In order to give everyone an intuitive understanding, Wang Lidong asked someone to bring a few dustpans of freshly picked cotton.
Looking at the clusters of white things, the British man was surprised and said: "Isn't this Bai Diazi?"
He was often sent out to patrol the border, so he traveled to many places. I remember once when he was in the northwest, he went to the garden of a local wealthy family, and there was this kind of flower in it.
"The British public is really well-informed. This thing was brought to us from Tianzhu by Western merchants hundreds of years ago, but it has always been regarded as an ornamental plant. I also accidentally discovered that this thing can weave cloth..." Wang Lidong
People took various props and conducted a series of experiments to demonstrate the warmth retention, moisture absorption, heat resistance, alkali resistance and other characteristics of cotton cloth.
"Yuan Ruo, can this cotton coat really keep you as warm as a leather jacket?"
"If Duke Cheng Guo doesn't believe it, why don't you know if you try it on?"
Taking the gray cotton coat from Wang Lidong on the ground, Cheng Guogong was sweating all over his body soon after putting it on. He touched the thick coat and said happily, "It's really no worse than a coat, and it doesn't have any weird smell... It's good."
thing."
Seeing this, other nobles also asked for gray coats and tried them on.
"Yuan Ruo, how much does a coat like this cost?"
"The gray coat you are wearing weighs 4 pounds. I plan to sell it for 1,000 yuan. What do you think of the price?"
"so cheap?"
All the heroes were a little surprised.
They originally thought that such a warm coat would cost two or three dollars at the cheapest price.
In this era, fabrics were very expensive. A cloth shirt for ordinary people cost three to four hundred taels. Winter clothes were even more expensive. A winter coat made of pure leather could not be bought for less than 2 taels.
"It's so cheap that all the soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty can afford it."
Everyone thought about it, and based on the current income level in the Song Dynasty, such a coat would cost less than half a month's salary. However, compared with other winter clothes that can keep warm, it is really a reasonable price. As long as you have money in your pocket, 100% of the price will be paid.
Ordinary people in their eighties or nineties would grit their teeth and buy one.
"Does anyone know how many people there are in the Song Dynasty now?"
"I asked Bao Xueshi a while ago. Bao Xueshi replied to His Majesty that there are 12.46 million households in the Song Dynasty and 26.42 million people (Ding men)."
Ding Nan refers to an adult man who has reached the age of service. In the Song Dynasty, a man was called a Ding when he was twenty years old, and he was an old man when he was sixty years old. After becoming a Ding man, he had to perform corvee service and pay a poll tax.
After everyone calculated it, even if there were only three people in a household, the population of the entire Song Dynasty was estimated to be as much as 80 million.
"Then if everyone buys a cotton-padded coat, that would be 80 million sets. If calculated, it would be more than 100 million pieces..."
The nobles were all a little dizzy after being hit by this number. Seeing this, Wang Lidong added fuel to the fire,
"Over the years, I have sent people to make statistics, and it turns out that each person buys about two pieces of clothing every year. Even if we use ordinary gowns, the Song Dynasty's annual expenditure on clothing is about 40 million yuan."
Seeing that some of the older nobles seemed a little distracted, Wang Lidong had people bring pastries and fruits to supplement them with some high-quality protein and glucose.
"Yuan Ruo, these cotton clothes are so cheap, how much does one cost? How do you plan to cooperate in this cotton business?"
"I'll take you to a place. After seeing it, you can roughly calculate how much it will cost."
Wang Lidong took the distinguished officials and rode a carriage to the nearest cotton plantation, and harvested ten acres of cotton in front of everyone. After the weighing was completed, he said without reporting, "A total of 4,896 acres of cotton were harvested from ten acres of land."
The average yield per kilo of seed cotton is about 490 kilos, and one kilo of seed cotton can yield about 40% of cotton, which translates into about 200 kilos of cotton per acre."
Wang Lidong pointed to the baskets of cotton and said, "In addition to the field, the cost is a pound of cotton seeds plus the tenant's wages."
