Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe came to Soochow mainly for the purpose of borrowing grain, but since they were envoys, they inevitably had some tasks such as exploring news and collecting intelligence.

Although this work should have been mainly under the care of Shi Sanqian, Shi Sanqian was a martial artist after all, and it was okay to go down to the market and collect intelligence, as for the work of making friends with scholars and expanding Haidong's influence among the literati class of Eastern Wu, this had to be done by Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe.

Therefore, after receiving Luo Guanzhong's name, although neither of them had heard of this name, they did not dare to slack off, and immediately ordered someone to invite him in.

After a while, I saw a person, eight feet long, dignified, wearing a green coat, led by two small servants, strutting forward, high-spirited, and came into the room. The two sides saluted and looked at each other. Fang Congzhe saw this person, who was thirty years old, with a beautiful beard and hair, and a lofty instrument. Lying silkworm eyebrows, the eyes are not big, and they are bright. The appearance is extraordinary. Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe immediately felt respectful. Give up your seat, and please have tea. Let's just say hello.

Luo Guoqi asked diligently: "See that Mr. is from Taiyuan?" I wonder what Songjiang is doing now? "Because of the civilian clothes Luo Guanzhong wears and the dress of ordinary scribes, it is difficult to judge his identity. I don't know if he is now living in Suzhou, or if he is an official in Zhang Shicheng's mansion. So there is this question.

Luo Guanzhong smiled slightly, said something, and explained his origin clearly in a few words. It turned out that Guanzhong was not his real name, but his words, which were lined with words.

He has a single name and a "Ben" character, and he is a native of Qi County, Taiyuan for generations. When the world was in turmoil, he was also an ambitious person, seeing the soldiers rising from all directions, "aspiring to be the king", and traveled north and south. A few years ago, I also went to Bianliang, and later, I also went to Hangzhou. Just a year ago, he came to Suzhou again, and because he saw Zhang Shicheng's generosity and good reputation, he entered his shogunate. Now he doesn't have any official position, and he is idle and erranded.

Luo Guoqi nodded when he heard this, and said: "It turns out that Mr. has traveled all over the world, and he is expected to see extraordinary. ”

"If you want to talk about knowledge, but you don't dare. There are many fights and fights everywhere, but I just go more places, see more characters, and hear more stories. ”

Luo Guanzhong's speech was concise and to the point, he didn't seem to be a person who likes to talk too much, he said a few words, and he was about to mention it, and said to Fang Congzhe: "Mr. traveled across the ocean, came to my Songjiang, shouldered a heavy responsibility, and lived up to the trust." The tongue fights the group of Confucians, and the court argues handsomely, and he can impress all the clothes and hairpins of my Dongwu, and his reputation rises in one day, and the children of the rivers and lakes all praise him. Mr. Wen compares himself with Zigong, and this really has Zigong's eloquence. Guanzhong came here, so I took the liberty to visit, not for anything else, just to see the style of Mr. and then quickly, and also want to take a look at the character of Haidong. ”

Fang Congzhe smiled: "Congzhe is also arrogant, how can he really dare to compare himself with Zigong?" 'Eloquence' is not about the right path of saints, and it is really difficult to wait for the hall of elegance. Mencius Yun: 'How can it be distinguished? As a last resort. 'Just because Congzhe shouldered the king's order, so yesterday in the palace like a river, he had to do it.

"Moreover, from what Zhe said in the palace yesterday, the reason why he was able to get the approval of your lord and the consent of the sages of Jiangdong is not because of the so-called 'eloquence' from Zhe, but because of the truth, and what Zhe said is all true. The trend of the times is inevitable. Moreover, your lord is indeed worthy of the praise of the world, and he really has the demeanor of a king, and he does not despise Congzhe when he is young, nor is he dissatisfied with Congzhe's arrogance, and he is as good as a stream, so Congzhe's opinion can finally be adopted.

"How dare you boast of the power of words? Gou can fulfill the king's life, and can do it to benefit your country, the best of both worlds, this is the wish of Congzhe. Mr. praised, ashamed. 'Tongue wars the crowd', and is even more frightened. ”

Don't be arrogant about your achievements, and don't be arrogant about your talents.

