Chapter 512: International scam, old reform events (4k)
"It's good to be able to complete a small part of it." The little raven nodded and replied: "You can do this slowly and do according to your ability. How much is enough... I can't tell when Qinjing's
Has the situation changed?"
"The second thing I said is how to deal with the remaining copper and silver that cannot be processed for the time being. I wonder if the fish market can accept the transaction entrustment as payment? After all, the reason why I want to exchange a large amount of gold and mica sword coins
, itself is meant to be spent.”
"It's not about having too much money, it's about using it. No matter where the copper and silver is spent, or how many hands it passes through, as long as it finally achieves results that satisfy me, it will be the same."
"So your purpose is just to make this wealth circulate quickly and exert its huge influence? This is indeed an extraordinary idea." The rickety old man's mind moved slightly, and he immediately guessed the general idea of the other party.
intention.
This is like an undercurrent, quietly penetrating into every corner of the economy, using huge funds to stir up the market, and then affecting policies, people's hearts and even the direction of the entire country, making every transaction and every circulation a driving force
Chess pieces that change the situation.
Once upon a time, the Zheng family in Jiaodong County, where the Queen was located, had gradually climbed to a high position through similar precision control and infiltration methods, becoming a huge force with few equals. This old merchant servant was also a witness of that era.
So I quickly thought of this precedent.
"That's right, old man, you are really insightful."
The little raven tilted his head in approval: "Everything in the world has its own way, and so does money. If you can make good use of its power, you can be as good as an army. As the largest underground trading market in Qin, the fish market is well-informed
, with a wide range of channels, I think this may be a win-win opportunity."
"Win-win?" the rickety old man asked, raising his eyebrows, obviously interested in this proposal.
"Yes, a win-win situation." Little Raven looked up at the other party and explained: "The fish market can help me convert these copper and silver into various resources, whether it is materials, intelligence or connections."
"At the same time, the fish market can also get a lot of commissions from it, broaden its business scope, and enhance its influence in Changling and even surrounding areas. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"
"You are wrong about this." The rickety old man shook his head and declined politely: "For more than ten years, the orphans of merchants have lived in this corner of the fish market in the east of the city. All they want is stability and a place to stay.
That’s all, rather than the benefits brought by hosting underground transactions.”
"The Lushan Conference is only a few months away. Emperor Yuanwu has been in seclusion for a long time. Queen Zheng Xiu and the two prime ministers are in charge of government affairs. The current situation in Qin is far more complicated than ordinary people imagine. There are undercurrents surging in both the court and the rivers and lakes.
.Every risky action may lead to unexpected consequences.”
"This matter is very involved. If we really want to proceed, I need to confirm your identity, whether the source of these copper and silver is clean, and whether their storage and transportation method is safe. If it involves foreign spies, the fish market will not dare
If you get involved in this muddy water easily, you can only ask your distinguished guest to find someone else."
The black bamboo stick in his hand swayed slightly, and more than a dozen bamboo shoots sprouted from the ground nearby, looking quite alert.
After all, at least 90% of the Seven Realm Grandmasters who practice the Yin Qi Ghost Way were born in the Qi Kingdom. It is extremely rare for merchants to be located in the Qin Kingdom. Therefore, the rickety old man had long suspected that the other party was someone sent by the King of Qi or even the Emperor of Qi.
, Otherwise, how could you have the confidence to get so much copper and silver?
"It seems that the old man acted cautiously and misunderstood my intention." The little raven blinked and responded calmly: "The fish market has always been under two-phase surveillance. I know this, and I will not take the consequences seriously.
Something with far-reaching implications will make things difficult for you..."
"Actually, what I am asking for is just to convey a message to those who are interested: a dragon crossing the river, a group of outsiders with huge wealth and power that cannot be underestimated, have quietly sneaked into the Changling area, and they are an excellent target for cooperation."
