Zhao Hongrun also had a rough estimate in mind as to the value of the huge batch of supplies shipped from Chu.
You should know that Chu's pearls, jade, lacquerware, and bronzes have always been very popular in the Wei Dynasty, just like the ceramics of the Song Dynasty, especially the Dingtao Song porcelain.
I remember that after the Wei Dynasty conquered the Song Dynasty, Dingtao Song porcelain, or Dingtao porcelain, became the imperial tribute in the Wei Dynasty. I think Chen Shuai had a Dingtao Song porcelain gifted by the Emperor of Wei in her hand.
It is really exquisite and natural.
It was a pity that the precious Dingtao Song porcelain was broken into pieces by Zhao Hongrun, who had a grudge in his heart at that time, which scared all the maids in Youzhi Palace. After all, it was a very precious porcelain vase.
The same is true for the materials that Zhao Hongrun transported back to the Wei Dynasty from the Chu State. The jade is okay. After all, the Wei Dynasty also has mines and jade fields that produce jade, but pearls, especially Huaihe freshwater pearls with large sizes and various colors, or so-called
It is called Huaiyi Binzhu, but it is very rare in Wei State.
However, the people of the Wei Dynasty liked this kind of crystal-clear and magnificent pearls very much, especially the women of the Wei State. This made the price of pearls remain high in the Wei Dynasty, and they became one of the rare treasures that only nobles and high-ranking officials could enjoy.
one.
As for lacquer ware and bronze ware, they are the top craftsmanship of the Chu State in this area, and are craftsmanship that the Wei State cannot even compare to at present.
Therefore, regardless of the pearls, jades, lacquerware, and bronzes shipped from the Chu State to Daliang, these Chu specialty products were only worth more than 4.2 million silver in the Chu State, but in the Wei Dynasty, as long as they were operated properly, they were not
If you sell them all at the same time, it will not be a problem to double their value four or five times.
what does that mean?
This means that the potential value of the huge amount of materials Zhao Hongrun transported from Chu State can reach more than 20 million silver, which is much more than the annual tax revenue of the Wei Dynasty, several times more!
How could such a huge fortune not make people jealous?
So, after hearing the news, the princes of the Ji family and their princes who were entrusted near Daliang rushed to Daliang one after another, hoping to get a piece of the pie.
It is no exaggeration to say that the huge sum of money now held in Zhao Hongrun's hands, even if he plucks some from between his fingers, is enough for a dandy of the Ji family like Zhao Chengxiu, the prince of Yuanyang Prince, to enjoy the glory and luxury for several years.
Even more than ten years.
However, Zhao Hongrun’s answer is no!
Zhao Hongrun had no objection to allocating half to the Imperial Household Department. After all, the Imperial Household Department was in charge of the national treasury and coordinated the revenue and expenditure of the entire Wei Dynasty. If the Treasury of the Household Department was full, it meant that the Wei Dynasty would have more financial resources to support construction.
As for the distribution of troops to the Junshui Camp, Dangshan Camp, Fenxing Fortress, Yanling Army, Shangshui Army, and Yanshui Army, Zhao Hongrun had no objection, because in order for an army to maintain leading armaments and high fighting spirit, it must have a steady stream of troops.
Keep investing money.
Therefore, even if Zhao Hongrun, who holds more than 20 million taels of silver in his hands, only gets three or four hundred thousand in the end, it doesn't matter to him. Because more money will be invested in making the Wei Dynasty stronger.
On purpose.
But why should those members of the Ji clan, who had made no contribution to the Wei Dynasty, come to share this money?
Where do they get their qualifications?
Have they been on the battlefield? Killed the Chu army? Participated in defense? Or helped transport military supplies and baggage?
Those guys were just eating, drinking and having fun in their respective fiefdoms. Even when the Wei Dynasty was in crisis, they were still eating, drinking and having fun. What qualifications do people like this have to share this money?
"Delusion!"
Zhao Hongrun categorically explained his decision to his second uncle Zhao Yuanyan.
"..." Zhao Yuanyan turned his head, looked deeply at his nephew, and said nothing for a long time.
After a long while, he said calmly: "From ancient times to the present, there are many heroes who have defeated foreign enemies, but eventually fell to attacks from behind..."
…
Zhao Hongrun frowned and remained silent. Naturally, he understood the hidden meaning of his second uncle's words.
"Money and silk are alluring, let alone a mountain of money and silk... are you protecting your hands?"
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "What the second uncle means is that the clan also plans to get a share of the pie?"
"Humph!" Zhao Yuanyan suddenly sneered. Although it was just a sneer, it also made Zhao Hongrun stunned.
"The Zongfu is not so shameless. But...Hongrun, what do you think of my Wei family and my Ji family?"
Zhao Hongrun frowned when he heard this. He felt that his second uncle's words had profound meaning, so he thought deeply for a moment and replied in a deep voice: "I, the Ji family, rule the Great Wei. However, the Great Wei is not supported by the Ji family.
"
"..."
It can be seen that Zhao Yuanyan was stunned for a moment, looking up and down Zhao Hongrun inexplicably, then lowered his head and said nothing, as if he was thinking about something.
After a long time, he asked in an elusive tone: "In your heart, the country is more important than the clan, right?"
This question is not easy to answer...
Zhao Hongrun frowned and thought for a while, then said in an evasive tone: "I, the Ji family, established the Wei Dynasty, and Ji and Wei are one and the same."
"..." Zhao Yuanyan glanced at Zhao Hongrun expressionlessly, and after snorting softly, he said lightly: "The sword in your hand is still beneficial because it carries the power of victory... If you want to swing the sword, you should be decisive!"
Huh?
Hearing this, Zhao Hongrun was stunned.
