BSI Chapter 127 Lord Chen is just a little weak
Chapter 127 Lord Chen is just a little weak
Chapter 127 Lord Chen is just a little weak
Chapter 126 At this time, after nearly a year of development, a smooth and sturdy three-in-one road was built between the thirteen districts of Dalu Island. This ring road connects the thirteen districts of Dalu Island. With this road, goods from Dalu can be transported to the dock quickly, which was unimaginable before.
Chen Ying wanted to overturn the tables with the Huizhou merchants and drive the price of salt down to rock bottom. His biggest advantage was actually cement. The salt-drying fields of the Ming Dynasty salt merchants still used rammed earth surfaces to dry salt, but Dalu Island used cement surfaces and utilized the tides to introduce seawater into the brine pools. After clarification, filtration and other processes, the salt produced far surpassed that of the Yangzhou salt merchants at the same time in terms of color and purity. If Chen Ying adopted the policy of equal pay for equal work with Yangzhou salt workers, his costs would make the Yangzhou salt merchants cry in the toilet.
It was precisely because of the increase in cement production, especially the rapid development of Yongning, that he planned to relocate some craftsmen and industries to Yongning. This gave Dalu Island a larger area for salt production, especially since Dalu Island's geographical location was far superior to that of the coastal areas of Jiangnan.
The development of Dalu Island exceeded Chen Ying's expectations; in fact, it was beyond his wildest imagination. On this small island alone, more than 6,500 tons of steel were produced, and high-quality iron farm tools have successfully entered the homes of many ordinary people.
Chen was quite satisfied with the total steel production. Next year, sixteen blast furnaces with a capacity of 20,000 jin each will be put into operation in Yongning, and the total steel production will definitely double. If production continues at this pace, he won't need any brilliant strategies or tactics; he can simply overwhelm the Jurchens with steel production alone.
Especially the military households in Yongning. Chen Ying never expected them to fight the Jurchens as field troops. But the problem is, with more steel, all the military households could be armed. Give each of them a gun and a knife. Arming all the military households would make the Jurchens understand how terrifying the martial spirit of the Han people is.
In fact, since the Song Dynasty, a system of civil control over the military began to emerge, and the imperial court began to severely suppress the martial spirit among the people, because the ruthlessness of the Han people was truly terrifying. Chen Ying was not worried about this problem; what worried him was that the martial spirit was far from sufficient, and that China still had many enemies. Due to the limitations of the times and the constraints of thinking, these wolves had grown too powerful. In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, they didn't even have the right to sit at the table.
Besides salt, Chen Ying also planned to wage a price war with the Huizhou merchants. In fact, countless merchants would automatically be matched with teammates in a price war with the Huizhou merchants, because the Huizhou merchants were just like the Donglin Party. They were extremely vicious, and anyone who was not part of their party had to die.
Under Chen Ying's command, snow salt from Dalu Island flooded into Tianjin, Dengzhou, and Beijing, and the threshold of Chen's directly operated stores was almost worn down. The snow-white salt grains were only half the price of coarse salt, and the people spread the word, with queues forming from dawn to dusk.
"Have you heard? Chen's snow salt is only seven copper coins a pound!"
"Seven coins? The coarse salt my family used to eat cost fifteen coins a pound! And it was bitter and astringent!"
"This Lord Chen is truly a living bodhisattva!"
When the news reached the ears of the Huizhou merchants, the jubilant business tycoons quickly realized that Chen Ying was trying to drive down salt prices. The Yangzhou salt merchants were renowned throughout the land, but in reality, they were merely a branch of the Huizhou merchants, essentially their frontmen.
Wang Wende, the president of the Anhui Merchants Alliance, had a face so dark it looked like it could be wrung out.
"Seven copper coins a pound? Chen Boying has gone mad!"
He slammed his hand on the table. "His costs alone are more than that!"
Jiang Chun asked cautiously, "Chairman Wang, what should we do? Should we lower the price too?"
"Lower the price? What are you going to lower the price with?"
Wang Wende sneered, "Our coarse salt costs more than seven copper coins just for transportation. Chen Boying makes money by drying salt on the beach. Our salt has to be transported from Lianghuai. There are checkpoints, labor costs, and losses along the way. Doesn't all of that cost money? He wants to release salt, right? We'll buy it. We'll buy as much as he releases. Once his inventory is depleted, we'll still dictate the price."
"The leader is wise. Even if he releases 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) or 10 million jin (another unit of dry measure), it's only 70,000 taels of silver. This amount, when distributed among various households, is only a few thousand taels. Just reduce the number of 'lean horses' (a term for lowly male prostitutes) and the problem will be solved!"
"What if he uses a lot of salt?"
"A lot? How much could his Dalu Island possibly produce? We, the Huizhou merchants, have accumulated wealth over generations. Why would we be afraid of some nouveau riche?"
When Wang Wende's order was passed down, Hui merchants began to buy up large quantities of Chen Ji's snow salt. At first, they only bought small amounts, but later, seeing that Chen Ji was shipping out goods continuously, they simply bought entire shiploads at a time.
