Cao Duo returned to the yard next door to Zhang Guangshun's house.
This used to be a "dark room" in the West Parade Post, specially used to provide cover for Zhang Guangshun. Now it should belong to the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau.
Under the cover of darkness, Cao Duo and his entourage left one after another through the back door of the next courtyard.
Cao Duo walked for a while on the street and walked into an inconspicuous teahouse.
Entering a private room inside, Cen Meng was waiting for him there.
"Have you found out the details of the person who looked for Li Qingluan after Zhang Guangshun left?" Cao Duo asked as soon as they met.
"He is from Northern Liao, his name is Yelu Chun." Cen Meng replied softly.
"Yeluchun? Northern Liao clan?"
"It's not just the clan. His fathers, Yelu and Lu Wen, were the brothers of the Lord of Liao. They were granted the title of king of the Song Dynasty and stayed in Beijing. Yelu Chun himself was awarded the title of Military Governor of Zhangwu Army. This son has been fond of literature since he was a child and has become an excellent exporter.
If you don't take off your hat, you won't know that you are a Khitan from the Northern Liao Dynasty."
"Why did he come to Kaifeng City?"
"I don't know yet. He and Li Qingluan met secretly in a private room. There was no third person. My people couldn't get close. But don't worry, no matter what they talked about, they have to take action. As long as they make a move, we will know them.
What do you want to do?"
"Yes, Mengzi, that's the truth. Based on the comprehensive intelligence, Li Qingluan came to our Song Dynasty for two key things. One is to find out the official's military deployment of the Hexi family. The second thing, I guess is to find a way.
Get food."
"Getting food? It's possible. According to the information from the Northwest Branch of the Military Intelligence Bureau, people in many prefectures and counties in Hexi are going crazy with hunger. Our army is cooking porridge and barbecue here again, and the hungry people over there are ready to move. Xia
The state officials and soldiers blocked it, and a bloody conflict broke out, and many people came running."
Cen Meng frowned and thought, "Li Qingluan wants to get food, why is he secretly talking to Yelu Chun? According to intelligence, the nobles of Northern Liao have been squandering excessively in recent years, and the treasury is too empty for mice. This year, the officials are kind and kind to give money to
They sent more than a thousand great monks as gifts and developed and produced so many good things for them to buy. There should be no surplus food to help the Hexi family."
"That's right. The nobles of Bei Liao are similar to those of the Hexi family. They would rather have grain mold in their own warehouses than give it to outsiders. And it is true that there is no surplus grain to help the Hexi family. However, there are mediocre people in Bei Liao, including Gao Yuanming.
People who know us. Our army defeated the Xia army last year, which made them feel deeply worried."
"Yes, Cao Liulang. In the file you handed over, I saw a letter from some nobles and generals of the Northern Liao Dynasty. They tried their best to use troops against our country to destroy our army's winning momentum and balance the strength of the Hexi family. It's just the Lord of Liao.
I am old and frail, my health is good and bad, and I don’t have that ambition.”
"In addition, at the end of last year, the officials who were still in charge of the country were humble and courteous, and their attitude towards Bei Liao was very submissive, which made the Lord of Liao very satisfied. He also paid a lot of money to bribe the servants on the left and right to help with good words, and this allowed Liao to raise troops.
Give it up. But those people with lofty ideals in Beiliao will still try their best to help the Hexi family..."
Hearing this, a thought flashed in Cao Duo's mind, "Mengzi, do you think Li Qingluan would collect grain from Hedong and Hebei in our Song Dynasty, smuggle it to Beiliao, and then transfer it from Xijing Road in Beiliao to the Hetao area in Hexi?
.Although the journey is long and requires several transshipments, it is still a good strategy when the Shaanxi border is tightly blocked."
Cen Meng slapped his thigh and said, "What a bastard. Li Qingluan, that Mrs. Hu, is not only beautiful, but also extremely smart. She can think of such a way. What should we do next?"
