Yang Anxuan stood up, filled the cups of wine for the Qi family and his son, and asked with a smile: "The Qi family has business dealings with the Yan State, so we know the recent situation in the Yan State."
Qi Yuan stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I don't care much about the details anymore. Qi Sheng, the dog, is taking care of the business."
Qi Sheng cupped his hands and said: "Prefect Yang, after the death of Yan Shizu Murong Chong, his son Murong Bao succeeded to the throne. Due to harsh punishments, his stepmother was forced to death and the crown prince was deposed, which led to disunity. The Northern Wei Dynasty stepped up its attacks on the Yan Kingdom, and Yan was troubled by foreign aggression. , the country’s power is getting weaker and weaker.”
Yang Anxuan sat back on the table and listened to Qi Sheng's story, sighing secretly in his heart. Back then, he disguised himself as a merchant and went to Zhongshan City, where he witnessed Murong Chui destroying Xi Yan and making Later Yan prosperous.
Who would have thought that with the passing of Murong Chui, within four years, Zhongshan City would fall into the hands of the Wei people, and even the successor king, Murong Bao, would be killed.
Qi Sheng wanted to show his worth in front of the prefect, and said: "In May of this year, in the third year of Yongkang in the Yan Kingdom, Murong Bao, the emperor of Yan, was killed by his uncle Lan Han in Longcheng. Murong Bao's eldest son Murong Sheng took advantage of the fight between Lan Han and his brothers. Kill Lan Khan and regain the throne."
Yang Anxuan asked: "I wonder how the new king of Yan is doing?"
Qi Sheng said: "The leader of the Yan Kingdom, Murong Sheng, is only twenty-six years old. He is very similar to his ancestor Murong Chui. It's a pity that the country is unrest and the Wei Kingdom is pressing harder. The fate of the country is in jeopardy."
Yang Anxuan sighed: "Back then, Yu once went to Zhongshan City in disguise to inquire about the military situation. He met Yan Shizu Murong Chui once. Yan Shizu expressed his intention to reconcile by presenting a golden crown to the court through Yu. Later, the court and the Yan State signed a letter of credence, agreeing that each of them would guard the country. Territory, do not invade each other.”
The fact that Yan Shizu presented the golden crown was not spread among the people. Qi Yuan was surprised and said: "I didn't expect that the reconciliation between Yan and Jin was the result of Yang Taishou."
Yang Anxuan understood that such a letter of credence was only needed temporarily. Later, the Yan State frequently attacked the territory of the Jin State. In August of this year, the Jin State took advantage of the suppression of the Yan State by the Wei State and led the Ningni General Deng Qifang and Nanyang Prefect Lu Qiuxian. An army of 20,000 troops attacked Yan State, hoping to take advantage of the situation and rob it, but ended up being defeated.
The Xianbei Tuoba tribe in the far north gradually became stronger. In June this year, it officially designated the country as Wei and established Pingcheng as its capital, with the intention of spreading the world. In the next few decades, Wei will annihilate Later Yan and Later Qin, unify the north, and lay the foundation for the eventual unification of the south from the north.
For Yang Anxuan, a powerful Wei State was what he did not want to see. The Jin Dynasty was weak and unable to compete with Hu Qi. Yang Anxuan made up his mind to secretly help Hou Yan fight with Wei, and provoke Wei, Yan, and Qin to fight against each other, so as to weaken the three countries and have a chance to compete with them.
Among the three kingdoms of Wei, Yan and Qin, Yan was the weakest, so Yang Anxuan planned to make a big business deal to secretly boost Yan's strength and delay Wei's southward advance.
Seeing that Yang Anxuan was thoughtful, Qi Sheng asked with a smile: "I don't know what kind of business Yang Taishou wants to do. Tea from Xinye and Baling, celadon produced in Sanwu, and Yunjie paper are all very popular in Yan State, so he It would be very profitable to sell some corn across the border."
Yang Anxuan smiled half-heartedly and said, "The profits from these businesses are too thin. I have a big deal. I wonder if the Qi family can take it on."
Qi Sheng's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Prefect Yang, I am not boasting, no matter how big the business is, the Qi family can take it on."
Yang Anxuan turned the wine glass in his hand and said in a deep voice: "I plan to sell the weapons to Yan State and then buy horses from Yan State."
Qi Yuan and his son were shocked. Selling weapons to the enemy was a capital crime, and the Yan State would not sell horses to the Jin people either.
