Chen Lin heard a look of embarrassment on her face after hearing Kou Ji's words.
If Kou Ji really just passed on a message, Zhong Shiheng and the others could be put to death.
Ninety percent of the people in power in Bianjing City will be afraid, including him, Chen Lin.
When Zhong Shiheng and others were in the army, they obeyed Kou Ji's words because they had the power of life and death over them, and everything Kou Ji said was a military order.
Now Zhong Shiheng and others have left the army and have been crowned kings.
Although his rank is second to Kou Ji, it is only in terms of reputation and does not include any power.
If under such circumstances, Zhong Shiheng and others could still obey Kou Jiyan.
That would be terrible.
Seeing Chen Lin's embarrassed look, Kou Ji laughed and said, "Don't worry, with their current status, it's impossible for them to obey my words. So if I want to persuade them to stop, I can only go to them in person."
When Chen Lin heard this, she looked embarrassed.
"Zhong Shiheng is at his house. His uncle has just come from Taiyuan. He is accompanying his uncle these days. Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao are staying at the Hubu Yamen, in the squad room of the Hubu Yamen."
Chen Lin quickly told Kou Ji the whereabouts of Zhong Shiheng and the others.
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's go meet Zhong Shiheng first."
Chen Lin was stunned and said in astonishment: "Why don't you go find Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao first? They are the two who are causing the most trouble now."
Kou Ji glanced at Chen Lin and said calmly: "But Zhong Shiheng is the most difficult to deal with among the three of them. As long as Zhong Shiheng stops, they will do something even if I don't go to see Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao."
convergence."
Kou Ji simply explained, and before Chen Lin could speak again, he stood up and left the study.
Chen Lin quickly followed.
Kou Tianci was left alone in the study.
However, Kou Tianci did not show any dissatisfaction, and instead continued to focus on the shipbuilding plans laid out on the desk.
Kou Tianci had never known the sea before, nor had he known a sea-going ship. He had never even seen the sea.
So when Kou Ji first asked him to get in touch with the shipbuilding plans, he wasn't very interested.
But with deeper understanding, Kou Tianci discovered that building sea ships is a very interesting thing, and also learned that the sea is an endless stretch of water.
In the sea, there are many strange and strange seafood, and many countless treasures are buried.
It is recorded in the archives in Longtuge that there are Kuns in the sea that are so huge that they cannot be measured.
Kou Tianci specifically asked Kou Ji for advice, and also obtained some maritime news from Liu Heng.
Kou Ji told him that there was no Kun in the sea, but there were many strange and strange things.
Kou Tianci was very curious about this and wanted to go to the sea to have a look.
Kou Ji told him that if he wanted to go to sea, he must first become familiar with the ship.
Kou Tianci is now familiar with the ship and the feasibility of applying some firearms to the ship proposed by Kou Ji.
While Kou Tianci was studying the shipbuilding plans carefully at his residence, Kou Ji and Chen Lin had already left the gate of Kou's residence.
The groom of the house has already prepared the carriage, and the guards wearing armor and holding swords are standing on both sides of the carriage.
Kou Ji and Chen Lin got on the carriage and, escorted by the guards, rushed to Zhong Mansion.
Although the Zhong family is now a general, the decoration of the house is very elegant.
Standing outside Zhongfu, you can clearly see the green leaves emerging from the wall of Zhongfu, and there is a faint fragrance of flowers floating in the air.
Kou Ji sent someone to report, and Zhong Shiheng personally rushed to the door of the house to greet him.
Unless the friendship between powerful people is particularly deep, it is not suitable for them to enter the house.
Sending someone to report it is a sign of respect for the master of the palace.
The master of the palace greets the guest personally to show respect for the guest and at the same time to show the dignity of the guest's status.
Kou Ji got off the carriage amidst Zhong Shiheng's respectful greeting.
After returning the courtesy to Zhong Shiheng, he couldn't help but sigh: "With a higher status, you have more etiquette... It's still as enjoyable as before..."
Zhong Shiheng welcomed Kou Ji into the house and said in a confused voice: "We have been risking our lives for half our lives, isn't this what we want?
If you don't have any etiquette at all, what's the difference between you and ordinary people?"
