On the fifth day of the tenth month of the seventeenth year of Dashun's rule, it was in the northeast of Kunming City, Tu'er Pass.
Tuerguan is the key point entering Kunming City, the southern capital of Dashun, from the northeast. It is also a prosperous commercial town in Kunming Prefecture.
Different from the situation in Shaanxi where tensions are high all year round, the Ming and Shun armies on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau do not really fight at all, but fight for up to three months a year, and the rest of the time is spent doing business - copper coins from Yunnan, jade from Myanmar , ironware from Huguang, and silk and cotton from the southeast all came and went through the trade routes between Yunnan and Guizhou. The war between the two sides has been going on for more than ten years. Only a few heroes have been defeated, but a large number of rich people have been defeated... and Tuerguan has been transformed from a military powerhouse into a commercial town.
And as Li Jicheng returned from India, this important trading town became even more prosperous.
Li Dingguo, dressed in a simple blue robe with a white cloth tied around his waist (to bear filial piety for Li Guo), took the official road from the north and entered Tuerguan Town in the north of Tuerguan at dusk.
White flags are hung everywhere in the town, and pedestrians coming and going are all wearing plain clothes. All the men in blue, like Li Dingguo and his entourage, wear white cloth around their waists in honor of the recently deceased Emperor Taizong of Dashun, Li Dingguo. Filial piety.
Now is the national mourning period of the Dashun Dynasty. The whole family of the soldiers and households of the government are mourning. Ordinary people are also prohibited from wearing bright clothes. All entertainment activities must also be prohibited, and drinking in public is not allowed. However, big fish and meat are still allowed...
When Li Dingguo, who was tired of work, rode into Turuguan Town, he smelled the aroma of braised pork in cured sauce wafting from a restaurant on the roadside.
Li Dingguo, who had been traveling for many days, had not had a good meal or drink for some days. When he smelled this fragrance, the gluttons in his stomach aroused. He immediately reined in his horse and turned around to his son Li Runxing and said: " Children, let’s have some food here.”
"Win! Ada, I've been hungry for a long time. Let's eat something here before entering the customs." Li Runxing got off the horse as he spoke, then threw the reins to the follower and strode towards a hanging room. A restaurant with the sign "Northern Shaanxi Old Restaurant".
"My child," Li Dingguo looked at his son's arrogance and quickly ordered, "Don't disturb the people."
He didn't want everyone in Tu'erguan Town to know that King Jin had arrived - how big a noise would this be? What's the need?
"I know, kid." Li Runxing responded, walked into the restaurant, and came out soon with a waiter.
The clerk was from Sichuan. When he saw Li Dingguo riding on the horse, he knew he was a high official, so he quickly knelt down and kowtow - merchants in Dashun are humble and have strict rules. Businessmen must salute when they see ordinary soldiers, and they must salute when they see an official. Kowtowed.
After kowtowing, the waiter said to Li Dingguo: "My lord, please forgive me. The shop is very busy today and there are no vacancies. There is only one private room left to entertain guests. However, the private room is small and cannot accommodate so many people..." ..”
"Then let them eat some outside," Li Dingguo had already dismounted and ordered, "get more good meat and vegetables, don't worry about spending money."
The boy bowed to Li Dingguo again and said with a wry smile: "The official is generous, but I still have to tell him that the price of good pigs and sheep here in Kunming has increased greatly recently. Even the price of rice and noodles is more expensive than before. Xiao The store is a small operation, so we have to follow the market..."
"Stop talking nonsense, will Ada shortchange your money?" Li Runxing was a little annoyed and interrupted the guy.
"Let him tell," Li Dingguo asked with a frown, "How much has the price of rice and noodles increased? How much does braised pork cost per catty? How much does mutton cost per catty?"
"Returning to the official, today the price of rice in Kunming has reached 30 Wen per catty, the store's braised pork in cured sauce sells for 700 Wen per catty, and the cooked mutton sells for 800 Wen per catty..."
"So expensive?" Li Dingguo suddenly changed his expression.
At present, the currency and silver exchange rate in Dashun remains at 1,000 wen for 1 tael. 30 Wenqian is 3 cents of silver, one stone is 60 catties, and requires 1, 28 qian of silver... This price is in Yingtianfu and Shanghai. There is nothing wrong with the mansion, but this is Kunming mansion!