Fang Congzhe was very modest, and he lightly brushed aside his achievements of not dishonoring the king's order and borrowing grain, and made great efforts, but praised the ability of the scholars of Eastern Wu and the sage of Zhang Shicheng. If he had already borrowed food, why should he exalt himself again? It has gained a good name, but it will not arouse the disgust of Soochow.

Luo Guanzhong heard it and admired it even more.

He sighed: "The style of Haidong's characters is known today in Guanzhong!" Because of the question, "I have heard for a long time that the king of Haidong Yan, with the age of not being the weak crown, came out of the army, rose recklessly, bravely and benevolently, went to the horse to kill the enemy, and retreated to the heavy literature and Confucianism, and in the past few years, he has laid a lot of ground. I've been known for a long time. It's just that there are rumors in Wuzhong, saying that although King Yan is benevolent, he has also had all kinds of evil deeds of snatching the minister's wife and killing the old lord. 'Killing the lord with a minister, can it be described as benevolent? 'If you take a courtier's wife, you can also be justified.' Guanzhong did not dare to catch the wind and catch the shadows, and the crowd followed the clouds, and he did have doubts about these two things for a long time, and he did not know their authenticity. It is expected that in the name of King Yan, he will never do such an evil thing. Fortunately, the two of you are here, please help me to solve my doubts. ”

Fang Congzhe and Luo Guoqi glanced at each other, and both of them had enlightenment.

This Luo Guanzhong said that it sounds good, because he "admires Fang Congzhe's demeanor, and wants to see the demeanor of Haidong characters and hurry". Listening to his words and watching his deeds, nine times out of ten, he came to find a place for the scholars of Eastern Wu. Otherwise, how could he have asked the other party about the evil deeds of the lord in front of his subordinates?

Luo Guoqi was stunned and said: "My lord's benevolence, who in the world does not hear it?" I don't know where to start with what Mr. said! ”

"Snatching the minister's wife" should be talking about Li Dunru and Li Aguan; "Killing the old lord" should refer to Deng She's killing of Guan Duo first and then Pan Chengshi. Luo Guoqi is also embarrassed, are these two things true or not? Absolutely true! Indeed, there is, it cannot be denied. But can it be admitted?

It is not yet possible to admit it. If you admit it, you will be complacent and go out and publicize it, and I don't know what it will become. I'm afraid that there will really be a phenomenon of "people are the same" as he said. The more it spreads, the more it goes too far. Moreover, if you take 10,000 steps back, don't talk about these things, even if there will be no "crowd of people", Luo Guanzhong will not make a big deal about it, but only his own subordinates dare to talk about the virtue of his lord in front of the officials of the enemy country, and he will not do it.

It's bound to have a very bad impact. Not only is it not conducive to Haidong's reputation, but it is also detrimental to Dunshe's reputation.

Luo Guanzhong glanced at Luo Guoqi and asked, "I heard that Mr. is from Shandong?" ”

"Not bad."

"Studied at Nishan Academy?"

"Exactly."

"Nishan Academy is famous all over the world. The gentleman must have been a learned man. Mr. Guan's appearance, politeness, gentleman! 'The words of a gentleman, believe and have signs. 'The five virtues of the Master and the Son are based on 'faith' as the foundation of benevolence and righteousness. The two things about King Yan that Guan Zhong heard about in Wuzhong a few days ago, are they true or false? Why should the gentleman go around and not answer? Guanzhong came here, and there was no malice. Why did the gentleman suddenly look angry? ”

Luo Guanzhong insisted on asking and said, "Sir, gentleman, please ask Mr. to answer my questions." ”

When a gentleman speaks, he must pay attention to integrity. Wearing a "gentleman" hat to Luo Guoqi, he asked him to answer truthfully.

