Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 208 Sudden Enlightenment
Chen Qingsi was walking in the market in Huaiyuan County, and Cheng Boxian looked around curiously.

This noble man, who has never been out of the capital in his whole life, feels fresh in everything he sees.

The market in Huaiyuan County does not have a dazzling array of goods, but only the most common daily necessities, such as bamboo, dyes, sinew, cinnabar, silk, fine cloth, leather, medicinal materials, etc., and most of them are of the large-quantity type. .

Most of the merchants in the market are traders from nomadic tribes living in Monan and Mobei. They make purchases at least once to meet the tribe's supply for many months. The scene is somewhat similar to the hoarding of winter vegetables in the north in later generations.

But compared to the harmony of the northern market, the market here is a bit tense.

The businessmen here in the Tang Dynasty originally only wanted to make money, and all they thought about was buying low and selling high to increase profits.The grassland tribes have public ownership of property, and most of their merchants are elders of a certain tribe, or people with high prestige. They come here with the expectations of the whole tribe to exchange for living supplies, and they have to pay every penny.

They didn't regard each other as their own people, and bargaining with each other was like a quarrel.

In particular, the vast majority of grassland people do not have the Central Plains Tongbao, and the method of transaction is barter. There is no standard limit. Both parties use their momentum to make the other party compromise.

Cheng Boxian looked at the almost martial-arts fight between the merchants on both sides, his eyes sparkling with anticipation, as if he was ready to help in the fight.

Seeing this situation, Chen Qingsi also knew the reason why the two sides had been at odds.

Trading is too loose, too free.

There was nothing wrong with Tang Dynasty merchants wanting to make money, and there was nothing wrong with grassland merchants wanting to buy more supplies.

It is because of this that both parties feel that the other is too greedy, and there is constant friction.

Seeing this situation, Chen Qingsi realized that not everything the people in the Sijie Department said might be true.

After all, from different perspectives, the right and wrong of looking at things are different.

Seeing this plot, Chen Qingsi thought secretly: "If there is no good way, it will be really difficult to be the magistrate of Huaiyuan County."

It is already good for Feng Yang to achieve this result.

He's quite talented, but he just didn't go the right way.

Chen Qingsi stepped into it. What should he do if he were the magistrate of Huaiyuan County?
Chen Qingsi thought of a solution: he could build an official supply and marketing cooperative, purchase the leather from the nomads at official prices, and allow the nomads to trade with the Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty at a clearly marked price in the market.

This can increase the usage rate of Tongbao, make the nomads accept the existence of Datang Tongbao, and also avoid the red-faced arguments between businessmen on both sides.

Chen Qingsi was strolling around the market while thinking about a solution.

At noon, Chen Qingsi casually found a small shop to eat.

As soon as I entered the door, I was greeted by a waiter.

Chen Qingsi spent lavishly and pretended to be a wealthy businessman.

The waiter in the shop is running around to serve and serve attentively.

Chen Qingsi first chatted with the waiter about the local customs for a while, and then casually asked about the situation in the county.

The waiter in the shop did not doubt him. He talked about the situation here and his words were full of recognition of Feng Yang, the county magistrate.

Chen Qingsi said with emotion: "Magistrate Feng is really amazing. Most of the people coming and going in Huaiyuan County are businessmen from other places. It can be said that it is a mixed place. It is really rare to be able to manage this place in an orderly manner."

The waiter in the shop was also very happy, and he did not hesitate to praise him, saying: "It's not..."

He looked around and said in a low voice: "The guests don't know something. Before Magistrate Feng came here to serve as magistrate, the situation in the county was in chaos. There were always soldiers doing evil in the county. After Magistrate Feng came, the situation in the county was chaotic. With the current situation.”

Chen Qingsi knew that he couldn't ask anything, but she still asked him about everything. She didn't stop until the waiter looked vaguely impatient.

Chen Qingsi had dinner and wandered around the county.

Ask here, look there, no matter how you look at it, you don’t look like a businessman.

That night, Chen Qingsi found that there were extra people hanging around the inn where he was staying.Chen Qingsi called Cheng Boxian over and asked them to disperse to play tomorrow and inquire about the situation in the county.

Chen Qingsi didn't expect them to find out anything, but as long as they attracted Feng Yang's limited manpower, Di Renjie's actions could be facilitated.

It was like this for five consecutive days.

On the night of the sixth day, Zhou Kui sent a message from Di Renjie.

"Refined salt."

Chen Qingsi was slightly startled when he saw the news.

"Are you sure this is true?"

Chen Qingsi looked at Zhou Kui in disguise strangely, with some disbelief.

This doesn't make sense.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the price of salt was very low, and Li Shimin was very concerned about people's livelihood. During this period, salt was tax-free and private salt sales were allowed.

Therefore, salt was not a luxury at all in Datang, and even poor families could afford it.

The nomads on the steppe were not short of salt either.

The Monan and Mobei grasslands are located in the salt lake belt, with many salt lands.

After hundreds of years of development, they have been able to produce salt independently.It's just that the level is not that good. The table salt produced is the same as salt cubes, so there is no problem in meeting daily physiological needs.

Originally, the nomadic people on the grasslands lived just to survive. Unlike the Central Plains, they could still live a peaceful life in prosperous times.

For them, having self-produced salt blocks is already very good.

Refined salt is expensive due to its production method.

But it is not a rigid need for nomads. Of course, nomads also have nobles, and they are also cleaning up in order to enjoy the high price of refined salt.

But is it necessary to smuggle it specifically for this purpose?
Chen Qingsi is skeptical.

When Chen Qingsi mentioned smuggling, the first thing that came to mind was grain, lacquerware, copper and iron.

Storing food can consolidate logistics, and lacquerware can increase the armor's defense. If an ordinary leather armor is coated with thick lacquer, the defense effect can be increased tenfold.

Needless to say, copper and iron, these smelting things are absolutely prohibited from flowing to the grassland.

These are huge profits.

Chen Qingsi always thought it was a big case, but a smuggled salt smuggled in?
This kind of smuggling is more like tax evasion.

Li Zhi would turn a blind eye if it really came to the accounts.

The people below make a little money and it doesn't affect the overall situation.

If you really care about everything, it will make you feel cold.

Zhou Kui said: "Di Langjun didn't believe it, but he used a variety of methods, and the result was that he smuggled refined salt. Apart from refined salt, he could not find other channels. However, Di Langjun also thought of a possibility, saying that smuggling refined salt might be a deception. , in order to cover up what was actually being sold. He made two more conjectures. One was that the other party's channels were secret and he was unable to see through them and it would take time. The other was that there was no so-called channel and the things they smuggled went directly to the military camp. On the pretext of smuggling refined salt, the materials in the military camp were sold to the grassland."

When Chen Qingsi heard this, he stood up suddenly.

He thought of what happened to his original self before he traveled through time! ! !

(End of this chapter)