Zhuge Liang is really not that evil-hearted, and he tried every means to deceive these aristocratic families. He had his own ideas in selecting these aristocratic families.
In fact, the biggest requirement for smuggling is not which aristocratic family has a big business or has wider connections. The most important thing is courage and action.
The aristocratic family that did not visit the Governor's Mansion that night showed that they had too many concerns before and after, lacked courage and action, and were not suitable to participate in smuggling.
It's easy to do bad things if you get involved.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang really had no intention of replacing him.
But Zhuge Liang was dying, so he didn't say that. His purpose was to get Zhang Xi's urgently needed disaster relief materials from the hands of these aristocratic families.
We are all smart people. There are some things that don’t need to be explained clearly. Whether you think you want to keep your quota or you think you want to hand over your certificate, if you don’t take out these things, Zhuge Liang actually doesn’t mind the smuggling family this time. There are one or two aristocratic families missing from the list.
Zhuge Liang is very aware of the behavior of these aristocratic families. You can't talk and do everything with them openly, otherwise they will think that you are asking for them. Just put things under the table and they will His mentality immediately changed, and instead he became a wealthy family seeking help from the court.
In addition, the benefits provided by Zhuge Liang are also real. The price of grain is twice that of the Han Dynasty. If it is placed on Cao Wei's grain market, it will be a 150% profit margin.
With this profit margin, some people are willing to take the initiative to smuggle grain to Chang'an, and they don't necessarily have to rely on the famous families in Guanzhong.
To be honest, the Guanzhong aristocratic families bullied Zhang Xi and did not understand the truth behind it. If these aristocratic families really said that the price of grain in Shuzhong was five times that of Shuzhong, if this price was publicized, believe it or not, Cao Pi would dare to do it himself Privately smuggled a batch of grain to Chang'an.
The profit margin of 150% is enough for these aristocratic families to take the risk of smuggling. As for the subsequent taxation, they have to advance the money themselves. This is a routine operation and there is nothing worth discussing at all.
Zhuge Liang's real killer move was the official personnel he placed in the smuggling team.
On the one hand, these official supervisors told these aristocratic families that as long as the food was transported to the territory of the Han Dynasty, or even not far from the Han Dynasty border, if they encountered danger, they could mobilize the nearby Han army to protect them. In this way, they could invisibly Reduce considerable risks.
After all, these times are not peaceful. The officials on both sides can handle it, but the bandits and bandits along the way are not easy to deal with. With the deterrence of the officers and soldiers, a lot of costs can be saved.
But again, these official personnel have been following the smuggling team. Once the smuggling routes and smuggling relationships are familiar, if the officials want to kick out the family and engage in smuggling themselves, they will have channels.
Zhuge Liang is warning these aristocratic families not to try to do tricks without telling the court.
If you help the court do things, the court will naturally not treat you badly and will definitely give you the benefits you deserve.
But if you do something that is not conducive to the Han Dynasty behind the back of the court, the Han Dynasty can always find someone to replace you, or even do it yourself.
Although Zhuge Liang did not have enough confidence to do so in the early days, without the guidance and accumulation of connections from these aristocratic families, he would not be able to replace the aristocratic families.
But the aristocratic families also know very well that other conditions can be discussed later. It is estimated that Zhuge Liang will not give in on this one.
Or just break up.
But would the Guanzhong family really give up this opportunity to make a fortune? !
To be honest, many of the Guanzhong families who attended the evening meeting were hesitant.
After all, although the profit is considerable, it is still far behind the original conditions. If you really do it, you will definitely make money, but it will definitely not be as much as the original conditions.
I still feel a little unbalanced in my heart. Zhuge Liang will do this again. The initiative is in the hands of the court, and the aristocratic families are afraid that they will not be able to make long-term profits with this little money.
But just when the Guanzhong aristocratic families were hesitating and planning to delay to see if the price could be increased, an insider from the Yongzhou Governor's Office came out with another news.
Chen Zhi was also unlucky. Last time he spread the gossip, and he had to come this time - it was rumored that the imperial court was also negotiating with Jingzhou aristocratic families on smuggling-like matters.
That means that once the smuggling in Yongzhou fails, the court will turn its attention to Soochow.
