Wang Xiang exclaimed: "One million taels! Li Gongzi, do you mean it really?"

Obviously, he was also shocked by this figure, you must know that now the foreign enemies of the Great Song Dynasty are looking around, and most of the tax revenue in a year is used to raise soldiers, so the military expenditure is always insufficient.

And when Wang Xiang came to Suzhou this time, the total amount of military funds raised was only so much, but as soon as Li Fei opened his mouth, it was one million taels, how could he not be surprised, how unhappy!

Li Fei said with a smile: "Of course it's true, I said that if I give you one million taels, I will give you one million taels." ”

Anyway, he didn't care about money, and the gold and silver treasures that Li Fei brought out from the ancient tomb were far more than that. Besides, this money is also from Mantuo Villa. Mantuo Villa was originally the largest household in Suzhou, and there was too much money to use.

What's more, Mantuo Villa also belongs to the people of the Great Song Dynasty, and it is also beneficial for Mantuo Villa to spend some money for the Great Song Dynasty at this moment.

Mantuo Villa is now doing business, as long as some of the policies of the Great Song Dynasty are tilted towards Mantuo Villa, the money will soon be earned.

Immediately, Li Fei said again: "Wang Xiang, I gave you this money." Because now that the national disaster is at hand, under the so-called nest, how can there be eggs? But you can't let me suffer too much, after all, one million taels is not a small amount! ”

With so much money, Wang Xiang was already smiling at this time, and he said loudly: "Li Gongzi has any requirements, just mention it." ”

"I don't dare to mention it. Wang Xiang should know that this money is not from me, I am here to talk to you on behalf of Mrs. Wang of Mantuo Villa. Originally, Mrs. Wang planned to give you 500,000 taels, but now that the national disaster is at hand, I will take the initiative to double this number, but Wang Xiang can't let Mantuo Villa suffer too much, right? Otherwise, Mrs. Wang and I won't be able to explain, after all, I am not the owner of Mantuo Villa! ”

Li Fei didn't fool Wang Xiang when he said this, although everything in Mantuo Villa was decided by Li Qingluo, Li Qingluo also had a heart like Li Fei. But after all, Mantuo Villa is strictly a general, and it still belongs to the Wang family, Li Qingluo herself is not surnamed Wang, she is just the wife of the former patriarch of the Wang family.

Li Fei received the flying pigeon pass before, and when he knew about it, he used the fly pigeon pass to discuss with her, and asked her to come up with as much money as possible, so that she could go online with the prime minister of the current dynasty.

And since Li Qingluo and Li Fei had the night, she had regarded Li Fei as a support from the bottom of her heart, and her requirements for Li Fei were also met as much as possible. But if she comes up with too much money at once, after all, she has to have a reason to explain it to the rest of the Wang family.

The Wang family is a big family, her husband who has been dead for decades, and many uncles and uncles are still alive, and Li Qingluo must explain the whereabouts of the money to these people.

So she also sent a letter to Li Fei with terms that were favorable to Mantuo Villa, and asked Li Fei to pass it on to Wang Xiang.

Li Qingluo helped herself like this, and she couldn't hurt her.

So although Li Fei really wanted to give money to the Great Song Dynasty and let the Great Song expand the army so as to fight against the Great Liao, in order to complete his last main mission......

But Li Fei still has to think about it for Mantuo Villa.

Li Fei put his hand into his arms, took out the letter with the terms listed by Li Qingluo, and said to Wang Xiang: "Wang Xiang, these are some requirements of Mantuo Villa, you can take a look." ”

Wang Xiangye opened the letter and looked at it, frowned slightly, and said, "Li Gongzi, these requests made by Mantuo Villa are very unfair to other businessmen. ”

"Wang Xiang, if you want me to take out one million taels at once, I'm afraid that all the other merchants in Suzhou will only add up to this number, which is very unfair to us. So you have to promise all this, although it is a national crisis now, we, as the people of the Great Song Dynasty, should do our part. But Wang Xiang, I, Li Fei, are here to say something rebellious, even if the Great Song Dynasty is destroyed, the world will be replaced by Da Liao, and Da Liao will not dare to do anything to us businessmen. ”

"In other words, whether the surname Zhao manages the country, or the Khitan people manage the country, for us merchants, it's the same! What do you say? In business, I am now negotiating with the king on behalf of Mantuo Villa, and of course I want to win more benefits for Mantuo Villa. ”

Wang Xiang took the letter in his hand and muttered for a while, in fact, to put it bluntly, the terms listed in this letter only need Wang Xiang to re-promulgate some new policies. It was a breeze for Wang Xiang, and there was not much harm to the Great Song Dynasty itself.

These terms are a little unfair to other merchants, but they are more beneficial to Mantuo Villa.

Originally, in normal times, the prime minister of the king, as the person in power, was the prime minister of a country. He didn't want to see a Mantuo Villa dominate in Suzhou, as the prime minister, one of his tasks was to balance all the businessmen and try to avoid the problem of one dominance.

