Di Lun hesitated after hearing Xu Fu's words: "Isn't it true that Governor Chen is so capable that he can't keep his word in the court?"
Xu Fu looked at Yan Dilun and said quickly: "King Shang, you can't say this nonsense."
"In the world, the only one who can speak for everything is His Majesty the First Emperor."
"Governor Chen is just favored by His Majesty."
He said helplessly: "But even Governor Chen cannot ignore the opposition of many important ministers in the court."
"Just like this Prime Minister Li Si."
"Prime Minister Li has been following His Majesty since before the rise of Qin."
"Later, Ding was responsible for a certain amount of his contribution in determining the world. His Majesty once said, "It was Li Si who contributed three-thirds of the contribution in determining the world." "
"After that, he worked hard to help His Majesty and the Governor implement the county system, suppressing countless objections."
"Now he is the head of the three princes, the right prime minister of the prime minister."
"According to logic, he should be the head of a hundred officials, a figure below one person and above ten thousand people."
"But Prime Minister Li Si has a problem, that is, he is seeking "profit", and he is not seeking small profits, but big profits. "
After saying this, Di Lun was a little confused: "What is big profit and what is small profit?"
Seeing this, Xu Fu explained: "Small profits are for oneself, big profits are for the world and the country."
"Prime Minister Li just likes to seek "big profits" for the benefit of his family and country. "
Di Lun hesitated: "In this case, how can we get Prime Minister Li to support us?"
Xu Fu smiled slightly, with a bit of mystery in his expression.
He leaned into Di Lun's ear and said, "Don't worry, King Shang. Prime Minister Li doesn't know anything about the affairs of the Yin Shang Continent."
"What do we say, isn't that what we say?"
Xu Fu looked at Di Lun and said: "Now the Shang Kingdom does not occupy much land in the Yin Shang Continent, but only you and I know about this."
"When we arrive at Xianyang City, we will brag about the strength of Shang State."
"At that time, let's say that there are countless minerals in the Shang Dynasty. We are willing to donate these minerals to Daqin and help Daqin mine them."
"In this case, wouldn't Prime Minister Li also help us after hearing that it is profitable?"
A flash of light flashed in Di Lun's eyes: "What do you mean?"
Xu Fu immediately smiled mysteriously: "Whether it is the territory of the Shang Kingdom or not, now God knows and the earth knows, you know and I know, and the rest of the people don't know."
He patted King Shang's hand and said, "Then we will say that those lands belong to the Shang Kingdom, but were occupied by those indigenous people."
"The Shang State was not only able to gain large tracts of land out of thin air, but also allowed the Qin army to capture the land for the Shang State."
"And what the Shang Kingdom paid was just some "gold and silver minerals." "
"The Shang Kingdom itself does not have the ability to mine or smelt these stones. Wouldn't it be better to use these stones to exchange military support or even finished gold and silver with Da Qin?"
Di Lun's eyes flashed, and he was moved.
For the Shang State, this was completely useless.
Of course he could see the purpose of what Xu Fu said, but the problem was that Xu Fu was right. For them, this was nothing but nothing.
Those lands didn't belong to their Shang Kingdom in the first place. Even if they wanted it themselves, the key is that they didn't have the ability to conquer it!
Now as long as they say it's theirs and dedicate it to Da Qin, they can occupy it.
Why not try this?
Immediately he watched Xu Fu make a promise: "Xu Shiling worked so hard for "Great Qin", and Xiao Wang suddenly felt ashamed. "
"The loyalty of the envoy to the Qin Dynasty can be learned from the sun and the moon. In the past, our Shang Dynasty also had such loyal ministers, who were talents like Bi Gan."
"I was very moved when I saw him today."
After Di Lun rambled for a while, he said, "Therefore, the minerals mined by then will definitely have some envoys."
"This part comes from the Shang Kingdom."
Xu Fu smiled slightly and did not say anything about it, as if he agreed in silence.
And his silence made Di Lun smile even more.
People die for money and birds die for food. How can there be anyone in the world who is willing to think about you sincerely and without any intention?
If there really are people like this, they are either your biological parents, or they have ulterior motives.
Di Lun determined that what Xu Fu was after was "small profit."
The two looked at each other and smiled, both getting what they wanted.
...........
Above the vast sea
A fleet only returned from Qinnu Island. The ships in this fleet had deep drafts and were obviously loaded with heavy things.
