The ancients valued agriculture over commerce, not that there was no soil for commercial operations, China is so big, the distribution of resources is very uneven, if there is no merchant to transfer back and forth, the common people in many areas can only barely survive, it is impossible to condense into a huge empire.

Therefore, commerce began to develop from ancient times, the word "Shang" was originally the name of Yin Shang, it is said that merchants are good at buying and selling to get rich - their ancestor Wang Hai was killed by the Yi family in the process of selling cattle and sheep - so later generations will call this kind of business "Shang". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were Zigong, Tao Zhugong, Bai Gui, Qin had Lü Buwei, and Han had Zhuo Wang's grandson - Zhuo Wenjun and her father - all of them were famous wealthy businessmen in history. In the Jin Dynasty, there was also Shi Chong.

Shi Chong is rich in the world, according to historical records, he relied on robbing businessmen in Jingzhou to accumulate thousands of family wealth, but this statement may not be reliable. It should be said that Shi Chong found the first pot of gold by robbery, and then he also took advantage of his position to carry out a series of commercial activities, making money with money, which led to the rule of a huge industry.

However, the government's management of commercial activities has always been backward, or it has not been able to obtain any tax revenue from businessmen at all, resulting in a general trend of social thought that hates businessmen - those who have contributed nothing to the country can get richer and richer, and everyone will be dissatisfied if they change - or they can only exploit businessmen and dry up and fish. For example, Sang Hongyang in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he came from the family of merchants, but he betrayed his own class and helped Emperor Wu to implement "reckoning" and "suing", which led to "the failure of the middle family of merchants".

The social status of merchants has always been very low—with the exception of officials and businessmen such as Shi Chongzhi—which has led to the fact that business activities have no risk tolerance, and they are the first to shrink when they are in the face of war. The shrinkage of commerce also caused the decline of the natural economy and the prosperity of the manor economy - there were cultivators and weavers in the manors of the big families, as well as all kinds of craftsmen, and the daily necessities were all asked for outside the pretense, and it was useless to ask for businessmen - and in the areas where the manors were numerous, how could there be official authority and unified decrees to speak of?

Of course, such a profound truth, even Pei Gai only had a vague idea, and Xiong Yuan naturally couldn't see through it. It's just that under the premise that the scholar class generally despises business, this Xiong Xiang can think of getting rich through business, whether it is practical or not, his vision can be described as quite unique, which is worthy of admiration.

Is it because his grandfather was originally a slave of Shi Chong's family and was exposed to it, so the origin of "family learning"?

Pei should have walked for a day, he was a little tired, and he was going to rest, but he heard Xiong Yuan talking about business, and he couldn't help but feel refreshed and interested, so he smiled and taught Xiong Xiaowen: "Xiong Jun, although business can get rich, but there must be some production, Si can have business, what are the specialties of Xuzhou today, which can be sold to other places?" The trees on the ridge are also available in other counties, and the carpenters in Xuzhou have no stunts or fame, and can make a profit by selling some aquatic products and utensils? And the world is in turmoil, and the people are poor, what can they use to buy the output of the king? ”

When Xiong Yuan heard this, he couldn't help frowning deeply. The matter of getting rich because of business, and then restoring the livelihood of Pengcheng, is just a preliminary idea - because Pengcheng really can't get rich just by farming and raising silkworms - has not yet been fully planned, and it happened that Pei should arrive, so he wanted to ask for a start-up capital with a shy face. But listening to Pei Cai's words, it seems that his thoughts are completely in the mirror, and they are not realistic at all, what should I do?

But Pei Gai immediately said: "Xiong Jun, if you deliver the copper and iron ore to Yu Jun, can you run it for me?" ”

If you want to say that the most important specialty of Xuzhou, it is only copper and iron ore deposits, and this is just needed - the rich save more copper tools, the merchants need copper money, and the poor also need iron farm tools - only by managing these two minerals well, Pengchengguo can be rich. However, before that, Tongshan and Tieshan were occupied by Pei Cai's troops, and they were firmly in the hands of the state capital, Xiong Yuan didn't dare to ask for it, but he didn't expect Pei Yuanjun to suddenly bring out such a big gift. Xiong Yuan was immediately stunned, a little unable to believe his ears.

For Pei Gai, Pengcheng is too far away from his main base, Huaiyin, and he has no talents on hand who can operate copper and iron minerals. That's why he asked this question, saying that since Xiong Yuan had the idea of running industry and commerce, it would be better to hand over the minerals to him and try to operate and manage them.

"Xiong Jun, the copper coin minted today is seven thousand yuan a month, but it may not last. The state capital will levy 5,000 yuan, and the excess will be used by the king, and if it can be prolific, it will also stay in Pengcheng...... "Pei should not care about what inflation is caused by the over-issuance of currency, in terms of the amount of minting in Xuzhou Copper Mountain, it is far from talking about - "The weapons produced by Tieshan are transported to the state capital, and the agricultural tools produced are transported to the state capital ...... sixty percent are transported to the state capital."

