As soon as Governor Feng heard the word "money", his spirits perked up.
This time, you won't make much money from the war horse trade. What you value is a long-term investment.
Moreover, before gaining an overwhelming advantage over Wei State, it was destined not to be too obvious to harvest Wu State, so Governor Feng had no interest in talking about this matter for the time being.
But if you want to talk about money or something, then I won’t be sleepy!
In the past, I always scolded the old demon Zhuge for digging around, and I wanted to scrape oil off the rocks.
Now that it's my turn, I realize that there is a huge difference between governing a county and governing a state, let alone governing a country.
There is no way, the word "money and food" is the most important thing!
"What's the matter of money? Where's the matter of money? Could it be that School Minister Qin wants to do some big business with the big man?"
Seeing that the somewhat lazy Feng Jishi suddenly became energetic, Qin Bo, who was a little worried at first, cheered up on the spot when he saw Feng Jishi's expression.
As a school official, Your Majesty is the most important, and it is instinct to observe words and emotions.
Schoolmaster Qin looked at Feng Jishi's expression and didn't understand why:
I originally thought that this Feng Wenhe was unparalleled in literary talent. Even if he was not as good as Lu Xun, who led the army as a scholar, he should be regarded as a person with the character of a Confucian scholar.
I didn’t expect that I also like the smell of copper so much?
As soon as he thought of this, Qin Xiaoshi's mind was as bright as the dark clouds parting and seeing the bright moon.
But I remembered that Mr. Feng started his business by selling Dingkou, and later sold woolen materials, brown sugar, and mead. I heard that he even sold workshop quotas. What else can this be called greedy for money?
Good to be greedy for money!
After all, he traveled thousands of miles from Jiangdong to Liangzhou, wasn’t it just for money?
Qin Bo looked at Governor Feng who was sitting above him, and suddenly felt a little warm.
"The Lord is really joking. When it comes to doing business, is there anyone who knows more than the Lord?"
Feng Jishi looked at the smile on Qin Bo's face and couldn't tell whether he was praising or telling the truth.
"The wool, brown sugar, honey and wine sold to me, Da Wu, are all top-notch goods? Ordinary people can't even buy them if they want to!"
Isn’t that right?
Most of the wool traded with Soochow flowed into the army and became military supplies.
Brown sugar and honey wine were divided between the noble family and Sun Quan.
Rich people from the countryside in Shu only dip some brown sugar to satisfy their cravings during festivals. But ordinary people in Wu still want to eat brown sugar? They want to eat it!
Productivity was insufficient, and the sugar extraction technology was too primitive. The large amount of sugar in the sugar cane could not be fully utilized, and the output could not be increased. Feng Jishi had no choice.
Not to mention sugar cane, the raw material for making brown sugar, is also a big constraint.
These days, food is the number one priority for people’s livelihood.
No matter how high the price of brown sugar is, it cannot crowd out food cultivation.
Before Feng became an official, he wanted to cultivate some tea seedlings in his own fields, but was fined by the government.
In addition, there are many factors such as the source of labor for sugar cane plantations, climate effects, the need to contain Shu families, the domestication of the Yi tribes in the south, and so on.
Therefore, the scope of sugarcane cultivation in Han Dynasty can only be limited to Nanzhong.
Thinking of this, Governor Feng couldn't help but feel sad:
"This woolen material is not bad. Now that the Han Dynasty has Liangzhou, it will only take two years at most. There should be a lot more woolen material supplied to Wu."
"It's just brown sugar," Governor Feng said, shaking his head, "It's difficult! Jingzhou has been unwilling to plant more sugar cane, so I don't have any good solution."
Qin Bo has been secretly observing Liangzhou these days. How could he not know that many new workshops have been built in Liangzhou?
If he were not afraid of causing Feng Wenhe's misunderstanding at this critical moment, he would even want to visit the legendary Feng Li.
Now that Qin Bo heard that Feng Jishi took the initiative to mention this matter, Qin Bo was immediately ecstatic and quickly expressed his long-planned idea:
"The land of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River has been frozen frequently over the years, and the officials and military officers have suffered from the cold winter."
"If it is true as the prince said, if we can get more wool from the Han Dynasty to keep out the cold, it will be a great good thing for Wu!"
After hearing Qin Bo's words, Governor Feng seemed to feel that something was not right:
It is said that the school affairs office is deeply hated by everyone, regardless of whether it is in the Wu court or the local government. Who knows how this Qin Bo seems to be a loyal and patriotic person?
While he was thinking about it, he saw Qin Bo move his buttocks again, leaning his body more towards Feng Jishishi, and it seemed like he was getting two more compliments:
"I don't dare to hide it from the Lord. The villain came here this time, firstly, for the matter of the war horse. Secondly, in fact, there are other things."
Governor Feng's eyes flashed, he said "Oh" and leaned slightly on the back of his chair:
"I wonder what else is going on with School Qin?"
"Your Majesty, as I just said, my treasury, Wu, has not been very wealthy in recent years."
