

"The villain's name is Zhang Dingbian!"

Zhu Han was immediately surprised when he heard this name

"What? You call me Zhang Dingbian? ”

"Yes, the villain's name is Zhang Dingbian."

The second brother-in-law Li Zhen next to him asked, "You actually have a decent name, originally from a good family?" ”

Zhang Dingbian smiled bitterly, and then said: "The villain's family was originally a wealthy businessman from Jinghu, but later he was added to the middle and fell, and he had no choice but to offend the enemy, and he fell to the point where he is now. ”

Zhu Han is still not sure if he is the Mengjiang Zhang Dingbian in history.

Zhang Dingbian in history, but the first general under Chen Youliang, during the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhang Dingbian alone attacked Zhu Yuanzhang's base camp ship, and almost scared Zhu Yuanzhang into retreat on the spot.

Later, fortunately, it was Chang Yuchun who shot Zhang Dingbian with an arrow, so that Zhang Dingbian had to retreat, which saved Zhu Yuanzhang's life.

If the slender man Zhang Dingbian in front of him is really the Mengjiang Zhang Dingbian in history, he will make a lot of money.

"In that case, you should have also studied writing, why do you do a slender man's business, and don't you carefully find another serious business?" Zhu Han asked.

"It's not a secret, the villain is only a little bit of learning, and he really can't be called talented, and he can barely be regarded as a rough word. Jiangnan is full of humanities here, my little ability, even a generation of letters writing is not enough to make a living, not long ago the coil on the body is also clean to eat, I have to do this slender man's livelihood. Zhang Ding said with a cry and laughter.

As the so-called penny is not a hero.

"Haha, okay, it seems that you are still free and easy! It's better to follow me in the future, I see that you are athletic, and you should have practiced some kung fu, right? Zhu Han asked.

Zhang Dingbian hurriedly nodded and said: "The villain's family originally invited a martial artist to teach kung fu, and there are indeed some triangular cat's fists and feet, as for the gun stick, I also know a little." ”

"Haha, that's right, don't be a slender man from now on, follow me as a guard." Zhu Han already has seven or eight points of affirmation, and the Zhang Dingbian in front of him should be the general in history.

"Villain, you shouldn't be a businessman, right?" Zhang Dingbian said suddenly.

"Oh? Why do you say that? Zhu Han smiled and looked at Zhang Dingbian with interest.

The second brother-in-law Li Zhen and the others next to them looked nervous.

"For no other reason, I just saw that these brothers walked with great vigor and had thick calluses on their hands, which at first glance were caused by years of holding knives and wielding bows and arrows." Zhang Dingbian pointed to Chen Baodao and the others next to him and said.

"Where did the thieves dare to snoop on us!" The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen, was suddenly furious.

The Red Turban Army in Jiangbei colluded with officials and businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to smuggle and sell salt, which has long been a secret that everyone knows, but at present, this is the territory of the Mengyuan Imperial Court after all, and it is very easy for them to get into trouble if they say this.

So second brother-in-law, you really unceremoniously plan to let Zhu Han drive this Zhang Dingbian away, so naturally you have to try your best to deny his statement.

"Hahaha, it's okay, it's okay!" Zhu Han didn't care.

Along the way, I basically didn't see the officials and troops of the Mengyuan Imperial Court and the inspections, so I didn't need to worry about the Mengyuan officials and troops in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces looking for trouble.

And the guards accompanying Zhu Han are extremely powerful, and Chen Baodao, Lan Yu and others alone are enough to escort Zhu Han safely out of any danger.

What's more, Zhu Han also has a repeating pistol with him, which is a one-hit killing existence for any elite general in this era.

The position they were in now was hidden, and the rest of the slender men could only see the conversation inside, and they didn't know what Zhu Han was talking about with Zhang Dingbian.

"My lord is really bold!" Zhang Dingbian said with a smile.

"Strong man, dare to come with me on the boat." Zhu Han asked.

"Why don't you dare, please first." Zhang Dingbian said.

Zhu Han himself was the first to get on the boat, and the others followed.

After a while, Zhu Han did not hide that he was from Zhuzhou, and as for the identity of the Marshal's Mansion who did business for the Red Turban Army, he thought that Zhang Dingbian would definitely be surprised first.

