Woo…

The sound of the whistle came from a distance, followed by the slight tremor of the ground and the sound of the wheels colliding with the rails. A train blew its whistle and spewed black smoke. There were a lot of people pulling behind the train.

Twenty wagons were filled with cargo and approached at an extremely fast speed.

"Hey, this is the locomotive newly developed by the imperial court. This speed is much faster than the previous trains. According to the horsepower mentioned by the imperial court, this locomotive can count at least 80 horses, right?

"Hmm, it's twice as fast as the court's horse before. It should have the strength of seventy or eighty horses, otherwise it wouldn't be able to pull so much cargo."

"Brother Yu, I heard that your business is doing quite well, and you have also contacted the Tatars in Mongolia. If the Chi Road in Mongolia is repaired, your business will be great!"

"Hey, my little business is nothing. I am just working for King Zhou. The little I earn is not worth mentioning. King Zhou is the big business."

"Isn't King Zhou engaged in logistics? Why is he still involved with wool?"

"I don't know. It is said that King Zhou went to seek help from His Majesty and got a good job from His Majesty. Now his business is booming."

"These have little to do with us. Right now, I'm just wondering when the Chidao in Taiyuan and Luoyang will be repaired. Then the Chidao in Jinan will be added. If these are connected, our business in the north will be much easier.

, those southerners look down on us, but they can’t keep up with this good deal!”

"That's right, those people in the south are greedy for our Chidao and are spreading rumors that Chidao is going to be corrupt. The court doesn't care. These people are obviously fanning the flames. Fortunately, Mr. Zhang is as stable as Mount Tai, otherwise we would be in trouble now.

「

"Yeah yeah…"

A group of northern gentry and dignitaries were chatting and looking at the new-style locomotive parked at the Tianjin Railway Station. There was a slight expression of envy in each of their eyes. When will this road be built to them?

Official notices from the imperial court, Daming Newspaper, Chidao Yamen notices, and businessmen seeing the actual actions of the imperial court completely disrupted and exposed some people's small actions.

Everyone can feel the recovery in the stock market, and retail investors are rushing into the market one after another to buy stocks, which makes some people feel uncomfortable.

For example, Zhu Youjian couldn't help but sigh after he found out about the notice issued by the court. How could his father-in-law, who was as stingy as a rooster for his wealth, be so lucky?

He thought he could bankrupt his unlucky father-in-law, but in the end he really didn't expect that Zhou Kui actually got through this difficulty. Now it was Zhu Youjian's turn to embarrass himself. After all, Zhou Kui was unlucky enough to encounter a big plunge in the stock market before.

, he was gloating and mocking Zhou Kui. This was the result of being rich and unkind. Now that his father-in-law has recovered, he may not be as good as him...

When he thinks of this, Zhu Youjian frowns. If his father-in-law tries to run against him in the capital, then his life will be really difficult. Even though he is a prince now, a down-and-out prince is worse than a chicken. He Zhu Youjian

How can he fight with his father-in-law with these three melons and two dates in his hand? He will be in trouble now.

And if Zhu Youjian only had a sad face, the faces of some people in the south had completely changed!

In the back hall of a certain river yamen, three or five people gathered together, all of them with gloomy faces.

Mr. Li kept pacing, and the anxiety on his face could not be relieved. This constant pacing made Mr. Fan, Mr. Wang and others a little unbearable. Mr. Wang said: "I said Li Sir, what are you doing wandering around here? It makes me dizzy."

Mr. Li snorted coldly: "Being dizzy is better than losing your head! I said it before, don't provoke the imperial court. We should do our job well. Even if the imperial court wants to attack the Caoyun Yamen, we will be safe and sound. But Now, disaster is coming!"

Mr. Fan shook his head, with a gloomy expression: "Do you really think that if we do things well, the court will let us go? If we had done things well from the beginning, there would be no problem, but I...don't forget, what are we? Hedao Yamen is related to water transportation! Since we entered this Hedao Yamen, can we still do things according to our wishes?"

"The kid below, Yan above

King, which one is easy to deal with? I'm waiting for these. After dealing with the above and dealing with the below, there are still those monsters and ghosts outside! Alas, the Caoyun Yamen will suffer both prosperity and loss. If we don't take action, we will have no way to survive. "

Mr. Li sneered, and his voice was a little weird: "There are imps below, the King of Hell above, and demons and monsters outside. So what are we? Monsters? If we monsters like us attack the stock market, aren't we just waiting to be punished by the court?" 「

Mr. Wang became impatient: "Then what do you want? We are asked to take action from above, can you not do it? And it is not only us who are taking action? None of the river yamen up and down the canal has done anything overtly or covertly, otherwise how could the riverside be mobilized? Canal work on both sides of the river? Moreover, we have also suffered losses due to the turmoil in the stock market. If anyone has not bought stocks these days, then we have also lost a lot of money, just to keep the job we have!"

