The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 132 Go to Lao Wang’s house next door and set fire to it

In mid-April, Wang Shouen, the military commander of the Jingnan Army, received a personal letter from Shi Kuangwei in Xinping County, Pizhou, along with [-] kilograms of Jingzhou white salt.

In the hall, Wang Shouen squinted as he read the letter word for word, occasionally glancing at Pei Jin, the envoy of the Zhangyi Army, who was standing in the hall.

Wang Shouen is nearly fifty years old, but his complexion is still rosy and shiny, and his voice is loud. It seems that he takes good care of himself.

"You Shi Jieshuai want to sell me [-] kilograms of salt? Priced at [-] pounds?" Wang Shou'en was slightly surprised after reading the letter, and his tone was a bit playful.

"Exactly!" Pei Jin hurriedly lowered his eyebrows and saluted.

Wang Shouen fell into deep thought.

In recent years, he colluded with Wang Jun and manipulated Xu Xingsi and the Xue family to first cut off the supply of official salt to the Zhangyi Army, and then exchange a large amount of high-priced salt for low-priced grain for the Zhangyi Army.

Pizhou itself does not produce salt, so Wang Shouen's salt was obtained by Wang Jun by using his status as Jingzhao Salt and Iron Transport Envoy.

The two parties formed a partnership to sell salt and grain at high prices in Pizhou, Ningzhou, Fangzhou, Qingzhou and other places, making a lot of money.

For some reason, starting in February, the salt transportation from Chang'an has been intermittent, with the transportation volume getting smaller and smaller every time, and the salt road seems to be showing signs of being cut off.

Wang Shouen sent people to Chang'an several times to find Wang Jun, but because the roads in and out of Jingzhao Mansion were blocked, not even the shadow of Chang'an City was seen.

The reason why Zhao Siwan, the military commander of the Yongxing Army, blockaded Beijing was that the marquis who had been suppressed by the Qing Dynasty would rebel against the party.

However, Hou Yi surrendered to the court in early March and went to Kaifeng to plead guilty.

Hou Yi spent a lot of money to bribe Minister Gu Ming, and the prime minister also served as Jiedushi Shi Hongzhao. In the end, the court did not pursue him for colluding with the Shu army in the rebellion, and allowed him to live in Kaifeng for his retirement.

Hou Yi's rebellion had subsided, but Zhao Siwan tried every means to block the official road from Pizhou to Chang'an. This made Wang Shouen very angry. He sent a message to Zhao Siwan, but there was no reply.

The salt from Jingzhao cannot be transported, and Pizhou has begun to fall into the dilemma of lack of salt.

At the end of last year, the Zhangyi Army suddenly opened a salt factory in Yangjinchuan to produce a large amount of salt. Wang Shouen knew about this.

Not long ago, Wang Jun and Jiao Jixun wanted to join forces to pursue the interests of the salt factory, and Wang Shouen also knew something about it.

For Jingzhou's sudden large-scale salt production, Wang Shouen was jealous. He wanted to wait for Wang Jun and Jiao Jixun to find a chance to intervene, but he did not expect to provoke Li Shouzhen who was far away in the river.

In the end, Jiao Jixun withdrew his troops on the grounds that there were changes in the Shu army, and all of them left overnight. Xu Xingsi, who was sent by Wang Jun, was missing even more, and the matter of the Zhangyi Army was left undisturbed.

Wang Shouen couldn't figure out Li Shouzhen's attitude, and he didn't know if the Jingzhou Salt Factory had a share in the Hezhong Army. He could only calm down and wait and see what happens.

Shi Kuangwei sent an envoy and brought [-] kilograms of salt to trade. He was sincere. Wang Shouen also wanted to eat this batch of salt to alleviate the salt shortage problem in Xiazhou County.

But he didn't want Shi Kuangwei to make money too easily.

Wang Shouen threw the letter on the table and said with a smile: "Twenty thousand kilograms of salt costs fifteen hundred kuan, which is expensive."

Pei Jin hurriedly held up his hands and said, "After all the losses, each kilogram of salt is discounted to 75 Wen, which is not expensive. My handsome man said that Wang Shixiang is an old acquaintance. We fought together against the Khitans in the east of Hedong, and we fought side by side with them, forming a strong friendship. We have a deep friendship with each other. So the price of 75 Wen per catty is considered a friendly price, and it’s really not high!”

Wang Shouen curled his lips and scoffed at these remarks.

Back then in Hedong, he and Shi Kuangwei did both command troops under the command of the camp marshal Jing Yanguang, but they did not have any close friendship to fight the enemy side by side.

