Li Mu passed the Luban lock to Bai Qiaoqiao, comforted her for a while, and coaxed her to fall asleep before coming out of the house. Dugu Jiu held the sword and squatted in the courtyard, the whole person exuded a low pressure, Li Mu walked up to him and squatted down, Dugu Jiu saw him coming, and said sullenly: "I lost it again." ”

"Or in the direction of Beibi Mountain?"

"Hmm." Dugu Jiu nodded, and then remained silent. Li Mu patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, people are local snakes, they have been operating in Luoyang for many years, this is someone's nest, if it is so easy to be served by us, it will be boring." However, it is not that there is no gain, at least it can be determined that the opponent's nest is in Beibi Mountain. When necessary, just turn the mountain over, don't go to your heart. ”

"Big brother." Dugu Jiu pursed his lips and said, "I've lost three times, and the opponent's light skills are obviously not as good as mine, so I just lost them." And it's lost under my nose, the first two times I went to the woodland, I lost it in the mountains and forests, and this time I didn't get to the woodland, and I lost it in the city - I entered that alley, and the people disappeared, do you say that there is really a wall penetration technique in this world? ”

"Oh," Li Mu said helplessly: "You are a three-year-old child?" Can you say this kind of thing? Anything that goes through the wall and escapes is just a trick, a trick. You followed the alley and lost it, right? There must be a secret passage, so do you still have to think about it? ”

"I'll take someone to dig now!" As he spoke, Dugu Jiu was about to get up. Li Mu grabbed his wrist and said, "What are you digging now, it's already blocked." ”

Dugu Jiu's figure stagnated, and he squatted down again, and said, "Big brother, I'm still too stupid, I should have thought of it at that time." ”

"Don't think so." Li Mu shook his head and said, "People can dig such a secret passage in the city, can there be no mechanism in the secret passage?" After entering the secret passage, there is no way to hide, no matter how good your kung fu is, can you resist open guns and hidden arrows? ”

"Then there is no way?" Dugu Jiu was unconvinced and said: "I know it's Jihetang, this group of people in Luoyang City who have heads and faces are somewhat inseparable from Jihetang, I'm really anxious, I'll arrest a few people-"

"Why are you getting more and more frizzy!" Li Mu said helplessly: "This is urgent? Let's not say that people are not guilty, why should you arrest it, even if you are caught, what is the use? You also said that there are people with heads and faces in Luoyang City, and they can't get out of it somewhat, you can catch them all, you can arrest them all, and you can't fit the prison! ”

"Then there is no way, right?" Dugu Jiu leaned his back against the wall, and his tone was full of depression. Li Mu turned his head over and let him lean on his shoulder. Dugu Jiu hesitated for a moment and gently leaned on Li Mu's shoulder.

"When, there's still a big brother. If you want to solve this problem, you have to start from the roots. ”

"Roots?"

Li Mu nodded and said, "You have to think clearly, the means by which Jihetang controls these gate valve merchants. Only then can we crack them one by one and win all. ”

Dugu Jiu was confused and said, "Big brother, are you looking at it again?" ”

"Nature." Li Mu said confidently: "When I was in Chang'an, I had already started to lay out. Didn't you see so many businessmen coming to pick me up today? This shows that the results have been seen. It's not us who should be in a hurry now. ”

Dugu Jiu was even more confused when he heard this, and wondered: "Big brother, what are you arranged?" ”

"I'll tell you about it." Li Mu has nothing to hide from Dugu Jiu, he is in charge of the brocade guard, if he is not the most trusted person, Li Mu will not arrange him in this position: "I usually want to control a person and let this person be used by me, there are so many means, four words can be summed up, grace, righteousness, power, wealth." ”

"Well, for example, if I save your life, you owe me a life, you are going to starve to death, I will give you a bowl of rice to eat, and so on, they are all kindnesses, you owe me love, when I need you to do something, you naturally have to repay the favor. Jihetang controls so many gate valve merchants, and grace is a means, but you have to understand that there are many ungrateful people in this world, so it is basically impossible for Jihetang to control so many people by means of grace. ”

"Righteousness is like you and me, sworn brothers. Where righteousness lies, it is natural to move forward. But so many people, you can't all worship them, right? This one is even more unlikely. ”

"Right, this counts as one. Those who serve in the succession hall have a great deal of power in their hands. ”