The silver ore collected every quarter is smelted on Qinnu Island before being transported to Daqin in October every year.
And when they received news from Da Qin that the three counties of Linzi had been divided into Penglaizhou, they knew where the first batch of silver should be sent.
Fu Ya stood on the boat and looked at the scenery in the distance.
A few waves came like angry bees, and the ships rode the wind and waves on the sea. It had been a year since he left his hometown.
Being able to go back now is considered his blessing.
It takes more than half a month to travel from Fusang Island to Linzi County.
Quan Shisan stood behind Fu Ya, looking towards Da Qin in the distance with a little desire on his face.
What does Da Qin look like?
...........
Penglaizhou
A group of people were building a port in Linzi County where Xu Fu docked his ship before, and they were working enthusiastically.
The head of Guizhou here is actually a conscripted corvee.
However, at this time, none of these corvees had any objections, and everyone even had surprise in their eyes.
Because in Penglaizhou, you are responsible for food and drink, and you have enough rest time.
Some of them even don't want to leave at all, because the food here is not two meals a day, but three meals a day.
One meal in the morning, one meal at noon, and one meal in the evening.
Every two days, there will be a meal where you can eat meat, and the lunch meal every day must be stir-fried with lard.
This kind of beautiful life may not be possible even for them at home.
In the past, it was fine not to let them bring their own dry food. How could they still care about such good food?
Chen Ke, Fu Su, and Guan Zhuo all stood in the distance, looking at the sea area.
The construction of the port started half a month ago and is now almost completed.
Fusu looked at the busy Guizhou leaders in the distance and said, "Teacher, what do you want to use these Guizhou leaders for this time?"
Chen Ke just smiled: "What to do?"
"I just want Penglaizhou and the heads of Guizhou all over the country to know something."
"Corvee is not a painful thing, it can even be enjoyed."
Can you enjoy it?
Fusu and Guan Zhuo were both a little puzzled.
But Chen Ke didn't want to explain too much. He just said: "There will be many times when corvee service is needed in the future, but we can't always force recruitment."
"Forced recruitment will plant the seeds of "violence against Qin" in their hearts. "
"Maybe one day, this seed will blossom and bear fruit. At that time, it will be too late for Da Qin to regret it."
"It would be best to come up with a charter at this time and let them gradually get used to it."
"What's more, the port built can only be used for half a year or a year."
"In a year's time, it will probably be necessary to build a new port."
“So it’s just a short and unimportant project like this to allow them to adapt to this kind of thing in advance.”
After finishing speaking, Chen Ke didn't want to explain too much.
He looked at Guan Zhuo and asked, "I saw the note from the Municipal Property Department for purchasing grain."
“Why do you price it like that?”
Guan Zhuo heard that there was no blaming or questioning tone in Chen Ke's words, and he immediately felt much more relaxed.
This shows that Chen Ke also agrees with this price.
"Report to the Governor."
"What businessmen do is money, and what people do is money."
"Although merchants and their like cannot be indulged, if they are used rationally, they can make Great Qin a better place."
"This is the case with this grain purchase."
"What if there are leaders from Guizhou outside Penglaizhou who also want to sell food, but are afraid of the long journey?"
“These businessmen happen to be unafraid of long distances.”
"Therefore, these merchants charge three cents per dou, transport it to Penglai, and sell it to us for four cents. They are profitable."
"Common people outside Penglai can also exchange money."
"Peng Lai can even gather some food to prepare for other years' needs."
"It's a matter of killing three birds with one stone."
Chen Ke looked at Guan Zhuo. Guan Zhuo was a little shaken. He lowered his head and waited.
After a moment, Chen Ke burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahaha, okay, okay, okay!"
He walked forward, patted Guan Zhuo's shoulder and said, "Okay, you are worthy of being the queen of Guan Zhuo back then."
Chen Ke said with a smile: "I really did not choose the wrong person for you to be the commander of the Municipal Property Department."
He sighed and said with some emotion: "In this way, even if I return to Xianyang, I can rest assured about Penglai's development."
Guan Zhuo was so excited after receiving this compliment that he almost laughed out loud.
Governor Chen's compliment, could it be ordinary compliment?
Even if you give him a thousand pieces of gold, he won't change it.
Chen Ke continued to ask: "How did you handle the matters I asked you about Penglaizhou's No. 1 Salt Manufacturing Office and Penglaizhou No. 1 Porcelain Manufacturing Office?"
