lovenovelstory Chapter 132 Entrapment: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
Chapter 132 Entrapment: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
Chapter 132 Entrapment: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
Chapter 131 "Bo Ying, I trust you with your work. If you need anything in the future, just let me know!"
Wei Zhongxian took the silver note from Chen Ying, glanced at it, and narrowed his eyes into slits. This was a million taels of silver, and it was a note from Xinglong, the largest money exchange in the capital, which could be withdrawn at any time. Although he was the Ninth Prince, he only had a few hundred thousand taels of silver at his disposal, far less than what outsiders imagined.
This million taels was enough to give him more confidence in front of the emperor. More importantly, Wei Zhongxian also knew that the Huizhou merchants were actually the financial backers of the Donglin Party, just as the Shanxi merchants were the financial backers of the Shanxi Party. But the problem was that the Shanxi Party was not very powerful in the court, completely different from the Donglin Party. The Shanxi merchants were mainly officials from Shanxi, and their strength was mainly in Datong, mainly through border troops and smuggling trade with Shanxi merchants.
The Jin Party, including Wang Jiaping, Wang Chonggu, and Zhang Siwei, used border troubles as leverage, and their influence and strength were far inferior to those of the Donglin Party. However, Wei Zhongxian, who was desperately short of money, saw that the Huizhou merchants were actually quite wealthy, and his self-esteem was now focused on the Jin merchants.
Wei Zhongxian dared not push the Huizhou merchants too hard. If the Huizhou merchants organized the officials to resign or strike, the Ming Dynasty would definitely be in chaos. At that time, Emperor Tianqi would have no choice but to execute Ma Su with tears in his eyes. However, seeing so much silver dangling in front of him, Wei Zhongxian was also extremely anxious.
"Boying, I've heard that Fan Yongdou, among the Shanxi merchants, is the most enthusiastic dancer!"
Wei Zhongxian smiled and said, "Tell me, how much wealth should he have?"
"No less than ten million!"
Chen Ying replied without hesitation, "Fan Yongdou has 20,000 to 30,000 employees and more than 100 caravans of various sizes. He almost monopolizes 30% of the salt, and 70% of the furs and medicinal herbs. Of course, he also controls a large amount of iron. Add to that his land, and his total assets should be around 15 million!"
This is not Chen Boying boasting, but the most amazing thing about the Ming Dynasty was that land prices did not collapse nationwide until the fourteenth year of Chongzhen's reign. Even in Shanxi, where dry land would lose money for at least three out of ten years, it would take twenty or thirty years to recoup the investment through farming. But the problem was that land prices remained very high.
This is because, until the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty were still under the control of the imperial court. The so-called peasant uprisings and banditry caused great damage. In most cases, it was the local gentry who were supporting the bandits to maintain their own power. To give a very simple example, in the eighth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng led more than 50,000 bandits to attack Guide Prefecture. At that time, Yuan Shu, the son of Yuan Keli, the Minister of War in Nanjing, one of the four prominent families in Guide Prefecture, distributed his family wealth and raised more than 2,000 militiamen to defend Suizhou City for more than a month. Li Zicheng was unable to conquer it after a long siege and returned defeated.
In fact, Suizhou City was destroyed by floods in the third and seventh years of the Tianqi reign (1623 and 1627). The city walls were already crumbling. More importantly, Suizhou City was located on a plain with no natural defenses. This shows how weak Li Zicheng's strength was at the time. The cities that Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were able to conquer were actually cities that the local gentry wanted to conquer in order to achieve their own ulterior motives.
Chen Ying was also very clear that, whether it was Shanxi merchants or Anhui merchants, their most valuable assets were either shops or land. Their floating wealth was very limited. Just confiscating Fan Yongdou's cash would amount to at most two or three million taels of silver.
Of course, Chen Ying wholeheartedly supported Wei Zhongxian's plan to target the Shanxi merchants. He would not hesitate to kill all such traitors without batting an eye.
"So many properties?"
Wei Zhongxian instantly harbored murderous intent towards Fan Yongdou. He was not actually greedy. As long as he confiscated Fan Yongdou's property, Fan Yongdou's wealth could be divided into three parts: Chen Boying would take one-third, the Tianqi Emperor would take one-third, and he would keep one-third. Five million taels of silver—what could he possibly do with that?
"Eunuch Wei, you are unaware of the true nature of this matter; it is not easy to move against Fan Yongdou!"
Wei Zhongxian sneered, "What's so difficult about it? If I say he's colluding with the Jurchens, then he's colluding with the Jurchens. If you want evidence, just confiscate his property. Are you afraid you won't find any? Besides, if I want to take action against Fan Yongdou, who dares to stop me?"
