choke element

"The previously agreed response strategy is for your country to find out the reasons for the rampant pirates and to deal with the enemies hidden behind them, while we will send manpower to eliminate those pirates one by one according to your designated goals. .”

Zhou Keshan seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "However, you have never found out who the enemy behind the scenes is, so what can we do? Those people are all big food pirates, what do they have to do with me, Da Zhou, and the two What does state-to-state diplomatic relations have to do with it? If Shi Boruo feels that the big pirate pirates are causing too much noise, why not urge the truth to be unearthed as soon as possible and cut off the source of the pirate attacks?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? Alibaba and the forty thieves? That's Shi Tianni, the North Defense Envoy of Beijing Road in your Great Zhou Dynasty, and his subordinates! If I report this to Prime Minister Shi, what do you think?" end!"

"Haha..." Zhou Keshan laughed.

Zhang Liangpeng is also a capable person, and he is in charge of all areas in eastern Zhejiang. He has many eyes and ears, and Shi Tianni's secret trip south cannot be hidden from him at all.So Zhou Keshan didn't insist on denying it at all.

"It has been five months since the pirates were raging until now, and the merchant ships in Shanghai have also been on tenterhooks for five months. Shibo thinks we are moving too fast? We are using too many people? We are making too much noise? Don't you know? The Great Zhou Dynasty raised hundreds of thousands of troops to defeat half of them, and it only took two months; in this operation, there were actually only 41 people who went south in the first place!"

Zhang Liangpeng was silent for a while.

This is true, but it is Dazhou's principle.These northern Han people went on a rampage to conquer the Central Plains, so they felt that this set of drastic methods was applicable to all countries.

The Song Dynasty was different.When the Song Dynasty wanted to solve the problems it faced, it had far more resources to use than the northerners who were far away across the ocean, and they were also much slower.

The Song Dynasty had a huge bureaucracy and a complete management organization for maritime trade.In recent years, those involved in maritime trade include three municipal shipping departments in Guangnan, Zhejiang and Fujian, and more than a dozen municipal shipping offices in Hangzhou, Qingyuan, Wenzhou, Jiangyin, Huating, and Hainan, plus Shuaichen and Caochen from various places. The many related yamen and personnel under his command have a tighter system of authority and authority than any other dynasty in history.

The emperor of the Song Dynasty can be regarded as a benevolent king, and the ministers in the court and the ministers beside him are also talented people. They can be regarded as virtuous ministers.Whatever Shi Xiang wants to investigate, there are many suitable candidates who can uncover any buried truth.

In the Song Dynasty, there were 63 naval armies under the Dianqian Division, Coastal and Coastal Construction Divisions, and the Regional Economic Strategy and Appeasement Division. The number of ships under their control was at most more than 4000. Only one was expanded by the Dinghai Navy. The completed Xupu navy consisted of the fourth army, eight generals, [-] teams, and [-] people. With this power, it controlled the sea and no pirates could resist it.

The Song Dynasty had such a strong power, but when it came time to use it, the thunder was loud and the raindrops were light.

As the scale of maritime trade expanded, the size of the Shipping Department in the Song Dynasty became larger and larger. In name, a Shipping Department had four officials and eleven officials. In fact, the number of officials filled in it was more than ten times greater. There are more than a hundred times more people who depend on Shibosi for their meals, and the number of officials, idlers, and helpers who work hard for Shibosi is even more incalculable.

But such a huge system does not bring huge power. Instead, it makes the whole system like a dying giant. If it moves even slightly, all the bones in the body will be crushed by its own weight.It has been three months since Prime Minister Shi issued an order asking the Municipal Shipping Departments to pay attention to unusual movements at sea, but the Municipal Shipping Departments have not responded and cannot respond.

The literature and education of the Song Dynasty were unparalleled in the world, and scholars became officials one after another.In the past two years, Prime Minister Shi has been able to win over allies, divide political opponents, and expand his political base with his huge financial resources. It seems that he has the momentum to cover the sky with one hand.

But a senior official like Zhang Liangpeng understood that there were many people working under Prime Minister Shi, and their slogans of loyalty were shouted loudly, but those who Prime Minister Shi was really willing to entrust with important matters were actually a few people in his small circle. people.