Luo Guoqi settled down and said, "I heard that it is impolite to criticize the other party's lord in front of the courtiers of the enemy country. A virtuous person would never do such a thing. Although the gentleman came to the door without telling you, but since you have come, we are sitting in a precarious position, greeting you outside the door, or welcoming you with the etiquette of receiving guests. I'm afraid that there is something I can't do so that I don't get angry. This is not only a respect for you, but also a respect for the scholars of Eastern Wu.

"But when you had just entered the house, and as soon as you sat down, you did not have time to warm your seat, and you rebuked our Lord with some hearsay, and asked us again and again about the truth and the truth. I didn't know you were here on behalf of you personally? Or did he come on behalf of the scholars of Eastern Wu?

"If you are only here on your own behalf, then I think that it is not a virtuous act, and at the same time it is impossible to escape the ridicule of the Lord who slanders the Lord and invites your own name. And if you are here on behalf of the scholars of Eastern Wu, then the words you just asked, called asking us to 'solve your doubts', are actually for what purpose, but I don't know what kind of purpose! Don't dare to speculate! ”

Luo Guoqi pushed the case away, stood up with his sleeves, and said to Luo Guanzhong with a straight face: "Since the words have come to the point, what is the intention and purpose of Mr.?" Please explain it to us first! ”

He still refused to answer Luo Guanzhong's question, and as soon as the conversation changed, he raised Luo Guanzhong's single person to the point of suspicion that he was coming on behalf of the Eastern Wu scholars. If Luo Guanzhong still insists on inquiring and embarrassing Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe, it will not be a simple visit between scholars, but a relationship between the two countries.

Luo Guanzhong was speechless, and there was no way to continue to ask. The scene suddenly became awkward.

Fang Congzhe opened his mouth at the right time and said with a smile: "Mr. is visiting in the rain, let's sit and talk, and we can't do without wine." "Because the attendant brought wine. Fill three cups with your own hands. Luo Guoqi also sat down again. The three of them drank a cup of wine, and since then they have not talked about the country, but only about the past and the present. It took a long time for Luo Guanzhong to resign.

At the residence of the Haidong Mission, I met a man named Shi Nai'an.

Shi Nai'an, whose ancestral home is Taizhou, later moved to Xinghua Baijuchang, is a fellow countryman with Zhang Shicheng, and now he is also serving in Shicheng's shogunate. His relationship with Luo Guanzhong is also a teacher and a friend. Luo Guanzhong was able to enter the Shicheng shogunate, and there was also a lot of his contribution. He knew that Luo Guanzhong was going to visit Luo Guoqi and others today.

When they met on the road, the two looked for a place to shelter from the rain.

Shi Nai'an asked, "Did you just come out of the Haidong Mission?" I heard that Fang Congzhe was in the palace yesterday and served me as a Confucian. I don't know what the characters are? I also heard that the envoy of the Haidong mission was Luo Guoqi, but yesterday in the palace, he almost didn't say a word. Because of this, there are rumors in Shilin that he is mediocre and busy, but he is actually a person who 'achieves things because of people'. Have you seen this person too? I wonder what the characters are? ”

"Haidong is full of real talents, and King Yan is also really knowledgeable!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"From the philosopher, the wise man is like water, and the organic becomes the talent. The national weapons are pure, the benevolent are like mountains, and there are stable talents. Change, it is full of strategies, such as a trip to water, which can convince the enemy and is enough to complete the mission; Stability, on the other hand, is neither humble nor arrogant, and even if it is provoked, it is still as immovable as a mountain, which is enough to make the country not humiliated.

"If we take the military formation as an analogy: from the philosopher, the wise general; And the national weapon is also for the 'dignified array'. ”

Luo Guanzhong and Shi Nai'an spoke, and there was no need to say much.

Just say Zhang Shicheng. Although he had already written the order to borrow grain and Haidong, there were still many details that needed to be discussed with the Haidong mission, and several people were specially appointed to negotiate with Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe. For example: It is said that it is to borrow grain, and it is impossible to give it to Haidong for free, how much does Haidong plan to bid? Both sides bargain.