Wei Zhongxian didn't actually seize power immediately after Emperor Tianqi ascended the throne. His power truly grew after he became the Director of the Eastern Depot. Although the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was called the Inner Minister, it only had the power to approve imperial edicts and advise the emperor. Although it had great power, the problem was that it had no power to restrain the officials below it. It wasn't until he controlled the Eastern Depot that he was able to retaliate against those officials who opposed him. The eunuch faction truly rose to power when the so-called Six Gentlemen of the Donglin Party were dealt with.
"Eunuch Wei, the Shanxi merchants have been banding together for over a hundred years. Their relationships are deeply intertwined. As soon as the court reveals even the slightest clue, Fan Yongdou will receive the news and know that the court and Eunuch Wei want to take action against him. He will definitely transfer his assets immediately, bury the silver somewhere, and sell off the Tian family's property and shops. By then, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrives in Shanxi, his assets will have been almost completely transferred!"
When Wei Zhongxian heard this, he felt that Chen Boying's words made a lot of sense. He had no personal grudge against Fan Yongdou, and the Jin Party had never tripped him up. On the contrary, the members of the Jin Party, like the Qi Party, were aligned with Wei Zhongxian in dealing with the Donglin Party and usually cooperated with him.
He confiscated Fan Yongdou's property and cracked down on Shanxi merchants, all for the sake of money. If he couldn't get the money, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?
However, when he looked at Chen Boying, Chen Boying was clearly confident. Wei Zhongxian's eyes lit up: "Boying, you have a plan?"
Chen Ying stood up and slowly said, "Father-in-law, think about it, what is Fan Yongdou's greatest skill? It's not how much silver he has, or how many shops he owns, but his business with the Jurchens. What do the Jurchens lack? They lack iron, salt, grain, and gunpowder. The Ming Dynasty strictly controls these things, but Fan Yongdou has a way to transport them out. What does he rely on? He relies on his connections at the border and the generals and officials he has bribed."
Wei Zhongxian nodded: "Go on."
"Therefore, to deal with Fan Yongdou, we cannot start from within the court. His people in the court will tip him off. We must start from the outside, from the Jurchens."
Wei Zhongxian was taken aback: "From the Jurchen side?"
Chen Ying lowered his voice, "Father-in-law, our forces are based in Sanjiang. Shuangchengwei has twice defeated the Jurchens. What does Nurhaci want most now? His cannons, firearms, and grenades. He dreams of owning these things. If I, Chen, were to spread the word that I want to sell a batch of firearms, wouldn't Fan Yongdou be tempted? If he is, he will naturally send someone to negotiate. Then, he can seize these important military weapons, and with all the evidence, Fan Yongdou will be unable to deny it. We can also follow the trail and dismantle his entire network of connections on the border!"
Wei Zhongxian's eyes gleamed, and he slammed his hand on the table in admiration: "Brilliant! What a masterful entrapment!"
Chen Ying continued, "However, this matter requires the cooperation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Your Excellency must issue a secret order to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, instructing them to send men to keep an eye on Fan Yongdou's caravan. Once they have received the goods and are preparing to leave the border, arrest them immediately. Caught red-handed, the evidence is irrefutable. As for confiscating their property, it cannot go through the Grand Secretariat, the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Ministry of War, or the Five Military Commissions. Among those people, we don't know how many are members of the Jin faction. The Embroidered Uniform Guard must act directly, mobilizing troops to confiscate their property. After the matter is completed, report to His Majesty."
Wei Zhongxian pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, we'll do it your way. I'll entrust this matter entirely to you. As for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'll have Xu Xianchun under your command."
Chen Ying stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Rest assured, sir, I will certainly not fail you."
Wei Zhongxian patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Boying, I trust you with your work. Go ahead and do a good job, and I'll put in a good word for you with the Emperor."
Chen Ying took his leave and walked out of the Wei residence. It was almost dusk. He stood at the door, took a deep breath, and looked at the sunset in the west, a smile appearing on his lips.
Chen Ying hadn't actually expected that Wei Zhongxian would consider confiscating Fan Yongdou's property. It was an open secret that Fan Yongdou was colluding with the Jurchens and smuggling goods to them. However, when Wei Zhongxian was still struggling to rise to power and was being suppressed by the Donglin Party, the Jin Party sided with him.
To be precise, Fan Yongdou could also be classified as a member of the eunuch faction. Like Mao Wenlong, they belonged to a small faction within a larger one. Despite the lavish praise given to the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants by later generations, they were nothing compared to the Huizhou merchants.
