Ximen Hao shook his head with a smile and said: "Sir, of the one hundred thousand taels of silver, 50,000 taels came from my Ximen family, and the other 50,000 taels were collected by five merchants from Youzhou. They didn't think about it.

Take back this money, if I pay it back to them, I’m afraid I’ll still get scolded.”

"Get scolded?" Qin Xiao said in surprise: "How do you say this?"

Ximen Hao said: "Sir, I told you not to blame me."

"Sir, it's okay to say so." Qin Xiao laughed.

"Actually, this is what happened." Ximen Hao said: "After I arrived in Youzhou, I collected 50,000 taels of cash. However, time was tight and it was not easy to collect 100,000 taels of cash, so I found a few people.

The merchants who are friends with my Ximen family. When doing business with the north, the Ximen family always prepares a large amount of silk, tea and medicinal materials, and rarely prepares such a large sum of cash. They were very strange and asked why, so naturally I couldn't do anything with them.

I told the truth, but I thought that Sir Alex intended to open a trading center in Montenegro, so I mentioned it."

"Oh?" Qin Xiao said with a smile: "They are very interested?"

Ximen Hao nodded and said: "That's natural. They all know that the Fucheng Trade Center in the Northeast is booming, but the benefits are all obtained by the Eighteenth Street in the north and the Liaodong Army behind them. Once the Black Mountain Trade Center is opened, they all think that Sir

They must have the same kind of goods labels as the Fucheng Trade Center here. As long as they get the goods labels, they won't have to worry about running out of business. So after they learned about Sir Alex's plan, they were very active in collecting money. They hoped that after the trade center was opened, they could

Give them a tag."

Qin Xiao said with a smile: "Businessmen are indispensable when starting a trading place. Without the participation of merchants, the trading place cannot prosper. If they can participate, they would naturally want it. However, the Heishan Trading Center will not engage in goods branding, except for

I promise that my husband can exclusively handle one type of goods, and other goods will not be handed over to any one trading house for exclusive use, so that everyone can trade freely in the trade market, and whoever's goods are of high quality and low price can gain a foothold in the Black Mountain Trade Center."

"Free trade, just these four words, is enough to bring an endless stream of merchants from all over the world." Ximen Hao said with a smile: "Those families in Youzhou said that they would build a trade center and it would cost a lot of money. What they meant was that these tens of thousands

Even if the two taels of silver are used to help the Lord open a trading place, the Lord does not need to return my fifty thousand taels of silver to me to use it to build a trading place."

Qin Xiao thought for a moment and then said: "Sir, take all the one hundred thousand taels of silver back and pay back what is due to them. You have helped me a lot this time, and I absolutely cannot accept this money." After a pause.

After a pause, he said: "It is imperative to open a trade center. No matter how difficult it is, I will persevere to the end. However, I know nothing about business and trade, and I don't know how to start building a trade center. My husband is a senior businessman.

, he also has a wide network of contacts in the business world, I mean, could you please sir, take charge of the preparations for the establishment of the trading center?"

"I?"

"That's right." Qin Xiao said with a smile: "The official silver was robbed in Yingzui Gorge. I wrote a document and presented it directly to the saint. In addition to informing the saint about the Yingzui Gorge robbery, the document also invited several petitions.

Among other things, one of them is to open a trading center in Heishan. Now the Arms Department needs Jiangnan Family to supply it every year. This will not only put too much pressure on Jiangnan Family, but also the distance is long. Military supplies can only be transported from Jiangnan to outside the customs every year.

, it’s a big expense on the way, and it’s okay if nothing happens. If a silver robbery incident like Yingzui Gorge happens again, Long Ruijun’s logistics will face difficulties. If a trading center is opened in Heishan, with the taxes of the Black Mountain trading center,

To solve part of Long Ruijun’s logistical problems, this is not a bad thing for Long Ruijun and the court.”

Ximen Hao smiled and said: "Sir, with all due respect, if the Black Mountain Trading Center is really established, and the taxes from the trading center can support the logistics and salary of tens of thousands of troops, it will not be a problem."

"I understand, but a crying child has milk to feed. I can't tell the court what's going on and tell them that Long Ruijun's military salary will be settled directly by the trade field." Qin Xiao chuckled and said, "Although I'm not sure, the saint knows

If you accept my advice, you should support the Heishan Trading Center. As long as the saint has a decree, the Ministry of Revenue cannot stop it." After thinking for a while, he said: "Sir, he said before that for the successful opening of the Heishan Trading Center, two problems need to be solved.

, one is trade, and the other is taxation. Sir, I have also seen the problem of trade, and I am already solving it. As for taxation, I will also ask the Duhufu to control it and directly take the taxation power of the Black Mountain Trade Center into my hands.

"

"Can the Governor's Office agree?"

"Of course I won't agree." Qin Xiao sneered: "But as long as the saint really agrees to open a trading center in Montenegro, the tax problem can be solved. Sir, if you think about it carefully, after the saint sees my discount, he will definitely find someone to find out.

The trade situation in the Northeast. She will naturally also know that the trade in the Northeast is now controlled by the Liaodong Army's Fucheng Trading Ground. The Fucheng Trading Ground is a cash cow for the Liaodong Army. If the saint wants to condone the Liaodong Army, he will naturally not allow us

We opened the Heishan Trade Center to grab the business of Fucheng, but as long as the Saint allows the opening of the Heishan Trade Center, it means that the Saint hopes to use our hands to cut down the tree in Fucheng."

Ximen Hao nodded and said: "Not bad."