Pei Gai had already handed over the improved drawings of several new agricultural tools to the newly appointed minister of the three counties, but he did not give them in kind—he had not yet been able to fully popularize them in Guangling County—so along the way, the people of Xiapi and Pengcheng were still using crude old-style bone and wood farming tools, and their work efficiency was very low. He was already thinking about whether to send some of the new farm tools to the two counties - to wait for them to have their own money to cast, and I don't know if they would get the Year of the Monkey - just to take advantage of this opportunity to give Xiong Yuan a chance to manufacture and sell farm tools.

"When the construction is done first, then the business is viable. Xiong Jun, and remember a sentence: 'No farming, no stability, no work, no wealth, no business, no life.' ’”

Xiong Xiaowen immediately stood up and bowed deeply towards Pei Gai: "The words of the envoy should be kept in mind from afar; The order of the king, far from exhaustion, must also be completed - so that the king will hand over the copper and iron to Pengcheng, and will be properly managed, not only rich country, but also rich Xu! ”

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Under the governance of Bian Yan, Tao Kan, Xiong Yuan and others, half of Xuzhou's production began to gradually recover, and step by step towards the fast lane - as for Yu Yin, it can be ignored for the time being. Pei Gai was in a good mood and returned to Huaiyin with joy, and since then he has focused on military construction.

After a winter of training, the army has reached more than 7,000 people, and has formed a certain combat effectiveness. Pei Gai began to expand the army, expanding the original four battalions to 700 men each, and also selected brave men to fill his own troops to form a core cavalry force of 100 people.

The leader of the trilogy was not one of the fourteen people that Wang Dao gave him—ah, now there are only thirteen left—but the remnants of Xi Jian, who had escaped from the Yi Mountain, and was recommended to Pei Gai by Madame Xi. This person's surname is Wen Lang, no words, claiming to be the grandson of Wen Li, Wen was wiped out by the Sima Xuan clan of Dong'an King more than 20 years ago, Wen Lang claimed to be in infancy, hidden by the old department, and had to live - anyway, no one testified, even the so-called old department of Wen Yu who saved him, he couldn't identify it.

Wen Lang's adult resume is relatively credible. Pei Dun's predecessor was the assassin of Xuzhou, recruited Ding Zhuang as a soldier, Wen Lang went to Xiangxiang, and later followed Pei Dun to surrender to Hu General Zhao Gu. After Pei Dun was killed, most of his troops were killed by Zhao Gu, Wen Lang escaped in embarrassment, so he ran to the mountains to follow Xi Jian - the news that Xi Jian was captured by Xuan An was brought back by him, this person is indeed brave and good at arching horses, so he was able to escape his life again.

In addition, Pei Gai also improved the organizational structure of the army and adopted the "five-five-year system": five people are in the team, and a team commander is set up; The fifth army is a platoon, with one platoon chief and two platoons of deputies; Five platoons are teams, with one captain and two deputies; The five teams are battalions, with one battalion superintendent, two battalion deputies, and three staff officers. Therefore, he now has roughly four regular battalions, ten cantonment camps, and one troop in his hands, totaling 9,000 people.

In the future, five battalions will be set up as an army, if he can pinch two or three regular troops in his hands, Pei Gai will have complete courage, not only can he hold Xuzhou, but he can even advance into Qingzhou and try to collide with Shi Le.

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When Pei should start to explode troops, the war in Jing and Hunan was still going on.

Since Tao Kan was demoted, Director Wang temporarily assigned his old department to the new Xiangzhou Assassin Shi Ganzhuo command. Gan Zhuozi Ji Si, a native of Danyang, is the great-grandson of Gan Ning, the general of Eastern Wu, and is also a proper raccoon dog. According to Wang Dun's idea, he originally wanted to annex the Tao Department, but Wang Dao considered that the sudden deprivation of the southern soldiers as the royal of overseas Chinese would cause unnecessary contradictions, and would also make the Jiangnan scholars confused and fearful, so it was still appropriate to use the southern people as generals.

So in late spring and early summer, Wang Dun ordered Zhou to visit and Gan Zhuo to lead the army, and then cut down Jing and Hunan two states.

With Tao Kan's experience, Zhou Wan raised his spirit and bravely rushed to the front line - he was not worried about Du Tao and Du Zeng, but worried that if he also suffered a defeat, or if he was slow to march, he was afraid that he would become Tao Kan's second, and he would also be deprived of his military rights by those Beiling, and he would be idle and scattered.

