Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 143 The Opportunity to Enter Shu
"Five hundred pieces of Shu brocade, ten horses, two pairs of three-foot red corals, ten pieces of gold-woven dragon gauze clothes, 50 pieces of silk gauze each, 10 pieces of velvet brocade, 1000 pieces of colored silk, and 10 strips of cotton , 1000 catties of pepper, two pairs of golden saddles..."

"Ten handles of jade ruyi, fifty bolts of Su silk, 100,000 taels of silver, ten thousand taels of gold..."

A rough estimate, plus those flashy things, the total value is more than 300,000 taels.

Shaanxi merchants are really generous!

Even though Zhu Yixi had seen the big wind and waves, he was shocked: "You Shaanxi merchants have really lost your money."

He Zongcheng smiled and said, "This is a gift from our Shaanxi businessman to you."

"Besides, knowing that you lack cavalry, we also brought you [-] war horses from Songfan and Hexi regions, and I'm afraid they have arrived in Hanzhong now."

Hearing this, Zhu Yixi was surprised instead of happy, and asked in a deep voice: "Your Chamber of Commerce has such a big hand, I'm afraid it has other plans!"

"Your Highness, don't worry, I'm waiting for the Shaanxi merchants, and I just want to protect my life."

He Zong set up Ma to explain: "The only thing that is coveted is the word profit."

"About the interests of what?" Zhu Yixi still refused to let it go, and continued to ask with burning eyes.

"Food!" He Zongcheng looked at King Hanyang's captivating eyes, his face still calm, and he said softly:
"Huguang cooked, the world is full, I am waiting for the Shaanxi merchants, just want to involve grain transportation."

"To be honest, the border trade has been destroyed due to the war, the Mongol Tartars are also controlled by Jianshou, Shanxi merchants have almost usurped [-]% of the border roads, and the Shanxi merchants like me have already suffered greatly."

"food?"

Zhu Yixi was taken aback, and then realized.

In the Huguang area in the past, Huizhou merchants transported silk and porcelain from the south of the Yangtze River in exchange for grain and wood.

There is no way, the Huguang area in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was in the downstream food chain.

Now because of the war, there are a lot of vacancies in business, and Shaanxi merchants want to take advantage of the vacancy and restore their vitality.

If it succeeds, Shaanxi merchants will be considered alive.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi twitched the corners of his mouth, and said with a smile: "Of course it is possible. I allow you Shaanxi merchants to operate food."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Sect Master He was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands.

"However, the operation can be done, but it must be done according to my requirements."

Zhu Yixi glanced at him and said with a little deep meaning.

He Zongcheng was taken aback.

"What? Form a grain business guild?"

Dozens of representatives of Shaanxi merchants gathered together to listen to the news brought by He Zongcheng.

He Zongcheng said [-].

First, set up a guild of grain merchants. Grain merchants, big or small, must join the guild, otherwise they are not allowed to sell grain outside of Huguang.

The Military and Political Department assigned special personnel to supervise and had a veto power.

Second, set a guide price; in the areas controlled by King Hanyang, every stone of grain should not be higher than one tael and lower than eight qian.

The guide price will be discussed and discussed at semi-annual meetings.

Third, for every shi of grain sold, one qian of tax must be paid to the military and political department.

Fourth, control the import and export of grain, and the amount of import and export needs to be coordinated.

"Then what can we get?"

Everyone was puzzled: "The profit is so thin, it can only keep us from starving to death."

"Everyone seems to have forgotten."

He Zongcheng said with a smile: "The guide price is only under the control of the Hanyang Prince's Mansion. Jiangnan and the north are not within the limit."

"Nanzhili is very rich, and now there is a shortage of food. We may earn a lot by going there!"

"In addition, the King of Hanyang said that in the future, a salt merchant guild will be formed, and the well salt in Sichuan will also be open to us."

"Well salt?" Everyone was stunned.

Sichuan's well salt is supplied to several provinces in the southwest, and Huguang is also a major source, and the profits in it are immeasurable.

You know, Shanxi merchants, Shaanxi merchants, and Huizhou merchants all relied on the Kaizhong Salt Law to become official.

"If the well salt is released, we will recover in a few years."

Everyone here is a human being, and they can all see the deep meaning.

King Hanyang coveted Sichuan for a long time.

However, the establishment of the Grain Merchants Guild is not a small supplement for them, at least, they have found a foothold.

The Shaanxi merchants reluctantly accepted the conditions, quickly established the Grain Merchants Guild, and began to take root in the Huguang area.

The power of capital is infinite.

But in a few days, Zhu Yixi saw many pawn shops, grain shops, cloth shops, vinegar shops, etc. springing up like bamboo shoots in Nanyang City.

Half of the street has already begun to open its doors to welcome guests, and the popularity of the entire Nanyang City has gathered rapidly.

In a trance, just like before the troubled times.

Of course, this is mainly because Zhu Yixi moved the entire population of Nanyang Mansion to the vicinity of Nanyang City.

There are more than [-] people, even if [-]% are poor, the spending power among them is astonishing.

If it weren't for the difficulty of leaving his homeland, Zhu Yixi even wanted to move all of them to the Huguang area.

"Capital under control can develop in a healthy way, and tax collection is much more convenient, without the need to go through the hands of government officials."

After patrolling for a while, he left the city.

After more than a month of governance, a large number of villages were formed with Nanyang as the center.

It is too late to cultivate wheat and rice, so we can only plant some emergency crops, such as soybeans, buckwheat, peas, etc., which will mature in a short time, and we are not afraid of missing the season.

Although it is not likely that the wind will blow the fragrance of rice and flowers, Zhu Yixi feels much better when he sees the plowed fields full of crops.

These ephemeral species can save food as much as possible, thereby helping the people to survive the famine.

A wave of planting in summer and harvesting in autumn can relieve the common people and make a living.

For the common people, a stable environment can allow them to breathe a sigh of relief and survive.

And Zhu Yixi is to create stability, provide relief, and speed up the recovery of agriculture.

"Thanks to the water transportation extending in all directions, the grain can be sent from Jiangxi to Xiangyang and then to Nanyang. Otherwise, these 100,000 people are really hard to live."

With a sigh, Zhu Yixi ran towards Fangcheng again.

The ten bastions had been built by tens of thousands of people, and within a month and a half, they had roughly taken shape. The only thing missing was the artillery.

Red Cannon, Fran Machine Cannon.

They are all on the way.

The only thing missing is a trusted general stationed here.

After thinking about it, it seems that only Chen Yongfu can really take on the heavy responsibility.

What's more, Chen Yongfu used to be the commander-in-chief of Henan Province. He knew the geographical advantages and defended Kaifeng Mansion many times. As long as the supply of money and food continues, it must be as safe as a mountain.

"Report, Your Majesty, a letter from Xiangyang!"

At this time, the personal guard handed over the letter.

"Zhang Xianzhong is so slow?"

Zhu Yixi didn't care about Chen Shiqi's request for help.

But it's strange, half a year has passed, and Zhang Xianzhong has not won Sichuan before arriving in Chongqing.

"How weak is the West Thief?"

Zhu Yixi clenched his fists and said excitedly: "The opportunity to enter Sichuan has come, thank you Zhang Xianzhong for the assist."

Immediately, he turned his horse's head and ran towards Xiangyang, and then quickly passed on the letter, ordering Chen Yongfu to go north to take charge of Nanyang's defense work.

He, on the other hand, wants to personally conquer Bashu and stab Zhang Xianzhong's chrysanthemum.

(End of this chapter)