Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

On November 20th of the 11th year of Chongzhen, Xuanfu Town, Zhangjiakou Fort.

As an important port for trade between Mongolian tribes and the Han Dynasty, Zhangjiakou Fort began to be built in the early Ming Dynasty. Today, it has become a fairly prosperous town.

The town is very bustling, with Han people, Hui people, Mongolians, and even Semites living here.

With so many different ethnic groups living together here, and the port being located right at the border, security is naturally a top priority.

To the west of Zhangjiakou Fort are Wanquan Zuowei, Wanquan Youwei and Huaian Wei, to the east is Longmen Wei, and to the south is heavily guarded by Xuanfu Town.

Inside the Zhangjiakou Fort, there were 6,000 border troops led by Brigadier General Xiong Yinglong. These troops were not only responsible for the security of the Zhangjiakou section of the Great Wall, but also for the public security inside the fort.

It can be said that the entire Zhangjiakou Fort was almost under semi-militarized management. Once there was an early warning, civilians and merchants in the fort had to obey the orders of the military generals.

Perhaps it was because the internal security was too strict, or perhaps it was for some other reason, the Jiannu army did not intend to attack Zhangjiakou Fort during their five attempts to enter the country.

Zhangjiakou Fort is not very large in area. It is semicircular in shape and has a clear plan. It is bounded by the Great Wall to the north, military camps to the west, and a market and a gathering place for small vendors to the south.

On the east side is a slightly special place, where Shanxi merchants headed by the big businessman Fan Yongdou gathered.

Among them, Fan Yongdou, the head of Shanxi merchants, even ran this place as the Fan family's base camp.

The Fan family has a rich business background for seven generations, so the construction of the Fan House was naturally done with great caution. It is said that a group of red-haired Dutch people were recruited to build it.

The Fan Residence covers an area of ten acres and is an irregular diamond shape. The most special thing is that the courtyard wall of the Fan Residence is more than ten feet high, and there are often servants patrolling on the wall, making it look like a small castle.

The other dozen or so Shanxi merchants all lived around Fan's house, and no civilian was allowed to enter the east area at will, otherwise they would be whipped by the Shanxi merchants' patrol team.

These patrols were composed of servants of Shanxi merchants. Although they did not wear armor, they had long swords on their waists. They looked ferocious and no one dared to approach them.

This scale and structure should not be in compliance with Ming Dynasty laws, but no one in the fort has ever mentioned it.

It is rumored that the Fan family has an old relationship with the garrison commander Xiong Yinglong, and there are also rumors that the Fan family has connections in the imperial court. In short, even the governor of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng, has always turned a blind eye.

The head of the Fan family, Fan Yongdou, is fifty-six years old this year. He is short and stocky, and he looks particularly sturdy. In his early years, he worked outside the Great Wall, which made him patient and ruthless.

Fan Yongdou seldom bullied others and always kept a low profile in the small town. Even if some ignorant outsiders bullied the Fan family, he would usually pay them off.

It’s just a rumor that those who took his silver never came back after leaving the border.

It was noon and the sky was still overcast. Fan Yongdou was walking around the house wrapped in a mink fur coat as usual. This was a habit he had developed over the years.

Along the way, everyone who saw him would kneel down to greet him. This was the rule of the Fan family.

Normally, Fan Yongdou would occasionally speak to the servants in a gentle manner, but in recent times, Fan Yongdou seemed to be in a bad mood. Not only did he often frown, he was also often angry with the servants.

This is all because the Fan family recently suffered a major trade loss, or a major misjudgment.

However, he could not tell anyone about the losses he suffered from this mistake. He had no place to vent his frustration, so the servants and concubines in his house became his punching bags.

If it was just because of the gains and losses of a trade, Fan Yongdou would not be so worried based on the Fan family's financial situation.

A few days ago, he received a letter from Liaozuo, hoping that he would transport another 200,000 shi of rice, as well as a batch of cloth and other daily necessities.

This shouldn't be a difficult thing to do, but they not only require it to be delivered before the New Year, but also require it to be put on credit.

There has always been a shortage of food inside the Great Wall. Although the Fan family has connections and can mobilize food from the south of the Yangtze River, it still takes time.

Heavy snow blocked the roads and wolves roamed along the way. Although the Mongols had nominally surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, they were unruly and always made things difficult for the caravans.

This was not what Fan Yongdou was most worried about. He had been trading with the Manchus for a long time, but this was the first time he asked for credit.

Is it just because of the unfavorable war situation this autumn that the Qing Dynasty has become so embarrassed?

Although the price of grain in the interior of the country remained high, 200,000 shi of grain was only worth 700,000 or 800,000 taels of silver, so the Fan family could still afford the loss.

The visitors from Liaozuo this time, in addition to trade, also brought a sixteen-year-old Manchurian girl. She was of respectable status, her surname was Aisin-Gioro, and it was said that she was the daughter of a Manchu Beizi.

If the daughter of the royal family had been given to him before, Fan Yongdou would have been so happy. After all, the Qing Dynasty was thriving and he could make a lot of money by trading with it.

But now Fan Yongdou is not very happy. From a business perspective, no matter it is the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, in Fan Yongdou's heart, it is not as important as money and the prosperity of his family.

Before this, the Ming Dynasty was in decline, and he secretly traded with the Manchus. In addition to making money, he also had long-term plans.

