After seeing the guards carrying a bucket of cold water to wake up Wang Mi, and watching Wang Mi crawl away, Wu Shigong turned and returned to the lobby of the guard yamen. In the lobby, Wu Shigong and Wang Mi were listening to the conversation behind the screen.
Deng Qifan had already left the screen and came to the lobby.
Seeing Wu Shigong return to the lobby, Deng Qifan raised his hands and said his disapproval: "Sir, although Shopkeeper Wang's words and deeds today are unreasonable, your actions are a bit too reckless, sir."
Wu Shigong shook his head and said: "There is no room for reconciliation between me and the Qi family. No matter what I do, the result will be the same. Now I already have a salt farm and a place where salt products can be sold. But because of the obstruction of the Qi family, I let this officer
There is a gold mountain in vain. Before today's conversation, I thought that if the Qi family surrendered, I could give some profits and get some salt goods from the Qi family. But Mr. Deng also saw it just now. Shopkeeper Wang
What kind of attitude is that?"
"Even today, I endured humiliation and got the salt from the Qi family, but the supply of salt is always stuck in the hands of the Qi family. If the Qi family wants to choke my neck again in the future,
At that time, it may ruin my official career."
"Now let's take a look at my income. There is no hope for the income from the fields due to natural disasters. In Henan, there are many poor people, and the workshops and merchants do not earn much. Now they only rely on this salt product
The business is gone. And because I am raising troops, I am spending money like water. I am also impatient! If the problem of salt products cannot be solved as soon as possible, I may not be able to survive three years from now."
After hearing this, Deng Qifan nodded: "My lord is also concerned about that. But the student still thinks that your lord should hold back for the time being and be content with the Qi family. At that time, the salt goods can be bid between the Qi family and the Lu family. Your lord also
You can make more profits."
Wu Shigong sighed and said to Deng Qifan: "Actually, this is also my helplessness. Why don't I know that your method is good? Mr. Deng, I will give you some clear words today."
"Let's talk about my identity first. To outsiders, I am a noble queen, so I look very glamorous. But I know very well that the brand of a noble queen can be of some use in deceiving ignorant people.
, but in the eyes of those who understand, he is nothing. Needless to say, the Xue family has lost power, and the Wu family abandoned me outside the ancestral hall and left me to fend for myself."
"My official position is just a small garrison. In the eyes of those civil servants, it is nothing. If it weren't for the desperate efforts of my subordinates several times, I would have lost my job and my life long ago.
"
"My financial resources. To be honest, in the eyes of outsiders, I seem to be making a lot of money every day, but I know how hard it is. Mr. Deng also knows my detailed financial resources. Every year, I cannot make ends meet. It is all because of my financial resources."
With the help of private wealth and the help of my father-in-law, Mr. Xue, I can barely support it."
"What about my foundation? When I came to Henan, I was unfamiliar with the place. When I first took office, I was bullied by the superior officials, the local gentry became upset, and the villagers ostracized me. Even to this day, some monsters still appear from time to time."
"But even if we are walking on thin ice, what about my achievements today? I own more than 100,000 acres of land, tens of thousands of domestic slaves, and 5,000 elite soldiers, and I can raise tens of thousands of strong troops at any time. As long as I am willing,
, I can control most of Guide Prefecture and Runing Prefecture at any time. In addition, I also have a good relationship with the local gentry in Henan. It is no exaggeration to say that I have completely taken root in these two prefectures."
"And what is the reason for my success? I think the main reason is that I have the word 'faith'. As long as I have promised, I have never violated it."
"I have never withheld or delayed the pay of the soldiers; I have never withheld or delayed my commitment to the gentry, even though I have suffered losses myself, and I have never used my power to pressure others. It is because of their trust that I have been able to be where I am today.
situation."
"Looking at the salt business today, I also know that it would be more appropriate for me to cooperate with the Qi family. But in this case, where should the commitment to the Lu family be placed? So it can be said that
, I actually have nothing now, the only thing I have is a reputation.”
Regarding Wu Shigong's words, Deng Qifan, who had read books about sages since childhood, could not say anything wrong. However, as Wu Shigong's chief aide, Deng Qifan still felt that Wu Shigong was a bit pedantic. However, in order to cover up his views, Deng Qifan still joked: "In addition to letters, Sir,
There is also the word 'brave'."
