Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 32 Liu Biao
Zhou Lin told Deng Hong about Huang Zu's greed for money.

Zhou Lin was doing business on both sides of the Yangtze River, and the prefects of all counties and officials along the way had to take care of it.

Whose preferences, interests, and personalities are well known, so that he can choose what he likes and pave the way for merchant ships.

Strictly speaking, Huang Zu cannot be regarded as greedy for money, because most of the time he still upholds justice, otherwise he would not treat Ni Heng kindly at first.

It's just that he is stationed in Jiangxia, and the military expenditure is very large, so he needs money.

Later, Gan Ning said: "The ancestors are old, dizzy and old. There is no wealth and grain. They cheat from left to right. They work for goods and profit. They invade officials and officials. Officials are resentful. Boats and war equipment are abandoned and not repaired." , lazy in farming and farming, and unable to join the army.”

It is because he has been at war with Sun Quan all the year round that the military expenditure cannot be afforded.So he became obsessed with doing business, and levied a large amount of taxes on merchant ships traveling to and from the Yangtze River, which caused complaints.

In addition, the relationship between him and Liu Biao cannot be generally referred to as superior and subordinate, but should be regarded as a semi-separatist state, so Liu Biao no longer supports him.

Before Huang Zu's death, he was in a state of lack of money and food, which eventually allowed Sun Quan to successfully capture Jiangxia.

But that was all later.

Now that Liu Biao has completely pacified Jingzhou, his prestige is very high, and he and Huang Zu are also in the honeymoon period. There is no conflict between the two sides, so it is not difficult to write a letter of recommendation for Deng Hong.

What's more, it didn't do any harm to Huang Zu.

One is that the money has been collected, and they have given so much, so why not do the easy things?
The second is to form a good relationship.

If Deng Hong really had talent and was appreciated by Liu Biao, it would be Huang Zu who knew people, and Deng Hong could still owe him a favor.

If Deng Hong didn't have talent and was not called into office by Liu Shicheng, then it didn't matter, since he got the money anyway.

Huang Zu didn't suffer from both inside and outside, and this deal was very cost-effective for a matter of little effort.

For Deng Hong, it was also a good thing to get a stepping stone to meet Liu Biao from Huang Zu.

Both parties take what they need, hello, hello, hello, everyone.

But after coming out from Huang Zu's, Deng Hong said to Shen Chen with some concern: "Ah Chen, although I got letters from Huang Zu's, my Deng's family doesn't have many books. Can I pass Liu Biao's test?"

Shen Chen said in a deep voice: "Uncle, just go, I will follow around, if our clan wants to gain a foothold in Jingzhou, we must rely on Liu Biao, and he must pass this test."

"Well, I see."

Deng Hong took a deep breath and understood what Shen Chen meant. If the clansmen could settle in Jingzhou smoothly, it would be impossible without Liu Biao's support, so even if it was a dragon's lake and a tiger's den, this level must be overcome.

Seeing his solemn and serious expression, Shen Chen said with a smile: "Actually, there is no need for uncle to worry. Liu Biao has just settled in Jingzhou not long ago, and he is in need of talents to help him. He has always been famous, and even the Xinye Deng family has come to attach him. Is there any reason to refuse?"

"I'm afraid that if I don't have talent, I won't be valued by Liu Biao, and I will waste money."

Deng Hong smiled wryly and shook his head.

After sending Huang Zu a large sum of money, the clan's property decreased a lot.

At the beginning, nearly [-] mu of land in Huangmenting was sold, plus the original clan property, the total value of the entire relocation team was over [-] million.

But most of them are living materials, not much money.

This time it was just a gift for Huang Zu, which was pooled together by the elders of the Deng family. They originally planned to go back to Xinye to buy land, but Shen Chen persuaded them to take a gamble.

If the bet is lost, life will be difficult for the clan.

Shen Chen smiled and said: "Uncle, don't worry, don't you still have me? Even if you don't pass the test of knowledge, I think I can still guess some of Liu Biao's thoughts. For the specific situation, let's meet and see. Anyway, things have already been decided Now, it’s too late to regret it, so I can only fight.”

"Then go and fight."

Deng Hong also traveled to Henan and other places in his early years to study. Although he didn't have many books in his family and his knowledge was not high, he still had some courage. Therefore, Shen Chen inspired his courage and was willing to fight hard.

In fact, he is also rushing ducks to the shelves.

It is difficult to say that it is difficult to get ahead in this era, but it is also easy to say.

As long as there are big people who appreciate it, it is easy to fly to a branch and become a phoenix overnight.

For example, Deng Zhi and Deng Ai were both from the Deng family in Xinye. They were originally unknown, but because they met Liu Bei and Sima Yi, they skyrocketed from then on.

When Huangmenting village elders returned to their ancestral land in Jingzhou, Liu Biao was an unavoidable hurdle, so they had to be appreciated by Liu Biao, and it was best to be given a half-time official position before they could gain a foothold in Jingzhou.

Among the few brothers, Deng Hong's knowledge is considered the best, so even if it is a fight, it can only be done by Deng Hong.

But he has a monstrous grandson like Shen Chen, so he is much more courageous.

Now the letter they got from Huang Zu was the stepping stone to meet Liu Biao. As for whether they can get Liu Biao's attention, it depends on their own ability.

During the conversation, the grandparents and grandchildren returned to the Shaxian Wharf. They went to find Huang Zu's vacancy. Deng Mao and others hired another boat, unloaded the cargo from Zhou Linna, reloaded it, and prepared to go northward from the Han River. Xiangyang.

