Ji Tang

Chapter 538 Overseas Diary: Flood?

"Master Marquis, Master Marquis, it's just as you expected! They finally couldn't sit still."

On this day, Ji Song was about to go out for a walk when he heard Gu Yanzhi's cheerful voice.

When Gu Yanzhi came to Ji Song, he didn't bother to salute and said excitedly: "They really can't sit still. Yesterday, someone came to Xiaguan and wanted to get more goods."

"This shows that Mr. Hou's guess is correct. These people just want to lower the price."

He couldn't help but grit his teeth. He was the governor of Mingzhou, and he had almost been fooled before. If he really sent the memorial, when things became clear in the future, he would not be able to escape the reputation of incompetence.

Don't have any thoughts that won't be discovered.

In a year at most, the Tang Dynasty will fully engage in overseas trade, and it will be clear by just asking around.

How will you feel when the time comes?
"Master Marquis, what do you think we should do now?"

"Teach them a lesson?"

He was gearing up. If he didn't teach the other party a lesson, he wouldn't be able to swallow this breath.

A mere barbarian dares to do such a thing, he is simply ignorant of life and death!
Ji Song sneered after reading the other party's request, especially when he saw that the other party still wanted to get the goods at last year's price.

"As planned!"

"but."

"The price will be increased by another [-]%, which means it will be sold at a price that is [-]% higher than last year's transaction price. Remember, not a penny less."

Ji Song said.

Gu Yanzhi was stunned, then hesitantly said: "Master Hou, isn't this a bit cruel? I want them not to."

Ji Song sneered: "No?"

He told Gu Yanzhi: "Remember, these goods from Datang are unique in the world, and there is no other brand."

"It seems that I was too kind to them before, and that's why I'm so aggressive today."

"Tell them that this price is only valid for three days, and they will raise it by [-]% after three days."

Is Ji Song afraid of them?

What a joke, he is very aware of the obsession of nobles in Western countries with silk, porcelain and other commodities.

He was sure that these merchants had already received their orders and deposits. If they could not deliver the goods in time, they would be torn into pieces by those nobles!

Seeing Ji Song's confidence, Gu Yanzhi gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll make a bet with Mr. Hou."

Ji Song smiled and patted his shoulder, indicating to follow him.

They came to the study room, and Ji Song asked Daniel to go out and guard the door, not to let anyone get close!

Gu Yanzhi's expression turned serious and he became serious.

After Ji Song entered the room, he took out a scroll from a half-person tall bottle.

"Come on, help me!"

Gu Yanzhi didn't know why, so he quickly took the scroll and unfolded it.

"This is?"

He didn't pay much attention to it before, but when it was halfway unfolded, he felt a tremor all over his body and his eyes shone with light.

"Yes, this is the chart."

After completely unfolding the scroll, the whole picture was revealed!

This is a chart from the Bering Strait in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south. Part of it was explored by Ji Qing and others, and part of it was added by Ji Song.

However, when Gu Yanzhi saw an obvious cut mark on it, he knew that it was just a part of a complete chart!

But he was also satisfied. Over the years, he had never thought about organizing ships to go out to sea for trade, but it all ended in vain and the trip could not be made at all!
Firstly, sea-going ships cannot travel too far because the risks are too high.

Second, they have no channels to obtain charts.

It's okay for you to discuss business with those maritime merchants, but as long as you talk about nautical charts, everyone will guard against them like thieves.

"Master Hou, what do you mean?"

He said a little excitedly.

Ji Song smiled, looked for it on the map, pointed to the island across a strait in the southeast of Fujian and said, "Do you know where this is?"

Gu Yanshang stepped forward to check and frowned: "It's not far from the mainland, but it's not close either."

"Yizhou?"

His eyes lit up and he said directly.

Because he sounded a record from the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

In the second year of the Huanglong reign of Wu State, Sun Quan sent generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to lead [-] troops to develop Yizhou.

After full preparation, Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi formed a team of more than [-] ships, carrying enough food and fresh water, and [-] soldiers. They set sail and set out to find Yizhou.

When encountering the natives, Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi quickly called their soldiers to attack the Gaoshan tribesmen. Although they fought bravely, their weapons were lagging behind. ,

The Wu soldiers used iron armor and steel helmets, while the spears used by the Gaoshan tribesmen were all made of animal horns, and the arrowheads were made of bluestone. They were not trained and could not withstand the Wu army's offensive, so they retreated one after another.

