One day in mid-February, Yidu, Shandong.

Since March of the seventeenth year of Zhizheng, the red scarf has been on Yidu Road, nearly three years ago. Not long ago, the infighting in Shandong took place here.

Zhao Junyong killed Mao Gui in Jinan, but then, for various considerations, he did not set the shogunate in Jinan, but came to Yidu. In July of that year, Mao Gui's old ministry Wang Shicheng and his successor ancestors took the sea route from Liaoyang, and captured Zhao Junyong here, and killed him to avenge Mao Gui.

Wang Shicheng and Xu Jizu still serve Mao Gui's young son as the general soldier, known as Xiao Mao Pingzhang, there were plans to still move the provincial capital to Jinan, but Zhao Jun used a soldier and horse to stay in Jinan, occupying the strong city, it was not easy to attack, and the two sides came and went to fight a few battles, regardless of victory or defeat.

Helpless, they had to temporarily stop in Yidu as a place to go.

In terms of geographical location, Yidu may not be as good as Jinan, but compared with the economy, agriculture and commerce, Yidu has unique conditions.

First of all, after Mao Gui's years of operation, except for this infighting, Yidu has basically not experienced a major war. Secondly, Yidu was originally a land transportation artery for trade with Goryeo, with a full range of department stores, and was an important base for the sericulture industry and silk weaving industry in the Yuan Dynasty. Again, Mao Gui once set up 360 Tuntian in Laizhou, east of Yidu, with land transportation in the east and water transportation in summer, and the harvest was extremely rich.

Therefore, Yidu and other places can be called densely populated, with abundant grain and goods, and a scene of good life and prosperity.

Early in the morning, a silk village in the east of the city opened its door, and a young man in high spirits walked out. But seeing this person, he is not tall, with a beard on his lips, wearing a brocade robe, a Tang scarf on his head, and leather boots on his feet. Looking forward to it, his face was full of kindness.

At this time, on the street outside the store, people came and went, and there were already many pedestrians. In the morning light, he stood still slightly, straightened his shirt slightly, looked left and right, looked for directions, and walked south with his hands in his hands. His popularity seems to be good, and many people greet him in the shops along the street.

"Li Daguan, get up early!"

"Brother Wang, you are also early."

"Where?"

"I'm doing some idle work in the south of the city."

No matter what kind of people greet and talk to him, even if it is an ordinary storefront, a restaurant and a tea shop, even if there are passers-by who have met three or two times on the street and don't actually know each other, this person always smiles, answers politely, and speaks, which makes people feel like a spring breeze.

He walked all the way over, leaving behind the first words of praise in his wake.

"Come and see, this is the real official. The family has a lot of money, and it is harmonious. Where is it like the one surnamed Liu on the north side of the street, but by borrowing the power of a relative in the army, he opened a small restaurant, his eyes were too high to the top, he couldn't see the east, west, north and south clearly, and forgot the name of his ancestor. ......, phew, whatever. ”

"Whisper! When this word spreads, don't you want to have a head? Didn't you see the restaurant upstairs, the dignitaries and nobles who came and went, the military lords and nobles, day and night? A relative in the army? Do you know the name of his relative? What kind of officers are you in the army? ......, let me tell you the truth, if you want to have such a relative, you burned high incense in your last life! Eight generations of ancestors accumulate virtue. ”

"Isn't it just a thousand households? The one surnamed Liu and I met when I was a child, grew up together, and he had a few hairs on his body, you don't know, don't I know? If it weren't for his relative's clever eyes, he joined Master Mao's army early in the morning, and he had the ability to open a restaurant? Three years ago, I wasn't a loafer who ate the last meal but didn't have the next meal! ......, having said that, where can I compare to Li Daguan. ”

The "Master Mao" in this person's mouth is Mao Gui. Among the heroes at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Mao Gui was still quite wise, which was completely different from those who specialized in looting and being short-sighted.

In the seventeenth year of Zheng, he entered Shandong by sea, first Clay Prefecture, Yidu and other places, and then rolled to the west, all the way forward, with frequent good news, and in February of the following year, he won Jinan. Seeing that the situation was slightly stable, in the same month, Binxing Yuan was set up in Jinan, and the old officials of Mengyuan were selected, and Ji Zongzhou and others were divided into various roads.

At the same time, he confiscated a large amount of public and private land, recruited displaced people, set up tuntian, and uniformly stipulated public and private taxes, taking two out of ten.

This standard of taxation is not only far less than 56/10, or even 78 in the Mengyuan and Yuan periods, and even lower than Deng She's 3/10 in Liaodong. - This is also a helpless thing, Shandong is far more than Liaodong people, the population in its heyday exceeded 10 million, and in terms of farmland development and water conservancy construction, it is also far better than Liaodong, he naturally has capital to pay less taxes.

Because of this, he is quite popular with the people, and he is mostly called "master".

And so it is. Brothers, do you know? I've heard that the money in this Li Daguan's house is piling up mountains and seas. People also have the ability, they are kind to everyone, they are shrewd and capable in speaking and doing things, and they are worthy of going south and north to do business. Not only is it exquisite, but also dares to take responsibility and has righteousness.

