Zuo Rong is a greedy villain. Of course Lin Mo believes this. Are all the Northern families good people?
To be able to get them to attack in groups, even the Xin family brothers from the Henan faction were involved. This level was definitely not something that the Zhen family could call upon. Most likely, this guy had done something that would break their muscles and bones.
Zuo Rong held a pile of silk cloths, piled them on Lin Mo's desk with a smile, and then began to list out the treasures one by one, "My dear brother, please take a look.
This is the income and expenditure of Liulichang in the past year and a half. This one is from the sugar business, recruited by Hongxiu, and by the way, there is also this one. "
He picked up a stack and started explaining from the beginning, "Our highlight is the fertilizer business, the income and expenditure account books of Yan, Henan, Jing, Si, Yang, Jiao, and Yi states. Dear brother, you can check it. Brother Yu, I just paid the transportation fee of the business road. After all, the labor force is composed of retired sergeants.
As for the ones in the North, because the distribution rights were given to the Li family in Zhao County, the account books are also in the hands of the Li family.
This pile was dispatched from the Xuzhou treasury by the navy commanders and the states and counties for disaster relief when they were short of money and food. My dear brother can also check the accounts. "
In Zuo Rong's opinion, these account books were all the marks of his achievements, but Lin Mo didn't seem interested and didn't even look at any of them, so he turned to flipping through them from the bottom, "How about you, dear brother, take a look at me?" The trade roads and shops taken from the North? Led by the Zhen family, there are also other wealthy families and some merchants."
"Okay, okay, just now the Xin brothers said that you withheld food from the victims and drove up prices when there were floods in Qingzhou two counties. Is this true?" Lin Mo asked with a dark face.
"have."
"How much has it increased?"
Zuo Rong made some calculations with his fingers, then nodded and said: "I raised the 20-yen millet to 260 yen, and the other rice and wheat are about the same. It has to be 13 times."
Lin Mo leaned back and looked at him in disbelief. How the hell did you do something so evil and still look proud? You really don't take me seriously, right?
"Brother Xian, please don't get angry. Brother Yu, let me explain."
Zuo Rong sighed and said sincerely: "The flooding in Qingzhou is indeed only in Jinan and Qijun, but the scope of the impact includes Le'an, Pingyuan and even Beihai, a total of five counties. I was in Qingzhou at the time, watching Zhen The family and the local aristocratic families raised the prices, and they even privately agreed to raise the price of food uniformly. There are more than two million disaster victims. Even if the Zuo Chamber of Commerce does nothing to adjust food specifically for disaster relief, it will not be able to solve the problem of food shortage."
Lin Mo crossed his arms and glanced sideways at Zhe Rong, a little confused. The latter continued: "What can I do? I can only raise the price along with it, and at the same time invest all my money to buy grain from their chamber of commerce at a high price." , I bought as much as they had, so in the end it all went up to two hundred and sixty dollars.
As the news spread, wealthy families from various counties in the North, including the Zhen family, smelled the news and began to mobilize grain and grass from various places to send to Qingzhou.
After they delivered the grain, Brother Yu purchased nearly 200,000 shi of grain. Including the government's grain reserves, there were 300,000 shi. At this time, the price of grain in the Ze's Chamber of Commerce plummeted to 20 yuan. At the same time, the government office They also opened warehouses to provide disaster relief, so they were dumbfounded.
If they had to transport the food from such a long distance, the losses along the way would kill them. In desperation, the Zhen family and other major families could only lower the price and sell it for twenty yuan.
Therefore, in the end, the price of food purchased by the people was still twenty cents, but the Zhen family and other major families suffered heavy losses in the flood, which is equivalent to providing free relief to the victims. "
After finishing speaking in one breath, Lin Mo was stunned.
Damn it, my brother Rong is so awesome. This is simply a clever conspiracy. The Zhen family and all the major families in the North have been tricked by him. I guess the Xin family brothers are also involved.
Therefore, Zuo Rong became the target of public criticism here in the Northern Kingdom.
Probably for self-certification, Zuo Rong also took out the receipts for purchasing grain and the account books for distributing grain.
"This thing was done beautifully." Lin Mo sighed with emotion, probably because he didn't expect that a villain like Zuo Rong could pull off such a cool move.
"Hey, brother Xian is fighting on the front line, leaving brother Yu at the rear. I can't help you in the battle situation, and you can't let problems in the rear bother you.
What's more, Brother Yu has always known that you love the people like your own son, so you would never lay your hands on them no matter what. "Ze Rong said it sincerely, with a calm look on his face, looking like an official with cool sleeves.
"This can be regarded as hurting the enemy a thousand times and damaging yourself eight hundred."