Wei Wenmingjin told the soldiers not to pursue him and set up camp on the spot.He and Zhuge Zhi discussed in the tent how to eliminate misunderstandings, establish friendly relations with the indigenous people, and complete the tasks assigned by King Wu.

As time passed, more and more people died of illness due to the unsuitable climate and soil. Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi made the decision to return to Wu after discussing with them. Some Gaoshan tribesmen were willing to go with them to Wu, so Wei Wen, Zhuge Zhi and The Gaoshan tribesmen of Yizhou bid farewell with tears and returned to Wu State with thousands of Wu soldiers and Gaoshan tribesmen.

This is something recorded in history books, but because people didn’t pay much attention to overseas affairs at that time, they didn’t pay much attention to it!
"That's right, it's Yizhou!"

Ji Song said: "Your opportunity is here!"

"here?"

Gu Yanzhi was shocked!
Ji Song nodded and said: "Yes, instead of fighting with others, it is better to go out. Yizhou has a vast land area, and it is no less generous than Guanzhong. If this place can be developed, what do you have to worry about?"

"This place is far away from the mainland. Even if the mainland beats you to death, it will not affect this place!"

"You can move the population here. Don't worry, the epidemic will not be a problem. Have you forgotten my ability to make a fortune?"

"Remember, don't make a big splash at first, and slowly transfer the population here. If rice is grown here, it can be harvested three times a year, so there will be no shortage of food."

"Like Wei Wen and others back then, try your best to make friends with the natives there. They live in the mountains, while you occupy the plains. As long as there are 10 people, this place will develop!"

"The rest of the country is enough to support at least a million people. Do you know what this means?"

Gu Yanzhi swallowed, he was a little frightened by Ji Song.

"Master Hou, you don't want to..."

He pointed to the north and then to the sky. The meaning is self-evident!

"What do you think?"

Ji Song said angrily: "This is a retreat for you, but it is not your real retreat!"

He rowed downwards and landed heavily on an island larger than Yizhou.

Gu Yanzhi looked around and saw that the island seemed to be more than twice the size of Yizhou. It was located in the south of Yizhou, so it didn't look very far away.

"This is your real goal!"

Ji Song pointed to the island and said, "Remember, Yizhou is still too close to the mainland, and it is easy to attract the attention of the court, but it is different here."

"He is alone overseas and will basically not have much interaction with the mainland. Even if the court wants to, it is beyond its reach!" "So, this is where you can show your talents."

"Can do anything!"

Gu Yanzhi stared blankly at the island, then looked at Ji Song, who had an incomprehensible look on his face, swallowed and said, "Anything is okay?"

Ji Song nodded.

'Puff! '

Gu Yanzhi collapsed to the ground, dumbfounded!

He was indeed stupid, what happened today had a great impact on him.

Before, their eyes had been fixed on the mainland, fighting each other to obtain resources.

But now someone told him that the outside world was very big, a place bigger than the entire Guanzhong, and it was just to deceive others.

Finally, he told him that there is still a large area of ​​land overseas, and where they can do whatever they want!

"Hou Hou Ye!"

"Aren't you joking?"

Gu Yanzhi sat up slowly, his eyes full of hope and struggle. No one could ignore a land where he could do anything. There was no court jurisdiction there, and no one could tell him what to do.

You can give full play to your own ideas, this is the persistence in human nature, the persistence of freedom!

"You can think bigger, for example"

When these two words appeared in Gu Yanzhi's ears, he could no longer remain calm.

Ji Song said helplessly: "Look at your potential!"

"Even if you really did what you did outside, it wouldn't be a big deal. Can the court still sail a boat to find you and cause trouble?"

Gu Yanzhi was stunned, yes, it was too far away, so far away that the court couldn't even care about it. This is where they founded the country, who could do anything to them?
"Get up!"

Ji Song stepped forward to help Gu Yanzhi up and said with a smile: "Don't underestimate this matter, it is not as simple as you think. Let's start with Yizhou first!"

"If you can complete this project within 30 years, you will definitely be China's number one in overseas expansion and leave a mark in history."

Gu Yanzhi smiled bitterly and said: "Xiaoguan originally thought it would be good to make some money, but I didn't expect that you gave us a foundation to survive. I really don't know what to do."

Ji Song didn't take it seriously and said, "Don't be burdened. Not only your Jiangdong family is involved in this matter, but also several nobles who are friends with the Ji family are involved."

He did not look at Gu Yanzhi's horrified eyes and said: "You are just standing in the front line. As long as you gain a firm foothold in Yizhou and prove your worth, there will be a steady stream of resources and support in the future."

