"It's also huh! In case an assassin comes to you in the ranks of migrant workers---, in addition to you, Li Chun must also guard against this hand. Sun Ce, the little overlord of the Three Kingdoms, was assassinated by Yan Baihu's three generals after he moved the interests of Yan Baihu, a member of the Jiangdong clan. How can you command on the spot and avoid contact with migrant workers? Yang Er had to think about this question. Brother Ma and Li Chun can't do without anyone, especially Brother Ma. Wasn't the genuine pioneer of river opening in history, "Ma Shumou", who encountered a rebellion when opening the canal, and killed the heroic sea rebels?

"Hey, hey! Brother! What if you have money now? If you buy a helicopter, this problem can be solved, and my brother and I will command it in the sky. ”

"Hehehe! Oh, yes! Brother Ma, you can command from heaven! Not only you, but Li Chun also commanded from heaven to heaven. After Uncle Ma's reminder, Yang Er was immediately happy.

"You mean ---"

"That's right! It's not hard to get a cowhide hot air balloon! You have also made a Kong Ming lantern, the principle is the same, just make a big Kong Ming lantern, pull it with a rope below, no need to fly too high, a height of 20 meters is enough, the rope at the bottom is tied to a movable carriage, you command on it, you can go anywhere. For insurance purposes, two iron chains were pulled below, two carriages, each with 10 elite bodyguards to escort them. Yang Er was also stunned by his idea. It even came to mind to put dozens of grenades in balloon hangers, which could directly deal with attacks from below.

"Alright! You sent my brother and me to heaven again, but it was very cool and safe. Even if you fall from a height of a few meters, you don't necessarily fall to death, you can! Uncle Ma said helplessly.

The meeting with Chai Shao was scheduled for the early afternoon.

After a brief lunch break, Yang Er shook his spirits and came to the front hall to meet Chai Shao and Li Shimin, who were already waiting here. Chai Shao still looked like a humble gentleman, but his eyes were sharp when he looked at Yang Er, and his face was slightly gloomy, unlike the harmony on his face when he met in the capital years ago. When looking at Li Shimin, who was like a porcelain doll standing beside him, for some reason, Yang Er always had the urge to rush up and strangle him immediately. But no, I thought, I won't have such a good opportunity in the future! I couldn't help but smile bitterly in my heart.

"My cousin-in-law is here, and my little brother is disrespectful." Yang Er squeezed out a smile and stepped forward to greet Chai Shao.

"Don't dare, cousin is polite. I haven't seen him for a year, so Chai passed through here and came to visit his cousin. This is the second son of Tang Gong, Shimin, because of his admiration for the Jin King Chitose, so he came to visit. Chai Shao got up and replied.

"Huh! It turned out to be Li Er'--- son, please sit down. Yang Er shook his fan and looked at Li Shimin and said. Then the three of them sat down.

"After the little brother returned to Luzhou yesterday, he heard from Master Pei that Jinyang has recently monopolized my Dasui's cattle and wool business, and there were many caravans that passed through my northeast of the river and gradually stopped going to the Turks to buy furs, although a little transit fee is not enough, but this is not very good? If you have a business, you should do it! Everyone has money to make this business bigger, cousin-in-law, what do you think? Yang Er didn't know what Chai Shao meant, so he casually tried it.

"Huh! If my cousin needs Turkic furs in Hedong, even if I say it, the high-quality furs in my Jinyang Mansion Treasury will definitely be offered at a good price. Chai Shao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"That's not necessary, first, the original high-quality furs in my Hedong Mansion Treasury are enough, and a few days ago, my White Horse army snatched some back from the Turks, and there is no shortage of them here; Second, our Hedong Jin army has changed into a new type of armor, mostly using iron armor, and the leather armor has been given to local government soldiers. Besides, since it is a transaction of Tang Gong of Jinyang, I Hedong will not participate. ”

"Also, my cousin now has a big family and a lot of industries, not to mention the three things of salt, iron and wine, and recently took over Donglai County and started to trade with the sea, so I don't look down on this fur business."

"Huh! My cousin-in-law smiled. The sea trade business is big, expensive and risky, and it is also unstable. Besides, the Khitan, Goryeo, Dongying and other places have not yet been civilized, and the barren people are poor, how much gold and silver there is, otherwise, Tang Bi would have become big in Dengzhou Bay. ”

"Then you also bought all the iron ingots in the world, and my father sold all the tribute iron to the court, isn't it stupid!" Suddenly, Li Shimin on the side interjected.

As soon as Yang Eryi heard this, his face suddenly sank, and the smile that he had originally had was respectful of the other party suddenly disappeared.

With a "slap", Zhong Jian, who was standing behind Yang Er, suddenly pulled out half of his saber and glared at Li Shimin angrily. Yang Er hurriedly turned his head and gently tapped down the handle of the fan in his hand twice, signaling Zhong Jian to put away his sword. Seeing this, Zhong Jian willingly inserted the drawn sword back into the scabbard, but he still had an angry face.

