The Three Spirit Stones

Chapter 125 Suspicion

"I pay my respects to the Marquis."

"Please stand up quickly, Master Du. There are no outsiders here, so there is no need to perform formalities."

In a secret room of a restaurant in Xiongzhou, Du Hui knelt down and saluted Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu quickly helped him up. After they sat down, Cheng Yu said to him, "The Gongcao did a great job. They arrived at the perfect time, neither too fast nor too slow."

"Hehe, I personally ran a trip according to the time given by the Marquis, calculated the arrival time, and then each tribe sent people to spread the news at a specific time."

"So everyone ended up arriving at the scene at about the same time,"

"Hahaha, very good,"

"Gong Cao is very meticulous and is indeed a capable general of Li Taishou."

"Hehe, Lord, thank you for the compliment."

"But Lord, I don't quite understand why you want to let the tribal leaders buy shares as well? The more people there are, the less dividends you will get, right?"

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "That's true in theory, but there is one thing. If we don't allow these leaders to profit from the wool mill, they will turn their attention to the herders, and maybe steal their wool. The better ones will make them pay wool taxes. This will not benefit anyone."

"They get dividends from the wool factory, so naturally they look down on those small things. Besides, the Liao royal family got too much, so they have to bleed."

Du Hui nodded and said, "My Lord, you have considered everything carefully," and then asked, "Why don't you just move the wool factory to Mozhou?"

"Mozhou is within the territory of our Great Song Dynasty. We can also give some dividends to those tribal leaders, while the Liao royal family does not need to pay any attention to them. Isn't this more beneficial to our Great Song Dynasty?"

"Of course, this is the decision of the Marquis. I am just asking a few questions."

This question actually raised many questions for the Song people.

Anyone who has seen clothes and quilts made of wool knows that one can make a lot of money from it. But why did such a profitable business not remain in the Song Dynasty but was given to the Liao Kingdom?

Cheng Yu's decision would make him suspected of being a traitor.

"I think Gongcao has been wanting to ask this question for a long time, right?"

Cheng Yu smiled and asked Du Hui,

Du Hui's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled and said, "My Lord, it is true."

Cheng Yu hesitated for a moment and said, "Have you ever heard of the city siphon effect?"

"Urban siphon effect?"

"The urban siphon effect refers to the fact that the largest cities with the strongest economic strength and the greatest development potential attract the advantageous resources, including human resources, of some of the surrounding small cities to their side,"

"I will invest more industries in this area in the future and provide more job opportunities for the people here. This place will attract more and more Liao people to settle down,"

"I hope that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be able to accommodate half of the population of Liao in the future,"

Du Hui became more and more frightened as he listened, and asked,

"……Why?"

"Why did the Marquis concentrate so many people from the Liao Kingdom in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?"

Cheng Yu suddenly revealed a faintly sad expression and said, "Do you think the geographical location of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is important to the Song Dynasty?"

"Of course this is important. Not only is it important, but it can also hold the throat of our Song Dynasty. Emperor Taizong launched two large-scale northern expeditions, but both ended in disastrous defeat. It can be said that retaking Yanyun is the dream of all Song people."

"It's actually very difficult to seize it by force. Yanyun is strategically located in a very important place. It's easy to defend but difficult to attack. Even if we devote the whole country's strength, it will be difficult, not to mention that in terms of military force... the Liao people are stronger than us Song people."

Du Hui also agrees with this point.

The Song Dynasty court emphasized culture over military power, and many of its armies were not very effective.

"You can't use force, you can only use soft tactics,"

Du Hui was very surprised and asked hurriedly, "How do you do it softly?"

"Sugar-coated bullets, economic invasion,"

"What is sugar-coated bullet, economic invasion?"

"We are now building a factory in Zhuozhou to bring benefits to the Liao Kingdom, and they will definitely welcome it very much. As our roots here become deeper and deeper, our people will slowly infiltrate here,"

"The people of Song and Liao will have a cultural integration. Have you noticed that many Liao people's living habits are now similar to those of the Song Dynasty?"

"Yep,"

“It’s a cultural fusion,”

"We need to train a lot of young people, let them come here to develop, let them enter the upper echelons and join the military,"

"Cheng Industry will endorse them. When the number of these people is large enough and their status is high enough, the Yanyun region will have a chance to become the property of the Song Dynasty."

"More importantly, when Cheng's Industry controls the economic discourse power in Yanyun area and when most people here depend on us for their livelihood, then the opportunity will come. But this will take time, and a long time at that."

Hearing this, Du Hui's blood started boiling. He knew that the Marquis's arrangement must have a deep meaning.

Sure enough!

He stood up and bowed deeply to Cheng Yu, saying, "My Lord, please accept Du Hui's greeting. If you need me, please tell me. I will do my best to help you."

Cheng Yu quickly held him up and said, "You don't have to do this, Gongcao."

In fact, Cheng Yu had another important reason that he did not tell Du Hui, and that was the rise of the Jin Kingdom!

More than eighty years later, the Jin Kingdom will destroy the Liao Kingdom, and then the Northern Song Dynasty. Then the Jingkang Incident and the Yashan Incident will occur, and the Han nationality will enter hundreds of years of darkness!

Therefore, the Liao Dynasty cannot be destroyed. If the Liao Dynasty does not perish, the Song Dynasty will not perish either.

He wanted to concentrate the Liao people in Yanyun. When the Jin Kingdom invaded, the Liao people would naturally rise up to resist. With the natural barrier of the Great Wall and his own advance layout, he hoped that the Liao Kingdom would not be destroyed so easily this time!

Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs!

The ups and downs of national fortunes and the changes of dynasties are common to heaven and earth.

Cheng Yu himself didn't know how this layout would develop in the end?

Because oftentimes, man proposes, God disposes.

But he was born and raised here. Even though he has experienced thousands of years of vicissitudes and seen all kinds of things in the world, he will always have a little more preference for this homeland!

He only hoped that with his advance planning, when the Han people encountered a national disaster, they would be able to make the transition as smooth as possible.

After all, suffering is not necessary, and it is always better to endure less.

……

……

Zhao Heng in the Bianjing Palace frowned deeply as he looked at the can of tea, wine and a woolen quilt and sweater on the imperial desk. Chen Lin stood nervously by his side.

After a long while, he finally said something.

"Otomo, I can no longer understand what he is going to do."

"I did get a lot of benefits from him, but I felt very passive. I felt that I took whatever he gave me, not whatever I wanted."

"I have had this feeling for a long time. As Cheng's industry became stronger and stronger, I felt that he was out of control. Although, on the surface, he still respected me very much."

"Ever since he married the princess of Liao, he has been getting closer and closer to Liao. Now he even has a wool processing factory in Zhuozhou..."

"Otomo, do you think he wants to commit treason?"

Chen Lin sighed deeply in his heart and said, "Sir, I dare not comment on this matter. I only know that Cheng's Industry is already a behemoth."

"Its presence is everywhere in the Song Dynasty. It can be said that if the Marquis wants to rebel, it will be easy."

Zhao Heng sighed deeply.

"Yup!"

"Moreover, his martial arts skills are unfathomable. He cannot be scolded, beaten, or even killed. Zhao Yuanyan knows this very well."

"But why did he rebel?"

Chen Lin raised a question.

Yes, why did he rebel?

For power? For money? For fame? For profit?

He has all these, more than anyone else. Is it just for the title of emperor?

But he is a demigod and will ascend to heaven sooner or later. What’s the point of having the title of emperor?

Should he leave it to his two sons?

Yes! This is very possible.

Zhao Heng took a deep breath!