On the East China Sea Island, the whaling ship unloaded its cargo. The sailors and fishermen rested on the island for three days and had a party before going out to hunt whales again.
Zhao Tai asked the cargo ship to deliver the oil and salted and processed fish to Suining, and asked Wang Wentong to send some craftsmen to Donghai Island to prepare for the construction of infrastructure.
At the same time, Zhao Tai sent Li Zhongquan to Yidu again and asked Li Fen to come to Haizhou to trade.
Now the economy of Zhao Tai's territory has been revitalized and a cycle has been formed.
He purchased raw materials from the Southern Song Dynasty and obtained oil from whales, transported it to his workshop in Suining, produced the goods, and then sold the goods to various places in the Southern Song Dynasty through Zhu Wei and others.
This not only brought profits far beyond planting, but also solved the livelihood of hungry people and created thousands of jobs in addition to energy production.
This position can support a family, allowing Zhao Tai to solve the problem of hungry people and make large profits at the same time.
Zhao Tai used the money to expand production, distribute military pay, and purchase supplies. He had initially solved the financial crisis and was able to support more than 30,000 full-time standing troops in two states and one county.
Zhao Tai's current economic cycle is undoubtedly successful. The only hidden danger is that this cycle is an external cycle and is highly dependent on the market provided by the Southern Song Dynasty.
If Zhao Tai and the Southern Song Dynasty were at odds, Zhao Tai's territory would immediately be in danger of collapse.
Unlike Zhao Tai's territory, which has experienced economic recovery and rapid development, Li Fen's territory has experienced economic collapse.
After the Huainan War, Li Fen suffered heavy losses. The Mongols assigned the prefectures and counties in eastern Shandong to Hebei warlord Zhang Rou, which reduced his territory by half, and also lost the wealthy prefectures and counties near the canal.
This made Li Fen feel a crisis. After he returned to Yidu, he recruited and captured strong men, and gathered another 40,000 troops, restoring his strength to 80,000, so that the Mongols did not dare to touch his territory again.
The land of Shandong has suffered from wars all year round, and local production and economy have long been destroyed. The few continents in Li Fen's hands simply cannot support an 80,000-strong army.
Among the men and horses in his hands, except for a few elites who can get military pay, most of the soldiers are just paying for their food.
The situation of those soldiers who received military pay was also not good. Due to the destruction of Shandong and the feud with the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a shortage of materials in the territory and the prices soared.
When Li Jun's elite received their military pay, they would also find that the shops in the market were closed, goods were scarce, and they could not buy anything at all.
Zhao Tai captured many Li troops in Huainan and incorporated some of them into the Zhongyi Army.
At first, Zhao Tai was a little worried that these prisoners would find opportunities to desert and escape back to Shandong, but later he discovered that most of them chose to stay in the army.
Zhao Tai asked people to ask why. Most of the soldiers who stayed behind were because the treatment of the Zhongyi Army was better than that of the Li Army, and the prices were cheaper. With the same military salary, they could buy more things.
For these soldiers, they did not understand the general trend of the world. Mongolia and the Jin Kingdom were both foreign races. They would follow whoever gave them more money.
These Li Jun are still the Li Jun of the past. Their treatment at that time was not as good as that of Zhao Taijun, let alone the current Li Jun.
At this time, more than 5,000 Li troops were stationed in Haizhou City. Within two months, Haizhou was completely ruined by them.
Li Fen could not pay the army, so Li's soldiers had to raise money and food on the spot and plundered the people's homes. Even the gentry and landlords could not avoid it, causing public resentment and causing a large number of people and merchants to flee Haizhou.
As a result, the people under Li Jun's rule could only become poorer. Ordinary soldiers could not get Qiufeng, and generals and officers who could get military pay could not buy anything.
In this situation, the soldiers have no fighting spirit. The generals in Li's army, knowing this situation, are unable to fight at all.
When they saw something on Donghai Island, they simply thought of buying supplies from Donghai Island.
Zhao Tai responded to the needs of these officers. Every day he sent small boats carrying supplies to Haizhou Pier for sale. When the defenders on the opposite side saw that they were here to sell things, they were very welcoming and even helped maintain order.
Zhao Tai took the opportunity to send some recruited Li Jun to visit. On the surface, he wanted to report to his family that they were safe through Haizhou Li Jun. In fact, he wanted to show off their treatment in the Zhongyi Army.
One can of money a month, three meals a day, and meat.
After listening to their words, the soldiers of Sergeant Li felt unbalanced. They were all soldiers. How could they not have enough to eat here, but they could enjoy the food and drink on the other side?
In mid-September, goods from Chuzhou and craftsmen from Suining began to arrive in Haizhou.
Zhao Tai directed the craftsmen to build workshops on the island to refine whale oil, pickle fish, and process leather, while waiting for Li Fen to come over.
On this day, Zhao Taizheng and his craftsmen were inspecting Yuntai Mountain and preparing to build a stronghold on the mountain. Sun Li climbed up the mountain and said, "My lord, Li Fen has arrived in Haizhou!"
…
In Haizhou City, Li Fen, escorted by a large group of soldiers, entered Haizhou City and used the state government office as a temporary residence.
At this time, in the lobby of the state government office, Li Fen was sitting with a dark face, and there were several guards standing under the hall, all with their heads lowered.
"Hmph!" Li Fen snorted coldly, pointed at a few people and cursed: "I sent you to guard Haizhou to guard against gold thieves, but look at yourselves, what have you done?"
Several Haizhou guards listened to the reprimand, but they were a little unconvinced. The leader said: "Commander, brothers, there is nothing we can do. We have to eat and wear clothes. We have to buy supplies from the gold thieves as a last resort."
Many of Li Fen's troops were old men who had followed his uncle Yang An'er and his father Li Quan.
He inherited his father's position, and his prestige was not enough to suppress these uncles.
Not long ago, he lost 40,000 troops in Huainan, his prestige plummeted, and he could no longer fully control the military leaders under his command.
"Yes! The commander-in-chief won't allocate supplies to us, so the brothers have to find their own solutions!"
Listening to everyone's words, Li Fen also felt a little guilty. He said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the Mongols don't trust us now. We must not make the Mongols unhappy at this time. I will solve the material issue, so you can rest assured. !”
Several generals couldn't help but look happy when they heard that Li Fen could solve the material problem. Haizhou guard Peng Huizu couldn't help asking: "Commander, where did you get the materials from?"
Li Fen smiled slightly, "I have asked Zhao Tai to prepare a large amount of supplies for me, and he will send them to Haizhou soon!"
Peng Huizu frowned, "Didn't the Marshal not allow us to buy things from Donghai Island? How come the Marshal could trade with Zhao Tai?"
Many generals looked unhappy. They could make a fortune by buying things from Donghai Island and then reselling them.
Li Fen didn't let them do business, but he bought supplies from Zhao Tai, which made everyone feel a little angry.
Li Fen saw this but smiled and said: "Haha... If I don't give you money, it doesn't count as a purchase!"
