National color raw owl

Gongsun Chu hesitated for a while, and finally said: "My lord, I may not like what you say, but... I just have to say it because of the esteem of my lord!"

Chu Huan immediately said: "Master Gongsun has something to say, but it's okay to say it."

"Your Excellency came to Xiguan, quelled the rebellion, promulgated the land equalization order, and exchanged rent and servants. These are all practical things that benefit the country and the people, and I admire them very much." Gongsun Chu said slowly: "But I want to make Xiguan in a short time. Restoring the former peace in the country is something that can be sought but not obtained... I am presumptuous, my lord may have to make early preparations to prevent civil uprisings in the coming year."

Chu Huan frowned.

"The food is definitely not enough." Gongsun Chudao: "Almost all the food collected at present is the fields of the gentry in Xiguan. Your Excellency planned to borrow the food in the hands of these gentry in the name of the government, and then according to the amount of land, repay It’s certainly feasible to lend the government’s name to the common people, but it’s hard to guarantee that no one will not object.” He bowed his hands to the old man Su who was next to him, “The old man has high morals and a kind heart, and he is willing to lend the harvested grain. All the gentry will lend it."

Chu Huan said indifferently: "This governor is thinking about the overall situation of Xiguan, and I borrowed their food, and will return it to them with interest in the coming year. Is this also embarrassing for this governor?"

Mrs. Su hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Chu Du, Lord Gongsun's words are not unreasonable. Before the food was harvested, everyone swore that they would lend the food to the government, but once the food is taken back home, they want to go back to the government. It will take some trouble to get them to take it out. Although the government promised to repay the grain with interest in the coming year, for many people, they may not be willing to wait for the interest in the next year. Rare things are more expensive, as long as Xiguan There is a shortage of grain here, and the price of grain will inevitably skyrocket. Compared with the interest, they will take the opportunity to sell the grain in their hands at a high price, and the profit they will get will be much greater." Stroking his white beard, he sighed softly: "As the saying goes, it is good , people die for money, birds die for food, and the food is at home, they will definitely think about it in their hearts."

Chu Huan shook his head and said, "It's not up to them. Whether they borrow it or not, this year's grain must be lent to the government. This is a matter of the overall situation of Xiguan, and they are not allowed to play tricks."

Gongsun Chudao: "This is the problem. If they are like the old man, they give up their own interests and cooperate with the government. On the contrary, they will feel that the government is too domineering, and they will feel dissatisfied in their hearts. One or two is fine." , If everyone thinks this way, things will be troublesome, and if things go wrong, someone will come out to make trouble, so adults must think about this, plan ahead, and we must take countermeasures when we realize it."

Old Master Su said: "Chu Du, Lord Gongsun said that the government should take countermeasures, and the old man will try his best to find the local gentry together with the Qian family and the Hong family, and persuade them not to just focus on the immediate future." We should take a long-term view and cooperate with the government as much as possible. Our family still has some prestige in Xiguan, and it may be useful to go to persuade, but there are countless gentry in the prefectures and counties of Xiguan, but they may not all listen to our words .”

Chu Huan gave a deep salute, and said gratefully: "The old man must get twice the result with half the effort. Chu Huan thanked you in advance."

"They are all from my own family, so there is no need to be so polite." The old man stroked his beard and smiled, his words were meaningful.

Chu Huan knew very well that as the head of the seven surnames in Xiguan, the Su family tried their best to help him. In the final analysis, it was because of Lin Lang's relationship. In the eyes of the Su family, he was considered the son-in-law of the Su family. If Xiguan is stable, it means that Ruosu's position in Xiguan is unshakable.

Chu Huan actually doesn't dislike such a relationship. After all, he knows very well that no matter how capable he is, he wants to sit in Xiguan with only his bare hands. The local gentry of Xiguan with the seven surnames of Xiguan are the intertwined roots of the tree in the land of Xiguan, and being able to use the power of this tree root, at present, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

The Su family has a strong brand of Linlang. Every time the Su family tries their best to help, Chu Huan will think of Linlang in his mind. Because of Linlang, her family has helped him a lot, and Linlang herself has helped Du Fu. Taking care of the salt road affairs, although Lin Lang has not been back in the northwest for a long time, under her management, the sales of new salt have spread all over the northwest, and Lin Lang has created a criss-cross salt road network in the entire northwest. The importance of zhangyandao.com to Chu Huan is self-evident.

Gongsun Chu said again: "Apart from the gentry, the biggest trouble is still on the side of the common people. Even if all the gentry are willing to lend this year's harvest to the government, the government can control the grain, except for the grain seeds. It is not enough to maintain the livelihood of the people, so... After all, many people will starve to death this year, but the number is still unknown. As long as someone dies of hunger, someone will take the opportunity to make trouble. Many people will starve to death. The bigger the disturbance, the fewer people starved to death, the smaller the disturbance, but no matter what, there must be no turmoil in Xiguan in the coming years, so before things happen, we must make preparations in advance, even if it happens turmoil."

The late autumn wind blew over, carrying the smell of wheat, but Chu Huan's face was very serious at this moment.

After a while, Chu Huan finally shook his head and said, "We can't let people starve to death, let alone lead to civil uprisings and ruin the current development trend...!"

