Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1415 Debt
Shao Chengjie came to Lezhou again.

He has already received the news from his father, and he will arrange the affairs at hand as soon as possible and prepare to return to Beijing—calculating the time, there is only about one month left.

Zhao Hu (hú), governor of Lezhou and commander of the state army, went out of the city to meet him.

This gentleman is a member of the Zhao family of the Zhongwu Army, the nephew of Zhao Ji, and the eldest son of Zhao Sui.

Shao Shude and Zhu Quanzhong fought fiercely for many years, and when Chen Xu fought, the situation suddenly became clear, and the Zhao family took refuge here.Later, he became an official in the imperial court and dedicated Chen and Xu Erzhou to the imperial court, setting an example for all towns in the world.

Zhao Ji's eldest son, Zhao Lu, is currently the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, with a high position and authority.

As the eldest son of Zhao Jue, Zhao Jue's development can only be said to be so-so. He has been in the position of Zuo Er official in various states in the Central Plains, and he has not been promoted for many years.If you want to become the governor, you will also get the "old and young frontier and poor" area.

However, he is a warrior, and he would rather be the top leader in the frontiers than an assistant official in the Central Plains. He really doesn't like to play the game of officialdom, and he is rather aggrieved-he used to be a yamen anyway, and he was only catered to by others, and he never It is conceivable how uncomfortable it is to need him to curry favor with others.

"Zhao Shijun was able to protect the water, and of course he has meritorious service, but why did he sit and watch the Goryeo thieves build a city and set up a fortress on the south bank, instead of going there and tearing their shells?" Shao Chengjie asked.

Zhao Yu's face was ashamed.

Governor of Le Prefecture Shi Gaozhao looked on coldly, and now he will come out to smooth things over. I just heard him say: "Your Highness does not know. There are no strong soldiers in the [-] counties of Weibei. That was the first time that the sons and daughters went to the battlefield seriously. Jade cannot be crafted without cutting, and soldiers cannot be used without training. Isn’t this still training soldiers? It’s okay to defend the city, but it’s difficult for them to cross the south of the river.”

Shao Chengjie glared at him, Gao Zhaowang subconsciously avoided his eyes, bowed his head and shut his mouth.

Xijing and Nanjing in the Bohai Sea were all captured by King Qin himself, and even the princes of Longyuan Mansion and Beibei in Tokyo theoretically surrendered to him.

A while ago, the city of Falcon Rock was in danger, and King Qin sent troops to rescue him, forcing Wang Jian to retreat.

With all these things, King Qin's prestige in this area is quite high.Anton, Shenzhou Fubing, Yingzhou Prefecture Bingfan Department, Weisheng Army, Weibei Tutuan villagers, and even the officials and generals in the two capitals and Bohai Sea were all willing to listen to his orders.There are also those who are eager to make progress, secretly confess their sincerity, and pledge their allegiance, I am afraid that they have already weaved a large number of party members.

Even Gao Zhaowang himself visited once or twice, but it hasn't fully worked out yet.

"Practice quickly if you can't do it. In this world, after all, it depends on the guy in your hand." Shao Chengjie said: "The Koreans have wicked eyebrows and eyes, and they don't look like good people. I reckon that sooner or later they will cross the Hebei River, and they still need a A safe bet.”

"What's the perfect strategy?" Zhao Yu and Gao Zhao asked together.

"How many soldiers are there in Lezhou?" Shao Chengjie asked without answering.

"There are still more than [-]. We are recruiting athletes these two days and plan to expand it." Zhao Yu replied.

"Soldiers are more expensive than elites." Shao Chengjie said: "The recruitment of soldiers is suspended. The existing sergeants should be rectified. Those who are weak in martial arts, cowardly and weak will all be eliminated. I will select some elite and brave men from the Weisheng army for you. , Incorporated into the state army. They are skilled in bows and horses, and have rich experience in battle. With the old leading the new, the combat effectiveness of the Le soldiers can be greatly improved."

"Follow orders." Zhao Yu and Gao Zhaowang looked at each other, and responded in unison.

The king of Qin is still recruiting envoys, he has the right to do so, and he has no reason to object.

"Yin Xuan of Fuyan City has surrendered to the imperial court, and there are still two to three thousand people under his tent. You should watch and help each other with him to fight against Korea." Shao Chengjie urged again.

