"Five hundred pieces of Sichuan brocade, ten horses, two pairs of three-foot red coral, ten pieces of gold-woven dragon gauze clothes, 50 pieces each of silk gauze, 10 pieces of velvet brocade, 1,000 pieces of colorful silk, and 10 pieces of Douluo cotton strips, 1,000 kilograms of pepper, two pairs of golden saddles..."
"Ten handles of Ruyi jade, fifty pieces of Su silk, one hundred thousand taels of silver, ten thousand taels of gold..."
A rough estimate, including those flashy things, puts the total value at over three hundred thousand taels.
Shaanxi businessmen are really generous!
Even though Zhu Yixi had seen strong winds and waves, she was still shocked: "You Shaanxi merchants have really spent a lot of money."
He Zongcheng smiled and said: "This is a meeting gift from our Shaanxi businessmen to you."
"In addition, knowing that you are short of cavalry, we also brought you three thousand war horses from Songfan and Hexi areas. I am afraid they have arrived in Hanzhong now."
Hearing this, Zhu Yixi was not happy and was surprised, and asked in a deep voice: "Your Chamber of Commerce has made such a big move, maybe you have other motives!"
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We, the Shaanxi merchants, just want to survive and be protected."
He Zongli immediately explained: "The only thing he covets is profit."
"About what interests?" Zhu Yixi still refused to let go, her eyes were burning, and she continued to ask.
"Food!" He Zongcheng looked at the captivating eyes of King Hanyang, his face remained calm, and he whispered softly:
"Huguang is well versed in the world, and the Shaanxi merchants like us just want to be involved in grain transportation."
"To be honest, the border trade has been destroyed due to the war, the Mongolian Tatars have also been controlled by the slaves, and the Shanxi merchants have usurped almost 90% of the border. We, the Shaanxi merchants, have been severely weakened."
"food?"
Zhu Yixi was stunned for a moment, then reacted.
In the past, Huizhou merchants brought silk and porcelain from the south of the Yangtze River in exchange for grain and wood in the Huguang area.
There was no way, the Huguang area during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was at the lower end of the food chain.
Nowadays, due to the war, a large number of vacancies have been created in business, and Shaanxi businessmen want to take advantage of the situation and restore their vitality.
If it succeeds, Shaanxi merchants will be able to survive.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a smile: "Of course it is feasible. I allow you Shaanxi merchants to deal in grain."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Sect Master He was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands and said.
"However, it is possible to operate, but it must be done according to my requirements."
Zhu Yixi glanced at him and said with some profound meaning.
He Zongcheng was stunned.
"What? Form a grain merchants' guild?"
Representatives of dozens of Shaanxi businessmen gathered together to listen to the news brought by He Zongcheng.
He Zongcheng said 1510.
First, form a grain merchants' guild. Grain merchants, big and small, must join the guild, otherwise they will not be allowed to sell grain outside Huguang.
The Military and Administrative Department assigns special personnel to supervise and have veto power.
Second, set a guide price; in the area controlled by King Yang of Han Dynasty, every stone of grain should not be higher than one tael and lower than eight qian.
Guidance prices are discussed and discussed at semi-annual meetings.
Third, for every one stone of grain sold, a tax of one pound must be paid to the Military and Administrative Department. Anyone who violates this will be dismissed from the guild.
"So what do we get?"
Everyone was puzzled: "The profit is so thin, it can only prevent us from starving to death."
"Everyone seems to have forgotten."
He Zongcheng smiled and said: "The guidance price is only under the control of the Hanyang Palace. The south and north of the Yangtze River are not within the limit."
"Southern Zhili is very rich, but now it is short of food. We can make a lot of money if we go there!"
"In addition, the King of Hanyang said that in the future, a salt merchants' guild will be formed, and Sichuan's well salt will also be open to us."
"Well salt?" Everyone was shocked.
Sichuan's well salt is supplied to several southwestern provinces, including Huguang, and the profits are immeasurable.
You must know that Shanxi merchants, Shaanxi merchants, and Hui merchants all relied on the Kaizhong Salt Law to become official.
"If the well salt is opened up, we will be back to full strength within a few years."
Everyone here is a smart person and can all see its profound meaning.
The King of Hanyang has coveted Sichuan for a long time.
However, the establishment of the Grain Merchants Guild was also a big supplement for them. At least, they found a foothold.
Shaanxi merchants reluctantly accepted the conditions, quickly established a grain merchants' guild, and began to take root in the Huguang area.
The power of capital is infinite.
Within a few days, Zhu Yixi saw many pawnshops, grain shops, cloth shops, vinegar shops, etc. springing up like bamboo shoots in Nanyang City.
Half of the street has begun to open its doors to welcome customers, and the entire Nanyang City's popularity has gathered rapidly.
In a trance, it feels like before the troubled times.
Of course, this was mainly due to Zhu Yixi, who moved the entire population of Nanyang Mansion to the vicinity of Nanyang City.
Even if 90% of the 300,000 people are poor, their spending power is staggering.
If it weren't for the difficulty of leaving his hometown, Zhu Yixi would even want to move them all to the Huguang area.
"Only when capital is under control can it develop healthily, and it is much more convenient to collect taxes. It does not need to go through the hands of government officials."
After patrolling for a while, he left the city.
After more than a month of governance, a large number of villages were formed with Nanyang as the center.
It is too late to cultivate wheat and rice. We can only plant some emergency crops, such as soybeans, buckwheat, peas, etc., which will mature in a short time, and we are not afraid of missing the season.
Although the wind did not blow the fragrance of rice flowers, Zhu Yixi felt much more relaxed when she saw the fields full of crops.
These short-growing seeds can save food as much as possible, thereby helping people survive famines.
Planting in the summer and harvesting in the autumn will allow the people to relax and survive.
For the common people, a stable environment can allow them to relax and survive.
Zhu Yixi's mission is to create stability, provide relief, and speed up the recovery of agriculture.
"Thanks to the water transportation that extends in all directions, food can be sent from Jiangxi to Xiangyang and then to Nanyang. Otherwise, these hundreds of thousands of people would be really miserable."
With a sigh, Zhu Yixi ran towards Fangcheng again.
The ten bastions were built by tens of thousands of people non-stop for one and a half months. The only thing missing was the artillery.
Red cannon, French cannon.
They are all on the road.
The only thing missing is a trusted general stationed here.
After thinking about it, it seems that only Chen Yongfu can truly shoulder the heavy responsibility.
Moreover, Chen Yongfu once served as the commander-in-chief of Henan Province, knew the geographical advantages, and defended Kaifeng Mansion many times. As long as the supply of money and food continued, it must be as stable as a mountain.
"Report, Your Majesty, a letter from Xiangyang!"
At this time, the bodyguard handed over the letter.
"Is Zhang Xianzhong so slow?"
Zhu Yixi didn't take Chen Shiqi's request for help seriously.
But it is strange that half a year has almost passed, and Zhang Xianzhong has not yet captured Sichuan before arriving in Chongqing.
"How weak are the Western thieves?"
Zhu Yixi clenched her fists and said excitedly: "The opportunity to enter Sichuan has come. Thank you Zhang Xianzhong for the assist."
Immediately, he turned his horse's head and ran towards Xiangyang. Then he quickly sent a message, ordering Chen Yongfu to go north to take charge of the defense of Nanyang.
He wanted to personally conquer Bashu and stab Zhang Xianzhong's chrysanthemum.