Qin Mubai returned to the inn, ready to take the salute and go to the military camp. Chen Yan was right. As an official of the imperial court, especially a Beijing official appointed by the emperor, it was indeed a bit inappropriate to arrive in Xiangzhou for several days without showing up at his post.
In the inn, the few Baiqi guards who had been selected earlier were still waiting patiently. When Qin Mubai and Chen Yan went to the small building, they disappeared without warning.
When he returned to the inn, the guard told Qin Mubai that King Wu had sent Yuwen Hongtai to the inn to find him, saying that there was something important. That Yuwen Hongtai was so impatient that the guards told him that he didn't know where General Qin was and he was determined to find him. He just searched the entire inn and almost dug three feet into the ground, but he still had to deal with these few people. The guards got into a quarrel and said they were "hiding the truth" and not reporting it.
Qin Mubai was amused after hearing this. Heizi is a straightforward guy. After Li Ke handed over the task, he would only focus on completing it and would not think about anything else. On the contrary, there is no doubt that the soldiers of Baiqi have always been smart and sensible.
"Then check out the guest room, and then go to the Governor's Mansion!" Qin Mubai asked the guards to sort things out, and then they went to the Governor's Mansion together.
Yuwen Hongtai was serving as a guard in the Governor's Mansion and led troops on patrol. As soon as he saw Qin Mubai, he hurried over and shouted: "General Qin, I have been looking for you all day. You are alive and dead, and you are dead. Where have you been?"
Qin Mubai and others were all amused.
"Heizi, you really can't speak with such a foul mouth." Qin Mubai slapped his helmet loudly and cursed, "Why are you so anxious to find me?"
"Hehe!" Yuwen Hongtai smiled innocently, "I don't know either. It's just that His Highness is looking for you anxiously, so I am also anxious. It must be an important matter!"
"Why would His Highness send a fool like you out to do things? In the past, this was all Yin Yang's business." Qin Mubai looked around and said, "By the way, why haven't I seen Yin Yang and Xue Rengui recently, only you, a black guy?" Hanging around in the governor's mansion?"
"Hehe, you still know us well!" Yuwen Hongtai smiled with his face as rotten as a chrysanthemum and said with a wide grin, "If the two of them hadn't been ordered to go to Anzhou for work, how could they have sent me out to make a fool of ourselves? !”
"Going to Anzhou?" Qin Mubai frowned slightly and suddenly realized, "Oh, yes! I'm probably going to pick up the princess!"
"Wow! You are so clever, you guessed it right!" Yuwen Hongtai exclaimed, "His Royal Highness has taken office in Xiangzhou, which is not too far from Anzhou. Princess Wu has been recuperating in Anzhou, but she is separated from His Highness It’s been a year or two, it’s time to meet again!”
"I'm the youngest? Who did you learn this title from?" Qin Mubai said disdainfully.
"My servants in the government office! Haha, they all call us that, and I feel very comfortable after hearing that! Maybe people in Xiangzhou are used to this name!" Yuwen Hongtai laughed.
"Go patrol your sentry, idiot!" Qin Mubai cursed with a smile and went to the backyard to meet Li Ke.
Li Ke was in the study. Qin Mubai just entered and understood what was going on, because Zheng Anshun happened to be there too.
"Well, you're finally here." Li Ke pretended to look behind Qin Mubai and asked in surprise, "Why are you alone, where is Nvxia Chen?"
"She's not my follower, how can I care about her?" Qin Mubai calmly changed the topic, "Brother Zheng is here, I guess there must be something important?"
"General Qin came just in time. I have something important to report to you." Zheng Anshun said, "After receiving your order the day before yesterday, I did not dare to neglect, so I immediately started to act. As expected by the general, Zhengchang Lianghao The people will soon find me and contact me about selling food.”
"What's the name of the person coming?" Qin Mubai asked.
"The surname is Duan."
"But Duan Laoqi, known as the Seventh Shopkeeper?"
