Chapter 2374
The most prestigious uncle of the Ma family comes back once in a while, so he cannot let the distinguished guests feel neglected. The entire streets inside and outside Majiazhuang have been cleaned in advance. Although it is not to the extent of "splashing the streets with clean water and paving the roads with loess", it is indeed much neater than usual.
The carriage that Chen Yixin and his party were riding in stopped outside the Ma family ancestral hall. According to the rules of the Ma family, when family members return from a long journey, they should first go to the ancestral hall to offer incense to their ancestors to thank them for protecting the safety of their descendants.
Although Chen Yixin is an atheist, he has long followed the local customs and has no objection to such folk customs. He and his wife followed Ma Dongqiang and others into the ancestral hall to offer incense and pay their wishes.
After coming out of the ancestral hall, Ma Dongqiang took the initiative to mention the next arrangements: "Son-in-law, it's rare for you to come back once, so today we have a banquet at home for you and your wife, please don't go outside!"
Chen Yixin responded: "Then I have to thank my father-in-law!"
However, the scale of the reception banquet set up by the Ma family was much larger than Chen Yixin imagined. In addition to more than 20 banquet tables set up in the Ma family courtyard, a total of hundreds of banquets were held in the entire Majiazhuang. Everyone in the Ma family participated, and the atmosphere was like a festival.
In addition to the Ma family members, there were also some people who were closely related to the Ma family. For example, several of the Ma family's current main business partners. Even if the big boss couldn't come to Fushan County in time, there were at least shopkeeper-level people present. . There were also local civil and military officials such as Zhang Pucheng, the magistrate of Fushan County, and Huang Qu, the general manager, who also appeared in the Ma family compound.
On the one hand, these people came to give Ma Dongqiang a platform so that Ma Dongqiang could have more face. On the other hand, they also wanted to take this opportunity to establish a relationship with Chen Yixin. After all, this was a status that most of them could access. The highest-ranking Haihan official. Since the Ma family can prosper quickly under Chen Yixin's care, others will naturally want to follow suit. Maybe they will be appreciated by General Chen. If a little bit slips through his fingers, he can make a lot of money. .
After the banquet started, there was a long queue of people coming to the main table to toast Ma Dongqiang and Chen Yixin. Although Chen Yixin didn't like this way of socializing, he still gave his father-in-law face and dealt with them patiently. But he definitely won't drink wine. He can just sit down and raise a glass to his lips and that's it.
Since Chen Yixin held a high position, those who came to toast naturally did not dare to think that there was something wrong with his attitude. It was enough to say a few words in person and introduce his identity. As for the subsequent development of the relationship, we can only prepare gifts and visit in private.
Chen Yixin originally wanted to mention the current situation in Shandong to Ma Dongqiang in the context of a family banquet, but there was an endless stream of people coming to toast, and there was no privacy at all, so he could only give up the idea temporarily. However, he still reminded Ma Dongqiang not to drink too much during the dinner, as there would be important matters to discuss later.
Of course, Ma Dongqiang also knew that his son-in-law would not suddenly come back to visit relatives for no reason. He must have made a special trip to deal with important matters, so he stopped drinking and reminded his son Ma Cai and brother-in-law Jiang Sheng to drink less. One o'clock, stay awake and wait until the banquet is over to participate in the discussion together.
The number of people in the Ma family who are qualified to discuss matters face to face with Chen Yixin can actually be counted on one hand, including Chen Yixin's wife Ma Yuling. Therefore, the number of participants in the meeting after the banquet was much smaller.
Ma Dongqiang, Ma Cai and his son, Jiang Sheng, plus Chen Yixin and his subordinates Zeng Xiaowen and Liu Shang were all the people who participated in the meeting. Both Zeng Xiaowen and Liu Shang had been stationed in Fushan County for a long time with Chen Yixin, so they were familiar with the Ma family. Ma Yuling was not interested in this kind of meeting, so she took her son to the market to watch the excitement.
Chen Yixin said: "I returned to Fushan County this time, firstly to visit relatives, and secondly because I have a mission. Last time my father-in-law sent a report to Jinzhou, I felt that the situation was serious and that we must pay enough attention to it."< br>
Ma Dongqiang quickly asked: "Will the Qing army fight all the way to Dengzhou?"
