The distribution of rights in Chengdu is still very chaotic. Deng Ming did not stay in Chengdu for a long time. He always set up a framework and went on a hurry to fight. He always went back for several months when he went there. This led to the space and opportunity for all factions in Chengdu to compete for power.

For Deng Ming, there was no way to do this. The Sichuan army would not attack and wait for death. Every time the attack was suspended, it would take a big step towards the edge of the cliff of destruction. Therefore, Deng Ming could not consider leaving behind supervision and guiding Chengdu's development. Besides, external plundering is also of great benefit to the development of Chengdu. So far, Deng Ming has gained the least amount from Li Guoying, but there are only a few hundred or thousands of cows. Sichuan himself would not even think about fiddling out for a few years.

Although Deng Ming formed the tax bureau before leaving Chengdu last time and transferred the tax work from the prefectural office to the tax bureau, it was not completed when Deng Ming left. After Deng Ming crossed Wuchang and headed downstream, Liu Jinge stopped transferring rights to the tax bureau. Even in Deng Ming's framework, the latter was a subordinate agency of the prefectural office, so he naturally had no choice.

Deng Ming attached great importance to Sichuan salt, so Liu Jinge also attached great importance to this. Because of his energy problems, he could not interfere in various industries. He had handed over most of the industries he could not control to Qin Xiucai. However, the salt industry had high profits and was also Deng Ming's key support project. Of course, Liu Jinge held it firmly in his hand and refused to let go. Liu Jinge has always been inquired about the salt tax issue himself, and even the tax was paid directly to the prefect's office rather than through the tax bureau.

Most people in Chengdu take this for granted, including the Taxation Director Qin Xiucai.

It is traditional to pay taxes directly to the prefect's office, and the intermediate structure of the Taxation Bureau is actually an emerging thing. Deng Ming's reason for establishing this institution was to help Liu Jinge share his worries - Chengdu officials also accepted this statement. Since it was a helping, in other words, it was to help Liu Jinge deal with the fatigue he didn't want to suffer. The Taxation Bureau naturally couldn't control the things that Liu Jinge was willing to experience and do personally.

With the support of the prefectural government, Lu Huan was not afraid of Pu Fan, the deputy director of the Taxation Bureau, and said to the Deputy Director of the Taxation Bureau with reluctance: "If the Taxation Bureau can refund our taxes and keep the profit of Sichuan salt at 100 pounds and 50 pounds per 100 pounds and 50 pounds per 100 pounds of Huai salt sold on behalf of others, we can consider accepting Director Park's pricing."

Of course, Pu Fan couldn't do it. The salt tax was set by Deng Ming, and even Liu Jinge might not be able to modify it. Besides, the tax was not collected by the tax bureau. Where did he go to refund the tax to the salt merchant?

After seeing that Park Fan did not speak, Lu Huan said to Yu Youming again: "If we collect every one dollar of Industrial Bank certificates in Wuchang, the Industrial Bank will compensate us in Chengdu at a price of three times, we can also consider accepting it."

Of course Yu Youming couldn't agree. In fact, even if Yu Youming agreed, Lu Huan's consideration was mostly not accepted, because even if Chengdu Industrial Bank gave a three-fold exchange rate, it was just a loss for salt merchants. But now Wuchang is in short supply, and one-third of the salt in the IOU can be sold at a premium. Now the usual practice of salt merchants is to let Wuchang exchange materials designated by the PM, according to the intention of the Chengdu Prefecture Office, which even includes the population. Although Deng Ming had instructed Liu Jinge to find opportunities to acquire craftsmen before leaving, and to try to import gunpowder and bronze if possible in the future, in view of the severe situation of more men and fewer women in Chengdu, Liu Jinge has modified Deng Ming's policy to import unmarried women as a priority.

In addition to being backed by the magistrate's yamen, Lu Huan also vaguely felt that he was a higher national than Yu Youming and Pu Fan. He and other salt merchants were Liu Yao's auxiliary soldiers. No matter how low their auxiliary soldiers were in the army, Lu Huan and others were still local factions of the Sichuan Army and the earliest force in Chengdu. The people hired by salt merchants were also mainly local factions, especially those who had served under Liu Yao and Yang Youcai, who were deeply favored by Lu Huan and others, from Mianzhu and Jiang.

