In the late Ming Dynasty, smuggling salt and selling to make money was a common thing in various places.

Even before Zhu Zilong became the marquis, he had such a monopoly. It can be said that everyone is not clean under their buttocks, and no one can say anything.

Therefore, before this, Zhu Zilong had no idea of engaging other illicit salt dealers.

But now, this time, it's different.

He successfully cleared his name, and he was not on the same level as those people.

Moreover, if he smuggles again, it will also be beneficial to the country and the people. And those private salt merchants only care about themselves, and they are the real Ming resident insects.

Therefore, Zhu Zilong and them are no longer all the way.

That's all, first raid the prince's mansion, and then kill nine thousand years old, and now change the direction to confuse right and wrong, and copy and kill a group of illegal salt merchants for legal reasons, which is also in Zhu Zilong's plan.

It is true that salt is more expensive than gold, and in the era of agricultural economy, salt accounted for a large proportion of the country's macroeconomy, especially in fiscal revenue. Therefore, no matter how the dynasty is changed, the production and operation of "salt" is a monopoly at the national level.

Successive dynasties listed the salt plan separately in the taxation, and set up a special department to manage the salt administration.

While the state strictly controlled it, it still could not stop the smuggling of salt - the huge profits of the salt industry made many people insist on taking risks even when faced with full slaughter. In the Ming Dynasty, Changlu salt was the best in the world, and Tianjin salt accounted for the vast majority of the share of Changlu salt.

During the Ming Dynasty, if you wanted to sell salt legally, merchants had to first obtain a "salt guide" from the government.

Each quotation number, divided into two volumes, after the stamp, divided into two parts from the middle, the back roll to the merchant, called "introduction paper" - salt citation; The pre-roll stub is called the "lead root".

Merchants used salt to bring salt to the salt field to support salt, and then went to the designated salt sales area to sell salt. From this point of view, the "salt stamps" can be compared with the "grain stamps," "oil stamps," and "soap stamps" during China's planned economy period.

Salt tax revenue accounted for about half of the Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue, so smuggling was tantamount to rebellion.

It's just that Zhu Zilong used to think that he was the emperor of the copycat, and he went his own way, so there was no pressure at all.

But now, he doesn't like other people's smuggling, and he wants to make an example.

Not later.

Zhu Zilong led the army to the edge of Tianjin, an official road in the city, where refugees gathered and one of the many concentrations of salt merchants.

As soon as he dismounted, he shouted: "Pass my order, the army is stationed outside, do not enter the city at once, everyone maintains law and order outside the city, if there is any deliberate trouble, there will be no mercy!" ”

In this place, 50,000 homeless people gathered within a radius of more than 30 miles in the city, but all remote temples, alleys, and slums became places where homeless people gathered. These already dilapidated places have been made even more filthy, with feces and urine flowing everywhere, making local residents complain.

At this time, there are ragged homeless people everywhere, and occasionally there are dead corpses on the side of the road.

Zhu Zilong thought silently in his heart, soon these people will be able to eat, and I will clean up the salt merchants first.

At this moment, in a small courtyard deep in the alleys of the city, more than twenty ragged men were gathering in a room, although they were all wearing tattered clothes, but all of them were full of energy and their faces were quite ruddy, just like the hungry and thin-skinned homeless people around them.

They all had bags bulging up on their bodies, and it was obvious that they had guys hidden in them.

"Third master, the little ones have all listened, and now there are only more than 1,000 soldiers in this city, and the number of people gathered in the city has exceeded 50,000. The wealthy families in the city have stopped distributing food, and last night they froze to death and starved to death more than hundreds of refugees, and the dissatisfaction of the displaced people is very great. According to the judgment of Xiao, as long as we tempt a little today, the people can rise up. ”

"Good! Occupy this city, and immediately receive the rebels into the city. The leading man slapped the table in front of him with his palm and said loudly: "This time, King Chuang sent me to the border between Tianjin and Shandong to make trouble, and it is worthy of us." So this time, we must do a beautiful job for them to see! ”

In this situation, if Zhu Zilong is here, he will definitely raise his eyebrows and scream, rely on!