For example, 100,000 stone of grain is not a small amount, and Suzhou is also far away from Yidu, how to transport it? It is certainly impossible to go overland. If you take the sea route, will the ship that transports the grain use Zhang Shicheng's ship, or will Haidong send a ship to transport it himself? Even if you take the sea route, you still have to take a land route before, and you still need Suzhou to arrange the transportation of this part of the journey. It's impossible to let the people of Haidong drive straight into Zhejiang and rampage in eastern Zhejiang, right? Then, Suzhou has to requisition the people for this purpose, and how to calculate the silver rations needed by these people on the road, that is, the freight and food? Was it directly deducted from the 100,000 stone grains, or did Haidong convert it into silver and pay it to Soochow together? A decision needs to be made as soon as possible.

If I go to ask Deng She again, it must be too late, how much time will it take to come and go?

The spring ploughing of Haidong is imminent, and the people of Gaoli are imminent, and it is even more important to prepare for the war Chahan. There can be no delay. And, "the night is long and there are many dreams". Among the courtiers of Eastern Wu, there were still many people who resolutely opposed lending grain to Haidong. If this news is known to the majority, if the next holy decree is given to Zhang Shicheng to be severely stopped. I'm afraid things are going to be out of harmony. Therefore, the sooner this grain is transported to Haidong, the better.

As early as before he came, Deng She gave Luo Guoqi the power to make decisions on the spot. Luo Guoqi went to negotiate with the Eastern Wu courtiers on the day, and discussed the trade-offs with Fang Congzhe and other members of the mission at night. In this way, I slept less than three hours a day and stopped three or four times for a meal. After a few days, the two sides finally reached an agreement.

In a nutshell, there are three paragraphs to the agreement.

First, 100,000 stone grains, Haidong bought them at market price. This market price is not the market price of Songjiang Prefecture, but the market price of the Dadu area. Most of them are short of grain, and the market price of local grain is much higher than that of Songjiang. At its peak, not a single ingot of silver could buy a few buckets of grain. 100,000 stones, it really takes a lot of money.

Is Haidong rich? Yes. There are several provinces, and they have successively obtained the treasury of Guan Duo, the King of Goryeo, Wang Shicheng and others, not to mention 100,000 stones, millions of stones can also be afforded. But if you have money, you don't necessarily have to pretend to be generous. Haidong is preparing for the war of Chahan, and Yidu is in ruins, and there are many places where money is needed, and too much cannot be invested in buying grain. Therefore, Luo Guoqi proposed that Haidong could pay part of the cash, and where the gap was insufficient, it was better to barter the goods. Goryeo specialties are used as food payments.

What are the specialties of Goryeo?

There is nothing but ginseng, musk, ramie paper, cloth, lacquerware, rice grain, etc. Korean ginseng, Korean rice, Korean paper, and Korean ramie cloth are all famous. However, there are not many such things suitable for the common people, except for ramie cloth and some lacquerware, most of them are luxury goods. Including Gaoli rice, looking at the lack of grain in Haidong, the output of Gaoli rice is still some. But this thing is very expensive, even in Goryeo, ordinary people can't afford to eat it. If it is placed in Goryeo, it is of no use to help the people, but if it is transported to Songjiang, it will be different, and if you take it out, you can exchange less for more.

Luxury goods such as Korean rice and Korean paper are exchanged for food that everyone can eat. Luo Guoqi's abacus is not exquisite. However, in fact, Zhang Shicheng originally traded with Goryeo, and most of the merchants who went to Goryeo and returned were also brought with him. Zhexi is rich and doesn't care about this.

Therefore, this clause, which seemed to be the most favorable to Haidong, was the first to be agreed to by the Soochow side. The final article reads: "Forty percent is to be paid in money, and sixty percent is to be bartered." ”

"Forty percent is paid in money", and second, the second paragraph of the article involves this "money".

When the times are turbulent, all parts are divided. Those who have built the country name openly, in addition to Mengyuan, there are two. An Anfeng Song regime, a Jiangdu Han regime. There is also Ming Yuzhen in Shu, who was originally under Xu Shouhui, although he has not yet ascended the throne and called the emperor, but because he was not satisfied with Chen Youliang, he called himself the king of Longshu a few months ago. The nations fought against each other. In the circulation of domestic goods, there are many different kinds of money used.