Although the retired people in the garrisons in the You and Jiange and other places are a little far away, they are also the highest among Lu Huan. Among the five generals under Deng Ming, Lu Huan and his favorite is Li Xinghan, who believes that he is from the local sect. Although Liu Yao, Yang Youcai and their confidants mysteriously refused to reveal it clearly, Lu Huan and the others have heard a lot of rumors about support, that is, Liu Yao, Yang Youcai, and Li Xinghan have joined forces to support the Shao Shu King Admiral Deng.

The second is the Xdong Army. Although the names of these thieves have not been cleared yet, they are considered Sichuan people. Therefore, in the eyes of Lu Huan and other people, Zhou Kaihuang is the second favorite of the five generals of Deng Ming. Liu Jinge, the current governor of Chengdu, came from a similar background as Zhou Kaihuang. Moreover, this governor Liu heard that he had followed Admiral Deng to fight in Dongchuan Prefecture and was injured to protect Admiral Deng, so Lu Huan respected him very much.

Again, there are the people from Jianchang. The Western thieves are enemies of the Sichuan Army. Although they are lost now, they are shy and return to the Shaoshu King Shu Cheng, they obviously cannot be compared with the direct Sichuan Army. Moreover, Lu Huan and the others think that the loyalty of these Western camps is still suspicious. This can also be found in Zhao Tianba, one of the five tigers born in the Western camp. For example, he refused to follow Admiral Deng Dongchuan and Kunming. Lu Huan and others could not distinguish the relationship between the Jianchang Western army and Zhao Tianba, nor did they know the real reason why Zhao Tianba could not go to Dongchuan Prefecture.

Although Yu Youming, a barbarian who obviously fled from other places to Sichuan, was a direct lineage of the Ming army rather than a thief, his status in Lu Huan and others was basically the same as that of the Xiong Ying. In theory, Pu Fan was also from Sichuan and should be divided into the local Ming army. Unfortunately, under his subordinate Xiong Lan, the repeated rebellion of Xiong Lan has spread in Chengdu. Therefore, in the eyes of the local faction, Xiong Lan and her gang's status plummeted, and they were in line with the Western thieves.

The origin of the local direct lineage was also strongly supported by Deng Ming. This time, the Ming army would even change its strategy for the interests of Sichuan salt and salt merchants, which made Lu Huan and Ye Tianming and others more and more superior. It was precisely because of the change of mentality that their auxiliary soldiers gritted their teeth when they talked about the soldiers who used to ride on them, but now they began to have a relationship with their comrades after retirement. After earning some money last month, Lu Huan and Ye Tianming and several salt merchants also went to Dujiangyan specifically to invite several soldiers who kidnapped them into the army that year to dinner. These salt merchants set up a table of delicious dishes, thinking that if they were not brought into the army by them, they would not be as good as they are today - people should not forget their roots. The soldiers all ate and smiled, and one of them was embarrassed to eat, "I eat too much, I eat too much."

Although I was caught up with the salt merchants, the IOU certificates of the Industrial Bank still obtained basic credit, because except for salt, other goods are not owned by private goods but public goods. With Pu Fan's endorsement, there is no need for left-behind personnel to overcome the benefits of Wuchang. Besides, they did not have the power to price. For them, how these public things are handled has nothing to do with them. Interfering in pricing is completely meddling in other people's business. Although it is a bit regretful that Lu Chenyin can't change salt, this is just a shortcoming. The profits of other goods are also very large and can be fully satisfied.

...

When he met Deng Ming again, Zhou Peigong casually mentioned the war in Fujian.

"Does there any internal news about Zhou Gong's army?" Deng Ming asked casually. In his opinion, it was impossible to hear the truth from Zhou Peigong, because any news of Zheng Chenggong's victory was good news for Deng Ming. The more brilliant the victory of the Fujian army, the more beneficial Deng Ming's position in the negotiations would be. Now, as his negotiating opponent, Zhou Peigong's correct strategy will deny all rumors that are beneficial to the Fujian army and deny them all as propaganda and rumors. This principle is very simple. Deng Ming knew that Zhou Peigong must be very clear, so hedged the good news of the Ming army without any hope. If Zhou Peigong said bad things about the Ming army, Deng Ming would first suspect that this was the other party's attempt to increase his bargaining chips instead of taking it seriously. Since it was impossible to hear good words and could not believe bad things about the other party, then discussing the situation in Fujian with Zhou Peigong is a waste of time, which is also the reason why Deng Ming was careless.

"I believe Admiral Deng has already known about the court's replacement of Dasu as General Annan with Bezi Loto, right?"

