Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Huang Taiji was in such a hurry because after arriving in Khorchin, he discovered that the Khorchin tribe was now in dire straits.

With the Ming army pressing in from the outside, the Xibe and Guarcha tribes, which belonged to the Khorchin, had already been captured by the Ming army.

The main force also suffered significant losses, with the remaining troops huddled in the swampy area around Songnen.

Currently, due to the decrease in population, we can still sustain ourselves with our previous savings. However, if we are still unable to go out to graze livestock next year, some people will starve to death.

As a result, morale within the Horqin region is currently low.

Especially after learning that Hailanzhu had become a concubine of the Ming emperor, and that nobles from the Arukorchin, Xibe, and Guarcha tribes who had submitted to the Ming dynasty received preferential treatment, many nobles from the Khorchin tribe were no longer so opposed to submitting to the Ming dynasty.

Even though they had many marriage alliances with high-ranking officials of the Eight Banners, they were ultimately not one family.

Although the benefits of allying with the Jin Dynasty were great, they could no longer see a future with the Jin Dynasty being defeated by the Ming Dynasty and forced to relocate.

Huang Taiji could not change this, because he could not conjure up resources to bribe the Khorchin, nor could he use his military achievements to make the Khorchin tribe follow him.

Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to violence, detaining the nobles of the Khorchin tribe and incorporating those who were willing to submit into the Two White Banners.

This sudden attack was very effective; the Khorchin tribe simply couldn't organize any resistance.

However, Huang Taiji knew that he could not kill all these powerful and influential people, otherwise the other Khorchin people would immediately rebel.

However, if they are kept around, given their influence in the Khorchin tribe, they will likely cause trouble in the future.

The best way to integrate the Khorchin people into the Eight Banners was to leave them with nowhere to go while simultaneously leading them to victory in battle.

Huang Taiji has already chosen his enemy: Ligdan Khan, who has a long-standing grudge against the Khorchin tribe.

Therefore, after incorporating the Khorchin tribe, Huang Taiji quickly moved on to the next step.

He ordered the two Blue Banners that had joined him to act as a supervisory team, to oversee the Khorchin people who were resisting fiercely, to contain the Ming army, and then to collect supplies from the Khorchin tribe and continue westward.

While Kong Zhenyun and Zhang Tongchang were mobilizing troops from various camps to join forces with Li Zunzu to encircle Khorchin, Huang Taiji took advantage of a heavy snowfall and disappeared on the grassland.

Gao Yingxiang, who ventured into the Khorchin tribe, was surprised to find that those left behind were mostly the elderly, women, and children, with very few cattle and sheep left. They were killed and taken away by Huang Taiji.

Finding him again on the vast grasslands would be no easy task. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty was far less familiar with the northern deserts than it was with this region.
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Upon learning this news, Kong Zhenyun inquired:
"Is it confirmed that Huang Taiji went to the northern desert?"

"Could it be a feint, a deliberate attempt to lure us in?"

"If Huang Taiji is still in the Songliao area, Heilongjiang and Liaodong will be unstable."

Zhang Tongchang shook his head, not believing that Huang Taiji would do such a thing. He analyzed:

"Huang Taiji has suffered repeated defeats and has exhausted all his tricks, otherwise he would not have used human lives to waste bullets."

"His best option now is to go to the northern desert and continue fighting against Ligdan Khan."

"After all, everyone knows that Lindan Khan is afraid of him and dares not fight."

These words made everyone laugh, reminding them of Lin Danhan's previous performance.

The brave and fearless Chahan armored cavalry, when attacking the Khorchin, immediately withdrew from the battle and fled upon discovering the appearance of the two yellow banners of the Jurchens.

Even a good-natured person like Kong Zhenyun cursed Ligdan Khan as "incorrigible" and stopped referring to him as Prince Shunli.

Huang Taiji could easily defeat him, even though only half of the Eight Banners remained.

Li Yangeng, who was sent to make contact, added at this point:

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a plan: in case Huang Taiji escaped, they would guide him to the northern desert."

