Taking advantage is taking advantage, but it is not the right way after all.
Zhang Xi's strategy can make Liu Bei laugh and wipe away some of his inner unhappiness, but it will not do any good to the big man.
After all, Liu Bei was a mature monarch and a political figure. He could do such small tricks, but if they were not beneficial to the big man, it would not make much difference whether he did them or not.
Therefore, Liu Bei did not express any intention to adopt this suggestion, but continued to ask Zhuge Liang for advice.
Formally questioning Zhuge Liang means that Liu Bei is seeking actual benefits. Zhuge Liang knows this.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang thought about it and suggested, "We can renew the alliance with Jiangdong, agree on mutual trade, and mutually protect the trade routes along the river."
Well, this is the truth.
Regardless of the legitimacy of Sun Quan's proclaimed emperor, Liu Beicheng did not admit that Sun Quan had indeed proclaimed himself emperor in essence.
Once he became emperor, he could clearly establish checkpoints to collect taxes. If Sun Quan insisted on not allowing goods from Shu to be transported to Jiangdong, or imposing heavy taxes on goods from Shu, it would actually be justified.
In the past, because of the war, and because everyone still ate on the plate in the name of Dahan, whether it was transporting Shu brocade, salt, paper and other things from Shu to Jiangdong, or the Liu Bei Group purchased grain and grass through the Jiangdong family It is normal to transport it to Shuzhong.
The most important thing is to clear up the relationship with the local government. As long as there is the endorsement of the local aristocratic family, there will basically be no problem.
But now, Sun Quan proclaims himself an emperor and establishes a country. Some things cannot be solved with a note. Transactions between countries must have a clear charter.
Otherwise, once Sun Quan retreats into seclusion, Liu Bei's group's Shu Brocade, no matter how good it is, will not be able to be delivered to Jiangdong.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang put forward the suggestions of "mutual trading" and "protecting business roads".
Of course, this suggestion is not made casually. There is a premise here - the Han Dynasty must have a trade surplus with Jiangdong.
Although Zhuge Liang does not understand the term "trade surplus", it does not prevent Zhuge Liang from understanding this meaning. Or even a slightly normal person can understand it. After all, who would do anything that is not beneficial?
In fact, Ji Han always had a trade surplus with Jiangdong or Cao Wei in the north. Whether it was Shu brocade, paper, salt, or even smuggled iron, it could bring Ji Han a lot of money and food income.
"Mutual market" is actually beneficial to Ji Han.
Ji Han exported inedible Sichuan brocade, paper and other items, but all he got back was food. Otherwise, how could he support the wars in successive years if he relied on Shuzhong and Jingzhou? !
Due to political factors, Cao Wei inevitably had to take the official smuggling route. Although this route can bring high profits, it cannot be shipped in large quantities and has many concerns.
But here in Jiangdong, if the conditions for "mutual trade" can be negotiated, not only can a large amount of revenue be brought in through trade surplus, but also "municipal supervision taxes" can be formulated, and the national treasury can be legitimately expanded through tax collection.
From Sun Quan's point of view, he may not need the Shu Brocade in Shu, but for paper, salt, and even iron, Sun Quan hopes that the more the merrier.
This is a good way to make Sun Quan accept it and harvest Jiangdong's property at the same time. It is a conspiracy.
As soon as Zhuge Liang brought it up, Liu Bei's eyes lit up, and he quickly ordered people to invite Liu Ba back to discuss how to deal with this mutual trade.
As for Liu Bama, he was called back by Liu Bei before he got home. As soon as he heard that there was going to be a mutual trade, his brain started to work quickly.
This is Liu Ba's job, and he has been thinking about it for a while. He was just afraid that Liu Bei would find it inappropriate, so he never mentioned it.
Now that Zhuge Liang had brought it up, he had no worries and quickly stated his thoughts.
In addition to mutual trading, Liu Ba also suggested to Liu Bei that all settlements in Shu should not be carried out through barter, but should be settled with five baht coins as a medium.
Today, the world is in chaos, and there are very few five-baht coins in the market. That is to say, Liu Bei's large-scale development of copper mines can open up sufficient castings. In other places, whether it is Cao Wei or Jiangdong, there are not enough five-baht coins in circulation.
Once five baht coins are used as an intermediary currency in the transaction process, the Jiangdong family will definitely not have that many five baht coins to trade. They must first ship a batch of items such as grain in exchange for five baht coins, and then use five baht coins. Money is used to trade goods shipped to Shu.
This time of going back and forth not only allows the big man to obtain the goods he needs in advance, but also allows Jiangdong to get used to using the five baht money from Shuzhong.
The terrible thing is that whether it is Cao Wei or Jiangdong, the legal currency is five baht coins. Sun Quan had no reason to prohibit the people and families in Jiangdong from using the five baht coins in Shu.
Once the people in Jiangdong get used to using the five-baht coins in Shu, Liu Ba can take the next step, the plan that exists in his mind but has not yet been put into practice - artificially creating a money shortage and triggering inflation.
There is nothing particularly outstanding about the previous plan. Liu Ba's suggestion can only be said to make up for the imperfections in Zhuge's proposal. As long as Zhuge Liang thinks a little more, he can come up with this plan.