By implication, etiquette represents their unique identity.
Kou Ji smiled and said nothing.
Although he had the concept of equality in his heart, in this era of distinct classes, he had to make concessions and adapt to the times.
Otherwise, he will be regarded as an alien by the times and excluded.
It will also be pushed into the grave by everyone in this era.
Just like Wang Mang, the new emperor of the new dynasty.
In an era when aristocratic families controlled the world, a set of government orders that transcended the times were implemented.
The final result was that aristocratic families joined hands to push him into the abyss.
It is true that Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, was the son of destiny, but his ability to rise strongly and re-establish the Han Dynasty was inseparable from the support of aristocratic families.
Without the support of aristocratic families, Liu Xiu would probably have to pray to heaven if he wanted to re-establish the Han Dynasty.
Under the guidance of Zhong Shiheng, Kou Ji entered Zhong Mansion.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, we saw dense crowds of people.
Some were from Zhongfu, wearing the black clothes unique to Zhongfu servants.
There are also some who are not from Zhongfu. They are standing in the courtyard of Zhongfu with their families, waiting for the steward of Zhongfu to accommodate them.
Kou Ji glanced briefly, smiled at Zhong Shiheng and said, "In just a few days, you have already recruited so many people?"
Hearing this, Zhong Shiheng said with a bright smile: "This is only part of it..."
It can be seen that he is very satisfied with the number and quality of craftsmen he has collected.
Kou Ji sighed: "That was a great harvest."
Zhong Shiheng's smile became even brighter.
Kou Ji said quietly: "Isn't it inappropriate to just stare at Bianjing City? There are craftsmen from all over the Song Dynasty, and there are many skilled craftsmen among them. You can definitely recruit craftsmen from all over the Song Dynasty. There is no need to only recruit from Bianjing."
A craftsman in the capital, right?
You are also a person who has served as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, so you should understand.
Drawing one soldier from a battalion will not have any impact on the combat effectiveness of the army.
But if a battalion draws a hundred soldiers, the combat effectiveness of the army will be greatly reduced.
If you recruit craftsmen from all over the Song Dynasty, it will not have any influence on the Song Dynasty.
But if you only recruit craftsmen from Bianjing City, Bianjing City will be without any craftsmen available for a long time."
The smile on Zhong Shiheng's face faded slightly, he stared at Kou Ji and said: "Recruiting craftsmen, but you can give us some advice."
Kou Ji rolled his eyes, "But I didn't let you just focus on Bianjing City? The officials haven't given you any trouble until now. That's because they tolerate you because of your great contribution to the Song Dynasty.
Do you really think that the government can't do anything to you?
Are you just allowed to do whatever you want?
If the official gets angry, you will have to pay it back no matter how you got the title."
Zhong Shiheng smiled dryly with a stiff expression: "No...it's not that serious, right?"
Kou Ji said angrily: "The official family has a great business, and there are tens of millions of people under its rule, and among them there are probably as many as one million craftsmen.
If you recruit one or two thousand and take them away, the officials will not care about you at all.
After all, that craftsmanship is nothing compared to your contribution to the Song Dynasty.
But if you want to recruit craftsmen, then recruit craftsmen.
What does it mean to always recruit from under the noses of officials?
Do you think officials are easy to bully?
If you don't save face for the official family, how can the official family stay popular?"
Speaking of this, Kou Ji stared at Zhong Shiheng suspiciously, "You are not a stupid person. You don't understand this truth. Are you deliberately trying to bring trouble to the official family, or are you saying that you have been the king of the county for a few days?
You think the county king is boring and you plan to give it back to the officials?"
Zhong Shiheng curled his lips, "Everyone understands the truth, but time does not permit it. The officials gave us a month to pack our things, and we must leave after one month.
So if I sent people to recruit craftsmen from all over the Song Dynasty, it would be too late.
So we can only take risks and recruit craftsmen in Bianjing City."
Kou Ji glanced at Zhong Shiheng and said: "It's too late to recruit now, so you can add more one after another. You can also recruit along the way on your way to Dongyang."
Zhong Shiheng glanced behind him and saw that Chen Lin was staying far behind them. He approached Kou Ji and lowered his voice and said, "I want to recruit some common people along the way. After arriving in Dongyang, I will
He ordered his subordinates and his old subordinates to train them into soldiers and horses.
