Chapter 149: A Good Thing for a Pie in the Sky

Zhao Xing does sales, naturally also has a kind of ability, familiar with people, a few words and everyone mingled, and then, several officials were fooled by him to board the ship, Zhao Xing did not go ashore,.

Sailing into the village where Qu Fubo was, Zhao Xing pointed to the mouth of the gorge and introduced to Fan Yi: "A certain family thinks that from a military point of view, a water village can be built there, and a few small boats can protect the entire bay. This bay is not wide, the ship is moored in the middle, and the land at both ends can be seen, if there is a private sea cargo into the port, the ship anchors together, and it can definitely be stopped. Lord Fuzun, Lord Transporter, Lord Fan, why don't you set up a stockade here?"

Fan Yi smiled noncommittally. Prince Shao Li Zhichun had no expression on his face, neither shaking his head nor nodding. Zhao Xing picked up a stick casually, drew a graphic of the Shandong Peninsula on the deck, and said jokingly: "When I came to take up my post, I saw this chart, looked at it, and thought about it by chance, if there was a canal connecting Dengzhou and Mizhou, what would it be like?" ”

Fan Yi's eyes lit up, and he urged: "Tell me!" ”

Wang Zishao frowned, Fan Jie's construction of the Gaoli Pavilion has caused more than half of the people of Mizhou to flee, if it is not expected that the establishment of the city division in Banqiao Town will increase taxes, Wang Zishao does not have a good face towards Fan Ye now. And Zhao Xing, who had not yet set foot on the land of Mizhou, actually proposed a more ambitious plan than Fan Yi, which made him very dissatisfied with Zhao Xing, and there was a look of displeasure on his face.

Zhao Xing didn't notice anything unusual, he drew a line to connect Dengzhou Mizhou, pointed to that line and said: "I heard the boatman say that there is a difference in the level of the Yellow Sea in the Bohai Sea, and an experienced fisherman who sails through the junction of the two seas at night will hear a soft sound and feel a light hull - since the water level of the two seas is different, even the maintenance of the channel can be saved a lot."

Lord Fan, you see, there is a river here, the Jiao River. The tribute ships from the south had to bypass the entire Jingdong Road peninsula, and it took two days, or even three days, to reach Dengzhou from Mizhou. And there is no need for this canal, after passing through the canal, you can pass through the entire Jiaozhou Peninsula in half a day.

In this way, Michio City will have greater development. For example, when a Korean ship comes to Mizhou to unload its goods, it can be loaded on a canal boat, cross the canal to Dengzhou, and then go around such a circle, and the original ship will go straight from the mouth of the Yellow River to Bianliang, isn't it convenient? ”

This temptation is big enough, Fan Yi listened to it with great interest, and Wang Zishao couldn't help but interject: "But the people of Mizhou are already miserable, so they can expect to rest for a few years, how can they start a mission again?" ”

Fan Yi didn't like to hear this, and he was about to refute it, when Zhao Xing shook his head: "Actually, to build this Grand Canal, the imperial court will not spend a penny, and even earn an expense, but unfortunately this method is too appalling......

Fan Yi urged repeatedly: "Speak quickly, say it quickly!" ”

Zhao Xing looked left and right, knocked on the deck with a stick, and said slowly: "Whoever pays for it, who will repair it......"

Fan Ye is about to faint, isn't this nonsense, of course, whoever pays for it will fix it. He was about to reprimand, but saw Zhao Xing take a breath, and added slowly: "...... Who charges. ”

Fan Yi finally couldn't hold it back: "Nonsense, military affairs, how can it be such a child's play." ”

What Fan said is that once this canal is repaired, this transportation lifeline must be in the hands of the state, and how can it be controlled by others and charge additional fees.

