Video Editor

Chapter 313 Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
Upon hearing the good news brought back by Chen Boda, Suning couldn't help but burst out laughing. Although he gave up 70% of the profits, he still got the salt workers he wanted most.

Many people may not understand why Suning is so keen on salt workers. That is because they don’t know that salt workers and miners are the best source of soldiers. After being exploited for a long time, each of them can be destructive.

In the original time and space, Zhu Yuanzhang had just occupied Chuzhou and Hexian areas when the Mongol army attacked from the direction of Liuhe. In fact, the main target of the Mongol army at that time was Zhang Shicheng who occupied Gaoyou and Yancheng areas.

The salt people led by Zhang Shicheng were the most enduring military force. They resisted wave after wave of attacks from the Mongol army and controlled the Gaoyou section of the Grand Canal, completely strangling the Mongol army and forcing it to recruit Zhang Shicheng again and again. Unfortunately, both Zhang Shicheng and Zhang Shide were short-sighted opportunists and actually defected to the Mongol army.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang at that time, he was just a dispensable "poor thing" in the eyes of the Mongols. The attack on him was a short-sighted act, which gave Zhu Yuanzhang the opportunity to grow stronger.

“Everyone is very happy today because we got the salt people whom we wanted and needed the most.

But we still can't relax, so let's not drink today." Su Ning said to Chen Boda and Li Shanchang with a smile, drinking tea instead of wine.

"Yeah! What the boss said makes sense!

We are now treading on thin ice, carrying a heavy burden, and happy moments must be compressed to a minimum." Li Shanchang agreed with Suning's soberness.

Soon, Suning had his servants remove the liquor, and the three of them celebrated with tea instead of wine. "Father-in-law, Shanchang, because the salt workers' affairs are very important, I will personally lead people to manage the salt workers in the Jianghuai Salt Field.

Chuzhou is relying on you two!"

"Boss, don't worry!
We will definitely ensure the safety of the Chuzhou base camp."

"Well! I trust you to do the job!" Suning had no doubt about Li Shanchang's ability.

"Sir, how is the formation of the Imperial Guard going?"

“Boss, since we rely on the Chen family’s restaurants and teahouses, it’s not difficult to form the Jinyiwei.

We now have intelligence bases all around the Yangtze River, and I believe intelligence will soon be gathered."

"Well! Nowadays, people generally have no sense of confidentiality, so it's quite easy to obtain information.

However, we at Longmen Escort Agency must take this as a warning and ensure confidentiality."

"Boss, don't worry!
I have recently paid attention to the Longmen Escort Agency, and their confidentiality work is indeed very good.

Even the escorts from the Longmen Escort Agency still thought they were just ordinary employees."

“Haha, it seems our work is quite effective.

"Father-in-law, Shanchang, because our target is the area south of the Yellow River, and our first target is the area around Jiqing Road, Suzhou, Yancheng, Gaoyou, Yangzhou, Haozhou, Dingyuan, Chuzhou, Jiqing, Hexian, and Liuhe. Therefore, the Jinyiwei's key monitoring direction should be placed on the direction of the Mongol army's counterattack."

"Ah? Occupying so many areas at once?" Li Shanchang and Chen Boda were both shocked.

"Haha, that's why I'm so eager to control the salt farmers in the Jianghuai Salt Fields. They can raise nearly 100,000 soldiers for us at a time.

If we arrange for the 2,000 to 5,000 legions stationed in various places to recruit soldiers locally, we will definitely be able to control this area as soon as possible.

We must also ensure that we have 50,000 central troops to deal with the Mongol counterattack."

"Huh? If the number of troops stationed there is between 2,000 and 5,000, then they must all be at the level of regular troops. This way, by recruiting a large number of auxiliary troops nearby, we can quickly build up combat effectiveness.

It's hard to say whether a battle outside the city will be successful, but defending the city shouldn't be a problem." After being shocked, Li Shanchang slowly thought about it and agreed with Suning's plan.

"Yes! After the uprising begins, we will immediately arrange for an internal and external attack. Inside the city will be the escorts from the various Dragon Gate Escort Agency, and outside the city will be the various military units dispatched. So each operation must be carried out in secrecy."