Chai Shaofang felt bad when he heard Li Shimin's disrespectful words, and when he saw the Jin King guard's guard pull out his sword, he was even more frightened, and his originally light face suddenly became panicked, and hurriedly blamed Li Shimin and said: "Shimin, don't be rude, there is a place for you to speak here?" ”

Seeing that his brother-in-law was angry, Li Shimin also knew that his mouth was about to lose his words, so he hurriedly covered his mouth and looked at Yang Er in horror.

"Huh! Forget it, how can I say that Shimin is also the cousin of this king, he is young and has no taboo words. Don't blame him for my cousin-in-law. Yang Er regained his composure in an instant, and he didn't want to pursue it.

"Actually, what the people of the world said is also what the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty think, even I, Hedong, have people who don't understand why this king is so --- stupid, but no one dares to say it to his face, hehe! One of the big ships built by the Laizhou Dockyard is used for maritime trade, the second is for maritime defense, and the third is used for conquering unknown overseas territories. There are things that those in power have to do, no matter how big the investment. Can the people understand this? ”

"The people of the world know, just before the people of the world lost their words, don't blame Your Highness." Li Shimin got up like a matter and made a gesture to Yang Er, which was regarded as making amends.

"Huh! The people of the world are really wise. The atmosphere of the talks has become normal again because of Li Shimin's act of apology.

"There is one more thing, I hope my cousin will be more accommodating." Chai Shao returned to the topic, which was also one of the purposes of his special trip.

"It's all family, it's easy to say." Yang Er took a sip of tea and said.

"The Guangtong Canal under the jurisdiction of Hedong has a river customs to collect taxes, which is something that I have never done in the dynasty, and my Jinyang caravan has lost part of its income because of this, can you ask my cousin to open the net and exempt my Jinyang caravan from the river tariff."

"Huh! The Guangtong Canal was excavated with a huge amount of money to the east of our river, and some fees were collected from the fleet, which was also to recover the investment as soon as possible. Besides, it will be maintained from time to time in the future, and the wharves in various places will also need to be renovated and expanded, which will need to be supported by money, and it is also appropriate for the caravans to benefit from some taxes, Shimin, are you right? Yang Er whispered with a teacup and threw the question to Li Shimin, who was listening carefully.

"That's right! This money should be collected. Li Shimin replied without thinking about it, as soon as these words came out, Chai Shao's face turned red, and he immediately froze and had nothing to refute.

Yang Er buried his head in drinking tea when he didn't see it, and there was a secret smile in his heart, Chai Shao's face had to let Xiao Li Er fight, but it seemed that Li Xiaoer made a heavier shot.

"This Tongguan to the capital is the most important business route, and my cousin can make a lot of money on this income!" Chai Shao hurriedly opened the folding fan and fanned the wind, hiding his embarrassment as he spoke.

"If you are willing to invest, you can make money! Soon after, the construction of the Jizhou Yongji Canal, which was invested and excavated by the younger brother, will start, which must have been known by the cousin-in-law, right? ”

"I know, the notice of the official family at the gate of the city and the notice of the recruitment of the people have long been written, and it turns out that this opening luck is such a great profit! It's just that there are rumors that are unfavorable to my cousin here! ”

"Huh! The younger brother knows that as long as the Tang Gong of Jinyang does not stab him in the back, he will ask his cousin-in-law to speak well in front of the younger brother in front of the Tang Gong. After all, it was the people of Li who benefited after the canal, not the younger brother. With that, Yang Er gave Chai Shao a fist.

"Well said, well said! And one last thing, if my Jinyang caravan passes through Hedong, I hope that my cousin can abide by the agreement signed by you and me a few years ago to let you go without disturbing. ”

"This is a trivial matter, there is a little brother in Hedong for a day, and the Shangguan Road in the northeast of the river is allowed to go back and forth by the Jinyang caravan, after all, this is a matter that is beneficial to both you and me, but don't do that thing of deducting horses and grain, hehe!" Yang Er told Li Yuan about what he had done a year ago, and Chai Shao blushed again with a look of shame. Li Shimin on the side was puzzled, and looked at his brother-in-law in a daze.

After coming out of the camp of King Jin, Chai Shao secretly summed up in his heart. The biggest gain from meeting the King of Jin this time was that Hedong did not intervene in the fur business, and affirmed that the grain route to the north was unimpeded, and he would not risk seizing this biggest hidden danger, and the negotiations were very effective. It's just that he didn't win the free passage of the Guangtong Canal, and he was slightly dissatisfied.

"Brother-in-law, that man is so cunning! The people of the world always feel that we have to suffer his loss. ”

"Shimin, don't say it, I will return to Jinyang with my brother-in-law overnight, and I can't delay for a moment."

