In just one night, the city of Suzhou changed. Fires broke out everywhere and there were constant killings. This shocked the people all over the city. Even though it was already past noon, people were still in panic. Most of the people stayed at home, not even daring to step out of the door.
However, some people still went out with anxiety. They were all well-known local figures in Suzhou. They were either gentry or wealthy businessmen. Their families were well-off and their status was high. Even though Suzhou had changed hands once before, they were not affected much. So this time when Su Mao sent people to invite these people to his home to discuss important matters, these people also had the courage to come out.
Of course, Su Mao's reputation alone was not enough, but coupled with the several soldiers sent by Sun Tu to follow him, these people had no choice but to come here no matter how reluctant they were.
In fact, until now, Su Mao still feels a little unbelievable that all of this has actually happened. Sun Tu led more than 300 people and defeated the entire Suzhou in just one night. Even though Suzhou's defenses are empty now, there are still three to four thousand garrison troops, but they were easily killed by hundreds of people and were still obediently staying in the barracks without daring to move at all.
Even though Su Mao was well-informed, he was still amazed at this moment. He repeatedly praised Xie Mo: "This is really unbelievable. To be honest, Mr. Xie, when I agreed to this matter the day before yesterday, I was worried that my The entire Su family is trapped, General Sun is too capable... "
"If you have been to Jinling, you will know that all this is very normal." Xie Mo seemed quite calm and said casually: "That day in Jinling, General Sun dared to lead hundreds of soldiers to attack the official camp. As a result, thousands of officers and soldiers were beaten into obedience. However, most of the defenders in Suzhou are now a mob. How can they withstand the Shandong Army's elite surprise attack when there is no danger to defend?"
"That's true. I've heard about the reputation of the Shandong Army, but what I heard is false. Seeing is the truth. This time I'm really convinced." Su Mao said, his confidence also greatly increased: "This time if General Sun can really do what he promised, no matter what he wants to do next, our Su family will give our full support!"
"Brother Su is really blessed to have such an idea. But relying on the strength of your family alone is not enough, so today we are calling all the other wealthy businessmen and gentry in the city. Only by uniting as one can we achieve something!"
After saying this, a servant came to report that several guests had arrived. After Su Mao heard this, he discussed with Xie Mo for a few more words, and then went out to greet the guests. Soon, he invited all these friends who were more or less close friends to sit down in his living room.
These guests were still full of questions at this time. Why did the Su family get involved with the army that occupied Suzhou City? So after they sat down, they didn't even bother to take a few sips of tea, and someone started to inquire about the news. Come.
Su Mao, however, was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he chatted with them for a while. When everyone arrived, he said seriously: "To be honest with you, General Sun Tusun was able to lead his army to capture Suzhou this time." , my Su family really helped a little bit, I opened the joints yesterday and sent them into the city."
"What?" Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned
Discoloration. Before, they had some doubts about how these officers and soldiers sneaked into Suzhou City without anyone noticing. Only now did they know the truth, and they were also shocked. They didn't expect Su Mao to be so courageous. This was completely inconsistent. The state of Wu founded by Fang La has become an enemy.
Seeing everyone's surprise and confusion, Su Mao smiled generously, and then said: "Everyone is a sensible person, so there is no need to hide some things, so I'll just tell you the truth. That's why I took the risk and took this step. This move was also forced by the situation. Since last year, with the increasing number of battles between the Wu army and the official army, their military consumption has also been rising. However, the vast majority of this account has been It all fell on us. Although they have restrained themselves now, if I guess correctly, if this continues, the so-called Wu Kingdom's court will find various reasons to attack businessmen such as us."
These words were immediately recognized by many people, because they all encountered the same problem. No matter you are a businessman or a big landowner, there are always people coming to your door during this period, and the number of people asking for money and food is quite large. If you really give it to them, these people will be seriously injured, but if you don't give it, they are worried that they will be killed. Revenge, it can be said that everyone has a headache recently.
In fact, there was nothing that Fang La and other monarchs and ministers could do about it, because going to war with the Song Dynasty itself was an extremely expensive matter. Even though they had captured a lot of wealth by attacking cities and territories before, after this period of time, After consumption, it is almost used. After all, in addition to the huge consumption of fighting and raising the army, Fang La's rewards for enfeoffing a group of ministers were also a huge expense. In addition, the salaries of the entire court officials were indispensable, so the money was spent like running water. Can't live.
