I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 578 Extra Chapter 11: Su Liang’s Curse - Merchants
The second year of Huangyou, March 18th.

It was almost noon and the spring scenery was at its best.

On the Bian River, flags were like clouds and boatmen were everywhere, creating a busy and lively scene.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion on the dock.

A group of men in grey short jackets, long trousers and caps started shouting and fighting.

Some people rushed over with bamboo poles, some with oars, some with hammers, and some picked up stones from the ground...

Everyone had furious looks and looked murderous.

Passers-by, merchants and vendors in the surrounding area all avoided it.

In the blink of an eye, the number of men fighting had expanded to more than a hundred, and the fight became more and more fierce.

Soon someone's head was covered in blood.

"Kaifeng is my territory, the northerners. Why do you southerners come to steal my work? If you don't let me do it, I'll kill you!"

"You are just a stinky farm slave from Kaifeng Prefecture. You are nothing but a stinky beggar begging for food. How can you be qualified to board our southerners' ship? The senior officials on board don't allow you to work because they think you are dirty and unlucky!"

"Brothers, beat these filthy bastards to death. Kill them, and the business on the Bian River will be ours!"

"You are a bunch of smelly southern dogs. You have no strength and no manners. I can beat all five of you by myself!"

……

A quarter of an hour later, the dock was in chaos.

The men fought each other.

Some were rolling on the ground, some were wrestling on the boat, some were falling into the water, and some men had blood all over their heads and were curled up on the ground, dying.

Just then, the officials from Kaifeng Prefecture finally arrived.

"Capture them all. Take the seriously injured to the clinic for treatment. Put the lightly injured or uninjured into the prison immediately. Anyone who resists will be killed!"

In Kaifeng Prefecture, if an officer continued to shout at a group fight of this scale, the crime would be as serious as rebellion.

When the men who were fighting saw the officers from Kaifeng Prefecture coming, they stopped fighting, dropped their weapons, and squatted on the ground.

immediately.

The officers escorted more than a hundred fighters away from the dock, and a dozen of them were carried away, most likely with their lives in danger.

Less than an hour.

The news of the fight at the Bianhe Wharf spread throughout the city of Bianjing.

In recent years, Kaifeng Prefecture has been as united as a rock under Bao Zheng's rule, and such serious group fights have never occurred.

Now that such a vicious incident has occurred, Bao Zheng will certainly severely punish the perpetrators.

……

Inside Kaifeng Prefecture.

Bao Zheng sat in the lobby with a gloomy face.

There were 132 people involved in the fight, 12 people died, and more than 80 people were seriously or slightly injured.

This is the criminal case with the highest casualties in Kaifeng Prefecture in recent years.

After questioning several participants in the fight and nearby witnesses, he basically knew the reason for the fight.

The fighters were all helmsmen, boatmen, rowers and porters on the Bian River.

They fought because of a fight over work.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been many more southern boatmen on the Bian River, all of whom are migrant workers brought by cargo ships and merchant ships from the south.

These southern workers all followed the ship.

Loading, protecting, transporting, unloading, even the porters have become Nangong.

This resulted in many northern workers in Kaifeng Prefecture losing their jobs.

The fight today happened because the North Technicians felt that the South Technicians had taken their jobs, so they had a disagreement, an argument, and then a fight started.

This is very strange.

The trade on the Bian River has always been: southern ships and northern workers.

That is, the South provides ships and cargo, and the North provides manpower and river workers.

The southeast of the Song Dynasty is rich in resources and has many seaports and river ports. Most shipbuilding is done in the south, and most of the people who come to the Bian River are ship merchants and cargo owners.

Most of the laborers on the Bian River were from the north.

Because northerners are relatively tall and stronger, their business acumen is far inferior to that of southerners, and their labor is also cheaper than that of southerners.

But since the beginning of this year, the number of southern workers on the Bian River has gradually increased, leaving many northern workers who relied on labor on the Bian River to support their families without a livelihood.

This group fight did not come out of nowhere, but was the result of conflicts that had been accumulating for more than a month and finally broke out.

This case was not a simple gang fight involving assault, but a problem with the distribution of labor on the Bian River.