Everyone immediately did the math. As a coat weighs 4 kilograms and sells for 1,000 wen, the price of one kilogram of cotton is 250 wen...
The output value of one acre of land is wen, about 60 guan, and if you grow grain, the rent received per acre of land per year is only one stone of grain, which is equivalent to three to four hundred guan.
The difference between the two is more than a hundred times...!
Seeing several distinguished nobles secretly stuffing seed cotton into their pockets... Wang Lidong waved his hand grandly... and took everyone back to Sihai Trading Company, and then handed over a cooperation plan.
The cooperation method is not complicated. Everyone raises money to set up a cotton trading company, then buys land to grow cotton and set up a cotton textile factory.
It is expected to raise 10 million guan, of which 6 million guan will be used to purchase farms. According to the current land price, it can buy almost 2 million acres. The remaining 4 million guan will be used to build four cotton textile factories.
Everyone immediately did some mental calculations. With a yield of about 200 kilograms per mu and 2 million acres of farmland, 400 million kilograms of cotton will be produced every year. Then the annual harvest will be... 125 million kilograms!
Even the battle-hardened British man couldn't help but order half a watermelon. After taking a few bites, he said, "Yuanruo, 400 million catties, can we sell them all?"
Wang Lidong smiled and said: "Don't forget, our cotton cloth can be sold not only to the soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty, but also to people in other countries.
The population of Liao Kingdom is almost 10 million, Xixia has almost 3.5 million people, Dali has 3 million people... Fusang has almost 5 million people, and the nearby countries together have 30 million people... I remember before
A few years ago, I met a large merchant. He said that Tianzhu has a population of about 50 to 60 million, and that there are also large food countries, Seljuk and other countries with populations in the tens of millions..."
"Two million acres of land seems to be a little less..."
"Don't forget, everyone, these cotton clothes are half cheaper than linen clothes, so you may buy one or two more pieces every year than before... 400 million kilograms may not even be enough for us in the Song Dynasty...
"
"Yuanruo, do you want to buy more land?"
"I have already made a plan for this. Please turn to the last two pages of the cooperation plan..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Everyone opened it and read it, and it was written that if the sales reached the corresponding amount, a plan to increase production would be launched....
After chatting with the distinguished guests for half an hour, Wang Lidong made everything clear and then adjourned the meeting.
For a big business involving hundreds of millions of dollars, it is impossible to make a decision on the same day.
Everyone goes back to their respective homes, and then they can consult with whomever they should discuss.
He also gave a time limit. Within ten days, the corresponding portion of the money should be sent to Sihai Trading Company... If the money is not paid after ten days, it will automatically give up.
After seeing off all the distinguished guests, Wang Lidong looked at the position of the sun and estimated that it was almost five o'clock.
Go home for dinner.
After getting into the carriage, he didn't say anything,
"Sir, several nobles have secretly taken the seed cotton. Might these families abandon us and go it alone?"
Wang Lidong smiled and said, "Money is charming. I don't want this kind of partner."
While the two were chatting about which nobles might not be able to withstand the temptation of money, in a carriage less than a kilometer away from them, Lian Guogong's youngest son Yu Zihui was persuading his father to leave Qi Heng.
, work alone.
They were just growing cotton. Although they had never grown it before, it was certainly not difficult. They would have to go to Wang Lidong's manor to dig out a few tenants.
As for seeds, I didn’t know they could be used to weave cloth before, but now it’s not difficult to get them. Hu merchants from the Western Regions must have them, and Wang Lidong has been planting them for several years, so the tenants must also have seeds.
As for the loom and linen weaving machine, it should be able to be used after modification.
They are all worn, so there isn't much difference when you think about it.
After his son finished talking, Lian Guogong said, "Hui'er, whose family is doing the firewood and charcoal business in the capital now?"
Although it was strange that his father asked such a childish question, Yu Zihui still replied honestly: "The Duke of Qi's residence."
