In September (lunar calendar), the weather in Suiyang gradually turned colder, and the first batch of 6,000 sets of cotton clothes and cotton shoes were shipped into the city. XiuShu.com
After trying it out, the prefect Xu Chong said with a smile: "This cotton-padded coat can keep you warm and keep out the cold. We no longer have to worry about frostbite for our soldiers, so that our army's combat effectiveness will not be reduced in winter. I heard that my lord is promoting planting on both sides of the Huaihe River. In time, ordinary people will be able to eat and clothe themselves. Children can read and understand rituals. This sage said that the world will be unified, and the world will naturally return to the heart. In the coming year, Yu will also beg the Lord to plant tens of thousands of acres in Suiyang."
After Zhao Tian led the reinforcements to Suiyang, he left 10,000 troops and retreated to Ningling City to ensure the smooth flow of the west road. Zhao Tian knew that Wang's ability to suppress evil was far superior to his own, and if he stayed in Suiyang City, it would be unfavorable for Wang's ability to suppress evil.
Wang Zhene was secretly grateful for Zhao Tian's move. Zhao Tian was an old member of the Yang family and had followed the Yang family for two generations. Among the generals, he was the first to follow Yang Anxuan. In terms of trust, no one could match him among the generals.
More importantly, Zhao Tian's actions showed the lord's trust in him from a certain perspective, which made Wang Zhene more confident in defeating the Song army and regaining military power.
After the siege of Suiyang was resolved, the Department of Commercial Affairs continuously sent reports on the situation in various places. Wang Zhene knew the war situation in various places and also heard the news about the sharp drop in cotton prices this year.
After learning that the Yiyang family formed a cotton line and went to Xunyang to recruit workers and set up a factory, Wang Zhene knew that the "business war" discussed between his lord and himself had already begun. Even if Liu Yu temporarily occupied some land, he would eventually be defeated by his lord. .
Wang Zhene got along well with Xu Chong, and reminded him with a smile: "There is no harm in growing cotton to be self-sufficient. If we occupy farmland, I'm afraid the gains outweigh the losses. It's better to follow the arrangement of the lord. This year, the price of cotton has plummeted."
Xu Chong said excitedly: "No matter how much these good things benefit the country and the people, we are not afraid. Although the price of cotton has fallen, it is still cost-effective compared with growing grain. The people of Suiyang have suffered from the war, and we should compensate them."
Wang Zhen smiled evilly and stopped trying to persuade him. …
October, Montreal. The temperature suddenly dropped after a rain, the north wind roared at the top of the city, and the flags were frozen hard and could not be displayed in the wind.
The Song soldiers at the top of the city hid their sleeves and stood in front of the brazier to keep warm. Many of them had snot dripping from their noses due to the cold. Liu Yu led people to patrol the city. When the soldiers saw Song Gong, they stood in awe with their arms in hand.
Liu Yu saw a young soldier wearing thin clothes and shivering slightly in the cold wind. He took off his sheepskin robe and put it on for him. He said loudly: "The winter clothes will arrive in the next two days. Brothers, please be patient a little longer." "
He turned his head and told Xie Hui: "There must be enough food to feed the soldiers. I remembered that there were some felt blankets, so I took them out and put them on the soldiers guarding the city. Also, light some braziers on the top of the city for the soldiers to eat." The soldiers can warm themselves by the fire."
The soldiers at the top of the city were extremely excited. The young man, wearing Liu Yu's leather robe, knelt down on one knee and shouted loudly: "Shan Shao is willing to die in the service of our lord."
Liu Yu helped Shan Shao up and said, "Little brother, live a good life. We will get married and start a business in the future. Let's share peace."
Returning to his residence, Liu Yu asked with a gloomy face: "When will the winter clothes arrive? If it is a few days later and there is no need for Yong's army to attack, we will freeze to death first."
A few days ago, Xi Zuo sent news that Yong's army had defeated the Wei army in Liyangjin, and found out that the Wei people were building a fortress on the north bank of the Yellow River and assuming a defensive posture. Liu Yu's plan to hope that the Wei army would go south to break the deadlock came to nothing.
The war was not going well, and Liu Yu was furious. Xie Hui and others knew that he had taken the opportunity to have an attack, and they all bowed their heads and remained silent.
After a while, Fu Liang said: "My lord, don't worry, the winter clothes have arrived in Pengcheng, but Yong's army's light cavalry appeared in the Xiayi area. Liu Neisheng was afraid that he would lose the baggage, so he personally brought a large army to escort him. The journey is a bit slow. If nothing happens, it will take these two days. We should be able to arrive."
Liu Yu realized that he had lost his composure, coughed slightly and said, "Seeing the soldiers suffering from the cold makes me feel uneasy."
Two days later, Liu Zunkao arrived with the baggage and twelve thousand sets of winter clothes were quickly distributed to the soldiers.
