choke element

Chapter 972 Release (Part )

There are no rules anymore, and it is impossible to stand still.

As soon as Jing Anmin arrived, dozens of people surrounded him and made a lot of noise: "I saw the envoys who came from 800 miles away entered the Marshal's Mansion! There was a fight somewhere, right? Marshal Jing, is there any place where we can be of use?"

The old men were all full of energy. Even when Jing Anmin led them to a side hall, separated by several high walls, Guo Ning could still vaguely hear their conversation.

"Stop beating around the bush, you old bastards, how can you ever see the end of the battlefield? You are here just to gain benefits for yourselves and the people behind you, right!"

Only Jing Anmin could sneer at so many senior grassroots officers: "Don't hide away! Old Ma, I'm talking to you! What's the matter? Isn't it hard to do business in so many military fortresses? Isn't it enough for you to earn? Why are you jealous?"

The man called "Lao Ma" was Ma Bao, a trusted subordinate of Jing'an Min who had joined the bandits together. When he was in Haicang Town, Ma Bao served as a village guard and prosecutor. Later, he served as deputy commander and Jiedushi. He celebrated his 50th birthday last year and retired due to his old age.

"Business in our Great Zhou Dynasty is naturally easy to do."

Hearing Jing'an Min's scolding, Ma Bao said with a smile: "The soldiers of the Great Zhou have a much higher status than ordinary merchants and farm owners. They are respected everywhere. They have land at home and receive high military pay. Everyone is not short of money. People like us can just sell some local products, even needles and thread, and we will buy them all wherever we go."

"In the past two years, the military settlements have gradually produced some output, and the merchant caravans have not returned empty-handed."

Another old man with similar qualifications to Ma Bao said with a smile: "There is almost no tax in the various garrisons, and there are a lot of grains accumulated, which are suitable for making wine. In addition, there are surplus mules, horses, cattle and sheep that can also be collected. Fur and the like, we collected too much in the past two years, and the price has been falling. After being made into felt cloth in the past two years, it has become more upscale. Several of us have tried it. It can be used to make clothes and robes. It is not worse than the best fur. The key is that it has more patterns and patterns, and it is easy to match with needlework. It can be sold to the Southern Dynasty!"

"Okay, okay. Very good." Jing Anmin asked with concern: "In that case, what are you doing here? Are you really planning to pick up your weapons again and contribute to the country?"

At this point, he couldn't help laughing twice, leaning back against the backrest, and slowly said, "I'm resting! You guys are still so energetic? With such a good thing in your pocket, why don't you enjoy it yourself and let the young guys do the hard work?"

"This……"

Everyone was silent for a while. Ma Bao smacked his lips and sighed, "Marshal, we are worried too... We..."

Jing Anmin waved his sleeves and said, "Stop talking nonsense. My waist hurts, and I don't want to chat with you old guys. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

“Hehe, haha…”

Ma Bao was stifled and laughed dryly a few times. Several old men around him also laughed dryly a few times. Someone kicked Ma Bao lightly.

"Marshal, I mean..."

Ma Bao took two steps forward and whispered in his ear, "Gao Li?"

"You bastard, you guys... His Majesty is right when he says you have dog noses." Jing Anmin raised his foot and made a gesture: "It's very hot, don't get so close, get out of the way!"

Ma Bao and others are no longer young. They are roughly the first batch of retired officers in the Dinghai Army. The ones with the highest status have served as deputy general managers of the troops in a state or region, and the lowest status has served as lieutenant and general, and has appeared in front of Guo Ning.

When Guo Ning started his army in Tangluo, Hebei, he gathered many defeated soldiers, local bandits, and green forest heroes. Many of them have gone through hardships and become the backbone of the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty; many of them have gradually shown defects in their talents or personalities over time and cannot always adapt to the requirements of the army.

The more the army is built, the more obvious their discomfort becomes. But these people are loyal to Guo Ning, and are willing to closely bind their families and descendants to the Great Zhou. Not to mention that they are all veterans, and have maintained intricate relationships inside and outside the army, either through marriage or sworn brotherhood, and they are connected to each other and have the same interests.

Therefore, when Guo Ning gradually eliminated them from the army, he gave them very favorable conditions, and they received special treatment both politically and economically.

They relied on their special political background to manage logistics for the army and made a lot of money. Of course, they were very rich. They were able to gain a foothold in Zhongdu, where it was not easy to live. Even compared with the wealthy families who had been in Zhongdu for dozens or hundreds of years, they were not much worse.

