Chapter 574 The Rumored Changing Situation in Cangzhou
Putting down the shovel, Xu Mu rubbed his arms before sitting on the throne.
This action left Huang Daochong speechless for a while. It was right to come to Shuzhou to admit his mistake, but before he even started, he was punished.
Of course, this is enough to show that the King of Shu in front of him does not want to make a decision, but needs an exchange of interests from Kezhou.
If you get straight to the point, things will be easier to handle.
"King of Shu! I, Huang Daochong, am ashamed of the king of Shu!" His face changed, and Huang Daochong was extremely sad for an instant. With this painful cry, people who didn't know better thought that both his parents were dead.
Old Oscar. Xu Mu moved his mouth, but in the end he did not persuade him, and let Huang Daocheng cry for a full round. Everyone knew it well, if I want it, and you give it, then the matter will be over, and we will still be friends.
Like a young lady who refuses to give up, Huang Daochong, who had finally cried enough, clasped his fists and spoke.
"Don't worry, King Shu. I will do my best to deal with the salt and iron issues in Shuzhou."
Kezhou is a place where aristocratic families gather, doing business, strong military, and a man who is doing misfortune everywhere. In short, with the foundation of the Kezhou family, as long as they are willing to try their best and have enough resources, they can still solve a lot of problems.
"Master Huang, the matter of saltpeter..."
Huang Daochong shook his head seriously, "The King of Shu also knows that as early as more than a hundred years ago, alchemists were popular throughout the country. At that time, Emperor Ji not only built the Cloud Tower in order to live forever, but also devoted all his national power to collecting materials for the alchemy cauldron. Here we are.
Nowadays, there is not much saltpeter left in the world."
"Even if there is, it is only a very small amount and is mostly used for fireworks and ceremonial purposes."
Xu Mu nodded silently.
"But please rest assured, King Shu. Regarding salt and iron, I, Kezhou, will do our best. Merchant ships enter Bailu County every month and can accommodate three ships..."
Counting the draft, the three ships' worth of salt and iron was actually not much.
But Xu Mu also understands that in troubled times, salt and iron are extremely valuable. Three ships is probably the limit that the Zodiac can charge.
"Master Huang, of course I, Xu Mu, believe that you should have nothing to do with the traitor. But I, the generals of Shuzhou—" Xu Mu stopped talking.
Huang Daochong sighed in his heart. If Xu Mu didn't mention it, he didn't have to leave a proton, but if he did, he could only keep it. All over the world, he bet everywhere for the survival of Kezhou and the continuation of his family.
The strategic position of Kezhou with 20,000 soldiers and horses is so important. It is like a child in the market, holding seven or eight gold ingots and strutting through the market. No one can be offended, and no one can afford to offend.
"King Shu, this is my son."
This time, there was no mention of clan members. He should be the legitimate heir of Huang Daochong. Under this situation, if Huang Daochong still dared to commit fraud, this wonderful man with all abilities would really have met a dead end.
"Huang Zhizhou pays homage to the King of Shu." A young man with a calm demeanor walked out behind Huang Daochong with his fists clasped.
Xu Mu turned his head and looked at Jia Zhou. There was a trace of hesitation in each other's eyes.
"Don't worry, King of Shu. This time, my son enters Shu alone, without any soldiers or staff." Huang Daochong hurriedly added as if he saw something was wrong.
"Since you are a refined person, you should first go to the official office in Chengdu and become a copywriter."
"I'm willing to go, thank you so much, King Shu." Huang Zhizhou knelt down and paid his respects.
Xu Mu nodded.
There are many retired pawns in Chengdu Guanfang. As long as the Kezhou proton moves, it will be discovered immediately. Interests are entangled. It is a very simple reason. If the proton stays in Chengdu, it will be a bridge between the two sides.
Of course, if this Huang Zhizhou causes trouble. This time, even if Xu Mu abandons Kezhou's interests, he will sever this relationship and kill the proton.
After talking about the proton, Xu Mu sent an order for Sun Xun to lead Huang Zhizhou and leave the palace first.
"By the way, Master Huang, what's going on with the pseudo-emperor thing now?"
After being in the war for a long time, Xu Mu vaguely remembered that he hadn't heard any news about Fang Ru from Laizhou for a long time.
"We just stopped fighting some time ago. Zuo Shiren led a small coalition and occupied two large counties in Yanzhou. But after winter comes, the war will stop and we can only wait until next year."
Zuo Shiren is the most famous person in the world. Naturally, he will not be left out of this kind of reputation-earning thing.
After talking about some innocuous news, Huang Daochong hugged his hands and said goodbye. Out of affection, Xu Mu also cooperated for a round of acting, and sent you to the door of Chengdu ten miles away.
After returning to Shu, the matter between the two rebels has been successfully resolved until now.
"Wenlong, the new year is approaching."
"Yes, it has been nearly two years since my lord entered Shuzhou."
In the past two years, the development of Shuzhou was no longer the same as in the past. What was even more gratifying was that after entering Shu, he finally had his own heir.
"Lord, we need to hurry up on recruiting troops."
After next spring, we are destined to fight with Liangzhou. If we succeed, we will have all Shuzhou in the west in our hands.
Imitating the Silk Road, supporting the Yudang tribe, gathering war horses... these are all preparations for the competition for hegemony.
"If nothing else happens, Zuo Shiren will also conquer Laizhou and Yanzhou this time, relying on his reputation for crusading against the false emperor."
Xu Mu was too far away from the crusade against the false emperor, and Uncle Chang in the inner city had no interest at all and still focused his strategy on Hebei.
"Lord, there is one more thing." Jia Zhou was silent for a while and took out a tube of letter from his sleeve. If Xu Mu was busy, the information from the Night Owl Group would reach Jia Zhou first.
"Sent here by Bo Lie. The situation in Cangzhou seems to have changed recently. Although Yuan An has not left the palace, he has sent loyal and righteous soldiers to visit celebrities in Cangzhou."
Xu Mu smiled, "What does he want to do?"
Jia Zhou put down the letter, "I guess that Queen Su, who was pregnant with the dragon seed, just waited for the dragon son to be born, and Yuan An abandoned the son. By now, he himself should have understood this."
"Cangzhou's military and political affairs, and even the civil and military affairs of the court, are all controlled by Queen Su."
Xu Mu's face was expressionless, "It's just like when I was in Changyang, I didn't have much ability, but I wanted to make big plans."
"It's a pity, Lord Marquis."
"It's not a pity that the Marquis's other choice is the lord." Jia Zhou retorted seriously, "The Marquis has such a long-term vision."
Xu Mu nodded silently.
He only thinks of that person, no matter when and where, there will be a heavy feeling in his heart.
"The changes in Cangzhou should be a good thing for Shuzhou. It's a pity that there will be no dog-eat-dog situation."
As an emperor, Yuan An could probably count the number of trustworthy people around him. With no power and no soldiers, how could he defeat Demon Empress Su who had hands and eyes as bright as the sky?
"Bolie's side has successfully buried several hidden stakes in Cangzhou. When the time comes, troops will be mobilized from Muyun Prefecture to attack Liang. These hidden stakes will be of great use."
To conquer Liang, we need at least an army of about 100,000 people. But Shuzhou's current military strength is already stretched thin. As a last resort, Xu Mu and Jia Zhou thought of many ways.
Whether it is the surrender of troops from Nanlin County or the large army dispatched by Muyun State, these are the most urgent matters at the moment.