There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 230 Huizhou Merchants Also Surrender to Han

"Slurp~~!"

Wang Xingyao was having breakfast porridge at Liuweiju Restaurant in Wuchang. Although Liuweiju was an intelligence agency of the Han Dynasty, it was also doing quite well as a restaurant.

Because of its official background, no one dares to mess with Liuweiju. And everyone who has tried Liuweiju's dishes says they are delicious. Even the most ordinary steamed egg custard is made to taste delicious and unforgettable.

When Wang Xingyao was in Huizhou, he enjoyed hosting business partners at Liuweiju Restaurant every few days. Now that he was on a business trip to Hubei, he naturally had to try out the local Liuweiju Restaurant to see what it was like.

After finishing the remaining porridge in his bowl, Wang Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief: "This Liuweiju restaurant truly lives up to its reputation. Even the most ordinary porridge and steamed buns are more delicious and flavorful than those from Huizhou."

At the table, the attendant Wang 5, who had just finished the last meat bun, let out a satisfied burp and said, "Tsk tsk, the meat buns from Liuweiju are indeed better than those in our Huizhou. I wonder what seasoning they put in them. Even though they are all meat filling, how come their buns are so fresh?"

Wang Xingyao laughed and said, "This is Liuweiju's secret recipe, so don't overthink it."

Although they said they didn't think much about it, the Hui merchants had actually already tried it and found that the MSG used by Liuweiju to enhance flavor was completely impossible to imitate.

They invited renowned chefs from Huizhou to taste the dishes at Liuweiju, but they couldn't detect any MSG in the ingredients. They only knew that the MSG made the dishes more flavorful than ordinary seasonings, and that Liuweiju's dishes were so delicious because of the MSG.

After having breakfast, Wang Xingyao was about to go to the governor's office to deliver the petition.

Several scholars dressed as Confucianists, with short hair, entered the restaurant chatting and laughing, and happened to sit at an empty table not far from Wang Xingyao.

Wang Xingyao habitually sat down again, wanting to hear what these scholars were talking about, hoping to learn some news about the Han Dynasty during this period.

"I've noticed that there seem to be many more patrol officers on the streets these past few days, and even the soldiers of my Great Han have been rarely seen these days. Brother Zijing, do you have any inside information?"

"I don't know if there's any inside information, but my uncle is a clerk in the governor's office, so he did get some information."

"Oh? What's the rumor?"

"Hehe, no rush, no rush. Same to you, buddy!"

"okay!"

The waiter from the restaurant immediately came over to wipe the table for the group. After wiping it, he picked up a teapot and poured a bowl of tea for one of them.

After the waiter left, everyone couldn't wait any longer and urged, "Brother Zijing, please tell us quickly! Don't keep us in suspense any longer."

The scholar named Zijing chuckled and said, "It's very simple. Our great Han Dynasty is about to launch a military campaign against Huangzhou Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked astonished.

The first one to ask the question lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Zijing, is what you say true? Is our Great Han really going to launch a military campaign against Huangzhou... against Huangzhou Prefecture?"

Zijing shook his head: "I don't know the specific details either, but my uncle is a clerk in the governor's office. He had already received the notice from Governor Chen in advance. There are more street guards on the streets, probably to identify and guard against spies and agents of the pseudo-Qing. Those soldiers are nowhere to be seen, probably because General Yang has received military orders and is gathering troops."

Someone suddenly realized, "So that's it! No wonder my family's grain shop has been selling so fast lately. It seems the army is about to go on an expedition and they're already procuring provisions and supplies."

Someone slapped their forehead and said, "Now that you mention it, it's true. My grain shop has been selling really fast lately, with lots of grain being shipped out of the warehouse every day."

Someone else said, "My family didn't sell much, but the price of grain dropped a few cents. They said it was an order from the government not to inflate grain prices. I was wondering, since there's no shortage of grain this year, and there haven't been any floods or droughts, how can anyone profit from inflating prices?"

"..."

These wealthy young men, one after another, analyzed the situation and found it increasingly reasonable.

After everyone had digested the information, Zijing continued, "The news that our Great Han is about to send troops to Huangzhou Prefecture isn't exactly secret; the government offices will probably post notices in a couple of days. The key point is that the army has raised so much grain; it's clearly not just for attacking Huangzhou Prefecture..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone laughed and said, "That's not to be expected. If we take Huangzhou Prefecture, the King of Han will at most have unified Huguang. Since the King of Han is called the King of Han, his ambitions cannot be limited to the small land of Huguang. The King of Han has his sights set on the whole country. After taking Huangzhou Prefecture, it will be time for our great Han army to point its sword at Jiangnan!"

"The mighty Han army, its sword pointed towards Jiangnan. Well said! Let's raise a toast!"

"We're having morning tea..."

"Then let's treat it as a cup of tea."

"Haha, Brother Zhiyan is truly a man of character."

"Come, come, drink this cup of tea to celebrate the victory of the Great Han army!"

"May the royal army achieve a resounding victory!"

"..."

These young scholars and gentlemen, no longer caring about speaking in hushed tones, figured the news would be announced soon anyway, so a day or two wouldn't make a difference.

Wang Xingyao remained seated, his mind already deep in thought. This trip was a business mission dispatched by the merchant guild, representing the Huizhou merchants behind them to negotiate business with the Han Dynasty. The refined salt business that the Han Dynasty was engaged in with the Huizhou merchants was extremely profitable, a business with a huge return on investment, a purely exorbitantly lucrative industry.

