On the Laba Festival in 2032, Qiao Zhen, the owner of Longchang, said goodbye to his family.
"Xiaoya, you study hard in college, and when I come back this time, I will arrange a marriage for you."
Qiao Wan's face turned red. She wanted to say something, but she didn't.
In the end it was reduced to just one sentence.
"Dad, this journey is difficult and dangerous, please pay attention to safety."
Qiao Zhen said with a smile: "Don't worry! The Qin army has opened the road, and the Qin army is patrolling around the team. We will be safe."
He said goodbye to his family and went to the large grain warehouse of Hanzhong Grain Storage Bureau.
The Longchang took over a big business from the logistics department.
The Longchang was responsible for transporting two thousand tons of grain to the front line.
This food is enough for the Qin army on the front line to eat for a month.
By taking this trip, you can earn ten thousand taels of silver coins.
The key is not the silver coins.
Qiao Zhen took this task not to earn silver coins, but to establish a relationship with the Qin army.
The Hanzhong Chamber of Commerce has developed so well, not because they have a relationship with the senior officials of the Qin Palace and are relatively well-informed.
Some abnormal competition methods cannot be used on members of the Hanzhong Chamber of Commerce.
Qiao Zhen chose to transport grain because he wanted to establish a relationship with the Qin army.
He has been in Hanzhong for so long and has seen the Qin army's background.
Knowing that the Ming Dynasty could not stop the Qin army at all, if the Shanxi merchants wanted to grow stronger, they had to tie up with the Qin army.
They Shanxi merchants acted too late and could not take on good tasks, so they could only take on this kind of hard work.
The carriage walked on the cement road and soon arrived at the grain storage bureau of the Grain Storage Bureau.
Qiao Zhen saw Shi Xi, the director of the Grain Reserve Bureau, leading the officials of the Grain Reserve Bureau, waiting for them here.
He did not expect that the transportation of military grain would alarm the director of the Grain Reserve Bureau.
Qiao Zhen immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully to say hello.
"Hello Director Shi, I am Qiao Zhen, the owner of the Longchang. I am here specifically to hand over grain to the grain depot."
This time, the Qin Palace used private merchants to transport grain for the first time.
Many people in Prince Qin's Mansion have their eyes fixed on this place.
In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, Shi Xi came here personally to handle the matter.
He directly took out the inventory list and read: "This time there are two thousand tons of grain in total, including 600 tons of rice, 800 tons of flour, and 600 tons of cornmeal.
The logistics department has already paid you the corresponding amount.
During transportation, grain will lose a certain amount of weight due to dehydration and other reasons.
The Logistics Department will consider natural weight loss when receiving food.
But if the food loss exceeds the natural weight loss, a fine of ten times the value of the lost food will be imposed.
If food is soaked in water and becomes moldy, making it inedible, it will be calculated as lost food.
This batch of grain must be transported to the Qin army camp before February.
If it is not shipped before the deadline, not only will you not receive the corresponding payment, but you will also be reviewed by the Military Justice Department and if there are signs of intentional delay, you will be sentenced.
This batch of grain is all new. You can open the bags one by one and inspect them, or you can conduct random inspections.
Our Grain Storage Bureau will not be responsible for any problems once the grain leaves the warehouse."
Qiao Zhen listened to Shi Xi's introduction. This official was not as slick as other officials. He was Ding Mao and Ding Mao, so he could handle things more efficiently.
Qiao Zhen knew very well the punishment for missing military rations.
After detailed calculations, he found that as long as there were no natural disasters or military disasters, with the capabilities of their Longchang, the military rations would not be missed.
Qiao Zhen led the professional masters he hired and began to conduct spot checks on the food situation.
They conduct random inspections and conduct detailed inspections of the grain immediately if any abnormalities occur.
It is not just about randomly checking whether the grain is damp and moldy, but also whether the quality of the grain is up to standard. This is an important indicator.
They also randomly checked the types of grain and estimated the tonnage of grain.
Qiao Zhen can calculate the amount of grain himself.