As the saying goes: Those who are not of my race must have a different heart.
Before I completely control Dongyang, I will not use Japanese soldiers as pawns.
Don’t you want to recruit some common people to bring over, train them into soldiers and horses, and suppress the Koreans?”
Kou Ji glanced at Zhong Shiheng and said in a neutral tone: "Princess Baoqing and Tianci are about to get married, and the government has given three thousand soldiers as a dowry.
Three thousand soldiers, plus the two thousand bodyguards our prince can equip, plus the troops in my house, the old troops.
We can barely gather seven or eight thousand people."
When Zhong Shiheng heard this, his eyes turned red with envy.
Whether it was the soldiers given by Zhao Zhen, the bodyguards selected by Kou Ji, or the tribes and old tribes in Kou's mansion, they were not weak.
When they get together, they can be dragged out to fight immediately without any need for training or running-in.
Kou Ji gathered them together casually, and a force of ten thousand people came out.
Without their firearms, their combat effectiveness must not be weaker than the same number of imperial troops of the Song Dynasty.
In the Korean land where the soldiers and horses have been wiped out, ten thousand powerful soldiers are enough for the Kou government to quickly control the Korean land.
Zhong Shiheng said with some sourness: "There are only seven or eight thousand people. They were distributed all over Goryeo, but there are not many people."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "So I plan to write back to Di Qing and ask him to move the Jingsai Army's barracks as far as possible to the edge of the Yalu River."
Zhong Shiheng gritted his teeth and said: "Even if Di Qing moved the Jingsai Army barracks to the edge of the Yalu River, he would not be able to lead his army into Goryeo to help you."
The Forbidden Army is now the most important public weapon of the Song Dynasty.
Unless there is a war, they cannot be easily mobilized.
It is even more impossible to use public tools for private use.
Therefore, even if Di Qing moved the Jingsai Army's barracks to the Yalu River, he would not be able to lead his army into Goryeo to help Kou Ji.
Even if Gaoli was destroyed, Di Qing could only watch helplessly.
Unless he has the documents from the Privy Council to dispatch troops, and the documents from Kou Jizhuo requesting the imperial court to come to the rescue, and the imperial court agrees to rescue him.
Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "Di Qing only needs to send troops to the Yalu River to suppress the Koreans. There is no need to lead troops across the Yalu River."
When Zhong Shiheng heard this, he felt a little powerless in his heart.
He knew that he could not defeat Kou Ji, so he calmed down his expression and sighed, "I can't compete with you. Your fiefdom is close to the Song Dynasty, and there is also a forbidden army stationed next to it. If necessary, you can pretend to be powerful.
My territory is on the sea, and I have no way to rely on any power.
You can only rely on yourself."
Kou Ji shook his head and said, "You can definitely stay with Liu Heng and help each other."
Zhong Shiheng said without hesitation: "There will definitely be Japanese soldiers among Liu Heng's troops. I cannot trust Japanese people."
Kou Ji sighed and said: "After leaving Bianjing City, you can do whatever you want. In Bianjing City, you'd better restrain yourself and stop recruiting craftsmen so aggressively.
If it gets too big, it won't end well.
You don’t want you, the Prince of Dongyang County, to be reduced to a first-class public after only a few days of service, right?”
Zhong Shiheng once again glanced at Chen Lin, who was standing far behind them, then looked back at Kou Ji and said, "Are you here to deliver a message to the officials?"
Kou Ji said bluntly: "The officials are too lazy to pay attention to you. But if the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty get into trouble, he needs to give an explanation to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty."
Zhong Shiheng pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "I understand, please tell the officials, Zhong Shiheng will never make it difficult for him."
Kou Ji nodded and smiled: "That's good..."
After saying this, Kou Ji was ready to leave.
Then Zhong Shiheng said: "Don't you want to sit down for a while? My uncle is in the backyard, don't you want to meet him?"
Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "I don't believe in it, and I don't practice Chinese literature either. What do you do when you see your uncle? Are you uncomfortable?"
Zhong Shiheng said solemnly: "My uncle's military strategy is not inferior to mine."
