Back to the Warring States Period as Zhao Kuo

As for Zhao Qian, Zhao Kuo had already told Tian Wan when he came back, and asked Zhao Qian to go down there to experience life.

Although Tian Wan was a little worried, Zhao Kuo had clearly told Tian Wan that this time Zhao Qian must be allowed to last until the end of the experience, and he had also sent enough elite personnel to protect Zhao Qian, so Tian Wan didn't say anything more .

On the other side, the Zhou brothers are also more concerned about the affairs of Pingkangfang.

When the Zhou brothers were sitting and chatting together that day, they naturally talked about Pingkangfang.

Zhou Shaofen stroked his beard, and said to Zhou Shaoliang in front of him, "What reform did Wu Xinjun implement in Pingkangfang before, what's the situation now?"

After Zhou Shaoliang heard Zhou Shaofen's question, he immediately laughed out loud, and said to Zhou Shaofen: "To tell you the truth, I have also sent someone to look at it. In that Pingkangfang, it can be said that it is a mess now." It’s a mess, and almost every household has opened a store.”

After Zhou Shaofen heard this sentence, he couldn't help but frowned and said, "If that's the case, doesn't that mean that Wu Xinjun's reform is actually quite good."

The smile on the corner of Zhou Shaoliang's mouth became stronger and stronger: "Brother, think about it carefully, in a dirty place like Pingkangfang, only a group of dilapidated households who are so poor that they don't even wear neat clothes can live in it. Who will go?

No one goes there to buy their stuff, so what if every household has opened a shop?

Can they still make money?

So brother don't need to worry, we will win in half a month. "

When Zhou Shaoliang spoke, his tone was full of confidence. From his point of view, the people in Pingkangfang were a bunch of bumpkins. If even bumpkins could make business, it would be the biggest joke in the world.

After all, Zhou Shaofen and Zhou Shaoliang are brothers, and they often have the same ideas, and this matter is no exception.

Zhou Shaofen nodded and said: "If this is the case, it would be the best, but you still have to send someone to pay attention to it these days, otherwise, the people from Wu Xinjun will play some tricks in there and let us lose this Make a bet, then we'll be in big trouble."

Zhou Shaofen's words immediately reminded Zhou Shaoliang, and he immediately said vigilantly: "What brother said is very true, that Zhao Kuo has always been best at using some crooked brains, we can't be defeated by his crooked brains, You must let your majesty see that Zhao Kuo cannot possibly be our opponent in terms of internal affairs."

For the Zhou brothers, they now feel that victory is basically guaranteed. After all, this is not the battlefield fighting that Zhao Kuo is good at, and it is also not the political struggle that Zhao Kuo is good at.

So what exactly can Zhao Kuo use to win the Zhou Brothers?

At least in the eyes of the Zhou brothers now, Zhao Kuo has nothing to offer.

Since they couldn't come up with anything, it can be said that the Zhou Brothers will win this time, at least they think so.

In the palace, there was also a dialogue between King Zhao and the former Concubine Li and now Queen Li regarding Zhao Kuo's reform this time.

King Zhao took this matter as a joke to tell Queen Li and Li Li, but after listening to it, Queen Li was thoughtful and gave a completely unexpected answer to King Zhao.

"Your Majesty, maybe Wu Xinjun will be able to accomplish this task this time."

After hearing this, Zhao Wang couldn't help but said with some doubts: "If it is said that he is serious about doing this matter, maybe it can be done.

But judging from the reports from the eunuch order before, Wu Xinjun has only gone to the so-called Pingkangfang a few times in the past few days.

Don't you know what kind of place that Pingkangfang is?

It was the poorest place in Handan City. If Wu Xinjun did not invest a lot of resources, it would be absolutely impossible for him to win the bet with Zhou Qing. "

Queen Li shook her head lightly and said, "Did Your Majesty forget where your concubines came from for a day?

To be honest with the king, the concubine actually lived in that Pingkangfang for a while, the people there are not bad, they just lack a chance.

Now that Wu Xinjun gave them this opportunity, maybe this is the time for them to really stand out. "

Zhao Wang couldn't help laughing, and said to Queen Li: "There is a bet between Wu Xinjun and Zhou Qing. You also come to make a bet with such a widow and the queen. How about just betting on this Pingkangfang?"

Queen Li agreed immediately without any hesitation: "Yes, as long as Lord Wu Xin loses, then the concubine will unconditionally agree to the king's wish."

After saying this, Queen Li did not forget to cast a wink at King Zhao, which contained a very profound meaning.

King Zhao's whole body was softened by Queen Li's winking eyes, but he still didn't forget the business. He laughed and said, "If Lord Wu Xin wins, then I can promise the Queen one thing."

For this bet, Zhao Wang can be said to be full of confidence in his heart, he can't think of a reason why he can lose, unless Zhao Kuo cheated.

However, these days, King Zhao has let eunuch Ling also secretly send people to keep an eye on Pingkang Fang, all he wants is to ensure that no one will cheat.

