Of course Li Xun understood what Jieduzhi meant. If there were any difficulties, he could directly raise them and solve them on the spot. However, Jieduzhi's question was just an attitude. You can't really follow the trend and raise a bunch of difficult problems. That would be too short-sighted.
Officialdom emphasizes being pragmatic, but cannot be pragmatic when pragmatic, and cannot be pragmatic when pragmatic. Once you rebel, you will not be far from stepping down.
So when should we be pragmatic and when should we be pragmatic?
For example, in front of me, the Jiedushi has just got off the boat and has not yet stood firmly on his feet. When they meet and greet each other, they are being pragmatic and cannot really raise difficulties.
And when the governor listens to a special report, or goes on an inspection tour to face difficulties, this is the time to be pragmatic, and at this time the exact difficulties must be raised, instead of being vague and confusing, making the boss feel that your thinking is unclear and your ability is insufficient.
Li Xun had been an official for several years and understood this truth. He quickly said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I have only been in this humble position for a short time. I am investigating the situation and will make a special report when it is clear."
This is a pragmatic answer. There are definitely difficulties, but we are still understanding the situation and will report back after the investigation is clear.
Li Ye stepped off the ship and looked at his surroundings. The county seat was about two miles away. There was only one official road leading to the county seat. It was surrounded by grass and there were no warehouses. There were only a few shabby houses. I don't know if they were pubs or inns.
It looks very rundown and cold.
Li Ye frowned slightly and asked, "Are there usually no ships here?"
Li Xun immediately understood the reason for Jiedushi's question and quickly explained: "There are two docks in Hanyang County. This is the Hanshui dock. It used to be a military dock and a government-only dock. Civilian ships cannot berth, so there are relatively few ships. Hanyang also has
A Yangtze River wharf, where most ships go!”
"This is the military wharf and the government wharf?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, that's right!"
"Even if it's a military wharf or a government wharf, doesn't the army have supplies? Why don't we see a warehouse? You county officials should know best, tell me!"
County magistrate Huang Yougong said quickly: "Reporting to your highness, the wasteland here was used as a warehouse ten years ago. Later, after Jiangling's naval dock was built, the army no longer used it here. Officials did not like this place when they disembarked, preferring the bustling and bustling front.
The Yangtze River Wharf gradually became abandoned over time. Three years ago, a fire burned the warehouses to ashes, and they have not been rebuilt since."
Li Ye was not in a hurry to draw a conclusion, so he smiled and said: "Then go and see the Yangtze River Wharf!"
Everyone got on the boat and continued to move forward. After walking for a few miles, a bustling dock area appeared in front of them. Everyone's eyes lit up. This was a scene of prosperous business.
The wharf is filled with all kinds of merchant ships, thousands of them densely packed. The unloading area on the shore is piled with various goods, many of which are even covered with tarpaulin. The shops in the distance are one after another, lined with rows, and there are all kinds of shouts in front of the door.
Sound, behind more than a hundred shops is a large warehouse area. The warehouses are large and majestic, and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty is undoubtedly revealed.
The dock was too crowded and their dozens of ships could not berth, so Li Ye asked his fleet to return to the military dock to berth. One of his own large ships found an empty space and slowly docked.
Li Ye got off the ship and went directly to the shopping area. He walked slowly among the bustling crowds. He looked at each shop with great interest and asked about the prices of goods. The officials followed behind.
At this time, Li Ye saw a rice shop and walked in directly. The shopkeeper saw so many customers coming in and greeted him happily. He suddenly recognized the county magistrate behind him and was startled. He immediately realized that the person in front of him was
The young official was very serious and stood aside respectfully.
Li Ye came in and took a look at the shop. There was a circle of baskets placed against the wall. The baskets were full of rice. The prices were also different. Old rice was slightly cheaper, and there were differences based on the place of production.
Suzhou rice is fifty-five cents per dou, Huzhou rice is also the same price, Yuezhou rice is fifty cents per dou, and local rice is also fifty cents per dou. Li Ye asked: "Suzhou and Huzhou need transportation costs, which is understandable, but local rice
It also costs fifty coins, why?”
The shopkeeper said respectfully: "Replying to the envoy, the local rice is all new rice this year, and the price is a little more expensive. The other rice is last year's rice, and it is not sold in retail at this price. You have to buy at least ten shi at a time."
