Gao Chengyi left, walking with tears in his eyes, his back full of gloom and loneliness.

Kou Ji looked at Gao Chengyi's back without any pity.

It is very abrupt to pass away from the heights, but it is also reasonable.

Gao Chu Gong is too old, and he has been running around on the battlefield for half his life, and there are countless open and dark injuries on his body, and when he was in Bianjing City, there was no big problem.

But after going to the Northland, it was difficult for him to adapt to the extremely cold climate.

The bright and dark wounds on the body recurred together.

If you can't survive it, you can only die.

Before he died, he wanted to get a little benefit from Kou Ji for his children and grandchildren by getting acquainted with Kou Ji.

It's a pity that he miscalculated.

Kou Ji can agree, even if the Gao family sends someone over casually, Kou Ji can agree.

Kou Ji will not agree, let alone say that Gao Di Gong is dead, even if everyone in the Gao family dies, Kou Ji will not agree.

Affection is affection, and principle is principle.

Kou Ji is very clear.

Since Kou Ji refused the request of several families to buy firearms, except for the people of Zhu Neng's family and Cao Yong's family, the other people have never appeared in Zhuyuan again.

Zhu Neng and Cao Yong knew the details of Kou Ji, and they knew that Kou Ji had the absolute right to speak on the issue of firearms.

Although Koji refused their business of buying firearms, as long as they had a good relationship with Koji, sooner or later, they would get their hands on firearms.

Moreover, they knew that Ko Ji had not only firearms in his hands, but also countless good things.

Befriend and form an alliance with Koji, and Koji will definitely not treat them badly.

Cao Yong and Zhang Yuan are still alive, which shows that Kou Ji is not a ruthless person, he did not kill them all, nor did he unload the mill to kill the donkey, but gave Cao Yong and Zhang Yuan an unprecedented future.

Thus.

Koji is a man of love.

It's just that there aren't many people who can be regarded as friends by him.

The others didn't know the details of Kou Ji, and after Kou Ji refused their request to buy firearms, they found another way and planned to make a hole in Zhao Zhen.

"The people of Shiheng presented eighteen beautiful women to the official family, a golden Buddha more than one person high, and asked the official family for a craftsman to make artillery battles......"

When Liu Heng was outside to help Liu Boxu recruit troops, he heard some rumors, so he hurried to Kou Ji's study to share the news he got with Kou Ji.

While enjoying the tea cooked by Wang Anshi, Kou Ji asked with a smile, "You feel the danger?" ”

Liu Heng nodded without hesitation, with a hint of worry on his face, "He is in Dongyang, Dongyang is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and only one side faces the land, and that place is my fiefdom Xiyang."

He asked the officials to make the craftsmen of the cannons, but they were obviously ill-intentioned.

If he had any ideas, he would be in danger. ”

Kou Ji sighed while sipping the tea: "The method of planting Shiheng is still too rough...... If he gets some strange things, or in the name of Xu Fu, he gets some things to prolong his life, maybe his idea can come true. ”

Liu Heng stared at Kou Ji and said in a deep voice: "He is not asking for a craftsman to make artillery at all, he is looking for the secret recipe for gunpowder." If he asks for a secret recipe for gunpowder, it means that he has the heart to expand the territory.

He can deal with only Berthus now. ”

Kou Ji glanced at Liu Heng and said faintly: "Didn't we say two days ago that as long as we live, Chong Shiheng wouldn't dare to attack Bo Xu?" Why are you nervous again? ”

Liu Heng gritted his teeth and said, "Bo Xu is not the opponent of Shiheng. ”

Kou Ji sighed, "You might as well go back to Xiyang and have a look." ”

Liu Heng shook his head decisively, "I'm going to stay and help you." ”

Kou Ji said seriously: "I don't leave Bianjing City now, basically no one can hurt me." You can't help me much.

You've been worried that Bo Su is in dire straits, and if you don't take a look, your heart will never be at peace. ”

Liu Heng shook his head stubbornly, "I won't leave Bianjing City, I just hope that you don't give the craftsman who made the cannon to Chong Shiheng."