"Your purpose of secretly expanding your influence is to let the dignitaries in Changling know of your existence, so that you can get in touch with the real senior officials of the Qin Dynasty and reach some kind of tacit understanding?"
The rickety old man pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Using copper and silver that are significantly higher than the market price to purchase and exchange gold and mica coins. This kind of benefit transfer will be regarded as a signal of friendship... I understand.
, I will not continue to ask you about the source of goods."
The so-called mica sword coin is made from the shell of a rare mica clam found in the deep sea overseas. Its color is bright and clear, shining like the moon. It is a unique coin of the Qin Dynasty. The face value of one coin is as high as five hundred gold, and it is unique to other dynasties.
Does not produce.
Therefore, the exchange of large amounts of such coins can actually be regarded as an act of sending money to the Qin Dynasty or even "surrendering".
Assuming that the conjecture of the rickety old man is true, the plan that the strange master behind these two ravens intends to implement is authorized by the senior officials of the Qi Dynasty. Doesn't this mean that these two previously almost hostile dynasties have reached a major cooperation agreement?
, the intention to form an alliance with each other?
"That's just right." Little Raven nodded: "At the same time, I also hope that the status of the fish market will be more stable because of this. As a black and gray industrial zone necessary for the dignitaries in Changling, the more benefits it will convey to the top brass of the Qin Dynasty, the more benefits it will bring to the top brass of the Qin Dynasty.
Naturally, the status becomes more important and indispensable."
"With our strong support, which has become the key fulcrum of this cooperation, the fish market and merchants who struggled to maintain the balance of the situation in Changling in the past will no longer face a crisis like the one in the fourth year of Yuanwu, and the situation will surely improve a lot.
…”
The rickety old man was silent for a moment, seeming to be digesting the information and weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he nodded slowly, turned around and opened the door, gesturing for the other party to come in for further discussions.
Two ravens flapped their wings and flew into the dark room, where they saw a woman in a red shirt sitting faintly.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! There is a piano in front of her, an incense burner next to it, and several black bamboos swaying gently beside it.
Black smoke curled up from the incense burner, and the figure of the woman in red shirt swayed in the air, as eerie as a ghost. However, her voice was surprisingly clear, gentle, and indescribably polite, which made people listen.
I felt comfortable and the whole dark room seemed to be warmed up:
"My friend, thank you for your willingness to help us and improve our situation when we were seeking cooperation in Changling. Since Uncle Sun is optimistic about this 'big business' and has already agreed, I won't ask any more questions and everything will go according to plan.
Let’s do it.”
This woman in red shirt is obviously the orphan left by the merchants who presided over the reform in the past. In the merchant group, she smiled slightly, with both gentleness and determination in her smile, as if she could see into people's hearts, but would not reveal her feelings easily.
Real thoughts.
She waved her hand gently, signaling the raven to continue.
The little raven landed in the corner of the room and turned into a wisp of black energy and reintegrated into the body of the larger raven. The latter continued: "Miss Shang speaks quickly, so I won't beat around the bush. In addition to the previous proposal, I have another suggestion.
Things come together.”
"But it doesn't matter." The woman in red shirt gently plucked the strings, and the melodious sound of the piano seemed to soothe the irritability and uneasiness in people's hearts.
"To put it simply, I recently heard that after Zhao Zhan, the seventh disciple of Jianlu, was killed by Supervisor Ye Ce Leng, the two remaining swords of Zhao Jianlu have arrived in Changling, and they seem to be in the fish market area.
Staying temporarily." The big raven looked at the woman in red shirt behind the gauze curtain, and then said:
"If possible, I hope Miss Shang can help introduce Mr. Zhao Yi and Mr. Zhao Si and make two more new friends."
