The case of the water ghost was solved, making Qin Mubai and Li Ke famous and majestic in the land of Jingxiang!
The water ghost party left over from the Sui Dynasty and which had been causing trouble for the Han River for decades was completely defeated. The two local tyrants Du Chengyuan and Wei Xiaochen were overthrown overnight. Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun, two local tycoons, were defeated by one move. Come on, it all seemed to happen overnight.
When the news came out, Jingxiang was shocked and deafened!
To ordinary people, a rural Baojia or Li Zheng is a "big shot". Their casual words may change the fate of a family. It goes without saying that county magistrates and military officers are like people who eat royal food. They can only be looked up to. For many years, Wei Xiaochen, Du Chengyuan and others have been regarded as uncrowned emperors in the eyes of the people of Jingxiang. Many common people only knew Wei Du but not the Emperor.
Just when they hadn't memorized the names of Li Ke and Qin Mubai, Wei Du and the others were taken down and cooked in one pot!
Such speed and decisiveness is like a sharp knife cutting through hemp and setting fire to a prairie fire. It is so fast that it catches people off guard and is thrilling!
Overnight, the names of Li Ke and Qin Mubai resounded throughout Jingxiang.
The Chinese people's gossip soul seems to come from their ancestors. At this moment, the gossip soul of the people in Jingxiang is burning brightly. From the day it happened, many versions of the story began to be passed down orally among the people. Under the influence of some talented gossip kings, the story of Li Ke and Qin Mubai's wise fight with the water ghost was widely publicized with added fuel and jealousy. In different versions of the legend, Li Ke and Qin Mubai either transformed into a magic stick like Zhuge Liang, who was "so wise and almost demonic", or they transformed into a man who beat a hundred people and cut down ten streets without changing his expression or breathing. The enhanced version of Li Kui is, in short, extremely exaggerated, and the two of them are just short of being fictionalized into gods and demons.
In leisure places like wine shops and Qufang, various songs and lyrics were used to sing the deeds and merits of the two people, telling their stories that were exaggerated a hundred times. There are also some idle young officials or official literati who, starting from various mentalities, wrote countless poems praising virtues and describing events, which were either circulated in the form of calligraphy, or directly inscribed on scenic spots, On the walls of luxury stores, people can read and view them.
The power of the spirit of gossip is powerful, and the efficiency of word-of-mouth communication by gossipers is not much worse than the efficiency of modern high-tech media. It didn't take long before Li Ke and Qin Mubai, two mortal figures, were about to be deified by the people of Jingxiang and turned into a glorious "legend", reaching a height that could only be looked up to.
What is even more worth mentioning is that the passionate Jingxiang woman now has two more people to miss. Li Ke, the king of Wu, who was so handsome that he was extremely noble in blood and birth; Qin Mubai, the young hero who was also dashing, wise and courageous... I don’t know how many women and girls had their hearts tremble when they heard their names; I feel even more lonely.
At this moment, Qin Mubai, one of the legends, was living his life as usual. After the hustle and bustle, he enjoyed the current calm. I stayed in the military camp for several days and was busy cleaning up the military camp and taking care of military affairs.
The water ghost case was solved, and many people in the Xiangzhou Military Mansion were implicated. More than ten officials, large and small, were dismissed from their posts and questioned. More than half of the Zuoying navy was abolished. The whole camp was in turmoil and everyone was in panic. .
Qin Mubai knew that this was the best time to reorganize the army and establish his power. Breaking and building again is equivalent to starting over from scratch. It is most beneficial to him to completely break the old revolutionary situation.
Therefore, Qin Mubai issued a military order and issued a list to recruit soldiers. A major personnel change was carried out throughout the entire government. In fact, the entire personnel structure of the military government was overturned and rebuilt. Although there was a black sheep among the hundreds of cavalry brought from Chang'an, it did not affect their status and ability, nor did it affect Qin Mubai's trust in them. Among the remaining thirty people, except for Pang Fei, who had already served as the captain of Guoyi, more than half of the others were entrusted with grass-roots direct officers such as captain, brigade commander, and school captain, or were in charge of cavalry, grain, and garrison. The authority of these core confidential departments.
Even Du Chengyuan and Zhao Chong have been uprooted. Who is still capable of challenging Qin Mubai in the military mansion? Therefore, Qin Mubai handled everything almost exclusively by himself. With a stroke of a pen or a twitch of words, the matter was settled without anyone raising any questions.
