Li Mu passed the Luban Suo to Bai Qiaoqiao, comforted her for a while, and coaxed her to fall asleep before coming out of the house. Dugujiu squatted in the yard holding his sword, his whole body exuding a low pressure, Li Mu
Walking up to him, he also squatted down. When Dugujiu saw him coming, he muttered: "I lost him again."
"Or in the direction of Beimang Mountain?"
"Yeah." Dugujiu nodded, and then fell silent. Li Mu patted his shoulder and said, "It doesn't matter. He is a local snake and has been operating in Luoyang for many years. This is his hometown. If we can take advantage of him so easily,
On the contrary, it’s boring. But it’s not like there’s no gain at all. At least it’s certain that the opponent’s home base is in Beimang Mountain. When necessary, just turn the mountain over, don’t take it to heart.”
"Brother." Dugujiu pursed his lips and said: "I have lost him three times. My opponent's lightness skills are obviously not as good as mine, so I just lost him. And I lost him right in front of my eyes. The first two times I was there anyway.
I lost you in the forest in the forest. This time, I lost you in the city before I even got to the forest. Once I entered that alley, I disappeared. Do you think there is really a wall-walking technique in this world?"
"Ouch," Li Mu said helplessly: "You are a three-year-old kid? How can you say such a thing? Anything about escaping through a wall is just a trick, a deception. Did you follow him into the alley and lose him?
There must be a secret passage, is there any need to think about it?"
"I'll take people to dig now!" As he said that, Dugujiu was about to get up. Li Mu grabbed his wrist and said, "Why are you digging now? It has been blocked for a long time."
Dugujiu sluggishly slumped, squatted down again, and said: "Brother, I am still too stupid. I should have thought of it at that time."
"Don't think so." Li Mu shook his head and said, "Can people dig such a secret tunnel in the city? How can there be no mechanism in the secret tunnel? Once you enter the secret tunnel, there is no way to hide. No matter how good your skills are, you can resist it.
Are they overt and covert?"
"Then there's nothing we can do?" Dugujiu said unconvinced: "I know it's Jisitang. These prominent figures in Luoyang City are all closely related to Jisitang. It's really urgent, so I'll arrest a few people——
"
"Why are you getting more and more irritable!" Li Mu said helplessly: "Are you so impatient? Why would you arrest someone if they are not guilty? Even if you arrest them, what's the use? You also said that the whole city of Luoyang has a good reputation.
Many of these characters are inseparable from each other. If you can arrest them all, even a prison won’t be able to hold them!"
"Then there's nothing we can do?" Dugu Jiu leaned against the wall, his tone full of dejection. Li Mu turned his head over and let him lean on his shoulder. Dugu Jiu hesitated for a moment and leaned against Li Mu gently.
's shoulders.
"When will Big Brother be here? If you want to solve this matter, you have to start from the root."
"root?"
Li Mu nodded and said: "We have to think clearly about Jisitang's methods of controlling these powerful merchants. Only then can we crack them one by one and achieve complete victory."
Dugujiu was confused and said, "Brother, are you confused again?"
"Of course." Li Mu said confidently: "When I was in Chang'an, I had already started to make plans. Didn't you see so many businessmen coming to help me today? This means that the results have been achieved. You should be anxious now, but
Not us."
Dugujiu became even more confused after hearing this, and asked doubtfully: "Brother, what exactly have you planned?"
"Let me tell you." Li Mu has nothing to hide from Dugu Jiu. He is in charge of the Jinyi secret guards. If he was not the most trusted person, Li Mu would not put him in this position: "Usually he wants to control
There are several ways for a person to be used by me, which can be summarized in four words: kindness, righteousness, power, and wealth."
"Well, for example, if I save your life, you owe me a life. If you are starving to death, I will give you a bowl of rice, and so on. These are all favors. You owe me a favor. When I am in need,
For what you have done, you naturally have to repay kindness. Jisitang controls so many powerful businessmen, and kindness is a means, but you have to understand that there are many ungrateful people in this world, so Jisitang has to rely on kindness.
It is basically impossible to control so many people."
"Righteousness is just like you and me, sworn brothers. Where righteousness lies, we will naturally move forward. But with so many people, we can't all worship you, right? This is even more impossible."
"Power, this is one thing. People who serve in the Successor Hall have great power."
"But the most popular thing is 'wealth'." Li Mu raised a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth and said: "Everyone in the world is looking for profit, and they can't afford it without profit. Jisitang controls these clans, which is the biggest means for merchants.
