Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 198 Helong Situation

"Aunt, this is Cao Mao, the yamen guard under General Liu Jie."

"I have met Minister Feng..."

On the tenth day of June, when Liu Jilong fell asleep with the jade in his arms, Cao Mao also followed Yang Zhiwen and others to Nanzheng County, Xingyuan Prefecture, where he met Feng Ao, the governor of Shannan West Road.

Faced with the sudden appearance of Cao Mao, Feng Ao was a little unsure, and his eyes shifted between Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen.

Seeing this, Yang Zhiwen immediately explained: "Meicheng invited Cao Yaya to meet Miss Xiaoqi."

"I see." Feng Ao nodded when he heard that. He thought that his eldest grandson had fallen in love with Liu Jilong and had probably agreed to the marriage right away.

Thinking of this, Feng Ao said to the servant beside him, "Go and call Madam Xiao Qi out."

"Yes..." The servant bowed hurriedly, then turned and went to the West Flower Hall.

After finishing all this, Feng Ao looked at Cao Mao and said with a smile, "General Liu Jie has many talented young men under his command. I wonder how old Cao Yaya is and whether he is married?"

"I am only seventeen years old and have not yet married." Cao Mao responded with a smile and said tactfully:

"My family's commander often said to me and the other generals in Longxi, 'How can we return home when Longxi is not recovered?'

"That is why I and the other generals in Longxi have never thought about getting married."

Cao Mao's words immediately made Feng Ao look embarrassed.

He was over sixty years old, so how could he not understand the meaning of Cao Mao's words? It was obvious that Liu Jilong did not want to get married.

Thinking of this, Feng Ao felt a little uncomfortable.

After all, he was from the Feng family of Bohai. How could his granddaughter marry Liu Jilong, a guy who was born a slave, and be rejected by the other party?
Thinking of this, his enthusiasm for Cao Mao gradually cooled.

Fortunately, Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan seemed to have anticipated the conflict between Cao Mao and Feng Ao, so the two of them kept trying to smooth things over.

A quarter of an hour later, a voice was heard from the corridor and everyone looked towards the corridor.

But I saw the girl walking towards the inner hall. From a few steps away, I could only see that she was wearing a wide-sleeved shirt on the outside and a chest-length skirt on the inside. There was a light pink silk ribbon tied on the skirt.

She came over with two maids, gracefully and elegantly. One could not see her appearance, but one could feel her temperament was as beautiful as orchid, and she was graceful and elegant.

"Aweng, eldest brother, Yang Canjun..."

Only after she walked into the inner hall and paid her respects did Cao Mao see her appearance clearly.

This young lady Xiaoqi wore a golden crown with eight treasures on her head, and a gold and jade hairpin inlaid in her bun. There were also seasonal hairpins inserted between the hairpins. Her appearance was not stunning but also pretty. Her skin was as white as jade, her neck was white and smooth, and she looked like a water onion, which made people love her.

Cao Mao looked at her carefully and found that she was slender but plump, with a temperament like an orchid. She was a master who could dominate the inner courtyard.

Looking at it this way, he felt that it would be a good idea to let his own commander marry this Miss Seventh. After all, this Miss Seventh was also the legitimate granddaughter of Feng of Bohai.

Although the Feng family is now in decline, there were still great figures such as Feng Hui, Feng Longzhi, Feng Zihui, and Feng Deyi in the past generations.

Cao Mao hesitated when he said this, and Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan saw his hesitation and immediately looked at each other with a smile.

"Seventh Lady, this is Cao Mao, the yamen officer under the command of Liu Jilong, the governor of Longyou."

Feng Bangyan stood up and walked to Qi Niangzi's side and introduced Cao Mao to her.

"I have met Mr. Cao..."

Although Xiaoqi didn't understand why her grandfather and elder brother asked her to meet a man from another family, her years of education and etiquette allowed her to bow respectfully.

"No need to be so polite, Miss Seven."

Cao Mao quickly stood up to return the greeting, and Feng Bangyan smiled at Xiao Qi Niangzi and said, "Xiao Qi Niangzi, please go back to the West Flower Hall for now."