In the lobby, Liu Zunkao reported to Liu Yu: "A total of 30,000 sets of winter clothes were sent to the capital. Yu sent 15,000 sets to Huaishen, leaving 3,000 sets to Tan Shao."
Liu Yu nodded and said, "It's even colder at Huaishen's place, so there's no harm in giving it to him first. Yu has ordered Daohe to prepare another 20,000 sets and try to deliver them before the end of November. As for Dao Gang (Liu Daogui) and Daoji, just give them to him first." Only
They can solve it on their own. "
Liu Zunkao said: "My Lord, Liu Pushe also sent dozens of sets of cotton-padded clothes from the capital to keep my Lord warm from the cold."
He ordered the guards outside the door to bring cotton-padded clothes into the house. Everyone in the house put on one piece, and suddenly felt warm and warm.
Liu Yu stretched out his hand and pinched the cotton-padded clothes on his body, and said, "This clothes is light and warm. If the soldiers can each have one, it will ensure a worry-free winter."
Xie Hui wore cotton clothes last year and said with a smile: "This thing is made of cotton grown in Yongzhou. In addition to making cotton clothes and quilts, this thing can also be woven into cotton cloth. One piece is worth more than ten thousand yuan."
Liu Yuyi frowned and said: "Last year, Anfeng Prefect Zhang Chan donated two horses, saying that each horse cost 14,000 yuan. He was scolded by the fool. How can such extravagant things benefit the country?"
Xie Hui blushed. When cotton cloth was sold at Shen's Cloth Store in Xiangyang last year, Xie Zhuang, the manager, bought ten pieces and brought them back home. The female relatives in the family complained that they bought less, and there was not enough clothes for one person. He had made Xie Zhuang more this year. Buy some. If Song Gong knew about it, he would definitely not be happy.
Mao Dezu said: "My lord, this thing is produced in Yong Province. If all the officers and soldiers of the Yong army wear cotton clothes, they will not be afraid of the wind and cold. They must be careful to prevent the Yong army from attacking."
Liu Yu said: "Winter clothes have arrived. Dezu and Fengren should lead their soldiers to strengthen patrols to prevent Yong's army from taking advantage of them."
Fu Liang said: "This thing is of great use. My lord, let Liu Pushe organize people to plant it."
Liu Yu nodded, took the letter Liu Zunkao brought from Liu Muzhi and others, and read it carefully. The letter stated everything in Beijing and that the court was relatively stable. However, the war had exhausted the national treasury reserves, and Liu Muzhi was worried that it would be difficult to provide relief if there was a disaster this winter.
Xu Xianzhi mentioned in his letter that businessmen from Yiyang went to Xunyang to recruit workers for spinning and weaving, and nearly 6,000 weavers were recruited. Weaver girls from Jiangzhou, Xiangzhou, and Yuzhou came to work one after another. Xu Xianzhi said that after discussing with Liu Muzhi, he decided to wait and see what happened and asked Liu Yu if he wanted to ban it.
Liu Yu handed the letter to Xie Hui and others beside him to circulate and ask for their opinions.
Xie Hui looked at it and said: "I heard that the number of cotton farmers in the Huaihe River area has increased sharply this year, which has caused the price of cotton to fall. More cotton requires more labor, and the labor price in Yongjing has increased sharply. I heard that even if you pay a thousand dollars for a piece of cloth, you still can't find weavers. So these businessmen thought of coming to Xunyang to recruit workers."
Fu Liang finished reading the letter and said: "The price for weaving a piece of cloth in Xunyang is four hundred or two stones of corn. A skilled weaver can weave nearly two pieces of cloth per month and earns eight hundred. This salary is comparable to that of a store manager in Beijing. No wonder the nearby weaver girls are coming there one after another." Xiu Shuzhu
Liu Yu pondered: "Yu Zheng was fighting with Yang Anxuan. Why didn't he stop these merchants? What was Yang Anxuan's intention?"
Xie Hui said with a smile: "Since ancient times, trade routes have been cut off by wars. Merchants from Yiyang come to Jiangzhou to recruit workers, and they have to calculate commercial taxes based on the weight of cotton. Yang Anxuan has always valued business. This year, the price of cotton has plummeted, making cotton merchants unprofitable, and Yang Anxuan cannot ban it." .”
"It's a busy time for farming, so it's a good thing that these weaver girls can earn some money to support their families." Fu Liang said thoughtfully.
Liu Yu stroked his beard, but he really couldn't figure out Yang Anxuan's intention. No matter how he looked at it, it was beneficial to him.
Xiang Mi touched the cotton-padded clothes on his body and said, "This cotton-padded clothes is really warm. I'm even sweating now. My lord, this cotton is a good thing. If you grow more of it next year, you don't have to worry about the soldiers getting cold during the winter."
Liu Yudao: "Daohe once proposed to try planting in the land of Sanwu, but Yu was preparing to attack Yong and put the matter on hold. It seems that there can be no further delay next year."
