Everyone looked at Ouyang Xuan in confusion. Huang Dagen and Zhu Tiaozi were puzzled as to why Ouyang Xuan was suppressing the price of salt, while Lu Dezhi and others were wondering about the uninvited conditions he wanted to mention and whether there was any mystery behind them. Ouyang Xuan cleared his throat and spoke his thoughts under the gaze of everyone. The first is to allow himself and his party to live here temporarily, and the more than 100 acres of terraced land between the first and second village gates will be used as a temporary residence; the second is to plan to do business with the villagers in partnership, exchanging mountain products for salt and other daily necessities; the third is to It is a joint venture with Shanzhai to develop nearby minerals, and both parties will share in proportion to their investment. As for the 40 kilograms of salt, all of it was given to the mountain people, and they only needed to provide the food needed by their own party for half a month. Zhu Tiaozi has been a small businessman who has been living in an environment of intrigue and deception for a long time. As soon as Ouyang Xuan finished explaining the conditions, he was deeply impressed by his cleverness. The iron, grain and mountain goods in this village are all in high demand at the foot of the mountain. If you take root here, as long as the trade routes are open, you won't have to worry about money coming in. At that moment, he leaned into Huang Dagen's ear and explained the situation clearly, and Huang Dagen nodded frequently.
Lu Dezhi and others agreed after a short discussion, because this condition was also beneficial to the village. The first is the more than 100 acres of platform between the two village gates. Due to the low terrain and poor lighting, it has not been cultivated. It is only used as an open space for the mountain people to guard the village, allowing dozens of officers and soldiers to temporarily live here. The nuisance can also serve as the first line of defense against bandits. Secondly, Liuliba lacks daily necessities. If they want to do business in Shanzhai, they have no channels or experience. Now, if they do business in partnership, they can ensure the supply of goods and they will no longer be cheated by profiteers. Thirdly, it would be a good thing to develop nearby mines. Due to the poor iron-making technology and clumsy farm tools, the weapons produced in the village are even less useful. As for other minerals, they are not of much use either. Lu Dezhi and others felt sorry for Ouyang Xuan and others' suggestion that they only needed half a month's worth of food, so they decided to jointly engage in business and mining. The government and army only needed to provide manpower, technology and be responsible for sales, and no more money was needed.
The outcome of the discussion made both parties happy. At that moment, Lu De left the three of them to have a meal to celebrate. While waiting for the meal to be served, the two parties got up and chatted in detail. During the conversation, Ouyang Xuan learned that there are nearly 200 households and 800 people in Liuliba. Because of the vast land, there is no shortage of food. There are still large areas of wasteland that have not been cultivated. What troubles the mountain people is the bandits in Wanjiazhai. The bandits cut off the roads into the mountains and do not allow goods to enter and exit. They force the people in the mountains to sell mountain goods at low prices. The necessary necessities such as salt, cloth and so on can only be purchased from the bandits at very low prices. Extremely expensive, the price of salt is comparable to gold. What's even more disgusting is that bandits from Wanjiazhai often come to snatch mountain goods and women in the name of "taxation". If they don't pay, they kill people and set fire to them. Another village 20 miles away from Liuliba was burned down by bandits because it refused to pay the so-called "tax". The villagers who were not killed were plundered and made into slaves. Liuliba had never been captured, but it was regarded as a thorn in the side because of its refusal to pay the so-called "taxes." As a result, more than a dozen villagers, including the former leader, were robbed and killed by bandits when they left the village.
"The mountain people have been suffering from the bandits of Wanjiazhai for a long time!" Lu Dezhi sighed after finishing speaking.
"There are quite a lot of people in each village in the mountain. Why don't we deploy brave men to guard the dangerous places? How can the bandits attack?" Huang Dagen asked puzzledly. It is estimated that there are no less than a thousand households in each village in the mountain. With the number of bandits, What if the force can be suppressed?