Lin Mo sighed and looked at Zuo Rong with gratitude in his eyes, "How much did the Zuo Chamber of Commerce lose this time?"
"Not much, not much, just a few hundred thousand gold."
Anyway, it was all about the Zhen family's business. Zuo Rong didn't feel bad at all, and then he wondered: "But, the Qingzhou flood issue has not been completely resolved."
"What should I say?" Lin Mo frowned slightly.
"Brother, our disaster relief is only to protect them for a while. Many sections of the Yellow River have burst their banks, and all the fields affected by the floods will not be harvested this year. How will the people spend the autumn and winter? Even if we don't increase the price at all, they may not be able to pay back in the end. Can have money to buy food.
You can’t give it away for free, right? "Ze Rong spread his hands.
This is really a problem.
In the final analysis, it is a problem of labor employment. Under the current system, the vast majority of people can only make a living by farming, and there is still a lack of jobs that can make a living.
It seems that efforts should be made in this direction in the future. The rulers must indeed provide sufficient employment opportunities for the people. They cannot just rely on the weather to make ends meet. After all, they are time travellers. Lin Mo has seen this issue very thoroughly.
"Brother Xian, Brother Yu has an idea."
Seeing that Lin Mo was deep in thought, Zhe Rong spoke. The former raised his forehead and motioned for him to continue speaking.
"At this time, we should send the governor of Qingzhou to take office. After taking office, we should vigorously encourage officials from all over the country to repair their mansions, contact aristocratic merchants to organize celebration activities, and carry out large-scale construction. In this way, won't the people have a living?"
"Hahaha"
Lin Mo laughed loudly when he heard this, leaning forward and backward with laughter. After a while, he stood up and patted Zuo Rong's shoulders with both hands, "With you, I solved the problem again, and also earned the governor you have been dreaming about day and night." position, Brother Ze, I really underestimate you."
"What are you talking about, dear brother? I just want to share your worries." Zuo Rong chuckled.
Indeed, before entering the Northern Kingdom, he had promised Zuo Rong that in the future Dadingbei would allocate a state to him as governor. From the beginning of the plan to enter the Northern Kingdom, he had indeed contributed a lot to himself.
For example, Zuo Rong put a lot of effort into the purchase of war horses, Xu You's control, and even the checks and balances on the aristocratic families.
Merit does not necessarily have to be on the battlefield. Giving him a governorship is really not too much.
Moreover, judging from the handling of the flood, it is more than enough to be a governor as long as he uses his brain in the right place.
Especially for being able to toy with the Zhen family and the northern aristocratic families to the point of applause. Good job, reward!
Lin Mo smiled and said, "I will arrange this."
After saying that, Lin Mo became interested and slowly flipped through the account books sent by Zhe Rong.
Zuo Rong is very ruthless. He has eaten up all the Zhen family's business and trade routes in southern Jizhou and the entire Qingzhou. He also controls the water transportation by one person. No wonder he doesn't feel bad even after losing hundreds of thousands of gold here in Qingzhou. Now it's really true. He's a rich man.
At first, Lin Mo smiled happily, but when he turned to the back, his face darkened again.
"I've told you more than once. If you want to take over the business, you can take it. I don't care about you, but you have to eat more land. After a year and a half, you have only taken so much land? Why do you want to eat it? of?"
Speaking of this, Zuo Rong showed an expression that was even more unfair than Dou E's, "Xian brother, it's not that easy. You don't let me buy land from the people. I can only trade it from the powerful hands of the aristocratic families. They also If you don't lack money, you can't buy or sell by force.
These few thousand acres of land were all snatched from aristocratic families at high prices when they purchased common people's land. "
Hearing this, Lin Mo let out a long sigh, "According to this progress, even if it takes ten or even twenty years, the land acquired will only be tens of thousands of acres."
"Although I don't know what you want to do with such land, my dear brother, but when you want land, you always reach out to the people. There is no reason to reach out to wealthy businessmen and aristocratic families. After all, they don't lack this little money."
Zuo Rong lowered his head and did not understand Lin Mo's behavior, and said softly: "If it weren't for the large amount of land in their hands, brother Xian, how could your plan to break their alliance with fertilizers be successful?"
Right.
Even Zuo Rong understands this truth.
However, what he didn't understand was that some things couldn't wait until the time came. They had to start doing them now.
There are actually many ways to make money after you truly take control of the world, but the land issue requires years of storage.
The truly terrifying thing about this behemoth of aristocratic families, besides monopolizing knowledge and infiltrating temples, the most outrageous thing is the land in their hands.
Because of these lands, they could raise so many serfs and even raise an army. This was also their greatest confidence in competing with the current dynasty.
The emergence of Ziyang Academy is, firstly, to break their monopoly on knowledge, and slowly it will also cultivate talents who will go to the temple.
