Half a month passed, and Murong Fu was meditating alone on how to develop Murong Villa, and he had a vague framework in his mind.
Murong Fu didn't know much about history in his previous life, and he didn't know much about politics, but he knew very well that if he wanted to dominate the world, the most important thing was money, followed by talents and martial arts. So the current task was to develop a way to make money.
Murong Fu asked his servant to invite the four ministers to come to discuss matters. After a while, the four people entered the living room one after another. Murong Fu looked at these four people. Deng Baichuan was still the same, dressed like a Taoist priest;
Gong Yeqian is tall and tall, with thick eyebrows and a square face, and an honest and accommodating look; Bao Bubu is tall and thin, looking a bit sinister; and Feng Boxie wears a brown gown and looks like a sharp-mouthed monkey.
The four of them greeted each other and said, "Sir!"
"Sit down, we are all brothers, don't be so polite from now on!" In fact, except for Deng Baichuan, the other three people are not so formal at ordinary times. Only Deng Baichuan seemed to be quite polite when he was there.
"How can that be done? The young master belongs to the Yan royal family, and we are ministers. If we don't follow the etiquette of a monarch and a minister, we have gone beyond the bounds." Deng Baichuan retorted with a serious face.
"Murong has settled in the Central Plains for so many years and married a Han man. I am afraid that the Xianbei bloodline has been diluted to the point where there is not much left." Murong Fu thought to himself, but he could not say this out loud, so he asked: "Now Murong How much money do you have left at home?”
Among the four, Bao Bubu was in charge of money and food. He pondered for a moment and then said: "There are about one million taels of gold, five million taels of silver, and one million shi of grain."
Murong Fu was a little surprised that there were so many. Although he didn't know how much the unit of stone was, there were tens or even millions, so he was considered very wealthy.
But then I thought about it, the Murong family is determined to restore the country, and their ancestors must have saved something for generations. It is normal to have more money and food.
In fact, it was Murong Fu who had never seen much of the world, and it took him so many years to accumulate this little fortune. You must know that there were no wealthy landowners in the Song Dynasty who did not have millions of taels of gold and silver.
"Where does the Murong family's income come from?"
The four of them were a little surprised, why did the young master care about these issues today, but they did not doubt him, Bao BuTong continued:
"Nearly 100,000 acres of fertile land around Taihu Lake belong to the Murong family. The annual output of grain is 200,000 taels, which can be converted into 300,000 taels of silver. In addition, the income from industries in various places in the south of the Yangtze River is 500,000 taels."
Murong Fu was puzzled. His annual income was not small. How could he save so much over the years? So he asked, "What are the expenses?"
Bao BuTong replied: "It is mainly used for disaster relief."
"Disaster relief?" Murong Fu looked confused. Even if he wanted to win over the people, it was not yet time. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to raise his arms and shout, "The princes and generals are willing to be kind to each other?" before providing disaster relief.
Bao BuTong seemed to see through his thoughts and continued:
"Mainly because of the Song Dynasty, the Murong family occupies the entire Taihu Lake. It is unjustifiable not to give an explanation. Moreover, the Wang family is an official in the court and has given the Murong family a lot of conveniences. The Murong family can't do it without expressing their consent."
Only then did Murong Fu remember that the Murong family and the Wang family were related by marriage, and it seemed that his grandfather also served as an official in the Song Dynasty. "So, what kind of property does the Murong family have besides the fertile land in Taihu Lake?"
"Mainly inns, restaurants and cloth shops. There are currently more than a hundred inns and restaurants distributed throughout Jiangnan. There is only one cloth shop, but there are about 70 shops. There are also about a dozen jewelry businesses and several …”
Murong Fu could not help but curl his lips as he listened. He despised the Murong family for their lack of business acumen. How much money could they make from these industries? It is estimated that even if they save for hundreds of years, they may not be able to revive the country.
"How many people does the Murong family have?"
Bao BuTong looked at Deng Baichuan, who said:
"As for the confidants, those who know martial arts are basically in Zhuangzi. There are about 300 people in total. Most of those who don't know martial arts are running industries in various places. There are about 500 people in total, as well as hundreds of servants of all ages in Yanziwu.