Once Chong Shiheng gets the gunpowder, he will inevitably make a firearm. ”

Kou Ji waved his hand and asked Wang Anshi to go out first.

After Wang Anshi left, Kou Ji stared at Liu Heng and said in a deep voice: "The official family will not hurt me." ”

Why did Liu Heng abandon his son and stay in Bianjing?

It's to protect Koji.

With Kou Ji's current status and the power in his hands, only Zhao Zhen can hurt Kou Ji.

Liu Heng kept it just to prevent Zhao Zhen from attacking Kou Ji.

Kou Ji has history books to learn from, and even Zhao Zhen is a benevolent person who will not hurt him.

But Liu Heng doesn't think so.

He felt that as long as he was sitting in that position, there was no friendship in his eyes.

He felt that Zhao Zhen was letting Kou Ji live now because Kou Ji was still useful.

He felt that once Kou Ji was useless, Zhao Zhen would not hesitate to kill him.

Because almost everyone in the Great Song Dynasty knows it, the most threatening to the throne now is Kou Ji.

Even Kou Ji behaved very harmlessly.

Even if Kou Ji is not half in love with the throne.

Liu Heng shook his head and said with a solemn face: "Fourth brother, you are also a learned person, you should understand that throughout the ages, no emperor is affectionate.

The more wise the gentleman, the more ruthless he is.

There is no doubt that the official family is a wise man.

So you can't put your life on friendship with him.

If you blindly believe in friendship with him, when he really wants to kill you, you will die a miserable death. ”

Kou Ji hesitated for a moment, and said to Liu Heng: "He is a poor man, he is actually very eager for family affection and friendship......

Liu Heng said in a deep voice: "The emperor is lonely...... Born to ...... You shouldn't have pity on him...... If you have mercy on him, you will kill yourself...... All those who had mercy on the tiger eventually died in the tiger's mouth......"

Kou Ji couldn't tell Liu Heng what kind of person Zhao Zhen was in history.

There is no way to tell Liu Heng, even if Zhao Zhen turns his face, he can't help him.

"Let's talk about gunpowder. The gunpowder in the imperial artillery workshop did not have much lethality at all, and it was not as good as a steel knife on the battlefield.

So you don't need to worry about the threat to Bo Xu after you get the gunpowder.

Firearms are not so easy to make.

Nowadays, gunpowder used on the battlefield needs to go through more than 30 processes.

One less will not make qualified gunpowder.

There are more than 30 processes, and if there is no guide from someone who knows how to do it, he may not be able to get started after a lifetime of study.

As for the iron used in firearms, it was enough for them to study for a long, long time.

It's not that no one has thought of imitation, and it's not that no one has studied it.

After the firearm entered Jiaozhi, Cao Yu sent someone to study it.

They took the muskets and cannons I had made, and they didn't work out any way.

Now there was a fire crossbow meteor arrow in front of him.

Muskets and artillery, he couldn't even get through the door.

So you don't have to worry about being threatened at all. ”

Liu Heng said in a deep voice: "I always don't worry about ......"

Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "Before the official family revealed that they wanted to cut the feudal domain, and before the official family did not allow the feudal kings to kill each other, it was impossible for Chong Shiheng to do anything to Bo Xu.

Once he made his move, he would face not only Bo Xu, but also the entire Great Song Dynasty.

In military affairs, the majesty of the official family cannot be provoked. ”

Liu Heng lowered his head and did not speak.

Kou Ji continued: "If you care, you will be chaotic. It seems to me that Berthus is safe now. The need for gunpowder is nothing more than to accumulate strength in the future.

He was afraid that in the future, my Han Land and your Xiyang firearms would be rampant, and their breeders would have no power to protect themselves, so they begged for gunpowder and wanted to catch up.

It was he who feared that we would encroach on his fiefdom.

After all, firearms are something they can't ask for.

For me, it's at my fingertips. ”

When Liu Heng heard this, his face softened a lot.

Kou Ji glanced at Liu Heng and said, "Don't think about it so much, I'm really not at ease, just go and take a look." Compared with Shiheng, Zhu Neng, Li Zhaoliang, Gao Weizhao, and Cao Yu are more worthy of our attention.

They really wanted gunpowder to conquer the city.

