King Chen was ordered to come here to rule the Sixteenth House of Huai'an.
In fact, he was ordered to do four things, and each thing had a time limit.
First, within half a year, waterways should be dug and dredged to connect the sixteen prefectures of Huai'an to eliminate the floods in the past years. Moreover, it should be connected to Huaiyin and Huaibei to eliminate the water shortage and drought that often occur in the two places.
Second, implement the New Deal as a trial in the Sixteenth Prefecture of Huai'an. If the new law is feasible and can make Huai'an better than before, it will be implemented and spread throughout the Dongsheng Dynasty.
Third, in the south of Huai'an, war horses are secretly raised.
Fourthly, in three of the sixteen prefectures in Huai'an, special ores were discovered, which can be combined with another ore in Huaiyin to become harder, especially better than the hundred-refined refined iron of the Dongsheng Dynasty today.
Therefore, Huai'an should be used as the foundation to build an arms workshop to refine ores and cast weapons and armor.
"Raising war horses and forging weapons, could it be that you want to use this to create elite cavalry?"
Zhuang Ming said slowly: "He secretly prepared war horses and secretly forged weapons that were superior to the swords and armor currently used by the army. Judging from the joint implementation of the New Deal, this emperor has great courage... However, he chose
People are afraid that there will be some problems."
Judging from the various signs of this king with a different surname, Zhuang Ming can conclude that this person has great ambitions.
At present, they are just amassing money and using their power for personal gain, but as long as there is an opportunity, they may not be able to rebel.
Zhuang Ming didn't want to care whether King Chen had any rebellious intentions. He just thought about how to make King Chen give up and stop staring at him.
If we can use this to find evidence to report King Chen, and use the powerful ministers who are hostile to King Chen in the court to accuse him of rebellion, that would be the best!
Even forging evidence may not be impossible.
But this doesn't happen overnight.
Zhuang's Trading Company was closed down and could not survive for long.
"Strong medicines are used for serious illnesses, and time is of the essence. Don't blame Zhuang Ming for being ruthless."
Zhuang Ming knocked on the table and said slowly: "Shuang Ling, go ask Mr. Bai for me and ask Mr. Bai to come. Then tell Mr. Bai to inform Lu He, Liu He, Bai Qing, Yue Yang and others to come together to meet you."
Suddenly the clear voice of Shuang Ling came from outside.
"Okay, sir."
——
An hour later.
All the people summoned by Zhuang Ming have arrived.
"Sir." Everyone bowed.
"No need to be polite." Zhuang Ming said: "You are all my most trusted confidants. I have called you here together this time. I just have some secret things for you to handle."
Having said this, Zhuang Ming paused again and said: "This matter is related to the life and death of Zhuang's Trading Company. If it can be accomplished, this disaster will be over. But if it cannot be accomplished, not only will Zhuang's Trading Company collapse, but we will also wait for more
This is a heinous crime."
"To be honest, at this moment, even if Zhuang's Trading Company collapses like this, you can still stay out of it, and it may not harm you."
"But after being assigned by me to do this, your life and death will only be tied to Zhuang's Trading Company."
"If Zhuang's business survives, you will survive."
"If Zhuang's business collapses, you will die."
"I won't force this matter. If you don't agree, you only need to stay at Qianlong Villa within half a month. After half a month, you can leave on your own. From now on, you must keep your mouth shut."
"Of course, if you agree, your life or death will be uncertain."
Zhuang Ming looked at the people in front of him and spoke calmly.
In his heart, these people he summoned can be regarded as confidants, and they can be said to be the most trusted companions.
This matter was treasonous and violated the laws of the Dongsheng Dynasty. Therefore, those who do these things must have the belief to live and die with him.
Therefore, Zhuang Ming would not force anything, because he would not dare to use anything he could not trust.
The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment.
Soon he saw everyone saluting.
Bai Lao, Lu He, Liu He, Bai Qing, Yueyang, etc. all bowed their hands in salute.
"It all depends on the master's orders." Lu He said.
"I am an old slave. I am willing to work hard for Zhuang's Trading Company, even if I lose my life." Bai Lao responded.
"Young Master chose us as the people he trusts most. If we don't die in service, how can we repay Young Master's trust?" Bai Qing said with a chuckle.
"We are all alone, with nothing to worry about, so why not die?" Liu He chuckled and said: "We who practice martial arts have been through life and death, licking blood from the edge of a knife, and we have long lost our fear..."
"Yue Yang and my brother Yue Ting are able to live to this day because of the blessing of the young master." Yue Yang lowered his head slightly and said in a calm tone: "Even if you lose your life now, you will also gain a few more years of prosperity."
"Thank you very much!"
Zhuang Ming looked solemn and returned the gift with his hands.
There are not many capable people in Zhuang's trading firm, but these few people he selected can be regarded as his right-hand men.
When he asked Shuang Ling to summon people, he had already considered the scope of selection.
One must have sufficient ability.
Second, it must be trustworthy.
The third thing is to be alone and have no worries.
Even though he had already expected this response, at this moment, Zhuang Ming was a little excited and whispered in his heart: "I really saw the right person."
——
"Son."
