Chapter 699: Profiteer
Before the Liangzhou Rebellion, the number of Qiang and Hu rebellions was usually only a few thousand, and the most common was no more than tens of thousands.
However, since the Liangzhou Rebellion, Liangzhou has been in chaos, affecting a small area ranging from a few counties to a large area. The number of rebels has also increased from thousands to tens of thousands.
The reason lies in the involvement of local wealthy families.
Without the support of local noble families, it is relatively rare for Qiang and Hu rebels to number in the tens of thousands.
Just like this time, someone actually dared to put forward the slogan of re-establishing the king of Han Dynasty at the head of the river.
If someone said that there were no remnants of the Song Dynasty's small court involved in it, Feng Yong would rather believe that his mother-in-law was pregnant with twins, and they were twins!
But none of this matters anymore.
Facing the Han army led by Jufu, Chen Shi and others after the Longyou Battle, Feng Yong believed that the rebels could not make any big trouble.
It is enough to leave things like fighting and killing to the general under his command. He has more important things to do.
For example, ensuring logistics.
Compared with going to the front line in person, the most important thing about this battle is how to turn the results of the victory into war dividends.
The Xinghan Hui played an important role in it.
Some time ago, when the weather first showed signs of getting warmer, Dongfeng Express was ready to resume supply to Longyou.
Xu Xun now completely leaves the route from Jincheng to Yong'an to his nominal cousin Xu You.
He himself took great pains to follow the Longyou route.
By the time he ran to Shouyang himself, the weather in Longyou was already very warm. Shouyang in Longxi might be a little colder, but only a little.
When walking outside, wearing a sweater and a coat is enough.
Xu Xun brought a small bag of grain over and asked Feng Yong to inspect it: "Brother, take a look, what's the quality like?"
Feng Yong touched his body but couldn't find the knife.
I had to pick up a little powder with my thumb and forefinger, put it in my mouth and tasted it, and then made a sound. It felt that the taste was not consistent with dry food 2.0.
He took the bag over and looked inside. He saw that the powder inside seemed to be gray?
I thought it was because there was not enough light, so I walked to the door of the hall and looked at the sun again. Yes, it was gray.
“What is this? Can it be eaten?”
Feng Yong frowned and smacked his mouth, feeling that something was not right in his mouth.
Xu Xun came over and smiled: "Brother is a tricky person, so it's normal that he can't get used to this food."
“Young Master! Tell me, what is this?” Feng Yong scolded and shook the bag in his hand. At first glance, it looked like flour that had not been ground properly at first.
But today's flour is not only much finer than before, but also much whiter. Even if it is mixed with various types of soybean flour, it will not become so gray.
If it were flour, Xu Xun wouldn't be able to take it and ask for credit and let him inspect the goods.
Xu Xun came over and whispered: "I can't blame my brother for not knowing. This is something new in Nanxiang."
"It is ground into powder with a 罽头 powder. Except for replacing the flour with 罽头粉, the rest remains the same. It is fried with lard and mixed with some salt."
“This doesn’t look as good as the one made without flour, but the taste is almost the same…”
Feng Yong looked at Xu Xun mumbling and nagging, and shouted impatiently: "Speak like a human being!"
“Ah, yes, yes. My brother’s intention is that we can’t just use the food we have on hand in Longyou. Over in Nanxiang, didn’t we plant a lot of bamboo shoots in the past two years?”
“Since this 罽头 can be ground into powder and can replace flour, then this dry food..."
When Feng Yong heard this, his heart was filled with fire. Isn't this just drinking the blood of soldiers?
I am working my **** off on the front lines, and you are waiting to make war fortune in the back. How dare you even think about drawing blood from soldiers?
When the time comes, one day the soldiers turn against each other, and I will be the first to die!
Thinking of this, Feng Yong raised his powder bag and was about to hit Xu Xun on the head: "You dare? Let me kill you first!"
Xu Xun saw that his brother had turned against him before he could finish his words.
On the spot, he held his head and shouted: "Brother, please spare my life, this is Mrs. Zhang's intention, I am wronged!"
That is to say, Xu Xun shouted in time, and Feng Yong took back the bag that was almost thrown out: "Who? Mrs. Zhang?"