"In this case, if the saint allows the existence of Heishan Trading Ground, he will not let the Protectorate continue to manage Heishan Trading Place, and will definitely set up another government office to manage the taxes of Heishan Trading Place." Qin Xiao smiled lightly: "Since the imperial court can

If there is a separate Arms Department in the Northeast, it is natural to send personnel from the Ministry of Household Affairs to the Northeast to set up a separate yamen to manage the Heishan Trading Ground. The Liaodong Army is just a troop to guard the four counties in the Northeast. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, it has no right to interfere.

Local taxes, and taxes on the trading ground, according to the laws of the empire, should be managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, so the Ministry of Household Affairs really wants to send people to manage the Black Mountain Trading Ground. The Liaodong Army will either directly rebel, or they can only dare to be angry.

Dare to speak."

Ximen Hao suddenly realized it and said with a smile: "Your Majesty's move is really clever. As long as Montenegro is not under the control of the Liaodong Army, the Liaodong Army can't do anything to intervene."

"I have reported all these situations to the saint in detail in the book." Qin Xiaodao: "So how exactly will it develop? We will know clearly only when the saint's decree comes down." He sighed: "If the saint does not allow the establishment of the Black Mountain Trade

In the field, Long Rui Army is not allowed to be stationed in Guangning City. Then all my previous judgments were wrong. The Saint has no intention of using Long Rui Army to check and balance the Liaodong Army. If this is the case, there is no need for Long Rui Army to continue to stay.

Northeast, I will directly submit my resignation to the court."

Ximen Hao nodded slightly and wanted to say something, but did not say it.

"But if the will is the opposite, then Long Rui's army must strengthen its strength in the northeast." Qin Xiao said with a smile: "The Liaodong Army wanted to cut off our logistics and force Long Rui's army to retreat to the pass or even collapse on the spot, but we took this opportunity

, garrisoned directly in Guangning City."

Ximen Hao said: "Your Majesty has no intention of withdrawing from Guangning?"

"Controlling Guangning City without bloodshed was beyond the imagination of the Liaodong Army, and even less so the imperial court." Qin Xiaoping said calmly: "Sir, he said that in order for the Heishan Trade Center to prosper, it is necessary to ensure smooth trade routes, and Liaoxi County is the necessary link from the pass to Heishan.

If we can't control Liaoxi via the road, the Heishan Trade Center is just a castle in the air. The governors and lieutenants of Liaoxi County all participated in the rebellion. We just took this opportunity to cleanse Liaoxi County. We have worked hard to create such an opportunity. If the court misses it...

...!" After a pause, he smiled coldly, but said nothing.

Ximen Hao thought for a moment and then said: "Sir, there is something that a commoner like me should not say, but... I still have the guts to speak to Sir."

"Sir, it doesn't matter."

"Controlling Guangning City does not mean holding the entire Liaoxi County in your hands." Ximen Hao said solemnly: "Liaoxi County has thirteen counties under its jurisdiction. At least most of the officials in these thirteen counties are from the Liaodong Army. These

The county magistrates are either directly from the Liaodong Army, or have inextricable connections with the Liaodong Army. As long as there is an order from the Liaodong Army, these people will all be the Duke's opponents. The Duke must not look down on these county magistrates, so

For Huangquan not to go down to the county, there is an order from above, but it is these local officials who are responsible for the specific operations. They are all related to the local gentry. If these people join forces, even if the court sends someone to sit in the position of county governor, I am afraid the order will not be issued.

Guangning City.”

Qin Xiao nodded slightly. He knew very well that the Liaodong Army had been operating in the Northeast for hundreds of years. It was deeply rooted and had complicated relationships. It was by no means able to control the entire western Liaoning by occupying one Guangning city.

"Long Ruijun entered the city and won the hearts of the people. This is a good start." Ximen Hao said softly: "But it will not be easy to hold Western Liaoning in our hands next. The Duke said that the court will take this opportunity to cleanse Western Liaoning.

, but even if all the officials in the thirteen counties are really dismissed and a group of officials are sent from the imperial court to replace them, how can these officials control the counties in a short period of time? Moreover, the local wealthy families in western Liaoning will not be satisfied with the large number of officials sent by the imperial court.

I feel resentment in my heart. As long as these people don't cooperate, it will be very difficult to act in western Liaoning."

Qin Xiao frowned slightly. What Ximen Hao said was true. After all, the number of Long Rui's troops leaving the border was less than 10,000, and it was absolutely impossible to distribute these soldiers and horses to various counties. Northeastern people are still fierce and full of blood in their bones to intimidate others.

It is impossible to win the hearts and minds of the people. It will only cause the people in the Northeast to resent Long Ruijun, which is counterproductive.

"To govern western Liaoning, convince the people, and let the gentry in western Liaoning follow the Lord, there is only one way, and that is to use people from western Liaoning to govern western Liaoning." Ximen Hao said slowly: "After the imperial court really cleans up the Liaodong Army forces in western Liaoning, it will not

We should send people directly from the customs to fill the post. With all due respect, the best way is to promote a large number of officials from western Liaoning and let them help the Lord control western Liaoning."

Qin Xiaodao: "Promote officials from western Liaoning?"

"Sir, although the Liaodong Army is deeply rooted in the Northeast, not all Northeasterners are of the same mind as the Liaodong Army." Ximen Hao said with a smile: "As far as I know, there are far more people in the four northeastern counties who are hostile to the Liaodong Army.

Those who support them. Among the aristocratic families, common people, and even local armies in the four northeastern counties, there are countless people who are full of resentment towards the Liaodong Army. However, most people are afraid of the power of the Liaodong Army and dare not speak out. If the four northeastern counties

If you are truly convinced by the Liaodong Army, how can the Northeast be plagued by bandits everywhere?"

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Chapter completed!