The strike in the Hedong Saltworks caused fierce public opinion and shocked all parties. However, the instigator, Fang Jun, did not care. He still enjoyed himself every day. During the day, he took some officials and followers to wander around the saltworks, and at night he still had banquets. .
Wang Fijiao came back from outside. As soon as he arrived at the official house, he was grabbed by Fang Jun who came after hearing the news: "Let's go and have a drink."
Wang Fukiao: "..."
Can I call you daddy? Now that the saltworks is on strike and production is suspended, the two of us are political rivals. Even if we are not mortal enemies, we still have to hate each other, right? You dragging me to drink like this really makes me don't know how to deal with myself.
Can you be more serious?
However, Fang Jun had already put his arm around Wang Fijiao's neck and walked towards the dining hall. He said with a smile: "You are too thin-skinned. It's easy to suffer losses. When we two fight, it's all for business. Even if we have a grudge, it's a public grudge." , It has nothing to do with our private relationship. It’s a pleasure to have a few drinks today, and we’ll continue fighting if we don’t delay getting up early tomorrow morning.”
Wang Fukiao was pulled into the dining hall in a daze, pressed down on a chair, with a glass full of wine in front of him, feeling something was wrong.
This roommate spent the whole day hosting saltworks officials for banquets and drinks. Could it be that he had an idea similar to "building plank roads in the open and building warehouses in secret"?
But he has worked in the salt field for more than ten years and has been a supervisor for several years. He knows the operation of the salt field very well. If Fang Jun forced officials to go on strike and suspend production in the salt field, it would be impossible to avoid the losses.
At present, the salt production in the entire Tang Dynasty basically follows the process of civilian system, official acquisition, official transportation, and official sales. For example, the Hedong Salt Farm is produced under the control of the Hedong family, and is subject to the supervision and inspection of the imperial court. The province sent people to negotiate the price and handed it over to the Ministry of Household Affairs to transport it to various places for sale.
Salt, like grain, is both a consumable and a necessity. It cannot be transported or sold in large quantities. Once the inventory is exhausted, violent turmoil will inevitably occur.
There is no food for sale in the rice store. What a terrible scene is that?
The consequences of running out of salt are almost the same.
Therefore, there must be enough salt stocks in the warehouses of the Ministry of Household Affairs in various places. This stock must support sales for at least two months without subsequent replenishment.
The Hedong Saltworks is now suspended. For every additional day of suspension, the salt reserves in warehouses around the country will be reduced. Even if the saltworks resumes production tomorrow, production must be increased to make up for the shortfall on the day of suspension. Otherwise, if the amount of salt purchased by local governments suddenly A large increase may lead to insufficient salt storage or even exhaustion.
However, the Hedong salt farm has produced salt for hundreds of thousands of years. This rigorous production process has no room for evolution. The output is almost constant. How easy is it to increase production?
For every day of delay, the salt reserves in various places will decrease by one point, and the risk of selling out will increase by one point. If there is a salt shortage in Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong and other places, causing panic and turbulence, even the Hedong family, the initiator, will be frightened. I can’t predict how bad the consequences will be…
But why is Fang Jun not anxious at all?
Do you really think this is a tug-of-war, and whoever gives in first will lose?
After three rounds of drinking, Wang Fijiao was slightly tipsy and couldn't help but ask: "The Duke of Yue is really not afraid of the bad consequences?"
The reason why the Hedong family dared to stop production at the Hedong Salt Farm was because they saw the turmoil in Chang'an City and the turmoil in the clan, and concluded that Fang Jun did not dare to let such a earth-shaking situation happen, otherwise no matter how favored the emperor was, he would not be able to bear the consequences. .
It's not that Wang Fijiao couldn't keep his temper, but the Hedong family's actions were a desperate move. If such a turbulent situation really occurred, Fang Jun would be ruined, but the Hedong family who was the initiator would also face the mad wrath of the imperial court.
Fang Jun drank low-alcohol wine, and his eyes became brighter and brighter as he drank. He waved his hands and said disapprovingly: "I know what you think, it is nothing more than causing public opinion and unrest in Hedong, Henan, and Guanzhong areas. They forced me to give in, but I was fearless. To be honest, the reason why I was willing to give up military power and even refused to receive an order was to avoid suspicion and hide my capabilities and bide my time. After all, my previous achievements were too great and too dazzling. Public opinion is fierce and How about it? What about the local turmoil? Can Your Majesty deprive me of my title or behead me because of this? Don’t worry, you can’t do either."
Wang Fukiao: "..."
Is this what gives you the confidence to be unscrupulous?
Is it true to be strong without desire?
Fang Jun drank another glass of wine and raised his eyebrows: "So you must have miscalculated this time. The suspension of production now seems to be aggressive and will not give in, but it is of no use. Because I am not afraid of the negative consequences that will arise. That is I can afford it, but you are afraid because you cannot afford the consequences."
Wang Fukiao: "..."
He no longer knew what to say, because Fang Jun was holding the bottom line of Hedong Family. Suspension of production could only be used as a means to force Fang Jun to make concessions, but it must not lead to irreversible consequences.
Once the shortage of salt storage in various places triggers violent turmoil, the Hedong Family will become a thorn in everyone's side and a thorn in the flesh. Such a disregard for the overall situation will arouse everyone's anger.
