Chapter 129 Tell Your Brother-in-law to Be Careful
It’s no wonder that Zu Dashou was so shocked.

As the saying goes, there is no wall that is impenetrable. The generals and officers in the border towns had long heard about the collusion between Shanxi merchants and the Jian slaves to sell contraband.

In the ninth year of Chongzhen, when Lu Xiangsheng was guarding Xuanda, Zhangjiakou Fort, which had completely become a smuggling port, was under the rule of Lu Xiangsheng.

After Lu Xiangsheng took office, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Chongzhen, in which he frankly admitted that the eight major Shanxi merchants were selling contraband items to the Jiannu under the guise of the Mongols.

At that time, the Jiannu had already defeated the Dorote tribe and were in cahoots with the Thirty-Six Kharchin Families. They even openly sent people to Zhangjiakou Fort in the name of Mongols to carry out large-scale purchases.

It's just like people in later generations renting a membership card temporarily to go to Sam's Club.

Unfortunately, this incident did not attract the attention of the court at the time. They only thought that it was a small amount of contraband items sold by merchants for profit and it would not affect the overall situation.

What they didn’t know was that the eight major Shanxi merchants not only sold contraband items to the Jiannu, but also betrayed the movements of the Ming Dynasty court.

Secondly, they also did not want the Jiannu to launch a crazy attack on Liaodong because of completely cutting off their life supplies.

After all, according to official policy at the time, all Ming Dynasty products were contraband for the Jiannu.

Not even a grain of salt was allowed to be transported over, yet salt, tea, and grains were necessities for survival.

Not to mention whether smuggling can be completely stopped, even if it can be done, it will only cause the Jian slaves to go crazy.

At that time, there were no capable people in Liaodong. Except for Sun Chengzong who was unemployed at home, others such as Xiong Tingbi, Yuan Chonghuan, Man Gui, Zhao Lushio, etc. either died at the hands of the Jiannu or at the hands of Chongzhen.

So at that time, Liaodong could be said to be a mountain without a tiger, so the monkey was king.

Just defending is already extremely difficult. If the Jiannu really attack desperately, it is questionable whether Zu Dashou, who has become the leader of Liaodong, can withstand it.

However, comparing Zu Dashou to a monkey is indeed a bit too much. After all, to be honest, Zu Dashou is still capable of fighting, but compared with great men like Xiong Tingbi and Sun Chengzong, he is indeed almost like a monkey.

As we all know, Emperor Chongzhen is often the last to know the truth about this country.

Therefore, rumors about Shanxi merchants selling out their country had actually spread among the border people a long time ago, but most of them were just hearsay without any real evidence.

But even if it was just hearsay, Zu Dashou knew very well that there is no smoke without fire.

If the Shanxi merchants wanted to sell contraband items to the Jiannu, they would have to secretly negotiate with the checkpoints along the way, and they would even have to have some big shot in the court to act as their protective umbrella.

In fact, there is more than one umbrella.

If Chongzhen was determined to kill people, one can imagine what kind of bloody storm would be set off.

Zu Dashou swallowed his saliva and secretly thanked his lucky stars that his family had been stationed in Liaodong for generations. Except for the few years when Nurhaci had just risen to power, when some merchants did business with the Jiannu through Fushun, the entire Zu family had no chance to accept bribes from Shanxi merchants.

After figuring out the key, Zu Dashou felt quite relieved.

However, Yuan Chonghuan smiled and said, "These merchants are best at speculation and profiteering. This time, Your Majesty has decided to form an alliance with the Duoluo tribe, and the place for the exclusive trade is Jinzhou where you are stationed."

"These wealthy and powerful Shanxi merchants will definitely find a way to get you in. Fu Yu, don't be tempted by beauty. After all, money can move people's hearts!"

Zu Dashou immediately laughed at himself and said, "I have been under the command of the governor for so many years. Doesn't the governor know what kind of person I am?"

"So I dare not say that I am upright and incorruptible, but I know what I can take and what I cannot." "What's more, His Majesty personally ordered us to pretend to be nice and make sure that the so-called eight major Shanxi merchants take the bait. Even if I take the money they give me, I have to return it."

"Hahaha," Yuan Chonghuan stroked his beard and chuckled, saying, "It's good that you understand this principle, Fu Yu."

"But... this is the bait I threw out. It's your eldest nephew Wu Sangui. This guy is quite smart. Moreover, with his official position at the moment, he is just a small figure to the eight major Shanxi merchants."

"But his father, Wu Xiang, is the general of Liaodong Town after all, and he is also the brother-in-law of a key figure like you. The Shanxi merchants will definitely come after him!"

"But this person Wu Xiang, hehe..."

"He doesn't look like an honest official!"

Zu Dashou was immediately ashamed and said, "After I return, I will definitely warn him severely to prevent him from making mistakes."

Yuan Chonghuan shook his head and smiled, "That's not necessary. Let him show his true nature. That way it will be more credible."

Zu Dashou became anxious upon hearing this and said, "This... please show some mercy, Governor. After all, he is my brother-in-law!"

Yuan Chonghuan laughed even more happily and said, "Fuyu, you just can't think straight sometimes."

"Even if Wu Xiang accepted bribes, so what? When the time comes, we will wipe out the eight major Shanxi merchants. I can write to the court and say that we deliberately instigated them to make a fake play real for the eight major Shanxi merchants!"

“Then Wu Xiang will not only be free from trouble, but also be able to make contributions!”

Zu Dashou then smiled and said, "I see. Fu Yu would like to thank the governor for his promotion on behalf of my brother-in-law!"

Yuan Chonghuan stroked his beard with pride and said with a smile: "Let's not waste any more time on small talk. You should hurry back to Jinzhou."

"According to the time, Liang Jiabin is the last one to leave the border. The other seven major Shanxi merchants are probably not far from Jinzhou at this time. As a landlord, you must not treat them badly."

………………

A few days later, at the General’s Mansion in Jinzhou City.

These days, he led thousands of laborers to repair the Jinzhou city wall, while the Liaodong Governor Bi Zisu, who was temporarily living in the General's Mansion, was walking back and forth in his room with a worried look on his face.

Suddenly, a servant pushed the door open.

Bi Zisu immediately asked, "Which wave is it?"

The servant replied, "Your Excellency, including the group just now, this is the third group of people who have come to visit General Zu today."

Bi Zisu was spinning in circles, muttering to himself, "What on earth do these merchants want to do? They can just go about their own business. What's the point of visiting Zu Dashou, the vanguard commander?"

Bi Zisu paced back and forth, paused for a moment and said, "I just hope that General Zu will not forget his status and do something that will let down the court and the emperor!"

Seeing this, the servant tried to test him, "The underground has granted Jinzhou City a special license to trade with the Duoluotu tribe. Now all the tribes in the nine border areas have abolished their rewards. This only place of trade will surely become the center of the vortex. My lord, why don't we stay away from this place of trouble?"

Bi Zisu scolded him, "Asshole, I shoulder the heavy responsibility of the court, why should I avoid it because of misfortune or fortune?"

(End of this chapter)