It can help them make money. With money, the family can multiply and the family can prosper. No one should pretend to be aloof. Without money, it will not work."
"In the past, the imperial court was lacking in this aspect, and it did not pay enough attention to merchants. In the eyes of the people and merchants, the people in the imperial court were all superior officials. It would be good not to be despised by them. How dare you contact them so easily? Jisitang is
Taking advantage of this loophole, they are more approachable than the imperial court. Moreover, with the support of powerful families and wealthy families, they are also better at controlling information. Wherever something is produced, and who needs what, the information is gathered in the Success Hall to make connections.
The transaction was completed. Over time, everyone couldn't do without it. After all, with such a good channel, who would bother to find sales by themselves?"
Dugujiu frowned slightly and said, "Isn't this the same thing as what the Ministry of Internal Affairs does?"
Li Mu smiled and said: "You said that, it's pretty much the same. It's just that at present, the scale of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is much smaller than that of Jisitang." Dugujiu looked surprised and said: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs can be regarded as the strength of the whole country.
Okay, why is it still much smaller than Jisi Hall?"
Li Mu picked up the branches on the ground, made a big circle, and drew a small circle inside the circle, saying: "This small circle is like Chang'an City, and the big circle is the entire Tang Dynasty. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs
It looks prosperous, but the scope of its influence is only the vicinity of Chang'an City, plus external trade. No matter how big Chang'an City is, it only has one million people, and the population of the entire Tang Dynasty is more than 20 million. As for external affairs,
Compared with the total trade volume within Datang, trade is almost negligible."
"The trade with the Turks is called aid. We can't make much money. In addition, we have to be careful with countries such as Tubo, Western Turks, and Goguryeo. Some can be sold and some cannot be sold. There are many problems.
Gone."
"Trade within the Tang Dynasty does not have these problems at all. Some goods only need to cross the canal to make three times the profit. These merchants can only make money through the channels of Jisitang. Who do you think they are looking for?
"
Dugujiu frowned and said, "However, they are still submissive now. During the day, didn't all the big merchants in Luoyang City come out to help big brother?"
"They are not really submissive." Li Mu said with a smile: "What they are really afraid of is His Majesty's power, or it can be said that they are worried that I will use the power given by Your Majesty to trouble them. Now I have been sealed in Luoyang
Hou, the fiefdom is also here. Your Majesty has completely handed over Luoyang to me, and I will be the local emperor of Luoyang. They can't do anything to me, and they can't drive me away, they can only compromise with me. All they want is to live in peace and harmony.
They obviously give me face, but in fact they treat me like a gangster in Chang'an City, and they just pay a little protection fee. I understand this very well."
"But it doesn't matter." Li Mu puffed up his chest and exuded strong confidence: "When my trading market is built, merchants all over the world will look at me. Chang'an City has the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Luoyang City has trading
In addition to the market and the all-pervasive factory guards, I charge them twice as much as Jisitang. I can give them everything Jisitang can give to these merchants. With the support of the imperial court, I can give them everything Jisitang cannot.
You can give it. Wait until that day..."
Li Mu took a deep breath and closed his eyes gently, as if that day had already arrived: "... Jisi Hall is nothing." He glanced at Dugu Jiu and said, "Sometimes, defeating
A person doesn't need to fight too fiercely. As long as there is time, the winner will be decided sooner or later. Don't be anxious, don't be anxious."
Dugujiu nodded and said nothing more. His eyes were blank and he was stunned. He thought that Li Mu had no way to quickly solve the Jisi Hall, so he could only choose a more time-consuming route. How did he know Li Mu's real plan in his heart.
In fact, it's not that he doesn't have a more direct way. The most direct way is very simple. Just like what Li Mu said to Dugujiu, now that it is confirmed that Jisitang's headquarters is in Luoyang City, he should mobilize the army and raid the entire city.
, it is better to kill by mistake than to let go. When the butcher's knife is held on the neck, you can still ask a few truths.
Although the massacre will inevitably affect the business of the Tang Dynasty, there is a saying that it cannot be established without destruction. The Tang Dynasty was founded not long ago, and everything is still a blank sheet of paper. It is like decorating a new house and planning it from scratch.
, unlike a second-hand house, which has many things that cannot be dismantled or modified.
