Jiangdong.
Wujun.
Today is neither five nor ten, but it is still very lively in Wujun City, especially some prime locations, which are full of people and are rarely crowded.
In Wu County, there may be no special planning at the beginning, or it is restricted by mountains, rivers and rivers, so except for some of the main streets that are straight, many of the streets and alleys are winding, and the surrounding houses appear layer by layer, with eaves next to eaves, corridors followed by corridors. Especially in the market, almost all signs and cloth tiles have to be pushed together.
Not only are these signs fighting each other, but even the female moves in each store are fighting each other. In Wu Yue's soft words, they are either teasing, sarcastic, or slandering, or insulting. They are all clever and their lips and tongues show their unique skills, which attracts many idle men to look around and enjoy themselves...
The place where these idle men gathered the most was not the place where these girls could play, but the gambling house full of sweat, odor of feet and various odors. The sound of shouting loudly came one after another, and almost all the people inside were red, cheering or lamenting. Every time they opened the treasure, they were like a huge magnet, attracting crowds around them.
As the richest city in Jiangdong, Wujun is more or less a bit like a bright future.
Before the Cavalry and Feiqian, no one in the Han Dynasty actually realized the impact of commodities, or trade, on the political system.
Focusing on agriculture, or a somewhat paranoid focus on agriculture, undoubtedly influenced many people in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, China had long conducted theoretical research on agricultural and grain trade, but it has always been backward in the development of a larger-scale trade.
The concept of foreign trade actually has different scopes in different eras, but also has similarities. For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, foreign trade refers to trade between countries, which is often used as a means of cheating between vassal states. However, after the Qin Dynasty, the scope of foreign trade expanded and became trade between China and foreign tribes, but it was still a means of restriction or a condition for negotiation.
In the ancient feudal society of China, due to the dominant position of natural economy, foreign trade occupied a small share in social products, so that rulers generally did not pay attention to foreign trade. Especially after establishing a centralized feudal country, China claimed to be a great country and believed that it had everything. Then it developed a concept of "all products are abundant and everything is not allowed". The rulings naturally developed a sense of transcendence and regarded foreign trade as an insignificant matter.
Therefore, in the concept of the rulers of the feudal dynasty in China, foreign trade is often an additional product generated for a certain strategic purpose. The focus is strategy, not foreign trade, not commodities, not economy, and even temporary sacrifice of the economy for strategy.
This inevitably leads to the inability to maintain this type of foreign trade for a long time.
A typical example is "Guanzi".
Guan Zhong was undoubtedly an ancient sage who attached great importance to commerce. Under his guidance, Qi State rose from a fallen king to a throne in the Spring and Autumn Period, which shows how powerful Guan Zhong was. But the problem was that Guan Zhong's biggest problem was that he emphasized "art" too much and forgot the "original". Whether it was in the local chapters or the Neptune chapters, it explained a means of suppressing other countries through trade, and he used everything. It was no wonder that later Confucian children criticized Guan Zi much.
At the moment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was basically a dynasty that was somewhat out of touch with the theory of trade. The Western Han Dynasty was somewhat OK. After all, the Western Han Dynasty was open to the outside world. The earliest business roads leading to the southwest of the Silk Road, the trade roads leading to the southwest of the Monster, and the trade in the northern desert were all developments of foreign trade, but after the Eastern Han Dynasty...
The emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce has made commerce an accessory to agriculture. The status of natural merchants has been repeatedly reduced. In this process, there were a large number of officials and businessmen. Local squire acted as a merchant, making the trade system move towards the structure of bureaucratic merchants, and making the exploitation suffered by the people more severe.
Foreign trade was restored in the Tang Dynasty, but there was not much progress in theory. It was not until Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty that he had studied the theoretical development of foreign trade issues from the perspective of feudal countries' economics. He analyzed the issue of copper coins outflow from the foreign trade relations at that time from the foreign trade relations, and then deduced and predicted through trade relations, and proposed solutions.
Under the influence of the current cavalry, the causal development of commerce has made Jiangdong still feel the cold wind in winter as spring approaches.
The prices of goods in the Western Regions were blowing to Jiangdong.
For most Jiangdong people, everything that happened in the Central Plains seems to be very far away. The closest thing to Jiangdong people is their own job and clothes.
This year, Jiangdong was hit by disaster.
According to the concept of the Jiangdong gentry, isn’t it normal to lose the excess and make up for the shortcomings? Back then, Lao Sang was able to pacify Huai, but now there is no reason why the ruling class of the Jiangdong gentry doesn’t understand? Therefore, after the two Zhang Gongs, as the internal affairs leader, used huge forces to promote it, gathered food outside the disaster area and transported it to the disaster area where grain prices soared.
If you do this, there is no problem?
There is no problem with normality. After all, if one side is in trouble, it is also a virtue of the simplicity of China.
But the problem is that those who are not very simple among this simple virtue...
If you only provide disaster relief, there will naturally be no problem, but while providing disaster relief, are there still people who want to make some money?
