choke element

"I'm not crazy. I do this for my own reasons."

Hu Ju had a blank expression on his face and said slowly: "Back then, the Prime Minister punished Han to eliminate disasters, and he was not helpless in the country. But because of this, the Prime Minister was extremely wary of accidents, so he used only trusted people to control him. The closer you are to the people, the better the world will be. The more scholars there are, the easier it is to blame the prime minister. If the prime minister cannot bear the blame, he will inevitably drive away his cronies. The fewer cronies there are, the more specialized they will be."

"For example, I, Mr. Hu, am considered a close confidant of the Prime Minister, right? My grandfather and father were demoted because they advocated resistance to the Jin Dynasty. It was Xianggong Shi's relatives who pardoned them when he was Prime Minister, and allowed my Hu family to see the light again. Later. When I was in charge of supervising the comparative affairs of Qingyuan Prefecture and photographing Xiangshan County, I had a lot of contacts with Shi Xiang, who was studying at home, and we formed a good relationship. Also, because my ancestors and my father both advocated the fight against the Jin Dynasty, I stayed close to the Prime Minister. , has always been responsible for contacting Ying Chunzhi, Li Jue and other Jianghuai leaders."

"As a result, the situation in the north became too fast. Prime Minister Shi could not reap the benefits in the north, so he lost interest in Chunzhi, Li Jue and others. He asked me to be the magistrate of Fuzhou and asked me to supervise the infiltration of northerners. In fact, the real The purpose is for me to sit in Fujian and use the large number of Fujian scholars who support Ying Chunzhi and Li Jue to resist the northern merchants or fleets on Fuzhou Road."

"As a result, just when I was about to set off, Ying Chunzhi died, Li Jue became a mere military commander, and the situation in Huaidong also changed. So the prime minister no longer had any intention of confronting the north. Not to mention Li Jue and him The township party, even me, a descendant of the main war faction, was abandoned by him because as soon as I showed up, some people in the government and the public recalled my affiliation with Huaidong. The situation was too embarrassing. In order to avoid embarrassment, Of course I just didn’t show up.”

"Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Those of you who stayed with the Prime Minister have made money, been promoted, and have more authority. There are also people like Zhang Liangneng, who are not among the people close to the Prime Minister, just because He is very generous and you try your best to say good things for him. After returning to the court, it is inevitable that the censor Zhongcheng will take part in the political affairs!"

"What about me? And what about Nie Zishu, who was thrown to Sichuan to be a government envoy?"

"In the past two years, three years, and four years, every step has been slow, and every step has been slow!"

"Why should I, Hu Ju and Hu Zhongfang, suffer such a loss?"

"I use some special means to create something on the sea, and then I can use this as an excuse to ask the Prime Minister for money, food and material support. Then I train the navy in Fujian and seize the benefits of the sea for the Song Dynasty. What's the point? Isn’t that right?”

"I also have relatives and old friends around me. I am in Fujian and I have to win over people. These people also want to make a fortune in the sea. Can I stop them and not find a way for them?"

Xuan Zhen couldn't help but slapped the table: "Are you aggrieved to be the governor of the state for a few years? You incited the pirates to cause trouble, and how many ships did we lose? How many people? How much money? You can make these losses in 100 years Don’t come back! Have you settled this account? Do you know whose meal you are eating and whose bowl you are smashing? "

"Why are you anxious? Among the lost ships, yours was Xuanzhen's, right? Was it the ship that was robbed in Weitou carrying spices? You are running an industry to compete for profits with the people! When you talk like this, do you think I am Don’t you dare to impeach you?”

Both of their voices rose, and suddenly they both sighed.

They are all people who read the books of sages, so why do they do this?Opening or closing your mouth is all benefits and money, is it shameless?

In the final analysis, for the 200 years since the founding of the Song Dynasty, the annual income was roughly constant, and the number of scholar-bureaucrats playing in the pond of the Song Dynasty was also roughly constant.

Since these two items are constant, scholar-bureaucrats can generally maintain their dignity even if they compete with each other.Except for rare occasions, such as assassinations and coups in front of the prime minister, the fish in the pond must swim gracefully and pay attention to the joy of swimming.

However, with the sudden boom in maritime trade, millions of economic interests emerged, and the political interests related to the sea gradually became clear.What followed was that many things that should have been stable became increasingly unstable.