"No." Zheng Anshun said, "It's Duan Rongji, the big boss of Zhengchang Lianghao."
Qin Mubai suddenly nodded: "Yes. To meet a person like you, you should go to the big boss. Of course a small seventh shopkeeper is not qualified."
Zheng Anshun smiled slightly and said: "There is another person traveling with him, which is a bit beyond my expectation. That person's surname is Ouyang, and his single name is Jun. He is the boss of Yongye Salt Factory."
"Oh, it is true that grain and salt are not separated. Your title as the eldest son of the Zheng family really works. Zhengchang Grain Company and Yongye Salt Factory were dispatched together." Qin Mubai said, "So, these two people are still united Get up and consult with you?"
"Not bad." Zheng Anshun said, "Perhaps they saw that I had a bigger appetite this time and thought that the source of wealth should not be lost, so they were eager to get started! But they were very cautious and repeatedly asked me about the method of purchasing and shipping the goods this time. I asked about the whereabouts of the food and how to pay for it, and I obviously came prepared after thinking about Zhou Xiang. But in the end, they said they couldn't afford 500,000 shi of food. "At the moment, there are only 50,000 shi of Huyang white rice and 5,000 shi of fine Huai salt."
"You are cunning enough." Qin Mubai scolded and said, "This amount of grain and Huai salt seems normal for an official grain and salt company in Shangzhou. In this way, even if they are beaten by us If you are caught smuggling these official grains and official salt, the crime will not be much serious. "
"Yes!" Li Ke also said, "Every year, the amount of grain and salt transferred in and out of Xiangzhou Wharf is nearly five million stones. Most of the grain and salt are handed over to Zhengchang Lianghao and Yongye Salt Factory's caravans are transporting or selling to other places. Even I don't believe that they only dare to sell tens of thousands of stone grains and salt privately, because they have been able to cover up in Xiangzhou all these years. God, I have never been afraid of anyone, and the king's law has no binding force on them."
"Can grain accounts and grain stores cover the sky with one hand?" Qin Mubai and Zheng Anshun asked together.
"Do you think anyone can become an official trading firm?" Li Ke curled his lips and said, "Duan Rongji, the big owner of Zhengchang Liang Company, came from an old and wealthy family. He was a well-known wealthy gentry in Jingxiang. He was among the local gentry. He has a very high reputation and appeal. Moreover, he is the brother-in-law of Sima Wei Xiaochen of the governor's office. Because of this relationship, the old Duan family has many intermarriages with the Wei family of Chang'an, and thus has contacts with many people in the officialdom. Very dense.”
"In addition, Ouyang Jun, the big boss of Yongye Salt Factory, has a bigger background. Mu Bai, do you still remember Wu Meiniang's father?"
"Warrior Yu, what does it have to do with him?"
"It's a big deal." Li Ke smiled slightly and said, "How did Warrior Xun get rich? I don't need to elaborate on it, right? At that time, Ouyang Jun's father was a good friend who went into business with Warrior Xun in the early years. He also financed Emperor Wude's army. Later, warrior Yu got his wish and became one of the eight prime ministers of Wude Dynasty due to his merits. Ouyang Jun's father was not as effective as warrior Yu and was not good at officialdom, so he remained unknown. However, Emperor Wude and the warrior Xun did not forget him and gave him the title of viscount. But Ouyang Jun's father passed away soon. You all know what happened shortly after my father ascended the throne. Xun lost power and invited himself to Xiangzhou to serve as a foreign official. One of the reasons was because of Ouyang Jun's invitation. The warrior Xun, a foreign official and governor, lived a good life here. An important reason was because of the Ouyang family. At the same time, the warrior Xun also used his power to provide many conveniences to the Ouyang family, which further strengthened the local influence of the Ouyang family. If it were not for the support of the Ouyang family, there would be a strong sense of xenophobia. , presumably the abdicated prime minister may not be able to spend the rest of his life here. So to put it bluntly, it is not the Ouyang family who fawns over the Wu family, but the warrior Xun who took the initiative to seek refuge with this old friend from the business world. "