Mr. Li didn't look at Mr. Wang. He sat down and took a sip from the tea cup, then spit it out: "Bah! How come it's cold!"

Putting down the teacup, looking at Mr. Fan, and then at Mr. Han who had been silent, Mr. Li suddenly said: "What does Caoyun Yamen mean? Now the court must know that we are fanning the flames, whether it is His Majesty in the palace, Even the senior ministers in the cabinet will not let us go, and neither will the powerful gentry in the north whose interests have been harmed. We must do something to avoid being killed as a warning to the monkeys."

"Guys! Think about it carefully! Maybe the Jinyiwei who is taking the person is already on the way. Think about the Jinyiwei's prison. It's easy to get in, but it's impossible to get out!"

Hearing the words "Jinyiwei", both Mr. Fan who seemed as stable as Mount Tai and the arrogant Mr. Wang could not help but tremble. The name "Jinyiwei" was a nightmare that had haunted the heads of Ming officials for more than two hundred years.

Jinyiwei, Dongchang, Xichang, Neiwei, these emperor's minions and spies, starting from Emperor Taizu, weaved a dense web on the heads of Ming Dynasty officials and on the two capitals and thirteen provinces of Ming Dynasty. Net, emperors of all dynasties could use this net to control the world's news.

Now, Zhu Youxiao has truly gained power through a series of means, and Jinyiwei's network has become even more dense and airtight. It covers the huge territory of the two capitals and twenty-four provinces in the Ming Dynasty, and even in Liaodong and North Korea. , in the grasslands, in Southeast Asia, and in Nanyang, no one can escape this net.

As long as the court wants to arrest someone, even if you run into some deep mountain or old forest, you may be captured by the Jinyi Guards.

Emperor Tianqi is not a kind person, or in other words, his kindness is not directed at these disobedient officials who dare to grin at his imperial power.

Strict on officials but generous to the people, a sage on the inside but a king on the outside, this emperor had many tricks, not to mention, beside him was Prime Minister Zhang, who was the number one in the Ming Dynasty...

When they thought of this, several people couldn't help but frown. Next, their life would not be easy.

Mr. Han, who had been listening quietly without speaking, finally spoke at this time: "Don't worry, the court has no chance to scare the monkeys, and we will be safe."

Mr. Li sneered and asked: "My Mr. Han, where did you come from with such a loud voice? Are we safe? Now we have half a foot in the prison, are we still safe? The imperial court wants to take action, but we have no way to survive.

!

Mr. Han said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Li, we have a way to survive, and there are plenty of them. Don't forget, the Caobang is standing with us, and they stirred up trouble in the first place. If it weren't for those people in the Caobang, where would we be?"

It can be done so easily. If this is exposed, the Cao workers may survive, but who of those people on the Cao Gang can escape?"

"So when the Cao Gang helps us, it means helping themselves. With the Cao Gang, we have the biggest card in our hands. If these millions of Cao Gang get into chaos, will the court be able to withstand it?"

Boom!

It was as if thunder exploded on the roof, and Mr. Li felt his ears buzzing, as if he had been hit in the head by lightning.

He was stunned for a moment, looking at Mr. Han with a smile on his face, as if he was looking at a monster.

After being stunned for a moment, he raised his hand tremblingly and pointed at Master Han: "Master Han, Han Jiu, are you crazy?! If you want millions of canal workers to cause trouble, that is a conspiracy, that is rebellion! This is not just

Lose your head, yes

The nine tribes are going to be executed! The imperial court currently has 120,000 new troops stationed in Nanjing! Their strength means that even if one million cannons are turned against them, it won’t even take a few days to bulldoze them! You’re not looking for death like this!”

The northern and southern capitals of the Ming Dynasty existed as the two hubs of the Ming Dynasty, and a large number of troops were stationed inside and outside the cities.

For example, there are 150,000 troops stationed in Shuntian Prefecture, and 130,000 troops stationed in Yingtian Prefecture, divided into several towns to deter evildoers from all directions.

