Suzhou is a businessman who mainly uses silk to make trouble. They have suffered heavy losses because they are the top ten money.

Yangzhou is a salt merchant who is not satisfied, so why are they doing?

One word: salt!

As mentioned earlier, Nan Tang lacks salt, so he controls salt, which is even more enjoyable than having a mine at home. He doesn’t even have to dig it by himself, and someone just brings the money to the door.

The salt merchant really had a good life.

But they didn't expect that Li Hongji's heart was so bad that he would let the salt merchants make a lot of money!

Li Hongji's abacus was very smart. He deliberately indulged the salt merchants and made them make money, like fat pigs, full of meat.

Moreover, the people suffered from the high salt prices and took their anger at the salt merchants. At this time, Li Hongji attacked them, took out the wealth of the salt merchants, filled the treasury emptiness, cut off the salt merchants' heads, and eliminated the anger of the people.

This guy made the abacus clatter.

However, the situation was developing too fast and before there was time to fatten the salt merchants, the Great Zhou Dynasty was in a trend of going south. In order to prevent the shortage of salt, Li Hongji issued an edict to the salt merchants in Yangzhou, ordering them to offer 500,000 dan of salt.

Of course, as the emperor, he would not ask for money in vain. Li Hongji gave the money, but he gave the latest "being a hundred dollars" minted.

When I got the money, the salt merchant was stunned!

Become a hundred dollars!

You can give it to me, so why not just grab it?

One piece is a big 100 coins, and the copper content is slightly more than three pieces of copper. In other words, the salt merchant actually only got one-thirty of the price based on the big 100 coins.

Li Hongji, you are just a robber! Bandit!

The salt merchants were so angry that they wanted to catch Li Hongji and swallow him alive. However, as emperors, they were not comparable to them, so they had to accept their fate.

But what happened next made the salt merchant even more angry.

Suzhou Bank supported by Dazhou was established to exchange it as the top ten money, but also provide interest-bearing deposit business.

The salt merchants immediately became interested and decided to transfer their property to Suzhou Bank.

But just after transporting two ships, the Yangtze River Navy sealed the Yangzhou River to check the ships. After searching for the copper coins transported, they confiscated them all, but also arrested relevant personnel, and all were put into prison.

Li Hongji also issued an order, and anyone who dares to deposit money in Suzhou Bank without authorization will be killed immediately!

It is not enough to steal our property, but it is unbearable to cut off our financial path.

The merchants in Suzhou have set an example. In terms of strength, our salt merchants are much more powerful than them. At worst, they can raise the banner of uprising and surrender to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After having this idea, the salt merchants quickly evaluated that they had a little advantage and a little disadvantage than Suzhou.

The advantage is that they are in Jiangbei, and the troops of Dazhou are close at hand.

The disadvantage is that there are too many Southern Tang people and horses in Yangzhou, with water and land. If you want to rebel, you will be suppressed immediately.

So the salt merchants jointly wrote a blood letter and sent envoys to ask the Dazhou to send troops.

Yangzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangdu Prefecture, Jinling is under the jurisdiction of Jiangning Prefecture, Jinling is called Xidu, and Yangzhou is called Dongdu. Its status is equivalent to Luoyang in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and it is even more than that.

It is bordered by the Yangtze River and guards the canal. It is a barrier in the north of the Yangtze River and an important city that must be fought for by military strategists.

It is definitely not easy to win Yangzhou, not to mention that Ye Hua has never been willing to fight hard. Although one general has achieved success, all the new army is a good family, and many people are still studying and literate. In the future, they will be a rare talent when they go to the local area to become a minor official. It is really a waste of resources to waste in the siege battle with human lives.

What should I do if I don’t want to fight hard, but I still have to win Yangzhou?

"This is not simple. Let the salt merchants be their subordinates, gather their salt workers and cook in the city, open the city gate and let the army enter the city. Isn't it possible to get Yangzhou?" Zhao Er said with a smile.

After listening to his high opinion, Ye Hua just wanted to say one thing, "Don't say that you are my disciple in the future, it's too embarrassing!"

Zhao Er seemed to be hit by a blow, very embarrassed.

In front of his master, he always doesn't like to use his brain, but when Ye Hua scolded him, he has to use his brain.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Er said, "Master is worried that the salt merchant will not be useful?"

Ye Hua nodded slightly.

Zhao Er continued as if he was encouraged, "Li Hongji is targeting the salt merchants, so he will not be afraid of their rebellion. Maybe Li Hongji is still waiting for the salt merchants to make trouble! Perhaps, if our army drives over, the salt merchants' heads will land!"

Ye Hua finally nodded and said, "Li Hongji is cruel and ruthless, and even his father and younger brother can be killed, let alone a group of irrelevant salt merchants. However, the salt merchants and officials in the court colluded with each other. If they are not clear about their relationship, Li Hongji will not be able to do anything."

"Disciple understand!"

Zhao Er said with some regret: "Master, since this is the case, the salt merchants cannot count on it. The businessmen in Suzhou have had a fight once, how could Li Hongji not beware of it? It's just a pity that a good move can't work! Damn it!"

Ye Hua laughed, "I'm wrong, salt merchants can do it, but you just need to think about it. Do you know Li Hongji's biggest weakness?"

...

"The biggest weakness of my emperor brother is that he is arrogant and not down-to-earth. He has power, strategy, ambition and means... But he does not understand the sufferings of the people, and does not know what the people think. In his eyes, the Southern Tang Dynasty has strong military strength and is booming. But from my eyes, the Southern Tang Dynasty is already in turmoil, and the Emperor brother is destined to have a great dream!"

