My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 30 The Rise of the Liu Family Business

Liu Bei clapped his hands, and several servants carried in the curved plow.

Of those present, everyone except Chen Deng had already met him.

So, following Liu Bei's instructions, the servant placed the curved plow directly in front of Chen Deng's seat.

Chen Deng looked at the somewhat complicated wooden tool with curiosity, pondered for a moment, and then asked in surprise, "My lord, could this be a plowshare?"

"Exactly!"

Liu Bei was not surprised that Chen Deng could guess the function of the curved plow. He explained to Chen Deng with great interest: "This thing is called a curved plow. It was improved by Feng'er from the straight plow."

"We've had people test it these past few days, and it's three to five times more efficient than a straight-shafted plow. It's also very lightweight and easy to turn around. I've ordered the craftsmen in the city to speed up its production."

Chen Deng was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Is this curved-shaft plow really that much more efficient than a straight-shaft plow?"

After receiving Liu Bei's affirmative answer, Chen Deng could no longer sit still and pleaded, "My lord, may I ask you to bestow the technique for manufacturing this item upon the people of Xiapi? The people of Xiapi will be eternally grateful and will serve you with utmost loyalty."

Liu Bei laughed and reassured him, "Yuanlong, there's no need to worry. I have the same idea. I want to use you to promote this product in Xuzhou."

Chen Deng was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly flattered him: "Your Excellency is magnanimous and generous, and your kindness to Xuzhou will surely leave the people of Xuzhou with endless gratitude."

"I originally thought that you were a capable general and a man of great benevolence, but I never expected that as soon as you took charge of the state affairs, you would present such a great gift to the people of Xuzhou. I think that with the promotion of this item, the people will be able to relax a bit and breathe a sigh of relief."

Liu Bei nodded happily, then took out a scroll of silk: "Yuanlong, this is the manufacturing process of the curved plow. Keep it safe. Also, when you leave, you can take this curved plow with you and send it to Xiapi to be replicated. If you have any questions, you can come to the prefecture to find me at any time."

"Your Excellency's righteousness is boundless! The hundreds of thousands of people of Xuzhou on behalf of Dengdai kowtow to express their deepest gratitude for Your Excellency's great kindness."

Chen Deng hurriedly left his seat and bowed down, moved to tears of gratitude.

Liu Bei immediately helped him up, took Chen Deng's hand, and led him to his seat.

The banquet then continued until everyone was satisfied and dispersed.

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As night deepened, the moon rose above the branches.

Mi Zhu stood in his study, gazing at the moon in deep thought.

Liu Feng had taken his leave an hour ago, and Mi Zhu had been pondering in his study ever since he saw Liu Feng off.

It wasn't that Mi Zhu regretted agreeing to Liu Feng's terms, but as a mature businessman, he needed to review the entire negotiation process and outcome.

He was especially shocked by today's unexpected turn of events.

To be fair, Liu Feng's demands were not unreasonable.

Putting everything else aside, just considering the material requirements, there are very few people in the entire Xuzhou who can provide them. And the only ones who can provide them without suffering any losses are probably the Mi family of Haidong.

The world is in chaos now, and the prices of all kinds of goods have soared. Even by the low prices of twenty years ago, what Liu Feng asked for was already worth several million.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the price of draft oxen ranged from four to eight thousand coins. Even at the lowest price, one hundred draft oxen would cost four hundred thousand coins.

A set of clothes, including a shirt, trousers, shoes, and hemp socks, would cost six or seven hundred coins to produce. Two thousand sets would cost one hundred and thirty thousand coins.

Although iron is cheap, 30,000 catties would still cost at least 300,000 coins.

Adding the money, the total amount of wealth and supplies is three million coins and one hundred thousand bushels of grain.

However, Mi Zhu was not bothered at all. In history, when Liu Bei lost Xuzhou, his soldiers scattered, and he was forced to live in Xiaopei, he did not hesitate to help the enemy with two thousand servants and countless gold and silver. This shows his generosity in investment.

You should know that a healthy servant is worth 20,000 to 30,000 coins.

Judging from Liu Bei's subsequent development, the servants sponsored by Mi Zhu were all trained into an army, indicating that these servants were at least strong men, and possibly even private soldiers who had received basic military training. The price of such private soldiers was as high as 40,000 coins per person.

Two thousand servants cost a full eighty million coins. Adding in other grains and wealth, that investment was at least a hundred million coins, yet Mi Zhu still dared to take the gamble.

In comparison, the three million coins and one hundred thousand shi of grain that Liu Feng is demanding today are actually insignificant to the Mi family.

But Mi Zhu unexpectedly found himself in trouble.

Interestingly, if Liu Feng's visit was solely for money, grain, and supplies, Mi Zhu wouldn't be so conflicted.

The fundamental reason he has been hesitant until now is because of the snow salt and rock sugar that Liu Feng gave him.

Speaking of salt alone, Xuzhou has always produced salt, and the price of salt is not high; a stone of salt costs only eight hundred coins.

However, the price of snow salt is measured in gold; one pound of snow salt is worth one ounce of gold.

In the Han Dynasty system, one jin was equal to sixteen liang.

One stone of snow salt weighs 120 catties, and one catty of snow salt is equivalent to one tael of gold.

That one stone of snow salt is equivalent to seven and a half catties of gold. While one catty of gold is theoretically worth ten thousand coins, it is actually worth more. This means that one stone of snow salt can be sold for at least one hundred thousand coins.

The cost is only a thousand dollars, but it can be resold for a huge profit of 100,000 dollars. This can be described as an extremely high profit.

Liu Feng was so generous, willing to split the profits 80/20 with the Mi family, giving them 20% of the profits for free. What a magnanimous and generous attitude!
Not to mention that Liu Feng gave him the production process without hesitation, which made Mi Zhu believe that Liu Feng, and even Liu Bei behind him, had a great deal of goodwill towards him and the Mi family.

Mi Zhu even felt a surge of emotion within him, a feeling of "a scholar would die for one who understands him."

Mi Zhu still can't understand why Liu Feng was willing to hand over the production techniques of snow salt and rock sugar to him.

In his view, this kind of craftsmanship should naturally be kept under his control. Even if he had to rely on the Mi family's sales channels and caravans, he only needed to send snow salt and rock sugar over monthly.

Mi Zhu had already seen the production process and found that it was not complicated, let alone difficult.

Moreover, snow salt and rock sugar are rare and therefore expensive, so they don't require a large production volume. Only a few dozen people are needed to complete the process, so there's no need to worry about the technology being leaked.

After much thought, Mi Zhu could only conclude that the Liu family was repaying his kindness in recommending Liu Bei to succeed as governor, and that they wanted to win over the Mi family.

Snow salt, rock sugar, and a curved plow.

Everything of it is a priceless treasure.

Liu Feng produced three items in one go, which made Mi Zhu realize how terrifying Liu Feng was, and also aroused his greater ambition.

Today's meeting with Liu Feng further convinced Mi Zhu of his judgment.

The Liu family is on the verge of great prosperity.

Mi Zhu was most proud of his ability to judge character, and he had never seen anyone as exceptional as Liu Bei and his son Liu Feng.

He keenly realized that the Mi family had also reached a critical juncture.

If one advances, one can ride the coattails of a dragon and a steed, leaping a thousand miles in a single bound.

If we retreat, we will miss a golden opportunity and lose our family fortune.

After an unknown amount of time, Mi Zhu finally moved.

Happy Lunar New Year's Eve to all our readers! Thank you all for your support. Wishing you all a happy and joyful Lunar New Year's Eve with your families!
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(End of this chapter)