But from Zhang Dingbian's face, Zhu Han was surprised that he didn't see it, but he saw a lot of surprises.

"What? You are from Zhuzhou, so you must have seen Zhu Longxing, right? Zhang Dingbian asked.

"Haha, how can there be any Zhu Longxing, the marshal of Jiangbei is only Zhu Yuanzhang, what Zhu Longxing, that's just something in the opera book." Zhu Han said with a smile.

The various operas and miscellaneous operas of the Jiangbei Red Army have already spread to the Jiangnan area through various channels, and these miscellaneous operas that brazenly praise the Jiangbei Red Turban thieves are extremely popular among the toiling masses.

Especially since Zhu Yuanzhang killed Emperor Mengyuan and annihilated the million-strong army of the Yuan Dynasty, the prestige of Marshal Zhu Longxing has been known to everyone in Jiangnan.

"Since you are from Hubei, do you know the local culture and customs of Hubei?" Zhu Han then asked.

"The villain naturally knows, not only knows, but is quite familiar. When the villain's family was well-off, he often went out to play in the mountains and rivers, which can be regarded as well-informed. Zhang Dingbian said.

Subsequently, Zhang Dingbian told Zhu Han about the cultural customs of Hubei, what are the characteristics of each state or county, how many mountains and rivers are dangerous, what soldiers are stationed, and what places are fortified.

Zhu Han sighed in his heart that he had really picked up a treasure.

Many scholars may not have the experience of Zhang Dingbian's sightseeing.

In ancient times, all kinds of mountains and rivers geography and maps, which were all important military and political secrets, ordinary readers would not study these things at all, and for ordinary people, even if they wanted to study the customs and geography of mountains and rivers, they had no way to start.

Because no matter how big or small a bookstore or library is, there will be no accurate atlas at all, and if you can get a geographical talent like Zhang Dingbian, Zhu Han will naturally be of great help when he attacks the Hubei area in the future.

However, after all, Zhang Dingbian had just been recruited by himself, and many loyalty and reliability still needed to be tested.

Moreover, Zhang Dingbian's body had just been injured, although the high fever had subsided, he was still a little weak, and Zhu Han took out some pills from his arms.

"These are my elixirs for removing the state, and the wounds on your body only need to be eaten for two days, and they can be completely healed." Zhu Han said.

"Thank you for the elixir."

Zhu Han ordered someone to take Zhang Dingbian down to rest, change him into a fitting clothes by the way, and prepare some delicious meals for him, so that he could recuperate on another boat.

As for how to use this talent, Zhu Han decided to make a decision after returning to the state.

After more than a day of dragging, Zhu Han's merchant fleet soon entered the canal commercial port of Suzhou.

The trade between the Jiangbei Red Turban Army and Jiangnan is not only limited to the area of Jiqing Jinling Mansion, but also has a fixed shop in Suzhou, which is specially used to sell salt, sugar and other Jiangbei specialties.

As soon as the group arrived on the shore of the commercial port, someone immediately greeted them.

"The villain greets Master Shi." A businessman who looks like a steward.

"This person is a shopkeeper of the Shen family in Suzhou." Shi Nai'an said to Zhu Han.

"I see, then let him lead the way, let's go directly to visit that Boss Shen!"

Soon, Zhu Han and his party came to a manor by carriage.

Just from the outside, this manor has a simple temperament, but all kinds of simple elements are matched together, but it looks full of luxury.

"Sure enough, it's the best garden in the world." Zhu Han saw the subtlety of this garden at a glance.

"Boss, you're really discerning." Shi Nai'an said admiringly.

This kind of garden design that highlights the wealth and nobility in simplicity, ordinary rural rich people can not experience the fun of it, Zhu Han was born a poor beggar, and now he can have such a high taste is Shi Nai'an's great surprise.

The group entered the gate of the manor from the middle gate.

A middle-aged man in his forties with a few people was already waiting.

"Mr. Shi is here, Shen Fu has never come out to greet him, it is really a sin, it is a sin!" The person who spoke was naturally Shen Wansan.

Zhu Han took a closer look, Shen Wan's three sons generally looked a little honest, not the kind of profiteer who revealed the temperament of a philistine.

