When the business ends, the competition is often backstage. No matter which dynasty or generation, there is a big man in the officialdom standing behind it. No one behind it is not qualified to become a big merchant. He will be just a small fish and shrimp in the pond all his life.

When the background is roughly equal, if there is a dispute between the two businesses, it will be purely a brain-making process at this time. The methods in the officialdom are often no longer convenient to use, because you are afraid, others can use the tricks you can use. Once you use power, it will mostly hurt your muscles.

But Gu Qing is not good at it because his family's wealth is not as good as others.

In the end of the price war, the winner is the family's foundation. Whoever can bear it will win. Even if you only have one cent left at the end, you can decide the winner or lose.

Gu Qing's family was almost empty before today. Fortunately, An Lushan gave another heavy gift, and he could still bear it for a while, but Gu Qing didn't want to throw the money into this meaningless price war.

There are many means of commercial competition, black and white, serious and inappropriate. Price wars are the lowest, and the wise will not take what ordinary men do.

"Mr. Marquis, we are afraid we can't fight..." Shi Daxing said with a look of grimace: "Old Hao and I have lost our family. Marquis gave me not much money left last time. Longji has been operating in Dongshi for many years. I don't know how much property he has accumulated. If the two parties lower the price, they must be the winner. No wonder they are unwilling to reconcile with us. It is worthwhile to be able to drive the opponent out of Dongshi forever. It is also worth it. If it were me, I wouldn't want to reconcile. At most, the opponent will be completely destroyed after one month. Only fools will reconcile."

Hao Donglai said carefully: "Mr. Marquis, do you still have money?"

Gu Qing said calmly: "I have money. I just earned 10,000 yuan this morning, and I am worthy of my wealth."

Hao Donglai was overjoyed: "Borrow..."

Gu Qing interrupted: "If you don't borrow, you won't borrow a penny."

The two shopkeepers immediately collapsed their shoulders in a dismay. Hao Donglai had many dramas and sighed to the sky, "Heaven will destroy me..."

Gu Qing was so happy: "Continue your performance, it's better to have some tears to be true."

Shi Daxing blinked and said, "The Marquis should have another way to deal with Long Ji, right?"

Gu Qing said confidently: "Of course I have a solution. Not only do I have a solution, but I also have three strategies for the best, middle and lower."

The two shopkeepers were overjoyed, and Hao Donglai said angrily: "Mr. Marquis, you really... have a way to take it out, which almost made me cry."

Shi Daxing bowed and said, "I hope to hear the best plan of the marquis."

"The best strategy is... You two look for a dark and windy night, quietly wiping their necks with a knife at the door of Longji shop. The next morning, two corpses died at the door of Longji. They competed with improper means and forced two people to die alive. I asked them if they were afraid, which aroused public indignation from the Chang'an court and the country. Why did Longji not give in?"

The two shopkeepers were stunned: "I...we both died at the door of Longji?"

Gu Qing nodded: "Yes, this is the most effective method. Apart from two lives, you can easily achieve your goal without paying any cost. What do you think?"

The two shopkeepers looked extremely ugly, and Hao Donglai said quietly: "Is this the Marquis'...the best strategy?"

Shi Daxing said weakly: "Marty, we can't die... At worst, we can go back to Qingcheng County in shame and continue doing small business. It is impossible to die, and we will never die in this life."

Hao Donglai reached out to his courage and pointed at Shi Daxing and said suddenly: "The Marquis's method is actually feasible. Let Lao Shi die alone. I will keep the useful body and continue to work hard as the Marquis..."

Shi Daxing was furious and stood up and gave Fatty Hao a rabbit kick. Hao Donglai had thick skin and strong flesh, but he still didn't move at all.

"Mr. Marquis, let's talk about the best plan." Shi Daxing vetoed the best plan without hesitation.

"It's Zhongce... Actually, the best strategy is pretty good. Defeating the enemy will eventually lead to sacrifice. Sacrifice is a kind of honor. Are you sure you don't consider it?"

The two shopkeepers shook their heads decisively and said in unison: "Don't consider it."

Gu Qing sighed and said, "Okay, Zhongce is just me coming to visit the monkey in person...what monkey is coming?"

The two of them spoke in unison again: "The Marquis of Yiling County."

"Oh, yes, the Marquis of Yiling County, first be kind and then the soldiers. First, I advised the two sides to quit. If the monkey is shameless, I will beat him half to death. While he is recuperating in the bed, we will lead people to smash the Longji shop into pieces. The enemy will be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Wouldn't it be great?"

The two shopkeepers rolled their eyes to the sky.

Can this also be called "Zhongce"? It is clearly the act of the bandits and powerful men, and it is still "what isn't it good?" They don't know where the excitement is. They only know how much trouble they will cause later. As soon as they were appointed as the county marquis, they were so domineering. Are the emperor and the censors in the court your own father? Will they spoil you so much?