For some unreasonable things, it is better to smash them all than to remain an eyesore. Li Mu is fully capable of rebuilding Datang's business on the ruins of Jisitang.
But he didn't want to do it, and he couldn't do it.
The reason why he didn't do this is also very simple. When the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey will be cooked. Without the successor hall, his value is gone. Today's Tang Dynasty is full of talents. Literary, military, good ministers, fierce generals, everything.
There is no shortage. The only thing that is lacking is economic talents. But economic talents are not necessary. With the existence of Ji Si Tang, the court and Li Shimin can feel the pressure, and they will feel that it is impossible without such a person. But if there is no such person
What about the Successor Hall? What if the court is in difficulty? As long as there are no hidden dangers. What if it takes a slower time to recuperate and recuperate? In a few more years, won’t everything be complete?
After experiencing so many things, Li Mu has become very clear about his core values. He is Li Shimin's weapon against Jisitang. Only with Jisitang around can he live a stable life.
This directly affects the methods used by Li Mu to deal with Ji Si Tang. If Li Shimin is a patient and Ji Si Tang is a fire boil on his body, Li Mu, as a doctor, chooses not to perform a surgical operation on him, but
He chose to pop the fire boil and keep the wound infection under control. He then applied medicine to the sore on time, so that Li Shimin, a patient, would never be able to leave him.
The method was not glorious, but he had no choice. Maybe one day, he would cure Li Shimin's disease, but definitely not now.
Dugujiu is a martial arts practitioner, but he does not follow the path of a macho man. His stature is not very tall, nor is he very strong. Moreover, he is only seventeen years old, and his frame has not yet fully grown, which is different from that of a normal man.
Compared with adults, his frame can even be said to be small. Li Mu's hand rested on his shoulder, which felt almost as wide as holding Bai Qiaoqiao, Jin Chen and the others. Dugu Jiu was not wearing a mask at the moment, and Li Mu lowered his head.
Looking over, I couldn't tell at all that the person leaning on my shoulder was a man. Look at the long eyelashes, flickering like a small fan. Even a girl doesn't have such long eyelashes.
Li Mu looked at him and suddenly became playful and said, "Xiaojiu, how about I give you a nickname?"
Dugujiu looked up at him and said, "What alias? A nickname in the world? I don't need that."
Li Mu laughed and said: "It's either a nickname in the world, or an alias when you don't wear a mask. What do you think of Dugu Meng? Meng Meng, Xiao Meng Meng?"
Dugujiu's face suddenly darkened, he got up from Li Mu's arms and said, "Brother, this joke is not funny."
"Oh, are you kidding me? Are you angry?"
"No, I'm going to bed!" The voice drifted away, and the person had already climbed up the wall. If he blinked again, he had disappeared, and he didn't know where he went to sleep.
Zhang Tianai came back from the front yard and happened to see Dugujiu jumping out of the wall. He asked strangely: "What's wrong with Xiaojiu? Where's the air bag?"
Li Mu chuckled and said, "I gave him a nickname because he was angry with me. What do you think of the name Dugu Meng? Is it very poetic?"
"You are not serious." Zhang Tianai scolded and said, "Don't you know that Xiao Jiu'er is sensitive to this matter? This means you dare to say, I just heard about something five days ago
, Xiao Jiuer was eating in a noodle shop. A gangster saw his handsomeness and thought he was a girl. He made some teasing remarks. He drew his sword and cut out the man's tongue. Now the gangsters in Luoyang City are still looking for him.
Qian Guan, and the one caught alive will be rewarded with another five hundred Guan."
"Hey, you came here to show off your wealth?" Li Mu snorted and said: "My brother, I am the only one joking. What kind of thing is a little gangster? Xiaojiu doesn't take it seriously. I, the eldest brother, can't
Don’t take it seriously. Tell me, I will ask the grandson to send you five thousand guan tomorrow. If you lose a penny, you will kill his whole family!"
Zhang Tianai covered his mouth and chuckled, saying: "How can you, a big brother like you, actually use this matter to blackmail him? He will be angry again after hearing this."
"Xiaojiu is not as stingy as you think. He cut out the man's tongue, and the matter is over with him. He may not remember this man again if he comes out again. Give him some money to help him remember, otherwise what?
What to do? Killing people for such a small thing, I am not a murderer."
After Li Mu finished speaking, he entered the house. Zhang Tianai curled his lips and thought to himself, he didn't know who was massacring the city in Gaochang, and he was still pretending.