late at night.
The door of Zhuo Tower is closed tightly, but the dim light can still be seen through the gaps in the doors and windows.
In the hall, Han Zhen, Xiao Chong and others were drinking.
How could I be full after the banquet just now?
So after seeing off Mayanmin and the others, they went downstairs to set up a table and called Nie Dong and Shi Wenhui over.
"The county magistrate did a good job. This group of wealthy gentry relied on their reputation in the scholarly community. They were all confident. It's really abominable. The Wang family was destroyed this time, and it served as a warning to the monkeys. In the future, those aristocratic families will probably be caught in the crossfire. Pick up your tail and be a human being.”
Shi Wenhui himself is a scholar, and he knows best the virtues of these high-ranking people.
Han Zhen's approach made him feel extremely relieved, so he picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
After hearing this, Liu Qi immediately quit and retorted: "My uncle's family is different. They keep a low profile and never get involved in such messy things."
"Who is your uncle?"
Shi Wenhui couldn't help but be stunned.
Liu Qi replied: "Xie Ding."
"Xie Ding? Oh, it turns out to be the Xie family in Fuyang. The Xie family has been poor for many generations, so they are indeed different. If I make a mistake, I will punish myself with a drink."
Shi Wenhui said and drank another glass of wine.
Han Zhen picked up a piece of beef with soy sauce and stuffed it into his mouth, and asked, "Xiao Chong, how did the thing I asked you to do go?"
Xiaochong replied: "According to Brother Han's request, we have adopted twenty-three children. They are all around twelve or thirteen years old and are smart."
"Um!"
Han Zhen nodded and ordered: "Take good care of them first. When I have some free time, I will teach them myself."
"good!"
Xiaochong nodded.
Nie Dong and the other three were silent and pretended not to hear.
Even though Liu Qi was as curious as Liu Qi, he still immersed himself in the food without asking any questions.
When he was full of wine and food, Han Zhen took the tea from Xiao Chong, took a sip, and then ordered: "When you two go back tomorrow, start reorganizing the army, and send troops to Shouguang the day after tomorrow!"
Send troops to live long?
Their eyes suddenly lit up.
Liu Qi asked hurriedly: "The county magistrate wants to beat Zhang Wanxian?"
Han Zhen wrote lightly: "This person has been wandering around for a while, and it's time to clean up."
Zhang Wanxian will definitely fight.
Before fighting against the outside world, one must first secure the inside. He didn't want to have a rebel force behind him when he faced the decisive battle with the Western Army.
Moreover, Zhang Wanxian was entrenched in Shouguang and Changping counties, blocking official roads and preventing the refined salt business from smoothly spreading to Weizhou, Laizhou and Dengzhou.
Of course, these are not the point.
The most important thing is that Shouguang County is close to Guangling Salt Service.
Guangling is the largest salt-producing area in the entire Jingdong East Road. There are countless salt households in the surrounding area, producing tens of millions of kilograms of sea salt every year.
Second only to Huainan Road.
Since ancient times, salt and iron have been the most profitable industries. Especially in the late Northern Song Dynasty, salt tax accounted for almost 40% of the entire Song Dynasty tax rate!
The reason for such huge profits is because of the salt supervision system in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The Northern Song Dynasty court did not produce salt and did not set up any official salt-making workshops. Instead, it set up salt supervisors in various salt-producing areas and directly designated a group of salt households to make salt and then obtain it from them at a very low price. The coarse salt was taken away from his hands and then sold to a salt merchant.
Zhu Ji went to New Town to discuss the coarse salt business some time ago, so he knew the cost of coarse salt very well.
According to him, the government Salt Supervisor gives salt households in New Town more than 30,000 yuan in subsidies every year, but requires them to pay nearly 120,000 kilograms of salt, which is equivalent to a cost of only 0.4 yuan per kilogram of salt. After the government received the 0.4 cents, they simply sold it to the salt merchants for forty or fifty cents, making a profit of more than a hundred times.
In addition, Cai Jing came up with the salt introduction method a few years ago. If salt merchants want to sell salt, they must first buy salt introduction at a high price.
In this way, he made another fortune from the salt merchants.
This time, the court made at least two to three hundred times the profit.
In comparison, the profit of the refined salt sold by Han Zhen, excluding costs and labor, is only a few dozen or twenty times, which is nothing short of a big deal.
As long as the Guangling Salt Service is taken over, multiple salt production plants are built, and more advanced salt sun methods are adopted, coupled with assembly line operations, it is no exaggeration to say that the annual output of coarse salt can be increased by at least five times.
By that time, you can earn tens of millions of dollars just from coarse salt and refined salt.
Hearing that there was a battle to be fought, Nie Dong immediately became energetic and suggested: "County magistrate, why don't we return to the military camp immediately so that we can send out troops tomorrow?"
"No hurries!"
Han Zhen scolded lightly and explained: "This matter requires the cooperation of the armed guards and can be used as bait. Liu Qi!"