"Your Highness spoke in great detail, and I have one or two sentences to add." Zheng Anshun said, "The commercial ports in Jingzhou are active and have unlimited financial resources. Our Zheng family has actually wanted to start a business for a long time. But this place is simply inaccessible. All the merchants are led by the Ouyang family and the Duan family, and they obey their orders. Therefore, over the years, we have preferred to go to the Huyang area to purchase goods, and rarely go to the nearby Xiangzhou Port. Doing business. As long as Ouyang Jun says something, no one dares to sell us a tael of grain and salt, not even the little salt gangsters. "
"I didn't expect that the two local snakes, the Ouyang family and the Duan family, are so awesome that they won't even give you the face of the Zheng family. This is really in line with the saying that a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake." Qin Mubai said, "In this way, Things are still a bit tricky, have I underestimated them? "
"It's indeed a bit tricky. Firstly, Ouyang and Duan are not ordinary businessmen who can be bullied. They are very powerful in the local area, and they are also very shrewd and cautious. Secondly, they claim that they don't have so much grain and salt, and I can't Argue that they have. Therefore, the initiative is in their hands." Zheng Anshun said.
"Wait a minute." Li Ke said, "Since they don't have so much food and salt, why do they come to you? Is it because they are so full that they deliberately bump into you to punish you, the eldest young master of the Zheng family, for offending your Zheng family? What's wrong with them? It’s no good!”
"Your Highness is wise!" Zheng Anshun smiled slightly, "Businessmen are only after profit. Obviously they want to make money. They took the initiative to find me, which has two meanings. First, they want to express and demonstrate to me. If our Zheng family wants to do business in Xiangzhou, we can only cooperate with the two of them and act based on their faces; secondly, they may have such a huge batch of goods in private to test me. !”
"It's very possible!" Qin Mubai and Li Ke said in unison.
"Then how do you plan to gain their trust?"
Zheng Anshun smiled confidently: "What they doubt is nothing more than two points. First, what is the use of such a large batch of grain; second, how can I transport such a large batch of grain."
"What's the use?" Li Ke's eyes lit up and he stroked his palm, "I'll help you with this. Tomorrow I will summon all the officials in the governor's office to discuss matters and tell them that I have received a secret order from the imperial court and ordered me to raise food and grass in Xiangzhou. We must collect a large amount of grain after this year’s autumn harvest and transport it to the Guanzhong imperial granary to prepare for emergencies.”
"Wonderful, feasible." Qin Mubai said, "The imperial court wants to collect grain in large quantities just to prepare for war. When His Highness released such news, they had to guess. But since it is a 'secret order', it is related to the country. Who dares to reveal the secret? Therefore, for businessmen, they can see unlimited business opportunities!”
"Haha, this is feasible... The only disadvantage is that Duan Rongji will definitely take the opportunity to kill Zheng Anshun on the price of food." Li Ke said with a smile.
"That's okay. If I can create such groundless rumors, it will be easier for me to win Duan Rongji's trust." Zheng Anshun said, "As for the transshipment method, it will be easier to solve. It will be agreed upon later, and I will send people to several places. Delivering letters at the port. My Zheng family has been in business for generations, and we can still get together with just a few big ships. Once these big ships appear on the water of the Han River, Ouyang Jun and Duan Rongji will no longer doubt it."
"It's so wonderful!" Qin Mubai laughed cheerfully, "Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun, two old foxes, can they still be suspicious after seeing such a big movement? Haha! I just don't know, your Zheng family's big ship How big is it? How is it compared to the big ship called the ‘Sacred Fish Spaceship’ of Xiangzhou Military Mansion?”