Shen Wansan regarded Shi Nai'an as the leader, and Shi Nai'an naturally hurriedly retreated to the back row, showing Zhu Han's position.

"Who is this?" Shen Wansan hurriedly asked.

"This is our lieutenant!"

Shi Nai'an said.

"Lieutenant?" Shen Wansan's face was surprised.

The prestige of the Jiangbei Red Turban Army was already known to Shen Wansan, and the reputation of their marshal Zhu Yuanzhang and deputy marshal Zhu Han was naturally familiar.

Now seeing that the young man in front of him turned out to be the deputy marshal of the Red Turban Army in the north of the Megatron River, Shen Wansan couldn't help but be shocked.

"It's Zhu Han down there, and I'm here to visit the shopkeeper of Shen University!" Zhu Han smiled slightly.

Shen Wansan came back to his senses and hurriedly invited Zhu Han and the others inside.

After some politeness, Shen Wansan finally confirmed the purpose of Zhu Han's visit.

"Shen Da shopkeeper, we have a lot of commodities that are very profitable, if you can operate in addition to the state joint stock business, you will definitely be able to make a lot of money, at least one million taels of silver a year, it should not be a problem." Zhu Han said.

In his words, it was already clear that he needed silver and craftsmen.

For a shopping mall veteran like Shen Wansan, there is no need to beat around the bush at all, and directly showing your interests is the best way.

"It's not a secret, I want to make money in the next place, but it's ,,,。" Shen Wansan showed a look of embarrassment.

Zhu Han thought that he was afraid of the Mengyuan government's questioning, and said with a smile: "The Mengyuan officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are already paper tigers, as long as they cooperate with us, Bolu and the others dare not say a word." ”

"No, no, no, I'm not worried about this." Shen Wansan waved his hand and said.

"What is the shopkeeper Shen worried about?" Zhu Han wondered.

Shen Wansan glanced at Shi Nai'an, and then said helplessly.

"It's not a secret, now Suzhou is not the same as before!"

Zhu Shou was inexplicable when he heard this, he glanced at Shi Nai'an, and the other party was also puzzled.

Shi Nai'an opened his mouth and asked, "Why do you say this?" ”

Shen Wansan sighed and said: "Now that Bolu and others are expropriating and expropriating, it can be said that the means have been exhausted, not only monopolizing the business of salt, iron, tea and wine, but also imposing heavy taxes on us businessmen!" ”

Zhu Han has also heard of this situation.

Bolu and other officials of Mengyuan all knew that Mengyuanqi would not last long, and in order to ensure a happy life in the future, they all tried their best to collect money.

Moreover, some of the grain and grass taxes of the Jiangbei Red Turban Army also came from the filial piety of Bolu and others.

Where the money comes from, you don't have to think about it.

"What kind of heavy law is the heavy tax levied?" Zhu Han asked curiously.

"It's just a commercial tax, it has been collected for three years, I heard that recently because of the extermination of the pirate Fang Guozhen in eastern Zhejiang, and I plan to collect taxes for the next three years, plus the addition of the thieves in Fujian to pacify it, last year was the thirteenth year of Zhizheng, but the tax has been collected to the twenty-third year of Zhizheng!" Shen Wansan sighed and said.

"What, early taxation?" Shi Nai'an showed a shocked expression.

Zhu Han also felt that this situation was very magical.

Now that the Great Yuan Dynasty is not good, even the emperor is already a burp, and the year name of Zhizheng has also ended here, but the tax has been collected until the twenty-third year of Zhizheng.

"This Boru is really a fucking talent." Zhu Han couldn't help but complain.

"Therefore, we in Suzhou have already proposed that we want to contact the surrounding state capitals and raise troops together to resist the Yuan!" Shen Wansan suddenly whispered.

YY

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Han, Shi Nai'an and others were stunned.

"What, you're planning to raise an army against the Yuan yourself?" Shi Nai'an looked surprised.

He couldn't have imagined that these businessmen in the Susong area would have such courage.

"Just to rebel if you don't pay taxes?" Zhu Han was also speechless.

The gentry and merchants in Jiangnan resisted taxes, which is really a tradition since ancient times.

Once Shen Wansan and they oppose the yuan and resist taxes, the manpower they rely on will naturally be their respective servants and craftsmen.

