"It's easy to say on the surface, but if you want to completely control such a large area, I'm afraid..."
After all, he was a wealthy and famous businessman. Mi Zhu quickly woke up from the beautiful vision described by Wang Yu and began to consider practical problems.
Monopolizing salt and iron was not Wang Yu's unique invention, but something that had been done by predecessors for a long time.
In order to centralize power and attack the enemy's powerful forces, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented a series of financial policies led by Sang Hongyang, including salt and iron official management, liquor monopoly, equalization, equalization, and unified minting.
No one had thought about it before. It was because there were too many places involved. When the imperial court lost its authority, it was impossible for any prince to do it alone.
Wang Yu either made a mistake by accident, or made arrangements in advance to form a unified force in the entire northern coastal zone. Only then did Wang Yu's plan to monopolize sea salt have the basis for implementation.
However, just having a foundation is not enough.
Everyone in the world is motivated by profit, and enough profits can spawn enough outlaws. Not to mention Wang Yu, even Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty could not completely ban private salt.
If Wang Yu uses salt as a weapon to fight against the princes of Jizhou and Yanzhou, the price of salt will inevitably rise again and again, and the profits will make countless salt dealers take risks. In the face of profits, Wang Yu's reputation for bravery will
I can only stand aside.
In addition, in addition to the places mentioned by Wang Yu, there is also Jiangdong. Although the population there is small, the salt production is also small, and the transportation to the Central Plains is long, but if there is enough profit, it may not be unable to become a supplier.
source.
Furthermore, Qingzhou and Youzhou have few powerful people, but Xuzhou is a prosperous place. There are countless powerful people involved in the salt and iron business, and the Mi family is the best example. Tao Qian's control over Xuzhou is limited, and it is impossible to offend so many people at the same time.
Powerful.
Finally, if the price of salt is too outrageous, the people will suffer in the end, and it will also affect Wang Yu's reputation.
In short, this idea is very good, but it is very difficult to implement.
In line with the principle of saying everything he knows, Mi Zhu talked about these concerns one by one. After a long speech, his mouth was dry and he confessed his crime. He picked up the teacup and had a heavy drink. After drinking, he unexpectedly felt a wave of pain in his mouth.
It's refreshing and sweet, and I'm a little interested in Wang Yu's special way of drinking tea.
"Brother Zizhong is indeed more thoughtful than Yu, but there are some countermeasures here for Yu..." Wang Yu pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said in a loud voice: "Come here, ask the Palace Commander to come see me."
"Here!" the guard outside the door promised, and soon he brought someone up.
"See my lord," the person who came was a fat man with a round head and a round head, with a smile on his face, which looked a bit funny, "the last general, Gong Tian, and Mr. Mi."
Before Wang Yu could introduce him, Mi Fang suddenly jumped up, pointed at the fat man and shouted: "General Gong? Aren't you Gong Aotian? The one with the shameless name, the private salt dealer from Danyang!
You, didn’t you kill someone and be sent to the army? What, why are you here?"
The fat man gave a thumbs up and praised: "Brother Zifang has a good memory. We only met once that day, but he still remembers it now. Fortunately, fortunately. Gong was indeed sent to the army that day, and then went to King Qin of Luoyang, and then
I have come under the command of my lord, and I am grateful to my lord that he does not think he is mediocre and has allowed me to stay in the army until now."
"No wonder..." Mi Fang nodded, then shook her head.
"Zifang, are you familiar with General Gong?" The two of them talked lively, but Mi Zhu was confused.
It seems that this person is related to the monarch's plan, and he may have to deal with him frequently in the future. It would be best if the younger brother had something to do with this person, but with his brother's temper and how he was blaring just now, maybe it's the other way around.
If there is a quarrel first, it will be troublesome.
Mi Zhu believes in the way of making money through harmony, and likes to leave room for others and himself. The current situation makes him a little nervous.
