After seeing the guards carrying a bucket of cold water to wake Wang Mi up, and watching Wang Mi crawl away, Wu Shigong turned around and returned to the lobby guarding the yamen. In the lobby, Deng Qifan, who was listening to Wu Shigong and Wang Mi talking behind the screen just now, had already left the screen and came to the lobby.

Seeing Wu Shigong return to the lobby, Deng Qifan arched his hand and said: "My lord, although the shopkeeper of the king today has no words and deeds, but your actions are too reckless." ”

Wu Shigong shook his head and said, "There is no room for reconciliation between this official and the Qi family. No matter how you do it, the result is the same. Now the official already has a salt farm, and there is also a place where he can sell salt goods, but because of this obstruction of the prayer family, the official has no gold mountain. Before today's conversation, the official also thought that in case the Qi family was soft, the official could also let some profits take some salt from the Qi family. But Mr. Deng also saw it just now, what kind of attitude the shopkeeper Wang had. ”

"Even if today's official committee bent over and got the salt from the Qi family, the neck of the salt supply was always stuck in the hands of the Qi family. In case the prayer family thinks about sticking the official's neck again in the future, it may be a big deal for the official to be ruined at that time. ”

"Now let's take a look at the income of the official, there is no hope for the field because of natural disasters for the time being. In Henan, there are many poor people, and the workshops and commercial houses do not get much. Now it's up to the salt business. And because of raising soldiers, this official is now spending money like water. This official is also anxious! If we can't solve the problem of salt goods as soon as possible, maybe this official won't be able to survive three years later. ”

Deng Qifan nodded after hearing this: "What the adults are worried about is also." But the students still think that adults should hold back this breath for the time being, and pray for the family to be false and wronged. At that time, the salt goods can be auctioned between the Qi family and the Lu family, and the adults can also get more profits. ”

Wu Shigong sighed and said to Deng Qifan: "Actually, this is also the helplessness of the official, why doesn't the official know that your method is good, sir?" Mr. Deng, today, I will give you some clear words. ”

"Let's talk about the identity of the official first. To outsiders, after the official is a nobleman, he looks very glamorous. But this official knows that the brand after the noble can be useful for deceiving the ignorant people, but in the eyes of those who understand, it is not even a fart. Needless to say, the Xue family has lost power, and the Wu family left the official outside the ancestral hall and left the official to fend for himself. ”

"The official position of this official is also a small garrison. In the eyes of those civil officials, it's not a fart. If it weren't for the hard work of his subordinates a few times, the official would have not known how many times he would have lost his official position. ”

"The financial resources of this officer. To tell the truth, in the eyes of outsiders, this official seems to be making money every day, but he knows the bitter water. Mr. Deng also knows the detailed financial resources of the official. Every year, I can't make ends meet. It is all based on the subsidy of the official's private wealth, and the help of the father-in-law Xue Houye. ”

"What about the foundation of the official? When the official came to Henan, he was not familiar with the place, and at the beginning of his tenure, the officials bullied, the local gentry were troubled, and the villagers were excluded. Even today, there are still some demon moths from time to time. ”

But in the midst of walking on thin ice, what about the achievements of this official today? It has more than 100,000 acres of land and tens of thousands of domestic slaves. There are also 5,000 elite soldiers, and they can pull up tens of thousands of strong troops at any time. As long as the official is willing, he can control most of the Guide Mansion and Runing Mansion at any time. In addition, he also has a good relationship with the local gentry in Henan, and it is no exaggeration to say that the official has completely taken root in these two prefectures. ”

And what is the reason for the success of this official? The main reason for this official is that the official speaks the word 'faith'. As long as the official promises, the official has never violated them. ”

"The officer has never deducted or delayed the soldiers' salaries; The promise to the gentry, the official suffered his own loss, and he never used his power to oppress others. It is with their trust that this official has been able to get to where he is today. ”

"And looking at this salt business today, the official also knows that it would be more appropriate for the official to cooperate with the Qi family now. But in this way, where should the promise to the Lu family be placed? So it can also be said that the official actually has nothing now, and the only thing he has is a reputation. ”

Regarding Wu Shigong's words, Deng Qifan, who has read sage books since he was a child, can't say anything wrong. However, as Wu Shigong's chief staff, Deng Qifan still felt that Wu Shigong was a little pedantic. However, in order to hide his opinion, Deng Qifan still joked: "In addition to the letter, there is also the word 'brave'." ”

