"Hey yo hey yo, work harder! Hey yo hey yo, work harder!"
Shouting such slogans, a group of people finally delivered a huge and heavy package to its destination-a sea ship.●⌒,
They are the boatmen here, which means that in addition to being responsible for unloading the cargo on the ship when the ship docks and transporting the next cargo to other places to the ship, they are also the owners of the ship.
Sailor, go sailing with the ship.
Not only that, just like the caravans wandering in the border markets, they occasionally do some gray business and so on.
But in comparison, because the sea conditions are far more variable than on land, unless there is some unsolvable grudge between the owners behind the two boats, mutual assistance is usually the main thing at sea, because you
It is completely impossible to know whether one day in the future you will become a delicacy for the fish in the sea after a storm.
"Is everything packed?"
"Everything is ready, and the boat is ready to sail. This time we are the fastest group again,"
"Very well, let's go have a drink together. My treat is my treat!"
"Ohhhhh!!!"
The young people around who were also sailors and part-time porters immediately gave the most enthusiastic response.
"How is your business lately, brother?"
The shipwrights have their own circle, and the shipowners and merchants waiting for the goods to be loaded onto the ship can be counted as another circle.
"Not so good. Since Yuan Benchu solved Gongsun Bogui, although he didn't do anything big after that, he just sent people to Liaodong after the Gongsun family was destroyed. However, it is said that the people sent there quickly returned to Xinyang, but
I don’t know why, but I didn’t send any more people there after that. Other than that, I just wanted to recuperate and eliminate the internal problems. But I originally returned.
Yuan Tan returned to Xinyang. After Master Yuan returned to Qingzhou, he asked officials from all over Qingzhou to go to Pingyuan to visit him. As you know, the counties in the south of Qingzhou disliked Master Yuan very much, not to mention his ability.
There is a huge difference between him and the former Governor of Langxie and the current Duke Liu Xuande of Yuzhou. In terms of his personality, no one would like such a moody guy."
"Yes, Yuan Benchu actually has such a son who is like a pig and a dog. It's no wonder he was sent to this place in Qingzhou."
"Who says it's not the case? So everyone would rather listen to the Qingzhou governor appointed by the imperial court than the young master appointed privately by Yuan Benchu. But the problem is that the young master has an extraordinary background, and after all, he is also the eldest son of the Yuan family.
Going out to do things also represents the face of the Yuan family. Even if you really have no ability, you should still be pretty good at it after crying."
"Is it possible that what I just said, that the recent situation is not so good, is due to Mr. Yuan's 'crying'?"
"Yeah, I don't know how that bastard young master stirred up trouble in front of Yuan Jizhou. Not only did he get reinforcements from Yuan Jizhou to attack several cities where the officials who refused to pay him a visit, the reason turned out to be that they were colluding with bandits.
,and
They also set up checkpoints arbitrarily and imposed heavy taxes on our caravans. If we didn't comply, they would often seize people and things in the name of bandits and extort money from their families. It can be said that apart from being a little restrained in front of some wealthy families,
, but it’s hard for me as a small businessman.”
"I didn't expect that the eldest son of the Yuan family would be so unwilling to give people a way to survive."
"No, he is quick-thinking and tries his best to avoid the checkpoints on the land, not only for money, but more importantly, compared to the storm that may appear on the sea. The unscrupulous young master is more
It’s scary.”
"Then the Qingzhou governor appointed by Xuchang doesn't care about this kind of thing?"
"If we are close to Langye and Taishan, the governor Zang may be able to take care of us, but if we are far away, the governor is beyond his reach. After all, I heard that the Yuan and Cao families are closely related. How can we wait for the common people?
The soldiers met each other. I think it would have been unless the Yuan eldest son was so mad that he came under the nose of Zang Governor.
To capture people and kill people, in order to look good and have real evidence, you can take action. But in the current situation, no one can guarantee the effect of taking action. It is better to take this sea route.