When Zhao Xing heard this, he spread his hands: "I knew this would not work." ”

Wang Zishao couldn't hold back his scolding: "You still say it if you know it's not good?" ”

Zhao Xing was reprimanded, but he didn't have a ashamed expression, and added idly on the side: "I wanted to say that since the imperial court has no money, let rich businessmen repair it." These people had to hire people to dig this canal and transport grain and money, and the people had spare money in their hands through the construction of the canal, so that they could not only buy property, but also make a small living.

Merchants have money, but how to make merchants willing to invest money, we must give them a sweetness, for example, after the canal is built, they will be allowed to collect canal fees for many years, and after many years, the canal will be handed back to the imperial court.

In this way, the imperial court does not spend a single penny, the government does not send a single errand servant, and the merchants will enthusiastically contribute money to build this Grand Canal. And the imperial court only needs to station naval troops at the two mouths of the canal to guard the entire river. ”

When Fan Ye heard this, his heart moved, and his face softened. Wang Zishao heard that there was no need to go on a business trip, and blinked his mouth to savor this possibility. And Li Zichun nodded lightly in approval.

Zhang Yong didn't understand this, he only wondered in his heart: Didn't you want to talk about the transfer of the navy to get food, how did it get to the Grand Canal, and put the naval base at the mouth of the canal...... Isn't this going farther and farther?

Zhao Xing continued to add: "To build this Grand Canal, I am afraid that hundreds of millions of dollars and grains will be needed, and this money and grain will be invested on Jingdong Road, which is put into the pockets of the people of Jingdong Road and eaten in the stomachs of the people of Jingdong.

With this huge amount of money and food, it will be difficult for Jingdong Road not to get rich in the next few years. And to do all this, we only have to agree that after the merchants have built the canal, they will be charged a certain amount of money for each ship to cross the canal. It's as simple as that? ”

If Zhao Xing said this in other dynasties, he would have been spat on by his boss, but this was in the Song Dynasty, and government procurement in the Song Dynasty was carried out through tooth merchants, and this canal management system was equivalent to the government contracting the excavation and charging of the canal to tooth merchants. Therefore, several bosses only felt that this idea was novel, and after the initial resistance disappeared, they suddenly became enlightened and nodded frequently.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Xing drew a big pie for them.

Did the Song Dynasty have the ability to dig this Grand Canal? There should be. With the low level of productivity of the Mongols in the Yuan Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was fully capable of digging this grand canal, but the sea water backed up and the land was salinized......

Fan Yi frowned and asked again: "With such a huge amount of money, who can get it in the whole country?" ”

Fan Yi mentally calculated the money and grain needed to dig this canal, and was immediately frightened by the calculated figures, which usually only appear in astronomy.

"One family can't get out, it's just right", Zhao Xing patted his head and said: "The entire canal is in the hands of one family, I'm afraid that such a rich person can rival the country, and the imperial court is not at ease." His family couldn't get out, so he went out of a few families, and the court set up a charter, summoned the wealthy businessmen who raised the money, and asked them to declare their share of the money. Then the imperial court came forward to review - you have to be innocent to be allowed to participate in the excavation of the Grand Canal. ”

Fan Yi liked to listen to this, he stroked his beard and thought for a moment, and then asked: "Since you said that the money and grain consumed are hundreds of millions, I am afraid that more than a dozen businessmen are not enough, so there must be a hundred and ten, right?" ”

Zhao Xing smiled but did not answer.

Song Ren's business sense is enough, he just needs to be reminded that as for the specific establishment of the company, the issuance of shares, bonds, etc., that is a matter of the future, and he must always leave some opportunities for others to show their wisdom.

Fan Ye was still thinking there, and Wang Zishao couldn't help it: "Lord Fan, the people of Mizhou have been suffering for a long time, if the Grand Canal is transferred from Mizhou to develop, the adults will play, and the lower officials are willing to second." ”

Li Zhichun also saw the benefits, and immediately chimed in: "I also seconded it." ”

Fan Yi pondered for a moment and replied: "I still want to hear Liren talk in detail about this matter, Liren, it's almost noon, why don't we have a banquet for the time being, and talk while eating." ”

Fan Ye is hungry, he has heard that the food of Zhao Xing's family is extremely exquisite, so he can't help but urge the banquet to start. Zhao Xing shook his head as he instructed the servants to prepare lunch. He shook his head because he didn't want to get too involved in it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I only care about the Mizhou regimental training, this matter of the Grand Canal, the lower officials just have such an idea, and the specific situation still needs to be planned by the adults - not in his position, not in his politics."