Mi Fang glanced at the fat man and said angrily: "Brother, you also know him. He came here with Zuo Rong and specialized in the Yandu line. Later, for some reason, he had a conflict with Zhang Kai and the others. As a result, this fat man usually doesn't
He was so showy, but he was very brave that time, and three of Zhang Kai's four leaders died in his hands!"
"Later, Zhao Yu from Guangling County sent a large team of troops to round up this guy and caught this guy. Tao Gong felt pity for his bravery and let him join the army. Later I heard that he died in the army. Who would have thought..."
"TOEFL, TOEFL." Gong Tian nodded towards Mi Zhu with a smile: "In the past, when you were on the street, you had to have a resounding name to scare people. Now a certain person has returned to his real name. Brother Zifang, where you have offended in the past,
Please forgive me."
He still had a smile on his face. If Mi Fang's words weren't still in his ears, who would have believed that this guy was actually a ruthless person? Looking at the looks of him and Mi Fang, it was almost certain that they had had friction before, and Mi Fang was almost certain to have suffered a loss.
"Hmm." Mi Fang snorted from her nostrils, her mood not looking very high.
Mi Zhu looked at the fat man and then at Wang Yu, as if he had some realization in his heart.
"Now that you all know each other, it's even better. Colonel Gong, I'll let you explain next."
Wang Yu touched his chin and looked at Gong Tian. This fat man's disguise skills are really good, and he even managed to hide it from himself. This man's martial arts is very ordinary, and he can kill people. Most likely it has something to do with his disguise skills. From this point of view,
, there is no need to worry about the person to execute this plan.
"As ordered." Gong Tian sang fatly and turned around.
"My lord wants to harvest the profits from sea salt, not just for temporary speculation, but for long-term planning. After controlling the price of salt, it will not rise blindly, but will remain the same as before. He will only take the initiative to give up the price during certain periods.
The price of salt fluctuates, which in turn affects those who hoard it and try to make a profit. Just like this food price crisis..."
"That's it!" Mi Zhu suddenly realized it and applauded: "You are a man of great talent!"
Mi Fang looked at her brother with a blank look on her face. She wondered why the latter was so excited. How could he make a profit without raising the price?
"I'll explain the reason to you later..." Mi Zhu had no intention of helping his younger brother to learn illiteracy. Wang Yu's idea was much more complete and grand than he expected. His thoughts were now focused on this.
No time to look around.
"In addition to supplying goods to other merchants, the Lord will form an official caravan based on the Mi family's caravan and travel outside..."
"Hmm, um." Mi Zhu nodded repeatedly, not only for his family's prospects, but also for Wang Yu's plan.
This plan was not the work of Wang Yu's whim as he originally imagined, but an overall strategy with a leading idea and perfected details from point to point.
Ordinary people may not understand what kind of profits can be generated simply from the price fluctuations of commodities. But Mi Zhu understands that the Mi family of Donghai is a wealthy businessman that has been in business for more than ten generations, and he, Mi Zhu, has been the leader of the Mi family for hundreds of years.
The most outstanding generation of family heads.
Wang Yu has been paying attention to Mi Zhu's reaction, and now he is very satisfied. Profiting from business and using business to attack enemies is nothing new in China. As far as he knows, Guan Zhong, a famous prime minister in the Spring and Autumn Period, was very good at this.
It is not difficult for Wang Yu to understand these strategies, but it is difficult to operate them. Moreover, it is impossible for him to spend his main energy on them. He must find a capable executor.
In this era, Mi Zhu was the most proficient in this art that Wang Yu knew.
It was just heard before, but now it has been verified. Wang Yu raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. This historical uncle of the emperor had no room for development in his previous life. Now, let him do it for himself.
Let your great cause shine with brilliance.
"As for the powerful and salt merchants in the coastal areas, there is no need to worry about them north of Qingzhou. The more troublesome one is Xuzhou. My lord means to use both soft and hard tactics. Mr. Zizhong will come out to appease and communicate with each other, secretly..." Gong Tian rolled his eyes.
