Chapter 1555: Hold on till the end

Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there are bound to be all kinds of charlatanism. Especially for a group like the Haihan people, who are famous for their wealth and wealth, they are naturally more likely to attract all kinds of liars. Bold liars.

Driven by huge interests, they often ignore the serious consequences of being discovered and choose to take risks.

Cao Lu, who pretended to be an imperial merchant, was this kind of person. He was originally a eunuch who came out of the palace. He knew a little bit about the various rules in the palace and the situation of the royal family. It was not easy to fool ordinary people, so he chose

Such a unique approach. Most people would never expect that someone would dare to deceive under the banner of the royal family. Cao Lu and others took advantage of this mentality to pretend to be royal merchants. This group of people had done so in other places in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

This time I heard that high-ranking officials from Haihan were meeting businessmen in Ningbo, and those with government backgrounds were given priority, so Cao Lu and others planned to come over in the name of imperial merchants to have a little fun.

They didn't really expect to reach any cooperation agreement with Haihan. After all, it was just a shell gang and had no real business. But they had roughly heard about the meetings and discussions between Haihan senior officials and local businessmen, and they knew

Haihan planned to run a large number of industries in Zhejiang, so he thought of taking advantage of the Xiangshan Saltworks, which has been a hot topic recently, to discuss cooperation with Haihan as an imperial merchant. This group of people had neither channels nor capital, so of course it was impossible.

He really won the salt sales agent, but as Shi Diwen said, after negotiating a preliminary agreement with Haihan, he planned to use this result to defraud those related downstream industries and defraud money from other businessmen.

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This idea is actually quite feasible, because Haihan always likes to choose businessmen with official background as partners when conducting trade in the Ming Dynasty, so as to gain channels and connections with the government. And Cao Lu and his group faked

The identity of the imperial merchants can be said to be very specific to Haihan's habits, and it is difficult to verify their identity in a short period of time. After all, Cao Lu claims to be from Nanjing, and the straight-line distance from Nanjing to Ningbo is more than 700 miles.

Even if Haihan wants to send someone to Nanjing to verify his identity, it cannot be done in two or three days. Such a long time is enough for Cao Lu and others to implement the plan.

However, Cao Lu and his group probably never imagined that General Haihan named Shi was not a martial artist who knew nothing about trade or diplomacy, but a very shrewd jack-of-all-trades. Even when it came to matters related to the royal family, Shi Diwen was very clear about it. Cao Lu

Lu was ill-prepared for this, and all the talking points he knew to scare Shi Diwen were of no use at all. Instead, they were slowly exposed under Shi Diwen's seemingly careless questions.

Shi Diwen's understanding of the Ming Dynasty royal family actually came from the information prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Security. Among the twenty-seven vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty, none of them had their fiefdom in Nanjing. Cao Lu and his group thought that

Haihan didn't know much about the situation of the Ming Dynasty royal family. He could fool him by making up information about a prince, but he never thought that he would never be able to pass Shi Diwen. The lack of attention to details ultimately made it impossible for this group of swindlers to escape. Shi Di

Wen used a few torture methods, but Cao Lu, who couldn't bear the pain, resorted to using them all. Shi Diwen also specially ordered someone to escort him to the front yard so that other businessmen waiting outside could see him, so as to deter other people with evil intentions.

As for the follow-up scam designed by Cao Lu and others, it was naturally impossible to carry out it. However, Shi Diwen probably could not have imagined that among the people waiting in the front yard, there was such a number one person as Zhang Qu, who was also with Cao Lu.

It’s almost the same route, but the level is a little lower. Of course, Zhang Qu’s fake identity is of a lower level, which means that the difficulty of playing this identity will be relatively low, so in the previous conversation with Shi Diwen

, Zhang Qu basically didn’t reveal any obvious flaws. But because Shi Diwen had just caught a fraud gang, his guard was slightly relaxed, and he did not have any doubts about Zhang Qu’s identity.

But Zhang Qu's purpose is different from that of Cao Lu's group of crooks. He wants to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with senior officials of Haihan to seek an opportunity to be recruited and enter Haihan's officialdom. Selling the salt produced in the future of Xiangshan Salt Farm is not his.

The intention is just to use this as a topic to chat with Shi Diwen.

