Wang Shichong smiled slightly: "The grass people just thought of His Majesty and the emperor's deep kindness to the grass people, and he was moved for a while, and his words were exaggerated, and I ask Your Majesty to forgive me." It's just that the last sentence of the grass people just now is not a big brag, this time all the profits of the grass people and the Turkic trade are willing to be taken out and dedicated to His Majesty, and let His Majesty send them to the soldiers of the three armies, in order to tie the hearts of the army. ”

Yang Guang smiled and shook his head: "Then again, Wang Xingshou, how much money can you make by doing business with the Turks this time, what you have to do so hard to go out of the city late at night, and you have notified the Turkic ministries everywhere to ask them to raise the price, and how can you be so familiar with the Turkic relationship that you can let so many Turkic nobles be on call?" ”

Wang Shichong immediately smelled a trace of inadvertent murderous aura, Yang Guang looked relaxed, but in fact, he was suspicious of his relationship with the Turks, and wanted to take advantage of his lax psychology that he thought that there was no danger, and put out his own words, once he answered badly, his life would be lost immediately.

Wang Shichong thought of this, and smiled slightly: "The grass people have been blessed by the grace of the saint for many years, and have been able to travel between the Turks and the Central Plains, doing some small business, thanks to His Majesty's divine power, breaking the Turks, and making them surrender, so that the grass people have the possibility of doing business, in the past few years, I have also met a lot of Turkic people in Monan, but it is only limited to business contacts, and nothing else. The goods can be sold to Mobei and Baishan Heishui farther away, so it is transferred to Yintou Teller. Help me make an appointment with some of the leaders of distant tribes. It also prepares for future business. ”

Yang Guang said "oh": "So Wang Xingshou is still ready to make this business bigger and bigger?" ”

Wang Shichong replied respectfully: "The grass people do the business of these Turks. It's not just to make money for myself, but more to spread the strength of the Great Sui and the prestige of the Son of Heaven far away, so that these barbarians who don't obey the king can also see the wealth and strength of my Central Plains, and they don't dare to give birth to a heart of disobedience. ”

Yang Guang laughed: "Wang Xingshou, you have done a good job, I can't go out on patrol like this every year, and it is even more unlikely that I can go to the north of the desert or the white mountains and black waters, those places where I can't go." Propagating kinghood and subjugating the barbarians will depend on you! ”

Wang Shichong said with a smile on his face: "This time I entrusted the Hongfu of His Majesty, and the grass people are fortunate to have the first time to deal with these distant tribes, but the grass people's current trade is only limited to Mo Nan, after this time, the grass people want to take the caravan away, but I am afraid that it will be difficult. It can send a decree to let the caravan of the grass people go farther, crossing the desert to Mobei. From Yingzhou to the north to the white mountains and black waters, trade directly with those tribes, instead of the Mohe tribe or the Ashina headquarters in the south of Guò Mo as before. ”

Yang Guang's face changed slightly: "Directly transported to these places?" I remember that I promised the Khan of Qimin that all the goods that leave the customs must be resold in his Dali City, will your actions make the Khan of Qimin resentful? ”

Wang Shichong put away his smile and said, "The grass people think that only in this way will the Turks not be able to quickly regain their strength. His Majesty should know that a steppe tribe like the Turkic has about 100,000 people in its Ashina headquarters, counting a few tribes that have just been separated, the core tribe will not exceed 300,000 people, and the reason why he can control the millions of barbarians in the north and south of the entire desert is that he takes the daily necessities that His Majesty sold him and distributes them to the servant tribes, plus its military strength is strong, and the arrows are all made of iron, which is much stronger than those barbarian tribes that use bone arrowheads. ”

"Therefore, the grass people are foolish, Your Majesty should find a way to let the grace of heaven be transmitted directly to those servant tribes, so that they know that it is not the Qimin Khan who gave them such a life, but the emperor of the Great Sui, so that they will not be driven and controlled by the Ashina headquarters, and divide the various tribes on the grassland, so that they can attack and kill each other, so that our Great Sui can get long-term peace. May His Majesty be enlightened! ”

Yang Guang's brows furrowed: "But General Changsun Sheng said that the Qimin Khan is very obedient to our court, this time I went out to patrol the fortress, and the Qimin Khan also personally summoned the leaders of the various departments to meet him, and there is nothing that is not in place, now if you throw the Qimin Khan like this and go directly to trade elsewhere, I am afraid that the Qimin Khan will be dissatisfied." ”

