The establishment of the "Salt Envoy" allowed the Hedong family to once again gain the management and control rights of the salt pond after losing the right to own the salt pond. The Hedong family cannot bear the consequences of losing ownership of the salt pond, but when all this is irreversible, the "Salt Envoy" is the best comfort.
Without saying a word, Wang Fukiao bowed his head to the ground and begged: "I also ask the Duke of Yue to temporarily release me. I will do my best to persuade the families in Hedong to cooperate with the Duke of Yue to complete the restructuring of the Hedong salt field. The families in Hedong will always be loyal to Your Majesty and the Great Patriarch." Tang.”
When the situation has reached this point, there is no turning back for both parties. Either Fang Jun completely restructures the salt farm and drives out the Hedong family forever, or it triggers turmoil and leads to a huge crisis, and Fang Jun has to take responsibility.
But no matter which outcome happens, it will be extremely difficult for the Hedong family to restore the salt field.
In this case, why not use the steps to come down and continue to control the Hedong Saltworks in another way?
The most important point is that if the Zheng family in Xingyang becomes the hereditary "Salt Envoy" and their status skyrockets, all the Hedong families will be suppressed.
How to deal with one situation and another?
Zheng Xuanguo's face was flushed as if he was drunk, and he said quickly: "Why should the Duke of Yue sacrifice the near and seek the far away? I will send a message to my father right now, asking him to return to Xingyang to personally take charge of the overall situation. No matter how many manpower the salt farm needs, the Zheng family in Xingyang will definitely provide it!" ”
The Hedong Salt Farm is located in the "Land of Three Rivers". If it can be completely controlled, it will not only be able to obtain huge profits, but also affect the salt of millions of people in Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong, Longyou and other places. It will also have immeasurable huge benefits. Influence.
Compared with this, betraying the Hedong family is not worth mentioning.
Wang Fukiao glared: "Although the Zheng family in Xingyang is not a Hedong family, they have cooperated with each other for more than a hundred years. How can they set up their own company and backstab their allies at this time?"
Zheng Xuanguo disagreed: "This is wrong. The Hedong family has been in charge of the salt field for so many years. They have become corrupt, shoddy and mismanaged. Our Xingyang Zheng family has lost immeasurable benefits. Don't you want an explanation? Times have changed. , those who can do the hard work, you should hand over the management rights.”
Wang Fijiao shook his head repeatedly: "It's not because I underestimated the Zheng family in Xingyang. Without the help of the Hedong family, you would never have been able to organize enough manpower to fill the vacancies in the salt field..."
"You two," Fang Jun knocked on the desk in front of him: "I have given you an opportunity and a choice. Let's go home and discuss it as soon as possible. Within ten days, sea salt from Huating Town will arrive in Guanzhong to alleviate the salt shortage. The worry is that the saltworks must resume work and production within a month, and you don’t have much time.”
"Here!"
The two of them knew that the matter was of great importance and related to their respective families' plans for the next hundred years, so they did not dare to say anything more, turned around and left in a hurry.
*****
Dai, Liu, and Zhang entered the official residence, greeted each other and took their seats. Dai Zhou couldn't help but said: "Erlang is reckless this time. Hedong Yanchi is so involved and has a huge influence. How can he take over it with such strong measures?" I’m afraid that now that the news has spread, the world will be in an uproar.”
Salt, like grain, is an indispensable and irreplaceable commodity for people's livelihood. Its value lies not only in its rich benefits, but also in its impact on people's livelihood, which affects everyone's hearts.
With just a little push, Fang Jun will be pushed to the forefront.
Dai Zhou and Fang Jun have always been close friends. Although they are separated by age and seniority, they have become close friends. In the past, Fang Jun was often sued to Dali Temple in Chang'an. Dai Zhou protected him, so this meeting Ercai spoke frankly.
Fang Jun said with a smile: "Uncle, don't worry. Didn't I invite you here? As long as the officials above and below the Yanchi are convicted, it will be justifiable for the court to take back the Yanchi. Even if the rest are unwilling, they are just incompetent barking and cannot affect the overall situation."< br>
Zhang Liangpi smiled but said: "Haha, it's such a big battle, the 'Three Law Divisions' are all in battle. Even if these officials of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of the salt farm are convicted, it's worth it. After all, with their grades, there is a high probability that they will not be able to enter in their lifetime." The Yamen of the 'Three Law Divisions'"
"Aren't these three people just in Luoyang? So I begged Your Majesty to ask them to assist you nearby." Fang Jun waved his hands with a smile, and then changed the topic: "I heard that Duke Yu has resigned from the Ministry of Punishment and will soon take up the post of Youjin Wuwei. General?”
Zhang Liang was stunned for a moment, and an unpleasant feeling emerged in his heart: "...Ah, that's the case. I was born in the military, and I don't have much knowledge of criminal names. I am the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment but I am sitting in a vegetarian position. I am unworthy of His Majesty's entrustment. I might as well abdicate in favor of someone worthy and return to China." The military is better.”
Fang Jun's smile became brighter, but his words were thorny: "Now and then, Duke Yu has fallen behind a bit. The army now is different from that of the past. The captains below are all unruly and unruly. He is stubborn and often impeaches generals and evades superior officials. The Jinwu Guards on both sides are new. Reorganize, which one of those lieutenants and lieutenants has no backer? This right Jin Wuwei general is not easy to be. Duke Yu needs to be careful, don't let the people below take advantage of him. When the time comes, he will be thrown away. It would be bad if you become an official and become the laughing stock of the world.”
