After Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi took over the second order of 2 million stones, the businesses of Wang and Hu immediately began to run with all their might, raising more ships, mules and horses on the one hand, and more people on the other.

Although it is already the busy season of May at this time, as long as you can afford it, you can still raise people's husbands.

The Wang and Hu families really made a bloody investment this time, and even did not hesitate to sell the jewels of the Qianguo Mansion at a low price, just to advance money to transfer military supplies.

Therefore, the official supervision and business office is really powerful.

Before the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had to prepare at least 4 million stone of grain before 2 million stone could be transported to Beijing.

But now, it only costs 1 million yuan to transport 2 million stones to Beijing.

Moreover, the people in charge of transportation took the initiative to apply for recruitment, and even made money from it.

The only difference between the two is that it has changed from an official supervision and official office to an official supervision and business office, avoiding the huge bureaucracy along the way, thus saving heavy drifting costs.

The court saved money, the people made money, and the merchants did not lose.

The only thing that suffers is the bureaucracy along the way, and there is no way to suck the marrow out of it.

Then again, the merchants are definitely not good people, and if they are left unchecked, they will definitely earn the last copper plate from the people, so they need to be supervised by the imperial court.

It is to use the power of the imperial court to set the boundaries of merchants.

You are not allowed to cross the line, and if you do, you will be punished severely.

Here in Chongzhen, it is to give you the right to operate, but not to give you a controlling stake.

For example, the Weng family, the machinery factory will operate it for you, and you can share dividends if you run it well.

For example, the Wang family and the Hu family, the railway will be repaired for the two of you, and the railway firm will be operated for the two of you, and you can pay a large amount of dividends if you run it well, and Chongzhen will never repay the debt.

However, machinery factories and railway firms must be controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Royal Holding.

If you want to start a new business and go it alone? That will make it difficult for you to move an inch and destroy your home!

It is self-evident that the advanced nature of the official supervision and commercial office is self-evident compared with the official supervision and official office, so the waterway from Nanjing to Dagukou, and then from Dagukou to Beijing, immediately became busy again.

After the thaw of the North Sea, the sailors and the boats can go directly to the mouth of Dagu.

Therefore, after eliminating the land route from Dengzhou to Dagukou, the freight can also be greatly reduced.

This is also an important reason why the Wang and Hu families dare to take this order, otherwise they would really lose their bottoms.

This busy scene was soon reported to Dolgon through the Dagu Pass and the Jiannu Zuo along the way, and Dolgon immediately summoned Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanme to the palace to discuss matters.

"Two gentlemen, the Ming army is transporting a large amount of grain to Beijing again."

"And the scale of this grain shipment is even larger than the previous one."

Speaking of this, Dolgon continued: "That is to say, Chongzhen does not intend to withdraw his troops at all, but is determined to continue to besiege Beijing and continue to consume with me like the Qing Dynasty. ”

Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan couldn't help but sigh lightly.

The heart said that the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was still stronger than that of the Qing Dynasty.

After nearly half a year of stalemate, the Qing Dynasty was already stretched.

However, Da Ming looked like he was at ease.

Speaking of grain, the grain stock in the Qing treasury is only enough to last for a month.

However, the Ming Dynasty actually increased the scale of grain transportation from Nanjing to Beijing.

I really don't know, how much grain is in the treasury of Daming? mobilized more than 100,000 troops plus at least 500,000 people, spent half a year in Beizhi, and still hasn't exhausted the treasury of the Ming Dynasty?

That is, Dorgon, they don't know the details of Daming.

If they knew that the Ming Dynasty only needed to bear the provisions of an army of more than 100,000 people, and that the rations and wages of more than 500,000 people were paid by merchants, they would probably be desperate.

If they knew that there were more than 80 million stone of grain in the official warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it would be even more desperate.

But the war has been fought so far, the Qing court has no way to retreat, even if it knows that it is invincible, it can only continue to consume with the Ming Dynasty, and if there are no conditions, then create conditions to continue to consume with the Ming army.

So Fan Wencheng comforted Dolgon: "Master, although my Qing soldiers failed to cut off the Ming army's food route, and the plague has not broken out for a long time, the situation is still in my favor, because the length of the Ming army's logistics channel is a hundred times that of my Qing army, which also means that the consumption of the Ming army is ten times that of mine, so in the long run, the first thing that cannot bear it must be the Ming army." ”

"Not necessarily." Dolgon said, "The two gentlemen should know very well that the Qing treasury only has one month's rations left, so after a month, the Ming army will collapse?" ”

Ning Wan said: "So far, I can only send food!" ”

"Yes, it's urgent." Fan Wencheng also said, "At the moment, we can only send food." ”

"Deliver food?" Dolgon's eyes showed a strange look, and he looked at Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan me faintly.

The so-called distribution of grain, to put it bluntly, is to forcibly force donations, that is, to force the people, gentry or children of the Eight Banners and even nobles under the rule of the Qing Dynasty to donate grain to help the imperial court tide over difficulties.

In doing so, large quantities of food could indeed be raised.

Don't say hundreds of thousands of stones, millions of stones, tens of millions of stones can be raised.

But doing so would also greatly arouse public anger, because no one wants their own interests to be harmed.