In this way, no matter how profitable the trading of the state is, it is impossible to invest in shares.

"So what are you sure of, do you have a chance of winning?" Shi Nai'an asked curiously.

Merchants lead their troops into battle, but they have never been heard of since ancient times.

"There are rich people, even if they are five points sure, plus the strength of the Mengyuan government is weak, it should be possible to add another two percent, and besides, our requirements are not high, just to maintain peace in Suzhou." Shen Wansan said.

It turned out that the merchants in the Suzhou area saw through the weakness of the Mengyuan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang government officials, and they had no way to use it except to send people to collect taxes.

"According to reason, the tax in Jiangnan is actually not that high, even if it is an additional tax for ten years, it is not unbearable." Shen Wansan continued.

"Then why are you rebelling?" Shi Nai'an asked.

"It's really because the tax officials of all kinds in Jiangnan are really insatiable, and after layers of increases, the original tax of one or two taels of silver has become five taels of silver when it is actually collected!"

Most of the officials who collected taxes in various places in the Mengyuan court were second-class people.

These outsiders from the Western Regions are all loyal lackeys of Mongolia, and they are all Central Asian ethnic groups with various business traditions, and all kinds of dirty methods of making money are endless.

Increasing the tax of one tael of silver to five taels of silver is already a great discovery of conscience for the tax collector.

For ordinary people, that can be more than ten times more taxed.

Before the poor people in Huaixi went bankrupt, they were basically exploited by the tax officials.

Zhu Han's father was forced to die back then, which is the masterpiece of this color tax official.

"Everyone should be killed." Zhu Han nodded and said.

"Yes, this time we plan to resist taxes and raise troops, the first thing is to get rid of these lustful people, burn their black accounts, and take back their embezzled money." Shen Wansan said.

In fact, this is also a half-truth.

The strength of the merchants of Suzhou is too strong, and they are already dissatisfied with the people of color eyes riding on their heads to make a fortune.

Now the Mongols see that they can't do it, so they naturally want revenge.

"Shen Da shopkeeper, tell me about such an important matter, aren't you afraid of leaking secrets?"

Zhu Han suddenly asked.

Shen Wansan laughed and said: "Deputy marshal, don't hide it, we raised troops this time, but we plan to fight your banner, and please don't refuse the deputy marshal." ”

When Zhu Han heard this, he was suddenly a little surprised.

These merchant groups in Suzhou are really bold enough.

If it is an ordinary anti-tax rebellion, once Meng Yuan counterattacks in the future, a few scapegoats can be thrown.

But if the banner of the Red Turban Army is played, it will be a road to the dark.

Shen Wansan and the others are all well-known businessmen, and they are very well-informed, and they have already judged that the Red Turban Army can overthrow Meng Yuan, so they have such a calculation.

"And what else do you need?" Zhu Han asked.

His purpose is to sink Wansan's silver and manpower, as long as Shen Wansan has what he needs, it can be used to trade.

Sure enough, Shen Wansan's subsequent words hit Zhu Han's heart.

"Deputy marshal, don't hide it, our Suzhou children rarely see swordsmen, if it is really an ordinary battle array, it is difficult to practice, I heard that there is a big fire gun in the hands of the deputy marshal, which can erode hundreds of steps with one shot, and Emperor Mengyuan also died under this kind of fire gun?" Shen Wansan said.

When Zhu Han heard this, he immediately became happy.

"Artillery, so you want artillery!"

"Yes, yes, yes, it is artillery, which we use to defend the city, and with this sharp weapon, we can be fearless of the Mengyuan officers and soldiers in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces." Shen Wansan said.

Today's troops in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are actually very pitiful, with a total of only seven or eight thousand troops.

But these soldiers and horses are already a terrible force for Suzhou.

Zhu Han was thinking in his heart, anyway, he had already made a big plan to enter Jiangnan in the near future, and let Shen Wansan and them make trouble in Suzhou, which was also a signal to the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang to announce that Meng's vitality was exhausted, and the army would be able to enter the army more smoothly in the future.

"Yes! I can sell you artillery! Zhu Han said with a smile.

Shen Wansan was immediately surprised.

"Vice Marshal, really!?"

