Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

Jiang Han's change of subject made Parosa feel relieved: "If possible, please prepare a set of chess for me, Chinese chess, international chess, military chess, anything is fine. Of course, I also need someone who can play chess with me."

"Playing chess? That's definitely no problem! By the way, we recently developed a new chess game, would you like to try it?"

"Hmm..." Parosa was a little excited when she heard about the new chess game. However, considering the Commander's current personality, this chess game might not be so suitable. Instinctively seeking benefits and avoiding harm made Parosa choose to wait and see for a while: "Um... just give me some normal chess pieces."

"Oh, what a pity! I wanted to let Parosa experience our Wanning Three Kingdoms, Yu-Gi-Oh, UNO, Warhammer, Werewolf, and Chess."

What's with your ridiculously long name? And there seem to be more than a few board game styles here. Can you really play such complicated board game rules? And how do you play Werewolf when playing chess?

Parosa just felt like there was an old complaint stuck in his chest that he had to get out.

"It's fun! I have revised the rules to version 3.0 and added a new judgment mechanism. After each decision is made by the player, a twenty-sided dice must be rolled for judgment. If the judgment fails, terrible things will happen!"

What kind of COC rules are these? Are you really playing chess? And this weird game can survive to 3.0! Am I crazy or are you all crazy? This new world should be destroyed!

"I still don't want it..."

No, absolutely not! I absolutely don't want to touch that weird Wanning chess! Unless I die!

"Okay, but since our Parosa is here today, we have to give you a good welcome. Elbow! Come into the house with me! We're going to have a good meal today anyway!"

Jiang Han was immersed in the joy of having a new wife. At the same time, he was also working with Parosa to deal with many issues related to the re-education of the military academy. At the military academy, everything began to gradually get on track, and it seemed that everything was starting to get better.

At this time, something unexpected happened, although it was late.

On May 16, the 12th year of Chongzhen, undercurrents surged in Yangzhou and Zhenjiang Prefectures. First, the shops in Zhenjiang Prefecture were closed one after another, and most commercial activities stopped. Then Yangzhou Prefecture began to follow suit, and the strike and anti-tax movement officially began.

The people in the two places were thrown into a panic by the sudden change, and a panic buying craze broke out in the city. Before all the shops closed the next day, the price of rice had doubled, soaring to five taels of silver per stone.

After the strike, many merchants began to sell grain privately. The price of grain in the hands of these merchants has risen to ten taels of silver per stone, and is still rising.

Under the influence of panic, the prices of various goods such as salt, cloth, tea and other materials in Yangzhou and Zhenjiang also soared, and gradually faced a situation of having prices but no buyers.

Merchants from Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou and other places launched a comprehensive crackdown on Yangzhou merchants. They completely stopped cooperating with merchants who came to Yangzhou to purchase and refused to do business with them for even a penny. But the troubles did not end there.

"You said that a young man wanted to see me and said he had something important to report?"

Jiang Han has been staying in the military academy these past two days, responsible for revising the students' study plans and training routes with Parosa. This is no small project. If he wants his decisions to be in line with the times and in line with the students' learning and physical conditions, he has to participate in collecting first-hand information and make adjustments in real time. It is a very tiring job.

That day he was still watching the students doing a new type of training when he heard someone report from below that a young man came to ask for a meeting and said he had something important to tell him.

"Bring it here, it's always good to listen to it"

Although he was very busy at the moment, Jiang Han was a little curious about why someone would want to meet him directly before telling him something, so he asked someone to bring the person over.

Not long after, a young man was brought to Jiang Han's office in the military academy. The man was hunched over and looked at Jiang Han with some trepidation.

"Don't be nervous, this isn't some dangerous place, just sit anywhere."

"Oh... OK... Thank you very much, sir. I have heard that you are a man of unparalleled kindness and a handsome man. What you did today is indeed extraordinary..."

"Hahaha, kid, what's your name?"