Zhang Shicheng surrendered to Meng Yuan, of course, using Meng Yuan's money. However, the Anfeng Song regime, as early as the Bianliang period, had already abandoned the banknote system of Mengyuan and began to mint coins on its own.

Guan Duo entered Liaodong and brought a lot of Song money. Mao Gui and Wang Shicheng were in Yidu before and after, although for various reasons, they did not abandon Mengyuan banknotes on a large scale, but they also imitated the style of Song money and opened the mountain to mint coins. Song money and yuan banknotes are quite popular in Shandong. Yuan banknotes are more circulated in the local area, while Song money is more used in the government. The salaries of the courtiers and the military salaries of the soldiers are all Song money.

Since Deng She is a Song Chen, it is impossible for him to go against An Feng.

Although like Mao Gui and Wang Shicheng, he has not yet officially issued an order to prohibit the circulation of yuan banknotes among the people. However, in terms of reputation, Haidong also uses Song money. You can't just use Mongolian yuan money to do business. Moreover, since the former prime minister of Meng Yuan took off and changed the banknote system, Meng Yuan's money has actually become more and more worthless. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a piece of waste paper.

In this way, a contradiction arises.

Haidong wanted to use Song money to pay for food, but Soochow would definitely not be willing. Haidong switched to using Mengyuan banknotes to pay for grain, but Dongwu was not necessarily willing to agree. What should I do?

The person in charge of negotiating with the Haidong Mission, there was a person in the middle, who was the prefect of Songjiang named Zhou Ren. Born as a blacksmith. Striking iron. Heroes don't ask about their origins, although their personalities are a little too profound, but they have the art of accumulation. The Songjiang Mansion Treasury is full, and he has made great contributions. It has won the integrity of Zhang Shi. He compromised and put forward an opinion: he did not want yuan banknotes or Song coins, and asked Haidong to pay for grain in silver.

According to the price of grain in most of the capital, it is converted into money, and then into silver. But there is another problem that arises. The depreciation of Mengyuan money is worth dating. Money is paper, and if it is said to depreciate, it will depreciate, and it is not worth much; Silver, on the other hand, is genuine, retains its value, and is worth more than money. No one wants money, everybody wants silver. As a result, it has also led to the phenomenon of "cheap money and expensive silver" on the market.

What kind of "cheap money and expensive silver"? For example, money can buy one stone of rice; However, if you buy rice with silver equal to the value of the usual banknotes, you may be able to buy two stone of rice. 100,000 stone of grain, calculated with money, 100,000 yuan. According to the conversion ratio of the market surface, it is converted into silver, which is 100,000 yuan of silver of equal value. It seems fair and reasonable. However, in fact, if you take this 100,000 yuan of silver and go to the market to buy grain, it is actually enough to buy 200,000 stones.

That is to say. According to Zhou Ren's method, Haidong bought the 100,000 stone grain with twice the money. In this way, Haidong suffers too much.

Luo Guoqi argues with reason. That Zhou Ren didn't give an inch. Fang Congzhe can argue with it, he can say that Zhang Shicheng can lend grain to Haidong, but now, he can't persuade Zhou Ren to give in. Once real money is involved, it is useless to let what he say. Therefore, he couldn't help but say to Luo Guoqi with emotion in private: "Analyzing current affairs, where the truth is, you can use words to move it." And if it comes to pure 'profit', the one who wants it is money, and the one I am talking about is also benevolence. The tongue is like a spring, and it is difficult to enter the water! 'Zigong argues wisely and cuts recklessly', I believe that it is true! ”

Luo Guoqi asked the people in the mission and said, "Today, with Zhou Ren's conditions, I, Haidong, will buy less grain with more money. What do you think? Do you have any good proposals? ”

There was nothing the mission could do. As Fang Congzhe said, once money is involved, it is not possible to impress the other party with words. It's useless to say anything. Most people are hesitant.

