Dominate the Country

God was very kind to the Chen family. This summer, although there was a lot of rainfall in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, that is, in the Huguang area, the intensity was generally not great, and the flood peak formed posed little threat to Jingzhou and other places, so it can be said that it was passed very smoothly.

The rainfall in Huanghuai was not too heavy, at least the Yellow River did not burst again. The most rainfall was in Zhili, and the Yongding River was the most seriously affected. All the silt silted up the old river into a flat land. The No. 6 dike on the north bank broke and slid. Passing the Machang alkaline land for more than a thousand miles, Wuqing and other three counties were flooded; the Gubeikou flood collapsed more than 3,000 houses and barracks, and drowned more than 200 people.

But this little thing was very ordinary compared to the floods in previous years. Before the Qianlong period, the Yellow River burst every two or three years, and the Yangtze River often flooded. If the Yongding River was not close to Beijing, and it happened to burst after Chen Hui and Chen Ming became kings and dukes, it would not have had any influence at all.

People in this era are quite superstitious. Chen Hui of the Fu Han Army had just become king and had just canonized Chen Ming as Duke of Lu, and the Yongding River near Beijing had a major flood. It looked like the dragon vein of Beijing had been impacted. In this Youyou that Chen Ming had never thought about, the momentum of the Fu Han Army and even their reputation among the people suddenly rose! Chen Guang, who was in Zhili, was very keenly aware of this and let the dark camp spread true or false news crazily, which greatly helped the Fu Han Army to increase its prestige. Chen Ming realized it later and had a lot of insights after listening to it.

In addition to the people from Ruzhou and Nanyang, the merchants who have recently flocked to Lushan have come from Hubei for the first time. The news from the dark camp said that these merchants from Hubei were most likely affected by the "Beijing dragon vein being impacted". Of course, the tens of thousands of people in the Fu Han Army who changed their armor and the endless cannons also shocked these merchants.

Zhao Wenbo, the third master of the Zhao family, was the leader of the Hubei Merchants' Group to Shandong. At this time, of course, he was hiding in the cool house instead of going out to bask in the sun. Before the King of Han ascended the throne, the Fu Han Army announced a lot of miscellaneous laws and regulations, such as deposing the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and using the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty. It seemed that they had forgotten the Hongguang, Longwu, and Yongli of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and directly embraced the thigh of Emperor Chongzhen. This was still a hard rule. Those who dared to cross the line would lose their heads. This year is the 142nd year of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty. After the King of Han ascended the throne, he recruited more social elites to discuss laws and regulations and set up a legislative council. It is not known whether it can really work or is just a memorial. Anyway, the Fu Han Army still uses the revised "Qing Dynasty Law" to match the many rules they have made before. The real "Han Law" and "Han Law" have not been officially promulgated. But according to the rules of the Fu Han Army, bribery and bribery are punished together, and many of the tacitly approved means of pulling relationships in the previous Qing Dynasty have been banned. Why is Zhao Wenbo still running? Besides, the Zhao family had long been tied to the chariot of the Fu Han Army. Zhao Wenbo had a plan in mind. They had already received some orders for Fu Han Army's uniforms and military supplies, as well as a share of iron materials. The Zhao family also got two four-wheeled carriages from Lushan and hired several masters to go to Wuchang at high salaries. When Zhao Wenbo led the team to Lushan, the Zhao family's carriage workshop had already opened. Before, the Zhao family had been recruiting people from various prefectures in Hubei, but the results were not great. If it weren't for the great assist from the Yongding River, Zhao Wenbo could only bring three or five cats and kittens to Lushan, instead of the thirteen or fourteen people now, and every family was a big shot in the Hubei business community.

The human-powered fan in the corner turned silently, blowing the cool air from the ice basin throughout the room. In this regard, Lushan was much more comfortable than the scorching Wuhan. There was no ice in Wuhan, and there was no saltpeter sold on the market. It's nothing like Lushan, where there are large ice cellars dug inside and outside the city. I dare not say that there is more than enough, but at least there is enough to supply Lushan.

