"This damned imperial court is trying to cut off our financial resources. Tell me, all the big shopkeepers, what should we do?"

A town on the border of Shanxi.

Within just seven days, the notice from the capital had already reached the border and other places.

After receiving this order, the local authorities immediately blocked all the city gates and banned all transportation.

Among all the transportation to the grasslands, there is no doubt that Shanxi merchants account for the lion's share.

It is no exaggeration to say that nine out of ten are Shanxi merchants.

This is naturally related to the tradition of Shanxi merchants. Some villages have simply become business-oriented.

After all, no one can stand seeing others bringing back large amounts of money and meat during the Chinese New Year while you are still staring at the few handfuls of rice in the pot.

A Shanxi merchant manager said, "The imperial court wants to block our financial resources, which is absolutely impossible. However, the apparent loss is huge for us."

"We are not like those smugglers. It is not easy to conceal such a large amount of goods from the world."

"I personally think that we should all combine our current financial resources, make arrangements, and jointly open up a trade route. This way, we can recover a lot of losses."

"There is a captain in the garrison, who is one of our Shanxi merchants. We can think of some ways to try when the time comes."

As the chief shopkeeper spoke, others in the hall nodded.

Naturally, they didn't have the courage to openly confront the imperial court, but no one was willing to give up.

After living a good life for a long time, who would want to live a miserable and poor life?

Soon, people began to make suggestions everywhere.

Those who want to provide money do so, and those who want to provide connections do so, in an attempt to open up some secret channels.

…

Datong Town.

Ding Zhongxian, the commander-in-chief of Datong Guard, frowned as he looked at the notice in his hand.

Below are the five thousand households that were summoned.

"Commander-in-chief, I think the court wants to cut off this trade route completely. What should we do?" Upon seeing this, the left captain of Datong Guard asked after a little hesitation.

There are five thousand households in a garrison, namely left, right, center, front and rear.

In today's world where the left is respected, Captain Zuo is naturally the confidant of Commander-in-Chief Ding Zhongxian.

Therefore, when speaking, I am much more casual.

Upon hearing this, Commander-in-Chief Ding Zhongxian thought for a moment and said, "Our Datong Town is an important town in the army, and we have always been careful to guard against the grasslands. Now the order from the capital is to rush 800 miles to reach the nine borders first."

"In my opinion, the capital is not just a simple notice. There will definitely be censors and even multiple supervisions."

"Besides, as for the Chamber of Commerce, you all know the Heroes Chamber of Commerce."

"The Heroes Chamber of Commerce had many spies on the grasslands in the early years. If there were any smuggling routes, the Heroes Chamber of Commerce would know about it. From what I can see, the ban on the grasslands was most likely proposed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Datong You Qianhu couldn't help but say, "Sir, I heard that this group of British merchants are the biggest smugglers. Even the Shanxi merchants don't have such a big reputation. Isn't Your Highness destroying his own financial resources?"

Datong Zuo Qianhu said: "What do you know? There is no profit in these hard-working people on the grassland. Even though the Qunying Chamber of Commerce is well-known here, when it comes to making money, we still have to look to Jiangnan."

"I think what the commander said is correct. This embargo was most likely proposed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"My wife's cousin is a clerk of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce. I heard that the Heroes Chamber of Commerce is now collecting all the goods on the grassland, and even consciously reducing them. Many clerks who were doing business on the grassland have been sent back."

"His Royal Highness must have issued the order long ago, and the Heroes Chamber of Commerce received the news in advance."

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

After hesitating for a while, Commander-in-Chief Ding Zhongxian made a decision in his heart.

"From now on, all places in Datong are closed to entry but not exit. Anyone who goes to the grassland without permission will be arrested as a treasoner regardless of the reason."

Faced with this situation, Ding Zhongxian simply adopted a one-size-fits-all approach.

Although the embargo clearly states what can and cannot be transported, there are always some people who manage to get away with it.

He was also very clear that in the past these merchants had made a lot of money for his brothers, especially those above the level of general flag, who would receive some tributes more or less.