Whether it is the Zhou brothers secretly sending people to make trouble, or Zhao Kuo secretly sending people to support, King Zhao absolutely does not allow this.

This bet only appeared in the private conversation between the king of Zhao and the queen, and other people did not know the existence of this bet, otherwise it would definitely add a lot of topics to Handan City.

Finally, a month passed, and another court meeting was held.

After discussing many important national affairs, Zhou Shaofen finally couldn't wait to speak.

"Wu Xinjun, you should be able to get the answer to the reform of Pingkangfang that you mentioned before."

Zhao Kuo had been prepared for a long time, smiled and said unhurriedly: "Of course we already have the answer. If Zhou Qing wants to see it, we can go to Pingkangfang to see what it is later. Condition."

Zhou Shaofen was about to speak, but Zhao Wang on the other side spoke first: "Everyone wants to know the answer, and I also want to know. Wait for the widow and the queen to follow you to see it."

From King Zhao's point of view, of course he wanted the queen to see with his own eyes the ordinary people in Pingkangfang who were humbled into the dust.

Zhao Wang is a confident person, and today he will prove that he is the one who is really right.

Chapter 974 New changes in Pingkang Square

After hearing Zhao Wang's words, everyone was a little surprised at first, but soon felt that this matter was quite normal.

Since Queen Li came to power, King Zhao spent almost every night with Queen Li during this time. It can be said that the other concubines of Zhao Guo seldom saw King Zhao for several months.

From Zhou Shaofen's point of view, he certainly didn't want to see this scene, but Zhou Shaofen also knew that it was impossible to dissuade him because of this matter, and that would only anger King Zhao.

As for Zhao Kuo, Queen Li is Zhao Kuo's ally in the harem, and Zhao Kuo certainly wouldn't mind having an ally to witness his victory.

So soon, King Zhao got on the imperial car.

At this time, Zhou Shaofen suddenly made another request.

"My lord, if Wu Xinjun's reform can be successful, then Pingkangfang will definitely become a demonstration base for our Zhao country in the future.

Why don't we gather more officials today and ask them to take a look and absorb the advanced experience of Pingkangfang, so that it can be spread to all parts of Zhao State in the future. I wonder what your majesty thinks? "

Zhou Shaofen's remarks seemed to be to help Zhao Kuo spread the word about Pingkangfang, but if you think about it carefully, you can see that there are actually evil intentions in it.

For Zhou Shaofen, he felt that Zhao Kuo’s reform of Pingkangfang was definitely a failure, so he hoped that more people would go to Pingkangfang to witness Zhao Kuo’s failure, and to make Zhao Kuo’s failure unlimited. magnification for maximum effect.

Of course, Zhao Wang was not unable to perceive Zhou Shaofen's meaning, he hesitated a little, glanced at Zhao Kuo and asked.

"Wu Xinjun, what do you think of this opinion?"

After Zhao Kuo heard Zhou Shaofen's words, he couldn't help showing a smile.

"Your Majesty, I think Zhou Qing's remarks are indeed very reasonable. We should send more people to visit Pingkangfang to learn the experience of advanced reforms."

Zhou Shaofen's eyebrows twitched involuntarily when he heard it, and he thought to himself: "It seems that this Zhao Kuo is really not willing to die until the Yellow River, he has reached this point, and he dares to talk hard with me here.

Whether it is good or bad, we will see how it will be able to get off the stage when the time comes. "

Therefore, King Zhao brought a large number of officials, including Queen Li, Zhao Kuo, and Zhou Shaofen, to Pingkangfang.

As a square city, Pingkang Square actually has a gate, or any square city in this era should of course have a gate.

As soon as Zhao Kuo saw the gate of Pingkangfang, he couldn't help showing a surprised expression.

This is a brand-new gate built with stone and wood, and there is a plaque hanging on it, with the three characters "Pingkangfang" written in very vigorous and powerful handwriting.

In the lower right corner of the plaque, there is also a clear inscription Xunkuang.

When he saw this moment, Zhao Kuo was a little puzzled, Xun Kuang was the great sacrificial wine of the Huaxia Academy, his status was very noble, how could he come to write such a plaque with a commoner market?

If it was Zhao Kuo's request, of course Xun Kuang had no room to refuse, but the problem was that Zhao Kuo had never made such a request.

Suddenly Zhao Kuo figured it out, this should be Zhao Qian's handwriting.

Zhao Qian is also going to study in the Huaxia Academy now. As Zhao Kuo's eldest son, Zhao Qian has been personally taught by Xun Kuang, so it is not difficult to persuade Xun Kuang to write a plaque.

At this time, Zhou Shaofen obviously also saw the plaque, and looked at Zhao Kuo with a half-smile: "Wu Xinjun, didn't you agree that you would not help Pingkangfang?"

Zhao Kuo shrugged his shoulders, and said to Zhou Shaofen: "You may not believe it, but I did not do this thing, but my eldest son Zhao Qian did it."

Sure enough, as expected by Zhao Kuo, Zhou Shaofen immediately showed an expression of "I believe you a ghost", snorted, and did not speak again.

