Great Tang Southern Emperor

It's a pity that Hou Junji can only be greedy, but he can't hide it - besides, he can't hide such a big matter.

So this matter quickly reached Li Shimin's ears, which made Li Shimin very angry. Well, after a big victory, you, the general, got more things than me, the emperor. Didn't take me seriously.So before the victorious army returned to Chang'an, Li Shimin had already written the imperial decree of reprimand, which was later advised by Wei Zheng, in order to avoid damaging morale, so he did not publish it, otherwise Hou Junji would lose all face.

However, the imperial decree of reprimand was not issued, but Li Shimin still chose to deal with Hou Junji's achievements in destroying the country. Not to mention promotions and titles, he didn't even have any decent silk, gold and silver, and Li Shimin even reprimanded him in private, and took back all his greedy wealth. complain.

If it were changed to history, this incident might become the cause of Hou Junji's rebellion in the future.Fortunately, this is a world corrected by traversers, and Li Zhen didn't give Li Chengqian a chance to rebel, so naturally Hou Junji wouldn't be killed because of the rebellion.

After being reprimanded by Li Shimin, and because of the Tuyuhun incident, Li Shimin did not let him lead the army alone for several years. This also caused Hou Junji to be very honest for a long time, which made Li Shimin mistake Thinking that he had repented, Li Shimin sent Hou Junji out again this time when Li Zhen attacked Nanyang and lacked a guarding general.

It was the time when Li Chengqian was deposed. Hou Junji was a princeling before, and Li Chengqian was deposed. After he came to Nanyang for his own future, he immediately expressed goodwill to Li Zhen, and he behaved quite well in later life. Excellent, it can be said to be conscientious.

Therefore, after observing Hou Junji for a period of time, both Li Shimin and Li Zhen recognized Hou Junji, and gave him the task of guarding Nanyang with great confidence.

However, both Li Shimin and Li Zhen forgot that there is a word called——Deadly nature does not change...

At the very beginning, because Li Shimin was watching, and Hou Junji wanted to show his favor to Li Zhen, he was very honest and conscientious. However, his conscientiousness only lasted for less than three months before he recovered cute.

Nanyang looks barren, and the treasuries of various countries have been looted by the Tang army, but there are also a lot of treasures among the people, and there are countless resources. This gives Hou Junji, the most powerful person in Nanyang in name, the opportunity to collect money.

We must know that Nanyang also has a lot of precious resources, all kinds of minerals are nothing more than precious wood that is rare in the Central Plains, which can be said to be everywhere.

It is said that since Nanyang was opened up, all kinds of precious woods have often appeared in the markets of major cities in the Central Plains, and they will inevitably be looted every time they appear-in the precious wood market, there will never be a buyer's market, let alone worry too much. The appearance of more wood leads to a drop in price, because those rich and noble people wish that their homes are made of precious wood from the house to the mausoleum, so that they can live comfortably and die with peace of mind. When precious wood appears, they will only rush to buy it. Will lower the price.

It's a pity that before Nanyang was defeated by the Tang Dynasty, the precious wood was monopolized by the nobles. They used these woods to build their own palaces and tombs, and they didn't have enough for themselves. How could they be lost to the market? ?Even if there is a little bit of wandering out occasionally, it is quickly snatched away, and if the response is a little slow, even a bark can't be caught.

Now even if Nanyang is conquered by Datang, a large amount of precious wood has been mined, but facing such a large domestic market, it is impossible to satisfy it in a short period of time, not to mention that precious wood generally grows slowly. When the precious wood of the year is mined, the domestic price of precious wood will usher in another surge.

Hou Junji, as the guarding general with the highest power in Nanyang, it is not easy to make some money from timber. You must know that the imperial court issued an order to protect the ecology of Nanyang and avoid deforestation. Yes, only merchants with timber mining certificates (that is, wood imports) specially issued by the imperial court can conduct timber trade, and can mine timber in Nanyang, and there are restrictions on the quantity.

And this undoubtedly gave Hou Junji the opportunity to drill Confucius.

In Nanyang, there are two kinds of people who can mine wood. The first is businessmen with certificates, and the other is the army—you must know that wood was also a strategic material in ancient times, from setting up camps to rolling antlers to throwing cars and throwing stones Machines and other siege equipment, etc., all require a lot of wood to make.

This gave Hou Junji a chance - I used red sandalwood wood to make the gate, is that okay?I built an archery tower with black sour wood branches, no one can say anything, right?I used golden nanmu wood to make the barracks, which is very reasonable...these are all perfectly fine.

After those big merchants arrived, Hou Junji would demolish the camps and sell all the rolling wood and carts—the climate in Nanyang is humid, and the camps are not durable, and they were all rotten within a few days after they were built, and became a complete mess. Tofu dregs project, I can't let my soldiers live in such a bad barracks, can I?I can't let my soldiers fight with siege machines made of rotten wood, can I?Isn't that a joke with the lives of my soldiers?Now there is a big businessman who is willing to pay a high price to buy my pile of rotten wood. Of course I want to sell it. Is there anything unreasonable about it?It was so reasonable, even if the old man Wei Zheng came, I would have something to say.