Wang Shichong shook his head: "When the Qimin Khan was defeated and entered the pass, it was General Changsun and the grass people who went to greet them in person, so the grass people thought they knew a lot about it, His Majesty said it well, the Qimin Khan was indeed inspired by the grace of our Great Sui, and he would be loyal to our Great Sui in this life, but would his sons also be like this?" As far as the grass people know, the three sons of the Qimin Khan, but they are all ambitious steppe wolves, and they are not very loyal to my Great Sui, when the Qimin Khan entered the customs, but his two sons fled to Mobei, and used the power of the Tiele people to deal with the Dulan Khan, and after these people replaced the Qimin Khan, the grass people can almost conclude that they will try their best to seek to regain their independence! ”

Yang Guang gasped: "There is such a thing?" Why did Changsun Sheng never report to me? ”

Wang Shichong sighed: "General Changsun divided and disintegrated the Turks back then, and he made great contributions to the country, but on the other hand, all his credits also came from the Turks, especially the cause of Turkic civil strife, and the establishment of the Qimin Khan, which can be recorded in history, the grass people dared to speculate, he was very aware of these circumstances, but he was even more unwilling to single-handedly destroy the greatest merit of his life, in his lifetime, he should be able to share weal and woe with the Qimin Khan, and control the Qimin Khan to stabilize the Turks, As for the affairs behind the Khan of Qimin, he may not think that he can still manage it. ”

Yang Guang sneered: "So, does Eldest Sun Sheng want to leave a mess for future generations?" ”

Wang Shichong said with a straight face: "The grass people don't dare to discuss state affairs in vain, they just talk about their own judgments, and they hope that His Majesty will see clearly, but the grass people think that the barbarians on the grassland can never be tamed, even if there is a phenomenon like the Qimin Khan, who is dedicated to submitting to my Great Sui, it will not last long." It is advisable to plan early. Don't let the power of the Ashina tribe rise too fiercely. When they can really control all the servants on the grassland, they will become a huge threat to our Great Sui again! ”

Yang Guang nodded: "Wang Xingshou said very reasonably, your request, I have approved, in the future, you will be allowed to go out of the customs twice a year, once to Mobei, once to Baishan and Heishui, and ordered the Qimin Khan to send troops to escort you." He can't get rid of this kind of accident, but you have to pay some security money to Qimin Khan. ”

Wang Shichong was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" ”

Yang Guang nodded and continued: "Feng Lun seems to want to harm you today, what kind of grudge do you have with Feng Lun, let him go and ask Yuwenshu to send troops to arrest your deal?" I have already checked, and Pei Renji followed Feng Lun after getting Yuwenshu's general order, but I didn't expose it just now. ”

A look of distress flashed on Wang Shichong's face: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, people are afraid of being famous, pigs are afraid of being strong, and you have entrusted your Majesty with Hongfu over the years." The grass people make a little money in business, which makes some people target. His Majesty knew that the grass people were recommended to Yang Su back then, this Feng Lun was Yang Su's niece and son-in-law, thinking that Yang Su was biased towards me, an outsider, and he didn't dare to go against Yang Su, so he targeted the grass people everywhere, and his hatred has been more than ten years. ”

"I didn't expect Yang Su to just die this time, he thought that I had lost my backer, and he wanted to change his court and go to General Yuwen, so he offered this poisonous plan, wanting to frame the grass people and the Turks to do pig iron smuggling transactions, fortunately, His Majesty Xià Shengming did not let their treacherous plan succeed, otherwise if His Majesty Xià could not find out the transaction with the Turks, it was cracked in advance, so that the Turks brought these pig iron to the trading site of the grass people, and the grass people were 10,000 mouths and could not tell."

Yang Guang smiled slightly: "This time it was His Majesty's guard Li Min who got the news and reported the matter to me, Wang Xingshou, you told me the truth, Li Min's news, did you report it?" ”

Wang Shichong pretended to be at a loss: "Li Min? Is it the nephew of Chengguo Gong Li Hun, the one who is still the eldest daughter of Princess Leping, Yuwen Eying? ”

Yang Guang smiled: "Why, it seems that Wang Xingshou doesn't know Li Min." ”

Wang Shichong smiled embarrassedly: "Your Majesty, the grass people are from a humble background, and they have never been able to squeeze into the circle of the nobles of Guanlong's military merits, but the Chengguo family is the noble Longxi Li family, how can a person like the grass people be able to climb high." Presumably General Li got the news from elsewhere and reported it to His Majesty, the grass people don't know anything about this matter, if they knew, it would be impossible to send the caravan out again, and the grass people's hearts are still pounding now! ”

Yang Guang nodded: "Then what do you think about this matter now?" Yu Wenshu and Feng Lun can't hurt you this time, how do you want to punish them? ”

Wang Shichong hurriedly knelt on the ground and said respectfully: "General Yuwen is the pillar of the country, even if he is blinded by Feng Lun for a while, it is also fateful, Your Majesty must not shake the general of the country because of the grass people!" ”

Yang Guang gritted his teeth: "He relied on my trust in him, and actually had dealings with the Turks, what I hated was not the 500,000 catties of pig iron, but that he, as a national general, actually fornicated with the Turks, in case there was a dissent in the future, wouldn't I be in danger!" ”

