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Although the difficulties have passed, hidden worries still remain.
Throughout the entire New Year of the fifth year of Qingli, Su Jin was worried about this matter. This crisis was not so much caused by his poor financial management and calculations as it was forced to do so. And the culprit was none other than the current Saint.
Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen asked himself to be the envoy of the Northwest Fourth Route. To put it nicely, it was because he had made some achievements and had some small skills. But Su Jin knew very well in his heart. Zhao Zhen complained about his poverty and forced him to be independent.
Starting from trying to feed the millions of soldiers and civilians on the Northwest Fourth Road, Zhao Zhen took advantage of his psychological weakness to exploit himself; although he knew it was exploitation, Su Jin had to accept it, because Su Jin's psychological weakness was that he firmly believed that he could
It can be done without seeing the people suffer.
The whole thing seemed to be a fight-or-suffer situation. Zhao Zhen was a little more polite to Su Jin and then put such a high hat on Su Jin's head. Su Jin had no ability to refuse at all.[
Of course, for Su Jin, he also had his own purpose. On the one hand, Su Jin believed that he could complete this arduous task with his own ability, not for Zhao Zhen, but for the people; on the other hand, Su Jin felt agitated in his heart.
The dream prompted him to do this. There is no possibility of realizing that dream in the capital or anywhere else. Only in this case, Zhao Zhen will not interfere too much with his behavior, and that dream can be realized.
In order to realize this dream, Su Jin was a little confused, so much so that he forgot the biggest advantage that Zhao Zhen valued in him. Once he went bankrupt and the bank lost its credibility, it would be impossible for Su Jin to turn around again; and lose his strength.
Su Jin's status in Zhao Zhen's eyes will plummet due to his economic strength, and the position of the Northwest Fourth Route Envoy will not be guaranteed.
When Su Jin understood this, he broke out in a cold sweat. This was the biggest danger of this financial crisis. When he became a useful person in Zhao Zhen's eyes, he obviously relied on his qualifications and past peace and harmony.
Zhao Zhen's bad deeds of being red-faced and thick-necked, coupled with the things he has done that are not allowed by law, will all be found out and settled, and the consequences can be imagined.
Su Jin finally understood that even though there was already a gap between himself and Zhao Zhen, Zhao Zhen still handed the northwest into his hands, not entirely because of Zhao Zhen's magnanimity, but more importantly because he still had something to use.
Value, squeeze yourself dry, and kick it away when the time is right. This is probably Zhao Zhen's real idea; but having said that, this kind of exploitative relationship between the emperor and his ministers is not a big deal. To use a popular saying: food
The emperor's salary and loyalty to the emperor are matters, but I have been wronged very much. It is indeed unfair enough to not eat the emperor's salary but still have to be used by him.
Contemporary officials who are obsessed with the idea of loyalty to the emperor will never understand this. They will think that everything is justified, even the emperor's exploitation is the emperor's trust, and they have never thought of the exploitation relationship between the two; Su Jin has no loyalty to the emperor.
Concepts may be what everyone talks about, but these concepts have never been deeply rooted in his heart. Because of this, he can break out of the fixed thinking mode and see clearly the real situation here.
After thinking about these things, Su Jin became cheerful. He suddenly found that he had grasped the key to control his own destiny in this era. It was very simple. He must always make himself an indispensable person in Zhao Zhen's eyes. That way
Then Zhao Zhen can maintain Zhao Zhen's tolerance for him, just like the palace incident in Xincheng, his own pretentiousness seems to make up for it, but anyone who is not a fool knows that it is his own show after the fact, and Zhao Zhen not only did not do it because of this
Instead of punishing him, he sent someone to comfort him and show his kindness when he was weak. This is clear evidence.
Su Jin suddenly admired the wisdom of Queen Yeli Dulan of the Xia Kingdom. What he had realized had actually been seen through by Yeli Dulan a long time ago. When the Yeli tribe was about to be annihilated, Yeli Dulan was better than him.
He understood the strategy of how to protect himself earlier, which was to make Li Yuanhao feel that the Yeli tribe was indispensable. It was ridiculous that he regarded this matter as someone else's business, but he did not expect that the principles were similar and these things were actually widely applicable.
Fortunately, it was not too late to wake up. As far as the current situation is concerned, he can still control the situation. In the current Song Dynasty, the way to prevent Zhao Zhen from abandoning him like a worn-out shoe is to hold on to his lifeline.
That's economics.