Even if he gave clear orders, Ding Zhongxian knew the temperament of his subordinates.

It would be fine on normal days, but if something went wrong at this critical juncture, you might even lose your job.

The Heroes Chamber of Commerce is too wild here. If it is discovered on the grassland, the responsibility will be on our heads.

Upon hearing this, the five captains under his command looked at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, the few people's eyes moved around and fell on Zuo Qianhu.

Seeing this, Zuo Qianhu could only bite the bullet and say, "Sir, isn't this a bit too harsh? After all, the brothers below still want to make a living."

Ding Zhongxian waved his hand and said, "No need to say more, just follow my order. I am not blocking the way for the brothers to make money. Didn't I say that you are allowed to come in but not to leave?"

"No matter where they come from, they can only come to Daming. The herdsmen on the grasslands can't stand it, so they have to come too. We won't stop them, right?"

"For those who smuggle, the brothers will respond first, and when the goods arrive, they will all be seized and the people will be sent to the capital to claim credit."

"Let's get the job done. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not short of money, so we must give him some reward when the time comes."

Seconds.

Upon hearing this, the five captains immediately praised highly.

Although it seems like a one-time deal, there are still people who are not afraid of death these days. Before, when they accepted money from others, they should have helped out a little. Now that the capital has issued a strict order, anyone who dares to bribe must be a traitor.

For rebellion, all property will be confiscated, this is the serious matter.

Following Ding Zhongxian's decision, Datong Guard immediately took action.

First of all, all the roads in and out were checkpointed, and no one was allowed to go to the grassland. Even the herdsmen who had come here to purchase things were all turned back.

A large number of general flag officers began to lead patrols, and anyone who tried to sneak away would be captured and brought back.

For a time, Datong Town was in a state of panic.

All businessmen avoid it.

The news from Datong Town soon spread to the surrounding areas, especially Shanxi Town next to Datong, which was greatly shocked.

Shanxi Town and Datong Town are adjacent to each other, and between these two towns, the largest number of merchants go in and out of the grassland.

The commander of Shanxi Wei was even more anxious than Ding Zhongxian. Everyone knew that there were many Shanxi merchants in Shanxi Town.

Even if His Majesty and the ministers in the capital don't know, doesn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince know?

The commander of Shanxi Wei was very clear that when someone from the imperial court came, the first place they would check would probably be him.

Thinking of this, I decided to just go all out.

First, he rejected all invitations to banquets from chambers of commerce, and then issued a military order.

"Anyone who leaves the city without permission will be killed without mercy!"

They were even more brutal here. Ding Zhongxian of Datong Town just arrested people at most, but the commander of Shanxi Town killed people directly.

With Datong, these two towns in Shanxi taking the lead, other important towns in the nine borders will certainly follow suit.

Today's Nine Frontiers is still very powerful.

Although there was serious corruption in the army, many of the leaders of this group of border troops were old men who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world.

The erosion from other merchants is far less serious. Apart from making some money, their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty is still very high. At least they will not do anything that would cause great damage to the Ming Dynasty.

Now, the ones who suffer are those merchants on the grassland.

These merchants on the grassland basically have their own connections and contacts on the grassland, or have good relations with certain tribes. They exchange tea, grain, ironware, women, medicinal materials and other supplies for furs, cattle and sheep.

Part of the biggest hidden deal was the treasures that the grassland nobles looted from other places.

If any businessman could obtain these treasures, he could become very wealthy after returning to Ming Dynasty.

As the nine borders began to jointly blockade the grassland, all the tribes on the grassland suddenly became angry.

At this juncture, it is the time for winter. The tribes on the grassland have stored up a large amount of goods, waiting for the Ming Dynasty to open the market for a large wave of transactions.

The main items traded were food and women.

Food is for surviving the winter, and women are naturally for a better winter.

Some bachelors in Prairie Mountain have already prepared enough furs at home and are determined to find a new woman this year.

After this winter, by next Spring Festival, my child will be born.

But with the advent of the lockdown, everything became a mirage in the water.

The key is, how should we spend this winter?

