I Don’t Want To Be the Emperor

Chapter 138 Military Suppliers

 What problems can be solved by just beheading people?

 It is nothing more than putting everyone in danger and making all grain merchants at a loss what to do.

 He watched a TV series and was deeply impressed.

During famine years, when there is a shortage of food, grain merchants raise the price of food and take advantage of the opportunity to make money.

According to common practice, the government naturally wants to stabilize food prices and is not allowed to raise prices. Those who raise prices will be beheaded as a public display.

 Therefore, all the grain merchants did not dare to bring more grain. Only one grain store owner could not bear to see the fields starved to death. He bought at cost price and sold at cost price.

 But the price of food is still higher than local prices.

 He was beheaded by the government.

 In the end, no one here dared to bring in another grain of grain, and even if there was grain, no one dared to sell it.

 Let's all starve to death together.

Lin Yi certainly didn’t want to see such a scene.

 Hoarding, you hoard yours.

Lin Yi opens a granary!

 Not because he is smarter than others, but because this method is only possible in Sanhe.

In the fertile areas of Yuezhou and Chuzhou, there is plenty of grain in the granaries, but when there is a famine, neither the chief secretary nor the general commanders nor the inspectors have the right to open granaries to release grain!

Even if the grain in the granary is moldy or infested with insects, a memorial must be sent to the emperor, and only after the emperor agrees can grain be released for disaster relief.

Months passed as the memorials came and went. The hungry people could no longer survive, so they turned against their mother. Everyone died on the left and right.

 The first thing after the rebellion was to open a granary.

In the Sanhe in front of us, no one cares about whether the father loves the mother or not. Even if they pay grain to the court, it is only a token amount.

 He can build granaries whenever he wants, and open granaries whenever he wants.

 He alone has the final say.

 However, when it comes to reducing food prices, we do not do so casually.

There are many rice shops in Sanhe, but there are only a few big grain merchants.

To say that you will pay them to death is completely out of spite.

 If we really kill them all, there will be a big problem in the food circulation in Sanhe.

 So even if the soles of these grain merchants' bad feet ooze with pus, he has to comfort them.

  The second day.

Five grain stores in Baiyun City lowered their prices at the same time. Although the price reduction was not large, the major grain merchants were still uneasy.

At this time, a notice was posted at the door of the Chief Secretary recruiting so-called "food suppliers".

 The general meaning is that the Sanhe army is going out to suppress bandits and needs a lot of food!

Furthermore, it doesn’t count if you give the grain at a low price, you have to accompany the army to help transport it. In other words, wherever the army goes, you have to transport the grain.

 This requirement is quite high!

Many people in Baiyun City are already familiar with the word "supplier". After all, Sanhe road construction has many suppliers of lime, masonry, wood, gunpowder, and iron tools.

Whether it was the former Commander-in-Chief or the current Chief Secretary, he always gave money readily and generously without any deductions. All merchants with the word "supplier" in them all made a lot of money.

 Even Sun Laizi, who specializes in weaving baskets in Baiyun City, was originally too poor to do anything. But since he became a supplier of baskets at the construction site, his whole family has gone to work to weave baskets, and they have hired hundreds of people!

His small basket making workshop has turned into a huge family business. He just built a coveted mansion on the south bank of the Xijiang River a few days ago.

 Not to mention food suppliers, this is military supplies!

Anyone with any knowledge knows that it is impossible not to make money!

Under Lin Yi's planning, Shan Qi personally presided over and started Sanhe's first "military supplies" supplier conference, which was not limited to food.

Not only Shan Qi and other old men disagreed with outsourcing military supplies to "profit-seeking" businessmen, but Lin Yi's close friends Han Deqing and Bao Kui also disagreed.

However, Lin Yi only said one thing: In terms of material distribution and transportation, all the people in the palace and the Chief Secretary combined are not as good as the old man Liang Gen who walks shaky.

 Leave professional matters to professional people, saving money, time and effort, avoiding redundant staff, and your own people can learn a lot from you.

 After all, in Quan Sanhe, the only ones with real military experience were Zhang Mian and He Jixiang, both of whom were not good at logistics.

 Otherwise, He Jixiang would not have been asked to pay so much money when he went on two expeditions!

 In the end, there was no other way. Shan Qi and others reluctantly agreed. The prince was right and there was no harm in giving it a try.

The supplier meeting was held in the courtyard of the Chief Secretary's Yamen. There were more than two hundred people sitting there, all of whom were famous businessmen, landowners and squires from Sanhe. Even people like Tian Shiyou and Ge Laoshan were prominently included.

After fierce bidding, it was Huang Daoji, the owner of the largest blacksmith shop in Baiyun City, who won the spot as a supplier of weapons such as knives, shields, and spears.

 It was Liang Gen and Qiu Wujin who provided grain transportation.

The quilts, boots, hats, bag-stitched tents, etc. are supplied by Li Sanniang, the only female shopkeeper present. Her garment shop has more than fifty female workers, making it the largest in Baiyun City.

 The remaining livestock fodder, baskets, alum, coal, carts, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, tung oil, candles, copper lamps, hemp ropes, iron bars and horseshoes were also put up for bid.

 After the meeting, the butcher snorted at Pork Rong and left without looking back.

What bad luck!

Pork Rong’s price is actually the same as his, and now they are both meat suppliers!

But now is not the time to vent your anger, you have to go back quickly to buy pigs, cows, and sheep, and then hire someone to make jerky!

On the day the army left the city, there were 10,000 guardsmen and soldiers, followed by more than 20,000 civilians driving livestock and carrying baggage and their respective suppliers and merchants.

This time the leaders were Zhang Mian, the navy commander, and Bao Kui, the chief catcher.

 The residents of Baiyun City are excited again!

With such a big battle this time, you won't let them down again, right?

 Otherwise, their emotions will be wasted every time!

The roads were filled with water on both sides and crowded with people. Even the children in school skipped classes and joined in the fun, each one jumping away from the other.

Looking at the war-motivated common people, Lin Yi was puzzled. Are the people promised to be peace-loving?

 Why are everyone so excited?

 It’s not scientific at all.

Shanqi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, this expedition has already cost 110,000 taels of silver."

Nearly everyone in Baiyun City has made money, how could they not be happy?

Lin Yi sighed.

 War is really expensive.

 Not only was the Chief Secretary out of money, but the savings in his government were less than 10,000 taels.

If he loses money again in this game, he will have to drink northwest wind.

 “What if we lose the fight?”

Lin Yi couldn't help but worry about this problem again. He was not afraid of losing, he was afraid of death. Who doesn't have a family?

 At that time his sin will be serious.

 “Your Majesty!”

He Jixiang suddenly said loudly, "If we lose, I will throw myself into Xijiang!"

 Thinking back to the time when the troops were called up in the school field, he had seen the world's elite soldiers and horses!

It would be unreasonable if the officers and soldiers of Baiyun City's guard station could all lose!

 In the army of 10,000, let’s not talk about how many people are practicing martial arts. At least they are all martial arts practitioners. It can be said that they are all like one against five!

 (End of this chapter)