Qu Bucai hurriedly walked into Xiang Zhuang's study, and said: "King, good news, after Bai Mo opened Taicang to release grain, the Lu family finally made a move. ”

"Good, good." Xiang Zhuang slammed the knot.

With the intervention of the Lu family, the duel in Guanzhong caused by food has escalated into a political struggle, and now whether it is Bai Mo or the interest groups led by the Lu family and the Sima family, there is no way to retreat, and even the wealthy families who are trying to make huge profits from it have also completely fallen in.

Because the current situation is obvious, whoever can't stand it first will definitely lose all his money.

If Bai Mo can't stand it, then he will not only lose all the grain stocks in Taicang, but also have to bear the consequences of the soaring grain prices in Guanzhong, unless he dares to suppress all the merchants, families, wealthy families and relatives in Guanzhong with an iron fist, because now these four groups have formed a community of interests, and their interests are the same.

"Bai Mo, hehe, I didn't expect you to have today!" Xiang Zhuang was also a little excited.

But after thinking about it, Xiang Zhuang was relieved, economic warfare was too strange to the ancients, Huaxia has been the ruling system of the official standard since ancient times, and it is still the case until two thousand years later, under the official system, the businessman has no status at all, and it is no wonder that Bai Mo does not put the merchants in Guanzhong in his eyes at all, just imagine, who will put a group of ants in his eyes?

Let's just say that Bi Shu and Bai Lixian are also powerful people, right? But don't they also react to economic warfare?

But now, Bai Mo should have realized the seriousness of the problem? Although the merchants in Guanzhong are just a group of small ants who have no ability to resist, but now there are many highly poisonous scorpions in the middle of this group of small ants, that is, the wealthy families and nobles in Guanzhong, and it is not easy for Bai Mo to sweep away this group of ants and scorpions.

Also, what Bai Mo doesn't know is that behind this group of small ants and poisonous scorpions, there is actually a giant python that is ready to choose people and devour them at any time, hehe.

, well-sized, well-stricken

Under Chen Ping's instructions, Heibingtai has strengthened the monitoring of merchants in Guanzhong, so all kinds of news flew to Chen Ping's desk like snowflakes, and heard that the nobles led by the Lu family have also intervened, Chen Ping felt that the situation was serious, and hurriedly came to the Prime Minister's Mansion overnight to discuss with Bai Mo.

"This is a group of mercenary villains, they don't have the interests of the Great Han Kingdom in their eyes at all!" Chen Ping became angry as he spoke, and said angrily, "Prime Minister, why don't you and I enter the palace overnight to meet the king, and ask the king to issue an edict to order these villains to open warehouses and release grain, if anyone does not comply, they will be severely punished!" ”

Chen Ping is naturally a wealthy family in Guanzhong, as well as nobles, especially the Lu family, which is the most powerful.

"It's not proper, it's very inappropriate for the master to discuss this." Bai Mo shook his head and said in a deep voice, "If you purge with an iron fist, it will inevitably cause turmoil, and if you are not careful, it will also shake the country's foundation. ”

Chen Ping was silent when he heard this, he knew that what Bai Mo said was the truth, and using an iron fist to purge these hoarding wealthy families and nobles could certainly eliminate the hatred in his heart, and he could also solve the temporary difficulties, but the consequences would undoubtedly be extremely serious, because in this way, Guanzhong would be in chaos, and even the army would be disheartened.

At that moment, Chen Ping asked again: "Prime Minister of the Pig, then what good plan do you have?" ”

Bai Mo groaned and said: "Taishi, it was the prime minister who underestimated them before, and the prime minister really didn't expect that these businessmen would have such a great influence when they joined forces, as well as those wealthy families and nobles, I didn't expect them to collude with the merchant and go against the prime minister." ”…,

Chen Ping said: "This is called Li Lingzhi's fainting." ”

"It's not that simple." Bai Mo waved his hand and said coldly, "The reason why the wealthy families and the nobles of the noble families made a move this time is that the pursuit of profit is only a secondary reason, in fact, the major wealthy families and the nobles of the noble families are the real controllers of the salt and iron industry, because the official camp of salt and iron promoted by the prime minister has hurt their roots, so they will fight back in groups." ”

Chen Ping smiled bitterly when he heard this, and asked in a deep voice: "Yongxiang, how should I deal with it now?" ”

Rao is Chen Ping is full of wisdom, but on the issue of how to deal with these merchants, he is helpless, because this level is beyond the scope of his knowledge.

"The prime minister already has a way to deal with it, so let's see." Bai Mo said and picked up two letters from the desk.

Chen Ping hurriedly read the letter, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Request Zhao Guo and South Korea to urgently dispatch grain?" ”

"Yes." Bai Mo nodded heavily, and said in a cruel voice, "Don't they want to fight a business war with Benxiang and the Great Han Kingdom through grain?" Okay, this prime minister will accompany him to the end, and this prime minister wants to see if they have more money, or the Han Kingdom, Zhao State and South Korea's Taicang have more grain reserves, see who can't hold it first in the end, hum! ”

Chen Ping said: "But it takes at least ten days to transport grain from Anyi to Xianyang, and it takes even longer to deliver grain from Handan!" ”

Bai Mo said: "It's okay, Xianyang Taicang is still enough to support for a period of time, just reduce the daily grain quota, and wait until the grain from Anyi and Handan arrives, and then open a large warehouse and release grain with all your might, and the prime minister will support them to death, hum!" ”

