Shopkeeper Sun's words accurately touched the sore point of everyone present. We are all in the same industry, and no one can hide the so-called insider's knowledge of selling food from others.
Chang'an City was the capital of several dynasties, with a cumulative population of more than one million. And the area where Chang'an is located is not very rich in food. Therefore, rulers of all dynasties have faced the same headache.
Where did the population and rations come from? Luoyang Basin When Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty wanted to move the capital to Luoyang, he also had such considerations.
Food is an urgent need for Chang'an. Logically speaking, this should be a seller's market, and the sellers should have the upper hand. But don't forget that Chang'an is still the capital. The emperor lives there, and all the dignitaries are there.
If it goes too far, it will be like last winter, when the court issues an order, merchants who drive up food prices will be in trouble.
No matter which dynasty or generation, power must always override wealth and rules. Therefore, although it is a seller's market, the seller does not have much advantage. On the contrary, due to the large demand in Chang'an, if you don't do it for me,
There are others who are willing to do business. Therefore, after the Ministry of Internal Affairs introduced the concept of 'orders', Luoyang's grain merchants signed order contracts with their partners in Chang'an early in order to be one step ahead and seize market share.
In this case, the seller's market becomes a buyer's market, and concessions will naturally be made in terms of pricing.
Luoyang is close to the Luoshui River and the canal, so logistics and transportation are convenient. But in any case, it is not as cheap as collecting grain nearby Luoyang. Before the implementation of the New Deal, most of the fertile land in Luoyang was in the hands of a few people. Although there was no land title,
But it was also passed down from the previous dynasty. Some long-term workers were hired to plant the land. Before the food was planted, it had already been reserved. However, since the New Deal was implemented, the land was divided among the common people, and the food did not belong to the big landowners.
, so this dilemma will arise this year. In order to make money like in previous years, they must collect food from the people.
If they can't collect it and the order is still there, they have to go to other places to collect grain. And the grain within a radius of 800 miles is covered by Jisitang. In other words, if they can't collect grain near Luoyang City, they will
Facing the same dilemma that Li Mu encountered a few days ago, he had to go eight hundred miles away, either to Taiyuan or Yangzhou to collect grain.
Harvesting grain in this way will undoubtedly result in compensation. It’s not that no one has thought of this, but is Li Mu easy to mess with? Who dares to stand up and pick this fight?
Now that shopkeeper Sun has stood up, everyone is secretly happy. Now someone is taking the blame. If you offend that man, I will push you out of the tank first! On the surface, everyone pretends to be suddenly enlightened and thanks you.
Shopkeeper Sun is here.
Immediately, everyone agreed to go back and prepare. As early as after noon or as late as the early morning of tomorrow, everyone would go to the countryside to collect grain. In order not to harm the harmony, they even formed groups of three or five families, divided the areas, and communicated with each other.
If you don’t have time to rob, just rob the man from the Hou Mansion!
…
While the grain merchants were discussing, Li Mu was accompanying Chang Sun Wuji to 'inspect' the Chidao construction site that had just resumed work. After the hidden danger of the locust plague was lifted, Li Mu immediately arranged to resume the Chidao project. In his eyes, this was more important than anything else.
Everything is important and cannot be delayed.
"If you want to be rich, build roads first." Changsun Wuji saw the banner erected next to the construction site, read it again, and said with a smile: "It must be your idea to be so ingenious?"
Li Mu nodded and said: "Although it is a bit straightforward, considering the literacy level of everyone working, it is also the most effective." Li Mu said seriously: "We have to work hard to let everyone know the purpose of the work.
"
Changsun Wuji was a little puzzled and said: "I heard that these people who work are not corvees. You paid to hire them. They are paid to work. Isn't it a bit unnecessary to talk to them about this?
"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "Uncle Guo, what you said is wrong. Not only is it unnecessary, but it is very necessary."
"Want to hear the details."
Li Mu explained: "It's like a scholar reading the Four Books and Five Classics. Most scholars can't pass the imperial examination or become an official, but why do they still study? They understand etiquette and justice. Loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and justice are in the heart. No matter how bad such people are, they are still bad.
Not going anywhere. Because they understand what should be done, what should not be done, what is right, and what is wrong. The same goes for these banners. Although they only have a few words, they can tell people simply and clearly how to do this.
What’s the meaning?”
