Laizhou, Sanshan Port.
On the Bohai Coast in early April, the sea breeze is cool and the sunshine is pleasant. On the outer edge of the port, there are three adjacent peaks, which are abrupt and tall. The mountains penetrate into the sea and look like a crescent moon.
Guo Ning stood on the top of the mountain and looked far into the distance, only to see the boundless blue sky and the tidal blue sea.
Dozens of ships are moored in the harbor. There are merchant ships and a few fishing boats. The boats are connected with wooden planks. Sailors or fishermen walk on the wooden planks to the pier, and then follow the pier to several newly built wine shops on the inside of the harbor.
There were also a few people who were more ornately dressed and those were the maritime merchants staying at Sanshan Port. I heard that those people have already bought houses and shops in Ye County, and are preparing to make the smuggling business completely public and flex their muscles.
It was the time of high tide, and waves of waves were beating against the rugged and towering boulders at his feet. The sea water collided with the caves deep in the boulders, making a vast and powerful sound, as if there was something huge and unpredictable below. space is the same.
This was Guo Ning's first time here. He couldn't help but look down and stamp his feet.
Li Yun, who was accompanying him, said: "Commander, when the First Emperor traveled eastward to the sea, he paid homage to the famous mountains, rivers and eight gods, asking for the immortals' envy. Five of the eight gods here are all under the jurisdiction of our Dinghai Navy. The place where Jieshuai now sets foot is the three mountains where Lord Yin is worshiped. Which god the so-called Lord Yin is is unknown now, but the reason why he chose to worship here must have something to do with the sound of the sea water."
Guo Ning asked: "Is this really the place where the First Emperor worshiped?"
"Commander Jie, please look here." Li Yun said: "Are there faint traces of wine bottles and chopsticks on this flat stone? Legend has it that this is the place where the First Emperor poured wine to worship the Lord of Yin. In addition, we set up a watchtower. The place is said to be the site of the Sanshan Pavilion built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty when he offered sacrifices here."
"That's it." Guo Ning nodded and touched the marks on the stone: "Speaking of sacrifices... Later, you can ask Jin Qing for me if you need to make arrangements, so that Taoist Priest Yuyangzi from Donglai Mountain can be arranged. Come forward.”
"Yes." Li Yun bowed solemnly and said, "But Mr. Jin Qing probably won't make a big deal about it." "
Guo Ning thought for a while and nodded.
The reason why he suddenly talked about this was because the day before yesterday, Du Shisheng sent people from Zhongdu and sailed south in a light boat and brought a piece of news.
Tu Shanyi died of illness.
This powerful official who wanted to maintain the situation in Daikin at all costs finally completed his forty-year official career and reached the end of his life.
He was a Jurchen, but at the same time he was a gentle Confucian scholar and the leader of the Han civil servants in the court. Therefore, for decades, he has been working tirelessly to bridge the many conflicts in the court. And when the conflict finally intensified, he could make a prompt decision and use the most drastic means to eradicate the soil that caused the conflict.
Even in Guo Ning's eyes, Tu Shanyi is a rare capable minister. In his forty years of official career, he started from the first batch of Jurchen scholars, became Prime Minister Zuo, Marshal of the capital, Jian Pingzhang, Prince of Guangyang County, and became a powerful minister under one person in the court and above tens of thousands of people.
However, his forty years of official career were also the forty years when the Kingdom of Jin turned from prosperity to decline. For Tu Shanyi himself, seeing the great power of the Jin Kingdom, even if his personal official position and power were increasing, there might not be anything to be happy about.
With Tu Shanyi's talent, he should have accomplished more. But in the increasingly difficult situation, he could only adapt to the situation.
In fact, the changes one after another are rarely successful, and after a change, they are often driven by the current situation, resulting in more unpredictable changes. But at least every decision he made did have some benefit to the situation.
For example, the powerful minister who tried to support the army and respect himself did indeed die, and the emperor's throne did change. Another example is that the new emperor really had to insist on confronting the Mongolian army in Zhongdu.
And Tu Shanyi worked hard for this little benefit.
Guo Ning had already expected Tu Shanyi's death. He met Tu Danyi twice, and each time he felt that the old man was older than before.
But Guo Ning really didn't expect that his life would end so soon. He always felt that the old man had a special power in his body that allowed him to continue to persevere with his aging body.
Perhaps Tu Shanyi's last bit of energy was devoted to supporting Sui Wang Wanyan Shouxu to go south to Kaifeng. When he confirmed that Daijin's two-point situation was formed, his body probably lost its reason to continue to maintain it.
Guo Ning had no feelings for the Kingdom of Jin, and was even more disgusted with the Jurchen officials and nobles. In the process of his rise from the grass, he also had several battles of wits and courage with Tu Shanyi. But for Tu Danyi himself, he actually had some respect.
Yiza Chucai, as Tu Danyi's close nephew, chose to follow Guo Ning, betraying Tu Danyi and Tu Danyi's path. Hearing the news of his death, I'm afraid Yi La Chucai's mood was very complicated.
