Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 731: Want to open a market (ask for monthly tickets~~)

"If you have time, why don't you come and save the women in distress? With your demeanor, there is no woman who would not love you."

"I'd better not do it." Lu Bu shook his head and looked at Wang Zheng with a bit of amusement: "Everyone has their own preferences for domestic flowers and wild flowers. I won't get involved in such matters with you."

"What a pity..." Wang Zheng shrugged: "The new lady Hua is quite interesting. I haven't even climbed into her bed yet."

"Military Advisor, you can stay in the Flower House for a few more days." Lu Bu laughed dumbly and leaned back casually. "It's just that I have some difficult matters right now and need your advice."

Footsteps were heard at the side, and the two people who were talking stopped. The waiter who was carrying dishes came over but was stopped by the guards. After someone checked him, he came over.

"I wonder what the king wants to see you about?" Wang Zheng asked softly, picked up the wine jug to fill up Lu Bu's glass, and poured himself a glass.

"Money." Lu Bu sighed, raised his head and drank the wine. "Today I received a message that the victims of the snowstorm in the north are heading south. I want to swallow these people, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money." He smacked his lips and said, "Liu Min and Jiang Jing complained to me a lot, so I had to find a way to cut down on various military expenditures. However, this is not a long-term solution. I thought of asking you if there is a way to get some money."

"Money..."

Wang Zheng scratched his head and said with a more serious expression, "Your Majesty, do you want the rich and powerful families to donate like last time?"

Lu Bu looked at the young man opposite him, his expression unchanged: "Is it not possible?"

"This can only happen once, if it happens again, we will owe those rich families too much friendship." Wang Zheng shook his head and smiled at the King of Qi opposite him: "Your Majesty actually knows in his heart that this will not work, and he asked me just to make himself feel at ease."

Lu Bu ate his food slowly and nodded: "Then does the military advisor have any other ideas?"

Wang Zheng ate two pieces of braised mutton and drank a sip of wine. He said, "There is a way that doesn't follow the rules of the Buddhist monks. I just don't know if Your Majesty is willing to do this."

There were sounds of people shouting to disperse outside the window. Wang Zheng glanced over and saw that the wooden window was tightly closed. From the faint sounds he knew that it was the guards of the palace who were dispersing the diners and they picked up the wine jug to pour wine for the two men.

"Military Advisor, if you have a solution, just say it directly." Looking at the wine flowing out, Lu Bu said, "Whether to adopt it or not, I will make the decision myself."

Wang Zheng smiled and said, "Taxation is nothing more than business and agriculture." He pointed with his fingers and said, "The latter is not the right time, but the former is the right time."

Lu Bu frowned, drank the wine in the cup unconsciously, and pondered for a moment: "What do you mean?"

"Your Majesty." Wang Zheng picked up the wine glass. "The Liao nobles have always loved Liaodong's falcons, northern pearls, furs and even herbal medicines." He gently swirled the wine. "However, now that we have occupied this area, we are an enemy of Liao. The trade between the two sides has been cut off and we are no longer in business with each other. If a caravan could come from Liao to buy them, how much would these things be worth now?"

He raised his hands, looked up, and put the empty wine glass on the table.

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes, thinking of some ugly incidents at the border: "It should be ten times more than before!"

"That's right." Wang Zheng nodded. "The wealthy families and merchants here are all eager to sell their stocks, but they can't find a way. For example, Yang Min, the son of Doctor Yang, his family runs a fur and herbal medicine business in Tiezhou, and he has lost a lot of hair because of this." "So..." Picking up the chopsticks, Lu Bu picked up the chicken breast and stopped at his mouth: "If there is no other way, will he find a way out himself?"

"Yang Min is a rigid and polite person, maybe not, but the others..." Wang Zheng closed his mouth, shook his head, and then spoke: "So I think if we open a market in the name of the king to attract a group of Liao Dynasty dignitaries to trade, given the current style of the Liao Dynasty's upper-level officials, I'm afraid they will not object, and may even be happy to see it happen. And we can collect business taxes here, which should fill a lot of gaps."

Putting the meat into his mouth, Lu Bu chewed it slowly, thought for a moment, and nodded slightly: "Then how can we find merchants from Liao?"

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten?" Wang Zheng smiled like a fox that had stolen a chicken. "Lü Yan, Zhang Lin, Lü Guan and others are all under your command. Are you still worried about lacking people?"

Lu Bu showed a look of realization. The young man opposite him poured wine for himself. He drank it in one gulp and then lowered his head to pour more wine: "My king, it is true that your relatives treated you badly when you were young, but the Lu family is your root. In order to strengthen your own big tree, it is right to absorb nutrients through the roots and stems. Only in this way can you flourish and stand tall in the wind and rain."

He raised his head slightly to look at Lu Bu, and raised the cup: "Although the Liao Dynasty was dominated by Khitan nobles, the Han officials in Nanjing Road and Zhongjing Road had more power, and there were more merchants than in Shangjing and Xijing. Moreover, due to the division of power between the Khitan and Han people, the relationship between them was intricate and complicated. As long as one opening was made, the whole body would be affected, and then this tree would grow naturally."

It's not because of something that happened in childhood, but...

Nothing more...

Lü Bu had a complicated look on his face. He took a drink and said, "I understand what the military advisor said." He put down his hand and said, "Okay, I will go back and find the Lü brothers. As the military advisor said, trade with Liao will bring more benefits than disadvantages to us." He thought for a while and said, "I will set up a market in the southeast to trade with the Jurchens and Goryeo in the east. I think it will help ease our finances."

"Your Majesty is wise." Wang Zheng's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Since Your Majesty wants to set up many trading posts, why not do business with the Song Kingdom in the south? The sea water has never frozen in winter, and the navy generals are familiar with the sea routes on both sides, so we can bring in a group of sea merchants."

"Song?" Lu Bu rolled his eyes and nodded: "Alright, there are abundant supplies over there, and we can buy more things from there."

"Then I wish the king great wealth and prosperity."

The young man opposite them filled their glasses with wine and raised them. Lu Bu laughed and raised his glass in response: "Why do you smell like money?"

He drank the wine and sighed, "I hated money a few years ago, so I didn't care about money and grain. I didn't expect that the wheel of fate would come and I would have to worry about silver and copper coins again."

Wang Zheng didn't understand what he meant, but he didn't try to figure it out. He just ate a few pieces of meat, chewing until his mouth was full of oil. "Everyone in the world worries about food, clothing, housing and transportation. Few people can transcend this. Perhaps only people like Mr. Wu Liu don't worry about this."

...Who is that?

Lu Bu muttered to himself, then forgot about it: "I can only feel at ease now. It seems that if I need money or food in the future, I will have to find a military advisor first."

Wang Zheng begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please spare me. I don't want to become Doctor Liu."

Laughter came from the second floor of the restaurant.

(End of this chapter)