Xuan Zhen narrowed his eyes, looked at Jia Sidao, and then looked at the monogram on the contract.
In recent years, Zhang Kai has made a lot of money by traveling to northern ports. Xuan Zhen's tribe in Qingyuan Mansion speculated that he must have some kind of relationship with Ding Haijun behind his back.
When Jia Sidao saw this monogram, his attitude was a little abrupt, as if he had not just heard of the reputation.
Maybe Zhang Kai and Jia Sidao are secretly colluding.
But that’s okay.
At the beginning of last year, Shi Xianggong, under certain pressure, instructed various shipping companies to block grain trade with the north. After that trip, many officials lost their stomachs. So they kept their faces low, secretly encouraging trade, and even used their own power to protect smuggling.
At present, when it comes to the relationship with Zhongdu, various arguments are emerging one after another. But when it comes to trade with Zhongli, no one seems to want to mention it. Those who have been asking the court to strictly control the situation and encouraging the navy to set up a navy along the river to join the fight against smuggling are actually a few figures related to the Tea Horse Company.
Because as the maritime trade became more prosperous, the price of horses in Lin'an territory gradually increased to 200 yuan. In previous years, the imperial court allocated the tea and horse department to spend as much as 200 yuan per day to send horses from Sichuan and Guangzhou. Five hundred horses. The difference in price is really dependent on the food and clothing of countless officials and subordinates, and they cannot be given up easily.
On the contrary, those scholar-bureaucrats who like to sing high-key, because they see their tribesmen or peers benefiting more and more from the sea, their resistance is not strong. After all, no one has to deal with money. Occasionally, someone presses for advice. These literati always have the ability to speak eloquently.
Therefore, if Zhang Kai can really connect with the north, Xuan Zhen will feel relieved.
At least, the safety of the money that my family has slowly accumulated over the years is definitely guaranteed. If there was no bragging in the book of establishment of Shanghai Bank, and the capital of 20,000 guan was invested, at least 7,000 to 8,000 guan would be earned in a year!
As long as there are no major mistakes in this trip, the next few years will go smoothly. The powerful enemies in the north could use force, and the people of the Song Dynasty were prosperous and prosperous, which was the strength of the Song Dynasty.
For Zhongdu to maintain its finances, maritime trade with the Song Dynasty was indispensable. For Kaifeng Mansion, it was necessary to support their elite soldiers of the Thirteen Captains, and it was also indispensable for the Song Dynasty's annual coins to be given and forex trade.
As these two families are closely connected financially with the Song Dynasty, their atmosphere will gradually be affected by the Song Dynasty. Xuan Zhen made a special inquiry a while ago and found out that a large number of books printed in bookshops all over the country were sold northward. It includes not only the classics of Buddhism, Laoism, and Confucianism, but also masterpieces by Zhu Xi, Cheng Zhai, Fang Weng, etc. This is still the case when the imperial court strictly enforces a ban on books. If it can be encouraged and the vulgar northerners can be imbued with the elegance and elegance of the Song Dynasty, maybe...
Today's Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties are strictly speaking the result of hasty make-shifts. But if we want the stability of the political power, we cannot just rely on galloping horses and bending bows. We must also come up with some political ideas. And those veteran generals and heroes who are in charge of heavy troops will sooner or later be transformed into wealthy families. In this process, where is the lack of study?
Therefore, if we use trade expansion to promote cultural exchanges, if we act quickly and efficiently, will there be some other surprises?
At this time, the boat was following the current, and the sea ship was heading straight to Mingzhou. Although Xuan Zhen is old, he is in good health. He is from Qingyuan Prefecture. He has been near the sea since he was a child and does not get seasick. Along the way, he repeatedly thought about how to use literature to make friends in China, promote literature and education, and how to spread Cheng-Zhu's learning to Kaifeng.
The so-called strategy is to attack the country above and engage in war in the country below.
Ding Haijun's intention was to share the huge profits from maritime trade and win over the officials of the Song Dynasty with huge profits, thereby protecting their maritime lifeline. This is a conspiracy.
And if the Song Dynasty could spread knowledge, share the Song Dynasty's cultural philosophy, and then lay ambush in the newly born Zhou Kingdom in advance to win over those who were interested in enjoying peace, it would also be a conspiracy.
