Under the pressure of tens of millions of dollars, the gentry of Jiangnan quickly began to clarify their positions.

Most of them don't pay.

Even those who paid for the money were kept quarreling, allowing Zhang Guowei and other Donglin Qunxian to send their confidants to lobby in various places and promote righteousness in newspapers they controlled...

Of course, this is not the emperor's ransom.

Their slogan was to donate money to support the Qin King's expedition to the Ming Dynasty and regain the hometown of the Western Regions of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Before, Yang Qing's loan had been implemented. Li Zicheng handed over the control area of ​​the second Hebei prefectures to the Nanjing Supervisor. When Yang Qing described this matter in the newspaper, he used the adjective of the King of Qin's Western Expedition to recover the hometown of the Han and Tang dynasties. He wanted to form this understanding among the people and let the people recall that the Western Regions were also a land of China. After all, it had been lost for many years, and it was difficult for the common people to have any impression of it. But this just gave Donglin Qunxian a good fig leaf. It was undoubtedly unpleasant to say that it was a bit ugly to raise money to redeem the emperor, but it was much more glorious to raise money to help the King of Qin's Western Expedition. Even if everyone understands what was going on, it was much better to look at it in the end.

Well, it's also much weirder.

The gentry in Jiangnan donated money to the thieves to go to the Western Expedition...

This style is really unique and messy!

But even so, they gained little. It was not until mid-March when all the representatives of the four people from all over the country arrived that they raised a tiny 200,000 taels of silver...

As much as Chongzhen gained.

I have to say that the ministers in Nanjing and Beijing are so honest.

As for Yang Qing watching the fun.

He donated 5,000 taels, which is already a lot, and he can rank in the top ten on the donation list. Those civil servants have 10,000 taels in the most! Wang Chengen actually donated a full 10,000 taels, Zhang Yan and Concubine Yuan sold their jewelry and raised 10,000. Although the family was just hit by the disaster, the Marquis Huaiyuan raised 5,000, which was as much as Shui Tailiang's family donated. Princess Kunxing sold her calligraphy and paintings and also sold 10,000 taels. She actually didn't even have private money, but she was usually very good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

This is the handwriting of the governor.

Selling ten thousand taels is not difficult.

In short, only these were collected in Nanjing, and only 200,000 taels were left. This result made the Donglin Qunxian all cry without tears. At this pace, it was impossible to raise two million nationwide. It was obvious that Yang Qing had some errors in the value of their faces before.

However, they are not the most tragic.

The most tragic one was Dorgon.

Haizhou.

"Risk again?"

In the living room of a grain shop in the city, Cao San, the Qing Dynasty's Interior Office, screamed in dissatisfaction.

"Mr. Liu, we are doing business with trustworthiness. Why has the negotiated price increased again?"

He continued.

"Brother Cao, I can't do anything about it!"

The old squire opposite him held a teacup and said slowly, "Now the court is about to welcome you, Li Zicheng offered a price of 15 million stones. The court did not have so much food, and in the end it had to be purchased by the private sector. Not to mention that the rice price here rose, even the rice price in the capital had risen to almost one tael, and there were no markets to wait for the price to continue to rise. I am selling you two taels and one stone now, which is a conscientious price. I am doing a beheading business. If I were found by the Jinyiwei, my house would be searched!"

This is the main export place for grain smuggling on the sea in Qing Dynasty.

The grain in the south of the Yangtze River continued to reach Huai'an through the canal, and quietly loaded small boats in Huai'an, the grain distribution center, mixed into the salt ships returning north and entered the salt river, and then reached Haizhou. After the official and businessmen of the Interior Affairs Office heading south of Haizhou had negotiated a deal with local smuggling dealers, the latter was responsible for bribing local officials and garrisons, and then transporting them out of the sea by small boats. The two sides traded on small islands such as Dashan Island. Then the Qing Dynasty merchant ships avoided the Ming army's maritime patrol, transported the grain to Jiaozhou, and then transported from Jiaozhou to Beijing...

This transportation line is very troublesome.

It can be said to be time-consuming and labor-intensive and inefficient.

But Dorgon had no choice. It was impossible to transport the sea ships directly from Zhejiang to the north, because Denglai was stuck in the middle, and the Beiyang navy was eyeing it. All merchant ships crossing the Changshan Islands were sunk, and canal smuggling was even more impossible. Land smuggling was also difficult. Henan and western Shandong buffer zones were uninhabited for hundreds of miles, and there was no one except the Ming cavalry patrols. They could not pass the northern checkpoints by land from Haizhou.

This is the only option.

And this price...

Well, we have no say in the Qing Dynasty at this price.

"Brother Cao, we are all always in love. I'll tell you the truth. If you buy this price, buy it. If you don't buy it, don't talk nonsense. I'll wait for the court to make a decision and make money. If you make less money, you'll be at ease!"

The old squire said.

"But I brought 10,000 taels of silver this time. I can't bring back the food. If I don't do it well, I will be beheaded. You will always be able to be compatible. If you really can't do it, you can do one or two ounces!"

Cao Sanxi begged.