At this time, Zhou Lin and the others hadn't left yet. After the villagers of Huangmenting disembarked, more than a dozen merchant ships were vacated. Shaxian was originally a commercial transfer station between Jingzhou, Jiangdong, and Yizhou, connecting Xiangyang in the north and Changsha in the south, and transporting goods. Very much, plan to replenish the goods.

Seeing them at the pier about to go to the shore to find acquaintances from local merchants to buy things, Shen Chen walked over, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Zhou."

"Oh?"

Zhou Lin turned his head, saw Shen Chen, and said with a smile, "Isn't the child leaving yet?"

Shen Chen said: "I would like to ask sir, when does your merchant ship come to Jingzhou once a year, and how long is the trip?"

Zhou Lin thought for a while and said, "There is no certainty. It depends on the purchase and sale of goods in central Sichuan. If you are lucky, it will be twice a year. If you are unlucky, it may be once every two years."

Merchants buying and selling goods also depend on whether they are priced in different places and whether they are necessary for life. For example, if you buy coal from Pingdingshan, Henan and transport it to Datong, Shanxi, you will definitely lose money.

So this requires regular investigations. For example, this year, when the weather in Sichuan is favorable and the production of Shu brocade has greatly increased, it can be purchased and sold to Jingzhou, and then sold to the Central Plains through Jingzhou.

And if there is a disaster in Sichuan this year and there is a shortage of grain, they can go to Jingzhou or Jiangdong to buy grain and rice and sell them back to Sichuan.

The same is true for Jingzhou and Jiangdong.

For example, Jiangdong is rich in porcelain, pearls, coral, tortoiseshell, rhinoceros horn, sea salt, etc., and Jingzhou is rich in wood, medicinal materials, grains, and spices.

At that time, Guangzhou had already had trade relations with Southeast Asia, as evidenced by the five baht coins of the Western Han Dynasty unearthed in the Philippines, so the spices sold in Jiaozhou to Jingzhou were very famous.

"Does the sir need something to increase the speed of the ship?"

Shen Chen was a little disappointed, but still asked.

Zhou Lin gave him a slightly surprised look, and replied: "The businessman is away from home, how can he not want to go home as soon as possible? If there is, it is naturally necessary."

Shen Chen felt relieved and said, "When Mister comes to Jingzhou to do business again next year, you can send someone to find me in Xinye. I want to sell something to Mister at that time, which can speed up the boat. Originally, it would take ten days to travel, but five days will be enough." arrive."

Zhou Lin laughed and said, "You child, you wouldn't plan to use the oar to deceive me, would you?"

"Faster than a scull!"

Shen Chen said earnestly: "When the time comes, sir, just verify it yourself."

"That's fine."

Zhou Lin agreed, "I'd like to see if there is anything in this world that can speed up a ship so much."

Shen Chen smiled and bid farewell to Zhou Lin.

Now that money is too short, the right way is to make some inventions and make some extra money.

Back in the clan, the clansmen began to board the ship one after another, and in the afternoon, they set off again, heading north to Xiangyang.

Two days later, Shen Chen saw the city of Xiangyang, which was said to be impenetrable.

But different from what I imagined, the city is not that big, it may be about the same as an ordinary county in later generations, covering an area of ​​at most two or three kilometers, surrounded by water on three sides, greenery covering the sky inside and outside the city, and surrounded by mountains.

The urban area of ​​Xiangyang in later generations is very large, but at this time Xiangyang is actually just a small city. There are large tracts of fertile fields and villages outside the city, and they are basically concentrated in the east of Xiangyang City, which is the northeast corner of Xiangcheng District, Xiangyang City in later generations. , across the river from Yuliang Chau.

It is said that Xiangyang Pangzi lived in that area.

The boat circled around Yuliang Island and the northeast corner of Xiangyang, and finally stopped at the riverside wharf in the north of Xiangyang. The broad Han River was rolling, and on the other side of the river, there was a looming city, which was Cao Ren's later garrison. Fancheng.

Thinking of Cao Ren, Shen Chen was full of anger again. Although the immediate family members were lucky to escape, but a large number of close relatives of the Shen family in Zhuangyang died tragically at the hands of Cao Ren. He has always remembered this hatred.

Soon after disembarking at the Xiangyang Wharf, the migration of thousands of people naturally attracted soldiers from the city gate to come to question them.

Deng Hong used Huang Zu's letter to ask to see Liu Biao.

Soldiers to report.

After a while, they were allowed to enter the city.

Deng Hong took Shen Chen in as usual.

A close look at the famous city of Xiangyang in the Han Dynasty can be quite disappointing.

Because the city looks the same, except that it is surrounded by water on three sides, the city is about six or seven meters high, and most of it is a rammed earth structure, covered with lime mortar, which does not seem to be very strong.

However, the weapon technology of the Han Dynasty was not strong, so such a city wall is still very defensive against strong attacks, so it is normal.

Walking into the city, there are quite a lot of people coming and going. The ground paved with bluestone slabs is shining brightly. People come in and out from time to time inside and outside the city. Compared.

Compared with today's Henan area, Jingzhou is indeed a paradise.In the past few years, many people have moved here, which has created Xiangyang's short-term prosperity.

Led by the soldiers, they came all the way to the State Shepherd's Mansion in the south of the city.

The mansion is majestic and tall, and in the distance is Xianshan Mountain. The mountain is steep and continuous, and the forest trees extend all the way to the Xiangyang city, which seems to wrap the whole city.

There are many trees around Liu Biao's mansion, which are lush and lush, which is far from the world surrounded by high-rise buildings and reinforced concrete in later generations.

The ecological environment in the Han Dynasty was indeed good.

Thanks to Huang Zu's letter of introduction, they entered the mansion smoothly and came to the central hall.

On the main seat, sat cross-legged a Confucian scholar in his fifties with a sharp face.

(End of this chapter)