Jiang Han slowly sat down in his chair and asked casually.

"My name is Liuzi. I have been trying to make a living at the dock. Sir, you took pity on us and gave us a job to look after the streets. Although we don't earn much now, we are able to make a living..."

"Well... not bad. It's a good thing to be able to live a good life. Hey, I just heard the manager say that you have something to talk to me about?"

Upon hearing this, Liuzi immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed: "Sir, sir, something terrible has happened! Someone wants to deal with you!"

"Stand up first, don't kneel on the ground all the time."

Liu Zi quickly got up from the ground in response. Seeing this, Jiang Han spoke again: "You said someone wanted to deal with me. What's going on? Tell me in detail."

"It's like this. A few days ago, someone came to us and said that some merchants in Suzhou couldn't stand the fact that you collected such high commercial taxes, so they planned to unite to resist the tax. They told us that they needed people to gather and parade on the streets. They could earn two cents of silver for a day of parading. Whether they were beggars, refugees, or us young people, they had all been found by their people. I also found out that these people seemed to have united and were preparing to do something, a strike! I think this matter is of great importance, so I hurried to report to you, sir."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to be such a smart guy, Liuzi. But, you can earn two taels of silver for a day of parade, isn't that a good deal? Why not do it?"

Jiang Han still had that smiling face.

"Oh, sir, you are joking. I used to work as a green peeler in Yangzhou City. It's not that I was born to do this job, but I had no choice. This job looks glamorous, but in fact, I have no food to eat, and I am not much different from beggars on the street. It is you who gave us a new life. We brothers are grateful for your kindness. These fat guys actually want to deal with you. We brothers will be the first to disagree!"

"Hahahaha, then I would like to thank you for your kindness. Very good, Liuzi, the information you gave me is crucial and useful. It also indirectly saved the lives of many people. If you want any reward, just ask for it. You deserve it!"

Liuzi knelt down again with a thud. The dull sound made Jiang Han's knees hurt. Before he could say anything, Liuzi banged his head twice more on the ground. Now his forehead also began to hurt.

"Liuzi doesn't want any reward, I just want to do more for you! I dare to ask you to give me a chance so that I can do more for you."

"Ahahahaha, you're really a smart man. Well, since you have this ambition, I will give you this stage. Since the other party has approached you to organize a street parade, I will leave the parade to you. You can borrow my resources other than the Volunteer Army, and even my name. As long as you can do it, why not give you a chance?"

Liuzi was overjoyed and began to kowtow again: "Thank you sir, thank you sir"

"Alright, alright, stop kneeling. From now on, when you report to me, don't kowtow. It makes my head hurt. Stand up and talk. In this world, except for your parents, no one is worthy of your kneeling. I am not worthy of your kneeling either. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

Liuzi immediately got up and stood upright.

"Well, very good, go ahead, I look forward to your results"

Liuzi left like the wind. After he left, 416 spoke up, "Do you really want to entrust such an important matter to someone you don't know well?"

"Of course not. We have to be prepared for everything. Besides him, I will naturally arrange a safety plan. However, if things go well on his side, the safety plan will not be implemented. I think this kid is quite smart. Maybe he can give me a surprise?"

"After all, I don't have many people I can use right now."

Volume 233: Chapter Chapter : Action is imminent

"Protests are easy to handle, but what are you going to do about a strike? After all, this is a normal business activity, and he has the right not to open the door."

The current situation is actually quite troublesome. Jiang Han does not control much territory, and in such a small territory, supplies are relatively scarce. Even in the wealthy Yangzhou, it is not easy to maintain it with so many mouths to feed.

Jiang Han purchased a large amount of grain from the outside world, and then used grain coupons to balance the internal supply, ensuring the overall stability and vigorous development of Yangzhou and Zhenjiang. The rest of the market grain was traded freely by the people, but now, these Jiangnan merchants no longer do any transactions with Yangzhou and Zhenjiang merchants, and this path of external transactions has been indirectly cut off.

