Chapter 68 Return to Beijing
The wood has been soaked in sea water for more than ten days. Is it good or bad?
He Xi doesn’t know.
However, there was finally a concession. The last one was sold at eighty taels. When the boat came off, there were more than a thousand taels. This is still the beginning, the number cannot increase, and the forest farms currently being developed are unfamiliar. Even labor is not enough. A dozen logs were lost at sea due to tying.
This is the result.
Even so, after removing all kinds of costs. At least half profit. And the cost can be pushed down.
Because Liaodong used troops. There is a gap between the price of grain in Liaodong and the price of grain in Jiangnan. But if we just transport grain to Liaodong, we will return empty. Costs have swallowed up this profit margin. After all, whether it is Liaodong or Jiangnan, they belong to the Ming Dynasty.
It is impossible to make food prices too high.
Although there are still problems of one kind or another, due to ship problems and other problems, large-scale transportation in the future will drive prices down. But no matter what, the wood-for-rice trade model is established.
"Of course." He Xi thought to himself: "There are still many problems here. It's just that I can't solve these problems. You must go to Datian to listen. Even if you don't summon me, I will come back."
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He Xi held on to his endless thoughts. But he didn't expect that he would return to the capital. First he was stopped at the city gate. He was asked to go to Cao Guogong's mansion first.
When He Xi arrived at Cao Guogong's mansion, it was Dai Yuanli who received him.
Dai Yuanli said: "Master He, you are finally here. In the past few days, Cao Guogong's body has become more and more dangerous. After all, autumn ends and winter comes, and yang ends and yin emerges. The human body is in harmony with the four seasons. Naturally, one day is not as good as the other. Day. Even if I can barely survive this year, I definitely won’t be able to survive next year.”
"To be honest, there is still room for attack on Mr. Cao Guo's body. Although it is extremely dangerous, there is still a glimmer of hope. But every day that passes, the room becomes less and less. I just want to discuss it with you."
Many theories of traditional Chinese medicine sound superstitious. Just like what Dai Yuanli said, the human body takes care of the four seasons. If the year is represented by the Yin and Yang Bagua, the closer to winter, the less Yang and more Yin. When a patient is physically ill, he or she will naturally have less yang energy and more yin energy. When the two are compared, some patients will feel sad at the end of their life.
Especially those who have been sick in bed for a long time are particularly in danger near the end of the year.
But these theories, in the eyes of many people, are just complete feudal superstitions.
Maybe the conclusion is right. But the derivation process is nonsense.
However, He Xi didn't care about this. He said: "Dr. Dai, why are you telling me this? I don't understand medicine?"
Dai Yuanli snorted coldly and said: "Okay, okay, okay. You don't understand, please tell me the details quickly. I won't let your majesty summon you to the capital for ordinary people. Cao Guogong is extraordinary, and your majesty is under great pressure."
He Xi could hear the implication of Dai Yuanli's words.
He didn't believe what He Xi said at all, that he didn't understand medicine.
joke. In order to convince Dai Yuanli, He Xi explained a lot of medical principles to Dai Yuanli. Now Dai Yuanli believed that He Xi didn't understand medicine at all. Dai Yuanli only thought that He Xi was fooling others.
He Xi only felt that there were a hundred and eighty thousand mouths in her body, and she couldn't explain them at all at the moment.
He Xi thought to himself, "Come on, no matter what the situation is, today is here. I always have to see Cao Guogong. Even if it is a courtesy visit."
He Xi said: "Okay, I'll go take a look. But what's going on with him? You know it too. If you are helpless, I will find a way."
Dai Yuanli said: "I know it too. It's just that Cao Guogong was a hero for a lifetime, and I really don't want him to ------"
Some things are always hard to say directly. But He Xi also understood what Dai Yuanli meant. He sighed in his heart and said to himself: "Since ancient times, famous generals are like beauties, and they are not allowed to grow old in the world."
When He Xi saw Cao Guogong, he was slightly surprised. It was not that Cao Guogong was in bad condition, but that Cao Guogong was in good condition. Although he was leaning against the quilt with a pale face, overall he was still in high spirits, and he saw He Xi coming over.
Before He Xi could speak, he first asked about the situation in Liaodong. Especially the grain reserves in Liaodong.
He Xi was stunned and could only follow Cao Guogong's thoughts. He envisioned letting go of private ships and running the Jiangnan and Liaodong routes to complete the trade cycle of timber and rice.