This is what Chen Ke told Guan Zhuo before.
The functions of the Municipal Property Department are inherently mixed. These two things are state-owned and must be managed, produced and sold by the state.
Therefore, leaving it to Guan Zhuo would not be considered an overstep.
Guan Zhuo lowered his head and said softly: "Governor, I have almost made arrangements for the Salt Production Department."
"It's just the Porcelain Manufacturing Department..."
"Several workers at the Manufacturing Department said that we need to wait a little longer. They have not yet come up with porcelain that can clearly distinguish between white porcelain and celadon."
Chen Ke nodded slightly.
This is as it should be.
Since celadon and white porcelain have been supplied to the royal family, they can no longer be used by the head of Guizhou.
Unless it is possible to produce a slightly different celadon and white porcelain that can be distinguished at a glance.
"In that case, let the people from the Manufacturing Department hurry up."
He pressed his forehead: "The imperial government of Penglaizhou must first have money. Only after it has money can it make the next step of planning."
"Also, how is the autumn harvest for the people this time?"
The first sentence is obviously about Guan Zhuo, and the latter sentence is obviously about Fusu.
Fusu followed Chen Ke's footsteps and walked forward slowly.
"Teacher, this autumn harvest is much better than in previous years. It is probably more than 30% more than last year's harvest."
Chen Ke nodded: "How many seeds did Xu Fu bring back?"
Fusu thought for a while and then said: "Sweet potatoes are the most common seeds brought back by Xu Shiling this time, followed by potatoes, and the thing called "corn" donated by King Shang is the least. "
Before Chen Ke could continue to ask, Fusu said: "According to my calculations, sweet potatoes should be enough to plant about one thousand acres, and potatoes should be enough to plant about eight hundred acres."
One thousand acres of sweet potatoes and eight hundred acres of potatoes?
This is a better number.
What's more, the yields of sweet potatoes and potatoes are relatively large.
Potatoes have a shorter maturity period, while sweet potatoes have a longer maturity period.
One is more than fifty days, and the other is a little more than five months.
As it happens, this is the time to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Chen Ke just thought for a moment and said: "This year is autumn, so I will distribute both potatoes and sweet potatoes and let the leaders of Guizhou plant them."
“It doesn’t have to be forced distribution.”
"There is just a notice posted at the city gate, saying that there is a new improved variety like this, which has a relatively high yield and can replace millet as the staple food."
"The price of grain seeds is a little more expensive than ordinary seeds, but it doesn't have to be much more expensive."
Guan Zhuo nodded slightly in response.
But Fusu was a little confused: "Teacher, don't we want to promote this new food seed? Why not just distribute the seeds to the leaders of Guizhou for free?"
Chen Ke just glanced at Fusu: "Fusu, you don't understand Xiaomin's mentality."
He looked at Guan Zhuo and said, "Guan Zhuo, if someone suddenly gave you ten dollars, how would you feel?"
Guan Zhuo said clearly: "The official will feel overjoyed."
Chen Ke asked again: "What if someone suddenly gives you ten thousand gold?"
Guan Zhuo said directly: "The common people will be afraid."
"You can take advantage of it, because nothing will necessarily happen, and even if something does happen, your subordinates can solve it."
"But you can't take advantage of it, and even lower-ranking officials don't dare to take it."
"Because after taking advantage of it, I don't know if anything will happen. I'm afraid that there will be some big problem that my subordinates won't be able to solve."
Chen Ke laughed and said: "The same is true for good seeds."
"It's like money fell from the sky, and it all fell on my head. Would you believe it?"
"If you give good seeds to the Guizhou leaders for free, instead of being grateful, the Guizhou leaders will wonder, why on earth are they suddenly distributing seeds for free?"
"Is there something wrong with this kind of seed? The court wants them to experiment?"
"What should I do if I can't plant it?"
"But if the price is marked, and it is more expensive than ordinary seeds, and it is limited, they will feel that this is something that the court found with great difficulty, and it is very precious, so they should cherish it."
“Instead, we will plant them.”
Chen Ke looked at Fusu and said: "When dealing with the leaders of Guizhou, don't blindly pay attention to "benevolence". "
"Because sometimes, they will think your kindness is a trap."
"This is an instinct for the survival of ordinary people and Guizhou leaders."
Chen Ke couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the port that was about to be successfully built: "It's just like the labor at this port."
"Fusu, do you know what my initial plan was?"
