This year's taxes were collected very quickly. It took less than a month and was collected by mid-June. Farmers still have a large amount of surplus grain in their hands, and grain prices in several states have fallen rapidly. However, there is plenty of food on the market, and it cannot be sold at any low price.
On this day, Yang Shen hurried in and said to Wang Xiaolie: "Observe, there is a letter from Xiangyang saying that there is a businessman from Ezhou who heard about the bumper wheat harvest in Dengzhou this year and is willing to buy it. Councilor Chen did not dare to make the decision, so he sent someone to report .”
Wang Xiaolie asked: "How can a businessman buy so much wheat?"
Yang Shen laughed and said: "Observe, this is a businessman's excuse. How can he really be alone? These grain merchants all have to pay their own capital to do business across the state. Now the price of wheat on the two Zhejiang roads is soaring. Who can't see it? Can you make money selling wheat?”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Okay. Tomorrow you go to Xiangyang with me to see how this businessman is doing. If you harvest more grain, it will be useful only if you sell it. What's the use of putting it in the warehouse? In two or three months, there will be more Rice, we have no shortage of food.”
Yang Shen said yes. After a while, he said: "Observation, I am actually very puzzled. If there were no major disasters in the past, these state armies should have collected so much food. Why didn't I hear that food was difficult to sell at that time?"
Wang Xiaolie smiled: "Because the grain harvested by the common people does not keep much in their own hands. Let's not talk about the government and buying, just talk about the local tycoons and wealthy households outside the government. After the grain is harvested, the largest part comes In their hands. These people all have granaries, but they don’t manage them well and the quantity is unclear. If there is too much grain, it is used to feed chickens and ducks. After two or three years, most of it will rot away.”
How can Yang Shen believe it: "Is it so powerful? If so, wouldn't it mean that there is no shortage of food in most places in the world?"
"Of course. Most places in the world are not short of food. But those who have food can't eat it all, and those who don't have food can't eat it all. The inequality between rich and poor makes it appear that there is a food shortage. If you think about it, it's like Tangzhou Dengzhou has a lot of idle land, how can it be short of food?"
Yang Shen smiled and shook his head, still a little unconvinced.
Wang Xiaolie didn't say much and just asked about the situation of Ezhou merchants.
When the population was at its highest in the Northern Song Dynasty, there were estimated to be more than 100 million descendants. It's hard to say whether there are so many, but it won't exceed this number anyway. It was about one-tenth of the population in Wang Xiaolie's previous life. The grain yield per mu at this time was about one-sixth of that in later generations. If you do some math, you will know that the average grain yield is not low. Logically speaking, everyone should be able to eat enough. Some people don’t have enough to eat, and the main problem is distribution.
Generally speaking, the food loss in future generations can reach about 10%. In this era, the proportion of food loss is even higher. If the efficiency of the government and the people is not high, it is not surprising that most of the food is wasted in vain. Just like Dengzhou, there is a bumper harvest this year. If it cannot be sold in time, a large part of it will rot in autumn and winter. During the lean years next year, many families may still have no food to eat.
If society cannot progress, farmers will be like this. It’s hard work every year, and it’s only during the harvest season that things get a bit more relaxed, and the days are always tight. It is not enough to simply produce more food; the food must be fully utilized.
The next day, Wang Xiaolie and Yang Shen went from Xinye to Xiangyang Mansion.
Chen Yuyi welcomed him into the city and sat down at the Yamen. He said: "This year Dengzhou has a good harvest of winter wheat, and within a month word has spread to many state capitals. Businessmen from Ezhou came and said they could buy it in large quantities. I dare not make the decision in this matter because of my humble position, so I urgently reported it for observation."
Wang Xiaolie said: "In recent years, many people from the Central Plains have gone south. They are used to eating wheat, and the price of wheat has increased a lot. Since last winter, the Jin Army has been raging in Huainan, which has been affected. Now places where wheat can be sold in large quantities, We are the only one here. From Dengzhou, there is Baihe River to Xiangyang, and Xiangyang can enter the Yangtze River along the Han River, all the way down the river. This business is really good."
Chen Yuyi said: "I think so too. But there are only three businessmen here. I don't know how strong they are."
Wang Xiaolie said: "As long as you can give them money, don't worry about the rest. Today at noon, we will hold a banquet and talk with them in detail."