Fan Yi was stunned for a moment, and Zhao Xing added like lightning: "Actually, I still have an idea. In the event of the excavation of a large canal and the prosperity of this coast, ships entering the port can find a shore at will, unload the goods, and then transport them by land to the Goryeo Pavilion under the guise of local goods, which will definitely lead to the loss of tax revenue...... In my opinion, it would be better for the navy to set up a military fortification at the mouth of this bay so that cargo ships entering the bay can be inspected at any time. ”

Zhao Xing's words came to an abrupt end, and Fan Yi, Li Zhichun and Wang Zishao immediately understood what Zhao Xing meant.

The water army wants to get a piece of the soup! Isn't it a game of "drinking in vain" and "winning money with strength" when inspecting ships? Zhao Xing made a condition, if the navy was allowed to move to the mouth of the bay, then Zhao Xing could make a specific plan and make a statement, but he would not share the reputation of the siege.

The three officials are all old oilmen of officialdom, and as soon as they gave them a few glances, Li Zhichun first came forward to fight: "Yes, Mizhou is a defensive state, there is no naval army stationed at the mouth of the bay, and the entire bay is everywhere for people to land and plunder. The old man then started the imperial court and asked the imperial court to allow the Mizhou regiment to practice moving to the mouth of Rongwan. ”

Wang Zishao added: "Mizhou is originally a defensive state, and there are only eight commanders in the regimental training, which I think is too few. ”

Fan Yi couldn't intervene in local affairs, but financially he had the final say, and he waved his hand: "I will transfer the letter to the Privy Council, and the Mizhou regiment will give money and food to you." ”

Zhao Xing added unhurriedly: "It is said that the imperial court is abolishing the box army, and the reduced box army might as well fill my Mizhou regimental training." ”

Li Zhichun laughed: "Zhang Guanjun, as soon as you took office, you made a lot of money for you." ”

Everyone laughed.

This lunch was eaten on the ship, and the food on the ship was not as rich as on the shore, so Zhao Xing naturally couldn't come to the full Jiuzhan official banquet, but everyone was very satisfied. During the banquet, modern financial operation words such as stocks, bonds, interest, and discounts popped up from Zhao Xing's mouth from time to time. By the time the meal was over, Zhao Xing's big ship had returned to Hong Kong, and everyone was satisfied.

At the time of parting, Fan Yi reluctantly said: "I heard about the cane drum music "Yellow Emperor Yan" in the capital, and I heard that the drum team was called by the palace to teach drum music. ”

Fan Yi meant that he had heard that Zhao Xing's family team was very distinctive, and he wanted to listen to the music played by Zhao Xing's family team. Of course, there is also an ambiguous meaning in his words, he is asking about the group of widows.

As soon as Zhao Xing heard the other party's words, he immediately understood Fan Yi's situation in the capital.

This guy is still very tender in Bianliang City, and he didn't receive a heavyweight invitation. Because the set of cane drum music has been spread to the courtyard of the royal family in the capital through Chen Yiniang's hands, and the group of royal children think that they are the most qualified to enjoy the drums of "Yellow Emperor Yan" first, so they either use Chen Yiniang's hands or send family musicians to the palace to learn on the spot. Fan Ye didn't even know these things, so it can be seen that he is now an outsider in Bianliang City.