As long as the Ming Dynasty survives, the Fan family will have the support of important officials in the court and will also prosper.

When the Qing Dynasty rose to power, the Fan family had contributed to the Qing Dynasty's support, so the Qing Dynasty would not make things difficult for the Fan family.

But all this balance seemed to have been broken in the great battle a month ago.

Even though Fan Yongdou could learn a lot of information in the court and pass it on to the Manchus in a timely manner, he thought that with all the Manchus' elite troops, they would be able to win a great victory and return with a full load, just like the previous four times they entered the pass.

In this way, both the Qing Dynasty and the Fan family can make a fortune.

But no one would have expected that the dandy Zhang Shikang could turn the tide and turn defeat into victory, causing the Qing Dynasty to suffer heavy casualties and return in defeat.

The consequences of this war were extremely serious, at least for the Qing Dynasty.

Fan Yongdou knew that the Manchus were not good at production. Before winter every year, they either relied on looting the Mongols, looting the Han people, or starving themselves to death.

Under this expansion model, it is of course efficient to advance with unstoppable force, but once a failure occurs, especially an important one, a series of adverse consequences are often formed.

It is precisely because of his understanding of the Manchus that Fan Yongdou has recently been weighing in his mind whether it is worthwhile to place his bets on the Qing Dynasty.

He was thinking about something when he suddenly heard the servant guarding the castle say:

"Master, a large group of soldiers are pouring into the city. It seems to be the governor of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng."

Fan Yongdou frowned slightly. Although Zhangjiabao belonged to the Xuanda Defense Zone, Lu Xiangsheng seldom came here, let alone brought troops with him, which made him feel particularly uneasy.

He quickly climbed up the city wall and stood on a lookout tower looking into the city. He saw a large group of soldiers entering Zhangjiakou Fort, and one group led by Hu Dawei was heading to the military camp on the west side.

The other team, led by Lu Xiangsheng, headed towards Fan's house.

Soon, Lu Xiangsheng and his subordinates arrived at the gate of Fan's house on war horses.

"How are you, Governor Lu? I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?" Fan Yongdou greeted with a smile on his face.

If Lu Xiangsheng is a powerful dragon, then Fan Yongdou is undoubtedly the local snake in Zhangjiakou Fort.

Both of them knew each other's background, but neither of them could do anything to the other, and no one had ever broken the window paper.

"It is Mr. Fan who is concerned. I just came back from the front line and heard that the Mongols outside the Great Wall were causing chaos and were planning to attack Zhangjiakou, so I hurriedly led my troops here."

Lu Xiangsheng replied without changing his expression, and Fan Yongdou was shocked when he heard it.

"The Mongols are coming to attack Zhangjiakou? Where did Governor Lu get this information?"

Most of the Fan family's business was outside the Great Wall, so they paid great attention to collecting news from outside the Great Wall. He had not heard that the Mongols were going to attack Zhangjiakou.

The Mongols were swept away by the Qing Dynasty like a plow, and now they are just a group of scattered sand, unless they are starving to death.

"The news came from Yebushou outside the Great Wall, but the Tartars here dare not expose it, it is just a precaution.

Speaking of which, I haven't seen Mr. Fan for some time. I am very tired after marching for most of the day.

I heard that Mr. Fan has top-quality ginger tea and fine wine. I wonder if I can come into his house to warm myself up and catch up with Mr. Fan."

Lu Xiangsheng explained while laughing.

"Is that so..." Fan Yongdou stopped talking halfway, his face full of hesitation and even caution.

The bastion design of Fan’s house pursues the ultimate defense. The entire castle has no blind spots and is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Fan Yongdou spent a huge amount of money to build this castle, which looked out of place in the eyes of the Han people, just to be on the safe side. After all, the Fan family's business was not to be seen in the open.

Once attacked, only 500 guards would be needed to climb the city wall, and they would be able to hold out for a while even if attacked.

There are two tunnels under the castle, one leading to the outside of the pass, and the other leading directly to the outside of Zhangjiakou Fort, which is enough for the Fan family to transfer assets and escape from danger.

But Fan Yongdou was in a dilemma.

Lu Xiangsheng led his army and opened the castle gate. If he had bad intentions, the castle's defense would be in vain.

But if he doesn't open it, it would be like trying to cover up one's own fault. As the governor of Xuanda, Lu Xiangsheng is not even satisfied with just drinking a bowl of hot soup in the house, so how could he let it go?

"Haha, is this how Mr. Fan treats guests?

Well, since Mr. Fan doesn't welcome you, I'll wait until I've dealt with the Mongols before I settle the matter with you, humph!"

Lu Xiangsheng was about to leave angrily, which dispelled Fan Yongdou's doubts. Fan Yongdou hurriedly said:

"What are you talking about, Governor Lu? It is my honor to have you here. I will open the door and welcome you into the palace!"

Fan Yongdou apologized with a smile and gave orders to his servants.

After a while, the heavy door of Fan's house creaked open from the inside, and Fan Yongdou smiled and was about to go down to greet him.

As soon as he turned around, Lu Xiangsheng's face suddenly became cold and stern.

"Shanxi merchant Fan Yongdou has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. All soldiers, listen to my order. Charge into Fan's house and arrest Fan Yongdou!

But those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers who had been prepared, led by Yang Guozhu, rushed into Fan's house.

Almost at the same time, a group of troops led by Hu Dawei also rushed into the western military camp.

……