Chen Yuyi said yes. He went to order his soldiers to hold a banquet at a riverside restaurant and invite three businessmen.
Wang Xiaolie processed urgent official documents at the Yamen. Looking at the sky, it was almost evening, and he went to the riverside restaurant with Chen Yuyi and Yang Shen. The three businessmen were already waiting outside. They stepped forward to salute and entered the restaurant together.
We sat down in the pavilion on the second floor. The servant served tea and they chatted.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Now the Jin army is going south to protect the homeland and the military is booming. It costs money to raise an army, but where does the money come from? The land in these states is considered fertile. The weather was good last year, so we just collected a few more bushels. Grain. We were thinking of selling the grain in exchange for some money. It just so happened that a few of them came to meet our immediate needs. If we can really get money in exchange for it, you will have made a great contribution."
One of the middle members raised his hand and said: "I am in Xiabeixing. Our ancestors have been doing grain business in Ezhou since our ancestors. This one is Yu Zhifu, and that one is Kang Mingqi. Yu Yuanwai is in the grain business like the next one, and Kang Yuanwai is in Han Dynasty. Water runs the boat.”
Wang Xiaolie looked at the three of them and nodded: "That's right. You have food sellers and water boat operators, so it's quite complete. If it's agreed upon, I will send someone to go with you to take a look at your business in Ezhou. Business."
"Should, should!" The three of them handed over their hands together.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I wonder how much wheat you can harvest? What's the price?"
Bei Xing looked at the other two people and said cautiously: "We are both big businessmen in Ezhou. We earn hundreds of thousands of stones a year. It's no big deal."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head after hearing this: "It's less, it's less. What can a few hundred thousand dan do? This year, in Tang and Deng prefectures, plus Xiangyang Prefecture, there are two million dan of wheat alone. If two or three people live, Yue, when the rice is harvested, there will probably be more than one million dan left."
After hearing this, the three of them were shocked. Wang Xiaolie said three million stones at the first word, which was a big statement. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Bianhe River, as an important north-south transportation artery, could only transport six million shi of grain to Kaifeng a year. In these few states alone, Wang Xiaolie had to sell grain for three million dan. Could it be that there was something wrong with his brain? The three of them looked at each other and said nothing for a while.
Wang Xiaolie said: "What? Could it be that some of you can't afford three million stone grain?"
Bei Xing said: "Observe, three million shi is not a small amount. In the past, the Bianhe River water transport to transport grain to the capital only cost 6 million shi——"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It can't be compared like this. The Bianhe River transports grain all the way upstream, and a lot of trackers are needed. You transport grain all the way down the river, how much do you save? The Yangtze River leads directly to Huainan and Zhejiang, and how much can you save? When we go to Hunan and Jiangxi, the grain is transported to Ezhou, so we don’t have to worry about selling it.”
Bei Xing said: "If we observe that there is really so much grain, the young people will try their best to buy it. But - how much grain can be harvested in several states in a year? If three million dan are sold, what will the local people eat? ?”
Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but smile after hearing this: "You can ask around. People have enough food this year, so you don't have to worry about what they eat. There are not many places in several states, but there is a lot of arable land. As long as the people work hard, there will be no shortage of food." "
Three million stones is three to four hundred million catties. This number sounds scary, but it’s actually not much. In Wang Xiaolie's previous life, Nanyang alone produced nearly 15 billion kilograms of grain a year. The sum of the three to four hundred million kilograms in several state capitals is really not even a fraction.
Four hundred million kilograms of grain is equivalent to two hundred thousand tons, which is nothing in future generations. In this era, transportation capacity was limited and it was difficult to transport without waterways. This kind of business must rely on water transportation.
Seeing Wang Xiaolie's firmness, Bei Xing no longer had any doubts. Said: "Observe, with so much food, how much is the price?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "I asked, the price of wheat in Zhejiang and Jiangxi has risen sharply this year, no less than 500 wen a dou. I sell it here for 500 wen, and as long as you transport it to the place, you will make a big profit. What do you think? ?”
Bei Xing looked at the other two people and said: "Fifty cents per dou, the price is not low -"
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "Ten times the profit, that's enough. Except for members, don't be too greedy when doing business!"
Beixing smiled awkwardly. Said: "Long-distance trafficking, many accidents. Don't be surprised if you observe."