Li Zhichun went out of the capital with Fan Ye on his front and back feet, but he was a person who retired from the center of the imperial court, so he naturally knew more about Zhao Xing, and he smiled and rounded the field for Fan Ge: "Leave people, although Li Yuangongzi's family tricks have entered the palace, but Li Gongzi is your friend, and you will definitely fiddle with that set of "Yellow Emperor Yan". It's better to do this, when the city is established and the Goryeo maritime merchants gather, you let people play the "Yellow Emperor Yan", so that the foreign feudal clan can understand the breadth and profundity of my Yanhuang. ”

Zhao Xing could meet this request, he hesitated for a moment, and replied: "To train that group of drummers, it will take three or four months at the shortest, and I am afraid that it will not be able to catch up with the establishment of the company." ”

Fan Yi shook his head slightly. Wang Zishao explained to Zhao Xing with a smile: "Three or five months, enough, the official documents of the imperial court come and go, and it will not be decided in half a year, and the Mizhou City Bosi can be established next year, which is already considered fast." If you can train a drummer at the end of the year, it will be just in time for the year-end banquet. ”

Wang Zishao's "year-end banquet" refers to an edict of Song Taizu in the early days of the Northern Song Dynasty. This edict stipulated that the imperial court would give preferential rewards to the maritime merchants, and at the end of each year, the official expenses would be 300 yuan, and a banquet would be arranged, and the city and state officials would "set up merchants from all countries".

At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, 200 yuan could make senior generals willing to give up the post of defense minister, but the "year-end banquet" cost 300 yuan, which shows Zhao Kuangyin's generosity to businessmen.

Originally, at the year-end banquet, the officials would give wine to the maritime merchants one by one to thank them for the taxes they had paid this year, and at the same time distribute red envelopes to the maritime merchants, which included the "year-end tax refund".

The "year-end tax refund" in the Song Dynasty was presented at a feast by officials who respectfully presented them with their hands, and they gave you year-end red envelopes while thanking you for your support of his work. The year-end banquet advocated by the government has triggered the folk chasing, so China has the custom of eating and drinking at the end of the year. The first to chase the wind is the officials at all levels, and the chief comes forward to entertain his subordinates, thank them for their hard work for a year, and distribute red envelopes. Then the officials went to the townships and held a village drinking ceremony with the villagers to thank the elders for their support......

Subsequently, the shops also took spontaneous action, and the shop owners would invite their men to have a Chinese New Year's Eve meal at the end of the year, and at the banquet, the bosses would also send a red envelope to their guys like the government, thanking each other for their hard work for a year...... This custom is still preserved in Japan and South Korea.

"The year-end banquet, there is enough time. Ladies and gentlemen, I will present a set of Yanhuang feast to you and those feudal merchants," Zhao Xing agreed.

After the luncheon, the officials' eyes only looked at Liao Xiaoxiao and Hu Ji, but Zhao Xing had no intention of entertaining them to sing and dance, he stood up and shouted: "Come on, turn the rudder and sail back!" ”

"Ahem...... Wang Zishao coughed lightly twice, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything, and turned his head to look out of the cabin.

Everyone has something to gain in this line. On the way back, Zhao Xingzhang used to travel on the same road as those officials. Zhao Xing and Zhang Yong rode horses, and those officials sat in sedan chairs. The slow speed of the sedan chair was not what Zhao Xing was accustomed to, he said hello to Zhang Yong, turned over his horse, and headed for Mizhou City in advance.

Zhang Yong brought thirty followers, no, it should be said that "utility" and "all management"; Zhao Xing brought the eight Gurkha warriors. Zhang Yong rode a horse alone, and Zhao Xing's group of nine people rode nine tall horses.

Originally, Zhang Yong was dragged down by those entourages and didn't dare to gallop on the road, but now with Zhao Xing's protection, coupled with the eight fierce mountain warriors, he threw off his entourage halfway and led Zhao Xing to run towards Mizhou.

"I didn't expect you to take a horse with you wherever you go...... This horse is so tall, how did you get it on the boat? Zhang Yong asked intermittently against the wind. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "That Yuan Yeping recently brought a few horses from the Wa Kingdom, and I heard that they are also Mutsu horses, why are his horses far less tall than yours?" What's your secret? ”

Zhao Xing glanced at him: "My ship has half a cargo, and the upper deck is all empty, so it is naturally spacious to put these horses in." I came with a horse because although this official rank is civilian, the people I come into contact with are all military men, and I have horses by my side, which is convenient.