Wang Shichong still maintained a respectful kneeling posture and said: "Caomin feels that General Yuwen is still very loyal to His Majesty, he is not a noble in the Guanlong Military Meritorious Group, and he is completely dependent on the promotion of His Majesty to hold this important position, a noble family, and no one can give him more than His Majesty." Therefore, it is not a problem to say that he was confused for a while, provoked by others, and coveted the money and property of the grass people, but it would be a bit too much to say that he deliberately befriended the Turks and plotted against them. ”

Yang Guang's brows were still tightly locked: "Then how can they have anything to do with the Turks?" You said that you have been doing business with the Turks for many years, and you know some Turkic merchants and even tribal leaders, which can be explained, but he Yuwen said that as a general of the imperial court, he also did business with the Turks? ”

Wang Shichong raised his head and smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, as far as the grass people know, Yu Wenhua and Yu Wenzhi have been doing business with the Turks, a few years ago they also came to the grass people, and wanted the grass people to partner with them, but the grass people were not very satisfied with the conditions they opened, so they politely refused, but the grass people have been doing business in the Turks in the past few years, and they have also seen Yu Wenzhi twice, he has no official status, and he has led several caravans out of the customs and trade, I think there is this relationship." It's not surprising to know a few Turkic people. ”

Yang Guang nodded. His brow furrowed a little: "That's according to you." Yu Wenhua and Yu Wenzhi and his brothers, is it really a personal move to make money, not the instigation of Yu Wenshu? ”

Wang Shichong pretended to groan for a while, and said: "Yuwenshu is a general of the imperial court, he should know that a position of power can bring more money, and let his son take such a big risk in order to hack me, and directly trade pig iron with the Turks, I don't think he will be so stupid." I can't tell you that this is the result of the extermination of the whole family, no! ”

"So in the humble opinion of the grass people, this should be Yu Wenhua and Yu Wenzhi and the two brothers, who were provoked by Feng Lun and wanted to take advantage of this time to make a big profit, while Feng Lun wanted to figure out the trade between Guò and the Turks, and by the way, he hacked me, so that he could share my property with Yu Wenhua and me."

Yang Guang smiled slightly and shook the testimony in his hand: "Wang Xingshou, you are really too smart. The truth of this matter is really the same as what you said. If it was really that Yuwen's order, then I wouldn't let him go so easily. Well, I've got a plan for that. Get up first. ”

Wang Shichong breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, to be honest, he didn't know what was written in the confession, but instinctively felt that Yang Guang didn't order Yu Wenshu to be killed on the spot just now, things are always variable, and he couldn't just go down the ground to discuss Yu Wenshu's life and death all at once, and, from the bottom of his heart, he would rather let Yu Wenshu stay in the position of General Zuo Yiwei than Yu Zhongwen, who was obviously more shrewd and capable, here.

Wang Shichong stood up and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, then the grass people will retire first, if your Majesty can be trusted, you can send an inner servant to act with the caravan of the grass people's next return, and all the accounts will be shown to Your Majesty, and the grass people will dedicate all the profits of the next time to Your Majesty according to what you just said." ”

Yang Guang smiled and waved his hand: "My Great Sui country is rich and strong, and I won't rely on you as a businessman to pay rewards, you just need to do business according to the law and pay taxes according to the custom of the imperial court." I still have something to ask you, so don't rush back yet. ”

Wang Shichong hurriedly said: "I wish to hear the sound of His Majesty!" ”

Yang Guang's eyes were blazing, piercing Wang Shichong's eyes: "I remember that when you first entered the official career, when you were in the army to pacify Nanchen, you were serving in He Ruobi's army at that time. ”

Wang Shichong's heart "Gedeng" for a moment, knowing that Yang Guang must have wanted to attack He Ruobi, Gao Xi and Yu Wenbi who were discussing national politics in private that day, fortunately he heard the content of these people's conversations that day, otherwise if he answered wrong, he would be in big trouble today.

So Wang Shichong nodded: "Your Majesty still remembers the grass people who joined the army back then." At that time, Caomin followed his father's order, and the three brothers joined the army together, first under the account of General He Ruobi, and then transferred to General Wang Shiji, and then followed General Han Baohu's action. ”

Yang Guang laughed: "I have heard of Wang Xingshou's merits during the expedition to the south, and it is not too much to say that it is not an exaggeration to give a four- or five-grade Kaifu or Shangyitong, but only a nine-grade school scholar, which is a bit excessive." ”

Wang Shichong said: "When the southern expedition destroyed Chen, there were too many people with great merit, not only one grass people, more monks and less porridge, many generals from Guanlong needed to make meritorious contributions to this battle, and the grass people only wanted to ask for an official body at that time, although there was some grievance at the time, but now it can be figured out." ”