Hearing this, Xiao Qi looked puzzled and looked towards her grandfather.

But when she saw her grandfather nod his head, she bowed and left with her maid.

After he left, Feng Bangyan also said with a smile: "Mr. Cao, you must be tired from the journey. Go to Yin Hotel and have a rest first."

"Okay," Cao Mao nodded in agreement, and stood up and saluted Feng Ao: "I'll take my leave."

"Dezhi, take Cao Langjun to rest."

Feng Ao nodded to Cao Mao, and then gave instructions to Yang Zhiwen.

Yang Zhiwen happily took Cao Mao away, leaving Feng Ao and Feng Bangyan behind.

"I don't like it, but you still treat Miss Xiaoqi like this?"

Seeing Yang Zhiwen and the others walking away, Feng Ao questioned Feng Bangyan in frustration.

But he never expected that Feng Bangyan, who had an arrogant look on his face before leaving Xingyuan Mansion, would now eagerly come forward to pour tea for him.

"You don't know, old man. Liu Jilong is eight feet tall and has a handsome appearance. When I first saw him, I thought he was a god!"

"If Xiaoqi doesn't hurry up and marry him now, when those famous families in Guandong come to Liu Jilong to recruit a wife, it won't be Xiaoqi's turn!"

Feng Bangyan was extremely anxious and wanted to finalize the marriage between Xiaoqi and Liu Jilong right away. He completely lost his previous arrogance.

When Feng Ao heard him say this, he immediately became suspicious and asked, "Is Liu Jilong... really so handsome?"

"If he is so handsome, why would he stay until now and give us the opportunity?"

Feng Ao still has self-awareness. If Liu Jilong was really as great as Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan praised him to be, it would not be their turn.

Seeing him say this, Feng Bangyan quickly said, "Those people must be as vulgar as I was before, and they despise Liu Jilong's slave origin."

"Everyone thinks highly of themselves, it is my Feng family who deserves to pick up this beautiful jade!"

Feng Bangyan convinced Feng Ao with just a few words.

But Feng Ao quickly thought of Cao Mao's attitude and said bitterly:

"It's a pity that you are interested, but Liu Jilong is not. I see that Mr. Cao is quite conflicted in his words. I'm afraid..."

"Auntie, what you said is wrong." Feng Bangyan said to comfort him:
"Then Cao Mao must have thought that the Seventh Lady was ordinary. When he saw the Seventh Lady before, his tone was not as firm as before."

"From my grandson's perspective, as long as I and Brother De are more enthusiastic in the next few days, Mr. Cao will definitely serve as my lobbyist because he is shallow-skinned."

"Besides, my grandson went to Wuzhou. Apart from other things, a glimpse of this tells us that Longxi must have a declining population, otherwise Liu Jilong would not be so concerned about the import-export trade."

"In my grandson's opinion, the old man should appease the officials of various states and first let Liu Jilong taste the sweetness of the trade of horses and mouths. After that, Liu Jilong will not dare to cut off contact with the old man and will have no choice but to marry the seventh lady."

"This..." Feng Ao always felt that this was not the act of a gentleman, but when he thought about the chaos in the world today, and his own experiences of being humiliated by the domineering warriors in Shannan West Road, he nodded.

"Although I have the intention, it would be too drastic to move so many hungry people to Longxi."

As Feng Ao said this, Yang Zhiwen walked into the inner hall from outside.

Seeing Feng Ao worried about the exposure of the relocated hungry people, Yang Zhiwen bowed quickly and said, "Don't worry, Shangshu, there are tens of thousands of hungry people in Sanchuan, and the officials in various states have long been worried."

"As long as the horse-port trade is carried out, these officials will certainly relocate people for the benefit."

"What I am more worried about is that Bai Minzhong of Jiannan Dao will learn about this through his subordinates."

"Because of this, officials from the states in Jiannan Road, which are close to Shannan West Road, must also be bribed with money."