Because all the fish swimming leisurely in the still water of the deep pool were alarmed, their eyes shone brightly, and they all began to flap and fight desperately.Because if you don’t fight, other fish will fight; if other fish eat more, you will have less; if other fish eat all the other fish, you will be gone!
Moreover, someone once said in a poem that the floating clouds in the sky are like white clothes, and the whiskers change like gray dogs. Who knows how long this big ball of bait can be eaten?If you're a little slow, you'll never be able to eat again. Wouldn't that be even more uncomfortable?
How can this be tolerated?

So everyone showed their magical powers, their movements became bigger and bigger, and their eating looks became more and more ugly; then they used overt and covert methods together; so the old rules were broken one after another, even those who surrounded Shi Xiang and had the most interests in the entire Song Dynasty Among a group of rich people, there will also be unscrupulous people.

From Hu Ju's point of view, it is natural for Shi Xiang to eat meat himself and those around him to eat bones.But I, Hu Zhongfang, used to be able to chew bones, so why did I become a soup drinker?Including Xuan Zhen, how dare you say that you did not intentionally or unintentionally prevent me from taking the bite I deserve?
You are all so unkind, why do you have the face to talk to me?
The two of them sat face to face in silence for a while with fierce faces.

After all, Hu Ju felt guilty. His fear for his family's future and his awe of the historical figures made his desire for profit gradually fade away.

He sighed and said: "In the past two years, I have buried many hidden lines and stakes in the sea. Even though I was killed by Shi Tianni, there are still many left. If used well, I can unite thousands of fugitives. As a disciple, Shi Xiang will definitely need it. In addition, from the previous plunders, I received a benefit of 30 to [-] yuan. I will give you half of these benefits, and the remaining half will be dedicated to Shi Xiang. How about that?"

Xuan Zhen pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Zhong Fang, this matter has caused quite a stir. Your behavior has harmed the interests of officials and gentry all along the coast!"

Hu Ju said angrily: "Am I responsible for making such a big fuss? It's clearly the thieves from the Ding Navy who are taking the opportunity to cause trouble! Besides, what do they dare to do? Do they dare to touch Shi Xiang's people?"

Xuan Zhen shook his head: "After all, the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty was an important official of the Song Dynasty who was made up of equal efforts and enterprising spirit. He was not the kind of powerful minister who covered the sky with one hand and regarded the emperor as nothing! Zhong Fang, you just said it, the closer the Prime Minister is to the people he employs, the easier it will be for the world to be a scholar. Blame it on the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister cannot bear the blame and will inevitably drive away his trusted followers."

"What do you mean? Are you scaring me!" Hu Ju's face became more and more ugly.

While the two men were arguing at each other, in a large guesthouse next to the government office, a group of people had prepared their horses, packed their luggage, and were slowly walking out.

The leader was a bright-eyed young man dressed as a merchant. He had a dark complexion, bulging cheekbones, and a beard on his temples and chin. His face was full of weathered color, revealing a maturity that was not commensurate with his age.There are several people behind him, all of them are strong and capable, and the horses are all strong and good at walking.

Passing through several doors along the way, the servants all knew the young man and all said hello with a smile.

The guards all knew that this group of people came from Lizhou East Road, holding in their hands a certificate issued by Xingyuan Mansion and a dental plaque issued by Nie Zishu, the Sichuan envoy.They have been here for two or three months, visited many shipyards, ports and water villages, and inquired about many trivial matters.For example, what is the price of sea-going ships, what is the process of ship manufacturing, what are the bulk goods of maritime trade, how much turnover time does it take, how much manpower is occupied, and what is the input and output of the Song Dynasty in this.As the topic unfolded, he often asked how far Northern Zhou Dynasty had achieved in the past two years, how much investment Da Zhou had made on the sea, what kind of goods sold best in Da Zhou, and whether Da Zhou's fleet management was strict. , how energetic the crew is, and so on and so forth.

Some people wondered why the young man asked these questions. He explained that he was working as a frontline for the wealthy businessmen in central Sichuan, which involved huge amounts of money. He had to keep an eye on the general trend of the world, so he had to ask detailed questions.Because he gave generous benefits every time he visited, so over time, everyone welcomed him.