"The Ming Dynasty cannot afford to worry about the northern deserts right now. Let him fight against Ligdan Khan first."

Kong Zhenyun knew about this, after all, he had contributed to the dissemination of the Mongol conquest battle maps.

He wasn't really supportive of this matter, especially the battle map, which he found too detailed.

However, he couldn't stop the court's decision and could only cooperate.

Unexpectedly, that battle map actually came in handy, and Huang Taiji was guided to the northern desert.

This made him admire the emperor's foresight.

No matter how the fighting turns out, the imperial court has a plan for the next step.

The emperor was remarkably insightful in this regard.
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However, even the far-sighted Zhu Youjian could not have imagined that the end of the wartime state would provoke opposition from a group of people.

After the imperial decree of commendation arrived and he was required to come to the capital to receive the reward, Liu Lishun gathered many merchants in front of the government office in the Suzhou-Songjiang New District.

They loudly proclaimed that they did not want the state of war to end and requested that Liu Lishun convey their wishes when he went to the capital to meet the emperor.

Wu Shirui, as the leader of these people, said to Liu Lishun:

"Mr. Liu, the newly built factory in the new district relies entirely on orders from the logistics department."

"Now that it's suddenly gone, how are we supposed to live?"

"I just paid the back taxes and invested the money in the shipyard. You suddenly cut off the supply. This is going to kill me!"

They complained loudly about the matter and demanded an explanation from Liu Lishun.

Liu Lishun recognized this person; he was Wang Shimin's nephew, the one who triggered the Suzhou labor dispute last year.

After Wang Shimin gave in, his problem was resolved, but he still had to pay a lot of back taxes, which greatly weakened his family.

Furthermore, the Suzhou government's land restriction policy is now being strictly enforced, so if people continue to farm, there is simply no chance of recovery.

So when he saw how thriving the industrial park was in the new district, Wu Shirui couldn't resist and used his family's savings to start a shipyard with others, located in the shipbuilding industrial park in the new district.

In his view, the war in Liaodong would not end in one or two years, and the imperial court would continue to purchase supplies from Jiangnan, requiring more fleets.

By the time the Liaodong campaign is over, his shipyard will have established itself firmly. At that point, the Pingjiang Protectorate should have already begun its development, and his shipyard will have no shortage of business.

But what he didn't expect was that the situation in Liaodong would change drastically in just two months. Now, not only had they defeated the Jurchens, but they were even pursuing and driving them away.

This kind of thing would be a pleasant surprise for people elsewhere, but for him, it was like a bolt from the blue.

After the news spread, countless people cancelled their ship orders, and his shipyard was no longer thriving; it was even questionable whether it could survive.

What's even more problematic is that the employment laws in the new district are very strict, meaning he has to pay his workers' wages even if he doesn't have any orders.

If you want to dismiss them, you need to reach an agreement with the workers' union. Paying employees compensation according to regulations will also incur additional costs.

Wu Shirui, not wanting his money to go down the drain, gathered a group of businessmen to demand an explanation from the new district government.

Listening to their commotion, Liu Lishun patiently explained to them:
"The end of wartime does not mean the end of orders."

"The imperial court plans to relocate two million disaster victims to the Northeast. They will still need to purchase supplies for food, clothing, and daily necessities."

"Those who are willing to accept this price can register over there."

They took out a form listing the supplies needed by the disaster victims.

Many aspects of these overlap with military-use supplies, allowing for continued production.

Prices were pushed even lower, profits were less than 10%, and there were many other requirements—

This arrangement was made by Liu Lishun after summarizing the costs of various materials.

Knowing that his hometown in Henan was also suffering from a major disaster, he hoped that the funds allocated by the imperial court could be used to purchase more products.

This business was clearly not going to make them rich, but the merchants who produced these supplies were already quite content. They planned to continue producing supplies for immigrants while looking for other opportunities.
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However, Wu Shirui's shipyard was definitely not among them. Even if the imperial court were to buy ships, it would do so from nearby locations in the north. The royal shipyard was under continuous construction, with many members of the imperial family and nobles preparing to establish their own fiefdoms participating.