He also hired many students who had graduated from primary school. They used their mathematical knowledge to quickly estimate the tonnage of grain.
They randomly checked some of the grain and immediately asked the porters to move the grain to the cargo carriage of the Longchang caravan.
After half a day of inspection, Qiao Zhen got the news that the random inspection passed.
The officials in the Grain Reserve Bureau did not tamper with the grain.
This was also what he expected. This was military rations. To do anything with it was to seek death.
Qiao Zhen came to Shi Xi, the director of the Grain Reserve Bureau. He bowed ninety degrees to Shi Xi and said:
"Director Shi, our Longchang has been randomly inspected and the list you produced is accurate."
Shi Xi smiled and said: "You don't have to be so polite. If the two of us sign this delivery list, the mission of our Grain Storage Bureau will be completed."
Qiao Zhen and Shi Xi signed on the grain storage outgoing list of the Grain Storage Bureau.
There are two copies of this outbound list, managed by Qiao Zhen and Shi Xi respectively.
After the grain was shipped out of the warehouse, Qiao Zhen also left the Grain Storage Bureau.
He sat on the grain carriage and rushed to Tongguan along the cement road.
The military's grain trucks all have small red flags on them, and no one is allowed to touch the grain on them.
Behind the convoy, there were grain trucks without flags.
Only a small part of the grain shipped here is flour.
Most of them are dried sweet potatoes, vermicelli, cornmeal, biscuits and grass.
These grains are left for the grain transport teams to eat themselves.
The Longchang has prepared a grain transport team of 2,000 people.
The grain that these grain transport teams eat every day, as well as the fodder that the horses eat, are quite large.
But the food of the Qin army must not be used, they can only bring their own food.
Qiao Zhen also brought more food to prevent him from being delayed due to natural disasters.
…………………………
Qiao Zhen wrapped herself in a cotton coat, the weather was getting colder and colder.
Fortunately, I was wearing a sweater and a cotton coat, which provided excellent cold resistance.
Qiao Zhen, a member of the Longchang caravan, all equipped them with some cotton coats.
"Qiao Daqiang, the border of Henan is ahead, we need to replace the carriage with a wheelbarrow.
I have sent people to inspect the conditions of the Henan border roads in advance.
Our carriage is suitable for walking on cement roads and bumpy dirt roads, and it is not as fast as a wheelbarrow."
When Qiao Daqiang, the leader of the caravan, heard his boss's order, he frowned and said, "Boss, replace the carriage with a wheelbarrow, we don't have enough manpower.
Our grain needs at least 5,000 wheelbarrows to transport it.
One person per vehicle, five thousand wheelbarrows, also requires five thousand people, and we still have a shortfall of three thousand people."
Qiao Zhen said with a smile: "You don't need to worry about this, I'm ready.
The prices charged by the people in Shaanxi are too high. How much less will I make if I hire them to transport grain?
We work directly in Henan and employ local people in Henan.
These people are so poor that they never had enough to eat before.
Now this place has been occupied by the Qin army. Officials have formed a grassroots government to help the people here by giving porridge and working as a substitute for poverty.
Just to keep them fed, there is no way to make money.
We just need to convince local officials to help us mobilize the people.
You can hire a large number of obedient young men at very low prices."
Qiao Zhen has already settled the accounts in advance and hired people in Shaanxi, such as the current caravan guys.
For food, shelter, and six taels of silver coins every month.
When Shaanxi hires day laborers, they are paid four to five taels of silver coins every month. Those are still people in their thirties and forties, who are already old and frail.
Here in Henan, hiring a strong young man in his twenties only costs two taels of silver coins per month.
The Longchang caravan stopped on the bank of the Yellow River.
While Qiao Zhen sent people to hire manpower, the caravan was not idle either.
Qiao Zhen brought a dozen craftsmen to prepare a large number of wheelbarrows for transporting grain.
Qiao Zhen stood on the bank of the Yellow River. From time to time he saw the transportation team affiliated with the Qin Army's logistics department.
Horses pull flatbed carts to move quickly on the Yellow River.
Henan has experienced severe cooling in recent years, and the Yellow River has become very frozen.