No matter what kind of salt it was, such as Cantonese salt, Huai salt, or Sichuan salt, none of them could compete with Han salt. Han salt was cheap and had no impurities or bitterness. As soon as it hit the market, it was quickly snapped up by merchants and common people who had tasted its saltiness.

Then came the problem.

The Han Dynasty supplied too little salt to the Huizhou merchants. Compared to the production of the other three types of salt, Han salt had to be prioritized for supplying the people within its own territory, and only the remaining Han salt could be sold to the Huizhou merchants to make money.

In the first year of cooperation between Dahan and Huizhou merchants, sales channels were not fully opened, but this model was not a problem and could still be managed.

In the second year of the cooperation, the sales channels opened up, but the production of Han salt became insufficient. It had to supply the daily needs of the Han people and also sell to Hui merchants.

From the perspective of the Huizhou merchants, the production of Han salt could not keep up with the expansion of the market, causing them to lose a lot of money. So they thought of sending Wang Xingyao over, since Wang Xingyao had a good relationship with the Han Dynasty and had previously helped the Han Dynasty to connect with their Huizhou merchants, which enabled the Han salt to be sold outside the region.

Of course, the orders given to Wang Xingyao by the Hui merchants were not so outrageous. It was impossible, without even thinking about it, for the Han people to share the method of refining and processing Han salt.

Let's compromise and see if we can get the Han Dynasty to increase its salt production, or if the Han Dynasty is really short of manpower, we can lend them people.

But now, Wang Xingyao felt that there was no need to think about these things anymore. The Great Han was about to attack Huangzhou Prefecture, and after conquering Huangzhou Prefecture, it would be time to point its sword at Jiangnan.

The Hui merchants were actually concerned about the production of salt in Wuhan and the loss of money?

No, he has to think of a way.

We can't sit still and wait for death!

Wang Xingyao, accompanied by his attendant Wang Er, hurriedly headed straight for the governor's office.

Because he received an internal invitation from a merchant guild, Chen Xinghuai, the governor of Hubei, quickly received Wang Xingyao.

"Haha, Manager Wang, it's been years! How have you been?" Chen Xinghuai said with a smile, without the slightest airs.

Wang Xingyao looked at Chen Xinghuai in front of him. The last time they met, Chen was only the prefect of Jingzhou, but this time he had become the governor of Hubei, jumping four ranks in one year.

Such a rapid rise in rank is indeed only befitting a powerful founding emperor's maternal relatives and close advisors. If it were a later emperor, he probably wouldn't even trust his maternal relatives to hold office.

Chen Xinghuai was polite, but Wang Xingyao dared not be negligent and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Excellency Chen!"

"Manager Wang has presented a visiting card. Is there something urgent that the Huizhou merchants need Manager Wang to convey?" Chen Xinghuai was very busy and didn't have time for formalities, so he simply asked directly.

Wang Xingyao did not answer immediately. Looking at the golden pheasant insignia on Chen Xinghuai's official robe, which symbolized a second-rank official, he seemed hesitant. But the hesitation was only for a moment, and he immediately made up his mind: "Lord Chen, can this humble subject surrender to the Han now?"

"..."

Chen Xinghuai was momentarily stunned and didn't react: "Manager Wang, what did you just say?"

Having already spoken, Wang Xingyao decided to go all out, saying, "Lord Chen, I wish to surrender to the Han. I dream of becoming a loyal subject of the Han. I can send my wife, daughters, and family to Wuchang as hostages. I beg the Han to accept my family!"

Well, Chen Xinghuai was completely dumbfounded. He almost thought he had misheard. It turned out that this old acquaintance, Manager Wang, actually wanted to defect to the Han.

Chen Xinghuai asked with some doubt, "Manager Wang, what exactly is this...?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xingyao thought the offer wasn't enough, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Chen, although I am just a small merchant from the Huizhou merchants, I am still a member of the Wang family. If the Han Dynasty is willing, I can secretly spy for the Han Dynasty and help us turn the entire Huizhou merchants against us at a crucial moment. With the Huizhou merchants joining us, the Han Dynasty will not only gain a large amount of wealth, but also all the trade channels controlled by the Huizhou merchants. This will definitely alleviate the heavy financial burden on the Han Dynasty."

Wang Xingyao had a fair amount of dealings with the Han Dynasty, but not a few either. As a shrewd businessman, he was very perceptive of the Han Dynasty's financial pressures, so he was certain that the Han Dynasty was definitely short of money.

Yes, he made the right bet; the Han Dynasty was indeed desperately short of money.

Upon hearing Wang Xingyao mention the wealth and trade channels of the Huizhou merchants, Chen Xinghuai instantly stopped caring about why. They were willing to send their families and children as hostages and even act as spies for the Han Dynasty, so what was there to worry about?
"It is truly a blessing for our great Han Dynasty that Manager Wang has such a heart."

Chen Xinghuai first helped the man up, then said, "However, this matter involves too much, and I find it difficult to make a decision. How about this? I will immediately arrange for an official boat to send Manager Wang to Jingzhou to meet with His Majesty, so that His Majesty can make a decision in person."

What else could we do? This matter has reached the ears of the emperor.

Although it was the emperor's confidant, for Wang Xingyao, who had already decided to surrender to the Han, this was an incredible opportunity.

As for whether it would make him late, he already needed to go to Jingzhou Prefecture to negotiate business for the merchant guild. Now it was just that he was meeting different people, and he didn't want to discuss the business anymore.

"This humble subject thanks Governor Chen!"

"Please rise quickly! As subjects of the Han Dynasty, how can you kneel so easily? What kind of behavior is this!"

……

(End of this chapter)