Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 730
The first county seat in the South Island was called Cao County, the second county seat was called Gao County, and the third county seat was called Wu County after it returned to normal.

At present, the South Island has a population of 1 households and [-] people. It lags behind the North Island in terms of economy and urban construction. They still cannot circulate currency. The main reason is that they can’t buy things even if they have money. All kinds of daily necessities All are rationed.

However, the communication between the North Island and the South Island is very close. There are three passenger ships every day, and the fares are very cheap. Many people in the South Island will bring their families to the North Island to enjoy the lively and prosperous commercial atmosphere during holidays.

Ming Ren notified Cao County in advance with a pigeon letter, so when Fan Ning's boat docked at the pier, Fan Ning saw his old father-in-law Cao Yi at a glance. Compared with a few years ago, Cao Yi looked very good, quite a bit There is a certain reason why he was named Uncle Cao in mythology because of his immortal demeanor.

"My son-in-law, long time no see!" Cao Yu shouted with a smile and waved his hands.

Fan Ning quickly went ashore and bowed to salute, "My son-in-law pays his respects to his father-in-law!"

"There's no need to be too polite, where is Axiu! Didn't you come with me?"

"She is very seasick and is still recovering. My son-in-law also made a diversion during his inspection."

"I understand. She was indeed prone to seasickness since she was a child. Anyway, it's a pleasure for you to come. This seems to be your first time in South Island, right?"

"It's really the first time here."

"I'll take you to see it, of course it can't be with Wu Cheng, but it has another flavor!"

Cao Yi was very enthusiastic, and when Fan Ning and the other officials greeted him, he impatiently took Fan Ning to visit the county town and various farmlands.

In terms of available land, the South Island is richer in resources than the North Island, with large stretches of grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see, dense forests, and abundant freshwater resources.

The plains of the North Island are not large, and the distribution is relatively fragmented, mainly concentrated on the coast and along the river banks. Of course, the plains of the North Island are only weaker than those of the South Island, and there are more hills, which is not conducive to the development of animal husbandry. Still pretty good.

In addition, the temperature in the South Island is relatively low, and some agriculture can only be developed along the northern coast, while the other southward plains are animal husbandry.

South Island also adapts measures to local conditions and vigorously develops animal husbandry. The total number of sheep has exceeded one million.

Fan Ning and Cao Yi rode into the county seat. Cao County can only be regarded as a medium-sized county seat with a circumference of about twenty miles. Most of the buildings are brick houses. The streets and houses are relatively neat and clean. Just like Wu City, the air is filled with With a faint sulfur breath.

The road is straight, the greenery is very good, and the stone road is paved. Basically, there is no business. There are only a few restaurants, inns and other service industries near the city gate, as well as a few grocery stores, cloth stores, and silk stores. It is very quiet, completely different from the hustle and bustle of Wucheng.

"What is the population of Cao County now?" Fan Ning asked.

"Six thousand households with a population of 3, but most of them live in the countryside, and there are only [-] households in the city. So far, most of the necessities of life have been rationed by the government, such as [-] catties of noodles and [-] catties of meat per person per month. Oil and salt are all provided by the government, and vegetables are self-sufficient. At the beginning, there were few people and it was easy to handle. Now that there are more and more people, the government takes care of everything, and it is a bit unbearable, and the energy is too much to deal with."

Cao Yi said worriedly: "We want to learn from Bei Dao to develop business, and every family earns money to support their families. The problem now is that we can't provide so many items, and there are not so many seats for the people to earn money. We are very anxious."

Fan Ning asked with a smile: "What is your father-in-law's job in South Island?"

"I am currently in charge of the Presbyterian Hall, the highest official in the South Island. I am under a lot of pressure!"

Fan Ning nodded and said: "The key is to provide enough jobs in the South Island, so that the common people have something to do and earn money, and business will naturally rise."

"This is fundamental. We are also thinking about how to develop. You talk about planting and breeding, but the South Island has only tens of thousands of people. How much food and meat can they eat? Now wool is used to weave carpets and sheepskin is used to make leather. Song sells well, but it is relatively simple and does not require so many workers."

