Two days later, the Jizhou delegation arrived in Shouchun. Wang Zheng led the civil and military ministers, various ceremonial guards, and two thousand elite tigers and soldiers to personally welcome them ten miles away from the city.
There was no way, if it was an ordinary mission, Wang Zheng would not have to be so condescending, but since it is suspected that Yuan Benchu's "illegitimate son" is here, it is not a bad thing to be polite.
After all, Wang Zheng really doesn't want to have a head-on conflict with Yuan Shao now, because it is not in line with the strategic policy he has set.
From a distance, I saw hundreds of people riding and urging the carriage to arrive. The carriage was like running water and the horses were like swimming dragons. In front of them was a young man, sitting on a tall horse. He had a big face and big ears, a dignified appearance, a slender figure, and an air of majesty and nobility.
Temperament, I guess it is that Yuan Fang.
With the churning of cars, the sound of horse hooves, and all kinds of movements and sounds mixed together, it was really filled with smoke and dust, deafening and noisy. Unconsciously, the distance between the two parties was getting closer and closer. Wang Zheng waved his hand, Shouchun was like this
All the ministers dismounted their horses and got off their sedan chairs one after another. Wang Zheng also walked a few steps forward with a smile on his face, waiting for the driver on the opposite side.
As they approached, the Jizhou envoys also dismounted one after another. The young man walked forward with wide feet. From a distance, he held his hands in his hands and said with a smile, "It's an honor to have Wangzhou Shepherd come to greet us."
Wang Zheng smiled slightly and said loudly: "We are very lucky to have distinguished guests at our door. It would be rude not to welcome us from afar."
Yuan Fang turned around and introduced the members of the mission one by one. Wang Zheng also introduced them to the accompanying civil and military officials. The two sides inevitably exchanged pleasantries and exchanged long greetings.
The one who attracted the most attention from everyone in the mission in Shouchun was of course Guo Jia.
On the one hand, it is because Guo Jia is Wang Zheng's number one schemer and has become quite famous in recent years, especially the recent Jiangdong turmoil. In the eyes of outsiders, although the defeat of Sun Ce and Yuan Shu was attributed to Wang Zheng's unparalleled martial arts skills, it was also inseparable from it.
His advice and suggestions will naturally make his reputation even greater. I dare not say that it is known to all women and children, but at least it is heard all over the world.
Of course, the most important thing is that Guo Jia had served Yuan Shao before. Because of this, Yuan Fang couldn't help but look at him a few more times. Seeing that Guo Jia was wearing white clothes today, he looked more and more chic, handsome and charming.
Secretly sighing, "It was a mistake for my father not to reuse this person back then."
After everyone met, Wang Zheng ordered the ceremonial guard to be brought. Two thousand elite soldiers were divided into two teams, with 500 at the front to clear the way, and 1,500 at the back to hold down the formation and escort the hundreds of cavalry from Yuan Fang.
They were also included in it, together with the ceremonial guard, nearly three thousand people. With great fanfare, they went to Shouchun.
Although it has entered the winter season, because the New Year is approaching, the city is still very lively and there is an endless stream of pedestrians on the road.
Even if the people in the capital did not know Wang Zheng, most of them recognized his bodyguards, armor, chariots and horses. Everyone showed respect at once, and some even knelt down to worship, whether on the road or in the fields, and there were many of them.
People kowtow very hard, raise their hands high, and then bow their heads deeply. At first glance, it seems that they are sincere and not perfunctory.
Seeing this scene, Yuan Fang's eyes twinkled, as if he was thoughtful, but with a smile on his face, he said, "I am convinced by the way, which shows that Wangzhou Mu is very popular among the people."
Wang Zheng pretended to be humble and said: "When it comes to popular popularity, how can I compare with General Yuan?"
There is still a long way to go from the outside of the city to the inner city. Along the way, the two of them walked side by side, talking to each other sometimes. Yuan Fang praised Wang Zheng highly, and Wang Zheng calmly put a high hat on the Jizhou shepherd.
