"Your Majesty, Mingjian, we have never sold a grain of grain to them in these years. At most, we only sold some fake wine mixed with water!"
As soon as Liu Deng finished speaking, the two brothers knelt on the ground and began to beg.
"What are you doing? Didn't I tell you? I asked you to do this business. Do you two dare?"
After hearing what Liu Deng said, the two brothers immediately looked at Liu Deng with doubts on their faces.
Although food is in short supply in the surrounding barbarians, it is considered a hard currency.
Whether they are the Huns, Fuyu people, Qiang people, or Baiyue people, their demand for food has always been endless.
No matter how much food you have, their tribal chiefs will swallow it all at any cost.
After all, in this day and age, there is never enough food.
Although things like gold, silver, pearls and jade are good, for them, these things cannot be eaten or drunk. If they can be replaced by food, they will never hesitate.
Similarly, before potatoes and sweet potatoes appeared, the food in the Han Dynasty was not enough.
Even now, potatoes and sweet potatoes are already available, but there are still many places where they have not been promoted, or the court intentionally did not put them in.
For example, Longxi is close to the Xiongnu and Qiang areas, so at this time, the court strictly prohibits potatoes and sweet potatoes from appearing here.
According to the ban issued by the emperor, anyone who dared to trade grain with foreigners would be punished with a cartload of grain seeds.
A thousand dan for flour, white rice, etc. would lead to death by hanging.
But just one potato and sweet potato is enough to wipe out all nine tribes!
At this time, Liu Deng actually wanted them to trade grain with these Qiang people, which made them suspicious.
"Don't worry about anything else. Just go about your business. I can provide all the food you need. Moreover, I can also say hello to General Cheng and ensure that only the two of you can do it in the entire Longyou territory." Do you dare to do grain trading?"
Liu Deng asked seriously.
"this……"
While the two were talking, there was still a look of embarrassment on their faces.
After all, when the two of them went out at this time, they were already criticized by the villagers.
If this grain trade with those Qiang people is known to the villagers, I'm afraid the two of them and this family will be beaten up when they go out!
"You two don't have to bear any burden. If this thing comes to pass, you two will be the heroes of our Han Dynasty. You two have no hope of becoming officials in this life. However, as long as you two can do it, Regarding this matter, I guarantee that your two sons will be able to study in Wenchang Academy in the future. After completing their studies, I dare not say anything else. At least a thousand-dan county magistrate will have no problem!"
"Does your Majesty really mean what he says?"
Hearing what Liu Deng said, the two brothers' eyes widened.
No matter which dynasty you are in, being an official is always a matter of honor.
If his son really could be a county magistrate, let alone letting them do business, even if they were asked to die now, they would be willing to do so.
"Very good, you two remember one thing for me. The Qiang people say that you two found a nobleman from the court, so you were able to get a lot of food."
"Then, Your Majesty, how much grain do we sell every year?"
Wang Erniu asked carefully.
"I can give you two hundred thousand dan of food every year. Do you two dare to do that?"
Liu Deng asked with a smile.
"Two hundred thousand stones?"
The two people's mouths suddenly became dry for a while. This was no joke. If this happened, let alone beheading, it would be enough to kill the Nine Clans.
"That's right, two hundred thousand stones, no upper limit! However, you must remember that from today on, you will not accept those gold, silver, pearls, and jade, as long as cattle and sheep are exchanged with them! Moreover, one sheep is exchanged for thirty kilograms of grain, and one sheep An ox can be exchanged for sixty kilograms of grain! A horse can only be exchanged for one stone of grain! Moreover, a child cannot be bullied, do you understand?"
Liu Deng asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty? Why is this? When the cows and horses arrived in the Han Dynasty, the price was ten times or even a hundred times that of the sheep!"
Wang Erniu asked with some confusion.
"Don't ask for specific details. We only tell the Qiang people that cattle and horses are livestock controlled by the imperial court and cannot be disposed of quickly. However, sheep are different. You can sell as many as you have!"
Liu Deng said with a smile.
"promise!"
Although the two brothers looked puzzled, they still did not continue to ask.
"I have given you a small goal. Within three years, you must control at least 60% of the food supply of the Hexi Qiang people. Is it possible for you to achieve it?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, those Qiang people are now like hungry wolves. If they could exchange cattle and sheep for food, they would be crazy with joy!"
Wang Dazhu said with excitement.
"Very good! With the money you have earned, you two will take back ten thousand gu each year. The king will send someone to take over the rest with you. If you have nothing else to do, just step back first!"
"promise!"
The two brothers were already prepared to work for nothing, but unexpectedly Liu Deng actually gave them an annual income of 10,000 yuan with a wave of his hand, which really made the two of them a bit overjoyed.
You must know that before this, the income they could really get every year was only one or two thousand guan.
Not only has his income increased tenfold, but more importantly, Liu Deng has promised them that their son will be an official in the future. This is really a good thing that is hard to find even with a lantern.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this? Our Han Dynasty is currently fighting in various places, and the next step should be great governance. Even if we use grain to trade with those Qiang people, we should exchange more cattle and horses. Why only exchange sheep? "
When others saw the two brothers leaving, Cao Wei asked with some confusion.
"Do you know the order of the herdsmen when they graze on the grassland?"
Liu Deng asked with a smile.
This question really stupefied him. How could someone from a noble family like him know such a thing.
"Appreciate further details!"
Although Cao Wei didn't know what Liu Deng meant, he still asked in confusion.
"Although horses, cows and sheep all eat grass, the parts they eat are different. If they are cows and horses, they will only eat the young leaves of the grass, which is about three fingers above the ground. But sheep are different. If there isn’t enough pasture, they will dig out the grass roots and eat them too!”
"But, what does this have to do with the price you offered?"
"Do you think those Qiang people are fools? They can exchange one sheep for 30 kilograms of grain, so they will soon find that raising sheep is a more cost-effective thing!"
"Is this important?"
Cao Wei felt even more confused.