"In order to prevent persecution from the Mongols, we must reduce the influence of our Longmen Escort Agency. We must withdraw all forces outside the areas we divided in the first step. This will confirm what my father-in-law said to the barbarian Hague about stopping the escort agency due to the salt trade."

"Well! Boss, this plan is feasible!"

"The key area is the war in Jiqing Road. Initially, we're trying to paralyze the barbarians, Hague. Now we're slowly renting their giant ships and transporting food and salt to lower their guard. Then, we'll try to hire as many as possible just before the uprising."

"Ah? Even though the barbarian Hague has lost its fleet, we still have the final say in the Yangtze River Basin?" Chen Boda's breathing became rapid as a result of Suning's plan.

"Yes! If we take control of the Barbarian Hague's navy, Jiqing Road will be ours."

"My dear son-in-law, don't worry!
I will definitely serve the barbarian Hague well.

On the eve of the uprising, I plan to invite the middle and high-ranking officers and soldiers of their navy to Jiqing Road for a drink and entertainment, which will make it easier for us to control the entire fleet."

"Haha, father-in-law, you really are a know-it-all!

This is a great plan!"

At this time, Su Ning suddenly took out the military law he had written himself and handed it to Li Shanchang, who was deep in thought, "Shanchang, this is the military law I wrote personally.

You know, after the uprising, our own discipline is the most important thing, so please help me see if there is anything else I need to add."

"Oh? Let me see!"

"First, follow orders in all actions!

Second, no kidnapping of civilians!
Third, all spoils must be attributed!

Fourth, no promiscuous women!
Fifth, no mistreatment of prisoners!"

"Ah? Boss, this is even more powerful than Liu Bang's Three Articles of Agreement!

It’s just that you are not allowed to mistreat prisoners. I don’t think our soldiers will understand that, right?

After all, the people we captured were all high-ranking officials of the Yuan Dynasty, and they certainly couldn't control their emotions."

"Shanshi, what kinds of wealth do you think there are?"

"What?" Li Shanchang was suddenly confused.

Chen Boda, standing aside, said with a nonchalant smile, "Isn't wealth just gold, silver, treasures, land and real estate?"

"That's right! However, there is another kind of wealth that everyone overlooks, and that is talent."

After hearing Su Ning's explanation, Li Shanchang suddenly seemed to understand something. He looked at Su Ning with eager eyes and his breathing became unconsciously rapid.

"Shan Chang, how many years of hard study does a scholar need?"

"ten years!"

"Haha, more than that!
There are also many people who have lived for twenty or thirty years!

Therefore, it is very difficult to cultivate a scholar.

If we kill them all for the sake of quick success, wouldn't that be a loss for us?"

"Huh? My dear son-in-law, I agree with you about giving preferential treatment to scholars!

But what use are those Mongols and Yuan Dynasty savages? It would be better to just let the soldiers kill them."

"Father-in-law, this is wrong!

Everyone has his value.

These Mongol nobles all grew up on horseback. Even though they are corrupt now, their riding and archery skills are still unmatched by us Han people.

Therefore, to resist the Mongols, we must unite all possible forces."

These are all experiences summarized by Suning based on later generations. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty army also had a large number of Mongolian prisoners serving as soldiers. There is no reason why Suning, a modern person from later generations, is not as broad-minded as Zhu Yuanzhang.

The Jianghuai Salt Field is actually just a general term. There are countless large and small salt fields in the Yancheng and Taizhou areas, all of which are controlled by the Mongolian nobles at this time. The bold salt farmers at the bottom can only make a fortune by secretly selling private salt. Therefore, the brothers Zhang Shicheng and Zhang Shide are actually relatively wealthy private salt dealers, and their lives are much more comfortable than those of ordinary salt farmers.

As for the conflict between the two brothers and the salt field managers, it was more of a conflict over the unequal distribution of spoils. They rebelled only to wait for a higher price and had no intention of driving out the Tartars.

"Brother, have you heard?
The salt fields here have been taken over by the Longmen Escort Agency!" Zhang Shide looked at his elder brother Zhang Shicheng excitedly.

"What? Longmen Escort Agency?

