Chapter 78 Hugging the Grass and Hitting the Rabbit
"Old Ma, how much money is still in our account in the department, all of it is transferred out to buy commercial goods."
"Go to Hebei?"
"Yes, anyway, by raking grass and beating rabbits, it's a side job."
Pingkangfang, in the yamen of Zhenfusi, the head secretary Ma Zhou listened to Qin Lang's plan with some helplessness, "Sanlang, you are going to Hebei, the task is very heavy, how can there be kung fu transport and sales?"
"You don't understand this. You have to do a full set of plays. Besides, selling some goods to earn some extra money won't delay our mission. Earning some money back can just expand the small coffers of our company. When it’s the New Year’s Eve, I’d better give everyone some more New Year’s gifts.”
Qin Lang himself has now become a big landlord with 20,000 mu of land and 13,800 small taxes to collect, but he has not forgotten the welfare of his brothers. It must be beneficial for everyone to follow him to do things. If the horses are not fed normally, how can the horses run hard at critical times.
Good welfare and good cohesion.
Nine out of ten bosses who blindly talk about responsibility and assign tasks, but don't care about the life and death of their subordinates, will end up being killed by backstabbing.
Besides, Qin Lang already understood it.
Long-distance trade is very difficult these days, so those who can engage in long-distance trade are relatively powerful merchants. High risks bring high returns, and the profits of long-distance trade are quite astonishing.
Qin Lang and the others went north this time, even if they pretended to be an ordinary caravan, but their strength lies there, no matter whether it is open or dark, black or white, there is no need to worry, and they can be smoothed along the way. If the current conditions are not used, it is a waste of resources.
For example, the army on the border likes to use the strength of the soldiers and horses in their hands, as well as the location advantage on the border. They often secretly send troops to engage in some return transactions, that is, smuggling. They also ate some meat and drank some soup, and everyone was happy. Even if the imperial court knew about it, they would usually just turn a blind eye. You can use trade as a cover, and you don't even have to worry about the name of the private return.
Another chief clerk, Wei Zheng, also shook his head. He thought Qin Lang was a good young man, but he loves money. It is said that he is also lustful. It is a pity that he has so many problems at such a young age.
However, Wei Zheng attributed this to the fact that Qin Lang did not read many books. If Qin Lang could read more books of sages and sages, Confucian classics, this would not be the case.
"Master Wei, you came just in time. The secret recipe of distiller's koji and the method of brewing Weigong wine you gave me before, I went back and found some old wine masters. After careful consideration, I adjusted it a little and made a new wine. , named Guogong Wine, come and taste how it tastes, if you think it’s good, I’m going to launch it.” Qin Lang smiled and handed a wine gourd to Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng wanted to say that it's working time, but when he sniffed, he couldn't hold back, and stretched out his hand unconsciously.
Open it, take a sip, Wei Zheng's eyes are involuntarily shining.
"This wine is not bad. It is somewhat similar to Weigong wine, but it is also somewhat different. Is this a new wine?"
"Exactly."
"But right now it's midsummer, hot and sweltering, not the season for wine making. Wine making at this time is most likely to be sour. How did you solve it?"
"It's hard to say, but the key is the temperature, not the season. Seasons change, and what changes is the temperature. Now the weather is hot, which will affect the fermentation process, so I deliberately chose to make wine in cave dwellings, which are warm in spring and cool in summer. , especially for larger cave dwellings, if you dig deeper, the heat outside will not be affected at all.”
It is easy to say, but it is very difficult to adjust a set of craftsmanship, find out a new process, and grasp every key node. Fortunately, Qin Lang found many masters and paid a lot of money A reward was offered, and his later generations often saw his grandfather brewing wine in a small winery in the country, so he could still come up with some constructive ideas.
"How's the wine?"
"Good wine."
Wei Zheng nodded and admitted that although he felt that it lacked a bit of taste compared to his Weigong wine collection, it was already very good.
"Since Wei Gong thinks it is good wine, then my wine is considered good. I have already brewed a few batches. This time, I will take it to Hebei and sell it along the way. The name is, it is called Guo Gong wine."
The wine made by Wei Zheng is called Weigong Wine, and the wine made by Qin Lang should be called Qingong Wine, but Qin Lang is too young to be called Qingong Wine. The Duke, the Duke, the wine brewed by the Duke, how tall he is when he drinks it and becomes a Duke.
It will be easy to form brand communication in the future.
"Old Wei, this is the first wine in our distillery. When you are free, go and help give pointers to improve it."