If the current conflicts between the South and North factories are not resolved and proper arrangements are not made for the workers, more group fights will inevitably occur in the future, and may even be more serious than this time.

The Bian River is the lifeblood of Kaifeng Prefecture.

The officials and civilians in the city of Bianliang relied on the Bian Canal for all their daily necessities.

If group fights occur frequently, it will threaten the stability of the entire city of Bianjing.

Just as Bao Zheng was wondering whether there was any conspiracy behind this matter, Zhang Maoze, the chief of the inner court and the director of the Imperial City Administration, came to the Kaifeng government office.

Since such a vicious fight occurred in Kaifeng Prefecture, the government naturally had to intervene.

Immediately.

Bao Zheng informed Zhang Maze what had happened and what would be done next.

"Zhang Duzhi, the fight between the southern and northern workers reflects the defects of the commerce on the Bian River. This is related to the management of the Kaifeng Prefecture Market Trade Department. I will work with the three departments to deal with this matter later. I will give you an explanation as soon as possible to ensure peace on the Bian River!"

Zhang Maozhe bowed slightly.

"The emperor is naturally assured of Master Bao's work. I will report the truth to the emperor. When this matter has a result, I will trouble Master Bao to report to the emperor as soon as possible. If Bianhe is lost, Bianjing will be lost!"

Bao Zheng nodded.

Anything related to the Bianhe River trade, no matter how small the matter is, is a big deal.

……

Near dusk.

Wang Yaochen, the Minister of the Three Departments, Su Liang, the Censor-in-Chief, and Wang Anshi, the Salt and Iron Procurator of the Three Departments, appeared in the government office of Kaifeng Prefecture.

The Kaifeng Prefecture Market Exchange Office was a new government office established by the Reform Office, which advocated supervision by officials and the management of business by business.

Wang Yaochen was in charge of everything.

Su Liang and Wang Anshi are currently the supervisors and direct managers of Kaifeng Prefecture's Market Exchange Bureau.

After listening to Bao Zheng's account of the brawl at Henan and Beigong factories in Bianhe today, the three of them couldn't help but frown.

Su Liang looked at Wang Anshi.

"Jiefu, why are there so many southern workers on the Bian River this year? Southern workers are not cheap, and they are not as strong as northern workers. Why do these merchants use southern workers instead of northern workers?"

Wang Anshi smiled helplessly.

"Each state government wants to create political achievements. If local businessmen help the local poor to become rich, the local government will reward them. In addition, after the establishment of the Municipal Exchange Bureau, many southern merchants stopped the old practice of 'buying low and selling high, driving up prices', which reduced their profits, so they recruited fewer workers."

Su Liang frowned slightly.

"If we want to completely solve this hidden danger, we must solve the livelihood of the northern workers on the Bian River. Without their livelihood, they will still fight like they do today. If we catch them and put them in jail and punish them severely every time, it will be a huge loss to the Bian River trade. It is not the right solution."

"Moreover, these laborers on the Bian River make their living entirely on river transport. They are experienced and their whole families live on both sides of the Bian River. If we seek a livelihood for them, we will naturally seek a livelihood on the river. Could it be that the laborers on the Bian River are already in excess?"

Hearing this, Wang Yaochen shook his head.

"Oversupply? No, absolutely not! I just looked through the trade data on the Bian River yesterday. Last year's volume increased fivefold compared to the previous two years, and this year is even greater. Labor is absolutely in short supply. The reason for this situation is the improper influx of southern workers."

"It is not cost-effective to use southern workers on the Bian River. It is unreasonable for a businessman to sacrifice his own interests for the reward of the local state government. In addition, after their profits have decreased, using southern workers is a more costly approach. If he is not stupid, he should recruit northern workers instead of bringing southern workers from the south. There must be other reasons for this situation."

"I suspect that some merchants are banding together to do evil, deliberately creating a conflict between the northern and southern workers! In order to cause unrest in the Bian River, they will then let us benefit the merchants!"

After hearing the words "benefiting business", Su Liang and Wang Anshi both frowned.

This possibility is very high.

Nowadays, the big merchants on the river are indeed not making as much money as before.