Is that the "great philanthropist" Su Ning from Chuzhou? "Zhang Shicheng's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the news about his brother Zhang Shide.

"Yes!
Haha, now our salt farmers’ lives will be better!"

Looking at his silly brother Zhang Shide who looked so happy, Zhang Shicheng was so angry that he hit his brother hard with his hand and said angrily, "Idiot! The salt fields have been occupied by Longmen Escort Agency!

What does it have to do with us two brothers?
What do we salt smugglers eat and drink?
The salt farmers are all living comfortably now, are they still willing to follow us brothers through thick and thin?"

"Ah? Big brother, what should we do?" Zhang Shide also realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Hey! Wait and see!
I don't believe that Longmen Escort Agency is a flawless egg!"

"Brother, I will listen to you!"

Suning knew that he could not pay the salt farmers too much wages, because paying too much would cause public outrage and backlash from the salt farmers, and would also be considered by the Mongols as buying people's hearts. Suning was not a hypocritical person, and he knew how to truly help the salt farmers get rid of their suffering.

"Bang Bang Bang!"

A burst of rapid clacking sounds was heard, and the salt farmers stopped their work and ran over because they knew it was the sound of dinner.

"Everyone, don't crowd! Come one by one!
Everyone line up properly!"

"Foreman! What are we eating today?
Will our food be better if we change to a new owner?"

"Humph! You poor Koreans, have you ever eaten anything delicious?

Well, our new owner is kind!
Each salt farmer can receive two wild vegetable pancakes and a bowl of porridge."

"Ah? Pancakes?
The boss is actually willing to give us some pancakes to eat!" As the foreman finished speaking, the salt workers became excited.

The salt farmers excitedly took the two patterned gray pancakes and the porridge that was so thick that chopsticks could stand up, and they couldn't help crying.

Suning looked at the excited expressions of the salt farmers in front of him who were crying while eating, but his eyes were empty, without any sadness or joy. It was not easy for the Chinese people to make a living, and the suffering they endured was not something that ordinary people could understand.

"Mr. Su, I think you are being redundant?" Master Sui, a close confidant of the Left Prime Minister Fu Shou, looked at Su Ning with disdain.

"what?"

"Master Su, you shouldn't be so nice to these bastards!"

"You cheap bastard? Master Sui is also Han Chinese, right?"

"Hmph! Although he is of Han descent, he is serving a noble Mongolian nobleman. This is the honor of my ancestors." Master Sui looked at the salt farmers in front of him with pride.

Looking at the proud Master Sui, Su Ning suppressed his nausea and explained with a forced smile, "Since Master Sui is serving a Mongolian noble, have you ever seen a Mongolian feed a horse?"

"Feeding the horse? I've seen it! What's wrong?"

"Master Sui, since you've seen horses being fed, you should know that if you want a horse to run, it needs to be well fed."

"Uh?"

"Master Sui, after dinner, the salt farmers' enthusiasm for work will change immediately, and the salt output of the salt field will definitely increase significantly this month."

"Ah? Impossible!" "And there's more! Master Sui, according to the regulations, you used to pay the salt farmers ten cents a day, but they only got six cents at most.

I now give them five cents a month so that they can eat better, so there's nothing wrong with that, right? "

"Ah? Mr. Su, you are still the smartest!
I just want to say that you business people have good brains!

Haha, I admire you! "After hearing Suning's explanation, Master Sui became happy.

"Master Sui, you are a favorite of Prime Minister Zuo. I hope you can speak well of me in front of Prime Minister Zuo in the future!" Su Ning fooled Master Sui and then secretly put a silver ingot in his hand.

Feeling the texture and weight of the silver in his hand, Master Sui's eyes almost narrowed into slits, "Haha, no problem! No problem!"

Seeing Master Sui leave contentedly, Suning sighed helplessly. These bastards from the Mongols were not stupid at all, but very smart.

After receiving the generous gift and 50% of the profits, the Left Prime Minister Fu Shou did not relax his vigilance against Suning, so he sent out Sui Shiye, a "thing", to monitor him. This made Suning take great pains to explain his behavior to Sui Shiye and Fu Shou.

At daybreak in the morning, the foreman was banging on the wooden doors of the sheds, "Get up! Get up!

Get up and train!"