Even though there are storms, there are still rocks beneath the surface of the water, and you can still grasp them if you walk a lot."
"After listening to what my brother said, I understand why the water transport business is so easy to do now. If the situation continues, I may need to prepare more ships. Maybe this business can be very big."
"Yes, in the future we will have to rely more on Boss Guan to make businessmen like us profitable."
"To each other, if you didn't choose the sea route, it would be very difficult for me to support so many boats and so many people."
"By the way, Boss Guan is said to have traveled all over the world and knows the sea routes from north to south. I wonder if I can take the liberty to ask."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, as long as brother doesn't ask me for that private chart."
"Haha, of course not, of course not. I am still very clear about the taboos in this area. Naturally, I don't dare to covet the treasures that are related to the boss's life and fortune. It's just my own selfish curiosity.
That’s all.”
"Is this a good deal? You really need to listen carefully."
"No, no, no, it's just that I was curious about what happened in Liaodong. That's why the officials who went to Liaodong chose to turn back soon. Even after they came back, they were unwilling to talk more about what happened in Liaodong. Although this was just
I'm just a little curious privately, but if it's a business matter, it's not bad, after all, Liaodong's local specialties are still very popular in Jizhou."
"The situation in Liaodong... In fact, even I don't know it very well. I just heard the people who live by the sea occasionally talk about the hinterland of Liaodong, and it's probably just the word 'miserable'. Ask them a few more questions, and then
He stayed away as if he had seen the god of plague, and also advised me and my subordinates not to go exploring out of curiosity, as it is said that it is very dangerous there."
After thinking about it, he did not tell the other party all the information. Firstly, except for the recent trade exchanges, the two parties had not had any contact before. Even if it could not be said to be a chance meeting, it was not necessarily close. Moreover, for
For businessmen, as long as the expected benefits are large enough, even if they block it, they will not have any impact on the other party's decision.
After all, as a businessman, if you have ten times the profit, you can defeat any super strong person who is your enemy!
"Is that so? Although I'm a little reluctant, but compared to wealth, life is the most important thing these days."
Then, the conversation between the two people turned to the recent fashion trends in Jizhou, as well as which products are in short supply and can be sold at a good price. The truth and malice are always hidden in true and false information.
After that, should we completely forget about the information we got through casual conversations, or should we classify and sort it out and use it, or should we completely believe those hearsays and make what may be an extremely important risky decision in our lives.
.
Under the possible toy of fate, you will never know whether your choice is right or wrong.
Even if some people always claim how decisive they were and were guided by the God of Destiny, in fact it is more of an inevitable choice made under the gaze of outsiders or under the force of the situation. No one can say anything about something.
Everything is 100% certain.
Even those aloof holy beasts are not sure whether their actions can really achieve their goals.
Otherwise, Li Shushi probably wouldn't have had that trip to the vast sea that confused him.
A bowl of turbid and dark-colored wine is eaten. Although it is not yet noon, for dock workers and sailors who have been busy since the early morning, they can have a bowl of warm wine during their rest.
Eating is obviously the best enjoyment, and then people with lively personalities gather together spontaneously,
Or talk loudly, or simply play some superficial local gambling games - even if the government explicitly prohibits this behavior, it still cannot stop the enthusiasm of gamblers and their luck. After all, from a certain
To a certain extent, gamblers are also tempted by ten times the profit.
As for those who don't like the noisy environment very much, they will stay away from the area where the gamblers are, hide in a corner near the sea, and quietly look at the vast and endless sea, letting their minds be blown away.
Washed by the turquoise or light blue sea water, it is open and wide, and then I watch the seabirds flying from time to time in the sky, recalling the experience of fighting in the wind and rain.
They don't have much time to rest. In fact, when all the ships are loaded and unloaded, their fleet will set sail. In this era of lack of weather forecasts, people can only reluctantly use the experience and judgment accumulated in various ways.
Depending on the weather conditions near the coast, as for places farther away, we can only pray for God’s blessing.
So, just enjoy this rare moment of leisure that you have earned through your hard work.
Speaking of where this fleet is located, theoretically it should belong to Liaocheng County in the Le'an Kingdom in the north of Qingzhou. However, this large island is some distance away from the county seat, and there are more than a thousand brave men entrenched on the island.
Local officials would not dare to casually go to the island to collect taxes, because that would mean that the "brave" little official could easily become a "missing person" with countless similar cases appearing every year in troubled times.
”.
The residents of the island were originally engaged in fishing. Recently, new jobs such as shipping and shipbuilding have been added. The person who made such a big change here was a man who was already extremely famous in the local area.
The loud sea hero, I heard that due to some reasons, he went to other places to seek a better life for a long time. In the past six months, he returned home with a group of people.
The nearby villagers on land and the fishermen who make a living at sea are convinced of this kind of thing.
After all, the previous one was a well-known tycoon in the area, and the rangers and water bandits under his command were not good people. Their actions were deeply hated by local villagers and merchants. In less than ten years,
Only half a generation is not enough for the folks in the countryside to forget those scenes of the past, and naturally they still have the fear left in their hearts.
But that person obviously did become as prosperous as he said.
Not only did he build roads and bridges in the place where he was born, benefiting his hometown, but he even hired two young masters for the children in the village. Even though the knowledge given to the children was very superficial, they even taught lessons.
The level of teachers may not be that high, but even so, it is enough for the common people to significantly increase their happiness index.
It can even be said that if a good person does good things, people may be numb to it, but if a bad person suddenly does good things, even though many people will still look at the other person with doubts, more people will still be
I was so moved that I burst into tears, as if I was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
In this context, when this powerful man from the fish and meat village once again raised a team, the fellow villager Xiangzi was much calmer. In fact, the new team formed by this powerful man did not continue to cause trouble to the village.
Instead, they hired many villagers
Help him build ports and shipyards on offshore islands under the guidance of technicians hired from other places. He looks like he wants to change his mind and become a serious person, which makes the older generation who are familiar with him feel like they are in another world.
It's really sad.
Therefore, when the wharves and ports were built and all kinds of ships were put in place, many young laborers stayed. After all, it was better to follow Yuan Shao than to suffer increasingly harsh exploitation from the Qingzhou governor who belonged to Yuan Shao in his hometown.
For fellow countrymen, let alone having enough food and clothing, if you are lucky or have a more flexible mind, you might be able to make a name for yourself by relying on the advantages of being a fellow countryman.
At least, it can be seen from the way the man spent a lot of money after returning to his hometown. He had indeed lived a good life during that time.
"Okay boys, those slow fools are almost done. It's time for us to get ready to sail."
Then amidst a burst of laughter and curses, everyone started to move.
Although both those who were playing around just now and those who were sitting quietly felt that they still had unfinished business, there was nothing they could do about it. It was their job and something they had to complete. Only when the work was done well would their loved ones at home have delicious food.
, easy to wear.
In fact, even though they are expressing their melancholy by laughing and scolding at this time, if you really let them give up their work and play to their heart's content for a year and a half, these men who grew up by the sea will actually
Even more unhappy.
Apart from the fact that the boss is a bit strict and you also need to undergo some additional training after work, which is much stricter than in the countryside, how many jobs can there be in these troubled times with good salary and good related benefits?
Compared with the life of working hard at home for most of their lives and still facing the earth with their backs to the sky, their current life can be called happy. Their big boss even promised that if any of the children are promising, he can recommend them.
Let's study with more knowledgeable people, and if we can get an official position in the future, it will be a huge change for the entire family.
This is a good treatment that only natives like them have. Those outsiders have no chance even if they drool with envy. They can only rely on the opportunity of marrying their daughters here to arrange outsiders into this area with a specific area as the core.
in the circle.
"Haha~ Xuan Gao, what if you don't listen to my advice? My profit from this trip can reach at least one million dollars."
