weaving

Chapter 657 Cooperation to Win-Win
In Ningyuan Acropolis, there was a big banquet in Jiliao Governor's Mansion, and many people were drunk.

Zhang Cheng drank happily during the banquet, and even distributed a large box of "Yunzhou brand" refined cigarettes to the generals, lieutenants, and generals of the general army. share.

In the border towns in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty, Liao Town in particular was a bitterly cold place in the frontier fortress. Smoking tobacco was very prevalent in the army, from the generals to the soldiers.

In fact, in the 12th year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen also promulgated a ban on smoking: "Ji Mao, upload an edict to ban it, and the offender will die."

Not long after the smoking ban was issued, there was a man from other places who committed a crime. He brought cigarettes to Beijing privately and secretly sold them at a high price. As a result, he was caught by the smoking ban officials and killed in Xishi the next day. This shows that the imperial court was determined to ban smoking. The greatness, the strictness of the law.

The reason why Emperor Chongzhen, who lived in the imperial palace, banned smoking was rooted in a nursery rhyme.

According to Wu Weiye's records in "Sui Kou Jilue", as early as the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, a nursery rhyme began to be circulated in the market, in which there was such a sentence: "The world is full of soldiers, and there is smoke everywhere".

Later, the rogue bandits became more and more violent, and the Tartars repeatedly invaded the important areas of the capital, so this kind of saying gradually became popular among the people.

People have said that the Ming emperors since Yongle were all descendants of the Zhu family from the branch of Zhu Di, the king of Yan, and the capital was formerly called "Yanjing". "Eat smoke" is "eat swallow".

Emperor Chongzhen was tortured repeatedly by bandits and Tartars in the precarious situation. His nerves were too sensitive, so he strictly banned tobacco several times because of a nursery rhyme, but it was a pity that he gave up halfway every time.

When this strict ban on smoking was issued, Hong Chengchou happened to be the governor of Jiliao. After he came to Jizhen and Liaozhen, he found that almost everyone in the local army ate cigarettes in order to resist the bitter cold, and felt powerless to forbid it.

In the second year, he sent a message to Emperor Chongzhen, saying that Liaodong is located in the north, and the soldiers have been bitterly cold for a long time, and smoking can not only refresh their minds, but also help the soldiers resist the bitter cold. Emperor Chongzhen was able to sympathize with the soldiers and allowed them to eat cigarettes.

Hong Chengchou said this for both public and private reasons. Because of public service, at this time, the soldiers on the Liaodong frontier could not stop smoking cigarettes. If they were forced to do so, it might even cause a mutiny.

For personal reasons, he himself is actually a smoker!He just took advantage of Chongzhen's mentality of needing Liaodong soldiers to defend the land against the enemy, and made this request to Emperor Chongzhen very tactfully and skillfully.

Although Emperor Chongzhen was suspicious by nature, he also knew that what Hong Chengchou said was true, and that he needed Liaodong soldiers to be loyal and loyal to guarding the land and defending against the enemy for the Ming Dynasty more than banning tobacco, so he released the ban on smoking in the army. As a result, folk tobacco planting and smoking have gradually recovered.

Just now, Fu Yingchong, Zhang Guangda and others had put several rounds of cigarettes on their respective seats. At this moment, Zhang Cheng distributed a large box of Yunzhou good cigarettes, and the official hall was immediately surrounded by clouds and mist, just like a fairyland.

Zhang Cheng bowed his head and whispered in Governor Hong Chengchou's ear, "Minister, I have sent a box to the inner house."

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and said nothing, but smiled and nodded to Zhang Cheng with a kind face.

As for Zhang Cheng’s three brands of cigarettes, although they were only developed in the 12th year of Chongzhen, they have already been popular in Xuanda and Jiliao towns through Daming’s guard system and commercial network.

At first, Zhang Cheng took advantage of his wedding banquet to distribute cigarettes to officials and generals of Xuanda who came to attend the wedding banquet. Since then, it has become an indispensable thing in their lives, and Yunzhou cigarettes have become a hit in Xuanda.

Immediately after Hu Dawei dispatched the Zhenbao General Army, Yunzhou cigarettes opened up sales in the south of Jinan, and soon spread to the army in Jizhen and Liaozhen in the north of Jibei, becoming the best-selling commodity in the north.

Even Wang Pu and Wu Sangui and many other town commanders and big business gangs tried to imitate them, but the cigarettes they made could not compare with Yunzhou cigarettes in terms of quality and taste, and could only be circulated slightly among ordinary soldiers and civilians. In the end, it could not compete with Yunzhou Yan.

Wu Sangui, who had been somewhat unimpressed with Zhang Cheng, changed his normal attitude at the moment. He had another three bowls with Zhang Cheng very enthusiastically, as if hesitant to talk.

In fact, Wu Sangui's toast just now was just to set an example for the generals of Liao Town, intending to show in front of Governor Hong Chengchou that he is not xenophobic and will work together with the generals and soldiers who came to aid the town.

But seeing Yunzhou Yan at this moment, a new idea flashed in his mind. He seemed to think that there might be something for Zhang Cheng to cooperate with, so he warmly came to toast for the second time.

How could Zhang Cheng not know about his little thoughts, but he was also looking for partners everywhere, the supply of Yunzhou tobacco has been in short supply, even if he opened a second workshop in Chicheng Castle, it still cannot meet the demand in the market .

Many people have come to him to discuss cooperation intentions, but Zhang Chengcheng is unwilling to put his most profitable project in a place that he cannot control at present.

However, on the way to Liaodong, he had a new idea, that is, to cooperate in building a factory, send craftsmen and workers to be responsible for production matters, and arrange people to be responsible for the safety and security work inside the factory.

As a partner, you only need to be responsible for purchasing raw materials and ensuring the external safety of the cigarette factory. As for the share, according to Zhang Cheng's idea, it is [-]-[-]%. However, if you meet a high-quality partner, [-]-[-]% is fine, or even [-]%. Five points is not impossible.

At this time Zhang Cheng drank three cups with Wu Sangui, poured another bowl full for him, and said softly in his ear: "There is something that I want to talk about in detail with brother elder brother."

Just when Wu Sangui was in a daze, not knowing what kind of medicine Zhang Cheng was selling in the gourd, Zhang Cheng handed over a Yunzhou cigarette, and at the same time gave Wu Sangui a meaningful look, and said: "Yunzhou cigarettes, I don't know if my elder brother is interested." no?"

The words have been said so blatantly, how could Wu Sangui, who is a human being, not understand, seeing the thing that he couldn't wish for, but it fell from the sky at this moment.

There was a charming smile on his handsome face, he raised his left hand to caress his nose, and said with a soft smile: "It's easy to talk, easy to talk. Let's discuss it in detail tomorrow, how about it?"

Zhang Cheng understood and said: "It's a deal. Cheers!"

"Hahaha!"

Amidst the astonishment of the surrounding people, the two of them laughed in unison, raised their wine bowls, and drank it down in one gulp.

Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, did not arrange other matters today, after all, he came to help all the soldiers and horses. After a big feast, he was going to plan to solve the siege of Jinzhou.

Everyone went back to rest after the banquet, but before leaving, Zhang Cheng always felt that Hong Chengchou seemed to be depressed and anxious.

(End of this chapter)