Anyway, there is not much difference between the more and less victims of the disaster, but can you have a little more money? At the same time, you raise the price of grain in the disaster area and take advantage of the opportunity to stock up everything. Not only stock up on grain, but also stock up on other supplies, such as salt, vinegar, sauce, and medicine...
Anyway, it seems that everything you need in the disaster area can be stocked up.
Do you want to get rich? What kind of conscience?
Xiaoqian is the cutest.
Anyway, Jiangdong is so big, and there will be some situations every once in a while. Either famine here or typhoons there, there will be no peace. Disasters come and the disasters will go away. Are those Guizhou leaders still growing like weeds, clusters of grass?
dead?
When will no one die?
If you die more of those untouchables, don’t you make trouble?
As a result, the problem broke out. On the one hand, the victims were not well placed and did not receive the materials that should have been distributed to them. On the other hand, the other side unscrupulously continued to recruit disaster relief from other areas. For those slightly dissatisfied people, they were arrested, arrested, detained, and even sentenced.
However, the distant disaster area and the chaotic Wuling did not affect the life in Wujun, the great city of Jiangdong, especially the children of the gentry in Wujun.
Just like Zhang Hong.
Free and moisturize.
Since Sun Quan "retreated to the second line", as the second-in-command of internal affairs, Zhang Hong's life was undoubtedly very comfortable while assisting Zhang Zhao...
Zhang Hong is now sitting in a private restaurant on the street in Wujun.
Zhang Hong likes to be low-key.
This restaurant is also very low-key.
But being low-key does not mean being simple, nor can it be said that being low-key means being close to the people.
During this period, he always felt something was wrong, but he thought about it but couldn't figure it out. When he was upset, he came to this restaurant, drank some wine, ate some fish sashimi, and relaxed.
This restaurant is famous for its fish sashimi, but it has no name. Even the signboard is painted with only one fish.
Cooked customers call this restaurant happy fish.
Zhang Hong came. Although he was wearing casual clothes, he still recognized him with a shop. He hurriedly asked him to ask the master to cook for Zhang Hong, and put on hot towels and washbasins. He also arranged some dried fruit snacks. There were even two types of wine, one was iced rose wine, and the other was served with a mud stove.
During the diligent service of the shop, the master in the shop who received the news came with carefully selected live fish. Because there was no preservation technology in the Han Dynasty, the fish sashimi was eaten immediately, and there was basically nothing frozen, just for freshness.
As for why Zhang Hong likes to eat fish sashimi, we have to see where Zhang Hong was originally from...
As the "high-end" fish sashimi for entertaining Zhang Hong, not only are the fish big and lively, but even the dining utensils are specially customized. Although the only fish sashimi is eaten, there are more than a dozen types of tableware that match it, and Linlin set up a table full of various pickled ingredients.
Ivory chopsticks, silver dining plates, gold wine pots, and two female actors were ready to pour wine for Zhang Hong at any time.
The guy brought a copper basin, which was filled with ice water.
The master was quick to deal with the live fish in the ice water. When the fish was slightly stiff, he grabbed the live fish and started working in the ice water on the spot, removing the scales and fishy films, and then quickly cleaned the not too much blood, and did not dig the fish's belly. He just took advantage of the fish's coma and placed the fish on a piece of ice. He used a knife as thin as a cicada's wing to cut two fish meat from the fish, and then cut the two fish meat into fish sashimi.
After picking one side of the fish, he picked the other side again. Then the master threw the fish that had been picked on both sides back into the basin. He saw that the fish was originally turning its belly up, but after a moment, its tail moved, turned over, and swam in the water with a skeleton.
The fish sashimi is almost transparent, spread flat on a black clay plate, and the slightly pink fish meat presents a unique pattern.
This meal of fish sashimi is the most important part of eating fish. It is not eaten, such as fish head, fish tail, fish intestines, etc.
"What a wonderful thing." Zhang Hong nodded, "It's pleasing to the eye, but it's just like this! Happy fish, skills are almost as good as art!"
The master smiled honestly, gave Zhang Hong a bow, and stepped back. It seemed very simple, it was nothing more than picking fish meat and cutting fish fillets. However, in order to ensure that when fish sashimi was taken alive, the texture or taste of the fish sashimi would not be damaged due to the struggle of the fish or the rising temperature. The whole process was carried out on ice water or ice. His hands were frozen red, and the calluses on his fingers were even more durable. I don’t know how many years it took to practice this and this kind of craft.
Zhang Hong picked up a piece of crystal sashimi, first looked at it, then put it in his mouth and savored it carefully.
The female actor next to her hurriedly stepped forward and poured Zhang Hong a porch wine.
Zhang Hong obviously felt the taste was very beautiful, and he shook his head and felt comfortable. Perhaps the only shortcoming was that the glass of Pu Tao wine was not made of white jade...
After eating fish sashimi, he ate some other delicacies. Zhang Hong was full of wine and food. Some of the worries in his heart were temporarily put down.
"Zhang Gong," the shopkeeper laughed and said while sending Zhang Hong out, "Zhang Gong is still satisfied? There is something that the little one dare not hide. The meal fee is going to increase a little now... The small one is not easy to operate, so the small one has to go with him... I hope Zhang Gonghaihan..."