"The general is here!"
Liu Qi responded with cupped fists.
Han Zhen ordered: "Tomorrow, I will lead the cavalry battalion, bring the transfer order documents from the state government, and go to take over the Wuwei and Zhenhai 2nd Army. If Luo Sha and the others cooperate, let them live. If they don't, kill them!"
"I will obey your orders!"
Liu Qi's eyes were filled with excitement.
Han Zhen looked at Nie Dong again: "Nie Dong!"
"The general is here!"
"The day after tomorrow, we will lead 1,500 infantry. We will go into battle lightly. We will hide by day and night. We will get ahead of the armed guards and go around to the rear of Shouguang."
Then, Han Zhen explained the general plan again.
After listening, Nie Dong and Liu Qi pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "This is a great plan!"
Han Zhen warned: "Of course, the war situation is changing rapidly, and plans can never keep up with changes. You can adapt to changes when the time comes."
He doesn't want to micromanage.
Don't be suspicious when you employ people, don't use people when you are suspicious.
Besides, one of them is a veteran of the Western Army, and the other is a future anti-gold general, so they don't need anyone else to tell them what to do.
This is how the Northern Song Dynasty army was ruined by civilian officials.
Every time the Song Dynasty mobilized troops, a group of civil servants in the Privy Council would discuss the formation plan for the battle and then present it to the emperor.
The emperor selected a formation map and issued it to the frontline generals.
The military attache leading the army must strictly follow the battle formation diagram issued by the Privy Council and must not make any changes without permission.
Isn’t this fucking nonsense?
The battlefield is the place most affected by the butterfly effect. Often an inconspicuous arrow can change the direction of a war.
Therefore, generals must deploy different tactics at every moment according to changes in terrain and weather.
Drawing up a battle formation in advance and requiring the army to strictly implement it is purely cerebral palsy.
Of course, there is a reason why the civil servants of the Northern Song Dynasty liked to play this trick.
Its source is the God of Gaoliang River and the first micro-manipulation master, Zhao Er.
Even in the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, Zhao Er gathered dozens of civil servants and worked with him to create the famous "Pingrong Wanquan Formation Picture".
Look at the name of this formation. It's both Pingrong and Wanquan. It's really mighty and domineering.
After Song Zhenzong succeeded to the throne, Zhao Heng carried forward the micro management and sent out dozens of formation diagrams during the Xianping period alone.
At this point, later emperors and civil servants were out of control.
Even Zongze taught Yue Fei a few formation diagrams from time to time. Fortunately, Yue Fei was able to carry them clearly, accepted the formation diagrams with a smile on his face, and turned around to arrange the military formation according to his own ideas.
"The last one will save you!"
Nie Dong and Liu Qi responded in unison.
Han Zhen called out again: "Shi Wenhui!"
"What is the order from the county magistrate?"
Shi Wenhui quickly put down the tea cup.
Han Zhen explained: "You are a native of Shouguang County and you are familiar with the Ganchi Army. This time, I will let you join the army as a recorder and go out with Nie Dong. After Shouguang and Changping are captured, I will temporarily serve as the magistrate of the two counties to appease them." People’s hearts should win over those who have fled.”
"I obey my orders!"
Shi Wenhui looked solemn and stood up to bow.
He knew that his real test was coming.
These two days were just talks on paper, this time was the touchstone to test his talent.
"It's getting late, let's go."
After making arrangements, Han Zhen slowly stood up.
Nie Dong and the others followed him out of the restaurant and walked towards the mansion.
…
…
The next day.
The news that the Wang family was wiped out spread throughout the county.
Although Zhao Ting placed all the blame on the remnants of the Gan Chi Army, it still aroused the suspicion of some scholars.
On the second floor of a tea shop in the north of the city, several scholars were sitting in front of the window, holding a tabloid in their hands.
A scholar with a thin face said angrily: "What a man who dared to set fire to the remnant. This must have been done by Han Zhen!"
"I don't agree with what Brother Wenyang said."
As soon as he finished speaking, another scholar, who was slightly rich, retorted: "I see what Han Zhen has done since he entered the city. He can be called a wise master, how could he do such a violent act."
"The affairs of the Wang family are full of loopholes. Let's not talk about how the remnants of Dao Chi were hiding in the Wang family. Let's just say that from the time the Wang family was exterminated to the present, not even a single remnant of Dao Chi has been caught. There is obviously something fishy."
"If you say so, then why are there no problems between the Su family and the Ma family?"
"..."
Discussions like this happened all over the county.
But it can't make any trouble.
After all, Zhao Ting's status as the magistrate of the state was very useful, and Han Zhen's various actions after entering the city were very popular with the people.
The doubters are, after all, only a minority. The vast majority of people and scholars have no doubts about Dao Chi's remnant.
Two bullock carts walked slowly and leisurely towards the government office in the morning light.
(End of chapter)
