Chapter 111 The discovery of tobacco and Xu Kuang’s far-reaching plan
Xu Kuang walked to the plant and asked:
"Is this planted here, or did it grow on its own?".
Zhao Cheng's face was confused. He didn't know why Xu Kuang asked such a question, but he knew that Xu Kuang was now a noble man in Yuzhen, and he must know everything and say everything.
"It must have grown on its own."
When Xu Kuang heard this, his interest became more intense. He squatted next to the plant and looked at it carefully.
Yes, that's right, this is the military weapon that netizens jokingly called tobacco in the previous life.
This tobacco plant was one meter tall, with dozens of leaves growing alternately from top to bottom. Xu Kuang looked at it like an umbrella canopy, with no sunlight able to penetrate it.
It may be higher than the tobacco in the previous life. Xu Kuang estimated that this tobacco plant alone might be able to produce nearly a hundred cigarettes.
In this world, probably no one knows the value of cigarettes better than Xu Kuang. This stuff can not only bring huge profits, but also relax the tense nerves of the soldiers.
Xu Kuang pointed at the tobacco and asked:
"Baron Zhao, do you want to get rich?".
Zhao Cheng looked at Xu Kuang in astonishment, then nodded in confusion.
Xu Kuang said to Zhao Cheng:
"Listen to me, dig up all the grain you grow and plant it instead."
Zhao Cheng raised his head in shock and looked at Xu Kuang with a hint of pleading in his eyes.
Xu Kuang understood immediately and said to Zhao Cheng:
"I can allocate funds to you to help you plant this instead, and before the first crop of tobacco grows, I can sell you grain at a price that is 30% lower than the market price. The premise is that you want to plant this."
Zhao Cheng looked at Xu Kuang in astonishment and asked:
"What is this?".
Xu Kuang mysteriously said to Zhao Cheng:
"You don't need to know, you just need to know that in the future you will be able to become the second richest man in a thousand miles around just by relying on this."
Zhao Cheng froze on the spot and asked:
"what do I need to do?".
Xu Kuang said to Zhao Cheng with an extremely serious expression:
"First of all, we have to sign a contract. From now on, all the tobacco grown in your territory must be sold to Gladiolus City, and Gladiolus City must accept it in full, and the purchase price per acre must not be lower than the price of grain. Specific details
Let’s wait for my subordinates to come and discuss the terms with you.”
Zhao Cheng was feeling dizzy. At this moment, he realized that a huge amount of wealth had hit him on the head.
Xu Kuang called his men, found a dozen tobacco plants nearby, carefully shoveled them up, and sent a special person to escort them back to Gladiolus City on horseback, and ordered the Academy of Agricultural Sciences under the Department of Agriculture to try to cultivate this plant.
The contract has been signed, and of course Xu Kuang took advantage. In short, Zhao Cheng has to give a promised planting range. If the amount of land planted is less than this range, then he has breached the contract, and Yu Town will belong to Xu Kuang. If Zhao Cheng
Sell the tobacco to other merchants, and Yuzhen will belong to Xu Kuang.
Zhao Cheng also received Xu Kuang's initial investment of 10,000 gold coins and 100,000 kilograms of low-priced grain. These things were enough for Zhao Cheng to use for a while. Xu Kuang also looked forward to Zhao Cheng's success in growing tobacco.
Xu Kuang was quite happy, but he also understood that the tobacco business was not that easy. First, he had to implement a tobacco monopoly policy within his own territory. There could only be one tobacco seller in the four million square kilometers of land.
That is Xu Kuang, Viscount of Gladiolus City.
A series of plans emerged in Xu Kuang's mind, and several cigarette making machine ideas took shape in Xu Kuang's mind.
Xu Kuang was no longer in the mood to stay here. He hurriedly inspected Yuzhen and left in a hurry.
Leave the rest to the professionals at Moguling.
Zhao Cheng is also very happy. He knows that he is going to make a fortune. The staff at Moguling are very economical and believe that one acre of land can produce 600 to 700 kilograms of fresh tobacco. Not much else to say in Yuzhen, there are still tens of thousands of people.
As for the acres of land that have not been reclaimed, even if only a small part of this land is reclaimed, it is enough to grow tobacco.
Zhao Cheng immediately ordered the farmers to open up wasteland, and he was responsible for providing food and gold coins.
The main price he paid was just a commercial area covering an area of thousands of acres. This area belonged to Xu Kuang. In the future, the commercial branch of Gladiolus City in Yu Town would be established here to be responsible for cooperating with other territories.
Merchants circulate goods, and all the taxes paid by the merchants belong to Xu Kuang.
Poor Zhao Cheng didn't know that he gave away the most profitable part in a daze. If he had been to Mogu Ridge in person, he would never have such an idea.
…
In the next month, Xu Kuang endured his temper, inspected the other three border towns, and set up a business in each.
Wei Town is the richest of the four border towns, with several specialty industries, but the baron's eyes there are too high, which makes Xu Kuang very helpless.
But Hesen Town is different. It has been in contact with Gladiolus City for a long time. In the past year, almost all the wood produced in this place has flowed into Mogu Ridge. It can almost be said that this place relies on Mogu Ridge for its livelihood.
The Baron was of course very cooperative with Xu Kuang.
Taidong Town in the far west has no specialties, but Xu Kuang is ready to help it develop. Before Xu Kuang came to Taidong Town, he had already regarded Taidong Town as his own private product.
There is no other reason. Taidong Town is an important transportation thoroughfare. If Xu Kuang really wants to rebel against the kingdom in the future, this place will become the first military station for the Panshi Army.
But now, things are not going well here. Xu Kuang signed a contract with Baron Taidong at the cost of increasing his income tenfold within three years. If Xu Kuang succeeds, then the 200,000 acres of wasteland near Taidong Town will be
Returned to Xu Kuang.
After the contract was signed, Xu Kuang directly took out 300,000 gold coins and handed them to Baron Taidong.
This is equivalent to Xu Kuang spending 300,000 gold coins to buy these 200,000 acres of land.
Baron Taidong looked at the two boxes on the ground and felt a little at a loss for a moment.
Xu Kuang just smiled at him and said:
"What happens on this land in the future has nothing to do with you."
Only then did Baron Taidong realize that he had been fooled, but it was too late. Xu Kuang was not prepared to fight with him, so he directly sent a telegram to Mushroom Ridge to send two regiments and a cavalry battalion to garrison here.
Baron Taidong was stunned for a moment and asked:
"Do you want to buy it elsewhere? I lost 20,000 acres of land, and my territory shrank by more than half. I...".
Xu Kuang had no expression on his face and said to Baron Taidong:
"To be honest, I can actually buy it or not, so the remaining land may not be as valuable as the previous land, do you understand?".
Baron Taidong was about to cry, but he also understood that he had no right to bargain with Xu Kuang. In the future, Xu Kuang would not be able to compete on the 200,000 acres of land, and the land would also shrink.
He pinched his nose and admitted it. In the end, Baron Taidong received more than 600,000 gold coins and disappeared with his family.
Xu Kuang's face was expressionless. He was not bullying Baron Taidong. If Baron Taidong earned these more than 600,000 gold coins by himself, I'm afraid it would take him seventy or eighty years.