Fan Xian quietly looked at Yun Zhilan in front of him, and unexpectedly thought of the first time he saw this master of swordsmanship in the night palace in Kyoto many years ago. At that time, he was just a fledgling young man who had first stepped onto the political stage of the Three Kingdoms, while Yun Zhilan, the head disciple of Jianlu, was already famous all over the world, and he was the real head of the Dongyi City Mission.
Six years have passed, Fan Xian has become one of the top few people in the world, and Yun Zhilan even wants to worship him in front of him, to show his allegiance to him.
Fan Xian didn't know what Si Gu Jian had arranged before his death, and how to persuade Yun Zhilan, who was a diehard, but he could feel that Yun Zhilan's attitude was not too pretentious. For a strong man, once he has decided on something, it is very difficult to go back on it.
But he heard Yun Zhilan's sentence very clearly, and heard the four words "Twelve Swords". Fan Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at him calmly and said, "Twelve swords... Ruoyun, everyone, this sword heart is not here, how can I control these twelve swords?"
Before Yun Zhilan could reply, he had already stood up, solemnly lifted the head disciple of the Sword Cottage, and said sincerely: "I know that Master Yun will never believe me just because of the last words of Lord Sword Saint, and I don't need to." You believe me, but if this is a deal, I need the power of the sword house, and the sword house also needs my protection, but if you are not here, how can I hold these twelve swords tightly?"
There was no smile on Yun Zhilan's face, and he said indifferently: "My teacher will naturally prepare a way to reassure Mr. Fan."
After saying this, Yun Zhilan turned around and walked away, not giving Fan Xian the slightest chance to exchange feelings and win over Jian Xin.
Fan Xian stood inside the room as if lost, thinking about what affairs Si Gu Jian arranged for Yun Zhilan? But after a while, he guessed that although Si Gu Jian wanted to place a big bet on himself, he always needed someone to check and balance himself, watch him, and supervise him.
Yun Zhilan is the one who dissociates from the alliance of interests. With his prestige in the hearts of the disciples of Jianlu, if Fan Xian's actions in the future will cause too much damage to the interests of Dongyi City, he will issue an order. Of the twelve swords that Fan Xian possessed in name, in an instant, only the poor lonely one remained.
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After Yun Zhilan entered the room was the second disciple of Jianlu. Fan Xian looked at the middle-aged man quietly, and found that the man's appearance was ordinary, there was nothing outstanding in his eyebrows and eyes, and even the sword intent on his body was deeply wrapped in the depths. The padded robe he wears doesn't look like a powerful swordsman, but more like a housekeeper.
After the senior brother came, it was the second senior brother. Fan Xian smiled wryly in his heart. Si Gu Jian pushed himself directly onto the fire. It seemed that the disciples of Jianlu had accepted his will and came to him in turn. Reporting.
Fan Xian glanced at the small brown urn beside him from the corner of his eye, a trace of bewildered emotion appeared in his eyes, a generation of sword masters had turned into a jar of ashes at hand.
He stroked the small urn lightly with his hand, and seemed to be able to feel the slight warmth of Si Gu Jian's ashes. With the movement of his fingers, the gaze of the second senior brother who was like a housekeeper also changed, but he immediately calmed down. With a wave of his hand, several third-generation disciples of Jianlu came in carrying a few boxes.
Fan Xian raised his head and asked with a smile, "Could this be the legacy of Lord Juggernaut?"
The second senior brother smiled and didn't say anything, until all the boxes were placed in Fan Xian's room, then he said softly: "Of course, my Jianlu's property is not limited to this. Here are just some things that can be used temporarily. Industrial turnover, the master said that you need money now, so I will bring it for you. There are also some accounts, I think you must be interested, so I moved here on my own initiative."
Fan Xian was slightly surprised, and quietly looked at the butler-like master of the Sword House. Of course, he would not despise the second senior brother. On the contrary, among the thirteen disciples of the Sword House, he always thought that the second senior brother was worth noting. Regardless of the time when Yun Zhilan and Wang Shisanlang were in conflict, this second senior brother could always remain neutral and not be involved, and Si Gu Jian kept him outside the sword hut, so he knew that this person had won the favor of Si Gu Jian. trust.
Money, accounts? Fan Xian squinted his eyes at him and asked, "Thank you for your hard work. I don't know what these accounts are about."
The second disciple of Jianlu said in harmony: "It has something to do with the Taiping Bank."
Hearing these words, Fan Xian could no longer sit comfortably on the pedestal. He suddenly got up, stared at the second disciple for a long time without saying a word, and finally couldn't help laughing at himself, and said in an admiring tone: " Unexpectedly, I don't think anyone would have guessed... that the owner of the largest bank in the world is actually a... a strong man hidden in the sword hut."
Taiping Bank, the number one bank in the world! The Qingguo Ming family had such a huge industry back then, but to a certain extent, it also relied on the running water support of the Taiping Bank. Since this bank came into being, it has been the largest and most reputable bank in the world, not one of them, and For decades, no other bank has been able to threaten its status.