Thinking of Zhang Xingyi's cute and charming appearance, Feng Yong was furious again: "You're talking nonsense! How could Si Niang do such a thing?"
Even though she knew that she was hurting her, how could Siniang lay such a trap for herself?
This speed of blackening is too sudden!
Thinking of this, Feng Yong kicked Xu Xun hard again.
“It’s true, brother, Mrs. Zhang said that in the past few years, Nanxiang has planted a lot of bamboo heads every year to prepare for the shortage.”
“There are so many yun heads that they can’t even eat all the coolies underneath, so in the end they have to be fed to pigs.”
Xu Xun was kicked, but he did not dare to neglect, and quickly explained, "It just so happened that Mrs. Zhang came back to Longyou and knew the situation here."
“After she returned, I don’t know who she learned the trick from. She ground the bamboo head into powder and fried it to make dry food.”
When Feng Yong heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched a few times.
Seeing the change in the expression on his brother's face, Xu Xun knew that he might be safe, so he cautiously approached again.
“Brother, after all, this little lady is for the sake of our brothers.”
"What do the barbarians in Longyou eat? There's not much difference between the Yutou powder and flour. At most, the color is different."
“Besides, the food in the hands of brothers is not only for Longyou. The plantations in Nanzhong and the horse farms in Yuexi are not in need of food.”
"Furthermore, the food reserves in our association have been decreasing day by day since the Northern Expedition. We can't continue like this. Anyway, instead of feeding pigs, why not use this Yu head to help the Hu people in Longyou?"
Fuck!
You take it for granted that you are really a complete profiteer.
Feng Yong looked at him: "Are you sure this is what Madam Zhang ordered you to do?"
It shouldn’t be, how could my fourth mother be so wicked? You must have instigated her to do it, and then put the blame on her!
“How dare I talk nonsense? Besides, I can’t think of such a wicked, uh, such a good way to save money...”
Xu Xun stumbled on his lips.
Can you say one more thing? Believe it or not, I will beat you to death!
Feng Yong pondered for a while, then rolled his eyes, picked up some powder, put it into his mouth and licked it.
Force yourself to believe: Well, this tastes about the same, right?
“I just don’t know if they are used to eating it...”
"Is there anything you can't get used to?" As soon as Xu Xun saw signs of Feng Yong's looseness, he quickly spoke up, "Brother, it's good to have something to eat these days."
“My younger brother came from Pingxiang and happened to meet a small Xiongnu tribe. I heard that General Ma arranged to send them here.”
"They were chased by the Xianbei people in the north and lost all their cattle, sheep and horses. How miserable! My little brother couldn't stand it, so I specially gave them a bag of dry food like this."
"Guess what? The leader of the Huns was so grateful to his little brother that he even let him spend the night in his tent..."
Upon hearing this, Feng Yong looked sideways and said, "Huh? Why, did you sleep with him?"
"Ahem," Xu Xun blushed, "brother, I don't know. These barbarians are barbaric and rude, and some of their customs are very different from ours. This host staying the night with a guest makes people feel..."
At this point, he paused and seemed unable to think of any words to describe it.
“How delicious?” Feng Yong answered.
“Yes! It’s very delicious!” Xu Xun slapped his thigh, then looked at Feng Yong, “Brother, it turns out that you also know?”
He looked to the side and then whispered: "Maybe my brother also spent the night in the barbarian tent camp?"
At this point, he suddenly realized: "That's right. My brother is the descendant of the mountain **** in the eyes of the Hu people. I'm afraid there are countless Hu people leaders who want to invite my brother to spend the night."
"In this case, the wife and daughter of the Hu leader in Longyou..."
Feng Yong saw that this man was speaking more and more inhumanly, and immediately kicked him away: "Get out!"
Even if I use soap to rub them all night, I don't even have the thought.
Xu Xun shamelessly came up to him again: "Brother, look at this dry food..."
“How many do you have in your hands?”
Feng Yong asked.
"How can we dare to do this easily if my brother doesn't speak? Now I just take a little and let my brother hold his eye."
“If brother thinks it’s feasible, then I’ll bring a batch here next time. Speaking of which, these Nanxiang bamboo heads have been stored all winter, and if they are left there any longer, they will probably break.”
