Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 236 Pilot Operation
Xia Lin didn't know what Chai Shao said to His Majesty, but he could imagine that he would not say anything nice because of his resentment. However, this matter was not something Xia Lin could participate in at his current level.

In fact, without serious analysis, we can guess that the King of Tang has rebellious intentions, but they just don't have a reason now.

The simplest thing was the previous war with the grassland. The Wei Dynasty was defeated in the grassland, and his Li family was stuck there. When the court asked his family to mobilize troops, he said that they had to guard the Western Regions and were short of manpower. In the end, only two thousand old, weak and sick people were sent. By the time the Li family's soldiers arrived, the war was over, and all that was left was to clean up the battlefield.

Think about the last time, when 100,000 elite troops were dispatched to quell the rebellion. If Xia Lin had not defended Luoyang City to the death, Luoyang would have really fallen into the hands of the Li family. By then, they would say, "Seeing that the people of Luoyang are poor, we stationed troops to help farmers," and the court would have found it difficult to find a reason to drive away this meritorious official.

If a city is occupied for three years, it is basically assumed that it belongs to them. It will be useless to send anyone there. After all, they have the right to self-government. By then, the area from Chencang in the west to Longcheng in the north and Luoyang in the east will all fall into the hands of his Li family. The coverage area of ​​these three places is roughly divided into three parts of the world.

Now that Luoyang has been saved, the Li family only has the area between Chang'an and Longcheng. This is undoubtedly an epic weakening for them.

The news that Chai Shao brought this time must have included signs of preparations for war, such as the dismissal of other children of noble families serving in the Li family, and the large-scale dispatch of food, fodder, and troops.

It is definitely not going to be a rebellion at the moment, but basically it is just missing an opportunity.

However, Xia Lin couldn't even inquire about this matter because his rank was not high enough. But if the sky fell, there would be taller people to support it. He was not in a hurry at all.

That night, Chai Shao was left in His Majesty's villa to rest, saying that he needed to have a long talk with him. Xia Lin naturally returned to the resting place to spend the day with the little princess.

The next morning, Tian En came and knocked on Xia Lin's door early, but it was Qiu He who opened the door. Tian En said, "Go, call your son-in-law out. His Majesty, please ask him to have breakfast together."

"My dear, the Prince Consort got up early to do some work. He said that today is the dividend distribution day and he wants to distribute dividends to all the major merchants in Fuliang."

"Then where is he? I'll go call him."

"Tian En." The voice of Hong Baodi came from behind: "Since he has serious things to do, let him do it. We can go eat something and go shopping."

Tian En looked back and then retreated to the side of Emperor Hong Bao. Then Emperor Hong Bao brought the aggrieved Chai Shao into the town.

With Chai Shao around, there would definitely be no problem with safety. He was born a Qianniu Beishen, and had been protecting Emperor Hongbao since he was sixteen or seventeen. He is highly skilled in martial arts. Even though his status is different now, he is still a child who was raised by Emperor Hongbao, so his safety is guaranteed.

At this moment, Xia Lin was in the meeting hall behind the government office, calculating dividends for the big merchants in the city. Of course, there was another thing he had to do today.

That is the matter of silver bills exchange in Fuliang. Those sitting here are all big shopkeepers from wealthy families, such as the Gao family, the Yang family, the Dugu family, etc. Almost all the famous shopkeepers in the world are here.

If this happened outside, anyone would be forced to be respectful to not only a small county magistrate but even a provincial governor. But now these people gathered together just to listen to Xia Lin summarizing the past and looking forward to the future.

If you ask why Xia Lin is so charming, it is not because of him but because of Fuliang. There are currently two sea transportation routes, one is from Dantu to the north and the other is from Quanzhou to Persia. The starting points of the two large sea transportation loops are both this small Fuliang County. Tea, porcelain, silk, tools, ironware, food, etc., almost anything you can think of can make money here.

Although many things can be produced in other places, Fuliang County has a complete industrial structure, lower logistics costs, and merchants are profit-driven. Even if they save a few copper coins, it will be a huge amount of money when added up.

What's more important is that the business environment in this place is good. No one else will mention it, but the Gao family's business alone made a gross profit of more than 300,000 taels through trade in Fuliang last year. In other places, you can't even dream of such a large scale.

Why did Xia Lin offend Gao Shilian's family so much, but Gao Shilian not only did not cause him trouble these days, but gave Fuliang the green light everywhere. Isn't it because this place can make him money?