Even a few years ago, Fan Xian and the little emperor of Northern Qi secretly joined forces, and then used the old officials from the household department sent by his father to take care of them, creating a deformed and favored China Merchants Bank, but in front of the Taiping Bank, it still looks like A small child who is not well developed.
Fan Xian, who holds the production and sales rights of the internal treasury, two smuggling channels, a brothel alliance, and a very large bank, is undoubtedly the richest person in the world.
But he knew that although he had a lot of silver in his hand, it was still not enough compared to Taiping Bank!
Because this Taiping Bank is deeply rooted in mainland business, and all the big businessmen have a deep relationship with it. If Taiping Bank really exerts its strength, the money that can be mobilized can reach a jaw-dropping level. the point.
Fan Xian is not an ordinary high-ranking official. He has a business and social economy in his previous life, and he has dealt with merchants more in this life, so he knows the terrifying strength of Taiping Bank and the effectiveness that this bank can play better than ordinary people.
In the past, he had asked the Overwatch Council to investigate the secrets of the Taiping Bank, but every time he found a lot, the clues stopped abruptly. Of course, since the No. 1 bank in the world originated in Dongyi City, it is naturally related to Jianlu, and at least Sigu Jian must be behind it to support it, but Fan Xian never imagined that the No. 1 bank in the world, Taiping Bank, itself It is the property of Jianlu!
And the owner of Taiping Bank is Jianlu's second disciple!
Fan Xian stared at the owner of the Taiping Bank in a daze, with infinitely complicated emotions in his heart. Only then did he realize how much Si Gu Jian had suppressed and how much strength he had gained in this big bet before his death.
The Twelve Swords are terrifying, and the control of Dongyi City is terrifying, but what is really scary is probably the few boxes of accounts sent into the house at this time.
The accounts of the Taiping Bank.
Fan Xian took a deep breath, looked at the second disciple of the Sword Cottage with admiration, and asked in a harmonious voice, "I don't know your name yet."
This kind of respect is not to respect the other party's status as a sword hut disciple, the ninth-rank powerhouse, but to respect the other party's status as the owner of the Taiping Bank. The most respectable thing in this world is of course strength, and the person who controls half of the world's money , without a doubt the most respectable.
At least Fan Xian thought so.
"Li Bohua." The second disciple of Jianlu, the owner of Taiping Bank, was not surprised by Fan Xian's attitude, and said gently, "He has been in charge of Taiping Bank for sixteen years."
Fan Xian was silent for a moment, not knowing what attitude he should use to talk to this person. According to Si Gujian, this person should be for his own use, but can a big man who owns the Taiping Bank really be for his own use
Immediately afterwards, he thought of something else, and his pupils gradually narrowed—with the strength in his hands, the China Merchants Bank, plus the Taiping Bank, which vaguely controls the lives of countless merchants and people, should be able to fight against anything with such strength.
This is a bottom-up confrontation.
Li Bohua looked at Fan Xian's expression, knew what he was thinking, and said slowly: "Taiping Bank lends money to the world, but if the current situation is difficult, I am afraid that those foreign loans will not be recovered. But..."
But when the book came out, Fan Xian looked at him, waiting for his next sentence.
"The silver bills are flying all over the world, but the silver roots are always in Dongyi City." Li Bohua did not hide the slightest in front of Fan Xian, "If Mr. Fan can gather these forces together, it can indeed affect many things. If you want to make the world chaotic , it's not too difficult."
Only those with power can speak confidently. Fan Xian only found out today that among the thirteen disciples of the Sword Cottage, the most powerful person is not Yun Zhilan with the highest prestige, nor Thirteen Lang with the most promising realm, but This is Li Bohua who holds the most silver taels.
"This is a big gift." Fan Xian had calmed down from the previous shock, and said slowly, "If Dongyi City asks too much, I still can't do it. I have to explain in advance."
"This is already your property, sir." Li Bohua looked at him with a smile that was not a smile. Unlike ordinary martial arts masters, this invisible oligarch in the mainland business world could see Fan Xian's caution at a glance, and said in a harmonious voice: " Master did not ask you to do anything in the will, presumably you have already negotiated, I just carry out."
Fan Xian frowned, and laughed at himself, "I've already been smashed once in my life by a golden pot falling from the world, so I'm going to be smashed a second time today?"
"I don't know what you need money for, but I have money." After a long silence, Li Bohua suddenly said, "Of course, personally, I want to make a condition to you."
Fan Xian looked at him quietly, and said after a while: "You have the qualifications and strength to put forward any conditions."
Li Bohua got up slowly, and said: "Taiping Bank was originally the property of the city lord's mansion in Dongyi City, and later it was the private property of Jianlu. I have spent 16 years in it, and the bank is getting bigger and bigger, but please You remember that the money in the bank is not only the money in the bank, but also the deposits of all the merchants in Dongyi City, and even the deposits of countless people in Northern Qi and Nanqing. If you want to use it, you must have a limit. We can’t dig out all the money from the merchants.”
"It's natural."
"I mean, the Taiping Bank, actually the bank of the Dongyi people, is their money root, their root." Li Bohua looked at him quietly, and said word by word: "You are only half of the blood of the Dongyi people. I want to remind you that our surrender is only in name, we don't want to become Yanjing people, Jiangnan people, Weizhou people, we just want to be Dongyi people."
