Farmer of Shu Han

Speaking of Nanzhong and Hualan, Feng Yong suddenly remembered something again.

Immediately, he called Wei Rong over:

"Nanzhong is going to build a new school. Students graduating next year will have their internship at Nanzhong School. They can pass the Liangzhou exam first when they come back."

After hearing this, Wei Rong was slightly taken aback:

"But I don't know who the disciple wants to contact about this matter?"

"Mistress Hua, do you know that?"

As soon as these words came out, before Wei Rong could speak, Li Yi on the side already showed a meaningful expression.

"Wenxuan, I'm afraid this matter will trouble you as well. You have a solid foundation in Nanzhong, so please write a letter to Nanzhong to ask the big clan there to cooperate."

The Li family and the Cuan family in Nanzhong are not only rich families, but also relatives by marriage.

Cuan Xi, the current prefect of Xinggu County, is Li Hui's uncle.

With their cooperation, this matter is much easier.

"Little brother, save it."

In February of the 11th year of Jianxing, the Shangshutai of the Dahan handed over a decree to the prime minister's office:

In view of the increasingly frequent exchange of materials between the Han Dynasty and the State of Wu, it is suggested to establish an e-market in Yong'an to specifically manage the mutual market with the State of Wu.

The prime minister's mansion quickly replied with one word: yes.

After the beginning of spring, the main work of the government is spring plowing.

After the spring plowing, it is time to prepare for harvesting wool again.

The so-called plan for a year lies in spring.

Whether it is farming or workshops, the most important time of the year is spring.

Compared with these two tasks, the establishment of Yong'an Yishi is relatively low-key.

But this is also a matter of course.

After all, it is impossible for a big man to spread the word all over the world that Yong'an Yishi is to destroy Jingzhou's grain output.

Moreover, the main target of Yongan Yishi is bulk materials and profiteering materials.

None of this has much to do with ordinary people.

Even for the price of food, which is most closely related to ordinary people, the imperial court has always maintained a protective price over the years.

Everyone doesn't have to worry about being manipulated by the aristocratic family to sell low and buy high, as they did in previous years.

Coupled with Qu Yuanli and the farm cattle lent by the government, small landlords and self-cultivating farmers can live a relatively comfortable life as long as they are content and happy.

Compared with Yong'an Yishi, which was calm in Dahan territory, it attracted some people's attention in Wu country.

The Zhang family, one of the four surnames in Wujun, sent Zhang Bai, Zhang Wen's younger brother, to Jingzhou.

You can't come.

Because there are rumors that the price of raw sugar may increase again this year.

The Zhang family is now the largest brown sugar agent in Soochow.

Of course, this is a relatively euphemistic statement.

To put it mildly, it is the big comprador family of Wu.

This cannot be blamed on the Zhang family.

In addition to the too much money given by the Kingdom of Shu, one more important reason is:

Who told Sun Quan to be so cruel to the Zhang family in the Jiyan incident?

I also want to be loyal, but Emperor Sun doesn't allow it!

Members of the Zhang family would not be able to serve as officials in the state of Wu.

So I had to sell some brown sugar and become a rich man or something.

As soon as Zhang Bai arrived in Jingzhou, someone came to his door immediately.

"Mr. Zhang, has the price really increased?"

These days, those who are qualified to grow sugar cane in Jingzhou and get the share of brown sugar are either the generals stationed in Jingzhou or the big families of Jingzhou.

The inferior wealthy families are not eligible.

The most typical representatives are naturally the Zhuge family, the Kuai family, and the Cai family.

The current Zhuge Jin, who is officially appointed as a general, is the guardian of the left, is in command of the Yuzhou shepherd, and canonized as the Marquis of Wanling, is one of the top dignitaries in Wu.

The Kuai family and the Cai family are the most typical representatives of Jingzhou aristocratic families.

Cao Cao went to the south of the Yangtze River and swallowed Jingzhou. Representatives of the Kuai family, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, and Cai Mao of the Cai family joined the Cao family.

Unexpectedly, the battle of Chibi changed the situation.

Liu Bei took the four counties in the south of Jingzhou, and borrowed the south counties from the state of Wu.

Representatives of the Kuai family and the Cai family followed Cao Cao to the north to become officials.

The two families are both prominent families in Nanjun, so most of the clansmen still stayed in Nanjun.

But because of Zhuge Liang's relationship, the Kuai family in Nanjun was not hit because they took refuge in Cao Cao.

Then the state of Wu attacked Jingzhou, and because of Zhuge Jin's relationship, the Kuai family in Jingzhou was still flourishing.

This is why the family likes to split their bets.

No matter which one wins in this world, there is no loss.

The person who came to inquire about Zhang Bai was the Kuai family of Zhuge Jin's in-laws.

"I came here this time for this purpose."

As the largest agent of brown sugar in Wu country, the Zhang family was naturally the first to know about the price increase of brown sugar in Wu country.

When Kuai's visitor heard this, he immediately beamed with joy.

The price of raw sugar has increased, and if you sell raw sugar, you can still have a share of brown sugar.