What's more, this move can also promote the Chinese orthodoxy, isn't it beautiful?
After Xuan Zhen came up with this idea, the more he thought about it, the more he thought he might as well give it a try. In the next few days, he drafted several letters to literary friends in the cabin and began to practice his own speaking skills. In order to achieve proficiency, he also invited Jia Sidao to consult with him.
Jia Sidao responded with words, but felt some sympathy in his heart.
Marshal Guo and even the generals of the Ding Navy naturally have ideas. However, their philosophy is to fight for victory in war, and to maintain the competitive spirit of warriors. It is actually completely different from what the Song Dynasty regarded as Guigao. I don’t know how desperate Xuan Zhen must have been when he saw the murderous Imperial College in Tianjin Mansion every day.
He didn't have any ill intentions towards the old man, so he interrupted from time to time along the way, telling some rumors that were both true and false, and recounting the experience of Ding Haijun's rise, in order to slightly dispel Xuan Zhen's delusions. When the ship was approaching Qingyuan Mansion, he also talked about the large scale of the fleet preparing to go north and the rich supplies it carried.
The waterway from Ganpu to Yinxian County in Qingyuan Prefecture is only two hundred miles, and the entire journey is between Qiantangkou and Suzhou Yang. The channel is very deep, and although there is a tidal wave, it will not hinder the boat's movement. The sea ship traveled very quickly. It only took two and a half days to cross Qiantangkou. It took another half day to follow many ships up and down the Yongjiang River and arrived at the famous Sanjiang Pavilion outside Dongdu Gate in Yin County.
Sanjiang Pavilion is located between Yupu Gate and Dongdu Gate in Yin County. The entire river bank is full of continuous docks, called Jiangxia Port.
This port is composed of multiple piers arranged in an east-west direction. Each pier is built with long strips of boulders, which are more than ten chapters long. There are also gravel-paved breakwaters and lighthouses on the outside, which are extremely large in scale.
When Jia Sidao and Xuan Zhen were on the boat, they saw that every pier was full of boats. The smallest one was similar to the lucky boat they were riding on. Looking around, they saw masts like a forest, sails like a wall, and there were no less than dozens of boats. On the bow of the ship, a brand new sign with the word "Shang" was hung.
Directly connected to the dock is the huge warehouse and the Qingyuan City Shipping Department. Countless people carrying burdens or pushing carts were running back and forth on the road to the dock.
When the subordinates responsible for contacting the shipment of supplies and handling procedures landed, the two of them stepped off the ship on the swaying wooden planks. Because the crowds were too dense, all the heads with buns and cloths around them were gathered together, like a black ant colony, everyone was sweating like rain and busy.
Xuan Zhen was about to say a few words of praise when he suddenly let out a sigh and felt something strange.
At the end of the pier, there were usually only a few officials hanging around, but today there were many more soldiers on duty, and the officers leading the troops looked very serious. Could it be that some big shot is coming? The business of the Shanghai branch is about to be fully launched. No matter how jealous you are at this time, you have to wait until next year to discuss the joint venture, right? Is there anyone else who would go to Qingyuan Mansion to cause trouble?
Jia Sidao also felt slightly that something was wrong.
He pulled Xuan Zhen and retreated to the side of the road. Immediately, more than ten soldiers surrounded an official and forced the crowd away with punches and kicks. The road to the pier was narrow, so this move immediately caused a stir. Someone who was walking by the river was suddenly pushed and almost fell into the water. The strong men complained loudly, but the group ignored them and just ran towards the two-person boat.
The official obviously ran straight from the direction of the Shibo Siguan Office. As he ran, sweat was pouring from his head and face. Jia Sidao met this man a while ago. He was a good friend of Zhang Liang from East Zhejiang Province who often intervened in the affairs of the Municipal Shipping Department!
Xuan Zhen immediately raised his voice and asked, "Brother Zhang, are you looking for me if you have something to do?"
Zhang Liangpeng suddenly stopped and looked around in the crowd. After seeing Xuan Zhen, he stepped up, took Xuan Zhen's arm, and pulled him to the edge of the pier. It wasn't until he was leaning against the side of a giant boat, and those approaching from the left and right were driven away by the soldiers, that Zhang Liangpeng whispered in his ear: "The golden soldiers of Kaifeng are marching south in large numbers, with overwhelming momentum!"
