my days with tyrants

Chapter 37 The Salt Merchant Suffers, The Salt Merchant Is Tired, and the Salt Merchant Suffers

Yang Feng, who was full of food and drink, was sent off by He Yong and others, and boarded a boat across the river to the north bank.

The latter was not notified to intercept him...

In fact, he didn't even know the news of the time traveler coming to Daming.

It can be seen from this that Zhu Yuanzhang's announcement to the world was completely casual, that is, he posted a few notices in Nanjing, and there was no publicity outside Nanjing, but he probably didn't expect to block the news, so people in Jiangpu He knew about Yang Feng, so the news was still spreading. Maybe some people in Xuyi knew about it at this time, but no one knew about it in this kind of village nearly a hundred miles away from Xuyi.

Since he didn't even know this, of course he didn't know that he was running away.

So Zhu Yuanzhang should have told Xie Gui long ago, if he ran away and pretended nothing happened, even if he hadn't told him in advance, Xie Gui would have received similar instructions afterward.

In short, He Yong, as the highest official in this area, knows nothing about these things. Now that he has an iron certificate and an imperial decree, he will do whatever he says.

He wanted to prepare the ferry quickly, and He Yong prepared it for him as quickly as possible. If he wanted to cross the Huaihe River, he would send him across the Huaihe River.

As for Xuyi County...

He Yong has a hundred households of the sixth rank, and the county magistrate of Xuyi has a rank of seven.

It doesn't matter what the magistrate means, the two of them are not in the same system at all.

After arriving at the north bank, Yang Feng grabbed a handful of banknotes and rewarded the fishermen who gave him the money, then turned his head eastward and arrived at the bank of Hongze Lake when it was dark.

He just wanted the route to be erratic and couldn't follow the normal way of thinking, so he didn't go north but east, and then turned north to Shandong in Haizhou.

It's still early for the little princess and the others to reach Jinzhou.

They had to go to Peiping first, and they had to go to Peiping by land from Nanjing to Liaodong.

At that time, the Tianjin area was still a wetland flooded by the tide, that is, there were only some shipping piers and granaries along the Haihe River. There was no Tianjin city yet, and there was still Zhigu there.

To Peiping, and then to Yongping, and to Yongping alone is already [-] miles, and then to Jinzhou is really [-] miles, [-] miles a day without a break for more than four months.

So if nothing else happens, they will arrive before the end of the year, and then just in time for the New Year to reward the army. Zhu Yuanzhang asked for a reward for the army in the first month. This batch of winter clothes itself is a gift. I'm not that bold, I guess I want the Liaodong Army to do something.It is not ruled out to let them go to sweep. After all, Yang Feng has told him that his Ming Dynasty was destroyed by the Jurchen. It is very unreasonable not to rush to sweep in Lao Zhu's style.

To mop up, of course, first boost morale, distribute winter clothes and banknotes, and then you can go murder and set fire like a wolf.

But Yang Feng went to Liaodong normally, which was only two months.

So he has plenty of time.

The next day, Taoyuan County.

"What are you looking at, haven't you seen a rich man?"

Holding a stack of banknotes, Yang Feng stood on the main road into the city, proudly looking at a pair of greedy eyes beside him.

His eyes instantly changed to enthusiasm.

"this……"

The latter looked at his attire and was obviously a little confused. After all, wearing a square hat, a short brown suit, and leather boots on his feet was indeed a bit unique.

"This brother is going to enter the city?"

He said cautiously.

This is a middle-aged man wearing a worn-out black coarse cloth blouse and a baotou on his head, driving a donkey. There are a series of donkeys behind him, and there are six other drivers in the same dress. The accent obviously has a Shanxi flavor.

"Yes, but I didn't lead the way."

"Brother Tai's accent is not a foreigner, as long as it is within a hundred miles, there is no need for guidance."

"I don't know if it's hundreds of miles away. I came here from Hongze Lake and walked all morning, but I really don't know how many miles away."

"How can you walk a hundred miles in one morning? Naturally, it's within a hundred miles. That's fine. Brother, follow us and say you came from Baiyang River, but don't open your mouth. I'll tell you."

"Well, you're such a nice guy."

Yang Feng said.

"It's convenient for others, it's convenient for me, but I really can't wear these boots. If you don't mind, brother, I have a new pair of straw sandals here."

The man said with a smile.

Then he took out a pair of straw sandals.

Yang Feng didn't bother, and changed into it very quickly. The most important thing is to go to the city. Although this still reveals the camouflage pants inside, it doesn't matter. After all, Daming didn't stipulate that farmers can't wear camouflage.

Then they went together like this to the city gate.

When he arrived at the city gate, the man greeted the gatekeeper with a smile...

"Old Wang, the salt seller is back, your business is booming!"

The gatekeeper said with a smile.

"It's just a living, I just hope that this trip doesn't have to wait another half a month to pay the salt, and we can have wine together later."

Old Wang said.

Then he took out the guide, but the gatekeeper didn't even look at it, and just signaled him to enter the city. The old Wang politely said a few words and went directly into the city. Yang Feng was caught in the donkey. No one cared about him, so they entered Taoyuan County together.