"Ah? So early?

It’s not dawn yet!

What are you training for? " The salt farmers looked at the sky outside and complained weakly.

"Stop talking nonsense! From now on, there will be training every morning before work. Those who participate in the training can have an extra meal."

"Huh? What?
Can I have one more meal? " When the refugees heard that there was food, they all woke up and looked at the foreman with hungry eyes.

"That's right! Those who participate in training will have three meals a day.

Those who do not participate in training will still have two meals a day as before.

So whether you train or not is up to you.”

"Train! Of course we have to train!

Only a fool wouldn't train! " The salt workers were no longer sleepy and got up quickly.

Soon, the salt workers, dressed in their clothes, came out in twos and threes and came to the open space outside the shed. They looked at their foreman in confusion, "Foreman, what are we training for?"

"Huh? If you ask me, who should I ask?

Maybe the new boss sees that you are all weaklings and wants you to train more and work harder, right? "The foreman was also confused by the salt farmers' question, and could only guess what he said to the salt farmers.

“Haha, such a good host.

We really need to help them make more money, so we can justify the good food they provide us.” The salt farmers were simple-minded and quickly came to understand the concept of “capital.”

The salt farmers didn't have to wait too long before a number of capable young men in red uniforms appeared. They looked at the salt farmers with disdainful expressions and said, "We are escorts from the Longmen Escort Agency. We will be your instructors from now on, and you will have to train with us every day."

"Ah? We are salt farmers. You won't ask us to be bodyguards, right?"

"Humph! With your dry appearance, are you qualified to be a bodyguard?
The boss is only training you so that you can work well."

"Oh! So that's it!"

"Alright! Now there are eleven of you in a class. You will choose one person to be the acting class leader."

"Ah? Squad leader?" Hearing this unfamiliar word, the salt farmers all showed puzzled expressions.

"That's right! From now on, your food and lodging will be arranged according to your classes, and your work will also be arranged according to your classes. This will make it easier to manage you in a unified manner."

Although the salt workers did not understand and did not know why they were asked to do this, when they saw the pancakes and hot porridge placed next to them, they swallowed their saliva hard and obediently followed the bodyguards in training.

In fact, the training content is very simple. They are asked to take off the shoes on their left feet, and then practice left and right movements according to the bodyguard's commands, and of course the indispensable standing still.

At the beginning, the salt farmers endured the demands of the bodyguards just for a bite to eat. With day after day of training, they gradually got used to this kind of life, and three good meals a day made them stronger and stronger.

Soon a month passed, and the salt output of each salt field increased significantly. Fu Shou's confidant, Master Sui, was happy, but he also started to curse the salt farmers.

"Bah! These damn salt farmers were actually slacking off before!"

"Eh? These are just little things.

Isn’t the salt output increased now? "Suning really couldn't understand the train of thought of this "traitor".

"Well! I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Su!"

"Haha, it's my honor to work for the Left Prime Minister. How can it be hard work?"

"Haha, Mr. Su is so smart!
When I get back, I will definitely speak well of you to the Left Prime Minister!"

"Haha, then thank you, Master Sui!"

Today is also the day when the salt workers get their wages. The difference from usual days is that this time they need to go directly to the Longmen Bank next to the salt field to get their wages themselves, and no longer need to get them from the foreman.

Master Sui did not leave immediately. He watched at the door of Longmen Money House. He wanted to see if Suning really only gave five cents to the salt farmers. Fushou personally told him to pay attention to this matter and never allow Longmen Escort Agency to buy people's hearts.

"Huh? Why is there only five cents?
We all used to have ten cents!" came the unhappy voice of a salt farmer.

"Hmph! How much did you get?" The employee in charge of distributing money at Longmen Money House retorted to the salt farmers.

"Eh? Even if there's exploitation, I still get six cents a month!
This is a penny less!"

"Haha, then let me ask you, what do you eat every day?
Has the food improved?
Just because you're paid a penny less every month, you're still complaining about it, not afraid of your boss getting disappointed."

"This" The salt farmers were speechless at this time after being confronted by the bank employees, and could only shake their heads helplessly and leave.

"Next!" The bank employee's voice was as cold as a machine.