Yang Zhiwen's words were appropriate. Feng Ao hurriedly said, "Su Di from Shannan East Road is not someone you can easily get along with. Should we..."

"No need!" Yang Zhiwen chuckled and said, "The east and west roads of Shannan are separated by the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains. As long as the officials of the states keep their mouths shut, the news will not leak out."

"I am willing to travel to various states and, by the autumn harvest at the latest, I will be able to convince the officials of each state to rely on the oral-horse trade."

Yang Zhiwen has this confidence because he knows clearly how bad the local administration is today.

After the autumn harvest, many people will be displaced due to persecution by officials.

As long as he used the right amount of intimidation, the officials of various states would certainly agree to relocate the hungry people, and as long as he shared the profits afterwards, they would keep their mouths shut.

Under coercion and inducement, he didn't believe that many officials could stick to their original intentions.

"Okay, okay..." Feng Ao quickly agreed, and then explained:
"The affairs of Cao Mao and the other states will be handed over to you two respectively."

"Keep Cao Mao here for a while, and wait until the horse trade begins. Once Liu Jilong has tasted the sweetness, we can let Cao Mao go back to Longxi."

"By then, with the help of the oral-horse trade and Cao Mao's persuasion, I don't believe Liu Jilong will not be tempted."

Feng Ao stroked his beard happily, as if he had seen the day when Liu Jilian became Feng's son-in-law.

Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen looked at each other, and soon left the inner hall to carry out their work as planned.

When they were concentrating on planning to recruit Liu Jilong as Feng's son-in-law, Liu Jilong just woke up from his gentle embrace.

"..."

After opening his eyes hazily and struggling for a while, Liu Jilong slowly woke up. Looking at the two beautiful bodies lying on the ten-foot-wide bed, he couldn't help but sigh.

It is said that the land of gentleness is the tomb of heroes.

Liu Jilong thought he was not a hero, but with the beauty in front of him and having not tasted meat for 22 years, he couldn't help but get addicted to the tenderness of the flesh in the past few days.

"Is Marshal Jie going to get up?"

Her arms were wrapped around her neck, and then her delicate body pressed against hers.

Madam Chen breathed hot air into Liu Jilong's ear, making his ear feel itchy.

He was greedy for the bodies of Madam Chen and Madam Hu, and the two of them were in the same situation.

Feeling Chen Niangzi's breath, and then seeing Hu Niangzi turning over and lying between his legs, Liu Jilong couldn't help but feel a little dazed. "Damn, what a miserable life I had lived before!"

For a moment, Liu Jilong couldn't help wanting to sink into the arms of tenderness, but fortunately he dispelled that thought in time, decisively got off the bed and put on his shirt.

"Jie Shuai..."

Madam Chen lay on the edge of the bed, looking up at Liu Jilong. There seemed to be amorous glances in her eyes, making people reluctant to leave.

The Western Regions Hu Ji Niang also turned over, revealing her beauty, and said in a wronged tone: "General Ji..."

At this moment, Liu Jilong finally understood how those wise rulers in the early period of history became foolish after the country became stable in the later period.

If it weren't for his strong will, he would have sat back on the bed by now.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong chuckled and said, "After spending half a month with you, my body has become a little stiff."

The military and political affairs are busy and need to be dealt with. You two can go back to the West Flower Hall to rest later. Also, tell Miss Guo that if I don't summon her these days, she can rest well in the West Flower Hall."

Seeing that Liu Jilong was going to leave them for a while, the two women were reluctant to let him go.

They were far more addicted to Liu Jilong's body than he was, and could not wait to stare at it every day.

Liu Jilong chuckled twice, put on his outer robe and walked out of the bedroom.

Inside the hall, Mrs. Zhang had already asked the maid to prepare the toiletries.

After Liu Jilong simply washed up, he walked out of the inner courtyard and went to the busy outer hall.

Half a month ago, with Liu Jilian's return to Linzhou, officials began to enter the Protectorate to work.

Gao Jinda and Cui Shu managed the Protectorate in an orderly manner. Although Liu Jilian was addicted to the pleasures of life, he would spare two hours every day to handle military and political affairs.