"Of order." The two replied again.

Shao Chengjie looked at the renovated Pyongyang City and decided to stay for a few more days.

Today, he is no longer alone. There are more and more civil and military officials gathered around him, and there are not many people who secretly confess their sincerity.

He also has someone to arrange.

He also needs credit.

He also needs to lay a good foundation.

He didn't have to worry about his father's opinion, because he didn't cross the line, and everything was within the allowed range.

Generals like Li Tangbin, Lu Huaizhong, and Gao Renhou, who have served as battalion commanders, will try their best to arrange their own people before the end of their term, let alone princes?

He already has a solid foundation in Sichuan, and he also has a certain influence in Guannei Dao.Many places in Liaodong Road were laid down by him himself, and it was only natural to arrange for his own people.

Shao Chengjie carefully recalled his mother's teaching, patience, patience or patience.My father is already 52 years old, and every year he gets older, and according to his mother, he becomes more sensitive.

Everything should be done in moderation, but it is really difficult to grasp the degree, because for an old man, the standard is always changing, and what can be done today may be taboo tomorrow.

Shao Chengjie raised his whip irritably, he would rather stay with the warriors than these.But these things have to be done, because warriors also need wealth and rank, without these, who would work for you?
******
Zhongye, the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, came to Longquan Mansion from Longyuan Mansion. At that time, Shao Shude was playing with children in Cheng'en Hall.

In November last year, Bodhisattva Nu gave birth to a son for him.

In December, after suffering for a long time, Xiao Chonggun, who was almost collapsed, gave birth to a daughter.

In addition to Yue Liduo's son who was born in August, Shao Shude has three young children around him, and he has to visit them every day, and they are very precious.

When Chu Zhongye came, he was in the room of the Bodhisattva slave.

The number one butt in the harem was filled with the brilliance of motherhood, and she put all her attention on the child, smiling and smiling all day long, without the slightest look of a distressed woman.

Naturally, Shao Shude would not be so stupid as to mention that his first son, Yelu Laogu, was killed by me. He only said things that Bodhisattva slaves like to hear, so he could grab milk with his son every day, and he was so happy.

"When you're sleepy, go to the kang and lie down. I'll come whenever I go." Shao Shude said, placing his son carefully on the kang.

"En." Pusa slave obediently responded, keeping his eyes on his son.

Shao Shude straightened his robes, went outside, saw Chu Zhongye was waiting there, and asked, "Is the ice cellar ready?"

"Three projects were completed before winter. It's a pity that the time is short and the digging is not big enough. After the spring sowing, the Dou Fu Yin will recruit conscripts to help expand it." Chu Zhongye replied.

"Will Mohe people come to disturb you in winter?" Shao Shude sat on the dragon chair, gently opened the teacup, took a sip of the fragrant tea to get rid of the fishy smell in his mouth.

"No. Before the winter, the prestige of the silver saddle has been heard far and near, and the Tibetans are afraid, so they dare not make mistakes." Chu Zhongye replied: "However, in winter, the Tibetans did come to the door to sell their prey."

"Oh?" Shao Shude knows that winter is actually the peak season for commercial activities, because transportation is more convenient than summer, and the cold can't stop people who live here all year round in exchange for life and even survival supplies, but he is still very interested in what they buy, so Asked: "If you catch prey, why don't you eat it yourself and sell it instead?"

"Your Majesty, the Tibetans also know that it is more cost-effective to exchange meat for food." Chu Zhongye said.

Shao Shude laughed dumbfounded, and said, "Maybe we need to build a grain depot to store more grain and beans. Besides grain, what else do the Tibetans buy?"

"Shuofang Raw Burning has been sold out." Chu Zhongye said, "A little tea has also been sold."

"Shuofang Raw Roast is not cheap, can the Tibetans afford it?" Shao Shude wondered.

"For this thing, the Tibetans are even willing to give up everything. I have indeed heard that some people brought prey to exchange for food, but ended up drinking it all in wine. After returning empty-handed, their wives and children were scolded, and the house was restless." Chu Zhongye laughed. Said: "In fact, these Tibetans are very easy to deal with. It's a pity to kill them. It's better to let them make money for the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Shao Shude nodded, took the account book handed over by Pugu Chengen, and flipped through it casually.

