Chapter 1595 Xin Zijuan is approaching

Feng Ziying rubbed her chin and nodded gently.

If Prince Yi Zhong wants to start operations in the south of the Yangtze River, his biggest reliance is on shipping routes, the Yangtze River and canals. If this route is cut off, transportation costs for various materials in the North will increase by at least 50% or even more than double, and prices will skyrocket by more than 30%.

But this is not enough. Price increase is one aspect, but if the price is increased and the supply is still guaranteed, it does not mean much. We must draw out the bottom line, which is to hoard all kinds of materials on a large scale to fundamentally cut off the supply of goods. If we don’t want to eliminate it, we should at least minimize it.

 Since Huguang is still not sure whether it can be controlled by Wang Ziteng, it is a clever move to fundamentally cut off food and weaken the security of food sources in the north.

Anyway, if there is a war, the price of food will definitely rise sharply. Hoarding food now is necessary and not a loss anyway.

 Food is the foundation of everything, and it is also the biggest weakness of the Northland.

90% of the food for hundreds of thousands of frontier troops comes from the south, and 70% of the food for the capital comes from the south. These two sources alone are enough to make food security a winner.

In fact, it is already too late to take action now, but Feng Ziying believes that Prince Yi Zhong does not dare to take action too early, as it would be too easy to be detected. Taking action after the summer grain harvest can avoid too much noise, and now, even if The imperial court was aware of some anomalies and needed to analyze and determine the reasons. With the administrative efficiency of the Zhou Dynasty, it would be good to come up with a conclusion after the autumn grain purchase.

But for Feng Ziying, this was not a problem. His preconceived assumptions allowed him to more keenly perceive the progress of Prince Yi Zhong's war preparations.

“Mr. Weng, apart from the issue of food, is there any other news?” Feng Ziying was not satisfied with the abnormal signs of food. He needed other evidence before he could use it to persuade Qi Yongtai and Qiao Yingjia to pay attention.

"There are many more." Weng Qiyang nodded, "For example, the price of iron materials is also rising. Although the iron materials from Yongping Prefecture increased nearly three times compared with the same period last year, the price of iron materials still increased slightly. This is obviously not appropriate. Common sense means that someone is continuing to hoard iron materials."

  “…, the price of copper has increased even more,…”

“The price of cowhide has increased beyond imagination, but merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi almost control the main channels for cowhide from the northwest and north, so their purposeful restriction of southward flow may also be one of the reasons..."

“Cotton cloth has also increased significantly, but Jiangnan is the main production area, so the impact is not too big. However, at this time in previous years, the price should have fallen, but this year it has increased,..."

“The prices of sulfur and nitrate have soared three times, and there is even no market at all,…”

Weng Qiyang listed the prices of more than ten important materials, or strategic materials, all of which have increased to varying degrees.

Especially the price of iron and copper, which are the most important basic raw materials for making military supplies such as firearms, armor, and arrow clusters.

Originally, Yongping Prefecture's output has increased significantly since the steel-making furnaces of many iron plants were completed and put into operation last year, and a large amount of goods were transported southward to Jiangnan, Guangdong, and Nanyang through Yuguan Port. At the end of last year, prices steadily declined, and by February this year they had fallen. It reached the lowest level in the past three years. Unexpectedly, the price rebounded all the way after March. By August, the price had risen to a high level higher than the price in the same period last year. If there were no other factors, it would be simply unimaginable.

There is no doubt that this is an obvious signal that Nanjing is actively preparing for war, but what makes Feng Ziying a little suspicious is that the army in the Jiangnan area is a garrison force mainly composed of guards, and its combat effectiveness is very worrying. Once Jiangnan rebels, the court will never If they sit back and watch, they will inevitably dispatch elite frontier troops to go south to quell the rebellion. How will Jiangnan respond at that time?

In such a situation where there is absolutely no compromise between the two sides, the imperial court will never just use a part of the Guyuan Army as it did against Yang Yinglong in Bozhou. It is even possible to evacuate the entire four northwest towns.

Compared with the importance of Jiangnan, the northwest is tolerable to the current court, even if it is a temporary abandonment, otherwise the abolition will not be directed to the northwest first. Once Jiangnan is lost, the court will lose its foundation. Where, even collapse is imminent.

 The purpose of stockpiling supplies was to fight the war, but Feng Ziying did not believe that stocking up enough strategic supplies would be enough for Jiangnan to challenge the military power controlled by the imperial court.

The situation of the Wei army facing the elite frontier army may not be much better than that of the Beijing camp facing the elite frontier army. Relying solely on Wang Ziteng's Denglai army, or adding some of the Xuanfu army and Datong army that Niu Jizong can control, It would be too naive to just want to support the war against the imperial court.

With the current border troops of the imperial court, whether it is Ji Town, Liaodong Town, Datong Town, Shanxi Town, or Yulin Town, the military power of any town can sweep across the entire Jiangnan and is more than enough, even if Jiangnan is supported by the troops of Denglai and Xuanfu Towns , and definitely not an opponent for the imperial court to control the border troops.

