Chapter 880 Qi Guo Trade
A few days later, Li Licheng and his party continued northward from Xingyang along Suoshui, and successfully arrived at the south bank of the Yellow River. Thinking of what happened a few days ago, it was a blessing in disguise.
Naqi General Dongfang Lao was careful and realized from the goods they transported that they were not ordinary merchants. Although there are many merchants in the north and south who use books as commodities, after all, this is only a relatively niche commodity trading, and it is not just simple merchants who manage this business. In particular, the books they transport are very rich in both quantity and category, and are naturally beyond the reach of people with ordinary backgrounds.
This situation is not that they are estranged from each other, and they have made corresponding arrangements. It is just a coincidence that when they go out, they meet Dongfang Lao, who is making extra money by raiding smuggling.
Fortunately, Li Tang and Mr. Dongfang were old acquaintances, and Mr. Dongfang seemed to believe Li Tang's words. After entertaining him, he did not create any more difficulties and even arranged for his subordinates to protect them. Going all the way north allowed them to successfully reach the south bank of the Yellow River.
As for the goods that were searched before, Dongfang Lao also returned most of them to them, but some of the particularly rare items, such as white sugar, were still withheld.
Of course, this is nothing, not to mention that the other party has provided them with a certain degree of protection. Even if it is just a reunion of old friends, it should be shown according to the etiquette of dealing with others.
"Although Mr. Dongfang also has a lot of faith, he is willing to let it go easily this time because he wants to save his own life. It was unexpected that he got me by chance. If he doesn't believe it and kills me, he will inevitably bear the name of injustice. If he finds me, he will be punished. I put the matter under strict scrutiny with my superiors, but I was also afraid that the old affairs of Mr. Gao would become more and more violent, and all the old relatives of the Gao family did not want to be implicated in the old affairs anymore, so Quanyi let him go and settled the matter. It’s also wise.”
Speaking of Dongfang Lao letting his party go, Li Tang couldn't help but sigh.
As a traitor, no matter what the reason is for him to return to Northern Qi, he will always be a sinner.
It is a relatively normal operation for the Dongfang veteran to arrest him and deliver him to Yedu for questioning, but if he really does this, no one can be sure whether Gao Zhongmi's old rebellion will again involve any personnel clues that were ignored in the past. Especially now that except for Gao Zhongmi who fled west, all the Gao brothers are no longer alive. The Northern Qi court may be even more careless in dealing with these personnel leftovers.
Therefore, Dongfang Lao let Li Tang go, which is more trouble than less trouble. For such an old matter, even if he captured and sent Li Tang away, the credit would be small but the risk would be high.
After hearing this, Li Licheng also smiled and said: "Although he said this, he is still willing to treat each other like this after a long separation, which shows Guangzong's work of public trust and justice, which makes people convinced. This person is convinced that even if we are captured again after entering Ye, Mr. Guangzong will never make any extra confessions to implicate him."
"It just means that Li Hou has to continue to accompany us here. This goes against the previous plan. Is Li Hou really going to Ye with us?"
Because Dongfang Lao's tribe escorted them all the way here, they did not have the opportunity to stop in Xingyang County to make other arrangements. The original plan was for Li Licheng to lurk in Xingyang Township and build a relatively stable stronghold. Li Tang led his men to sneak into the vicinity of Yecheng in batches many times.
Hearing Li Tang's question, Li Licheng smiled and said: "I asked for help from the Taifu a few days ago, and I know that this trip is by no means without danger. Since we have entered the enemy's territory, misfortunes will inevitably happen. Unexpected things cannot be avoided, so why bother?" Sticking to the old plan? Moreover, if you share this matter with others, you should share the same misfortune and good fortune, so there is no other plan, so go ahead and do it quickly!"
After hearing Li Licheng's statement, Li Tang said nothing more, so the group began to prepare to cross the river to the north.
Going deep into enemy territory sounds like it must be dangerous, but it may not be so in reality. Accidents are of course unavoidable, because after all, the initiative lies with the other party, and all they can do is to respond tactfully. As for the previous situation of running directly into the enemy's hands, you can only ask for good luck.