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "I have seen the Shenyu spaceship before. It is a military ship that was transformed from a lucky ship in the Wuyue area. After the transformation, this kind of ship is strong and can sail into the sea and withstand wind, waves and collisions. But the loading capacity can only be regarded as average. Most of the large ships of my Zheng family are active in the Peng and Ying areas, traveling between Silla and Baekje, and occasionally I have been to Japan once or twice. , both in terms of loading capacity and sturdiness, it is still slightly better than Fuchuan.”
Li Ke couldn't help but stared in surprise: "The 'slightly better' that Master Zheng said must mean a lot better. Just tell me, the Zheng family's big ship can carry several times more stuff than the Fu ship?"
Zheng Anshun smiled modestly: "About... two to three times!"
"I...fuck!" Qin Mubai was cursing in his heart: The Shenyu spaceship is already the only giant ship in the river, so doesn't the Zheng family's ship look like a ship mother? This family is really perverted...!
"But won't such a big ship run aground in the river? Where in Xiangzhou can the dock be anchored?" Li Ke asked again.
"Your Highness is very worried." Zheng Anshun said, "Usually such large ships travel on the sea and occasionally enter the Yangtze River. Therefore, when I discussed with Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun, I said that if I transferred such a large ship, they would need to I have to find a way to transport the goods to Jingzhou so that I can load and unload them.”
"Great!" Qin Mubai said, "I want to see what they use to transport such a large amount of grain and salt out of Xiangzhou!"
"At that time, General Qin will lead his troops to capture the thieves and seize the stolen goods." Zheng Anshun said with a smile, "In this way, the strategy of luring the snake out of its hole will be considered successful."
"It's not that simple." Li Ke curled his lips and said, "At least Qin Mubai must be able to guarantee that there are no informants from the Duan family and Ouyang family in the Xiangzhou Military Mansion under his command, but this is obviously difficult. Duan Rongji I am brother-in-law with Sima Wei Xiaochen of the Governor's Office; Wei Xiaochen and Du Chengyuan, the commander of the Military Office Guoyi, are close friends. In addition, coupled with Ouyang Jun's local appeal and influence, I must have confidants and helpers everywhere. We even suspect that the Xiangzhou Military Mansion has been helping them to protect them and is colluding with them. "
Zheng Anshun frowned: "So, it means that we are alone and weak? Even if we succeed in luring the snake out of the hole, it is very likely that there will be nothing we can do against the other party? Or maybe the news was leaked in advance, and the effort was in vain?"
Qin Mubai's expression became more solemn, and he waved his hand and said, "Your Highness is very worried, but Brother Zheng, you don't have to worry, just follow the plan and implement it step by step slowly! I will take care of the matters in the military mansion myself." There is a way to settle it. In the end, we have to rely on the absolute power of the army to fight against them. Leave this task to me!"
Li Ke smiled and said to Zheng Anshun: "Master Zheng, you can rest assured. Qin Mubai rarely takes the initiative to make promises or anything. But as long as he promises something, he will definitely do it. And he will do it. Very beautiful!”
Zheng Anshun glanced at Li Ke and Qin Mubai, smiled, and said, "It is a great blessing and fun to work together with two such smart people. Zheng, I am very honored!"
"Qin Mubai, then we have to watch your show next." Li Ke said with a smile, "Don't be greedy for tenderness and forget your own business!"
"What are you greedy for?" Qin Mubai smiled jokingly, "My tenderness is all in Chang'an."
"Oh, you actually used a pretense in front of me!" Li Ke deliberately made a serious face and shouted, "Please be honest with me and remember to please me. Otherwise I will betray you!"
"What are you betraying me for?" Qin Mubai laughed, and Zheng Anshun also laughed.
"Are you being stubborn, right?" Li Ke said seriously, "What if I am quick to talk and tell my precious princess about your flirting and unexplained affair with a certain heroine... Humph, that's enough. I’ll have to drink from you for several cups! To tell you the truth, I’m actually a spy lying in wait beside you, and Gao Yang has bribed me a long time ago!”
Qin Mubai and Zheng Anshun laughed together.
"Your Highness, even a spy can be so upright and righteous. You are unprecedented!"