Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1442
Calm has returned to Guangzhou.

This is actually a magical city.It is located in the wild and backward Wuguan territory, but it is far beyond other cities, almost comparable to the great counties of the Central Plains.

Everyone knows the reason why Guangzhou stands out from the crowd and is proud of its peers: foreign trade.

During the Dali period, more than 40 large food merchant ships docked every year.

However, the population, economy, and strength of the late Tang Dynasty were not comparable to those in the middle Tang Dynasty. Now they have gradually increased to fifty or sixty ships, and occasionally sixty or seventy ships.The boats have also expanded. In the past, there were more than [-] people on a boat, but now there are more than [-] people, which has increased a lot.

Simple calculations show that more than [-] cannibals land in Guangzhou every year.Most people left when they returned to the voyage, but some people settled down. After more than a hundred years of accumulation, the number of big cannibals living in Guangzhou has increased sharply.

Before the Huangchao Rebellion, there were more than 30 people, but after being slaughtered by the Chao army, the number decreased drastically.And after 5 years of recovery, it has now increased, about 20 to 12 people—the Chao army burned, killed and looted Guangzhou, and the total number of victims was about [-], of which [-] were "foreigners", that is, large Cannibals, Persians, Zoroastrians, Jews.

I have to say that the Tang people hurt me thousands of times, and I, the cannibal, still have to rush over, no matter kneeling or standing, I have to earn money.

This time they were hurt again. Although more than half a month has passed, the remaining people are still in panic.

Some people ask around whether their goods can be returned, and the reply they get is naturally very disappointing.

Some people searched for their missing wives and daughters all over the city. After spending a lot of money, they found them in the corner of the military camp.

Some people planned to pack up their belongings and run away, regardless of the dissuasion of the newcomer Xia Guojianjun and Honglu Temple Shaoqing Pei Guan, they said they would leave.

Pei Guan was a little annoyed by the frightened state of the food merchant, so he didn't look good when he saw Liu Yin.

Everyone knows that the sage attaches great importance to foreign exchanges.As long as foreigners do business and exchange culture in a proper manner, their life and property safety can be guaranteed.As a result, Liu Yin came here, thinking that the sage would be very happy if he took away the cannibal's property and offered it up.

Pretend to be smart!

Pei Guan only left a sentence of "Waiting for the Holy Judgment", then put Liu Yin's family under house arrest in his mansion, and then inspected around Guangzhou.

"Pei Jianjun." Wang Shenzhi, the governor of the Mighty Army, followed Pei Guan, hesitating again and again, and said: "In the past, I intended to marry Liu Yin as a son and daughter. This time around the city, Liu Yin sent someone secretly He went out of the city and sent his daughter to the camp of the last general, wanting to befriend Qin and Jin. The last general sternly refused, but he couldn't send her back, and she is still in the camp. Look at this..."

"Wang Shuai wants to marry Liu Yin?" Pei Guan was surprised.

"How dare! How dare!" Wang Shenzhi's face changed, and he quickly argued: "The loyalty of the last general to the imperial court can be learned from the sun and the moon."

Pei Guan pondered for a while.

Wang Shenzhi's heart was already in his throat.Surrendering at such a high price, don't let things come to an end. Not only will you have no credit, but you will also be jealous.

"That's good." Pei Guan smiled and continued walking.

Wang Shenzhi sighed and followed silently.

The role of supervising the army, in front of the veteran imperial guards of Daxia, is actually not worth it.But in front of the soldiers, the lethality is huge, and no one dares to ignore their opinions.

Wang Shenzhi has no retreat, and Fujian has been taken over by the imperial court.Some officials have been replaced, and those who have not been replaced have also changed doors.Perhaps there is still a little bit of love with the Wang family, but in the current situation, it is purely overthinking to expect them to maintain such a close relationship with the Wang family.

Gratitude stems from superiority, and there is no power to resist. This kind of powerlessness is difficult for military leaders to accept.They trust their swords more. If the emperor treats them well, they will be loyal to the emperor. If the emperor treats them badly, they will fight and defend their own interests.

But such a matter of course is not allowed!

Wang Shenzhi had already lost the ability to resist, and at this moment he was extremely afraid of losing points against the saint.

"It's here!" Pei Guan stretched out his hand and laughed.

Wang Shenzhi tidied up his appearance and followed.

In front is the wharf, filled with soldiers from Fujian, Wang Shenzhi didn't want his old subordinates to see him fawning over the supervising army.

Pei Guan asked people to open the warehouse doors one by one to check for himself - in fact, this was also one of his tasks.

Gold, ivory, rhino horn, agarwood, cardamom, pepper...

These are commodities from Annan.

Yes, there is no "direct route" between Annan and Beidi.Officials who exiled Annan in the former Tang Dynasty actually boarded a ship in Guangguan, and then crossed the sea to Jiaozhou.

Correspondingly, Annan’s various commodities naturally cannot go directly to the north—it has improved in recent years, but the big cannibals have also taken over this part of the shipping business.

Pei Guan continued to inspect the warehouse.

Red sandalwood, palm wood, sandalwood, ivory, emerald hair, yellow baby hair, green worm pearl, purple mine, mercury...

This is a product from the Chenla Kingdom, which is also transported and sold by the big cannibal.

There are some products with Middle Eastern characteristics in the back, but they are relatively few and the value is not high.

"These big cannibals take advantage of every opportunity, and they are really good at making money!" Pei Guan sighed.