The shopkeeper laughed with him, for fear that Zhang Hong would be angry.
Generally speaking, if the price fluctuates normally, the shopkeeper would not specifically talk to Zhang Hong, but is the problem now a general fluctuation...
Zhang Hong doesn't give money when eating. Well, of course, it's not that Zhang Hong is eating a king-selling meal, but according to the custom, the payment is settled at the end of the month. The amount you eat is closed on the account, and then at the end of the month, the store will send someone to Zhang Hong's mansion to find the manager to reconcile the accounts and withdraw money.
This is also the settlement method for most children of the gentry. Even when the servants in their mansions need to buy some public goods in the mansion, they are mostly accountable. On the one hand, ordinary people do not know arithmetic at all, and they may not be able to pull them out clearly with ten fingers. On the other hand, it also makes the gentry look decent and does not care about some Adu every day.
Zhang Hong was naturally accounted for this meal. The shopkeeper came forward to explain that it was just because the Pu Tao wine had risen too high during this period, so the price was much more expensive than before. I had to explain it to Zhang Hong so that it would not be clear when reconciling the accounts.
"The price of Pu Tao wine has increased? I know..." Zhang Hong didn't care too much at first, but after walking a few steps away, the worries that had been deposited due to delicious food suddenly rolled up again!
Zhang Hong suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
After leaving the fish sashimi shop, Zhang Hong visited some markets and discovered this problem.
It's rising!
But the problem is after the rise...
No matter how much the price of Pomerania wine has increased or how high the price of benzene spices is, anyway, it will be sold out almost immediately!
Are the Jiangdong gentry really so rich?
Is Poole wine a necessity? Is it impossible to live without it? Is there no substitute?
Obviously not.
So even though these Jiangdong gentry children are so rich, why are the victims not well placed?
Zhang Hong even had some not very good associations.
After thinking about it, Zhang Hong found Zhang Zhao.
Zhang Zhao welcomed Zhang Hong and sat down in the hall.
In terms of age, Zhang Hong is older than Zhang Zhao.
Although both of them have surnames Zhang, they do not have much connection, just like Zhang Fei and Zhang Liao are similar.
Zhang Hong said straight to the point: "The Jiangdong was hit by disaster, but the goods in the Western Regions were high, but they were still sold out! Can Zibu know about this?
Zhang Zhao nodded, and then said with a little point: "Not only the Western Regions Pujiao wine is high, but the Jiangbei war horses are also high..."
Of course, it is just what literati drinks, and of course there are also warriors, but the demand for literati is not much...
Zhang Hong’s main job is strategic planning, while Zhang Zhao prefers practical matter arrangements. The cooperation between the two was uneven, and there were no disputes or conflicts.
Zhang Hong didn't notice the price increase in the Western Regions commodity prices at the first time. Not everyone was very sensitive to external affairs. In addition, some areas of Jiangdong were affected during this period, and then there was a rebellion in the Wuling area, which made most of Zhang Hong's attention besides Jiangdong...
In the Jiangdong disaster area, the children of the gentry scolded Wuling, who was not affected by the disaster but was better than the disaster, was ignorant. He was not a human being and had no sympathy. He actually resisted the increase in taxes. While taking the opportunity to hoard various food and supplies in exchange for various financial resources, even human life.
What about the aristocrats? How can they get rich if they don’t take advantage of the opportunity of disaster? This is called taking his life while he is sick!
If you can't get rich, how can the children of the gentry buy the Western Regions Pomeranian wine and benign spices that are increasingly expensive?
Zhang Hong frowned and was silent for a long time before saying, "Now there are many people suffering from disaster in Jiangdong, and the people in Jiangdong are very extravagant... This is a sign of deviation from the upper and lower levels..."
At this moment, Zhang Hong didn't know if he really didn't remember it or didn't care at all. Anyway, he didn't think there was anything wrong with eating some expensive fish sashimi and drinking some pomelo wine. Instead, he felt that the children of the Jiangdong gentry were too inappropriate...
Normally, if a thing becomes more and more expensive and is not a necessity, then there will inevitably be various cheap substitutions. Even if the effect is not as good as the original, as long as the price is low, it can be accepted. For example, if the rose wine is expensive, then other golden liquor, corn wine, etc., can't we drink it?
So if the market is normal, then the price should rise, but no one buys it, there will be no sales, and then this type of item will slowly drop again...
But now the prices of items such as rosie wine, bentospice and other items continue to rise, but they still have sales, and the sales volume is still quite large. What does this mean?
Zhang Zhao glanced at Zhang Hong slightly, then stroked his beard and said, "The Qin School Affairs Office has gone to Wuling..."
『Who? Ah!" Zhang Hong's eyes tightened immediately, 『Zibu meant...』
If Zhang Zhao hadn't said this, Zhang Hong wouldn't have known this at all. This means that Qin Bo did not go to Wuling to do a normal channel for dispatching documents, then it would mean that he was following another line, that is, direct military orders.
Chapter completed!