Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 610 Yang Family

Songjiang has a superior geographical location. Together with maritime trade, the city will inevitably prosper because of maritime trade, and the local people will naturally become wealthy because they have resources, connections and local advantages.

This was determined by the market. Moreover, Meng Jun also provided some policy support to Songjiang Prefecture in order to develop industry and commerce. Old man Yang believed that his wealth was achieved through the efforts of himself and his children.

Perhaps his two sons did work hard, but they were just lucky enough to encounter the opportunity of Meng Jun's reform in that era. That is, Meng Jun's decision to develop industry and commerce and open up maritime trade was the cause, and their ability to establish factories and become rich was the result.

At this time, Meng Jun asked another question. This question had also been answered by the coachman Sun from Jining. Meng Jun wanted to know how old man Yang answered it.

Meng Jun asked, "Father-in-law, do you think it was better before or now?"

Old Man Yang was stunned for a moment, then he looked back at Meng Jun and asked, "Young man, what do you mean, kindness or wealth?

Meng Jun smiled and said, "Of course it's everything."

After hearing this, Old Man Yang sighed slightly and then said, "I have lived in Songjiang all my life. I only had to escape from Songjiang once. That time, my father was gone. Li the thief, you bastard. I heard that Li the thief was killed in Annan. God has eyes."

At this point, Old Man Yang shook his head at Meng Jun again and said, "Compared to the past, it is naturally better now. It is a peaceful and prosperous era. At least we don't have to worry about when war will come again. War is the biggest disaster in the world and is more terrible than any natural disaster."

Meng Jun nodded, then made the question more specific and asked, "How about comparing it with the pre-Ming Dynasty?"

"Qian Ming? Hmm... hard to say."

Meng Jun was a little surprised. He always thought that he was much better than during the early Ming Dynasty. But this old Yang said that it was hard to compare. This time, Meng Jun really doubted whether he had made some mistake in his policies.

So Meng Jun couldn't help but ask: "So, does that mean that the current emperor is worse than the former Ming Dynasty?"

Old Yang rolled his eyes at Meng Jun and said, "Young man, you are a businessman who has traveled a lot and has seen the world. How can you say such nonsense?

The current emperor is definitely wise. Many of these policies have been publicized in newspapers. We all know that the policies are good, but for some reason, when they reach the grassroots, we wonder why something is wrong. "

"Oh, I thought my father-in-law felt that things were not as good as before."

Old Yang shook his head slowly and said, "It's hard to say. What I mean is that during the Ming Dynasty, although we were a little poor, we were all very simple. Although we are rich now, people's hearts are no longer the same. Everyone is showing off all day long, and there are more petty thefts."

When Lu Ping heard this, he couldn't help but curl his lips. How dare you say that others are showing off? You have come out to pull a rickshaw, and you have to show off to everyone you meet how rich your family is.

When everyone was poor, the daily worry was how to fill their stomachs. Now that they are rich, people's desires naturally increase. Meng Jun knows that this is something that can never be avoided, but he still believes that even if it is difficult to govern, it is better than making the people poor and ignorant in order to govern them.

Hearing Old Yang say something was wrong, Meng Jun immediately asked, "Father-in-law, I just came back from the north and I don't know much about Songjiang. Can you tell me more about it?"

"North? That's not right. With your accent, you must be from the south. I think it sounds like you're from Suzhou. I just talked to a few people from Suzhou a few days ago, and their accents are similar to yours." Old Yang asked with some confusion.

Meng Jun laughed and explained that he had been in Beijing for the past few years. He heard that the maritime trade business in Songjiang was good, so he planned to come to Songjiang to see if there was any opportunity to make a living.

Old Yang did not doubt him. Seeing Meng Jun's expectant expression, he thought about it and decided to give this young man some advice.

So he said to Meng Jun earnestly, "Young man, if you want to do business in Songjiang, you must worship the wharf. As long as you worship the wharf correctly, your business will be easy. But if you don't worship the wharf properly, I think your business will be in jeopardy!"

Meng Jun quickly winked at Lu Ping, and seeing this, Lu Ping quickly asked, "Father, what dock?"

Hearing that it was Lu Ping who spoke, Old Yang did not reply. He could still hear the tone of the boy mocking him just now. At this time, Meng Jun laughed and said, "Old man, we are new here. I hope you can give us some advice."

Old Yang smiled complacently upon hearing this, and then said, "Everyone in Songjiang Prefecture knows that in Songjiang, one must pay respect to Master Yang of the Yang family."

Shen Congwen asked: "The Yang family? Could it be my father-in-law's family?"

Old Yang sneered and said, "Maybe they were one family five hundred years ago, but now, we can't afford to be with them. We are no longer related."

Seeing that they didn't understand, Old Yang sighed and said, "There are several Yang families in Jiangnan. Of course, it's Yang En, the cabinet minister of the current dynasty, and the Yang family."

Meng Jun's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and Lu Ping and Shen Congwen's faces changed as well. Lu Ping felt even more uneasy. Such a big thing happened, but Qingluan Guard didn't even know a thing about it. It seemed that the prosperity of Songjiang was not only due to problems with the civil service system, but the Qingluan Guard was also probably corrupt.

Meng Jun looked a little unhappy, but he still forced a smile and asked, "I heard that Lord Yang is an honest official and a key minister to the current emperor. He shouldn't..."

Old Yang looked back at Meng Jun and asked hesitantly, "You are a businessman, but you still believe such words."

After he finished speaking, Old Yang waved his whip and said, "Of course, I don't know whether Lord Yang was involved or not, but this Songjiang Yang is Lord Yang's uncle. There are three brothers in the Yang family. Lord Yang's father died early. The second brother is said to be a founding marquis, and the third brother didn't have the merit of following the emperor, so he came to Songjiang to make a fortune."

When Meng Jun heard this, he felt a little relieved. Yang En was an important official in the Qian Dynasty and the most important and key person in his career.

Although Yang En basically did not go on the expedition with him, he was silently behind him, raising military funds for the army and recruiting new soldiers and civilians. If Yang En was involved, it would certainly cause a great shock to the court.

Meng Jun knew that he had come to the right place this time. If he was in the capital, how could he know these things? As for whether Yang En was deeply involved, Meng Jun was not sure, but even if not, Yang Lao San was able to call the shots in Songjiang. If he said that he did not use Yang En's name on a daily basis, Meng Jun would never believe it!