Han officials

Chapter 29 Killing Two Birds with One Stone [4K]

A man dies for a man who knows himself, and a woman looks good for a man who pleases her.

Although the Spring and Autumn Period is far away, the ancient customs remain.

After leaving the warehouse, Yuan Jun and Guan Xiu immediately packed their bags and prepared to set off.

Wei Zhe equipped each of them with two hundred elite cavalry to protect them at all times.

After all, without sufficient guards, the two of them would probably have their iron coins robbed before they could even spend them.

Of course, in order to gain people's trust in the early stages, Wei Zhe also prepared some high-quality iron coins.

As for how to use these start-up funds, it all depends on the abilities of the two.

The next day, outside the city of Daifang.

I saw two caravans of hundreds of people going their separate ways in such an uneventful manner.

However, at the moment of parting, Guan Xiu and Yuan Jun could not help but look at each other. Although they were silent, the fighting spirit in their eyes said it all.

Then both of them resolutely embarked on their journey, without any fear in their eyes.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe on the top of the city wall couldn't help but laugh. This was an unexpected surprise.

But that's all for now. This is destined to be a long plan, and patience and luck are indispensable. Only in this way can we brew the real "poison that will harm the country"!
A moment later, as the caravan gradually moved away, Wei Zhe, having come back to his senses from his deep thoughts, finally spoke: "Mu Hua, it's been a year since we last met, hasn't it?"

"My dear, you have a good memory! It's been exactly one year since you left for the war last year!" The white-bearded young man standing behind him bowed and smiled when he heard this, saying, "It's a pity that I'm a cripple and can't go to the battlefield. Otherwise, I would really like to see your heroic figure on the expedition!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe glared at him angrily and said helplessly, "I'm just a military marquis. How can I be expected to fight expeditions? I'm just following orders."

Judging from Wei Zhe's familiar tone, it was obvious that this young man was no ordinary person.

that's the truth.

This man is called Wei Muhua. Although he is young, he is already the head of the Wei family's fortress in Houcheng.

Both Wei Zhe and his father Wei Xuan trusted him very much.

In fact, Wei Muhua's real name was Qiu Futai, a Wuhuan. He was born a eunuch and was favored by the tribal leader because of his good looks when he was young. As a result, he became a pedophile. Qiu Futai had accepted his fate.

But when he learned that his mother and sister were abused to death by the tribal chief, Qiu Futai finally exploded.

So late one winter night, the fifteen-year-old Qiu Futai took advantage of the chief's drunkenness to cut off his head, then set fire to the tribe's stable and escaped.

In the end, it was Wei Zhe's father Wei Xuan who picked him up from the snow and ice after he fainted from the cold, and cured his high fever.

Qiu Futai, who luckily survived, sold his life to the Wei family and changed his name to Wei Muhua.

It can be said that he now manages half of Wei's business.

Especially the horse trading business, which was almost entirely built up by his own efforts.

You have to know that Wei was just a middleman at the beginning. On the surface, he was dealing in horses, but in fact he was just making some money from the brokerage fee.

However, Wei Muhua relied on his unique skill in horse appraisal to make the horses of the Houcheng Wei family famous in Liaodong. It was not that no other families tried to recruit him, but no matter what the other party offered, Wei Muhua remained unmoved.

After all, he is actually a poor man who just wants a place to stay.

The Wei family didn't treat him as a monster, so Wei Muhua naturally didn't want to leave.

However, Wei Muhua did not come here to visit Wei Zhe this time, but for other important matters.

"How's things at home lately?"

"Everything is fine, but the old master misses you very much and keeps talking about you!"

Wei Zhe burst out laughing upon hearing this: "You're talking about me? You're calling me a spendthrift, right?"

Wei Zhe knew this old man too well; he was a miser.

Hearing him say this, Wei Muhua immediately smiled without saying anything, obviously he had guessed it right.

Actually, it was nothing. After hearing that Wei Zhe had destroyed the powerful Tian and Zhang families, Mr. Wei thought that his family could make a fortune. However, he did not expect that his bastard did not bring back a single cart of wealth, but instead used it to support a group of useless refugees.

When Mr. Wei found out, he was so disappointed that he kept saying at home that Wei Zhe was not capable of being an official.

But despite all the complaints, Wei Zhe quickly got down to business after chatting for a while.

"With the Haiming Camp here, you don't have to worry about safety issues. Just focus on fishing and making salt. Oh, and there's no need for charcoal. Just use stone."

Although Shi Nie cannot be used to smelt iron, it is just right for boiling salt.

Upon hearing this, Wei Muhua immediately took note and then asked, "What about the ship?"

"Guan has just built a boat station here, so it shouldn't be a problem to build some small boats. By the time you're ready, the boats will be almost done."