Wu Shigong laughed loudly after hearing this. Then, as if he could see Deng Qifan's thoughts, he completely paid attention to Deng Qifan: "Mr. Deng, don't say that I am pedantic. I also understand the tricks of deception and abduction.
I can do it. I am not afraid of losing face in front of Mr. Deng. When I was in the capital, I once opened a gambling house, but after arriving in Henan, I will never touch this kind of evil business again. I also know these businesses.
The money comes quickly, but I just don’t want to do this business anymore.”
"But why is this officer like this? Of course, if I only care about the present, then I will have no scruples in doing things. But in the future, the entire Ming Dynasty will be in turmoil. If I want to go well and go long, I must focus on it.
For a long time."
Seeing Wu Shigong open his heart, Deng Qifan stopped hiding it. He asked Wu Shigong directly: "Sir, you have always said that the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos, but although there are some small wounds in the world, according to students, it has not yet arrived.
Let’s take this step.”
"Otherwise." Wu Shigong shook his head and said, "Now let's take a look at the situation in the world. Not to mention Zhengshuo in our Ming Dynasty, there are two other big forces, one is the Tatars outside the pass; the other is the Tatars outside the pass;
They are the Shaanxi bandits in the northwest."
"Let's talk about the Tatars outside the Pass first. It's okay to win consecutive battles outside the Pass. But the year before last, they were able to cross the Great Wall and hit the capital. Although they were repelled by Qin Wangming's army from all over the country, their strength was not damaged. These Tatars
Can it be said to be devastation?"
"Let's talk about the Shaanxi bandits in the northwest. In just four years, the rebellion spread from northern Shaanxi to Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, and the momentum is getting bigger and bigger. Can this be said to be a devastation?"
"Also, let's take a look at our Henan province. Since the first year of Chongzhen, there have been three severe droughts in the past four years. The people have no fixed place to live and have no food to eat. Mr. Deng also knows the situation of Guide Prefecture and Runing Prefecture.
Except for the areas along the river and close to the city, as well as the Zhuangzi we established, in other places, refugees have been gathering in groups in the countryside. If it were not for the deterrence of my army, there is no way those refugees would do what they did.
Something unexpected happened."
"Perhaps as Mr. Deng thinks, the Ming Dynasty is the most powerful. But according to my opinion, if the court gathers all its strength and targets only one party, whether it is the Tatars or the Shaanxi bandits, the court will definitely have the upper hand. But
Those two forces cooperated with each other intentionally or unintentionally, and continued to shed the blood of the Ming Dynasty. The imperial army was exhausted, and the future of the Ming Dynasty was indeed worrying."
"There is another hidden danger. Just take a look at me. In these short four years, I have gained quite a lot of power. Is it possible that there are no military leaders in other places doing the same thing as me? As far as I know, at least that
Most of the generals in Liaodong also listen to orders rather than announcements. Now that these generals have strength in their hands, how loyal are they to the imperial court?"
Deng Qifan understood what Wu Shigong said, he nodded and said: "It is indeed possible that this chaos is somewhat like the chaos caused by the Jiedushi of the Mid-Tang Dynasty."
Wu Shigong didn't understand anything about the Zhongtang Dynasty or the chaos of Jiedushi, but he also knew that Deng Qifan understood what he meant. So Wu Shigong continued: "Then what should we do in these troubled times? In the past,
Dali said, Mr. Deng can figure it out for himself; at least, we must protect the family and the people. But with our current strength, it is really not enough."
"When the Tatars entered the customs, they claimed to have an army of 100,000 people. The Shaanxi bandits were even more exaggerated. They easily numbered hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops. However, they would definitely not be able to win against these enemies in three to five years.
It will take at least ten years, so I have to take a long-term view when doing things. This is why I have to pay attention to credibility when doing things."
Deng Qifan did not expect that Wu Shigong would involve the salt business so far. However, Deng Qifan still had some questions in his mind: "Sir, are you really sure that there will be great chaos in the world within three years?"
Wu Shigong shook his head and said: "I am not a god, of course I can't be sure. However, it seems that this situation is very close. So this time Mr. Deng wanted to go to the capital for a test, but I forcibly stopped him. Although I
It is true that you, sir, are indispensable to me now, but I am doing this for my own good!"
"I also make a promise here. If everything calms down in three years, if Mr. Deng goes to the capital for a test again and leaves me to seek another career, I will never stop him."
"Since the adults have such trust in the students, do you dare to spare your life?" Deng Qifan clasped his fists and thanked him.