One day, after Chu Zhongli finished practicing, he saw Cai Tai coming to him with a sad face.

"Lao Cai, what's the matter?"

"That...... The lord ......" Lao Cai said embarrassedly: "I can't do the shipyard thing......"

"Why can't you do it, what's the problem?"

"No money......"

"I don't have any money, I want it from them!"

"They don't give ......"

"This is worth it!" Opening a shipyard is a major policy formulated by Chu Hou, and it is also an important way for Linjiang City to develop and grow, and if you don't even cooperate with this, what do you want to do?"

It was the same five-person meeting as before, and at the venue, Chu Hou said a few clichés with a serious attitude, and then cut to the chase. "Brothers, I want to build the shipyard, Caitai is short of money, you have to support it. ”

"He is short of money over there, and we are short of it!" Zhang Feizi, Wanyue, and Xu Yuan said in unison. Immediately you and I said one sentence at a time, as if they were going to pour out all the bitter water of these days, wah-wow-wow-wow, the whole scene was messy and smoky.

"Slow down, slow down, one by one. Chu Zhongli was also a little surprised by their quarrel. "Let Xu Yuan speak first. ”

"My lord, you said that mining, smelting, hiring manpower, etc., which does not cost anything? And we have to have tools before we can make tools, and now our ironworks lack everything, and they can't operate at all. Where does the income come from, it's not bad if you don't lose money!" Xu Yuan said with a bitter face.

Chu Zhongli listened to what he said, and he also knew the seriousness of the situation, Xu Yuan was a down-to-earth and hard-working person, and even he began to complain, that was really something that could not be done.

As soon as Xu Yuan finished speaking, Wanyue continued: "My brothers are all robbers from the mountains, and now let them go to the river to fish, how can they go? The fish market is barely built, there are no fish!"

"That'...... Then you can hire someone to fight, and by the way, give your brothers as teachers, and after a while, they will probably be. Chu Zhongli also barely supported her to give her ideas.

"Hire people. Wanyue spread her hands. "How can I hire if I don't have money?"

"That and that...... You ask Zhang Feizi to allocate some money to you......" Chu Zhongli tried to kick the ball away.

"Oh my God!" Zhang Feizi let out a desperate cry. "The farm has been abandoned for an unknown amount of time, and now it is overgrown with weeds and thorns, like a primeval forest. Not to mention making money, you can't keep sowing seeds now. ”

"Okay, okay!" Chu Hou stood up. "Isn't it just about money after a long time, and it's not that it can't be solved! Who among us still has money?"

As soon as the words fell, Chu Zhongli felt that the eyes of the other four people were looking at him in unison.

"Well, it seems that I am more 'likely' rich, who let me have the people's taxes. Chu Hou smiled helplessly. "Cai Tai, bring the account book. ”

Cai Tai handed the account book to Chu Hou with a bitter face, and added a disagreeable sentence: "Lord, you don't have this possibility." ”

Chu Zhongli flipped through the account book, his face gradually became ugly, and his two eyebrows were twisted into a ball.

"Why are taxes so small?"

"You said before that you should take a light account and develop production. Cai Tai replied.

"Uh-huh. Chu Hou nodded, looked at it again, and said, "That's not right, even according to the current tax rate, there is still nearly half of the tax loss, what is going on?"

"I've been in Linjiang City for a few years, and I know a little about the situation around here, but I know what's going on, but ...... It's better not to ask, lord. "Cai Tai deliberately sold a pass.

"I'd better not ask, tell me everything you know. When Chu Hou heard him say this, he wanted to know even more.

"The reason why you can't collect taxes is mainly because there is a group of bandits near this Linjiang City......"

Zhang Feizi heard Cai Tai say the word "bandit", and couldn't help but turn his head to look at the waning moon. Seeing Zhang Feizi looking at her, Wanyue must have bad intentions, and her eyes slowly turned over, so frightened that Zhang Feizi hurriedly turned his head.

Cai Tai continued: "This gang of thieves is in Niutou Mountain, about one or two thousand people. At the head of the group are the four major leaders, collectively known as the 'Dragon, Lion, Tiger and Leopard', all of whom have the rank of concentration essence, and together, they can run rampant in the official army array. There is also an elite unit composed of dozens of cultivators, called the 'Flying Dragon Regiment'. ”

"Hey, dozens of cultivators, this gang of bandits is wide enough. Zhang Feizi commented on the side. Chu Zhongli rubbed his forehead with his hand and thought slowly.

"Therefore, this gang of bandits is extremely strong, and every once in a while they go to neighboring villages and towns to collect money and grain, which is called 'borrowing grain', and the common people have so much income in total, and they give them less, so we will naturally have less. There are also ordinary people who ask the government to suppress bandits, but the previous governors did not dare to provoke them, and the tax revenue has been lost. ”

Isn't this just collecting protection money? Chu Zhong thought, no matter how I say it, I am also a marquis, and there are robbers who dare to collect protection money in my territory?

"There is one more thing, I dare not say it for fear that the lord will be angry. When Cai Tai said this, he also became cautious.

"But it doesn't hurt to say it, don't hide it. Chu Zhongli said.

