Wang Yu saw Zhang Yue and Wang Anshi talking a lot indoors, and he was also waiting for news outside the door.
Back then, he and Wang Pang often hid behind the screen and eavesdropped on Wang Anshi's conversations with outsiders, but now it was no longer easy to do so blatantly.
So he took advantage of the servants to come in and pour tea, so he could get some information.
At this time, the servant who had just poured the tea went out and whispered a few words to Wang Yu. Upon hearing this, Wang Yu's face darkened.
The servants on the side saw Wang Yu's unkind expression and left quickly to avoid harming Chi Yu.
At this time, a servant came in and was about to report, but was shocked when he saw Wang Yu's expression.
When Wang Yu saw this, he asked: "What's going on?"
"Lu, you two asked to see me."
After a while, Lu Huiqing and Zeng Bu arrived at the hall. Zeng Bu asked, "I heard that the Prime Minister is seeing guests?"
Wang Yu nodded and said: "Yes, I am meeting Zhang Duzhi."
Lu Huiqing asked: "Lu is curious and wonders what Mr. Zhang's advice would be if he sent Zhang Duzhi to the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Wang Yu said: "Without him, there is something going on in the northwest, so Zhang Duzhi should go back and serve as an envoy."
When they met Lu Huiqing, Zeng Bu and Zeng Bu didn't know what was going on, so Wang Yu made a few brief remarks.
"Are you going to Wang Zichun?"
Zeng Bu immediately said: "This is absolutely unacceptable. Wang Zichun is now my husband's man. If I let him go, it will bring disgrace to my husband."
Lu Huiqing said: "I heard that when Zhang Duzhi left the northwest, he told Wang Zichun that he must defend Tabaicheng. But now he has lost the city and lost his troops. It is hard for Wangzhi to absolve himself of the blame for this."
Wang Yu asked displeasedly: "Did Jifu hear about it from your younger brother?"
Lu Huiqing nodded and said: "Exactly, so I also know a lot about the current situation in Xizhou."
"The prince was good at making decisions and sent troops to attack Minzhou. As a result, the local area surrendered and rebelled again. By the time Hezhou's frontline troops were empty, Mu Zheng took advantage of the opportunity."
"If this matter is to be found out, it will not be difficult. I'm afraid it will be difficult for Wang Zichun to do anything right by then."
Wang Yu said: "But as long as dad is willing to keep Wang Zi pure, he will be fine."
What Wang Yu said is correct. Lu Jiawen, Xue Xiang, Li Ding and others who were used by Wang Anshi were all impeached and punished with memorials, but they were protected by Wang Anshi and are still serving as officials well today.
Lu Huiqing argued: "But the husband who was impeached by Tang Dynasty just now, shouldn't he avoid the limelight now?"
Wang Yu said: "There is no need to avoid it. Don't forget that we are all our people up and down Xihe Road."
Lu Huiqing said: "Dalangjun, there is also Gao Zunyu."
Wang Yu said: "Jifu, Gao Zunyu and Zhang Duzhi are not of the same mind, so how can they help him?"
Lu Huiqing said: "Da Langjun, I think it would be unwise to keep Wang Zi pure in this matter and then offend Zhang Du."
Seeing that Wang Yu and Lu Huiqing were about to argue, Zeng Bu stepped forward to act as a peacemaker and said: "Yuan Ze is right. Now it's just Wang Zichun. Who dares to take refuge in Xianggong in the future? If the trend of questioning Xianggong's employment starts in the future, the new law will also be criticized."
Criticism."
"But Prince Chun was too careless."
Wang Yu and Lu Huiqing both sat down separately.
Wang Yu said: "No, Wang Shao also has Zhang Shao, Li Shao, Zhang Yue, Chen Yue, and Gao Yue. I don't believe there is no one to replace him. This Zhang Zihou and Zhang Zhifu brothers are quite knowledgeable in military affairs. They are recommended."
One of the brothers has arrived in the northwest."
Lu Huiqing said: "Zhang Duzhi has been operating in the northwest for many years. Except for him, everyone else suddenly changed his position. I'm afraid they can't move. If nothing else, let's just talk about the hundreds of Tibetan leaders who followed Zhang Du to Beijing this time.