Zhao Wang looked at the plaque and nodded: "I never thought that Xun Kuangqing's handwriting would be so beautiful."

Queen Li, who was sitting next to King Zhao, spoke slowly: "It's just a plaque. If one plaque can attract countless businessmen, it would be too ridiculous."

Queen Li lived in Pingkangfang back then, and in her impression, this place was simply the dirtiest and most backward place in the world.

So although she wanted to see the changes here, he felt that Zhao Kuo might not be able to change this place.

As soon as Queen Li opened her mouth, the matter was over like this, and King Zhao's royal driver continued to move forward and entered Pingkangfang.

As soon as he entered Pingkangfang, King Zhao couldn't help but sighed and said, "Why is this place different from what I've heard?"

Since King Zhao wanted to come to Pingkangfang, since it was recognized as the most backward city in Handan City, the roads here must be messy, the sewage flowed horizontally, and the smell was stinky.

But all the shortcomings I saw before, except the Pingkangfang road in front of Zhao Wang's imagination, although it looks like a dirt road, it is still relatively flat. There are many stalls on both sides of the street, but there is no rubbish. There is absolutely no sewage and odor.

Of course, from the dilapidated houses on both sides of the road, you can know that this is indeed Pingkangfang, because it is really impossible to have such a bad house in other places.

At this moment, Zhou Shaofen was actually shocked, but he soon raised questions.

"Wu Xinjun, didn't you say that the commercial activities in Pingkangfang will become very developed?

Why is there no one on this road? "

Zhou Shaofen originally thought that his question had touched Zhao Kuo's pain point, but he never expected that after he asked this question, Zhao Kuo would look at him like an idiot.

"Zhou Qing, don't think about it carefully. Now that the king's royal driver is here, the imperial guards have already cleared the field in advance. How can there be any commercial activities?"

As soon as this sentence was said, it was not only Zhou Shaofen who was embarrassed, but also Zhao Wang.

Zhao Wang coughed, and after looking carefully, he found that there were indeed many stalls on both sides of the road, with a lot of goods on them, but at this time, there was no one beside the above stalls.

"Mr. Wu Xin, then tell me what to do?"

Zhao Kuo put forward the solution to this problem very calmly: "Of course it is a private visit on Weibo."

An hour later, the people who changed into relatively simple clothes quietly returned to Pingkangfang under the protection of not many followers.

Frankly speaking, their ostentation is quite conspicuous in Pingkangfang, but after all, there is no Guards to clear the venue in advance, and officials at all levels have also received orders not to disturb the people, so they saw another A different Pingkangfang.

"Hurry up, cut half a catty of dog meat for me! I just got paid, so I have to have a good meal."

"Shop, let's order something good, you still need four dollars for this kind of moldy dish?

No, no, no, at most two dollars! "

"Come and see, the best tofu, Wu's tofu, will definitely satisfy you!"

Zhao Wang looked at the scene in front of him and was stunned.

It was the same street, and the same stalls, but at this moment, there were crowds of people in front of these stalls, and it was completely crowded.

There are long queues in front of many stalls, and they don't know what they are buying.

"Hey, let me go, if you don't buy it, let me go!"

Some people have already begun to express their dissatisfaction with the large group of Zhao Wang standing in the middle of the road but doing nothing.

Zhou Shaofen was furious when he heard the words: "These people, don't they know the honorable status of the king?

Eunuch Ling, let someone teach them a lesson. "

Queen Li chuckled, and said: "Zhou Qing, do you think that the king can't even tolerate the temper of his own people?

If it gets out, Your Majesty's reputation will be ruined by your idea. "

Because of the former Queen Zhou, Queen Li's hatred for Zhou Shaofen is needless to say, as long as she finds an opportunity, she will spare no effort to tear down Zhou Shaofen.

Zhao Wang also came to his senses when he heard this, he glared at Zhou Shaofen, and said: "Okay, let's stop wandering around here, let's go closer and have a look."

Zhao Wang looked around and found that there was a shop with the most people in line, so he walked over.

Zhao Kuo, who was following King Zhao, looked up at the name of the shop and found that it was called Wu's Tofu.

Wu Fei's Wu.

At this time, Zhao Wang had reached out and patted an old man at the end of the line: "Old man, I have something to ask you."

The old man was dressed plainly, his face was covered with wind and frost, and he was holding a cloth bag containing some food in his hand, and he turned his head impatiently: "You have a fart, cough cough, what is the matter with this lord?

The little old man must tell the truth. "

It was only halfway through the speech that the old man who could clearly see Zhao Wang's clothes also changed his words very vigilantly.

King Zhao didn't take it seriously, and said to the old man, "Old man, are you from Pingkangfang?"

The old man apologized and said with a smile: "It's good for my lord to know that I'm from De'an Square, and I'm still two squares away from Pingkang Square."

Zhou Shaofen on the side couldn't help but said: "Isn't De'anfang just next to Dongshi?

How did you come here. "