The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Yi Huawei straightened up: "Master, I understand that things are difficult, but that is why I have to do it. Even if it is just to let the people around me live a stable life, it is worth a try."

Yue Buqun nodded slightly: "I am very pleased that you have this intention. But before taking action, you must think carefully. Our Huashan Sect cannot afford to be tossed around, and we must not fall into an irretrievable situation because of a momentary impulse."

"Three years ago, Hengyang disaster relief,"

Yi Huawei spoke in a low voice: "Disciple has seen extremely hungry disaster victims sharing food with their companions."

As he spoke, his hand paused slightly, a trace of pain and pity flashed in his eyes, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down.

When Yue Buqun heard this, a ripple appeared in his calm eyes. He frowned slightly and clenched his hands on his knees unconsciously, but he didn't say anything, just quietly waiting for Yi Huawei to continue.

Yi Huawei took a deep breath and said, "I later learned that the pile of rotten rice in the government warehouse was higher than a mountain."

Yue Buqun picked up the teacup, but did not drink it immediately. He just stared at the tea for a long time, then gently put the teacup down and said in a heavy voice: "Such a natural disaster and man-made disaster, how can the people be blamed?"

Ning Zhongze unconsciously pressed the hilt of the sword, and his fingers exerted a little force. His mind involuntarily emerged the scene where he saw the grain escort officer replace the relief grain with fine sand. His eyes were full of anger, and he bit his lower lip tightly:
"These corrupt officials are truly despicable! They are using the people's life-saving food to enrich themselves. This is intolerable!"

"The father and son of the Yan family turned the six ministries and nine officials into their own tools. The vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel's Wenxuan Division were clearly marked with prices, and the reports of the Ministry of War's Zhifang Division became a tool to blackmail the border generals. The upright officials' sincere advice was invisible in the airtight power.

Last year, the eunuch Chen Zeng forcibly levied mining taxes in Shandong, "annual amount of 40,000 taels of silver, less than one tenth of which actually went into the public treasury." This plundering caused civil unrest in 13 provinces across the country. During the anti-tax movement of Suzhou weavers, Ge Cheng led the crowd to burn down the tax office.

In Songjiang Prefecture in Jiangnan, "all the land and property belonged to the nobles, and some received up to one million dan of rice in rent." The tenant farmers "worked hard all year round and could not even support their parents." The annual income of the Taicang Treasury increased from 250 million taels in the first year of the Longqing reign to 2000 million taels now, but military spending accounted for more than % of the total expenditure.

All these things show that the country is about to perish because of the rampant evil. "

After a pause, Yi Huawei raised his hand and slammed the teacup heavily on the bluestone slab. He looked at Yue Buqun, suppressed his irritability, and asked:
"Master, do you know what percentage of the records of martial arts fights that were processed by the Military Affairs Department last year were about martial arts fights?"

Yue Buqun narrowed his eyes slightly, and the fingertips of his right hand slowly stroked the lines on the scabbard, as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he said, "About 30%."

"Fifty-seven percent."

Yi Huawei's voice suddenly rose: "In the 42nd year of Jiajing, the Hengshan Sect and the Demon Sect fought for the Poyang Lake Canal Transport Terminal, and more than 400 people were killed or injured; the Taishan Sect intervened in the Lianghuai smuggling of salt, and fought with the Canal Gang seven times; the escort agency set up by the Songshan Sect in Hanzhong has submitted thirteen death and injury notices to the Xi'an Prefecture this year."

When Yue Buqun heard these shocking numbers, his pupils shrank abruptly, and his hand, which was originally on the scabbard, unconsciously clenched, and his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force. He leaned forward slightly, a trace of alert appeared on his face, and blurted out: "The court wants to wipe out the martial arts world?"

"It is the imperial court that needs the martial arts world."

Yi Huawei said slowly, "The nine frontier military garrisons consume four million shi of grain and fodder each year, but 30% of the military pay allocated by the Taicang Treasury is withheld by Yan Shifan. Now the soldiers of Jizhou garrison are training with wooden sticks, and the war horses of Xuanfu garrison are too thin to run faster than donkey carts. ... You know, Zhang Ao, the Minister of War, just sent 20 Hequ horses to Taishan last month."

Yue Buqun's expression became more and more solemn. The hand holding the hilt of the sword trembled slightly, causing the hilt to tremble slightly. His lips opened and closed slightly, and his voice was a little dry: "What do you mean by saying this..."

"Yan Song and his son embezzled 2 million taels of silver a year, 40% of which came from the monthly payments from underworld gangs."

Yi Huawei said, leaning down, and using his fingers dipped in tea, he drew a series of complicated money and grain flows on the stone table. The lines he drew were like an invisible net, tightly connecting the rivers and lakes with the court:
"The Canal Gang pays 50,000 taels to the Yan Mansion every month in exchange for canal transport permits, the Salt Gang pays Lu Bing 30,000 taels to guarantee salt permits, and even the Beggars Gang has to pay 8,000 taels of begging tax. Last year, Yu Canghai bribed the Ministry of Personnel to obtain the mining tax contracting rights of Fengxiang Prefecture, and then resold it to Shanxi merchants and made 70,000 taels - the person who handled this business was named Lao, and he was the cousin of his third wife."