Previously, Yingtian Mansion sent 30,000 troops to conquer the Dutch in Southeast Asia. Now, 20,000 troops have returned, and the remaining 10,000 troops have been guarding Batavia to maintain order in Southeast Asia. The 120,000 new troops of Yingtian Mansion are all professional soldiers who have lost their jobs. They are equipped with

The most cutting-edge firecrackers and artillery after the military reform and rectification of the Ming Dynasty, have sophisticated armor and receive the latest military training.

They train every day and have plenty of food. They are the most powerful force of the imperial court in the South. These people before them were all absolute elites. They were only 1,800 swordsmen out of 10,000 people. So with one

A sharp warrior who blocks five and ten.

But now, Tianqi Dynasty supports hundreds of thousands of such ruthless people!

Anyone who wants to cause chaos must consider how many people in the court he can resist with the little money and things he has.

The 100,000 Manchu and Mongolian allied forces, which could be defeated by the imperial court with only 50,000 troops, were routed thousands of miles away and not a single one of them was left alive. What are you using to fight against the imperial court?

Mr. Wang's face didn't look good either. He stared at Mr. Han and didn't even bother to use the honorific: "Han Jiu, this is not what we promised at the beginning. We didn't agree with it at the beginning. It was the Caoyun Yamen that forced me to do so.

When we act, it’s you, Han Jiu, who can guarantee that nothing will happen to us. Is this your guarantee? "

Han Jiu was extremely calm. He picked up the tea and blew the hot air away and took a sip: "Why, if you don't do this, how will you and I survive?"

"The imperial court has long taken action against water transport. You don't really think that the court will let water transport go, do you? How many troubles have been caused in water transport in the past two hundred years? How much money and food have been stolen, and how many conveniences have been given to outsiders?

, you are not clear, or is it that the court is not clear? It is just that the court has always relied on water transportation, which is equivalent to interdependence, and it is difficult to clean up. But even so, which water transportation can not be cleaned up? "

"Now, His Majesty, despite the pressure from the world, has abolished the ancestral system and opened the sea ban, and also built the Chi Road. The importance of water transportation has long been wiped out little by little. The current water transportation is just a piece of meat on the lips of His Majesty.

, he can eat it whenever he wants."

"You really think you are safe? Do you really think you can continue to be an official by just sitting on the sidelines? How can such a good thing happen? Where is the new party now? You also know in your mind."

"Yes, water transportation will not be completely abolished, and the Hedao Yamen will exist, but the officials inside will definitely not be you, it will be me, it will only be those sanctimonious guys from the New Party!"

Master Fan sighed: "Oh, Master Han, what do you think we should do?"

Han Jiu spread his hands: "Of course we have to rely on the canal work to make the court obey. Otherwise, where would we be able to survive?"

Mr. Wang suddenly stopped his reckless look and stared at Han Jiu, "Mr. Han, speaking of you and me working together these years, I have always felt that you have an extraordinary background. What is your origin?"

Han Jiu smiled: "I am just an ordinary person, just like Mr. Wang, Mr. Li, and Mr. Fan. To put it bluntly, being an official for thousands of miles is just for fame and wealth."

The back hall suddenly fell silent. Several people stopped talking and sat on their own, staring at the others, thinking and calculating in their hearts. The bugs kept making noises outside, but no one spoke in the hall. It was so quiet that people were a little scared.

, a little timid.

"Since there is no way out, let's try and see. Even if the court wants to attack us, there are millions of cannon workers around, and the court will always be wary." Mr. Wang suddenly said.

Mr. Fan calmly analyzed: "However, those people in the Caogang are not stupid. They all climbed up from the mud. These people are usually obedient, but when encountering this kind of thing, they will not be completely

Listen to us."

Han Jiu said with a smile: "Isn't that what the Cao Gang is like? Speaking of which, these people are not even as good as the lower class. Their current wealth and power are all dependent on our Hedao Yamen. If these dogs are disobedient, why don't they become more obedient?

?」

Caobang's position in the Ming Dynasty was very embarrassing.

Caobang, which originally relied on water transportation, has always been in a semi-gray recessive state.

It exists, but it doesn't exist, at least it doesn't exist on the surface. The imperial court does not recognize the Caobang, but the Caobang is needed in the local area. This is also the reason why the Caobang's status is embarrassing. To put it bluntly, it is a group of Caobang workers who stay together to keep themselves warm from others.

The local people were bullied or we were together at the dock

Caogangs came into being where there was a river and a wharf, and Caogangs also had rules.

Today's Caogang development scale is very large. It can be said that millions of Caogang workers are all dependent on each Caogang. They work together, occupy one dock after another, and contract business in one place. The area is so large that it covers the upper and lower canals.
To be continued...