As for pork and mutton, they are even more expensive. The price of cooked pork and mutton is 700 to 800 yuan per catty... which is one or two less!
Seeing his father's gloomy face, Li Runxing thought to himself: Isn't Ada too stingy? I just got 80,000 taels of silver, now I can’t bear to spend it?
At this moment, Li Dingguo spoke again, "I know, feel free to serve the mutton in the water basin and the roujiamo...it's not worth your money."
"Thank you, thank you...you, the young master, and other gentlemen please come in!"
The waiter naturally smiled from ear to ear, and attentively invited Li Dingguo, Li Runxing, and several of the guards, staff, and accountants who followed Li Dingguo into the store.
The business in the store was surprisingly good, and it did not become cold due to the price increase. The people sitting inside to eat and drink were all soldiers in blue... Li Dingguo found that the blue clothes of these people were not made of coarse cloth. But silk! And they are not very old, and I don’t know where they come from?
After entering the private room, Li Dingguo stopped the waiter and asked: "Are those people eating downstairs all soldiers? Where do they come from?"
"Of course those are government soldiers, otherwise they wouldn't be able to wear blue!" the guy said, "They are all from Tu'erguan Camp."
"Tuerguan camp?" Li Dingguo thought for a while, "Isn't that an empty camp?"
"It's not empty anymore," the waiter laughed. "A month ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Long March soldiers came from the south and stationed themselves at Tu'erguan Camp. Those Long March soldiers all came from Tianzhu, and they had everything in their pockets. A few of them will go back to the camp to play, eat and drink during their vacation."
He didn't say everything. Of course, Li Jicheng's uncles and soldiers didn't go out to the camp just to stutter. There are several brothels in Tu'erguan Town...
Li Dingguo asked again: "Does the increase in the price of rice, flour, pigs and sheep in Kunming have something to do with the Long March soldiers coming from the south?"
"This..." The guy was startled by the question, "Don't you dare talk nonsense!"
Li Dingguo waved his hand to stop the man from talking any more, then ordered Roujiamo and water basin mutton and sent him off.
Li Laiheng and Li Jicheng on Wuhua Mountain have known about the sharp rise in prices in Kunming Prefecture for a long time. As for the reasons for the rise in prices, Niu Quan, the prefect of Kunming, is reporting to Li Laiheng and Li Jicheng, their father and son.
"The recent rise in prices in the capital is caused by too much gold and silver coming from the south. I have arranged for officials and merchants to go to Guizhou and Sichuan for purchase. After a while, it should be able to stabilize. Please don't worry, Your Majesty and Your Highness. .”
"How are prices elsewhere?" Li Laiheng asked again, "They won't all rise as much as here in Kunming, right?"
"The increase is just a little bit higher," Niu Quan said, "It can't be compared with Kunming. Kunming has prosperous commerce and the benefits of making money. Industry and merchants gather together, so prices will naturally be a bit more expensive. Elsewhere, business is suppressed and agriculture is emphasized. They are all people who farm and feed themselves, so what does the price of food have to do with it?"
Li Laiheng nodded slightly, "That's right."
In fact, what Niu Quan said is not quite right. The impact of inflation on self-sufficient farmers is not small, because farmers in Dashun have to bear heavy corvee labor, mainly transporting military grain and materials to the front line, or building cities in dangerous places. . To do this, they need to leave their hometowns and serve in far-off places, and sometimes move between different service locations. After they arrive at the service location, there will naturally be supplies, but they have to deal with it themselves on the way. So they had to bring a little copper money to buy something to eat.
In addition, farmers also have big things that cost money, such as weddings, funerals, and medicine when sick. Sometimes they have to buy farm tools, animals, etc., so there are still many places to spend money.
Their source of money comes from official merchants and the purchase of surplus grain and cloth. The so-called "hebuy" means compulsory purchase at the official price... Of course, Dashun suppresses business, so there will be no private merchants going to the countryside to purchase. Rice, grain, cloth, pigs and sheep. Those who are able to do these businesses are officials and businessmen appointed by the government.
Because it is more difficult for farmers in Dashun to get money, they often cherish the money they get from officials and merchants, and are reluctant to eat it, so they save it...