Yi Huawei spoke in detail and clearly. Every number and every detail seemed to be engraved in his mind. As he spoke, his eyes revealed his deep disgust for Yan Song and his son and the current situation.

Upon hearing these shocking inside stories, Yue Buqun stood up suddenly, almost knocking over the teacup on the stone table. He stared at Yi Huawei with wide eyes and asked loudly, "How do you know these things?"

Yi Huawei explained calmly, "The East Factory investigates more thoroughly. Master, do you remember that I saved a high-ranking official a few years ago? He was Zhao Zhigao, then the Deputy Envoy of Guangdong and now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing."

"Zhao Zhigao...Zhao Tanhua?"

Yue Buqun frowned slightly, and after a moment, he suddenly realized something. The confusion on his face instantly disappeared, and was replaced by a hint of surprise.

"Yes, it is Lord Zhao. I have been exchanging letters with him over the years."

As Yi Huawei spoke, he gently placed the file on the stone table and pushed it in front of Yue Buqun. "Since the sixth year of Wanli, Shaolin Temple has submitted a total of 170 secret reports to the Imperial Household Department. Zuo Lengchan exchanged three iron mines for a fifth-rank honorary title last year, and Mr. Mo Da donated 20 guqins to the Weaving Bureau. The pair of Hetian jade paperweights that Taoist Yumen gave to eunuch Chen Ju are now in the West Warm Pavilion, suppressing the memorial impeaching Hai Rui.

Master, the martial arts world is also a force that cannot be underestimated. If you are willing, I would like to help you become the leader of the martial arts world."

Yue Buqun looked at his apprentice with a very strange expression on his face, with surprise, doubt, and a hint of imperceptible excitement. He was silent for half an incense stick of time, during which time his eyes moved back and forth between Yi Huawei and the files on the stone table, as if he was weighing something.

Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice a little hoarse: "You want me to be the leader of the martial arts world?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone, as if he still couldn't believe Yi Huawei's proposal.

"He is not only the leader of the martial arts world, but also the helmsman of the entire martial arts world."

Yi Huawei walked quickly to the stone table, pulled out five land deeds, spread them out in front of Yue Buqun, and touched the red seals on the deeds one by one:
"The Twelve Linked Docks, the throat of the canal transport, the Dongting Water Fort, the hub of the salt transport, the Wanma Hall, the controller of the border horse market, the Giant Whale Gang, the leader of overseas trade, and the Miaojiang Five Poison Sect, the liaison of the southwestern chieftains - these forces can be integrated within three years."

Yue Buqun frowned, forming a deep "川" character. His fingertips slowly moved across the red mark on the deed, his movements gentle but somewhat hesitant. He raised his head and looked directly at Yi Huawei, his eyes full of worry:
"How to fight against the imperial army?"

This issue was obviously the biggest concern in his mind.

"During the Gengxu Rebellion in the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, Altan Khan's 50,000 cavalrymen marched straight to Beijing, and the 120,000 officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp did not dare to leave the city." Yi Huawei sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his laughter. He raised his chin slightly, with a confident look: "Now the elite troops of the nine frontiers are all in the hands of Qi Jiguang, and half of the Qi family army's food and grass are transported by the Cao Gang. If we control the lifeline of the Cao transportation, the frontier army will collapse if the food is cut off for three days during the war."

Yue Buqun shook his head slowly, with a bitter smile on his face: "The Jianghu is after all a place of wildness. The Jianghu and the imperial court are worlds apart. Most people in the Jianghu fight alone, taking revenge and relying on their personal martial arts and chivalry. The imperial court army has strict military discipline and perfect military system, which is by no means so easy to shake.

Even if the food and grass were cut off, the army had been fighting for many years, so how could they not have a plan to deal with it? Perhaps they already had reserves, or they could quickly deploy other supply routes.

Besides, how could the imperial court sit back and watch the grain transport being easily controlled? Once there is any disturbance, they will definitely send heavy troops to suppress it. How can our Jianghu forces confront the well-trained and well-equipped imperial army head-on? "

"Yan Song has thirty-six undercover advisers, the elders of Qingcheng Sect live in Xu Jie's mansion, and Gao Gong's head of guards is the head of Shaolin Bodhidharma Temple."

Yi Huawei said as he quickly pulled out a list of officials. He quickly flipped through the papers and pointed at the names on it. "Seventy percent of the officials above the level of the six ministries have connections with martial arts forces. Last year, during the flood in Zhejiang, the imperial court's relief money was robbed nineteen times, fifteen of which were by gangsters hired by the prefect."

"Yu Jizi, the junior fellow of Tianmen Taoist Priest of Taishan Sect, owed Jinyiwei 30,000 taels of gambling debt at the gambling house last month. Lu Lianrong of Hengshan Sect smuggled military equipment to the Jurchens. The evidence is stored in the third cabinet of the East Factory's file room."

Yi Huawei shook his head and said, "The nephew of Master Dingyi of the Hengshan School runs six brothels in Yangzhou."