"But the most popular thing is 'wealth'." The corners of Li Mu's mouth hooked up a mocking smile, and said: "The hustle and bustle of the world is all for profit, and it is not early if there is no profit." Jihetang controls these gate valves, and the biggest means for merchants is to help them make money. With money, the family can multiply, the gate valve can prosper, no one should pretend to be high, no money is not possible. ”

"In the past, the imperial court was lacking in this regard, and it did not pay enough attention to merchants. In the eyes of the people and businessmen, the people in the court are all high-ranking officials, and it would be good not to be despised by them, how dare they contact it easily? Jihetang took advantage of this loophole, and they were more approachable than the imperial court. And with the support of the gate valve and the clan, the control of the news is also better. Which place produces what, whose family needs what, the news is summarized to the heir hall, matchmaking, and the transaction is completed. Over time, everyone will be inseparable, after all, there is such a good channel, who wants to bother to find a market by themselves? ”

Dugu Jiu frowned slightly, and said, "Isn't this the same thing as what the Internal Affairs Office does?" ”

Li Mu smiled and said, "If you say so, it's almost the same." It's just that at present, the scale of the Internal Affairs Office is much smaller than that of the Succession Hall. Dugu Jiu's face was full of surprise, and he said: "The Internal Affairs Office can be regarded as the power of the whole country, why is it so much smaller than the Succession Hall?" ”

Li Mu picked up the branches on the ground, spent a big circle, drew a small circle in the circle, and said: "This small circle is like Chang'an City, the big circle is the entire Tang Dynasty, although the Internal Affairs Office looks prosperous, but the scope of influence, that is, the vicinity of Chang'an City, plus foreign trade." No matter how big Chang'an City is, it is only a million people, and the population of the entire Tang Dynasty is more than 20 million. The foreign trade is almost negligible compared with the total trade in Datang. ”

"The trade on the Turkic side is called help, we can't make anything, in addition, Tubo, Western Turkic, Goguryeo and these countries, we still have to be careful, some can be sold, some can't, there are more problems."

"And the trade in Datang has no such problems at all. Some goods, with just one trip through the canal, can make a three-fold profit. These businessmen can only make money through the channels of the heirs, who do you say they will be in their hearts? ”

Dugu Jiu frowned and said: "However, they are still soft now, during the day, don't the big businessmen in Luoyang City also come out to pick up the wind for the eldest brother?" ”

"They're not really subdued." Li Mu said with a smile: "What they are really afraid of in their hearts is His Majesty's power, or so to speak, they are worried that I will use the power given by His Majesty to stir them up." Now I have been named the Marquis of Luoyang, and the fief is also here. Your Majesty has completely handed over Luoyang to me, and I am the soil emperor of Luoyang. They can't do anything about me, they can't get rid of me, they can only compromise with me. All they want is a peaceful place. Obviously giving me face, in fact, it is like treating me as a ruffian in Chang'an City, just paying a little protection money, which I know very well in my heart. ”

"But it's okay." Li Mu puffed up his chest, and his whole person exuded strong confidence: "When my trading market is built, all the businessmen in the world will look at my eyes, Chang'an City has the Internal Affairs Office, Luoyang City has a trading market, plus the pervasive factory guards, how much money Jihetang collects from them, I will ask for twice as much." I can give all the things that the heirs can give to these merchants. What the heir hall can't give, with the support of the imperial court, I can still give it. Wait until that day......"

Li Mu took a deep breath and closed his eyes gently, as if that day had come: "...... The heir hall is nothing. He glanced at Dugu Jiu and said, "Sometimes, to defeat a person, you don't need to fight too fiercely, as long as you have time, you can know the outcome sooner or later." No hurry, no hurry. ”

Dugu Jiu nodded, didn't say anything more, his eyes were empty, and he was stunned. He thought that Li Mu had no way to solve the succession hall quickly, so he could only choose a more time-consuming path. How did he know what Li Mu really planned in his heart.

Actually, he didn't have a more direct way. The most straightforward way is very simple. Just like Li Mu said to Dugu Jiu, since it has been determined that the base camp of the Jihetang is in Luoyang City, transfer the army and turn over the entire city, and it is better to kill the wrong one than to let it go. When the butcher's knife is on the neck, you can still ask a few truths.

Although the slaughter will inevitably affect Datang's business. But there is such a saying, it is called not broken, not standing. Datang has not been established for a long time, and everything is still a blank slate, just like decorating a new house, which can be planned from scratch, not like a second-hand house, there are many things that cannot be demolished.

