The conversation in Jigong Temple was relatively "pleasant".
Perhaps, it was really enjoyable because everyone drank a lot and there was no argument or reluctance.
Before coming, these people had some vague speculations in their hearts, but they could not confirm it or they were just taking chances.
The imperial court's decree was the first to arrive in the states on the edge of Yinshan Mountain.
The soldiers of Fengzhou Prefecture who had just finished the summer harvest were urgently recruited. Each of them had three horses and two servants, carrying water, armor, large spears, and strong bows, and gathered in various places.
This is the scene the chiefs saw when they went south.
In fact, there were not many soldiers. Feng defeated the two states' total of only 8,000 soldiers. Because there were few troops, some of them even had to personally participate in farm work, and their financial resources and combat effectiveness were very average.
There are only over 10,000 soldiers in the town, and most of them are infantry. Is it really scary?
They are not afraid of these soldiers, they are afraid of the old guy watching the sea in Dengzhou.
So, they finally came to Dengzhou obediently. In a temple full of depressive atmosphere, they drank a meal of water and wine that was not delicious, accepted a condition that made them lament, and then they had to stay with this old man to please him.
Pat the horse and pretend to be happy.
Some things seem to be destined, and there is no way to change them.
At the end of July, Shao Shude took them to Penglai Town, a place that competes fiercely with Chishanpu as the largest port in Dengzhou.
Within the harbor, every time the bell rings, a ship leaves the harbor and heads for the north.
Thinking back more than 20 years ago, the most common cargo carried by ships going north was food and ordnance.
Today, more than twenty years later, the goods they carry have quietly turned into commodities such as silk, candied fruits, wine, varnish, lampstands, cane chairs, and even special high-end products such as Tonghua cloth from Yunnan.
There are all valuable goods.
These goods have different shapes and values. To be honest, they take up a lot of space and are relatively troublesome to transport.
But demand is everything.
If you need it, let alone Yunnan, we can get yak horns from Tibet for you, as long as you can afford it.
So businessmen like to unify the big market!
Shao Shude vaguely remembered that in the 17th century, French Cardinal Richelieu and his successor Mazarin relied on their strong political skills to cancel tariffs between provinces and form a unified market, which greatly promoted the prosperity of commerce and enriched the economy.
The French treasury was filled, laying a solid material foundation for Louis XIV to make trouble after he took office.
In the 19th century, the Customs Union established by Prussia in North Germany also broke down trade barriers between the various states and formed a unified market. Subsequently, the North German Confederation was formed, and the economy promoted politics.
Daxia is another situation.
Shao Shude canceled most of the tax cards and carried out tax reform. To be honest, it was also to promote the formation of a unified market. In the previous era of feudal rule, copper coins were sometimes not even allowed to leave the country, let alone those numerous tax cards and deliberate boycotts of goods from other towns.
This created an atmosphere that greatly hindered business exchanges and was intolerable to him.
There are more than 20 Daoxia Dao, and the goods of any Dao must be low-cost and free to enter and exit other Dao. This is the most basic requirement, but it was not possible in most of the history. It was not until the founding of the country in later generations that fundamental improvement was achieved.
.
"Did you see those ships?" Shao Shude asked.
"I see it." Zhuang Ao, Su Zhi, Hun Shizhi and others nodded.
"From Penglai Town to Lushun Port, if there is good wind, it can be reached in one day and night. It only takes three to five days to go to Silla." Shao Shude said: "A ship can carry thousands of grains. If it is on land,
Often a hundred four-wheeled carriages are needed, and if it is an ordinary two-wheeled carriage, even more."
The seven people were silent and didn't speak, quietly looking at the densely packed ships in the harbor.
Every time the bell rings, a ship must leave the harbor, sometimes even two or three.
The ships leaving the port are floating on the outer sea. After gathering to a certain number, they will form a group and head north to Lushun, Yingkou or the Yalu River Estuary.
It is already autumn, and the good winds will only last for a month or two. After autumn, the north wind will gradually take over, and it will become more convenient to go south from Lushun to Penglai.
Shao Shude glanced at them and said, "Do you really think I care about your family fortune? How can you imagine the wealth flowing on the sea?"
"Back then, Liaodong was in desperate need of food. In addition to immigrants, what was transported there was food, farm tools, cattle and other items. But twenty or thirty years later, people in Liaodong now even need furniture made of fine sandalwood. For food, drink, entertainment, food, clothing, housing and transportation,
Demand is soaring, what does this mean?”
"It shows that Liaodong, which I built with my own hands, has passed the most difficult period after more than 20 years of development. Now, some of them have become rich and have begun to pursue a better life. Anton Mansion and
There are a total of 92,000 soldiers in the Liaodong states. They are rich and they are an important market that no one can ignore."
"Businessmen came one after another, eager to start this business. In this way, money can flow and taxes can go to the treasury."
Having said this, Shao Shude turned around, looked at everyone, and said: "With sufficient taxes, I will be able to command the army and go anywhere."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty," Zhuang Ao and seven other people congratulated one after another.
You can hear some sincerity in these words, not all flattery.
They live in the grassland all year round. Their ancestors and fathers followed the saints through life and death, which gave them a stable family business. Although they all know that Daxia is at its peak and the forbidden army is brave and good at fighting, but as the saying goes, they have sharp weapons in their hands and a murderous intention. Looking at the tribe
The number of people, the number of cattle and sheep is increasing little by little, the flattery in my ears is getting louder every day, and it is impossible not to have any ideas.
Psychological expansion and arrogance probably all originate from this.
