There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 287 Huizhou Merchants Take Sides
Huizhou.

Southern Anhui, a land of great importance, was also the stronghold of Huizhou merchants.

Wang Xingyao, the first merchant to come into contact with the Han Dynasty, now holds a completely different status among Huizhou merchants.

As the anti-Qing cause of the Han Dynasty grew stronger, the cooperation between Huizhou merchants and the Han Dynasty's salt business progressed smoothly, and they even semi-monopolized the salt business in the Jianghuai region. Even the powerful Yangzhou salt merchants had to temporarily avoid the sharp edge of these fellow townsmen and industry partners.

Huizhou merchants have become inseparable from the Han Dynasty, and the Jianghuai region has become inseparable from Han salt.

Liuweiju Restaurant in Huizhou Prefecture.

Chen Lin, the owner of Liuweiju, chatted and laughed with Wang Xingyao as they entered a private room on the second floor.

Inside the private room, there were already more than ten people, all of whom were prominent and wealthy merchants from within the Huizhou business community.

However, these wealthy merchants, who were usually quite prominent even at gatherings among the Huizhou merchants, did not dare to be angry at the late arrival of Manager Chen and Wang Xingyao. Instead, they rushed to greet them.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Lin and Wang Xingyao took their seats one after the other, and the empty seats were the head seats.

"I'm sure you've all thought this through before you gather here today, so I won't say any more." Chen Lin skipped the formalities and got straight to the point.

The merchants quickly exchanged glances. Wang Xingye, who was in charge of organizing the gathering and was also a cousin of Wang Xingyao, immediately asked, "Manager Chen, the reason we have gathered here is very simple. We just want to ask when the royal army of the Han Dynasty will be able to attack Huizhou Prefecture?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin did not hide anything and gave a rough timeframe: "At the latest, the entire southern Anhui region will be under the control of our Great Han."

Wang Xingye had a good idea of ​​what was going on, and then asked, "After the Han dynasty takes over Huizhou, how will they treat us Huizhou merchants and what about our assets?"

On the surface, this question was about his own safety, but on a deeper level, it was an attempt to find out what the Han Dynasty's attitude was towards merchants and commerce.

It should be understood that, according to the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were ranked last. This was not just a superficial ranking; merchants' political status was indeed at the bottom.

Of course, farmers and workers were completely excluded from the political arena and had no political status whatsoever.

Chen Lin nodded: "The King of Han has already given instructions on this matter. As long as they are Huizhou merchants operating legally, our Great Han will support and protect them. We will not engage in any short-sighted or exploitative practices."

Upon hearing this, the merchants were all somewhat incredulous.

Because the conditions offered to them by the King of Han were so generous, they were prepared to bleed heavily before they came in order to ensure that the Huizhou merchants could continue doing business in the new dynasty.

But now, Hanwang doesn't want anything; as long as they operate legally, they won't make things difficult for them.

Not only will they not make things difficult, they will also provide support and shelter.

This was simply unbelievable to them. Even though they were well-informed and had heard that the Han Dynasty seemed to be enacting new laws that would protect commerce, they could only regard it as a temporary measure for the King of Han to dominate the world.

Throughout history, how many emperors didn't crack down on merchants?
Chen Lin saw through the thoughts of these Hui merchants and explained with a smile, "The foundation of our Great Han lies in land administration. If you own thousands of acres of fertile land, it is best to make a record of your land holdings now. Do not harbor any intention of concealing your land holdings. When our Great Han army arrives, the land will be distributed immediately. Anyone who actively participates in and cooperates with the land distribution will be considered to have made a contribution and will be able to retain 300 acres of personal land and be exempt from taxes for three years."

A merchant suddenly asked, "What if you don't own any land?"
Chen Lin said, "If you have no land at home, then be law-abiding and be a legitimate merchant. Our Han Dynasty has no shortage of salt."

After he said that, everyone immediately realized what he meant.

To put it bluntly, the Han King is currently dealing with the gentry and landlords who have amassed large tracts of land, and has nothing to do with these merchants who don't own any land at all!
As for whether the King of Han would seize the wealth of the Huizhou merchants, that's pure nonsense. The Han Dynasty has no shortage of salt, and the reason why the Huizhou merchants were able to grow big again and even rival the Yangzhou salt merchants was because of salt.

