Chapter 212 Death Soldier Plan, Individual Soldier Equipment
Li Danbai was a smart man and often dealt with official circles. However, after all, he was just a newly promoted general salt merchant in Yangzhou. He did not know that Jia Yun, the commander of the Jinyi Mansion, was already in a dangerous situation...
In Li Danbai's eyes, Jia Yun is a bloodline of the Rongguo Mansion, a young man from Wu Liuyuan, a young high-ranking official, and a confidant who is highly appreciated by Emperor Tianzhi...
Therefore, when Li Feixue returned to Yangzhou and talked about the affairs between her and Jia Yun, Li Danbai thought that if Li Feixue did not seduce the emperor, she could marry Jia Yun as his wife, which was also a good choice.
However, Jia Yun is already engaged and will marry a wife this year. Although the wife is only from a merchant family, she has close relations with both the Rongguo Mansion and the Wang family.
Li Feixue also told Li Danbai that based on her understanding of Jia Yun, it was almost impossible for Jia Yun to break off the engagement and marry her instead.
And if Li Feixue was just to be Jia Yun's concubine, Li Danbai would not be willing.
Even if Jia Yun is a high-ranking official and Li Feixue becomes his concubine, her status will not be very noble.
This is incomparable with the emperor. The emperor's concubines can be concubines or even imperial concubines...
Li Danbai was an ambitious businessman, and he also placed high hopes on Li Feixue. Even if Li Feixue could not enter the emperor's harem, he still hoped that Li Feixue would marry into a wealthy family and become his wife.
So now, when Li Danbai carefully observed Jia Yun who was admiring Li Feixue, Li Danbai sighed quietly in his heart: Oh, what a pity!
At this time, Li Feixue finished playing a piece, and Jia Yun smiled and praised: "Miss Feixue is indeed very talented. She already amazed me with her previous stunning dance, and today's piano skills amazed me again."
Li Feixue stood up and made a Wanfu gift: "Thank you, sir."
Jia Yun took her eyes away from Li Feixue, looked at Li Danbai again, and smiled slightly: "I have already enjoyed Miss Feixue's beautiful piano music. Now it's time to talk to you about business."
Li Danbai smiled and said, "Sir, please tell me."
Jia Yun stopped smiling and her expression suddenly became serious: "Since you were honest with me just now, I will be honest with you now. Your Majesty asked me to come to Yangzhou to collect donations this time and allowed me to use forceful means!"
Li Danbai suddenly became nervous.
Li Feixue, who had returned to Jia Yun and was about to pour wine for Jia Yun, also became nervous. The wine bottle he raised paused in the air.
Jia Yun added: "And I know that you have an affair with the private salt. Based on this alone, I should let the Jinyi Mansion capture you. And the result of being captured by the Jinyi Mansion, needless to say, you should be able to imagine it!"
"
Li Feixue no longer cared about pouring wine for Jia Yun. She held the wine bottle and looked at Jia Yun and Li Danbai nervously.
Li Danbai looked grim: "How did your Excellency know that I had an affair with a private person? Did Feixue tell you?"
Li Danbai knew that when Li Feixue was in Shenjing City, Jia Yun had a conversation with Li Feixue alone. At that time, Jia Yun asked Li Feixue to answer some of his questions honestly.
At this moment, Li Feixue's expression when facing Jia Yun was half-hidden and half-showing some kind of pleading.
In fact, Jia Yun did ask Li Feixue about this matter at first. Li Feixue was not honest about it at first. After Jia Yun repeatedly pressed her, she confessed honestly about it and said that her father did have an affair with a private man.
However, Jia Yun has a strong interest in Li Feixue and will not tell such things to damage the father-daughter relationship between Li Danbai and Li Feixue.
So Jia Yun said: "It wasn't Miss Feixue who told me, it was Master Zou who told me!"
Li Feixue felt grateful and pretended to calmly pour a glass of wine for Jia Yun.
Li Danbai had no doubts: "To be honest with you, I did have an affair with private salt, but I had no choice but to do it. Due to the layers of exploitation in the officialdom, the price of official salt is higher than that of private salt. Private salt is rampant, and official salt is everywhere."
I am no match for private salt, so that now, as the chief salt merchant in Yangzhou, it would be difficult for me to survive if I didn’t get involved with private salt.”
Jia Yun snorted: "Just now you said you would be honest with me, but now you are not honest?"
Li Danbai: "..."
Jia Yun said in a deep voice: "Don't think I don't know. As the general salt merchant in Yangzhou, even if you don't have anything to do with private salt, you can still make a lot of money every year. And the reason why you have an affair with private salt is nothing more than greed."