Thinking of the idle workers in the shipyard and the piles of timber, Wu Shirui said anxiously:

"Mr. Liu, you can't just think about them and forget about our shipyard!"

"Shipbuilding is a key industry in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, which is what you said when you were attracting investment."

"I invested my money because I trusted you, you can't just abandon me!"

Several other people shared this view and demanded that Liu Lishun come up with a solution.

What could Liu Lishun do? He couldn't possibly use the imperial court's money to buy ships. He could only suggest that they:

“Immigrant supplies also need to be transported. You can suggest to the ship owners that they continue to buy ships.” “The imperial court will definitely vigorously develop maritime trade. Buying ships now will definitely not be a loss.”

Wu Shirui and the others didn't believe such empty talk at all. He said to Liu Lishun:
"Last time you said shipbuilding would never lose money, how can I believe you?"

"Think of a solution quickly, or you can allow me to fire those workers."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lishun's expression changed, and he issued a stern warning:

"In the new district, workers must abide by the laws of the new district and cannot be dismissed arbitrarily."

"If you want to terminate your contract, you should first reach an agreement with the union, or pay the penalty for breach of contract according to the employment contract."

"If you are found to have broken the law, the new district will punish you according to the law and expel you."

Wu Shirui didn't take the warning to heart, but he was worried about Liu Lishun's resentment.

After making a contribution by providing supplies, Liu Lishun was about to receive a noble title, just like the court officials.

It can be said that he is now one of the heroes of the Zhongxing Group, and his teacher Yuan Keli is the foremost hero of the Zhongxing Group.

It is highly likely that such a person will become a prime minister in the future.

If Liu Lishun holds a grudge, not only will his Wu family be unable to withstand it, but even his uncle might not help him.

Thinking of this, Wu Shirui dared not utter any more threats and could only plead softly, begging Liu Lishun for a chance.

Faced with his attitude, Liu Lishun really couldn't ignore it for the time being.

After all, he built the shipbuilding industrial park, and Wu Shirui and others were indeed businessmen he recruited.

He originally thought that there would be no problem with sales after the shipyard was built, but the sudden end of the Liaodong War disrupted many people's plans.

Seeing the uncertain future, the ship owners began to return their ships one after another. Even if Liu Lishun were in charge of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, he couldn't force them to buy.

But he was even more reluctant to use the money from the new district to buy a boat.

Running a fleet of ships is no easy task; if a ship capsizes at sea, even he could be held responsible.
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Just as he was racking his brains, a wealthy man from Suzhou helped him solve the problem.

Shen Tingyang was from Chongming in Suzhou Prefecture. He came from a wealthy family and was known for his generosity and ambition.

Upon learning that many ship orders had been cancelled and the shipbuilding industrial park had come to a standstill, he, who had always been knowledgeable about maritime transport, immediately sensed an opportunity.

He found Liu Lishun and said:
"Mr. Liu, I can take over the orders that have been cancelled by various shipyards."

"However, there are a few conditions that I hope Lord Liu will agree to."

Liu Lishun wanted to resolve this matter before heading north, and said:

"You said."

"If I can agree to it, I will absolutely not refuse!"

Shen Tingyang had great faith in the reputation of the top scholar, knowing that although Liu Lishun was highly learned, he was a man who was willing to get things done.

He came to help this person because he admired him, believing he would definitely not suffer any loss.
"First, I would like to form a joint venture with Daming Shipping Group, and I hope Mr. Liu can act as my liaison."

"From now on, my Shen family fleet can dock at various ports and have the opportunity to purchase the latest nautical charts."

These are all services launched by Daming Shipping Group, and they are very popular among maritime merchants.

The increasing number of people operating ships at sea is partly due to the various services offered by Daming Shipping Group, which reduce navigation risks.

Although Liu Lishun was not entirely clear about this, he still knew that the Daming Shipping Group was a giant enterprise that the imperial court had devoted its efforts to building.

Especially after its IPO, its stock price rose steadily. Before the share price was locked up, its market value was already close to 20 million.