The thing is clear, most of the foreign goods demanded by the Central Plains are not produced by Dashi.Big cannibals are just middlemen and porters, but they manage both production and sales, and eat most of the profits themselves.

No wonder they were killed!

Pei Guan looked at the row of warehouses in the south again. There were dozens of kinds of goods, but silk and porcelain were the main ones.

He knew that before the Sui Dynasty, the main commodity exported from the Central Plains was silk, and the term "Silk Road" was even derived.

However, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, perhaps due to the gradual prosperity of maritime trade, the proportion of porcelain has continued to rise, so that it can be divided into rivals.He heard people say yesterday that the quantity of silk purchased by big cannibals is not as good as every year, but porcelain is bought in a big way, with the amount hitting new highs. The trend is obvious.

Porcelain is mainly produced in Xingzhou kiln and Yuezhou kiln. The former was interrupted for a while, but then resumed.

Pei Guan stared at it for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.After a long time, I heard a sigh and said: "Liu Yin's accomplishments are more than failures, and what the sage values ​​is the looted goods?"

Wang Shenzhi was a little surprised, there are still warriors who don't love money?But if you think about it carefully, today is indeed quite generous. If there is any good thing, I want to distribute it to my subordinates.From big mansions to small women and goods, the rewards are endless, which shows that the saint really does not love money.In other words, he has his own views on wealth and is not obsessed with it.

"Count the Hu merchants who are still alive, and count their looted goods. If they can be returned, they should be returned as much as possible. Those who have lost their wives and daughters should search carefully and send them back to their families." Pei Guan turned his head and looked at Wang Shenzhi. , Said: "Let Wang Shuai handle this matter."

Wang Shenzhi just wanted to say "obedience", but felt that it was not appropriate, so he responded, "Okay. Where is Wang Hua?"

"The last general is here." A young general with a Huaixi accent came over and saluted.

"You come to supervise this matter. Whoever dares to obstruct, whether it is from Jiaozhou, Yongzhou, Rongzhou or other places, don't be polite." Wang Shenzhi ordered.

"The last general obeys the order." Wang Huadu followed the order and left.

Pei Guan nodded.

At this moment, a relative came over and whispered a few words.

Pei Guan was a little surprised, but also a little surprised, and said, "Bring me here."

******
Ma Xizhen sat anxiously in the mansion of the Qing Navy Jiedushi.

It is not an easy task to rush all the way from Guizhou to Guangzhou.The army was in chaos, and someone who was not good was killed, and then the corpse was exposed in the wilderness, and no one cared about it.

Fortunately, he was lucky.On the road, they encountered a group of rebellious soldiers and lost more than a dozen of their entourage, but the large force still managed to reach Guangzhou, and was intercepted by Ning Yuan's army.

After careful interrogation by Shao Desheng, the governor of the Ningyuan Army, he was sent to the city and handed over to the supervising army.

The interrogation process was naturally not very pleasant.

Shao Desheng was a sickly old man who hated the Jingjiang Army members very much, so he was naturally very rude in his attacks. Ma Xizhen was a noble man, but he was slapped twice and punched a few times, which was a natural disaster.

After drinking a cup of tea, Pei Guan came back from outside the city when Ma Xizhen became more and more uneasy.

"Ma Yanei?" Pei Guan stood at the door, looking at him with piercing eyes, and asked.

"Criminal officer Ma Xizhen, I have seen Supervisor Pei." Ma Xizhen stood up hastily and saluted.

"Sit down, sit down." Pei Guan said kindly.

After finishing speaking, he also sat down beside Ma Xizhen, asked someone to make a pot of tea again, and then asked, "Why is the yamen coming here?"

"He's coming here to dedicate the land to his obedience." Ma Xizhen said, "Jingjiang's military festival envoys and seals have all been presented. The officials and people in more than ten prefectures in Guizhou are looking forward to the king's westward march."

"You are Ma's son, how can you turn against your family's respect?" Pei Guan asked.

"The supervising army doesn't know something." Ma Xizhen's face turned serious, and said: "I have inherited the sacred teachings since I was young, and I know propriety, righteousness, shame, and the relationship between monarchs and ministers. What is the small righteousness of father and son in front of the righteousness of monarchs and ministers?"

Pei Guan was in awe when he heard this.

Not because of Ma Xizhen's words, but because of his shamelessness, which is the material of an official.

"Since the yamen is willing to surrender, it is enough to send one or two envoys to the east. Why do you come in person?" Pei Guan asked again.

Ma Xizhen was a little embarrassed, and said: "There is a thief in the town, Lu Shizhou, who took advantage of my unpreparedness and committed trouble. Therefore, I ask Wang Shi to go west and kill this thief, so as to rectify the discipline."

Pei Guan thought for a while, and probably understood what was going on.

He smiled and said: "Alright, then the yamen will lead the way. Every time you persuade a place to surrender, you will get a point of credit."

"Dare to disobey!" Ma Xizhen exclaimed in surprise.

He knew he had made the right vote!

If he escaped at that time, there would be nothing, not only his father would hold him accountable, the court would not let him go, Lu Shizhou might also take his head to claim credit.

But in such a hopeless situation, he forced himself to find a way out. This sense of accomplishment is really unparalleled.

Pei Guan smiled, called a bureaucrat, and ordered: "Report the victory to the saint, and send it back in five hundred miles."

(End of this chapter)