"See Your Highness the Sixth Highness!" Li Wufeng, who was fully dressed in military uniform, bowed respectfully.
"Master Li is so polite! You and I brothers don't have to be so polite! Everyone, please forgive me too!" A burst of hearty laughter burst out from his throat. Situ Biao took two steps to help Li Wufeng, who was about to bow, and took advantage of the situation. He held Li Wufeng's arm affectionately, and at the same time greeted several important generals under Li Wufeng warmly.
"Hey, etiquette cannot be discarded, Your Highness." A sincere smile appeared on Li Wufeng's face. He still performed a standard half-kneeling salute before standing up. The generals who originally didn't want to salute anymore saw that their superiors insisted on saluting. I had to follow suit and salute.
"Your Highness, please!" "Master Li, please!"
Situ Biao inadvertently removed the word "six" from his name to Li Wufeng, with an unnoticed smile on his lips. He took Wufeng's hand and walked into the spacious living room of the city guard's mansion together.
After listening to Wu Feng's detailed introduction to the battle to suppress the bandits and the defeat of the Luobi invasion, Situ Biao asked with concern about the current situation in the northwest counties. Wu Feng also introduced them one by one and objectively Existing difficulties were also reported.
Situ Biao was very satisfied. It seemed that Li Wufeng was quite honest with him. He did not conceal anything about the situation he introduced. From the current point of view, it was not clear that this person had any ulterior motives. He was somewhat different from the views of his own advisers. But the current surface phenomenon alone is far from enough to make a judgment. What is more important is to observe its actions. But this is at least a good start, Situ Biao thought thoughtfully.
Li Wufeng, who was sitting next to him, still looked polite on the surface, and treated Situ Biao with great respect, and even showed some intimacy, but in his mind he was carefully trying to figure out the other person's intentions.
The kings are competing for the throne, and each prince wants to defeat his brothers to stand out and win the throne. This naturally requires the princes to have support from many aspects. Among them, the favor of His Majesty the Emperor is naturally crucial, but he himself has a strong Strength and powerful supporters are also indispensable. Otherwise, even if you sit on the throne of the emperor but are not strong enough, you may still be overthrown by others. There are many such examples. Not surprisingly, that is There are also two precedents in this dynasty. Perhaps his current strength has aroused the concern of many "careful people", and this Situ Biao is probably one of them. He strongly recommended himself to serve as the military and political governor of Northwest County. This hot position can be regarded as a big investment. Now He might think it's time to talk about earnings.
Wu Feng thought in his heart, but showed no expression on his face. Since he wanted to talk about profits, he could take the opportunity to complain first and let him win some support for the northwest county in the center of the empire. It would not be in vain for Situ Biao to go to the northwest in person.
He frowned, thinking about it. "Your Highness, I think it would be better for me to accompany His Highness for a walk and conduct an on-the-spot inspection of Bonan Mansion, so that I can actually understand the specific situation in Northwest County."
Situ Biao readily agreed to Li Wufeng's proposal. He also wanted to find a suitable time to talk alone with this young man whom he could not understand, at least to find out his background and see what his weight could do. You can't bet on him with confidence. But the face of the person in front of him always felt a little unclear to him, as if there was a faint veil of mist shrouding him in front of him.
A luxurious carriage slowly drove out of the gate of Bonan City Guards House under the strict guard of knights. Considering that the situation in Bonan was not completely calm, Situ Biao's identity was also unusual, and he had been assassinated twice. To snipe, Wufeng took quite strict security measures.
The carriage drove slowly down the deserted streets of Bonan. Most of the houses on both sides of the streets looked dilapidated. The huge impact of long-term war and banditry on the economy here can be seen at a glance. However, Situ Biao, who had been silent all the time, seemed a little absent-minded while sitting in the large carriage. Li Wufeng, who accompanied him, could not find anything to say to break the deadlock.
At this moment, Situ Biao was concentrating on how to start the conversation.
The pacification of the northwest is a foregone conclusion, and I can give a satisfactory answer to my father when I go back. Although the person in front of me can take the top spot in Northwest County because of his own efforts, there are too many examples of people crossing the bridge and drawing boards. Strength determines everything, and no one will bet on a side that has no chance of winning. , Situ Biao is not that naive if he hopes to win his loyalty and surrender based on this. In terms of strength, he should be the weakest among the several princes. It is too early to consider whether Li Wufeng will support him in the future battle for the throne, but at least this is an opportunity to win over him. After all, he is the only one. To reach the sky in one step, the foundation in the imperial court is still very weak, and in many aspects, it still needs a strong supporter from the central government of the empire. My bet this time has been successful. I will definitely get praise from my father when I return, and my position in the court will be greatly improved. I have to get a good feel for his true thoughts.