"He has been here for less than three months, not to mention opening a big silk village,......, do you know General Xiao Chen? A few days ago, in Liu Guanren's restaurant, the two of them got to know each other somehow, and they even climbed up to the villager! It's even worse to be friends and brothers! ”

"General Xiao Chen?"

"General Xiao Chen, you don't know? His brother Chen Yutou, you should always know, right? An out-and-out marshal! Compared with Liu Guanren's Nalaoshzi thousand relatives, I don't know how much stronger! ”

"I said! The guy surnamed Liu, how could he run to Li Daguan's silk village these days when he had nothing to do? Hey! It turns out that there is such a reason. Li Daguan, amazing! ......, brother of the Wang family, you just said that he went south and north to do business, what, you know? ”

"When Li Daguan first came to our Yidu City, he looked for a place to open a shop, and the shopkeeper of my family helped him a little. Speaking of which, this Li Daguan is really a character, on the night of opening the shop, he brought a gift, visited the door, and personally came to thank the shopkeeper of my family.

"——, gift I can see, a whole eight horses of fine satin! This is not the end, two bottles of Spanish wine, red rouge, tsk, you haven't seen it, just these two bottles of wine,......" The man who spoke stretched out his finger and compared the number, "That's it, I can't get down." Do you know why I said that Li Daguan was angry? People run the rivers and lakes, pay attention! ......, what do you pay attention to? Pay attention to the grace of dripping water, and the spring reciprocates. ”

The audience in a circle nodded their heads again and again.

The previous man said: "Don't fix those who don't have it, how did he go south and north, you haven't said it yet." Do you really know it? ”

"What's the hurry, you! Hairy boy, frizzy! He came to visit the shopkeeper of our family, and of course the shopkeeper of my family wanted to keep him for dinner, and the two sides would inevitably talk about some gossip at the table. My brother is not talented, and there is also a position on the table, and he is at the bottom of the table, listening to Li Daguan, he was originally from Tangyin, and he has been doing business with his family in Jiangnan since he was a child,......, Shen Wansan knows, right? His family has done things for Wan Sanxiu, and in five or six years, he has earned a lot of money! ”

"Shen Wansan? That's the God of Wealth in Jiangnan! It's good, why did Li Daguan give up the cornucopia and come to our Shandong? ”

"First, Jiangnan is not very peaceful, Zhang Shicheng, the king of Cheng, has lowered the tartars, and there is often friction with Zhu Pingzhang of our Great Song Dynasty. Second, Zhang Shicheng asked Shen Wansan's daughter to be a concubine, and if he had nothing to do, he asked Shen Wansan to pay for the army and work under him, and life was not easy. Third, Li Daguan has been away from his hometown for a long time, and it is inevitable that he will feel homesick, so he wants to come back. ”

"You're not right."

"What's wrong?"

"Even if Li Daguan wants to come back, he should go back to Tangyin, what about coming to our benefit?"

"Tang Yin is not even more peaceful. Didn't Chakhan Timur just make trouble, and the Tartars have a reason to talk about? The division of tigers and wolves! When I see rich businessmen, their eyes are ,—— green! What do you think, Li Daguan is rich and powerful, and he still comes from the territory in the south of the Yangtze River, back to Tangyin, isn't that a sheep in the mouth of a tiger! ”

"Makes sense."

"Li Daguan was because of such a consideration, he did not leave for a long time, and later he heard from the mouth of the seafarer that we have not been soldiers for many years, and Master Mao and Master Xiao Mao are strong and strong, which is enough to ensure the safety of a place. The most important thing is that the two of them are reasonable people, who are sympathetic to our ordinary people and do not do bad things that hurt nature and reason.

"Therefore, he simply came to our Yidu. At the very least, it's closer to home, isn't it? The situation is stable, and I can go back and see it at any time. There is another benefit, come to our Yidu, take the sea route to Jiangnan, it will be smooth, and he can continue to do business with Jiangsu and Zhejiang. At least there is Wan Sanxiu's path, can you still continue to walk, right? ”

"He has the way of Wan Sanxiu,......。" Someone thought for a moment and said, "In this way, it's no wonder that he was able to climb with General Xiao Chen." Jiangnan God of Wealth, his reputation is too big! If you want to get through this relationship, don't you want anything? I once heard businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang say that the Shen family accounted for two points of the acres of land in Suzhou. There is heaven above, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou below, and the four-point heaven is the Shen family! Rich to rival the country. ”

"What's more,......! Do you know how Shen Wansan made a fortune? ”

"How do you get rich?"

"Zhang Sanfeng, Zhang Shenxian, you should always know, right?"

"Wudang old Daoist, sloppy Zhang Immortal, how can we not know?"

"Wan Sanxiu made a fortune because I met him!"

"Really?"

"Zhang Xianren taught him the art of furnace fire, turning stones into gold,......"

Zhang Sanfeng and Shen Wansan are all famous figures in the world, and the people may not know who they are today, but they will never know who the two of them are. Who hasn't heard a few anecdotes about the two of them? The rise of Li Daguan's neighbors talked about it one by one, and they talked endlessly, painting the rumors and gossips.

