Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 2673 A small problem

  No one expected that the one who brought new clues to Chengdu Ma Heng was not in Chengdu, but in Jiangzhou.

  Generally speaking, there are two passages from Jiangdong to Sichuan and Sichuan.

  One is a land route, the end point is Chengdu, and the other is a water route, the end point is Jiangzhou.

  The land route is relatively slow and is the first choice for small caravans and nearby places, while the water route is an important channel for large caravans or caravan alliances.

  Jiangzhou City, or Berkshire City.

  The current Jiangzhou City of Dahan has just begun to show a little enchanting demeanor.

  The rise of Jiangzhou is actually the rise of water transportation.

  Now Jiangzhou is expanding its city, and as Xu Huang's important station, he controls the transportation hub in eastern Sichuan, especially the waterway transportation.

  Jiangzhou City East Wharf is also expanding with the expansion of Jiangzhou City. The newly built dock goes deep into the river obliquely, and then cargo ships and sailors can load and unload directly from the dock, and then transport it to other places.

As a cargo transshipment hub, Jiangzhou's importance is gradually emerging. In the future, if not only communication between the east and the west, but also the north-south channel is opened, in this Jiangzhou city, apart from the caravans going to Jiangdong, you may also see Southern Cochin, and even poisoned caravans...

At that time, Sichuan and Shu can have two centers. On the one hand, Chengdu, as an important farming base and grain production center, tends to be cultural and political; At the same time, you can also train mountain soldiers and water troops.

  During the Three Kingdoms period, Shuhan and Soochow had frequent contacts, and they traveled to Chaisang through Jiangzhou. In history, the silk of the Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms was an indispensable high-end luxury in Soochow, and the isinglass lacquer ware of Soochow, especially copper and iron ore, was also lacking in Sichuan and Shu.

  The trade routes of the Three Kingdoms were not established after Zhuge Liang arrived in central Sichuan, so the current trade routes in Jiangzhou were not created only after Zhuge came to Sichuan and Shu, but existed before, and now they are just standardized.

  After Zhuo Wangsun had a bear child, he gradually declined.

  The bear boy is not only cheating, but also ruining the family's reputation, and if the name is ruined, many things will gradually be ruined. Zhuo Wenjun felt that he was chasing love, but he didn't expect that he was just moved by himself. Then Zhuo Wangsun finally compromised no matter how fiercely he scolded, but Zhuo Wenjun felt that he did not compromise. The laughing stock of the Shu business community, when the Zhuo family is mentioned, everyone will say "oh", saying that it is the Zhuo family...

  Elopement is always the stupidest move.

   Zhuo Wenjun paid the price for his elopement, and Zhuo Wangsun also paid the price for his daughter's elopement, and even the Zhuo family paid the price.

   And these prices are the price that Zhuo Wenjun said that I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I want love.

  Love brain, very scary.

   This is a disease.

   Not only Zhuo Wenjun, but even descendants with more information and knowledge, many people still suffer from this disease. Don’t you see that in many media, multinational CEOs only want to fall in love, and special forces kings only want to fall in love? Even special occupations such as firefighters, forensic medicine, anti-narcotics, and police officers think about falling in love every day when they are full. That pentagram relationship, because the love triangle is out. For the love brain, not only abuse, but also corruption, abuse and corruption can stimulate the G-spot.

Perhaps Zhuo Wenjun will still insist that she has no regrets when she dies in old age, but for the descendants of the Zhuo family, Zhuo Liang, if he can see Zhuo Wenjun, regardless of his seniority, he also wants to point at Zhuo Wenjun nose cursed.

  Don't dare to do it. After all, you are an elder, but you will definitely scold him, even if you don't scold in person, you will scold secretly behind your back.

  Back then, Zhuo Wangsun was the leader of the wealthy in Sichuan and Shu, and was in the top position.

   And now?

  The current overall asset size of the Zhuo family is even second-rate.

  If Zhuo Liang hadn't seen the opportunity earlier and went to Chang'an early to worship under the skirt of the Hussar General, it would be impossible for the Zhuo family to squeeze in even the second-rate.

What? Sichuan first-class?

   First class is gone...

  Before the hussars came, the Wu family was first-class, but now, many aspects of the Wu family have been reduced, just like the Zhuo Wangsun of the Western Han Dynasty.