Huizhou merchants remained hidden behind the scenes. Even though countless novels criticize the Donglin Party, they almost never mention Huizhou merchants. Without the support of Huizhou merchants, could the Donglin Party have wielded such power? They were nothing. Did they really think that shouting slogans could attract a large number of like-minded friends and make them the number one party in the Ming Dynasty?
The reasoning is simple: scholars and officials alike need to eat, especially those officials in the capital. Their lives were miserable; not only were prices high and living conditions poor, but they also had to entertain guests and maintain social obligations. Even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money. While the members of the Donglin Party weren't heroes, most of them were united by money.
Wei Zhongxian followed Chen Boying's plan and quickly took action. First, he led several hundred Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) officers, including Xu Xianchun, the Northern Garrison Commander, to Xuanfu. Under the pretext of receiving a report, he began to deal with several corrupt officials in a perfunctory manner.
The large contingent of Imperial Guards heading to Xuanfu did indeed raise alarm among the Shanxi merchants. However, the problem was that the few officials they dealt with had drawn a lot of their attention. If they were allowed to make their own accusations, it would surely lead to further trouble.
Xu Xianchun came with a mission. He ate and drank as he pleased and took whatever he was entitled to. Seeing how easy Xu Xianchun was to talk to, the Jin faction was also misled by him and began to win him over.
When the news reached Fan Yongdou, he was initially nervous, but later, realizing that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was just going through the motions, he relaxed. He even joked with his advisors, "Wei Zhongxian is short of money, so he's targeting a few small fry. He can't touch the big fish like us."
The aide chimed in, "What you say is true, Master. No matter how powerful Wei Zhongxian is, he wouldn't dare touch us Shanxi merchants. How many people in the court depend on us for their livelihood?"
Fan Yongdou stroked his beard smugly, completely unaware that a large net was quietly tightening around him.
Two weeks later, news quietly spread that Chen Ying, the commander of the Da Ning region, was selling a batch of obsolete firearms to Ma Shilong, the general of Liaodong. Artillery, firearms, and hand grenades were all available at a low price.
When the news reached Fan Yongdou's ears, his eyes lit up: "Chen Boying's firearms? Those are good stuff! The Jurchens are in dire need of these. If we could get a batch over there, we could earn at least this much—" He held up five fingers.
The aide whispered, "Master, Chen Boying is an official appointed by the imperial court; he's not on our side. What if—"
"What if what?"
Fan Yongdou sneered dismissively, "No matter how powerful Chen Boying is, he's still just a brute. He needs money, so I'll give him money. He sells goods, and I buy them. It's a fair trade, what's wrong with that?"
He stood up, took a few steps, and made up his mind: "Send someone to the capital to contact Chen Boying's men. The price is negotiable, and the goods must be delivered quickly."
Since Chen Boying repeatedly defeated the Jurchens, especially after Nurhaci established the Chiyan Banner and wanted to build a firearms force for the Jurchens, the problem was that the craftsmen he could plunder or bribe only knew the most advanced gunpowder technology of the Ming Dynasty and could only cast the most advanced cannons of the Ming Dynasty. These gunpowder and cannons were significantly inferior to Chen Boying's cannons in terms of both power and range.
Nurhaci naturally thought of the Shanxi merchants. He decided to purchase these items through their channels, at a premium of tens or even hundreds of times. For example, when it came to casting cannons at the Bureau of Armory, even the largest bronze cannon only cost 36 taels of silver in terms of caliber and scale. The casting cost for a cannon like Chen Boying's was actually only 15 taels and 4 mace of silver.
Nurhaci actually offered 35,000 taels of silver. Such a high price naturally caught Fan Yongdou's attention. Even if he spent a few thousand taels of silver to buy it, he could resell it for 35,000 taels of silver and make a fortune.
The capital city, the Chen residence.
With nearly a month already passed and the Shanxi merchants still showing no signs of activity, Song Xianze hesitated and said, "Brother-in-law, what if Fan Yongdou doesn't take the bait?"
"He'll definitely take the bait," Chen Ying said calmly. "Because he's too greedy. The price the Jurchens offered him was ten times the market price. He can't bear to let go of such a huge profit."
Chen Yongren strode into the study and whispered, "Godfather, Fan Yongdou's men have arrived. They brought a deposit of 200,000 taels of silver to buy ten cannons, five hundred muskets, and three thousand hand grenades."
Chen Ying put down his book, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "They really came. Too bad they're so stingy!"
He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the dark night outside, and said calmly, "Tell them that the goods are ready. The handover will take place three days later at Beigebei Post Station north of Shahewei City. Tell them to bring more people and vehicles to transport the goods all at once."