In addition to cherishing resources, another big income for Hou Junji is the slave trade.

Although the slave trade is nominally under the control of the Slave Division, in fact the Slave Division does have the right and responsibility to buy and sell slaves and regulate the order of the slave market, but the capture of slaves is not under the control of the Slave Division.

Although the Liyu Division did have its own slave hunting team, it was actually just a decoration and there were not many people. Moreover, as the construction of the Tang Dynasty became faster and faster, the demand for slaves was also increasing. The private slave hunting team and the prisoners of war captured by the army poured into the market, so the slave hunting team of the slave company changed from a professional slave hunting team to an organization for buying slaves—plus, the imperial court was unwilling to let Wang Tingchu be one of them. The eunuchs controlled too much military power, so soon the slave hunting team completely disappeared from the slave division and became a slave care team, from free slave capturers to slave escorts (or protectors). Status has undergone a complete change.

Chapter 894

Chapter 254 The Collection of Hou Jun who Makes Money Well (2)

There are two main sources of slaves in today's slave market. The first is the military prisoners of war. The military sells prisoners of war captured from enemy countries. These prisoners of war are all warriors of a country, so the quality is very high and the price is also the highest. Yes, second only to alien beauties, but the army does not fight every day, so although the quality of prisoners of war is high, the number is generally small, which is rare.

And the other is the private slave hunting team. The good and the bad of the private slave hunting team are mixed, and the quality of the slaves they capture is also good or bad, but it is also they who brought a large number of slaves to Datang, filling the domestic slave market, and alleviating The court's employment pressure was reduced.

Especially after Nanyang was conquered, when the imperial court announced that all Nanyang aborigines were within the capture range...

God knows how moved those lunatics who could destroy humanity for money were at that time?

It is said that after hearing this news, someone actually enshrined the portrait and tablet of His Highness the Crown Prince, offering incense and worshiping it every day, prostrating non-stop.

And Hou Junji’s second way to make a fortune is in the slave trade. Not only did he send troops to sell slaves, but more importantly, he also exploited ordinary slave hunting teams—it can’t be considered exploitation, it should be called slave hunting. The team should honor him.

First of all, it's fine for him to send his own army to capture slaves. After all, the main task of the [-] troops in Nanyang is to guard Nanyang and stabilize the situation in Nanyang. Reducing the indigenous population of Nanyang is itself stabilizing the situation in Nanyang.Moreover, the capture of slaves by the army was originally within the allowable scope of the imperial court, otherwise there would be nothing here in Lingnan, and if the soldiers were not given a chance to earn extra money, the soldiers would complain, but most of the money was collected by Hou Junji When it arrived in my arms, there was very little that was distributed to the soldiers.

As for the exploitation of private slave hunting teams, this is even simpler.

Although it is said that the private slave hunting team has high freedom, great profits, and is not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, it does not mean that they can do whatever they want in Nanyang. Hou Junji asked for it himself, and some people came to curry favor with him.

As the general guarding Nanyang, Hou Junji is undoubtedly second only to Li Zhen in the Nanyang forces. These slave hunting teams are active on Hou Junji's land. If they don't make friends with him, or don't give Hou Junji a share Profits, he has plenty of ways to make it difficult for the slave catchers to move forward.

For example, if a slave hunting team offended Hou Junji, among other things, Hou Junji would give them the title of spies and be wanted in all of Nanyang, which would be enough for them to die without a place to bury them.

Even if they can't be wanted, the slave hunting team is active in Nanyang, and they must go to the city, right?In particular, most of the slave hunting teams spend a long time outside the city, and after capturing enough slaves, they always want to go to the city to have a good time.

The army only needs to block the gates of the city in the name of spies after they enter the city, and then those slave catchers who are eager to get rid of the slaves will have to give in. Think about it, others have gone out of the city to sell slaves by various means , since a group of you can't make a move with a large number of slaves, I ask you if you are in a hurry?You must know that in order to sell for a good price, these slaves must be carefully taken care of before they are sold. This will cost a lot of money. The more slaves are in their hands, the more money they will have. The time is long. , who can stand it?

In addition, the slave trade is subject to identification by the Quarantine Department specially established by the imperial court. In addition to checking the slaves' bodies to see if they are carrying infectious diseases, the Quarantine Department has another function to classify slaves. Slave prices are different.

Needless to say, Hou Junji’s influence in Nanyang, as long as he gives the Quarantine Department a little pressure or benefits, the Quarantine Department can set your slaves as the lowest level, or even directly say that your slaves have infectious diseases, and detain them all. Then your trip will be in vain...,

There are many similar means, so in Nanyang, the last person slave traders and slave catchers want to offend is Hou Junji.In fact, in order not to embarrass Hou Junji, most of the slave hunting teams and slave traders will establish a good relationship with Hou Junji. Not only do they have to donate a large amount of money in advance, but after the slave transaction is completed, they will go to the General's Mansion According to the report, while paying the tax, a large amount of treasures will also be given to Hou Junji, which can be regarded as a commission for the transaction, and will save him troubles for himself one day.