Looking down from his old man, so many officials worshiped and danced with his eyes, which may be pleasing to the eye.But Shi Xiang knows that these people are always a pool of mud.Therefore, Shi Xiang was very angry to find that the teams he had sent to investigate were all wandering in the mud. Let alone investigating, his own house had become a black mess.

As for the naval forces in various places...

Yes, according to common sense, the navy crushing pirates is like crushing ants.Not to mention pirates, even the maritime power that the Northern Zhou Dynasty tried to expand was nothing more than an ant in front of the Song Dynasty.

But the situation in the Song Dynasty was so unbelievable. As far as the Dinghai Army under Zhang Liangpeng's nose was concerned, he could gather hundreds of sterns, thousands of small boats, and sails covering the sky on the sea surrounding the islands with just one order. Block out the sun.But that's all he could do.

There were so many ships to maintain and so many soldiers to eat. Over the past few decades, the navy of the Song Dynasty had long been accustomed to making a living on its own.If the envoy wants to parade the troops to show his prestige, that's no problem. In official matters, everyone has to help each other.

But what about patrolling, catching theft, tracking, fighting... The gentlemen above, I still owe more than ten years of military pay and rewards. If you don't pay off, don't delay us by talking about these things. Go boating to make some extra money.The business at sea is so prosperous, so why don’t we Qiu Ba have to go hungry?

Therefore, if Zhang Liangpeng was asked to exterminate the pirates, he could mobilize only 23 sea-going ships, not even one more.As for the manpower that dares to brutally confront the pirates at sea and on land at the same time, we really can't count.All because there is no calculation, there is still hope of "having", once the calculation is made, the result is likely to be nothing.

That being the case, what else could Zhang Liangpeng say?
The Song Dynasty accomplished nothing, how could it still complain about the vigorous and resolute actions of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

Like countless officials in the Song Dynasty, he always regarded the Zhou regime in the north as a grass-roots team composed of a group of vulgar warriors.No matter how fierce and powerful they are, they cannot compare with the clothes, rituals, music, and teachings of the saints of the Song Dynasty.

But he was an official in the Song Dynasty who was busy doing practical things. In the past two years, he had been trying his best to earn millions of guan for Shi Xiang to suppress the court.

The cooperation between the two families at sea is so intricate and involves countless details. Zhang Liangpeng, Li Yun, and Zhou Keshan slowly worked out the regulations bit by bit, and then implemented them bit by bit. .The more attentive he was, the more he felt that his cooperation with the Northerners was very fast and convenient, and the more he felt that the Song Dynasty was vain on the surface, and all the civil and military officials underneath were useless.

Facing the rampage of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, although he was furious, a vague feeling came to his mind:

Is it possible that things should be done in such a vigorous and resolute way?

Is it possible that I, Da Song, am just a fooling around?

Zhang Liangpeng never dared to think too much about these questions, and he also knew that there were no answers to these questions.He could only speak fiercely at Zhou Keshan, and in the last few discussions, his momentum became more and more serious, and his words became more and more severe:

"No matter what, that Alibaba can't make a fuss anymore! Otherwise, the navy of the Production and Construction Department will have to take action, and I have to report the truth to the Prime Minister. Once the Prime Minister is angry, it will not look good on everyone!"

Zhou Keshan was polite.

He bowed to Zhang Liangpeng: "Don't worry Shibo... Otherwise, our two families will each take a step back?" "How to retreat?"

"The chaos caused by the big food pirates can be stopped, and there will definitely be no embarrassment on the Prime Minister's side. But you must find the person behind the plot of our merchant ship as soon as possible. We cannot rest assured until this force is eliminated! "

"When you say as soon as possible, how fast do you mean?"

"After the spring begins, the trade wind picks up again, and business must not be delayed. Therefore, it will take a month at most. If there is no results within a month... Shibo, we have actually caught some people bit by bit and asked some questions. There is a little clue in the confession. When the time comes, the wildness of the big food pirates will show up, and they will really attack Junzhou. Don’t be surprised!"

What do you mean by that?Could it be that this matter is also related to the chief officer of the coastal military state?Who is so bold?

Zhang Liangpeng's thoughts were racing, but he didn't want to ask in detail. He could only jump at Zhou Keshan's vague threat.

"How dare you!" he roared, angrily stood up and pushed the door open.After taking two steps, he turned back and shouted loudly: "It's only been one month! Within one month, Xuanzhen will definitely give an explanation. Those big pirates of yours are waiting at sea!"

