Heavy snow, icy sleet and sleet continued to fall for several days, until the seventh day after the military meeting, which was February 17, the third year of Daye. Zhangye finally cleared up and the temperature was much higher than the day before yesterday. ; The constant blowing wind also brings a hint of warmth.
Faced with such good weather, people knew that the heavy snow was about to melt and spring had finally arrived in Liangzhou. People were heading towards their homes and rushing to Zhongshi in the center of the city, planning to prepare some farm tools, fabrics, and spring clothes.
There are three large markets in Zhangye City: East, West and Middle Markets. The Zhong Market located in the center of the city is the largest market in the entire Liangzhou area. Its scale is similar to the East and West Markets in Daxing City. What is different from the East and West Markets in Daxing City is that it It is a big "Bagua array".
The shops outside the "Bagua Array" sell daily necessities that are needed by every household and are in high demand. Inside are luxury goods. The further inside, the more expensive the items become, and the number of business travelers will decrease. The City Department is located in the center of the "Bagua Array" extending in all directions.
There are many shops in the city, with a dazzling array of goods, and the trade is extremely prosperous. There are not only livestock, mules and horses, but also firewood, rice, oil and salt; there are both precious pearls, agates, crystals and other products, as well as cheap needlework... There are all kinds of high, middle and low-end goods. There are between 20,000 and 30,000 people working here. At the same time, Zhongshi is also the largest commodity distribution center in Liangzhou. Almost all the 14 counties and Hu people in Liangzhou purchase goods from here.
At the turn of the afternoon, Yang Ji in disguise took Liu Rumei into the market.
Since the end of the military conference, all generals and officers from all over the country have braved the snow to return to their bases, and some troops have also begun to move out one after another, and have assembled towards the designated battlefields.
Due to Tuyuhun's abnormal climate and outstanding strength, Liangzhou did not underestimate this half-dead enemy country. According to the plan, this battle to destroy the country will take half a year. The war is fought based on the comprehensive national strength of both the enemy and ours, including the troops, weapons, money, food and materials. In order to fight this battle successfully, everyone in the state and pastoral government is working hard to clear out all kinds of materials one by one.
However, while generals at all levels were busy every day, Yang Ji, a Liangzhou herdsman, became the most leisurely person. It's not that he doesn't want to take care of it, but that the state pastoral office has a clear division of labor and is well organized; each agency has its own responsibilities, and a well-coordinated, efficient and powerful team has already been formed. If he rashly intervenes, he will be doing a disservice.
The second generation of Wei was also sent away a lot by Yang Ji. Those who had fathers and elders returned to their fathers and elders. Those whose fathers and elders were not in Liangzhou or did not participate in this battle were divided into two. , some of them followed Zhang Xutuo, Li Jing and others, and some of them continued to study with Yang Ji; while all the royal children were left to Yang Yichen. After all, the second generation of Wei and the second generation of "Emperor" came with a learning mentality. If they all stayed with him, Yang Ji would not be able to take care of so many people. Now that they are separated and each follows his own, they will learn instead. to more knowledge.
The main reason why she went out for shopping was because Liu Rumei was in a bad mood because she couldn't participate in the war. She was present in every battle Yang Ji fought in the past. But this time, she had to stay in Zhangye to take care of her children, so she felt particularly depressed. Compared with her, although Xiao Ying and Pei Shuying were very worried about Yang Ji, they never followed him to fight. Instead, they took a more open-minded view.
Yang Ji was idle and simply took Liu Rumei out to relax. However, although they came in disguise, more than a hundred Suzaku Xuanwu Guards followed silently in front, back and left. Since they did not have the unique fierceness of soldiers, So among the crowd, there is no difference from ordinary businessmen and pedestrians.
As soon as I entered the market, I was immediately hit by the noisy and lively atmosphere. People were coming and going in the city, and the salesmen from the shops on the street were standing at the door one after another.
Liu Rumei didn't know that Yang Jitian was hanging out drinking tea in the Prefectural Mufu, and always thought that he had everything going on. Seeing that he was so "busy", she considerately took the time to relax with her, and the depression that had been accumulated for several days had long since disappeared. A beautiful heart also turned into tender affection.
Affected by the bustling bustle of Zhongshi, her mood was even better, but because of this, she was even more reluctant to separate from her husband. She leaned close to Yang Ji and said coquettishly: "Sir, I can't bear to be separated from you, and I'm also with you - Get up!"
Yang Ji burst out laughing when he heard this: "My son is so young. If you come with me, what will happen to your son?"
Liu Rumei glanced at Yang Ji and said plausibly: "The son can be taken care of by his mother, and the aunt, aunt, and sanniang can also help take care of him."
(This chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 577: The king goes to war, but no grass grows.
"This method is okay!" Yang Ji nodded seriously and asked with a smile: "But it's been a year and a half since I left. Are you relieved? Don't you worry or miss me?"
"Then forget it!" Liu Rumei was immediately discouraged.
