Xie Ming

The investigation into the sale of assets by the military commander of Yangzhou led to a meeting at Ma and Yan's homes. Following the clues, they sought to uncover the imminent threat of the northern enemy.

In response, Yan Yingyuan preemptively asserted his stance, seemingly trying to persuade others to uphold their patriotism while also considering the well-being of the city's inhabitants.

However, Ma Weimin had other plans, aiming for survival through a roundabout approach.

"Brother, you have to believe me this time."

"Just listen to me."

"Outside Hedong City, on the river, we old Ma are not unprepared. We have dozens of large ships ready to be deployed at any time."

"This city of Yangzhou, let alone you, even if the Heavenly King himself came, he couldn't defend it."

"If that's the case, the most important thing we can do right now is to transfer all the wealth of the city's rich merchants and gentry to the south."

"Load it onto a ship, take it by sea, and transport it to the rear."

"Ugh"

"Our present-day prosperity is all thanks to the kindness of the Duke."

“I’m just a rough guy, I don’t have as many burdens as you do, think ahead.”

"If I have to take on a task, I will only remember one thing."

That is gratitude.

"Think about it, right now, the Shen family is trapped in the city, the whole family, young and old."

"No matter what, his family and assets should be evacuated as soon as possible, right?"

"Let them leave as many as they can!"

"It's better than just waiting for the Tartar soldiers to come and attack, and then we're all wiped out."

Ma Weimin is pragmatic and realistic in his work and planning.

However, it was clear that Yan Yingyuan did not listen to this and even looked down on it.

"you!"

"How can personal favors be confused with the greater good?"

"You and I are both officials in charge of this area. Enemy troops arrive in an instant. Instead of thinking about defending the city, protecting the people, and safeguarding the local populace, you actually have such a cowardly and cowardly heart!"

"Ma Weimin, what are your true intentions?"

"Are you going to disregard the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Zhoucheng?!"

Yan Yingyuan retorted sharply, raising his voice high.

As they became more indignant, their voices grew louder.

When Old Ma heard this, he was worried that the loud voice would attract the attention of the old man inside, which would make him even more afraid.

Hearing these things now, he felt frustrated.

So, a fire broke out on the spot.

"Yan Erlengzi, what the hell are you acting all high and mighty for?"

"I came here to talk things out with you, what are you yelling about?"

"I'm going to lay my cards on the table right now."

"Yangzhou, it's either you or us. If the enemy comes, we'll both be wiped out!"

"You're still arguing, still arguing, you're really getting cocky now."

"Humph!"

"I'm afraid that by that critical juncture, without your organization to defend against the enemy, several more people in the city might have survived."

"The Jurchens have a rule in warfare: anyone who stubbornly resists will be slaughtered on the day the city is breached."

"You think you're pretty good?"

"Still trying to sound high-minded with me."

"I bother!"

"To save your own reputation, you disregard the lives of the entire city's inhabitants. What do you think you are!"

He started arguing and shouting, and Ma Weimin became unruly, spewing vulgarities and being extremely rude and unreasonable.

In this verbal battle, Yan Yingyuan had absolutely no chance of winning.

He was quickly at a disadvantage, but with his neck stiff and his face turning a deep purplish-red, he threw down the firewood, stood up, and angrily chased the guest away.

"Humph!"

"As a local official, I should live and die with this place."

“Ma Weimin, we have different paths and cannot work together.”

"Since I cannot persuade you of the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, you may leave now."

"We shall each go our own way, there is no need for further discussion." With that, he flicked his sleeves, stood with his hands behind his back, displaying a gesture of complete severance.

Look, Old Ma is also furious with nowhere to vent his anger.

"Hey, you! You!"

Pointing angrily, Ma Weimin saw that he was helpless against this boy, who was stubborn and had no room for maneuver.

There is no other way; any further attempts to persuade or console would be futile.

He then gritted his teeth and strode toward the courtyard gate.

After all, now that we have received this news tonight, there is no room for delay or complications, so we must act as soon as possible. There is absolutely no time to waste on this.

Therefore, the two parted ways on the spot.

However, just as Old Ma was standing in front of the door, considering the friendship they had shared over the past year, he decided to turn back and, for the sake of the moment, speak his mind.

"Brother Yan, you know what kind of person I am, Lao Ma."

"I'm a man who has been through thick and thin, and I've spent most of my life serving the imperial court."

"If we're talking about serving the country, I've already done right by them a long time ago."

"Duke Jingguo, Brother Xiao Jingchuan, you saved my old horse from the brink of death last time."

"He was willing to save my life, and I have no choice but to repay that favor."

“I, Old Ma, am not the kind of person who is afraid of death.”

"I don't want to see you stay here to die, because I think it's not worth it!"

"Tonight, I'm afraid neither of us will be able to sleep."

"I should visit every single merchant family in the city, including those from Anhui and Shanxi."

"Heh, we'll help as many as we can persuade."

"These next two days, the boat will keep following the news on the east bank of the river."

"Brother, if you ever come to your senses, let's set off together as soon as possible."

"These are heartfelt words of advice."

"Ugh"

"Alright, think about it yourself!"

After saying this, Ma Weimin cupped his hands in farewell, his eyes filled with regret and reluctance. He said goodbye, turned around, and left without looking back.

As the kettle was heated and the fire was gathered, the firewood crackled and popped.

Yan Yingyuan remained alone in the courtyard, hesitating for a long time without moving an inch.

With head held high, a dignified bearing gradually emerges.

We cannot return to our divergent paths; each of us will trim the lamp wick to illuminate our journey through the night.
Later that night, after parting ways with the Yan family, Ma Weimin tirelessly traveled around, trying to persuade them to come to his aid.

They arrived at Shenjiamen first.

He had a deep conversation with Shen Chaozong that night, explaining the advantages and disadvantages.

Chao Zong also took it to heart and hurried along with his horse. The Huizhou merchants immediately informed Jiang and Huang Shen's residence.

Explaining the advantages and disadvantages, they gradually led him to the method of withdrawing funds and misappropriating silver.

Ma Weimin, after bidding farewell to the Huizhou merchants late at night, did not relax. He was already impatient and could not wait to get up early. He then went to the Fan and Zhao families, who were affiliated with the Shanxi merchants. What he said was basically the same.

The following day, most of the prominent gentry and clansmen in the city took precautions to protect themselves.

On the one hand, they were busy reporting urgent situations to expedite the transfer of funds; on the other hand, merchants from the Huizhou merchant group, led by Shen, Jiang, and Huang, had already begun to move their silver and flee.

For a time, panic gripped all sides, with shopkeepers demanding payment and creating chaos everywhere.

Furthermore, on the streets near the customs office, due to the poor performance of various banks in providing collateral, there were even incidents of bank vehicles overturning and exposing their fraud in the street.

News is flying around, and the discussions are endless in the streets and alleys. It seems that people's livelihoods in the city have also been greatly affected.

And so it went, and five more days passed.

From May 19th to the present.

After Lin Zong arrived, Ma Weimin tirelessly traveled to various places, making overall plans and verifying the shipment of silver and goods totaling over eight million taels.

This does not even include the valuation of grain, fodder, rare antiques, and other items.

Furthermore, even so, this amount is not the entire fortune of each household.

Old Ma's encouragement was met with skepticism; only seven or eight out of ten people were willing to follow orders, and most were merely willing to respond.

And in this process, preparations are made on both ends.

They feared that the Qing army would seize the land and plunder the wealth, and they also feared that Ma was taking advantage of the national crisis to fleece a group of wealthy people. Therefore, they dared not exert themselves.

(End of this chapter)