Speaking of this, Qin Bo was a little hesitant, "So the villain came here this time to actually ask the prince to see if he can find some ways..."
"Connection?" Governor Feng didn't react for a moment.
Sun Quan is short of money. Does he want me to gain access?
You don’t give me a salary...
"Yes, the villain knows that Junhou has a good relationship with the Zhang family, so he allows the Zhang family to obtain the right to sell brown sugar. To be honest with Junhou, the school office is located in Jiangdong, so it is actually quite reasonable."
"Even sometimes, the school office can help solve problems that are inconvenient for the Zhang family. Junhou, over the years, Xinghan Society has sold more things to me, Dawu, every year."
"If the monarch can cooperate with the school affairs office, I believe that the Xinghan Association's caravan will be much smoother in Jiangdong..."
Qin Bo, who was sitting below, was trying hard to convince Governor Feng, but he had no idea that Governor Feng, who was sitting above him, was getting more frightened as he listened.
If it hadn't been for the experience over the years that had made Governor Feng quite mature, he might have been tempted to stand up long ago.
Feng Jishi forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, took a deep breath slowly, and tried not to let Qin Bo see anything unusual about him:
"School affairs office? Cooperation? Is this what Master Wu meant?"
Qin Bo had a slight hesitation on his face: "Ahem, yes and no."
That's not it!
Governor Feng became more and more determined. If this matter was Sun Quan's intention, then Qin Bo must inform Hanzhong in advance.
And Hanzhong will definitely inform themselves in advance.
Therefore, when Qin Bo was in Hanzhong, there was no news at all about this matter.
He simply wanted to talk to himself in private.
Thinking of this, Feng Yong narrowed his eyes: "In other words, this is what your school affairs office means?"
"Your Majesty, you know that the school administration office was established by my lord. Therefore, if you are worried, we must find a way to relieve your worries."
Qin Bo said vaguely, "This villain is here just to hear what the Lord and the Lord want."
"If I tell my lord first, if it doesn't work out, my lord will inevitably be disappointed. If it can happen, that would be the best, and it would be a surprise for my lord."
I would rather give Sun Quan a scare!
Feng Jishi's lips curled up slightly. It seemed that the school affairs office was indeed extremely powerful in the Wu Kingdom and had the guts to do such a thing.
Of course he didn't know that the school affairs office did such a thing behind Sun Quan's back, and it was really an act of survival.
However, for Governor Feng, it is enough as long as he can confirm that the matter was indeed done privately by the school affairs office, and the real reason will not affect his subsequent decision-making.
"The school affairs office takes care of people's worries, and I will always be deeply moved by their hard work." Governor Feng said excitedly, "How can he not be beautiful as a human being?"
"It is not impossible to leave the Wu State woolen materials monopoly to the school affairs office to monopolize part of it."
It is impossible to monopolize the whole brown sugar. Based on the friendship between the Zhang family and Feng Jishi, Feng Jishi did not give all the brown sugar to the Zhang family for monopoly, but let them occupy at most half of the share.
The remaining part was used to buy off the aristocratic families in Jingzhou, and a fixed share went to Sun Quan.
Monopolizing something like this will greatly encourage greed and give some people a certain kind of inflation that they shouldn't have.
When Qin Bo heard these words, he was much more excited than Governor Feng. He suddenly stood up on the spot:
"Do you really mean what you said?"
"How can the relationship between the two countries be a trivial matter?" Governor Feng showed a kind and bright smile on his face, "It's just that we have to wait for two years for this rough matter."
"I have a method here that can also alleviate the problem of lack of money in Lord Wu's treasury."
Qin Bo was overjoyed when he heard this and said respectfully:
"Please give me some advice from your Majesty."
"Didn't Mr. Qin just tell you that these woolen materials, brown sugar, honey, and wine are all of the highest quality. In addition to the woolen materials, isn't there also brown sugar honey and wine?"
When Qin Bo heard this, he became even more happy:
"Is the prince willing to share a portion of the brown sugar?"
Governor Feng picked up the tea cup and took a sip, trying his best to hide his expression:
"You know about school affairs in Qin. I have a close relationship with the Zhang family. How could I do anything to disgrace the Zhang family?"
Qin Bo's face suddenly showed a look of disappointment.
Governor Feng used the cover of the tea cup to glance down, and then said quietly:
"But, as for the brown sugar share, it still depends on sugar cane. If the school office can find other sources of sugar cane, I will naturally be willing to give the school office a share of brown sugar..."
Qin Bo only felt that talking to the guy above him made his mood fluctuate like a boat sailing on a river.
If he had been an official of Wu State, he would have used his special skills to give this guy a taste of what it means to be unable to stop.
"Other sources of sugar cane?" Qin Bo frowned, this was not easy to handle.
The places where sugar cane is grown are Jiaozhou and southern Jingzhou.
Where else can we find the rest?
"Actually, it's not that we don't want to sell more brown sugar. As early as two years ago, I mentioned it to the Zhang family and suggested that we try to grow some sugar cane north of the Xiang River."