Apart from slaves, what can bring profits to Hou Junji is minerals.

Nanyang is rich in products, and there is no shortage of various resources. There are various gold, silver, copper and iron minerals. In addition, Nanyang is also one of the places where precious stones are produced. Among them, the jadeite mine in Pyu Kingdom is occupied by Li Zhen. Hou Junji dare not intervene. Among the minerals that have been discovered in various parts of Nanyang, there is Hou Junji’s share—it’s impossible not to give the share. As long as the mines in Nanyang are not particularly important, they are all outsourced to the private sector. Mines are opened on Hou Junji’s land. Isn't it just a simple horse that people want to trouble you with?He doesn't even need to embarrass you, he directly sends troops to act as robbers to rob the mine, not only the mine is gone, but his life is also gone.

That’s all for gold, silver, copper and iron ore. This is a semi-strategic material. It is usually mined by trusted merchants from the imperial court. There are also people on it. At most, it is an explanation for Hou Junji to collect a share. No matter how much it is, it is true. It was too much, Hou Junji didn't have the guts to provoke these people.

The problem is gemstone minerals. Gemstones are luxury goods, not strategic materials. The imperial court is not qualified to govern them, and the imperial court has no jurisdiction, which means that these minerals are not protected by the imperial court, especially the Queen's Kingdom. Outside of Pyu, one of the gem producing areas in Nanyang, Hou Junji not only has its own mine here, but also owns shares in mines in various places, the most of which even exceeds [-]%. The annual commission is a huge amount. Number of……

All in all, Hou Junji, as the most powerful local emperor in Nanyang, has many means of collecting money. According to Li Zhen's knowledge, in just one year, Hou Junji has accumulated more than 100 million taels of silver. About ten thousand taels of gold and copper coins are worthless, which is almost equivalent to the total tax revenue of a small country in a year, and it is even one-tenth of the annual tax revenue of Datang...

Even Li Zhen was shocked by such a powerful means of earning money.

After all, this is not a serious business. If it is a business, Li Zhen is sure to surpass Hou Junji. The problem is that this is using legal means to amass money. This is taking advantage of legal loopholes. In this respect, Li Zhen is really I am ashamed of myself.

Chapter 895 Mutual Judgment (Two in One)

Chapter 255 Mutual Judgment (Two in One)

After telling Li Shimin what Hou Junji did during this period, Li Zhen shook her head with a wry smile and said, "So, I really can't say whether Hou Junji has smuggled ordnance...but if I have to let my minister To judge, he should not have the guts."

"Why?" Li Shimin was very curious: "Didn't you say it just now? Why are you so sure now?"

"It's not certain, but a guess." Li Zhen explained: "The reason why I'm not sure is because I don't know how courageous Hou Junji is, and how strong his greed is.

And the reason why the son-in-law said that he didn't have the guts is based on his previous performance...Father, please think about it, what Hou Junji did before, including the greedy behavior in Gaochang, has always been wandering around He is on the edge of the law, exploiting loopholes in the law, but he never does anything that is really illegal.

Arms smuggling is a felony, if Hou Junji really had the courage, he wouldn't have been so cautious before.

Besides, Hou Junji is not an idiot. There are only fifty revolvers manufactured by the Chang'an Armory Factory, and they are given as souvenirs to the heroes of the Tang Dynasty. Every holder has a corresponding number, even if he doesn't know the code. It should be possible to think that if we really want to investigate this matter, if we gather all the gunmen together and investigate slowly, we will be able to find him—such an obvious proof of identity, How could he sell it?It should be more reasonable to lose it accidentally. "

"That makes sense." Li Shimin nodded slowly: "However, my guess is completely contrary to yours. I think that Hou Junji has the guts."

"I don't understand." This time it was Li Zhen's turn to be curious, and her own judgment was considered reasonable. Why was Li Shimin so sure?Does he have any key evidence?

Li Shimin sighed lightly: "Your speculation is very reasonable, but you don't understand Junji. In your eyes, the so-called being careful is not because he is timid, but because he looks down on him."

"I don't like it?" What does this mean?

"You all have underestimated Hou Junji's greed. The reason why he doesn't greedy the soldiers' salary, and doesn't eat empty salary, is not because he is not brave enough, but because in his opinion, it is not worthwhile to do so." Li Shimin Seeing Li Zhen's doubts, he explained: "Just take that time when he went to Gaochang. He brought a total of 3 people that time. How much is the salary of the generation army, but in the Song Dynasty, the Xiang army was about 45 guan a year, and the forbidden army was [-] guan, the highest in history. The Tang Dynasty used the Fubing system. Production, but the salary should not be much higher, and in addition to the extremely low prices in the early Tang Dynasty, it should be almost the same in January), the [-] army is only [-] in three months, and you know that after Gaochang was destroyed , How much money did he take for himself?"