But if we want to dismantle the family's dominance over various places, we must compete with them for land.
If we look at the peasant uprisings in China over the past thousands of years, they all started because of the issue of land annexation, which ultimately made it difficult for the people to survive.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, mergers and acquisitions were prevalent. Local clans colluded with officials and obtained farmers' land in various ways. In the end, the people were unable to support the heavy taxes and were forced to revolt.
Even my old father-in-law has thought about this problem. He once thought that if one day Lin Mo accompanied him to kill a circle on the territory of the Thirteen States of Han Dynasty, he would be able to redistribute the land and find a reasonable one when he had the power. The system checks and balances land annexation by aristocratic families.
In fact, this idea is a bit naive, because while he is growing, the family is actually plundering and growing crazily.
Whether you want to admit it or not, every time you send out troops, the treasury alone cannot support the army burning money on the front line. This point, whether it is Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, himself, or even Sun Ce, who has the least dealing with the family, In the end, you must compromise with these aristocratic families.
They exchanged corresponding power and price for their temporary support to tide over the difficulties, and they used these privileges to expand their family's foundation. In the end, they actually passed on these harms to the people.
When it prospers, the people suffer; when it dies, the people suffer.
I think this sentence probably came into being under this background.
In the end, the aristocratic family was left in ruins, the people suffered terribly, and the conflicts intensified.
In fact, in the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, many mainstays emerged who saw clearly the huge drawbacks of land annexation and proposed corresponding countermeasures. For example, Dong Zhongshu, Chao Cuo and others were dedicated to combating land annexation when they were officials in the court. of.
But in front of the behemoth of the times, the power of an individual seems insignificant.
Even if Liu Xiu, the son of the plane, died in person, this continuation of the Han Dynasty's leader vigorously launched the "Du Tian" movement, but it ended in failure.
There is no way, the implementation of policies has never completely depended on the will of the most powerful person. Even an emperor like Zhu Yuanzhang who went on a killing spree if he disagreed had things that he could not control.
Liu Xiu's big movement was eventually wiped out by the cooperation of aristocratic families from all over the country and officials.
Lu Bu may not be able to see through these things, but as a time traveler, Lin Mo knows very well that it is difficult to conquer a country, but it is even harder to defend a country.
Therefore, land, as the foundation of aristocratic families, must be prepared early. Otherwise, even if the national treasury has enough money that you can divide it into acres, in the end it will not be the people who benefit, or the biggest ones. The beneficiaries are not the common people, but the aristocratic families.
However, judging from the current situation, it is obvious that Zuo Rong cannot do it alone. The reason why I valued him in the first place was actually because he dared to attack officials appointed by aristocratic families and even the imperial court. I felt that this guy would be very good at dealing with these giant beasts of the times in the future. However, it turned out that he could not escape the shackles of the times.
Of course, it is also possible that he will not be able to share weal and woe with him after all. After all, his motivation over the years has been basically limited to the pie he painted for him.
I also need someone who is proficient in business and has the courage and ability to acquire land from powerful families and wealthy businessmen.
"Who currently owns the most land on our land?" Lin Mo asked, picking up his messy thoughts.
"The Chen family in Xiapi, the Li family in Zhaojun, the Cui family in Qinghe, the Lu family in Fanyang, and the Zhen family in Zhongshan. The Zhen family alone has a land area of over one million acres."
One million acres of land sounds outrageous, but at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, official data provided by the court showed that the cultivated land reached 700 million acres.
It is a pity that except for a small number of these 700 million acres of land, most of them are in the hands of ordinary people. Most of them are in the hands of aristocratic families, powerful people, wealthy businessmen, and royal nobles. The land that the court can use as rewards also occupies part of the land.
After Lin Mo nodded, there was a hint of slyness on the corner of his mouth, "Did you miss one less person?"
Zuo Rong raised his eyes in deep contemplation, "The Lu family has some land, not much. Liu Ziyang has been in power these years, but I don't know how he annexed the land. The Qiao family may have eaten a lot."
You can still pretend, you and Zuo Rong alone are comparable to the Zhen family.
Lin Mo didn't criticize him, but nodded slightly. This pig could be fattened before being killed.
Lin Mo had no qualms about his conscience at all when he attacked Zuo Rong. He had everything in the world. If it weren't for him, let alone the governor, he wouldn't be able to count on him.
I want to make money, and I want to be a high official. Why the hell can I have such a good thing? I want it too.
After Zhe Rong retreated, Lin Mo put his legs on the table, leaning back on the handsome chair, looking up at the dome, thinking about how to get their land out of the hands of these families.
This question is so difficult.
You need a qualified and absolutely trustworthy person who is proficient in business.