An intriguing look flashed in Yang Guang's eyes: "Then will you blame He Ruobi and Gao Xi for burying your credit and not letting you get the official position you deserve?" ”

Wang Shichong immediately said: "It was a little unacceptable at the time, but Gao Xi later found the grass people, saying that it was the general Wang Shiji who was of the same clan as the grass people, and repeatedly claimed that the grass people's father was the Wang family of the Hu people in the Western Regions who remarried with their mother and the surname Yi, and it was not suitable to be reused, so they gave the grass people a nine-grade civil service, at that time, Gao Xi may have promised that this time he would not offend Wang Shiji for the grass people alone, and if there is a war in the future, he will arrange for the grass people to join the army and make contributions. I can only admit it. ”

Yang Guang smiled slightly: "Oh, in this way, you are not so determined to Gao Xi?" ”

A helpless look flashed on Wang Shichong's face: "The grass people were just like a little ant at that time, without power and power, and they had to beware of Wang Shiji coming to my house all day long, not hiding it from His Majesty, that is, before the Southern Expedition, this Wang Shiji had come to the door to rob our family's property, under the pretext that the grandmother was dead, the father and the grass people brothers were no longer worthy to stay in the Wang family, and they had to drive us out of the Wang family, and even the back of the grass people's head was beaten by him, and they almost died, if not, the sons of several of our merchants, How could it be possible to join the army in the south? I just want to mix up military merits, get an official position, and find one or two nobles to protect myself, at that time, I could get the protection of an important minister like Gao Xi, then I really felt that there was a big gift from heaven! ”

Yang Guang nodded: "I can understand Wang Xingshou's mood at that time, but it stands to reason that later Gao Xi was also dissatisfied with you, arranged for you to repeatedly serve in the army, and promoted you all the way to the five-grade military department member Wailang, it can be said that you have the grace of knowing you, why did you switch to the Duke of Chu when the future was good?" This is something I have been puzzled for years! ”

Wang Shichong immediately replied: "That's because the grass people have been following Gao Xi for a long time, and they found that this person is not as loyal to the country as the grass people originally thought. In order to protect the in-law King Fangling, he went against the former emperor and His Majesty several times, knowing that King Fangling was a muddy mess and could not get on the wall, but he still refused to change his original intention, and also mobilized those civil and military generals in the court who had been promoted by him to build momentum together, standing on the side of King Fangling. Therefore, although this person has loyal and upright people, his intentions may not be pure, which is also the fundamental reason why the grass people left him and switched to the Duke of Chu. ”

Yang Guang laughed: "I can't imagine that Wang Xingshou is not only a good general, a capable official, but also a shrewd businessman, and his vision is also unique, and he can see the current situation clearly, not simple, not simple." ”

Wang Shichong said respectfully: "Don't dare to be, loyal to the court, loyal to the emperor is the duty of the grass people, the reason why the grass people can do business, all because the country is strong, the lord of the wise Hongfu, naturally should firmly stand on the side of the supreme, the first emperor was dissatisfied with the king of Fangling, the intention of His Majesty is already a well-known thing, only Gao Xi is still resisting for his own interests, trying to grind until the death of the emperor, he can further monopolize power, as Gao Xi's subordinate single-handedly, The grass people also persuaded Gao Xi several times at that time not to insist on going his own way, but he didn't listen to it at all, and the grass people couldn't do it, so they had to leave Gao Xi and stand on the side of His Majesty and Chu Guogong. ”

Yang Guang smiled slightly: "Recalling the incident of seizing the throne back then, it is really thrilling, but then again, Wang Xingshou, your methods are really impressive, and you are not merciless to your old superiors at all." ”

Wang Shichong said with a straight face: "Since you are loyal to Your Majesty, there is no way back, any soft-hearted will not have a good end, as long as the grass people take a wrong step, not only will they be crushed, but they will also be affected by His Majesty, and the rivers and mountains of the Great Sui will be affected, so if the grass people are allowed to choose again, the grass people will still make the same choice." ”

Yang Guang nodded with satisfaction: "Wang Xingshou, since the fall of Gao Xi and He Ruobi, do you still have any dealings with you, do you have any connection?" ”

Wang Shichong shook his head: "They regard the grass people as traitors, how can they have anything to do with the grass people?" He Ruobi came to the grass people in the horse running and hunting ground outside Daxing City several times, all of them used the topic to play, and made a big fuss in the field, many people can testify, Cao Minnian was once a national general, and he didn't dare to face the face, so he could only compromise, he probably felt bored after making trouble a few times, so he stopped coming to the door. ”

The corners of Yang Guang's mouth hooked, and he asked seemingly casually, "Since I ascended the throne, have these two people ever looked for you?" Do you have any business cooperation with you? (To be continued......)