"I know." Deng Ming nodded slightly. He was not very clear about the history of his previous life. Therefore, after hearing this news, Deng Ming's first impression was that Zheng Chenggong's victory was very limited. Although he was not very interested in the history of the Qing Dynasty, Deng Ming still had an impression of the term "Sea Ban". After traveling to this era, Deng Ming discovered that the Qing Dynasty had not yet begun to ban the sea. As he understood the army and economy, he began to realize the significance of the order and understood that only when the Zheng army had great advantages would the Qing court use this policy that harmed others and was not beneficial to oneself.

When he first heard that Dasu was going to attack Xiamen, Deng Ming secretly guessed whether this would be the beginning of the ban on the sea. In order to avoid being regarded as a charlatan, Deng Ming could only hide this guess in his stomach. However, after learning that Dasu was only given a demotion, Deng Ming felt that his hope was shattered, and he even suspected that his arrival had reduced Zheng Chenggong's victory.

When he heard Zhou Peigong's words, Deng Ming's first reaction was that the other party wanted to belittle the significance of the Xiamen battle and seize more initiative in negotiations.

"I wonder if Admiral Deng has heard of it. The court is considering banning the sea."

Zhou Peigong's words were like a bolt from the blue to Deng Ming, and he forgot to answer in shock.

"It seems that Admiral Deng doesn't know." Zhou Peigong was very satisfied with Deng Ming's reaction. The other party's surprised expression greatly satisfied Zhou Peigong's vanity. At least he had not achieved this effect in previous negotiations.

"Is this news that Zhou Gongzong heard from Governor Zhang or Governor Jiang?" After being surprised, Deng Ming immediately asked, "It was not news that Dasu was punished, but the Qing court considered the ban on the sea, which must be the chance and news for senior officials at the level of governor.

"It's very high, very high." Zhou Peigong replied mysteriously. The Qing court had begun to consider Huang Wu's countermeasures and secretly asked several governors about their opinions, wanting to know their views. After all, this would be a national policy. The Qing court wanted to know the views of the major governors on this, and whether they thought it would cause any trouble to the Qing court's rule, or any problems that need to be prevented in advance. At present, this news is only circulated in a few small circles of confidant staff around each governor.

"Can you tell me specifically?" Deng Ming asked involuntarily.

"Admiral Deng asked, of course, the subordinates said everything." Zhou Peigong was very honest today, without any exchange of conditions and did not keep it in hiding, but immediately replied: "I heard that this suggestion was proposed by the rebel general Huang Wu. About a few days ago, Huang Wu also passed through Jiangning and then went north along the canal. It is said that this time he hurried to the capital and was the emperor's will, and he wanted to let him report to the emperor."

"I must have heard of the ban on the sea in Wuchang, but Huang Wu passed by a few days ago was probably just investigated," Deng Ming murmured after hearing this, "Zhou Gongzheng is intent."

As the other party to the negotiations, Zhou Peigong released such news as if he handed over the weapon in Deng Ming's hands, allowing Deng Ming to open fire at him unscrupulously. Thinking of this, Deng Ming couldn't help but add: "Thank you."

"Governor Deng, you are kind." Zhou Peigong smiled slightly, but did not acknowledge or deny Deng Ming's speculation about the source of his intelligence.

"Yes." Deng Ming pondered. If it were someone else, he might be skeptical about Zhou Peigong's words, but Deng Ming was very familiar with the word "ban on the sea". As soon as he heard Zhou Peigong mention it, he knew that this matter must be true. However, Deng Ming had not yet figured out how to use this weapon.

"Did Admiral Deng think that this forbidden sea refers to the coast of Fujian?" Zhou Peigong did not give Deng Ming time to think and interrupted the other party's thoughts.

"Isn't it?" Deng Ming blurted out, but he immediately remembered that he seemed to have said in history that the scope of the ban on the sea was very large.

"Is it necessary to ban the sea south of the Yangtze River?" Deng Ming quickly corrected his problem, but Zhou Peigong still looked unanimous, which made Deng Ming feel even more nervous. When he spoke again, his tone also showed unusual tension: "Is it possible! Is it actually a ban on the sea entirely?"

"Yes," Zhou Peigong nodded slightly: "From Shandong to Guangdong, no ban is allowed to go into the sea; no living or stepping in within fifteen miles of the coast. Violators are deemed to be rebellious and will be killed immediately; all existing ships must be burned on their own, including warships of the navy of the five provinces; the maritime trade of the five provinces is completely banned, and those who have previously engaged in maritime trade will be punished as colluding with the enemy, and their property will be confiscated into the official."

