[Southern Song Dynasty] Splendid mountains and rivers

Empress Roufu?

——she messed up again.

Zhong Yi pondered for a moment, and his handsome eyebrows frowned slightly.It's not that they don't know her calm and decisive personality, nor do they know her style of acting.But amidst the wind and sand all over the sky, in the deepest part of the vast Gobi, she unexpectedly broke in so boldly.

——Oh, she has a very wonderful portable fairy house.

——But even the immortal Lao Tzu has to weigh the thickness of the wind and sand.

He covered his mouth and nose, and said in a low voice: "It's windy and sandy today, a few people, come with me."

The five personal guards in black and black armor, together with Zhong Yi himself, a total of six people and six horsemen, went up to the direction where Roufu Diji came.

He hadn't seen Di Ji for a long time, and he missed her very much, but he couldn't help but want to blame her for her recklessness.When he really saw a white horse riding in the Wanli Gobi Desert, and a girl in silver armor on the horse, the words of thousands of thoughts and reproaches were stuck in his throat and he couldn't utter a word, only sighed softly under her clear eyes. Tone: "Di Ji has worked hard all the way."

The girl looked at him from the outside, a smile gradually settled in her clear pupils.

"Is the general blaming me?"

"I...don't dare."

"...Well, here we come again."

"..."

"The general must be blaming me for being reckless." The girl smiled softly, stretched out her hand to hold his body, slowly turned the horse's head to get close to his body, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "This time , I have obeyed a secret decree."

Zhong Yi was surprised.

"Brother Huang told me that it is best to change the emperor of Xixia Kingdom."

"The official means..."

"Brother Huang, what do you mean is that your own people are the only ones who can handle things?" Zhao Yuan smiled, walked away a little, pointed to a small group of Song soldiers behind him and said, "They are the most powerful businessmen." They specialize in doing business for the royal family. red top businessman.

Of course, in this era, the title of "red-top businessman" has not yet appeared, but the meaning is still the same.Every royal family has a group of businessmen who are loyal to them. They hold the seal of the royal family and buy them all over the country, and they also fill their pockets by the way.In the past, these things were all left to the eunuchs. After Zhao Yuan gave Zhao Huan the wind twice, Zhao Huan dismissed such eunuch positions and used bidding instead.As for the pricing method...Zhao Yuan worked a little harder and handled it all by himself.

"Let's talk while walking, okay?" Zhao Yuan said softly.

Zhong Yi had previously ordered to set up camp on the spot, and now he could see a few wisps of cooking smoke under the setting sun from a distance.The two walked towards the camp one after the other, followed by the silent black-armored sergeant and the restless Song Dynasty caravan, and some murmurs of conversation could be faintly heard.

"The west and north sides of the Xixia Kingdom are neighbors, and the southwest is the Wanli Plateau. Only the east is left with some fertile land with water and grass. But these were taken bit by bit by the party members of the previous dynasty. Xixia , has always been barren."

Zhong Yi gave a low "hmm".

Xixia Kingdom, he is more familiar with her than her.But Zhao Yuan suddenly became so chatty and rambling, she must have a reason.

"So the only fertile areas are the Hetao Plain, Yinshan Mountain, Qilian Mountain, and Yumen Pass. Outside of Yumen Pass, you can't see it anymore. It's a pity that even this area is... the founding monarch of Xixia, but the traitor is a traitor. Played to the max."

Zhao Yuan let out a long breath, and his voice gradually became hoarse: "However, for such a landlocked country, three sides are barren, and the only side has the soldiers of the Song Dynasty on it, it must be quite nervous. Well, I heard that there is a huge salt lake in their country."

Zhong Yi instantly understood her intention.

There is indeed a salt lake in Xixia.

It is said that half of the salt eaten by the Xixia Kingdom was transported from the Song Dynasty, and half was dug out from the salt lake.

If the two most important salt roads in Xixia Kingdom get stuck...

Zhong Yi's face gradually turned pale, and his breathing became slightly short of breath.A sharp edge gradually appeared in the deep, ink-like eyes.He tilted his head and glanced at Zhao Yuan, she was still looking at the sunset with a peaceful face, holding the rein in her plain hand, glowing like white jade.

Really, terrible.

Xixia Kingdom, Salt Lake, and Salt Road, a war that saw no smoke but no blood, once again there was no blood.

It's really fortunate... Fortunately, Zhao Yuan was born in the Song Dynasty, and she is the supreme Roufu Empress of the Song Dynasty.

"Yuan Yuan." He said softly.

"Do you need my help?"

"Huh?" Zhao Yuan looked back at him, a little puzzled, but also a little funny, "Aren't you busy delivering orders to the officials?"

He came back to his senses in an instant, his breathing gradually became calmer, and he also smiled gently: "Well, I forgot, it really deserves death."