Zhang Qu was naturally not willing to discuss the issue of the group of swindlers with Shi Diwen in depth. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Actually, I have admired Haihan for a long time. If my family hadn't stopped me, I might have gone to apply for a job in your country."

Recruited.”

"Recruiting?" Shi Diwen was really interested when he heard this and asked proactively: "What position does Boss Zhang plan to apply for?"

"I also took the imperial examination in my early years, and there was a scholar who had a good reputation. I heard that your country particularly favors scholars with a good reputation, so I have always wanted to try." Seeing Shi Diwen answer the question, Zhang Qu quickly said

He said the words he had thought of and looked at Shi Diwen with an expectant look. He pretended to be an official and businessman and came here with the purpose of asking the high-ranking officials of Haihan to show him a clear path.

Scholars in the Ming Dynasty could only enter the officialdom if they passed the imperial examination. However, due to the limited population under the rule of Haihan and the popularization of culture and education, there was a great demand for the appointment of scholars, which inevitably led to relatively lower requirements. However, Zhang Qu

I have heard many rumors such as "a scholar becomes a county magistrate" and "a man is appointed to manage a state". This kind of rumors made Ming literati prosper in the officialdom after joining Haihan. Zhang Qu actually had a little obsession with being an official.

I think that even if I can't be an official in the Ming Dynasty, being an official in another country seems to be a way to achieve my wish.

What's more, today's Haihan is not a small foreign country, but a powerful country in the Far East that can truly compete with the Ming Dynasty. With the speed of Haihan's development and expansion, the demand for officials is very large. Of course, the prospect of becoming an official in this country is

Very good. Although Zhang Qu had no experience in politics in the past, he thought that after reading the books of sages for so many years, he didn't understand the principles of the world, so it would be no problem to become a minor official in Haihan.

However, Shi Diwen's next response made him slightly disappointed: "A scholar? I don't know if Boss Zhang has ever worked as a master or scribe in the yamen in the past. I mean he can really get in touch with the local government."

A government position."

Regarding Shi Diwen's question, Zhang Qu wanted to brag, but he did not dare to do so, because as long as Shi Diwen asked for details, his true face would be immediately exposed, and his lack of experience in governance would be immediately exposed. So Zhang Qu

Although I was unwilling to do so, I could only honestly admit that I had no experience in this area.

"Is that boss good at arithmetic calculations? There are many departments in our country that need talents who are proficient in calculations. For example, the Ministry of Commerce, which is responsible for handling trade affairs, has many vacancies." Shi Diwen continued to ask without any discouragement.

.

"This... I'm probably not good at..." Zhang Qu couldn't help but feel his heart sink a bit. He knew that Haihan people were generally good at calculations, otherwise they wouldn't have built a country based on business. Shi Diwen proposed this

This kind of request is not too much, but it is Zhang Qu's shortcoming, and there is no way to get past it.

Shi Diwen didn't expect that this man, who didn't have much to show for it, could express his desire to join the officialdom of Haihan in front of him. He really thought that if he knew a few big characters and read the Four Books and Five Classics in a few days, he would be able to work in Haihan.

Become an official? Even if you become a village chief, you must at least know basic administrative management and agricultural knowledge. This person has neither political experience nor is good at magic, so it is impossible for him to find a better place.

"What skills does Boss Zhang have that he's good at?" Shi Diwen asked patiently.

"I have read the classics and history carefully to understand how to govern the country, so that I can make suggestions for your country." Zhang Qu finally had the opportunity to praise himself a few words, but unfortunately Shi Diwen didn't listen to a few words, and there was already a look of impatience on his face.

"Hmm... well... considering Boss Zhang's situation, you can probably apply for a job at the Ministry of Education of our country to see which level of academy is suitable for you to be a teacher." Shi Diwen could think of the most suitable job for Zhang Qu.

It can only be like this. After all, you are a person who has passed the scholar examination, and your cultural foundation should be no problem. At least teaching reading and literacy should not be a big problem. However, the treatment of this kind of job is definitely not as good as being an official, and 80% of it is not.

Staying in Zhejiang is comfortable.

For a businessman like Zhang Qu who has a certain official background, Shi Diwen thinks that he would not condescend to become a teacher in Haihan. As for what Zhang Qu said about governing the country and offering advice and suggestions, Shi Diwen

It was filtered automatically. How to develop Haihan State has its own executive committee and many time travelers to jointly plan it. How can it be the turn of people of this era to express their opinions? What's more, he is just a scholar with no experience in governing. Let him participate in running the country.

