weaving

As the Earl of Yongning departed from Kaifeng, the troops of Xuanda and other regions also began their return journey.

Wei Zhice, Li Jiyu, and Yuan Shizhong traveled along the capital region, passing through the three prefectures of Shunde, Zhengding, and Baoding on the official road, and then through Zijing Pass and Mashuikou to enter Xuanfu Town and Bao'an Prefecture.

The Shanxi General Li Fuming and Zhang Guangda's Zhuque Battalion traveled along the Zhiguan Pass, then along the official road through Pingyang Prefecture, Fenzhou, and Taiyuan Prefecture, heading north into Shanxi and then Xuanda.

Wang Pu, the general of Datong, traveled along the Taihang Mountains, passing through Zezhou, Lu'an Prefecture, Qinzhou, Liaozhou, and Taiyuan Prefecture before heading north. He first entered Shanxi Province and then Datong Town.

The three armies embarked on their journey home in a grand procession. Whenever they passed through various prefectures and counties, many local officials and gentry would climb the city walls to watch, and many local people would also come out of the city to see them.

Whether it was the Yongyi Army, the Datong Army, or the Shanxi Army, they all strictly adhered to military rules and discipline, never entering cities along the way, and never disturbing villages and hamlets they passed through. Even when they sometimes purchased military supplies, they always sold them at fair prices.

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However, there were also some less pleasant little incidents...

In Zezhou, Lu'an Prefecture, and the southern half of Pingyang Prefecture in Shanxi, many shops and stores refused to accept the military scrip of the Yongyi Army. They only accepted cash and banknotes from various banks, even those from Xuanbei Bank, but not the military scrip of the Yongyi Army.

Zhang Guangda, Li Fuming, and Wang Pu were all furious about this. They believed that the bloody atmosphere of the three towns of Xuanda had not yet reached the south of Shanxi, which was why these merchants were so rampant.

However, despite their anger, the military regulations and discipline of the Yongyi Army were in place, and they dared not do anything out of line. In the end, they settled the bill with the money and banknotes they carried with them.

In fact, Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, had anticipated this situation.

The Earl of Yongning was neither angry nor anxious about this phenomenon. In his view, the military notes and silver coins he issued were now circulating in the three towns of Xuanfu and Datong, and thus had a basis for their existence.

Moreover, local military leaders and merchants in Liaodong recognized the military notes and silver coins of the Yongyi Army, especially the silver coins minted by the Yongyi Army, which were very popular.

Now, through this campaign to aid in the suppression of the rebellion in Henan, the Earl of Yongning has sent military notes and silver coins into the three prefectures of Kaifeng, Henan, and Guide. Furthermore, they have been accepted by some large local merchants in the three prefectures of Zhangde, Weihui, and Huaiqing on the north bank of the Yellow River.

After all, the officers and soldiers of the Yongyi Army had amazing spending power. Even during temporary rest stops along the march, their purchasing power was quite strong, let alone at their encampments.

Moreover, and most importantly, when the Yongyi Army procures military supplies, although they never extend credit, they only purchase urgently needed materials if military banknotes are not accepted. They purchase everything else from merchants that accept military banknotes.

It is precisely because of this that most businesses and shops in Henan, as long as they are slightly larger, highly value military scrip.

Because these military notes were not useless pieces of paper in their hands; they could use them to buy local specialties in Xuanda, especially good products produced in various workshops of the Yongyi Army.

However, some small businesses and shops had doubts about this. They had actually believed the rumors spread by the wealthy and powerful families around them, or had been threatened by them, which is why they refused to accept military scrip instead of silver.

The worst offenders were the powerful clans, gentry, and officials. They dared not confront the Yongning Earl's army openly, but secretly engaged in numerous underhanded tactics. On one hand, they colluded to defame the Yongning Earl; on the other hand, they mobilized their hidden forces to attack the Yongning Earl and the Yongyi Army. Even more despicable was that their own businesses accepted military scrip, using it to purchase scarce goods in Xuanfu and Dali, while simultaneously spreading rumors that military scrip was worthless, forcing smaller shops to reject it.

Some of the generals of the Yongyi Army believed that their actions were almost equivalent to those of the slave merchants in Xuanda, and could be punished as treason.

But since the Earl of Yongning didn't speak up, they could only grumble in private, completely powerless against these wicked gentry!
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With the gradual withdrawal of various government troops from the Xuanda clique, the pressure on grain and fodder supply in Henan was immediately relieved.

However, whether on official roads or navigable waterways, caravans and boats continued to come and go in an endless stream, and most of them were equipped with armed guards, some of whom were guards from escort companies, and others were young and strong guards from their own businesses.

Among all the escort agencies, Niu Sheng's Xuanwei Escort Agency held the largest share. Not only did it control most of the routes from the capital to Xuanfu, Shandong, and Henan, but it also had a hand in all the trade routes within Henan.

Having connections is really advantageous—as the saying goes, "It's good to have a big tree to lean on."

Xuanwei Escort Agency is backed by the towering tree of the Earl of Yongning, so local governments naturally dare not make things too difficult for them on the surface. In terms of military force, it is backed by the Xuanfu Town Yongyi Army. Even the escorts, guards, and fast men in the agency are all ruthless people who have seen blood on the battlefield.

Their business scope was also very wide. They could escort goods and people, and even act as bodyguards for some officials, gentry, local tyrants and wealthy households, doing the work of guarding their homes.

Xuanwei Escort Agency and Yuanlongchang Carriage and Horse Agency complemented each other. Wherever the carriage and horse agency went, the escort agency went. If there was no other business, the escort agency would specialize in protecting the carriage and horse agency.

However, there is another protective force in Shanxi, the capital region, and Henan, namely the soldiers of the Brave and Resolute Army—but this treatment is not something that ordinary people can enjoy.

Only businesses closely associated with the Yongyi Army could enjoy the personal escort of Yongyi Army soldiers.

As for other businesses, they would only hire brave soldiers to escort them if the goods were particularly valuable or if they carried large sums of gold, silver, or valuables.

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At the borders of Henan with Shanxi, Shaanxi, the capital region, Shandong, and Southern Zhili provinces, there were many customs offices to inspect and verify the goods and people entering and leaving Henan. This was done both to collect commercial taxes to support the suppression of bandits in Henan and to prevent smuggling.

However, the Earl of Yongning also knew the principle of not "draining the pond to catch all the fish". The "general tax system" he implemented in Henan meant that after the tax was verified and paid at any one customs post, other customs posts would check the tax bill and no further commercial taxes would be collected. They would only check according to regulations.

These kinds of things don't exist in other provinces. Only in Henan, a place that has been ravaged by Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, could the Earl of Yongning cause such trouble.

However, with the gradual establishment of military settlements and the vigorous implementation of the "rent and interest reduction" policy, the areas in Henan Province currently controlled by the government and military have gradually stabilized.

The landless and starving people gradually disappeared. Most of them were absorbed into military settlements in various places, while some became laborers, digging canals, building roads, and even mining and quarrying in various places, just to earn a bite of hot porridge and steamed buns from the Earl of Yongning so that they could survive. (End of this chapter)