With the establishment of trading companies in various cities, the prices of various commodities have been standardized, and trading methods such as speculation and high-price deception are no longer feasible.

If there really were businessmen who instigated southern and northern workers to fight each other over jobs, it was obviously a demonstration to the court, letting the court know that if it wanted to maintain stability in the Bianhe trade, it had to give them profits.

Either lower commercial taxes or let them increase profits on goods.

They will give the students of Beijing University of Technology jobs.

Wang Anshi said: "If you want to know whether there are businessmen behind this, let the uncle come and test those businessmen, and you will know."

Although Cao Guojiu's current business focus is on the southern border and the northwest, the commerce on the Bian River still cannot bypass him.

On the side, Bao Zheng stroked his beard and said, "I have already sent someone to invite the uncle of the emperor. He should be here soon."

Bao Zheng did this because he obviously thought that some businessmen were behind this, otherwise even if the people were competing for the work, such a serious beating would not have happened.

At this time.

Wang Yaochen, the Third Secretary, asked, "If this is true, how should we deal with it?"

Wang Anshi said angrily: "Black-hearted merchants who sabotage the reform and the shipping and trade on the Bian River must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others!"

Bao Zheng shook his head slightly.

"It is the merchants' freedom to use southern or northern workers. The court cannot force them. In addition, the people involved in the fight were casual workers without employers. Even if we know that some merchants were secretly involved, they were not directly involved and cannot be sentenced. If we force them to be punished, it will easily disrupt the order of commerce, which runs counter to the new law and cannot be done."

Wang Yaochen nodded in approval.

Simply put, if this matter was really instigated by a big businessman, it was only for profit and they have no obligation to protect the livelihoods of the northern workers.

The nature of their behavior is that they have lost their conscience and morality, but it does not violate the law.

They are gambling.

They bet that the imperial court would compromise with them in order to stabilize the shipping and trade on the Bian River. Once their profits increased and they had meat to eat, the river workers would be able to drink meat soup.

After a while.

Cao Yi, the uncle of the Cao State, came to the government office.

Bao Zheng told him the details of the brawl on the Bian River today. "There must be a big businessman behind the scenes! Some businessmen are only interested in profit and are dissatisfied with the current supervision of the City Exchange Bureau. Give me one day, and I will definitely find out the mastermind behind it!" Cao Yi said angrily.

Then, everyone dispersed.

After the nature of the matter is determined, we will discuss solutions.

……

Early the next morning.

The tabloids in Bianjing City reported the brawl between southern and northern workers at the Bianhe Wharf yesterday.

Some people analyzed the reason and said that since the establishment of the Market Exchange Bureau, all the money on the Bian River has been earned by the court. Merchants' profits have decreased, so merchants use southern workers, abandon northern workers, and even reduce their scale.

If the imperial court does not increase the profits of merchants, there will be constant disputes in the Bian River due to employment issues.

Finally, it is possible to make the Bian River an official river.

This is obviously analyzing the problem from a businessman's perspective.

Profits for river traders did decline, but they were still profitable.

Some businessmen are used to making huge profits in the past, and now they are unwilling to do so if their interests are only slightly damaged.

Such unhealthy trends must not be allowed to grow.

afternoon.

Wang Yaochen, Su Liang, Wang Anshi, and Cao Guojiu Cao Yi gathered in Kaifeng Prefecture again.

"I have found out that the use of southern workers instead of northern workers and the reduction of the scale of trade were secretly planned by a group of businessmen, led by six big businessmen."

"They are Quanzhou Port ship merchant Du Wu, silk merchant Xue Rong, Kaifeng grain merchant Qian Dayou, jeweler Liang Jicheng, and silk and spice merchant Zhu Youxing."

Upon hearing these six names, Wang Anshi's face turned pale.

"This...this...Qian Dayou and Zhu Youxing are also the president and vice president of the Bianhe River Merchants Guild. They have repeatedly said in front of me that they are willing to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the imperial court's reform plan. I didn't expect that they are two smiling tigers. How hateful!"

Su Liang didn't expect that it were these six big businessmen. They had all dealt with these six big businessmen.

At present, these six people have great say in the Bian River.

If they take the lead, it is estimated that at least hundreds of businessmen below will threaten the court by "not using Beigong and reducing the scale".