"Are you salt merchants?"

Yang Feng asked.

"Exactly, brother Wang Yi, from Jiexiu, Shanxi."

"My name is Yang Feng. Are you selling salt here in Shanxi?"

"Hedong Salt Farm produces those every year, and my brother's salt is sold to Henan, so naturally it goes to Huaibei Salt Farm."

"Then how do you sell salt?"

"Brothers are a partnership business with the clansmen. The brothers and clansmen reclaimed wasteland and farmed in the Datong area. The food they harvested was used as military rations for the nearby frontier fortresses. They were exchanged for salt and then sent to Huai'an. The brothers sent them to Huai'an and took the salt sent to the salt field. Salt, and then take the buddies to transport it to Henan to sell, and finally earn the money at the end of the year, and the family will settle the money."

"Is it so troublesome to sell salt?"

"Who says it's not, but the rules of the imperial court are like this. If you don't bring food to the frontier, you won't have salt. The good fields are all occupied by military households, and there are only some left to go to the fields to open up wasteland. The grain grown is given to the frontier army, and I don’t have enough to eat. I have to buy grain from my hometown and send it to subsidize. If it is not for salt, who is still there? Farming there, in the end the whole family had to spend a year without leisure and had to cut down on food and clothing in order to maintain this business.

That's not enough, the salt transported to Henan has to be priced by others. "

"Can't you sell as much as you want?"

"The county government of Yande brought together the chiefs from all over the place, and finally negotiated a price together, but in fact it was decided by the county magistrate. He said that he had to sell as much as he wanted, and then the chief gave us the money, and we gave the salt to us. Li Chang, it’s okay to meet someone who is easy to talk to, but if you meet those county magistrates who want to gain a reputation for loving the people like their sons, even if you give them a loss-making price, there’s nothing you can do!”

"Then you won't ship it to other places for sale?"

Yang Feng said.

Wang Yi silently took out a piece of paper...

"How much salt is this, where is it going to be withdrawn, where is this going to be sold, all of them are dead, if they are sold to other places, it is a felony to be caught at the checkpoint, not to mention that they can't sell it if they go there, after all, they There is also Yanyin from someone's side."

He pointed to the words above and said.

He wasn't lying, that's exactly what it said.

"It's not easy to start a business. Salt merchants are suffering, and salt merchants are tired. Salt merchants really suffer!"

Yang Feng couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

After hearing this, Wang Yi couldn't help wiping away his tears...

"Brother, I haven't been home for five years."

He choked out.

If you still work after not going home for five years, you must have made a lot of money. If you don’t make money, you will quit.

When they are not suffering and become a happy life of a hundred sheep, it is time for the Ming army on the Nine Sides to suffer. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang’s system is indeed extremely unfriendly to businessmen, but it is really friendly to the Ming army on the Nine Sides. A salt industry basically solved the military needs of the Northwest.You must know that it is inland land transportation, there is no waterway at all, all are transported by pushing carts and donkey carriages. If you don’t rely on the salt industry, you have to collect corvees from various places and let the peasants transport them there.

And this also forced these salt merchants to drive Shangtun to the frontier.

In fact, it is equivalent to immigration.

Population, farmland, trade lines, and garrisons, Xuanda, northern Shaanxi, and Gansu, which had been grasslandized for hundreds of years, were all restored to farming by virtue of this system, and were once again firmly controlled by the Han people.

"Patience, good days are yet to come!"

Yang Feng patted his shoulder and said.

Then they came to an inn in this way.

"Old Wang, what is this for?"

The shopkeeper came out with a smile and said.

"I couldn't help feeling homesick for a while, but it made Brother Li laugh."

Wang Yi said.

Then they walked into the inn together, and the guys took the donkey and fed it to the back. The shopkeeper took out a big book and looked at Lao Wang and his guys, and then wrote the names of these people on it. He became an acquaintance, and soon he finished writing and looked at Yang Feng with doubts.

"Old Wang, this brother is new to you, you still have to use Luyin to see."

He said.

"This brother Yang is my new buddy, why bother."

Wang Yi said.

"Old Wang, we are also old friends, don't make things difficult for me, you know the rules of this store, the court's laws are strong, if something is found out by the government, I will take my life and wealth, I am serious here Business."

The shopkeeper said with a half-smile.

Wang Yi winked at him, the shopkeeper walked aside with him suspiciously, Yang Feng looked at them ignorantly, Wang Yi smiled at him, and then whispered something to the shopkeeper, the two of them were just doing it quietly Conspiracy, they finished talking soon, and came back together with a smile. The shopkeeper looked at Yang Feng, and put the store calendar in his hand on the counter...

"Since the old king is the guarantor, there is nothing to say. Forgive me, brother Yang. It is really the court's rule. You must provide a guide when you stay in the store. You must remember it clearly in the store calendar. You must remember what you bring. , In the future, the government will inspect it, and if something happens, they can notify their family members to come, but if they are found to house those who have no way to lead them, they will be sent to the frontier fortress.”

He said.

Yang Feng smiled slightly...

So have interests that outweigh the fear of these punishments before you take the risk.

(End of this chapter)