At this time, Zhao Yuanyan had already changed the topic: "By the way, an hour ago, you asked Gao Kuo to come back to my clan, saying that you wanted to come to visit tomorrow... What's going on?"
"Uh." Zhao Hongrun thought for a while and said cautiously: "When my nephew was in Chu State, he encountered a strange thing that was difficult to explain. Therefore, my nephew thought whether he could find some strange things from the Zongfu's library.
Clues that could explain it.”
"..." Zhao Yuanyan glanced at Zhao Hongrun in surprise, frowned and asked, "Are you in trouble?"
"No, it's not." Zhao Hongrun waved his hands repeatedly.
Presumably, the second uncle also saw that Zhao Hongrun didn't mean what he said, but since Zhao Hongrun didn't want to say it clearly, he didn't force it, and said calmly: "I understand, I will inform the library of the clan, and you can go there at any time."
"Thank you, second uncle."
"No need, go ahead." Zhao Yuanyan said calmly.
Zhao Hongrun glanced at the second uncle cautiously, and respectfully said goodbye: "My nephew, please leave."
After saying that, Zhao Hongrun quickly turned around and left. After all, this old-fashioned and serious second uncle made him feel uncomfortable all over.
And just when Zhao Hongrun passed through the round gate, Zhao Hongmin happened to come back. He saw his cousin Zhao Hongrun hurriedly returning along the original road, with a look of confusion on his face.
However, after only a short delay, Zhao Hongmin came to his father Zhao Yuanyan and said respectfully: "I would like to inform my father. Prince Yuanyang Prince Zhao Chengxiu is already thinking about his past in the meditation room facing the wall..."
"Hmm." Zhao Yuanyan nodded, and then he asked lightly: "Are you surprised that my father made an exception this time and didn't lock your cousin into the meditation room?"
Zhao Hongmin lowered his head. After all, according to the patriarchal law, two members of the Ji clan, Zhao Hongrun and Zhao Chengxiu, fought in the brothel. This insulted the face of the Ji clan and should be imprisoned for three to five days.
However, it is not difficult for Zhao Hongmin to understand this: "If cousin Hongrun is imprisoned in the meditation room at this time, I am afraid that even those who are still hesitating will be ready to reach out. In this case, the disaster will be even greater and the implications will be even more serious. .”
"Hmm." Zhao Yuanyan nodded with satisfaction: "You are more knowledgeable than your two incompetent brothers."
"Father is so complimentary." Zhao Hongmin said humbly.
At the same time, Zhao Hongrun had already reunited with Shen Yu, Lu Mu, and Mi Jiang. He left the clan mansion with lingering fears.
It must be said that the brief conversation with his second uncle, Zhao Yuanyan, made him feel physically and mentally exhausted.
Because the four of them came here in a carriage from the Zongfu, their horses were still stored at a waterside pavilion. Therefore, Zhao Hongrun and others borrowed four horses from Zongwei.
"Your Highness, are you going back to the palace?"
Before setting off, Shen Yu asked.
Zhao Hongrun shook his head and said seriously: "Go to the post house! I have something to discuss with General Bailiba and the others."
Shen Yu and Lu Mu didn't know what was going on and looked at each other in confusion.
So, a group of four people rode horses to the post house.
The post house in Daliang City sometimes had to receive generals like Bailiba and even envoys from other countries. Therefore, the place where the post house was built was quite elegant. At first glance, it was obvious that it was a large-scale house.
The guards guarding the post house were also military guards. When Zhao Hongrun revealed his intention, he immediately and respectfully led them to the room where Bailiba and others lived temporarily. After all, before the palace celebration banquet, Bailiba and others were dredging water. The generals of the army, as well as Qu Cheng, Yan Mo and other surrendered generals of the Chu State, and some meritorious generals will stay here for a few days.
"His Royal Highness King Su?"
When Zhao Hongrun found Bailiba and others, the generals of Junshui Camp happened to be drinking in the same room with Qu Cheng, Yan Mo and other Chu generals. This saves Zhao Hongrun the trouble of removing them one by one from their respective rooms. Please come together.
These generals were a little surprised and confused when they saw Zhao Hongrun arriving in such a hurry.
Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun did not explain, but asked Baili Badao directly: "General Baili, how many of us are there in Xiangfu County at the moment?"
us?
Although Bailiba had drunk several jars of wine, he could still hear the profound meaning of Zhao Hongrun's words. He touched the beard on his chin and muttered: "The Pingyang army under Wu Ji's 3,000-man general... Oh No, the merchant navy originally had about three thousand people responsible for carrying the property, but in order to avoid unnecessary suspicion, those merchant navy troops have also been stationed in my dredging camp... At the moment, I have five hundred dredgers in Xiangfu County. The water sergeants assist in guarding, well, besides that, there are the seven or hundred Xiangfu County soldiers... What?"
Zhao Hongrun thought for a moment and said in a low voice: "General, please immediately send an additional battalion of troops. Without the imperial father's order, even the Ministry of Revenue is not allowed to move that batch of materials without authorization."
In a short time, most of the drunkenness in Bailiba's eyes had sobered up, and he said with a strange expression: "Isn't that good, Your Highness?... If so, wouldn't our dredging army have completely offended the courtiers headed by the officials of the Ministry of Revenue? Already?"
Zhao Hongrun looked at Bailiba confidently, and said with a half-smile, "So, is General Baili willing to offend those officials in the DPRK and China for the money and materials that can sustain the dredging army for several years?"
Bailiba rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then chuckled and said: "Does this need to be said?... Li Qi, go ahead and transfer five thousand soldiers from Chunshui to Xiangfu County, so that I can guard our victory this time."
Gain!"
"You will eventually understand!"
Li Qi, the general of Junshui Camp, answered with clasped fists. (To be continued.)