At least for now, Fang La has very few people who can manage money, and they are regarded as traitors by the world. They can't even do business, so they can only collect money from the people. However, for the time being, they did not dare to attack ordinary people for fear of provoking a civil uprising, so they eventually targeted large landowners and businessmen in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Maybe they have restrained themselves a little now and haven't reached the point where they are fishing all the swamp, but no one can guarantee that as time goes by, they will all be caught.
Even so, these people still had no idea of colluding with the army. After all, they were trapped in Suzhou and had no such conditions, and Zhu Meng's greed had already scared everyone. But now it's better. Su Mao, the largest businessman in Suzhou, actually brought in the government troops without saying a word, and turned the whole Suzhou upside down overnight. This really caught everyone off guard.
After being silent for a long time, someone finally lost his voice and said, "Brother Su, you are too courageous. After all, this place is still under the control of Wu State, and many nearby cities are also guarded by Wu troops. Once they react, Come here, wouldn’t it be another fierce battle?”
"Yes, and it is said that Sun Tu's troops are still besieged in Changshu by Commander Pang Pang and his army. How many people can he send to our Suzhou? When Commander Pang Pang leads his army to counterattack, how can it be defended?"
"This is the fundamental reason why I have invited you all to my humble home for discussion today. Now the situation has become extremely clear. We have been regarded as fish on the chopping board by Wu Jun. If we cannot drive them out
If you go, your family will be ruined. In my opinion, at least we still have a chance to save our wealth by taking this gamble! "
"you mean… "
"Although there are not too many officers and soldiers occupying Suzhou now, you have also seen that the Wu army is not as terrible as imagined. So as long as we fully support General Sun, we can provide him with money and food, and help him recruit young people in the city. It's okay to defend the city together... As long as the thing is done, we will all have credit. Will the court still treat us badly? No matter how bad it is, we can still make friends with General Sun. When the chaos in Jiangnan is put down, self-preservation is absolutely necessary. There will be no problem. Of course, this kind of thing cannot be accomplished by the Su family alone, and we need all of you to work together." It was only then that Su Mao finally revealed the true purpose of today.
After taking control of Suzhou, Sun Tu regretted it. If he had known that he could control the defenders so easily, he would not have sent people to set fire to the granary in the city. It would be better to keep it for himself. However, he also knew that if the fire in the granary had not attracted some troops to leave, and the resulting moral turmoil among the Wu army, the battle last night might not have gone so smoothly.
But no matter what, recruiting troops and raising money and food became the key for him to defend Suzhou. It was obviously impossible to withstand the enemy's upcoming counterattack and completely defend Suzhou with just a few hundred elites. So after some thought, he decided to target the wealthy merchants and gentry in the city, and invited Su Mao as a lobbyist to communicate and persuade them.
"This..." After hearing his intention, everyone present showed hesitation and embarrassment.
The risk of this matter is too great, not because Su Mao colluded with the Song army and smuggled them into the city. Once Wu Jun recaptures Suzhou, these businessmen will really have no choice but to die. Moreover, they also knew that if they really helped Sun Tu raise military rations, it would be a huge expense. Even if they all had great wealth, they might not be able to withstand the expenses of the army. This would not be the same as the previous difficulties. Is the situation the same
And the last point, which is what everyone is most concerned about, is that after success, can their own family really be saved? Sun Tu was just a general of an army. How much power did he have in the court? Could he be as powerful as Zhu Meng, a feudal official? And they know Zhu Meng's character very well. This guy has suffered heavy losses this time. Once he really returns to Suzhou, he will inevitably find various reasons to attack his family. Will it be the same then
In front of Su Mao, an old friend, everyone didn't have too many worries, and they quickly expressed their worries in one word. Then someone said bluntly: "Brother Su, I cannot trust you, but after all, the stakes are very high. As long as you or General Sun can help us solve these problems, we are willing to cooperate with the Shandong Army even if we lose everything. "
This kind of problem is not something Su Mao, a businessman, can make empty promises. Fortunately, at this time, a voice sounded outside the hall at the right time: "What you all said is indeed reasonable. Since I, Sun Tu, have something to ask of you, I naturally cannot let you spend your money in vain. These issues will be answered by me, Sun Tu." Let me answer it for you." Following these words, Sun Tu entered the hall.