###################

Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, handed the secret letter to Bai Xuan and said, "General, you take a look at this first." ”

Bai Xuan took the letter and read it in a hurry, and said in surprise: "Bai Feng wants to borrow grain? What's going on? ”

Zhang Jing next to him said: "The general has been busy reorganizing the army recently, so I don't know what happened in Guanzhong, it is said that Guanzhong has caused a food shortage because of the poor grain harvest, so he needs to borrow grain." ”

Bai Xuan frowned and said: "But Bai Fengxiang has to borrow a million stones with one mouth, and Handan Taicang doesn't have so much?" What's more, the grain in Handan Taicang is war preparation grain, and it must not be easily used when it is less than 100,000 in an emergency, so how can it be borrowed? ”

Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, said: "Then reply to Bai Yongxiang, and say that we are also short of food and have no food to borrow." ”

"This is not appropriate, this time the Han country is in trouble, if we stand by and watch, won't we violate the covenant of Lianheng?" Bai Xuan pondered for a moment, and finally said, "That's it, borrow 500,000." ”

Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, said: "Good, just according to what the general said." ”

, wells, wells, wells

A few days later, Qu Bucai hurriedly entered Xiangzhuang's study and reported: "King, I have just received the flying pigeon from Anyi and Handan, Han Xin, the king of Han, and Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, have come to the aid of the Han State, borrowing 300,000 and 500,000 stones of grain respectively, and now they are sending troops to Xianyang day and night. ”

"Good, good!" Xiang Zhuang struck the festival fiercely, and said excitedly, "The decisive battle is about to start!" ”

After saying this, Xiang Zhuang pointed at Qu Bucai again and ordered: "Immediately send another 100,000 taels of gold to the Xianyang Branch of Wumuya through the underground channel!" ”

The preparation of gold for the Xianyang branch of Wumuya is naturally used for borrowing.

This is also the proper meaning of the question, through this business war Xiang Zhuang to achieve three goals, one is to loot the reserve grain in the Taicang of Han, Han and Zhao to alleviate the dilemma of the Chu State of food shortage: the second is to loot the wealth of the Guanzhong family, the wealthy family and the nobles, greatly enriching the treasury of the Chu State: the third is to let the Guanzhong merchants owe a debt to the Chu State, so as to secretly control them.

, well-bogged, well-bogged

Xianyang, Yongxiang Mansion.

Chen Ping waved at Bai Mo, and said in a solemn tone: "Yongxiang, Heibing Tai has basically been investigated, there are more than 500 merchants, families, wealthy families and nobles in Guanzhong who participated in grain hoarding, and if they sell all the fields and real estate in their names, they can almost make up 200,000 yuan." ”…,

"Not so much." Bai Mo waved his hand and said coldly, "Such a large-scale sale will inevitably cause the prices of land and real estate to plummet, and they will be able to make up half of it in the end." ”

Chen Ping nodded lightly and said, "It's true, others are not fools." ”

Bai Mo said again: "Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, and Han Xin, the king of Han, have agreed to borrow grain, and about 800,000 stone of grain and food are on the way to Xianyang, and these 800,000 stones, plus the surplus grain of Xianyang Taicang and various counties and counties, the total amount is about 2.5 million stone, and at 500 yuan per stone, it is worth about 125,000 yuan, which is enough to crush them." ”

Chen Ping said: "For the sake of insurance, is it possible to raise the price of grain from 500 yuan to 1,000 yuan?" ”

Bai Mo said: "I'm afraid not, the monthly income of Xianyang's husbands and servants is only about 800 yuan, if the price of grain is raised to a thousand yuan per stone, they will not be able to support their wives and children, and the husbands and servants will not be able to support their families, and they will definitely be in turmoil. ”

This is also reasonable, the opponent can not care about the life or death of the people of Xianyang, Bai Mo is the eternal minister of the Han Kingdom, but he can't help but consider the livelihood of the people of Xianyang.

####################

Lu Tai's expression was gloomy, and he was looking out the window at the twilight.

Originally, Lu Tai didn't want to go against Bai Mo, even if Bai Mo deprived him of his military power, and transferred Lu Shizhi and Lu Chan from the county guard to idle positions, Lu Tai could bear it, but Bai Mo's desire to set up an official franchise on salt and iron touched the root of the Lu family, if the Lu family did not resist, not only would they lose their authority, but they would also lose their wealth, so they would be completely defeated in less than two generations.

It is true that Lu Tai is a courtier of the Han Dynasty, but he is the head of the Lu family, and he can't help but think about the Lu family, so he must bring down the big tree of Baimo at all costs.

Lu Shizhi's expression was also gloomy, and he stood behind Lu Tai and said in a low voice: "Will, the 300,000 stone grain released from Anyi will be transported to Xianyang in five days at most, and the 500,000 stone released from Handan will also be solved in half a month, and Bai Mo is mobilizing surplus grain from various counties to Xianyang, plus Xianyang Taicang, the total number will probably exceed 2.5 million stone!" ”

Lu Chan, who was standing on the other side, added: "According to the current price of 500 yuan per stone, 2.5 million stone is 125,000 yuan, even if we sell all the properties on our side and the Sima family, I am afraid it will not be able to make up, because there are too many industries sold, and the prices of land and real estate have plummeted by nearly half." ”！ …… ）