Fanning thought for a while and asked, "How many Japanese laborers are there in South Island, and what are they doing now?"

"There are 1 Japanese laborers, and [-] Japanese girls. The men build cities and log trees, and the women weave wool."

"Is there a mine in the South Island?"

Cao Bi shook his head, "Not yet!"

Fan Ning said, "Let me make a suggestion. In fact, the South Island does not need so many Japanese laborers. If it needs to build a city, it can be borrowed from the North Island. Like logging, two to 3000 laborers are enough."

"We have also considered this issue. When the contract expires at the beginning of next year, we will send them back to Japan and no longer hire them. It is enough to leave only [-] Japanese girls to do weaving. But the question is, what else can South Island do to make a living? My virtuous son-in-law gave us advice."

"I'm here for this!"

Cao Yu was overjoyed, and quickly said: "My son-in-law, tell me!"

Fan Ning smiled slightly, "Let's go outside the city and have a look!"

The two left the county on horseback and went to the south of the county. The south, like the North Island, is also an endless wheat field. In the distance is a mountain range. The mountain is covered with a large area of ​​virgin forest, mainly pine trees.

Looking at the forest in the distance, Fan Ning asked, "Is the South Island rich in timber resources?"

Cao Bi nodded, "It's quite rich, and the speed we cut down can't even compare with the speed at which they re-grow. We have cut down tens of thousands of hectares of pine forests in the past few years, and now more than half of them are covered by small pine trees again."

"Why is the South Island not conducive to these timber resources?"

"It seems that there is no shortage of wood in the Song Dynasty! And the pine trees are also very cheap. If you transport them to the Song Dynasty, you won't be able to earn back the freight."

"Father-in-law didn't understand what I meant!"

"Say it!" Cao Yu looked at Fan Ning expectantly.

Fan Ning said lightly: "In fact, any business is nothing more than making a fuss about the four things of 'clothing, food, housing, and transportation'. Wood can be used to make furniture, boats, and houses. There are so many overseas immigrants. One thing is to build a house. Nandao can process wood, such as making furniture. After the furniture is made, lacquer is also produced. Another example is that I build a wooden house with parts. After buying it, I can directly build a wooden house. Another example is that there is a shipbuilding workshop in the North Island, but all the ship wood needed is purchased from Da Song, why doesn’t the South Island take over this business?”

Cao Yu and the two accompanying officials next to him woke up like a dream, Cao Yu hurriedly said: "What else, keep talking!"

"Furthermore, the South Island has such a large ranch that it is perfectly possible to raise horses and donkeys. At least we in the North Island don't have to buy horses and donkeys from Da Song Wanli. is also part of the row.

There is also food, and the food is even wider. The resources of the South Island are sheep. Lamb can be made into dried lamb, lamb ham, and bacon. Goat milk can be made into cheese and wine. It is better than the cheese and sheep wine made by grassland tribes. Bar!If the packaging is more beautiful and the signboard is displayed, there will be no market in the Great Song Dynasty?There are also fish in the sea that can be made into fish sauce, which is found in Beidao. It is delicious, and it can also be sold in Dasong.

Speaking of beautiful packaging, isn’t paper great?With abundant raw materials, high-quality rice paper can be produced in large quantities, and it can also be sold to the Song Dynasty.

Besides clothes, wool can only be made into carpets, not sweaters?Sheepskin is used to make boots and inner leather armor. The key is to have exquisite workmanship, brand them and sell them in specialized shops. You may not be able to sell them at a good price, and you may even sell them to the West.

What I said, if the South Island is really bigger and stronger, it will need at least 30 to 6 workers, and your current [-] workers are simply not enough. "

Cao Yi let out a long sigh, "The words of the virtuous son-in-law make us better than ten years of reading, why didn't we think of it earlier?"

Fan Ning smiled again and said, "Actually, I haven't gotten to the point yet!"

"What's the point?"

"The main point is to make high-quality products, build signs, sell at high prices, do what others can't do, and have enough profits to offset the cost of long-distance shipping. I think this is the way for the South Island and the North Island to survive together."

(End of this chapter)