Guo Rong looked strangely as the transport ship carrying 80,000 husks of Huai salt sailed into the Huai River in front of him, preparing to swim along the middle of the Huai River into the Bianshui River and reach the capital, Kaifeng.
"I always thought that if I had not ascended the throne as emperor, I would have been an outstanding businessman. But now I feel that I am not as good as Youdu in doing business."
If Luo Youdu heard this, he would probably sigh and have no regrets in this life.
You must know that in his world, Guo Rong is one of the five gods of wealth in China.
Wang Pu also lamented: "Using Bo Zheng's harsh government to purchase Huai salt, and win the hearts of the people! Commander Luo Du's fantastic ideas are beyond the reach of human beings."
Guo Rongdao: "Is it possible to use this method in other state capitals?"
Wang Pu pondered for a moment and said: "It can be a small trial, but it cannot be implemented. Commander Luo Du is an honest man. He purchased 80,000 Huai salt in the name of the imperial court and informed your majesty in advance. The profits will be clearly distributed. The profit will be 60%.
Returning to the imperial court, the merchant family engaged in buying salt will get 30%, and the Luzhou government office will get 10%."
"If it were anyone else, 60% would go to the imperial court, but how the other 40% would be divided is uncertain. It would be fine just to persecute the merchants, but I'm afraid they would not buy salt from the people like the commander-in-chief, but force it.
That’s a different story.”
Guo Rong held his forehead and smiled bitterly, saying no more.
Although he has emphasized military discipline many times, it is indeed much better than before where everything was littered with feathers, but there are still many things that bully the people and plunder.
Conquering the world is inseparable from these soldiers. Even if Guo Rong is dissatisfied, he can only kill the chickens to scare the monkeys appropriately, and he does not dare to punish them one by one.
Huainan is rich and prosperous. This time, using troops to attack Huainan, seizing the wealth of Jiangnan is the top priority.
The Great Zhou Dynasty needed the wealth of Huainan to strengthen its national power and use it to deal with powerful enemies like the Khitan.
What he needs is to return to Huainan, instead of falling into a quagmire of constant rebellion.
Eighty thousand husks of Huai salt left the Huai River and then arrived in Kaifeng from Bianshui.
Wang Pu immediately sent officials from the Ministry of Revenue to take over the batch of Huai salt, and then the court directly allocated 40% of Zhou Yuan Tongbao, which was also transported to Luzhou by transport ship.
The salt trade of the Great Zhou Dynasty was similar to that of other dynasties, with the state responsible for the sale.
Even if Luo Youdu purchased it through different channels, it would eventually have to be handed over to the court for sale.
There is no doubt that the real profit maker is Da Zhou.
After Zhou Yuan Tongbao arrived in Luzhou, Luo Youdu started the money-sharing thing with great fanfare, which became known to everyone.
Before the money was received, the vendors were still suspicious, worried that Luo Youdu was dishonest and would take advantage of both sides.
But after receiving the Zhou Yuan Tong Bao, a divine light suddenly appeared in his eyes.
The most indispensable thing in Huainan is salt, and the least valuable thing is salt.
There is no reason not to cherish this kind of business of making money at your doorstep.
As a result, businessmen became more active in purchasing Huai salt from all over the world.
However, they soon discovered that Huaiyan’s acquisition was not as smooth as they imagined.
Businessmen have the connections of businessmen, and ordinary people also have the wisdom of common people.
The local businessmen are all wondering why you, the Luzhou businessmen, can make money from our state across the border?
Ordinary people are also thinking, since Huaiyan can make money, why does it sell so low?
However, they lacked something that the Luzhou merchants did not possess... Luo Youdu's Wang Shi.
All kinds of traders could only mutter secretly in their hearts: Master Zhou, why haven't you come to regain the lost territory?
**********
Yangzikou.
Qi King Li Jingda and military supervisor Chen Jue led a front line of 20,000 troops to arrive in Huainan first.
