Liu Shangdong smiled, "It is the honor of the Liu family to be able to associate with the Dugu family, why talk about the word bother?" ”

"Uncle Shi is too modest!"

Liu Shangdong invited Dugu Mingli to sit down, and asked with a smile: "Have the ten big ships started to be used?" ”

Dugu Mingli bowed and said: "At present, I am anchored in Runzhou for repairs and inspections, and then I am going to go to Silla to purchase Silla paper and medicinal materials." ”

Liu Shangdong smiled and said: "Silla's paper is cheaper, it seems that it is only 30% of Chang'an!" The medicinal materials are also good, you can buy high-vintage ginseng, are you going to use Runzhou as your home port? ”

Dugu Mingli shook his head, "We are preparing to use Cangzhou Hekou Port as the home port, and after the goods arrive at the shore, they can be directly transferred to inland river transportation and transported to Chang'an." ”

Liu Shangdong was a little interested and asked, "Isn't Hekou Port abandoned?" ”

"Of course, it is not abandoned, it is now used as a salt port, and at present, the salt and iron department, the Cangzhou government and the county government are carrying out a comprehensive renovation of the port, and I believe that it will become the largest port in the north sooner or later."

Since Hekou Port has been mentioned, Dugu Mingli simply followed this topic to go deeper, "Zhu Zhu was defeated in Hebei, according to the exact news, he wants to recruit another 100,000 troops, but where does the military spending come from?" Luoyang and the Central Plains have been hollowed out by him, he can only fight Jianghuai's idea, Yangzhou is the first to bear the brunt, I believe that soon, Zhu Jun is going to do it again to Yangzhou giants, Uncle Liu Shi, Yangzhou is already very unsafe, it is time to make a choice. ”

Speaking of this, Dugu Mingli took out the handwritten letter of Guo Song, the king of Jin, and put it on the table, and pushed it to Liu Shangdong, "This is a handwritten letter from His Royal Highness the King of Jin to Uncle Shi, please take a look at Uncle Shi!" ”

Liu Shangdong was startled, it turned out to be a handwritten letter from His Royal Highness the King of Jin, he hurriedly picked up the letter respectfully, opened the letter and read it carefully, after reading the letter, he was silent for a while.

Dugu Mingli saw that Liu Shangdong was a little tempted, so he hit the railway while it was hot: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin has always told my father that he governs the country with Confucianism, strengthens the country with the military, raises the country with agriculture, rejuvenates the country with industry, and enriches the country with business. ”

Liu Shangdong said half-loudly: "I have seen the sincerity of His Royal Highness King Jin, to be honest, I am very moved, but this choice is a big deal for the Liu family, I need to discuss it with my family, so be it!" Two days later, I gave Dugu Gongzi an official reply. ”

..........

Dugu Mingli said goodbye and left, Liu Shangdong immediately came to the back house and found his father Liu Xun, his father was a monk and practiced Buddhism, and he didn't ask about family affairs for a long time, but today's matter is not trivial, he hopes that his father can guide him in a direction.

There was a sound of wooden fish in the meditation room, and my father Liu Xun said coldly: "I have devoted myself to cultivating Buddhism, and I don't ask about the world, you have discussed and decided these things, why do you want to ask me?" ”

Liu Shangdong knelt at the door and said: "If it is a trivial matter, the child will not disturb the father, but this matter is a matter of life and death for the family, and the child can't make up his mind, so he begs his father for guidance." ”

After a while, Liu Xun said lightly: "Come in!" ”

Liu Shangdong walked into his father's meditation room, there was a faint sandalwood lingering in the room, there was nothing else in the room except an incense burner, a futon, and a wooden fish, and his father, who was over seventy years old, was sitting cross-legged on the futon, looking at him majestically.

Liu Xun is much more powerful than his son Liu Shangdong, he has traveled to the south and the north for decades, going to the South Seas, going to Japan, and going west to Tianzhu and Persia.

But ten years ago, he suddenly saw through the red dust, became a layman, and has been concentrating on practicing Buddhism at home, basically no longer caring about family affairs.

Liu Shangdong knelt down and said: "The child received a handwritten letter from Guo Song, the king of Jin, today, sincerely inviting our Liu family to move to Chang'an, this is the second time he has sent an invitation, the child is very conflicted, I don't know what to do?" ”

"What conditions did he offer to make you feel his sincerity?" Liu Xun asked.

"The fact that the King of Jin wrote a handwritten letter to the child is a great sincerity in itself, and in the letter he promised to sell a thirty-acre garden house to the Liu family, as the Liu family's mansion in Chang'an, if the Liu family contributes in the future, he will also knight the Liu family."

"Are you unwilling to move to Chang'an?"

When Liu Xun speaks of you, he refers to Liu Shangdong and his two brothers, as well as his three sons, the six of whom can decide the future of the family.

Liu Shangdong sighed, "I am neutral, only Erlang wants to move to Chang'an, and the other four people all want to go to Hangzhou, and then move the fleet to Mingzhou." ”

"Since most people want to go to Hangzhou, what are you worried about?"