Wu Shigong was hahadaxiao after hearing it. Then, as if he could see Deng Qifan's thoughts, he completely confessed to Deng Qifan: "Mr. Deng, don't say that this official is pedantic. The official also understands this set of abduction and deception, and the official also does it. I am not afraid of losing face in front of Mr. Deng, when the official was in the capital, he once opened a gambling house, but after arriving in Henan, the official will never touch this evil business again. The official also knows that these businesses come quickly, but the official is unwilling to do this business anymore. ”

But why is this the case? Of course, if you only take care of the present, of course, the official has no scruples about doing things, but in the future, the entire Ming Dynasty will be stormy, and if the official wants to go well and go long, he must focus on the long-term. ”

Seeing Wu Shigong open his heart, Deng Qifan didn't pinch it anymore and hid it, he asked Wu Shigong directly: "My lord, you have always said that the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos, but although there are some small sores in this world, according to the students, it has not yet reached this point." ”

"Not really." Wu Shigong shook his head and said, "Let's take a look at the trend of the world now." We don't mention the Zhengshuo of the Ming Dynasty, there are two big shili in addition, one is the Tartar outside the Guan; The other group is the Shaanxi bandits in the northwest. ”

"Let's talk about the Tartars outside the Guan, it's okay to win consecutive battles outside the Guan, but the year before last year, I was able to cross the Great Wall and hit the Jingshi, although I was repelled by the Qin Wang Ming Army from all over the country, but the strength was not damaged. Can this tartar be said to be sore? ”

"Let's talk about the Shaanxi bandits in the northwest. In just four years, from northern Shaanxi to Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, and the momentum is getting bigger and bigger, can this also be said to be devastation? ”

"Also, just look at us in Henan. From the first year of Chongzhen to the present, there has been a drought for three years in the past four years, and the people have no fixed place to live and have no food. Mr. Deng also knew the situation in Guide and Runing Provinces, except for the areas along the river near the city, as well as the Zhuangzi that we had established, and in other places, the displaced people were already in droves in the countryside. If it weren't for the deterrence of the army, I can't say what unforeseen actions those displaced people would have done. ”

"Perhaps as Mr. Deng thought, the strength of the Ming Dynasty is the most powerful. According to the opinion of this official, if the imperial court gathers all its strength and only targets one side, whether it is a Tartar or a Shaanxi bandit, the imperial court will definitely have the upper hand. But those two shili cooperate with each other intentionally or unintentionally, constantly releasing the blood of the Ming Dynasty. Let the imperial army be exhausted, the future of the Ming Dynasty is indeed worrying. ”

"There's another hidden danger. Just look at this official, in these short four years, there has also been a lot of shili. Is there no other place where the head of the army does the same thing as his own officer? As far as this official knows, at least most of the generals in Liaodong are listening to the tune and not listening to the announcement. These generals have strength in their hands, and how loyal are they to the imperial court? ”

Deng Qifan understood Wu Shigong's words, he nodded and said: "It is indeed possible, this chaos is a bit like the festival of the Tang Dynasty that has caused chaos." ”

Wu Shigong didn't understand what was in the Tang Dynasty or what made it chaotic, but he also knew that Deng Qifan understood what he meant. So Wu Shigong continued: "Then what should we do in this troubled world? To put it mildly, Mr. Deng can understand it himself; To put it mildly, at least we must protect the family and the people. But with our current strength, it's really not enough. ”

"When the Tartars entered the customs, they claimed to have an army of 100,000, and the Shaanxi bandits were even more exaggerated, with hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands of horses at every turn. And against these opponents, it will definitely not be possible to win it in three years and five years. It will drag on for at least ten years, so the official is doing things for a long-term perspective. This is also the reason why this official should pay attention to credibility in doing things. ”

Deng Qifan didn't expect Wu Shigong to pull the salt business so far. However, Deng Qifan still had some questions in his heart: "So adults, are you really sure that there will be chaos in the world within three years?" ”

Wu Shigong shook his head and said, "This official is not an immortal, of course I can't be sure. However, looking at this situation, it is also eight or nine ten. So this time Mr. Deng wanted to go to the capital to take the test, but the official forcibly stopped him. Although it is true that this official is indispensable to you now, but it is also for the good of Mr. ”

"The official also made a promise here, if the situation is calm after three years, if Mr. Deng goes to the capital again to try and leave the official to seek another development, the official will definitely not stop him."

"Since adults trust students so much, do students dare to die?" Deng Qifan hugged his fists and thanked him.