The saint ordered them to separate their families, and they agreed after hesitating for a while, not daring to openly resist. But if you say that they don't have any psychological problems, that's not right.
But today, they were greatly shocked when they saw the numerous ships in Penglai Town and the goods loaded on the ships one by one.
For example, the bright silk was a valuable item on the northern grasslands. It was so valuable that one could not wait to handle it with care. But in Penglai Town, the dock workers were loading it with expressionless faces, rough movements, and quick hands and feet. They were obviously used to it.
Got this thing. And those merchant ships were also transporting silk in units of ships.
There are also unknown spices, tea leaves and even precious wood, which are handled by laborers like garbage.
With the wealth surging here, what can the grassland tribes compare it to?
The only valuable thing they have is probably their human body.
Yes, people are also a kind of wealth. They can also create wealth or destroy wealth...
But now - well, don't talk about anything. If you can't defeat the Imperial Army, you can't even think of resisting, so don't talk about anything.
"Liaodong is a piece of land of mine. I have spent more than twenty years sowing and caring for it, and now it is finally bearing fruit." Shao Shude turned around again, and his deep voice came from the wind: "Ninety thousand soldiers of the government,
Crossing the Great Xianbei Mountains, one person carries two or three horses, who can resist?"
By the way, there are differences between government soldiers and government soldiers. In the pre-Tang Dynasty, the most "top" government soldiers owned more than a hundred acres of land, and the poorest government soldiers had less than ten acres of land. They were all government soldiers, but
The combat effectiveness is vastly different.
The 92,000 people in Liaodong are basically top-notch soldiers. They are strong, well-equipped, and live in a bitter cold land. No one can resist them. Not the Khitan, not the Shiwei, not the Jurchens, and neither can they.
The saint was not threatening, what he said was true.
He told two facts. First, the wealth of Daxia is unimaginable by other grassland tribes. You don’t have so much money or so many supplies, you can’t even compare to a fraction, and sometimes you have to take relief; second,
In addition to the imperial army that frightened all the grassland tribes, Daxia also had a large number of imperial soldiers who were good at fighting, well-equipped and well-trained, and could easily defeat any opposition forces on the grassland.
There is really no solution to this situation. Because of this, the previous dissatisfaction has long since disappeared. Just accept your fate honestly.
Based on this understanding, they all calmed down and accompanied the saint to "watch the sea".
At that time, a ship entered the harbor. When they saw the yellow umbrella cover on the high slope, the sailors rushed to the front deck and cheered loudly.
The sailors' income is very high, even higher than that of the Imperial Guard, and their cheers come from the bottom of their hearts.
If no one started the marine industry, they would probably still be farming today.
"The ship has a deep draft and is fully loaded with cargo." Shao Shude said with great interest: "Nowadays, ships returning from Liaodong often use copper blocks as ballast stones and are fully loaded with cargo. Official ships traveling between Penglai and Lushun,
There are no less than twenty civilian ships every month. Food from Liaodong has now begun to be transported south. In the next twenty years, the rivers in this white mountain and black water will be vigorously dredged, the roads will be improved day by day, and the number of ships that the docks can accommodate will increase.
If we get more, Liaohai shipping will be more prosperous."
"No one can abandon Liaodong. If we don't abandon Liaodong, shipping will become increasingly popular and deeply ingrained in the blood of Daxia, and no one can take it away."
"You are still young, and you are lucky enough to be at the grand event, so you can watch it longer than I can."
"Your Majesty, the Spring and Autumn Period will be prosperous, it is certain that-" Hun Shizhi said.
"There is no need for this." Shao Shude interrupted him directly and said with a smile: "The success does not have to be mine. You just need to share the prosperity of this prosperous age with my descendants."
Everyone was silent.
The saint was obviously already admiring the spectacular scene of hundreds of people competing on the sea. As he talked, he did not forget to hit them. The implication was that he probably told them not to have all kinds of petty thoughts and live in peace and prosperity.
You can rest with your country for the rest of your life.
In fact, by this time, the saint no longer needed to beat around the bush, they had already accepted it.
On the pier, there was another cry.
A dark group of people, urged by the warriors, staggered onto the boat, preparing to leave the harbor and head north.
There is no doubt that these slaves were collected from who knows where, and their families went to Liaodong to serve as soldiers for the government.
They must have been resting in Penglai Town for a while, and today was the day to set off. Amid the mood swings, they cried bitterly in the direction of their hometown in the south.
Hun Shizhi and others looked at each other in confusion.
If they fought against the imperial court, this would probably be the fate of their tribe, right? Thinking of this, he swallowed dryly.
"Daxia is a big place, and some places are still deserted." Shao Shude suddenly said: "When you separate your families, send some people out. I won't ask for more. Let's make a total of fifty thousand."
"As ordered." Seven people responded one after another.
Fifty thousand tents is equivalent to two hundred thousand people, which is totally a lion's mouth, and we don't know which corner the saint will move to, so life may not be easy.
Now that I am in my twilight years, sometimes I show a sense of weakness and twilight, and sometimes I am as ruthless as before, making people tremble with fear.
He is very dangerous now, more dangerous than when he was young, because the ropes of affection that bind him are gradually disintegrating, and he can easily become moody.
"Those sailors love me. Those immigrants hate me." Shao Shude turned around again and glanced at the seven people one by one.
All seven people lowered their heads.
"It's only in the Spring and Autumn Period that I know I've sinned!" Shao Shude sighed with emotion. There wasn't much emotion on his face, only reluctance.