…
After the New Year, Su Jin made two major decisions. The first was that the iron ore mine discovered by Liang Shi in Chengzhou must be mined as quickly as possible. The shortage of iron these days has led to high prices and huge profits. Zhao Zhen
The main reason why he promised himself the right to mine iron ore and the court would share it 50/50 was because the court had no money to invest in mining and wanted to use Su Jin's hand to complete the matter. But Su Jin thought very clearly that in any country, mines
The resources will eventually be nationalized, and Zhao Zhen would not have allowed himself the right to a share of the exploitation if he had not been forced by circumstances.
It is difficult to say that I am not making wedding clothes for others. When the domestic situation eases, I will probably be kicked away, and then these mines will be taken back by the court in a grand manner. Therefore, I have to take advantage of the fact that the court is still poor and stretched, and the situation in the south and north
The past few years are still grim. Take action quickly, otherwise you will regret it too late.
In order to put into production as soon as possible, Su Jin personally followed Liang Shi to the newly built iron ore mine in Chengzhou. A large snow-capped mountain range surrounded a valley. After several months of leveling and preparation, more than a dozen huge smelting plants were built.
The blast furnace has stood on the flat ground, and the surrounding rock formations carved out of the hillside look like a large terrace, which is the ore layer of the iron ore.
Liang Shi lived and ate in the mines and did not visit the capital during the New Year. When Su Jin arrived, he hurried out to greet him. Su Jin saw that he looked unkempt and had a lot of dust on his face. He admired him very much. Liang Shi looked like a bastard.
A geological scientist who has always been a fan of minerals and minerals, he can give full play to his talents, no matter how hard or tiring he is, he will not say a word. He is so old that he will not even go to reunite with his family during the New Year. It must be said that his attitude towards doing things is quite
of seriousness.
Last year, Su Jin and Liang Shi traveled around the northwest for several months. Although many mineral veins were discovered, Liang Shi said that many places were not suitable for mining because the costs were too high and the reserves were too small. It was not worth the effort.
Su Jin was an outsider in this matter, so he naturally listened to Liang Shi. Liang Shi looked dull, thin and unkempt, but he was extremely serious about his work. He muttered to himself every day with a frown on his face, saying something like "There is ocher on the mountain."
"There is iron underneath it"; "There is kind stone above, there is gold below"; in short, he kept chattering. When he arrived at the place in Chengzhou, Liang Shi burst into joy.
"Sir, there must be a big mine here." Liang Shi's beard trembled with excitement.
"How can you see it?" Su Jin didn't believe it. A barren mountain looked no different from other hills he had seen.
Liang Shi pointed to the small stream flowing out of the mountain and said: "Look at the color of this stream. It has a slight ocher color. It must be brought from the mountain rocks. 'There is ocher on the mountain and there is iron underneath.' This is the law."
Only then did Su Jin realize that this was what Liang Shi was talking about. In order to verify his theory, Liang Shi chose a place on the mountainside, used an ax to cut a rock opening, and used a large magnet he carried to move up and down the rock formation.
, the magnet can be firmly attached to every part of the three-foot-high rock formation, which fully proves that the iron content in this rock formation is extremely rich.[
Liang Shi introduced the mine's preparations to Su Jin: "Mr. Su, we have sent people to Lizhou Road and Qinfeng Road to purchase coke for ironmaking, which is currently in short supply. It's just that the New Year has just passed and it's winter again. It's true that
It's not easy to collect, and the quantity obtained is very small. The lower official is also worried about this matter."
Su Jindao: "It will take until the Year of the Monkey to purchase the coke that burned the people? How much coke will be used?"
Liang Shi said: "The dosage is quite large, because the coke not only serves as the heat source for combustion and melting, but also has the function of drawing iron. The specific proportion needs to be tested in detail when the furnace is opened and standardized."
Su Jin said: "Forget it, just make coking coal yourself. After I go back, I will order Baoshan Mine to make ten cars of coking coal every day. If it is not enough, you can talk to them on your own."
Liang Shixi said happily: "The relationship is good. If we can do this, we won't have to worry about anything in the future."
Su Jin pointed to the tall stove and said, "Is this thing reliable? Why do I think it's a bit unreliable? It took hundreds of thousands of hammers to smash these stoves."
Liang Shi cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, sir. I know this matter well. I have plenty of money and materials from you. If I don't make high-quality pig iron, how can I be worthy of you?"
Su Jin didn't understand. Confidence naturally could only come from others. Seeing Liang Shi's confidence, Su Jin felt relieved. He left all the condolences he had brought with him and spent two days in the iron mine.
, everyone in the mine was busy, but Su Jin didn't understand anything, so he finally said goodbye and left.