Ji Tang

Chapter 299 Market Open!
March [-]th was the day when the market opened. When the sound of the bell was heard, everyone waiting outside rushed towards the entrance of the market.

There was a wooden high platform at the door, and there was an official in green robes on it. When the number of people was about the same, he nodded to the clerk beside him.

After seeing it, the clerk posted a notice full of Chinese characters on a three-foot-square wooden board.

"What is this for? What is written on it?" A Turkic man who looked strong and had a naive face muttered.

Sun Deng was in high spirits today. Since the general manager left, Li Ji, Chai Shao and other generals were out patrolling the grassland to prevent accidents.

Now the Houjun has the final say on what happens in the market, that is, the Marquis has the final say.

I dare not say anything else, but when it comes to market management, their rear army officials do their part. How do those reckless men know this?

Regardless of the fact that he is now a seventh-rank petty official, in an army where generals are everywhere, fifth-rank officers are everywhere, and the marquis is no better than a dog, they who only know how to write and calculate can only keep their tail between their legs and be human.

But it is different now. Now it is their rear army who has the final say. The newly established Taxation Department is also composed of people like the rear army who manage logistics.

He, Sun Deng, had begged the Marquis for a long time before he got a position in this market. Today was the opening day of the market, so he didn't dare to make any mistakes.

"Cough cough!"

Sun Deng coughed twice, and the clerk next to him immediately understood and knocked the gong several times before everyone calmed down.

He pressed it with both hands and then said loudly: "I, Sun Deng, am the management official of this market."

"Let's stop talking nonsense. Before the market opens, I will convey several regulations from the Marquis. You all should listen carefully."

Sun Deng pointed to the notice and read: "In order to avoid various transaction disputes, the following restrictions have been made: First, all merchants in the Central Plains must clearly mark the prices of all goods, and are not allowed to ask for exorbitant prices, and are not allowed to commit fraud. Anyone who is reported Otherwise, the transaction qualification will be cancelled.”

"Second, all goods are divided into upper, middle and lower grades. Prices cannot be modified at will after being marked. If modifications are needed, they must be filed with the Taxation Department before modifications can be made."

"Third, in view of the dispersed commodity demand of the grassland people, which is not conducive to transactions, you can ask officials from the taxation department to write down the commodities you need on paper to facilitate transactions."

Sun Deng was a little dry-mouthed when he said it, and the Marquis was also serious. Why do you care so much? Let them do it. Who made them stupid!

There are more than a dozen scattered articles, but the overall content is still biased towards the grassland people. I don't know what the Marquis thinks, and I am not afraid of those people from Chang'an raising an army to investigate.

"Do you think it's true that there is a market for these things up here?" A herdsman held a half-year-old child in his hand with an expression full of disbelief.

"That's right, these businessmen are so dark-hearted. How many times have we been deceived? What they say is what it is, and we have no reason to refute it. Who told us not to!"

"It would be great if the price must be clearly marked as mentioned above. You can see how much it costs at a glance and don't have to worry about being cheated."

"Well, I just don't know if these officials of the Tang Dynasty can deal with things fairly. If they favor those businessmen from the Central Plains, there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Open the market!"

"Open the market!"

"Open the market!"

After three shouts, the gate of the market slowly opened. There were sword-wielding soldiers on both sides to maintain order, but everyone squeezed in.Walking into the spacious and tall market, they found that there were more than a dozen tables connected together in front of them, and a dozen people who looked like officials of the Tang Dynasty were sitting there.

These people actually log in to their information. If they want something, they go to the trading area, and they will also issue a wooden sign, which is regarded as a trading token.

If you have a lot of goods, you can apply for a special trading stall. The first three days are free. After that, you will have to pay the stall fee of copper coins every day.

There are more than 300 of these stalls in each trading area and are on a first-come, first-served basis.

These herdsmen basically had no money, and they only brought furs and other things.

"You take this card and go to the corresponding area to sell the things first, and then take the copper coins to buy the things you need. Of course, this is my suggestion. It is up to you whether you go or not." An official Hand a sign to the herdsman and say casually.

These words are what the Marquis must say. Regardless of whether people want to or not, they must say it first and ask for a better attitude.

"Master Marquis, are you being too kind to these people? When did Datang start taking care of them?" Old Liu couldn't accept this scene.

Ji Song had no choice but to explain patiently: "Uncle Liu, we are raising rewards from the soldiers this time. This is true, but we can't catch all the benefits!"

"At this time, the grassland is newly settled, and people's hearts are not attached to it. Although there is a large army to suppress it, this is not a long-term solution."

"As the saying goes, if you want to take them first, you must give them first. If we are too cruel to them, there is no guarantee that they will not escape and be in danger!"

"I have already reported to Your Majesty the three major markets on this grassland. If nothing unexpected happens, they will continue to be open for a long time in the future."

After hearing Ji Song's words, Lao Liu and others' eyes lit up and they pondered in their hearts.

Ji Song had no choice. At first, he wanted to give some preferential policies to the grassland herdsmen, but they refused to agree. In the end, Ji Song compromised and came up with the regulations just mentioned in the notice.

It's not that Ji Song makes his family suffer, but it has to be like this. When business interests and national interests conflict, Ji Song must make a choice.

After all, the grassland has not yet been completely brought under the rule of the Tang Dynasty. If they are really allowed to do whatever they want, something might happen!
The cavalry on the grassland will return to the Tang Dynasty sooner or later, and it is impossible to maintain an army of more than [-] people.

If the herdsmen are raided too hard, the grassland will never be quiet once the army withdraws without even thinking about it.That’s why Ji Song has these policies that favor herdsmen.

"Think about it, if we bully you too hard this time, how will we do business in the future? In business, we should pay attention to the steady flow of water and the integrity of the children."

"In the past, we were at war with the grassland, and I had no control over what you did. But now that His Majesty is ready to take over the grassland, these people will also be subjects of the Tang Dynasty from now on."

"As people of the Tang Dynasty, they are protected by the laws of the Tang Dynasty, and they cannot be bullied by you at will."

Ji Song said in a strong tone at the end, and his power over the years made anyone who wanted to say anything else quickly shut up.

Only then did they remember that this was a ruthless man who dared to attack the Turkic Royal Court with 800 people. The key was that he succeeded. Once such a person explained his words, he would not change them again.

Although I didn’t make much this time, as long as the market remains open from now on, will I make less?

Thinking of the policies Ji Song gave them before and the steady business in the future, I felt a lot more comfortable.

(End of this chapter)