If there is no solution, Jiang Han’s supplies will be depleted and he will slowly die.

His original plan was to build high walls, store up food, and slowly declare himself king, so that the Nanjing imperial army would be tied down outside the city of Yangzhou, buying himself time to develop. Once he had managed the formation of the volunteer army and the rear area of ​​Yangzhou well, he would directly send out a wave of F2As and start to show his true colors. But now, it is obvious that this plan has to change.

"It seems that I am too conservative on weekdays, giving them the false impression that I am easy to talk to, which makes these people a little confused about the situation..."

Jiang Han's face was a little bad. He had been kind to others for so many years, but he could still be controlled by such a group of scoundrels? He must be dealt with!

"Conservative? You?"

Sister 45 looked at Jiang Han, who had a sinister look on his face, and cast a suspicious look at him: "Isn't your life motto that if the enemy doesn't attack me, I won't be a human being?"

"How can you say that!"

Jiang Han is unhappy! "Am I not kind enough? Am I not gentle enough? I didn't kill their whole family! Am I not charitable enough?"

"Okay, okay, you are the most charitable, so, what are you going to do with these merchants who are on strike?"

"Hey, come closer and listen, we'll do this and that, this and that..."

Jiang Han leaned close to 45 and bit his ear quietly. 45's expression changed from disgust at first, to surprise, and then to indifference as expected.

"Sure enough, you are better at not being a human being."

"How can this be called inhumane? This is called a reasonable response. Besides, don't you want to get involved? This opportunity is very precious and you don't usually come across it."

Jiang Han patiently and persuadingly.

"Don't give me that crap. Your empty promises don't work on a humanoid like me. But it's not impossible to take a trip."

45 rolled his eyes at Jiang Han, turned around and prepared to leave: "Then I'll go find someone first and contact you later."

"it is good"

Yangzhou Wharf was a bustling and lively scene a day ago, but today, due to the impact of the strike, the wharf is obviously less prosperous than before.

After leaving Jiang Han's residence, Liuzi ran straight to the dock with excitement. His feet were so fast that the belt around his waist flew up.

The group of people squatting on the eaves of the house saw Liuzi and rushed over to him: "Sixth brother, what's wrong? What did the master say?"

"Yeah, what's going on, Sixth Brother?"

The six who were surrounded took a breath and said, "Let's talk about it after we go in."

Everyone's faces lit up with joy, this is a possibility!

He looked outside vigilantly, and after seeing nothing suspicious, he took Liuzi into a yard.

"Liuzi, what did you discuss with the master? Tell us brothers now so that we can have a better understanding."

"Don't be anxious, let's let Brother Six drink some water and take it easy."

A discerning younger brother at the side had already diligently handed over a glass of boiled water. There are epidemic prevention regulations in Yangzhou City now. All residents in the city must drink boiled water and cannot drink raw water. It is said that this is to prevent the raging plague in northern Zhili.

No one dared to test it with their own name. Since the above said that this stuff was a good thing, then everyone should just drink it. Since we had to light a fire anyway, it would be no big deal to boil some water at the same time.

Liuzi took the teacup and drank all the water in it. He finally breathed in and said slowly, "Brothers, our luck has come."

Looking at the expectant and eager faces, Liuzi smiled slightly and said slowly: "I successfully met the gentleman this time and told him everything I knew. The gentleman took it very seriously and..."

"And what? Tell me now."

"Don't keep me in suspense at this time! You're not a storyteller."

Liuzi wanted to whet everyone's appetite a little bit, but everyone was not happy about it and started criticizing him on the spot.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you what I'm saying, and that's it, sir, the handling of this matter has been fully handed over to us!"

"This is true!"

Someone came forward in disbelief and held Liuzi's hands.