Zhu Han nodded, and then said; "I can sell the artillery to you, but I have two conditions, and I need you to agree!"

"No matter what the conditions, the deputy marshal just speak!" Shen Wansan said.

"The first condition is that I must be given a thousand craftsmen, mainly carving, printing, blacksmiths, etc., and I will make a list for you when the time comes." Zhu Han said.

"Yes, yes!" Shen Wansan nodded happily and agreed.

These craftsmen of Suzhou merchants are holding in their hands, that is, they want to act as strong soldiers, if they have incomparably powerful artillery, a thousand craftsmen are nothing.

"Oh, these craftsmen don't pay for artillery, and they need to pay for artillery." Zhu Han reminded again.

"Understood, understood!" Shen Wansan agreed without hesitation.

"The price of a cannon is actually not expensive, at most it is ten thousand taels of silver, and a smaller gun may be a few thousand taels of silver." Zhu Han immediately threw out an approximate price first.

When Shen Wansan heard the price, he immediately frowned slightly.

It's expensive, but it's still within an acceptable range.

After all, as long as the tax officials in Suzhou and Changzhou are eaten, the silver obtained is absolutely enough.

"It's not expensive, it's not expensive." Shen Wansan nodded hurriedly.

Zhu Han was very satisfied with Shen Wansan's attitude.

This is simply too good, there is no need for any cooperation and shareholding so troublesome, just sell arms!

What kind of craftsman, what kind of silver, isn't this just coming?

"As for the second condition, it's actually simpler." Zhu Han smiled again.

Shen Wansan hurriedly asked, "Deputy Marshal, please speak." ”

"You raise troops in Suzhou, don't use my Red Turban Army, oh no, you shouldn't be able to use the names of our brothers." Zhu Han said.

"What? Is this true? Shen Wansan didn't quite understand.

If the Suzhou merchant group raised troops and used the banner of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Han's brothers, it would have strengthened the prestige of Zhu Yuanzhang's and Zhu Han brothers.

Without spending a penny, it adds prestige, which is simply the most cost-effective thing.

Why didn't Zhu Han agree?

Regarding Shen Wansan's doubts, Zhu Han smiled slightly: "It's not a secret, we reached an agreement with Pingzhang Bolu in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province before, he paid the ransom fee and monthly filial piety money, and we promised not to invade Jiangnan within a year, and now it is less than a year. Zhu Han looked serious.

Shen Wansan was immediately shocked.

He didn't expect that Zhu Han, a general of the Red Turban Army, would be so trusting with the enemy.

For businessmen, faith is simply the number one advantage.

Shen Wansan was suddenly a heartfelt compliment.

In fact, Zhu Han's real reason was that he was not prepared enough to ensure the smooth reception of the power of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

After this conversation, although Zhu Han refused the entry of the Suzhou rebels, he provided extremely considerable military assistance.

Shen Wansan was overjoyed, and sent people to notify several other big businessmen overnight, Haoqiang, and asked them to come to their homes to visit Zhu Han, the elder of the Jiangbei Red Turban Army.

Everyone did their best to brag about the young Zhu Han, lest Zhu Han break his promise and refuse to sell the artillery to them.

Zhu Han and the others simply stayed in Shen Wansan's house, waited until the banquet was over, and just went back to prepare for rest.

The second brother-in-law, Li Zhen and Shi Nai'an, came up worried.

"Seventy-five, artillery, do you really want to sell them for a Shen Wansan?"

"Deputy marshal, how can you easily sell a heavy weapon of the military state to others?"

For the two of them, the artillery of the Red Turban Army is simply more effective than the 100,000 army.

Not to mention that it is for hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, even if it is a million taels of silver, it can't be sold.

Who knows if those Suzhou businessmen will oppose the Red Turban Army in the future.

"Haha, I have already thought of the worries of the two of you."

Zhu Han unhurriedly invited his second brother-in-law Li Zhen and Shi Nai'an to sit down.

Then, Zhu Hancai continued slowly.

"Whether our artillery is made or the gunpowder used, it is peerless, even if they want to imitate it, they can't make it, so why sell it to them?"

Hearing this, although the second brother-in-law Li Zhen felt reasonable, he was a little unwilling.