"Your Highness, please take a look! This was originally a prestigious commercial district. At that time, there were many shops lined up in rows and many merchants crowded the alleys. But now,"
The carriage has arrived at the once prosperous commercial district of Bonan Mansion, but now it is in a dilapidated and depressed state. Several surviving merchants are missing, which makes people feel sad. Seeing this, Wu Feng couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Oh?" Li Wufeng's words made Situ Biao wake up from his thoughts. He looked around casually, and then returned to the carriage. At this moment, he didn't have much thoughts to care about Bonan's economic situation. He wanted to What you know is what the person who introduced you to the situation thinks about you.
The carriage circled the city and then drove out of the city. Although Li Wufeng also saw that His Highness the Sixth Prince did not seem to care much about the situation in Bonan, he still wanted Situ Biao to take a look at the current situation in Bonan Mansion. Let him go back and report the true situation to the central ministers of the empire and His Majesty the Emperor. Although Wu Feng has no illusions about the support from the central government of the empire, having someone help these poor people cry out and complain is not a bad thing at least. It can at least help some people gain some psychological balance.
This is an open area with kilns scattered in twos and threes. The withered weeds are shivering in the strong northwest wind, and a few wild dogs can be seen occasionally.
Li Wufeng and Situ Biao both got off the car and walked to a high ground, "Your Highness, this is the famous official kiln area of the empire, and over there is the private kiln area. More than ten years ago, no matter day or night, the roads here were full of people waiting. The loading transport vehicles and all the kilns are working overtime day and night, people are not taking a break, and the merchants are waiting here day and night. At night, the place is also bright and bright, and it is prosperous for a while!"
Li Wufeng's words finally aroused Situ Biao's interest, "Oh? I didn't expect that this place would be in such a state now." While sighing, Situ Biao was also carefully looking at this once glorious kiln area.
"I heard that the natal family of Imperial Concubine Sogna (Situ Biao's mother) is also a prominent family in Wuhu County. It seems that they also run a large-scale ceramics business. I wonder if Your Highness is interested in the business here?"
Li Wufeng's calm words reached Situ Biao's ears, but they couldn't help but send a chill down Situ Biao's spine. Even in the court, not many people knew about his mother's natal family. As for the source of funds that supported his maternal uncle's family, a large part of it came from the ceramics business. Even fewer people knew that Li Wufeng had such a keen sense of smell. This couldn't help but make Situ Biao feel a little shocked.
Although Situ Biao's expression did not change much, Wu Feng's lack of concentration at that moment was noticed by Wu Feng, "Your Highness, there is no need to be suspicious. Whoever supports me, I should at least understand his situation, don't you think so?" A sly smile appeared on Li Wufeng's lips.
"Master Li is very well-informed!" Situ Biao had completely returned to normal. He patted Wu Feng on the shoulder with a smile, "It's easy to talk to smart people. I can persuade them to invest here, but how do you solve it?" Is there a problem with the sales of goods here, that is, a problem with trade routes? Although the Luobei people are newly defeated, your strength has no advantage over them, not to mention that a long section of the northern trade route is within their scope."
Wu Feng also admired Situ Biao's adaptability. Not only did he return to normal immediately, but he also hit the nail on the head with his suggestions. If he didn't give him a reasonable explanation, it would be difficult to win his trust.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. If I'm not sure about this, how dare I make this suggestion in front of Your Highness? To be honest with Your Highness, I have reached a preliminary agreement on trade routes with the Luobei people. This is a mutual benefit for both parties." It's an agreement of great benefit. I think the Luobei people will probably abide by this agreement until they are absolutely sure of defeating us." Wu Feng blinked and revealed the explosive news in an understatement.
Situ Biao was a little shocked and a little surprised. Making foreign treaties was the power of the central government of the empire. No local government at any level had the right to make decisions. Even the Lin family of Sanjiang or the Lang family of Tiannan did not dare to try it. It was easy to do so. Angry the center of the empire. And this person actually said it without caring. Isn't he afraid that outsiders will know
After being silent for a long time, Situ Biao raised his head and stared into Li Wufeng's eyes. Those eyes still looked calm and calm, "Master Li, aren't you afraid that I will go back and tell the truth?"
He smiled silently, showing his dazzling white teeth, "As your Highness just said, there is no need to hide when talking to smart people. The harm to me will not bring any benefit to Your Highness. The combination of interests is enough to overwhelm everything. We Both sides need each other, and that’s the premise for me to tell you this news.”
An indescribable complex emotion quietly spread in Situ Biao's heart. Is dealing with Li Wufeng a wise choice or a stupid decision? A sentence suddenly popped up in his mind: "Dances with Wolves!"