The peasant army also wants to take the rich here?

This is really a matter of the world, and it is no coincidence that a book will not be written.

Over there, after Zhu Zilong led some of the vanguard and a small number of troops into the city, he was sent invitations along the mansions of the rich gentry with a group of soldiers.

Those who received the invitation opened the invitation and saw that it was the Dragon Marquis of the Four Seas who wanted to invite everyone, and tonight they were invited to the best restaurant in the city, Drunken Xianju, and by the way, they discussed the disaster relief plan.

After receiving the invitation, the rich gentry of these salt merchants had different reactions, some of them had the idea of watching the excitement in their hearts, and some just smiled indifferently and threw the invitation card into the waste paper basket.

But it's extremely arrogant!

Night is falling, the cold wind is still cold, Zhu Zilong is standing in the restaurant, the anger in his heart bursts in an instant, and he almost turned into a chicken and duck race man (Super Saiyan) on the spot!

The invitations were delivered, but none of the private salt merchants came in the evening, and all of them did not give themselves face.

Good, good, good, very good, it turned out that I killed you, raided your home, and there was still a trace of pity and guilt, but now Zhu Zilong is completely gone.

Looking at the sky, Zhu Zilong spewed out a mouthful of mist that turned into a cloud of white mist in the cold wind, and said to Ma Xiaosan on the side with a sneer: "It's okay if they don't come, Ben Hou is worried that no one will hit the knife, and now since they haven't come, the brothers will have work to do tomorrow." ”

Ma Xiaosan and the others also cracked their mouths and laughed, like a group of hungry wolves revealing green light.

The next day, just when Zhu Zilong was about to raid his house and arrest people.

News came from inside the city, and the refugees rioted.

At this time, Zhu Zilong was happy, and he had an idea and thought of a good idea.

"Leave more than 200 people to take care of the horses, and the rest of them will immediately enter the city with me, all of them will be loaded with guns, and those who encounter plunderers will kill **** women and children, kill those who set fire to houses, and kill those who keep dissuading. Summarily executed! ”

Zhu Zilong came too suddenly, and the peasant army in the city obviously didn't understand the situation yet, after all, there were too few of them.

The result of this impromptu uprising will not move at all as they expected.

With Zhu Zilong's order, the sergeants of the first battalion of the Zhu family army dismounted one after another.

Untied the reins, let the horses rest their tired walking, and then handed them over to the sergeants who had remained behind to take care of them. The remaining more than 1,000 people followed Zhu Zilong and rushed into the city with faint screams in a neat line.

At this time, not only the refugees were in chaos in the city, but even some military households were taking advantage of the fire to loot.

They wantonly vented their dissatisfaction in various houses, and after a night of war, their military discipline was long gone, and they robbed things when they saw them, and went up when they saw women.

From time to time, there were bursts of screams and exclamations in the city, and some houses began to catch fire. At this point, the situation in the city was completely out of control, and in just a few hours, it turned into a riot that spread throughout the city.

Unlike the refugees, who only need food, some military households with combat effectiveness are in chaos, and they value the property of some wealthy families more.

Their targets were the rich families in the deep walls of their houses, and only there were the rich ladies they were looking for, and a dazzling array of gold and silver treasures.

On the streets of the city, you can see naked ** female corpses and male corpses with half of their heads missing from time to time. Their eyes stared blankly into the air, and their mouths were wide open, as if they were complaining about the injustice of God.

Many mothers could not find their children, husbands could not find their wives, women cried and men screamed, and the whole city was in chaos.

Even some good people, because they were victims, turned into chaotic people after their homes were broken, and extended their magic hands to the homes of other good people.

A vicious circle is created! -

(To be continued.) )