Compared to Zuo Mengeng, the various wealthy families in Linqing were more anxious.
After seeing the power of off-season vegetables, no one can sit still.
But Zuo Mengeng was away on an expedition, so they had to wait.
On the day Zuo Mengeng came back, they couldn't wait to send out invitations. Until now, everyone finally sat together.
However, Zuo Mengeng was really surprised when he saw Lu Xun's appearance.
"Old man, what's going on?"
When he was in the field years ago, Lu Xun was still strong and energetic. But when we met again now, he was shaky like a candle in the wind.
It's okay that he didn't ask, but this question made Lu Xun burst into tears and burst into tears.
Accompanying Lu Xun was Lu Hao, the third-generation eldest grandson of the Lu family.
Lu Hao's eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, filled with resentment.
But after hearing him explain the reason, everyone's expressions didn't look much better either.
It turns out that Emperor Tianqi decided to build three major halls, and the Lu family was one of the brick and stone suppliers. But not long after the three major halls were built, Tianqi died.
After Chongzhen came to the throne, the government was still in chaos.
The Lu family is always owed wages.
But if the Lu family can't get their wages, the workers below will have no income, and they'll start to make trouble.
In desperation, the Lu family had to pay from their own pockets.
If Zuo Mengeng hadn't ordered a batch of bricks and tiles from the Lu family at that time, the Lu family's brick kiln would have gone bankrupt.
But this was not a solution. Lu Xun's son, Lu Hao's father, Lu Kuang, went to the capital to find Gong Yonggu, the prince-in-law, the commander-in-chief, hoping to make a report on his behalf and let the internal officials and supervisors make up the debt.
But just in time for the Jisi Incident, the capital was in chaos, so Gong Yonggu used this as an excuse and kept delaying it.
The road is wide and helpless, running everywhere but unable to find a way in.
Seeing that there was no other solution, Lu Kuang became anxious and went straight to the door of Hui'an Bo Zhang Qingzhen to beg on his knees.
When the three main halls were first built, Zhang Qingzhen was the person in charge of the bricks and tiles.
Lu Kuang couldn't find an internal official to ask for money, so he naturally asked Zhang Qingzhen.
He had no idea that it would be impossible to get back the money owed by the imperial court.
It was all divided up by the internal officials, Zhang Qingzhen and other powerful people.
He came to ask for money and immediately angered Zhang Qingzhen, who was beaten until he vomited blood by the servants of Hui'an's residence.
Lu Kuang was inexplicably sad and angry, and prepared to file a lawsuit against the emperor.
But before setting off, I received a piece of news that was a bolt from the blue.
Hui'an Bo Zhang Qingzhen, together with his consort Gong Yonggu, Hou Gongchen, and Liu Yongfu, donated all their coal and brick kilns to Chongzhen in the name of sharing your worries.
Chongzhen was in need of money to heal the trauma of the Jisi Revolution, so he immediately issued an order to commend him, and Zhang Qingzhen and others became good people.
If Lu Kuang complained again at this time, he would become a profiteer without a king or a father, greedy for money and profit.
Lu Kuang was so frightened and angry that he became seriously ill and gave up completely.
When he was carried home by his servants, he was half dead and could not get out of bed.
When Lu Hao talked about this, he was full of hatred, but Zuo Mengeng was very happy.
Among the big families in Linqing, there were originally only the Zhang family and the Liu family who were Zuo Mengeng's die-hard allies. The Lu family and the Geng family could only be regarded as mutually beneficial.
But now these two families are obviously alienated from the imperial court.
The top priority is to use greater benefits to tie the Lu family and the Geng family into their own chariot.
"Last winter, Zuozhuang tried to grow off-season vegetables, and the harvest was good, and the benefits were also very good. However, our own efforts in Zuozhuang are ultimately limited. Linqing is a big city with millions of people, and countless people are eagerly waiting for it but they can't get it. The juniors have always felt that
, Win-win is the long-term solution. It happened that every family had this intention, so the younger generation made a plan."
Everyone was excited to hear that he readily agreed to cooperate.
"My father often talks about Brother Zhongheng's heroic spirit and righteousness, which is unparalleled in the world. We take care of Brother Zhongheng, so why should our family not be prosperous?"
Geng Zhangguang spoke eloquently and there was something in his words.