But in fact, in most cases, as long as they don't try to get close to those very important personnel and key areas, and flaunt their identity as spies too much, then they are no different from other ordinary people in the eyes of others.
After all, even in later generations, it would be very difficult to carry out comprehensive social security and search for spies, let alone in this ancient society. It is of course very unexpected for strange people to appear in a village that is generally closed-off. However, as the capital of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Yecheng is one of the few prosperous cities in the whole north and even in the whole world. It is destined that a large number of people come in and out every day, and no one will do it. Strictly investigate these discrepancies in personnel matters.
However, lack of careful inspection does not mean that there is no supervision at all. On the contrary, the management system is still very strict in theory. Northern Qi's taxes include Guanshi Zhouche, Shanze Salt and Iron, shop rent, etc.
In other words, as long as the product enters the market, you need to pay taxes, and your product must contain records such as the customs, market, boat and vehicle, where the market is bought and sold, which customs pass through, and the land and water itinerary transported, etc. A clear and systematic record, otherwise no one will be allowed to buy or sell in the market.
Of course, at any time, it's always one thing in theory, and another in actual implementation. After all, you can't control me if I break the law.
The smuggling traders active in Henan and other trade routes may not all have the energy to openly ignore the laws and regulations of the Northern Qi Dynasty, but they cannot stand up to the people above them.
For example, near Jindu along the Yellow River, there are many powerful families in Yecheng who send their slaves here, mainly to recruit these smugglers and give them a legal identity for their goods that have no customs clearance and transaction records.
Of course, in exchange, these business travelers must give these powerful people a certain proportion of kickbacks based on the value of the transported goods. At the same time, the goods they transport must be selected by these powerful families first. Only after the selection by these powerful families is completed can these smuggled goods flow into the market with a legal status.
While Li Licheng and his party were waiting to cross the river, many dignitaries and slaves from various Northern Qi families came forward to inquire about the types of goods they were transporting and to solicit business. When they learned that their party was coming from Mianbei, these slaves couldn't help but become even more enthusiastic.
As one of the centers where people from all over the world gather, Yedu naturally has people and materials from all over the world. The quality and popularity of goods from different origins also vary. At the moment, goods and caravans from Mianbei are the most popular.
Naturally, the group of them had already contacted the supplier of goods and bribes, but since Li Licheng also went north directly with the team, for the sake of safety, they were divided into two teams. Li Licheng led his team to go to the homes of the powerful people they had contacted before, and followed the arrangements to deliver goods across the river. Li Tang made a selection on the pier and chose a slave of Princess Dongping, who led him across the river.
After crossing the river, we arrived at Fangtou. Fangtou is an important ferry crossing in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It was also an important military town guarding Hebei. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Huan Wen's Northern Expedition and the former Yan Dynasty's Murong Chui fought the Battle of Fangtou here.
Since the entire Henan area is now controlled by the Northern Qi Dynasty, the military significance of Fangtou is not as great as before. The ferry crossing is mostly crowded with travelers and merchants, so it is also very lively.
Because of the considerate guidance of the local snake, Li Licheng and others crossed the river relatively smoothly. After crossing the river, they followed the wealthy slaves they selected and were led to a nearby manor shop, where people checked and calculated the value of the materials and made selections among them.
This kind of thing has already formed a relatively stable industrial chain. Although there are some situations where power is used to suppress people, since it can form a certain scale and run smoothly for a long time, it means that most people are still doing it according to the rules. If we really want all the meat buns to beat the dog, and there is no return, this kind of deal will no longer exist long ago.
Li Licheng went to Bohai Feng's Manor, which was considered a relatively reputable smuggler. It only took more than an hour to handle the cargo procedures, and he was able to enter Yedu for sales normally. The charges for the Feng family slaves are also fair. They only charge 20% of the goods. Based on the profit of more than ten times that of Mianbei, this price can be called generous.
Li Tang went to Princess Dongping's house, probably because she was a relative of the emperor, so the price was higher and it took longer. But it's expensive for a reason. In addition to issuing the normal commercial goods procedures, they also arranged for them to be named as a Xianbei cargo owner. When the group enters Yedu, they will understand how much convenience this gift brings to them.