Chapter 402 Jiangdong should not be taken lightly

Dou Shi was born into the Dou family of Fufeng. He was the nephew of Empress Taimu Dou and the cousin of Li Yuanhui.

He is a man of considerable talent and good appearance, and his status as an envoy is high enough, and he is qualified to represent the King of Qi, Li Yuanhui.

He came all the way from Luoyang, and Cao Yan was very satisfied with this candidate and his attitude.

Li Yuanhui also highly praised Cao Yuanjing in his letter, which made Cao Yan even more moved, heroes appreciate heroes.

As for the other meaning of the letter, comparing the current Eastern Wei to Shu Han, even if Cao Yan saw it, he would not think there was anything wrong with it.

On the contrary, I think it's pretty good and a good metaphor.

The King of Qi is a really good man, and he speaks well.
So Dou Shi was actually a little nervous on the way here, but after arriving in Jiangdong, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.

The Eastern Wei side treated Dou Shi with complete courtesy, and Dou Shi stayed in Jianye for a few days.

After paying homage to Cao Yuanjing's tomb, we also took the opportunity to see the magnificent scenery of Qinhuai in Jianye.

In just a few days, Dou Shi realized that this was not a good time to attack Wei.

First of all, the father and son of the Cao family had a very high prestige among the people, and the people of Jianye were all mourning the late Emperor Cao Yuanjing.

When he went to worship, he found that many people worshiped spontaneously. He was very curious about this, and after asking, he learned that because these people were from other places, the spread of news was not so fast at that time. The spread of news, plus the distance they needed to travel, made it almost the same time as him, a visitor from Luoyang.

This made Dou Shi a little frightened, this prestige is not ordinary high. And these people came spontaneously.

Afterwards, Dou Shi strolled around the streets of Jianye, chatting with the common people and getting to know the local price levels.

First of all, he found that the prices of grain and salt were very stable. From these two points, he could also know the current level of stability under Jiangdong's rule.

In addition, much of the silk that was popular in Luoyang and Chang'an was also produced in the south of the Yangtze River.

The Tang Dynasty was naturally rich in silk, but the best was Shu brocade, and its greatest use at present was to trade with the Turks in exchange for horses.

The silk products from Jiangdong were sold well in Chang'an and Luoyang through some channels.

Dou Shi felt it necessary to go back and report this matter to Li Yuanhui, because there were so many things involved, and it was very likely that someone was collaborating with or aiding the enemy.

After all, silk in Jiangnan is very expensive, so how can one pay for it?
War horses? Salt? Food? Arms?
Finally, Dou Shi talked for a long time with an old man selling tea on the street, and finally understood why the father and son of the Cao family were so highly respected in Jiangdong.

"You are a merchant from the north, right?"

"Yes, I'm from Luoyang. I want to sell some silk. I came here specially through connections."

"I said, your accent is different from the people in Guangling, Jiangbei. More than a decade ago, it was still Dayan. The emperor wanted to fight Goguryeo or Turks, and dug the Grand Canal. I also served in the construction of Luoyang. I couldn't even get enough food and was beaten all day. Later, I ran back. I originally had five sons, two of them died in Goguryeo, and the one who dug the Grand Canal didn't come back. Later, Emperor Cao rebelled. Although he also fought with Jiangbei every year and many people died, it was much less than the digging of the canal and fighting Goguryeo. Even if people didn't come back, they would still be paid and given food. Emperor Cao also didn't allow his officials to collect taxes at will."

"Then what about now."

"Little Emperor Cao was in charge when he was the crown prince. When Emperor Cao went to war, he was left to look after the family. This is good for us people. It would be even better if we could avoid war."

Dou Shi nodded upon hearing this. He understood the simple wish of the old tea seller.

He didn't want to explain to the other party about the unification of the world, there was no need for that. But from these few words, he still understood the current situation of the Southern Kingdom.

Although the new emperor of the Eastern Wei Dynasty is currently competing with the old ministers in the court, the situation is generally stable and the struggle is within the controllable range. On the other hand, among the people, both the previous emperor and the current emperor are very popular. The people below may not support them in the Northern Expedition, but if they fight against foreign forces, they will definitely jump up.

Because they worry about losing their current life.

If we send troops to the south at this time, we will most likely get stuck in a quagmire, which will in turn affect the fight for Hebei.

The next day, Dou Shi went to see Cao Yan again as a farewell.

"Does the King of Qi have any plans to march south?"

Cao Yan asked very directly. He felt that if he were Li Yuanhui, he would certainly want to launch a southern expedition at this time.

After all, it is normal to take your life while you are sick. If you don't strike when the opponent is weak, do you have to strike when the opponent is in good condition?
Dou Shide's answer was clever, "Whether the King of Qi will march south or not is entirely up to you, Your Majesty."

Cao Yan nodded when he heard this, and then asked, "I wonder what position a great man like you holds in Luoyang?"

Dou Shi said: "It's a shame, not worth mentioning."

Cao Yan questioned: "Are you exaggerating?"

Dou Shi smiled and said, "I am just a clerk in the palace of King Qi. I was able to get this position only because I am related to King Qi. Under King Qi's command, there are good planners such as Li Qinglian, Dugu Ying, Gao Kan, and Yu Zhining, all of whom are full of wisdom and strategies. There are also good fighters such as Chang Yanheng, Li Yaoshi, Zhang Zhen'e, and Zhu Deyu, all of whom have the power to charge thousands of miles away. And there are people like Yuchi Jingde, Zhang Jian, Duan Wuda, and Luo Shixiang, all of whom are brave enough to fight against ten thousand men."

Cao Yan's face was solemn after hearing this, and he sighed: "The number of people in the Central Plains is the best in the world, far beyond the Jiangdong area."

What does the new emperor of Eastern Wei lack most at the moment? Talent.

He wanted to eliminate the long-standing malpractices in the court and change the situation where the elders and powerful families occupied power but were content with their positions and had no intention of launching a northern expedition.

But the reality is that these people cannot be easily touched.

Because no one uses you.

Cao Yan had also heard of the people that Dou Shi mentioned.

Chang Yanheng and Li Yaoshi had just captured Qingzhou some time ago. Zhang Zhen'e and Zhu Deyu were both old rivals of the Eastern Wei army.

Yuchi Jingde and Luo Shixiang were famous generals in the world. They were as brave as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and could defeat ten thousand enemies. They were worthy of the title.

When thinking about his own current situation, where he wanted to do something but had no one to help him, he couldn't help but envy King Qi Li Yuanhui.

He is now the emperor of Wei, but the talents available to him are not as many as those in his own vassal king's palace.

From this, we can see what kind of mind and tolerance the King of Qi must have to be able to get so many heroes to serve him.
"The King of Qi is truly a great man. I wish I could sit down with him and have a drink with him."

Cao Yan sighed, and finally changed the subject: "But if the prince of the Tang Dynasty ascends the throne and becomes the emperor in the future, and the King of Qi controls the Central Plains, with counselors and generals like clouds and rain in the palace, can you be willing to be subordinate to him?"

Dou Shi paused after hearing this, and then said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince of Qi are brothers from the same mother, and they have a deep brotherly love, so naturally they are very close."

He said this, but he was actually unsure. But he couldn't say anything else. Fortunately, the relationship between the Crown Prince and the King of Qi and the King of Jin was indeed close. Even the second cousin could become the Crown Prince, and the third and fourth cousins ​​also made a lot of efforts.

But even his uncle, the emperor, couldn't tell how far the relationship between the brothers could go, let alone him.

(End of this chapter)