Upon hearing this, Hu Ketu knew that things were going to turn out well today!
Therefore, Hu Ketu got up, knelt down in front of Li Zhi, and swore an oath.
"Your Highness, rest assured, I swear in the name of the Eternal Heaven that if I betray Your Highness, may I be struck by lightning and pierced by ten thousand arrows!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi waved his hand impatiently.
He wouldn't easily believe someone's words, much less take a vow as truth.
Besides, the other party hasn't even demonstrated his abilities yet, so why should he trust him?
What can you do?
Upon hearing this, Hu Ketu blinked and, mimicking the habits of the Tang people, replied.
"I can do whatever Your Highness desires?"
Li Zhi said with great impatience upon hearing this.
"Just speak properly, don't try to guess what I'm thinking!"
"I'm asking what your abilities are and to what extent you can achieve them!"
"Oh oh oh..."
"Your Highness wants to know my abilities!"
"Your Highness, whether it's snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, jade from Kunlun, or fruits like lychees and plums from Lingnan in the Tang Dynasty, I can get them all!"
"Moreover, I am not alone..."
"My tribe belongs to the Nine Sogdian Clans. We were born merchants, and our caravans are all over the grasslands..."
Li Zhi frowned slightly after hearing Hu Ketu's words.
"If I cooperate with you, what will I gain?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Ketu immediately opened his arms and gestured vigorously.
"wealth!"
"Countless riches!"
"wealth?"
Li Zhi had received an imperial education and knew long ago that gold, pearls, jade, and precious stones were not worth cherishing; true wealth lay in land, people, power, and so on.
But he is indeed short of money right now.
Whether it's appeasing the officials in the Eastern Palace, satisfying one's own desires, or bribing the palace eunuchs to relay messages between oneself and Sister Wu, a large amount of money is required.
Unfortunately, this money cannot be earned through legitimate means; it can only be made through shady methods.
"I don't ask for much, just 300,000 strings of cash per year!"
"Three hundred thousand strings of cash?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Ketu did a quick calculation and realized that 300,000 strings of cash was not a small amount. Even for their tribe, it represented three years' worth of profits.
But in order to win over Li Zhi, he readily agreed.
"Can!"
“But I need the entire Shuozhou as my market. As long as Your Highness entrusts Shuozhou to me, I will not only give you 300,000 guan every year, but I will also give you an extra 100,000 guan!”
Li Zhi nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.
He even considered how to spend the money: 100,000 strings of cash would be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue to become taxes paid by Shuozhou City. The remaining 300,000 strings would be pocketed for his shady expenses.
"make a deal!"
"But I have one more request: whatever happens, I must not be implicated!"
"If things escalate, I won't take responsibility!"
Hu Ketu nodded sensibly upon hearing this. He had long expected this to happen. But he wasn't afraid; he only needed Li Zhi's influence to make a fortune.
If all else fails, he can sell Li Zhi.
You should know that there is a big buyer on the Xueyantuo side. Whoever can trick the Crown Prince of Tang into going there will receive a reward of 100,000 cattle and sheep!
After Li Zhi and Hu Ketu discussed the general direction, all that remained were the specific details.
How do you plan to make money?
"Your Highness, you only need to collect all the goods in Shuozhou City, and I will naturally bring enough cattle and sheep to trade with you..."
"Then you can give them the share that the Tang merchants received, and the rest will all be your property, right?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhi suddenly realized, thinking to himself, "So this is what business is all about!"
No wonder that grandson of Li Jue makes so much money; it turns out he's been making money this way all these years!
"I understand..."
The next day, the Crown Prince issued a decree from the city lord's mansion in Shuozhou, ordering all merchants in the city to register their goods and hand them over to His Highness the Crown Prince for disposal!
Although the merchants of Shuozhou were very dissatisfied, they had no choice but to obey due to the power of the Crown Prince's teachings.
Three days later, the garrison of Shuozhou drove 30,000 sheep into the city. Li Zhi took out 10,000 sheep and distributed them to merchants in the city. He sold the remaining 20,000 sheep to merchants in the city and earned 20,000 strings of copper coins.
Although the profits of merchants in the city had decreased significantly due to Li Zhi's influence, they dared not rebel because of his authority.
However, some small merchants could not bear the exploitation in Shuozhou City and fled to another city—Xiazhou.
They had long heard that the eldest grandson of the Prince of Xiazhou City never bullied small merchants, and even took them with him when he went on campaigns. Whenever they had spoils, he would sell them directly to the merchants. Even if the merchants didn't have the money on hand at the time, as long as they issued a receipt and stated when they would be paid, that was fine.
Shuozhou City declined at a visible rate, while Xiazhou City flourished in all its industries, with merchants from all over the Tang Dynasty flocking to it every day.
Just when they thought they could make a fortune, the Xiazhou City Lord's Mansion issued a notice saying that Xiazhou City would collect taxes from all merchants and establish unified standards for the exchange of goods.
For a time, the people of Xiazhou City were filled with anxiety, fearing that the last border town that could make money would also be targeted by powerful figures in the imperial court.
However, just when they were filled with anxiety, a detailed set of rules, only half a sheet, circulated among the people, prompting all the merchants to copy it.
"What? Three pounds of salt can only be exchanged for one sheep?"
"And another thing, a porcelain bowl can only be exchanged for a leg of lamb?"
"Wooden bowls have lost their value; you can no longer trade a wooden bowl for a cow..."
"Wait, what's the last one?"
"Merchants can exchange goods worth ten times their tax amount at the Gaoyang Chamber of Commerce?"
"Oh my god, this is wonderful news!"
"Who in the world doesn't know that the goods of the Gaoyang Chamber of Commerce are valuable?"
"Whether it's soap, matches, or glass lamps, anything transported to the grasslands can fetch a high price!"
Although the merchants were very averse to the trade pricing in Xiazhou City, the addition of the Gaoyang Chamber of Commerce gave them hope again.
However, all of this is just the beginning.
After Xiazhou City began to clearly mark prices and establish the correct transaction price for every item, tribes and merchants from the grasslands flocked there like madmen.
Thousands of merchants flock in every day, and no matter how much goods they have, they are all snapped up.
Only then did these merchants realize that the city lord's mansion had set these rules so that they could make more money...
Although their individual profits are lower, their trading volume has increased more than tenfold compared to before.
In the end, after calculating, I found that I hadn't lost any money; in fact, I had earned several times more than before!
While all the merchants were making a fortune in Xiazhou City, no one noticed that the city's army was quietly dwindling, and eventually, apart from a few hundred soldiers guarding the city gates, the rest of the army disappeared.
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