On the azure sponge, waves continued to hit, exploded around the ship, and disappeared without a trace.
The sky is the same color, cloudless, blue and clear.
A large ship, escorted by several speedboats, was slowly cutting through the waves.
Zu Jue stood at the front of the merchant ship, looking at the waves in the distance. The smell of sea water lingered around him for a long time. Zu Jue took the fruit and took a few bites, looking quite leisurely.
There were two clerks standing beside him, one holding a fruit plate and the other holding a drink.
The clerk asked in a low voice: "Grandpa, the prohibition on alcohol is still in place. Is it really okay to drink alcohol?"
Zu Jue laughed and said, "The ban stipulates that the people under the rule are not allowed to drink alcohol."
"We are now on the sea, not on the same land, so why not?"
The two clerks looked at each other, and one of them pointed in the distance, "That's the Chengshan Seaview Platform, or it's flat on the ground."
Zu Jue waved his hand, "Although it's all over the ground, it's not under our control yet. It's okay. I'll just finish eating."
The clerk did not dare to persuade him any more.
Zu Jue finished eating the fruit and drank some wine, then wiped his lips and moved his body.
There are several Qingzhous at present, such as Nanqing, Beiqing and Chenqing, and Liu Taozi also established a Qingzhou. Zu Jue took a boat from Taozi Qingzhou and came all the way to Chengshantai in Qiguangzhou.
This is the second largest port terminal in Gwangju.
There are many merchant ships docked here for trade and transit.
Here, you can even see the strange scene of southerners' ships and northerners' ships traveling side by side.
Zu Jue's merchant ship slowly approached, and the number of ships they encountered began to increase. There were a few particularly obvious southern ships. They didn't panic when they encountered them. They even raised flags and left from both sides in a swaggering manner.
The ships of the Southerners are different from the ships of the Northerners, which can be seen at a glance.
Zu Jue couldn't help but chuckle.
It's really interesting.
In Daqi, where morals are generally low, officials in the north are busy gobbling up grain and land, while officials in the south are busy doing business.
Trading with the Southerners is definitely a huge profit among huge profits.
Not only Cui Jishu, but also all officials who have served in the south will do business with southerners.
Several have been found out, and I don’t know how many have not been found out.
Because waterways are convenient and prices are unbalanced between the two places, as long as many things can be transported there, ordinary people can be rich for generations.
The temple has issued bans for many years, prohibiting officials from privately organizing caravans to go to the south to engage in trade.
But the ban is in name only. They will only be caught and punished when necessary. The rest of the time, they will do whatever they want.
Previously, when the temple sent envoys to the Chen Dynasty, Wei Shou contacted the envoys, arranged several of his disciples into the fleet, and then traded with a foreign Kunlun ship and obtained many rare treasures.
He piled up beautiful jade and became a rich man in Yecheng in one fell swoop. Then he was discovered and almost arrested and beaten.
Zu Jue was not surprised. He felt that if he were allowed to be the governor here, he might do the same thing!
Several ships slowly approached the pier.
There was a boatman in the distance directing them to let the boat dock safely.
There were many soldiers standing on both sides of the pier.
In front of the many soldiers stood a young junior.
Zu Jue led the officials and many soldiers out of the boat, and the young man hurried forward to worship him.
"Lou Ziyan pays homage to his grandfather."
This young man is Lou Rui's son.
Lou Ziyan's face didn't have that youthful look at all. People like Pseudo Qi always do big things at a very young age and start doing things in their teens. They can't be treated like children.
Zu Jue glanced at him, snorted, and walked quickly past him.
Lou Ziyan was a little embarrassed, but he hurriedly caught up with Zu Jue.
The pier here is huge, and there are large ships docked one after another in the distance. Zu Jue even saw some dark-skinned sailors, who were shackled, and a group of fair-skinned Hu men stood in front of them, shouting loudly.
shouted.
Zu Jue subconsciously stopped and stared at the dark-skinned people.
Lou Ziyan smiled and said: "These are businessmen from the big food country, they are not common."
"Those are the slaves they brought. They are quite strong and obedient. If my grandfather is interested, he can buy some."
"What's the price?"
"One costs four thousand dollars."
“So expensive??”
"Yes, uncommon ones are naturally more expensive. These big cannibals are afraid that these slaves will be controlled by others, so they castrate them before selling them."
Zu Jue nodded and walked forward again. There was a small town in the distance, but there was no city wall. Many merchants and sailors gathered here, making the place look particularly prosperous.
Looking at the products piled on the road, Zu Jue couldn't help but narrowed his eyes.
Lou Ziyan invited him to a restaurant.
This restaurant is not an ordinary restaurant. It has certain status requirements. They sat at the highest point, and through the window, they could see the clear sea water in the distance.
Zu Jue's eyes flashed and he swallowed secretly.
Gwangju is also a good place.
Looks like it needs to be taken down as soon as possible.
"There are often those barbarian merchants here?"
"It's not common, but it is. There are many strange things brought by merchants from many places. My father bought a knife from them before. Strangely speaking, the pattern of the knife is unprecedented. It is extremely sharp and unusual.
