Although he despised the cowardice of the Southern Song Dynasty and all kinds of self-inflicted deaths, Meng Jiucheng despised and feared it. But in his long-term plan, he will not take the initiative to become an enemy of the Southern Song Dynasty, and it is even more impossible to rebel against the Song Dynasty and surrender to Mongolia like Li Quan.

Therefore, Meng Jiucheng was grateful for the support of the Southern Song Dynasty, and immediately dispatched troops to contact Peng Yibin to prepare for a battle in Huaixi to remove the threat of the Jin people to the Song realm.

Last time, Peng Yibin and Hao Ding and other coalition forces attacked, although they broke through Pizhou's Qizi Fortress and obtained countless large and small ships, but Pizhou was surrounded by water, and the righteous army drove ships to attack and was unfavorable, so they had no choice but to retreat.

In this operation, Meng Jiucheng was ready to send artillery to help Peng Yibin capture Pizhou. If it goes well, it will attack Suqian, Xiapi, and Lanling again, and threaten Xuzhou.

After the military arrangements were completed, there was food to tide over the difficulties, and other things were also going well, and Meng Jiucheng was in a very comfortable mood.

The development of commerce and trade is something that Meng Jiucheng attaches great importance to, and it is also the top priority of financial work. And commerce does bring in huge revenues and is growing.

The increase in commercial taxes indicates that the liquidity of products in the occupied territories is increasing. While increasing his wealth, Meng Jiucheng also injected vitality into the commercial activities of the occupied areas. There are fewer checkpoints, blackmail, and a lot less cumbersome processes along the way, and a lot of incentive policies have been introduced, which has also stimulated the enthusiasm of businessmen.

"The Zhou family and the Liu family, as special merchants, have established a firm foothold in Fuzhou and Hangzhou, and the sales of many commodities are very good. It's just that the number of recruits for all kinds of craftsmen has not yet been determined, and Meng Shuai is still invited to show it. ”

The one who came to report was the city lord of Qingdao, Hu Cheng, and two business officials, who didn't quite understand what Meng Jiucheng thought about recruiting so many people of all colors. However, he inherited the will of the Shangguan and still carried out his orders very actively.

"Quantity?" Meng Jiucheng only pondered for a moment, then settled down, and surprised several people, "The more the merrier, the amount is uncertain." ”

Not only is the money and food guaranteed, but Meng Jiucheng has the confidence to do so. The development of the base areas and even the growth of the armed forces are also inseparable from logistical support.

Smelting, shipbuilding, weaving, and other industries are both military and civilian, and are quite important to the revitalization of the base areas.

Although they did not understand very well, Hu Guanghe and others did not ask any more questions, and continued to report to Meng Jiucheng on the construction of Qingdao and Yantai.

Nowadays, labor is guaranteed, there are many people waiting for food, and the wages are low, coupled with the fact that there are no men and women, and distribution according to work, so that the construction speed in various places is very fast.

"I've come up with some charters, or something that will help the development of commerce." Meng Jiucheng affirmed the work, took out a few more pieces of paper, and handed them to Hu City Lord and others, asking them to read them first and then discuss them.

This is a charter similar to that of the later commodity exchanges, which is very sketchy, but the main points are included. For example, exchange membership, delivery and refund of performance deposits, price indication, etc.

Of course, Meng Jiucheng did not write futures at all, but only hoped to provide a more orderly trading venue, provide open trading prices and unified trading rules, and achieve smooth information, fair prices, and fair trading through this centralization. As a result, the speed of goods circulation is accelerated, and more taxes are collected.

City Lord Hu was the first to see the trick, and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Meng Jiucheng, who didn't know what to write in front of the table, and secretly admired.

For merchants, the delivery of goods is the most important. If you can't find a buyer for a while, you have to stay in the merchant house all the time, and it costs money for storage in the warehouse, and money for food, drink, and housing, not to mention delaying time.

