Chapter 43 Jinyang Wang Family
After all, Bao Hong was a person who lived in the capital. Even if he couldn't express the hidden meaning in those words, he could always understand them by listening.
After listening to those people playing charades so many times, he also had some reactions that he thought could be considered intuitive.
For example, now, when Qiao Yan asked him if this wine could be called hero wine, Bao Hong felt that this sentence was saying that since he had already drunk this pot of wine, he should go to suppress the bandits. This was what was meant by strong liquor to give courage and send off.
Although this wine is not that strong, its meaning is obviously...that's about it.
Bao Hong's expression froze on the spot. "Don't joke with me, Qiao Hou..."
He now has only brought more than 200 people to Leping. No matter how elite the soldiers are, they can hardly deal with enemies that are dozens of times their number.
This is not about being a hero, this is about committing suicide!
He had just thought about the possibility of following the example of the previous Leping County Magistrate and packing up and running away, when he suddenly saw Qiao Yan laughing, "General Bao, what are you thinking about? I was just saying that this wine is mellow and worthy of a hero's drink. If you want to name it, why not call it Hero Wine?"
Bao Hong was startled and replied hesitantly: "...So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
Fortunately, he didn't say what was in his heart directly, otherwise it would have been very embarrassing.
He then heard Qiao Yan say, "Bingzhou is a cold place, so the demand for wine is even greater. Moreover, there are more soldiers guarding the border than fighting in the interior. There are countless heroes in a single day. Since this wine was born in Bingzhou, it should be suitable for this place. Otherwise, it would be a pity."
Bao Hong didn't understand those sales tactics, but he felt that they were quite feasible, so he asked, "So, is this the reputation that Lord Qiao wants to give this wine?"
"Not really." Qiao Yan's answer made Bao Hong choke.
He found that he didn't need to think about being able to see through this prince, but her expression was calm and her words were firm, and it was clear that she didn't seem to have any intention of making fun of him.
Qiao Yan added: "General Bao, don't forget that I told Yang Xiu before that the purpose of improving the winemaking process was to open up our relationship with the local winery and exchange the winemaking method for the other party's channels for purchasing rice and grain. We shouldn't put the cart before the horse now."
"Firstly, we don't have the capital to produce wine on a large scale. Leping has reduced the per-acre tax this year, and the idea of developing farming will not change. Secondly, even if I, Qiao Yan, am a county marquis, I am still an outsider here. If I rashly compete with others, it will do no good to Leping and will only create enmity."
"Thirdly - this is just an experiment. I will keep this ten-sided pottery and continue to improve it in the future. I don't know to what extent it will be improved. Why rush to stand on the stage?"
Bao Hong: "If it is as Lord Qiao said, then why did you mention the word 'hero wine'?"
“It’s just for the sake of more benefits.”
Qiao Yan's answer made Bao Hong a little confused, but he felt that he was not a smart man. When he saw that Yang Xiu didn't understand Qiao Yan's idea, his slightly depressed mood disappeared.
Besides, there was really no need for him to be depressed. Anyway, he sent some soldiers to help pack the wine in the pottery and load it onto the car, and he could get a taste of good wine from Qiao Yan. All in all, he still made a profit!
That's right!
Why should he bother thinking about so many trivial things?
Having said that, he couldn't help but feel that he had some common topics with the drunkard who came here to work for free just for a drink.
Although after he moved the wine and patted the drunkard on the shoulder, as if he understood what he was thinking, he got a somewhat puzzled look in return.
Bao Hong didn't care about this. He turned around and asked his soldiers to pay attention to the situation around Leping.
Although the bandits roaming in Taihang Mountains seemed to have disappeared in the past month, the news that Zhang Niujiao and Chu Yan's troops had joined forces as mentioned by Zhao Yun always made Bao Hong a little nervous, fearing that some unexpected events might occur at any time.
However, he did not notice that, behind him, the "wise man" withdrew his gaze from him, and a hint of interest was revealed in his seemingly lazy eyes.
This Qiao Hou is really interesting...
It was worth his trip.
He was not, as Yang Xiu, Bao Hong and others thought, just an ordinary man who made a living by working.
He was deliberately recruited by Yang Xiu.
Of course, the name Zhicai is indeed a bit perfunctory, but since his real name is Xi Zhicai, and there happened to be a source of the surname Zhi in Taiyuan Jinzhong, he just borrowed it.
Naturally, he was not from Taiyuan, but from Yingchuan.
It was Yingchuan, the place that produced many scholars and counselors.
A few months ago, Xi Zhicai went north from Yingchuan and arrived in Luoyang with He Boqiu from Nanyang. He Yong was interested in recruiting people for the Three Dukes' Palace, and most of the people he interacted with had first-hand political information. Although Xi Zhicai had no intention of doing anything for the time being, he heard a lot from them and couldn't help but develop some interest in Qiao Yan.
In his opinion, although there are people with natural talents in this world, when it comes to Qiao Yan's level, one can't help but doubt whether she was born with such talent.
But being interested is one thing, engaging with it is another.
Xi Zhicai was a carefree person and naturally did not pay attention to the news of his appointment as a county marquis that was announced in Luoyang City in mid-May. He even followed his plan of traveling around the country, left Luoyang and headed north to Bingzhou. After visiting Yunzhong Mountain, he temporarily settled in Jinyang City.
It was also at this time that he received a letter from He Yong, which mentioned Qiao Yan's policy paper in the capital and Xu Shao's evaluation of Qiao Yan.
Xi Zhicai wrote back a letter.
[Guo Linzong regarded Wang Zishi as a talent who could assist the king, Boqiu regarded Xun Wenruo as the same, now Huangfu Yizhen and Lu Zigan regarded Qiao Hou as the king's assistants, and there is also Zijiang who regards him as a young phoenix. However, it will take time for these three to be able to assist the king, so it is better for the commentator to decide who is better first. 】
When He Yong received the letter, he was almost pissed to death by Xi Zhicai, the mischievous guy.
Look what he's talking about.
Guo Linzong, also known as Guo Tai, was a critic as famous as Xu Shao. When he was in Taiyuan, he said that Wang Yun, the prince of the Wang family of Taiyuan, had the talent to assist the king.
He Yong, also known as He Boqiu, met Xun Yu when he was living in Yingchuan and said that he had the talent to assist the king.
Now it's all right. Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi said that Qiao Yan has the talent to assist the king.
However, among these three "talented people who can assist the king", one is now in Yuzhou helping the Yellow Turbans to quell the Rebellion, one is still studying at home, and the remaining one is only ten years old. In short, it will take time to verify whether these three people have the ability to assist the king.
What to do then? Why don’t you guys who made the comments have a fight?
Let's not talk about how it was completely unfeasible to let He Yong fight against Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi who were capable of going to the battlefield. Let's talk about Guo Linzong. He and Xu Shao were often mentioned together. It's not that they both have their own reputations as critics, one in the south and one in the north.
You should know that Guo Linzong had passed away a long time ago.
Is he going to go underground and find Guo Linzong to fight to see who is more talented?
Fortunately, He Yong was aware of Xi Zhicai's absurd personality, so he was at most speechless. He also felt that it made sense that this guy had not made a name for himself yet.
But what He Yong probably didn't expect was that although Xi Zhicai seemed to be noncommittal about this evaluation in the letter he sent back to Luoyang, he actually did not do so.
When he found out that Qiao Yan and others were bypassing Jinyang because of the Black Mountain bandits, and that Yang Xiu was recruiting people to make wine in the city for some unknown reason, because he had some interest in Qiao Yan, he simply mixed into the team, and even used the name of just wanting to have wine to drink, and didn't even ask for any wages, and also gave himself such a careless pseudonym.
As for the theoretical theories of winemaking, it was not difficult for him to memorize more of them in his spare time.
He also had the opportunity to observe Qiao Yan up close.
In the previous month, her statistics on the population of Leping and the one-year tax reduction policy she implemented had already allowed Xi Zhicai to see some of Qiao Yan's style of doing things. And today's remarks made him even more certain that he had to label Qiao Yan as a "doer."
This clear self-awareness and step-by-step pace, appearing in a young and talented child who has already been awarded the title of marquis, is undoubtedly extremely surprising.
Even though Xi Zhicai was good friends with Xun Yu, he had to admit that from what he saw from these minor details, he felt that his good friend was probably still inferior to Qiao Yan.