Weng Qiyang left, leaving behind a heavy atmosphere in the room and confusion in Feng Ziying's heart.

Does Prince Yoshitaka really plan to launch it at the end of this year?

 But are they ready?

 Especially in military matters.

This is a reality that no rebel force can avoid. The military advantage possessed by the imperial court is overwhelming. As long as the imperial court recognizes the truth or feels that it has no choice, any opponent standing in front of it will be torn to pieces.

Jiangnan is the economic lifeline of the imperial court and cannot be compromised. Once the imperial court feels that it has no choice, it is not impossible to dispatch troops from Liaodong Town and Jizhen south to quell the rebellion.

In this case, Feng Ziying had to question whether Prince Yi Zhong and the people around him had such courage.

 Wang Ziteng, Niu Jizong, and even the vague Chen Jixian, the political Tang Binyin, Jia Jing, Zhen Yingjia, Gu Tianjun, Miao Changqi, Zhu Guozhen, do they dare?

 But why not?

What good will it do to Prince Yoshitaka if the matter continues?

This year's severe drought is enough to put the entire situation in the north into tension. Once food shortages become common in the entire north, I am afraid that the successive civil unrest will first put the court into trouble. Perhaps this may really be taken advantage of by the Jiangnan side.

The information provided by the Anfu Chamber of Commerce also corroborated the information provided by Weng Qiyang.

Of course, the Anfu Chamber of Commerce is more concerned about the future of Dongfan. Although they are also aware of the tension between the north and the south, they still do not think that the two sides will confront each other. The influence of the imperial court's orthodoxy cannot be underestimated, and they do not think that Jiangnan dares to Raise a counter-flag.

The reclamation of Dongfan entered a critical period, and a steady stream of immigrants began to enter Dongfan in large numbers. In addition to the salt fields on the west coast, Anfu merchants began large-scale reclamation in the southern area close to the Penghu line and the freshwater area in the north, and achieved success. Very good results, rice fields, logging and mountain people's trade have begun to bear fruit, but they have also brought about effects such as small-scale conflicts and disease.

However, for Anfu businessmen, this is all expected. As long as they persevere, they firmly believe that all problems and difficulties can be overcome.

Feng Ziying admired the perseverance of these Anfu merchants very much, and once again said that as long as the Anfu merchants persisted, the court would definitely provide strong support in all aspects, so that they could continue to expand the east side, make long-term plans, and not pursue temporary interests.

“Ziying, I feel like you have something on your mind? Are these two businessmen?”

Busia Mara has regained her former style. She wears a leather armor and a robe, covering up her curvy figure. The scimitar of the moon is still slanted across her waist, and she can draw it at any time, even when she is in love with Feng Ziying. , her machetes were placed on the bedside, within easy reach. This made Feng Ziying laugh at her several times, but she did not change the habit she had formed.

"Well, they are the big ones among the merchants in the south of the Yangtze River. The merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi often do business with them. Many goods from Shanxi and Shaanxi are also transported to the north through their trade, and then enter Liaodong and the grasslands." Feng Ziying nodded, "Some kind of In a sense, they are also my friends and allies.”

"Then since it's a business matter, it won't worry you, right?" Busia Mara was puzzled. Her lover was the Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture, a fourth-rank official in the Zhou Dynasty, so why would he go to do business matters? Worry about something?

"The economic base determines the superstructure." Feng Ziying said something that Busia Mara didn't understand, and then added: "A war is a war on the economy. Without iron and copper, there are no weapons. Without food, cloth, wine, and skins, there is no way. Are you going to fight on an empty stomach with armor, clothes and supplies? Therefore, those who underestimate the economy are short-sighted or stupid, and they will not live long."

　　Bushyamala felt that she was offended, pouted her lips with a cold face, and snorted softly: "You mean I'm stupid?"

"No, you're not stupid, you're just too naive. You only look at the surface of many things, but you can't see the essence through the surface." Feng Ziying smiled, "Of course this is compared with me, compared with other people, you are already very good. "

Bushiyamala was angry, but her mood improved, "Okay, you Han people just like to talk,..."

"I'm not talking nonsense. Do you think you can secure your position as Prime Minister of Shuntian Prefecture by talking words?" Feng Ziying asked: "Besides, who just begged for mercy from me and never dared to provoke again? This can't be done by talking words, right? "

Even though Busia Mara was so forthright, she couldn't withstand Feng Ziying's teasing. Her fair face suddenly became red, and she punched Feng Ziying twice. At this moment, she felt like... When I returned to my teenage years of seventeen or eighteen, I felt particularly relaxed, but it was a pity that I was about to turn thirty.

Feng Ziying held Busia Mara in her arms with tenderness in her hands and eyes again. A short farewell was better than a wedding. Feng Ziying cherished this rare alone time, and Busia Mara was also extremely gentle, showing the softness and grace of the most beautiful Jurchen girl.

 (End of this chapter)