Anyway, they are just small boats, and Wei Zhe doesn't expect to use them for several years. It will be enough if he can train a group of people.

Besides, there are many huge trees in Daifang County, and the speed at which the ships decay may not keep up with the speed at which they are built.

Wei Zhe thought for a moment and then said, "This business doesn't have to be profitable, but the bigger the scale, the better."

Hearing this, Wei Muhua was a little confused.

It is said that the reason Wei Zhe called him here this time was actually to help Wei's family run a new business - selling salted fish.

Don’t laugh, Wei Zhe is serious this time!
Don’t underestimate this small salted fish. It is really a big business for the Wei family in Houcheng.

You should know that the reason why Qi State became extremely rich during the Spring and Autumn Period was because of its fish and salt resources.

When "fish" and "salt" are put together, isn't that "salted fish"?

Therefore, without a certain level of strength, ordinary powerful people cannot intervene in this business.

Not to mention that Xuantu County only has six counties, namely Goguryeo, Xigaima, Shangyintai, Gaoxian, Houcheng, and Liaoyang, and its population is even smaller than that of Lelang County.

In the past, the Wei family was a small powerful family in Houcheng County, but now it has become the largest family in Houcheng.

Yes, Houcheng County is so poor that it has never produced any decent officials.

Even though Wei Zhe is only a county magistrate at the moment, his family is already considered to have a profound foundation in Houcheng County.

The reason was simple: the six counties of Xuanchu had a total of just over 10,000 households and a population of over 40,000 people. As for Houcheng County, there were fewer than 2,000 households and only over 7,000 people.

Today, Daifang County is almost the same size as Xuantu County in terms of population and area.

Even at the moment, the resources that the Xuantu County Governor can mobilize may not be as many as Wei Zhe, the leader.

Under such circumstances, the Houcheng Wei family is now qualified to get involved in industries that they were not qualified to enter in the past.

Of course, this level of strength is nothing in Liaodong County.

Not to mention that Houcheng County is located in the hinterland of Liaodong, and there is no large salt mine lake at all.

It was only because Wei Zhe was in charge of Daifang County that he had this privilege; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to intervene. "The bigger the better?"

On the other side, Wei Muhua chewed over this sentence several times, and suddenly something came to her mind. She thought of the boatloads of refugees transported to Daifang County. Her husband probably still wanted to live a little longer.

Wei Zhe knew he understood when he saw this, and nodded immediately, "Don't worry about manpower. Qingzhou is full of refugees now. As long as you can afford it, I can transport as many as you want!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Muhua immediately said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, my dear, I know what to do!"

Isn’t it just about expanding the scale? It’s simple. Just protect your capital and make profits, and seek cooperation with companies in Liaodong.

This will not only meet Wei Zhe's requirements, but also allow the Houcheng Wei family to enter smoothly.

Thinking of this, Wei Muhua quickly got busy among the islands near Haiming County.

However, what he didn't know was that feeding more refugees was only Wei Zhe's first intention.

The Wei family of Houcheng is still too weak, not to mention in Liaodong County, even in Xuantu County it is nothing.

However, if Wei Zhe's plan goes smoothly this time, relying on the benefits of fish and salt, the Wei family of Houcheng may be able to play an important role in Xuantu County.

There was no way. The existence of the Three Mutual Law made it impossible for Wei Zhe to serve as an official in Xuantu County.

Faced with this situation, Wei Zhe could only save the country in a roundabout way.

In fact, he had another hidden thought in his heart, but he himself didn't want to admit it.

After all, Guan had helped him with all her might, and it was a bit unreasonable that he had already started to be on guard against her before he had even reciprocated.

But whether Wei Zhe wanted to admit it or not, he had indeed done it.

Because he didn't want all the naval commanders to be Guan's disciples when he raised his troops in the future, and the sea would be full of Guan's private army.

……

Let’s not talk about how Daifang County attracts investment.

After Guan Xiu led the caravan out of the border, he went directly to the nearest Mahan.

Although Mahan was formed by the mixed residence of the Xianbei people who migrated eastward in ancient times and the local Niaoyi people, they did not form any national consensus at the beginning, but instead had many tribes.

It was not until Emperor Gaozu of the Former Han Dynasty established the Han Dynasty that King Lu Wan of Yan failed in his rebellion and had to flee to the Xiongnu area. The Yan general Wei Man also went into exile.

However, he did not follow King Lu Wan of Yan to the Xiongnu. Instead, he gathered more than a thousand close confidants and fled eastward from the border, crossed the Pei River, and defected to Gojoseon of Goji.

At that time, the Gojoseon monarch Gojoseon had the habit of taking in fugitives from China, so he let Wei Man live with his subordinates in the western border of Korea and recruit fugitives from the Central Plains to serve as a vassal state for Korea.