So the question arises, to whom to send food? It is definitely not possible to send food to everyone, there must be a trade-off, so should it be to send food to the common people, or to the Han gentry or the children of the Eight Banners?

These are three cups of poisonous wine, and if you drink three cups in a row, you will definitely die.

If you drink only one of these glasses, you may still have a chance to linger.

After a long time, Dorgon asked faintly, "To whom do the two gentlemen think they should send food?" ”

"Han gentry!" Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan replied without thinking, "The people don't have much food, and they can't raise too much food by forcibly distributing grain, and the children of the Eight Banners are the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, and the country is overturned, so the only object that can send grain is the Han gentry under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and there is a lot of food and it will not cause great trouble." ”

The second dog is the second dog, and he will always only attack his own compatriots.

Dolgon was noncommittal: "The two gentlemen and Hong Chengchou coincide, heh." ”

Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan's heart shook suddenly, and what did the regent mean by this? Suspect that the two of them are secretly colluding with Hong Chengchou? Collusion between inside and outside?

The two of them were too frightened to speak.

After a long time, Dorgon said, "Don't think too much about it, two gentlemen, I just said that." ”

Fan Wencheng and Ning finished listening to me, but they were even more panicked, and said in their hearts, how could we not think too much?

Dolgon said, "It's not too early today, so let's go back to the house and rest first." ”

After Fan Wencheng and the two knelt down, Dolgon asked Cao Eryu again: "Cao Eryu, do you say that there is such a possibility that Hong Chengchou did it on purpose?" ”

"This ...... Probably not, right? Cao Eryu was so frightened that her lips began to tremble.

Although Dolgon's question was endless, Cao Eryu still understood.

Dolgon suspected that Hong Chengchou had secretly colluded with the Ming army, deliberately kept the Ming army's food routes, and deliberately did not cause the plague, in order to force the Qing Dynasty into today's desperate situation.

In this way, even if the Ming army could not destroy the Qing Dynasty, it could also win the support of the Han gentry in the north.

With the support of the Han gentry in the north, the Ming Dynasty was able to quickly pacify the northern provinces.

Then Hong Chengchou can rely on this merit to atone for his sins, he can get Chongzhen's forgiveness, and he may even continue to be an official in the Ming Dynasty, which does exist.

】

As for Hong Chengchou, why didn't he directly surrender to Chongzhen with the army?

That's because he can't do it, after all, there is Hou Fangyu and they are watching.

So, has the regent begun to doubt Hong Seungchou's loyalty?

The monarch and the minister are suspicious, and they are also the kings and ministers with heavy troops, which is not a good thing, and if you don't do it, the Great Halal will die.

……

Jinghai Castle Head.

Hong Chengchou looked at the direction of Beijing City and sighed faintly.

Hong Chengchou had an ominous premonition, which was the same as nine years ago, he had a premonition that he was about to lose Dolgon's trust, and Dolgon would force him to send troops as Chongzhen did back then.

Hong Chengchou sighed, and Hou Fangyu also sighed.

The plague that made Hou Fangyu's heart still not break out after all.

If the plague does not break out, the grain routes of the Ming army will be unimpeded, and the situation will become hard consumption.

If it is hard consumption, with the weak national strength of the Qing Dynasty, it will definitely not be able to consume the Southern Ming, but it will also be consumed.

"Three glasses of poisonous wine, you have to drink one after all."

Hou Fangyu asked, "Which cup does Hong Butang think the regent will choose?" ”

"Nature is the least toxic cup." Hong Chengchou sighed lightly and said, "It's not a question of which glass of wine to choose, the question is whether the regent will suspect that we have poisoned us?" ”

"It's impossible, the Lord Regent is wise and wise......"

Hou Fangyu subconsciously wanted to deny it, but stopped halfway through his words.

Two months ago, Hou Fangyu dared to say categorically that Dolgon would not be suspicious.

But now Hou Fangyu didn't dare to say this anymore, because Hong Chengchou was really "suspicious".

From Dolgon's standpoint, I handed over the most elite hundreds of thousands of firearms troops of the Qing Dynasty to you, and the main force of the Ming army has always gathered outside Beijing, and the main pressure of the Ming army has always been on me, but even so, you Hong Chengchou still can't cut off the grain route of the Ming army, what are you Hong Chengchou doing?

Do you want to consume the Qing Dynasty alive and let the Ming army win without a fight?

Hong Chengchou smiled bitterly and said, "Can Hou join the army go back to Beijing?" ”

Hou Fangyu pondered for a moment and then replied: "Yes, the lower officials will definitely do their best to speak for Hong Butang, and please also ask Hong Butang to think about the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, and never have other thoughts." ”

"Hou is too worried about joining the army." Hong Chengchou smiled bitterly, "As the saying goes, one misstep becomes a thousand years of hatred, and it has been a hundred years since you turned back, and the headquarters is the same as you, and you can't go back." ”

Hou Fangyu really wanted to refute, you are not called a stumbling, but abandoning the darkness and turning to the light.

But in the end, Hou Fangyu still didn't say anything, just waved at Hong Chengchou, turned around and hurriedly went down the city tower, and then took Meng Xueli and Juziying straight to Beijing.

The Juzi battalion is Hou Fangyu's personal soldier who joined the army.

When you travel or go back to Beijing, you will naturally take it with you.