   Zhuo Wangsun used to control the iron smelting in Sichuan and Shu, and was known as "a country that is as rich as an enemy".

  Since it is an "enemy country", what will be the consequences?

  Became Zhuo Wangsun of the "enemy country", his descendants were corrupted. Obviously, for the Great Han Dynasty, it is okay to allow Zhuo Wangsun to be rich for one generation, and then the second generation, but at most three generations. If you want to be rich for three generations, then you must attack Zhuo Wangsun's son and daughter without showing any trace.

  Although the history books do not record how extravagant Zhuo Wangsun's sons were, flying eagles and running dogs, and sensuality, Sima Xiangru undoubtedly succeeded in ruining a wonderful move by Zhuo's heirs.

Zhuo Wenjun thought that she had met love, but she never thought about where her multi-talented talents came from, and who gave her rich clothes and food. She enjoyed Zhuo's wealth, but in the end she did not complete her The mission to attract the golden phoenix for the Zhuo family, but ran away with the black crow.

   Therefore, Zhuo Liang of the Zhuo family seems very difficult at the moment. He laughed with everyone, with everyone, like a dog wagging its tail twice at everyone. He has to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity to grow bigger, and in the process of growing bigger, he must carefully maintain the relationship with the surroundings, and then try to restore the previous glory of the Zhuo family little by little.

Even if Zhuo Liang had some understanding in his heart, he knew that the Zhuo family would never be able to return to its original appearance after getting out of Zhuo Wenjun's love brain, because the iron smelting industry in Sichuan and Shu no longer belonged to the Zhuo family, and it will never be. It may belong to the Zhuo family.

  The metallurgical industry no longer belongs to anyone in Sichuan and Shu, and it is impossible to belong to a certain family.

  Now, Zhuo Liang can only think about taking advantage of the opportunity of Jiangzhou becoming a new center to expand the water transportation.

  Water transport industry, this is a brand-new development space, and there are no rivals.

   But the problem is that the initial investment in this industry is not small.

   It doesn’t matter if you need ships or sailors. You need to have a certain relationship with the tools for transshipment, point-to-point routes, and a series of checkpoints.

   Fortunately, Zhuo Liang had at least a good start. He didn't dare to compete with the Cui family and the Zhen family for any big business route. He just guarded a business route from Sichuan to Jiangdong, and no one would **** it right now.

   There are about 20 or 30 Liang merchant ships moored at the ferry. Two flags are hung on each ship, one symbolizes the flag of the Hussars, and the other is the flag of the Zhuo Company. The flag representing the hussars belonged to the top of the mast, and the flag of the Zhuo family was inserted obliquely on the side of the hull.

   Although the number is not small, the ships are not large.

  Zhuo Liang’s distress is also here. The big ship obviously loads more cargo and has better benefits, but the investment is naturally more, and the construction time is longer. But with only small boats, it is obviously not enough to establish water transportation channels. If your own transportation capacity is insufficient, don't blame others for reaching in.

  『Master Zhuo! Is shopkeeper Zhuo here? 』

   Someone shouted on the pier.

Hearing the sound, Zhuo Liang responded first, then stepped out of the cabin to have a look, and immediately took a few steps forward without using a plank, and jumped onto the pier. Zhuge engaged. I don't know what I've been doing so far, I'm sorry for my mistakes, forgive me! 』

  Zhuge Liang returned the half salute, then looked around, "Master Zhuo, the fleet is okay...but it's about to set off? 』

Although Zhuo Liang didn't know why Zhuge Liang came here, he still said honestly: "We are about to leave, but... there is still a batch of spices waiting to enter the cabin... It is scheduled to arrive tonight. If there is no accident, we will leave tomorrow... 』

  Zhuge Dianliang nodded, and asked again: "Is the spice purchased by your people, Shopkeeper Zhuo?" 』

  Zhuo Liang smiled honestly, "It's a joke for Zhuge to engage in business. I'm so cheap... The spices are from Li's business, but I just took my boat to Jiangdong..."

  Zhuge Liang waved his hand, "I wonder if I can sit on the boat of shopkeeper Zhuo?" 』

  Zhuo Liang quickly extended his hand to invite, "It's an honor for me!" Please, this way please! Be careful...'