The cautious man said, "The stakes are high. In my opinion, it is better not to make decisions on your own. Why don't you report it to the lord? Wait for the judgment of the lord. "100,000 stone of grain is not trivial. According to Zhou Ren's conditions, the amount of silver that needed to be overpaid was too much. It's not a small problem, it's too much to do. No one in the mission had the courage to take a reckless stance and take responsibility.

"Zhonghan, what do you think?"

"Please decide only on your lordship."

Although Fang Congzhe has made great contributions this time, his foundation in Haidong is too shallow, and in the face of such an important issue now, he is also unwilling to express his opinions easily. Luo Guoqi pondered for a moment and said, "I am short of food in Haidong, and the stakes are very high. If you want to come to the lord in Yidu, you must be looking forward to waiting for the good news that we have been waiting for for a long time! Without food, nothing can be done. There is no room for further delay in this matter. ”

"What do you mean?"

"I agreed to Zhou Ren's conditions!"

The cautious man said, "However, Zhou Ren's conditions are too harsh,......? ”

Luo Guoqi interrupted him and said, "Although the silver money is heavy, which one is more important than the national plan?" Go without saying! Moreover, if it is delayed for a long time, and most of the matter is known, or Shi Chengzhong is moved by the ministers who oppose lending me grain to Haidong, it is inevitable that there will be many dreams at night. He made a bold decision and said, "The matter is settled." Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need to say more. ”

There were still some people in the mission who had doubts and said, "However, the amount of silver that needs to be paid by our Haidong for 100,000 stone grains is too much, not ten taels or one hundred taels. If the lord ,......。 ”

"If the lord is responsible, the national weapon will be borne by one person! and shall not cause trouble to the kings. ”

Soochow did not budge, and Haidong made concessions. agreed to Zhou Ren's conditions.

Third, transportation and freight.

From Songjiang to the west coast of Zhejiang, this section of the land route is transported by Soochow. The cost of transportation was all converted into silver money, which was paid by Haidong at the same time. Zhejiang is not as good as Taizhou, the sailors are not very strong, and the sea ships are also relatively lacking. A section of the sea route is transported by Haidong. Since Luo Guoqi has made major concessions on the conversion of silver money, of course, he will not care about the freight. almost completely agreed with Zhou Ren's conditions. Preferential, lenient. He made only one request, "from the fast".

On the day the terms were agreed, Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe immediately issued a document and sent the news to Haidong.

A few days later, Haidong replied that he did not object, and the order was handled accordingly.

A few days later, the first batch of grain began to be transported one after another, and the first batch of grain ships from Haidong also arrived at the coast of western Zhejiang. -- The money for the purchase of grain is brought with the ship by its own grain carrier. Luo Guoqi and others left three or two people in the mission to be responsible for follow-up matters. Only then did he say goodbye to Zhang Shicheng and returned with him.

——

1, Luo Guanzhong.

There are many theories about Luo Guanzhong's origin, some people from Taiyuan, Shaanxi, Dongping, Shandong, and so on. I said from Taiyuan.

There are also various theories about the year of his birth and death, as well as when he entered the shogunate of Zhang Shicheng. It is very old, and there is not enough historical data to investigate. There is only one of them to choose from them, and from there. However, he did enter the shogunate of Zhang Shicheng, which should be true.

The people of the time have a note, which says: "Luo Guanzhong, a native of Taiyuan, a person from Huhai and Haisan, is outnumbered with people, and the hidden language of Yuefu is extremely fresh." With the rest of the 10,000-year-old friendship, there are many times, each day and one side. When Zhengjiachen resumed, he didn't come for more than 60 years, but he didn't know what it was all about. "Zhizheng Jiachen, that is, the twenty-fourth year of Zhizheng, 1364 years in the Western calendar.

It is said that this "Luo Guanzhong" is not necessarily Luo Ben Luo Guanzhong, which seems to make sense. But whether it is the same person or not does not seem to have a definite basis for refutation, and there is no other accurate historical information about Luo Guanzhong's life. Therefore, it is only from this point of view.