As he spoke, Governor Feng shook his head and said with some regret, "Nai He took into account the views of the land general, so there has been little progress in this matter."
Qin Bo was startled: "General?"
"Yes, a few years ago, when I became the general, didn't I propose to Lord Wu that the generals in the army should clear up wasteland in Jingzhou to prepare military supplies?"
"Many of the fields in the north of Jingzhou are owned by generals in the army. So if you plant sugar cane, wouldn't you be carrying the original intention of the general?"
Qin Bo was thoughtful, and after a long time, he finally sighed unwillingly:
"It's true. Compared with the benefits of brown sugar, food in the army is the most important thing."
"Actually," Governor Feng said slowly, "there is nothing we can do about food."
When Qin Bo heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up:
"Please give me some advice from your Majesty."
Feng Jishi glanced at him and said hesitantly:
"To be fair to the Qin school, in fact, the grain harvest in Shuzhong has been good in recent years, and the price is also low. The so-called cheap grain hurts farmers, and the Han Dynasty also has this concern."
"It's just that the food supply for the Jingzhou army is of great importance. Firstly, I'm afraid of attracting dissatisfaction from the generals on land, and secondly, there are not many connections in Shu, alas!"
As Governor Feng spoke, his face was filled with regret, as if he felt sorry for the large grain growers in Shu who were forced to sell grain at a low price.
The School Affairs Office was hated by people and ghosts in the Wu Kingdom. Who among the self-proclaimed scholars would be willing to stoop to work in the School Affairs Office?
Lü Yi, Qin Bo and others were not successful enough but failed too much. They were not very knowledgeable and did not even know the most basic techniques of governing the country, let alone the higher-level ways of running a country.
But we can’t blame them. After all, even in the information age where knowledge is exploding in later generations, how many countries have been harvested over and over again by Amelia using the dollar tidal cycle?
The elites of those countries that have been harvested may not necessarily know what their country will eventually face.
But in the face of huge interests, it is unknown which side their butts will sit on.
And Qin Bo is not even considered an elite in this era, so how can he see clearly the sinister intentions behind the huge temptation thrown by King Feng Gui?
Hearing the heavy breathing coming from below, the corners of Feng Guiwang's mouth curled up slightly again.
"Jun...junhou," Qin Bo swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "If, if this villain has a way to solve this problem, will the monarch be willing to provide food to Jingzhou?"
"Being able to solve the problem of low grain prices and harming farmers in Sichuan Province is a great political achievement. Why wouldn't I want to?"
Governor Feng asked rhetorically.
Qin Bo quickly calculated in his mind:
Coming here this time, trading war horses is considered a credit, but at most I only get the benefit of the doubt.
However, any one of these three things, namely the monopoly on woolen materials, the share of brown sugar, and solving the problem of food shortage in Jingzhou, is a great achievement!
Moreover, buying grain from Shu at a low price and reselling it cannot be in vain, right? The oil and water here...
He couldn't concentrate anymore and couldn't stop his heartbeat from pounding in his chest.
At that moment he couldn't help shouting:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I lived in Wu, and I occasionally had dealings with the Xinghan Hui. I often heard people from the Xinghan Hui praising you for your righteousness and Bo Yuntian, and that you are the leader of the great men of the Han Dynasty."
"Today I have to meet you, your lord, and I'm very trustworthy!"
Governor Feng laughed:
"Qin is over-praised for school affairs, over-honored! It's just a compliment from the brothers in the club."
"If the Qin School Minister is really interested in promoting this matter, I can recommend three people: one is Li Yi and Li Wenxuan from the Prime Minister's Palace, the other is Li Feng and Li Haoxuan who are in charge of grain and grass in Hanzhong, and the third is Deng Liang and Deng Weizhe from Jincheng."
"If we can get the help of these three people, the harvesting of grain in Shu will definitely go smoothly."
Qin Bo was overjoyed and bowed deeply:
"Thank you, Lord!"
"you are welcome!"
Governor Feng laughed again, extremely bold.
The big grain growers in Sichuan have been suppressed for so long, so they should be given some sweetness...
Governor Feng smiled even more happily and said with a smile:
"Actually, the most important thing about this matter is the attitude of the general on land. School Minister Qin should think about how to persuade the general on land."
"Thank you, Lord, for reminding me."
Qin Bo also laughed.
If it were anyone else, it might not be easy to say, but as for the general, the school affairs office has actually considered reducing his authority for a long time.
The reason is also very simple.
Lu Xun was based in Wuchang, in charge of nearly half of Wu, and could even raise his own money and food from Jingzhou.
How is this different from the princes and kings?
It seems that after returning home, Lu Zhongshu will be asked to remind His Majesty that this is not the way for a monarch and his ministers to get along with each other!
Wouldn't it be nice if Jingzhou's money and food supplies could be collected from the imperial court, so that the general would not lose his trust and your majesty could feel at ease?