"What's the retail price?"
"Add ten more coins for each bucket."
Li Ye laughed and said, "That's not right! The sign clearly says fifty cents per dou, but you pay sixty cents for a dou. Aren't you afraid of others suing you?"
The shopkeeper smiled bitterly and said: "I don't dare to hide it from you. We have always done big business here. We don't sell anything less than ten dan, so the price has always been the price of big business. It has been like this for decades. Because of the war in the north, a large number of
Refugees are fleeing south. Many refugees come to buy rice. They only buy a few liters and don’t want to sell it! They are pitiful, so let’s make it clear to them that we can sell rice to them, but the price will be the same as the rice shop in the county. Otherwise, everyone
They all think it’s cheap here and are flocking here, but the rice shops in the city can’t open yet?”
Li Ye nodded, turned around and said to the county magistrate: "I can understand the decades-long habit, but now that retail is allowed, the old rules must be changed. I suggest that prices should be unified in the future, and all prices should be quoted.
For retail prices, if you buy more, you can lower the price instead of raising it, otherwise it will cause a big misunderstanding and affect Jingxiang's credibility, thinking that we are trying to make a fortune for the country."
County Magistrate Huang Yougong nodded repeatedly, "I understand my humble position!"
Li Ye asked again: "What's the current price of rice in Suzhou?"
The shopkeeper didn't dare to hide it, so he hesitated and said: "The retail price in the Suzhou market is 40 cents for new rice and 35 cents for old rice. If we buy hundreds of shi at a time, the old rice is about 25 cents."
Li Ye probably understood that if he added the transportation cost of ten cents to bring it here, the cost would be thirty-five cents per dou. After deducting the rent, labor wages, and losses, he could earn more than ten cents per dou.
Calculated, one hundred shi is only a dozen guan, and a trip to transport a few hundred shi can only earn a few dozen guan. The profit is not high. It is really a small business, unless you make more than a dozen trips a year.
"How many shops like yours sell rice here?"
"Including small shops, there are eleven in total!"
Li Ye came out of the shop feeling a little heavy. If they engage in government-commerce, these wholesale shops will definitely be destroyed. Not only the rice shops, but all the goods involved will crowd out countless shops.
However, the salt and iron monopoly requires a nationwide chess game and is conducted in a single region, which has too many loopholes.
Liu Yan saw his lord's worries and understood where he was worried, so he advised: "Your Highness, don't worry too much. Shrimps have their own way, and crabs have their own way. We officials and businessmen are involved. We purchase tens of thousands of stones at a time, and the purchase price may be every day."
The bucket only costs 20 coins, and the freight is only 5 coins. Then we earn 20 coins per bucket, 45 coins per bucket.
These rice merchants can completely purchase goods from us, and they will save on shipping costs and the cost will remain the same, so it will have no impact on them."
Li Ye smiled bitterly and said: "Our monthly military salary is 300,000 yuan, and I'm worried that the government and businessmen will make too little profit, which is far from enough!"
Liu Yan smiled slightly and said: "The way to do business is to make a lot of money, to accumulate a little to make a lot. Don't look at the fact that you can only earn 20 cents from a bucket of rice, but if you increase the quantity, the profit will be considerable. You can make millions of kilograms of grain a year."
, you can earn 200,000 yuan, and there are other things, not just rice.
For example, when I talked about the benefits of salt and iron, we would do commercial salt instead of specializing in salt. We would still make millions of dollars a year in profit.
We also have tens of thousands of camels and thousands of ships. We can provide transportation, and we can get tens of thousands of dollars a year. We mine, smelt, mint money, buy cane from Bashu and refine sugar, and we can build ships and operate them.
Land, etc., as long as transportation is provided and the capital is sufficient, there are many ways to make money. Your Highness's military salary of 3.6 million yuan a year is just a piece of cake from the perspective of your humble position."
Li Ye was silent. He understood that Liu Yan was trying to comfort himself. If the cake could be made bigger, everyone would benefit. Of course it would be best. But if the cake cannot be made, then one more bite for them would mean one less bite for others.
But the reality is such that it is inevitable to sacrifice the interests of some businessmen for the sake of their own grand ambitions. When it is time to harden your heart, you must not be as kind as a woman.
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[I have something going on at home today, so I only have two chapters, morning and evening, I’m sorry!]