He also immediately thought about Qiao Yan's idea of the name of the hero wine.
Perhaps it was because she really liked to surprise people during her conversation with Bao Hong. Although Xi Zhicai had some ideas on how to make a profit, he also felt that Qiao Yan's plan might not be the same as what he guessed.
However, because he was not able to do manual labor, Qiao Yan excluded him from the list of people going to Jinyang. He was not willing to take off his identity for the time being and appear too outstanding, so he could only wait for second-hand information.
But it's no big deal.
He bought himself another small pot of wine.
The wine brewed through nine rounds of supplementary fermentation with additional ingredients had a unique flavor, which made him enjoy it quite a bit as he sipped it while lying in the courtyard. He felt that the name Leping was worthy of its reputation and that this place was indeed more comfortable for him than Yingchuan and Luoyang.
But there is still a thief next to my bed, and I don’t know when this Lord Qiao will launch his plan against the Black Mountain bandits.
In his opinion, Chu Yan was able to act decisively and withdraw to the Taihang Mountains when the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou were being wiped out by the imperial court, thus maintaining his combat advantage and favorable position, and making people surrender voluntarily. He must be a person who is able to judge the situation well.
He would not rashly attack Le Ping before he knew Qiao Yan's background. Otherwise, you may end up following in the footsteps of some people.
Unless...
Xi Zhicai took another sip of wine.
Unless there is a huge benefit in front of him that forces him to take action.
And this depends on the ability of Lord Qiao.
At this time, Qiao Yan had already led his men to Jinyang.
However, the car loaded with the new wine was still parked outside Jinyang City and was carefully guarded. Qiao Yan only brought Yang Xiu, Dian Wei and Zhao Yun into Jinyang City. Dian Wei carried a few wine gourds on his back, which contained the rice wine fermented from the supplementary materials.
When Yang Xiu was buying pottery, wine yeast and investigating wineries and wine industries, he had already gotten to know the situation in Jinyang City very well. So it was natural for him to take on the responsibility of leading the way.
He also introduced: "The most famous wine shops in this city are backed by Taiyuan families, one is the Tang family, and the other is the Wang family."
Speaking of aristocratic families, Yang Xiu, who was from the Hongnong Yang family, was more familiar with them. He continued, "The Taiyuan Wang family, to be precise, should be divided into two branches, one is the Jinyang Wang family, and the other is the Qixian Wang family. The latter has been officials for generations and has more great talents. Wang Yun and Wang Zishi are from this branch. But the former has a pair of brothers in this generation, namely the brothers Wang Shuyou and Wang Jidao, which can be regarded as a sign of prosperity."
"As for the Tang family, if we really want to trace its origins, we can go back to the pre-Qin period."
"The Tang in Tang Ju, the strategist of the Warring States Period." Qiao Yan still had some impression of this, that is, "Tang Ju did not fail in his mission."
"That's right," Yang Xiu replied, "but in the pre-Han period, one branch of Tang Ju's descendants moved to Pei State, and several decades ago, another branch moved to Danyang, so that in recent years, the Jinyang Tang family has gradually weakened."
They happened to pass by Tang's winery at this time, and Yang Xiu said, "In my opinion, if you want to get better benefits, you might as well choose Tang. Tang is in decline and it is difficult for it to compete with Wang. If there is a special winemaking technique at this time, they will naturally be willing to pay a higher price."
There is some truth in this.
Qiao Yan did not show any decisive attitude towards his suggestion, but said: "Don't be in a hurry, let's take a look at Wang's winery first."
Just as Yang Xiu said, although the emergence of the brothers Wang Shuyou and Wang Jidao has not given any direct support to the Wang family at present, as long as a family has people who can support it, its influence on the overall atmosphere is unquestionable.
The Wang's Winery looked much more imposing than the Tang's in terms of facade. It was almost dusk when they arrived in Jinyang, which was the time when the winery was busiest, and the contrast between the two businesses was even more evident.
If we follow what Yang Xiu said, it seems that we should indeed choose Tang. Such a competitive thing should naturally be entrusted to the party that is slightly at a disadvantage but still retains purchasing power, so as to obtain the greatest benefits.
But Qiao Yan looked at the two wineries for a while and decided, "We choose Wang's."