Fu Liang reminded: "Lord, beware of cotton fields encroaching on farmland."
"That's right," Liu Yu said, "Yu Hui wrote a letter to tell Xie He and asked him to choose more scattered land for farming. The grain fields should not be left abandoned."
Xie Hui said: "Since Yiyang cotton merchants gather in Xunyang, we might as well plant cotton in Jiangzhou. With cotton fields, those Yiyang merchants may be able to stay."...
In August, cotton cloth was already on the market in Shen's Cloth Store, and the price dropped to 6,000 yuan per piece, only half of last year.
In Shen House, Yang Qiu and Zhao Xuan calculated their accounts: a piece of cotton cloth weighs twenty kilograms, consumes twenty-five kilograms of cotton, and costs fifteen to seventeen yuan per kilogram, which is about four hundred yuan. Including spinners, weavers, transportation costs, printing and dyeing, commercial taxes and other expenses, the cost of each piece of cloth is about 3,000 yuan, and each piece of cloth can earn 3,000 yuan.
Last year, each piece of cloth made a profit of 8,000 yuan, but this year
The quantity of cloth is ten times that of last year, and the total profit has increased four to five times.
Such a huge profit is due to the adoption of new spinning wheels and looms. The new machinery increased production capacity four to five times. However, if an ordinary family hired workers, each piece of cloth cost nearly 4,000 yuan, and the price was still reduced when sold to traders, so they could only It was sold for around 5,000 yen, and the profit for each piece of cloth was only 1,000 yen.
Yang Qiu stretched and said, "Third brother asked my sister-in-law to tell me that the price of each piece of cloth is only six thousand yuan, otherwise someone will buy it for eight thousand yuan or even ten thousand yuan."
"Yonggong must have a purpose for doing this." Zhao Xuan rolled her eyes and said, "The price of a piece of silk and satin on the market is 4,000 yuan, and the price of cotton is 6,000 yuan. It is estimated that few people will buy silk and satin."
Zhang Lan said from the side: "I heard from people that many people are going to cut down the mulberry trees and stop planting hemp. Everyone is going to plant cotton."
Zhao Xuan said: "Yonggong did not allow cotton to be sold at high prices. Could it be that he was afraid that everyone would go to plant cotton and waste all the mulberry and hemp."
Yang Qiu said nonchalantly: "Magazine and silk have little profit, so if you don't want to plant them, don't plant them."
Zhang Lan worriedly said: "If everyone grows cotton, the price will no longer be affordable in two years. What if we have to raise silkworms again and all the mulberry trees have been cut down?"
Yang Qiu smiled and said, "You girl, why are you thinking so much? Maybe the third brother will come up with some new ideas by then."
All the girls laughed coquettishly. …
In Jiankangnan City, the newly opened Yiyang Fabric Store started selling cotton cloth, which immediately attracted plundering.
Wan Chang stood outside the Buzhuang, watching the crowds swarming the Buzhuang, and couldn't help stroking his beard and smiling broadly.
There are many rich people in Beijing, and the supply of cotton cloth worth 7,400 yuan per piece exceeds the demand. Thousands of pieces of cotton cloth were sold in just three days. Wan Chang has already sent a letter urging Xunyang and other places to step up spinning and deliver goods as soon as possible. XiuShu.com
Transporting cotton from Yiyang to Xunyang, with the help of his third brother, a spinning and weaving field was quickly built in Xunyang. The wages of 400 per piece of cloth brought an endless stream of people coming to work. After discussing with Lu Xin and Ye Ping, Wan Chang established several more weaving yards in Pengze, Shicheng, Wuchang and other places to facilitate the recruitment of weavers.
There were many people working, and a lot of cotton was consumed. Wan Chang asked Lu Xin and others to buy cotton. The price of cotton rose back to 20 yuan. Seeing the rising market, cotton farmers were reluctant to sell.
After the cotton cloth was woven, Wan Chang negotiated the price with Lu Xin and other people in the cotton trade. The cost of cotton is 400 yuan. The freight from Yiyang to Xunyang and other places and the commercial tax for passing customs are not low. Calculated with the price of hiring workers, building a factory, etc., the cost of each piece of cloth is about 3,500 yuan, plus The cost of printing each piece of cloth is about 4,000 yuan. When the cost of the workshop is removed next year, the cost will drop to less than 3,000 yuan.
Lu Xin informed Wanchang that the selling price of Shen's Cloth Shop was 6,000 yuan, and everyone in the cotton shop decided to set the selling price at Jiankang Cloth Factory at 7,400 yuan. If it was too high, all cloth shops all over the world would go directly to Xiangyang to purchase goods.
The booming situation has doubled Wan Chang's confidence. When he gets the profits, he will buy land in Xunyang and other places and hire people to grow cotton next year, so that the supply of cotton will not be restricted. Moreover, excluding the transportation and commercial taxes along the way, the cost is estimated to be reduced to about 2,000 yuan. This business can really be described as making money every day.