Xu Xun said quickly.
“Sure, let’s bring a batch here next time.” Feng Yong nodded, agreeing to the matter, “But this thing needs to be changed.”
“Try to mix half and half flour and yung head powder so it’s not too obvious.”
Besides, prepare food for famine and prepare food for famine. Now there is a famine in Longyou. What’s wrong with using Yutou to relieve the famine?
Not only is it not wrong, it is also natural.
It's just that the shape is different!
Siniang was indeed a virtuous housekeeper, and she immediately grasped the essence of the matter: instead of using the food to save the famine, she actually used it to feed pigs, which was a heinous crime!
“Brother is still thoughtful!” Xu Xun quickly flattered him, and then approached him again, “Brother, this time the Western Expedition rebels against Hu, our...”
Speaking of this, Xu Xun's eyes shone brightly, "Should the price also be increased?"
"What?"
Feng Yong couldn't react for a moment.
“It’s hard work.” Xu Xun pointed out directly, “I heard that there are more than 100,000 barbarians rebelling in Longxi!”
"The price of pork has nearly doubled, and the price of human meat... uh, I mean, this labor is still high-quality labor, so the price must go up no matter what! Otherwise, wouldn't we lose money?"
“How much do you plan to raise?”
Feng Yong asked.
The price will definitely rise, but Feng Yong has been staying in Longyou this year, and even traveled to a remote place like Longxi in the past few months.
It is inconvenient to transmit information, and I am not familiar with the current market situation, so I have to ask someone who is familiar with the market situation.
"This number." Xu Xun held out three fingers, "I have discussed it with Deng Weizhe, and it is enough to increase it by this number."
Feng Yong took a breath after hearing this. You guys are so bad. You raised the price by almost half.
“Make up a whole number?”
“Yes, that’s right, round up the number, one hundred and ten.”
Xu Xun nodded.
“Is it too much?”
Feng Yong hesitated.
It’s not that I feel pity for these barbarians, but I am worried about causing a market rebound.
These days, once the army moves over, the barbarians who refuse to obey are basically massacred.
Since the war between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, it has been this way, with no mercy or humanity at all.
Historical books often say that they were victorious and obtained tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and horses, but they never mentioned what happened to the original owners of those hundreds of thousands of livestock.
How will they survive if their livestock is taken away?
It is enough if they are dead. What other animals are needed?
This is the real historical truth.
Since Feng Yong proposed the concept of converting prisoners of war into labor and restoring farming, the treatment of prisoners of war has been much better than before.
And this concept is very consistent with the trend of the Han Dynasty urgently needing population.
At least the prisoners of war went from being slaughtered **** to having a little hope of survival.
From this aspect, Feng Yong feels that he has made great merits.
"Brother, this is really not much. We have already negotiated with people in Shuzhong who plan to come to Longyou to open workshops, and they are also willing to raise the price."
Xu Xun said quickly, "Brother, you don't know. Apart from my brother, I really can't find labor anywhere else."
"Even in Nanzhong, in the past two years, it was easy to say that the tribes belonging to the five captains of Nanzhong were still able to catch some barbarians from the mountains and forests who raided the manor."
“Now those small tribes and villages in the mountains and forests have learned well. They actually come out of the mountains and forests to approach the government and say they want to learn farming.”
"Brother, listen, these barbarians can't stay in the mountains and forests, how can they learn to farm..."
When Feng Yong heard this, his face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and he felt mixed emotions in his heart.
On the surface, he had to scold him: "Just say a few words and teach the barbarians to farm. This is the South China policy set by the prime minister. How can you be allowed to make random comments? Do you want your life?"
“Oh, yes, yes. The Prime Minister is very kind. Otherwise, I heard that General Huo Aji from Pingyi County personally went to Jincheng to pay his respects to His Majesty.”
“Finally, I got His Majesty’s permission and planned to open a sugar cane plantation, still under the name of Nanzhongye. It seems that the barbarians in Nanzhong have really been enlightened...”
When Feng Yong heard this, he was slightly startled: "Huo Aji?"
“Brother, don’t you remember?”
How could you not remember?