The sword will break with every touch."
The light in Zu Jue's eyes became even brighter.
He suppressed his desire to send troops to Guangzhou and looked at Lou Ziyan calmly.
"King Lou has always had a good personal relationship with my king in the past. I want to know why King Lou changed his mind?"
Lou Ziyan looked confused, "Why did you say that?"
"Ever since my king came to rule the North, the number of fleets and fleets has become less and less. Is it because King Lou doesn't want to interact with my king anymore?"
Lou Ziyan let out a long sigh.
"I came here this time just to explain this matter to my grandfather."
"Nowadays, the wealthy merchants in Henan are extremely afraid of King Liu."
"Many people no longer dare to trade with King Liu."
"Oh? Why?"
Lou Ziyan pursed his lips and explained as euphemistically as possible, "King Liu is very brave, they are probably timid."
The real reason was the killings along the way by Liu Taozi's army.
Kou Liu and others marched along the way, killing a lot of people along the way, uprooting powerful people, wealthy families, and wealthy merchants, and even caused great panic, causing a large number of people to flee.
Everything comes with a price.
The barbarism and lack of rules of Liu Taozi's troops may have reminded these merchants of the original Hu people.
They still have fresh memories of how pitiful the powerful families were in front of those barbarians.
The orthodox dynasty could not collect the taxes, but the barbarians received the taxes as soon as they came, relying on cavalry and scimitars.
The only people who were so unruly were the Hu people at the time and the founders of Xianbei later on, who had begun to gradually accept the Han people. Why did Liu Taozi, who kept saying that he was a Han Dynasty, did what the Wu Hu people did at the time?
What about things?
Everyone in the south knew that Liu Taozi would go south sooner or later, but what happened in the north frightened them and they no longer dared to support Liu Taozi or cooperate with him.
Lou Ziyan looked at Zu Jue to make sure he was not angry, and then continued: "Actually, my father can understand."
"My father told them that the reason why such a thing happened was because Xingtai was too poor and needed supplies urgently."
Lou Ziyan whispered: "They are still a little shaken."
"Grandpa, I know that you are also from a rich family, so I will tell you directly that these people in the south need a promise now."
"As long as King Liu can give them such a promise, they will definitely serve you with all their strength!"
"I will swear to surrender to King Liu and give my full help to ensure that the King will never have to worry about food, grass and other supplies. We can even bring the counties in the south to submit to the King!"
Lou Ziyan's words were very direct and unambiguous.
Zu Jue licked his lips, "What commitment do they need?"
"They hope that when the king sends troops to Henan in the future, he will let go of these good people who have supported him."
"Promote their clansmen to serve as officials."
"Allow them to keep their property and family businesses."
"At the same time, we can give them some special treatment."
Lou Ziyan talked faster and faster, and talked more and more.
It seems that these gentlemen in the south were really frightened by Liu Taozi's barbarian methods.
They were afraid of experiencing Wuhu's tragedy again, so they hoped to get Liu Taozi's promise. Of course, although Lou Ziyan did not say it explicitly, if they could not give such a promise, then they would definitely oppose it with all their strength.
Zu Jue listened to the other party's story calmly and was not in a hurry to interrupt.
After Lou Ziyan finished speaking, Zu Jue slowly started to drink wine.
"I won't talk about it, but Lou Jun thinks about it himself. Do you think this is possible?"
Lou Ziyan laughed, "Isn't that what business is like?"
"Each one puts forward a request, and then negotiates to achieve a result that everyone is satisfied with."
Zu Jue nodded, "This is indeed the case with business."
"But what we are talking about now is not business, but world affairs."
"I can't give you such a promise, and neither can your Majesty."
"Even if it's a false promise, I can't give it."
Lou Ziyan was stunned and said hurriedly: "You don't understand. The people who said these words are from big families in Henan. Many of the officials have similar ideas. If the king can make a promise, the southern country will be peaceful without a war. Then
Won’t the King’s ambition be realized soon?”
Zu Jue shook his head and looked at Lou Ziyan with some displeasure in his eyes.
"When I first met the king, I persuaded him to follow the example of Emperor Shenwu and enter Ye City, and then he could achieve great success."
"But the king did not agree."
"What the king wants is a completely transformed world."
"Now that the king governs the ten states in the north, do you think that the king's governance is as simple as arranging a wise governor?"
"No, the ten states in the North have been completely transformed!"
"The big families who occupied the various states were either dead or disabled. They no longer had the ability to occupy resources or influence the local area. The temples were bulldozed. The monks were forced to return to secular life and were no longer allowed to become monks. As for the big businessmen who were rich and unkind, their property was also confiscated."
"From the lowest-level casual official to the county magistrate, prefect, and governor."
"The ten states in the North are ten completely different states, completely new and full of vitality."
"The emperor of the Puppet Zhou Dynasty killed powerful officials and showed his virtuousness. Many people think he is a formidable enemy, but I don't think so."
"Just because, no matter how much the puppet emperor did, he could not do it as thoroughly as my king. After all, his position was inherited, and my position as king was earned by himself."
