From south to north, from east to west, from the military to the people, the entire Liaodong region was mobilized with only one goal: to pacify the Liaodong region, eliminate the slavery, and recover their homeland.

Once upon a time, this was the home of the Liao people. They reclaimed wasteland, cultivated land, engaged in crafts, and engaged in business, making Liaodong prosperous and thriving.

But ever since the old slave raised the flag of rebellion against the Ming Dynasty, Liaodong was filled with smoke of war, the people of Liao were devastated, their homes were broken, and they were displaced, falling into dire straits.

Now, the time for counterattack and revenge has come. Millions of soldiers and civilians roared in unison, exerting all their strength.

The imperial court was still the same, but it was very different from before. Whether it was the resettlement policy after the pacification of Liaodong or the relief and pension during the war, the Liaodong soldiers and civilians were willing to contribute to the pacification of Liaodong.

When the Jiannu army was wreaking havoc in Liaodong, no one cared about the lives of the Liao people, leaving them to be displaced and suffer from cold and hunger.

But a few years ago, the imperial court allocated money and grain to properly resettle the Liao people who were living on the verge of death, so that they would not suffer from cold and hunger, and would not be harmed by war.

When aiding Korea in its fight against the Japanese pirates, the imperial court conscripted hundreds of thousands or even millions of Liao people as laborers. Not only were they unpaid, they were also not treated well, resulting in more than half of them dying.

Now, payment was made based on distance and volume, with no credit or debt. After three deliveries, a "support certificate" was issued, granting ten acres of tax-free land for five years after the war.

Ten mu of land, if cultivated well, could provide enough food and clothing for three or five people. This was an irresistible temptation for ordinary people.

Relying on the enthusiasm of the people and using carts to push forward the victory of the Liaodong Campaign? Zhu Youxiao had thought about it, but he would not rely entirely on the enthusiasm of the people.

Whether it was by luring them with benefits or hiring the people to work, he just wanted to achieve his goal and let the people of the Ming Dynasty feel the benefits of the Ming army's victory and the benefits brought by the country's prosperity.

It seems that there was such a thing as hearing about war in the early Tang Dynasty. It is not known whether there was such a thing in later dynasties. At least Zhu Youxiao did not know.

In this world, from Liaodong to the entire earth, the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak is an unchanging rule and the driving force for the country's continuous growth.

If you fall behind, you will be beaten. This simple truth has been summarized through many painful facts.

The conquest of Liao and the extermination of slavery allowed the hard-working Liao people and Ming troops to receive benefits and preferential policies sufficient to ensure a worry-free life for the rest of their lives; the expansion of Mekong Province also allowed the immigrants living there to live in prosperity and well-being.

War is a powerful means for a country, but it cannot make the people feel that it is dispensable and have no enthusiasm for it.

Speaking of enthusiasm, the emperor, who was far away in the capital, had just received one. It was so enthusiastic that he hesitated and did not dare to accept it easily.

Wu Dazhang, who came to Beijing to report on his work, looked a little ridiculous sitting on the embroidered cushion with his fat body tilted to one side, but he did not feel uncomfortable, but rather felt very proud.

As a businessman, how could he have imagined that he would end up like this, climbing to this position? The president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a fourth-rank official, may not seem high, but he is the emperor's money bag.

"Five million to settle the Liao debt—" After a long while, the emperor finally thought it through. He smiled faintly and said, "It is indeed a lot, but the salt ticket system must not be abolished. It must be gradually implemented throughout the country."

Wu Dazhang naturally knew what the salt merchants were thinking, and he also knew that the salt ticket system that the emperor wanted to implement was only a pilot program and would definitely be promoted nationwide.

Therefore, he was not prepared to speak on behalf of the salt merchants, lest the emperor misunderstand that he had accepted benefits. However, he also had his own ideas, otherwise he would not have mentioned this matter to the emperor. He could have simply refused the salt merchants and not been involved in this matter.

"Your Majesty, you are wise." Wu Dazhang bowed and said, "Even if they had a hundred guts, they wouldn't dare to negotiate with Your Majesty. Your Majesty doesn't need their millions of silver."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded. He could say nice things, but he still cared about the silver. Knowing that Wu Dazhang had something else to say, the emperor gave him an encouraging look.

Wu Dazhang went on to say, "These salt merchants are used to the salt trade. When the salt ticket law came out, they felt like their jobs were about to be ruined, so they were anxious. In fact, they have money, so we can just find them another way to make a living."

Salt merchants were indeed rich, and even with the implementation of the salt ticket system, they were still profitable by relying on preferential prices for bulk purchases and organized transportation.

It's just that monopoly is a habit, but the salt ticket system broke the monopoly. Without the power to set prices and the huge profits, the salt merchants were naturally unwilling to accept it.

Find another way to make a living?! Salt merchants have a huge amount of money. Where can they invest such a large amount of capital? If they choose the wrong industry, disrupting the economic order is the least of their worries.

Zhu Youxiao pondered and couldn't think of any industry that required such a large investment.

Before the introduction of the salt ticket system, the emperor had discussed it with his ministers. Because the pilot program would first be carried out at the Changlu Salt Factory and in the north, and the major salt merchants were concentrated in Lianghuai, they believed that it would not be affected for the time being.

As for future promotion, no one has thought about what to do with the big salt merchants. What can't be done with money? It's not like they can't eat, so why would they rebel?

As expected, the big salt merchants did not dare to rebel, but they had a keen sense of smell and a strong sense of crisis. From the pilot salt ticket system in the north, it was clear that the salt factories in Lianghuai, Guangdong and other places would sooner or later implement the same system.

In the 45th year of the Wanli reign, the imperial court had just adopted Yuan Shizhen's proposal to establish the "Gangfa" salt policy. Less than ten years later, the imperial court had introduced new policies, which seemed a bit unfair to the salt merchants who had previously cleared the backlog and increased the salt tax.

At that time, Zhu Youxiao also thought of this, but he didn't take it too seriously.

Since I have the capital, I can continue to sell salt. It would be nice to become a first-class agent. I might earn less, but it won't bankrupt me.

Obviously, it is not easy for people who are used to eating big fish and meat to change to eating whole grains. Whether you earn more or less, this is not something you can let go of easily.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!