That’s it!”
Li Danbai said: "Sir, if I didn't have an affair with the private salt, although I could earn a lot of money every year, the money would not be enough for my annual expenses."
Jia Yun let out a "haha": "So much money is not enough for your annual expenditure? It can be seen that your life has been extravagant and lustful to the point of outrageous!"
Li Danbai couldn't hide his panic: "Sir, this...this extravagance and desire are also necessary. Without this extravagance and desire, I would not be the chief salt merchant."
Jia Yun said: "Oh? What kind of truth is this?"
Li Danbai immediately explained to Jia Yun...
In fact, there is no need to explain, Jia Yun already knows this, and now he is still asking questions knowingly to intimidate Li Danbai, thereby paving the way for his subsequent negotiations.
Li Danbai did not lie. For general salt merchants like him, extravagance and extravagance are indeed a necessity, because this is their need to deal with the officialdom, and it is their means to maintain and develop the relationship between government and business.
For example, when Li Danbai entertained an official, in addition to bribes in gold and silver, he also needed an extravagant entertainment scale.
For example, when the Shen family received Emperor Kangxing twice, the Shen family spent a huge amount of money on both receptions.
And because of this extravagant desire, if Yangzhou's general salt merchant had not been involved in private salt, even if he could earn a lot of money every year, he would still be in a situation where he could not make ends meet.
Jia Yun asked: "Apart from you, the other seven general salt merchants in Yangzhou are also involved in illegal salt?"
Li Danbai became embarrassed: "Sir, please forgive me for not being honest about this matter. If you want to know this matter, you can ask Master Zou or investigate. If I tell you this matter, I will break the salt merchant's rules."
.”
Jia Yun snorted.
In fact, he was still testing Li Danbai this time. What he was testing this time was not Li Danbai's honesty, but Li Danbai's character.
If Li Danbai even confessed such a thing in front of Jia Yun, Jia Yun would be dissatisfied with this person, which shows that this person is a villain who has no bottom line for his own interests.
Fortunately, Li Danbai stuck to the bottom line on this matter and did not confess honestly.
Jia Yun said solemnly: "No matter what, it is a fact that you have an affair with the private salt. Based on this alone, I should let the Jinyi Mansion take you down!"
Li Danbai was already scared, stood up, and then knelt in front of Jia Yun: "Please point out a way out, sir. I will thank you very much!"
Jia Yun's tone returned to gentleness: "Sit down and talk."
Li Danbai sat opposite Jia Yun again.
Jia Yun said: "Having said that, I won't go round and round with you and keep secrets. If you agree to two conditions, I can not only save your life, but also your position as the chief salt merchant!"
Li Danbai's eyes lit up: "Sir, please tell me!"
Jia Yun said: "I have a friend who wants your Longshun Escort Agency. You can transfer the Escort Agency to him for fifty thousand taels of silver!"
Li Danbai was surprised: "Why do your friends want my Longshun Escort Agency?"
Jia Yun said: "I wonder if you know that I am not only an official in the officialdom, but I am also doing business as a merchant?"
Li Danbai said: "To be fair to you, I know something about this matter. I know that you are doing business in partnership with a big merchant in Shenjing City."
"Pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil erasers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, toothpicks, these novel and practical things are all grown-ups' business, and they also built a coal mine factory in Huainan."
"Speaking of this matter, I didn't mean to flatter you in front of your lord. Your lord's ability as a merchant is also very great, which makes me admire you very much."
Jia Yun said: "My business has been very big. This time my friend wants your Longshun Escort Agency. One of the reasons is that he has the Longshun Escort Agency. In the future, I will be one of the escort agencies in the business."
Everything will be left to him, but based on this, Longshun Escort Agency will not make ends meet in the future."
Li Danbai suddenly realized when he heard this: "In that case, I shouldn't refuse this matter."
"Sir, my Longshun Escort Bureau, in addition to the main Escort Bureau in Yangzhou, there are nine branch Escort Bureaus along the way from south to north, with a total of more than 300 people, most of whom are strong martial artists."
"Originally, this Longshun Escort Agency was worth 120,000 taels of silver. This time, out of your favor, I transferred it to your friend at a low price of 50,000 taels of silver."
This is a bit exaggerated. The exaggeration is that the value of Longshun Escort Agency is about 100,000 taels of silver, but now Li Danbai said it was worth 120,000 taels of silver.
However, even if the value is one hundred thousand taels of silver, the transfer to Jia Yun for 50,000 taels of silver this time... Well, my friend, Li Danbai also lost fifty thousand taels of silver.