"I don't want people to starve to death." Gongsun Chu sighed: "But...a clever woman can't afford to live without rice. The government doesn't have enough food, so it won't be able to relieve all the victims."

Chu Huan pondered for a while, and finally asked: "Grandpa, the Su family has contacts in the pass, so they should be very clear about the business in the pass?"

The old man nodded and asked, "What does Governor Chu want to know?"

"Salt!" Chu Huan asked, "You said earlier that some of the grain harvested this year will be repaid to the pass with interest?"

"Yes!" The old man nodded and said, "Even the principal with interest, you have to pay back one hundred thousand shi."

Chu Huan thought for a while, and finally said: "For the current Xiguan, an inch of rice is an inch of gold, and a hundred thousand shi of grain is not a small sum."

The old man said: "Although it's not a small amount, we can't lose a piece of grain. After all, they helped us when we were in trouble. Now that we have a harvest, we must return them with the principal and interest as promised."

"Old man, I have an idea." Chu Huan walked to the edge of the ridge, and sat on the haystack by the side of the ridge regardless of the dirt on the ground. Gongsun Chu helped the old man to sit beside him. What do you think of us repaying them with equivalent value of new salt instead of grain?"

"New salt instead of grain?" The old man was startled, thoughtful, and finally smiled: "Why didn't the old man think of this... Yes, you can try it." He said: "Chu Du, the market in the pass We understand that the table salt on the southeast side has been completely occupied by Tianmen Dao, and the court cannot get salt. Tianmen Dao has salt in its hands. Even if it wants to sell it to the mainland, the road is blocked by the imperial army. The road has been completely cut off. Now the salt in the pass, except for the rare well salt, can only rely on the sea salt shipped from Fuhai Road. From Fuhai Road to the inland, the shortest road is to go through Hebei Road. Now Hebei Road has been The Qingtian King's rebel army occupied it, so that road was impassable. They either had to bypass Liaodong Road in Beishan and then turn inland, or they could only take Weihai to transport by sea... from Liaodong Road, the distance was several times longer, and the loss And the cost will increase many times. If you go by sea, although the journey will be greatly shortened, it is said that the risk is very high.”

"Risk?" Gongsun Chu couldn't help asking, "What risk?"

"My lord Gongsun doesn't know that Fuhai Road has a sea route, but now there are many pirates on the sea." The old man stroked his beard and said solemnly: "Weihai originally had a navy, which was relying on the seaport of Ningzhou, Hebei Province, but The Qingtian King's rebel army captured Ningzhou very early and captured Ninghai Harbor. Although the Ningzhou Navy did not have many warships, there were [-] or [-] warships in size. It is said that before the defeat of the Ningzhou Navy, the Admiral of the Navy ordered Destroy all the warships to avoid being taken away by the rebels, but the speed of the rebels is too fast, and before all the warships are destroyed, they have already captured Ningzhou Harbor and nearly half of the ships."

Gongsun Chu changed color slightly, "So, Wei Hai is now under the control of the rebels?"

The old man said: "The old man also heard what people said. I don't know what the situation is. However, it is very difficult to transport salt from Fuhai Road to the inland. Many salt shops in the pass are out of stock. Before, the price of table salt in the customs has been raised, which is half higher than before. Judging from the current situation, table salt will only become more and more scarce, and the price will become higher and higher." Looking at Chu Huan, he said: "Actually, if Our new salt can be sent to the pass, and it can also increase revenue, but according to what the old man said, the imperial court is very strict on the salt road, whether our salt can enter the pass is a problem, but if we use salt instead of grain as repayment, It shouldn't be a problem."

Chu Huan's eyes lit up: "In this way, our new salt can play a big role."

"What does Governor Chu mean?"

Chu Huan said with a smile: "There is something that I haven't had time to tell you. Just a few days ago, the approval document from Beijing finally came down. I have already got the official document for the entry of new salt. Our new salt from Xiguan can enter the customs. Sale."

The old man and Gongsun Chu immediately showed surprise, "The imperial court really gave the approval?"

"This was personally approved by the senior scholar Xu Congyang." Chu Huan said with a smile: "He came with the official document, and there was also a letter from the senior scholar Xu, saying that there may be a salt shortage in the pass, and he asked us to prepare for it. Try to mine as much new salt as possible, and once there is a big salt shortage in the customs, there will be new salt in the northwest, and panic can be avoided.”

Gongsun Chu praised: "Scholar Xu is still a veteran minister of the country. With this approval document for the entry of new salt, our new salt from Xiguan can enter the pass in a legitimate way." Then he asked: "My lord, what does the court want?" Conditions? You won't just agree so readily?"

"The new salt that enters the customs must be contacted with the local salt road office, and the new salt sold must be counted by the local salt road office." Chu Huan said: "The price is still regulated by the local salt road office. When new salt is sold, [-]% of the tax must be paid to the imperial court."

"The cost of mining, production and transportation is all on our side, and the imperial court collects [-]% of the tax, which is indeed a bit higher." The old man stroked his beard and said: "But we can let the new salt enter the market in the customs first, temporarily higher, and that is acceptable. "

"But I've changed my mind now." Chu Huan thought thoughtfully, "I don't want money when the new salt enters the customs, I just want food."