Interests bind them together.

Cao Yi added: "These six people are very cunning, and they have studied the laws of the Song Dynasty very deeply. They dare to do this because, on the one hand, they think that the trade on the Bian River cannot do without them, and on the other hand, the court is still unable to punish them!"

"Unable to punish the criminals? Then we will use business to govern business, train a group of businessmen to squeeze out their businesses, and let them know what the consequences will be if they go against the Reform of the Song Dynasty!" said Wang Anshi.

Wang Yaochen shook his head.

"No. The business of Bianhe is very important, and now is a critical period of reform. We cannot have internal strife. At present, Bianhe cannot leave these six big merchants!"

"Then let them do as they wish and increase their profits? Once they taste the sweetness, they will definitely become more and more aggressive in the future!" Wang Anshi said angrily.

Bao Zheng also frowned.

These six big businessmen relied on the fact that the imperial court would abide by the law and would not use privileges against them. They believed that they were working for the benefit of all the merchants on the entire Bian River, and that the Bian River could not do without them, so they dared to act so presumptuous.

Su Liang thought for a moment and said, "We can't use the imperial decree to restrain them. We can only negotiate with them. Leave this matter to me! Brother Jingxiu, please help me make an appointment with them. I will treat the six of them to dinner at Fanlou tonight."

Then, Su Liang looked at Bao Zheng and others.

"Everyone, leave this matter to me first. For this group of people, patriotism is useless. We can only analyze the pros and cons. If I can't make them surrender, we will use force. No one can stop the reform at any time!"

Everyone nodded in approval.

……

Soon, the six big businessmen all received the news that Su Liangfanlou was inviting them to dinner.

Naturally, they didn't dare to refuse.

They knew in their hearts why Su Liang invited them to dinner.

But not afraid at all.

They thought that since Su Liang chose to talk in private, he must be trying to surrender, and they had prepared their excuses.

……

into the night.

In the private room on the second floor of Fanlou.

Six people, including Quanzhou Port ship merchant Du Wu, silk merchant Xue Rong, Kaifeng grain merchant Qian Dayou, jeweler Liang Jicheng, and silk and spice merchant Zhu Youxing, arrived at the private room early and specially prepared tea, wine and snacks.

They are all smart people. They don't act recklessly and they won't be arrogant in front of officials.

Everything they do is to make money.

Lean slightly.

Su Liang and Cao Guojiu came into the private room.

The six businessmen stood up at the same time, all with smiles on their faces, and bowed politely to the two men.

"Su Yushi, my uncle, it is our honor to have dinner with you. How can we let you spend money? I must buy you the wine and food tonight!"

"I'll do it! I'll do it! I have some extra money in Fanlou, I can just deduct it directly. I'm lucky enough to meet Censor Su and the King's Uncle today, it's a great blessing for me!"

"I didn't expect to have dinner with you two. If my wife knew that I was sitting at the same table with the uncle and the Imperial Censor Su tonight, she would be so happy!"

……

These six people spoke as sweetly as if they were spread with honey, and they were shameless and praised Su Liang and Cao Yi as much as they could.

Su Liang and Cao Yi also responded with smiles on their faces.

If you don’t know, you would think that they are close friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time!

After the greetings, everyone took their seats.

Su Liang picked up the wine glass and spoke first.

"Everyone, before we eat, I would like to offer you a glass of wine. You have been engaged in business on the Bian River for many years and have made great contributions to Kaifeng Prefecture. The people of Kaifeng Prefecture would like to thank you, and the court would also like to thank you..."

After saying that, Su Liang picked up the wine glass.

The six businessmen quickly stood up and raised their glasses.

They didn't expect Su Liang to toast them.

According to Su Liang's current status, even if he gave in and compromised, and renegotiated the concession policy with them, there was no need for him to lower his posture like that.

This made the six people very excited and their backs straightened.

On the side, Cao Yi also toasted Su Liang with admiration on his face.

If Wang Anshi were here, he would probably have rolled up his sleeves and started cursing or flipped the table.

After Su Liang toasted, he slowly got to the point.