Cement roads are the best roads. There are no cement roads here in Henan. Transportation through the Yellow River is very convenient and fast in winter.
He looked at the huge number of horses in his caravan.
He can also learn the Qin army's movement method, which is cheaper.
Qiao Zhen immediately sent someone to call Qiao Daqiang back.
Qiao Daqiang was so powerful that he recruited 500 young men in a short period of time.
Qiao Zhen looked at the expectant eyes of these five hundred young men and decided to keep them, as they would not miss a meal.
“In this winter, I’m still wearing single clothes.
Qiao Daqiang, give each of them a cotton coat."
"Sir, thank you for accepting us."
"The elder provides meals and also gives out cotton-padded clothes. You are really a kind-hearted elder."
"Qiao Daqiang, manage them well."
Flatbed trucks are very easy to modify, just add a few iron bars under the wooden boards.
After the flatbed truck was refitted, the grain transport team of the Longchang began their journey immediately.
Horses often fell down on the river.
Qiao Zhen discovered after observation that the horses' hooves in the Qin Army's transport team were all wrapped in linen.
He also learned from the Qin army and wrapped the horses' hooves with linen, so that the horses rarely slipped on the river.
Qiao Zhen walked on the river and could see Qin troops constantly patrolling on both sides of the Yellow River from time to time.
Seeing these patrolling Qin troops, Qiao Zhen was completely relieved.
There are Qin troops patrolling, and some of the defeated troops defeated by the Qin troops will not harass the grain transport team.
Qiao Zhen felt a little hungry and asked him to stop immediately.
Start feeding the horses, and the guys also start eating.
The horses are fed fodder and concentrate, and the food is put in bags and hung around the horses' necks.
The horses can eat when they stop.
The guys from the grain transport team walked from the river to the bank of the Yellow River.
Go find some firewood around, set up the stove and start cooking and boiling water.
They carried their own food and water directly from the ice on the banks of the Yellow River.
Both humans and horses need to drink water, and a lot of water needs to be made with ice.
Qiao Zhen ate simple meals. The staple food was steamed buns, and the side dishes were vermicelli and kimchi.
Wherever there was a fire, Qiao Zhen chose to light a fire to cook. Where there was no fire, he could only eat some biscuits.
…………………………
"What is the name of this general?"
The Longchang caravan transporting grain team drove the animals on the ice of the Yellow River.
When the grain transport team passed by Wen County, Qiao Zhen discovered that the situation here was very tense.
The Qin army has sent a company of soldiers to protect them.
Sending troops to protect them means they are in a dangerous zone.
"If you don't want to be a general, you can call me Company Commander Wang."
Wang Xiaoan, the company commander of the logistics corps, said politely.
Qiao Zhen got close to Company Commander Wang and understood the situation here.
"Company Commander Wang, if you don't mean that our food transportation is safe, why do we need to send troops for personal protection?"
Qiao Zhen felt a little scared in his heart. They were all ordinary people, not soldiers who had been on the battlefield for a long time.
The guys from the Longchang Cavalry Gang were not prepared to go to the battlefield either.
Wang Xiaoan said: "Don't worry! This place is far away from the battlefield, but it is already close to the battlefield.
The King of Qin is leading a large army to besiege the city of Kaifeng. Ming troops from other places in Henan are constantly rushing to Kaifeng to fight against our army.
There are some defeated troops who were routed by the army, as well as a large number of local bandits in Henan, who will harass the grain transport team.
Before Wen County, officials had already established a new order, and the garrison began to sweep away broken soldiers and bandits in the territory.
These problems can be solved by leaving only part of the garrison to patrol both sides of the Yellow River.
We can't do that here, a new order has not been established, and there are still many broken soldiers and bandits.
But don’t worry, with the protection of our logistics corps, broken troops and bandits will not harm you.”
Qiao Zhen looked at the muskets in the hands of these logistics corps soldiers.
Company Commander Wang was missing a few fingers on his right hand, but he was holding a revolver in his left hand, and his extremely confident performance also dispelled Qiao Zhen's doubts.