Well, as for my horse, which is taller than the usual widows...... Secret! I don't usually tell anyone, but if you ask, I'll tell you quietly - this horse is of Spanish and Arab descent...... You don't know these two countries? Look, I'll just say it, you know it's useless! ”

When this group of people rushed into Mizhou City, they attracted the attention of passers-by. Zhang Yong ignored it, rushed straight to his mansion before turning over and dismounting, and after giving the horse to the people who took care of it, he led Zhao Xing to the lobby.

Zhang Yong's group practice made the lobby not hang the big flat of the white tiger to take over the hall, and the hall was already full of people. Zhao Xing is the eighth grade, and the officials below the eighth grade are here, they salute each other, and then sit down in two shifts.

Zhang Yong was very face-saving, he was supposed to sit in the front of the lobby, but today's protagonist is Zhao Xing, he moved the positive position away and stood in a figure with Zhao Xing's table.

After roughly clicking through the roster, Zhao Xing closed the roster, handed it to Yuan Yeping who was on the side, and said: "I want the vacancies of each commander, eight commands, and each commander gives me five vacancies." ”

There are no commanders here, and they are all "all commanders", "all in charge", and "all in prison" under some commands. And the commander is at the same level as Zhao Xing, and meeting with them is not a summons. So they didn't show up on the occasion.

These officials looked at each other, and their faces were ugly. I was muttering in my heart: This is too dark, take away half of the vacancy, and this will not let people live?

Zhao Xing knocked on the table and continued: "I will take half of the 'forehead', and the 'Bingque' will continue to belong to you." In other words, I will only take the vacancy, and the money and food allocated by the Privy Council will remain yours, and not only that, but I will pay you a certain amount of money for each vacancy, and I will rent your vacancy. ”

Only then did the people here understand, but the Great Song Dynasty also had a pie in the sky, why did someone spend money to buy those non-existent "deposits"? One of them couldn't help but jump out and ask: "Sign the judgment, I don't know how much the adults are willing to pay for the amount of savings?" ”

Zhao Xing asked rhetorically: "How much do you think is appropriate?" ”

The man replied, "A soldier of the superior rank shall have fifty cents of food and one liter of grain a day—this is the Privy Council prescribed, and the lord must not be less than that?" ”

Zhao Xing smiled happily: "You seem to have forgotten that you ate the money and food allocated by the Privy Council, and you asked me for another one, are you really embarrassed to speak?" …… What is your name? ”

"In the next step, the bow is commanding Mao Xiaoxiang. I'm just wondering below, adults have a lot of money, but it's not so cheap for us, right, spending money to rent our vacancy? Don't you want to turn your face and deny people, take the 'amount of deposits' in your hands, and turn your face to eliminate those 'amount deposits'. In this way, we are greedy for a moment, and it is time to drink the northwest wind in the future. ”

Zhao Xing looked up to the sky and laughed. He didn't expect that his promise of heavy profits would make people wonder, and even worry about it. After laughing, he went on to explain: "I have a ship, there are several very large ships, and my concubine has also been to the Wa Kingdom to sell goods, and is familiar with business matters. In addition, the navy is about to move to the mouth of the bay, so I need to build a fleet. That's why I need your slots, because I'm going to gather men, organize fleets, and patrol the bay. ”

As soon as the word "inspect the bay" came out, everyone understood, and some who were not greedy directly asked Zhao Xing to pay the rent according to the salary allocated by the military department, and the greedy people directly asked to jointly operate this water village with Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing shook his head and shook his head violently: "There are many people, and the more people who interfere, the more difficult it is to deal with this matter...... In this way, according to the amount of 'deposit' you have, the account will be settled as one. You have given a standard of how much money each deposit will pay each year, and I will pay according to that amount.