Every time you go in and out, there are bonuses, which is really cool.

"The Shu people are willing to spend money, and the price of raw sugar has been rising in the past two years."

"It's understandable to take Liangzhou." Zhang Bai's face was indifferent, as if he knew the reason long ago, "After all, Liangzhou is directly connected to the Western Regions."

Who doesn't know that taking Liangzhou to the Western Regions is a golden road?

Otherwise, why did the former and later Han dynasties try their best to control the Western Regions even though they were separated by a large expanse of quicksand?

If something like brown sugar could be sold in the Western Regions, it would drive many people crazy.

When Kuai's people thought of this, they couldn't help feeling jealous.

Zhang Bai just glanced at the other party, and he already understood what the other party was thinking.

Over the years, he has seen too much of this look.

Brown sugar and felt cloth, two bulky materials, are really too profitable.

Zhang Bai even knew that the Wei people in the north wanted to buy these two things from Jingzhou at a high price last year.

After all, although Xiangyang and Nanjun belonged to Wei State and Wu State respectively, the Kuai family and Cai family who were officials in the two countries broke off the relationship without saying anything.

I saw him continue to say:

"Mr. Kuai, I came here this time, and I actually want to ask everyone if they want to expand sugarcane planting. After all, the opportunity is rare!"

"A rare opportunity?" Kuai's visitor was a little bit overwhelmed for a while, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Bai gave a "tsk" sound:

"Mr. Kuai, the Shu people are not fools. I heard that they have already built many plantations in Nanzhong. It is uncertain what the price of this rough sugar will be like in the future."

The Shu people took over Liangzhou and took the road to the Western Regions in their hands. The demand for brown sugar suddenly increased, so the price of coarse sugar also increased, which is easy to understand.

But it is no secret that Shu people have been opening plantations in Nanzhong.

It's just because the people of Shu have fought against the people of Wei year after year, and the money and food are not at hand, and there is also the source of rough sugar from Wu.

Therefore, the sugarcane plantation in Nanzhong is not very urgent for the Shu people.

But things are different now.

The Shu people took control of Liangzhou, and the demand for brown sugar increased greatly, so the price of brown sugar increased accordingly.

But who knows if the Shu people will increase the development of Nanzhong in the future?

You can't just go and tell the Shu people that you don't want to grow sugar cane, but let us do it, right?

Sugar cane is a good thing.

With it, there is one more way to appease the barbarians.

More importantly, brown sugar is in the hands of Shu people.

After Zhang Bai's reminder, Kuai's people finally came to their senses.

I saw that Zhang Bai was very worried and continued to say:

"In the past, the two countries of Shu and Wei used their troops every year, so they couldn't concentrate on cultivating Nanzhong."

"Only last year, for a whole year, there was no movement between the two countries. If Shu really wants to be stable for two years, then Nanzhong..."

Starting from the Battle of Longyou in Shu Wei, the Shu people successively pacified Longxi, Jincheng, Anding, Liangzhou...

The big and small battles never stopped.

I heard that the Wei thief has deployed hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers in Guanzhong.

If the Kingdom of Shu really wants to fight again, it will be regarded as a war that will destroy the country. Without several years of preparation, it is afraid that it will not be fought.

If Shu has no plans to use troops in the next few years, then it will definitely speed up the development of Nanzhong.

After the Battle of Yiling, didn't Zhuge Liang just retreat and colonize for a few years?

So Zhang Bai's worries were not unreasonable.

After figuring this out, Kuai's visitor's face became a bit ugly.

People in this era must not understand market share.

However, there is still a certain vague understanding of this concept.

He looked at Zhang Bai and lowered his voice:

"That Mr. Zhang means..."

Zhang Bai also doesn't hold back:

"Mr. Kuai, now that the price of raw sugar has risen, the sugarcane in Nanzhong of the people of Shu is no match for our Great Wu. If we don't plant more sugarcane at this time, when will we wait?"

"According to the information I got, the Shu people want to completely appease Liangzhou and Nanzhong in the past few years, and I'm afraid they will vigorously plant sugar cane in Nanzhong."

"In fact, coarse sugar is still a trivial matter. I am afraid that the share of brown sugar will be suppressed by the people of Shu, and that will be a major issue."

Hearing Zhang Bai's affirmation of his own thoughts just now, Kuai's visitor was shocked:

"Is this true?"

Zhang Bai looked at the other party with deep eyes, but said nothing.

The people from the Kuai family immediately remembered that Mr. Zhang's elder brother, Zhang Wen, had contact with Feng Yong of the Shu Kingdom, and they heard that the relationship was not bad!

Now that he said these words, maybe he got some rumors?

Thinking of this, Kuai's people came and said again and again:

"That's right! The share of brown sugar is the most important thing!"

According to the agreed rules, as much brown sugar as Wu Guo gave to the Shu people, the Shu people had to return as much brown sugar in a certain proportion.

But if the Shu people have enough raw sugar in the future, why would they return such a high proportion of brown sugar like now?

"So... right now is probably the best time for us to plant sugar cane. We may plant more varieties while the price and return share remain high. There may not be such a good opportunity in the future."