Kou Ji laughed and said: "I don't know much about military strategy. Have you forgotten that among the many important officials in the Song Dynasty, I am the only one who is ignorant and incompetent."
Zhong Shiheng was stunned, frowned and said: "That's just a fool's prejudice."
Zhong Shiheng and Kou Ji have worked together for a long time, and Kou Ji is even a scholar of heaven and man.
He is definitely not the kind of uneducated person widely rumored in Bianjing City.
For some people, knowledge in books is knowledge.
But for others, understanding the world is also knowledge.
The former narrows the road.
The latter is the road to Tongtian.
Zhong Shiheng feels that Kou Ji belongs to the latter group.
After hearing Zhong Shiheng's words, Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter whether it's clear opinion or prejudice. It can't affect my status, nor can it change my achievements.
What do you care about?"
After Kou Ji said this, he walked out of Zhong Mansion.
Shortly after Kou Ji left, an old man wearing Taoist robes with white hair and white beard appeared next to Zhong Shiheng, looking at the place where Kou Ji left with a pair of bright eyes.
After Zhong Shiheng saw the old man, he couldn't help but said: "Uncle, how is this man?"
The old man was silent for a moment and said quietly: "A genius from heaven..."
Zhong Shiheng was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly: "I know he is powerful and I also know he is talented. He can be described as a genius. Isn't it a bit exaggerated?"
The old man's eyes fell on Zhong Shiheng and asked calmly: "Are your words a fool's prejudice?"
Zhong Shiheng was immediately speechless.
Because the old man used his words to refute him.
After Zhong Shiheng fell into silence, the old man sighed: "How can it be possible for an ordinary person to stand under one person and above ten thousand people in the peaceful and prosperous times?
You are not even a little bit worse than him."
"Where's Zhonggu?"
"The difference between cloud and mud..."
"Where's the seed?"
"A little worse than you..."
"Uncle, those are your most beloved grandnephews, can't you say something nice?"
"Do you like to lie to yourself?"
"..."
Kou Ji didn't know what Zhong Fang and Zhong Shiheng's uncle and nephew thought of him, nor did he know how Zhong Shiheng compared him with himself and his two sons.
After Kou Ji left Zhongfu, he rushed to the Hubu Yamen.
In the waiting room of the Hubu Yamen, I found Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao having a drink.
The two of them were sitting cross-legged on the heated kang in the squad room that was used for the Ministry of Household Affairs officials to rest. There was a square table in front of them, which was filled with wine and food.
Wailang, a member of the household department, stood by with a grimace and poured wine for the two of them.
When Kou Ji entered the class room, he couldn't help but said: "You two are so arrogant..."
Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao met Kou Ji and had mixed reactions.
Zhu Neng warmly greeted Kou Ji to come over and drink and eat meat with him.
Gao Weizhao looked like a child who had done something wrong, with a look of embarrassment on his face.
Kou Ji walked over and sat on the Kang. He picked up a pair of clean chopsticks to eat the food and said, "Are you two going a little too far?"
When Kou Ji spoke to Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao, he didn't use the tactful way he talked to Zhong Shiheng at all, but asked straight to the point.
Zhu Neng heard Kou Ji's words and shouted: "It's not that we have gone too far, it's the people from the Ministry of Revenue who have gone too far. We asked them to open a border market, but they refused. We asked them to exempt themselves from tax, but they also refused.
After we arrived in the fiefdom, we sold the cattle and sheep to the Central Plains at a cheap price, which benefited the court and the people.
All we make is a small profit.
We are trying to make a contribution to the Song Dynasty, but the people from the Ministry of Revenue actually refuse to agree.
Do you think they can’t live a good life?”
Wailang, a member of the household department, heard Zhu Neng's shouting, and his face became even more bitter. Before Kou Ji could speak, he took the lead and said: "His Royal Highness, Prince Xiyi, the lower officials cannot make the decision in this matter. Several of the superior officials of the lower officials,
Nowadays, we have important things to attend to.”
Zhu Neng stared and asked, "Where is the minister?"
Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, hurriedly said: "Your Highness, even if Chen Shangshu comes forward, he cannot make the decision. This matter needs to be reported to the Political Affairs Hall, and the three ministers of the Political Affairs Hall will discuss it with the officials before a decision can be made."