However, compared with the previous period, today he arrived at the main hall of the yamen at noon, which surprised Gao Jinda and Cui Shu.

"Marshal Jie, you are here."

Gao Jinda and Cui Shu stood up and saluted. Liu Jilong chuckled and said, "After indulging in the gentleness of the past few days, my body has become a little stiff."

"It seems that we can't indulge in this gentle land. After all, it's not time for us to rest easy."

Liu Jilong's words made Gao Jinda and Cui Shu admire him even more.

They had also seen the three concubines when they were sent here.

They thought that they would not be able to escape so quickly when facing those three people, and might even become addicted to them, but Liu Jilong was able to get out of it without being addicted.

Only such people can lead them to achieve success.

"Well, according to the time, Shang Duoluo and his men should be on their way to retake the three states, right?"

Liu Jilong walked up to the main seat and sat down, asking the two of them.

The two nodded when they heard this, and Gao Jinda bowed and said, "One thousand elite cavalry, four thousand armored soldiers, and eight thousand civilians, almost all the males in Hezhou and Minzhou."

"This battle must be over by the end of August, otherwise the autumn harvest will be delayed."

"It's not a big problem." Liu Jilong was confident and trusted Shang Duoluo and others very much.

After all, with the help of the counterweight trebuchet, it was not a problem for them to recover the three states.

"General Jie, after the three states are recovered, what should we do next?"

Seeing that Liu Jilong trusted Shang Duoluo and others so much, Gao Jinda asked about Longxi's next direction.

In response, Liu Jilong first motioned for the two to take a seat, and then he mused:

"If nothing unexpected happens, the horse trade should be settled."

"During the Kaiyuan period, Shannan West Road had nearly 350,000 households and 1.08 million people."

"Although there was a rebellion by Liu Pi of Xichuan during this period, it was generally peaceful."

"If we count the hidden households in Shannan West Road, the population is definitely more than 1.08 million. It should be much higher, otherwise there wouldn't be tens of thousands of hungry people gathered in such a short time."

"Although these tens of thousands of hungry people are very important to Longxi, they are still too few."

"Earlier, Chen Ying went to Guannei Road for trade and easily captured more than 3,000 hungry people. I wonder if he can start from other states and capture more hungry people to fill Longxi?"

Liu Jilong asked Gao Jinda and Cui Shu. After the two looked at each other, Cui Shu bowed and said:

"I have been to Wuquan and discussed this with Chen Yingxiang in detail. The reason why we were able to easily obtain more than 3,000 people this time was mainly because we got the tacit approval of Liu Tong, the governor of Shuofang."

"Although Liu Tong is resolute, the Shuofang Army under his command needs money and food. The hungry people gathered in Lingzhou and were prone to chaos. Liu Tong couldn't bear to kill them, so he sold them to Chen Ying."

"In addition, Liu Tong also wants to open up and stabilize the trade route between Lingwu and Longxi, so as to increase the tax revenue under his rule."

After Cui Shu finished speaking, Liu Jilong nodded and said, "The Guannei Road is short of silk and cloth, while Bashu is short of livestock. Previously, many merchants who traveled between the two places were exploited by the towns."

"Right now, Longxi is located between the two places, so I can make a profit from it."

"General." Gao Jinda also said:

"There are now more than 30,825 taels of gold, more than 10,235 taels of silver, more than 76,000 strings of coins, and more than 37,600 catties of red copper in the treasury."

"There are more than 215,000 dan of grain in the warehouse, 39,620 pieces of silk, 36,000 pieces of linen, more than 30,000 dan of beans, 65 dragon whisker mats, and countless eagle feathers and other items."

"I have calculated that the red copper coins can earn more than 7,000 strings of cash. After the autumn harvest, depending on the policies of each state, about 500,000 dan of grain, about 50,000 dan of beans, 200,000 pieces of linen, and 120 dragon beard mats can be collected."

"Although there is enough food in Longxi, after we recover the three states, we still need to resettle the people in the three states, so we still need to buy food from the people in the four states of Lanhe, Linwei and Wei."

