Zhao Gou had already resigned and left. He went back to his mansion to say goodbye to his wife and children, and was preparing to go north to his name to meet his brother Zhao Kai, an official who didn't like to see him.
The father and son Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan also ended their game and began their daily routine along the pond in the imperial garden of the palace.
Zhao Ji is really lucky in this life. Not only does he not have to go to the Five Kingdoms Department to enjoy the wind and snow, he also has no possibility of dying on the battlefield and becoming Song Zhuangzong. He is not even surrounded by the filial son Zhao Kai in Longde Palace in Kaifeng Mansion. Be a prisoner of wealth. Under the planning of his eldest son Zhao Huan, he took advantage of the opportunity when Zhao Kai and the Kaifeng court were overwhelmed by the invading gold thieves and tight financial problems. On the pretext of raising money for the country, he captured Yangzhou, Suzhou, Xiuzhou, Ming Dynasty, etc. There are six rich southeastern prefectures and counties including Huzhou, Huzhou and Chuzhou. He became a king of the southeast who still had great power but at the same time he was still at ease.
These six prefectures and counties were not granted by the Supreme Emperor. Instead, six princes, including Zhao Huan, Zhao Qi, Zhao Xu, Zhao Yan, Zhao Mo, and Zhao Zhi, were appointed to judge state affairs... These six The prince did not judge state affairs as soon as he came up. Instead, he was sent to these six states by Zhao Ji in the name of raising funds and supervising taxes. Later, the magistrates and magistrates of these six states resigned one after another. Zhao Ji easily recommended Zhao Huan, Zhao Qi, Zhao Xu, Zhao Yan, Zhao Mo, Zhao Zhi and others to judge state affairs. While recommending his sons to judge state affairs, Zhao Ji also asked Zhao Lun, the king of Luoyang who returned to Kaifeng Mansion, to send a large sum of money collected in the six southeastern states to the Song Dynasty court and Zhao Kai's Fengchun Treasury!
Of course, Zhao Ji himself did not have that ability. Everything was arranged and operated by his eldest son, King Ding Zhao Huan, and Zhao Ji was responsible for enjoying the blessings and squandering the wealth brought by Zhao Huan.
And Zhao Huan's financial management ability is indeed strong enough. After taking charge of the six southeastern states, he not only vigorously rectified the southeastern salt industry centered on Chuzhou, Yangzhou, and Xiuzhou, but also strengthened the tea and wine industries. For monopoly management, Yangzhou Shipping Department was also established to take charge of the foreign trade and sales fields of the six southeastern states.
In addition, Zhao Huan also took advantage of Zhao Ji's privilege of "only taking care of religious affairs" to vigorously organize the temples, temples and monks in Lianghuai, Liangjiang, Liangzhejiang, Liangguang, Fujian and other roads. Not only did they get rid of a large number of wealthy abbots and wealthy temple masters, but they also replaced hundreds of extremely wealthy temple heads with monks and Taoists brought from Kaifeng Mansion... In fact, That is to say, these palaces and temples were placed under the control of the Supreme Emperor's Palace.
The palaces and temples of the Song Dynasty had a large number of industries, and they were also engaged in the financial industry! Not only did he lend money, but he also massively absorbed private deposits... After Zhao Huan controlled these palaces and temples, he was equivalent to controlling the finance of the southeast!
And a developed financial industry can create "money"!
Under Zhao Huan's management, the six southeastern states not only supported a large number of clan members who followed Zhao Ji and Zhao Ji, the money crusher, but also provided a large amount of money to the Song Dynasty court and Zhao Kai's private treasury. of wealth.
Zhao Kai was able to reduce Hebei and Hedong to battlefields and could no longer send taxes to the court. Even though the tax revenue around Kaifeng Prefecture was also greatly reduced, he could still organize a marching army and militia with more than 300,000 people. Zhao Huan was really successful. It must be... Without the copper coins, silk, rice and grains that Zhao Huan continuously sent from the southeast, Zhao Kai's army would not even be able to pay military salaries.
Moreover, once the supply is cut off in Kaifeng Prefecture, the household registration and real estate in Kaifeng Prefecture will naturally not be so attractive... Who cares about household registration and real estate speculation if they haven't even eaten?
It is precisely because Zhao Kai's court and the gentry, merchants and people of Kaifeng Mansion cannot do without Zhao Huan's money and food that they tolerate the Taishang Palace's control of the six southeastern states.
However, as the battle situation on the frontline reversed, the situation became more and more favorable to the Song Dynasty. I am afraid that it will not be long before Zhao Kai is free to repair Taishang Palace and the six southeastern states...
Zhao Ji, who has lived a free life for less than a year, is quite uneasy these days!
Although he has always loved Zhao Kai the most, in front of the supreme imperial power, what is the little affection between father and son? Zhao Kai might not bring him, the Supreme Emperor, to death, but it would be right to "capture" Kaifeng Mansion and serve him well in Longde Palace, right? What does it say in the Analects of Confucius? As a filial son, I will not travel far...
However, Zhao Huan, who should be worried the most, was very calm and in turn reassured Zhao Ji.
But just now when Zhao Gou said that Zhao Kai might not trust him, Zhao Ji felt heavy again. Now when I walk by the water, I keep sighing.
Zhao Huan understood his father's thoughts and immediately said with a smile: "Father, do you miss Kaifeng Mansion and Third Brother? If you want to, why not go back with Ninth Brother to have a look and stay in Kaifeng Mansion for a while. When you get tired of it, go boating eastward to Yangzhou."
It's a beautiful thought...