In the past two days, Yilan Chucai, who was always energetic and devoted to his official duties, took leave of absence, so Guo Ning took Li Yun on a tour.
Even Li Yun himself has complicated emotions. Li Yun had never met the Prime Minister of Jin Dynasty, but during the few months he was in charge of the situation in Zhigu Village, he heard many rumors about Tu Shanyi. He can at least confirm that once Tu Shanyi dies, the political situation in Dajin, the game between the emperor and his ministers, and the subtle relationship between Daxing Prefecture in Zhongdu and Kaifeng Prefecture in Nanjing will all undergo huge changes.
And this change will soon affect Ding Haijun, and you may be able to see it today.
Guo Ning listened to the sound of the ocean tide and was silent for a long time.
After all, he was just the prime minister of Dajin. He didn't want to make the atmosphere too heavy, so he smiled and asked, "Ayun has been in Shandong not long ago, so he is very familiar with these anecdotes?"
"How could I have such ability... A while ago, I went to this place with Judge Yi La, accompanied by several large merchants, and listened to what Judge Yi La said on the way. Once, he even composed a poem on the spot, and I also memorized it. Do you want to hear it, Jieshuai?"
Guo Ning waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, I have a headache."
Negotiations between Xiancai Chucai and Haishang have been going on, but there have been no results. However, the smuggling trade between the Song and Jin families lasted for decades, and everyone came here for the purpose of making money. Even if Laizhou Ding Haijun personally ended up in an official capacity, it was for the purpose of making money, and not for the purpose of tightening maritime rules.
The reason why many details are difficult to implement is because both parties understand that in this kind of bargaining process, the more the party can control its temper, the more it can take the initiative at the critical moment of the negotiation and get more benefits.
So on Ding Haijun's side, Li Yun was still the one who came forward, banging the table and rolling around talking every day, while Yi La Chucai still accompanied him on trips every now and then. As time passed, everyone felt that Ding Haijun's assassination judge had a calm demeanor, but that Li Yun was really a stickler and not a son of a man.
Li Yun took this post and put in a lot of effort. He didn't know a few words at first. Over the past few months, he had memorized them by rote and studied hard every night. Now he looked like a somewhat experienced businessman. Not to mention negotiating with others, even if he accompanied Yi Lachu. When traveling, you can be elegant and not show any vulgarity.
This is a time of drought. The grain obtained by Guo Ning's troops last year through plundering their homes and plundering money is being consumed very quickly, so they have reached an agreement with a group of maritime merchants to transport a few ships of grain as a preliminary practice before a large-scale transaction.
Therefore, Guo Ning immediately asked Li Yun about preparations for the repairs of various private ports. Li Yun also talked about the addition of facilities in Shihuzui, Diaolongzui, Taiping Bay, and Hutouya outside Sanshan Port, as well as the transportation route arrangements for ports, warehouses, and military forts.
Guo Ning was very satisfied and was about to ask something else when he suddenly heard footsteps rushing. There was a man who stepped on the ladder of the watchtower and ran down to report: "Commander Jies, the ship is almost here!"
Guo Ning squinted and looked at the sea, only to see a white sail going around the three mountains. Someone on the boat was waving two-color flags, echoing the same flags waving on the watchtower.
In the port, several civil and military officials who had been waiting in advance began to line up on the seawall at the end of the plank road. Another group of soldiers came out from the military fort south of the port and dispersed the people along the way to avoid blocking the road.
After watching for a long time, Guo Ning suddenly frowned: "This matter has gone astray. Do I still have to go to the mountains to shout long live and kowtow to those who come in front of so many people?"
Li Yun coughed repeatedly: "Jie Shuai, after all, that is an angel... a greeting is nothing."
Guo Ning chuckled twice.
The banner of the imperial court will indeed have to be fought for a while longer. But there are some things Guo Ning doesn't like to do. Does the court still have the ability to force him to do it?
In view of the current situation in the Kingdom of Jin, Daxing Mansion in Zhongdu has soldiers and people, and even has the name of the imperial court, but it is desolate everywhere and is in urgent need of food. The prosperous Kaifeng Mansion can provide everything Zhongdu needs, and it can actually control the Zhongdu court by relying on its advantages in food and supplies.
At this time, only Ding Haijun's sea route could bring another channel for supplying grain and materials to Zhongdu; and only by Ding Haijun's high hand could the Zhongdu court have the confidence to continue entangled with Kaifeng Mansion.
The Zhongdu court should take note of this. As long as the big shots in the court are smart enough, they will only try their best to win over Guo Ning to maintain maritime routes. If they are not smart enough, Guo Ning doesn't mind doing them a little favor to make them smarter.
So Guo Ning sat down on a stone in the mountain and said concisely and concisely: "Let the envoy come and ask him to meet me here."
Li Yun responded.
After less than half an hour, a servant in embroidered clothes trotted up from the mountain and saluted deeply from a few feet away: "Deputy Envoy Wuwei, please remind Qingshan Nu of the Attendant Bureau to pay my respects to Envoy Xuanfu!"
"Xuanfu envoy?" Guo Ning asked with a smile, "Am I promoted?"
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