Zhu Neng shouted: "Then you can play it..."
Wailang, a member of the household department, smiled bitterly and said: "But you don't have the corresponding documents, so the officials and others can't report it. This matter requires you to send someone to Honglu Temple to negotiate after you arrive in Xiyi. After concluding the documents, you can hand it over to me."
The Ministry of Household Affairs will verify it, and it can only be reported after verification."
When Zhu Neng heard this, he was very angry. He pointed at the member of the household department, Wailang, and said to Kou Ji: "You saw it. We have been in the household department for several days, and this is what they said back and forth.
They want this and they want that. Where can I get it for them?
By the time I finish these things, I'm afraid it won't be until after the new year.
If they ask me to get something else then, won’t it be delayed again?”
The evasive words of the member of the household department, Wailang, sounded very familiar to Kou Ji.
He originally wanted to persuade Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao to leave as soon as possible.
But after hearing the evasive words of the member of the household department, I immediately changed my mind.
Kou Ji waved his hand to Zhu Neng, "Don't be impatient."
Zhu Neng snorted at Wailang, a member of the household department, but was speechless.
Kou Ji's eyes fell on Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, and asked calmly: "I can understand that the Ministry of Revenue does not issue tax exemption documents to Prince Xiyi and Prince Yanshan.
This matter involves the taxation of the imperial court and needs to be reported to the Zhengshitang by the Ministry of Household Affairs, which will make a decision.
Or it could be that the Prince of Xiyi County and the Prince of Yanshan County wrote directly to the Zhengshitang, and the decision was made directly by the Zhengshitang.
The opening of border markets has always been led by the Song Dynasty, and the border markets in various places are also under the jurisdiction of the Song Dynasty.
The Ministry of Accounts is in charge of this matter and has certain discretionary power when the situation arises.
Although this matter requires some documents, opening a border market and preparing documents can be done simultaneously.
Why is the Ministry of Revenue delaying and not doing this?"
Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, heard Kou Ji's question. He was slightly stunned and said quickly: "Tax-free..."
Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, only said two words before he was forcefully interrupted by Kou Ji, "Opening a border market and tax exemption are two completely different things. Don't talk to me about tax exemption.
Agreeing to open a border market does not mean it must be tax-free."
Seeing this, Wailang, a member of the household department, had a trickle of sweat on his forehead.
The Ministry of Finance pushed back and refused to do it, just because they were afraid of trouble.
Although the imperial court was very relaxed in its decrees on opening border cities.
But once a new border market is to be opened, the Ministry of Revenue must send a person with a position no lower than Yuan Wai Lang to the border area to supervise, record, and communicate the matter.
When necessary, you need to negotiate with the other party to establish management rules for the border market.
They often stay for more than a year and a half.
The fiefdoms of Zhu Neng and Gao Weizhao were far away and in remote areas. No one in the household department was willing to go to the northwest to eat sand and burn cow dung, so they shied away from this matter.
Kou Ji knew there was something fishy about it, but he didn't expose it. When he saw Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, fell into silence, he said coldly: "I hope you can start the matter of opening a border market as soon as possible. It's not just a fiefdom for the two of them.
Border markets are needed, and my fiefdom is also needed.
As for the tax exemption, you don’t need the Ministry of Accounts to take care of it.
I will ask them to submit a letter to the Political Affairs Hall themselves regarding this matter."
When Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, heard this, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, King Han, I cannot make the final decision on this matter."
In the Song Dynasty, except for a few people such as Zhao Zhen and Lu Yijian who knew that Kou Ji would stay in Bianjing, no one else knew about it.
That's why Wailang, a member of the household department, dared to say this in front of Kou Ji.
After all, in his eyes, Kou Ji was just a prince who was about to leave the vassal state.
Once they go to the fiefdom, they have nothing to do with Bianjing City, and there is no way to suppress them, targeting all officials in Bianjing City and even the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, he only had to evade and wait until Kou Ji went to join the feudal clan, so he no longer had to be afraid of Kou Ji.
Where does Kou Ji's status lie? He just needs to respect him openly.
Kou Ji can't control them in the future, so he is not afraid of offending Kou Ji.