Ji Jun even appointed Wei Man as a doctor, gave him a ceremonial vessel, Gui, and granted Wei Man the hundreds of miles of land in the "Shangxiazhang" area, which was a vacant area in the west of Jizi's Korea and was formerly the Qin State, so that Wei Man could guard the western border of Jizi's Korea.

Ji Zhun originally thought that since he valued Wei Man so much, he would repay him with his death.

However, he did not expect that as more and more fugitives from the Central Plains were recruited, Wei Man's strength became stronger and stronger. In the end, he even decided to turn the tables and successfully destroyed the Gojoseon and established the Weijoseon.

As for King Jijun of Joseon, after his country was defeated, he fled to Haedong with thousands of his followers.

At that time, Mahan was still a group of tribes coexisting, so it was easily conquered by the helpless Jijun. In the following ten years, he unified the three Han territories and Jijun proclaimed himself the King of Han.

Thus, Gijun, the last monarch of Gija Joseon, became the founding monarch of the Three Han States.

However, Ji Jun's followers were too few after all. Therefore, after Ji Jun's death, the three Han tribes rebelled against each other, destroyed Ji Jun's descendants, and then competed for the title of King of Han.

It was during this process that the three major tribal alliances of Mahan, Byeonhan and Jinhan were finally formed.

Among them, Mahan was the strongest, so Mahan often acted as the King of Han and bossed Jinhan and Byeonhan around.

It is precisely because of this that Guan Xiu decided to make Ma Han the first trading target.

After all, the Mahan people also know how to farm, raise silkworms, and weave cotton and cloth.

However, not long after entering the territory of Mahan, Guan Xiu saw a middle-aged man running around tiredly in a farmland outside a village, driving away birds and cursing from time to time.

Hearing that he was not Korean, Guan Xiu summoned him.

"Are you also Han Chinese?"

Seeing that Guan Xiu and his group were so numerous and powerful, the man did not dare to offend them and immediately said honestly, "My name is Hou Kai, and I am indeed a Han Chinese. I am originally from Daifang County."

Guan Xiu couldn't help but look surprised when he heard this, and immediately became more curious, so he asked the reason.

Hearing Guan Xiu's words, the man's face immediately showed sorrow. He said, "We were originally tenant farmers in Shitan Township. Unfortunately, we were captured by the Ma Han invaders. Three hundred of our fellow villagers had their hair cut off and became slaves. It's been five years now!"

In fact, many people from the Mahan tribes were border residents of Lelang County.

It’s just that some people could not survive and fled to Mahan on their own initiative, while others were abducted.

Seeing this, Guan Xiu couldn't help but have an idea, and immediately found the owner of the house to redeem Hou Kai.

It wasn't that he suddenly felt kind-hearted, but he was thinking that this person had been in Mahan for five years after all, and he should know Mahan better than outsiders.

Facts have proved that Guan Xiu's move was indeed very wise.

……

That night, Guan Xiu did not rush to travel, but set up camp on the spot and asked Hou Kai about the situation in detail.

As a result of receiving such great kindness, Hou Kai naturally told him everything he knew.

"This place is called Baekje, and traveling caravans sometimes refer to it as Baekje." Hou Kai grumbled, "Mahan is different from China. The people here, regardless of their status, are all arrogant."

"It is said that the Mahan originally did not know what a country or a state was. However, after King Gijun of Han passed away, the three Han states realized the greatness of their country and began to compete with each other to claim to be the ruler of the country. Over time, they became accustomed to calling their tribes their countries."

Guan Xiu suddenly understood what was going on when he heard this.

Although he had seen these names in the county temple archives before, he knew the names but not the reasons. In fact, when he first saw them, he really thought that the Three Kingdoms of Korea were like the Spring and Autumn Period of China, with many countries coexisting and prospering for a time.

Now, after hearing this, he immediately gained a deeper understanding of the character of Koreans.

Thinking of this, Guan Xiu immediately asked curiously, "What is the origin of this Boji tribe?"

"This humble man doesn't know anything. He only knows that King Boji has always disliked King Mahan." Hou Kai thought for a moment and added, "I heard that King Mahan has tried to replace King Boji several times, but has never been able to do so."

Hearing him say this, Guan Xiu's eyes suddenly lit up.

Isn't this the best deal?
However, Hou Kai did not provide any valuable information afterwards, and only talked about the general customs and culture of the Mahan area.

For example, each village here has a leader in charge, just like the chief of a Hu tribe.

Among them, the largest village was called "Chenzhi", followed by "Xiance", then "Fanwei" and "Shaxi", and the smallest was "Yijie".

After hearing these names, Guan Xiu shook his head speechlessly.

It is true that a small temple is full of evil spirits, and a shallow pond is full of turtles...

(End of this chapter)