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm studying at Shaozhongtai, don't lie to me. That's millions of dollars. What kind of product is so profitable?"
"Hehe, there are some treasures from the sea, special products shipped from the south, and very beautiful utensils obtained from I don't know where. Oh, by the way, there are also rare treasures and treasures that can only be obtained from Liaodong across the sea.
Precious medicinal materials.”
"It's not that the Gongsun clan of Liaodong County was defeated by Xianbei and massacred the whole city. There are even rumors that the Xianbei army killed tens of thousands of men and women by the Daliang River outside Xiangping City, so that the river stopped flowing and everything downstream was dyed red.
.”
"This statement is not wrong, but there is something you don't know, Brother Zang. Many powerful people and common people knew that the Xianbei army was coming, so they took refuge at sea with their families in advance. Although they suffered a lot of damage in the storm,
However, although the Xianbei army could cross mountains and walk on plains, they did not dare to go to the sea, and they could not stay in Liaodong for a long time, otherwise their Danhan Mountain would probably be captured by those in Bingzhou.
As soon as the Xianbei people retreated, the people who had hid at sea returned to the shore. Now Tashi in the southeast of Liaoning and Xi'anping in the east and their surrounding areas have become lively again, but few people are willing to migrate to the north on a large scale.
That's all, so we can only wait for a few warriors who have the courage to go deep into the north, or those who come from
Only the foreign tribes such as the Haoqiu in the northern mountains and forests can get the good things in the mountains. Occasionally, they can hire some Haoqiu's followers. I heard that the foreign tribes in the mountains also suffered heavy losses in the Xianbei attack. So this is
It’s an opportunity that comes once a year, Brother Zang, if you miss it, you’ll have to wait until next year if you want to participate.”
"That's fine, but it's such a big sum of money. Isn't that the eldest son of the Yuan family jealous?"
"Hey, what's the use of being jealous? Even though they only have over a thousand people in Le'an Country, I heard that they also have over a thousand people hiding in the islands in the north of Donglai, and in Liaodong.
With a strength of ten thousand people, they are not afraid of that nonsense young master at all. I think if they really make them angry, they might abandon the sea and kill the young master."
"Is the rumor true?"
"Who knows? Anyway, Liaodong is so far away from us, so it's really not easy to verify it."
"Sigh... There have been frequent atrocities between us and that Young Master Yuan. Even if we continue to exercise restraint, we can tell by just looking at the other party's increasingly fierce methods recently. I'm afraid that even though the Jizhou guy sees
The reason for getting up is to recuperate. But in fact, it is basically preparing the army there, and we in Qingzhou will definitely bear the brunt.
But at this time, there is suddenly such a lonely overseas but powerful force involved in this battle. Even I can't tell whether it is a good thing or a bad thing for us. It is really heartbreaking.
I feel uneasy."
"Hey, we can't control him on the sea. If he wants to do business, we will welcome him with both hands. But if he wants to be our enemy, as long as he dares to abandon the boat and land, I, Sun Zhongtai, can make sure he never comes back.
, regret being our enemy!”
"But if it's just harassment, it's still a big headache."
"It's just a scabies disease that can only be harassed at the beach. And we can make so much money by working with them, so why really break up with them? That's a business that can make millions of dollars. Millions of dollars.
Woolen cloth!"
"Okay, okay, don't act like a child who has never seen the world and has no future."
Although he smiled and criticized the money-obsessed look of his friends, Zang Ba was actually bleeding in his heart.
That's a million dollars, really Huang Chengcheng's million dollars!
A number like one million sounds very big to people. In fact, for a large family of seven, it is indeed a very large number. It is even possible to reach this number with a lifetime of hard work.
It's all a huge problem.
But if this number is placed at the level of a powerful family, let alone at the national level, it becomes somewhat insufficient.
In fact, according to the calculation method that was not used very frequently in the Han Dynasty, that is, the legendary consistent money that represents a thousand qian, a million yuan is just a thousand qian, which is quite high and low.
number.