Li Mu raised his hand and pointed, "Let's take this example of 'If you want to be rich, build roads first'. Who doesn't want to be rich? Common people all want to be rich. But no one knows how to become rich. If you know,
There are no poor people in the world. Most of the time, it’s not that people don’t want to do it, but that they don’t know how to do it. What the people lack most is someone who tells them how to do it.”
Changsun Wuji thought about Li Mu's words, frowned slightly and said, "But what does 'build the road first' mean? Is it possible that if you build the road, you will definitely get rich?"
"uncertain."
Changsun Wuji smiled silently and thought to himself, what kind of answer is this?
"You don't have to be rich, but you won't be rich if you don't build roads." Li Mu said with a decisive tone: "Any thing or material has value and significance only when it reaches the hands of the people who need it. How can we transport it if there are no roads?"
In the mountains, even if there are mountains of gold and silver at the doorstep, what's the use? Money must be spent before it can be called money. Similarly, things must be transported out before they can have their value."
Li Mu pointed to the road in front of him and said: "When this road is opened, the speed of travel between Chang'an and Luoyang will be greatly improved. Transporting grain no longer has to go through the dangerous Sanmenxia, and it is no different to take the land route." Li Mu expressed his yearning.
His expression was as if that day was right in front of him: "Uncle Guo, you can imagine what it would be like when merchants gather on this road and all kinds of goods are piled up in the warehouses. There are working people, accounting rooms, and large
Businessmen, big and small, sellers, sellers, how many people can make a living on this road——"
Li Mu looked at Changsun Wuji: "Your Majesty and the princes can travel between Chang'an and Luoyang in one day and one night. It is so fast and convenient that although Chang'an and Luoyang are two cities, they can be regarded as one city."
When Changsun Wuji heard this, he finally understood why Li Mu was so interested in Chi Dao. He also understood why Li Shimin supported Li Mu so strongly in Xi Chi Dao. Li Shimin had always wanted Luoyang to be the capital of the Tang Dynasty and consolidate the
The imperial court's dominance over the local area. If the Chidao is completed and Chang'an and Luoyang are connected, it will not only be a commercial aspect, but also a great progress from the perspective of governance. More importantly, if it succeeds, from Luoyang to Taiyuan, Chang'an to
Shuzhou can all follow this example. When the problem of distance is overcome, the imperial court's control over the local area will naturally be strengthened.
Thinking of this, Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look at Li Mu. How could this kid think of this when he was only eighteen years old? Could he really be the reincarnation of a god?
In the past two days, he has investigated the matter clearly. Judging from the current situation, the theory of the reincarnation of gods is completely nonsense. It was all thought up by Li Mu at once. But look at all the miraculous things about Li Mu.
, but there is no way to explain it. If he is the reincarnation of an immortal, it would be easier to understand. If not, then we can only admit that he is indeed a genius who knows it from birth. In Confucian thought, the person who knows it from birth is
How can Li Mu be a saint? How can he be called a saint?
Changsun Wuji came to Luoyang for Li Shimin to verify the locust plague and whether Li Mu was the reincarnation of a god. Now that things are over, he has to go back to Chang'an. After all, he is not an idle man. He holds the position of an official and has to
Help Li Shimin read the memorial. There are many things waiting for him to do every day. Today he came to see the construction site in Chidao, which was also on the way. After chatting, Changsun Wuji got on the carriage, and Li Mu saw him off for another ride before he said goodbye and returned.
.
Li Mu suddenly felt that something was missing, but he couldn't remember it for a while, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He passed by Nanshi and bought some newly arrived silks and satins, and was going to find a tailor to make some new clothes for his unborn child.
I went home happily.
…
Forty miles south of Luoyang City is Sanwang Village.
Sanwang Village is not because there were three princes here, but because there were originally only three families here, all with the surname Wang. Now there are more than three families. During the chaos in the late Sui Dynasty, refugees from all over the place mixed together, and many settled here.
Counting all of them, there are fifty or sixty households, and there is a lot of fertile land around. In the past, it was the land of the urban masters, and the villagers were all tenants. It was not easy to have enough food all year round. Now that the New Deal has been implemented, everyone has been assigned a field. This year
Although the locust plague caused a lot of losses, it is still much better than in previous years. In order to ensure that there is no problem with food, the villagers wait by the ground morning and night, waiting for the grain grouting to be completed. Although it is their own food,
You always have to receive it in your own yard to feel at ease.
