Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 526: The Olive Branch of the Rebel Army
After staying in Zhaowuling for a few days, Zhu Shenzui went to Yangtou Mountain, and then returned to Pingyang Prefecture from Yangtou Mountain.

All his family members have now been settled in Luzhou Guard, and there is only an old servant left at home in Pingyang Prefecture. The house seems a little empty when he returns home, but Zhu Shenzhui doesn't care. He returned to Pingyang Prefecture this time because he needed to show up in Pingyang Prefecture from time to time due to his status as a royal family member, and secondly, Pingyang Prefecture is also the location of the headquarters of Hengtong Commercial Bank, and Hengtong Commercial Bank is very important to him.

In the main hall, Zhu Shenzui sat in the main seat, and sitting below him was Kang Youfu.

After so many years, Kang Youfu is no longer the boy who made and sold tofu. Today, Hengtong Trading Company is not only famous in Shanxi, but also in Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Hubei and other places. Kang Youfu, who is in his early thirties, has the demeanor of a wealthy businessman in his every move. In addition, he has gained a lot of weight in recent years. How can he still look like the young man he used to be?
But in front of Zhu Shencui, Kang Youfu was completely different from the person he was outside. He sat upright with a smile on his face, as if he was listening. Kang Youfu knew very well that the key to his current success and the Kang family becoming a giant in Shanxi was that he found a good boss, and this boss was Zhu Shencui.

Zhu Shenzhui flipped through the account book in his hand and asked casually. He listened to Kang Youfu's answer, but was thinking about other things in his mind.

Kang Youfu is indeed a rare business talent. Although the rapid development of Hengtong is inseparable from his own support, Kang Youfu's business ability is also important. Without a business genius like Kang Youfu to manage Hengtong, even with the opportunity and background, Hengtong would not be able to achieve its current scale. The current Hengtong is of great importance in the whole of Shanxi, especially the rapid development of Hengtong Ticket Office in the past two years, which has made Hengtong surpass many century-old Shanxi merchants.

"How are the banknote exchanges in the capital preparing now?" After Kang Youfu finished talking about the business operations over the past six months, Zhu Shenzui nodded slightly and asked this question.

"Sixth Master, the capital was under siege before, so the business of the capital's bank was delayed. But we sent someone to the capital a few days ago to restart the business. In addition, Mr. Zhang has also made arrangements. I think it won't be long before the capital's bank can open smoothly."

"We must hurry up on this matter, the sooner the better!" Zhu Shenzhui specifically reminded.

Kang Youfu quickly said yes. Hengtong's banknote exchange office in Shanxi has been expanded in the past two years. As the business of the banknote exchange office has expanded, it has brought huge benefits to Hengtong. The bank has made a lot of profit just from the deposit and loan business. In addition, through the banknote exchange office business, Hengtong has continuously extended its commercial tentacles. Now, it has branches not only in Shanxi, but also in surrounding provinces.

As for the Beijing Piaohao, Hengtong had been preparing for this a year ago. Shanxi was not far from Zhili, and the capital was the best place in the world. As a businessman, it was impossible to ignore the capital.

Besides, there are many wealthy people in the capital, including Ming Dynasty nobles, palace eunuchs, court officials, businessmen, wealthy families, etc. Even the common people in the capital are much better off than ordinary people in other provinces.

If the ticket office in the capital can be set up, it will be of great benefit to Hengtong once it opens. This is not only clear to Zhu Shenzhui, but also to Kang Youfu. If Huang Taiji had not entered the Great Wall to attack the capital, Hengtong's ticket office in the capital would have been established long ago. Now that it has been delayed for so long, it is a bit too late.

After talking about the Beijing Piaohao, Kang Youfu took the initiative to mention one thing to Zhu Shenzhui, that is, the current situation in Shanxi is somewhat unstable.

During the time when Huang Taiji attacked the Great Wall, a group of rebels including Wang Jiayin from Shaanxi once again crossed the Yellow River to the east and entered the territory of Shanxi from Shaanxi, causing great trouble in the Luliang area.

Because of the loyalty to the emperor, Shanxi was temporarily unable to mobilize a large-scale army to encircle and suppress the rebels, and could only rely on local forces to solve the problem of rebels. However, after a year of rest and recuperation, Wang Jiayin's team entered Shanxi with considerable strength. For a time, they not only fought back and forth with the government troops, but also occupied several places.

At this moment, Wang Jiayin has taken Ningxiang, and Gao Yingxiang, known as the King of Rebellion, has also occupied Shilou. The two sides are supporting each other in the south and the north, and their momentum is huge.

Some time ago, because of Wang Jiayin and others, and because those military households who escaped from the Shanxi army after the mutiny in the capital were arrested and interrogated by the court, many people went directly to the west to avoid disaster, and either joined Wang Jiayin or Gao Yingxiang, which further expanded the strength of the rebels.

Due to the rebels, Hengtong Commercial Bank's trade encountered some troubles. The local branch of Hengtong Commercial Bank was ordered to withdraw directly, and the trade route to Shaanxi was temporarily cut off.