The Tang Dynasty, a country that liked martial arts, never had to worry about the source of troops. Within two days of the announcement of the list, under Qin Mubai's prestigious call, the camp was suddenly overrun. Since there were so many people who surrendered to the army, they had to select and select again, selecting the best among the strong. At the same time, they also sent away a group of old, young and weak soldiers in the general's palace, and there was a major blood exchange.
After a major rebirth, the Xiangzhou Military Mansion instantly became vibrant and powerful. Qin Mubai ordered that due to the large-scale mixing, the whole battalion, whether veterans or recruits, Yueqi recruits or ordinary soldiers, all began to re-train. Naturally, all the training subjects were brand new and approved by Qin Mubai himself. The elite Baiqi soldiers have penetrated into every detail of the military mansion, and will maximize their technical and military advantages, driving the entire military mansion to flourish.
Qin Mubai worked hard to rectify the military government. Because he knows that his job is to be a general. If we don't make some achievements in the military, and if we do other tricks too well, that's unjustifiable. He didn't expect to train these ordinary civilians in Xiangzhou Military Mansion to be like Baiqi. But at least, they must be allowed to become "the elite among the government soldiers."
It has always been Qin Mubai's habit to work just a little bit harder and be better than others in everything he does without reaching the top.
A few days later, Qin Mubai, who had been busy for a long time, was finally able to take a break and go out for a walk under the premise that the situation in the military government was stable and everything was on track.
Yesterday, the King of Wu sent someone to deliver a letter saying that Zheng Anshun had not shown up since he was rescued. He stayed in Jingzhou for a long time. With the help of the local military government and the Yamen, he was responsible for taking care of a "water ghost" left behind. "Great disaster", I finally finished my busy work recently, so I came to Xiangzhou. No matter what, I have to meet him.
And this "big disaster" really surprised Qin Mubai. That is, the water ghost party has hoarded an extremely huge amount of official grain and official salt over the past few years. Li Ke invited Qin Mubai to meet him and discuss how to deal with this pile of things.
Qin Mubai handed over the affairs to Pang Fei, cleaned up briefly, and left the military camp for the Governor's Mansion. He thought for a while on the way, and thought that although Pang Fei was loyal and obedient, and could handle the things he told him, he still felt that he was not capable enough at the moment, and he felt a little uneasy if he was asked to stand alone. It would be nice to have a strong right-hand man by my side. Think of a way to see if you can "borrow" Xue Rengui to the military mansion for use. Anyway, he is also an officer of the royal palace. His military registration and official status are no different from those of an officer in the palace army. It is normal for him to be transferred to each other. When we got to the place, as long as we, the captain, and Li Ke, the governor, nodded and made a symbolic report to the Ministry of War, it would be done.
When we arrived at the backyard of the Governor's Mansion, we heard Li Ke's hearty laughter from a distance. He and Zheng Anshun were sitting in the hall, not knowing what they were talking about, and they were extremely speculative and happy.
"Look, the great hero of Qin is here, haha!" Both of them stood up to greet him.
Qin Mubai walked forward quickly and said with a smile: "How dare you bother His Highness King Wu and Young Master Zheng to come out to greet you? It's a shame!"
"Ha! The most famous hero from Jingxiang is here, who dares not to welcome him?" Li Ke laughed, "I am really shining!"
"Okay, don't make fun of me." Qin Mubai smiled, turned to Zheng Anshun, cupped his hand, and said, "Brother Zheng, I'm really ashamed that I made you suffer in prison for a while!"
"It's okay, it's okay." Zheng Anshun waved his hand with a smile, "Although he was imprisoned, he didn't suffer any special abuse. The food and drinks were delicious and well-served, but there were no close friends like Brother Qin to toast and drink with His Highness. I was depressed for a while.”
"Haha, then I won't come back until I'm drunk today!" Li Ke laughed, and walked into the hall with his hands on their shoulders, saying, "By the way, I've been looking forward to today for a while. The case of the water ghost After the break, I was busy handling government affairs and reorganizing the government office. Mu Bai returned to the camp to reorganize the military camp, and Brother Zheng was also cleaning up the aftermath in Jingzhou. This is more than half expected! Today, the three of us are finally together. Table, use a big drink!”