"The total annual charcoal business in the capital is about three million yuan, and the Duke of Qi's family accounts for 70%, which is about two million yuan."
Yu Zihui nodded.
Lian Guogong said: "Then do you know how many officials have died over the years for this 2 million business?"
Yu Zihui asked curiously, "How many died?"
Duke Lian raised two fingers.
Yu Zihui, “2?”
Duke Lian shook his head slightly, "More than twenty. The biggest official among them is the second-grade purple-robed official."
Yu Zihui said in surprise: "So many?! Which second-grade official? Who did it?"
"The second son of former Prime Minister Lu Xianggong was Lu Gongbi, the former Kaifeng governor. Lu Xianggong's other three sons also disappeared in the past few years... His family is now extinct." Lian Guogong said quietly, "
As for who did it...whoever benefits the most is the most suspect."
Yu Zihui's face turned a little pale and he murmured,
"Qi Guogong... he seems quite kind... I didn't expect him to be so ruthless. He killed so many officials. Why don't you arrest him now?"
"Just a guess."
"Father, someone like Qi Guogong... doesn't look like him at all."
Lian Guogong said, "Your third uncle discovered it. In recent years, whenever anyone attacks Duke Qi's mansion, various accidents will happen one after another... without exception."
Third uncle?
That should be correct.
This person works in the Imperial City Division, the largest secret service agency in the Song Dynasty.
Although the position has been kept secret, it is not too small.
Yu Zihui suddenly said: "No wonder you have been telling me these past two years to be polite when I see Yuan Ruo."
Lian Guogong said: "In the past, ten companies jointly won this coal business, but now Qi Guogong and his family own most of it. How can we keep this business without any means?"
A business worth 2 million guan is so dangerous. If our family went it alone and bought more than 100,000 or 200,000 acres of land to grow cotton, our annual income would be almost tens of millions of guan.
With such a large amount of money, how many forces do you think will covet it?
Will today's officials be moved after seeing it?
Will the leaders and politicians remain indifferent?
Will the princes of the Zhao and Song clan drool?
Can our Duke Lian's mansion withstand the bites of so many hungry wolves?"
Yu Zihui thought about it carefully and shook his head. Apart from his father, the Duke, who had a false position in the court, only the eldest brother served in the Imperial Army, but his position was not high, and he only managed a team of more than 5,000 people.
None of the forces mentioned by his father could be dealt with by his family alone. Not to mention these top bosses, even the transport envoys along the way would be in trouble for a while if they deliberately made things difficult for his family's business.
"Father, even if more than a dozen of our noble families unite together, if today's officials open their mouths, won't they all be handed over in the end?"
Lian Guogong said: "Hui'er, although the Song Dynasty was noble and military, you still underestimate the nobles of our sixteen families.
90% of the country's imperial troops are in the hands of people like us.
Even today's officials have to be careful when they meet. As for other forces, unless they give real money in exchange...
And it’s unlikely that today’s officials would say this.”
Yu Zihui said in surprise: "There are hundreds of millions of dollars every year, how can the current officials not intervene?"
Lian Guogong said: "A few years ago, I should have intervened, but now... I feel that the chance is not high."
"Why?"
"Because today... I don't have a son!"
....
Song Dynasty Palace, Zichen Hall
The current official put on a gray military coat and felt it. It felt very solid. He could move casually without pricking his skin. It was much more comfortable than linen. After a while, his body started to feel hot. "This clothes is good."
"Guanjia, please take off your clothes. It's such a hot day. Don't let the heat damage your body." Seeing that he was slightly sweating, the eunuch hurriedly advised him.
The emperor also felt uncomfortable with the heat, so he asked the eunuch to help him take off his clothes and then said, "Send someone to keep an eye on this matter. As long as you conduct business in a disciplined manner, don't interfere."
The great eunuch couldn't help but remind him: "The official family's harvest is hundreds of millions of dollars a year. I think this number may be the most conservative..."