The war horses of the Gao family are now rampant in the Northland, and it is said that they have collected more than 10,000 Northland savages.

The soldiers of the Zhu family tore apart in the Western Regions and are said to have conquered Qiuzi.

In just half a year, the territory of the Zhu family has more than doubled.

Cao Yu conquered sixteen cities in the southeast.

The envoy of the Cao family has asked the official family to engrave the name of the lord of Xiluo on the seal given to Cao to use.

Although the Li family has not been in the Western Regions for a long time, they have reached an agreement with Zhu Neng, Yuanshan, and Gargamel of the Black Khanate.

The Quartet has formed an alliance and is ready to go together to the west to conquer the city.

With Gargamel, the serpent of the land, helping to lead the way, they already knew of the existence of many states to the west, and knew where it would be more advantageous to march from there.

Today, Gargamel's men are drawing a fine map of the West.

Li Zhaoliang and others are fighting hard.

It is believed that after their strength has accumulated to a certain extent, they will rush into the West without hesitation. ”

Liu Heng hesitated and said, "They don't care about my Great Song? ”

Kou Ji smiled and said, "Why bother? Gargamel needed to revive the glory of God, and he had to go west. In his mouth, to the west is a territory larger than my Great Song Dynasty, with countless gold and silver treasures on it.

As long as Li Zhaoliang is not stupid, he knows how to choose.

Instead of going back and going against the tyrannical Great Song Dynasty, it is better to go to the West to bully and bully those weak states. ”

Liu Heng stared at Kou Ji and said, "You plan to give them gunpowder, are you going to help them?" ”

Kou Ji shook his head and smiled: "I will sell them armor, bows and crossbows, and in a few years, I can also sell fire crossbow meteor arrows to them."

Others, not for the time being. ”

Liu Heng pondered and said, "It seems that you have already arranged them." ”

Kou Ji laughed and said, "My Great Song Dynasty's territory is so big that I can't take care of myself, and I don't have the strength to occupy so much territory. When they go to war, it makes sense that we will provide them with weapons in exchange for gold and silver in their hands.

I also wanted my merchants of the Great Song Dynasty to follow them and help them digest the spoils that they were inconvenient to handle.

Mines in the West can also be co-opt. ”

Liu Heng pursed his lips and did not speak again.

Kou Ji described it too big, he couldn't care, and he couldn't care.

He doesn't care about money anymore, because in recent years, he has earned enough money with Kou Ji.

He didn't care about the credit or anything, because his credit in the Great Song Dynasty had reached the top.

Xiyang is on the sea, and it is too difficult to expand the territory.

Later, after Kou Ji solved all the problems of the Great Song Dynasty, he returned to Handi, and he would just follow Kou Ji to mix together.

Anyway, Koji won't let him suffer.

He doesn't have the kind of brain that Kou Ji has, just help Kou Ji run errands.

Not long after Kou Ji finished chatting with Liu Heng, Chen Lin hurried to the bamboo courtyard and invited Kou Ji into the palace.

When Kou Ji entered the palace, he saw Zhao Zhen staring at Zhu Neng and the others' recitals and studying them carefully.

Seeing Kou Ji appear, without waiting for Kou Ji to give a salute, Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Fourth brother, it's really strange, they all want to ask for a craftsman to make artillery battles."

The price offered is not small. ”

Kou Ji laughed frankly: "They're for gunpowder." ”

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "To be precise, the kind of gunpowder you want to make." I don't know about others, but when the Gao family left, they poached two old craftsmen who had worked in the imperial court artillery workshop from the people.

I'm afraid they already have gunpowder that can be used for artillery battles. ”

Kou Ji nodded and said, "The others are similar. ”

Before the appearance of Kou Ji, the Great Song Dynasty did not have a secrecy law.

And the artillery workshops are all over the place.

Some books also generously disclose the formula of gunpowder.

Therefore, it is very easy to get a relatively primitive gunpowder recipe and find a craftsman who can make primitive gunpowder.

Zhu Neng and others have money, and it is very easy to recruit some such craftsmen.

So they must have made the original gunpowder.