"I obey Jun's orders!" Qin Mubai and Zheng Anshun both responded with laughter.
Sharing a table is not just about putting the tables together and eating. The Tang Dynasty valued etiquette and respect for others. Even if a family eats together, it is done in an orderly manner and everyone eats at separate tables. Not to mention the royal family. There are rules for who should sit where, and no one dares to step outside the rules. Therefore, "sharing a table" is the most polite and noble way to treat others. For example, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang "eat at the same table and sleep at the same bed." This is a typical example of no distinction between superiority and inferiority and close intimacy with each other.
The tables were set up, and soon the wine and food were brought out. Qin Mubai's stomach growled and he smiled and said: "Haha, I have been eating dried fish, vegetable leaves and brown rice for half a month in the military camp. Today can be regarded as a tooth festival. The cook in your house can do it, Your Highness, these are all famous dishes only available in the palace!"
"Of course, you don't even know who you are entertaining!" Li Ke said with a winking smile, "We are all from Chang'an. When we go to a foreign land, we must miss the dishes of Chang'an, right? Haha, come on, use your chopsticks. , Be sure to eat and drink well today!”
"please!"
After half-full meals and three drinks, all three of them were satisfied.
"As the saying goes, a thousand cups are too little to meet a close friend. I haven't drank in the military camp for some days, so today I'm going to have a good drink with you two." Qin Mubai came to toast with a large glass of wine.
"Don't be in a hurry, don't drink too fast. Otherwise, it won't be good if you fall drunk on the ground." Li Ke waved his hand, and the two of them knew that he had something to say, so they put down their glasses and listened to him.
"While I'm enjoying the wine today, I also have something I want to discuss with you." Li Ke said to Qin Mubai, "When you didn't come just now, I had already discussed something with Brother Zheng, and now I want to hear your opinion."
"Well, please tell me, Your Highness."
Li Ke said casually: "Although the water ghost case has been solved, Xiangzhou has also suffered heavy losses, especially the commercial port. First of all, the two official merchants, Zhengchang Lianghao and Yongye Salt House, collapsed. There was a problem with the transportation and distribution of grain and salt. Recently, I personally sent government officials to temporarily manage it. However, the government is not a businessman after all, and it does not have their mature management methods and business methods, so the effect is not ideal. In addition, Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun, two leaders in the business community, were overthrown. Many Xiangzhou businessmen related to them were frightened and closed down their businesses to avoid the limelight, or moved their families to find other ways to make a living. I repeatedly sent people to comfort them. , the effect is not very great. If this continues, it will not be good. Xiangzhou's commercial port and dock have always been the most important source of revenue. If the commercial port is not restored as soon as possible, the people's livelihood and tax revenue in the whole state will be in big trouble. ”
"Therefore, I just asked Brother Zheng for advice. Originally, my opinion was that the Zheng family would take over the official grain account and salt factory in Xiangzhou." Li Ke said, "With the prestige and ability of the Zheng family, I think they will be able to Within a very short period of time, the commercial port was revitalized and revitalized.”
"Yes, there is indeed no more suitable candidate than the Zheng family." Qin Mubai nodded, "Is there anything else to discuss?"
"But Brother Zheng refused." Li Ke shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Please help me persuade him."
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "Your Highness, haven't I explained everything clearly to you? Brother Qin, it's better for you to avoid talking."
Qin Mubai frowned in confusion: "Brother Zheng, can you tell me the reason for your refusal?"
"Of course." Zheng Anshun nodded cheerfully and said, "Historically, merchants have their own rules and habits. Although our Zheng family has done business in 90% of the prefectures and counties in the Tang Dynasty, we have never set foot in Xiangzhou. As for the reason, I have explained it to you two before. In a word, the businessmen in Xiangzhou have always had a resistant and disgusting attitude towards the Zheng family in Chang'an. Now, although Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun. The leader has been overthrown, but it is not easy to change the mindset of Xiangzhou merchants. The most important thing in running an official business is channels and connections. If the local business gentry is disgusted with us, business will be difficult. Do it. Whether you make money or not is a secondary matter. Materials like grain and salt are extremely delayed. If there are delays and jams in the process of transportation and distribution, it may mean that tens of thousands of people face famine and salt shortages. , or the army is in danger of running out of food and war. This kind of risk is not something anyone can afford."