"Mr. Marquis, you... should you tell me the worst."

The two shopkeepers were discouraged and no longer had any hope for Gu Qing’s three strategies of superiority, middleness and inferiority.

Gu Qing suddenly laughed: "Okay, I was actually teasing you just now. In fact, one useful method is enough. It's meaningless to do the three strategies of the upper, middle and lower. It's just a big deal. How idle I am, I still think of three solutions."

After a pause, Gu Qing whispered: "Starting tomorrow, I will take out all my money and find a tailor to make a banner. A few words are written on the banner, such as "Dongshi Longji, the first of the porcelain shops", such as "Qingji Porcelain Store Learn from Longji", such as "Datang Longji, leading the benchmark of the porcelain shop", etc. In short, all of them are written about Longji's good words, how to flatter, how to shoot the strength and angle must be taken as you like..."

The two shopkeepers were shocked and said, "Mr. Marquis, are you crazy? What is the intention to do this? How can you say good things to the enemy?"

Gu Qing said coldly: "I admire Longji very much, and I admire it so much that I decided to give them all our shops and property. Do you believe me?"

"Don't believe it!"

"Since I don't believe it, it means that I have a reason to do this. What you need to do is not to question me, but to execute my orders meticulously, because the solution I came up with is something you have never heard of."

The two shopkeepers quickly looked at each other and said, "Okay, let's do whatever the marquis says."

Gu Qing continued: "After the flags are ready, they are spread out to every corner of the East City. The more people you see, the better. The bigger the momentum we have learned from Longji, the better."

The two shopkeepers were still confused, but they still agreed without hesitation.

After waiting for a while, the two shopkeepers did not wait for Gu Qing to say something behind him. Hao Donglai couldn't help but say, "Mr. Marquis, why are there no one below?"

Gu Qing was confused and pointed at Shi Daxing, saying, "When you go out, beat this fat man up, and be more ruthless. If you can't beat him, you can ask Mr. Xu to help."

Hao Donglai said in surprise: "Mr. Marquis, what did I say wrong?"

"You are right, you are just born to be humble and need technical adjustments."

Then Gu Qing said again: "The flags and banners are spread out. Everyone in Chang'an knows them. I will tell you how to go next. Now, go beat the fat man, hurry up."

Shi Daxing took the order happily and smiled and pushed Hao Donglai out of the door.

…………

The next morning, Gu Qing went to the Zuowei Yingmao.

As soon as he entered the side door of the left guard, countless military generals and colleagues saluted Gu Qing respectfully, and Gu Qing also returned the salute very politely.

There are generals in the left guard, and there are generals under the general. The general is further down to the general. In terms of power ranking, Gu Qing is now the third-ranking figure in the left guard. Moreover, unlike the general, the general often has the power to lead troops only in wartime, while the generals can lead troops in peacetime.

Therefore, Gu Qing's life in Zuowei was getting more and more prosperous. Not only did he become more powerful, he didn't have to be as busy as a dog when he was a chief minister.

Nowadays, Gu Qing misses work if he wants to skip work. Unless he has to take action in an extraordinary period, Gu Qing can happily spend time in the left guard.

Attendance points and other things are all over the world. Given that Gu Qing is now so proud of his holy family, even if General Guo Ziyi wants to punish him with military law, he may have to think carefully.

After advancing to the left guard, Gu Qing first visited Guo Ziyi.

Gu Qing still respects the old coach Guo Ziyi. He is the mainstay of turning the tide in the future. If Guo Ziyi was not there in the Tang Dynasty, he would be afraid that the country would be destroyed.

Guo Ziyi was working in the room, and she lowered her head and didn't know what was written. Gu Qing sang the name and told him. Guo Ziyi put down her pen and stood up to greet her.

"General Gu Lang is really a rare guest. I thought you forgot that you have been the position of General of the Left Guard. How many days have you been back from Mount Li? I have only come to Yingmao today." Guo Ziyi laughed, but he was not very polite in his words, which contained some dissatisfaction and warning.

Gu Qing hurriedly apologized: "General Guo forgives his crime. The last general has just taken office as the General of the Central Army. Many mundane affairs at home need to be dealt with. The last general thinks to settle the family affairs first and then concentrate on serving the country. It is a few days late.

Guo Ziyi hummed and said, "Young people are successful, remember not to be swelled. In terms of personal friendship, I, the Twelve Niang, Li Guangbi, and Zhang Jiuzhang are all good in private. You are their nephews. You should take good care of you. But I am selfless in the management of the army. Public is public and private is private. You are my nephew. I should be more strict with you, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public."

"Yes, even if the general is punished, the last general will never complain."