"The child is worried that the King of Jin has given us enough face, but in the end we don't appreciate it, I'm afraid he will retaliate against us in the future."

"Do you think he can take revenge on the Liu family?" Liu Xun asked again.

Liu Shangdong nodded, "If he wants to retaliate, he can do it." ”

Liu Xun pondered for a moment and then asked, "I still want to know, why did he take revenge on the Liu family?" Just because you can't put down your face? ”

"It's not because I can't let go of face!"

Liu Shangdong explained: "Father, this is actually the reason why he wants to envelop the Liu family. ”

"Tell me more about it, what is the reason?"

"The child understands in his heart that he actually values our sea ships very much, they have been in the west for a long time, and they just won Hebei and got the sea mouth, but they don't have a big ship to go to sea, if they want to build a batch of sea ships, they can't do it in ten or twenty years, and the time is very unfavorable to the Jin Kingdom, so the King of Jin wants to use our Liu family's sea ships."

Liu Xun nodded, "Your analysis is more reasonable, it seems that we are indeed very important to King Jin, since this is the case, then move to Chang'an, what are you worried about?" ”

"I'm not worried about anything, the key is the third child and my sons, they are worried that the King of Jin will be like Zhu Zhu, in the name of borrowing a boat, and he will not pay it back in the future, Zhu Zhu borrowed our twenty big ships, and was later detained by Zhu Tao, and never returned it, and the matter will be over."

Liu Xun gently stroked the wooden fish stick in his hand, and after a while, he said slowly: "Let me give you a suggestion, if the Liu family can survive overseas and never return to Middle-earth, you really don't have to consider the requirements of the superiors, but if you can't leave for a while, then you must have a choice."

The so-called businessmen do not intervene in politics, those are all naïve lies, believing it will kill people, you think that whoever can unify the world in the future will go to whom, the sooner you take refuge, the greater the dividends you will get in the future, don't care about the gains and losses for a while, and look at the long term. ”

"Got it!" Liu Shangdong kowtowed to his father, slowly got up and retreated.

Liu Xun closed his eyes and began to beat the wooden fish again and chant the scriptures, as if nothing had happened.

Liu Shangdong immediately summoned two brothers and three sons to the back hall to discuss matters, unlike the last time he was indecisive, he was made up of his mind by the arguments between his brothers and sons, and now his father taught him a lesson, a businessman without a position is a fish on the board, anyone can kill you, you want others to protect you, but you are unwilling to pay anything, then in the end you will get nothing.

"What I discussed with you last time, I've already decided!"

Liu Shangdong glanced at everyone and said unhurriedly: "I decided to move the Liu family to Chang'an and bid farewell to Yangzhou for the time being." ”

The lobby was suddenly surprised, and the eldest son Liu Qingshan hurriedly said: "Father, didn't you decide to move to Hangzhou?" Why did you change your mind again? ”

Liu Shangdong shook the letter in his hand, "The handwritten letter written to me by Guo Song, the king of Jin, he asked us to move to Chang'an as the supreme in the world, I can't help but give this face, if we ignore it, we will regret it one day." ”

Liu Qingshan looked at the letter in his father's hand and was silent, of course he was not stupid, how much sincerity the King of Jin gave, how much pressure there was, although Han Rong invited them to Jiangnan, he did not take out the handwritten letter, in fact, the Liu family still relied on themselves for everything.

"Big brother, what favorable conditions did King Jin give?" The third Liu Shangnan asked.

"Promise to sell us a thirty-acre garden house, promise to give our family knighthood in the future, the premise is to make meritorious service, in addition, promise that we can put part of the ships in Mingzhou, and the other part of the ships in Cangzhou."

"That's for the best!"

The second Liu Shangbei said excitedly: "In fact, it is to promise our Liu family to leave a back road in the south of the Yangtze River, and actually promised to sell the garden house to us, this sincerity is really touching." ”

Liu Shangdong's second son, Liu Qingyun, raised his hand and asked, "Second uncle, what is the garden house?" ”

"Say you're ignorant! The garden house is the house on the east bank of the Qujiang River, which is where the royal relatives and the major magnates live, and no businessman can live in it, of course, we can't live in the garden house is one thing, the key is that the king of Jin has shown sincerity. ”

Speaking of which, Liu Shangdong's three sons no longer objected, Liu Shangdong said resolutely: "Since we have decided to go, we will speed up, once we are discovered by Zhu Zhu, we will not be able to leave, we will go in two batches, at the latest tomorrow night, our family will get on the boat, go north to Cangzhou, and then divert from Cangzhou to Chang'an." ”

In fact, the Liu family had long been ready to relocate, and all the wealth was transferred to three large sea ships like ants moving, the sea ships were moored at the Runzhou wharf, and hundreds of sea ships had already gone to Mingzhou in advance, as long as more than 100 people in their family got on the ship and left, Zhu Jun would not want to persecute them anymore.