"You had a good heart and reduced a lot of taxes for the people, but the money you saved for the people ...... I'm afraid it's all in their pockets. ”

"How can this be reasonable!" Chu Hou couldn't hold back when he heard this. "This gang of bandits, I will exterminate them sooner or later!"

"Why sooner or later, isn't it good to send troops to recruit them now?" said Wanyue beside him.

"Yes, if you fight now, maybe there will be many benefits, hehe......" Zhang Feizi seemed to be very excited.

Chu Zhongli connected this matter with what happened just now, suddenly understood something, and asked Cai Tai: "Lao Cai, they have grabbed it in the past few years, and the family must be quite rich, right?"

Cai Tai knew that the lord finally had a solution to the problem, and said with a smile, "Exactly." These days, they are rampant in this area, and it can be said that they are rampant, and the treasures they have stolen are all piled up!"

"Lord, if you don't send troops to fight again, and solve our urgent needs, when will you wait?" Xu Yuan also persuaded beside him.

"Wait a little longer...... Chu Zhongli had actually decided to crusade a long time ago, but he was waiting for one thing, waiting for Wu Guo's attitude. If Wu Guo did not agree to make peace with him, how could he still have the time to crusade against the bandits? At least he had to wait for Feng Yi to report back.

"Report to the lord!" Feng Yi asked to see!" the herald outside reported.

This really means that Cao Cao Cao is here, and Chu Zhongli hurriedly summoned Feng Yi in. I saw Feng Yi in the dust, obviously only caring about delivering letters, he didn't have time to change his clothes, he didn't have time to wash his face, and he looked very sloppy.

"How's it going?"

"Wu Guo...... Agree to make peace with us!" Feng Yi exclaimed excitedly, and then took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Chu Hou, he hadn't rested much before, and he hadn't eaten and drunk well, this time he was too excited, coupled with the sense of relaxation to complete the mission, he fainted in an instant.

Zhang Feizi stepped forward to probe his snort, checked his pulse, and said, "It's okay, he's just too tired, just get some sleep." ”

"Come, take him down to rest. The Marquis of Chu gave the order, and one of the guards carried Feng Yi away. Chu Zhongli picked up the envelope and looked at it, only to see that the envelope said "General Wu Guo", it turned out that the war on the border had always been in charge of Wu Yun, the general on the border of Wu State, and the previous letter was also sent to Wu Yun.

Chu Hou opened the envelope, beckoned Cai Tai over, handed him the letter, and said, "Come, Cai Tai, you read to everyone and listen to what he said, I don't like to read." ”

Cai Tai said: "Obey the order", and took the letter to read it for Chu Hou.

"Wu Yunjing, the general of the Wu border, presented Chu Hou Zhongli to his feet. ”

Wanyue pulled Zhang Feizi a little away from everyone, and whispered to Zhang Feizi: "I don't understand, you translate for the translator." ”

Zhang Feizi's heart was secretly cool, you are a waning moon, and when you begged me, she happily translated, that is: "Hello, my name is Wu Yun!"

Wanyue was still a little skeptical, but she had to listen to his translation.

Chu Hou read: "Hundreds of soldiers have returned to the country safely, all of them have been given by the Ming Gong, and Yu also deeply feels the generosity and righteousness of the Ming Gong. ”

Zhang Feizi translated to Wanyue: "Thank you! ”

Wanyue said: "It's okay to say thank you." ”

Chu Hou continued: "It is not our wish to provoke and build troops, but I hope that the country will be peaceful and enjoy happiness together." ”

Zhang Feizi translated for Wanyue: "We don't want to fight. ”

Wanyue said disdainfully: "I don't want to fight and occupy our land." ”

Chu Hou continued to read: "This matter has been verified that it is the rebel general Qi himself, and his people have already rebelled out of our country, and they have been in rebellion, and what they have done has nothing to do with our country. ”

Zhang Feizi translated to Wanyue: "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! Qi Sanbiao is no longer our person, he is a straggler." ”

Wanyue snorted: "Shameless! Qi Sanbiao died so miserably, just because he lost the battle, he even didn't recognize him." ”

When Zhang Feizi heard the words "he died so miserably", he remembered that he had boiled a perfect tonic soup, which was a proud move in his life, but after Qi Sanbiao died, he didn't even have a name, and he became the abandoned son of Wu State, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Wu and Chu have been friends for generations, and they should only go hand in hand, so how can there be any reason to hurt each other......?

Chu Hou kept reading a long paragraph, this time Zhang Feizi closed his mouth and didn't translate, and when Wanyue saw that he didn't speak, he urged: "The general said such a long paragraph, why don't you translate?"

"He's, don't listen. Zhang Feizi pursed his lips with a look of disdain.

“...... May the feet be healthy, communicate with each other, the book is not fulfilled, a little expression of my heart, Wu Yun paused. Reading this, Chu Hou put the letter away, and the letter was finished.

Zhang Feizi also translated the last sentence for Wanyue: "Goodbye, Chu Hou." ”

Chu Zhongli breathed a sigh of relief, since Wu Guo had chosen peace, then he had no scruples, so he sent troops, defeated that gang of bandits, and grabbed some good things to come back!