Shu Han Jingyao three years, Cao Wei Ganlu five years (AD 260). On the fifth day of the fifth month of May, late at night, at midnight.

In Luoyang City, in the spacious study room of General Cao Wei's mansion, dozens of huge Jingyao wax were scorching and shining, and under the dazzling firelight, a middle-aged man in his fifties covered his mouth with one hand and yawned, and the other hand was still writing the bamboo slips on the desk.

This is exactly the most powerful man on the East Asian continent in this era - General Cao Wei, Kaifu, and Sima Zhao, the secretary of the Lushang Scholar.

"Son, it's already morning, why don't you rest?"

"Oh, huh? It's Motohime. I'm sorry to have you come here so late. ”

As a man in this era, polyandry is the norm. Wang Yuanji was forty-three years old at this time, and as a woman who had given birth to four children, at this age, she had already lost her beauty. So Sima Zhao hasn't been in her room for many years.

But the so-called people who do things with color are declining and loving. A woman can only win the attention of a man for a while by relying on her appearance alone. If you want to tie a man to your side for a long time, you can only rely on your own talent.

As Wang Lang's granddaughter and Wang Su's daughter, Wang Yuanji is a woman who is extremely talented. Although the husband and wife have lived in separate rooms for many years, Sima Zhao's spirit is still pinned on Wang Yuanji, and he has always been full of respect for Wang Yuanji.

"Didn't you just get sick some time ago? Why are you watching these recitals so late tonight? People who are almost 50 years old still have to pay attention to taking care of their bodies. ”

"Hehehe, didn't I think I could do more now so that I could rest earlier in the future?" Sima Zhao smiled at his original partner, stood up and took Wang Yuanji's hand: "It just so happens that Yuanji is here, please help me read this excerpt." For the husband, his eyes are a little painful. ”

"Good." Wang Yuanji did not shirk it, and after taking a seat, he picked up a copy of the excerpt and read softly: "Xiaguan Jingzhou Thorn Shi Luzhi reported to the general, since the fifth year of manna, illegal salt has been rampant in Jingzhou...... The white quality of private salt grains is excellent, far better than Jiangxia official salt. Each stone is worth only 500, which is only half the price of official salt. The people of Jingzhou have all bought private salt and abandoned official salt, and the lower officials have written the governor of Jingzhou and the governor of Jiangnan, and the two governors have also mobilized the county soldiers to clear the private salt, and in May, they have killed more than 200 illegal salt dealers and confiscated more than 3,500 stones of illegal salt. But the overall success has been minimal...... After investigation, the illegal salt came from Xishu. Enter my realm through the Xiling of Soochow ......"

The flood of illicit salt in Northern Jingzhou under Cao Wei's rule was of course caused by Guan Yi's Fuxing Society: in view of the fact that the Siyan School Governor's Mansion of Shu Han set the purchase price too low and the selling price too high. No matter how large the salt production of Zigongting is, it cannot benefit the ordinary people of Shu Han. So Guan Yi simply took the approach of concealing the output from the Shu Han government, and dumped the excess part on the ground in Jingzhou through the Bujia of Eastern Wu - I originally wanted to do good things for the people of Shu Han, but who knew that this fucked system would not allow the people to benefit. In that case, why should I give you all the money? It's better to sell smuggled salt to fill the Fuxing Society's own pockets - the more bulging the Fuxing Society's pockets are now, the more certain it will be to deal with that big war in three years!

In this era, Cao Wei, under the control of Sima Zhao, had begun to gradually reinstate the authority of the local officials in the border areas.

Before Sima Yi came to power, Cao Wei's border areas were supervised by military and political governors: on the western front was Cao Zhen, who was both the highest military governor and the highest civil governor on the Yongliang front. The middle line is Xiahou Shang, and the east line is Cao Xiu. All of them are from the Cao-Xiahou Alliance.

After Sima Yi launched the coup d'état in Gaopingling, in order to maintain the stability of the imperial court, he acquiesced in this kind of military region supervision system, and he even consciously put those who were dissatisfied with the Sima family into the border area - you guys quickly rebel, when the time comes, I will destroy your three clans, and my control over Cao Wei will be further advanced.

When Sima Shi was in power, the separation of military and political affairs was implemented: the border areas were set up as governors, and only the military was in charge. In addition, there is a history of assassination and is in charge of civil affairs.

When Sima Zhao was in power, he took another step: the three major military regions of Yongliang, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou were divided into six small military regions, and the power of the border generals became smaller and smaller, and the Sima family's control over these people became stronger and stronger.