Bai Qing took a step forward and said: "The current calamity of Zhuang's Trading Company comes from King Chen. Is this treasonous act to assassinate him? I will do this, and I will cut off his head for sure!"
Zhuang Ming couldn't help laughing and said: "The imperial court just sent a prince to take charge of Huai'an, and he was assassinated in the blink of an eye. Is this a provocation to the imperial court's majesty, or an open rebellion? If he is assassinated, the imperial court will be furious and investigate this matter thoroughly.
Well, we can't just kill the officials sent from the capital one by one. We are just a small trading company attached to the Dongsheng Dynasty. We just make some money. How can we compete with the entire Dongsheng Dynasty?
There is no foundation for demarcating territory and becoming a king and gathering people to rebel..."
Bai Qing was startled for a moment, scratched his head, and said sarcastically: "What do you mean, Master?"
Zhuang Ming said calmly: "We dare not openly rebel and embarrass the imperial court, but secretly, it is still feasible to create obstacles for this prince. Of course, even if we only create obstacles for this prince, once he is investigated, it will be a violation of the Dongsheng Dynasty.
According to the law, beheading is required. Therefore, when creating obstacles for King Chen, you must do things cleanly and leave no trace behind. Otherwise, if you leave any clues, it will be a heinous crime that will cause your head to fall to the ground..."
After he finished speaking, he took out a few pieces of rice paper, which were filled with dense words.
Following Zhuang Ming's instructions, several people stepped forward and each received one or two pieces.
"It has been many days since King Chen came to the Sixteenth Mansion in Huai'an. However, there was silence in the past few days. It was not until this morning that he took action against Zhuang's Trading Company and suppressed it with the power of the government like thunder."
Zhuang Ming said: "But what on earth was he doing in Huai'an a few days ago? Is it just a new arrival and needs to be familiar with the situation in Huai'an? Moreover, according to the news sent back by Lu He, King Chen was accompanied by more than 200 people.
There were about 80 guards and the remaining 120 people. Their identities were unknown and their whereabouts were mysterious. Moreover, after King Chen came to Fengcheng, they all left Fengcheng that same day and scattered everywhere without trace... And
There are not many guards left around King Chen, and the rest are used to protect these unidentified people."
Lu He whispered: "It can be seen from this that King Chen's request for orders is definitely not for Zhuang's Trading Company, but for another mystery."
Zhuang Ming nodded and said: "I have said before that King Chen thinks very highly of himself and will not take me, a merchant, in his eyes at all. He came to Huai'an mainly because of other important matters... Moreover, those who are interested,
If someone who is well-informed inquires about the purpose of his visit, perhaps until the end, they just think that King Chen came to take revenge on Zhuang's Trading Company, and the destruction of our Zhuang's Trading Company became the reason for him to come to Huai'an openly to cover up the situation.
His true intentions.”
Bai Qing secretly smacked his tongue and couldn't help but clicked his tongue: "Oh my god! Intrigue is so complicated! It's easier for me to practice martial arts. If any bastard messes with us, just cut him in half with one knife..."
Everyone, including Zhuang Ming, looked at Bai Qing.
Bai Qing shrank his neck and then said sarcastically: "It's a pity that the prince has his back to the court. We can't kill him casually. In the end, we still have to rely on the young master's strategy."
Zhuang Ming looked as usual and said: "If you can move mountains and reclaim seas, overwhelm everything, and sweep away millions of troops, then there is no need to play any tricks. Looking at the entire Dongsheng Dynasty, you can do whatever you want, let alone kill.
Your Majesty, even if you kill the emperor, it won’t be a problem.”
The emperor is the supreme and most powerful person in the Dongsheng Dynasty. This statement is extremely treasonous.
In the past, Zhuang Ming would not have spoken like this.
However, now that these people are all close friends and are willing to live and die with Zhuang's Trading Company, there is no need to hide it.
But at this moment, Bai Lao asked again: "Master, now..."
Zhuang Ming said: "I have received specific information from Mr. Zhao. What you have in your hands is the plan I made based on the information."
Lu He hesitated and said: "Master Zhao..."
Zhuang Ming said: "Everything is a blessing and a loss. He dare not betray me. Moreover, even if his news is untrue, I am prepared and everything is written on it."
After everyone heard this, they all sighed.
Liu He couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Young Master's plans are always thorough, but I have overthought them."
Bai Qing lowered his head and glanced down, secretly smacking his lips, and thought to himself: "So complicated? So cruel?"
Zhuang Ming said seriously: "The things you are asked to do and the places you are responsible for are all different, so be careful."
After a pause, he continued: "You are my confidants, and in Zhuang's Trading Company, there are also confidants under your command, but you must remember that when selecting people, you must choose those who are trustworthy, can keep their mouth shut, and are willing to die.
It’s best to be as carefree as you are.”
Everyone present felt awe-inspiring in their hearts, and they all saluted together and responded in a deep voice: "I will obey the Young Master's instructions."
Zhuang Ming nodded and said: "Let's go then. Zhuang's business has been sealed up, and daily losses are huge, so we can't delay... And you are responsible for different aspects, and the specific time to take action is also different. Among them, some
I have written all the details on paper, so you have to read it carefully!"