"Oh my God." Despite the vague memories of his previous life, Deng Ming was still shocked. Zhou Peigong had just said that the person who proposed this proposal was Huang Wu, who was one of the witnesses and actual commanders of the battle in Xiamen. The subtext behind this suggestion was that the Qing court had lost the control of the sea from Shandong to Guangdong, and it could not be restored in a short period of time. As for all maritime traders who were pursuing the enemy, it was unprecedentedly strict. This was not a threat at all. It was not that you would punish the crime if you dare to engage in maritime trade in the future, but that you would be punished if you dare to engage in maritime trade in the future.

Merchants with experience in sea trade must be eliminated. There are two subtexts here. One is that Huang Wu believes that the Qing Dynasty naval army has been weakened to the point of being unable to intimidate the maritime merchants to the Zheng family or protect them from paying taxes to the Zheng family; the second is that Huang Wu’s proposal for banning the sea is obviously not a short-term policy, but a long-term national policy. Merchants with experience in sea trade in the time they can see are of no benefit to the Qing court, and can be eliminated simply and neatly, which can not only increase income but also prevent them from engaging in smuggling activities with dissatisfaction.

"Huang Wu's suggestion itself shows that the five provinces' naval forces are almost gone and it is impossible to rebuild in the short term. If the Qing court adopted Huang Wu's suggestion, it means that they recognized Huang Wu's judgment." Deng Ming's brain was running quickly, analyzing the impact of the current situation on himself: "I can't control Fujian and other places for the time being, but Shandong, Zhejiang and Nanjing have coastal residents, fishermen, and seaboat workers here must have no livelihoods. Perhaps many people will tolerate and follow the Qing court's orders to enter the mainland, but there will still be a considerable number of resistance. In the short term, Zhoushan will not only not be threatened, but will be greatly enhanced. In order to suppress the resistance and ensure that the ban on the sea is implemented, Shandong and Zhejiang need to send more troops to the seaside. They will not have the strength to reinforce Nanjing. At least in one or two years, Jiang Guozhu will not only not expect to receive a large amount of support from neighboring provinces, but also face the worry-free and stronger Zhoushan."

"Our previous requests for the troops stationed in Chongming, and Governor Chiang went to explain to the Qing court why the Chongming could not be recovered. This requires our army to persevere to the end, without any room for compromise, and would not bargain on it." After some thought, Deng Ming slowly spoke to Zhou Peigong: "In order to ensure that Chongming is not threatened, our army requires that both sides of Chongming Island also implement sea bans, but not to the people but to the Qing army. There must be no Qing army stationed within fifteen miles of the coast."

Speaking of this, Deng Ming was suddenly stunned and found that he should not know about the ban on the sea. If he used this term, it might have an impact on Zhou Peigong: "Wrong, our army has no requirements for the ban on the sea. Let's talk about it later. Zhou Gonggong did not have to consider or convey it to Nanjing."

"Okay." Zhou Peimi's smile remained unchanged, and she asked back: "Why should our army agree to such unreasonable conditions?"

"Because I just received a letter from the Prince of Yanping today, he said that in the previous naval battle, he had eliminated the naval forces of the five provinces, and could attack Shandong at any time, or enter the Yangtze River again to return to me. The Prince of Yanping also said in his letter that because he has no worries now, the troops entering the Yangtze River will be stronger this time than a year ago. Because I suggested that Governor Chiang carefully consider my requirements. In addition to handing over Chongming Island to us, I also asked to establish a business bank to help us purchase supplies and sell goods. Our army is willing to share the profits of this business bank with Governor Chiang."

"What if we don't accept Admiral Deng's conditions?" Zhou Peigong asked calmly again.

"Then I will attack Suzhou and Songjiang to welcome the army of Yanping County Prince, because I believe in every word in Yanping County Prince's letter; if Governor Chiang believes that Yanping County Prince annihilated the navy of the five provinces is an exaggeration, you can ignore our request."

"I understand. The subordinates will definitely bring the requests and reasons of the admiral to the Governor of Jiangning." Zhou Peigong nodded and said that he had written down all of them.

Before the two broke up, Deng Ming said seriously again: "Thank you."

"Admiral Deng is so polite, so I'll say goodbye." Zhou Peigong walked out of the Ming military camp with his head held high. This was the first time he had steadily gained the upper hand of Deng Ming-
Chapter completed!