, and others also found members of the mission to accompany them and talk, or talk about the hard work on the road, or point out the scenery, and talk about the local customs and customs. There were constant laughter, and the atmosphere presented seemed very harmonious.
However, from time to time, Yuan Fang would peek at Wang Zheng and be discovered by Wang Zheng; or when people from Shouchun were talking to members of the mission, both of them would be thoughtful and absent-minded, and the questions they asked would not be answered.
Case.
Beneath the amiable surface, everyone has hidden agendas.
Around dusk, Wang Zheng personally led the envoys to the Shouchun Embassy. The room had already been packed, and the luggage and other belongings brought by the envoys were settled first. There was no need to mention the banquet that night.
There were singing and dancing to add to the fun, boxing and guessing, and a lively drinking party until midnight.
Don't look at Yuan Fangchang's elegance and scholarly appearance.
However, he had a great capacity for drinking. He would trade small cups for big bowls, and big bowls for big bowls. The more he drank, the more sober he became. Even generals like Wu Sheng and Wang Xiong were no match for him. He was almost invincible until Huang Zhong took action later.
We barely managed a draw with him.
Halfway through the banquet, most of the people were drunk, and Yuan Fang was lying on the table as if unconscious. Seeing this, Wang Zheng let him stay in the palace, personally helped him into a side hall, and arranged for two people to stay in the palace.
The charming maidservant waited on her. After washing herself, she was about to turn around and leave when a voice suddenly sounded from behind her: "Wangzhou Mu, please stay."
Wang Zheng paused, turned around, and saw that Yuan Fang had sat up. The drunkenness on his face suddenly disappeared, and his eyes were sparkling. It was obvious that he was just pretending to be drunk. He couldn't help but smile, and asked the maid to step back first.
, after they closed the door, they looked at Yuan Fang and said in confusion: "I didn't expect that this sobering soup would be so effective. Mr. Yuan would wake up now?"
Hearing this, Yuan Shu laughed loudly, picked up the tea cup and took another sip: "Wang Zhoumu, you are indeed extraordinary. You can see your thoughts at the banquet with just a glance. No wonder you can win over Cao Mengde with only a thousand people."
It suddenly rose up under the eyes of the government, and in just two or three years, it became what it is now."
Wang Zheng had heard this kind of flattery many times in the past few years, and he had no trouble in his heart. He knew that this was just the other party's opening remarks, so he didn't answer. He just leaned over and sat down, looking at Yuan Fang with a smile, waiting for him.
Later words.
Yuan Fang raised his glass and pondered for a while, then suddenly asked: "Does Zhou Mu know what Gongsun Bogui did before he entered the watchtower?"
Wang Zheng shook his head. Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao were fighting against Fang Xie. He was thousands of miles away, and Jizhou didn't have many people deployed. How could he know anything at this time?
Yuan Fang snorted coldly, with unspeakable hatred in his tone: "This dog is really crazy. Not only did he destroy several salt fields in Youzhou, but he also killed his general Zhao Yun before our army besieged Yi Jing.
They were dispatched to lurk in the Yuyang area, and they suddenly launched a surprise attack on the Bohai Sea at the critical moment. Most of the salt fields were burned to the ground! By the time my uncle and I received the news, it was too late."
What?
Wang Zheng was startled for a moment, but then he immediately reacted and was secretly overjoyed. Well done!
Gongsun Zan would rather commit suicide than surrender, which shows that he was a strong man, so it was not surprising that he would do this. Knowing that the situation was over, he naturally wanted to disgust Yuan Shao before he died.
So what should be done to create more obstacles for the enemy? Wang Zheng thought about it from his perspective and realized that destroying the salt field was indeed a skillful move.
Jizhou has nine counties and hundreds of towns and a population of one million households. It is truly the largest state in the North. Its population, economy and even products are far superior to Xuzhou and Yangzhou under the king's rule.