"... It seems that my friend's trip here is not really to form an alliance with Qin, but for other reasons." Hearing that such secret information was exposed by the other party, the woman in red shirt was surprised, but even though
In this way, her voice is still thin, and her speaking speed and tone are all comfortable:
"If the little girl's guess is correct, her friend is not from the Qi State, but wants to use some means to pretend to be a pro-Qin force within the Qi Dynasty, and establish a relationship with Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu, in order to gain access to
Important intelligence and the role of misleading the other party at critical moments.”
The rickety old man was suddenly startled and could not understand the reason why his young lady made this judgment.
Although the disciples of Zhao Jianlu were the great rebels of Qin, the people of the Qi Dynasty were cooperating with Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu while befriending and wooing Zhao Yi and Zhao Si. This was by no means a contradiction, but was actually a common double-dealing operation in Jianghu and politics.
.
"Uncle Sun, the cultivation techniques of our Ghost Bamboo Sect are top-notch even in the Daqi Dynasty. However, compared with this friend's technique of transforming Yin Qi into objects, no matter the level of transformation of the creation or the darkness of the breath,
It’s hard to tell, if it’s still true essence, if it has any substance, it’s more than a step behind.”
Sensing the confusion expressed by the old servant, the woman in red shirt explained: "If we were to find a sect with such a level of skills in the Qi Dynasty, apart from Yan Ying of the Shanyin Sect, I am afraid that there are only
It can be traced back to the legendary Twelve Witch Gods."
"I once heard that Emperor Qi had already regarded Yan Ying as his master, not beneath him, similar to the status of 'that person' in Qin in the past. If he wanted to form a secret alliance with the Qin Dynasty, he would never let Yan Ying be
Ying ventured into danger and came to the heavily guarded Changling... As for the twelve witch-gods, it would be even more impossible for them to act like this if they could get it."
"Miss Shang is extremely intelligent and has outstanding attainments in the art of Yin Qi ghosts. She is expected to become a great master."
The big raven praised: "As for my purpose of pretending to be the envoy of Qi, I can also reveal a piece of news here: the twelve witches and gods, the most precious treasure of the Jin Dynasty in the past, were stolen and lost by traitors for many years. After being transferred several times, they are now in the hands of
In Zheng Xiu’s hands.”
"I see!"
The woman in red shirt quickly understood the layout involved, and her expression was shocked. Several black bamboo trees beside her couldn't help but sway, as if the wind was blowing, so the black gauze curtain in front of her also swung open, moving toward a side.
Tucked in, this mysterious business lady finally made her official appearance.
Her facial features are not particularly good-looking, and her skin color is a bit sickly white, but her expression is exceptionally quiet and peaceful. Her pupils are very distinctive, especially black and bright. The red dress on her body is very long and completely dragging.
On the ground, covering her feet.
"For us practitioners of the Yin Qi and Ghost Way, the twelve supreme exercises passed down from the witch ancestors are indeed not something that can be measured by a mere billions of gold."
The woman in the red shirt was silent for a few breaths and said sincerely: "Since there is a reason for this, and it is for the purpose of plotting the treasure Zheng Xiu has, then I, the merchant, should do my best to help him."
When Emperor Yuanwu enabled merchants to carry out reforms, he had not officially ascended the throne, but in fact he had firmly controlled the court. However, because the new policies violated the interests of too many prominent families, he still encountered unimaginably strong opposition.
This kind of struggle between powerful noble families and the court will not only endanger the throne of an emperor, but even cause a dynasty to decline rapidly. Even with the full support of the Bashan Sword Field, it may inevitably lead to collapse.
Some powerful noble families have even begun to borrow the power of some external dynasties to fight against Emperor Yuanwu.
In the eyes of the vast majority of people at that time, and even most of the officials in the court who were loyal to Emperor Yuanwu, it was completely impossible for this reform to succeed.
Faced with such a critical situation, although Wang Jingmeng and many people from the Bashan Sword Field were fighting abroad and their strength was slightly weak, Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu did not hesitate at all and took the most decisive action as quickly as possible.
With iron-blooded and powerful methods, he immediately attacked the most powerful Gongsun clan.