Tianjin's warehouses were piled high with snow salt, Dengzhou's docks were full of ships carrying salt, and even in front of the direct-sale stores in the capital, people hired by Hui merchants to queue up appeared.
However, what they didn't know was that as the weather warmed up, the efficiency of salt production increased significantly, and with the expansion of the salt fields, production naturally rose considerably. After discovering that Huizhou merchants were buying salt, Chen Ying temporarily changed his methods, using wooden barrels to store the salt, each barrel containing one hundred jin (approximately 50 kg).
Salt was cheap, but wooden barrels were expensive. In the Ming Dynasty, an ordinary wooden barrel cost at least 500 wen, but a barrel of 100 jin of salt cost 700 wen. If you bought salt and barrel together, it would cost 1,200 wen, or 1.2 liang of silver.
When Huizhou merchants bought salt, they couldn't just store it in small jars or pots like ordinary people. To save time, they bought wooden barrels as well, which increased their costs. But the problem was, three days passed, then ten days, and Chen's salt not only didn't run out, but actually kept increasing.
The salt fields on Dalu Island were expanding and producing salt day and night. Cement salt ponds stretched one after another, and seawater was drawn into the ponds. After being exposed to the sun, filtered, and crystallized, snow-white salt grains piled up like mountains. Even more alarming, salt production had also begun at Yongning Port.
"President!"
Jiang Chun rushed into the Huizhou Merchants' Guild Hall, his face deathly pale. He wailed, "Chen Boying has supplied another batch of salt, a full 100,000 shi! Our warehouses are overflowing, and our accounts are almost empty!"
The teacup in Wang Wende's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.
"Where did he get so much salt?"
No one could answer him.
What caught the Huizhou merchants off guard was that Chen Ying not only started adding salt, but also began adding iron.
The price of steel in the Ming Dynasty remained high. A set of ordinary armor cost seven or eight taels of silver, while armor for generals cost several dozen or even hundreds of taels. A good sword cost two or three taels. Huizhou merchants controlled the iron mines and iron smelting workshops in Jiangnan and made a fortune through their monopoly.
But as soon as Chen Ying made his move, the price of steel was halved.
"Chen's Refined Iron, twenty coins per pound, top quality, honest and trustworthy!"
"A kitchen knife costs twenty coins!"
The news spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Tianjin, Dengzhou, and Beijing. Craftsmen and farmers who made their living from ironware flocked to the area. A Chen's horizontal knife was half the price of a waist knife on the market, yet twice as sharp. A Chen's iron pot was half the weight of those from Huizhou merchants' workshops, yet twice as sturdy.
"That's impossible!"
Wang Wende stared at the waist knife in his hand, his fingers trembling: "How was the iron forged? How could the cost be so low?"
He didn't know that Chen Ying's steel was mass-produced using a refining furnace, going from molten iron to finished product in one go, while the Huizhou merchants' workshops were still using the ancient method of burning furnace after furnace and hammering hammer after hammer, which was more than ten times less efficient.
In just half a month, the Huizhou merchants spent nearly a million taels of silver on the snow salt and steel they had stockpiled, while Chen Ying's inventory seemed inexhaustible.
"Boss, our warehouses are full of salt and iron, and we can't sell them at all. If this continues, we'll go bankrupt!"
Wang Wende slumped in his chair, his face ashen.
He finally realized that Chen Boying wasn't doing business with him; he was fighting him to the death.
"Pass down the order: stop buying. Sell everything that can be sold, and for the rest—accept the loss."
Jiang Chun opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dare say anything more. The problem was, however, that the Huizhou merchants, wanting to find Chen Ying to admit defeat, could no longer find him.
In fact, Chen Ying was intercepted by Song Yanniang before he even had a chance to enter the capital.
The moment Chen Ying stepped into the capital, before he could even change out of his dusty clothes, he was pulled into a four-wheeled carriage by a pair of soft yet strong hands.
Song Yanniang was wearing a brand-new red jacket, her hair was neatly combed, and her face was lightly powdered. Her eyes and brows held a hint of urgency, a hint of resentment, and a hint of murderous intent that was hard to define.
"Chen Lang, you're finally back." Her voice was so soft it could melt your heart, but Chen Ying felt a chill run down his spine as he listened.
"Yan Niang, your husband—your husband hasn't eaten yet—"
"There's no rush for dinner." Song Yanniang took his hand and led him directly to the bedroom inside the carriage. "I have something more important to tell my husband."
Chen Ying's heart skipped a beat.
He knew exactly what Song Yanniang was going to say. Since he became the commander of Shahe Guard and went to Yongning, his family's business had grown larger and larger, but he still had no children. As the head of the household, Song Yanniang's pressure was unimaginable. The gossip among the women and the pointing fingers of those long-tongued women had long made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
"My lady, I must go to the palace to meet the Emperor—"
"As for Your Majesty, I've already asked someone to grant you leave, saying that you're tired from your journey and unwell, and need to rest for a few days." Song Yanniang said without turning her head, "Don't worry, my husband, His Majesty is wise and won't blame me."