Qiao Zhen walked forward with the grain transport team of the Longchang.
…………………………
Qiao Zhen saw the sentry post set up by the Qin army on the river ahead.
When they saw the grain transport team, they immediately made a gesture to tell them to stop.
Qiao Zhen immediately stepped forward to learn about the situation from these soldiers.
"Sir, we are a food transport team hired by the Logistics Department. This is a common document."
"The logistics department's grain transport pair cannot pass through either. There are important military facilities in front of it, and non-military personnel are not allowed to enter.
If you want to transport food to the camp, you can only choose to transport it ashore by land."
Qiao Zhen's heart skipped a beat because he didn't expect to encounter such an accident.
When he left Tongguan, in order to save money, he only hired 500 young men.
These five hundred young men could not push a wheelbarrow to transport the military rations to the designated location.
But the river ahead was blocked, so Qiao Zhen had no choice but to have people transport the grain to the bank of the Yellow River.
Qiao Zhen stood on the embankment of the Yellow River and saw that the embankment of the Yellow River near Kaifeng was several meters higher than the underground road.
If the Yellow River bursts, Kaifeng will definitely be washed away by the river water.
When he came to Henan for the first time, he saw the famous hanging river here.
The river is located above the city, which is really a wonder.
Qiao Zhen learned from the Qin army that there were still more than two hundred miles to reach the Qin army's camp.
After such a long journey, there are still ten days left before the deadline.
With such a small number of people, we can't use them all through batch transportation.
Qiao Zhen had no choice but to hire people from Henan.
"Qiao Daqiang, go look around and see if there are any people willing to accept employment.
We can spend a little more money, and there will be brave men under the heavy reward."
He also asked the craftsmen of the Longchang to make a large number of wheelbarrows out of wood.
The craftsmen of the Longchang are the craftsmen who make carriages. There is no difficulty in making a wheelbarrow.
Caravan vehicles are often damaged on the road.
Caravans traveling long distances must bring along craftsmen who can repair cars.
Qiao Zhen has more craftsmen under him, and he directly leads a dozen craftsmen who can build cars.
The craftsmen built the needed wheelbarrows, and Qiao Daqiang also found more than 3,000 young men.
"My boss, they have salary requirements, but I don't dare to agree."
Qiao Zhen met a very thin and tall man.
He is skinny and skinny, but you can tell from his skeleton that he was a huge man before.
Niu Gengshan clasped his fists and said: "This shopkeeper, we can help, but there are requirements.
We don’t need money, the wages for transporting grain must be paid with grain.”
After getting to know them, Qiao Zhen learned that they were all villagers near Kaifeng.
After the Qin army attacked, the Ming army near Kaifeng began to attack the villages.
Take away every grain of rice that can be collected from the villagers' homes.
If it weren't for capturing the young adults, more food would be consumed, and these young adults would also be captured.
After the Qin army arrived, they provided some relief to the villagers, but they could only survive from starvation.
The main food is supplied to the elderly and children.
Qiao Zhen looked at the food he had hoarded here.
He was one of the first people to transport military supplies to Henan.
He has not yet arrived at the Qin army's camp. The Qin army must have insufficient food, only enough for combat.
If we can squeeze out some food to help the people, it is already very good.
Qiao Zhen saw these people's stomachs growling, so he opened fire first to let them have a full meal.
He took out the sweet potatoes and cornmeal and asked, "You've all tasted the taste of these grains. You want polished rice and white flour, but I can't afford it."
Niu Gengshan smiled bitterly and said: "It's good to have enough food to eat, but you can't ask for polished rice and white flour.
These grains are already very good. If you can eat enough, that’s good grain."
They agreed on a price and pushed the grain in a wheelbarrow to the Qin army's camp.
Qiao Zhen saw the Qin Army officer inspecting the grain and signing the grain storage slip. His expression was relaxed, and the grain transportation work was finally over.
"Shopkeeper Qiao, our minister wants to see you."
When Qiao Zhen heard this, he got excited and immediately trotted forward to meet Jiang Zhiyu, the director of the Logistics Department.