He turned around and said with a smile: "Do you two know that my master gave justice to the pirate Guan Cheng who was rampaging in Donglai?"
"Of course I know!" Mi Fang rushed to answer: "Those pirates in Yingyou Mountain have been very restrained recently, just because of this!"
Yingyou Mountain is the east-west connected island in the sea east of Lianyungang in later generations. It is a very large island with many pirates on it. A single band is not as strong as Guan Cheng, but the total number is greater than Guan Cheng's tribe. Because Xuzhou
The island is rich, so these people don't need to plunder. The island is mostly populated by private salt traders.
It was a thankless task for Tao Qian to exterminate a place like this. After a long time, he just let it go.
Almost no one in the Central Plains knew about Wang Yu's annihilation of Guan Cheng. It only shocked Liaodong. But for many pirates in the coastal areas, it was a huge event! All the pirates are now as silent as a cicada, fearing that the next moment, Wang Yu will
Turn the knife edge and aim it at them.
"So...brother Zizhong, do you understand?" Wang Yu nodded towards Mi Fang, then turned to Mi Zhu and said meaningfully.
"The prince is thoughtful and thoughtful, and I admire him." How could Mi Zhu not understand that coercion and inducement can be used by oneself, and this vicious fat man is naturally intimidating.
Although there are many pirates in Yingyou Mountain, facing the Qingzhou Navy who can easily wipe out Guan Cheng and recruit them, aren't they just a piece of cake? Gong Tian is well-acquainted with people in Xuzhou, plus his previous experience
, so why is it so difficult to pretend to be a pirate? Mr. Tao is currently in trouble with the powerful people in the country. If he just gives a hint, is he still afraid that the old man will turn a blind eye?
There is no need to worry about the Jiangdong side. The mountains are high and the water is far away. By the time the business opportunities of salt prices are discovered there, the Qingzhou Navy will probably have already formed a large scale. By then, what will be the difficulty in crossing the Jiangdong side?
Thinking of this, Mi Zhu's heart moved. He looked up at Wang Yu's half-smiling expression, and an unbelievable thought passed through his mind.
Maybe, this is not only as simple as controlling trade routes, but also means planning for the future!
Mr. Tao is old, and his two sons are incompetent. They have a gentle temperament and are neither civilized nor martial, and they have no scheming ideas. If they take over the throne, it will only completely ruin the Tao family.
Tao Gong had previously donated troops to the princes in Luoyang, and he might give Xuzhou the foundation in the future! However, Xuzhou is now experiencing internal instability, and Tao Gong himself cannot suppress it. If the handover is carried out rashly, it is hard to say what will happen.
By stabilizing the trade routes, the princes could divide and dismantle the powerful coastal powers. They could win over those who could, and get rid of those who couldn't under the guise of pirates. A few years later, Xuzhou and Qingzhou were integrated into one, and it was a matter of course.
, even if there are some who are ignorant of current affairs, in the end they can only block the flow of traffic.
No wonder Junhou is not in a hurry to let himself enter Qingzhou.
Thinking more deeply, if this process is fast enough, maybe we can take advantage of the situation to Jiangdong...
Once the association started, it was difficult to take it back. It was not until he was given a nudge by his younger brother that Mi Zhu came back to his senses. When he saw Wang Yu looking over, he quickly bowed and apologized: "Zhu was temporarily absent-minded and reversed his teachings."
I feel ashamed that you have been waiting for so long."
"It doesn't matter." Wang Yu smiled and waved his hand, "Besides the salt policy, I have some other ideas... Well, I will introduce you two first. From now on, the direction of Xuzhou will be handed over to the Mi family. On the Qingzhou side, these two
You will be responsible..."
While they were talking, two more people walked in from the front and back doors respectively. When the Mi Zhu brothers saw each other, they were immediately surprised. (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)