If you traffic goods to the Qingdao Exchange, you don't have to go through the trouble of asking around. Every day, when you go to this exchange, you will mark the variety and price of your goods, and buyers will naturally come to discuss it in detail.

In time, this commodity exchange will be crowded. I don't know how many people want to sell and buy all kinds of goods.

As long as the goods are delivered here, they can go directly to the exchange, and the deal can be negotiated quickly. Even the goods sometimes don't even have to be put into storage, just wait on the dock.

"Meng Shuai is extraordinarily wise, and this charter is very good." The city lord of Hu arched his hand, and when Meng Jiucheng looked up, he said respectfully: "I think that there can be some improvements, such as getting news from merchants from the south and north, and knowing the approximate price of goods from other places, as a reference mark, or it can be convenient for merchants and increase the popularity of the exchange." ”

Meng Jiucheng immediately remembered the kind of signage of the commodity exchanges in later generations, London, New York, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur...... There was a feeling of time being out of order, and I was stunned for a while.

Seeing that Meng Jiucheng didn't say a word, Lord Hu thought that his suggestion was not to his liking, so he hurriedly distinguished: "The lowly position is rude, please don't take it seriously." ”

The ancients were smart, at least in this business wisdom, not worse than themselves, but only the limitations of vision and thinking. And once there is a breakthrough under his own prompting, he has the ability to draw inferences.

Meng Jiucheng showed an appreciative smile on his face, stretched out his thumb at City Lord Hu, and praised: "You can think about what I haven't thought, pick up the missing and fill in the gaps, and draw inferences from one another, very good, very good." In my opinion, the work of the Ministry of Commerce will be handed over to you. ”

"Meng Shuai has won the award." City Lord Hu hurriedly bowed down and gave his hand, not wanting Meng Jiucheng to value it so much.

If the officials who are self-sealed are disrespectful and let others see them, what will they think, and how will they be taken seriously?

Meng Jiucheng naturally knows that "if you are good at the top, you must do it at the bottom", set an example, and the ultimate benefit is himself.

Next, Meng Jiucheng handed over the work of improving the rules and system of the exchange to Hu City Lord and others, after all, his energy could not always be focused on these trivial affairs.

Moreover, he also began to believe in the wisdom of the ancients. In the next report, Meng Jiucheng heard another news, but it made him feel complicated.

"I just heard that I came in a hurry, and I haven't sent anyone to verify the facts." Hu Guanghe saw Meng Jiucheng's expression change, and he didn't know whether he was happy or angry, so he hurriedly added: "I will ask as soon as I go back, if it is true, I don't know what to do?" ”

Such a bold and adventurous businessman. Meng Jiucheng lowered his eyelids and did not answer immediately.

According to the news heard by Hu Guanghe, there were already merchants who went from Qingdao to Liaodong to sell horses, of course, not to the Red Turban Army, but to the Southern Song Dynasty.

As we all know, the Southern Song Dynasty lacked horses, and if you had a decent horse, it would be as conspicuous as having a private car in later generations. Of course, you may be able to buy a horse, but it is very difficult to ride a war horse.

Therefore, from selling horses in Liaodong to the Southern Song Dynasty, it is definitely a lucrative business. It's not surprising that businessmen take the risk.

What made Meng Jiucheng feel complicated was that he thought that only he could think of this idea, and he was still sending people to investigate, and he didn't have time to implement it at all!

The problem still lies in Meng Jiucheng's cautious and cautious mentality, Liaodong is in chaos, and he feels that to find out the situation clearly, it is also to wait for the finances to be more generous, and then implement the policy of buying horses.

Of course, Liaodong has indeed been in chaos since Jinting moved south.

Since the Battle of Yehuling between the Jin Dynasty and Mongolia, the elite of the Jin Dynasty has been wiped out, and the decline and fall have been seen.

