After seeing off the big monk and the little monk, Wang Xu freed up his hands and feet to start planning for the next step.
Xue Mushan, a great scholar from Sanjianxi, was the former censor of Zuodu and a second-rank imperial official. He resigned and returned home due to defeat in the party dispute.
Among scholars, Xue Mu Mountain is regarded as a clear stream, especially in the north, and is famous all over the world.
If you can take Xue Mushan as your teacher, you will avoid many detours in the future and your reputation will be greatly benefited.
"Xue Mushan lives in seclusion in Sanjian River and does not care about worldly affairs. It is not easy for outsiders to see him. It is said that the area of Sanjian River with a radius of ten miles has been banned by Xue Mushan with a pen. You cannot enter without an invitation. I want to meet Xue Mushan
, we can only do what he likes and use a falcon to lure him out."
Xue Mushan is from the north and has three major hobbies: famous horses, calligraphy and falconry.
In his later years, Xue Mushan became more and more obsessed with calligraphy and falconry. These two things were Wang Xu's certificate of submission.
A few days ago, Wang Xu had sent people to the north to purchase falcons.
Counting the time, we will soon have an idea.
"Master, Master, I'm back, I'm back."
While Wang Xu was thinking about the falcon, a servant broke in and said that the person who bought the falcon was back.
"Did the eagle bring it back?" Wang Xu asked quickly.
"I brought them back, one big and two little ones. They look very majestic. They are in the yard."
After hearing what the servant said, Wang Xu walked quickly to the yard.
When I got to the yard, I saw three falcons, one large, two small, and flapping their wings in the cage.
"Master, you can't touch it. This beast has such a fierce temper!" Seeing Wang Xu going to touch the eagle, the servant quickly came up to stop him.
Wang Xu was not angry even after being stopped. He looked at the steward who went to the north to collect the eagles and the eagle keeper who was brought back, and asked: "Where is this eagle?"
"A pure-blooded prairie goshawk obtained from the grasslands of Youzhou. This is the type of eagle used in the scout team of the northern frontier army."
As the steward spoke, he introduced the falconer: "This is the falconer Old Dong, who came from the frontier army's scout team. His ancestors have been raising hawks for generations, and we spent a lot of money to bring him back."
Wang Xu looked at Old Dong. He was not tall and had a strong military temperament. Other than that, he looked a bit dull and unsmiling.
"What's the name of your eagle and how long have you been training it for?" Wang Xu withdrew his gaze and looked at the big eagle.
The old Dong thought for a while and replied: "This eagle is called Ben Lei. It has been with me for thirty-six years. It is a good eagle."
The normal lifespan of an eagle is about forty or fifty years. If well-raised, a few can live up to sixty years.
Old Dong looks to be in his fifties, but he has been raising eagles for thirty-six years. He has been raising eagles since he was a boy, and he only retired from the border army when he was old.
"These three eagles cost 300 taels for the big one and 500 taels for the two small ones, a total of 800 taels. The steward you sent said that if I come back and raise the eagles, I can get twice the salary as in the north.
I raised eagles for a wealthy family, and it cost me twenty taels of silver a year. If you give me twice the salary, it would be forty taels. In addition, I only sign long-term contracts of more than three years. If you plan to keep me, you must sign for at least three years."
Old Dong teased the falcon and said without raising his head.
"no problem."
Wang Xu agreed with all his heart, and told the servant beside him: "Call Liu Quan over, take him to the government office to draw a bond, and give him the money after signing."
"Yes, young master." The servant obeyed the order and left to find the housekeeper Liu Quan.
After watching the servant go away, Wang Xu chatted with Lao Dong and asked: "Compared with Youzhou, how is our Yangzhou?"
"Yangzhou is a good place, but Youzhou is not good. The further north you go, the worse it becomes. There is a lot of chaos there. My hometown is close to the far north. There are often monsters crossing the border to harm livestock, and some monsters will also
eat human."
Mentioning his hometown, Lao Dong shook his head slightly.
Wang Xu frowned slightly and asked puzzledly: "No one cares?"
"Some people are in charge, but they can't control it. The border troops are confronting the main force of the monster clan in the Liangjie Mountains. There are also magic circles on the border to isolate them. The big monsters in the far north cannot pass through the border formation, but the small monsters can.
Every year there are some fish that slip through the net. This year there is a severe drought in the north, and the demon tribe in the far north is also having a hard time. There are more little demons crossing the border than in previous years. When I settle down here, I will bring my family over."
When he mentioned his family, Old Dong's numb eyes became a little brighter.
Wang Xu frowned slightly. What Lao Dong said was simple, but deep thought concealed a big change.
Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Yongzhou are the three northern states of the human race, bordering the land of the monster race.
Nearly 70% of the imperial army is stationed in these three states. A severe drought in the north and insufficient food production will inevitably fluctuate food prices in the Central Plains and Jiangnan.
"You have also been to the north, have you ever seen the drought there?" Wang Xu turned to ask the manager of Buying Eagle.
The steward nodded repeatedly and whispered: "There is not enough rain in the north this year, and there is a locust plague during the autumn harvest. The grain output is only 30 to 40% of previous years. When I came back, I saw some northern residents dragging their families with them to move south.
Already."
"What a disaster!"
Wang Xu's eyes flickered. The rain in Jiuquan Town this year was much less than in previous years, and the grain production was also affected to some extent.
Before, he thought that this was just a local phenomenon, but now that he heard that it was worse in the north, he was afraid that the drought was nationwide.
Food is the most important thing for the people, and the harm caused by drought is not as great as that caused by war or famine.
When people don't have enough to eat, they will rebel. Often when there is a severe drought, there will be refugees and uprisings. There is no way the situation will be chaotic in the future.
Wang Xu shuddered when he thought of countless refugees heading south, like a plague of locusts.
"We can't delay, we must prepare for a rainy day."
Wang Xu couldn't care about Lao Dong anymore and hurried away to Wang Jia Mi Xing.
The Wang family has 30,000 acres of land and two rice shops, which is neither too much nor too little. The land in the town is only less than that of the Zhao family, which owns 100,000 acres of fertile land.
When we arrived at the rice store, Mr. Wang and his waiters were discussing the price of grain with the rice merchants from the county.
When he heard that the grain was going to be sold, Wang Xu quickly said: "We can't sell it!"
"Um?"
Mr. Wang was saving food. Hearing Wang Xu's words, he couldn't help but look up.
Wang Xu walked up quickly and whispered: "Father, Manager Bai is back and has brought news of a severe drought in the north. There are a large number of victims in the north preparing to go south. This food must not be sold."
"Really?" Mr. Wang was shocked and looked at the grain merchant from the county.
What caught my eye was a grain merchant who had been sitting on a chair drinking tea, as steady as a mountain. His face looked a bit unnatural.
The three major families in Jiuquan Town are just local bullies in the countryside. They only care about one-third of an acre of their own land.
Grain merchants in these counties are often affiliated with chambers of commerce and have spies in Kyushu. If there is a severe drought in the north, such news cannot be hidden from them.
Seeing the look on the grain merchant's face, Mr. Wang's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't sell this grain anymore.
"Boss Wang, why did you stop?" The grain merchant stroked the jade ring on his hand and said in a long tone: "The price of grain given to you this year is 20% higher than in previous years. This is a big deal."
"Boss Su, is there a drought in the north?"
"How do I know this? Do you think so?"
After hearing Mr. Wang's words, the grain merchant named Su was noncommittal, as if you don't ask me.
Mr. Wang's expression changed again and again, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Boss Su, we won't sell the food anymore. I'm sorry this time, but I made your trip in vain."
Boss Su's face turned cold and he was about to have an attack. Then he seemed to think of something and his attitude softened again: "Boss Wang, we are also old friends. Since you don't want to sell, I can't force you. But, there is a saying
Calling disaster comes from the mouth. Some things can be done but cannot be said, and some things can be said but cannot be done. You should understand what I mean."
"I understand, I understand." As soon as Mr. Wang heard this, he knew that there was a severe drought in the north and there was no harvest. It was not a lie.
Such a big thing has not spread to the south. Most likely, the higher-ups have issued a hush-hush order to avoid unstable food prices below.
What Boss Su meant in his words was to remind himself not to talk nonsense, as this matter has not yet spread.
If they were to fight against each other, these grain merchants who drank the blood of the people would be very cunning.
"As long as you understand, I'll take my leave first. I wish Boss Wang a prosperous business and that we can cooperate if we have the opportunity." Boss Su put down his words and left with his assistant.
When he could no longer see it, Wang Xu looked at his father in this life and asked, "Does father have any countermeasures?"
"Collect the grain, harvest it hard. The big grain merchants above eat meat, so we have to eat the soup anyway!" Mr. Wang's eyes were bright. The grain in the nearby villages and towns had just been harvested, and everyone didn't know that the big grain merchants in the north were eating it.
The news of the drought gave him room for maneuver.
Although Boss Su is a big grain merchant in the county, he only goes to the town to collect grain. He has never been to the villages and towns below. To collect grain from the villages below, the signboard of Wangjia Rice Store is better than the grain merchants in the county.
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Set a small goal first, such as remembering in 1 second: