Chapter 32: The Triangular Relationship of Fufeng

  Lu Hong's expression was somewhat unpredictable as he walked back and forth in the room. He had to admit that Gao Yuan made sense - this world indeed spoke with power, and those high-ranking officials and nobles in Ji City were all hereditary aristocrats from large families who owned vast tracts of land. It was precisely because they possessed these wealthy fiefs that they could maintain a strong family army, which in turn guaranteed their hold on important government positions to further their interests. The power of the noble families in Yan was so great that even the monarch had to show them deference, as the monarch's directly controlled central region consisted only of the Tianhe Prefecture, where Ji City was located, and some remote areas like Liaoxi Prefecture. As a result, the monarch often wasn't even wealthier than some powerful nobles. A wise monarch could at most navigate between the various noble families, using their conflicts to stabilize his own regime while trying to find ways to incorporate wealthy regions into state ownership.

  Lu Hong knew that Taishou Zhang Shouyue had always wanted to make Liaoxi County his own fiefdom, but because he was a commoner by birth, he was not accepted by those aristocratic families with centuries of history, and some even looked down on him. In the court, there were only a few people who supported him, and although Liaoxi County was remote and bordered the Eastern Hu, it was still a directly controlled territory of the central government. Therefore, Zhang Shouyue had been stationed in the border for many years, with great military achievements, but after much effort, he still failed to succeed, which made Zhang Shouyue resentful. Having a fiefdom was a prerequisite for becoming an aristocrat.

  Although Zhang Shouyue did not become a member of the nobility, because he had a powerful army under his command, the nobles would neither accept him nor dare to provoke him, so they remained in this stalemate.

  Gao Yuan is right, if you want to stand firm, for ordinary people like us, the only way out is to have a powerful armed force.

  "Forget about doing business on the eastern side of the Xiongnu! Thinking of this, Lu Hong had already made up his mind. As long as he could get the governor to join him, expand his business throughout Liaoxi County, and raise an army of a thousand soldiers, it would be enough to make the governor look at him in a different light, not dare to move against him easily, and even consider him as his right-hand man."

  Gao Yuan smiled and said, "Uncle, there's something I've never quite understood. What kind of business does the Huo family do? How are they so close to the Donghu people? And what kind of business can make them so rich?"

  Lu Hong burst out laughing and said, "Behind the Huo family is the Governor of Liaoxi Prefecture, and this governor's surname is Linghu. The current Prime Minister also has the surname Linghu, do you understand?"

  "High and remote, suddenly enlightened," he said, "So, Huo Zhu is just a dog of the national preceptor after all. He was only helping the national preceptor to manage business in Fufeng, but what kind of business is it that's worth having the national preceptor take action?"

  "Huo Zhu still can't climb up to the position of national minister, his backstage is only the governor Liao Fu Tan, and Liao Fu Tan is a person from a family of national ministers. The business done by the national minister, ordinary people really can't do it."

  Gao Yuan furrowed his brow and sank into thought for a moment, "Could it be some contraband strategic materials?"

  He looked at Gao Yuan with appreciation and said, "You're right, Gao Yuan. The two businesses that Huo Zhuang is involved in are salt and iron."

  "Are you selling salt and iron to the Donghu people? Aren't they our greatest enemy, the Great Yan?" Gaoyuan was shocked. "Isn't this aiding the enemy?"

  Lu Hong smiled and said, "Who says you can't do business with the enemy? Didn't you just want to sell wine to them?"

  "This is different!" Gao Yuan shook his head and said: "The wine we sell to the Donghu people, that price is not something ordinary people can afford, only the tribal leaders and noble elders of the Donghu people can enjoy it. By selling this kind of wine to them, we can gain a huge profit, and with the gained profit, we can use it to raise soldiers, forge weapons, bows and arrows, in order to better deal with the Donghu people. But salt and iron are different, these things can directly make the Donghu people stronger."

  "The prime minister wouldn't care about these things, as long as there's a lot of money to be made, can the Eastern Barbarians really reach his fiefdom?" Lu Hong said with a cold smile.

  "That Governor Zhang doesn't care, and he even lets Linghu Chong smuggle salt and iron, the Eastern Hu people have become powerful, and Governor Zhang is a direct victim!" Gaoyuan exclaimed.

  "Magistrate Zhang only controls the amount they output, but does not prohibit it, because every year Magistrate Zhang also gains a large profit from it." Lu Hong said in a low voice, " Outsiders do not know this secret, and I, because I was the county lieutenant of Fufeng County, many things cannot be hidden from me. That's why I know some inside information. Do you think it's because my face is so big that every time I go to the prefecture, the magistrate will personally meet with me? It's not that, it's because I have to report to the magistrate the quantity of goods that Huo Zhu and others take out. The magistrate wants to be clear about it."

  Gao Yuan was somewhat shocked, and it wasn't until now that he realized his understanding of this world was still a bit too simplistic.

  "Uncle, is it only our Fufeng County that borders Liaoxi and Donghu, or are there other counties like this as well?"

  "No!" Lu Hong shook his head. "Such things are indeed not to be made public. If the political enemies of the Linghu family in the imperial court were to find out about these matters, they would certainly launch a fierce attack on him. That's why we chose this place instead of one of the other two counties closer to the Donghu core area - to avoid drawing attention. So, Gao Yuan, in Fufeng County, I and Huo Zhu are a pair who need to help each other while also restraining each other. As for Wu Xianling, he is an official from this local area, only thinking about getting rich and not caring about these matters at all - which is also the reason why he has been able to stay in his position. The imperial court is happy to have such an official here, and whenever they try to send someone to replace old Wu, they are blocked."

  Gao Yuan scratched his head, the twists and turns inside were indeed a bit complicated, to put it in modern terms, there was too much information, for the time being, he couldn't digest it all at once.

  "Uncle, our wine can actually still be sold to the Eastern Hu people, think about it, if the profit from this wine is big enough, Governor Ta will take notice, and when we do business with them, if the Eastern Hu people dare to rob us, Governor Ta won't agree to it either. Moreover, uncle, if Governor Ta has enough silver, he won't have to rely on the Leng Fox family's smuggling of salt and iron, and can confidently ban this kind of traitorous behavior, which would be more beneficial for us!" Gao Yuan said.

  Lu Hong waved his hand and said, "No one will dislike having too much money. It's a big deal for the uncle to take care of things we can't control. But what you just said made me suddenly enlightened. Indeed, if my nephew and I have a strong army in our hands, no matter where your elder brother is an official, he will have a solid foundation, and his path to promotion will be smoother. This is worth another effort for me. Gaoyuan, if it weren't for your analysis today, I would only think about making money and getting rich for the rest of my life, being an economic backing for your elder brother. But now that you've said this, I really have a change of heart. We can also be a military backing for your elder brother!"

  "Uncle is wise!" Gaoyuan laughed and said.

  "Alright then, you go ahead and take care of it boldly, I'll tell Zheng Xiaoyang about it, and we will send them the full compensation soon." said Lu Hongdao.

  "Yes, uncle!"

  "Don't go today, you've been staying in the barracks for days and haven't even gone home, I'm sure you're exhausted. You've worked so hard for your older brother, it makes me very happy. Today, let your aunt cook a few dishes herself, and we'll have a good drink together. Now our family has all that good wine you made, I threw away those old muddy soups." Lu Hong patted Gao Yuan's hand warmly and smiled.

  "I'll drink with my uncle until we're both drunk!"