On the grounds that the Gongsun family drove horses to go out and destroy farmland, they were severely punished and executed according to the new law. When the Gongsun family strongly rebounded, overnight, they mobilized large armies and countless practitioners to wipe out the entire Gongsun family.
Changling was uprooted and the four great clans were wiped out overnight.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Immediately afterwards, in order to avoid chaos and calm the anger of the remaining noble families, merchants were introduced as scapegoats. At one point in the Wei River, the water flow reversed.
, a golden man rushed out, with numerous charges on his back, all related to merchants. It was said that merchants had bewitched the royal family and ordered the soldiers to be prepared.
As a result, the merchants were exterminated. When Wang Jingmeng received the news and returned day and night, he successfully rescued only one orphan girl, the merchant's eldest daughter, who was now hiding in the fish market. However, the original reform was still slow.
It was maintained.
Different from Shang Yang's reform in normal history, because it was a different businessman, the main promoter of the reform was not the Qin royal family but the Bashan Sword Field. The new law here naturally did not focus on the "Five Skills of Controlling the People" and "Heavy Punishments and Light Rewards", but
It is a real military merit system, and promotion is much fairer.
Even a person with the lowest background, as long as he is brave enough, can accumulate military exploits in exchange for a fiefdom, rely on the resources of the army to continuously improve his realm and martial arts, obtain rewards and promotions, become an important general in the army, and finally obtain a land title.
Today's Thirteen Marquises of the Qin Dynasty are not from prominent backgrounds. In fact, more than half of them were granted the title of Marquis based on their military merits. The soldiers, generals, and officials who benefited from the merchant reforms are all over the government and the public. It can be said that the favor is spread all over the world, and countless
Everyone feels a sense of debt.
Therefore, although Zheng Xiu always wanted to erase all traces of Bashan Sword Field and Wang Jingmeng, when she tried to kill the orphan girl again, many elderly people in the court, including Liang Xiang, tried their best to stop her. After many twists and turns, the fish market finally finally
It was saved, but it also became an invisible "cage" for businesses.
Even though the merchant's eldest daughter is open-minded by nature, Yuan Wu and Zheng Xiu are both the masterminds behind the annihilation of the merchants and the culprits who killed their saviors. If there is anything that can retaliate against them and cause them trouble, she will naturally choose to support them.
, try our best to provide assistance.
"As long as we can deceive the twelve witches and gods with the cooperation of the fish market, or obtain rough clues about where these treasures are hidden in Changling, I, Zhao Qing, will be very grateful. After deciphering their corresponding cultivation techniques,
We will also share a copy with merchants.”
The raven flew up in circles and added: "As for the risk of crisis that this matter may cause, the merchants will never be involved in the least. I will only rely on the Qi Dynasty. Of course, in order to prevent Zheng Xiu and others from being angry,
, we will also arrange corresponding escape routes for you at that time."
Zhao Qing? Isn’t this the new grandmaster who suddenly appeared from Baiyang Cave?
Such an outrageous international scam seemed very confident. Could it be that the recent theft from the Changling Tiger Wolf Northern Army warehouse was also done by the other party? The merchant lady and the old servant looked at each other and had this idea in their minds at the same time.
.
"Two blazing furnace-like auras are approaching here..." Without continuing to look at the stunned and surprised expressions of the two people, the raven flapped its wings and quickly flew outside the door: "It seems that today I can learn from Zhao Yi.
It’s a brilliant move from Mr. Zhao Si and Mr. Zhao, I’ve been waiting for it for a long time.”
"You two, please stay a moment and I'll be back when I go!"
After saying that, the raven turned into a black shadow and suddenly disappeared into the night outside the door, leaving only a string of low and long crows, echoing in the silent night sky, seeming to foreshadow the coming storm.
.
Inside the house, the woman in red shirt and the rickety old man looked at each other, their hearts filled with mixed feelings and it was difficult to regain their composure.