   Turning his head, Zhuo Liang hurriedly shouted at the boat again: "I'm going to stop the boat with my head, don't shake it!" 』

  An old voice on the boat responded, and then someone walked to the stern, stretched out bamboo poles from left and right to support the boat, and someone quickly put the board on the bow on the pier.

   Zhuge Liang boarded the boat steadily.

   Zhuo Liang followed behind.

  Zhuo Liang’s ship is a medium-sized, flat-bottomed merchant ship, and it has three floors including the cabins. The cargo is placed in the cabin, and then the first floor can be used for cargo and people, but the accommodation conditions are very general. The upper floor, that is, the top floor, is very small, with only four rooms. Zhuo Liang lives in one, and the other one is used as a hall to meet guests. The remaining two rooms are usually vacant unless there are some important guests.

   Zhuge Liang went to the cabin first.

  The cabin is dark, and for fire prevention, there are few lights inside, plus all kinds of goods are piled up in it on weekdays, and there are sailor coolies living in it, so there are all kinds of smells.

  Zhuo Liang looked at Zhuge Liang worriedly, but saw that Zhuge Liang looked normal, as if he didn't smell any bad smell.

  Zhuge Liang looked at the goods in the cabin, and then went to the upper floor, and turned around, as if looking at it casually.

  After reaching Zhuo Liang’s small room for guests on the top floor, Zhuge Liang asked, “Master Zhuo, do all these goods belong to you?” 』

  Zhuo Liang replied: "Only a small half of the report belongs to me, and the rest belong to several other merchants." 』

  The Zhuo family is no longer what it used to be. In order to form such a fleet, Zhuo Liang even needs to go to Chengdu to find someone in person, and then invite others to buy and ship together to obtain greater benefits.

  『Chengdu’s Li’s Firm... Will someone follow you to Jiangdong? ’ Zhuge Liang asked again.

  Zhuo Liang was stunned for a moment, nodded and said, "That's right, they were together. 』

  Zhuge Liang's expression remained unchanged, he nodded and said, "How many people are there?" 』

  『Work plus guards, usually seven or eight people. ’ Zhuo Liang replied.

   Spices don't take up much space, but they are expensive, so not only do you need work, but also guards.

  Zhuge Liang nodded again, and then said, "The people waiting for Li's business came today. You can find an excuse to delay your departure for two or three days...the official document is not ready..."

  『The official document is not ready yet? Delay for two or three days? Zhuo Liang took a breath, then nodded and said, "No problem! 』

  From Sichuan to Jiangdong, the advantage of the waterway is not only that it can transport a large amount of goods, but also lowers the cost. More importantly, the checkpoints on the waterway are much less than those on the land...

  If it is the turn of spring and summer, it may rain at any time, causing the river to surge. Sometimes you have to rush for time, so sometimes you can’t delay. But for the moment, the river is basically stable, and there is not much difference between two days sooner or later.

  Generally speaking, no one will sail at the turn of spring and summer when the water is turbulent, and the danger is too great.

   Zhuge Liang smiled, "Good. In this way, shopkeeper Zhuo will not be disturbed. Remember, this matter must not be publicized. 』

  Zhuo Liang's heart trembled, and he quickly responded.

  Zhuge Liang bid farewell to Zhuo Liang and returned to Jiangzhou City.

  Xu Huang was in the government office hall, facing the Jiangzhou sand table, looking down, as if thinking about how to arrange it. Seeing Zhuge Liang coming back, he nodded, "How is Kong Ming's investigation?" 』

  Zhuge Liang said: "Ruoliang's prediction is not bad, this spice vendor must be mixed with Jiangdong spies..."

  Xu Huang stretched out his hand to invite Zhuge Liang to sit down, and then asked: "I would like to hear more about it." 』

  『Businessmen seek profit. Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice, "It's his nature to care about pennies and bahts." Spices from the Western Regions are relatively cheap, and they are expensive when transported to Chang’an, and they are even more expensive when transported to Sichuan and Sichuan from Chang’an... As for Nanzhong Cochin spices, although the price is slightly lower than that of the Western Regions, Nanzhong this year Spices haven't arrived yet...」

  Some things seem complicated, but when you meet smart people, especially Zhuge, they seem to be transparent.