Of course, adding ice to the guest room costs money, but does Mr. Zhao San care about this little bit?

Lying comfortably on the bed, Zhao Wenbo was looking at the newspapers bought by his followers on the street. The headline of the "Zhongyuan Daily" was about this chamber of commerce. The Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Logistics Department officially issued a political order, and it was held in the meeting hall of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau in the southwest of Lushan City three days later. Not only the political document was printed on the newspaper, but also the seals of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Logistics Department were printed.

Since the Fu Han Army conquered East Hubei, the three major newspapers "Zhongyuan Daily", "Military Newspaper" and "Fabao" began to be issued in Wuchang in late April. Later, Wuchang Governor Liu Dezhao ordered the publication of "Wuhan Daily", which gradually became famous in East Hubei. Newspapers are no longer new. Zhao Wenbo has developed the habit of reading newspapers every morning and evening.

The "Zhongyuan Daily" is like a weather vane for the Fu Han Army. Even the smallest tofu-like articles can be found to be innovative if carefully studied; the "Military Newspaper" is the newspaper that the Zhao family cares about the most, and it can show the gains and losses of the Fu Han Army; the "Legal Newspaper" is the newspaper that Zhao Wenbo cares least about. His eldest brother likes to read the "Legal Newspaper". The "Wuhan Daily" has replaced the "Legal Newspaper" in Zhao Wenbo's opinion since it was first published. The "Wuhan Daily" contains interesting and strange things happening around Wuchang and Hanyang, fresh decisions made by the government, and the latest commodity prices. Zhao Wenbo likes it more than the dry "Legal Newspaper".

The Zhao family's calculation is on the manufacture of military uniforms. This business requires a large amount of cloth. Even if these people in southwest Henan have deep roots, they can't compare with the Zhao family in this regard. The Zhao family runs a cloth business, and there are a large amount of cotton, linen and silk in the warehouse. At the same time, they also have many ready-made clothing shops and tailor shops. This business is the Zhao family's main business!

As for military supplies, that's just a meaning. As for the share of iron materials, the Zhao family can get at least 5,000 jins a month. He sells these 5,000 jins of iron to Hunan and Jiangxi, and the Fuhan Army doesn't care, as long as they have money.

Then there was the carriage, or four-wheeler. This thing is definitely better than a flatbed truck in terms of cargo capacity. Whether it is a wealthy family or a commoner driving a car, everyone is willing to get one. Although this four-wheeled vehicle requires a relatively flat road surface, the Zhao family is a little worried.

When Zhao Wenbo came to southwest Henan and Lushan, the most profound impression he had along the way was not the township officials he met in the villages and towns on the road, nor the local people. Especially after entering Ruzhou, the high-spiritedness of the local people. But the official roads in southwest Henan are very smooth. The servants who followed him inquired about the news and reported it to him one after another. Zhao Wenbo knew that throughout last year, the Fuhan Army had not stopped building bridges and paving roads in southwestern Henan. Zhao Wenbo truly felt that his Zhao family had hope for the four-wheeler business.

Because from the bottom of his heart, Zhao Wenbo did not want to see the Fuhan Army destroyed. In that case, the Zhao family would definitely be doomed. Even if a few descendants run away and live the rest of their lives in anonymity, how can they compare with the current Zhao family?

Zhao Jingchun became the magistrate of Wuchang. Although it was indeed unfortunate for the magistrate to attach himself to Guo, Wuchang had a special status and all official positions were one level higher. Zhao Jingchun was now a senior official of the fourth rank. As long as the Fuhan Army continues to prosper, Zhao Wenbo feels that sooner or later the Zhao family will have a frontier official. This person, no matter what the situation, always loves to dream. Zhao Wenbo was having a beautiful dream, and it seemed to be getting better and better. Of course, he didn't want to wake up from the dream.

"Third Master, Master Zhou is here..."

"Brother Shi Heng..." Zhao Wenbo walked to the outer hall in high spirits. Zhou Hong was waiting outside without his entourage. When he saw Zhao Wenbo coming, he stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Brother Wenbo, please excuse me."