"A gentleman's word is as good as a whip. Why would I lie to you? The gentleman also said that if we need any support this time, we only need to let him know. He is just waiting for the result. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as we can do it well, we will be in the gentleman's eyes! What does this mean? I'm sure you all know it clearly, right? Now we have finally made the leap from a carp to a dragon. Whether we are a dragon or a worm depends on this time!"

Everyone present began to breathe heavily. What was there to be sad about? On one side was a fat and bloated profiteer who worked so hard every day to earn only two cents of silver. On the other side was a gentleman with a large army and a bright future that was almost foreseeable. Which one to choose? No need to think at all!

"Great!!" Some people even started opening champagne.

"Don't be too happy yet. This matter involves a lot of things and it's very difficult to handle. This new path is not so easy to walk either. Liuzi, have you thought about what to do?"

Some people are more cautious and know that the premise of all this is to get things done first.

"Hey, Fifth Brother, you haven't forgotten what we do, have you?"

Liuzi chuckled nonchalantly.

"Is this... okay? Sir, do you agree that we can do this?"

"Fifth brother, you don't understand this. Right now, we are not that gentleman's people. When we are done and become regular employees, we naturally cannot do this. But now, we are rats, so we should do things in a rat-like way, right?"

".......Hahaha, you are right. Let us meet these old colleagues properly."

When the market strike was in full swing, countless pairs of eyes were also watching Jiang Han. They were waiting, waiting for Jiang Han to make a choice. They were curious, curious about how Jiang Han would respond.

Should I choose to fight to the end and face destruction, or just give in and say, there are so many people outside, I kneel down to you?

If he were to respond, what moves would he make?

Unexpectedly, the Yangzhou government simply posted an official document: Recently, a large number of merchants in Yangzhou have maliciously disrupted the market order. Our government strictly prohibits such behavior and advises all merchants to stop and return to the right path as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will face severe sanctions from our government. You must think clearly about the consequences of such resistance, and don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Seeing this document, many people sneered. They thought there would be some effective response, but it turned out to be just like this? That’s it? That’s it, that’s it?

He is indeed a traitor and a peasant. This is the end of his life. Let’s continue playing music and dancing!

Originally, due to Jiang Han's notoriety, many people were still worried. However, when they saw this bland document which did not carry any substantive punishment measures, they burst out laughing on the spot. Haha, he's just a poor guy who only knows how to fight. There's nothing to be afraid of. Next, everyone just needs to wait for the heavenly soldiers to arrive and grind them into dust.

Nanjing, at the court meeting: "God-given opportunity! God-given opportunity!!"

A man rushed into the hall excitedly holding a newspaper.

"Master Zhang, wait a minute. If you have anything to say, why don't you speak slowly? What is this God-given opportunity?"

The man took a breath and said loudly, "The news just came that the rebels in Yangzhou have committed atrocities and aroused the wrath of heaven and people. The merchants in the south of the Yangtze River have risen up in resistance and launched a large-scale strike. No business in Yangzhou is open, and no merchant is willing to do business with Yangzhou! This is a great opportunity for us to go south and fight against the rebels!"

"What! Are you serious?"

“It’s absolutely true!! It’s all written on it.”

"Quick, bring it here so we can see it!"

Several old faces crowded together, desperately reading the contents of the newspaper: "God bless the Ming Dynasty, God bless the Ming Dynasty!!"

"That's right. This strike will definitely cause serious damage to the enemy. We just need to send a large army to them. The enemy will definitely be short of food. The probability of successfully defeating them is very high!"

"Indeed, the local area is short of food, and the morale of the army is bound to be shaken. Without merchants and trade, if they are besieged by the army again, they can only eat up all the food they have. With a little provocation, there will inevitably be civil strife. It is indeed as Lord Zhang said, this is a godsend opportunity!"

"Send the troops, sir. If you miss this opportunity, it will be too late to regret it!"

"Yes, send the troops, sir!"

The Nanjing garrison frowned and said, "I would like to send troops, but how can we do that if we don't have enough food and grass? The court said that we should wait a little longer and that we will have enough food and grass soon."