Now he waved his hand.
If it had been ten years ago, he would have rolled up his sleeves and ended up doing business not to mention hundreds of millions, but even millions of dollars... But now, with his physical condition, it is impossible to have a son...
.No matter how much you fuck, if you wait two years and close your eyes, you won’t know which bastard got the better of you.
.............
The next day, not long after breakfast, Wang Lidong was dragged by Qi's mother to the polo field in the west of the city.
Although it was just after eight o'clock, the polo ground was already packed with people and extremely lively.
In the rest area on the side of the court, there were piles of older girls and younger wives, all dressed up in fancy clothes, which made Wang Lidong, an old man, couldn't help but glance at them several times.
It's a pity that I traveled through time and became Qi Heng. If I had been replaced by a libertine like Gu Tingye... I would be able to squeeze through now... and be a wave...
Just as he was lamenting his bad luck, a female voice suddenly sounded in his ears, "This is Yuan Ruo..."
When Wang Lidong came back to his senses, he saw a middle-aged woman with a round face and a plump appearance next to Qi's mother. She was dressed in a vermilion silk dress with a golden Luan, Phoenix, and Cloud pattern, and a shining red gold cross on her head.
A big hairpin with phoenix beads, and two thumb-sized ruby earrings hanging on both ears... This outfit gives people the feeling of grandeur!
"I've met Princess Yan."
Princess Yan took two steps forward, grabbed Wang Lidong, looked him up and down carefully, and praised him, "Pingning, you are so lucky. No wonder Feiyan never forgets it, you are such a talented person..." Then she asked him again:
Height and weight, what you like to eat, what books you are reading recently...
If he hadn't known that King Yan had no daughter, Wang Lidong would have suspected that this man was planning to recruit him as his son-in-law.
When Qi's mother saw her son winking at her, she knew she was impatient, so she stepped forward and interrupted Princess Yan's performance, then waved to her son, "Heng'er, let's go play."
Wang Lidong walked away quickly to avoid being dragged around by the middle-aged woman again.
He found a position with a good view and scanned the entire rest area... Unexpectedly, he saw an acquaintance. In a remote pavilion, Rulan's mother, Wang, was sitting around a group of women, grinning.
He smiled stupidly.
Since this person is here, this girl Ru Lan should also be here.
...
At this time, Ru Lanzheng, Minglan and a girl of the same age were hiding in a corner, playing with Chuiwan in high spirits.
Chuiwan is an ancient sport in which a stick is used to hit the ball into a hole. The predecessor may be the step ball in polo in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, the step ball gradually evolved from the original confrontational competition in the same field to the step ball game.
In non-confrontational matches, the goal will be replaced by a goal hole.
The ball hole, also called "home", is a small hole; a small flag is placed beside the nest. When beating balls, the ball will win if it goes into the hole, and if you win, you will gain money.
It is said that during the Yuan Dynasty, Chuiwan was introduced to Europe by the Mongols during their Western Expedition and became a 'golf ball'.
"Xiao Liu, can you hurry up?"
Ru Lan went a little crazy when she saw Ming Lan holding a bat and taking aim for a long time but not taking action.
This is one of her few advantages...
"I know, I know." Sheng Minglan glanced at it for more than half a minute, and then felt something coming. She gently waved the stick in her hand, and the gray ball rolled gurglingly to the target hole five meters away.
place.
ha!
Rulan couldn't hold back her laughter.
He jumped in front of his own ball, glanced twice and then swung the club, 'pop'...the ball rolled two meters and fell into a small hole smoothly.
"Ha! Here we go again!" Ru Lan hurriedly ran to the side, picked up a wooden chip, and inserted it into her scoring rack.
Sheng Minglan looked at the scoring rack that belonged to her. There was only one wooden chip alone, while Rulan's rack had 6 wooden chips inserted... She scanned the surrounding area twice... If it weren't for the fact that there was no
Where to go, she immediately turned around and left...