Guo Ziyi glanced at him and said, "This is the first time, I will forgive you. You should almost be absent from the future, otherwise don't blame me for really marching the law of your army. Haha, there are not many ten military sticks, and there are many people who have been beaten and deposed. You should know that the military law of the Tang Dynasty is so strict, and you should be respectful in your heart."

Gu Qing said yes, but he was not dissatisfied at all.

It was originally his own fault, and Gu Qing had nothing to say. Besides, he respected Guo Ziyi quite well, and knew that Guo Ziyi was indeed rigorous in governing the army. If he was really punished with military sticks, it was not that Guo Ziyi was targeting him, but that the military law was ruthless.

Next, Guo Ziyi arranged work for Gu Qing. From tomorrow, for a month, Gu Qing will lead the left guards to patrol the Xingqing Palace, working three shifts day and night. General Zhonglang was in charge of the scope and number of left guards patrols, as well as adjusting the time and location at any time and coordinating the personnel.

The errand was not difficult. After Gu Qing wrote it down, he planned to go back to the house to arrange the table, but Guo Ziyi called him.

Shaking his head and sighing, Guo Ziyi said, "You are already a county marquis and a central general. You are still as alone as before, and you are not afraid that the powerful people in Chang'an will laugh at you."

Gu Qing was stunned: "I wonder what the general meant?"

Guo Ziyi stood up and clapped her hands, and said, "Let's go, Your Majesty has an order to transfer a hundred soldiers from the left guard to your personal guard. The county marquis said whether it is big or not, and you still have the pomp to have. You are the general of the left guard, so how can you lose your personal guard?"

"The order issued by Your Majesty himself?"

"Of course, I issued an order a few days ago. I even chose someone for you. As a result, you didn't come to the Zuowei Yingmao for a long time. Do you still deliver it to you? I have to wait for you to come."

Gu Qing suddenly said with a frown: "General... Can the last general not want to guard himself? It's good to be alone."

Guo Ziyi paused and said strangely: "Your Majesty's kindness, why don't you?"

Gu Qing sighed: "Mo Jiang's house is not big, and I'm afraid it can't live in more than a hundred people. Besides, Mo Jiang is in a place where long-term peace in Chang'an should not be in any danger. There is no need for my personal guards."

Guo Ziyi laughed: "You kid...it seems to be quite unfamiliar with the officialdom. These hundred personal guards do not need to care about their food and accommodation. Their food and accommodation are still in the Zuowei camp. They are just used as your county marquis' ceremonial guards on weekdays. You... ask more rules for nothing, and don't make jokes in the future."

Gu Qing was still a little unhappy, but he still accepted it helplessly.

With Li Longji's character, there may be some secretly spys among these hundred guards. The emperor is suspicious and doesn't feel at ease with anyone. No matter how trusted the ministers cannot escape being monitored. If Gu Qing refuses again and again, it is difficult to guarantee whether Li Longji will be suspicious of him.

Being with the king is like being with a tiger. If the holy relative is prosperous, it will never be fully trusted. The life-saving benefactor is no exception. This is the instinct engraved in the bones of the emperor.

Guo Ziyi led Gu Qing to the outside of Zuowei Mansion. There were about a hundred people standing neatly outside. The young man in the shape of a general was wearing armor and helmet, standing motionless like a javelin like a javelin. He looked cold and looked squinting, like a statue without thoughts.

Guo Ziyi and Gu Qing walked out of the left guard side by side, and the young man led a hundred soldiers to bow and hold their fists together: "Go to General Guo."

Guo Ziyi nodded with satisfaction, admired the military appearance of the soldiers, turned to Gu Qing and smiled: "They will be your personal guards in the future. The leader is named Han Jie. He was originally the prince who led the mansion to join the army. Later, he was transferred to the commander of the Left Guard's Cavalry Camp. Your Majesty wants to give you a personal guard. The first thing I think of is him."

Gu Qing smiled and said, "Why?"

Guo Ziyi sighed: "Han Jie was born in a county, but unfortunately he is honest. When he was leading the prince's mansion, he was often excluded by his colleagues. He was obviously a brave and resourceful general, but he was covered in dust and could not be promoted for many years. This time he followed you, he might have different experiences. You can give more advice on weekdays. Although you are younger than him, you are better at literary talent than him. I hope he can have a good future with you."

Gu Qing smiled and said, "I will do my best."

Han Jie bowed to Gu Qing with his fists and shouted: "Last general Han Jie, pay homage to the Marquis Gu Lang."

The hundreds of soldiers behind saluted in unison: "Greetings to the Marquis!"

Gu Qing stepped forward to hold Han Jie's arm, helped him up, then looked at him carefully, and finally nodded, and smiled: "I will depend on you in the future. Thank you for your hard work, General Han and his robes."

Han Jie tugged the corner of his mouth and said, "I will die without regrets."
Chapter completed!