Ning Zhongze, who was standing by, was surprised when he heard these shocking secrets. He opened his mouth slightly and finally couldn't help asking:
"You want to use this as leverage to blackmail them?"

"The martial arts world is all about strength. These are just trump cards, and should not be shown to others easily."

Yi Huawei shook his head:
"I believe that with Master's current martial arts, he has no rivals except Dongfang Bubai and the Shaolin and Wudang masters. As for these three, I will find a way to prevent them from making a move. By then, Master will definitely be able to ascend to this position!"

"Huh?? What are you talking about? When did your master become so powerful?"

Ning Zhongze looked at Zhang Lehui in astonishment, then turned to look at Yue Buqun. Seeing that he did not object, he was immediately startled: "Senior Brother...you?"

“It’s just that there has been a breakthrough recently.”

Yue Buqun smiled, then suddenly changed the subject, looked at Yi Huawei and asked, "You said that the annual income of the Taicang Treasury is 20 million taels?"

"Yes! 20 million taels. Of this, 8.4 million taels are used for the royal family's salaries, 9 million taels are used for border salaries, and the remaining 2.6 million taels are used to support 200,000 officials in Beijing."

Yi Huawei nodded: "But the black market circulates more than 50 million taels of silver every year, the actual salt tax collected is less than 30% of the legal amount, and 70% of the profits from the tea-horse trade go into the pockets of Shanxi merchants."

Yue Buqun's face changed, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he blurted out: "You want to rob the emperor's money?"

“I want to build a new outline.”

Yi Huawei shook his head: "Controlling the grain transport can intercept 30% of the tax grain, controlling the salt field can obtain twice the income of the Taicang silver treasury, and monopolizing the border horse market is equivalent to holding the lifeline of the nine borders. Within three years, we can form an army of 200,000 that does not rely on the court's food and wages."

The tassel of the sword in Yue Buqun's hand moved without wind, and his body swayed slightly, as if he was shocked by Yi Huawei's words. There was a hint of hesitation in his eyes, and his expression was very tangled. He slowly said: "People in the Jianghu don't know how to run an army."

"Qi Jiguang was only a lieutenant general before he recruited soldiers in Yiwu, and Li Chengliang started out as a family servant."

Yi Huawei smiled and said, "Wang Zhi, the commander of the Dengzhou Navy, was dismissed last month for withholding military pay. He has now joined the Giant Whale Gang. There are 4,000 deserters in Datong Town, and half of them are begging for food at the Beggar Gang's branch."

There was a hint of pride in his tone, as if he was trying to prove to Yue Buqun that his plan was not nonsense.

Yue Buqun still had some doubts in his heart. He frowned slightly and continued, "The East Factory and the West Factory will not sit idly by."

"Feng Bao collected seven ships of Sumu from the Cao Gang last year. Chen Hong's nephew runs a silk and satin shop in Yangzhou."

Yi Huawei sneered: "Jinyiwei Commander Zhu Xixiao supports 300 Jianghu warriors, and their families live in Zhujiazhuang at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain."

The cabin fell into silence. Yue Buqun's eyes moved back and forth between the various documents on the stone table and Yi Huawei's face, and he was struggling fiercely in his heart.

Yi Huawei stood quietly aside, waiting for Yue Buqun's decision, his eyes full of expectation and confidence, as if he had already foreseen that Yue Buqun would agree to his proposal.

After a while, Yue Buqun asked:
"What's your plan?"

"The first step is to unite the Five Mountains."

Yi Huawei raised his hand and placed three copper coins on the table: "Zuo Lengchan has been planning to merge the Five Mountains Sword Sects for several years. He has widely sent out invitations to heroes, summoned people from all walks of life in the Five Mountains Sword Sects to discuss, and privately coerced and bribed key figures in each sect, trying to make this happen with the attitude of Taishan Beidou, and then control the Five Mountains Sword Sects and dominate the martial arts world. However, he never expected that Master's martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds and are no longer comparable to the past. At the Five Mountains Conference, Master only needs to use his unique skills in the competition, and he can let nature take its course and seize the position of the leader of the Five Mountains Sword Sect."

Yue Buqun stroked his beard, a barely perceptible gleam in his eyes, and asked, "Second step?"

"Control the transportation of salt and iron."

Yi Huawei moved the copper coins and said in detail, "The Giant Whale Gang has been active at sea for a long time, controlling the key routes and ports of shipping. Their ships travel to various sea areas and transport a large amount of goods. The Cao Gang controls the canal, and they have their sphere of influence at each dock along the canal. The daily shipping is busy, and the amount of materials transported is countless. The Twelve Linked Docks occupy the main waterway of the Yangtze River with the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. As for the salt fields, the Lianghuai area has always been the sphere of influence of the Haisha Sect, and they control the production and transportation of salt. The Changlu Salt Field is controlled by the Snow Mountain Sect, and the Sichuan Salt Field has been given to the Qingcheng Sect in recent years. Among the eight major Shanxi merchants, five of them have handles in my hands. As long as the time is right, I can make them obedient and cooperate with us to control the transportation and sales of salt and iron."

(End of this chapter)