After hearing this, Cao Guogong pondered for a long time and said, "I support you on this matter. Also, I remember that there were many prisoners in the bandit suppression this year. With your Majesty's temperament, he wants to kill one to serve as an example to others. You can think of a way to release them." There are about 10,000 to 20,000 of these people going to Liaodong, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian."
He Xi was far away from the capital, so it was inevitable that he would not be well informed. The ever-present war against bandits seems to be coming to an end. It cannot be said that there are no bandits in the Ming Dynasty. However, there are very few bandits who need to be encircled and suppressed by the army on a large scale.
This shows that another negative asset inherited by the Ming Dynasty from the Yuan Dynasty has been eliminated.
In fact, this also has something to do with He Xi.
Who were the generals Zhu Yuanzhang sent to suppress the bandits? It may be said that they are all meritorious officials, but they are not adaptable to the current new environment, or some places make Zhu Yuanzhang uncomfortable, so he sends them to gnaw bones.
Naturally, these generals would not receive any big rewards even if they successfully suppressed the bandits immediately. Naturally, we don’t seek merit, but we seek no faults.
But after He Xi's troubles, things were different.
Maybe some people don’t know how profitable maritime trade is. But everyone in the circle knows everything that needs to be known. I don’t know, it’s those who know it and it’s of no use. In fact, speaking of it, there are two points of conflict between these honorable ministers of the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Yuanzhang.
The first is political conflict. For example, Li Shanchang. What Li Shanchang hated most about Zhu Yuanzhang was that at the beginning of the founding of the country, Zhu Yuanzhang forcibly crossed the river and demolished the bridge. Let Li Shanchang become a wealthy and idle man.
The second is the economic contradiction. Zhu Yuanzhang's treatment of the heroes felt that it was not enough, and it was far from enough.
Distribute the benefits of maritime trade to the nobles. I dare not say that all the grievances of these people have been dissipated. At least many generals were brought over. After all, for most generals, they have seen Zhu Yuanzhang's skills. Where is the wrong idea?
As a result, these honorable ministers who were out to suppress the bandits all used their strength to conquer the world. Some even braved the risk of heavy rain and landslides to surprise the bandits' stronghold. The bandits on the mountain couldn't bear this kind of fighting, and they surrendered one after another.
The reason why they did this was because they discovered that the benefits of maritime trade also came first and arrived later. There are now more than a dozen companies participating. But the most prosperous company was Jinghai Company. Those who left later probably won’t even get a share of the pie.
This is why these people are so anxious.
He Xi said: "Thank you very much, Mr. Cao Guo, for your guidance."
Cao Guogong said: "It's all for the imperial court, it's out of the question. However, you must not underestimate Goryeo. Goryeo has been a country for hundreds of years, and it has already had grammar. It is self-contained, although it is chaotic now. But if you really want to destroy the country, I am afraid it will take a long time to fight. It can be delayed. Such as the conquest of Goguryeo in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It is not only natural danger, but also human harmony. It can be defeated, but if you want to destroy Goguryeo, you need to be cautious."
He Xi listened. Somewhat confused. I thought to myself: "I have never thought about destroying Goryeo."
However, He Xi still understood what Cao Guogong said.
In current terms, Goryeo already has national consciousness and self-awareness. Such a country is not impossible to destroy. But when it comes to destruction, one must fully assess the difficulties. Just like in history, during the Wanli period, North Korea was invaded on a daily basis. It seemed that the North Korean army was on the verge of collapse. But what many people have not discovered is that the North Korean volunteers rose and fell, and fell and rose again. Repeatedly. Although the Ming army is the main force, the strength of the North Korean volunteers cannot be ignored.
This is what Cao Guogong said, it has been hundreds of years since the country was founded. Grammar has long existed. The power of nature and human nature lies.
Duke Cao Guo seemed a little tired after saying these words. He waved his hand and let He Xi go down. He Xi could only bow and retreat.
As soon as you go out. Dai Yuanli had been waiting outside for a long time. Asked: "How was it?"
He Xi shook his head and said, "I didn't see anything."
Dai Yuanli sighed and stopped talking.
Some people appear to be healthy, but are actually very dangerous inside. Some may seem dangerous but are actually no big deal. He Xi did not realize that Cao Guogong's condition had reached a critical moment. No need to ask about the rest.