Behind Gao Shilian is not just one Gao Shilian, but an entire southern aristocratic family. There are thousands and tens of thousands of mouths to feed, so there is no need to make things difficult for the financial backers.

The same was true for other high-ranking officials in the court. No one wanted to embarrass their own cash cow. In fact, some people had thought about arranging their own people here before, but this idea was completely extinguished by others as soon as it appeared.

The reason was simple. If he replaced his own people, what would happen to the business of others? Who could guarantee that this person could achieve the same level as Xia Lin? Moreover, the person he promoted would definitely put his family's business first, which was not acceptable.

So now Xia Lin is a hot commodity, and people have to protect him even if they don't get along with him. Personal grudges are nothing compared to money. Even if Xia Lin goes to visit Gao Shilian now, people will send Gao Shilian maids, and Gao Shilian will give him a few in return after he goes there.

This was the confidence that Xia Lin had when he started to pursue an all-round commercial route in Fuliang. This model could ensure that he and Fuliang could develop quietly. By the time these people came to their senses, there would be basically no one who could shake him.

"As for this universal exchange and withdrawal, I have asked someone to write the contents in this guide book, and all shopkeepers can take a look. After reading it, go back and hand it to your master. This includes lending and savings. First of all, regarding lending, my idea is to formalize and rationalize lending. Currently, lending is basically draining the pond to catch fish, which is not acceptable."

Xia Lin sat there and said, "As for the advantages and disadvantages of universal exchange and withdrawal, I have written them down here. You can take a look now."

It was obviously the first time that the head shopkeepers heard of this concept, so there was no sound of flipping pages. This book had nearly 20,000 words, and it would take some time to read it through, so Xia Lin sat there patiently waiting for them.

As I said, money has no stance. No matter where you come from, no one would complain about making a lot of money, right?

At this moment, Tingyun and Lingyue brought tea to the shopkeepers, and then stood on both sides of Xia Lin. While the shopkeepers were reading the instructions, Xia Lin turned his head and asked Miss Tingyun in a low voice: "How are the preparations going?"

"Everything is ready, and the leatherworker we invited has made the leather boots as requested."

"Well, let's get ready and start the pilot." Xia Lin turned his head and said, "First, put up the sign, and I'll figure out the rest."

"it is good."

Xia Lin hummed and patted Tingyun's butt: "Go and ask the kitchen to prepare some food. Make it more sumptuous. These are all great shopkeepers."

"I'll go right away."

Tingyun actually didn't think there was anything wrong with being ordered around. Not to mention that she already had the surname Xia, her life now was much better than the days when she was a prostitute on a flower boat and lived in fear.

Besides, her main job is still in the theater, and starting a business here is just a part-time job, but she still takes it very seriously. After all, there is no one in the world who doesn't like money. The sooner she pays off her debts, the sooner she can become a free man.

At noon, these big shopkeepers naturally ate in the government office. Xia Lin had a hospitality fee, and their level of people had a meal of thirty coins per person, which was equivalent to about twenty yuan. However, the big shopkeepers were not picky about this. If they could get a meal from Xia Lin, a stingy man, then they would be proud of it. I don't know how many merchants who came here wanted to get in touch with this county magistrate but failed.

"Is Prime Minister Gao satisfied with the dividends here?"

After dinner, Xia Lin found the head shopkeeper of the Gao family and said with a smile, "At the beginning, Prime Minister Gao looked down on my small place."

"Satisfied, satisfied. Of course the Prime Minister is satisfied. He also asked me to give a message to Lord Xia, saying that if you have any problems in the future, just come to him directly and don't ask Lord Guo to convey it. He also said..." The chief shopkeeper smiled shyly and looked at Xia Lin embarrassedly.

"Go ahead, don't worry, it's okay."

"The Prime Minister said... Lord Guo smells like a warrior, which is very irritating."

Look at this scholar, he just knows how to curse. What smell can make people feel irritated? It is naturally the stench. A warrior goes to the battlefield to kill the enemy sometimes without taking a bath for ten days or half a month, and he sweats every day, so he smells bad, doesn't he?

He cursed Lao Guo without using any swear words, which was really in line with Gao Shilian's petty character.

"By the way, go back and tell Prime Minister Gao that business has been difficult these days and that he can help you with a little favor."

"Master Xia, please speak."