Zuo Rong is not actually proficient in business. He relies more on the privileges he has given him to bully the market. Moreover, he and he are not even close to the same family. I always feel that he is too selfish.
Where can I find such talent?
While I was thinking about it, a maid came over to ask for instructions, "Master Marquis, the young lady has invited me."
Cui Xian?
Lin Mo just glanced at the maid and didn't want to talk to her.
Most likely, he couldn't wait for his old father-in-law to ask himself. This guy is from Cao Cao. Lin Mo thinks that if she can live here, she must not be a heavyweight. She is most likely to be trained in an institution like Hongxiu Zhao. The dead soldiers came out.
In Lin Mo's mind, it would be best if his old father-in-law could come back together and pass some false news to Cao Cao through her, so that he could take advantage of the situation.
The problem is that the old father-in-law has recently fallen into self-doubt and cannot accompany Cui Xian in singing.
Then, there seems to be little point in keeping her in Yecheng.
God knows when the old father-in-law will find himself and redeem himself.
Let's change it tomorrow. Let's have a showdown with her on a sunny day. It would be a good choice to let her explain everything. Lin Mo always felt that if she could come over, there might be an accomplice.
Of course, if you follow the training method of the Red Sleeve Move, the dead soldiers and the dead soldiers will not know each other. This is to prevent someone from being uprooted after missing the trap.
Even if Cui Xian is sentenced to death, someone who can be trusted by Cao Cao must be a tough guy.
Difficult.
"I don't have time. Tell her that my father-in-law has returned to Pengcheng. Let's wait until he comes back." Lin Mo thought for a while and then sent away the Cui family's dowry maid.
This thing, don't go back and take off your clothes and put on the hat of a cumshot mother-in-law. Your reputation will be ruined for the rest of your life.
Seeing the sun going down, Lin Mo changed into brocade clothes, led a group of guards and left the Yuan Mansion towards the Xin family compound.
The Xin brothers have been waiting for a long time, and Guo Tu is also there.
These three people must have been holding it back when they got together. They didn't have the guts to do it at the Hongmen Banquet, but tonight's meal was definitely going to be famous.
Most likely, the Northern Kingdom has obtained it now and wants to make some small moves to help the Henan Gang grow.
Lin Mo didn't ask any questions and sat down normally.
The five tripods and four guis were opened and eaten, and then he looked at Ji Nu, who was wearing a looming and thin gauze dance costume, posing. Lin Mo said that it felt right. After all, after half a lifetime of fighting, can't you still enjoy it?
Every time the song and dance ended, the three of them took turns toasting. They were bombarded with flattery from all kinds of extraordinary talents, but they just didn't jump into the theme. It was quite tolerable.
"I'm almost drunk. If you don't say anything, I'll leave." After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Lin Mo was already a little tipsy.
The three of them looked at each other in embarrassment, and Xinpi hurriedly smiled and said: "The Marquis misunderstood me. The banquet tonight is not for anything else, but to celebrate the success of the Marquis.
Then play music, then dance! "
Then, the accompaniment sounded again.
Different from before, this time, it was a solo dance.
A young woman was dressed in green tulle, highlighting her graceful figure. There was also a wisp of gauze hanging on her face, revealing only her autumn-like eyes.
The figure alone is enough to make Lin Mo swallow her saliva. Looking at the looming face and the skin that can be broken by blows, people can't help but want to step forward and remove her veil to see her true face.
Unexpectedly, there would be such a beautiful woman in the northern country, Lin Mo couldn't help but sit upright.
Just this one action made the Xin brothers and Guo Tu's eyes flash with gleams. There's drama, there's drama!
The girl who danced to the rhythm was different from the previous Ji Nu. Her clothes showed off her figure but did not reveal any excess skin. Her eyes were watery but not charming. Instead, there was a sense of resentment, which seemed to be related to the turbulent world. A refreshing feeling that goes against the grain.
Lin Mo swallowed, and his breathing became a little faster.
After the song was over, the girl took the initiative to propose a toast, "Congratulations to the Marquis for taking sole control of the Northern Kingdom. I wish you the best of luck in setting foot on the Central Plains, clearing the world, and sweeping the wasteland. I wish you a toast."
"Well said." Lin Mo really liked hearing this.
Just when he was about to take the glass and drink it all, the graceful girl moved away and leaned against Lin Mo. Then she raised the glass high and tilted it slowly, and the turbid wine dripped into her mouth.
hiss.
With the wine in his mouth and the sensual feeling on his arms, no wonder there is such a foolish king who will never go to court again. Who can withstand this?
After drinking it, Lin Mo couldn't help it anymore and gently lifted off the girl's veil.
Then, the whole person froze.
(End of chapter)