"This wine was made by you, Saburo, so it's naturally yours." Wei Zheng didn't care too much about the winery. At the beginning, he promised Qin Lang to bring out the wine koji and secret recipes, and then he did what he said, but he didn't care about the management. Didn't interfere at all.
"It will be more cost-effective to wait until the end of the year."
Qin Lang was just testing the waters with this state wine. He is now ready to use horse baijiu. There will be a lot of distiller's grains left in the brewing of water wine, and the remaining distiller's grains can only be used as fodder to feed animals, which is just right for brewing baijiu. Bad shochu, also known as Jiuhan, was very popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in later generations, and good Jiuhan is also a fine wine.
But it’s too late for the time being, Qin Lang plans to wait until Hebei comes back to get it, but he got a batch of highly distilled alcohol in the previous experiment, so he simply saved it and prepared to bring it as medical alcohol.
Withdrew all the money from the Zhenfusi yamen account in one breath, and then asked Wei Chang, who was familiar with Chang'an Fang City, to do big shopping and bought a large number of rare goods.
"Spices from the Western Regions, wine from Gaochang, Shu brocade from Yizhou, hemp paper from Chengdu, frosted sugar from Tianzhu, tea from Jiangnan..."
The distance from Chang'an to Youzhou is more than two thousand miles.
According to the normal trade situation, the price of Shu brocade and other commercial goods from Chang'an to Youzhou will at least double. And if some rarer commodities are shipped over, the profits can sometimes reach as much as two or three times higher.
Of course, if Qin Lang and the others could save the tribute cards along the way, the profits would still be astonishing.
"We are very familiar with the leaders of the 270th line in the east and west cities, and we directly look for some good things they want, and we only pay 20% of the purchase price for each item, and the rest will be paid after three months , then we will pay 20% more interest.”
This is simply a free business, profit without capital, pay 20% to get the goods, pay the balance after three months, and only pay 20% more profit. In this era, this is indeed a bit of a suspicion of coercion.
"It's not persecution, it's because everyone is selling our old face. We are all old friends who have been in Chang'an City for many years. We just take care of each other. Besides, some people are the hidden informants of our Zhen'an Department." Wei Chang didn't care. road.
Qin Lang thought about it for a while. Many businessmen have to rely on powerful backers these days. Otherwise, the business would not be so easy to do. If they have the opportunity to build a relationship with the Zhen Fusi, even if they want to send goods and money for nothing, they I am willing too.
This is indeed a good thing for mutual benefit, just like being advertised on a TV station or a newspaper, it is rewarding.
"Old Wei, why do you like this tune now."
"If you don't take theirs for nothing, treat it as a gift from Saburo, and I will pay for it."
"That doesn't mean you bribed?"
······
"Why don't you buy a few and bring them to Youzhou this trip?"
Liu Jiu came over and said.
"It's inconvenient to take a few women with you when driving on the road." Qin Lang refused.
"It's common to bring women in caravans, and selling maidservants is even more profitable business. Let's bring a few, so they will look more decent." Liu Jiu still wants to bring them.
Seeing their eagerness, Qin Lang also wanted to take a look at the European giant horses of this era, so he pretended to reluctantly agree.
······
Three days later.
Outside Chang'an City, Baqiao.
A caravan came out of Chang'an, and many of the purchased goods were carried by camels. Camel transportation is more convenient than carts and horses, and it is not limited by road conditions.
Qin Lang changed into a double-breasted small lapel blouse full of Hu Feng, stepped on a pair of breathable straw sandals, wore a sunshade hat on his head, and rode a leopard head.
He didn't bring a horse lance and iron gun, but only a horizontal knife on his waist, and a pair of bows and arrows in the bow bag on the saddle, but a pair of golden maces was hidden.
Behind him are Liu Jiu and Lin San who were dressed as Jihu, Qin Yong and Qinyong who were dressed as guards, and Ah Huang who was dressed as a groom. In addition, Wei Zheng was dressed in a long robe, obviously the accountant of the caravan.
Followed by about 30 people, they acted as caravan guards, grooms, laborers and so on.
Behind the caravan, there are two monks, one old and one young, who are going to travel together. Although the Tang Dynasty is unified these days, the roads are not peaceful, and there are still many bandits and thieves blocking the road. Everyone is still used to traveling far away. Go hand in hand and take care of each other. And businessmen also like to bring scholars or monks and priests with them.
Out of Chang'an City, the camel caravan moved forward slowly, and the camel bells rang.
Dozens of people in the Zhenfu Division, riding horses or walking, seem to be random, but in fact, they have already made detailed deployment arrangements, loose on the outside and tight on the inside, especially for Qin Lang, the Sicheng, who is secretly protected from all sides. , will protect him as soon as possible to ensure nothing goes wrong.
