Chapter 67

Wang Ju did not enter the house but went to his Uncle’s house instead.

"About that cave of mine..."

"Wang Niu, there are many children in the village who wish to study. We have invited two teachers to teach them, but there is no good place, so we decided to rent it for five strings of coins..." Wang Wei said with a flushed face.

Being poor, with five children, how could they not be poor? Even with over twenty strings of coins divided each year, they were still poor.

Wang Ju had no choice but to agree to the rent and said, "Uncle, how about you and your family move to Hangzhou?"

"Hangzhou?"

To ordinary people in Yan Prefecture, Hangzhou was no less than going abroad.

"I have established a business with several families in the city, and it will be set up in Hangzhou. Therefore, I want to invite a few reliable villagers to help me manage it."

"Why Hangzhou?"

"We need a certain material from there," Wang Ju did not explain further: "If it succeeds, the returns will be substantial, and the younger cousins won’t have to work so hard."

"Will there be issues with the local climate and water?"

"That is a concern, but Hangzhou is near the sea, unlike the inland areas of southern Jiang. If the climate and water issues were that severe, officials wouldn’t be transferred to different regions."

"That’s true. I’ll go then." With many children, this situation couldn’t continue. Unless one had a good blacksmithing skill like Yuan Heizi, it was hard to earn a high income; otherwise, they would remain poor.

"We’ll go to the clan leader’s house." Wang Ju left the gifts and went to Wang Quan’s house with Wang Wei.

"Grandpa, how many swords were forged in the village last year?"

"More than four hundred."

"No more than that."

"I understand."

"Also, organize the labor to reinforce and heighten the village wall. If the village can afford it, we should take in a few dozen more displaced people. More people mean more strength."

In short, the horse purchasing society established by Cheng Kan made Wang Ju uneasy. If there were changes on the border, Wang Family Village would be the first to suffer.

"Is something happening?"

"Nothing is happening now, but it’s better to be prepared. Do you remember the story of Li Jiqian I told you? Even with the increase in households, the number of swords forged will not change much."

"That’s true. I’ll follow your advice. How is the situation there?"

"It’s fine. I have another matter to discuss with you. How old are the oldest students in the village school?"

"A few are sixteen or seventeen."

"How are they doing in their studies?"

"They can recognize some characters, but not as well as you."

"Recognizing characters is enough. Please tell them on my behalf that I have established a business in Hangzhou with others. Whoever is willing to go to Hangzhou should prepare immediately and follow me to Yan Prefecture, and then I will arrange for them to go to Hangzhou."

"Hangzhou?"

"It’s far, but Hangzhou is one of the richest places in the country. If they can settle there, it will be beneficial for them."

During the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou was the richest place in the world because the Yangtze River mouth was wide, and the tide reached Yangzhou, allowing sea ships to reach directly. During the Song Dynasty, the Yangtze River mouth began to silt up, and Yangzhou gradually declined. Although Chengdu was still wealthy, it suffered from several rebellions. Therefore, the richest place in the Song Dynasty was Kaifeng, followed by Hangzhou and Ezhou.

If Wang Ju did not have the ability to change the course of history, Hangzhou would be the best place to go. Changing the inertia of history would be extremely difficult. Just think about the skills of Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing, Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and Cai Jing!

This made Wang Quan interested: "Can my son Qiangzi go?"

"He can go, but not too many. I only need four or five people."

"Alright, I’ll arrange it."

There was no time to waste. They left immediately. Auntie was still fussing over packing, and Wang Ju, unable to bear it, gave her a hundred strings of coins and said, "Use it to settle in Hangzhou."

Then, he took Uncle’s family, Wang Qiang, the young lady Gui Niang, and three other teenagers back to Yan Prefecture.

Everything was prepared on the other side. The city was celebrating the Lantern Festival, and they did not delay. Dozens of people left Yan Prefecture in a hurry.

Wang Ju then went to Cheng Kan’s residence and presented a visiting card.

The doorman stared at Wang Ju with a strange look, making him feel uneasy.

Then the doorman went inside.

After a while, a servant half-opened the main door and let Wang Ju in.