This conglomerate was a behemoth, controlling every aspect of the Ming Dynasty's coastal region. All the coastal garrisons were drawn into it, becoming partners in the shipping group.

The funds of the Jiangnan Governor's Office came from the revenue share from the customs and from the shares of the shipping companies controlled by the garrison.

Thinking of the rumored preferential treatment for shipping group shareholders, Liu Lishun somewhat understood Shen Tingyang's intention and said:

"I can act as a go-between."

“Even if the shipping group doesn’t agree, I will persuade Jiangnan Shipping Company to give you a chance.”

"What are the next conditions? You can state them all at once."

Shen Tingyang laughed and continued to make his demands:

"My second condition is that I hope Mr. Liu will allow me to set up an insurance company to help those who run ships bear the risks."

"It is said that the imperial court intends to integrate the insurance companies of various vassal states and establish the Great Ming Insurance Group, modeled after the Great Ming Shipping Group, so that policies can be mutually recognized and there will be no need to buy insurance repeatedly."

"I hope to join an insurance group in the future and establish a joint venture company."

This is a bit sensitive, because the primary function of insurance companies nowadays is actually to collect protection fees.

Zheng Zhilong made a fortune by collecting protection fees from Dongning Insurance Company.

Officials in the court had been impeaching him, but because the emperor was profiting from the affair, the matter was ignored.

However, this situation could no longer be maintained after Zheng Zhilong went to Southeast Asia to establish vassal states. Even though the emperor still allowed him to collect protection money, Zheng Zhilong, who needed to ease relations with other powers, knew he couldn't continue like this.

What the Zheng family needs is generations of wealth and prosperity, not to constantly incite hatred.

Therefore, the proposal to establish the Great Ming Insurance Group was put forward. The imperial court and various vassal states cooperated to establish an insurance company, and a single insurance policy could be used in all regions.

Shen Tingyang heard about this news from somewhere and wanted to establish an insurance company.

Liu Lishun was hesitant to agree to this so easily, and he asked:
What's the point of you starting an insurance company?

"Do you have an insurance fleet that can protect your own ships at sea?"

Shen Tingyang said with a smile:

"Of course I don't have an insurance team, but I do provide accident insurance."

"My insurance company will compensate for any losses caused by an accident at sea."

"That way, my boat will be easier to rent out, instead of buying a boat but having no one to operate it."

This idea made Liu Lishun exclaim "Brilliant!" and he understood Shen Tingyang's thoughts.

The reason shipowners are now returning their ships is not because demand has suddenly decreased so much, but because the end of the wartime state has made their future uncertain.

Shen Tingyang's insurance company makes this uncertainty more certain, and the lower cost of chartering a ship will encourage more people to invest in maritime transport.

Liu Lishun praised his idea and then asked:

"Any more?"

"I can grant you both of these conditions."

Shen Tingyang then said:

"Since Lord Liu puts it that way, I, Shen, will not stand on ceremony."

"Please have the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the New Area contribute land and wharves as shares in my shipping company."

"In the future, the shipping companies' fleets should be given priority in transporting the materials procured for the new district."

Liu Lishun readily agreed. Recognizing Shen Tingyang's abilities, he also hoped to invest in the insurance company to provide insurance for all ships in the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area.

Before being granted a fiefdom in the north, Liu Lishun, with the help of Shen Tingyang, successfully resolved the crisis in the shipbuilding industrial park.

However, the end of the wartime state brought crisis to more than one industry, and many businessmen were now frowning and dared not expand production as before.

They hoped to maintain the state of war and find an enemy to continue fighting.

These merchants, with their landlord mentality, were very interested in the wartime orders from the imperial court. Although the profits weren't high, their factories could generate stable income, much like farming.

It's even more stable than farming, as there's no need to worry about floods or droughts. It also allows for rapid expansion, much faster than acquiring land.

Many gentry who had shifted from farming to industry and commerce formed a chamber of commerce and launched a massive petition, requesting the imperial court to recover the lost territories of the Han and Tang dynasties and to find an enemy to continue the fight. (End of Chapter)