To Li Danbai, the loss of fifty thousand taels of silver was equivalent to a bribe for Jia Yun.
Li Danbai's Longshun Escort Agency was passed down from his ancestors. In the early years, it could still earn a lot of money, but in recent years it has been unable to make ends meet. Every year, Li Danbai has to lose money on it, ranging from three to four thousand taels to as many as seven.
Eight thousand taels.
Even so, Li Danbai would not easily transfer the Longshun Escort Agency, not only because this Escort Agency is inherited from his ancestors, but also because this Escort Agency is equivalent to a private army and plays an important role for Li Danbai.
But now, in order to save his own life and his position as the chief salt merchant, Li Danbai had to agree to transfer this ancestral escort agency to Jia Yun's friend.
In addition, even if the Longshun Escort Agency is gone, Li Danbai still has an escort team of more than a hundred people. He wants more manpower in this field and will just continue to recruit people in the future.
Jia Yun said: "My friend will come to your house to find you in a few days. Then he will bring you 50,000 taels of silver and sign a document for the transfer of the escort agency with you."
"You also know that such a large escort agency includes a main escort agency and nine branch escort agencies, with more than 300 people, most of whom are skilled warriors. It will be difficult for my friend to take over smoothly, so you can help me with this matter.
, I don’t need to explain it in detail, I think you know how to handle this matter."
Li Danbai nodded: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely handle this matter and make it possible for your friend to take over the Longshun Escort Agency smoothly."
Having said this, Jia Yun raised her wine glass and offered Li Danbai a glass of wine for the first time today.
After drinking the glass of wine, Li Danbai immediately asked: "I wonder what your second condition is?"
When Jia Yun heard this, she looked at Li Feixue who was standing aside...
…
…
When she was in Shenjing City before, Jia Yun went to Li Feixue's mansion at the invitation of Li Feixue.
At that time, Jia Yun carefully observed one thing, that is, there were many guards in Li Feixue's house. It was not difficult to see that these guards were all very skilled warriors.
It is precisely because of these guards that Li Feixue, as a boudoir girl, dared to go all the way from Yangzhou to Shenjing City without the company of her male master.
Later, Jia Yun asked about this matter when chatting with Li Feixue. Li Feixue said that her ancestors were in the escort business!
Later, Jia Yun asked Li Feixue carefully about this matter.
So Jia Yun learned that Li Danbai's grandfather was in the escort business. In the generation of Li Danbai's father, Li Muqing, in addition to the escort business, Li Muqing also started a salt merchant, with the escort business as the main business.
Until Li Danbai's generation, Li Danbai mainly worked as a salt merchant, and the escort business took a back seat. The main reason was that the escort business could not make much money, and in recent years it had been unable to make ends meet.
Another reason why Li Danbai was promoted from a loose salt merchant to one of the eight general salt merchants was that he owned the Longshun Escort Bureau. This private army made other salt merchants more or less afraid.
As mentioned earlier, Li Feixue's grandfather was a doctor, and Li Feixue's mother was proficient in medical skills. As a result, Li Feixue was interested in medical skills since she was a child, and thus became proficient in medical skills.
Grandpa Li Feixue, who was a doctor at that time, often dealt with Li Muqing. He was not only Li Muqing's personal doctor, but also often treated the injuries and illnesses of the warriors of Li Muqing's Longshun Escort Agency.
Because of this relationship and the fact that Li Feixue's mother was both talented and beautiful, Li Feixue's mother married Li Danbai and gave birth to such an excellent daughter as Li Feixue.
So, why does Jia Yun want to acquire the Li family's Longshun Escort Agency this time?
The reason is simple, he is finding a way for himself!
Longshun Escort Bureau includes a main escort agency and nine branch escort agencies, which are distributed from south to north.
This means that Jia Yun can open up an escape route through this escort agency.
Moreover, the Longshun Escort Bureau now has more than 300 people, most of whom are skilled martial artists.
By owning this escort agency, Jia Yun is equivalent to owning a secret private army.
Jia Yun's plan is to secretly cultivate a group of dead soldiers for herself through this escort agency, ranging from one to two hundred dead soldiers to as many as three hundred dead soldiers!
If there are only 300 dead soldiers with cold weapons, they can only be used to help Jia Yun and his family escape. But what if these 300 dead soldiers are equipped with modern individual equipment?
Haha, in this case, as long as the tactics are proper, these three hundred dead soldiers alone can defeat thousands of armies in this era, and they can even succeed in rebellion!
Don’t forget, Jia Yun is proficient in military research and development!