Wang Ju’s heart finally settled.

In ancient times, opening the door was a matter of etiquette. For ordinary people, only the side gate would be opened. For distinguished guests, the main door would be fully opened. For those who were acceptable but not so distinguished, the main door would be half-opened.

Mainly, Wang Ju was worried about his past conflicts with Cheng Kan.

This was the second time Wang Ju met Cheng Kan, and there was an elderly woman beside him, probably Cheng Kan’s wife. Wang Ju bowed and said, "I have come to see Lord Cheng and Lady Cheng."

"Sit down."

Wang Ju sat down calmly.

Cheng Kan was not surprised; this boy was very bold and wouldn’t be intimidated.

"You’ve been well-behaved in Yunyan."

Was it a compliment or a criticism?

"I also like peace. In the past, I had no choice but to survive. Although everyone will die eventually, I don’t want to die in vain or in misery."

"What business do you have with me?"

"I heard that Lord Cheng has entrusted Zhu Yuanwai to manage the horse purchasing affairs."

"So what?"

"According to what I know, after the young king of Western Xia killed Mie Cang E Pang, he used Han rituals and sent envoys to our Great Song to seek peace and negotiate the boundary of the Quye River. Why did Lord Cheng take this action now?"

Li Liangzuo killed Mie Cang E Pang and immediately resolved the boundary dispute of the Quye River with the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty made some concessions. As long as there was no war, they were willing to make concessions. With mutual goodwill, the peace negotiations were successful.

However, his luck was very bad. The flooding of the Seven-Level Canal, the most important tributary of the Yellow River in the Yinchuan Plain, caused many areas in Ling and Xia to be submerged. Subsequently, he killed the young Mie Cang family and established Liang as the empress. However, due to the Song Dynasty’s trade embargo, Western Xia suffered greatly. At that time, Liang might not have grown up or had enough influence. Therefore, Li Liangzuo remembered his father’s last words and his mother’s teachings, focusing on preventing the Khitans and befriending the Song Dynasty.

If both countries had sincere intentions, there might have been peace for a while...

However, the Western Xia people were not like the Khitans; they were fickle and completely lost credibility. Li Liangzuo was also aware of this, so last October, he sent an envoy to submit a letter: "I secretly admire the Chinese culture and have ordered the people to abandon the barbarian customs. Next year, I will use this to welcome the envoys of the Song Dynasty."

"I am a good person. The previous actions were done by my uncle, not me." This was a way to show sincerity to the Song Dynasty and request the resumption of trade.

However, the Western Xia treasury was severely depleted. When the envoy came to celebrate the New Year, they brought goods worth 80,000 strings of coins to trade. However, the Song officials, due to their inherent nature, became timid when others were strong and arrogant when others were weak. The officials in charge raised the prices, causing the Western Xia to suffer significant losses. In April of this year, Li Liangzuo presented fifty fine horses and requested the imperial poems and calligraphy of Emperor Taizong, as well as the Nine Classics, the History of Tang, the Yuan Gui of the Imperial Library, and the protocols for official visits. Emperor Zhenzong returned the horses and granted the Nine Classics.

This was to observe their words and actions.

To restore trade and receive the annual tribute of over 200,000 strings of coins from the Song Dynasty, you need to continue to show good behavior.

Without Liang, the Song and Western Xia might have remained at peace for a while.

Of course, the Song Dynasty also had its responsibilities. There were many people talking and no clear plan. Additionally, Li Liangzuo lured the Western envoy to the city of Yuzang Huama, which was originally intended to deal with the Tibetans. However, the Western Xia extended their influence to the ancient Weizhou area. If this continued, the Western Xia could connect with the Qiang people of Longzhou and Minzhou, cutting off the Song Dynasty’s Tibetan horse route and the Southern Silk Road, and even threatening Qinfeng and Northern Sichuan. Therefore, this trust was ultimately broken.

However, their luck was against them. Just as the Song Dynasty was about to subdue the Hehuang region, the Jurchens moved south.

As the Jurchens came, Yue Fei moved north.

(End of the page)