To put it bluntly, Fang Jun can be willful, but the Hedong family cannot.
Fang Jun said with a smile: "I don't advise you how to do it. Just stop production. I don't care. As soon as your Majesty's edict calling me back to Beijing comes, I will return to Chang'an immediately. As for you, brother, I hope not to He will be thrown out by those old men of the Hedong family and take the blame."
"Ahem"
Wang Fijiao subconsciously took a sip of wine, but choked and coughed violently.
Will he take the blame?
If Fang Jun does not retreat even a step, and the situation continues to develop as it is now, the turmoil caused by the lack of salt is almost inevitable. By then, he may indeed be thrown out to bear the wrath of all parties, while the Hedong family pretends to be innocent and secretly After compensating some losses, the storm was settled...
What happens after that?
The violent social turmoil has forced all parties to be cautious. No one dares to force the other party and can only take a step back.
The Hedong Family will give away more profits from the salt field to compensate all parties, but the ownership of the salt field is still in the hands of the Hedong Family. The storm disappears invisible, and in the struggle where no sword is visible, all parties advance and retreat, and gain and gain. lose.
Only his king, the entire army in Fujiao, was destroyed and died without a burial place...
"Do you understand?"
Fang Jun asked with a smile, toasted again, and said with emotion: "That's why I always drag you to drink these days. It's not for any conspiracy, I just pity you for your talent. But you are a child of a noble family, so you must Use your life to protect the interests of the family. There is absolutely no chance that the interests of the family will be damaged by being greedy for life and fear of death, so drink a few more drinks. If you are drunk today, if you want to drink with you in the future, you will have to go to your grave."
Wang Fukiao: "..."
I was sweating and half sober from the wine.
After the banquet was over, Wang Fukiao stumbled back to his residence with the support of the clerk. His drunken naivety was wiped away. He walked to the table with steady steps, picked up the tea prepared by the servant and took a big sip. He burped and looked in his eyes. More and more clear.
Then I sat there in a daze...
During the banquet, Fang Jun's words really frightened him. At first he thought Fang Jun was intimidating him, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it made sense. He was very likely to become a scapegoat and be thrown away by the Hedong family. go out.
For aristocratic families, profit and inheritance are the only two principles of conduct. For these two things, anything can be lost, including a son who can calm public anger and shoulder the blame.
As long as the three "Pei Xue Liu" families are determined, the Longmen Wang family will only obey and will never be able to protect Wang Fijiao...
He rubbed his face and asked someone to call Sima Yu and Liu Changyun over.
The two of them entered and smelled the smell of alcohol in the room. Sima Yu sighed and said: "This second room is simply a demon king. How can anyone be so deceptive? He has a high title and official position. He is also our immediate boss. He earns lira every day." I can’t refuse even though I drink alcohol. If this continues, I won’t be able to bear it anymore!”
Liu Changyun was still frightened and looked frightened: "Every time I am dragged to drink, I feel the sadness of going to the execution ground, alas."
The second roommate is young, strong, and has a good drinking capacity. He can hardly get drunk after a thousand drinks. Who can bear it?
For more than half a month, several of them have been drunk for almost ten of the twenty hours every day. Even during the few hours they were sober, they were dizzy and sleepy. However, before they were completely drunk, After sobering up, the next round of banquet begins again.
What a sin...
Wang Fukiao took a sip of tea, turned a deaf ear to the complaints of the two men, and asked, "Fang Jun has been fine these days. What are the retinues and servants he brought doing?"
Although he thought that Fang Jun's words made sense, and he seemed to really not care about the consequences of the suspension of production at the salt works, he still felt that things would not be that simple. Fang Jun was now considered a famous official of his generation, with outstanding achievements. As expected, he did nothing and just waited. Was your Majesty recalled to Chang'an because the matter could not be resolved?
Sima Yu said angrily: "It's not like they are all idle. Isn't there another Zheng Xuanguo? This guy is a traitor. He spends the whole day wandering around the salt field with Fang Jun's retinue and servants, drawing some drawings from time to time. I don’t know what the intention is.”
Liu Changyun was worried: "If the Xingyang Zheng family completely sides with His Majesty, it will most likely lead to an internal split among the Henan gentry. After all, the Xingyang Zheng family is deeply rooted and powerful."
No alliance has ever been able to be truly monolithic. The Henan nobles cannot do it, and neither can the Hedong aristocratic family. Even the three representatives of the Hedong aristocratic family, the "Pei Xue Liu" family, had discordant opinions and different positions due to their luxuriant branches and numerous branches, and they were quarreling and fighting internally.
Once the Zheng family in Xingyang attracted some close family members to join His Majesty, the panic-stricken Henan gentry was instantly divided, which directly affected the unity of the Hedong family.
Wang Fukiao doesn't care about this. He only cares about whether Fang Jun really allowed the salt farm to stop production: "Do you think he has any method to quickly increase production after the salt farm resumes production?"
The technology of salt production in Hedong Salt Farm is not static, but it has fallen into a period of stagnation in the past hundred years, and no new production technology has been born.
But what if Fang Jun has a way to increase the output of the salt farm?
That's a big deal.
(End of chapter)