"The Li family in Longxi has started to offer tax exemptions in Longcheng, and a large amount of goods have flowed there. I hope Prime Minister Gao can also adjust the tariffs in Yanmen. Otherwise, people will not travel through Yanmen. Wouldn't that mean we are paving the way for Chang'an?"

"Master Xia is right. I have also discovered some clues these days. I will inform the Prime Minister in a few days."

"Thank you for your hard work, Chief Shopkeeper, and Prime Minister Gao." After saying that, Xia Lin slipped something out of his sleeve and put it in the Chief Shopkeeper's hand: "This is a little gift from me to Prime Minister Gao."

The shopkeeper was a connoisseur of goods. As soon as he touched it, his eyes lit up: "This is..."

"Prince Gao likes to play with antiques. This is a small item left behind by Wang Shichong's rebels when their property was confiscated in Luoyang last year. This small gift is not enough to show my respect."

The head shopkeeper took it out and saw that it was actually a thumb ring seal made by Wang Xizhi. Although you say this thing is valuable, it is actually just an ordinary piece of Hetian jade. But to say it is not valuable, it is difficult for literati to even have a look at it, let alone own it. It is said that Wang Xizhi himself had only three of these thumb ring seals, which is extremely rare.

The two smiled at each other and stopped talking. As for the fact that Xia Lin started to get closer to Gao Shilian, it was simply because the Li family was too big and terrifying, and neither Gao Shilian nor Xia Lin could fight against them alone. There were no eternal enemies in politics, they were just flirting with each other for the sake of interests.

Only by uniting all those who can be united can we fight against the seemingly invincible opponent.

Gao Shilian is smart, and Xia Lin is also smart. Even though Gao Shilian is the uncle of the wife of the second young master of the Li family, the relationship is too distant. Now the Li family has obviously begun to show signs of competing with the Gao family for meat.

First, he drives the tiger to devour the wolf, then he watches the tigers fight from a distance, and finally he laughs at the fight between the snipe and the clam to see who wins.

Before physical salvation is impossible, the economy is the most lethal weapon. Try every possible means to maintain the balance of the scales and keep yourself safe and stable when you are weak.

In the afternoon, the big shopkeepers dispersed and passed on this important deposit and withdrawal service back to their families.

Xia Lin began to stroll around the town and happened to see Tingyun and a group of young ladies choosing a shop on the street. He sighed that it was lucky that he saw them early. He turned around and disappeared into the alley and followed the path all the way to the military camp.

There were no horses in the military camp yet, but a group of soldiers had already started training in plate armor. Xia Lin strolled around and was about to leave without saying hello, but after taking a few steps he suddenly saw a few furtive people outside the military camp, clinging to the wall and looking inside.

He walked over out of curiosity, but the first person he saw was Emperor Hong Bao. He was standing on a big rock and watching the soldiers training, mumbling something. Chai Shao next to him was tall and could look inside by standing on tiptoe. He was chatting with Emperor Hong Bao.

When Xia Lin saw this scene, he quickly shrank back, shrank back with a sense of stealth, and ran away with his back exposed.

Finally, I ran to the dock and thought I could be safe for a while, but when I looked up, I saw Prince Teng on duty at the dock...

This guy had nowhere to go, so he wandered around for a long time and finally returned to his and Lao Zhang’s secret base. But as soon as he pushed aside the reeds and walked over, he saw Lao Guo sitting there fishing…

Lao Guo heard the noise and looked back: "This is a good place. You are a good choice."

"How do you know this?"

"I would ask. I came to the government office to look for you. The old man guarding the gate said that if I couldn't find you anywhere, you would be here. So I came over and found that all the fishing gear was ready, and there was also a basin for raising earthworms. It was fun."

Xia Lin smacked his lips and sat down.

"After I came here, I noticed that you were very close to Gao Shilian's family?"

Lao Guo glanced at Xia Lin and said, "Are you planning to do something?"

"What else could it be? Of course I want to deal with the Li family. I can't deal with them alone."

At this moment, Lao Guo was a little puzzled: "Why do I feel that you hate Li Yuan more than you hate Gao Shilian? Isn't Li Yuan a good person?"

Xia Lin hugged his knees and sneered: "Father Guo, am I hating you? I'm just afraid, really afraid!"
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Hey guys, I want to be a monkey for two days today and tomorrow. I said in the group that I want to be the stick king of Shilipo. I won’t play the second chapter until I reach level 60. I will start live streaming when I reach level 60!

Marin will update later.

(End of this chapter)