Chen Yixin shook his head slightly and said: "This possibility is unlikely. Moreover, the Qing army knows that our country has troops stationed in Dengzhou, so they should not take the initiative to come here to cause trouble."
Ma Dongqiang breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's good if we can't defeat them... The Qing army knocks on the gate every year. They will always retreat after they finish looting. After this period of time, everything will be fine."
Chen Yixin said: "I think the Ming court had the same mentality as my father-in-law, waiting for the Qing army to retreat on its own. But this year's situation may be a little different from previous years. The Qing army has already invaded Shandong, and maybe Jinan City will too. If it is breached, have you thought carefully about what will happen and what kind of impact Dengzhou will be affected?”
As soon as Chen Yixin said this, the expressions of the three Ma family members immediately changed. They had all personally experienced the Denglai Rebellion eight years ago. Sometimes they would have nightmares and couldn't help but think of the refugees and rebels who filled the mountains and plains back then.
At that time, the social order in Denglai and Denglai Prefectures had completely collapsed, and rebels and refugees were sweeping across the Shandong Peninsula like locusts, constantly creating greater chaos. The Ma family was forced to abandon their home and take refuge in Fushan County. They also lost a lot of property in the war. Today, a considerable part of Majiazhuang was gradually rebuilt after the Denglai Rebellion.
At that time, neither the local government nor the imperial court in the capital had very good control measures to control the chaos in Denglai and Denglai. The Ming court mobilized reinforcements from all walks of life to pursue and intercept the rebels led by Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and others, but with little success. In the end, it took a full eighteen months to barely quell the rebellion, and the rebels also successfully sailed from the sea. He fled to Liaodong and joined Hou Jin. Rather than saying that the rebellion was successfully quelled, it is better to say that in the end there was really no choice but to open a hole and let the rebels leave Shandong.
The destruction and impact that great chaos caused on Shandong and the Ming Dynasty continues to this day, and those who witnessed it still feel palpitated when talking about the Denglai Rebellion. As soon as they heard Chen Yixin talk about the consequences of the war, the three Ma family members immediately thought of the tragedy they had personally experienced back then. If such a mess happens again, can the Ma family handle it this time?
If it weren't for Chen Yixin's reminder, he would have been almost completely unaware of the impact that the war in Jinan Prefecture might have on Dengzhou. And even with the support of the Haihan Army from Zhifu Island, Ma Dongqiang is not sure that today's Majiazhuang can withstand such chaos.
"Jinan City... has high walls and strong troops. It should not be easily broken by the Qing army, right?" Ma Cai asked hesitantly. Chen Yixin knew that his brother-in-law was good at business but had limited knowledge of military affairs. He immediately explained to him: "Jinan City does have strong fortifications, but the problem is that the Ming army was concentrated on the Dezhou front line to block the Qing army. Jinan The current garrison is not large, and it may be difficult to resist the Qing army's offensive. If Jinan is lost... Shandong will be in chaos!"
As soon as Chen Yixin came to this conclusion, the faces of the three Ma family members became even more ugly. Although the Ma family has begun to gradually expand its business overseas, most of the industries and trade channels are still in Shandong. If Shandong is in chaos, the Ma family will inevitably suffer huge economic losses. Although it is not known where the battlefield information Chen Yixin obtained came from, Haihan has always been very accurate in military intelligence, so no one will doubt the authenticity of what Chen Yixin said.
Chen Yixin saw their expressions in his eyes and felt that they should have realized the seriousness of the matter, so he said unhurriedly: "Even if our army sends troops, it will be difficult to stop it in time, so what should we do?" Reducing the losses we will incur is a top priority. ”
The "we" Chen Yixin refers to here naturally does not only refer to the Haihan Kingdom, but also includes the Ma family. Because seriously speaking, no matter how chaotic Shandong is, the negative impact it can have on Haihan is actually extremely limited. At most, the Fushan Copper Mine will need to suspend production for a period of time. The one who will really suffer huge losses must be the Ma family whose industry is concentrated in the local area. Chen Yixin is now making it clear to the Ma family that Haihan will not sit back and watch the difficult situation that the Ma family will face next.
Ma Dongqiang knew that he could not rely on the local government to provide protection in this situation. At that time, only Haihan could protect the Ma family. He quickly asked: "Xian son-in-law, if what you said really happens, what will happen to us?" How to deal with it? ”
Chen Yixin said: "Let me outline the arrangements first. You can see if there are any problems and then propose them to solve."