"Haha, then just listen to Shibo." Zhou Keshan saluted again.

Zhang Liangpeng strode out with a gloomy face.

After passing several doorways and crossing courtyards, his followers followed him one after another. Seeing that his face was not friendly, they all hurriedly acted like they should keep away strangers.From time to time in the courtyard, I ran into people such as promotions, supervisors, activities, and guest managers hired by the Shanghai Bank. Seeing the menacing attitude of the group, they all got out of the way.

Approaching the outskirts of the security courtyard, Zhang Liangpeng suddenly said "Hey",
He asked: "Why don't you go through the main entrance?"

The personal attendant looked at his face and whispered: "Today is December [-]th, and it has been exactly three months since the last dividend."

Zhang Liangpeng stood suddenly, his face stern.

After a while, he walked deeper into the corridor.

The corridor is winding and winding, with high walls on both sides.After walking for half a cup of tea, I arrived at a side door.

Coincidentally, the back door is opposite the courtyard Zhang Liangpeng built on Lanshan Island.In the small courtyard inside the side gate, five carriages were parked one after another according to the practice of once every three months.

Zhang Liangpeng sighed.

After Shi Xiang and Beifang launched sea trade cooperation, Zhang Liangpeng, who was specifically responsible for sea trade matters, received special preferential treatment from Li Yun and Zhou Keshan, and continued to secretly extract benefits and dividends from the Shanghai trade, with the specification being [-] yuan every three months.So far, he has obtained it six times and obtained [-] guan of money.

Sixty thousand guan was no longer small money. With the money, Zhang Liangpeng used the money to not only seek land and property in his hometown in Lishui, but also invested in bribery and gossiping in Lin'an, trying his best to restore his brother Zhang Liangneng's official connections when he was still alive.

He is confident that as long as he invests tens of thousands more coins, many difficulties will be solved. When he returns to the court one day, these forces will be activated together to earn a better future, and even lead to the political participation that his brother once achieved. Bit!

"The pirates were raging and the trading company suffered huge losses, but the [-] guan that I deserved was not lost at all. Zhou Keshan is really thoughtful!" Zhang Liangpeng couldn't help stroking his beard and nodded slightly.

"Ahem..." The entourage on the side whispered: "Mr. Zhou sent someone to say that this time, not only is the bonus of [-] guan for the operation of the business. The pirates captured [-] coins from the battle."

"You accept this too? You're stupid!" Zhang Liangpeng scolded.

He knew that as long as he accepted the extra [-] yuan, the Dashi pirates would have to be from Dashi, and the one active along the coast of the Song Dynasty would be Alibaba and not Shi Tianni.At least for him, that must be the case.Prime Minister Shi would not hear any rumors from his friend Zhang Liang.

Officials from other places may have guessed, either they themselves are unwilling to interfere, or Zhou Keshan has other ways to deal with them.But Beiren's hand holding the knife just stretched out. It was still a hand that did not obey Da Song's call and had its own way.

Zhang Liangpeng naturally knew that this was completely different from what the two families had agreed upon.But in Lin'an, in the eyes of Shi Xiang, nothing happened.

Is this good?If I conceal it, wouldn’t I mean to deceive the prime minister?Isn't it like eating inside and outside...

Zhang Liangpeng hesitated for a moment.

The person next to him said distressedly: "Mr. Zhou's people said that from now on, there will be seizures of big pirates every three months, and each time they will not be less than [-] guan! Master, this boss really can't take away a lot of money." What?"

Every three months?No less than [-] yuan each time?It turns out that it's not a one-time deal, but a steady flow of money?

Zhang Liangpeng gasped.He knew that the few followers around him might have benefited from it in advance, so he couldn't bear to see the meat flying away from his mouth.This group of people, I have been teaching them about human ethics in vain, they are still so ignorant and greedy!
but……

This piece of meat that belongs to me is right next to my mouth. Will I eat it or not?
He walked around the five carriages, finally made up his mind, and said slowly: "Recently, pirates have caused a lot of troubles, especially the big pirates who are the most ferocious. All naval forces in eastern Zhejiang have to organize their ships, Cultivate military equipment to make sure everything is in place!"

What about the pirates, what about the navy, and what does it have to do with the followers?
The followers didn't understand at all, they only knew that their master had decided to accept the benefit, so everyone was happy and said that his master was wise.