In the early morning, before daybreak, the city gates of Yuchi County opened, and people waiting outside the city swarmed in. Most of them were farmers selling vegetables, and some businessmen followed them into the city.
A caravan consisting of more than twenty donkeys entered the city, with a businessman walking in front and five or six clerks following behind.
But regardless of whether they were businessmen or clerks, they were all tall, strong in their steps, and carried a murderous aura in their movements. Although they tried their best to restrain themselves, they still had an inexplicable sense of coercion that made everyone around them intimidated by them.
Almost everyone can tell that they are not businessmen, but no one can tell clearly who they are. I am afraid that even the county magistrate does not know because the magistrate has never met Chen Qing.
The businessman at the head was naturally Chen Qing in disguise, and the five men behind him were his personal soldiers.
The reason why Chen Qing came to Yuchi County for a private visit was because there is a typical industry in Yuchi County that is very illustrative of the problem, and that is the wine making industry.
During the Xuanhe period, the winemaking industry in Yuchi County was extremely prosperous. 70% of the wine in Bianliang, Tokyo, came from Yuchi County. Later, it declined. It flourished again during the Liuyu period, but completely declined during the curfew period of Wanyan Wushu.
But the wine cellar, winemaker, wine barrels and other wine-making tools are all there, and can be set up at any time as long as needed.
Henan Road in the Central Plains region has always been a worry for Chen Qing. It has been exploited too hard and suffered too much. Large families have been reduced to small households, and almost all the middle class have been reduced to abject poverty. Cruel exploitation has coupled with
The devastating blow caused by the diversion of the Yellow River has caused millions of people on Henan Road to be displaced and starved.
Even the imperial court's finances could not bear the relief provided by the Henan Road, and they firmly opposed the Northern Expedition.
But Chen Qingyi took over this mess without hesitation, and he had to find a way to slowly restore it. In addition to being tax-free for ten years and recuperating, there were actually many details to do.
First, 50,000 donkeys and 20,000 mules were purchased from Hedong Road and Shaanxi Road and put on Henan Road, mainly in the Kaifeng Prefecture area. Why? Because almost all the large and small livestock here were eaten by the Jin soldiers, and there was no animal power.
, the social economy cannot develop.
Then he bought tens of thousands of cattle and 20,000 old horses from the Qiang people in the Hexi Corridor, and also invested them in the Henan Road.
The second step is to transport a large amount of vetch seeds and alfalfa seeds from Shaanxi Road and plant them in large quantities on the edges of fields and on both sides of riverbanks to develop animal husbandry and allow Henan Road to produce its own blood.
The third step is commerce. It is not just business tax exemption, but more importantly, the details. Chen Qing knows very well what merchants are most afraid of. He ordered all checkpoints along Henan Road to be dismantled, and all city gates were prohibited from inspecting caravans. He also sent out
Once the inspection team is found to have violated regulations, they will be severely punished, and even the county magistrate will lose his official position.
There is no need to interrogate any spies at all. The real spies will definitely not be found, and it will only give the interrogators the opportunity to extort money.
It is precisely for this reason that the business on Henan Road developed very rapidly, and all the cheap livestock he invested were snapped up.
Chen Qing is not very worried about the countryside. As long as there are tax exemptions and rent restrictions, the people in the countryside can have enough food by farming and can provide a large amount of agricultural products to the city. But it is different in the city. Urban residents mainly rely on handicraft workshops and various businesses to make a living.
, only when all kinds of commerce and handicrafts are revived can the people in the city find things to do and support their families.
This time Chen Qing walked all the way from Bianliang. During the period of Wanyan Wushu's control, the distance from Bianliang to Yuchi County was only eighty miles. There were four checkpoints, city gates and tax cards. Since Chen Qing had given the order
After all were abolished, he wanted to see the effect with his own eyes. The journey was smooth, there were no checkpoints, no one asked when entering the city gate, and no tax collectors came to block the way.
The only thing that made Chen Qing feel uncomfortable was that he had been waiting outside the city for an hour and a half. The next step was to ban the city gates from closing. At least one gate should be left at night to facilitate entry and exit. It might affect public order a little, but compared to
For the convenience that the people get, this little thing is not a problem at all.
At this time, three ox carts came behind them, loaded with hawthorn fruits. They should be last year's hawthorns. They were not damaged after being stored in the cellar, but they were clearly ripe. "Are these hawthorns for sale?"
"This is specially used for making wine!" the old man driving the cart replied.
Chen Qing suddenly realized that it would be much easier to ferment the wild fruits when they are almost rotten and then use them to make wine.
"Not bad! Not bad! We can even make fruit wine."
Wine is a commodity that best reflects urban life. If business is in decline, then wine cannot be sold. If your pockets are empty and you can’t even afford food, then you won’t consider drinking. You can only have enough food and your pockets are empty.
After having a few extra bucks, one would think of buying a dime of wine. Once the alcohol addiction is over, the need for alcohol will come.
Currently, Chen Qing's wine on Henan Road is tax-free, but it cannot be transported across the border to other places. He only collects salt tax. With the salt tax, he can barely support the local governments in Henan Road.
"Officer, let's stay in this shop!" the soldier said, pointing to a shop next to him.
“Laoshun Inn!”
Chen Qing nodded, this is a good name, "Okay, I'll live here!"
The shop owner, a middle-aged man in his forties, ran out with a smile on his face and said, "Welcome to stay in this small shop. The small shop has good food and comfortable rooms. I'm Wang Shun, a good boy!"
Chen Qing saw that the yard was very clean and there were no cobwebs or dust in the corners. He was quite satisfied and asked again: "Are there any customers in the store?"
"There are not many guests. There are four upper rooms on the east side of the second floor, and they all happen to be empty."
"Okay! I want the four vacant rooms on the east side."
The shop owner was overjoyed and quickly asked two clerks to help unload the goods. In a short time, more than thirty large wooden barrels were unloaded.
The shop owner asked: "Are there any special requirements for these goods? The shop has a cellar. If not, it can only be placed in a room."
Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "These are Jiuqu cakes. If you can't put them in the cellar, put them in the room!"
The shop owner heard that it was Jiuqu pancake, and he quickly came up to smell it, gave it a thumbs up and said, "Good stuff!"
"Does the store owner also know koji?"
The shop owner laughed and said, "Yuchi County relies on wine to make a living, so you all know something about it! My mother's family has a very large wine cellar."
"Is the Jiuqu cake easy to sell?"
"This is a hot commodity. When the news spread, the wine dealers who saw the goods immediately crowded the small shop."
After a pause, the shopkeeper asked cautiously: "Is that convenient? I'll ask my cousin to come over and take a look at the goods. Is it convenient for you?"
Chen Qing smiled and said: "Everyone sees it the same, as long as the price is right, we can negotiate!"
The shop owner was so happy that he quickly asked a waiter to inform his cousin that the goods would be placed in an empty room on the first floor, so that he would not have to move them up or down!"