Under Li Mu's arrangement, Li Chunfeng was also one of the people responsible for collecting grains. The boundaries of Luoyang were neither large nor small. If a group of people were all nailed together in one place, the efficiency would be too low, so the person who collected the grains was responsible.
Renma Zhou then arranged for everyone to cooperate in different areas. Each manager would take several small officials to be responsible for several villages. Whoever finished the task first would be the one nearby to help. If something happened, they would exchange news at any time.
The 'area' Li Chunfeng is responsible for is an area forty miles south of Luoyang City. Sanwang Village is the farthest village, so he thought, starting from Sanwang Village, and then gradually moving northward. When transporting like this,
The distance is getting shorter and shorter.
He brought a total of two scribes and hired three helpers. With a large scale and a small scale, and enough money, he set out in the morning and arrived just in time when the sun turned west. This was also the standard configuration of a 'group', except that Li Chunfeng
There is one more person here, Yuan Tiangang.
When Li Mu saw off Changsun Wuji, he felt that something was missing, and it was him. Yuan Tiangang separated from Li Mu that day and went to Li Chunfeng's residence, and he never appeared in front of him again. Li Chunfeng went out of town to do business.
Son, he came over too.
The place to stay was easy to find. I learned that the "official" from the city was here, and he was also the official responsible for collecting "public food". Li Zheng didn't dare to neglect, so he hurriedly vacated his home to provide for Li Chunfeng and others.
People live there, so it’s unclear where his family will live.
Li Chunfeng was originally not used to this kind of treatment, but when he helped with disaster relief, he was treated like this no matter which village he went to, and he could not refuse it. Now he is used to it.
There is nothing that Yuan Tiangang is not used to. In his early years, when he was working as a magician, he was treated like this everywhere, and he was already used to it.
After dinner, Li Zheng's wife brought hot water. Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng soaked their feet in the basin. The heat penetrated the soles of their feet, and the fatigue of the day seemed to be emptied in an instant. Li Chunfeng pulled
He pulled the quilt and leaned behind him, took out a pamphlet from the package, and read it attentively under the dim light of the oil lamp.
Yuan Tiangang was curious about what he was looking at, so he came over and took a look. He didn't recognize any of the 'ghost talismans' on it, and thought it was some fragment of an ancient scroll. He couldn't help but ask: "Junior brother, what are you studying? Also follow me.
Senior brother, tell me?"
"Master won't be interested in it. This is arithmetic."
Li Chunfeng called Master Yuan Tiangang, which was not wrong. Their relationship was a bit complicated.
There is nothing that Yuan Tiangang is not used to. In his early years, when he was working as a magician, he was treated like this everywhere, and he was already used to it.
After dinner, Li Zheng's wife brought hot water. Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng soaked their feet in the basin. The heat penetrated the soles of their feet, and the fatigue of the day seemed to be emptied in an instant. Li Chunfeng pulled
He pulled the quilt and leaned behind him, took out a pamphlet from the package, and read it attentively under the dim light of the oil lamp.
Yuan Tiangang was curious about what he was looking at, so he came over and took a look. He didn't recognize any of the 'ghost talismans' on it, and thought it was some fragment of an ancient scroll. He couldn't help but ask: "Junior brother, what are you studying? Also follow me.
Senior brother, tell me?"
"Master won't be interested in it. This is arithmetic."
Li Chunfeng called Master Yuan Tiangang, which was not a mistake. The relationship between the two was a bit complicated. Yuan Tiangang was curious about what he was looking at, so he came over and took a look. He didn't recognize any of the 'ghost symbols' on it, and thought it was some ancient scroll.
I couldn't help but ask: "Junior brother, what are you studying? Tell me about it, too?"
"Master won't be interested in it. This is arithmetic."
Li Chunfeng called Master Yuan Tiangang, which was not a mistake. The relationship between the two was a bit complicated. Yuan Tiangang was curious about what he was looking at, so he came over and took a look. He didn't recognize any of the 'ghost symbols' on it, and thought it was some ancient scroll.
I couldn't help but ask: "Junior brother, what are you studying? Tell me about it, too?"
"Master won't be interested in it. This is arithmetic."
Li Chunfeng called Master Yuan Tiangang, which was not wrong. Their relationship was a bit complicated.