Now, the military and political power of the Jingzhou front, which was originally in charge of Xiahou Shang alone, has become shared by three people: General Zhengnan and Governor of Jingzhou, the military Wang Ji is stationed in Xinye, and is the nominal supreme governor of Jingzhou, but in fact he can only control the army around Nanyang County. The conquest generals, the governors of the Jiangnan military prefectures, were stationed in Xiangyang, facing the Xiling army of Eastern Wu. Jingzhou Thorn Shi Luzhi was also in Xiangyang, responsible for the civil affairs of the entire Cao Wei Jingzhou.

Salt is the second most important thing in people's livelihood. The salt tax is the second only tax in the feudal state after the field tax. Therefore, the flood of private salt in Jingzhou is, of course, the history of Jingzhou to report to the central government (now Sima Zhao is the central government).

"Well......" After listening to Wang Yuanji's reading, Sima Zhao pulled his beard and muttered slightly: "Yuanji, you take the fold from the third shelf and the seventh grid in the back." ”

Sima Zhao mentioned that this excerpt was sent by Lu Zhi in November last year. It is probably that there are merchants from Xiling in Eastern Wu who buy a large amount of grain in Northern Jingzhou.

After reviewing the content of this excerpt, Sima Zhao said to Wang Yuanji: "The fifth shelf, the fourth grid." ”

The excerpts in this grid come from Cao Wei's "Advance Cao", which is Cao Wei's spy agency. The content of this excerpt is the conflict between the Bujia and the local government of Fuling County in Shu Han, and a series of cooperation that began after the conflict.

After the three folds were compared to each other, Sima Zhao's brows were tightly knit, but the corners of his mouth showed an appreciative smile: "This grandson of Guan Yunchang is really not simple." In less than four years, such a big thing has been done. ”

"What does Zi Shang mean, this overflow of illicit salt and the outflow of grain, are they all stirred up by Guan Yi Guan Zifeng?"

"Yes!" Sima Zhao paused, sorted out his thoughts in his mind and said: "Yuan Ji, you see that the candles on this candlestick are all the so-called Jingyao wax, which are all produced by Fuling County in Western Shu. Look at this smooth case, the so-called Yanxi paint is brushed on it, and it is also the first product in Fuling County. There is also a teacup used by the husband now, which will not be broken when dropped to the ground, and it is also used in the new porcelain produced in Fuling County (Guan Yi: It can't be called bone china, otherwise it will be leaked. In the land of Cao Wei and Soochow, there is a large amount of high-quality soil suitable for firing ceramics. And the fruit wine that we have been using for drinking and feasting in the last year or two is still from Fuling County. The soap used by the nobles in the house for bathing is still from Fuling County...... Oh, and the toothpaste and toothbrush that you need before your husband goes to bed...... This Guan Zifeng is really amazing. ”

"Well, I noticed it too. The output of Fuling County has been deeply integrated into our daily life, and after using these things, we can't do without them...... The profit in this ......"

"Yes, just those things just now, this Guan Zifeng's annual income is probably no less than the income from the sale of Shu brocade in Xishu every year! Now, he actually put his hand into the salt industry! This is not a rich country, this is the rich world! ”

(Guan Yi: Big brother, you can eat whatever you want, you can't talk nonsense!) Master, I now have to support a corps, and I have to hand over most of the profits to the emperor, and I also have to support the tens of thousands of employees of my Fuxing Society, and all the profits every year will be spent immediately after turning hands, and I don't have any savings at all! ）

"In my humble opinion, it would be good if this Guan Zifeng was really rich in the world - a small country in Xishu, it would not be a big deal to have one more rich businessman. What I'm afraid of is that this Guan Zifeng is making money for the puppet emperor and the treasury of Western Shu. ”

(Guan Yi: Aunt Beauty, you're so right!) ）

"What Yuan Ji said is very true! This is also what the husband is afraid of. Hey, Weifu originally expected to be the prince this year, the king next year, and then go to Shu. Now it seems that this matter of cutting down Shu should have been prepared early. ”

"Last month, Gonglu (Jia Chong) launched a concert of hundreds of officials in the court and asked Fengzi to be the son of Jin, but the emperor still stayed in the middle and did not send it?"

"yes!" Sima Zhao paced back and forth irritably: "This Cao Yanshi is really shrewd. Last year, not long after I destroyed Zhuge Day, it was a temptation to launch a court meeting to ask for the title of duke. But he played it very happily. In the end, I have to excuse myself a few times. It made me embarrassed. This year, the split of the three major metropolitan governors has been completed, and I will not shirk the request for the seal this time, but this time he actually stayed in the middle and did not send it! Sure enough, as Zhong Shiji said, Cao Yanshiwen is the same as Chen Si, the martial ancestor. He is the most outstanding person in the younger generation of the Cao family! ”

The husband and wife were talking, when suddenly the servant outside the door led two sweaty officials to rush in: "General, it's not good! ”

"Huh? Wang Ye? Wang Shen? Aren't you in the palace to serve Your Majesty? What's wrong? ”

"General! Your Majesty has raised troops! He's going to come to your door himself! ”