Isn't it a joke?

Shi Diwen even thought, if the Ming literati were like this man and felt that they were the pillars of the country after reading a few collections of classics and history, then it would be no wonder that this huge empire has been in decline.

Zhang Qu was naturally disappointed when he heard such an answer. If he just wanted to be a teacher in an academy, then why should he pursue an opportunity to join Haihan? As the saying goes, if you learn literature and martial arts and sell them to the emperor's family, Zhang Qu will naturally

I hope that the knowledge I possess can win the favor of the senior officials of Haihan, and then directly appoint him an official on the spot, and leave the Ming Dynasty in glory. But the reality is obviously cruel, and the senior officials of Haihan in front of him obviously do not realize his value.

There was even an unconcealable contempt in his tone, which made Zhang Qu so angry that he secretly called Shi Diwen a "reckless man" in his heart.

Obviously, the demands of both parties are not consistent when it comes to becoming an official in Haihan. What Shi Diwen needs is a talent with real materials, not such a scholar who only talks about rhetoric; and Zhang Qu thinks he has a lot of money.

It's just that they can't meet Bole who knows the goods. The two people's values ​​​​are too different on this matter, and there is no possibility of talking about them together.

It's just that Zhang Qu is not reconciled to such a result. He wants to be an official. He is even willing to take risks and come here to recommend himself. If Shi Diwen dismisses him with just a few words, then wouldn't this trip be in vain?

.

Zhang Qu plucked up the courage and said to Shi Diwen: "General Shi, I have admired Haihan for a long time and have always hoped to serve Haihan, but I have never been able to get in. Maybe there is someone more suitable for me than an academy teacher."

position?"

Of course, Shi Diwen also noticed that the attitude of the man in front of him was a bit strange. When other businessmen came in to see him, they all took the time to talk about business, hoping to complete the trade negotiations with Haihan within the specified time. Only this man seemed not to

He did not take the salt business mentioned earlier too seriously, but showed great interest in joining Haihan. To be precise, he seemed to be interested in becoming an official in Haihan.

Shi Diwen has been in Zhejiang for so long that he has met many different kinds of people, including some "official fans" like You Zhangqu, who only wanted to go to Haihan to become an official. If it had been two years earlier, Haihan would have

Naturally, the Han people don't care about anything and just accept the people first. Nowadays, although various government departments still have a huge demand for personnel, the corresponding requirements have also increased a lot. It is not like in the past that people can come just as long as they are literate.

I won’t refuse. If you want to be an official, you must at least have a certain foundation.

Of course, it is not impossible for Shi Diwen to accept a case like Zhang Qu, but he must first send it to Sanya for a period of government training, and then distribute it based on the training results. If the results are excellent, plus personal

If the conditions are good, then it is not impossible to directly appoint a local official such as the county magistrate. But Shi Diwen doesn't quite understand why this person is so obsessed with being an official. There are obviously better ones in front of him.

Choose, for example, become a Haihan partner.

Shi Diwen thought about it in his mind, and then responded to Zhang Qu: "Things are not as simple as you think. Even if someone who has served as an official in the Ming Dynasty comes to our country to resume his old career, it will still take a period of time to get started.

The training must be assessed and certified by the training institution. I'm afraid that Boss Zhang will lose his patience after only a few days there. Wouldn't that be a waste of everyone's time?"

When Zhang Qu heard that things were about to turn around, he immediately expressed his position: "Training is no problem! What I lack is administrative experience. I believe that the training provided by your country must have this aspect. As long as I can make some progress with my ability,

If I get promoted, I believe I will be able to fill more positions in your country."

Shi Diwen finally understood that this person was not only a fan of officials, but also an extremely persistent one. He would try his best to break into the officialdom before he would give up. This probably meant that he had not won the imperial examination. If he had won the imperial examination, he would have become an official in the Ming Dynasty.

Given the opportunity, he would definitely not choose the development direction of Haihan. But since the other party has expressed such a strong intention, it would be too unkind if Shi Diwen did not leave the other party with the opportunity to receive training.

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"How about this? You register here first. When there is a boat to Zhoushan tomorrow, you can follow it. Someone will naturally receive you there and arrange the follow-up matters." Shi Diwen decided to give him a certificate.

own opportunity.
Chapter completed!