Zhao Yuan lightly tapped the armor on his chest, and sighed helplessly, "You..."

She turned her head to look at the setting sun sinking into the horizon, and continued: "Actually, as long as we control that big lake, we will be half successful. Do you know that the salt that flows into the Xixia Kingdom in the black market is not even a tenth of the market share?" One. Eh, wait, 'market share'? ... Well, you probably don't understand that word. I mean, this time, I took a lot of confidence."

Zhong Yi listened quietly, without speaking.

"Then, I'll be waiting for you at Qinghai Lake, come and pick me up."

Zhong Yi still didn't speak.

In fact, he has many doubts in his mind, such as whether the legendary salt lake is really that big; for example, Zhao Yuan went deep into the Gobi, and what methods he will use to control the salt and salt production; for example...

But he remembers the wealth and splendor of the ancient Silk Road, remembers the time and time again Xixia and Song met each other, and remembers...

"Okay." He looked down at her, his voice was low and hoarse, "I remember what you said to me."

——Hands, revenge.

Zhao Yuan smiled and nodded.

The two slept overnight in the simple camp, and parted ways the next day.Zhao Yuan took her small group of Song troops westward, while Zhong Yi had to return to Bianjing to deliver the order.He looked at the small group of so-called "Song Army" from a distance, dragging their heavy steps one by one, marching at an extremely slow speed, and he knew it was fake at a glance.

"You guys go up and follow Di Ji, you can't teach her to discover."

"If you encounter danger, just warn Di Ji."

"Remember, leave a mark along the way." After he finishes the business at hand, he will go to see the huge salt lake in person, and Di Ji, his future wife, who is shining like the sun beside the salt lake.

Twenty or so black-armored sergeants immediately rode forward and disappeared in an instant.

Zhong Yi turned his horse's head, feeling a little heavy.

"Walk."

------

Zhao Yuan's idea of ​​Qinghai Lake has a long history.

In this ancient era, salt and iron were the most powerful "war preparation materials", which were beyond the control of the imperial court.The Song Dynasty generally ate sea salt, which was dried from the Jiaodong Peninsula or Huaiyang area, ground into salt fields, and shipped to all parts of the country in baskets.But for the military stronghold in the northwest, the transportation cost is still too...too high.

She dared to bet that even the Xixia Kingdom itself didn't know where the peak of Qinghai Lake's salt production was.

Not only does she want to take the entire Qinghai Lake into her pocket, she also wants to use salt to control the entire Northwest.

After all, this place is the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia in later generations, including half of Shaanxi... that's all.

To control salt, we must first control the place where the salt is produced.

Secondly, it is the main way to control circulation and transshipment.

She has considered all possible situations.The merchants brought over from the Song Dynasty were said to be imperial merchants, but they were actually merchants selected from the army, and there were also some bold Hu merchants.She is not afraid to use outsiders. Anyway, for a businessman, profit is everything.As long as they share some of Qinghai Lake's astonishing salt profits, they will obey her obediently.

For example, when will the salt come out and when will the salt channel be opened.

For example, when to raise the price and when to dump at a lower price.

such as……

She led the caravan slowly to the deepest part of the Gobi, and smelled some wet and salty breath among the large expanse of highland barley.Some merchants started howling, while others' eyes were red, and they beat the camels under their crotches desperately.A vast expanse of white salt lake was right in front of him, and the merchants had already started to do it without her ordering.

It is said that a profit of [-]% is enough to make businessmen work hard for it.

Such a large salt lake, such white salt fields, such convenient salt roads and distances... People are actually very smart, especially businessmen immersed in the native culture of the Song Dynasty.They quickly became friends with Xixia soldiers guarding the salt fields, paid enough protection fees, and then started mining salt.

Qinghai Lake is very large, big enough to be called Qinghai "sea".

More than 2000 years later, there is still an almost endless supply of salt.

but!

The land here is also salty.

Zhao Yuan is actually very clear about the concept of saline-alkali land.

Therefore, apart from the salt farmers who collect salt, there are actually no people left here.Even if there were a few Xixia soldiers, most of them were protecting the Yandao.Therefore, here, water and food are the most important things.

so...

Before Zhao Yuan came to Qinghai Lake, it filled a whole space with clean water and food.

However, she was in no hurry.

She understands the truth that rare things are more valuable than anyone else.

There are many things that the salt farmers don't understand, the merchants don't understand, and the Xixia soldiers don't understand either.

For example, Zhao Yuan brought gold that would not be used up in 1000 years, and came to buy salt.

For example, a piece of rock salt can be sold for one guan in the Xixia Kingdom, and two guan in the Song Dynasty, and the cost may only be a few tens of cash.But what if, by the lakeside of Qinghai, there is someone who takes advantage of it and is willing to pay the price of three guan to buy it?

A fool wouldn't sell it to her! ! !