Zhao Zhen knocked on the national letter on the table and said with a smile: "Since they have gunpowder and ask me for the craftsmen who make gunpowder, they won't be naïve to think that I will give them the craftsmen of those instrument workshops, right?" ”

The original gunpowder is no longer gunpowder in the eyes of Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji.

They all think it's toys.

Only the gunpowder in the instrument workshop is the gunpowder used to make weapons.

The difference between the two is not a star.

Kou Ji smiled and said, "They are just using this to test the official family. If the officials agreed, they could use this as an excuse to get gunpowder and gunpowder craftsmen from the people below.

After all, with the endorsement of the official, they only need to pay some money to get what they want.

Even if the population below is tight, don't give it.

They can also use this to test that in the eyes of the officials, gunpowder is among the tradables.

With each subsequent year, they will continue to increase their stakes.

Until the officials are willing to come up with real gunpowder and trade with them. ”

Zhao Zhen nodded and smiled: "I think so. So I'm not going to let them get what they want. ”

Speaking of this, Zhao Zhen paused and said, "I'm not afraid that the fourth brother will digest it." If, at the beginning of my ascension to the throne, someone had spent so much money to buy real gunpowder, I would have agreed.

But now, I live on a mountain of copper and silver.

Their little money really didn't impress me. ”

Kou Ji was stunned when he heard this, and asked, "The official family plans to transport the silver from the secret vault in Dengzhou to Bianjing?" ”

Zhao Zhen smiled and nodded, "Someone is buying copper coins in the private sector, and I can just use this to cast some of the copper ingots in the treasury and the sealing warehouse into copper coins and distribute them."

The freed up treasury can just be used to store silver.

Don't hide it from the fourth brother, some of the copper in the treasury has begun to change color.

I'm afraid that if I don't let it out, it will become moldy. ”

Kou Ji said with a smile on his face: "Actually, silver is also easy to mold. It is better for the official family to mint some silver coins and deposit them in the Yizi shop, and then let the people of the Yizi Jiaozi shop release the copper coins in the warehouse of the Yizi shop. ”

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "If you put so much at once, will it hurt the people?" ”

Kou Ji shook his head and said: "The word Jiaozi shop has now been laid in all the counties of my Great Song Dynasty, except for some places in Liaodi that have not yet been naturalized, the other places have been laid.

The official family only needs to put down the corresponding money according to the local taxes.

The folk will soon digest it. ”

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Will the people disapprove?" ”

Kou Ji said with a smile: "The Yizi Jiaozi Shop has existed for many years, and the people are already familiar with the existence of the Yizi Jiaozi Shop, and they also know that there is a royal family standing behind the Yizi Jiaozi Shop.

Therefore, whether it is a copper coin or a silver coin, the people will recognize it.

The official family only needs to let the word Jiaozipu issue according to the exchange rate of private silver and copper.

Officials can also issue money. ”

Zhao Zhen groaned: "The people can't afford money. ”

Kou Ji shook his head and smiled: "The official family underestimates the people under their rule too much. Now there are no more destitute people in my Great Song Dynasty. The poor people are now gradually migrating to Xingqingfu, Qingtang, Jiaozhi, and Liaodi.

After they moved there, they immediately became households with hundreds of acres of land.

Upper households can afford money. ”

Zhao Zhen sighed: "But it will take a long, long time to move the people. With those wealthy families in the way, I am afraid that I will not be able to move all the people away.

Therefore, the people who should be poor are still poor.

My Great Song Dynasty obviously has countless lands that need to be cultivated.

In the hinterland of the Central Plains, there are still people who are worried because they can't eat enough. ”

Kou Ji said with a smile: "So in the near future, only silver coins will be issued, not money, and the people can afford to use them." ”

Zhao Zhen asked: "The fourth brother seems to be very obsessed with issuing silver coins and money?" ”

Kou Ji said frankly: "The minister thinks that in my Great Song Dynasty, copper is money, and gold and silver can also be used as money, so why not mint money and silver money to alleviate the money shortage."

If I have money and silver in the Great Song Dynasty, then even if someone hoards copper coins in large quantities, we can still ensure that the people have money to use.

There will be no shortage of money because someone hoards copper coins.