"How could it be?" Li Ke frowned and said, "Is it possible that the official grain and official salt you have got will not be distributed and distributed? Are the merchants in various channels not making any money even if they have it? "
"That's not the case, Your Highness." Qin Mubai said, "Although I am an outsider in the business world, I have been with Wu Meiniang and I have learned some of the secrets in it. As the saying goes, peers are jealous of each other. In addition to cooperation and sharing, businessmen To win, there is also competition and competition. If you make a lot of money, people will be jealous and want to make more than you, and they may even use some underhanded tricks to ruin your business, even if they don't necessarily make you more money. If the businessmen in Xiangzhou are generally hostile to the Zheng family in Chang'an, it will be even worse. As I said, making money is secondary. If you also bear unexpected potential risks, it is really not worth it. When doing business, especially for people like the Zheng family who do big business, the most important thing is not whether they make profits. It’s more about whether the risks and costs of the business are commensurate with the profits. Am I right, Brother Zheng?”
"It is true that Brother Qin is really a fellow-minded person." Zheng Anshun nodded and smiled and said, "It's not that Zheng has no confidence in doing business in Xiangzhou, but that he really cannot achieve the results that His Highness said. That is, He said, "I can't help reorganizing the Xiangzhou commercial port that is facing paralysis in a very short period of time. I suggest that Your Highness should appoint a boss who has experience, strength, potential, and is unfamiliar to the local businessmen in Xiangzhou." To take over the positions left by Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun and serve as the leader of Xiangzhou Commercial Port, it is best for this person to be younger, more decisive and vigorous in his work, and his Highness should provide him with strong official support. This is the best way. effective."
Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, thinking: Zheng Anshun is really a genius businessman. What he said sounds plain and simple, but it contains a well-known business philosophy in the 21st century - the catfish effect.
Fishermen transport sardines, but this fish is so delicate that the mortality rate is always high due to lack of oxygen during transportation. Obviously, dead fish are no more valuable than live fish, so the fishermen tried every possible means to find countermeasures, and finally came up with a trick - to stock a carnivorous catfish in the fish warehouse where sardines are transported!
As a result, during the transportation process, the sardines, which have a lazy personality and like tranquility, have to swim around in order to avoid predators. Thus, the problem of fish dying from lack of oxygen was solved. Moreover, "life lies in movement". The sardines moving crazily under the stimulation of survival instinct are more alive than when they were first caught!
Therefore, this catfish effect is widely used in enterprise and personnel management. In a lifeless group, introduce a strong competitive character to stimulate other members to "fight back", thus achieving the effect of activating the entire group. Practice has proven that this approach is far more effective than internal rectification without changing the medicine and institutional reform that only subsides.
Qin Mubai brought a group of hundreds of cavalry from Chang'an, eliminated the old personnel, and recruited new soldiers to inject them into the army. In fact, he was using the "catfish effect" to rebuild the army.
Of course Zheng Anshun had never learned this kind of thing, but he understood this truth from his family's nurturing and business experience. This kind of concept may be commonplace to us, but to the ancients who advocated moderation, it was really advanced and could be said to be beyond the times.
Otherwise, how could the Zheng family in Chang'an become the richest man in the Tang Dynasty? How could it be like this if there wasn't something extraordinary about it.
"Mubai, what's your opinion?" Li Ke asked Qin Mubai again after listening to Zheng Anshun's words.
"Brother Zheng said it very well. I raise my hands to express my agreement." Qin Mubai nodded and praised, "The Zheng family's knowledge is indeed extraordinary. I admire it!"
"No way, Brother Qin is ridiculous." Zheng Anshun smiled modestly, "Compared with Brother Qin's great wisdom, courage and magnanimity, Zheng's tricks really can't be put on the stage."
Li Ke was distressed, and muttered: "If I want a businessman with experience, strength, potential, and a young, energetic and courageous businessman, where can I find him at the moment?"
Zheng Anshun smiled confidently: "Your Highness, why bother searching for a candidate? Isn't there someone right in front of you?"
"Me?" Qin Mubai immediately laughed, "Don't be ridiculous, how is it possible!"
"Yes, he is a general, how does a general do business!... Wait!" Li Ke reacted quickly, his eyes suddenly brightened, he clapped his fists and laughed, "Yes, yes! Why didn't I think of that!" "
Qin Mubai grinned: "Why do I smell a hint of conspiracy?"