She had already made the decision when she was in Leping. Otherwise, she would not have told Bao Hong that the wine could be regarded as a hero's wine. Now that she came to Jinyang in person, it was just to make the final confirmation.
As for why Wang was chosen instead of Tang…
Qiao Yan asked Dian Wei to deliver a visiting card to Wang's mansion in Jinyang City. It was only when Yang Xiu visited the house the next day that he found out the answer.
When she met with Wang Yang, the patriarch of the Wang family, the other party asked with some confusion why Qiao Yan, the Marquis of Leping County, came here. Qiao Yan slowly gave an answer that she had not expected to come.
"I came here to protect the General of the Central Army of the Xiongnu."
Wang Yang couldn't help but wonder: "For Shuyou?"
The Lieutenant General who protected the Xiongnu was none other than Wang Shuyou, also known as Wang Rou, who was mentioned earlier by Yang Xiu.
When he and his younger brother were only twelve or thirteen years old, they met Guo Linzong, a famous critic in the same county. When Guo Linzong asked him about his and his younger brother's future, Guo Linzong replied that he would become famous for being an official.
This comment was not wrong. He was in his thirties, a strong and healthy age, and yet he was able to hold the position of Lieutenant General of the Guards against the Xiongnu.
What is the Lieutenant General Protecting the Xiongnu?
This is not a position that requires leaving the Han Dynasty, but is held in Xihe County, west of Taiyuan County.
The Huns during the Han Dynasty should be divided into Southern Huns and Northern Huns. This split occurred in 48 AD, the 24th year of Jianwu.
The Southern Xiongnu were dependent on the Han court and were settled by Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, in the Meiji City area of Xihe County. The position of General of the Guards against the Xiongnu was established at this time to govern and restrain the various Southern Xiongnu tribes that came to the Han territory to pay tribute. In this generation, the position was held by Wang Rou, a leader of the Jinyang Wang family.
Qiao Yan replied: "Yes, I came here for Wang Shuyou."
This was an answer that really struck Wang Yang as very strange.
You have to know that Qiao Yan, the Marquis of Leping County, and Wang Rou have no relationship at all. One of them is in the west of Bingzhou and the other is in the east of Bingzhou, and there is almost no chance for them to intersect with each other, let alone any connection of interests and power.
According to the news sent back by the Wang family branch in Leping County, Qiao Yan was busy sorting out government affairs in Leping and did not seem like someone who would suddenly stretch his hands so far.
However, Wang Yang was an experienced man after all. Although he was confused, he did not show it on his face. He just asked again, "I wonder if Lord Qiao has anything to tell me about?"
And he heard Qiao Yan ask immediately afterwards: "Would the elder like to drink?"
This was still a question that surprised him.
It also seems to have little relevance to the previous topic mentioning Wang Rou.
But he still maintained his calm expression and replied, "A little drink is fine."
"Then please warm up the wine and bring it to me." Qiao Yan raised her hand to signal, and Dian Wei handed her the wine jug he was carrying.
Wang Yang paid some attention to the wine container.
No matter how he looked at it, he felt that this thing did not seem to match Qiao Yan's identity.
Fortunately, this was something that was taken out by Qiao Yan, otherwise if someone else had brought this thing to him, he probably wouldn't even look at it. The wine that was then warmed up and served to him didn't show anything special in appearance.
You have to know that nowadays, expensive wines are still judged by the ingredients used and the clarity of the wine. The Wang family is supported by the wine industry and is happy to show off their elegance with wine, so naturally they would not be ignorant of this.
But he knew at a glance that this was obviously not a valuable item.
But as soon as he took a sip of the wine, he sensed its subtlety. The rich aroma and mellowness of this wine far surpassed ordinary wines of this type.
"This is……"
Qiao Yan replied, "The rice and wheat used in this wine come from Jinyang City, and the yeast used also comes from the shops in Jinyang City. I have been brewing this wine since I arrived in Leping. It can be made in a month in the summer, but if it takes longer, the flavor will definitely be better. So, I wonder if the elder is willing to do this business with me."
As soon as Qiao Yan mentioned that the ingredients and yeast were all from Jinyang, Wang Yang's attitude, which had originally regarded him as just an ordinary visitor, completely changed. Now, when he heard about this business, although it was cliché for aristocratic families to talk about money, he sat up straighter.