What's more, gold and silver are goods, but they cannot be eaten or drunk. It is always hidden, and it is not beneficial to the court.

In this case, it is better to take it out to solve the money shortage of the imperial court.

If my Great Song Dynasty had issued silver coins and money early, I would not have been embarrassed by a few big private households this time. ”

After listening to Kou Ji's words, Zhao Zhen thought so.

"The fourth brother has a point...... Since gold, silver, and copper are both goods, copper can make money, and gold and silver can also make money. If gold and silver were used to mint money, it would indeed reduce the people's need for copper.

It's just that I think that the Jiaozi of the one-word Jiaozi shop is very easy to use, and the imperial court can mint copper and silver coins.

There is no need to mint money, because the value of money is already equal to that of a small denomination. ”

Kou Ji shook his head and said, "Jiaozi is just Jiaozi, not money." The imperial court always has to abide by the rules of how much money there is and how many jiaozi are issued.

Frequent and indiscriminate outbreaks can be disastrous.

When the imperial court has not yet thoroughly grasped the balance, it cannot be more frequent and indiscriminate.

The lessons of the previous Shuzhong Jiaozipu should be remembered by the officials.

Shuzhong Jiaozi shop is just a small Jiaozi shop.

The one-word Jiaozi shop is so huge that many people can't imagine.

Once the Jiaozi of the Yizi Jiaozi shop is discredited, the people of the people will enthusiastically run on it, and the Yizi Jiaozi shop will collapse at that time.

If the court had enough money to deal with it, it would be fine.

If not, then there is a big problem.

Shuzhong Jiaozipu collapsed, and I took action.

The word Jiaozi shop collapsed, but no one could hold it back. ”

Zhao Zhen pondered and nodded.

"The one-word Jiaozi shop is too big, and the money is too saving, so there really shouldn't be waves. Once there are waves, it is a big trouble. ”

Kou Ji accompanied Zhao Zhen to leave the palace after chatting about currency and talking about the one-word Jiaozi shop.

Until Chinese New Year's Eve, Kou Ji did not enter the palace again.

Chinese New Year's Eve feast.

The palace was brightly lit.

The Manchu Dynasty civil and military, the envoys of various vassal parties gathered together.

The scene was very lively.

When the envoys of the vassal were offering gifts, they again raised the question of obtaining a craftsman who could make gunpowder.

Although they have submitted their credentials, they have not received a response from Zhao Zhen.

So they brought it up again at the time of the dedication.

In order to win sympathy, some people cried loudly, bluntly saying that the barbarian land outside the hinterland of the Great Song Dynasty was simply not inhabited, and they lived a very miserable life.

There are also people who take the harem route, begging Queen Cao to help speak.

There are also people who keep increasing the stakes.

In short, each has its own tricks.

But Zhao Zhen was not fooled by their appearance.

Zhao Zhen quietly watched where they performed.

waited until they were tired of performing before Zhao Zhen rejected them in a tough tone.

In addition, by the way, a member of the staff was thrown out of Yanfu Palace, leaving four words that he would never be hired.

There is no other reason, that guy actually went out to help the people of Chong Shiheng speak when the people who planted Shiheng increased the price to a relatively rich number.

He thought that he was emulating Kou Ji's old wisdom, and he could help the court make a huge fortune by reselling weapons.

He can also make progress with this.

But he didn't know that in the eyes of Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen, his behavior was stupid and made people laugh.

Zhao Zhen asked people to throw that guy out on the spot.

None of the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty interceded for him.

They all knew that guy knew about Da Song's secrecy law, and they also knew that Da Song attached great importance to firearms.

He just jumped out to attract people's attention in order to be promoted.

Whether it is the secrecy law or the importance of firearms, in his eyes, it is not as important as promotion.

In the eyes of many money fans, as long as there is money to be made, it doesn't matter if you sell the country.

In the eyes of some official fans, as long as they can be promoted, everything else can be discarded.

A grand Chinese New Year's Eve banquet was finally dissolved by an official fan.

Zhao Zhen brushed his sleeves away, and the banquet was completely over.

After the vassal envoys returned to the inn, they never made any more requests for firearms.

But the ambitions of those behind them did not stop there.