Water Margin people

Chapter 1499: Grain Merchants Bow

Liangshan Park.

As grain from government warehouses was released, grain prices remained stable during the lean season.

This made all the people breathe a sigh of relief. When the army marched to the Western Regions, a large amount of food would be consumed, which would likely cause food prices to soar.

But now none of this has happened, and the seeds planted in the ground have sprouted, and judging from the conditions in the fields and the weather, a good harvest can be confirmed.

The growth of the new seeds is even more gratifying. Whether it is corn, potatoes, or sweet potatoes, the growth is very gratifying, which makes all the people have confidence in their food supply.

Compared to the joy of the common people, the grain merchants are suffering. They have stockpiled a batch of grain with great difficulty, preparing to make a fortune during the lean period. But now the grain price is stable, and the court has released news of new crops. It is rumored that the yield of these new crops is as high as one or two thousand kilograms.

A group of grain merchants gathered together to discuss matters in a dull manner.

"It's fake, it must be fake! How can something weigh one or two thousand kilograms!"

The gloomy grain merchant suddenly spoke up. He still refused to give up. He had hoarded so much grain and if he couldn't sell it, he would go bankrupt and lose all his money.

"I sent people to check, but the farmers were very strict and didn't allow outsiders to get close to the new crops. They even built sheds and lived next to the fields!"

Another person said that they were also worried because they couldn't see the new crops.

"What should we do? Spring ploughing has already passed for more than a month. If we wait another two months, it will be harvest time. By then, our grain will be even harder to sell."

Some people were anxious because the best time for them to sell grain was this month, but the imperial court opened its warehouses and released grain at a fair price, which immediately pushed down the rising grain prices.

"I don't believe they have so much food!"

Some people spoke with red eyes, saying that they were unwilling to give up a business deal that had risked their entire fortunes.

"But if we continue like this, we're done!"

Someone said worriedly.

Just then, a man walked in hurriedly.

"how's it going?"

Everyone looked at the man and asked.

"No, today the imperial court has released another five million catties of grain! News has also come from various places that government offices are opening warehouses to release grain, and the price of grain has been five copper coins per catty! People are not rushing to buy it!"

  The man said with a sad face that five copper coins per pound was even lower than the purchase price when they stockpiled the goods. What they wanted was twenty copper coins per pound!

"We can't fight to the death! We can't go on like this. When the crops are harvested, we will all have to beg for food!"

Some people can't sit still anymore. They are used to enjoying themselves and cannot tolerate poverty.

"What should we do? Give up now?"

Several people nearby looked at him.

"Five copper coins are five copper coins. I accept the loss of two or three copper coins per pound. Just treat it as the fact that I haven't made any money in the past few years. As long as I keep the family business, there will always be a day when I can make money again!"

The man looked at everyone and said that they collected grain at seven to eight copper coins per pound, and each family collected millions of pounds. If they sold it at a loss, they would only lose more than 100,000 silver coins. Although this was a huge loss, it would not bankrupt the family.

"Then sell it! We can't wait any longer!"

The others also spoke up, saying they could not wait any longer. Hundreds of millions of kilograms of grain were in the warehouse, and if they were kept for too long they would be unable to sell them.

Liangshan City Government Office.

"Prefect, the grain merchants have started selling grain at a fair price!"

A captain spoke to Zhu Gui and said that Zhu Gui now also held the official position of the prefect of Liangshan City.

"Finally they couldn't bear it anymore. I thought they could hold on for a few days."

Zhu Gui said with a smile.

"Prefect, do you want to deal with them? These profiteers are not good people! They hoard goods and threaten the country with food. They really deserve to die!"

The captain spoke up and said that he had been monitoring the grain merchants during this period and he had no good feelings towards these black-hearted businessmen.

"There is no need to turn against each other completely. All we want is stable grain prices. Since they have admitted defeat and admitted their loss, then the matter ends here." Zhu Gui said. There were quite a few grain merchants who hoarded grain this time, and they were from all over the country. Now that those in Liangshan City have admitted defeat, it is a very good phenomenon, and Liang merchants from all over the country will follow suit.

"Keep an eye on those grain merchants. As long as the price is five copper coins and the grain is fine, you don't have to worry about it!"

Zhu Gui spoke.

"Yes, my lord!"

The captain received the order and went out.

……

The army in the camp is ready to go.

"Your Majesty, 50,000 troops have been assembled."

Yue Fei looked at Sun Lei and saluted.

"Is your mission accomplished?"

Sun Lei asked while looking at Yue Fei who was wearing armor.

"Your Majesty, Doctor An Shen's medicine is really powerful!"

Yue Fei quickly came up to Sun Lei and said in a mean way.

"Damn, it really works?"

Sun Lei looked at Yue Fei in disbelief. He had always thought it was just a trick, but he didn't expect it to actually work.

"Hey, I've already agreed to let me lead the troops to war!"

Yue Fei smiled and said that after confirming that his wife was pregnant, his mother's mind was all on her grandson, and he was no longer in the spotlight.

"Well, let's go!"

Sun Lei nodded. It was already April and the weather was gradually getting warmer. It would be midsummer when they arrived at Yumen Pass.

The news that the emperor was leading the army in person spread quickly, but the people did not react much. The Qi army's expedition was different from that of previous dynasties. The army would not collect taxes from the people.

Since there are no additional taxes, the people don't care. If the emperor likes to lead his troops to fight, then that's it. Anyway, Qi is invincible and has never lost a battle.

Moreover, the Qi army suffered few casualties in the war, and many people wanted to gain military merits. Unfortunately, Qi had no intention of temporarily recruiting a large army, which was a pity. After each major war, the soldiers of Qi would receive generous rewards. If they did a good job, they might be able to build a few big tiled houses and marry a wife when they came back.

The army left Liangshan City as the people watched.

Sun Lei was also preparing to set off with the central army, but at this moment, a soldier came to Sun Lei with a ferocious kid in his arms.

"Your Majesty, this kid Xin Qiji is hiding in a box!"

The soldier reported to Sun Lei.

"You still want to get away with it?"

Sun Lei looked at Xin Qiji unhappily. He had already made it clear that Xin Qiji was not old enough and was not allowed to go to the front line. But this kid actually wanted to follow him secretly. Is it so easy to get into his army?

"Principal Li has gone! I want to go too! If she, a woman, can go, why can't I go! You are forgetting your principles for the sake of beauty!"

Xin Qiji shouted with his teeth bared.

"What? What did you say?"

Li Qingzhao raised her eyebrows, took out a ruler from somewhere, and looked at Xin Qiji fiercely.

If the student was just running around, she would have just given him a few words of reprimand, but the words "forgetting one's loyalty for the sake of a beautiful woman" really angered her. She was Xin Qiji's teacher, and Sun Lei was both an emperor and his teacher. Xin Qiji was slandering his teacher, and she would never allow such a trend.

Waves of screams rang out in the military camp. Even the soldiers who had seen many punishments couldn't help but gasp when they saw it. This teacher beating his students was really blood-suppressing.