King Wei Shao, the lord of gold, was suspicious and wary of the Khitans, the remnants of the Liao Dynasty in the territory, fearing that they would echo the Mongols; Therefore, it was ordered that all parts of the territory should be inhabited by Khitans, and two Jurchen households must be sandwiched with one Khitan household.

This order aroused the anger of Yeluliuge in Liaodong. He was born as a descendant of the royal family of the Liao Dynasty. At that time, it was the Qianhu of Liaodong of the Jin Dynasty, and he took advantage of the opportunity of the Jin State to defend Beijing (now Acheng, Heilongjiang) and Taizhou (now Tao'an, Jilin Sijiazi) to defend the army, and in 1212 in Long'an (now Jilin Nong'an) and Hanzhou (now Jilin Lishu Bifacecheng) revolt against Jin.

The surrounding people who were oppressed by the Jin State joined one after another. Especially his identity as a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty, he has an unparalleled appeal to the Khitans. Less than a few months. The rebel army has become a number, and then the combined army with Yeh has more than 100,000 people.

In March 1213 in Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing, Yelu Liuge was called the king, the country was called Liao, the Yuan Yuan was built, and the history was called Eastern Liao.

Subsequently, the Xianping Road of the Jin State recruited Puxian Wannu to be ordered to conquer Yelu Liuge, and led the army to kill the Liao River.

Yeluliuge believed that there was no way to compete with such a powerful enemy, so he chose to join the Mongols, and the Mongols would form an alliance with Chen Nayan to fight against the Jin.

Soon after, the Liaojin and Jin armies fought at Diji Naoer (Changtu, Liaoning), and with the aid of the Mongol army, Yeluliuge miraculously defeated the Jin army and initially stabilized the nascent regime.

On the other hand, the gold lord not only forgave Puxian Wannu, but in the second year (1214), he was promoted to the position of Liaodong Xuanfu envoy, and led an army of 400,000 in Quy Nhon County (now Simiancheng, Changtu, Liaoning) to fight Yelu Liuge in World War II.

Due to the light enemy of Puxian Wannu, Yelu Liuge defeated the Jin army again, and subdued Anton Tongzhi Alian, all of which were in Liaodong Prefecture, and then built the capital Xianping (now the old town of Kaiyuan, Liaoning), called "Zhongjing".

Due to the unfavorable war between the Jin State and the Mongols, the national strength weakened rapidly. Pu Xian Wannu predicted the imminent demise of the Jin Kingdom, and even launched a mutiny in the spring of 1215 to rebel against the Jin State. Puxian Wannu established himself as the king of heaven in Tokyo, with the country name "Dazhen" and the year name Tiantai, known as the Eastern Xia Kingdom in history.

Although the two guys, Jeruliuge and Puxian Wannu, rebelled, but there was no sign of reconciliation.

Puxian Wannu sent troops again, with the strategic goal of capturing Shangjing of the Jin Kingdom, and quickly occupied Xianping, Tokyo, Shen, Cheng and other prefectures, and then attacked Posufu Road, captured Shangjing and other places, and only sent the deputy marshal to move the capital to defend Tokyo.

And Yeluliuge took the opportunity to sneak attack Tokyo, defeated the capital, and the city was destroyed. However, Yeluliuge had no intention of staying for a long time, and after plundering and leaving, Puxian Wannu was able to recover Tokyo.

Although Jeruliugo's army was extremely strong at that time, his ministers persuaded him to become emperor and completely get rid of Mongol influence. But Yeluliuge did not listen, and in the third year of Zhenyou (1215), he went to the north to make a pilgrimage to Mongolian Genghis Khan, and was given a golden tiger charm, still called the king of Liao.

Puxian Wannu and Yelu Liuge, the two old brothers, fought back and forth in Liaodong, and the landlords of Jinzhou in western Liaoning, armed Zhang Whale brothers, couldn't sit still, gathered 100,000 troops, killed the Jiedu envoy sent by the Jin State, seized Jinzhou, and proclaimed himself the king of Linhai County.