The Zhou family is another wealthy family who lives on the same Dachao Street as the Zhao family. It's just that the eldest brother of Zhou Hong, the head of the Zhou family, did not make the decision that Zhao Wenbo and his brother Zhao Wenqi had made. Instead, he refused to report and remained silent. As a result, after the Fuhan Army entered Wuchang, they severely beat up the Zhou family. . Liu Dezhao also said in public and semi-public situations more than once that if Lu Gongguan hadn't had a good family tradition and many good deeds in the past, the Zhou family would have been wiped out long ago.

This time the Zhao family organized a group to come to Lushan, and the Zhou family was the first to sign up. Just like Zhao Wenqi sent Zhao Wenbo, the severely injured Zhou family sent their second master Zhou Hong.

Zhou Hong and Zhao Wenbo used to have equal status, but now they are clearly superior. On the second day after Zhao Wenbo arrived in Lushan, he was summoned by Lu Gong. This was an honor that no second player in the entire Hubei business group had.

And when Zhao Wenbo came back that day, no one else said a word, and went to Zhou Hong specifically to ask for the Zhou family's "Yi Jiangchun" recipe. It is said that Duke Lu loved to drink rice wine, and Zhou's "Yi Jiangchun" was one of the few good rice wines in Hubei. Zhou Hong was secretly angry at the time, thinking that Zhao Wenbo was deliberately humiliating him, so he complied with a calm expression. He also complimented Zhao Wenbo for not forgetting his friendship with the same city, grabbed the Zhou family, and tore up all the fans he had with him when he returned to his residence. Into eight petals. But after calming down, I realized that it might not be what I thought. What else is there in the Zhou family now that the Zhao family should avoid and humiliate? If the Zhao family stepped on the Zhou family at this time, it would be Zhao Wenqi who lost his face. He immediately wrote a letter and asked his followers to return to Wuchang quickly to get the recipe for 'Yi Jiangchun'.

It's just that this time is too short. The entourage is afraid that the Chamber of Commerce will be held before arriving in Xiangyang.

Unlike the Zhao family, which mainly operates silk cotton, pawnshops, and banks, the Zhou family mainly operates car and bicycle shops and grain stores. Before the Fuhan Army did not harm Hubei, the Zhou family was not only a carriage, horse and boat shop, hotels and restaurants in Wuchang, Hanyang, and Hankou. The giant is still a giant crocodile in the Shashi rice market. But now that Hubei has been captured by the Fuhan Army, grain trade can only go through Hubei and southwest Henan [for the time being], and the profits are gone all of a sudden. The carriage, horse, and boat shops were even confiscated by the Fuhan Army, leaving only a few restaurants and hotels. This time the Zhou family came to Lushan, their main goal was to focus on iron materials and military rations. But there is no one in the Zhou family. They are different from the Zhao family where Jane is in the heart of the emperor. Zhou Hong feels very confused now.

Seeing that there were only three days left, Zhou Hong came to Zhao Wenbo for help. "Brother Wenbo, to tell you the truth, if our Zhou family doesn't get the military rations deal, most of the sky above our heads will collapse."

Without the military grain business, under the current situation, the Zhou family can only be an ordinary small businessman. How can they be willing to stand at the top of Hubei's business community after struggling for decades?

Zhao Wenbo looked at Zhou Hong and shook his head. The Zhou family was really anxious and their heads were spinning. "Brother Shiheng, please be patient and don't be impatient. Your family will definitely not fail..."

"If you want to fall, you should fall when the Fuhan Army enters the city. His Highness keeps you here to contain us..."

The power of one Zhao family is not terrifying, but the power of the entire Hubei business group is terrifying, even though there are only a dozen business groups at the moment.

"This is what the prefect told my family to extend their life [Zhao Jingchun]. He was afraid that my family would take advantage of the situation and devour you..." And in the entire Fuhan Army, who else could make Liu Dezhao say this? Woolen cloth?