In other words, it's like you're a wealthy merchant who gives a beggar on the street a hundred taels of silver, allowing him to successfully shed his beggar status. Then, the beggar actually worries that the wealthy merchant might steal his money.

As Chen Lin spoke, he pulled out a small booklet from his sleeve, the cover of which read "The Laws and Regulations of the Great Han Dynasty".

Chen Lin said, “This is a new legal document issued by my Great Han. You can look it up yourselves! It clearly defines commerce. The King of Han is not like those incompetent rulers of previous dynasties. The King of Han truly values ​​you merchants. My Great Han does not have the so-called distinction between scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants. As long as the money is earned legally, it will not be subject to any difficulties or restrictions.”

The group of Huizhou merchants solemnly accepted the booklet containing the "Laws and Regulations of the Great Han Dynasty," but did not rush to look at it. Since Chen Lin had brought everything and said so, it was basically a done deal. Accepting the booklet would only help them better abide by the law when doing business in the new dynasty.

The Han government neither coerced nor attacked the Huizhou merchants; they treated them normally, which made the Huizhou merchants feel more at ease.

If we simply try to win over the Huizhou merchants and make them nice promises, the Huizhou merchants will worry that the Han Dynasty might discard them after unifying the country.

The Han Dynasty has already shown its attitude towards the Huizhou merchants, so it's time for the Huizhou merchants to make a choice and take sides.

Rebellion is like doing business; at the right time, you have to make a firm decision and take a gamble. Otherwise, once the dust settles, you'll regret it.

Wang Xingye made no attempt to hide it, and pulled everyone present, including his cousin Wang Xingyao, to leave their seats and go to the inner room of the private room to discuss the matter.

Chen Lin sat down at the table and read the newspaper, specifically the previous issue of the "Great Han Gazette".

Whether you understand it or not is not important; what is important is watching a group of renowned scholars and literati act like shrewish women ranting in the official gazette, which is quite amusing.

Before they had finished watching, Wang Xingye and the others returned.

Upon returning, Wang Xingye said, "Manager Chen, although we Huizhou merchants are just businessmen, as long as the Great Han army comes to Huizhou this year, we can help the army occupy southern Anhui without losing a single soldier, and at the same time open up trade routes to Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin smiled and said, "You all understand the greater good and support the anti-Qing and restoration of Han rule. You are truly righteous merchants of the world!"

This is considered a formal declaration of taking sides. Although conditions were still retained, namely that the Han army must reach Huizhou within this year, these are not problems.

Anqing Prefecture is already within our grasp; it's only a matter of time before we take Huizhou.

Once Anqing and Huizhou are captured, southern Anhui will be in the hands of the Han Dynasty, and they can also use Huizhou merchants to open up trade routes to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

With both sides having reached an agreement, they toasted each other, clinking glasses and enjoying themselves immensely.

The banquet started at noon and lasted until 2 p.m. before gradually ending.

Chen Lin returned to the backyard, shook off the helper who was supporting him, and strode quickly to the kitchen cellar.

Fifteen minutes later...

The Jingzhou Prefecture received a telegram from the Huizhou Prefecture and immediately reported it to the Prince of Han.

On the other side, Wang Xingye, who also left the party drunk, sobered up instantly as soon as he got home.

"Butler, please invite my cousin here."

"Yes, sir."

The butler quickly withdrew.

Before long, Wang Xingyao strolled over, his face still flushed from drinking: "Brother, what brings you here?"

Wang Xingyao's tone was respectful, but not quite respectful, clearly indicating that he didn't take his cousins ​​very seriously.

If he hadn't followed Da Han and successfully made his fortune, Wang Xingye would at most have given him some help as a member of the Wang family, perhaps as a relative within the clan.

Without shared interests, what's the point of talking about kinship?

Wang Xingye didn't try to ingratiate himself, but asked seriously, "How was it? When Manager Chen summoned you, did he make any promises to you? Or did you receive any rewards for your trip to the Han Dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)