After Wu Shigong went to the county this time, he also brought back someone. That was Yuan Xingshan, a businessman who came to Guide with Wu Shigong.
In order to get his lost horse, Wu Shigong used the squatting tiger cannon to scare Hou Xun's village. Afterwards, Wu Shigong slapped his butt and ran away. However, the Hou family found out that among Wu Shigong and his party,
There is also Yuan Xingshan, a merchant from Guide. Since we can't do anything to Wu Shigong, shouldn't we be able to do anything to Yuan Xingshan?
So, a post from the Hou family was sent to the governor of Guide Mansion. The governor of Guide Mansion must have known that Hou Xun would be reused. Now there is such a good opportunity to take photos of Hou Xun.
Flattery, then how could you not catch it?
After Yuan Xingshan returned to Guide Mansion, before his buttocks felt hot, he received a message from someone.
Yuan Xingshan is also an old businessman in Guide Mansion, and he has some connections. Therefore, Yuan Xingshan got the tip before the governor of Guide Mansion took action.
After getting the news, Yuan Xingshan was like a big thunderbolt in the clear sky. This was really a disaster coming from the sky! There is no need to say more. Yuan Xingshan knew that if he was caught and sent to the government, no matter how hard he spent money to deal with it, the result would be
Also, I have to shed my skin even if I don’t die.
In desperation, Yuan Xingshan no longer cared about his store and goods. He just packed up some belongings and escaped from Guidefu City with his family.
Fortunately, during the conversation with Wu Shigong on his way back to Guide, Yuan Xingshan already knew the location of the Qianhu Office where Wu Shigong was going to take office. Therefore, Yuan Xingshan and his family rushed to the county seat of Qi County Magistrate to find out where to go.
After traveling to Qianhu Station, go to Qianhu Station to find Wu Shigong.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Xingshan happened to meet Wu Shigong in the county town who had just negotiated an agreement from the county government. Therefore, Yuan Xingshan immediately came forward to see him.
According to Yuan Xingshan's wishes, he had better ask Wu Shigong to come forward and explain this matter clearly to the governor of Guide Mansion. In this case, Yuan Xingshan can be exempted from the responsibility. If Wu Shigong refuses, he also hopes that Wu Shigong will take care of it.
The fate of traveling together protected the safety of Yuan Xingshan's family.
After meeting Yuan Xingshan in the county town and knowing what happened, Wu Shigong took Yuan Xingshan's family back to the town. After Yuan Xingshan's family was settled, Wu Shigong found Yuan Xingshan and spoke frankly to Yuan Xingshan.
Explain clearly: "It is absolutely impossible for me to come forward for you."
Then, Wu Shigong explained his difficulties to Yuan Xingshan: Wu Shigong had just arrived in Guide Mansion and was a complete outsider. He didn't even know a few people at the bottom of Guide Mansion, let alone the official people in Guide Mansion.
.
Besides, the county where Wu Shigong was located was one day's journey from Guide City. Even if Wu Shigong wanted to come out, it would be beyond his reach.
However, Wu Shigong also assured Yuan Xingshan: Since Yuan Xingshan came to him to seek asylum, Wu Shigong would definitely protect the safety of Yuan Xingshan's family as long as Yuan Xingshan lived in the small town.
Moreover, Wu Shigong also gave Yuan Xingshan a choice: Wu Shigong asked Yuan Xingshan to discount the price of his store, Wu Shigong himself would use some money, and the two would jointly open a store. Yuan Xingshan would serve as the shopkeeper of this store.
This proposal made Yuan Xingshan a little overjoyed. Yuan Xingshan had no hope of keeping the storehouses and goods that Yuan Xingshan had left in Guide Fucheng. He didn't expect that he could still give them to Wu Shigong at a discount, and he would also become a partner with Wu Shigong.
The big shopkeeper of the store had a share of dry stock available for him. Therefore, Yuan Xingshan couldn't wait to agree.
Finally, Wu Shigong and Yuan Xingshan negotiated and agreed that Wu Shigong would take out two thousand taels of silver and convert them into 85% shares, and Yuan Xingshan's inn and goods in Guide Fucheng would be converted into 15% shares, and they would jointly set up a business store. Yuan Xingshan was the owner of this business store.
Shopkeeper.
On the surface, Wu Shigong seemed to have suffered some losses. Moreover, Wu Shigong also understood that he would never be able to get back Yuan Xingshan's store and goods in Guide Fucheng in a short period of time. However, Wu Shigong also had his own considerations.
of.
On the one hand, Wu Shigong didn't want to sit back and have nothing in the Qianhusuo in Guide. The Qianhusuo where Wu Shigong was located was not as crowded with businesses as in the capital, and they could squeeze out some oil and water. These days, Wu Shigong had already gone to war.
Only then did these merchants spit out seven hundred and fifty taels of silver every year.
If Wu Shigong continues to force him, he will be in direct confrontation with the entire local gentry group. This approach is not in Wu Shigong's interests.
The farmland of Wu Shigong's Thousand Household Office can only barely sustain the food and clothing of the people in the Thousand Household Office. Even next year, the money and grain that will be handed over to Li Bingbeidao may not be available. There is no surplus food at all.
Therefore, setting up a business store and earning some money from doing business is a kind of subsidy for one's own military expenses.
But this was not the main reason why Wu Shigong established a trading post. The more important reason was that Wu Shigong wanted to use this trading post to purchase a large amount of reserve materials for Qianhusuo Fortress. In particular, he needed to purchase a large amount of grain.
Wu Shigong didn't remember much about the Chongzhen period, but he knew that the main reason for Li Zicheng's rebellion was that there were repeated famines in the world, and farmers were starving to death, so they rebelled. Therefore, Wu Shigong wanted to buy a large amount of grain and reserve it.