However, Jizhou is not without its shortcomings. As an inland county with few rivers and lakes, it will naturally face a problem. Most counties do not have the ability to produce their own salt and rely entirely on the supply of Bohai County, the only seaside county in Jizhou.
But in fact, the Bohai Sea alone is not enough. In the past, Jizhou often needed to buy salt from nearby Youzhou, Qingzhou and Guanzhong. However, in recent years, civil strife has continued throughout the world, and Guanzhong has lost its former prosperity. The two sides are far apart. If you want to buy salt from Hedong
The cost of obtaining salt was too high, so after Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, the source of salt in most cases relied on his own Bohai Sea and Qingzhou's Beihai.
Of course, buying it all the time is not as good as taking it and using it for yourself. This is why Yuan Shao's first step after defeating Gongsun Zan was to go to Qingzhou and attack Beihai, both now and in the original history.
But now Beihai has fallen into the hands of Wang Zheng. Although the trade between the two places has not been officially cut off, the situation of the salt industry in Beihai has changed. The salt fields controlled by several aristocratic families are now owned by the government. So the official salt and
Can private salt have the same price?
Originally, Yuan Shao thought that seizing Youzhou would alleviate this problem. After all, Youzhou was not only rich in war horses, but it was close to the seashore and was also good for fishing and salt. However, Gongsun Zan's decision to drain the cauldron before his death was a heavy blow to him.
Not only did they destroy several large salt fields in Youzhou, but they also asked Zhao Yun to bring disaster to the Bohai Sea. Isn't this troublesome?
If Wang Zheng learns of this and orders Beihai to cut off its salt road, it will be like cutting off its foundation. The price of salt in Jizhou will skyrocket instantly, the people's lives will be miserable, and civil strife will inevitably continue in various places in Jizhou!
Such a feeling
Under the circumstances, Yuan Shao had only two options. One was to find a way to buy salt from Guanzhong and hold on to the end; the other was to immediately attack Beihai and seize this place into his own hands first.
However, these two methods have great hidden dangers. First of all, when buying salt in Guanzhong, there will be huge losses along the way. Either you have to pass through Bingzhou, which means you may be robbed by the Xianbei people, or you have to pass through Yanzhou.
That is Cao Cao's territory, and the other party may let him go, but how can it feel good to have his life in the hands of others?
Besides, attacking Beihai is also very troublesome, because it means that we must win it in one fell swoop as soon as possible!
If Kong Rong was in charge of the Beihai Kingdom, it might not be difficult, but now that Beihai has changed its surname to Wang, is it still that easy?
Wang Zheng's current apparent strength is that he has at least over 100,000 Tigers and Ben. Coupled with his outstanding achievements in the past few years, no matter how arrogant Yuan Shao is, he probably knows that he must be well prepared if he wants to defeat such a powerful enemy.
Only with strong military strength can we have a chance of victory and be sure of success.
If we start a war in a hurry just a few years after the fierce battle with Gongsun Zan, we can face Wang Zheng directly and start a full-scale war.
Let’s not talk about who will win, at least it will be difficult to decide the winner in a short time!
Once Beihai cannot be captured as soon as possible, Jizhou's salt shortage dilemma will not be improved. Wang Zheng does not even need to take the initiative. He only needs to use Beihai and Xuzhou as defense areas, continuously replenish the resources of the two states and nine counties to the front line, and stubbornly defend with Yuan Shao.
It was slowly consumed, and within a year and a half, Yuan Shao's troops and horses were exhausted, and his officers and men were weak due to lack of salt, so he attacked again.
The more Wang Zheng thought about it, the more excited he became. After analyzing the pros and cons, he found that as long as Yuan Shao was not dizzy, he would not choose to use force to obtain the salt of the North Sea. Then the purpose of the Jizhou mission would be clear.
.
But why did Yuan Fang take the initiative to tell him? Isn't this exposing his own shortcomings?
Thinking of this, Wang Zheng looked at Yuan Fang with great interest and asked with stern eyes: "Why did Mr. Yuan tell this to me? Don't worry."