But since ancient times, people have always been dissatisfied and always wanted more. They made their money by supplying the fortresses and military settlements in various parts of the north. The court had strict regulations on the selling and purchasing prices of various materials, and would never allow them to go beyond the rules. The real big money was in the hands of large-scale businesses directly controlled by the left and right offices, so it was not their turn to intervene.

Ordinary small and medium-sized merchants probably wouldn't feel anything about this. They originally shared the profits of the big merchants after they had eaten their fill, so they wouldn't complain too much about not getting a big piece of meat. Besides, the Great Zhou was founded on military power, and the laws were strict. If it wasn't allowed, then it really wasn't allowed.

But this is not the case for these young nobles who retired from the army.

They retired one after another, but not necessarily willingly. Some of them formed alliances with their colleagues and tried to push their sons and nephews to inherit the military power; some relied on their military household status to communicate with local officials and expand their clan foundation in their hometown. All of this required the support of a large amount of money.

So where does the money come from?

The tables in the north only had a few side dishes left for them; the tables in the south were set up, but the people of the Southern Song Dynasty were also responsible for dividing the spoils, so there was no left for them.

But they have unique advantages, that is, they have a far better grasp of the court's trends than others, and they have been united for a long time, so their ability to act is first-class.

The only reason they came here at this moment was that they knew that there had been no military actions in any of the four directions recently, and only Goryeo seemed to be about to gain something; the only motivation was that they felt that if they sat down at this newly opened table as soon as possible, they could at least have some wine and meat.

"The Han merchants in Licheng Port were mostly from the Southern Song Dynasty and Shandong. With Yin Chang's move, the former Red Coat Army and the Kaifeng Prefecture in Nanjing will also follow. Of course, we can't compete with the original group of people in Licheng Port in terms of speed, but we have to suppress the former Red Coat Army and the Han merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Many people on Nanjing Road are drooling over the Southern Song Dynasty, but they are reluctant to take action. So since Your Majesty has asked Yin Chang to preside over the meeting, it is equivalent to allowing them to go to Haidong to show their talents and have a good meal. What? Do you want Your Majesty to break his promise?"

"How dare we! After all, Goryeo is a big country in the East Sea. We are just cutting some small pieces..."

"Are the ships ready?" Jing Anmin interrupted Ma Bao's explanation.

"We're ready. Twenty ships! We'll use our own reliable men!"

"Where's the cargo?"

"I didn't bring any goods that would offend the emperor, nor did I bring any large items that the imperial court would be keeping an eye on. I only brought a batch of gold and silver jewelry, silk, and some top-grade study treasures."

Jing Anmin glanced at Ma Bao and said, "If I didn't know your background, I would believe it!"

"Cough cough..."

Jing Anmin added: "According to my opinion, I would have kicked you out long ago, but Your Majesty is so kind and has already given the order."

"What does Your Majesty say? I knew that Your Majesty is our confidant!" Ma Bao and others were delighted and took half a step forward together.

"In Goryeo, the situation will inevitably be chaotic for a while. When you get there, don't clash with the Khitans, and don't get involved in their internal disputes. However, the Khitans who belong to Yelu Jinshan have private contacts with our Prime Minister and are one of our own. Just understand this."

"well!"

"Although the leader of the Goryeo military nobles is gone, the rest are still scattered all over the place. Although the Goryeo king is weak, he has been the king for many years, and he may want to gather their power for his own use. How can these people be trusted? Sooner or later, they will become a big trouble! Yin Chang has to pretend, so he shouldn't be too harsh. You should bring enough people with you, and when necessary, you must show some of the spirit of the warriors of the upper country to eliminate the trouble for the king."

"I understand!" Ma Bao pounded his chest and said, "This kind of thing is something we old brothers are the best at!"

"One more thing..."

Jing Anmin's expression turned serious. He waved his hand to let everyone gather together and listen carefully: "This matter will not bring any benefits in the short term. It will be very hard. But His Majesty said that you are all his confidants. He believes that you will do your best. If this matter is done well, His Majesty will be satisfied. If it is not done well, you will all go to Gao Li'an's house and never return to the Central Plains!"

Your Majesty still regards us as your confidants! Your Majesty still needs us!

Everyone was very excited: "Marshal, please tell me, what's the matter?"

"The imperial court will not make any big moves in Goryeo, but before and after you set off, you need to make a big announcement in Zhongdu, showing that the imperial court is interested in the sea, will build ships in Goryeo, and gather tens of thousands of people to attack Japan. You have to make it look real so that everyone will believe it!"

"This... How much fanfare does Your Majesty want?"

"The bigger the better!"

(End of this chapter)