Are kings, princes, generals and ministers born into a certain family?
Ever since this sentence appeared, it has surpassed many uprising slogans, and no other slogan can compare to it.
This is also the purpose of almost all armies that revolt.
Of course, Zhao Lin definitely couldn't say it now, for fear of scaring Sudi to death.
Sudi said excitedly: "It's not easy to be a powerful official. You have to have your own power. What power do you have now?"
Zhao Lin thought about it carefully and said, "You are one."
Sudi laughed out loud.
Zhao Lin said, "I've already figured it out. If you want to be a powerful official, you need soldiers in your hands and money in your pocket. Soldiers aside, as for the money, you already have it."
Sudi immediately perked up: "The goods we sent to the border last time have been sold out. After deducting various expenses, we made a net profit of 50,000 taels."
Zhao Lin was surprised: "So many?"
Sudi smiled and said, "That's not much, it's only doubled. You don't know the profit of smuggling. We only send it to the border. If we can send it to Beidi, it can be multiplied several times. Otherwise, how do those big merchants come?"
Zhao Lin nodded slightly. "That's true. But they control all the channels for exporting goods. It's hard for us to interfere if we want to do this business."
"It depends on whether you dare." Sudi said: "As long as you dare, I can do it."
Zhao Lin was surprised and looked Sudi up and down: "Is your business so big?"
Sudi said proudly: "People at home should work a little harder."
Zhao Lin nodded, then shook his head and said, "What kind of business can we do in the north?"
Sudi said, "That's a lot. What's the most needed thing in the north? Daily necessities, such as cotton, linen, tea, etc. If you're really ruthless, you can even sell iron."
"Iron won't do." Zhao Lin immediately shook his head and said, "The iron bought by the north will be made into weapons to kill our people. Although I don't care about others, if they break through the border and kill us in the capital, wouldn't I just suffer the consequences?"
"It's okay, we don't need this." Sudi advised, "Those big merchants in Jinzhou and Jiangzhou, which one doesn't sell this stuff? Besides iron, they even dare to sell complete sets of weapons. Otherwise, how could they have such a huge family business? They are rich enough to rival a country. Haha, even the national treasury doesn't have as much money as them."
Zhao Lin thought about it again and again, and finally nodded. "You're right. Instead of letting them make the money, why not give it to me? I can then use it in the military, building a strong army to defend our country. Isn't that better than giving the money to those unscrupulous businessmen?"
"That's right, it's called making money from the enemy to support your own interests." Sudi whispered, "I wonder how many generals on the border have dealings with the Northern Di. Not only do they do business privately, they even have a tacit understanding. The Northern Di will inform them before they send troops, and they may even cooperate with them by sending heads as military merit. This way, not only will they avoid danger, but they can also get promoted based on their military merits. It's a win-win situation."
Zhao Lin was shocked: "Has the border army become so rotten now?"
Sudi sneered, "It's not just the border troops. Every army is rotten. It's just that the degree of rottenness varies."
Zhao Lin asked, "Where's Zhao Jingzhou? Isn't he the supreme commander of the border troops? Why doesn't he care?"
"Him? He's old." Sudi sneered. "He's no longer the young general who single-handedly slashed through the Northern Di army. Ever since he became the Marquis of Zhenbei, he's become much more timid and no longer takes risks. I haven't heard of any military exploits from him in recent years, have I?"
Zhao Lin nodded. He seemed to have vaguely heard Zhao Jingzhou teach Zhao Chenhan the art of war. He was told to be cautious and not to underestimate the enemy and rush forward rashly. He should not open the pass to meet the enemy unless it was absolutely necessary. If he encountered the enemy, he should immediately retreat back inside the pass and rely on the high walls of the pass to stop the enemy.
Although the Qi Dynasty's cavalry is not as large as the Bei Di, and it is very likely that they will not be defeated in a wild battle, the fact that Zhao Jingzhou, the highest commander in the north, teaches his children in this way shows what the atmosphere of the army is like.
It cannot be said that they are completely rotten, but don’t even think about expecting them to destroy the enemy.
Zhao Lin said, "I don't know how strong the Northern Di army is. If they are strong, it would be very dangerous for Zhao Jingzhou to act like this."
Sudi said, "The Northern Di are now very powerful. They are said to have an army of 500,000 and many famous generals. That is why they dare to provoke our dynasty now."
"Five hundred thousand troops?" Zhao Lin frowned. "Can they afford it?"
The Northern Di were a people of the grasslands, and their so-called army was basically composed of cavalry.
Even if the entire Qi Dynasty put all its resources into supporting 500,000 cavalrymen, how could the Beidi region afford to support them?
"Even if they're fake, even if we cut them in half, there are still 200,000." Sudi said, "They say that if the Northern Di army has less than 10,000, they are invincible. How can our dynasty stop a 200,000-strong Northern Di army?"
"Of course we should get a more elite army." Zhao Lin said.
Sudi scoffed: "Do you think our dynasty has an army stronger than the Northern Di?"
"Yes." Zhao Lin said.
"Which one?" Sudi asked.
Zhao Lin pointed at himself and then at Sudi.
Sudi was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "It seems you are really confident."
"Of course." Zhang Fan smiled and said, "What I lack now is time. Otherwise, hehe."
Even the emperor would be dethroned.
Sudi became interested and said, "Okay, I will help you become a powerful official. But don't forget what you promised me, that you would make me a general."
"Of course!" said Zhao Lin.
Sudi said, "Before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first. Everything costs money, and raising an army costs even more. Let's not take back the money we made last time. Instead, we'll ship it all over. This time, we'll go directly outside the Great Wall instead of trading inside. If we succeed, we'll surely make hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."
Zhao Lin said: "Okay, the money is with you, you have the final say."
Sudi was delighted to be trusted by Zhao Lin. He said, "The servants around you are too ordinary. If something goes wrong, none of them can help you. Do you want me to get you some slaves from the north? They are good fighters and obedient. You can just form a personal guard."
"Let's not consider this for now." Zhao Lin said, "A tall tree attracts the wind. Our current goal is to climb up and not attract too much attention. I'll go to the border when I have the chance."
Sudi nodded: "Are you ready to support the Sixth Prince?"
Zhao Lin said: "Let's see first. In fact, it is easier to control the underage princes."
Adult princes have their own judgment, and underage princes, especially those who are only a few years old, are the most suitable.
The two of them were openly discussing in the study who to support and who would become the powerful official. If outsiders knew about this, they would definitely be charged with the serious crime of discussing state affairs and be thrown into jail and beaten with a stick.
"master."
The concierge called out at the door, "A lady named Han wants to see you."
"Han? Han Shiying?"
Sudi's face darkened. "She's haunting me. What's she doing here?"
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