  Zhuge Liang boarded the boat and wandered around, looking like he was watching flowers on horseback, but in fact he knew it well.

The goods in Zhuo Liang's ship basically belonged to Zhuo Liang. After all, he was on that ship, so if there was space in his own ship, the goods he transported would basically be placed under his nose. It will not be put on another ship.

  This is human nature.

  The other small boats, although Zhuge didn't look at them one by one, he could basically understand what cargo they were transporting.

  Like the goods on the Zhuoliang ship, they are some special products of Sichuan and Shu, such as bamboo paper, books, bamboo wares, silk, silk fans, tea bricks, etc., are all common items, and there are expensive ones, but the quantity is not many.

  Especially in the bottom warehouse, the smell is mixed, which is obviously not suitable for storing a large amount of spices. After all, if the spices lose their smell, the price will inevitably drop sharply, and the loss will not be a little bit. Therefore, it must only be placed on this floor of the deck, but there is not much space on this floor, so there must not be many spices transported at one time.

   It is also impossible to take expensive spices to other ships.

   When sailing on the river, big boats are obviously safer than small boats.

  Zhuge Liang just came back from Nanzhong, so he knows the situation of Nanzhong line very well.

  When he came back this time, Zhuge Liang mainly wanted to discuss with Xu Huang the situation of stationing in the Nanzhong Army Village.

Through the military camps, to control the main roads of Nanzhong, and then split the original Nanzhong to form smaller counties and counties, to control the powerful local forces, etc., undoubtedly need to be discussed in detail, not by any means. Something that can be done with a few letters.

   As for the matter of identifying spies, it was just that Zhuge Liang did it by the way when he heard about such a thing.

   By the way.

  Zhuge Liang knew very well that the spices from Nanzhong only travel once a year, and they arrive in Sichuan and Shu in late autumn, and then return to Jiaozhi from Sichuan and Shu. But now it's summer, and it's not yet late autumn, so the spices from Sichuan and Shu can only be brought from Chang'an.

   There was a caravan from Chang'an to Shandong. Starting from Chang'an, after leaving Heluo, the caravan heading to Shandong can be said to be flat, so the freight is actually not high. However, it took longer to transport spices to Sichuan and Shu, and then to Jiangdong by water, which was naturally more expensive.

   It is very abnormal to sacrifice the near for the far, and sacrifice the cheap for the expensive.

  So what is the purpose of abnormal business behavior?

  『Spices are precious, so there are guards. This guard... 』Zhuge Liang smiled, "It's just used as a cover... After all, the people who come forward are all people from the business, and the guards generally pay little attention to it..."

  Xu Huang nodded, glanced at Zhuge Liang, and seemed to want to say something, but he didn't say anything, just fell silent.

  Although Xu Huang felt that what Zhuge Liang said was indeed reasonable, he felt that there seemed to be some problems.

  Zhuge Liang seemed to be aware of Xu Huang's intentions, and continued to speak slowly, "Liang let the merchant ship at the dock delay for a while...Liang will try a little more, and you can see the difference..."

  Zhuge Liang was young, but things were handled seamlessly.

If it is an ordinary reckless person, if he has clues and doubts, he can directly open the game, but Zhuge Liang is different. He has to rule out some special circumstances, such as Jiangdong’s urgent need for spices, which cannot be purchased from Shandong. , so had to go by water, and under such circumstances, delaying for a few days would inevitably make the spice merchants anxious.

Normally, if an ordinary businessman has no ghosts in his heart, he will definitely scold Zhuo Liang when he hears that some official document has not been completed, and he will urge Zhuo Liang to complete it quickly, and he may even argue with Zhuo Liang because of it. Money lost due to delay or something...

   Even if they are brothers, do they have to settle accounts clearly?

   So this is normal businessman.

Irregular businessmen, knowing that the official documents are not completed, may wait with a guilty conscience, or even say nothing, and don't quarrel with Zhuo Liang. After all, their important thing is not to sell goods. If they quarrel with the caravan, they can't go by water. Then the land checkpoints will obviously make them more troublesome.

   At dusk, when Jiangzhou City was about to close, the people from Chengdu Li's Spice Trading Co., got stuck...

  (end of this chapter)