When Zhou Zhoulang went back, he asked people to pack up the things, and the next day he arrived at the pier within the appointed time, and some coolies came forward to do the work.
Zhou Zhoulang chose a few people to help carry things together.
Because it was the first time to go to sea, although Zhou Zhoulang didn't bring many things, but none of them was left behind, unlike other caravans who would leave some guys behind after arriving here, and only bring a few on board.
Sanzhu and the others were also very nervous, after they loaded everything up and handed over the chariot and horses to Liu Gui to take them back, they asked in a low voice, "Fourth...fourth uncle, shall we all go?"
Zhou Zhoulang: "You don't want to go?"
"No, I think other caravans bring few people. We bring so many people, it looks so fierce, like a fight."
Zhou Zhou Lang glanced at him and said: "Isn't this very good, it's not easy to bully when you look at it, and it happens that no one dares to bully us."
The people on board guessed that they were going out to sea for the first time when they saw so many people carrying such a small amount of cargo. After a closer look, they found that they didn’t understand anything. I couldn't help laughing, it was really the first time I went to sea.
But Zhou Zhoulang didn't hesitate, took a look at the precautions for the sea-going ship he had recorded, and said, "Let's find a boatman and ask where our cabin is."
What Zhou Lang said was right, although they looked like they were going to sea for the first time due to the large number of them, no one dared to bully them because of their large number.
He entered his cabin, poured a cup of tea for Uncle Shi, and said, "We are small, so people can't see that it's our first time to go to sea? So there are still many people."
Uncle Shi drank it in one gulp, and said, "Just be happy if you have money."
Zhou Zhoulang touched a bag tied on his arm, it was given to him by Zhou Man, it contained gold, and some money he brought from the capital. When he arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, if he came across good things, he could buy more. You earn it back once you come and go.
Thinking about it this way, Zhou Zhoulang felt relieved, he didn't feel so distressed anymore.
Bai Shan and Zhou Liwei took people back to Dajiawa, sorted out the leftover salt, Bai Shan handed Lu Yin to Nie Canjun, "Let someone send it out."
Nie Canjun responded, picked fifty soldiers and left overland with the rest of the salt.
They were going to send the salt to the Central Plains. In this way, the land and sea were separated, and all places that needed to rely on the official salt in the south of the Yangtze River could be replenished.
The purchasers of government offices from all over the country still stayed in the south of the Yangtze River, trying hard to buy some salt, but although they let go, the price they offered was very high.
The money did not belong to them either. The purchasing official hesitated for a while and refused to agree. He wrote a letter to send it back and asked his superiors before making any plans.
Such expensive salt, even if it doesn’t make money, is given to the people at a par price, and the people can’t afford it. In the end, who is responsible for this
So they didn't dare to place an order.
Their letters were sent back from the south of the Yangtze River. Although the journey was far away, the speed of delivery was faster than that of escorting the official salt. When the local government offices were angrily cursing the family of officials in the south of the Yangtze River, someone came to report, "My lord, there is a Qingzhou salt shipment." The people from the department came over and said that they were trading official salt under the order of the imperial court."
The governor with a livid face immediately stood up, "Really? Where is he?"
"I just entered the city, and I am currently living in the post."
"Come on, let's go and have a look." The governor took two steps and felt that something was wrong, then stopped, "Go and invite people here, and take a closer look at how much salt they brought."
A full fifteen cars!
The governor was very happy to meet people in the hall. After reading the other party's guides and official posts, the governor knew their origins.
Qingzhou Beihai County, Bai Shan.
The corner of the governor's mouth turned up slightly, and a sneer flashed across his face, no one in the world knew that Bai Shan was the prince's companion, and he was the prince's confidant just like his wife.
Hmph, Jiangnan is stealing chickens but not losing a lot of rice. He wants to use them as knives, but he doesn't know that they are already meat on the chopping board, and the prince's knives are already ready.
However, how did so many Yan Baishan come from
The governor just thought about it for a while and then decided to ignore it, and said to the soldiers escorting the official salt: "How much is the official salt?"
The soldier quoted a price, which was set by Bai Shan and could not be changed.
The governor shook his head and said, "This won't work, it's too expensive, it should be cheaper."
Soldier: "...My lord, this is the price set by our lord. If your lord thinks it is expensive, then we can only leave and go to the next state."
He said: "Before we came, our adults told us that the price should not be one penny more, nor one penny less."
He added: "Our adults also said that if some adults feel that the price is too high, they can send someone to Qingzhou Beihai County to fetch official salt in the next quarter. The price is ten cents cheaper than the current price."
Governor: "... next quarter?"
"Yes," the soldier said honestly, "Our lord said that what we are sending now is only for this season, so a state can only buy three truckloads of salt at most. In the next season, if we are asked to send salt, each bucket of salt will cost more than 100 yuan per bucket." Five coins more than now. If His Highness the Crown Prince had not ordered, we adults would not have given it away, and now we are short of people in Beihai County."
Before selecting candidates, Bai Shan had told Nie Canjun that the leader selected must be honest and loyal, and it was best to be strict, and he would resolutely carry out whatever the superior ordered.
But Bai Shan didn't expect him to be so honest, and directly told them what he privately told them.
The governor dragged people around for a long time, but in the end he still couldn't buy an extra cart of salt, let alone the price, which was really not much, not a lot.
He could only buy three carts of salt, and watched him leave helplessly.
Someone was very unconvinced, "My lord, what if we just impound the salt truck?"
It's not like they haven't done this kind of thing before. The things have been withheld. Who can do anything to them? It's not like they didn't pay.
The governor glanced at the other party and said: "This is not an ordinary official salt, what do you think of it as before?"
"I've tasted it. Although the salt is a little better than Jiangnan's, it's still salt. What's unusual?"
"There is poison in this salt," the governor said, "the poison of the imperial court fighting with Jiangnan, we are not far away at this time, and you are still rushing to find trouble, and you are looking for troubles from His Majesty's crown prince and the imperial court. Living too long?"
"Then this salt..."
"Call our people back, don't waste time in Jiangnan, since Qingzhou has salt, let's get it from Qingzhou, it's closer, and cheaper than Jiangnan, huh, I'd like to see, we're all gone , who would want salt from Jiangnan."
"However," the governor rubbed his chin, very puzzled, "Where does Qingzhou get so much official salt? I remember that they only have one salt farm there, and most of them are only enough to supply the state."
One person said: "My lord, there was a specious news a few years ago that there was a new method of making salt by the sea, saying that it can be put in the field and grown salt like crops."
The governor: "...do you believe such nonsense?"