Li Jingda said: "Chen Jianjun, why don't we go to Yangzhou to rest first, wait for the border army envoy and his troops to arrive, and after the two armies join forces, we can then discuss how to advance the army?"
Although Li Jingda is the prince marshal, the real command power lies in the hands of Chen Jue.
Li Jingda has a resolute temper, but he is helpless.
Now that the Southern Tang Dynasty was at a critical stage of life and death, Li Jingda could only lower his voice to Chen Jue in order to avoid the discord between the commander and the supervisor, which would lead to defeat.
Chen Jue said: "What King Qi said is reasonable. Our army does need to rest and reorganize, but there is no need to go to Yangzhou. Our nearest enemy is Zhao Kuangyin of Chuzhou. He only has more than 10,000 troops in his hands. How dare he cross Liuhe and come here?"
Are you going to fight us in Yangtzekou?"
"The morale of our army is low now. If we continue to act cowardly, how can we defeat the enemy? I think it is better to rest in Guabu Mountain and wait for the border envoys to join forces. What does King Qi think?"
Although he was asking for advice, his tone did not sound like he was discussing with Li Jingda.
Li Jingda held back his anger and said, "Just follow the supervisor's instructions."
As a precaution, he arranged a large number of scouts to explore the surrounding situation.
A group of 20,000 people from the Southern Tang Army abandoned ship and came to Guabu Mountain.
Guabu Mountain is an important military location north of the Yangtze River.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty counterattacked Liu Song and led his troops here. He carved a winding road into the mountain and built a felt hall across the river to threaten Jiankang at that time.
Although many years have passed, Guabu Mountain still retains traces of its past, making it a treasured place for camping and rest.
Once the camp is set up, it becomes a treasure land. Before the camp is established, it is like a sieve.
Liuhe.
Zhao Kuangyin sat high on the horse, waiting with some anxiety for news about the horse.
Li Jing appointed Li Jingda, and Chen Jue was about to cross the river to support Huainan. Zhao Kuangyin was so excited that he could not sleep.
With the troops at his disposal, it was unrealistic to attack the city by force, so he sought opportunities to engage in field battles with the enemy and kept waiting to investigate the movements of Li Jingda and Chen Jue.
Knowing that the two men were crossing the river today, Zhao Kuangyin led eight thousand soldiers out of Chuzhou without hesitation and directly arrived at Liuhe, looking for fighters.
"Report, the Tang army has set up camp in Guabu Mountain."
Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a moment and then laughed proudly: "They don't dare to march, they must be afraid of us. In this case, they took the initiative to make them tremble when they see the Zhao banner!"
Zhao Kuangyin was extremely skilled in martial arts and always dared to fight bravely. No matter how many people were on the other side, he would actively seek a fight and never take a step back.
The most terrifying thing is that no matter what situation he encounters and how big the disadvantage is, he can discern the opponent's weaknesses in the duel with the enemy and achieve the final victory.
This time is naturally no exception.
Zhao Kuangyin took advantage of Li Jingda and Chen Jue's unsteady footing and took the initiative to attack while they were still setting up camp.
Although Li Jingda and Chen Jue detected Zhao Kuangyin's movements on his way to advance, they were not caught off guard.
However, due to the hasty response to the battle, Zhao Kuangyin completely overwhelmed him in terms of command before the battle, and nearly 5,000 troops were killed.
Less than a day after Fang crossed the Yangtze River, he was driven back to Jiangdong.
Zhao Kuangyin returned to Chuzhou in triumph.
He strode into the Chuzhou government office. Before anyone entered, the voice came first.
"Guangyi, you didn't see how Li Jingda and Chen Jue were running away. You only regret that your brother doesn't have a navy in his hands. If you can capture these two alive, it will be a real great achievement."
Entering the hall, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help feeling frightened when he saw that Zhao Guangyi was not happy with him, but forced a smile.
"What happened? What news did you get?"
Zhao Guangyi sighed and said: "Luo Youdu instigated the rebellion of Hezhou's defense envoy Wu Han and captured Hezhou."