But he obviously couldn't express his interest so directly, so he asked: "What is the connection between this matter and Shuyou mentioned by Qiao Hou earlier?"
Qiao Yan replied, "The purpose of business is to make a profit. The elders understand this principle better than a junior like me. If there are more than one benefit in one thing, or if one side is better after weighing the pros and cons, they will naturally make a choice."
Wang Yang nodded, and then listened to Qiao Yan continue: "The only thing that made me choose was Wang's and Tang's. Wang's has a branch in Leping County, and it is also a big family in Jinyang City, but it can't match the benefits of Tang's possible higher chips. The reason why I chose to come to Wang's was Wang Shuyou."
Wang Yang knew that just because Wang Rou was a talented person was obviously not enough for Qiao Yan to make such a decision. There must be some other reasons.
Sure enough, he heard Qiao Yan say, "In the second year of Guanghe, General Zhang Xiu killed Chanyu Hu Zheng and supported Youxian Wang Qiangqu as the new Chanyu. In the fifth year of Guanghe, Wang Shuyou succeeded Zhang Xiu as General of the Central Guard to protect the Xiongnu."
"However, Qiangqu is the Right Wise King and does not follow the Xiongnu's rule that the left is the most noble."
"In the past, Yan's grandfather was the General of Du Liao and commanded the army in Wuyuan. He was very concerned about the situation in Bingzhou. I had heard about it before I came to Bingzhou. Earlier, Zhang Xiu killed the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu because Hu Zheng was not close to the Han Dynasty. Qiang Qu was much more compliant. However, Qiang Qu's position was not legitimate, and there were many complaints among the Southern Xiongnu. This is Wang Shuyou's dilemma."
In fact, this difficult situation was subsequently exacerbated.
After the Southern Xiongnu surrendered to the Han Dynasty, the General of the Household who Protected the Xiongnu often used his power and military force to interfere with the enthronement of the Southern Xiongnu's Chanyu by armed force, and he made sure that their leader was a pro-Han person, so that when necessary, the Southern Xiongnu could be regarded as a reinforcement force that had been tamed by the Han Dynasty.
This is what happened when Zhang Xiu killed Hu Zheng and enthroned Qiang Qu.
So in the fourth year of Zhongping, when Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju of Youzhou colluded with Wuhuan to rebel, the court was short of local troops and directly recruited the subordinates of Qiangqu of the Southern Xiongnu.
But it was this conscription that caused big trouble.
Yu Fuluo, the son of Qiang Qu, led his troops to leave the royal court of the Southern Xiongnu in Xihe County. Dissatisfied with the nobles of the left wing of the Southern Xiongnu who had to sacrifice the lives of their people, he immediately joined forces with the Xiutu tribes to kill Qiang Qu and several Bingzhou officials. This marked the beginning of the invasion and division of Bingzhou by the Xiongnu and Xianbei.
What Wang Rou of the Taiyuan Wang family is facing now is that the potential crisis has not yet erupted, but there are already complaints against the Han Dynasty within the Xiongnu.
Although Wang Yang was well aware of the situation, he was still surprised when he suddenly heard Qiao Yan mention it.
This doesn't seem like something someone her age would consider.
But Qiao Yan felt that since she was already in Bingzhou, she should at least think carefully about the five years during which she did not have to pay any donation fees.
The Black Mountain bandits who are so close at hand are one thing, but another potential crisis on the west side of Bingzhou cannot be completely ignored.
From the initial idea of buying grain, combined with the in-depth exploration of the chips of the supplementary brewing method, it is now more than just a test for Yang Xiu.
In addition to purchasing rice for Leping and establishing a long-term supply chain, how much profit should she make from it, how much she should step up and how much she should rely on other forces in the early stages of Leping's development, and whether she should strike a balance between fame and fortune, all of which became issues she had to reconsider in depth during this month.
So at this moment, she said to the decision maker of Jinyang Wang's family: "If you choose Tang's family, you will only seek small profits, but if you choose Wang's family, you will seek big things, both fame and big profits."
Qiao Yan smiled and asked, "In your opinion, regardless of other sales channels, this wine could be sold to the Southern Xiongnu?"
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