"Speak directly." Fan Xian squinted at him.
"You can't garrison troops." Li Bohua frowned and said softly.
As soon as the words came out, Fan Xian smiled slightly, looked at him and said softly, "You are a smart person, of course you know, this is something that Master Juggernaut has already approved, and there is no way I will back down."
Immediately afterwards, he frowned and said, "You all have to be considerate of me. I have tried my best to convince thousands of people in Qing Kingdom."
Li Bohua also laughed. What he said earlier was just a means of negotiation, and he sincerely expressed his real request.
"If you must garrison troops, I hope they will be black cavalry." Li Bohua looked at Fan Xian and said calmly, "Nothing else."
Fan Xian shook his head: "The total number of black knights is only one thousand, and His Majesty will not agree."
"That is the eldest prince's old family. It is best for the eldest prince to come here in person." Li Bohua did not give in any more, and said: "Now the princes and states have begun to change, and the hearts of the people have also begun to be chaotic. After the funeral, Ruoqing If the army enters forcefully, I am afraid that it will cause a lot of backlash, and the situation will become chaotic, how to solve this problem?"
"Could it be that the black cavalry or the original Zhengxi army entered Dongyi City, so there wouldn't be this problem?"
Li Bohua said with a smile: "You are the master of the black cavalry, and your highness is the master of the Zhengxi army... and all the people in Dongyi City know that you are the descendant of Miss Ye's family, and your highness is the son of Aunt Ning."
Fan Xian frowned slightly, wondering what key effect this had on the stability of Dongyi City.
"It depends on people's hearts." Li Bohua said softly: "Dongyi City has produced two most famous women in the past 20 years, one is Lingtang, and even today, the businessmen in Dongyi City still treat the old Ye The family is regarded as the pride of Dongyi City, and the other is Aunt Ning, a poor female prisoner in Dongyi City, who eventually became the imperial concubine of a foreign country... It may sound strange to you, but in fact, Dongyi People in Yicheng never consider this a humiliation, they only consider it a rare honor."
Fan Xian was silent, and naturally thought of those Chinese girls who became Nordic princesses and rich wives in the previous life. It seemed that people's emotions at that time were not against each other, but rather secretly happy. It's a strange joy of proclaiming the country's fawning on foreign countries.
"It's because the status of Miss Ye's family and Aunt Ning in the hearts of Dongyi people has not changed." Li Bohua looked at him and said, "So you or the eldest prince, in the hearts of many businessmen and people, are actually half of Dongyi." Barbarians, if one of you is stationed here, the mood among the people will be more easily calmed down."
After a long silence, Fan Xian said: "What you said makes sense, and I can try to convince His Majesty the Emperor with these words. Presumably His Majesty also wants a complete Dongyi City, not a city where rebels are everywhere and blood flows like rivers."
"Thank you for your hard work." After Li Bohua said this, he saluted deeply and prepared to leave.
Regarding the specific matters of Dongyi City's vassalization, such as whether to pay tribute every year or directly include it in the tax system of Kyoto, it is still under discussion among officials at all levels. And above all these matters, of course, the most important thing is to garrison the military. Li Bohua came here today with the Taiping Bank, abandoned the box and left, but the burden on Fan Xian's shoulders was even heavier. some.
"Please wait a moment." Fan Xian suddenly asked to keep the guests. At this time, the shock in his heart could not be completely dispelled. He really didn't understand why Si Gu Jian decided to gamble on himself before he died, while Jian Hut's These disciples, without asking the details or the reason, just moved out of Dongyi City's property in such a heroic and even reckless manner.
They didn't know the past like Si Gu Jian did, they knew the deep gap between Fan Xian and the emperor that was difficult to bridge, so why should they trust Fan Xian.
"We just believe in Master's wisdom." Li Bohua looked at him and said with a smile, "You must also know that Master has never been an idiot."
Fan Xian was silent, then laughed, and said, "I think you have invested so much, there must be some way to supervise me."
"Of course it can't be Yun Zhilan." Fan Xian squinted his eyes and thought, and said slowly: "The City Lord's Mansion will be re-established, and Yun Zhilan is the best choice. Checks and balances on me...but where are your checks and balances on me personally? You should know that I am not a man to be controlled."
"We are not sure that we can control Mr. Xiao Fan." Li Bohua said calmly, "So we are just following Master to make a big gamble. It will be beyond our expectations, after all, you are from Qing, the illegitimate son of Emperor Qing, the life and death of Dongyi City must not be that important to you."
"Since you have thought of this, why do you dare to bet?"
"We don't have any other power in Dongyi City, we just have money and...sword." Li Bohua gave a salute with a smile, and walked out of the quiet room.
Then a sword entered the quiet room.
The exhausted Wang Shisanlang turned pale. After watching Fan Xian in silence for a long time, he said in a very low voice, "From today on, I will follow you every day. If you break your promise, I will kill you."
"Can you kill me?" Fan Xian sighed and shook his head.
Wang Shisanlang stared at him stubbornly, and said: "If I read you wrong... you can't be killed, you have to be killed." !)