After riding a horse for a while, Qin Lang regretted it a bit, and asked Ah Huang to get a silk scarf to wrap around his face to cover his mouth and nose. Although the official roads are quite wide these days, they are all dirt roads. This rainy day It was muddy and difficult to move, but when the weather cleared, it was full of dust. Once the camels and horses passed in front, the people behind were completely covered in dust.
Silver-faced Wei Tuo Qin Yong saw Qin Lang frowning, and said, "Sanlang, why don't I send my brothers to pull some away, so as to save dust everywhere?"
Qin Lang glanced at this silver-faced Wei Tuo. Although he was never adopted by Qin Qiong as a foster son, in terms of bravery, he was as fierce as Qin Yong among the generals of the Qin family. Just by looking at the weapons he used. knew.
Sledgehammer son Qin Yong used to use iron spears on horseback, and copper hammers in close combat.
However, Qin Yong's immediate soldier was a stick, but it was not an ordinary long stick, but a very heavy cooked copper dragon stick. There was a chain at the front of this copper stick connected to a short stick, so that This Coiling Dragon Cudgel is changeable, it looks like a two-section stick and a flail, and it is made of copper and iron, so it is extremely strong.
But Qin Yong's short weapons are a pair of vajra subduing demon pestles, which are not as long as his forearms. Although these pestles are short, they are held in his hand when he uses them, exposing the pointed front part. Thorn, especially this thing can also be used as a hidden weapon to throw and smash.
Generals with blunt weapons, both long and short, usually take a fierce approach. Qin Yong and Qin used two, one brave and the other mighty. There is another reason why Qin Yong used the Vajra pestle, that is, he was a novice monk in the temple when he was young, and the temple was broken down into refugees at the end of the Sui Dynasty. This former little novice has long since become a bloodthirsty God of War.
"Actually, there is no need to be so vigilant. We have just left Chang'an City. It is impossible that there will be bandits and thieves?" Qin Lang laughed.
Qin Yong said that he looked fair-skinned but gentle, and smiled lightly when he heard the words, "Sanlang, don't be fooled by the prosperity of Chang'an City. As long as you leave Chang'an City for twenty miles, there will be no pure land. Let's With a large caravan, the camel cargo may be targeted by someone who wants to leave Chang'an City, so it's always good to be careful."
"Isn't it possible?"
"If Saburo doesn't believe it, you can ask the old horse, he used to do this business."
Ah Huang led Qin Lang's horse, and walked with a pair of legs without slowing down. Hearing this, he chuckled, "Ah Yong is right. Nothing in this world is peaceful. This is Chang'an, the capital of the capital, and there are cities in every prefecture and county. Army guards, of course no bandits dare to approach, but you have to be careful when you encounter mountains, forests, and rivers, because where the left and right are not aligned, there will be a group of strong people hiding."
"We have so many commodities, and they are all valuables at first glance. There must be a strong eyeliner who has already spotted them."
Qin Lang didn't take it seriously, and didn't panic at all.
"When you say that, I'm actually a little bit more excited. It's no fun to eat ashes on such a boring journey. If someone comes to cheer for the fun, it will also pass the boredom." Qin Lang looked at the dust and the sound of camel bells.
"Let's not go to the city to rest tonight, a little farther away from the city, find a place at the foot of a mountain or by a river, and let's camp."
Qin Yong twitched his lips, "Sanlang, are we a little careless? Everyone is on a journey, and they don't want to cause trouble. How can there be deliberate ostentation."
"You're right about the lure, Ah Huang, you let the brothers put the goods back together, deliberately revealing more, and make sure those so-called strongmen know that we are big fat sheep, the kind that cannot be missed." Qin Lang had a smirk on his face.
Ah Huang chuckled, "Sanlang, you are too foolish."
"This is Jiang Taigong fishing, and we are also willing to take the bait." Qin Lang said.
"Is it necessary?" Qin Yong asked.
"What kind of yamen are we? Zhenfusi, what do we do? We are in charge of the power of supervision and arrest. I think these green forest thieves, rivers and lakes, heroes, scissors, and strong men are actually worthy of being included. These people are well-informed on the road. He has a wide network of people, if he can be recruited by us, it will be of great help to us." Qin Lang said.
"It turns out that Saburo came up with this idea! But these people are either outlaws, or rebellious people, or some rascals, I'm afraid it's not easy to use."
"Whether it works or not, you have to try it first. Besides, even if it doesn't work, let's clear up a few thieves' dens and so on. Maybe we can make some windfall money!"
(end of this chapter)