"At present, the court has set up a new market trade department, which is managed by merchants and supervised by officials. The purpose is to regulate trade and make our trade more orderly. In the future, the Bian River will no longer be the center of trade in the entire Song Dynasty. The northwest, northern border, southern border and maritime trade of the Song Dynasty will be more prosperous..."

Su Liang said this in the hope that these people would know when to advance and when to retreat and take the initiative to admit their mistakes.

However, as soon as Su Liang finished speaking, the six people started to cry poor.

"Su Yushi, my uncle, it's not easy for us either! In the past two years, we have made great sacrifices for the reform of the whole Song Dynasty. We are not making as much money as we did in the past few years. We don't even make half of what we did in the past few years."

"For the sake of the reform of the whole Song Dynasty, we are willing to sacrifice our own interests, but I am afraid we can't take care of too many people!"

"Yes, business is difficult! We also want the river workers to have a better life, but we are unable to do so!"

……

These words were obviously threatening.

After they finished speaking, Cao Guojiu's face had turned gloomy. The former did not know what was good for him and was simply refusing to accept a toast and then drinking a forfeit.

Su Liang still kept smiling and slowly made things clear.

"Everyone, you should be very clear about the purpose of my coming here today."

"Please rest assured, the court will not use force to force you, nor will it frame you with charges. This is a practice that will hurt everyone and is not conducive to the reform. The court is unwilling to use it. Here, I will analyze the pros and cons for you!"

“Businessmen do business for two reasons: fame and profit.”

"You know, your actions will make you miss an opportunity to leave your name in history. Commercial reform is a very important part of the reform of the Song Dynasty. Some people choose to become a beautiful landscape in this link, while others choose to become a crack or defect in this link. The latter will obviously be despised by future generations."

"Of course, you may not care about fame, the reputation of your family, or whether your descendants should take the imperial examinations. Let's talk about benefits."

"At present, you think that the Bian River is a gold nugget, and the court's reform has affected your interests. Your actions are for the sake of all the merchants on the Bian River. But you know that the purpose of the court's reform is to discover more gold nuggets, such as northwest and maritime trade, whose future prospects are definitely higher than the Bian River. This year, you are going against the court, which will make you lose the entire gold mountain because of the gold nugget of the Bian River..."

"Let's talk about your future! In the future, perhaps in five years, you are destined to have no future. You can control the business model of the Bian River, but you cannot change the business model of other places. The court will not destroy the interests of the vast majority of people for the interests of a few of you. You will be completely eliminated by the business logic under the reform of the whole Song Dynasty!"

……

Su Liang's tone gradually became sharper.

"In terms of reputation, you will be known as dishonest merchants; in terms of profit, you will gain nothing, because the form of commerce you approve of is destined to be eliminated. The Bian River does not belong to you, but to the people of Song. You are powerful now, but what about five years later?"

"Besides, the court will always keep an eye on you, and I will also keep an eye on you. You'd better pray that you will never make a mistake, otherwise..."

Su Liang wanted to say something but stopped himself, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"There are two roads before you. One road becomes narrower and more bumpy the further you go, while the other road becomes farther and smoother the further you go. You can choose for yourself!"

After saying that, Su Liang and Cao Guojiu left the private room.

At this moment, the six businessmen's backs were wet and their foreheads were covered with sweat.

Su Liang spoke all his words with a smile, but they felt an almost suffocating sense of oppression.

Su Liang was telling them that if they tried to seize profits from the imperial court in this way, they would be doomed to become infamous, doomed to become a pest on the Bian River, doomed to destroy their family descendants, and lose all their property.

Most businessmen do not have a strong sense of patriotism.

But they knew the pros and cons, and they were frightened by Su Liang's words that were half persuasive and half threatening.

More importantly, they knew that Su Liang could represent the attitude of the court.

The imperial court will not take action against them for the sake of the stability of the Bian River trade at present, but they will suffer when the final reckoning comes in the future.

……

Three days later, the southern workers returned south, and the northern workers on the Bian River resumed work as normal, and the commerce on the Bian River gradually regained its former vitality.

There was also an additional team of patrol officers at the Bianhe River wharf. Bao Zheng would never allow the same thing to happen twice in the same place.

(End of this chapter)