Chen Ying opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless. He turned around and glanced at Su Mei behind him, wanting to ask for help, but Su Mei lowered her head, pretending not to see him, with a faint smile on her lips.
In the days that followed, Chen Ying completely "disappeared".
Official documents from the Da Ning Military Command piled up like a mountain, and urgent military reports sent by Zhou Bin were delivered one after another, all of which were turned away by Song Yanniang. He needed to review the accounts of Chen's Trading Company, but Su Mei's several requests for an audience were blocked by the gatekeeper. Even the eunuch sent by the Tianqi Emperor was dismissed by Song Yanniang with the words, "My lord is unwell and cannot receive guests."
"My lady, I really can't go on anymore—" Chen Ying lay on the bed, his face pale and his voice weak.
"No good?" Song Yanniang sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of dark medicine in her hand, her eyes blazing. "My husband is in the prime of his life, how could he not be able to do it? Come, drink this bowl of medicine. This is a prescription that I specially asked the imperial physician to prescribe, specifically for—specifically for that."
Chen Ying looked at the bowl of medicine, his throat turning bitter: "My lady, I am not ill—"
"You should drink it even more if you're not sick." Song Yanniang held the medicine bowl to his lips. "It will strengthen your body and prolong your life."
Chen Ying smiled wryly, took the bowl of medicine, and drank it all in one gulp. The medicine was so bitter that he frowned, but Song Yanniang smiled, a smile of exceptional satisfaction.
"My dear husband, get some rest early tonight."
Chen Ying was on the verge of tears. He would rather fight Nurhaci again than face such a "gentle haven".
For seven consecutive days, Chen Ying did not leave the house. Everyone in the mansion knew that the master was "recuperating" and no one was allowed to disturb him. Even the meals delivered by the kitchen could only be brought to the door and carried in by Song Yanniang herself.
When the news reached the palace, the Tianqi Emperor could no longer sit still.
"Chen Boying is ill?" He put down the model ship in his hand, frowning. "I remember he was perfectly fine when he left. How come he's sick as soon as he comes back?"
Wei Zhongxian cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, I heard it's due to the fatigue of the journey that he caught a cold."
"Caught a cold?" The Tianqi Emperor stood up, suddenly remembering Huo Qubing's untimely death. Chen Boying was the Huo Qubing of the Ming Dynasty. If something had happened to him, he paced back and forth anxiously. "I'll go see him."
"Your Majesty!" Wei Zhongxian hurriedly stopped him, "You are the Emperor, how can you leave the palace so easily? Besides, Lord Chen is recuperating from his illness, if he were to pass on his illness to Your Majesty—"
"I'm not that delicate." The Tianqi Emperor waved his hand. "Issue a decree that I go to the Chen residence to visit the ailing patient."
Wei Zhongxian had no choice but to make the arrangements.
Half an hour later, the Tianqi Emperor's imperial carriage stopped in front of the Chen residence. Song Yanniang and the entire household knelt to greet him, their faces respectful, but a hint of panic flashed in their eyes.
"Madam Chen, where is Minister Chen?" Emperor Tianqi asked.
"Your Majesty, my husband—he is still recuperating in his bedroom," Song Yanniang said in a low voice. "The imperial physician said he needs to rest quietly and should not receive guests—"
"Am I a guest?" The Tianqi Emperor laughed and strode inside.
Song Yanniang was caught in a dilemma, unable to decide whether to stop her or not, so she had no choice but to follow behind.
In the bedroom, Chen Ying was lying on the bed, his face pale, his eyes sunken, and he looked much thinner. When he saw the Tianqi Emperor enter, he struggled to get up and pay his respects, but the emperor pressed him down.
"Minister Chen, there's no need for such formalities." The Tianqi Emperor looked at him, his eyes filled with concern. "I heard you were ill, so I came to see you. How did you become so thin?"
Chen Ying opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin. He couldn't very well tell the emperor that he wasn't sick, but was being tormented by his wife.
"Your Majesty, I have failed your grace." That was all he could say.
The Tianqi Emperor sighed and patted his hand: "Minister Chen, you've worked hard. Fighting in Liaodong was tough, and recuperating in the capital must have been tough too. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."
He turned to the accompanying imperial physician and said, "Give Minister Chen a thorough examination. If he needs any medicine, get it directly from the Imperial Hospital."
The imperial physician stepped forward, took Chen Ying's pulse, and a strange expression appeared on his face. He looked at Chen Ying, then at Song Yanniang, and hesitated to speak.
"What?" Emperor Tianqi asked.
The imperial physician was speechless. This was clearly— He carefully chose his words: "Your Majesty, Lord Chen's pulse—is not serious, it's just—it's just a little weak."
"Deficiency?" The Tianqi Emperor frowned. "Then replenish it. The Imperial Hospital has plenty of good medicine."
"Yes, yes." The imperial physician nodded repeatedly and withdrew.