Jiangdong is also a major grain-producing area, and after more than ten years of transformation, Changsha County in Jingzhou now has a certain scale of production base.
Smuggling food there is much more convenient than smuggling food in Guanzhong.
In other words, the Han court did not actually intend to put all its eggs in one basket. If the Yongzhou family was unwilling to participate in this smuggling matter, then forget it. Anyway, it is not that there are no channels for grain smuggling in Jiangdong. This money Ah, the Jingzhou family may not be willing to make money. Who makes Zhuge Liang considered half a Jingzhou native?
If this is done, how can the Guanzhong family still sit still?
If they don't agree, the Guanzhong family will have no money to make, but the Han court will not lose at all.
I'd better agree, although I won't make as much as expected, but to be honest, if the court really gave me so much money to buy grain, why bother smuggling it.
Are there many people in Cao Wei who are willing to send food over, or are the Cao Wei court turning a blind eye.
This matter has basically been solved. After Zhuge Liang roughly agreed on a framework with these aristocratic families, he let it go.
The person who took over was Fei Yi.
It was not easy for Fei Yi either. He suddenly received an order from the imperial court and was appointed Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Then, with an official document, he was transferred from Jingzhou to Chang'an to take charge of Chang'an's grain smuggling and the establishment of the Central Plains Intelligence Network.
Poor Fei Yi, he had just returned from a mission to Jiangdong. Before he could take a breath, he immediately hit the road and rushed to Chang'an.
It just so happened that Fei Yi met Zhuge Liang directly in Chang'an, and then reported face to face what he saw and heard during his mission to Soochow.
"There may be changes in Soochow!"
This was Fei Yi's judgment with a solemn expression.
When Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi heard this, their expressions became serious.
Fei Yi has been in charge of intelligence work in recent years, and his personality has changed significantly from his early years. He has become much calmer and more cautious.
Fei Yi, in fact, had a somewhat carefree personality in his early years. To put it mildly, he was generous and focused on promises over wealth. At worst, he was too naive and unprepared for others.
Otherwise, in history, there would not be such trust in a surrendered general, and he would be assassinated in the end.
When Zhang Xi was in charge of Nanjun, he discussed with Zhuge Liang and transferred Fei Yi to Jingzhou to take charge of intelligence work. After being exposed to so much intrigue and intelligence information, Fei Yi became a lot more cautious.
In particular, due to the particularity of presiding over intelligence work, Fei Yi had seen too many instances of people making fun of themselves, laughing in front of their faces, and stabbing people in the back. He had also witnessed many instances of his deeds being exposed and his death due to a moment of carelessness.
This gave Fei Yi an intuitive understanding of the confidentiality of intelligence work, and also changed some of Fei Yi's principles of life.
You must not have the intention to hurt others, and you must not have the intention to guard against others.
Furthermore, after being in charge of intelligence work for many years, Fei Yi also developed a habit. Analysis and judgment of intelligence work often require combining multiple aspects of intelligence before drawing a conclusion. Even if a conclusion is drawn, it cannot be completely believed. .
This is also the reason why Fei Yi rarely makes his own judgment on intelligence. There are too many intrigues on the intelligence line.
But once something is recognized by Fei Yi as "very likely to happen", then it is almost certain that it will really happen.
Fei Yi's inability to make clear judgments on intelligence work is based on the rigor with which he presides over intelligence work. He must leave everything "just in case." However, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi will not take what Fei Yi said is "very likely to happen." ”, regard it as a subjective speculation.
Therefore, when Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi heard Fei Yi's judgment that "there may be changes in Soochow", they immediately believed Fei Yi's words. Zhuge Liang even asked directly what was wrong with Soochow.
Then Fei Yi talked about it bit by bit.
"Yi went to Jiangdong this time to pay homage to Lord Wu. Lord Wu treated you the same as in the past, and officials received him as before. However, based on what Yi saw in Jiangdong and the intelligence he received from Xiangyang, Yi thought that there might be something strange happening in the state of Wu. .”