"We can take this opportunity to sell linen, dragon beard mats, eagle feathers and other items to Lingzhou."

"In addition, the herds under the Protectorate have multiplied, and the number of sheep is no less than 200,000. We can sell them to Qinzhou, Jiannan Road, and Shannan Road as much as possible."

"The Protectorate should also purchase a house in Chang'an and use it as a memorial office to gather information about the city at any time."

Gao Jinda listed all the wealth of Longxi in detail, and it has to be said that Longxi is still very wealthy at present.

When the people's livelihood in the four states of Cheng, Min, Dang and Wu has been restored to a near-perfect state, each state will be able to pay taxes according to the five-tax-one method, and people's lives will become more prosperous.

As long as there is no need to support the people, the workload of the Protectorate will be reduced a lot. The annual grain tax of about 300,000 dan can basically cover the salaries of the military and officials.

As for additional rewards, they can be obtained through trade.

"How much do you think is a reasonable price to pay for the grain we are buying from the people this time?"

Liu Jilong asked Gao Jinda and Cui Shu, after all, the states in Longxi had been independent of each other for a long time, and prices were still at the level during the drought a few years ago. Now that the drought is over, prices should be lowered.

However, if the price is reduced too much, it will be easy for the goods to be smuggled abroad, so careful negotiation is needed.

In response, Cui Shu took the initiative to say: "Although Longxi produces copper, there is a severe shortage of money in various regions now, so it is better to keep the copper coins in the hands of the Protectorate."

"What the people lack is nothing more than wine, meat, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. Therefore, we just need to determine the value of each commodity in grain and exchange it for grain."

Wine, meat, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, these seven things were basically controlled by the Protectorate, so as long as the price of exchanging grain for goods was set, it was indeed easy to purchase grain from the people.

However, this is not a long-term solution after all, and we still have to increase the mining of copper mines.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong’s thoughts also flew to the gunpowder factory in Phoenix Mountain.

"In that case, let's finalize the matter according to your two opinions. Afterwards, just draw up a price list for the various commodities to be exchanged for grain and give it to me."

"It's still early now. I need to go to Phoenix Mountain. You guys go ahead and do your work."

Liu Jilong stood up and walked out, but was stopped by Gao Jinda, who said, "General, there is one more thing I need to tell you."

"What?" Liu Jilong was puzzled, while Gao Jinda told Liu Jilong a lot of information that Chen Ying had found in Guannei Road.

What attracted the most attention was the issue of smuggling from the Guannei Road to the Emu and Uighurs.

"Before this, we didn't know why the Uighurs of Xizhou and Ganzhou and the Umudu tribe suddenly became powerful and were able to invade Hexi repeatedly."

"Now that I have obtained Chen Ying's intelligence, I know why they have become so powerful."

Gao Jinda was worried: "If this continues, Hexi will definitely not be able to resist the invasion of the barbarians."

"This imperial court... is really... oh!"

Gao Jinda still didn't dare to curse the imperial court, but Liu Jilong snorted coldly when he heard it: "Dog-foot imperial court!"

After cursing, Liu Jilong told the two men: "Always pay attention to the situation in Hexi. As long as Zhang Jiedushi is in charge of Hexi, nothing serious will happen."

"If Jiedushi Zhang changes his mind, please report it to me immediately."

"Yes!" The two men bowed, and Liu Jilong nodded and walked out.

In fact, he could have opened up the Helong trade route to help Zhang Huaishen.

But now he is no longer Zhang Huaishen's general, but the commander-in-chief of Longxi.

Zhang Huaishen is too conservative. If he is not allowed to see the true face of this corrupt imperial court, he will never turn back from his wrong path.

If he lost Liangzhou, he would be able to regain Liangzhou in a legitimate way, strengthen the strength of the Longyou Protectorate, and cut off his connection with the Tang court.

If he was willing to submit to him, then the two of them could conquer the world together.

If he doesn't want to...

Liu Jilong frowned and quickened his pace.

(End of this chapter)