Prime Minister of Great Qin

Chapter 98: If You Don't Die, You Can Live! (seeking subscription)

"Mr. Zhong?"

Fusu whispered a few times, remembering the name.

The 鉏 under him continued to dig on the ground, and asked at the same time: "Mr. Ji, what do I need to prepare for you?"

"A bag of sand? A bag of salt?"

Ji Heng took a sip of his wine, looked at Fusu with a strange expression, shook his head, and said with a smile: "There is no need to prepare these things, merchants are proficient in the way of doing business."

"Just mention it a little bit and they'll understand."

heard.

Fusu's expression froze.

Then he figured out the reason. The reason why Ji Heng spoke so thoroughly that day was because he and Hu Hai didn't understand business, so he deliberately explained it in such detail. However, if they didn't understand, it didn't mean that merchants didn't understand.

That's the guy that merchants eat.

How could they not figure it out?

"It's Fusu who is worrying too much." Fusu smiled bitterly.

Ji Heng withdrew his eyes, put the jug on his chest, thought for a while, and said slowly: "You said earlier that you have found all the information on merchants. Is there any bribery and collusion between officials and merchants?"

Fu Su pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Yes."

"Not a lot."

"Almost every merchant has had money dealings with officials."

Ji Heng sneered, and said: "Then the matter will be easy to handle. According to the information found, we will arrest all these corrupt officials one by one and bring them to justice."

Fusu was taken aback for a moment, with a puzzled expression on his face.

He knows that these officials are unforgivable crimes and will definitely be investigated, but isn't it a matter of salt and iron now?Why did he suddenly become a punishment officer?
Fu Su hesitated and said: "Mr. Ji, shouldn't the matter of salt and iron be resolved first? If you rashly attack officials who are corrupt and accepting bribes, you may be discovered by merchants. Isn't this just trying to scare the snake away?"

"Shock the grass to scare the snake?" Ji Heng sneered, and said disdainfully: "Snakes can run, but merchants can run?"

"No." Su Lisuo replied.

"Since you can't, then go ahead and make grass." A cold look flashed in Ji Heng's eyes, and he said indifferently: "The merchants have lived too comfortably these years, and it is time to make them nervous. The tighter the merchants' strings are, the more It would be more beneficial for us to negotiate later.”

"in addition."

"Officials should not be caught in one go."

"Grab a little slower."

"Leave a few small fish and shrimps, and let them secretly leak the situation of the officials' accidents to these merchants, so that these merchants will become restless first."

"at the same time."

"While the officials were arrested, go and control all the major salt ponds, salt wells, and iron mines in Guanzhong. They are only allowed to enter but not to leave, and no one is allowed to send letters. Everything is waiting for news from Xianyang."

Fusu's heart twitched slightly.

He vaguely guessed what Ji Heng was thinking.

Ji Heng deliberately wanted to make merchants feel anxious and panicked.

The merchant family has a big business, and the foundation of the family is in Guanzhong. Even if they want to run away, there is nowhere to run. And even if people can run away, what about the money?What about their inheritance?

Merchants seek profit.

Are they willing to leave empty-handed?

And the imperial court has been staring at it, and the merchants can only wait anxiously.

Fusu made a salute and said: "Fusu understands, when I get back, I will send someone to do it."

"Can't fix anything wrong."

Seeing that Fusu put the 鉏 down, Ji Heng frowned and said in displeasure, "To hoe the ground is to hoe the ground, there is no need to do these vain rituals, it doesn't make any sense."

Fusu showed embarrassment.

He didn't want to hoe the ground at all, and he didn't have any interest in it. The height of the 鉏 was only a dozen inches, and it was used for hoeing, but he had to bend his waist very low. He couldn't bear it.

Back is tired.

Ji Heng ignored it directly, and continued: "Besides, go and check the conflicts between these big salt merchants and iron kings in Guanzhong, and other merchants in the past. Now in Guanzhong, salt and iron are controlled by four or five merchants. These businessmen competing with each other cannot disappear for no reason."

"Find these people as soon as possible."

"And bring it back to Xianyang."

heard.

Fusu frowned.

He has read the information of major merchants and knows some of them.

Most of the merchants who failed to compete with the current salt merchants and iron merchants are now serving in Lishan, and most of them have become prisoners. yi) punishment, and those who have been tattooed.

Is it really appropriate to bring these people back to Xianyang?

And
What use are these prisoners?

He was a little puzzled.

Fusu finally asked, "Mr. Ji, why is this? Most of these Jia people were reduced to prisoners, and they were all tortured. What's the point of bringing them back now?"

Ji Heng glanced at Fusu indifferently, and said indifferently: "It's meaningless, the main thing is to deter."

"Since you have found the collusion between officials and businessmen, you should know that merchants have no profit, so why would they give money to officials for nothing?"

Fu Su was taken aback.

Immediately there was a hint of enlightenment.

see.

Ji Heng smiled lightly and said, "Have you figured it out now?"

"These merchants in Guanzhong managed to monopolize the salt and iron in Guanzhong in just a dozen years. Do you really think they can do it from scratch?"

"The secret officials are the root!"