But because of the competition for merit, the two groups had a bloody fight.

The two of them even pointed at each other and cursed in front of Jing Yanguang.

Since Wang Shouen led his army to the great victory in Luzhou, he thought he had outstanding military ability and was quite arrogant. He looked down on Shi Kuangwei, who was a Shatuo fan general.

When the new emperor ascended the throne at the beginning of the year, Wang Shou'en was given the title of Tongping Zhangshi. He had a larger territory than the Zhangyi Army, more soldiers, horses, money and food than the Zhangyi Army. His rank and reputation were higher than that of Shi Kuangwei, and he looked down on his old neighbor.

The senior military and political officials who sit on one side, such as the governor of the feudal town and the left guard, are added with the title of Tongping Zhangshi, and are called the prime minister together with the prime minister, and are known as the envoys.

Although it is an honorary title, it does not participate in the government and does not exercise the power of the prime minister, but it is a symbol of status and honor.

Once one enters the court and becomes an official, the minimum is to start as a minister of the six departments and a minister of two provinces.

Among the neighbors around Changyi Army, Wang Shou'en was given the title of Tongping Zhangshi, Jiao Jixun was given the title of Middle Attendant, and Li Shouzhen, who was further away, was given the title of Tongping Zhangshi and Grand Master, which was extremely honorable.

Only Shi Kuangwei, the new emperor, could not even get the reward of a title after he ascended the throne. He was also reprimanded by the imperial court, ordering him to pay up the tax arrears as soon as possible.

For this reason, Wang Shouen often laughed at him behind his back.

Now, in order to sell salt to him, Shi Kuangwei, a gangster, actually tried to make friends with his face. Wang Shouen cursed viciously in his heart: Shameless!
However, the price of salt at 75 renminbi a catty is indeed not high, and he can completely resell it to the people under his rule at double the price.

Wang Shouen fiddled with the bowl and smiled casually: "I heard that last month, there was a mutiny between the Zhangyi Army and the Yajun Army. Shi Jieshuai was injured as a result and the salt factory has been shut down. I wonder if things have calmed down now?"

Pei Jin hurriedly said: "Thank you, King Lao, for asking. The rebels were also instigated by traitors. Now the rebellion has been put down, and all the relevant prisoners have been executed. Shi Jieshuai's injuries have basically recovered, and the salt factory has resumed production in mid-March." .”

"Haha, that's good." Wang Shouen smiled, picked up the tea bowl and sipped the tea slowly.

Pei Jin said: "My handsome man also said that from now on, he will send 75 kilograms of salt to Pizhou every month, and the price will still be [-] Wen per kilogram. If the two companies cooperate, the water will flow smoothly, and we will make money together."

Wang Shouen seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "Then what should I say if the court investigates me?"

Pei Jin hurriedly said: "The two transactions, the money and goods are paid face to face, and there is no written document. The salt factory is in Jingzhou. No matter how the court pursues it, it has nothing to do with the king's envoy."

Wang Shouen laughed and stretched out a finger: "Add another [-] jins, and I will need [-] jins per month!"

"This." Pei Jin looked embarrassed, but sneered in his heart. As expected by the young envoy, Wang Shou'en was really greedy.

He is not afraid of whether the court will pursue him or not. He will dare to do anything that can make money.

"Your Majesty Wang, please forgive me. In addition to supplying the two prefectures of Jingyuan, the salt factory also has to be transported to the river and delivered to Taishi Li. The output is limited and the delivery quantity may not be guaranteed," Pei Jin said vaguely.

Wang Shouen's heart was moved, and he asked pretending not to care: "Does the salt factory of your Zhangyi Army really have a share in the Hezhong Army?"

Pei Jin chuckled and said: "The king is joking. Without the support of Grand Master Li, how can the small Zhangyi Army dare to risk violating the imperial ban and collect salt to make salt privately?"

"Well" Wang Shouen fell into deep thought. With Li Shouzhen's support, it seemed that Zhang Yijun's salt factory was not easy to move, and the court could only turn a blind eye.

At the price of 75 Wen a catty, [-] catties of salt are collected every month, and the price difference is doubled when they are resold, which is a blood profit!
Wang Shouen's fleshy face showed an affectionate smile, and he patted his chest and said: "Shi Jieshuai directly sent [-] kilograms of salt to Xinping, which shows his sincerity. Of course, I can't be a petty person! In this way, next month's salt payment will also be paid to me." I gave it, but I didn’t have enough money, so I could only scrape together two thousand guan, and the rest was paid in grain, which is calculated as [-] guan per catty of millet and wheat!”