"My lords, you don't know. The leader of the Wanjiaping bandits is called Xiong Ben. He turned out to be a junior colonel in the Chongqing government army. He was beaten by his superiors for torturing his subordinates. In anger, he took on the stench of the army and joined him. After occupying Wanjiazhai, they fought and annexed other bandits in the mountains, and their power became stronger and stronger. Although the number of bandits was only more than 300, they were all fierce and desperate, and they were managed by military law. , the combat power is far superior to that of the people of each village, especially its personal troops. Although there are only more than fifty people in number, they are all strong and powerful people, and I am afraid that the officers and soldiers will not be able to defeat them." Lu Dezhi's face showed. Said fearfully.
"We, the mountain people, are busy with farming all day long and neglect military affairs and have no one who is proficient in warfare. There are still mines in Liuliba where iron can be smelted. Although the weapons made are crude and unfit for use, they can still fight against bandits. In the second round, some cottages have no mines, insufficient iron for farm tools, and no weapons to fight against bandits." Lu Dezhi sighed again.
"Old sir, you can rest assured. As long as I'm here, you can deal with the bandits and protect the safety of Liuliba." After hearing Lu Dezhi's words, Huang Dagen was filled with indignation and patted his chest. He knew that his fifty-odd people could only protect Liuliba. As for other cottages, he would wait until they had the strength to do so.
Zhu Tiaozi asked more about grain production, mountain goods, and mine production, and the elders answered them one by one. Ouyang Xuan recounted his own experience. Of course, he also told how his parents were from Chongqing Prefecture and fled to Huangzhou during the massacre of Shu in Kuaduan, Mongolia. He became a monk at a young age due to poverty and lack of food in his family. He returned to Shu for his parents' wish to be homesick. He made the remarks of the wandering monk. He also focused on the fact that he had joined the army in recent days to avenge his country and his family due to the brutality of the Mongolian army. Because Yu Zhu was seriously ill, he had the right to act as an agent for the army. He also reiterated that everyone should not call him "Sir". "Brother Xuan" is fine. Finally, Ouyang Xuan asked about the situation of herbs and fire salt. Lu Dezhi and others told the village that fire salt and sulfur were produced in the mountains to the north of the village, but they were not sure whether the herbs sent this morning could cure the disease. Ouyang Xuan immediately asked the elders to find more herbs like Artemisia annua to cure Yu Zhu's disease. Everyone was moved by his loyalty and benevolence towards his family and country.
The two sides then discussed cooperation in detail. While they were chatting lively, the food was ready and they sat down to eat. Ouyang Xuan saw that the three-foot-square table was filled with large porcelain bowls filled with vegetables, fruits and wild meats, and he began to look at it. Seeing this, Lu Dezhi said: "Brother Xuan is laughing at this. All the food utensils used in the village are like this." This kind of crude pottery was made by potters in this village and cannot be compared to the exquisite ones outside the mountains." After further questioning by Ouyang Xuan, he found that except for a few necessities, most of the daily necessities in the village could be produced by themselves. Although they were crude, they were extremely practical. If it weren't for the lack of food and salt and the rampant bandits, it would be a paradise.
Ouyang Xuan and others had been eating whole grain wheat cakes and pickled horse meat in the past few days. In addition, they were tired from running around for days and were always hungry, so this meal was particularly sweet. Seeing this, Lu Dezhi sighed again: "We are still neglecting it. It would be great if there is still some wine." Ouyang Xuan and others who were engrossed in eating didn't care at first when they heard this, but then they realized: "wine"? In this chaotic world where people are dying of hunger, food is extremely precious, and wine and sugar are only available to the rich and powerful. Is there any surplus grain left in Liuliba to make wine? When Lu Dezhi saw the three of them surprised, he explained that only Wanjiazhai had a brewery in the mountains. Xiong Ben and his troops would feast all day long, and occasionally reward a small amount of wine to the villagers who had completed their "taxes". He would even exchange endless drinks for the furs hunted by each village. Hearing this, Ouyang Xuan cursed angrily. Now he finally knew why there was no shortage of food in the mountains, but bandits frequently came to Hengyuan Town to steal food. "The wine and meat in the rich family stinks, and there are frozen bones on the road." Just like the corrupt officials in the court who treat the people like dirt, the bandits in Wanjiazhai also have no regard for the life and death of the people. One day they will be destroyed, he thought angrily.