Fusu's heart trembled.

He just has a one-sided and superficial understanding of some things, but it's not that he doesn't know right from wrong. Ji Heng has said it so clearly, how can he really not understand?
Fu Su said: "I know."

"Any more?"

Fusu looked at Ji Heng.

Ji Heng closed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something, and after being silent for a while, he slowly said: "Finally, maybe it's the confession made by the officials."

Fusu nodded.

He no longer asked why.

Since Ji Heng arranged this way, he must have his own reasons.

Ji Heng lazily moved his body, let himself lie on the recliner relatively comfortably, glanced at the half of the uncultivated land, and said contemptuously: "If the capital of Guizhou is as ink-stained as you are, I'm afraid I'll be hungry by now." died."

Fusu looked slightly embarrassed.

He didn't know how to plow the land, and if it wasn't for Ji Heng's insistence, he wouldn't move it at all. Now Ji Heng obviously wants to finish the remaining small piece.

Although there was some resistance in my heart, I could only bite the bullet and continue hoeing.

Seeing that Fusu moved more diligently, Ji Heng nodded in satisfaction, and lay leisurely on the chair, drinking some wine, basking in the sun, very contented.

Less than a quarter of an hour.

Fusu couldn't stand up straight anymore.

After the reclamation of that side was completed, he immediately threw the 鉏 on the ground, and went to the side in a rather embarrassed state, supporting his waist with his hands.

Sweat dripped down his cheeks.

"Are you tired?" Ji Heng asked.

"Tired." Fusu said without hesitation, raised his arm after speaking, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his hair and whiskers were all stuck together.

Ji Heng said lightly: "I think it's okay."

"You are only cultivating a radius of two zhang at the moment, but the land in Guishou is cultivating dozens or even hundreds of acres. Their toil is far greater than yours."

"Under this kind of hard work, they still have to serve corvee."

"Even in most years, when you can't maintain your own food and clothing, you have to pay a lot of land rent and taxes."

"This is the living situation of the bottom people at the moment."

Fusu was silent.

The hands that wiped the sweat also quietly stopped.

Ji Heng stood up slowly, took a rotten seedling in his hand, and said slowly: "It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books, and it is better to read countless people than to travel thousands of miles. There is no need to worry about food and clothing, and what you see every day is the children of nobles, princes and ministers."

"But it's not enough to only focus on the top."

"Just like this vegetable seedling."

"From above, it is still full of vitality, but what if you look down?"

"Already exhausted and weak."

"Today's Daqin is like this wild vegetable seedling. It looks good on the top, but it's only on the top, and the bottom is actually rotten and out of shape."

"If there is no skin, how will the hair be attached?"

Ji Heng went to the vegetable field reclaimed by Fusu, planted this obviously rotten vegetable seedling, and then covered it with soil.

Thereafter.

Ji Heng planted other vegetable seedlings one after another.

Looking at the vegetable seedling that seemed to be falling down at any time, Fu Su asked doubtfully, "Can this seedling survive?"

Ji Heng glanced back, expressionless said: "I don't know, but as long as the root is not completely dead, maybe there is a chance to live."

"But whether you can live or not, you will know in a few days."

"If it's dead."

"That can only pull out a new kind."

"If you don't die, you can live," Fusu murmured softly.

After all the vegetable seedlings were planted, Ji Heng continued: "After everything is arranged, invite those merchants to the mansions that merchants are familiar with."

"In the name of the eldest son."

Hearing Ji Heng's words, Fusu suddenly came back to his senses, and asked doubtfully, "In my name?"

Ji Heng stood tall and said with a smile: "You are responsible for these things, of course it is in your name, but before that, don't easily reveal your identity."

"after all."

"As the eldest son of Daqin, there must always be a sense of mystery."

"By the way, the eldest son can also see how much you are worth in the eyes of these big merchants."

heard.

Fusu's expression turned strange, and he asked curiously, "Aren't they still trying to bribe me?"

"Who knows?" Ji Heng said with a light smile, "In the eyes of merchants, wealth has always been the magic power."

Fusu couldn't help laughing out loud.

In fact, he never thought of going out in person, but when he heard Ji Heng's words, he suddenly became interested. He really wanted to see if these merchants dared to ask him a price, and how much they would ask.

Ji Heng ignored Fusu any more.

He was drawing water from the well with jiegao.

This is called watering and fertilizing.

However, Ji Heng knew that the well water had no fertilizing effect, it was just watering. What really worked was the manure, and now Daqin's composting technology is quite mature.

But he doesn't have that condition.

Looking at Ji Heng's skillful movements, Fusu's eyes showed a strange look.

"Xunzi·Fuguo": Covering the surface of the ground, planting grass with thorns and planting valleys, and having more manure fields are the common things of farmers.

Now Ji Heng seems to have really become a farmer.

There is no pretense whatsoever.

After Fusu looked at it for a while, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes, because Ji Heng really planted vegetables with his heart, without any perfunctory, he bowed to Ji Heng, and retreated slowly.

Ji Heng can indulge in the fields.

He can't.

He still has a lot to do.

(End of this chapter)