When Mu Huali and the Mongol army arrived, the shrewd Zhang Whale decided to retreat and temporarily take refuge in Mu Huali, waiting for a good opportunity to make a comeback.

In the third year of Zhenyou (1215 AD), Temujin issued an edict to Mu Huali, asking Zhang Whale to lead the Shiti control army and follow the Tokujali south to attack the counties of Liaoxi.

However, Zhang Whale did not intend to leave his fate to the Mongols to manage, first acting slowly and delaying time, and then feigning illness in Pingzhou, wanting to sneak back to Jinzhou to continue to be his king of Linhai.

It's a pity that before he escaped to Jinzhou, Zhang Whale was captured by Shi Mo first, paying the price of his life for his ambitions.

Zhang Whale's death completely angered Zhang Zhi in Jinzhou City, pushing Zhang Zhi to the side of extreme hatred of Mongolia.

In the winter of the third year of Zhenyou (1215 AD), Zhang Zhi used his prestige and popularity, took advantage of the murder of his eldest brother Zhang Whale, led his troops to kill the Mongolian prison army stationed in Jinzhou City, and quickly proclaimed himself the emperor to establish the country, proclaimed himself Emperor of Hanxing, and changed the Yuan to Xinglong.

Then, Zhang Zhi led the Jinzhou Army to begin to rapidly expand to other prefectures and counties in western Liaoning with Jinzhou as the center, and quickly captured Ping, Luan, Rui, Li, Yi, Yi, Guangning and other prefectures and counties, becoming an important military force dominating western Liaoning.

So far, Meng Jiucheng has received information that the four great powers in Liaodong are competing for hegemony, with Zhang Zhi's Han Xingguo and Mu Huali's Mongol army in Liaoxi, and Liaodong being the Eastern Liao State of Yelu Liuge and the Dazhen State of Puxian Wannu competing with each other.

In the face of such a messy porridge, Meng Jiucheng has a cautious attitude, which can be said to be very normal. But there are abnormal businessmen and abnormal things.

Meng Jiucheng thought about it for a long time, and felt that there was no good way, are you still not allowed to do business?

Guanjian is the completion and development of Qingdao Port, which can be said to have indirectly opened up the navigation of the historical North Road.

At that time, the sea route from the Song Dynasty to Goryeo or Liaodong was divided into two routes, the north road was from Dengzhou across the Yellow Sea, to Jiaodao at the mouth of the Datong River on the Korean Peninsula, and then south to the mouth of the Licheng River near Kaijing.

To Liaodong is also from Dengzhou, to Suzhou (now Dalian), that is, the sea route where the Song and Jin maritime alliances have repeatedly contacted.

Although it is farther to sea from Qingdao than Dengzhou, it is also a shortcut before the reconstruction of Dengzhou Port.

"You can inquire about this matter clearly, but you don't have to deal with it." Meng Jiucheng thought for a long time before he slowly spoke: "In addition, when the news is released in the commodity exchange, we also need cattle, horses and livestock, and after the Dengzhou Port is completed, we will organize a caravan to trade in Liaodong." ”

After a pause, Meng Jiucheng continued: "You go back and discuss and plan carefully, and draw up a specific charter, so that we can get the most out of this cattle and horse business." ”

"It's like salt and iron, how about implementing the government's monopoly?" Hu Guanghe thought of the most direct way.

"If the management is too strict and too rigid, I am afraid that it will discourage the enthusiasm of the businessman." Meng Jiucheng can't easily decide, monopoly or permissibility, maybe it's also a big drawback, "and draft a charter to submit to me, how to implement it, and then discuss." ”

After talking about some other things with City Lord Hu and the others, Meng Jiucheng waved everyone away and sat alone in contemplation. I couldn't help but smile bitterly for a long time, mother*, I actually let the ancients take the lead, is it a shame?