Something unreasonable, it's better to smash it all than to leave it in the eyes. Li Mu is fully capable of re-establishing the business of the Tang Dynasty on the ruins of the Jihetang.

But he didn't want to do it, and he couldn't do it.

The reason why he didn't do it is simple. The cunning rabbit dies, and the lackeys cook. Without the heirs, his value is gone. Today's Datang is full of talents. Civil, martial, good-looking, fierce generals, there is no shortage of anything. The only thing that is lacking is the talent for the economy. But this economic talent is not necessary. There is a succession hall, and the court and Li Shimin can feel the pressure, and they will feel that it is not okay to be such a person. But what if there is no heir? What can you do if the court is a little more difficult? No hidden dangers, right? What's wrong with slower recuperation, isn't it all complete for a few more years?

After experiencing so many things, Li Mu is already very clear about his core values. He is Li Shimin's weapon to deal with the heir hall, and with the heir hall, he can live a stable life.

This directly affected the means used by Li Mu when dealing with Jihetang. If Li Shimin is a patient, and Jihetang is a boil on his body, Li Mu, as a doctor, chose not to perform a surgical operation on him, but chose to break the boil and let the wound infection be within a controllable range. He then gave medicine to the sores on time, so that Li Shimin, a patient, would never be able to leave him.

The means were not honorable, but he had no choice. Maybe one day, he will cure Li Shimin's illness, but definitely not now.

Dugu Jiu is a person who practices martial arts, but he does not take the route of a strong man. He was not very tall, nor was he very strong. Moreover, he is only seventeen years old, and his skeleton has not yet fully grown, and compared to normal adults, his skeleton can even be said to be small. Li Mu's hand was on his shoulder, feeling as wide as hugging Bai Qiaoqiao and Jin Chen. Dugu Jiu didn't wear a mask at this time, Li Mu looked down, and he couldn't see that the person leaning on his shoulder was a man. Look at the long eyelashes, flickering like a small fan, even a girl doesn't have such long eyelashes.

Li Mu looked at him, and suddenly became playful, and said, "Xiao Jiu, how about the eldest brother give you another name?" ”

Dugu Jiu looked up at him and said, "What alias?" Is it a nickname on the rivers and lakes? I don't need that. ”

Li Mu smiled and said: "It's not a nickname on the rivers and lakes, or an alias when you don't wear a mask, you look at Dugu Meng." Dream dream, little dream dream? ”

Dugu Jiu's face sank suddenly, got up from Li Mu's arms, and said, "Big brother, this joke is not funny. ”

"Oops, are you kidding, angry?"

"No, go to bed!" The sound drifted away, and the person had already rushed up to the wall, and in the blink of an eye, there was no trace of him, and he didn't know where he had gone to sleep.

Zhang Tianai came back from the front yard, and just saw Dugu Jiu jumping out of the wall, and said strangely: "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong, what about the air bag?" ”

Li Mu said: "I'm angry, I gave him a nickname, what do you think of Dugu Meng's name, is it very poetic?" ”

"You're not serious, are you?" Zhang Tianai snorted and said, "You don't know that Xiao Jiu'er is sensitive to this matter?" This is what you dare to say, I just heard about something, five days ago, Xiao Jiu'er was eating in a noodle restaurant, and a ruffian saw him handsome, thinking that he was a girl, and teased a few words, he drew his sword and cut off the man's tongue. ”

"Yo, come here to show off your wealth?" Li Mu snorted and said, "My brother, I can only joke, a little ruffian, what kind of thing is it?" Xiao Jiu doesn't take it seriously, and I, who is a big brother, can't take it seriously. Pass on my words, Ming'er asked the grandson to send 5,000 yuan, one penny less, and kill his whole family! ”

Zhang Tianai covered his mouth and smiled, and said: "How can you be a big brother like you, you actually blackmail this matter, and he has to get angry when he hears it." ”

"Xiao Jiucai is not as stingy as you think, he cut out the man's tongue, this matter is over in his place, and he may not remember this person when he comes out again. Knock on some money to give him a long memory, otherwise what to do? I'm not a murderer for killing people for such a thing. ”

After Li Mu finished speaking, he entered the house, Zhang Tianai pursed his lips, and said in his heart, I don't know who is slaughtering the city in Gaochang, and he pretended to be it.