However, you should also pay attention when mentioning this price, this price should not be too outrageous, if it is outrageous, I may not want much savings, but your income will decrease. If the price you give is right, then I want all the deposits, and I promise to put forward a 10% bonus at the end of the year to share with you. ”

"One percent is not good, at least two percent is needed, and three percent is better!" The petty officials shouted in unison.

"Twenty percent, then I won't pay the rent of the 'amount deposit'", Zhao Xing flatly refused.

In the end, the result of the distribution of the spoils was: Zhao Xing bought all the "deposits" in the hands of the officers at twice the price allocated by the Ministry of War, and then offered you a dividend of 105% as a dividend at the end of the year.

signed this contract with the lower-level officers, and the upper-level officers also dealt with it in turn, and in just one meal, Zhao Xing had already swept away the empty space in the hands of the Mizhou regiment. Then the matter of establishing a water village at the mouth of the bay was discussed. Zhao Xing insisted that the funds for the construction of the water village wharf be deducted from the dividend, but those officers refused, and finally reached a compromise, and the officers commanded their soldiers to build the water village and the wharf for Zhao Xing, and the bonus was only reduced by half a layer to pay Zhao Xing for the material cost of building the water village.

At the end of the spoils conference, Zhao Xingde demanded inch by inch: "I also want both full of actual soldiers, at the year-end reward banquet, Lord Zhizhou wants to listen to "Yellow Emperor Yan", I hope you will take out the strongest real soldiers, by ** practice, afterwards Lord Zhizhou's reward half of the actual soldiers, half of you, who has more soldiers, who earns more." ”

Why did Zhao Xing come, it was all a way to make money. The Mizhou regiment practiced up and down with eyebrows and smiles, and they immediately decided: In the future, they should closely unite around the judge and make great strides on the road to a well-off life......

In the next few days, Zhao Xing's family members moved into the Mizhou regimental training mansion one after another, Zhang Yong was very respectful to the god of wealth who brought him a source of wealth, and he gave up half of the official office of his regimental training envoy, so that Zhao Xing could temporarily settle down.

Yes, for the time being.

Zhao Xing is a person who can't wait to carry the house wherever he goes. Soon after his arrival, he bought a large vacant land near the official office and hired a large number of people to build his own house. At the same time, the task of training the drummer was also assigned, which was taken on by Yuan Yeping, who was proficient in music and also witnessed the performance of "Yellow Emperor Yan" at that time.

When Zhao Xing finished arranging the settlement plan, Fan Yi and others also arrived, this group of people traveled to the mountains and rivers, and they didn't know where they turned on the road, and they only entered the city on the tenth day after Zhao Xing arrived in Mizhou. As soon as he entered the city, Fan Ye did not forget to send Zhao Xing a handbook. At this time, Zhao Xing should be the landlord, so Fan Yi's posting was actually an officialdom practice, which was to invite lower-level officials to come and visit.

Li Zhichun and Wang Zishao's hand book is a formal summons, according to the rules, Zhao Xing wants to go to the two official offices, and the people up and down the official office are familiar with each other, Zhao Xing in accordance with the rules, first went to visit the landlord - the local governor Wang Zishao.

Wang Zishao has obviously been waiting for Zhao Xing's visit, as soon as Zhao Xing arrived at his house, he shook his handbook, and before he could hand it over, Menzi saw the name on the handbook and immediately greeted Zhao Xing warmly. Then the formal officialdom began, and Zhao Xing was urgently trained by Liao Xiaoxiao, although the movements were rusty, but he finally completed the full set of etiquette.

After the official official ceremony, Zhao Xing was considered to have taken office. Wang Zishao also put down his body, greeted Zhao Xing affectionately to sit down, and said enthusiastically with his own attitude: "I discussed with Lord Li and Master Fan on the road, the newly established Jiaoxi County still lacks the county order and the county Cheng, and the two are left to be chosen, and we will recommend them." I don't know what I like? ”