Li Longji was very happy after dealing with the matters in Jili Province. He talked about a few issues with the ministers before leaving with Gao Lishi while discussing what to eat for lunch.
The ministers who had not left looked at each other. The ministers led by Zhang Shuo had a heavy heart while the people led by Yuan Qianyao looked like they were watching a show.
They also knew that Zhang Shuo was in trouble. Once the recruitment of soldiers was ruined by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, not only would his credit be reduced, his power in the army would also be reduced.
Although what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did in Jili Province could not be imitated, with their abilities, they would definitely find a better way. There was no doubt about that.
With the method that they used now, the treatment of soldiers would probably be better in the future. Even if they died in battle, they would not have to worry about their families. It was much better than Zhang Shuo using money to buy lives.
Zhang Shuo knew that in his heart, but he could not say anything. If he could, he really wanted to use some tricks to deal with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
However, this thought could only be in his heart and could not be turned into actual action. First, no matter how much Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did, they were still children in terms of age. If he did anything to them, not to mention what the Emperor would do, the world would not let him go.
Of course, if it was only someone else who said it, he could hold it in. The most important thing was that if he did anything to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, it was very likely that he would be punished.
In the past, he wasn't clear about their personalities. But now, if he still didn't know, how could he be the Prime Minister? They had fought twice, and he had lost both times. With their vengeful personalities, if they really made a move, the most unbearable result would be a counterattack from them.
"Lord Zhang, if there is nothing else, we will be leaving." Yuan Qianyao was happy and said to Zhang Shuo with a smile on his face.
Zhang Shuo was in charge of the head of the secretariat. If there was anything, he could gather all the officials to discuss it. At this time, when he heard Yuan Qianyao's gloating words, he nodded twice with a gloomy face. He turned around and led the officials who followed him out.
Yuan Qianyao did not care about Zhang Shuo's attitude. Anyway, it was already like this. Zhang Jiazhen was removed from the prime minister position by Zhang Shuo. How could Zhang Shuo let others go? Didn't he want to be second only to one and above all?
Now, Zhang Shuo had new opponents, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Let's see if he still had the ability to take down the two of them.
"Daren, will Zhang Shuo use the mistakes of the Zhang and Wang families to attack them like he did to Prime Minister Zhang?"
Yu Wenrong originally wanted to leave with Li Longji, but when he saw Li Longji talking about eating, it was obvious that he didn't want to bring him along. He had no choice but to stay. Seeing Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao's different attitudes, he moved closer to Yuan Qianyao and asked.
"He dares? If you want to talk about the mistakes of the Zhang and Wang families, you can find a lot of them. They used their power for personal gain, colluded with the imperial family, overstepped their authority to question the case. Anyway, there are a lot of them. Even the clothes worn by Xiaobei and the others can be counted. But how could the current emperor not know? The emperor didn't say, and he also didn't let others say. If Zhang Shuo really dares to attack the Zhang and Wang families with these things, he is dead meat. "
Yuan Qianyao could casually mention the mistakes of the Zhang and Wang families, including Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's conscription in Jili Province. The two of them were not qualified to recruit 30,000 soldiers, let alone 100,000 soldiers in the future.
To others, it was a capital crime, but to the Zhang and Wang families, it had nothing to do with them.
Yu Wenrong was just asking. Hearing Yuan Qianyao's words, he felt comfortable in his heart. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could not be dealt with. Even if all the ministers in the imperial court worked together, it would still be useless. The emperor was waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to use economic means to attack others.
Then, Yuan Qianyao said a few more words, and the two separated and went back to their own families.
After walking for a while, Zhang Shuo suddenly stopped and said to the people behind him who had different thoughts, "Governor Zhang and Adjunct Wang are working in Jili Province. You have to help more. That is for the sake of the Tang Empire. You have to know that there are Khitans and Xinluo there. The situation is not so optimistic. If you can help, don't back down."
When everyone heard this, they understood. He was telling them that although Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were doing well there, when they offended the interests of Xinluo and Khitans, the two places would deal with them together. He was telling them not to stand on the wrong side.
This was also considered a threat. Some people were immediately frightened by Zhang Shuo's words, while others began to oppose Zhang Shuo from the bottom of their hearts. As for scaring people?
If it was another official who went to Jili Province to be an official, he might not be able to resist Khitans and Xinluo and act cautiously. However, the people who went there were Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Would the two of them care?
The blood of the Tubo people had dried up, but the soil was still red. The Tubo people's spies had run away, and the Tubo people were still begging the Tang Empire to give them food.
Would Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan be afraid of Khitans and Xinluo? One was in charge of martial arts, leading the army to fight thousands of miles away and kill countless people. The other was in charge of money, commanding from a distance, and taking lives silently.
Who would dare to touch the two of them? Moreover, the new weapons had been shipped over. Although they had not seen the gunships before, if the two of them placed so much importance on it and transferred it over from Lu Zhou, it should not be bad.