Seeing Gu Yanzhi who looked a little gloomy, he smiled and said: "Don't worry, you are the forerunners, no one can take away what is yours. I, Ji Song, have never treated my friends badly."

"Of course I can rest assured, Lord Marquis, but..."

Of course he believed in Ji Song, but he didn't trust others. Without Ji Song's support, they would have been eaten up by those nobles.

"From now on, as long as you can establish a foothold in Nanzhou, I will send a son to open a branch."

Ji Song said calmly.

And Nanzhou is the name given to that land by the sacrifice.

Gu Yanzhi suddenly raised his head and said in disbelief: "Master Hou, are you serious?"

Ji Song smiled and said, "Do you think I am joking?"

Gu Yanzhi's face turned blue and white for a while, showing that he was struggling in his heart.

Ji Song was not in a hurry. He knew that Gu Yanzhi was a smart man and he probably guessed some of his intentions.

"Done!"

He stood up suddenly and clasped his fists at Ji Song and said: "From now on, I, Mr. Gu, will follow the leadership of the Marquis. If I am asked to do anything, I will never refuse!"

Gu Yanzhi was very straightforward and surrendered completely.

If it was a relationship of mutual use before, then from now on, the Gu family has completely turned to the Ji family.

From now on, the Ji family will be the main one, this is a subordinate relationship!
Is Gu Yanzhi stupid?

Of course he is not stupid, otherwise he would not be able to achieve the position of governor.

As for why he fell so simply to Ji's side, even willing to put himself in a subordinate position?
Because he saw an opportunity, an opportunity for the Gu family to be glorious again.
This conversation was only between the two of them. Even if Ji Song didn't say anything, Gu Yanzhi knew that this was not the time to inform the Jiangdong family!
After all, no one knows what they are thinking. People are far apart from each other, so it is better to be cautious.

In the next few days, maritime merchants came to the Governor's Mansion more and more often, and Ji Song knew that they were anxious.

The price will be increased by [-]% within three days, and the price will be increased three days later. It would be strange if there is no rush.

The Tang Dynasty is not one of those small foreign countries. No matter how dissatisfied they are, they must abide by the rules of the Tang Dynasty.

Originally they had initiated this incident themselves, and now they are reaping the consequences, which can be regarded as retribution!

Later, Gu Yanzhi selected three maritime merchants who were more knowledgeable about current affairs and sold the goods at the original price, while the remaining ones all raised their prices by [-]% to [-]%.

Even, in order to teach some people some lessons, they sold it to them at a [-]% increase in price.

They have to accept this, otherwise they don’t know what will happen if they return to the West!
"They've all gone?"

Ji Song came to the Governor's Mansion and saw Gu Yanzhi immersed in his work.

Gu Yanzhi quickly stood up and saluted, but was stopped by Ji Song!
"Yes, you didn't see how they looked at that time. They almost got bigger just for the share."

Thinking of this, he felt very relieved.

If the Marquis hadn't stopped him, he would have been embarrassed.

Now, not only have they failed to achieve their goal of lowering prices, they have also made this year's prices much higher than in previous years.

It seems that taxes will increase a lot this year. These are all political achievements!

Ji Song ignored Gu Yanzhi who was gloating about his misfortune, but sat on the main seat and looked at the documents from various places during this period.

Although he had his own source, he brought Ying Da with him when he came, and it only took a few days to travel to Chang'an.

But after all, many things are not very clear.

In July, there are floods between Shandong, Henan, Huaihe and Hainan.

On that day, there were many people affected by the disaster, there was not enough food and grass, and corpses were everywhere!
I hope Gu Yanzhi can allocate food in advance for the sake of past years' kindness.

"What? There is a flood in Shandong and Huainan? When did you get the news? Why didn't I know about it?"

When Ji Song saw the news, he couldn't sit still. He was still the ambassador sent by the imperial court, and it was almost August, and he didn't get the news?

What do they want to do?
You knew you were in Mingzhou, but no one told you?

Gu Yanzhi was stunned and then thought of something.

"Master Marquis, this is the document I just received today. The flood should have occurred in late July, and it is estimated that it will be less than three days ago."

"He went to the imperial inn, five hundred miles away, so he got the news so quickly!"

As he spoke, he took out a document.

Ji Song grabbed it and opened it. It turned out that the various states requested Mingzhou to raise grain and transport it to the Huaihe River for disaster relief.

“How much food can you raise?”

Ji Song asked directly.

(End of this chapter)