Loyal."
"If we raise an army, the 3,000 farmers in Taihu can recruit 5,000 strong men. These farmers are all descendants of the Yan Dynasty, so their loyalty is no problem. Some small sects in Jiangnan, Shandong and other places also listen to the orders of the Murong family, and they can recruit tens of thousands of people.
"
Murong Fu was still a little surprised. He thought that the Murong family had no soldiers, but he didn't expect that there were five thousand soldiers around him, but it was still too few. After thinking about it, he said: "Now there are a few things that you need to do."
The four of them said in unison: "Master, please speak!"
"First, Brother Deng, you and your henchmen will go to Jiangnan, Huainan and other areas where the Song and Jin Dynasties were at war, and collect refugees and disaster victims aged between fifteen and thirty, and bring them to..."
Murong Fu choked suddenly. He was not familiar with the nearby terrain at all. He had not even visited Yanziwu yet, but after thinking about it he continued: "Bring it to Yanziwu. Is there any problem?"
"no problem!"
"The second thing, Brother Bao and Brother Feng, you two go to various places in the Song Dynasty to search for orphans under the age of fourteen. As long as they are healthy, regardless of gender, bring them to Yanziwu! This matter is a bit difficult to handle, mainly because
It takes a long time to go back and forth to places far away.”
Murong Fu pondered for a moment and said: "In this way, we will send them in batches, one batch every three months. One of you will search and the other will escort. Is there any problem?"
Feng BoE asked doubtfully: "Sir, Brother Deng can find young adults to form an army. What's the use of us looking for those orphans? It will take at least ten years to raise them?"
Bao BuTong was flexible and said with a smile: "No, no, sir, you want to train your own future generals."
Murong Fu nodded with a smile, and then said: "Second brother Gongye, go and secretly summon all the craftsmen from Taihu and Suzhou to Yanziwu."
Gong Yeqian took a breath of cold air and said, "Master, are you going to build a large-scale construction project?"
"That's right, when Brother Bao San and the others send people over, the current houses will definitely not be enough to live in. Besides, Yanziwu is our base camp and must be properly built."
Gong Yeqian seemed a little excited: "Okay, Master!"
"The fourth thing is to recall the principals of industries in various places, arrange for trustworthy confidants, and secretly acquire brothels and gambling houses. At least ensure that there is at least one brothel or gambling house in every town. Well, let's implement it in various places in Jiangnan for now.
"
Deng Baichuan was startled, "Sir, our Murong family is part of the Yan royal family, a well-known family, how can we do this kind of business!"
Murong Fu did not expect that Deng Baichuan would be so pedantic, so he said: "Now is a troubled time, and a storm is about to arise. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, the great Yan, so we don't have to stick to these small details."
"But..." Deng Baichuan wanted to say something else.
Bao Tongtong smiled and said: "Don't be stubborn, just listen to the young master."
He turned to Murong Fu and said, "Sir, none of us have ever done this, so we don't have the right manpower."
Murong Fu thought for a while and said: "It doesn't matter. Whether it can be profitable is the second. The most important thing is to keep it secret."
Bao BuTong nodded and said: "Okay."
Murong Fu looked at Deng Baichuan and the other four, and said solemnly: "You must remain calm when it comes to searching for people. Don't invite the disciples of the Beggar Gang here, and especially don't attract the attention of the imperial court!"
No wonder he was not careful. Inviting the disciples of the Beggar Clan was not a big deal. Taihu Lake was too close to Lin'an Mansion, and it was not an exaggeration to say that it was at the feet of the Emperor. If any information was leaked and attracted the attention of the court, the Murong family would be wiped out in an instant.
The four of them said in unison: "Yes!"
Murong Fu nodded and said: "As for the money, you can withdraw it yourself. By the way, from this year onwards, all the grain produced in the fertile fields of Taihu Lake will be stored, and it will not be equivalent to cash."
Deng Baichuan was surprised and said: "But there is no place to put so much food!"
"Just leave it in the hands of the farmers for now. Okay, let's go our separate ways!"
The four of them were still a little confused when they left. They did not understand that this was Murong Fuguang's plan to accumulate food and delay becoming king.