Those who had such thoughts began to think about how to break free from Zhang Shuo's control.
Zhang Shuo did not know that his team was no longer as stable as before. He was still waiting for an opportunity, which was the Ascension Ceremony. At that time, his position would be even more stable.
*****
What the people in the capital thought was their own business. However, there were people in other places who stood firmly on Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's side.
Li Yu was one of them. When it was almost lunchtime, he held the letter from Jili Province in his hand and read it from beginning to end. He said to Little Worm who wanted to read it as well, "Zhang Xiaobao's revenge is here."
"Revenge? Revenge on who? "Little Worm was puzzled.
"Revenge on the Millennium Chamber of Commerce." Li Yu waved the letter in his hand.
Little Worm wanted to snatch the letter, but he knew he could not do that. He could only ask, "Hasn't the Millennium Chamber of Commerce already taken their revenge? They've invested so much money, and now, they're earning more than what they lent out. "
"That's not revenge, it's a passive counterattack. The Millennium Chamber of Commerce started the war first, and Zhang Xiaobao has been resisting. He didn't take the initiative to attack. Now, Zhang Xiaobao is preparing to attack."
Li Yu waved the letter in his hand again.
Little Worm didn't make a sound this time. He stared at the letter without moving an inch.
"Little Worm, guess how Zhang Xiaobao is going to take his revenge?" Li Yu asked Little Worm.
"I can't guess. If I could, I'd be a god." Little Worm turned his head away. He was starting to get angry.
"If you can't guess, then let me tell you. Zhang Xiaobao wants to attack the Millennium Chamber of Commerce with pottery. He wants to buy a lot of that wire pottery from them."
Li Yu finally handed the letter to Little Worm. In truth, the letter did not state the exact steps. It only asked Li Yu to contact the Millennium Chamber of Commerce and ask if they were willing to cooperate with the Jili Province.
If the Millennium Chamber of Commerce was willing, then they would send someone to discuss the details. If they were not, then forget it. They could find someone else who was also a potter.
Little Worm carefully read the letter twice, but he could not see any scheme in it. If they were buying pottery from the Millennium Chamber of Commerce, then the Millennium Chamber of Commerce should be happy. Of course, that was only if the two sides had not fought before.
There were currently two types of merchants in Great Tang. The first type hoped that the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan would cooperate with them. This way, they could make more money without worrying about losing money. The second type said that they would rather die than cooperate with the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan. This was because they had schemed against the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan before. They were afraid of being cheated and sold off.
The Millennium Chamber of Commerce probably belonged to the latter type.
"Your Excellency, will the Millennium Chamber of Commerce agree?" Little Worm asked uncertainly.
"What difference does it make whether they agree or not? The one who will make a move is none other than Zhang Xiaobao. Why would Zhang Xiaobao care if others are tricked or not? Once he makes a move, he will not leave any chance for others. "
Li Yu was very relieved. He did not think that there was anyone who could oppose Zhang Xiaobao in this aspect.
Xiao Chong, who had fought with Zhang Xiaobao before, nodded and said, "Indeed. Once the young master of the Zhang Clan makes a move, it's like a thunderbolt. There's no way to block it even if you want to, let alone resist. Whether you take the initiative to be tricked or passively accept it, the result is the same."
"Then help this official make a trip and find President Tian." Li Yu said to Little Worm and began to write a reply to Zhang Xiaobao. He wanted to ask if the two places could work together to develop.
Little Worm sighed. He felt sorry for the Millennium Chamber of Commerce. They could have offended anyone, but they had to offend Zhang Xiaobao. Oh, to be more precise, they had offended Li Yu. Li Yu had an older brother who knew Zhang Xiaobao. Today, Qianshi was really pitiful.
"Go quickly. Being kind to the enemy is being cruel to yourself. These are the words of Wang Juan. If the Millennium Chamber of Commerce cooperated properly, they would not have become like this. They came to my Changning County and tried to trick me. After failing, they tried to use the loophole in the contract to harm my Changning County.
Then, they were tricked by Zhang Xiaobao and did not know how to restrain themselves. They took out money to disrupt the local economy of the same industry. What is this? This is called not giving up on their evil intentions. If we don't teach them a lesson, who knows what they will come up with. "
Li Yu saw Little Worm's hesitation and guessed what he was thinking.
Xiao Chong agreed. He steeled his heart and left the yamen, heading for the house that the Millennium Chamber of Commerce had bought. The house in this county had been bought at the right time. Now, the price of the house had increased. Since the Emperor had come here once, the houses on both sides of the street had doubled in size.
At this time, Chairman Tian of the Millennium Chamber of Commerce was a little uneasy. It was not because of the weather, but because they had thought of another idea. He did not agree, but the others did.
Therefore, he was in a bad mood. Firstly, it was because his decision was not completely approved by the other five people. Secondly, it was because this plan would affect the economy of Changning County. It seemed that every time they wanted to deal with Changning County, it was not so easy.
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