But why is it in such a hurry? Brother-in-law. ”

"Alas! The Yongji Canal will start construction in half a month at most, and once it starts, I don't know if it will cause chaos in the world as the legend goes. If it is, the millions of furs that I have hoarded in Jinyang can't be emptied, then it will be dangerous. Fur is not to be eaten! Come on. After speaking, he led Li Shimin out of the city and went straight to Erxianzhuang.

After using the send-off banquet prepared by Shan Xiongxin and others in the village, Chai Shao and Li Shimin led the horses and drove away.

The further north he went, the more Chai Shao felt that something was wrong. It turned out that along the way, I only encountered the Jinyang caravan going south, and there were hundreds of horse-drawn carriages full of fur goods in the past, but I couldn't see the carriage carrying grain back, and I couldn't find someone to ask the reason.

After resting in Huo County for one night, he returned to Jinyang City in the afternoon of the second day. It was only at this time that I heard some news about the Jinyang grain team, and everyone looked panicked.

Chai Shao led Li Shimin not to go back to his house, but came directly to the Tang Mansion. As soon as I stepped into the main hall of the front hall, I saw that all the high-level civil and military officials in Jinyang were there, as if they were discussing major matters, and everyone looked grim.

Seeing Chai Shao stepping into the hall, Li Yuan asked anxiously: "Sichang, you are finally back, what news is there to go to Luzhou?" Are they also exchanging furs and other items for winter food at low prices? ”

Chai Shao was stunned when he heard this, and hurriedly replied: "Uncle Yue, my son-in-law has been in Luzhou for a few days, and I haven't seen any fur trade in Luzhou, and I haven't heard that there is grain from other places entering Luzhou!" Besides, yesterday, my son-in-law happened to see His Royal Highness the King of Jin, and he probed his mouth, he didn't have much fur in stock, and there was no shortage of grain in Hedong, so how could he exchange grain at a low price? The people of the world can testify. ”

"Oh? Then why did the Central Plains Shi clan gate lords who had ordered furs with me reduce or even cancel the trade-in transaction? Li Yuan still asked puzzled.

"Sichang, now my first two caravans that went to the Central Plains and other places to trade have only been exchanged for less than 40% of the grain, and because there are still many furs in my hands, I can't return in time. There are still 60 percent of the furs being traded with the nobles in various places. Wang Shichong, Xiao Miao, Tang Bi, Shen Faxing and other gate valves almost stopped trading fur with me Jinyang. Only Lin Shihong, Liu Wuzhou and other small gate valves who are closer to Nanchen in the south are still buying my Jinyang leather goods, but the transaction volume is also small, and it is too far away from my Jinyang, and the grain return cycle is too long. Shangshu Pei Lin hurriedly explained to Chai Shao.

"Right now, Tang Gong has issued an order to Dingxiangcheng to suspend the exchange of Turkic furs to stop the outflow of grain from Jinyang." Dou Wei also stepped forward to add.

"Huh? There must be fur goods from other channels that have entered the Central Plains market, otherwise, when Wang Shichong, Tang Bi, Xiao Milling, etc. are expanding the army, it is also the time when the fur is selling well! Chai Shao heard the news he didn't want to hear in this time, and couldn't help but scream. It is no wonder that I saw the convoy of leather goods going south, but did not see the convoy of grain carrying back to the north, and the reason is all here.

"Si Chang, what is the King of Jin doing now? Isn't it really his ghost? Li Yuan habitually placed the object of suspicion on Yang Guang, the king of Jin.

"Uncle Yue, the King of Jin is estimated to be on his way to Jizhou Hejian Mansion now, and he is busy dispatching and directing the excavation of the Yongji Canal! The edict of the Sui Emperor has been sent to various places, and the son-in-law can see it posted everywhere in Luzhou. When the son-in-law interviewed him yesterday, he also said that his Jin army had changed its equipment, and the soldiers were all iron armor, and there was no need for leather armor. The son-in-law is also common in Luzhou, but none of the Jin officers and soldiers are wearing leather armor. ”

"Daddy, what my brother-in-law said is the truth, the generals of the Jin Army are dressed in majestic and good-looking clothes, all dark green, and there are a few stars on the cylinder hats! There is no one in leather armor. Li Shimin also spoke for his brother-in-law Chai Shao.

"Hmm!" Li Yuan bowed his head and was silent when he heard this, walking back and forth before the first case, thinking.

"Who is competing with the public to seize the market? Isn't there another way for Turkic caravans to enter the interior? Li Yuan kept chattering.

At this moment, a eunuch who walked in quickly from outside came to Li Yuan's side and whispered a word.

"Oh! Let him come in and talk, and you don't have to report me alone. ”

Soon, under the guidance of the eunuch, a middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper walked into the hall quickly, threw himself on the ground and said loudly: "Lord, I am Mr. Shen Yuan's subordinate who is in charge of the accounts, and I am ordered by Lord Shen to return to the lord to report urgently." ”

"Tell me, what's going on?" Li Yuan asked anxiously, and walked up to the bookkeeper and pulled him up.