If they knew that Northwest was suddenly changing its generals, wouldn't they have had second thoughts?"
Wang Yu looked at Lu Huiqing and said, "Ji Fu is so surprised. Why are you talking to Zhang Duzhi like this today?"
…
At this moment in the hall, Wang Anshi and Zhang Yue were also facing each other.
Wang Anshi asked: "Can't we tolerate even one Wang Zichun?"
Zhang Yue said: "It's not that it can't be accommodated, it's that it can't be accommodated."
Wang Anshi asked: "When Du Zhi said that he wanted to kill Wang Zichun, was it purely for public interest or selfishness?"
Zhang Yue said: "I don't understand."
Wang Anshi said: "I heard that when Du Zhi bought grain in Xizhou, he bought it from the market at high prices instead of entrusting grain merchants to transport the grain to Hezhou. I wonder what the reason is for this?"
Zhang Yue asked: "Could it be that Wang Zichun told Xianggong about this matter?"
Wang Anshi was noncommittal about this.
Seeing the other party acting like this, Zhang Yue thought to himself that Wang Shao was really suing him behind his back.
When Zhang Yue first arrived in the northwest, Wang Shao set up the Municipal Yi Department, which was managed by Huang Cha, Yuan Zhongtong and others.
This City Yisi is similar to Lu Jiawen's City Yisi, even two or three years earlier than him. The principle of operation is similar. It is to borrow money from the court as the principal, and then buy what the Tibetan tribe needs from Qinzhou through merchants.
Supplies are then traded with the Tibetan tribe.
Finally, the interest income is used as frontline military expenses.
However, the disadvantages are not small. For example, Huang Cha and Yuan Zhongtong used official buying and selling to enrich themselves. Even Wang Shao also received a lot of benefits. Gao Zunyu also teamed up with Zhang Muzhi to arrest Yuan Zhongtong in order to bring down the matter.
Wang Shao.
Later, as Zhang Yue and Wang Shao continued to make military exploits, the matter was ignored.
After Xizhou and Hezhou were captured, the military settlements could no longer keep up and had to buy food from the people.
Zhang Yue buys grain from the market instead of fixed grain merchants. In other words, regardless of the size of the grain merchants, or even ordinary people, as long as you can transport the grain to the grain purchasing points in Xizhou and Hezhou, they will all be given to you.
Received.
Zhang Yue did not expect that Wang Shao would report this and hit Wang Anshi.
Wang Anshi said: "Buying grain from the market cost you an average of two hundred and eighty-three cents per dou in Xizhou last year. How much grain does it cost to feed 20,000 soldiers and horses a day?"
"The purchase of grain from Qinzhou and then transporting it to Xizhou, plus the losses on the road, can only cost one hundred and twenty cents per dou at most. The court can also lend money to merchants. Isn't it a double benefit to borrow money and earn interest?"
Wang Anshi's opinion is that Zhang Yue did not abide by his market transaction laws.
It was from this point that he initially glimpsed the differences between his and Zhang Yue's political views.
For people like Wang Anshi, if you scold him like Tang Li did, it would be better to disobey his orders and anger him more.
Zhang Yue said: "Do you know what the price of food is in Xizhou this year? In the first half of this year, the price of food in Xizhou has been discounted by an average of two hundred and thirty-seven cents!"
"Oh? Why is it so low?"
Zhang Yue said: "Because everyone in the world knows that buying grain from Qinzhou and transporting it to Xizhou only costs 120 yuan. This more than twice the profit is enough to make the grain merchants lose."
"I have set up twelve grain-purchasing stations in Xizhou City, and we buy them according to the market price. People know that grain prices are high, and they have heard that they are competing to lose, and they come here in pursuit of profit. The price of ten acres of land in Xizhou is not as good as one mu in Qinzhou, and the price of grain
And Gao, in the past year, more than a hundred farmers have moved from Qinfeng Road every day. They buy land on the spot in Xizhou and cultivate it. Even grain merchants from other places know that grain in Xizhou is expensive, and they have hired farmers from their hometown to Xizhou.