From November of last year to March of this year, in five full months, a total of more than [-] skins were collected in the camp of the Ministry of Internal Affairs near the mouth of the Tuomen River.The skins vary in appearance and category, including cheap sheepskin, deerskin, and pigskin, as well as expensive fox and mink skins, with a total value of more than [-] strands.And the total value of the food, shochu, tea, ironware and other materials they paid was less than this fraction, and the profits in it were really exciting.

Of course, monopoly trading should have huge profits, and it makes money twice when buying and selling.This is also the most primitive and original driving force of the colonial trading company. It does not grant monopoly management rights, and only those with a sick mind take the risk to colonize.

"A profit of [-] min..." Shao Shude put down the ledger with satisfaction.

This is the profit of a trading station, and it does not include the meat and fish stored in the ice cellar that have yet to be cashed out.

To be honest, compared with the profit of fur, these "clumsy businesses" can be cut off, so as to concentrate energy and resources on developing fur business with higher profit margin.But Shao Shude's purpose is not only to make money, he also wants to cultivate the shipping business.If there is no large amount of bulky cargo to transport, how to expand the size of the fleet, and then cultivate maritime power?

"Have you found the island ranch?" Shao Shude asked.

"I found one, but there are no tigers or wolves on it." Chu Zhongye replied: "I also found two peninsula pastures. The narrowest part of the isthmus is only a few dozen steps away. If it is fenced, it will be even better than the island pastures."

"It's very good that you can draw inferences from one instance to another." Shao Shude praised: "We must pay close attention to the hunting of sea beasts."

The sea animals are mainly sea lions, seals, beavers, sea otters, walruses, fur seals, etc. There are but not many at the mouth of the Tuomen River.

"Last year, ships from the Ping Navy went northward and caught a few fur dogs. According to them, there was not much headhunting near the mouth of the Tuomen River. If you want to make a fortune, you have to go further north." Chu Zhongye replied.

"You should discuss this matter." Shao Shude said: "I only advise one thing, not everyone can hunt sea beasts. You can make some card discs, and only those who hold this disc can hunt. If there are none, you can lock them up and put them in prison. The youths in Huangzhuang who are familiar with guns and sticks are not for free, they have to be used."

"Observe the order." Chu Zhongye responded.

Chu Zhongye didn't understand at first that the sage ordered five hundred young people to go north from each Huangzhuang, but now that he saw such a huge business prospect, he suddenly understood.Doing business with a sword, without a sword, it is impossible to do business in this barren land.

"After the spring of this year, hurry up to complete the Tuomen River Merchant Station. Wait until the second half of the year to open a new one. What do you prefer?" Shao Shude asked again.

"I think I can go to Lizhou to open one."

"Why Lizhou?"

"There are many mountains in Lizhou, and there are still many Mohe tribes hidden in the mountains. They don't know the king's law. I feel that maybe they can be linked together through the business station and gradually included in the king's transformation."

"That's right. I'm going to use troops against the Northwest next time. If you have time, you can recruit some strong savages. I can use them."

"Your Majesty, this matter is easy." Chu Zhongye said with a smile: "Last winter, the leader of Mohe owed money to the merchant station. I saw that he was drunk all day long, and he was worried about how to pay the debt. If you can pay off the debt with a strong man, it will be easy. gone."

Shao Shude was speechless.It's only been one winter, and debt slaves are about to appear?
He had a premonition that as the Daxia Dynasty became more stable in Liaodong, more armed merchant stations opened up, and trade flourished, debts would inevitably arise in large quantities, because the savages could not resist the erosion of Central Plains commodities. And they are relatively weak in this kind of trade.

Damn, how did this happen?In the previous deduction, this kind of thing was not counted.

He thought carefully about the pros and cons.

Under the long-term unequal trade, what will the savages do?The Boston Tea Party, Rise Up?Or is it just "chronic poisoning" like this, constantly losing fur, medicinal materials, meat, fish and even human beings?
This calls for the art of the trade again!
Shao Shude felt that things should not be made too ugly.

He wanted furs and humans, but he couldn't make the savage feel too disadvantaged.

Perhaps it is necessary to wrap up this trade relationship that is fair on the surface but exploitative in reality.

In an instant, he had already thought of several ways.

(End of this chapter)