"For now, business in Shaanxi has to be suspended temporarily. If the imperial court cannot quell these rebels as soon as possible, preliminary calculations show that the company will lose nearly 10,000 taels of profit this year. Add to that the losses from the withdrawal of branches, and the loss will be even greater." Kang Youfu sighed.

"Money is only a thing outside of one's body. How are the people over there now? Are they all right?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master Liu. Everyone is fine. Most of them have returned, and those who stayed are also safe and sound." Zhu Shenzhui raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "You said this is not just about the withdrawal of branches, right? If you have anything to say, just say it directly. There is no need to worry."

Kang Youfu immediately laughed and flattered him, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Sixth Master. You are this!" As he said this, he gave him a thumbs up.

Kang Youfu continued, "The rebels came very fast. Although I got the news in advance and asked the branch to withdraw, some people still failed to run back in time and were trapped there. I thought those trapped were in danger, but guess what happened later?"

Kang Youfu glanced towards the door and whispered, "After these rebels entered the city, they raided government offices, wealthy households, and shops. Our Hengtong was naturally among them. However, after losing their property, those who failed to escape were later found by the rebels. We thought the rebels wanted to take our heads as a demonstration, but who would have thought that the rebels actually asked to do business with Hengtong. When the people in the branch learned about this, they dared not make decisions on their own and could only write letters to ask for instructions. I just received a letter a few days ago and was planning to report it to you, Master Six."

As he spoke, Kang Youfu took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Zhu Shenzhui, who took it and opened it.

The content of the letter was consistent with what Kang Youfu said. It simply explained the situation after being trapped, including the intention of the rebels (rebels) to cooperate with Hengtong.

This result is somewhat surprising, but it is normal if you think about it carefully. Although traitors are traitors, they are also human beings. They have a head, two eyes, and a mouth like ordinary people, and they also need to eat.

The reason for the rebellion is that they can't get enough food and are hungry. Now the situation is right and the troops have been formed, but it is impossible to rely on plundering for so many people.

The more people there are, the larger the territory, the stronger the power, but the same is true for the mouths that eat. The looted property and food can be used for a while but not for a lifetime. Rice and grain are gone after they are eaten. If you want more, you can only continue to rob. But in the current situation, these rebels are far from sweeping across the world. The combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty's officers and soldiers is far superior to these mobs. It is not easy to snatch food from the officers and soldiers.

As for property, apart from the rewards given to the brothers below, the leader kept a lot of it. But although gold, silver and jewelry are good things, they are useless if they cannot be exchanged for food.

Wang Jiayin and Gao Yingxiang were not ordinary bandits. They were capable people. Otherwise, they would not have rebelled to the point where they are today. Was it because Wang Jiayin and his men were tired of playing in Shaanxi and wanted to go to Shanxi? Of course not.

The reason they came to Shanxi was because of successive natural disasters in Shaanxi and the heavy taxation by the imperial court, the common people could not even survive. Except for a few places in Shaanxi where the situation was better, the food shortage problem was very serious in most areas. If they continued to stay in Shaanxi, they would not be able to feed their brothers, let alone grow and develop.

Faced with such a situation, the only goal of Wang Jiayin and others was to enter Shanxi from Shaanxi. Only the relatively wealthy Shanxi would allow them to continue to survive and develop. Now that they have taken Ningxiang and Shilou, their strength has been further improved, but with more people at hand, food has become a bigger problem.

In order to solve the food problem, the best way was to exchange the useless gold and silver in their hands for food. Hengtong Commercial Bank was quite famous in Shanxi, so it naturally became their first choice of cooperation partner.

After learning that there was a branch of Hengtong in the territory they had conquered and that they had captured the branch's manager and clerks, Wang Jiayin, Gao Yingxiang and others set their sights on Hengtong. Instead of killing Hengtong's people, they politely invited them over and returned some of the looted supplies to show their attitude. At the same time, they offered to use the gold and silver in their hands to buy food from Hengtong for their use.

To show their sincerity, they also promised that as long as Hengtong was willing to cooperate, the rebels would not only be able to purchase grain at a price several times higher than the market price, but also guarantee the absolute safety of Hengtong Trading Company in the areas controlled by the rebels. As long as Hengtong nodded, Hengtong's flag would be unimpeded in the rebels' side in the future, and even if the rebels took over other territories in the future, it would not have any impact on Hengtong.

It must be said that this suggestion was really generous. Kang Youfu was tempted after receiving the letter. Although war is cruel, it also brings huge benefits while killing. Apart from other things, the property looted by the rebels along the way is not a small amount. If we can get these properties from the rebels at the cost of a little food, it will be extremely beneficial to Hengtong.

Kang Youfu was a businessman, and as a businessman, his interests were his top priority. He also felt that even if he didn't do the business, someone else would do it, so why let others eat this piece of fat meat? In addition, the rebel army was so powerful that it had cut off the road from Shanxi to Shaanxi, causing Hengtong's business in Shaanxi to stagnate directly, resulting in a considerable loss.

If the road to Shaanxi can be opened up again through this cooperation, Hengtong will not only be able to make up for its previous losses, but also take this opportunity to further grow. This is a good thing!

(End of this chapter)