Zhao Ji whispered: "I'm afraid that Sanlang will be a dutiful son and won't let me, my father, travel far away!"
"Father, are you worried that Third Brother will take you back?" Zhao Huan looked at his immature father and comforted him, "No... Third Brother has a fight." There are endless battles and endless politics. In his hands, there will be no peace and ease in the world, and the fight will only get bigger and bigger! He has already said that he wants to be Li Shimin!"
Zhao Ji looked back at his son with a look of concentration on his face. Li Shimin even killed his brother and imprisoned his father! If he is Li Shimin, you are Li Jiancheng... Why are you, Li Jiancheng, not afraid at all?
Zhao Huan seemed to understand what his father was thinking, and without waiting for him to say it, he smiled and said: "He is Li Shimin, but I am not Li Jiancheng, and my father is not Li Yuan... If Li Shimin were in this situation with us, My father and brother will not imprison my father and kill my brother."
Yes, he was so cowardly... that Li Shimin was embarrassed to kill and imprison him.
Zhao Huan went on to say: "Moreover, in the early years of the Li and Tang Dynasties, as well as the previous Sui Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the clan was not restricted. The kings led troops to fight, governed the place, and there were many prime ministers in the court, and there were many talents under the kings' sects. , and it is not uncommon for people to usurp and treason. However, this dynasty imprisoned the clan, despised the powerful, suppressed the warriors, and emphasized the civil servants... It was too much!
If the third brother wants to realize his great ambition, he must change the culture of using civility to control military affairs and despising military men. In fact, the light warriors, the humble nobles, and the forbidden clan are all closely linked.
A warrior's meritorious service is nothing more than to gain the title of wife and son, and to become a noble warrior. If nobility is worthless, how can a warrior become noble? If warriors are not noble, how can the world's good men and noble men be willing to practice martial arts and join the army? But once a warrior becomes a noble, he will inevitably become domineering and even threaten the imperial power! Who can restrain these noble warriors? Of course it is the royal family.
Now that the third brother wants to focus on warriors, the power of the nobles will gradually increase, and if he wants to suppress the nobles, he has to emphasize the clan. The clan of this dynasty is used to being imprisoned, and they are all timid and cowardly. If the third brother imitates Li Shimin again and imprisons his father and kills his brother. Haha... Who else in the clan dares to come forward? "
In fact, after Li Shimin imprisoned his father and killed his brother, he also encountered the problem of imprisoning the clan... Otherwise, how could Wu Zetian change Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty so easily?
As for the Song Dynasty, the clan has been at peace for more than a hundred years. If Zhao Kai imprisons his father and kills his brother, then everyone can continue to live at peace. When the time comes, all the four and five generals of ZTE will become domineering, and the clan and relatives will either wither or lie flat. Can Zhao Kai rest assured? What should I do if I'm worried? Of course, the civil servants were lifted up and trained on the generals, and the generals were trained to lie flat (the generals of the Song Dynasty were also used to lying down), so the Song Dynasty naturally had to lie flat as well.
But is Zhao Kai willing to lie down?
Zhao Ji frowned, "Third brother is already the master of Zhongxing. If we can restore the Yanshan Mansion Road, what else is there to do? From now on, it will just be leisurely leisurely and enjoyable."
that is you!
Zhao Huanxin said: Third brother is very ambitious!
"Father," Zhao Huan said with a smile, "I do have a way to give Third Brother some more general directions for opening up new territories."
"General direction?" Zhao Ji asked, "Where is it?"
"Overseas!" Zhao Huan said with a smile, "Father, I heard that there is a fairy island overseas, there are immortals on the island, and the immortals have the elixir of immortality...Father, we now have one available. navy, and the shipyards in Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Xiuzhou are still building large warships that can sail. These warships can not only be used to fight against gold, but can also be used to find overseas fairy islands!"
Is it appropriate to send warships to find overseas fairy islands? Zhao Jixin said: Are you going to grab the elixir of life? Can you grab it?
Zhao Huan glanced at his confused father Zhao Ji, and said with a smile: "Why don't you let Ninth Brother tell this matter to Third Brother... If there really is a paradise-like fairy island overseas, it will also Give him a few."
Zhao Jixin said: It turns out that you not only want to grab the elixir of life, but also the fairy island! You have a darker heart than Qin Shihuang! This is not possible, you have to snatch a few more fairies back from me!
...
Hebei, Qingzhou.
Just when Captain Gao was busy preparing to take the coffin to go north, Zhao Huan was thinking about plundering the overseas fairy islands, and Zhao Kai was busy raising money to support his uncle in bribery to elect the emperor, Emperor Wu Qimai of the Great Jin Dynasty finally took his second son One hundred thousand empty-handed Southern Expeditionary Army arrived around this small city located on the bank of the Yellow River that flows to the north.
This battle was really exhausting! And most of the gold thieves didn't steal anything... They did steal some things and women before, but they were all stored in Damingfu City, and they were all snatched back by Zhao Kai.
So although everyone now wants to go home early to see their wives and children, when they think about the lost capital, they can only survive in Cheongju City... I really can't go back!
All the meng'anmoke were classified as poor households, and all their savings over the years were lost. Some of the Jin soldiers below have been away from home for three or four years (they were fighting with the Liao Kingdom before!). Many of them have children who are two years old and have never seen their father... Fathers have no time to do it. Starting to go back?
Since everyone can't go back, they can only gather in Qingzhou and prepare for the Qingzhou Conference while waiting for the terminally ill Ban Bojilie Wanyan Xie to die - he has died so that others can hold a meeting to discuss the successor issue. !