"Wu Meiniang!" Zheng Anshun and Qin Mubai said in unison, then clasped their hands and laughed together.
"Sure enough..." Qin Mubai clicked his tongue and shook his head, "I knew you had bad intentions when you asked me to come here. Such a mess must be left on my head to clean up."
"No need to talk nonsense, it has to be you." Li Ke rubbed his hands and said with a wicked smile, "Wu Meiniang has experience, strength, and potential. She is a business genius that even the old man of the Zheng family praised. More The important thing is that she is young, courageous, and has the determination to dare and fight. This is the best thing. In addition, when she comes to Xiangzhou, she has the support of my husband and you are so majestic. The respected general can help her, what else can’t be done? It’s settled! I’ll send someone to Chang’an to pick up Wu Meiniang!”
The corner of Qin Mubai's mouth curled up a few times and he murmured: "What about her business in Chang'an? As far as I know, he just sold the store and installed springs a year ago, and he has no money left in his hands. How can he pay it back? Come to Xiangzhou to do business? - Don’t expect me, I am a very poor and upright official!”
"Haha!" Li Ke and Zheng Anshun both laughed. Finally, Li Ke said: "Qinxian Pavilion is just a wine shop. No matter how well it is run, can it be worth the food and salt of the people in the whole state to help her make money? There are still people in the Wu family, so let others run the wine shop. Let’s deal with it! As for the capital to do business in Xiangzhou—Master Zheng is here, why worry about money?”
"Isn't that bad?" Qin Mubai said, "How can you use the Zheng family's money to do your own business?"
"Let me tell you this, Brother Qin." Zheng Anshun said with a smile, "His Highness has been discussing with Zheng for a long time on how to deal with the large amount of grain and salt left by the water ghosts. Previously, His Highness even wrote to the Emperor, asking the Holy Spirit to As a result, the Holy Order was issued, saying that this batch of stolen goods was originally the property of the officials and should be returned to the original owner. Originally, it was supposed to be transported to Chang'an and Luoyang and stored in the imperial government warehouse. It was too large to be transported and stored for a while. Therefore, his Majesty decided to keep half of it in Xiangzhou and sell it locally as official grain and salt, and then pay the grain and salt taxes one after another. That is to say, half of the hundreds of thousands of stones of grain and official salt will be given to the merchants who will take over the official grain store and salt account on credit for free. They will sell it first, and then pay the tax after the money is sold. . Moreover, as a reward and appeasement, the emperor issued a special decree that within two years, the official grain and salt merchants in Xiangzhou would only collect half of the tax. Brother Qin, this is probably the best business in the world. ”
How could Qin Mubai not understand? His eyes widened for a moment: "Is there such a good thing? You two have been fooling me together for a long time, but you are actually just giving me a taste of it!"
"Haha, you finally understand!" Zheng Anshun laughed, and then said seriously, "Brother Qin has made such a great contribution, not only because His Highness is grateful for your help, but also because Zheng is grateful for your life-saving grace, even His Majesty the Emperor is also interested Reward. If the imperial court reduces taxes, doesn’t that mean that His Highness the Governor’s Office benefits?”
"Not bad." Li Ke smiled, "Half of the tax revenue of hundreds of thousands of stone grains and salts, such a huge profit, how dare I take it all by myself? Besides you, Qin Mubai, who else is qualified to share it with me?"
"So, to put it bluntly today, the three of us are just sitting on the ground dividing the spoils?" Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Haha, almost!" Li Ke also laughed and said, "Brother Zheng is responsible for transporting half of the grain and salt to Guanzhong, and it will be distributed through the Zheng family. Brother Zheng is a kind-hearted person who is content with what he has, and he has earned this Pen, he has no intention of snatching this thing from our hands. What are you thinking about, Mu Bai? Money is a good thing, why don’t you ask your beautiful lady to come over and help share it?”
"Received!" Qin Mubai snapped his fingers, feeling so happy!
This trip was not in vain!
By blatantly sharing the spoils, from today on, I, Mr. Qin, will become a nouveau riche! Moreover, it won't be long before Wu Meiniang will undoubtedly become the king of the business world in Xiangzhou, a place with abundant wealth.
After repeated tossing like this, it’s really hard to imagine that you won’t be rich!