Pei Jin quickly calculated in his mind that if the remaining salt money was deducted with grain, he could get more than 6 kilograms of grain.

I remember when I came here, the young envoy told me that it would be best to use grain to deduct the salt payment, as much as you have. He said that in the near future, the price of grain in Guanzhong will soar, and Jingzhou and Pizhou will definitely be affected.

Pei Jin didn't understand the basis for Zhu Xiu's statement, but he now had almost blind admiration and trust in Zhu Xiu, and he kept this advice firmly in mind.

Wang Shouen stared closely at Pei Jin, for fear that he would not agree.

In his opinion, it was Changyi's army that suffered a loss by using grain to deduct salt payments.Pei Jin hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and nodded: "Okay!~"

Wang Shouen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and laughed and said: "Happy! Without further ado, the deal will be finalized today! I also have some deer antlers and snow ginseng here. You can take them back together and give them to Shi Jieshuai to recuperate."

Pei Jin smiled and bowed his head to express his thanks. Both the guest and the host had a great time, and the business negotiation went surprisingly smoothly.

Wang Shou'en called several subordinate officials and asked them to accompany Pei Jin down to count the goods and grain, and at the same time put the salt into the warehouse.

As soon as Pei Jin left, one of his subordinates hurried over and said in a low voice, "Sir, the salt sellers in the Changwu City area have recently started to move again. The selling price does not exceed forty coins.”

"Huh?" Wang Shouen's expression suddenly changed and he shouted angrily: "They just killed a group of people, destroyed their dens, and confiscated more than [-] kilograms of illegal salt. Where did they get the salt from?"

"It hasn't been found out yet!"

Wang Shouen gritted his teeth and said: "Intensify the investigation, send people to follow up, and find out the traces of this group of salt dealers as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" the subordinate responded. Seeing Wang Shou'en's face full of anger, he said bravely: "There is one more thing to report to the commander-in-chief. Recently, near Changwucheng, it was discovered that villagers fled to Jingzhou in groups. Sometimes there were several people in a family, sometimes three. There are dozens of people living in five households. There are rumors in nearby villages that Jingzhou accepts refugees, and those who settle there will be given land and houses."

Wang Shouen was surprised at first, and then sneered: "How can such a good thing happen! Send someone to check where the rumors came from."

The subordinates clasped their fists in agreement, resigned and left.

"Ignorant." Wang Shouen shook his head contemptuously. In his opinion, the common people believe such nonsense because they are ignorant.

The land in Jingzhou is narrow and barren. If there was any extra land, Shi Kuangwei would definitely collect it under his name and recruit tenants to cultivate it. How could he be willing to use it to divide the land.

As for the flight of refugees, it happens everywhere. As long as it is not a large-scale flight, there is no need to pay attention to it.

When he went to Jingzhou, he didn't have enough to eat and started to make a fuss. It was Zhang Yijun who had a headache.

Wang Shouen sneered a few times and put the matter behind him.

What he is concerned about is the price of salt and salt sellers.

Under his rule, the salt dealers were repeatedly banned, which gave him a lot of headaches.

The existence of salt dealers has a direct impact on him making money by using high-priced salt.