"worry about what?"
Yuan Fang heard this and said in a deep voice: "Sooner or later, the state pastor will know about this matter, so why not be honest? Besides, you are an outstanding person in the world, and you have a reputation for kindness. Knowing that the people of Jizhou are in danger at this time, you will solve the problem and help the people in distress."
That’s right, maybe you’ll take advantage of others’ danger and rob them?”
Forehead.
Wang Zheng didn't know how to respond to this, so he could only cough dryly and laugh without saying a word.
"What's more, Wangzhou Mucai has also heard about who my uncle is and what his character is." Yuan Fang Youran said: "If someone tries to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble or threaten him, I'm afraid it will only be counterproductive."
Wang Zheng's heart was moved, and he secretly thought that Yuan Shao's character was indeed not a forbearing person. In this case, it was really possible for him to choose those two options that would do more harm than good for the sake of face. He couldn't help but ask: "Then Young Master Yuan is going to Shouchun this time.
is for?"
"The mission is naturally here for business."
Yuan Fang laughed, "It will take a long time for the salt fields in Bohai and Youzhou to be repaired and restarted. In a short period of time, Jizhou will definitely be short of salt. Under the rule of Zhou Mu, Beihai is rich in salt. In this case, we can worry about it.
We need, of course, we are not well-off in terms of money and food now. On the one hand, we need the state animal husbandry to reduce it as appropriate, and on the other hand, how about we can also use war horses to make up for it?"
Wang Zheng doesn't have any objections in this regard. On the one hand, he is not short of money, and on the other hand, he doesn't care about money. He has no need to take the opportunity to raise the price of salt, and he doesn't mind if the other party uses other materials to pay for the money. If Yuan Shao is willing to work with him in the short term,
"Mutual non-aggression", this busy Wang Zheng is actually willing to help.
But how can the other party guarantee it?
Seeing Wang Zheng's eyes shining brightly and he was silent, Yuan Fang was not someone to take things easy. He looked at his appearance and seemed to have seen the other party's concerns. He suddenly smiled and said: "If Zhou Mu is willing to help me this time, I will definitely meet him when I get back next time."
I tried hard to remonstrate with my uncle, and made an alliance with the governor of the state, so that we could work together for the good of the Qin and Jin Dynasties."
The two Han Dynasties valued faith and were not far away from the Spring and Autumn Period. The covenant was still binding to a certain extent. Under normal circumstances, there would be no renege on the initiative. It was not only Yuan Shao who came from a noble family, but also a fool like Wang Zheng. If not
Yuan Shu had acted arrogantly and wanted to proclaim himself emperor, but he had lost his righteousness. In fact, he had no good excuse to destroy it.
So after hearing what Yuan Fang said, Wang Zheng raised his head and looked at him intently for a while, then said calmly: "How sure is Mr. Yuan about this matter?"
"If Zhou Mu can raise the price and trade, it will be at least 60%."
Sixty percent?
Wang Zheng frowned slightly and shook his head: "Not enough." His attitude was very firm.
Just kidding, if Yuan Shao is not willing to give a 100% commitment to the verbal agreement, let alone raise the price, he will order an order to cut off the North Sea salt channel to Hebei tomorrow!
Since we are going to fight anyway, why not force Yuan Shao to come and fight him to the death now!
Although the Heavenly Army is now a tired army and is also not suitable for war, with tens of thousands of absolutely loyal and brave system soldiers under his command, Wang Zheng has the confidence to last longer than Yuan Shao!
"If you had guessed this before committing the crime, Zhou Mu would never be able to rest assured."
Yuan Fang nodded slightly, stood up slowly, raised his hands to Wang Zheng and said, "So I have already made a plan for Zhou Mu. If you are willing to give me something, I will be 100% sure to convince my uncle."
Wang Zheng was startled when he heard this and asked in surprise: "What is it?"
Yuan Fang smiled and said every word: "Pass the country's jade seal!"