He was from Shanxi and had previously done business outside the pass, so he took the line of the Qing Dynasty. However, he was just a small role, which was incomparable to the Fan family. Moreover, as the situation changed, his business was on the verge of despair. Fortunately, a new business opportunity appeared at this time. In order to feed the hard-core crops in the north, Dorgon could only smuggle grain from the south when the people could not plunder. Then he forced a large number of Shanxi merchants who could not be maintained into the Ministry of Internal Affairs, controlling various monopoly industries, including the salt industry. As the royal merchant, he used this wealth to smuggle grain from the south.

Cao Sanxi is one of them.

But because of his low status, he could not continue to be a salt merchant like the Fan family, and could only be sent out to do the most dangerous thing. Fortunately, the danger has always been linked to the benefits. It is precisely because he smuggled a lot of food that he not only has already fallen into the eyes of the Regent, but also has made a lot of money.

Before, he bought it here at a price of one or two, then transported it to Jiaozhou, and then went to Jiaolai River to go to the shallow coastal waters to avoid the Ming army's Beiyang Navy patrol in Laizhou Bay, and kept transporting the grain to Tianjin, and then sold it in Beijing at a price of two or two, but now the price...

This price must also be accepted.

"Mr. Liu, you are killing me!"

He lamented.

"Just give up, and then you have to rise!"

Mr. Liu said calmly while drinking tea.

In fact, he was purely extortion. Although the rice price rose, it only rose to eight cents. Of course, it would be unreasonable for him to do such a business of scouting the family and destroying the family if he didn't make a difference of more than double.

Cao Sanxi finally left with sadness, then boarded a fishing boat at the pier outside, paid a large commission to send him out to sea, and arrived at Dashan Island the next day. Another day after, several large sea boats appeared at sea level. After these ships docked, they carried boxes of silver. That night, small boats transporting grain began to arrive one after another. When these small boats arrived, they quickly transferred the food on the boat to the big boat, and then he paid the food for the ship. After a whole night, five thousand stones of grain were loaded, and the 10,000 taels of silver he brought was spent. Then he looked at the last small boat that left melancholy and issued an order to set sail.

"Owner, how can you sell it so expensive!"

His guy said carefully.

"How to sell it? The Regent only needs food, but he doesn't care about the price! He goes back and sells three taels per stone, and does not like to eat it. It is the time of spring famine. If he doesn't eat it, he will let those officials go out to eat tree bark and dig wild vegetables like poor people! The silver cannot be used as food."

Cao Sanxi sneered.

Indeed, he is also qualified to raise prices.

Last year, grain production in the north continued to decline, and the cold climate intensified. Although Dorgon also learned from Li Zicheng's method and used high-priced sweet potatoes to promote new crops, there was no substantial change yet due to limited quantity. There was no way to plunder the people. People fled south to the Ming army controlled areas or west to the Li Zicheng controlled areas. Many places continued to rebel due to famine. The elite soldiers of the Eight Banners were exhausted to suppress them, and as a result, more and more rebellions were rebelled.

This is almost time to catch up with Chongzhen.

After all, it is all about food. Even the Eight Banners soldiers are hard to eat now, and even the Eight Banners soldiers have rebelled in some places.

Dorgon now only has food.

He didn't care about anything else. As long as he could get him food, he would sell it at any price. If not, the imperial merchants had no motivation to smuggle. They ran to the Mingjun-controlled area to smuggle. Once they were found to have a dead end and they would not make enough money, which one of them would really do their business for the Qing Dynasty?

"Walk!"

Cao Sanxi said.

"Board, Ming Army Navy!"

Suddenly the sailor on the mast exclaimed.

"What a panic!"

Cao Sanxi shouted.

He sighed and waved to the side. A guy quickly brought a small box over. At this time, several warships appeared in the distance, and soon the two fleets met.

"Stop the boat to check!"

The officer on the battleship shouted.

"General Wang, they are all old friends, so what else can I worry about? I'm just transporting some goods to Dengzhou."

Cao San said with a happy smile.

"Ah, I'm going to Dengzhou, so there's no need to check it out. You won't lie to me, and then I went to Jiaozhou halfway, right?"

General Wang said.

"Won't!"

Cao Sanxi said with a smile holding the box.

The box with the lid was glittering golden.

In this way, several Ming army warships turned to the side, and a small boat came to take away the boxes. Cao Sanxi, who had lost 1,000 taels of silver, continued to move forward with a fleet loading of 5,000 stones of grain. By the next morning, they saw Jiaozhou Bay. But at the same time, two patrol warships came over, and the Ming Navy's dragon-walking sun and moon flag was flying on the mast of the warship.

Cao Sanxi sighed, then endured the pain of blood in his heart and took out a smaller box. Soon two new warships slowly sailed past his fleet, one left and one right, and one cannon was pushed out from the open gun door. Under the terrified eyes of the sailors, black muzzles were aimed at them.

Cao Sanxi didn't say a word.

He just opened the box to the officer on the deck of a warship, and the gems inside reflected a dazzling light.

The officer smiled with satisfaction.

"Go back and sell three or half!"
Chapter completed!