Li Yu muttered silently in his heart, his eyes were red, as if something was about to surge out.

Soon, Li Yu returned to peace. He looked carefully at Ye Hua's reply to the salt merchant. Ye Hua did not ask them to do anything. On the contrary, Ye Hua agreed to provide a batch of green salt to the salt merchants and let them offer it to Li Hongji to help the court overcome the difficulties.

The salt merchant who had been cheated by the top 100 money once actually offered salt. He was really filial and loyal, and he was so proud of himself.

Since they are so loyal, the court certainly cannot treat them unfairly. The salt merchants only have one requirement, which is to allow them to use as a hundred dollars to compensate the wages of the salt worker. Otherwise, even if the salt merchants have a huge wealth, they will not be able to afford hundreds of thousands of dollars in salt.

After Li Yu finished reading it, he could fully imagine the emperor's thoughts.

Salt is a big deal, and salt fortifications is small. Although the 100-year-old money harms the salt workers, it will be over if you bear it. As long as the court wins the Great Zhou Dynasty, they will find a way to compensate them.

In short, the community has a hard time, and we will endure each other and serve the country. Once we endure, it will pass.

"Emperor brother, emperor brother! There is no small matter in the food, rice, oil and salt!"

Li Yu lamented that when the emperor and ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty were always to support the weak and suppress the strong, torment all officials as much as possible, to protect the people, and to promote the clearance of land, they were worried about the harm of the people because of the size of the steps, and made a big mistake and mobilized officials to measure carefully, and must be fair and reasonable.

Such a delicate way of governing will not appear in the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Li Hongji felt that changing to plant mulberry fields would help increase annual income, so he ordered it. He would not have thought about whether the people would raise silkworms and reel silk, nor would they have thought about what to do if the food shortage was missing?

Some people want to say, didn’t Li Hongji think of getting food from Wu Yue and Jingchu?

But the question is how the food obtained is in the hands of the people?

Should the merchants be held responsible, or should the imperial government’s official warehouse sell grain at an affordable price, the geometry of mulberry fields in various places, how much food is missing, and whether the bridge and road conditions are intact...

These seemingly trivial things are related to the success or failure of the entire plan. Once something goes wrong, good laws will become evil laws.

Chai Rong was in business in his early years. He understood this principle, and Ye Hua even understood that he could even use it as a weapon to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty.

But Li Hongji didn't understand, so he saw the salt merchant's memorial to donate salt, and nodded happily. Later, he mentioned that he used it as a hundred dollars to pay the wages. He hesitated for a moment, but agreed. After all, he could do it, so he couldn't let others do it!

Of course, even if the people below did not agree, they would have had a fight with the salt merchants and had no relationship with him. The quarrel was severe, so they cut off the heads of a few salt merchants to calm the public anger.

It seems that Cao Cao did this, and there is no problem to imitate his ancestors!

Li Hongji ignored a fatal problem.

His nod was equivalent to letting go, and the salt merchants were open and spent as big as a hundred dollars... Since they could spend as big as a hundred dollars, it would be even less of a problem to be as big as a ten dollars.

It turned out that Li Hongji was only allowed to use it as five major coins in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the ten major coins were used in Wu and Yue.

But now, as soon as the hole is opened, I can no longer control it.

The chaotic coins are like a monster with a big mouth open, wantonly swallowing the wealth of the people. The wealthy people become poor, the poor people become extremely poor, and the extremely poor people... Wang Sanben is a farmer with less than ten acres of irrigated land at home, so he barely survives.

But the imperial court ordered that mulberry seedlings be planted. Wang San has planted rice for more than ten years and cannot plant mulberry. He has no wife at home, so who can help him?

Wang San was a stubborn temper, so he carried it on his shoulders. When others planted mulberry seedlings, he still planted rice seedlings, but he didn't change it... On the Dragon Boat Festival, the court sent someone to check and found that Wang San's family had not changed. He immediately stepped on the rice fields, arrested Wang San, whipped twenty whips, and put a big shackle on him. He stood outside the yamen for three days, almost killing him.

When Wang San climbed home, he found that his home had been sealed off, three thatched houses were gone, ten acres of land were taken away, and mulberry seedlings were inserted.

Wang San wanted to find someone to argue, but the kind neighbor told him that it was the county magistrate's brother-in-law who took his family's land, a gangster, who was a gangster. How capable was he to fight with the government?

Wang San was completely desperate. He relied on the charity of his fellow villagers and barely passed ten days. Before his injuries were healed, he left his hometown and ran to Taizhou area to carry brine and work as a salt worker.

After working for several months, Wang San relied on his strength to bear more than others every day. He had only one idea, which was to save money, buy another piece of land, and then go home to be a farmer.

This idea supported Wang San, like a livestock, every day, get up early and come back late, sleep in the shack, and eat bad cakes. Sometimes he felt like a cattle plowing the land, silent and tenacious, and could last forever.

But this time he couldn't bear it anymore.

He worked hard every month, and his usual income was exchanged for five big money, and only 200 left. He endured it, but he could exchange it for one hundred big money, only 10!

I have worked hard for a month and only earned ten dollars!

Go to the damn bullshit court, you snatched everything from me, and you haven't given up yet, and you have to deduct your wages. I can't survive anymore, so I can only fight with you!

The silent Wang San touched a hammer from somewhere. He hid it in his sleeve and pretended to be the person who received the money. When he arrived at the clerk who paid the wages, he suddenly burst out. With a hammer, his brain burst and splashed his face.
Chapter completed!