bastard seizes tang

Chapter 232 Yangzhou policy

During the Daye period, Emperor Yang of the former Sui Dynasty went south to visit Yangzhou and built Jiangdu Palace and Linjiang Palace. He also built Guiyan, Huiliu, Jiuli, Songlin, Fenglin, Dalei, Xiaolei, Chuncao, Jiuhua and Guangfen. The hall was used for southern tours, and it was cited as the victory of Huainan gardens for a while, and it was famous all over the world.

However, the Yangzhou Palace was born because of Emperor Yangdi, and it also fell with Emperor Yangdi. With the chaos of Jiangdu Palace, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty was forced to die by Yu Wenhua and the palace. Most of the palaces in Yangzhou, including Jiangdu Palace, were also destroyed by the war. There are only a few broken wells and ruins left, and the only one that is still intact is the Linjiang Palace that Li Shimin bestowed on Li Ke.

Linjiang Palace is located ten miles south of Jiangdu City, and it is also a royal garden. Although it was in decline due to the fall of the Sui Dynasty, as Linjiang Palace was given to Li Ke, the governor of Yangzhou and the king of Chu, the Linjiang Palace, which was originally conspicuously populated, gradually became more and more popular. became lively.

"Zhou Dingfang is not an easy person. Your Highness wants to collect salt for his own use. I'm afraid he may be in danger of seeking skin from a tiger." On the way back to Linjiang Palace, Wang Xuance walked side by side with Li Ke, recalling what happened just now, the more he thought about it. The more worried he became, he finally asked Li Ke.

Yangzhou Salt Company is different from ordinary merchants, and also different from those shops in the eastern and western cities of Chang'an. They have been entrenched in Yangzhou for many years, and even the local government shuns them, let alone Li Ke who has just arrived.

If Li Ke wanted to get rid of Yan as the chief evil, he might find a fault and send troops into the city. There would be no chance of getting rid of it with thunderbolts. Killing alone is not enough.

And Li Ke had never dealt with people from the Salt Company, so it was not easy to convince them.

What Wang Xuance said was exactly what Li Ke was worried about, but Li Ke still insisted: "Although the salt industry is strong, it is not easy to use it. However, the salt industry has taken root in Huainan. What's more, salt can affect the hearts of the people in the southeast and even the world, if this king can get it, he will be like a tiger with wings added."

Li Kegui is a prince, with thousands of households in the city and tens of thousands of acres of Yongye farmland. He has been rich all his life, and he has no worries about food and drink. As the saying goes, "All the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit." In this world, there are still very few donkey tempers like Wei Zheng's that can't be solved with money.

What's more, the people's food cannot be without salt for a day. Although salt is small, it is more important than Mount Tai for the stability of the world.

If you eat without salt, your energy will be weak, your body will hurt like swollen, and your feet will be inconvenient. All the people who eat every day cannot live without salt.

In Li Ke's view, what is involved behind the salt trade is not only the huge wealth brought by the sale of salt, but also the control of the consumption of salt in the southeast half and even half of Guanzhong, which is enough to affect the court and has a great relationship.

After hearing Li Ke's words, Wang Xuance immediately understood Li Ke's intentions.

Wang Xuance asked in a low voice: "His Highness intends to use the Yangzhou Salt Company to control the salt road?"

There are many salt-producing places in the Tang Dynasty, but they are the most famous, and there are only three places that produce the most salt. One is the Anyi Salt Pond, the other is Wuyuan of Yanzhou, and the third is the Huainan Salt Field.

The Huainan Salt Field produces millions of stones of sea salt every year, accounting for more than half of the world's output. If Li Ke can fully control the Huainan Salt Field, he will control most of the salt consumption of the Tang Dynasty. The influence exerted by the Great Tang Dynasty Hall is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

Li Ke nodded and said: "The world's salt is used, and half of it comes from Huainan. If the king controls the Huainan salt industry, he will control half of the world's salt roads. At that time, even the sons of those aristocratic families will have to give me three points."

The reason why the aristocratic family is strong and able to control the court, apart from their centuries-old prestige and family traditions passed down for generations, is also inseparable from the land they have acquired for generations.

The land is the foundation of the people's survival, and what the land harvests is the food that the people eat every day.

Aristocratic families rely on the food in their hands to control the people and control the court remotely. If Li Ke can hold the salt road in Huainan and control the salt supply of most of the Tang Dynasty, wouldn't it be the same?
What Li Ke said is true and has its own reasons, but it is not easy for Li Ke to control the Huainan Salt Road.

When Li Ke first came to Huainan, he hadn't established a firm foothold yet. If he acted rashly against Yan under such circumstances, he would only put himself in a dilemma.

Wang Xuance said: "Your Highness has only been in Huainan for a day, and the military and political affairs on the ground have not yet been clarified. It is really inappropriate to set up a strong enemy at this time. Your Highness's plan must not be rushed."

After listening to Wang Xuance's words, Li Ke asked, "What do you mean, sir?"

Wang Xuance replied: "Your Highness is ordered by the emperor to go south to supervise Yangzhou's military affairs. Things must be done in a hurry and orderly way, and there should be no confusion."

Li Ke looked up at Wang Xuance, and saw that Wang Xuance seemed to have a draft, so he continued, "I would like to hear the details."

Wang Xuance said: "His Royal Highness came out of Beijing by the emperor's order, and he should take the emperor's order as the most important thing. The most important thing is to send a message to the generals of the government, clean up the military affairs, and report back to His Majesty."

Li Ke said: "Sir, what you said is very true. Although the king has left the capital, there are still many eyes on the king in the capital. If there is nothing wrong with the king's actions, it is inevitable that others will find a reason and take the opportunity to participate. impeach."

Li Ke went south as the governor of Yangzhou, no matter what calculations he had in mind, once he arrived in Yangzhou, the first thing he had to do was the emperor's order, which Wang Xuance said was right.

What's more, "The Analects of Confucius" says, "If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools."

Li Ke only led five hundred guards and leopards to ride south. It may be more than enough to rely on 500 people to protect themselves, but it may not be enough to deter the southeast. It is the sharp knife in his hand.

Seeing Li Ke agreeing, Wang Xuance continued, "Your Highness wants to make a move. If you only take care of military affairs, it may not be enough. Your Highness still needs to attract someone to help."

Li Ke wants to collect salt for his own use, relying on the Yangzhou Salt Company to control the salt road in the Tang Dynasty, he will not kill in the salt company, so as not to lose the hearts of the salt dealers, so for Li Ke, the government army can only It's just deterrence. To really deal with the salt industry, other means are needed.

Li Ke vaguely guessed who Wang Xuance was talking about, so he asked: "The person you are talking about is He Xiu, the governor of Yangzhou?"

He Xiufei is from Yangzhou, and he is also a foreign official as far as Yangzhou people are concerned, but this does not mean that He Xiu has nothing to do in Yangzhou.

On the contrary, He Xiu was promoted from Hailing county magistrate to Yangzhou governor in just a few years, and his connections in Yangzhou were beyond anyone's guess.

What's more, Yangzhou is a place with a lot of right and wrong, salt shops, water transport, aristocratic families, prefecture and county governments, all kinds of forces are intertwined in Jiangdu City, but He Xiu can balance all parties, and he is like a fish in water, and his methods are not simple. .

Wang Xuance nodded and said: "It is no coincidence that He Xiu can come to this day. If His Highness can get He Xiu's help, half of Yangzhou City will be settled."

(End of this chapter)