For a while now, the sea pirates have caused chaos, and the coastal areas are not very peaceful.This group of people is really courageous, they still visit everywhere, and even killed a few thieves who robbed the road.

However, looking at their current appearance, this visit from afar is about to come to an end?
A servant asked in a particularly familiar manner: "Young officer, where are you going this time? To the shipyard in the south of the city? To the Shipping Department in Quanzhou? Or..."

He looked at the group's attire: "Are you going to take a long distance?"

The young man patted the package on the horse behind him and said politely: "I've been bothering you for a long time, it's almost time to go back and recover!"

"Do you want to go back to Xingyuan Mansion? This journey must be easy!" The servant felt a little regretful, thinking that such generous guests were rare.

"Go back to Xingyuan Mansion first, and then maybe we have to go a long way." In the young man's voice, there was a mixture of accents from all over the world.

Because he comes from the northern border of the Song Dynasty, many of the guards around this young man are of foreign races. Their hairstyles look like Dangxiang Qiang, or other tribes or Tatars, and they have scars on their exposed faces and arms. a lot of.The guards didn't speak Chinese well, so they just waited in silence.

When I thought about it, Xingyuan Mansion was already separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, and it couldn't be further away.Hearing that the young man wanted to leave again, he couldn't help but smile and said: "How far can we go from Xingyuan Mansion?"

The young man also laughed: "Yes, yes. If you want to do something, you have to endure hardship. It's thousands of miles long!"

Thousands of miles away, where is that place?The servant had no idea of ​​this in his mind.He just thought the young man was bragging and laughed.

After finishing the gossip, the young people went out and walked slowly along the street, passing Shi Tianni and his party who were blocking the Zhizhou Yamen.

Some subordinates keenly felt that the momentum exerted by Shi Tianni and others was no small matter.

He wanted to look back, but the young man whispered: "Don't look back, just keep walking slowly."

Hearing his serious words, everyone was slightly stunned.The young man added: "Don't touch the handle of the knife either."

Leading the horses, they walked leisurely through Li Xu and passed through Yixing Gate. When they reached an area with open streets and fewer pedestrians, everyone got on their horses.As soon as they got on the horse, everyone felt like a tiger with wings, full of energy and relaxed expressions.

The young man looked back and saw the crowds of people on the street, enough to block any sight, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

He chuckled and said: "What a coincidence, Ding Haijun's hand has also reached out to Fuzhou in the Song Dynasty, and he is so unscrupulous! The person who just blocked the state government office was a famous sect in Zhongdu that Father Khan conquered when he went south. Commander Shi Tianni. He has tens of thousands of troops under his command. He is very good at fighting and has many meritorious deeds. He was once awarded the right deputy marshal who also defeated the Mongolian Uluth, and was awarded the Golden Tiger Talisman... He has seen mine."

The subordinate snorted coldly: "He's just a traitor who falls with the wind! He will die sooner or later."

"Don't underestimate them!"

The young man raised his voice slightly, then lowered it again:
"When the wolf pack grows large, the young male wolf will challenge the alpha wolf at any time, and will inevitably join other wolves. What is there to criticize? As a traitor, Guo Ning of Ding Haijun is Dajin He is a traitor to the country, haven't I suffered a big loss at his hands? Until now, what can we do against him?"

While they were talking, a merchant passed by the cavalry, and the words they used were interesting to hear.Some of the words were obviously not Han language, and some words with a Yan accent were mixed in.However, in Fuzhou city, it is common to see businessmen from Jiaozhi, Champa, Srivijaya, and even Zhuchan, Dashi and other countries. There are countless accents from the north and the south. Everyone is not surprised, but they can't understand a word of them anyway.

When the young man and his party were far away from the city, Shi Tianni was in a daze.

He vaguely felt that in his field of vision, the face of an old acquaintance flashed past, but he could not remember who it was.

This is strange. Could it be that His Majesty also sent someone else to go south to Fuzhou?After looking at the faces of familiar colleagues in Zhongdu, Beijing and other places, it seems that none of them are...

When he was about to think hard and come up with a result, Xuan Zhen rolled up his sleeves and came out of the state office, slightly nodding to Shi Tianni: "The explanation that should be given to your lord will be given to you soon."

Shi Tianni put aside his temporary doubts and saluted Xuan Zhen: "Thank you."