The Zhou army first entered Xiangzhou, and Tao Kan's old general Yang Ju served as the vanguard on the orders of Gan Zhuo, and defeated Du Tao in Baling. originally wanted to take advantage of the victory to take Changsha in the south, but Du Zeng began to put pressure on the Western Expeditionary Army from the northern front. Du Zeng was forced to retreat to Jiangling, but he was ambushed on the way, and he was defeated in a battle, and almost became a ghost under the official saber.

This self-appointed Nanzhong Lang general, Jingling Taishou was defeated so badly, brought out more than 7,000 people, and only 300 were returned with him, and the military equipment was abandoned, and he himself was hit by several arrows, but fortunately, the armor was strong, and the skin and flesh were thick, so it was not a serious injury. Defeated all the way to the city of Jiangling, Wang Gong, who stayed behind, opened the city gate and rode his horse to welcome the general. Du Zeng immediately took Wang Gong's hand, apologized with a frown, and said: "I regret not listening to the words of Zici, resulting in this defeat......

Wang Gong Zici, in his early thirties, is quite tall, with slender limbs, a face like a crown of jade, and eyes like a star, barely a beautiful man, but it is a pity that a pair of hanging eyebrows destroys the layout of the whole face, and he looks gloomy and gloomy, and he does not look like a righteous man and a gentleman at a glance. He immediately smiled and said to Du Zeng: "Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, and the general has only lost 7,000 people and the elite of Jingzhou. ”

Du Zengxin said Are you comforting me, why does it sound like you're mocking me? But he also knew that the prince was accustomed to this virtue, and it was more difficult to hear any good words from his mouth than to ascend to the sky. At that moment, he pleaded repeatedly: "What should I do now? Please teach me. ”

Wang Gong said: "I originally advised the general to take advantage of the official army to attack Du Tao in the south, and we immediately gathered men and horses in Jingzhou, built boats and boats, and went down the river to take Wuchang directly, then the officers and troops were afraid that the grain route would be cut off, or they would be forced to retreat, or they would be forced to recruit us." Now Tao Shixing has left Jiangdong, Zhou Shida and the general have no deep enmity, as long as they bribe Wang Chuzhong left and right Shen Chong, Qian Feng and others, they will be willing to accept us - Nanzhong Lang will not be easy to get, but Ling Taishou can not be lost. However, the general lost all his elite in the first battle, and the eastward movement has become a cake, and when the official army destroys Du Tao, collects the rest of the people, and waves his army to the north, I am afraid that we will die and have no place to die......"

Du Zeng said I know, I have already apologized, why do you still say so much? I ask you if you have a clever plan to reverse the situation, if you don't have a belly case, then go to the city, let's discuss it carefully, if you have a belly case, please say it quickly-"I will definitely obey my words, and I will never act again." ”

Wang Gong hung his eyebrows, and smiled faintly: "I'm afraid that Jiangling can't live, even if the tomb can't be guarded, for today's plan, the only way to go north, abandon the Yangtze River and operate between Han and Chu." ”

Du Zeng frowned and asked, "People and land are unfamiliar, how to operate?" ”

Wang Gong suddenly asked: "Do you know the general, why did I persuade the general to surrender and rebel that day?" ”

Du Zeng shook his head, and Wang Gong said: "The general is talented and heroic, has suave ambitions, and is talented in both vertical and horizontal ......."

Du Zeng said yes, you came to Jingling to persuade me to return to Jiankang, which is also this set of rhetoric, but then why did you persuade me to rebel and send troops to attack Tao Kan? Wang Gong's expression became serious, and he said slowly: "I thought that Tao Shi's behavior was a general who could be relied on, who thought that he didn't believe in the general, and he would summon the general." I have been three years old when I joined the ranks of soldiers, and I know his mind and temperament well, and when I get his letters, I know that I have a murderous intention and want to kill the general. In this case, wouldn't I trap the general to death? Although Wang is unkind, he is unwilling to bear the name of harming others for such unrighteous and evil deeds, let alone being innocent. Therefore, he persuaded the general to rebel, and knew that the Taoshi would not be defended......

"Tao Shixing summons the general, if he doesn't believe in the general, let alone Wang, then he can't predict Wang's means, it is knowable - if you attack, you will be broken! The general has Zhang Xiu after the Han Dynasty, and Wang pretends to be Jia Wenhe, who has the friendship of master and slave, and will never give up lightly, and must seek a place for the general to live and share wealth and wealth. Now this opportunity has finally arrived......"

Du Zeng asked eagerly, "But where is the opportunity?" ”

Wang Gong replied mysteriously: "The healthy people in the world are not only Wang Chuzhong and Tao Shixing, but the lord of the world is not in Jiankang - there are friends in Jiangbei, and the news is spread that the general only needs to go north with me, and he has a strong force to rely on......"