Their son was less than half a year old, and the little boy was extremely clingy to her. How could she feel relieved? She was afraid that she would have to go back home before she left Zhangye County.
That being the case, why bother making this trip?
Yang Ji comforted him: "When my son grows up, I will take you with me every time in the future. You can't do it even if you don't agree."
His wife used to have a very low self-esteem, which made him especially feel sorry for her. Perhaps because she gave birth to a son, she is now much more cheerful and has an innocent and lively "girly" character that she didn't have before.
"That's all it can do!" Liu Rumei sighed.
Yang Ji couldn't help but worry about gains and losses again, so he changed the topic: "The army has been mobilized frequently these days, and the people in the city must have felt the coming of war. Let's go and find out about the price of food."
Food is the most important thing for the people. If the people have no food to eat, they can only become refugees and rebel. Therefore, all dynasties have regarded food prices as more important than the sky. The price of grain in the Sui Dynasty, just like the price of pork in later generations, was the most important indicator to measure the price of commodities; and the price of grain in the capital was often the "barometer" of grain prices in the world. If the people in the capital heard that there would be a war, they would be prepared to stock up on food and be careful not to make a big mistake. Once food is in short supply, food prices will rise again.
Yang Ji is not the emperor, and Zhangye City is not the capital, but for the fourteen counties of Liangzhou, this is the capital. As a herdsman in Liangzhou, Yang Ji was also very concerned about food prices during special periods.
"Okay!" Liu Rumei had the decisiveness of a warrior. After she gave up the idea of fighting with her husband, she quickly recovered.
As soon as my husband told me to ask about the price of food, I no longer got "entangled" in personal matters.
The three cities of Zhangye and Zhangye are very user-friendly and everything is distributed according to the concept of "convenience for the people". Since "food" is a necessity for every household, and a large number of ordinary people are not as free as the idle rich, nor do they have the spare money to buy luxury goods, they will rush home after buying food and seize the time to do their work; Therefore, in response to the characteristics of huge demand, heavy items, and large number of buyers, the government placed the rice, noodle, meat, fish, butcher, and fruit and vegetable shops related to "eating" at the outermost edge of the "Bagua Array." Even if the bosses turn their shops into "grocery stores" related to food, the government will not interfere much!
Following this rule, Yang Ji and Liu Rumei quickly found a relatively large "grocery store". Yang Ji grabbed a handful of excellent-quality rice in the large urn at the door. Upon closer inspection, the grains were plump and continuous. If there is not even a scrap of chaff, you know it is high-quality rice. He raised his head and asked the shop assistant next to him: "Doctor, how much does a bushel of rice cost?"
The waiter bowed his hand to Yang Ji and introduced with a smile: "Guest, this is the best rice from Lanzhou and Jincheng last autumn. The selling price is five yuan a dou. If you buy one stone at a time, it will cost you forty-five yuan." .”
"What about wheat?" Yang Ji pointed to the wheat next to him and asked.
The clerk had very good eyesight. He saw that although Yang Ji and Liu Rumei were not wearing gold and silver, and their clothes were just ordinary fabrics, they had extraordinary bearings, so he knew that they were not people who really wanted to buy rice, but he still said very patiently. : "Wheat is cheaper, costing three bushels per bushel. If you buy one stone, you will get one bushel for free. In other words, for the price of one stone, you can buy eleven bushels."
"My husband and I are from Guanzhong and are doing silk business in Daxing. We heard that silk can be sold at a good price in the Western Regions, so we opened a shop in Zhangye." Yang Ji glanced at the waiter and said "worriedly": "I heard that silk can be sold at a good price in the Western Regions." There is going to be a war soon, will people here rush to buy? Will your food prices rise?"
"I am indeed going to fight, but no one will rush to buy food." The man shook his head.
"But why?" Yang Ji was surprised by the boy's decisiveness.
"We have a saying in Liangzhou that goes, "If the king goes to war, no grass will grow." If you think so, of course no one will rush to buy food, and of course food prices will not rise."
These words were enough to make Yang Ji stunned (this chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 577: The king goes to war, but no grass grows.
After a long while, he said seriously: "This is the first time I have heard the saying, "When the king goes to war, not a blade of grass will grow." However, King Wei is invincible and invincible; this saying is quite appropriate."
Liu Rumei almost laughed out loud: "..."
But having said that, it is indeed quite appropriate.
Suddenly, a down-and-out warrior with a sword on his waist and a small package on his back crossed the street and hurriedly walked diagonally to the opposite side.
For some reason, the warrior's face gave Yang Ji a familiar feeling. He looked intently at the warrior's back, but the other party seemed not to notice, and just merged into the torrent of people under Yang Ji's gaze. .
Liu Rumei saw Yang Ji staring ahead for a long time, and she couldn't help but follow Yang Ji's line of sight, but all she saw were the backs of people in different colors, and she didn't find anything special. She couldn't help but ask, "Master ,What's wrong?"
Yang Ji said: "I saw a warrior passing by. He seemed to be an acquaintance, but I can't even remember who he was."