The title of Ghost King of Nanzhong would not have been resounding throughout Nanzhong and left such a bad reputation without the help of the two barbarian leaders Meng Huo and Huo Aji.
“Huo Aji is a sober person.” Feng Yong nodded approvingly. Feng Yong had always admired this Yi general who used his entire clan to help the Han Dynasty quell the rebellion in Nanzhong.
With this transformation, Nanzhong has taken another step forward from semi-restricted administration to real county management.
Xu Xun was a bit disapproving. He only saw labor: "So, it is getting harder and harder to find labor nowadays."
“I heard that my elder brother was preparing to attack the rebels in the west of Longxi. My younger brother was really happy and came over without stopping.”
When he said this, his face was very anxious, even with anxiety: "Brother, have you heard? There has been news recently that the Prime Minister is planning to take action against Lao Li."
Feng Yong, however, looked like he had expected it, "Isn't this a normal thing? We have benefited so much in the past few years, and the court can only watch from the sidelines. Who will be better off if we change it?"
ˆ Emerging markets will always return to government management after experiencing their initial barbaric growth.
What’s more, it involves the sensitive issue of population.
The Han-Yi unity proposed by the Prime Minister is ultimately for the sake of population.
Xu Xun was a little surprised when he saw Feng Yong's expression: "Brother, have you known the Prime Minister's plan for a long time?"
Feng Yong glanced at Xu Xun: "What do you think? How could the Prime Minister not say hello to me in advance for such a thing?"
After all, he is the head of the Dahan Labor Company.
You can’t bypass yourself by bypassing anyone.
When Xu Xun heard this, he was overjoyed. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and raised his thumb: "Brother is still awesome!"
During the Northern Expedition, the Han Dynasty captured many Wei soldiers, and they are now stationed in the Longyou Governor's Mansion.
There is also the King of Di, Qiang Duan. He wanted to repeat his old tricks and try to trick the Han again, but he was tricked by the Han. As a result, all the Di people who rebelled in Wudu, Yinping fell into the hands of the Han.
Now the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty finally planned to extend his evil hand to the huge market of labor.
The land of Longyou is vast and sparsely populated, so the Han decided to set up farming here.
How to do labor?
Look for it from the Ghost King!
The main source of labor is Feng Yong. As long as you find Feng Yong, everything will be solved.
“The prime minister means that from now on, all those who use labor must register with the government, just like cattle. If you kill the labor at will, you will be fined.”
“So these laborers can only be regarded as sinners who have served hard labor. After completing the hard labor, they must be rearranged by the government.”
Feng Yong explained Zhuge Laoyao's plan in a general way, "This is a temporary plan at the moment. As for when it will be implemented, it is not clear yet."
“Since the prime minister has told his brother what he meant, it’s probably not far from implementation, right?”
When Xu Xun heard this, he became even more anxious.
"Maybe."
Feng Yong actually couldn’t explain how he felt.
The market is growing wildly. We, who are in a huge advantage, must welcome it. We can eat as much as we want - but there are huge hidden dangers.
It may happen one day, especially for myself who is getting more and more high-ranking.
So it would be much safer to return to unified management by the government, which shows that this market has been recognized by the government.
Unsafe short-term huge profits and long-term steady flow of money each have their own benefits.
“Brother, then this price increase is even more urgent. Who knows what will happen to this labor in the future? Before the news from the Prime Minister’s Palace comes out.”
“Brother has just sent troops to quell the rebellion of the Hu people in Longxi. Hurry up and eat more meat!”
Xu Xun hurriedly advised, like a profiteer with a heart as black as coal.
“Are you spreading the word that the Prime Minister may not allow labor trading in the future?”
Feng Yong thought of what Xu Xun said just now, if people who buy labor are willing to raise prices, he suddenly understood.
You shameless rich and powerful capitalists!
For the sake of profit, how dare you let the Prime Minister take the blame? Um?
"No, no, brother, don't talk nonsense." Xu Xun immediately denied it, "It's not someone who spread the rumor, I just heard it occasionally!"
Feng Yong sneered, not saying whether he believed it or not.
Use information asymmetry to deliberately disrupt the market, and then take advantage of the opportunity to make huge profits. Why does this routine feel so familiar?
(End of this chapter)