"Therefore, any rules and regulations no longer exist in front of my king, and no powerful family or noble family can threaten my king at all."
"With a single order from my king, Hebei's powerful people can be plowed over without leaving a single residue."
Zu Jue, like Lou Ziyan just now, looked increasingly excited and spoke faster and faster.
He said loudly: "What my king needs is a brand new world, not a world obtained by compromise. Therefore, he does not need to compromise with anyone, nor does he need to make a promise to anyone!"
Lou Ziyan was stunned on the spot.
After a long time like this, he shook his head and asked sadly: "Is there no room for relaxation?"
Zu Jue instantly put away his arrogance and looked at Lou Ziyan with a smile, "Of course there are."
"Although I can't make a promise to those people, I can make a promise to King Lou."
"oh?"
"When the world is peaceful, King Lou can continue to be a rich man. This will be based on the many achievements he has made. Of course, the same is true for you."
Lou Ziyan was silent for a moment, "Rich man?"
"If you think about it again, I don't think there is anything in the south that can stop my king."
"As far as the governors and county soldiers in the south are concerned, except for Dugu Yongye, none of them can be used."
"Don't say it's the Puppet Zhou Dynasty, let alone my king, even if the Southerners are going to the North, I guess they can't stop it."
"People, you should think more about yourself."
Lou Ziyan fell silent and did not speak.
Zu Jue did not rush, and drank his own wine and ate several plates of local delicacies. It was a pleasure to eat.
"But if there are no such people, how can the king get food and grass?"
"There is nothing we can do"
Lou Ziyan said slowly.
"That's what I'm here for."
Zu Jue put down the drink in his hand and said seriously: "I hope you can introduce me to the big merchants in the south. The bigger the better!"
Lou Ziyan fell silent and did not speak.
Zu Jue persuaded again: "Of course there will be no shortage of benefits for you."
"My king has completely entrusted this matter to me. He also told me that trade is very important. If this matter can be done well, there will definitely be rewards in the future."
Lou Ziyan stood up suddenly, saluted Zu Jue, turned around and left.
Zu Jue froze on the spot, watching Lou Ziyan leave and marveling.
Good guy, before you even finished speaking, the other party just left like that?
Doesn’t my king even have this intimidating power?
We still have to capture Gwangju!
Let them know fear!
Zu Jue was indignant, took a few more drinks, and ate the food.
Just when Zu Jue was thinking about how to send troops to Guangzhou after returning, the door was pushed open again, and Lou Ziyan, who had just left, actually returned to the house with several people.
Those few people were tall and tall, and they all covered their faces with bamboo hats.
Zu Jue was very surprised.
"Is this the assassin who came to kill me?"
Lou Ziyan shook his head, "Grandpa, these are the biggest merchants you want."
Zu Jue looked at Lou Ziyan with complicated eyes, are you kidding me?
You called people in just after I opened my mouth? Can you predict the future? Or have you arranged a spy around me?
Seeing Zu Jue's obviously disbelieving look, Lou Ziyan looked at them and said, "Grandpa Zu has a big deal."
Those few people were stunned, and simply stopped covering up and immediately took off their hats.
Zu Jue could see clearly now.
The people standing in front of him were all monks.
Zu Jue was a little shocked.
Lou Ziyan explained: "The good ancestors know that the largest merchants in the southern country are these masters."
"The masters have many merchant ships and cooperate with each other. They often come to Guangzhou and other places to trade, explain scriptures and Dharma, and perform great Dharma meetings."
"Eighty percent of the merchant ships that come to Gwangju every year belong to these masters."
"The masters bring all kinds of goods. As long as you want it, they can find it."
Zu Jue blinked and looked at these great monks.
The leader made a Buddhist salute to him.
"It turns out that he is my grandfather from the Northland, and I have admired his name for a long time."
"Hahaha, I'm afraid it's not a bad reputation, right?"
"The biggest businessmen in the south are actually monks like you?"
Zu Jue shook his head, "Do you have any food in your hands?"
"I wonder what kind of food my grandfather wants?"
"Hmm"
The leading monk's face was full of compassion. He raised his head and said seriously: "Grandpa, don't have any worries. As the saying goes, Buddhism is boundless. Whether it is the North, Qi, or Zhou, we will deal honestly, and there will be no problems."
To deceive or conceal."
"As long as you want it, we can get it. However, the price cannot let us suffer."
"Actually, we have wanted to communicate with the Northland for a long time, but we heard that the Northland is not close to the monks, so we did not dare to go there rashly."
"This war horse from the north is just one. If it is sent to the south, its price is hundreds of thousands, and some can be worth millions."
"If my grandfather is willing to do business with us, I am willing to buy war horses at a high price. Of course, if you need food, we can also exchange food for war horses."
"Besides war horses, there are many things in the North that we need."
"What do you think?"
Zu Jue grinned, "You want a stallion, but I can't give it to you."
"We don't want stallions, we just want the most exquisite, unique and beautiful war horses."
"We have other uses for these war horses. As long as they have characteristics, we don't care about the price. We can accept whatever you bid."
Chapter completed!