Liu Rumei didn't even know the back of the person Yang Ji was talking about, so there was no way to help Yang Ji identify it. She thought for a while, and saw that the waiter retreated far away very wisely, so she whispered: "Everywhere in the city They are all soldiers and generals that the young master has led, and what the young master saw may be a certain outstanding general."
"That's right." Yang Ji couldn't think of a reason, and he agreed with Liu Rumei's statement in his heart. After all, in every battle and every confrontation exercise, there are always some middle- and low-level generals and ordinary soldiers who stand out. He may have been deeply impressed at the time and even commended him personally, but as time has passed and more people have been commended, he, a high-ranking and powerful man, might not be able to call the other person by his correct name, let alone from behind, even if he is face to face. .
When I think about it, I feel relieved.
Saying goodbye to the buddy, the two continued walking inside, sometimes stopping to ask about prices, sometimes chatting and laughing as they moved forward. Yang Ji suddenly saw the three characters "Jewelry Store" engraved on the archway at an intersection, and walked in.
Among his four wives, Xiao Ying and Pei Shuying both had generous dowries. Zhang Chuchen and his daughter were not rich, but her stepfather Gongsun Huan almost cleaned out all the boxes in the house in order to support her. Compared with those three, poor Liu Rumei has nothing, even the initiation ceremony is very sloppy.
It is embarrassing to say that Yang Ji has known Liu Rumei for more than six years, but he has never bought her even a piece of cloth except for a few knives and swords. Although there is no shortage of anything in the family, and she is now very wealthy, the meaning of what the family has and what her husband buys as gifts are definitely different.
The "Bagua Array" is cut into isosceles trapezoids by roads, with several streets disconnected in the middle, so each section becomes smaller as you go inside. The jewelry store in this section they are in is very close to the city office, and there are only two There are more than a dozen shops of various sizes that specialize in selling jewelry.
Yang Ji took Liu Rumei to the largest store. When he saw that there was no sign or mark of his own house, he walked in. Murong Xianyue behind him saw this and hurriedly followed.
The interior is gorgeously laid out and spotlessly clean, but because the jewelry business is an industry that "doesn't open for three years, it lasts for three years after opening", there are not many customers inside.
The proprietor was a Sogdian from the State of Shi, whose Han name was Shi Ning. He was mainly engaged in business between the East and the West. He collected luxury goods from the East in Zhangye, and then had his caravan transport them to the Sogdian Stone State, and then returned to the Sogdian Kingdom. Bringing Western goods from the State of Shi to sell.
Shi Ning used to travel between Shiguo and Daxing City. Now that he was old and couldn't bear the pain of traveling, he left the business to his two sons and bought a store and a house in Zhangye. The store was used as a Retail stores and houses are used for housing and warehouses.
Seeing the guests coming to the door, Shi Ning quickly came up and bowed and saluted: "Dear guest, what would you like to order?"
"I want to buy some fine jewelry." Yang Ji cupped his hand, and then the old Sogdian man asked, "Do you accept cash here?"
The banknote is a variation of the check made by Yang Ji. The check was something Yang Ji made when he was young. Before, it was only circulated in the commercial and sports industry of Prince Wei's mansion. After arriving in Zhangye, his staff and county officials also felt that This thing is very convenient, I also want to pay by check.
But everyone is doing their own thing, which is really too chaotic, and it is easy for criminals to take advantage of it, so the palace (this chapter is not finished yet!)
Chapter 577: The king goes to war, but no grass grows.
The money bank under his command came into being and set up a branch in every county, one in each of the three cities of Zhangye, one in the second city of Daxing and one in the three cities of Luoyang.
Whoever deposits money will receive the same banknotes of different denominations. If anyone wants to exchange them for cash, they can do so. At first, the business target was very narrow, only facing members of the Wei Wang family and the royal family; later, Liangzhou businessmen saw that this was good and very convenient, and the bank's credit was very good, so they started to save money one after another, and the business naturally also It's getting bigger.
However, people who save money have no interest to speak of, but firstly, they have no concept of making a profit, and secondly, they enjoy the convenience of banknotes. If merchants use cash to do large-scale business, they will have to pay for several carts, which is not only inconvenient, but also very unsafe.
Now, just bring a paper banknote and that's it.
As for using interest to absorb private deposits and lending, we haven't considered it yet. After all, the money bank is a very new thing, and it needs to be adjusted step by step and gain experience. If it is done in one step, it is easy to make mistakes.
Once you make a mistake, your character and credibility will be lost, and it will be extremely difficult to recover in the future.
Most of the money that was deposited was used by Dugu Min to build a house. The small town of "food, clothing, housing and entertainment" that Yang Ji and Yang Xiong jointly built by the canal also used cash from the money bank. Yes, but it is not a loan, but an equal amount of gold and silver exchange.
"I got it!" After hearing what Yang Jizhi said, Shi Ning nodded repeatedly. He also saved a lot of money in the money bank.
"Then show me the best jewelry." Yang Ji said proudly.
"Here!"
Chapter 577: The king goes to war, but no grass grows.