"This is not Yi's wild guess. When Yi arrived in Jiangdong, it was already nearing the end of the year. At this time, there were very few court meetings in Soochow, and Sun Quan, the leader of Wu, rarely met with important ministers. However, in recent months, Sun Quan had summoned Zhang Zhao one after another. , Zhou Yu, Sun Sheng, Gu Yong, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran, Cheng Zi. Even Yi heard rumors that Lu Xun and Xu Sheng, who were stationed in Xiapi, were transferred back to Jianye by Sun Quan in the name of reporting on their duties. I've seen it once. It's both civil and military, it really doesn't conform to past practice."
"Secondly, according to local secret reports, Dongwu soldiers and horses were mobilized frequently in the past few months. They announced to the outside world that they were mobilized. Wuzhong soldiers and horses were indeed transferred to Jianye, but Jianye soldiers and horses were not transferred to Wuzhong. Their whereabouts have not yet been detailed. Find out.”
"Thirdly, according to the report from Grand Administrator Wen of Jiangxia, the frequency of Jiangdong Navy's maneuvers has increased recently. Although Grand Administrator Wen was notified in advance in accordance with the covenant, according to Grand Administrator Wen, in the past winter, Jiangdong Navy rarely conducted maneuvers. Now if there is any abnormal movement, I'm afraid It's a fraud. Although Grand Administrator Wen has stepped up his precautions, he still feels uneasy, so he reported it to Xiangyang and asked the general to make a decision."
"Fourth, according to a report from Wuling County Sima Li Qiu, Changsha has been mobilizing troops abnormally recently. Li Sima is worried about changes in Soochow and has ordered people to strengthen border security. However, Wuling County is short of troops and horses, so he requested Jiangling Prefect Shi for reinforcements. Shi Prefect's troops It’s not enough, so I don’t dare to transfer it easily, so I report it to Xiangyang and ask the general to make a decision.”
"Fifth, Wuling County reported unusual movements in Changsha. Governor Wang sent people to ask Pan Taishou of Lingling County, but Pan Taishou said that there were no abnormalities in Guiyang, Jiaozhi and other places. Although there were unusual movements in Changsha County, they should be treated as an isolated case and not a cause for concern. fear."
"Sixth."
Okay, that’s article 6. If I say that Soochow has no tricks, I can’t believe it even if I beat Zhuge Liang and Zhang Xi to death.
Nowadays, Guan Yu in Jingzhou has not been recovering well after being seriously injured. He has been in a state of recuperation all year round. Xu Shu and Wang Ji have been taking care of Jingzhou affairs. There is absolutely no problem with the ability of these two people, but their prestige is much worse than that of Guan Yu. Half a point.
Moreover, because of the Northern Expedition in the past two years, most of the Jingzhou army was concentrated in the Xiangyang area, and the defenses in Jingnan and Jiangling were indeed somewhat weak.
If Soochow makes another raid, Jiangling will be fine. With Jiangxia as an eye and barrier, Soochow will not be able to cross the river in white clothes again, but the two counties of Jingnan are really difficult to handle.
Fortunately, Zhuge Liang had arranged in advance for Chen Dao to lead 10,000 Northern troops to Baidi City. If the two counties in Jingnan really had police, then even if the soldiers in Xiangyang were too late to go south to rescue, the Northern troops in Baidi City could go along the river. Next, directly support Wuling County.
Is it just that Soochow is really going to betray its alliance again? !
Even Zhuge Liang no longer doubts this issue.
If Zhuge Liang found it a bit incredible that Soochow betrayed its alliance last time, and felt that Soochow people were so short-sighted, then this time, Zhuge Liang has no doubts at all.
Now Zhuge Liang finally understood that the only people in Jiangdong who really had a long-term strategic vision were Zhou Yu and Lu Su.
But now, Lu Su has died of illness, Zhou Yu is seriously ill and is refusing to act, and it is not impossible for someone like Lu Meng to appear in Jiangdong to persuade Sun Quan to betray the alliance.
Moreover, given the current situation of the Three Kingdoms, I am afraid that if Lu Su is resurrected and Zhou Yu comes back, he may not still support the alliance.
After all, the Han Dynasty has settled in Guanzhong, and Jiangdong has also marched into Qingxu.
The three families of Wei, Han, and Wu all have the possibility to conquer the world. Now that they are gradually becoming evenly matched, who is willing to bow their head and admit defeat? !
(End of chapter)