Chen Yixin's plan is to recruit refugees as the center, provide rations and accommodation to the refugees entering Dengzhou, and then transport them in batches to overseas resettlement. What the Ma family can do now is to expand the original immigrant camps and living facilities as soon as possible, and purchase food, medicine and various daily necessities to accommodate the large number of refugees who will flood into Dengzhou at some point in the future.
After listening to Chen Yixin's introduction, Ma Dongqiang still looked worried and said: "Xian son-in-law, if a large number of refugees enter Dengzhou, it will definitely cause chaos in the local order. How can we maintain this? I'm afraid we can only rely on the local Haihan Army and militia. Can’t handle a big scene”
Chen Yixin responded: "We will next transfer a reinforced battalion from North Korea to Fushan County. Together with local armed personnel, it should be enough to cope with such a situation. We have been doing related work in the past few years. , I believe you are not familiar with it yet?”
Haihan's garrison in Fushan County remained at about a thousand people, stationed at the Fushan Copper Mine and Zhifu Island Base. Public security in other areas was maintained by local militia and a small number of Ming troops in the county. After a reinforced battalion is transferred, the number of local armed personnel will reach about 3,000, which is enough to manage several times the number of refugees.
When Haihan established a stronghold on Zhifu Island, absorbing immigrants was a very important part of its local business. To this end, a large-scale immigration camp was built near Majiazhuang. When Liu Shang first arrived in Shandong, he was assigned to the immigration camp as a propaganda officer.
Originally, with the increasing peace in Shandong, fewer and fewer people were willing to follow Haihan to leave Daming. There was no need for a resettlement camp as a temporary resettlement facility. The Ma family also planned to dismantle the camp after the spring and take the land. Come out and build a goods yard to cope with the growing local trade volume.
But the current situation is backfiring. If Shandong is in chaos, the trade situation will be greatly affected. Even if a new cargo yard is built, it will remain empty. The immigration camp, which has almost become idle, is the facility that really needs to be expanded immediately.
Ma Dongqiang smiled and said: "It will cost a lot of money to purchase supplies, expand the immigration camp, and other messy things..."
Chen Yixin understood his implication and decisively took over the conversation: "Father-in-law, please rest assured that matters concerning the reception of refugees will be handled as before. The national treasury will allocate special funds, and the expenses paid by father-in-law will be reimbursed by our country later." . The other rules are the same as before, and the Ma family will be paid according to the number of people.”
Ma Dongqiang's face brightened after hearing this, and he quickly said a few polite words, but he had no intention of declining. He has been cooperating with Haihan for several years, so he naturally knows that running this immigration project will definitely make a profit, and it will also bring many additional benefits to the Ma family. If the Qing army's invasion of Shandong will bring considerable losses to the Ma family's current business projects, then assisting Haihan to receive refugees and then transport them overseas for resettlement, the income from this can probably offset part of the losses. The situation is good You might even be able to make a small profit if you say so.
Ma Dongqiang doesn't care whether this approach is suspected of violating Ming law. Firstly, he can make money. Secondly, it can also give refugees who have no livelihood a chance to survive. In his opinion, it is a good way to get the best of both worlds. And as long as these refugees are properly resettled, more secondary disasters will not occur due to the refugee flow, which is actually a good thing for Ming Dynasty.
As for whether the identity of these refugees will become Haihan people in the future, Ma Dongqiang believes that this is also a rare blessing for them. At least the Haihan people do not have to worry about their hometown being invaded by foreign enemies one day, and they do not have to leave their homes and flee.
Chen Yixin continued: "Zeng Xiaowen and Liu Shang will provide guidance on the specific implementation plan. If you encounter any problems during the implementation, you can come to them for solutions. If they can't solve the problems, come to me."
"Then how much time do we have to prepare?" Jiang Sheng, an old scholar who had been listening quietly without speaking, finally asked a very crucial question.
Chen Yixin said: "It's difficult for me to give a specific time, because I don't know how the war in Jinan is progressing now. It still needs to be sent back by the intelligence department to confirm. But I want to start from the moment the Qing army arrives in Jinan. From the beginning, people in the surrounding areas should have already entered a state of flight. You can estimate how long it takes to travel several hundred miles from Jinan to Dengzhou. If nothing happens, some refugees should have arrived by this time. Dengzhou ground.”
(End of chapter)