This is not to be mentioned.

It is only said that Li Daguan is a person, walking slowly as a car, unhurried, stopping halfway, buying a few steamed buns, as breakfast, eating and walking, through the small half of the city. The streets were crowded with more and more pedestrians, and the distant market was bustling with the clamour, and before the sun rose high to banish the morning chill once and for all, he came to the door of a house.

Outside the door of the house, there are two small servants cleaning, one sweeping the floor in front and the other sprinkling water in the back. The dust rose and was immediately suppressed by the clear water. Rushing to the face, there is a hint of coolness in the rustic turbidity.

Li Daguan stood far away, arched his hand, and said with a smile: "Excuse me, is the master of your mansion at home?" ”

"Yes."

"My surname is Li. Please go in and report one or two, Li Shousheng, who made an appointment a few days ago, to visit. ”

The little guy glanced at Li Shousheng twice, dropped the broom, and went in to report.

After a while, a man in the prime of life in his thirties and forties came out, watching from a close distance, with an elegant face and a very tall figure. He walked vigorously, rushed out of the door in three or two steps, smiled, clasped his fists, and said in fear, "Panic, panic!" Li Guanda arrived, and he was too late to greet him, so please forgive your sins, haha, forgive your sins. ”

"He officials are too polite, they take the liberty to visit, and please don't blame the officials."

The official surnamed He smiled: "Your guests are coming to the door, and you can't ask for it." Hurry in, come in. ”

"Don't dare, the master will follow first."

The two of them entered the house one after the other. The house is not big, the white wall Zhu Hu, the layout is very elegant, through the corridor, there is a bamboo forest rustling, around two bends, facing a pavilion. The mahogany pillars on the two walls are full of momentum and flying phoenixes, and there is a horizontal plaque at the head, which is written with three gilded characters: Guests come to be happy.

But it's a living room. Li Shousheng followed the official surnamed He into the hall and sat down separately. has its own maid to serve tea and water.

Li Shousheng came for the first time, looked left and right, and said with a smile: "Li is not talented, he has come to Yidu, and he has also been to several local rich families, many of which are magnificent, and there are also many exquisite and elegant winners, but compared to the mansion of He Guanren, they are far inferior." ......, Xiao Mao Pingzhang treats what officials and people so kindly. ”

What an official, why bother gathering with his full name.

He is not from Shandong, let alone a subordinate of Xiao Mao Pingzhang, he is from Jianghuai and sent by Zhu Yuanzhang of Jiangnan Province. The good dishes he cooked, nominally as a cook for Xiao Mao Pingzhang, in fact, what the real purpose is, including Xiao Mao Pingzhang, all know it, and it is nothing more than taking the opportunity to watch the reality of Shandong.

To put it bluntly, he and Li Shousheng are peers, but the only difference is that Li Shousheng is in the dark and he is in the light.

In July last year, when the infighting in Shandong had just been settled, and Xiao Mao Pingzhang had just ascended the throne, why bother to come here once and stay for a few days. A few years ago, I was ordered by Zhu Yuanzhang to follow the envoy of the New Year, and came for the second time. After paying New Year's greetings to Xiao Mao Pingzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang's envoy left, but he found an excuse and stayed and didn't leave.

A few days ago, at a banquet, Li Shousheng met him. For some reason,—— before he came from Liaodong, Deng She had specially explained that if he had the opportunity, he could extend his tentacles, in addition to Shandong and Henan, and also pay more attention to the distant Xiaoming King and Zhu Yuanzhang. Therefore, he deliberately befriended him and made an appointment for this visit.

The two exchanged a few words and got back to business.

Li Shousheng said: "I have heard for a long time that Jinling is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, a prosperous place. He officials come here thousands of miles away, can they still adapt to the terroir and diet? ”

——

1, Yidu has basically never experienced a major battle.

In the first month of the eighteenth year, there was a battle of good stone bridges. Mao Gui defeated Polan Xi, who was attacking Yidu.

"Knowing the affairs of the Privy Council, Po Lanxi and Mao Gui fought at Haoshiqiao, defeated, and went to Jinan."

——The good stone bridge is located in the southwest of Yidu.

2, Shen Wansan.

"Shen Wansan of Wu County started with the colonization of goods, two-thirds of the acres of land in Suzhou belong to the Shen family, Zhang Shicheng is called the king, Le Wansan is a sacrifice army, and Wansan is a concubine."

3, Shen Wansan and Zhang Sanfeng.

"Shen Wansan, Qinhuai big fishermen. …… In the nineteenth year of Zheng, he suddenly met a feather. ”

"Zhang Sanfeng gave him the technique of furnace fire, and he enriched the enemy country."

4. Why bother.

In the nineteenth year of Zheng, in July, Zhu Yuanzhang "wanted to peek into the reality of Shandong, so why should he gather to cook rice for Xiao Mao Pingzhang, Xiao Mao Pingzhang was young and smart, why should he gather for a few days, treat him very well, and bring a piece of jade in a gold box to thank him." ”