Zhang Liang's face turned red, he gritted his teeth, swallowed his anger and put on a smile: "I need more support from you, Lord Yue."
Obediently, Fang Jun clearly told him that the left and right Jinwu Guards were still in his hands. Even if he became the general of the Right Jinwu Guards, he would have to look at his eyes, otherwise he would be ignored by the lieutenants and lieutenants below...
He has always known that Fang Jun is arrogant and willful, but he never talks big and empty words. Since he dares to say this, his control over Jin Wuwei must be high or low.
He abandoned the military camp and took refuge with Liu Ji. Would he rather be a traitor to the military but still be unable to escape from Fang Jun's clutches?
Then didn't he become a traitor for nothing?
Fang Jun smiled broadly and seemed to be joking: "It depends on your performance."
Liu Xiangdao was not familiar with Fang Jun, so he hardly spoke after he sat down. He drank tea and watched the excitement. He couldn't help but marveled that Zhang Liangjue, who had been granted the title of Duke of Yue, was a serious Zhenguan noble. At that time, he might have been just Zhenguan. He was a low-ranking official among the ministers, but now that the Zhenguan ministers are gradually withering away, Zhang Liang's qualifications and status have become prominent, so once he is recommended, he can jump from the Minister of the Ministry of Justice to the General of Youjin Wuwei.
But look at how Zhang Liang spoke in front of Fang Jun? Facing Fang Jun's sarcasm, intimidation, and threats, not only did he not dare to say a harsh word, he couldn't even show a dissatisfied expression, and he was groveling and groveling...
Obviously they are two generations, but in fact they are two generations, just reversed.
Looking at Su Dingfang, who is sitting calmly on the side, he has a bit of the magnanimity of Yuan Ting Yue Zhi. This general who was depressed during the Zhenguan period gave up half his life in the art of archery and horse warfare after being expelled by Fang Jun, and switched from land to fighting in the ocean. He suddenly burst out with unparalleled brilliance and became one of the famous generals in the world. He still obeyed Fang Jun and obeyed his orders.
Interesting...
Although Dai Zhou was in charge of the Dali Temple with an unselfish face, he was actually a kind man. Seeing the situation, he was a little embarrassed and hurriedly asked: "What kind of regulations are there to verify the account books this time? How far did the investigation go?"
Now that we know that Fang Jun's move is to accuse the Hedong family of "corruption" so that they can take over Yanchi justifiably, then there must be some sense of proportion in it. It is not enough to try to stop it, it cannot be a deterrent, and it is unreasonable to get to the bottom of it. , will trigger a strong rebound from the other party.
Fang Jun said: "Only until the prisoner level. In my opinion, the Hedong family will probably agree to the conditions I proposed, and each family will take turns to be the 'salt envoy' in charge of the salt pond, so we have to leave them with a few available talents. The rest will be reviewed and sentenced severely and expeditiously, but they do not need to be escorted to Chang'an and imprisoned, and the Hedong family can be allowed to pay a fine to atone for their crimes. "
"Penal atonement" is not only "atonement", but of course not everyone is qualified to "atone". They must reach a certain level or privilege.
Dai Zhou nodded: "You are using thunderous means to practice gentleness."
In short, the ownership of the Hedong Salt Pond is non-negotiable, but other than that, everything can be negotiated. This gives the Hedong family a step that cannot be abandoned.
Liu Xiangdao asked curiously: "When your Majesty came to the throne, he pursued the late emperor's national policy of suppressing powerful families, and Duke Yue was a strong advocate of this national policy. Now that Yanchi has taken over, why do you still want the Hedong family to get involved? After all, as long as you can By sharing the interests of Yanyanchi, the family members will maintain their confidence and strength.”
Fang Jun said seriously: "Doctor Liu has some misunderstandings. The late emperor and His Majesty's national policy is to suppress the clans, not to eliminate them. After all, the clans still control the empire's largest production resources. How can they be defeated with one stick? Besides, the root of the empire's hidden dangers lies in The power of the clan lies in the monopoly power controlled by the clan. As long as this part of the monopoly power is eliminated, the clan will not only be harmless, but will also become the cornerstone of the empire's stability and cultural prosperity."
Everything has its pros and cons and cannot be generalized.
Without aristocratic families, can the country achieve political stability, curb land annexation, and increase tax revenue?
Absolutely impossible.
Because the carriers of interests are relative, when aristocratic families are eliminated and the form of political power changes, landlords and gentry will emerge.
When everything is shattered and returned to the center, imperial power will become an obstacle to the development of productive forces...
The history of mankind is progressing in the struggle between monopoly and anti-monopoly.
When monopoly reaches its extreme and oppression becomes the norm, there will be a magnificent counterattack that will smash and reshape everything; conversely, when everything returns to the people, monopoly will inevitably breed and continue to grow.
Liu Xiangdao asked another question that many people are most concerned about: "The Hedong Salt Pond has been suspended for a long time, and the salt reserves in various places have been exhausted. If it cannot be replenished in time, once the salt reserves are exhausted, it will inevitably cause huge turmoil. Is the Duke of Yue confident in solving this crisis?" Fang Jun gave everyone a reassurance: "Don't worry, if you are not completely sure, How can we go all out and burn everything? The sea salt from Huating Town is about to arrive in Guanzhong, which can alleviate the risk of salt consumption. In addition, the improved salt production method can greatly increase the salt production and quality of Hedong Salt Pond. All you need to do is complete it. Just review the account books and wait and see.”