While talking, he looked at Lu Xun.
The Geng family has decided to join Zuo Mengeng's camp from now on.
Geng Zhangguang had already expressed his intention to take action, and Geng Ruxi would come out of the mountain after recovering from his illness.
The only person present here who is not far away from the Lu family is not close.
But does the Lu family have any other options?
Lu Hao stood up and held his hands in a sincere manner.
"Brother Zhongheng of the Lu family has always taken care of him a lot. He is a great kindness and virtue, and I will remember him deeply. From now on, I will look after brother Zhongheng."
Qu Shishu and Zhang Jimeng were watching the ceremony, and they couldn't help but be shocked when they saw that Zuo Menggen had taken the heart of the Linqing clan.
From now on, this innocence of Linqing will be covered up by Zuo Mengeng.
The Lu family also expressed their loyalty, which made Zuo Mengeng quite satisfied. Many plans were finally put into effect.
"Then let's talk about out-of-season vegetables first."
Seeing that he went straight to the point without beating around the bush, everyone felt quite at ease and listened carefully.
"Off-season vegetables are very popular no matter where they are sold due to monopoly benefits. If we want to do this, we can't be petty and only focus on this three-acre land in Linqing. My vision is that within one to two years,
, to occupy the entire Dongchang Mansion."
He looked at Zhang Zonghuan.
"It is said that Uncle Zhang has an old friend in Texas?"
Zhang Zonghuan nodded and said with a smile: "You are all familiar with my old friend. Cheng Xucheng Wenze is the son of Gongye Gong."
When he said this, everyone was stunned.
Cheng Gongye, also known as Cheng Shao, once served as governor of Henan and was also a member of the Donglin Party.
Now that there is this relationship, Zuo Mengeng's layout becomes more convenient.
"Uncle Zhang can invite Cheng Wenze to be a dealer in Texas and set up a store there. After our off-season vegetables are shipped to Texas, he can sell them on his behalf. In this way, I will own the entire Texas market."
When everyone heard this, they all thought this method was very good.
In this era, commercial expansion is very restricted by transportation. The transportation of off-season vegetables is even more troublesome. Especially in winter, if the transportation is not properly maintained, it will be spoiled halfway.
If it is only within the territory of Dongchang Prefecture, then it is not a big problem. There are official roads connecting everywhere, and it only takes a day or two to keep the vegetables fresh.
The reason why they want to win over the Dezhou Cheng family is because they have little relationship with the local officials in Dezhou, so they need to start with the local wealthy families.
As for Dongchang Prefecture, it is not that troublesome. Huang Daozhou is the prefect and can provide support.
It is worth mentioning that Dezhou is not under the jurisdiction of Dongchang Prefecture, but belongs to Jinan Prefecture. But it is so close to Linqing and it is a big city, so it is naturally worth exploring.
As for Dongchang Prefecture, except for Linqing and Dongchang, the development value of other prefectures and counties is not very great, and there is no need to include it in the plan for the time being.
After discussion at the wine table, everyone decided to establish Linqing Vegetable Company.
Each company still becomes a shareholder of the vegetable company by investing land and capital, participating in the operation and receiving dividends at the same time.
In the previous Fuyao Group, these families were only shareholders and did not directly participate in operations and management.
At that time, Zuo Mengeng could not fully trust them, he just needed to rely on the financial resources and land of these families.
Now that these people have stepped onto his chariot, they naturally have to give full play to their energy.
The underlying purpose behind this is to transform these landowners who combine agriculture and business into a new bourgeoisie.
Zuo Menggeng believes that this change does not necessarily require the landlord class to completely give up the means of production. If the commercial operation of land is completed, it should be possible.
This was also his second purpose after establishing the vegetable company.
"Seniors, I wonder how everyone got from this summer's harvest? I have some experience here, and I hope to share it with you."
Without waiting for anyone to answer, he said directly: "Since sowing last autumn, our Zuozhuang has adopted brand-new breeding and reclamation techniques. During the wheat harvest this summer, the yield per acre is seven per kilo, which is much higher than in previous years.
"
"Bangdang..."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Ji's wine glass spilled.
"Brother Zhongheng, is this serious?"
Although the others did not speak, their rapid breathing seemed to create a vacuum around the wine table.
The yield of one acre of land is one stone and seven. These landowners know very well what this means.