Those who have cattle and sheep at home can still say that they can get by.

But for those grassland cavalrymen, it was really sad.

In addition to the personal soldiers, many of the cavalry on the grassland are free men of the tribe. They usually lead a hunting life and emphasize self-sufficiency. They will only join the army when the Khan summons them.

This method is actually somewhat similar to the Weisuo system.

But cavalrymen are not herdsmen. As tribal warriors, they do not raise cattle and sheep like herdsmen.

Of course, they usually have a lot of gold, silver and treasures in their hands.

But these can’t be eaten.

With the start of the blockade, inflation is certain. The price of a cow or sheep in the past will naturally increase several times by now.

Otherwise, the only option is to snatch it by force.

When the news that the grassland was blockaded by the Ming Dynasty spread, all the people on the grassland panicked.

Many people went to investigate and found out that it was not a rumor, the Ming Dynasty really did not allow trade.

At the same time, smugglers from the Ming Dynasty were arrested.

Because there is no way they could hide their smuggling routes from the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

Zhu Ying gave a direct order that, except for some special undercover personnel, all other personnel of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce in the grassland area should be withdrawn to Ming Dynasty.

Since they are no longer lurking in the grassland, the smuggling routes are of no use. At present, the blockade and sanctions on the grassland naturally cannot be a matter of overnight.

Therefore, all smuggling routes were reported to the Jiubian Guard Station by the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.

After obtaining the specific route, the Jiubian Guards dispatched troops to ambush without hesitation.

A large number of smugglers were severely cracked down on, and their goods were naturally confiscated, and naturally a large number of deaths occurred in the process.

Although there will definitely be some that slip through the net, they are not very important.

The news from the nine borders soon reached the capital.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood after receiving the information and summoned his eldest grandson to the Qianqing Palace.

"My great grandson, I originally thought that the results this time would not be very great, but I didn't expect that these border soldiers were so loyal to us. The nine borders were strictly guarded and each of them made gains. This must be a huge blow to the grassland."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled happily.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew the temperament of the soldiers at the border, but this time he showed great sense of justice.

In fact, as long as the problem was not too big, Zhu Yuanzhang basically chose to be a little lenient and turn a blind eye to some minor problems of the soldiers on the border.

Soldiers have been like this since ancient times, and Zhu Yuanzhang already understood all of this thoroughly when he was fighting in the wars back then.

"Grandpa, this comprehensive blockade of the grassland is more effective than we thought, but it may lead to the tribes on the grassland organizing an invasion of our Ming Dynasty," Zhu Ying replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Although it is already winter, the march on the grassland remains unchanged, but the current situation is inevitable for the grassland."

"It would be better if we can snatch some of them. If not, the death of some people will mean more lives for the grassland."

"Next, we can arrange for the soldiers to go over."

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Besides Lan Yu, will Da Sun send anyone else?"

Zhu Ying replied: "My grandson hopes to send his fourth and third uncles to fight on this grassland."

"Fourth brother?" Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly stunned.

Then he said, "It seems that what Grandson said before is true."

"Okay, since you have made up your mind, let the fourth and third brothers go together with Lan Yu this time."

"I think the eldest grandson has already thought about how to arrange it."

Zhu Ying thought for a moment and said, "The Third Imperial Uncle's former fiefdom was in Shanxi, so this time we should go to Shanxi to govern."

"Fourth uncle's former fiefdom was in Beiping, and this time it is Liaodong Town."

"On the Duke of Liang's side, my grandson wants to be in charge of the three towns of Ningxia, Guyuan, and Gansu."

"This time, my grandson also wants his seventeenth uncle to go with him to guard Daning."

"Daning is connected to Liaozuo in the east and Xuanfu in the west. I think it would be most appropriate for the Seventeenth Uncle to go there."

After hearing what his eldest grandson said, Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "You are indeed my eldest grandson. You think the same as I do."

In Zhu Yuanzhang's earlier plan, he wanted Zhu Quan to be a vassal in Daning.

Now I didn’t expect that my eldest grandson had the same idea.