Yang Anxuan said unhurriedly: "Does Mr. Qi know about the weapons test at the school field in May? How about Yingjiasu's iron sword?"
Qi Yuan stood up in shock, bowed and saluted: "Prefect Yang, the iron sword is a sharp weapon of the country, how can it be sold to the enemy. Although the Qi family are merchants, they dare not accept this order. I hope Prefect Yang will think twice."
Qi Sheng was dumbfounded and said: "You must not... you must not succumb to the enemy for the sake of temporary gain and become an eternal sinner. This is a business that the Qi family will not do."
That day, there was a weapons test in the school grounds. Prefect Yang had sent someone to invite him. Qi Yuan asked his son Qi Sheng to come and watch. He heard from his son that the Ying family's iron sword was extremely fast and could break armor for thirty rolls. It could cut with the swords of other iron shops. , can easily cut off the opponent's sword. It is not an exaggeration to call such a sword a treasured sword.
The Qi family was doing business with the Hu people, and there were more than 300 guards in the family. Qi Yuan thought about buying some from the Ying family.
Su Tiedao equipment part, but hit a wall.
The Ying family told him that these knives were strictly controlled by the government, and each blade had a serial number. Taishou Yang sent someone to guard and register them at the Ying family's iron shop. Except for the county army, they were not allowed to sell them. Unexpectedly, Taishou Yang actually wanted to sell them. To the State of Yan.
Seeing the reaction of Qi's father and son, Yang Anxuan was relieved and said with a smile: "Master Qi, please sit down and listen to Yu's detailed explanation. As a member of Jin, Yu will never betray the country for mere money."
Qi Yuan remembered that for disaster relief, Governor Yang had raised hundreds of thousands of stones of corn on his own. He heard that most of the money was paid out of his own pocket. This time, Governor Yang spent a lot of money to build a school in the county.
When the father and son talked about this, they all lamented that Governor Yang really regarded money as dirt and devoted himself to doing practical things for the people. In this case, there must be some hidden agenda in this business.
"I'm Meng Lang." Qi Yuan sat back as he was told, and said uneasily: "Please ask Governor Yang to explain."
"Weng Qi, your son just said that the Yan State was forced to retreat steadily by the Wei State, and the national destiny is in jeopardy." Yang Anxuan said: "If this situation continues, it won't take long for the Yan State to be destroyed by the Wei State."
Qi Yuan twirled his beard and pondered. The Qi family had business dealings with Yan, Wei, and Qin. He knew the situation of Wei and Yan better than the average person.
Just as what Yang Taishou said, the state of Dai has been designated as Wei, the capital has been moved to Pingcheng, and it is heard that preparations are being made to ascend the throne of the emperor. However, the territory of the Yan State is in a mess, and foreign enemies are still fighting among themselves. If this continues, the Yan State may really be destroyed.
Just listen to Yang Anxuan continue: "The Yan Kingdom was strong and prosperous for a while, with more than ten pastures and more than 100,000 good horses. If the Wei people take it away, their power will become stronger. If they take advantage of the power and go south, I am afraid it will be difficult for the court to resist." five
Qi Sheng sighed and said, "Prefect Yang is right. All the enemies in the north are enemies. This is not a blessing for the court."
"After the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, the Five Husbands devastated China, and the Han people were reduced to two-legged sheep, almost exterminated." Yang Anxuan said angrily: "You must not sit back and watch such a tragedy happen again."
Qi Yuan somewhat understood what Yang Anxuan meant and said, "Does Grand Administrator Yang intend to secretly help the Yan State to contain the Wei State?"
Yang Anxuan nodded and said: "The Jin Dynasty is short of horses, but the Yan Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of good horses. We just take this opportunity to exchange for some horses."
Qi Yuan stroked his beard and weighed the gains and losses. Qi Sheng's heart skipped a beat and said, "If this is the case, there is a lot to be done."
Yang Anxuan smiled at Qi Yuan and said, "Don't worry, Qi Weng. The amount of knife-for-horse transactions is controlled at around three hundred per year, and the knives traded are also very particular. They only focus on hardness and sharpness, but not enough toughness."
If it lacks toughness, it will become useless soon after being used, and it will be difficult to recast it. Qi Yuan felt relieved and said, "Prefect Yang has been worried about this for a long time. I am really worried."