Cao Duo spread his hands and said, "Now this matter is under the control of your Military Intelligence Bureau. I don't have the authority. It's okay to ask our police department to cooperate. If you ask us to investigate and take action, it's overstepped."
Cen Meng slapped his head, "I'm confused."
He thought for a while, his eyes slowly shining brightly, "We officials in Hebei and Hedong have always been thinking about it. The frontier troops there are simply incomparable to the Western army. In the prefectures and counties there, aristocratic families are running rampant. Otherwise,
Take this opportunity to do something about it?"
"What are the tricks of Master Xuezong and Master Guo in the northwest?"
"Follow the gourd and draw the scoop."
"It's better to report it to the officials." Cao Duo thought for a while and said, "How to organize it, move first, and move later. The officials have their own accounts in mind. Don't be reckless and ruin the official's plan."
"That's right, I have the same idea. Let's go to meet with the official tomorrow."
"You can just go, why are you dragging me along?"
"Cao Liulang, everyone knows that after the affairs of the Gyeonggi Police Department are settled, you will go to the Criminal Department to establish the national police department. Our Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau does not have many people and cannot compare with your police department. We have many soldiers and generals, so we must
With your help, you also want to initially establish the police system in Hebei, Hedong and other places."
"Okay, let's go to see the official together tomorrow."
The next day, when Cao Duo and Cen Meng went to have an audience together, Zhao Si met the other three people in a room in the east side hall of Chongzheng Hall.
They are Ye Shi, Su Xingfang and Fan Donghai.
"Shizhi, how is your Nanhai Chamber of Commerce going now?"
Zhao Si asked Ye Shi first.
"When I returned to my official position, last year I was ordered to form the Nanhai Chamber of Commerce, with Quanzhou as the main port and Panyu as the secondary port. I purchased ships, recruited manpower, and opened shipping routes. So far, I have opened ships to Tsenglong in Annan and Shixipi in Champa.
There are three routes: Nai Port, Bayan Port in Chenla Kingdom, and Chambe Port in Srivijaya Kingdom.”
Ye Shi replied respectfully.
"Next, the Nanhai Chamber of Commerce will open routes to the predecessor of Luohu Siam, Bagan, Myanmar, Kediri, East Java and other countries, and then open routes to the Kingdom of Zhunan."
"The kingdom of Zhuxi..." Zhao Si had seen the charts and records of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce and understood that this country is in southern India, including the entire island of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In the past few decades, it suddenly sailed across the sea and brought Sriwijaya to the sea.
The old capital of Palembang was burned to the ground, then turned around and ran away.
It's very inexplicable, like a middle-school boy who traveled thousands of miles by sea to go to someone's house, set a fire and then ran back home.
However, the Song Dynasty had no control over these grievances.
"Okay, Shizhi, you did a good job. Let me add a few more points. No, you don't need to remember it. The secretaries next to me have recorded it. They will sort it out and give it to you as a memorandum."
Zhao Si waved his hand and continued.
"The Song Dynasty's trade with the South China Sea is divided into two types, selling tea, silk, and porcelain. Now there are new products, glass, soap, perfume, etc., and in the future there will be cotton cloth. These are good things and can be sold affordably.
Good price. But the countries in the South China Sea don’t have much gold, silver, and copper coins to buy them, and I, the Song Dynasty, don’t want so many gold, silver, and copper coins for dead things.”
"So you traffic back, mainly rice. We need to hoard a lot of food now. I have set up a treasury department under the Ministry of Household Affairs, and a large part of its responsibility is to build more treasury granaries. You, the Nanhai Chamber of Commerce, are working hard to put these
The granary is full.”
"If you have food in your hands, don't panic. Food is the cornerstone of the country. Only by hoarding enough food can my follow-up plans be launched one by one. Therefore, you have a great responsibility."
Ye Shi stood up and bowed his hands, "I swear that I will live up to the emperor's orders." This chapter has been completed!