"I still didn't kill enough and ruthlessly!" Wang Shouen's face was full of ferocity, and he secretly made up his mind to intensify the efforts to eliminate the salt dealers.

~~~
Pizhou Changwucheng is located eighty miles downstream from the intersection of the main channels of Yangjinchuan and Jinghe Rivers.

Changwucheng was first built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was expanded and renovated during the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, and then abandoned year by year. Until the 12th year of Emperor Dali of the Tang Dynasty (777 AD), in order to prevent the Tubo people from invading southward along the Jinghe River, Li Huaiguang, the envoy of the Xingning Festival, moved to the original site. The city of Changwu was rebuilt, eventually forming a large earthen city.

Since then, successive military envoys of Xingning have stationed troops in Changwucheng to guard the Jinghe River. It is an important military town related to the stability of Guanzhong.

Since the Tubo forces were driven to Qinzhou (Tianshui) and Weizhou (Longxi), the land of Jingyuan has gradually returned to peace. Except for the occasional Tubo attack on the pass, there have been no major wars.

There are no more troops stationed in Changwucheng, and its status is not as good as before.

After Wang Shouen took office, he also paid little attention to Changwucheng. He assigned a clerk to take charge of it and reported all matters to Yilu County for disposal.

There are more than a dozen villages near Changwucheng. Most of the people in the city are relatives and descendants of the soldiers who were stationed there. A considerable part of them moved from other places, including many from Jingyuan and Yuanzhou, Guanzhong and even Henan.

The accents here are mixed and the management is chaotic. Most of them are poor rural farmers. Some make a living by digging a few acres of thin fields, some work as tenant farmers for nearby large households, and some work as boatmen on the Jinghe River and at the wharf.

The area near Changwucheng is also the most rampant place for salt traders in Pizhou. Almost no one here buys official salt and cannot afford it. Every household has relatives and friends who are salt traders.

Wang Shouen ordered to intensify efforts to eliminate salt dealers, and Changwucheng was the first to bear the brunt.

Recently, there have been rumors from time to time that a member of a family was caught selling salt, paraded through the streets and then beheaded in public. More than a dozen bloody heads were hung on both sides of the gates of Changwucheng, and fresh ones were hung every few days.

Wang Shou'en sent an effective general to Yilu County, responsible for eradicating salt dealers, and vowed not to let a single tael of illegal salt cross Yilu County.

Yilu County is located [-] miles southeast of Changwu City. Officers and soldiers were stationed in the county, and the people around Tucheng became increasingly panicked.

I don't know when, the names of two people spread around Changwu City.

One is called Mr. Wen and the other is called Yan Erlang.

Several famous salt sellers near Changwucheng respected the two of them. It was said that these two men were not only able to get a large amount of good salt from Jingzhou, but also had connections with the Jingzhou government, and could help people settle in Jingzhou and allocate their fields.

Recently, several villagers who went to Jingzhou to register and were assigned fields came back to speak out. Mr. Wen and Yan Erlang took them to visit different villages. Everywhere they went, they caused quite a stir and attracted many villagers to gather. , listen to them talk about the various benefits of Jingzhou.

On this day, in a small village northwest of Changwucheng, a similar propaganda meeting was held in a dry farmland.

Not far to the north of the small village is the Jinghe River. However, due to poor water diversion, a large amount of wasteland appears on the bank, and only a few broken fields are irrigated by people.

Several men who had settled in Anding County talked about their experiences in Jingzhou and showed off the land they had been allocated. Several houses and courtyards were immediately built, including paddy fields and dry fields, and they enjoyed various tax exemptions and reductions. Policy, the dozen or so farmers below were filled with envy, chattering about various details.

Tao Wenju and Yan Ping wore bamboo hats and dressed like old farmers, squatting on a mound not far away with their trouser legs rolled up.

"Not to mention, the trick you came up with is quite effective. Letting their own folks come back to promote it is much more effective than us wasting our words."

Yan Ping smiled and praised a few words.

"It's all thanks to the young envoy Jun Ping's teachings." Tao Wenju hurriedly and humbly handed over his hand.

"However, according to this progress, only a few dozen households are willing to go to Jingzhou every day. It is still too slow." Yan Ping sighed, this mobilization work was much more difficult than he imagined.

Tao Wenju chuckled and said: "It is human nature that it is difficult to leave one's homeland. Most of the five or six thousand households around Changwucheng have moved from other places and have taken root here. It can last for decades or even more than ten years. Think about it. It will take some effort for them to move their families to Jingzhou."

Yan Ping smiled and said, "You seem to have an idea?"

Tao Wenju chuckled, glanced around, and whispered: "These people still have nostalgia for Pizhou and the Jingnan Army and its subordinate officials. They must be cut off and let them realize that they can only go there." Only Jingzhou can survive!"

Yan Ping frowned and said, "That's the case, but what should we do?"

Tao Wenju's twinkling eyes revealed something cunning and ruthless: "There is a new town general from Yilu County who is responsible for eradicating salt dealers. If this person is removed, Wang Shou'en will be furious and start a bloody storm in Changwucheng!
When the conflict intensifies, the people of Changwucheng and the Jingnan Army are completely opposed to each other. Once panic spreads, large-scale escapes can occur in an instant! "

Yan Ping took a breath: "You mean, we should assassinate this person?"

Tao Wenju nodded, "Do you dare to take action?"

"Why don't you dare?!" Yan Ping stared, then hesitated and said: "The matter is of great importance, we should first seek the consent of the young envoy before discussing it."

Tao Wenju rolled his eyes and said: "Send someone to contact Bi Zhenhai and ask him to report to the Young Envoy. We will sneak into Yilu County tonight to find out this person's movements and wait for the opportunity! Once we have the opportunity, we might as well strike first!"

Yan Ping hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! Just do as you say!"

(End of this chapter)