Yang Anxuan raised his glass and made a toast to calm down the shock of Qi Yuan and his son. Qi Yuan asked, "I wonder how Governor Yang plans to exchange?"
"Exchange a knife for a horse." Yang Anxuan said with a smile.
Qi Sheng took a breath. The county army purchased the Su Tiedao for five thousand yuan. A seventy-forged sword was almost the same as the Su Tiedao. The price on the market was around twenty thousand yuan, while the war horse The price is 100,000 yuan, and the profit of this transaction is 20 times. Prefect Yang is really doing a big business.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and said: "Shao Tie from Yan Land, someone brought a knife into Yan Realm through the escort. Each sword with thirty forgings can be sold for 30,000 yuan. The Su Tie sword is extremely sharp, comparable to a precious sword. This Su Tie sword It’s not difficult to trade a knife for a horse, if you operate it properly.”
Customs clearance for business travel between the two countries requires recording the physical appearance of the person passing through the customs, the materials, vehicles, weapons, and time of passage, etc. It is said that the weapons must be inspected when returning from customs, but there are many operable methods: First, buy The second is to go through the customs and pass the customs with secret possession; the second is to go out old and come back new again, and pass through the customs in a muddle; the third is to have enough power and unimpeded access.
The Qi family has been in business for hundreds of years, so they have a clear understanding of the joints. Snakes follow their own paths, rats follow their own paths. To do business, you still need to rely on businessmen.
"Qi Gong, Yu wants you to bring a few samples of Su Tiejian to Emperor Yan. If Yan is interested, let him send someone to discuss it, and Qi Gong will come forward on Yu's behalf." Yang Anxuan said: "If you can exchange it for For war horses, each horse can earn a profit of five thousand coins."
Qi Sheng was happy, exchanging knives for horses was a pure profit, and other businesses were going smoothly with the care of Yang Taishou. Could it be that Yang Taishou wanted to take the opportunity to return to China?
Repay the family's help.
Qi Yuan pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Prefect Yang, I will try my best to handle this matter. As for exchanging a sword for a horse, it is to serve the country, and the Qi family dare not make a profit."
Yang Anxuan smiled and said: "Qi Weng has far-reaching plans, and Yang will definitely not let Qi Weng down."
…………
The hustle and bustle in the world is all for profit, and the bustling world is all for profit. The nobles of Sanwu are also doing a big business.
Sanwu, Wujun, Wuxing, and Kuaiji are densely populated and fertile real estate. They were the granary and money storehouse of the Jin Dynasty.
Most of the gentry in the Sanwu area are old gentry from the Sun Wu period. After Yongjia's southern migration, the power of these old gentry was greatly reduced. After two divisions, the gentry surnamed Wu became more and more declining, and their voice in the court became weaker and weaker, and even reduced to As a second-class family member, of course I feel dissatisfied.
Jiangzuo has been in chaos for several times, and the land of Sanwu is a "difficult and easy to move" place, and it is involved in the interests of powerful noble families.
When Wang Gong first raised troops, the Sanwu gentry supported him and wanted to take the opportunity to support Wang Gong in the court and regain his power in the court.
So Yu Xiaofu, the leader, responded to Wang Yan's call, raised troops to clear the emperor's side, and killed a group of opponents. Unexpectedly, Wang Gong withdrew his troops after the court killed Wang Guobao.
This made it difficult for the three Wu troops to dismount from the tiger. Wang Lian was so angry that he wanted to support Sima Daozi. Wang Lian simply led his army to attack Wang Gong.
As a result, Sima Daozi forwarded Wang Lian's informant letter to Wang Gong, and Wang Gong sent Liu Laozhi to lead his army south. The three Wu troops failed, and Wang Lian's life or death was unknown.
Yu Xiao's father, a representative figure of the Sanwu gentry, was redeemed as a commoner due to the merits of his ancestors and escaped with his life.
Other noble clans were not so lucky. After a bloody purge, many people were killed, demoted, and punished. The court even increased the taxes in the Sanwu area, and ordinary people complained endlessly.
When Wang Gong raised his army for the second time, Sun Tai, the leader of the Celestial Master and the prefect of Xin'an, believed that "Jin Zuo will end and can be replaced."
So he used his status as the leader of the Celestial Master to gather believers, collect money and food, and prepare for an uprising in the name of attacking Wang Gong.
Abandoned by the court, this time the Sanwu nobles were in a hurry and sought medical treatment, placing their bets on Sun Tai.