But now is an extraordinary period, these terms are not too bad for the Great Song Dynasty itself, and now it is the most important thing to raise enough military funds to fight against the Great Liao, since Mantuo Villa is willing to pay one million military expenses at a time, Wang Xiang also gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, Li Gongzi, I promise you!" ”

"Bang Bang ......"

Li Fei clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Wang Xiang is really a cheerful person!" However, this is only the request of 500,000 taels from Mantuo Villa, and now I have increased it to 1 million taels without authorization, in order to explain to Mrs. Wang, I must win a small benefit for Mantuo Villa. ”

Wang Xiang said in a deep voice: "A small interest? Li Gongzi might as well say, what is your little interest? "His heart is beating a drum now, the terms that Li Fei just listed are already very unfair to other businessmen, I don't know what the 'small benefits' that Li Fei revealed will be!

Li Fei smiled and said: "500,000 taels is not a small amount for anyone, Mantuo Villa now has an extra 500,000 taels of silver for nothing." Compared to the 500,000 taels of silver, what I want to say is indeed a small benefit......"

"Alas. Li Gongzi, just say it directly, what do you want? ”

"In a word, I want the right to sell salt!"

Salt is a necessity for the human body no matter where it is or at any time, and the right to sell salt has always been the exclusive property of the government, and in the words of the 21st century, it is a monopoly operated by the state.

The profits are unimaginably large, and are the envy of all profit-seeking businessmen, and because of this, it breeds many desperate people to sell illicit salt with corrupt officials.

I don't know how many people have made a fortune by selling illegal salt, and I don't know how many people have been imprisoned for selling illegal salt.

Because the profits are so staggering, it is generally impossible for the state to hand over the right to sell salt to private individuals.

Of course, Wang Xiang also knew this, and immediately shouted loudly: "No! The right to sell salt, this is absolutely not possible! ”

Li Fei had long expected that Wang Xiang would not agree, he smiled and said, "Hehe, Wang Xiang, you listen to me first before thinking about it." As long as Mantuo Villa has the right to sell private salt at the boundary of Suzhou, we will not interfere in other places in Mantuo Villa. ”

Wang Xiang said solemnly: "Even if it is the boundary of Suzhou, I can't agree!" ”

The terms he promised Li Fei just now, because those terms did not involve the interests of the imperial court itself, he would agree, but the issue of salt was obviously competing with the imperial court, how could he agree.

Li Fei said again: "Wang Xiang, as far as I know. Even if you don't agree to my condition, you can't stop the existence of private salt in Suzhou, and the whole city of Suzhou is flooded with illegal salt because of the existence of corrupt officials, and there is not much tax paid for salt in a year. I'm going to give you a million at once! ”

"As long as you hand over the right to sell salt to me, the tax paid by Mantuo Villa for the sale of salt is definitely much more than what the imperial court receives now, and in addition, I can also promise you to ban the sale of illicit salt in Suzhou City within a month. Some things that are inconvenient for the government to come forward to do, I can do it in Mantuo Villa, don't forget that my Mantuo Villa is still a person in the martial arts... There are some things that are much easier to do than the government. ”

Wang Xiang's face was gloomy, showing embarrassment, of course he knew the situation in Suzhou.

Because of the existence of corrupt officials, no matter how forbidden private salt is also banned, in Suzhou, Mantuo Villa is actually the first private salt household, and other private salt households are similar to Mantuo Villa are all martial arts people, so it is a little unrealistic for the government to manage the people in the martial arts.

And this time, Mantuo Villa openly asked for the right to sell salt, also for the convenience of being on the table.

As long as you have the right to sell salt, not only do you no longer need to hide in the future, but also because you can sell it openly, you can also double the sales again.

Once Mantuo Villa gets the right to sell salt, it will definitely crack down on other smugglers.

As Li Fei said, without the existence of private salt, it is actually good for the imperial court. In fact, he wanted to agree when he heard Li Fei say this. It's just that the right to sell salt is handed over to a private person for such an unprecedented thing, and it is difficult for him to agree to it as the prime minister.

He said with a sad face: "Li Gongzi, I know what you said. It's just that I really can't agree to your request, and this must be approved by the emperor. Moreover, once this precedent is set, it will be difficult for the imperial court to shirk if there are any big forces in other places in the future that want the right to sell salt! ”

Li Fei said with a smile: "Hehe, Wang Xiang doesn't have to be embarrassed. If I tell you that the emperor of Dali is my brother-in-law, I can guarantee that Dali will help when Daliao invades my Great Song Dynasty, can you have the capital to make this request to the emperor? ”

If Da Liao really destroyed the Great Song Dynasty, it would not be a good thing for Dali. This kind of truth of cold lips and teeth, Duan Yu knows. When the time comes, I will talk to Duan Yu again, and in that case, Dali will definitely participate in the war. This is another hole card for Li Fei to sell salt, and it is also a hole card that other local forces cannot have. (To be continued.) )