Zhang Bai did not hide his purpose, and said frankly, "This is also one of the most important reasons why I came to Jingzhou. I hope to discuss with everyone a way to maintain this way of making money."

"Mr. Zhang Lang really has a heart!"

The visitor sighed, then cupped his hands and said, "I'm going back to the Hui clan, explain the situation clearly, Mr. Zhang just wait for my news."

As one of the largest aristocratic families in Jingzhou, and also related to Zhuge Jin who guarded Jingzhou, the Kuai family was also responsible for supplying food and grass to Wu Guojun.

"Everyone knows that brown sugar makes money, but there is also a fixed amount of food and grass supplied to the army every year. The army's food supply in Jingzhou has been in short supply over the years."

"If too much sugarcane is planted this year, there will be no food and grass in the future, and the general blames it, who can afford it?"

Money and food are good things, everyone wants them.

But no matter how powerful the family is, it has to follow the rules.

If you want to enjoy the privilege, you have to pay a certain amount.

No matter which side Wei, Shu and Wu takes over Jingzhou, if the aristocratic families want to gain a foothold under the new power, they must show sincerity.

The amount of sincerity represents the degree of optimism towards the power.

What is the most real sincerity?

Of course it is money.

"Yes, food is a problem. The general asked the generals in the army to open up more fields to solve the food supply in the Jingzhou army."

"If there is insufficient food due to planting too much sugarcane, not to mention going to the general, even the general will not be able to pass."

After a moment of silence, someone said:

"What about buying grain? What if you buy grain from other places to make up for this shortfall?"

Someone retorted on the spot: "Where in the world is there no shortage of food? Who will sell it?"

There was another silence.

After a long time, the person who made the suggestion muttered in a low voice:

"I can't say for sure. I heard that the food price in Shu has been low these years, but I don't know if they are willing to sell it..."

"I remember that last year it was over two hundred dollars?"

"It has fallen back a long time ago. The people who transported rough sugar came back from Sichuan and said that the price of grain over there has returned to 120 yuan."

In February and March, it is the time when the young crops grow in ordinary people's homes and the old food is exhausted.

If it is only 120 yuan a month, then it is 150 yuan at most now, which is basically the highest price in a year.

Between Shu and Wu, official envoys and private business travelers communicated constantly, and the Nanxiang Exchange was the reference standard for the prices of bulk goods in Shu.

If you want to know the price of goods in Shu, you can just go to the exchange and find out. It is very convenient, and you don't have to bother to ask.

In the past, only a few well-informed people would know about this business information, and it was possible to make a lot of money by making a bad news report.

But now this approach is no longer feasible in Shu.

This is also one of the main reasons why large caravans always send important stewards to station in Nanxiang.

Because the exchange not only provided a trading platform, but also helped the caravan collect the prices of materials from all over the place.

"That is to say, after the Shu Kingdom harvests grain this year, the price of grain will drop to 100 yuan?"

"If it's true what the Zhang family said, the Shu people don't plan to use soldiers in the past few years, and I'm afraid it will be lower than this price..."

Compared with the hungry and full meals of Jingzhou people, the price of food in Sichuan is really low enough.

It's just that in this era, food, like iron, is the most important strategic material. The price of food for Shu people is low, but what's the matter with Wu people?

Under the rule of Zhuge Liang, the laws of Shu were strict. Without the permission of the government, who would dare to sell grain to other countries in private?

Even if you want money or life, there is no way to sell it.

After all, with the geographical environment of Shu, if you want to transport a large amount of grain, can you hide it from the government?

"Wu and Shu are allies. They agreed to help each other and fight thieves together. Besides, the general and Shu's prime minister, Zhuge Liang, are brothers..."

"That's right. If you ask the general to come forward, you may not have a chance."

"I remember that Pan Chengming is Jiang Gongyan's cousin. Jiang Wan is now the governor of Shu's prime minister's mansion. All affairs in Jincheng are in the hands of him. Why don't you ask him for help?"

The so-called Pan Chengming is Pan Jun.

The year before last, Sun Quan awarded him the talisman festival, and together with Lu Dai he quelled the rebellion of the Wuxi barbarians.

Now it has been promoted to Taichang, and it is in Changsha to appease the barbarians.

He and Jiang Wan are cousins.

"That's a great word!"

If it is really possible to persuade the general and Pan Taichang to come forward to persuade the prime minister and prime minister Chang Shi of Shu, the possibility of this matter being negotiated is not low.

Zhang Bai, who was specially invited here, quickly expressed his opinion:

"I'll talk to my brother when I go back, and ask him to write to Feng Mingwen, urging him to make this happen."

When everyone heard it, they were overjoyed:

"If this is the case, then this matter can be achieved with little talk!"

Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, and Feng Mingwen, which one is not a person who holds real power in Shu?

Not to mention the matter of coarse sugar, it has a lot to do with Feng Mingwen, others may be unwilling, but is there any reason for Feng Mingwen to be unwilling?

This person is known as "smart talk and seduction", let him go to persuade Zhuge Liang, the confidence is a little bit bigger!