The reason why I say this is because unlike ordinary people who only need to care about the most basic consumer goods such as oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, wealthy people from aristocratic families need to pay attention to many more things.
For example, a high-quality war horse, known as the face of a powerful family, is a huge expense that cannot be ignored.
So how much was a war horse worth in the Han Dynasty?
Studying absolute prices does not seem to make much sense, just like the "chicken's fart" in China is always clouded, not to mention that prices can fluctuate for a thousand and one reasons, so we use relative purchasing power to get a glimpse
alright.
In the history of another dimension, a book written by a guy from the Sima family who liked to destroy public property once recorded that in the fifth year of Emperor Yongchu of the Eastern Han Dynasty (111 years), in order to deal with the rebels of the Western Qiang, Hanoi Huai
The county magistrate Yu Xu (this guy is very awesome) suggested that Zhonglang send Ren Shang (Deng Xun, the sixth son of Deng Yu mentioned earlier)
The deputy who put down the Xiqiang rebellion, and later succeeded Ban Chao as the Protector of the Western Regions. Although he was a good general, he unfortunately always made big principled mistakes.
Thousands of money (to relieve oneself from the corvee), so that with the money paid by twenty people, one horse can be purchased.
Well, this means that a war horse costs at least tens of thousands of copper coins. And this is still in the north. If you go to places like Jiangdong and Jingnan, even a decent war horse worth hundreds of thousands of dollars is very common.
Calculated in this way, although one million dollars may seem like a large figure, in fact it may not even be enough to get a few good horses, let alone form a cavalry team.
And a war horse is so expensive, so what about a war?
In the first year of Jianning (168) when Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, the famous general Duan Jiong, who was the captain of the Qiang Protector at that time, presented to the emperor his plan to suppress the rebellion of the Western Qiang: mobilizing 5,000 cavalry, 10,000 infantry, and chariots
Three thousand, using three winters and two summers (with Duan Yan’s fighting style, it definitely shouldn’t be a stalemate at other times but only launching a battle in a certain period of time)
, it is estimated that it should be a small-scale war of attrition at other times and a large-scale annihilation war at a certain moment, and then add a pursuit battle of incalculable length. This is in line with the description in the history book of Duan Jiong's "no day" when he conquered the Qiang people.
"No war" eventually brought down the Qiang people), and a war of this scale would cost approximately 4.5 billion copper coins!!!
Well, if you take a closer look, you will know how the country spent 24 billion on the war against the Qiang people during the Han Dynasty, which only lasted for more than ten years.
It is worth noting that one of the charges mentioned before that Ren Shang was beheaded and died by the imperial court was that Ren Shang had embezzled and accepted bribes exceeding 10 million yuan. Although the reason was actually related to the fact that he was in power at the time.
Empress Dowager Deng's cousin Du Liao General Deng Zun was competing for the credit, but it can also be seen that the million money was actually only an order of magnitude away from that line.
Therefore, in the face of such a huge fortune, Zang Ba can still laugh without losing his composure, which shows that after so many years of experience, his Qi-nurturing skills can be considered as a master.
Of course, for his brother who knew him very well, although Sun Guan was almost hurt internally, on the surface it was impossible to continue to stimulate him. Anyway, he had already sent this wealth to his brother, as long as he did not violate Cao Cao
For these small forces with strong independent tendencies, such a thing is really not a big deal.
Plan passes!
Of course Zang Ba would not know how ecstatic the two conspirators looked when Sun Guan told Yin Li and Wu Dun the news of his move.
After all, as General Zhendong appointed by Cao Cao to lead Qingxu's military affairs, Zang Ba had to think about issues that were fundamentally different from those of his former comrades.
"Who is standing behind such a powerful businessman?"
Pan Sen: The currency issue is actually very complicated, so I’ll try to talk about it tentatively, but it’s not rigorous enough, so I can only say it’s just for reference. (To be continued...)
