When Zhou Lang went back, he had his things packed up. He arrived at the dock at the appointed time the next day, and some coolies came forward to do the work.
Zhou Lang selected a few people to help carry the things together.
Because it was his first time to go to sea, although Zhou Lang didn't bring much, he didn't leave anyone behind. Unlike other caravans, they would leave some guys behind after arriving here and only take a few on board.
Sanzhu and the others were also very nervous. After they had loaded up everything and handed the carriage and horse to Liu Gui to take back, they asked in a low voice: "Fourth...fourth uncle, are we all going?"
Thursday Lang: "You don't want to go?"
"No, I think other caravans bring few people. We bring so many people, it looks so fierce, like we are going to fight."
Zhou Lang glanced at him and said, "Isn't this great? It doesn't look easy to bully. It just so happens that no one dares to bully us."
When the people on the ship saw that there were so many people carrying so little cargo, they guessed that it was their first time to go to sea. After a closer look, they found that they didn't understand anything. The leader was still looking for the cabin with a brochure, so he endured it.
I couldn't help but laugh, it was really my first time going to sea.
However, Zhou Lang was not cowed. He took a look at the precautions he had recorded for seagoing ships and said, "First find a boatman and ask where our cabin is."
Zhou Lang was right. Although they looked like they were going to sea for the first time because of the large number of people, no one dared to bully them because of the large number of them.
He entered his cabin, poured a cup of tea for Uncle Shi, and then said: "There are few of us, so people can't tell that it's our first time to go to sea. So we still need more people."
Uncle Shi drank it in one gulp and said, "As long as you are rich and happy."
Zhou Lang touched a bag tied to his arm. It was given to him by Zhou Man. It contained gold and some money he brought from the capital. When he arrived in Jiangnan, he could buy more if he encountered good things.
You make money back in one go.
Thinking about it this way, Zhou Lang felt relieved and no longer felt so distressed.
Bai Shan and Zhou Liwei took the people back to Jiawai and sorted out the remaining salt. Bai Shan handed the road guide to Nie Canjun and said, "Send it out with someone."
Nie Canjun agreed, picked fifty soldiers, took the remaining salt, and left by land.
They wanted to send salt to the Central Plains. In this way, the sea and land were separated, and any place that needed Jiangnan official salt could be replenished.
Purchasers from various government agencies still stayed in Jiangnan, trying hard to buy some salt, but although they relented, the prices they offered were very high.
The money did not belong to them. The purchasing official hesitated and did not agree. He first wrote a letter and asked someone to send it back, and then asked his superiors before making any plans.
Such expensive salt, even if it does not make money, is given to the people at a fair price, but the people cannot afford it. Who is responsible for this in the end?
So they didn't dare to place an order.
Their letter was sent back from the south of the Yangtze River. Although the journey was long, the speed of delivering the letter was faster than transporting official salt. Just when the officials from all over the country were angrily cursing the officials and families in the south of the Yangtze River, someone came to report, "Sir, there is a salt shipment from Qingzhou.
Someone from the company came over and said that they came to trade official salt under the orders of the imperial court."
The livid-faced governor immediately stood up and asked, "Really? Where is he?"
"I just entered the city and am currently staying at the inn."
"Come on, let's go take a look." The governor took two steps and felt something was wrong, then stopped. "Go and invite the people over and take a closer look at how much salt they have brought."
Fifteen cars in total!
The governor was very happy to meet the people in the hall. After reading the other party's directions and official posts, the governor knew their origins.
Beihai County, Qingzhou, Bai Shan.
The corners of the governor's mouth curled up slightly, and a sneer flashed across his face. Who in the world didn't know that Bai Shan was the prince's companion, and like his wife, he was the prince's confidant.
Humph, Jiang Nan was trying to steal a chicken but lose a handful of rice. He wanted to use them as a knife, but he didn't know that they were already meat on the chopping board, and the prince's knife was already ready.
But where did so much salt and white goodness come from?
The governor just thought about it briefly and decided not to care. He asked the soldiers escorting the official salt: "How much does this official salt cost?"
The soldier quoted a number. This price was set by Bai Shan and could not be modified.
The governor shook his head and said, "This won't work. It's too expensive. It needs to be cheaper."
Soldier: "...Sir, this is the price set by our Lord. If you think it is expensive, then we can only leave and go to the next state."
He said: "Our Lords have warned us before coming here that the price cannot be more than a penny, nor can it be less than a penny."
He added: "Our adults also said that if any adults think the price is too high, you can send people to Beihai County, Qingzhou to get the official salt next quarter. The price will be ten cents cheaper than the current price."
Governor: "...next quarter?"
"Yes," the soldier said honestly: "Our adults have said that what we are sending now is only for this quarter, so a state can only buy three carts of salt at most. In the next quarter, if we are asked to send salt, each bucket will cost
Five more coins than now. If His Highness the Crown Prince had not ordered it, we adults would not send it. Now we are short of people in Beihai County."
Before selecting a leader, Bai Shan told Nie Canjun that the leader he selected must be honest, loyal, and precise, and he would resolutely carry out whatever orders were given by his superiors.
But Bai Shan didn't expect him to be so honest, so he directly told them what he had told them in private.
The governor worked for a long time, but in the end he couldn't buy an extra cart of salt, let alone the price. It was really not much but not much.
He could only buy three carts of salt and helplessly watched him leave.
Some people were very unconvinced, "Sir, what if we just detain the salt truck?"
It’s not like they’ve never done this kind of thing before. The things have already been used, so who can do anything to them? It’s not like they haven’t paid.
The governor glanced at the other party and said: "This is not an ordinary official salt. Do you think it is from before?"
"I've tasted it. Although this salt is slightly better than the one given by Jiangnan, it's still salt. What's so special about it?"
"There is poison in this salt," said the governor: "The poison of the struggle between the imperial court and Jiangnan. We are not far away at this time. You are still looking for trouble. What you are looking for is trouble for your majesty, the prince and the imperial court. You are dissatisfied with your fate."
Lived too long?”
"Then this salt..."
"Call our people back and don't waste them in Jiangnan. Since there is salt in Qingzhou, let's get it from Qingzhou. It's closer and cheaper than Jiangnan. Hmph, I want to take a look. We're all gone.
, who would want the salt from Jiangnan?"
"However," the governor touched his chin, puzzled, "Where did Qingzhou come from so much official salt? I remember they only have one salt farm there, and most of it is only enough to supply and demand the state."
One person said: "Sir, wasn't there a specious piece of news a few years ago that a new method of making salt was developed on the seaside, saying that it can be placed in the field and grow salt like crops."