But as soon as the plan to create a money shortage was put forward, not to mention Liu Bei and others, even Zhang Xi was stunned.
What does Liu Ba want to do? ! Propose Liu Ba plan? ! Establish a Dahan forest system? !
It turns out that these days, does anyone know how to use economic leverage to leverage a country's economy? !
This Liu Ba really knows how to deceive people.
That’s not right, Liu Ba is no longer cheating people, he is cheating the country.
This plan is much more effective than my own petty fight to take advantage. It is a way to leverage Sun Quan's rule from the bottom.
This is the plan Liu Bei needs now.
As a monarch, Liu Bei does not lack long-term vision. Although Zhang Xi's method of taking advantage can vent his anger, it is not good for the big man.
But Liu Ba, although it doesn't seem like a big deal, controlling a country's economic lifeline can not only bring a lot of benefits to himself, but can also trigger unrest in the other country when necessary. This is the most important policy of the country.
For this reason, Zhuge Liang and the other five people stayed away from home all night. They all stayed in the palace and discussed the plan with Liu Bei all night long, constantly discussing and perfecting it.
This is a long-term national policy. Liu Bei must continue to implement this matter. It must be formulated more perfectly and more secretly. The later Jiangdong is aware of it, the more powerful this strategy will be.
Not only targeting Jiangdong, this strategy was also used by Liu Bei to target Cao Wei, especially the Guanzhong area.
Liu Bei has always been thinking about Chang'an in Guanzhong. After all, it was the old capital of the Han Dynasty and had extraordinary political significance.
Now that Ji Han has completed the break of Long and established a breakthrough at Baoxie Pass, these two places can threaten Chang'an from the west and south at the same time. If it weren't for the lack of food and grass, Liu Bei could now send troops to attack Chang'an.
Some things are just helpless actions, which does not mean that Liu Bei has forgotten them.
With the three families of Sun, Liu, and Cao proclaiming themselves emperor at the same time, the situation in the world will inevitably enter a relatively stable period. All three families will need time to digest the internal structural changes and possible hidden dangers and turbulence brought about by proclaiming emperor. Develop national strength, so in the short term, it is unlikely that there will be too many conquests.
But the good thing about Liu Ba's strategy is that it is not a battle with real swords and guns, but a battle without smoke. If this strategy is used properly, it can achieve the same results as sending troops to conquer.
Therefore, Liu Bei attached great importance to Liu Ba's strategy. He worked out it in detail with Zhuge Liang and others for several days before coming up with a preliminary plan.
In the Guanzhong area in the north, Liu Ba is personally responsible for implementing such a plan. The north is a rebellious enemy country designated by the Han Dynasty at the national level. There are no diplomatic channels and can only use official smuggling channels to arrange these things. Without Liu Ba, the proposer of the strategy If you do it yourself, no one will trust you.
As for Jiangdong in the east, since they don't plan to fall out for the time being, they also have diplomatic channels to operate. At the same time, they don't need to be as urgent as the Guanzhong area in the north, so they only need to make preliminary arrangements and then operate slowly.
Liu Bei left this matter to Zhuge Liang to discuss. Anyway, the current envoy from Jiangdong is Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin. It would be a waste not to take advantage of this relationship.
As for the others, apart from keeping this strategy secret, they still do what they usually do.
Zhang Xi continued to handle the official affairs of the Ministry of War. It was almost the end of the year, and the soldiers recruited by various states and counties due to the recruitment system should also receive their military pay.
Regarding this matter, Liu Ba needs to be urged.
There is no way, the recruitment system has many advantages, but the disadvantages are also obvious. The loyalty and combat effectiveness of soldiers recruited with money and food are basically linked to the money and food.
If you are in arrears with pay, things can easily get out of control. Soldiers may flee at worst or mutiny at worst. This matter must not be taken lightly.
And Liu Bah, Liu Ba now feels a little dizzy when he sees Zhang Xi.
It's the end of the year, and it's indeed the time to spend money. Liu Ba understands this.
For example, the Ministry of Works must settle accounts for each project at the end of the year, pay some material costs, and pay the wages of supervisors and assistants.
For example, it is time for the Ministry of Personnel, the salaries of officials of various states and counties, and the income from food fields to be distributed.
But neither Jian Yong nor Qin Mi is as diligent as Zhang Xilai, who comes three times a day without any trouble. Are there any people who press for money like you? !
We have said that we will act in accordance with the regulations submitted by various ministries, and it is not that we will not pay. As for that.
I emphasized three times a day that the wages of the Ministry of War cannot be owed in arrears. Could it be that other ministries can also arrears? !
Now that Liu Ba sees Zhang Xi, he is really having a headache. In addition, Liu Ba has a lot of things to do during this period. It is not only the issue of financial settlement at the end of the year, but also making advance arrangements for the money and food of the Ministry of Household Affairs next year. What If you have money, you must prepare in advance what money you cannot spend. Liu Ba is really busy with the official smuggling in Guanzhong.
Liu Ba was jealous when he saw Zhang Xi coming to the household department three times a day for nothing.
As the co-author of the Ministry of War, you have nothing to do every day, right? !
(End of chapter)