When Sui Shiye saw the excited salt farmers, he smiled self-righteously with surprise, and then left with satisfaction. He wanted to rush back to Jiqing Road as soon as possible to tell the Left Prime Minister Fushou the good news.

Seeing that Master Sui, the "plague god", had finally left, Suning couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. As for the indignant salt farmers, Suning had made arrangements early on and would definitely make them grateful to him.

However, all of Suning's attention was focused on Master Sui, and he didn't notice the brothers Zhang Shicheng and Zhang Shide squatting in the corner. Looking at the angry salt farmers, the two brothers smiled in surprise.

"Haha, that's what I said!

How could the Longmen Escort Agency be so kind? They're waiting for the salt farmers here! " Zhang Shicheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, because he had finally found the "weakness" of the Longmen Escort Agency.

"Brother, what should we do next?"

"Shi De, tomorrow we will secretly spread the news that the Longmen Escort Agency is oppressing our salt farmers. Then we can guide the salt farmers to join us in the rebellion!"

"Ah? Anti-Yuan?" Zhang Shide suddenly became a little scared.

"Idiot! We are against the Longmen Escort Agency!

What does it have to do with the Yuan Dynasty? "

"Huh? That's good! That's good!

I was so scared just now!" Zhang Shide was relieved to hear that his elder brother was not against the Yuan Dynasty.

"Hmph! Shide, look at what you have accomplished!" Looking at his brother Zhang Shide's ugly appearance, Zhang Shicheng shook his head helplessly.

Salt farmer Ge Er rushed home with a dejected look on his face. The family could only be happy on the day when they got their wages, but today, he couldn't be happy even with the five cents in his hand.

At this time, Ge Er's heart was full of regret. If he had known that his wages would be reduced by a penny, he would have saved one or two pancakes every day. The pancakes saved would be enough for the family to survive the famine.

With a dejected look on his face, Ge Er didn't pay attention to the people around him. At this moment, he heard a familiar voice calling his name, "Ge Er! Ge Er!"

Ge Er turned his head in confusion and saw his wife and two children standing there with smiles on their faces. Looking at the smiles of his family, Ge Er suddenly felt even more uncomfortable.

"Ge Er, what are you doing standing there?

Have you been paid today?"

"Well! I only have five cents this month!" Ge Er lowered his head in shame, feeling ashamed to face his family.

"Haha, nothing!

I got five cents yesterday too!"

"What? How is this possible!" Ge Er widened his eyes in surprise, as big as gongs, because he had a bad guess in his mind.

Seeing her man's eyes and angry expression, how could Ge Er's wife not know what Ge Er was thinking, "Bah! Ge Er, what the hell are you thinking?

I earned my hard-earned money by making shoes!"

"What? Making shoes?

Who are you making shoes for?"

"Humph! Of course it's the Longmen Escort Agency!
Last month, the Longmen Escort Agency built a workshop near the salt fields, and all the wives and adult children of salt farmers can go and work there."

"Ah? A woman like you can also earn five cents a month?" Ge Er looked at his wife with a questioning look.

"What's wrong? Do you look down on us old ladies?"

"Uh" Ge Er certainly looked down on them, but he didn't dare say it out loud unless he didn't go to bed today.

"Daddy, there are us!

We all have two cents too!" Ge Er's child said to him with a look of "showing off treasures".

"What? Are you making shoes at such a young age?"

“No!

The Longmen Escort Agency allowed us to attend a private school, gave us two cents a month, and also provided us with two meals a day.”

"what?"

"Tsk! What's wrong with that?
Our neighbor Sanqi's mother is almost sixty years old, and she has been arranged by the Longmen Escort Agency to clean up the streets and sweep up the place, and she earns five cents a month!" Looking at her husband's shocked face, Ge Er's wife told him an even more shocking news.

"Oh no!"

At this time, similar situations occurred in various places in the Jianghuai Salt Fields, but the Mongolian nobles and their lackeys did not notice it, and even if they did, they would not care.

Suning knew that in order to completely control the salt farmers, he had to control their families first. Only in this way would they have a deep sense of identity and belonging, and would they fight desperately against the Mongol army in the future when they rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty, because this was protecting their own families.

(End of this chapter)