In the Qianhusuo Fortress, at least one of our own people could survive this period of famine in this Qianhusuo Fortress.
In Wu Shigong's mind, he wanted to reserve at least 10,000 shi of food in the fortress of Qianhusuo. In this case, in case of war, Wu Shigong only needed to store all the military households in Qianhusuo and the soldiers he recruited and their
The family members were reduced to the Qianhusuo Fortress. Even if there were 3,000 people living in the Qianhusuo Fortress at that time, as long as the food distribution was strictly carried out, they could survive three years in the Qianhusuo Fortress.
And after Wu Shigong roughly built the Qianhusuo Fortress before the Chinese New Year, he will also start a major construction project next year to completely build the Qianhusuo Fortress into a fortress. In addition, Wu Shigong asked Yang Goudan to build the fire.
Guns, Wu Shigong also needs to buy and store a batch of gunpowder.
According to Wu Shigong's estimation, if there are no 30,000 troops to attack, and if 5,000 people are not killed, then this Qianhusuo fortress will never be captured. In the final analysis, all Wu Shigong's current strategic thinking is - the turtle flow. And it is a complete contraction.
Head turtle flow.
If Wu Shigong wants to achieve such a goal, he needs a store to purchase the materials he needs. He also needs a businessman who is familiar with the local conditions to assist him in purchasing.
Wu Shigong had actually discovered this problem before. The building materials purchased by Zheng Zhen were a bit expensive. Although Wu Shigong purchased too many quantities, the main reason was that locals bullied foreigners.
, bullying them because they don’t understand the local market.
At this time, Yuan Xingshan was presented to Wu Shigong, and of course Wu Shigong would not let him go. Therefore, Wu Shigong seemed to have suffered some losses on the surface, and almost gave Yuan Xingshan some business shares to win over him.
Otherwise, Wu Shigong is not a good gentleman, and the most he can do is protect the safety of Yuan Xingshan's family.
Getting Yuan Xingshan was really different. He immediately played a huge role.
When Wu Shigong told Yuan Xingshan about his idea of purchasing grain, Yuan Xingshan immediately took action, and the price of the grain he purchased was far lower than Wu Shigong's price.
When Wu Shigong was in the capital, he knew that the price of one stone of grain was about five coins. However, Yuan Xingshan corrected Wu Shigong's wrong view.
Yuan Xingshan told Wu Shigong: Because the capital is located in the north, and the freight of water transportation is added, the price of food is relatively expensive. In Henan, it is just after the autumn harvest and before the New Year. Therefore, the price of food is also exactly the same as that of the year.
the lowest time.
Now, if you purchase grain from farmers, the price is around two and eight cents per stone. If you purchase it from a grain merchant, the price is only three cents per stone at most. However, there is a problem here. The grain merchant is not willing to do so at this time.
Selling large quantities of grain.
Yuan Xingshan's words aroused Wu Shigong's curiosity, and he quickly asked why?
Yuan Xingshan went on to say: Those grain merchants will store grain until about April next year. At that time, it will be the lean season. Many families, including some farmers, will be short of grain. At this time, the price of grain may really rise to 1000 yuan per liter.
Five denarii of silver.
Moreover, these grain merchants will also lend grain to farmers who are short of food. Of course they are not doing good things, because the grain lent is usurious. After the autumn harvest, the farmers will have to pay it back with interest. If
If you don't go back, you will have to sell your land, or sell your children and daughters to pay off debts. These are also two ways for these grain merchants to make huge profits.
Wu Shigong understood this and thought to himself: "So this is how the story of the white-haired girl came about!"
Therefore, Wu Shigong immediately decided to purchase grain immediately when the price of grain was low. He offered a purchase price of three coins per stone. Of course, in order to take care of the military households in Qianhusuo, Wu Shigong gave those military households the price
That's three cents and two per stone. Soon, Wu Shigong purchased more than a thousand stones of grain from nearby farmers and military households.
After getting the news that Wu Shigong was purchasing grain, Yao Yuanwai also came to visit. Yao Yuanwai was both a big businessman and a big landowner in the local area, so he must have a lot of grain in his family. Therefore, he also hoped to bring Wu Shigong here.
Sell your own grain at a good price. Of course, Wu Shigong would not turn away such a good thing.
Finally, Wu Shigong and Yao Yuanwai agreed that Wu Shigong would purchase 12,000 shi of grain from Yao Yuanwai at a price of three qian per shi. All the grain would be delivered to Wu Shigong before February next year.
Yao Yuanwai was quite satisfied with the deal. Of course he couldn't afford so much grain, but as long as he went to the nearby gentry and landlords to get it together, there would be no problem in taking out the grain. And Yao Yuanwai could still make money from it.
Take some of the difference.
In addition to earning money, what Yao Yuanwai is even more satisfied with is that he has exchanged the food in his home for cash. There is so much food in Yao Yuanwai's home that he will definitely not be able to finish it all. He can only store it in the granary at home.
moldy losses. And if you transport the grain to sell outside, you have to pay the freight yourself.
Now, who wouldn’t like the good thing of being able to find a buyer to buy grain in your local area?
And Wu Shigong is also very satisfied with this transaction. Although the price he paid for buying grain is a bit higher, it saves Wu Shigong the trouble of buying grain in pieces and transporting it after buying it. Being able to make this transaction successfully as soon as possible, Wu Shigong also
It felt like I had put down a big burden in my heart.
In addition, there is not much cash in Wu Shigong's hands now. And because Yao Yuanwai is also engaged in business, he is willing to accept those banknotes from Wu Shigong that can only be used to withdraw cash in Jining. This also makes Wu Shigong feel less