"Seventy-five, even if that's the case, then let's sell the artillery a little too cheaply, why don't you have to get a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, your most expensive artillery is only ten thousand taels of silver." Li Zhen said.

"What Master Li said makes sense, Shen Wansan, these Suzhou giants, have a family fortune of tens of millions, not to mention that more than a dozen super-rich families are united, they must be able to get such money." Shi Nai'an said.

Zhu Han suddenly showed a treacherous smile when he heard this.

"Hehe, you think I'm selling cheap, that's because you only see that our artillery is cheap, and the really expensive thing is not this artillery." Zhu Han said.

"Oh, what's that?" Li Zhen hurriedly asked.

"Ammunition! Whether it is our new gunpowder, or the supporting gun carriages and other objects, all belong to consumables, as long as they want to use artillery, these things must be bought, otherwise, the artillery in their hands is a pile of ornaments, which is useless, and even if they use their home-made gunpowder, the power is far inferior. Zhu Han said with a smile.

Li Zhen and Shi Nai'an understand this, and Zhu Han is a complete profiteer.

A hammer deal made Zhu Han a long-term business.

Subsequently, Zhu Han said his plan again, each artillery will give ten rounds of ammunition, and the next artillery ammunition will be sold at fifty times the cost price.

"Tsk, isn't that the ammunition of an artillery, and it costs ten taels of silver for a cannon?" Li Zhen was stunned for a while.

"What is ten taels of silver for a cannon, anyway, everyone in the world knows that the emperor of the Mongolian Tatars was killed by our artillery, such a powerful artillery, ten taels of silver a shot, I don't like to use it." Zhu Han said.

In this way, all the artillery that Shen Wansan bought in their hands had become gold-swallowing beasts that burned money.

If you want these gold-swallowing behemoths to exert their power, you have to send a steady stream of silver to Zhu Han.

In order to ensure his business reputation, Zhu Han asked people to take a clipper to Longhaiwei, which was not far away, to deliver a letter, and with a military order, he transferred ten small three-pounder guns.

This small cannon was small and compact, and it was very effective for anti-infantry when placed on the walls of the manor.

When Shen Wansan and the others saw these artillery, they were immediately overjoyed.

These small-looking guns are much easier to use than the bulky guns that are common today.

And in terms of power, it is not weaker than those big guys who can easily weigh thousands of pounds.

After some test guns, ten three-pounder cannons were bought by Shen Wansan and others at a price of 50,000 taels of silver.

They also kept their promises, and transferred 500 craftsmen from various workshops to Zhu Han on the spot.

The remaining craftsmen naturally have to be selected slowly, but Zhu Han attaches more importance to the quality of the craftsmen.

After getting along, Zhu Han immediately got along with Shen Wansan and other Suzhou tycoons.

Shen Wansan and the others all felt that in the future, the Red Turban Army would sit in the world, and the Zhu Han brothers would definitely want to protect them from high-ranking officials such as prime ministers and marshals.

this day.

Zhu Han wandered around the city of Suzhou and collected a lot of local customs and culture, and as soon as he returned to his residence, someone immediately came to visit.

The person who came was Zhou Gushan, the head of the Zhou family in Suzhou.

As a wealthy family in Suzhou, although Zhou Gushan is not as famous as Shen Wansan, his property strength is not weaker than Shen Wansan.

"Deputy marshal, Zhou has something to ask for!" Zhou Gushan said after being polite.

"Brother Zhou is polite, just say anything you want." Zhu Han said with a smile.

For this Zhou Gushan, Zhu Han's impression is still very good.

Zhou Da's shopkeeper was generous, never stingy, and today he came to visit not only to send hundreds of precious silks, but also a golden Buddha, and four beautiful singers.

"Deputy marshal, let's be honest, Zhou's family has some maritime business, and he often encounters pirates and bandits, and he often suffers heavy losses." Zhou Gushan sighed and said.

"Oh, dude Zhou, what did I think I could do to help?" Zhu Han said.

In fact, Zhou Gushan is already almost fifty years old, and his grandsons are all in their teens and as old as Zhu Han, but they can only be compared to Zhu Han's peers.

"Vice marshal, I know you have a new type of ship, the kind that defeated the Koreans on the Yangtze River last time!"