The state sought out places with abundant water and rich soil to cultivate them, but now even the local Tibetan tribes know that food prices are high and have changed from nomadic herding to farming and living near water.”
"I dare to ask my husband, how much does the latter three cost the court?"
Wang Anshi fell silent.
Land is the most important asset of the people. In ancient times, people without land were called vagabonds, people without houses were called gangsters, and those without land and land were called hooligans.
Owning an acre of land may seem simple to a common man, but it is actually not easy.
Many people misunderstand that there are wastelands all over the mountains and plains, and people can just find an acre of land and cultivate it.
In fact, it was not a decree from the imperial court that asked ordinary people to open up wasteland. The people who could not survive went to open up wasteland. This is because the work of opening up wasteland was not done by the poor, but only by those with wealth.
Opening up wasteland means leaving one's hometown, and the first thing one has to face is the lack of overnight food.
Ordinary people who want to open up wasteland must first prepare enough grain and seeds for one year.
Then there is the matter of clearing and leveling the land, which is labor-intensive work, and strong men often die from exhaustion while clearing the land. It takes two or three years before the real harvest can be achieved.
Even if the common people open up wasteland on their own, the efficiency of farming promoted by the court is even lower.
Wang Anshi asked: "Is it really so?"
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, I have ordered that the uncultivated land in Xizhou be exempted from taxes for three years. Now there are 12,000 acres of land being reclaimed in Taoshui, Xizhou. It only takes three years... In three years, the price of food in Xizhou will be reduced."
It can be reduced to less than one hundred words!”
"One hundred coins!"
Wang Anshi murmured. Hearing what Zhang Yue said, he couldn't help but think deeply with his hands behind his hands.
He looked at the dossier on the market transaction law that Zhang Yue held in his hand and thought, was it true that his market transaction laws were wrong?
"Why was Duzhi able to come up with this method?"
Zhang Yue said: "Xiangong's method is market change. I call this method market. It is not difficult to say. It just means where it comes from and where it goes."
"Our court uses stupid methods to mobilize the cleverness of merchants and common people, and then uses their cleverness to handle important affairs of the court. It's like playing a game of chess."
Wang Anshi nodded slowly: "What about market transactions? It's so mysterious. You are just using Guan Zhong's old wisdom."
"Guan Zi has recorded that when Guan Zhong assisted Qi to attack Hengshan, he deliberately bought Hengshan's weapons at five times the price, so that everyone in Hengshan would be happy to produce weapons and abolish the farming season. You are doing the opposite.
"
Zhang Yue said: "What Mr. Xianggong said is absolutely true. In fact, the people who have been in politics throughout the ages have either been Guan Zhong or Sang Hongyang!"
Wang Anshi nodded slowly and said: "Actually, Guan Zhong and Sang Hongyang are nothing. I'm afraid your talents are even more..."
Wang Anshi paused here and said: "You don't want to learn from Guan Zhong, and don't learn from Sang Hongyang. After you go to Xizhou, you don't want to be exempted from taxes for three years, but five or ten years. Remember to let the people who follow you
They benefited.”
Zhang Yue said: "I sincerely obey the decree of Prime Minister Jun."
After Wang Anshi finished speaking, he looked back and saw that Zhang Yue was still standing motionless.
Zhang Yue said: "My husband has not promised me yet."
Wang Anshi said angrily: "What's the point of this?"
Zhang Yue said: "Xiangong also knows that the capture of Xihe was entirely dependent on Wang Zichun, but if we want to hold Xihe, we will use it to control the summer in the future... Wang Zichun cannot..."
Wang Anshi was silent.
Zhang Yue knew that he had told the truth. The capture of Xihe was not only about regaining the Tibetan tribe, but the most important thing was to cultivate the land.
This matter really has to be done by myself...
Does Wang Anshi really want Wang Shao to fulfill his wishes?
Wang Anshi must be in a dilemma. Wang Shao took the initiative to seek refuge with the other party. Now everyone in the court knows that Wang Shao is Wang Anshi's man. Let Wang Shao go and be replaced by himself.