My lady, I'm going to rebel.

After separating from Gong Wen, Mu Zheng immediately went to see Yunniang. The little girl was still comatose, but her breathing was steady and her wounds were not infected, which reassured him.

However, the plan to leave Xiejiabao must be postponed.

This made Mu Zheng a little unhappy.

The evening celebration banquet was so lavish that Mu Zheng suspected the villagers had taken out years of storage. During the banquet, many people came to Mu Zheng for drinks, and he accepted all of them.

This ancient drink is just like a cocktail, with no taste.

"Mu Zheng, you come from Lingyan Village. Do you know General Lu's team?" Liao Min'an came forward to talk to him. Mu Zheng just felt a headache.

"They are currently in a strong momentum, but it will only be a flash in the pan." Mu Zheng wanted to dissuade the people of Xiejiabao from joining the Lu family army.

"Ah? How could it be a flash in the pan? The Lu army is about to attack Langya." Liao Min'an disagreed with Mu Zheng's point of view.

"But at most we can go to Langya."

Mu Zheng drank the wine in one gulp. This was not just his own nonsense, but was recorded in history books. In addition, he also had his own selfish motives. The people of Xiejiabao could rebel, but could they wait until he and Yunniang left before causing trouble?

"Humph!"

Mu Zheng's words aroused Xie Junfei's dissatisfaction. "Do you look down on the Lu Family Army so much? They broke into landlords' homes to steal food, stormed government offices to tear up the records of excessive taxes, and wherever they went, they were welcomed by the local people. Even the bandits and bullies didn't dare to mess with them. This is a blessing for us ordinary people. Instead of encouraging them, you criticize them. What's your intention?"

Mu Zheng was speechless. As expected, hot-blooded young people should not be provoked.

"Hey, Junfei, we're just chatting." Liao Min'an stepped forward again to smooth things over.

Gong Wen secretly whispered in Mu Zheng's ear: "He has an uncle who is in the Lu family army. I heard he holds a high position."

Mu Zheng suddenly realized.

"It's like this, Brother Mu." Liao Min'an motioned for silence. "In these troubled times, we too are seeking a way out. Some advocate joining the rebels, while others advocate defending the three acres of land in Xiejiabao. Since you're knowledgeable and experienced, I'd like to hear your opinion."

Oh?

Mu Zheng wanted to say that neither joining the Lu army nor defending Xiejiabao was within his consideration.

He was going to Chang'an to find Liu Xiu.

"Brother, tell me, if it were you, what would you choose?" Gong Wen touched Mu Zheng's elbow, his eyes dark and bright.

"me?"

In just a few breaths, Mu Zheng's mind raced. Yunniang was too ill to travel, so the search for Liu Xiu had to be put on hold. But if he wanted to settle down in Xiejiabao, he had to prevent Xiejiabao from joining the Lu family army.

What can I say? Mu Zheng frowned tightly.

correct!

The people of Xiejiabao want to rebel simply because they're living in poverty. So, we should first find a way to make money to keep them stable.

"If it were me, I would choose to do business!" Mu Zheng said.

ha?

No one, including Gong Wen, expected to hear such an answer.

"You? You want us to be businessmen?" Gong Wen was a little surprised.

Mu Zheng was about to nod when he heard someone slamming the table again. It was Xie Junfei again.

"Nonsense! Of the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, merchants are the lowest class. A time of turmoil under heaven is a time for men to establish themselves and make great achievements. That Wang Mang, incapable of stealing the Han dynasty, disregarded the lives of the poor and common people. It would have been fine if no one had taken the lead, but now that General Lu has raised his banner, how can you still be so obsessed with luxury and extravagance?"

"That's right, Brother Mu!" Liao Min'an also shook his head: "It's better to just stay in the fort. With the war going on, let alone doing business, even going out would make you be careful of being kidnapped."

Mu Zheng finally understood that one of them was attacking while the other was defending.

"There are many ways for a man to achieve success. Think of Fan Li, who became a wealthy businessman three times, then gave away his wealth three times to conquer Wu, Xing, and Yue. And then there's Lü Buwei. Although he has a bad reputation, he also proves that businessmen have their own unique ways of achieving success."

Mu Zheng stated that Wang Mang's regime had reached a point of widespread public outrage. With the Lu family's uprising now underway, it wouldn't be long before other regions erupted in unrest. By then, as various factions were separatist, those with wealth would be better off choosing the right place to stay, rather than blindly choosing sides.

"How do you know there will be riots in other places?" Liao Min'an expressed his doubts.

Others dare not say anything about this, but Mu Zheng is quite confident. After all, he is a person with a God's perspective.

But he had to put it another way, "Does this matter? If the world is in chaos, doing business now is just to survive in troubled times. If the world is not in chaos, doing business now will not be a loss."

Mu Zheng spoke very confidently, and it was the last sentence that touched everyone.

Yup!

Go do business.

If you are going to war, choose good wood; if you are not going to war, just stay at home and enjoy the good food. Isn’t that wonderful?

"Brother Mu said it well! Sima Qian said, 'Be loyal to the country, be wise to protect yourself, do business to get rich, and become famous in the world.' So we don't have to stick to the way of building a business." Gong Wen immediately echoed.

After a few glances, the others quickly came to a consensus. Even Xie Junfei joined in, shouting: "Do business, make it bigger and stronger!"

"But if we want to do business, what should we do?" Liao Min'an is just a farmer, and the only commodities he can think of are firewood, rice, oil and salt.

Mu Zheng had already had an idea about this.

"Horses! We feed the horses! Don't we all want to achieve great things? How can we be without horses on the battlefield? No matter which faction we choose in the future, horses will be our strength. Similarly, since we control the lifeline of horses, no one will dare to look down on us."

Although the people present didn't understand, they thought it was indeed the case. "Where can we buy horses? Langya is close to the mountains and the sea, so it's not suitable for raising horses."

Mu Zheng smiled slightly, "I wonder if anyone has heard of a place called Horse Breeding Island?"

Everyone looked confused and shook their heads.

Mu Zheng thought for a moment, "Ju Island? Or Xiang Island?"

"Elephant Island?" a man asked in surprise. "I know that place. It's in Donglai County, in the Yellow Sea."

Mu Zheng clapped his hands and said, "That's probably it."

Donglai is the ancient name for Yantai City in Shandong Province. I remember one year during a short holiday, Mu Zheng visited Yangma Island, a 4A-rated scenic spot in Yantai. The tour guide explained that Emperor Qin Shihuang once ordered horses to be raised here, and even after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, this place remained a popular horse breeding destination.

So, go there!

After all, Yantai has more than just apples!

"But..." someone else raised a different opinion: "We are all country guys, we don't know anything about horses..."

"What are you afraid of? I understand!" Mu Zheng patted his chest confidently. As a special forces soldier, how could he not learn horsemanship? "It's just that I will be leaving Xiejiabao soon, so I can't help you."

"Ah?" Gong Wen was the first to get anxious: "Brother Mu, didn't you say you had nowhere to go?"

Mu Zheng smiled awkwardly: "I'm just afraid of bothering you guys."

"Hey, what's the problem?" Gong Wen looked at Liao Min'an and said, "Uncle Liao, I have a vacant room."

Liao Min'an immediately understood what Gong Wen meant: "Brother Mu, you should stay. It was you who came up with the idea of ​​raising horses. Without you, we can't do it."

"But..." Mu Zheng frowned, "I don't have the capital to do business with you. How about I invest my technology?"