Jia Xu was sent by Liu Mang to go out. When the two paid the money, Jia Xu went downstairs with an excuse. Now Liu Mang is seizing every possible opportunity to obtain food and grass, and these two are also merchants from Jingzhou. Representatives, if they can be persuaded, then Yangzhou will develop rapidly. Although these businessmen are only looking for profit, they will also bring real vitality to Yangzhou. Only an active market can truly belong to prosperity.
"You belong to Mr. Kuai Ran?!" Fatty Liang and Wu De took Jia Xu to an inn near the music hall when they learned that Jia Xu had no ill intentions towards them. Because the incense banquet in the music hall was extremely idle, the two local snakes found a room and sat down to discuss.
In the music hall just now, the two offended Cai He, the son of the family, and Kuai Ran, who was also the son of the family, begged for mercy. It was possible that the two of them would send someone to talk to them. If Cai He sent someone, he would It won't be so easy to talk, then there is only one Kuai Ran left. Thinking of Kuai Ran speaking for the two of them in the music hall, the two are very grateful, if this person is really Mr. Kuai Ran's person , then it is really an honor for them, the two of them are eager to get in touch with Kuai Ran. There was an involuntary look of joy on his face.
"No!" Jia Xu shook her head immediately.
As soon as Jia Xu shook his head, the faces of the two people immediately dimmed. How could Jia Xu not know the disappointment of the two when he saw the reaction of the two? A businessman seeks profit, which is the essence of business. Business is not only about buying and selling goods There is also the sale of favors.
"Then who are you?!" Although the two lost interest, they still maintained a kind of respect, which was a kind of politeness.
"Hehe, don't you guys only know one Mr. Kuairan?" Jia Xu is a fine person, how could he fail to see that the two of them were absent-minded.
"Who are you?" Fatty Liang next to him is fat, but he has a lot of eyes. "Are you from Mr. Wang Shu?" Not only Kuai Ran but also a man called Wang Shu's son, he was the first to speak for the two of them. Although his words were a bit harsh, it was because he spoke first. Only Mr. Kuairan will intercede.
"Of course!" Jia Xu nodded, he took a second look at Fatty Liang, no wonder he can occupy 20% of it, but this Wu De can only occupy 15% of it, naturally there will be more people who think more.
"I don't know why Mr. Wang Shu is looking for us?!" Fatty Liang continued. He cupped his fists at Jia Xu, speaking at Hengyu's level, and there was actually a rhetorical question in the question, who is this Mr. Wang Shu? Shouldn't he be Mr. Kuairan's follower
"Hehe, Brother Liang, Brother Wu, can I call you that?!" Jia Xu started calling them brothers and sisters, and Jia Xu was the only one who would let it go. After all, the status of a businessman is still very low. Those scholars and followers disdain to be with businessmen.
"Show love!" Wu De and Fatty Liang clasped their fists together and said.
"No matter how low your status is, our young master is not inferior to Mr. Kuai Ran!" Jia Xu's words immediately stunned the two of them.
"What?!" Wu De was the first to lose his temper. Who is Kuai Ran? It is equivalent to the No. 2 person in Jingzhou. If it is just the son of a high-ranking official, it is nothing. After all, the official position is very mobile, and the Kuai family where Kuai Ran belongs is a real giant. It can be said that this Jingzhou is even if Liu Biao is dead, even if Jingzhou has changed its name. , this Kuai family still exists. This is the existence of the gentry as an aristocratic family. And Kuai Ran is the only heir of the Kuai family.
Now some people actually say that this Wang Shu has a higher status than Kuai Ran. Even Liu Biao's two sons dare not say that his status is higher than Kuai Ran. Could it be that he is the shepherd of Jingzhou? It's just a joke! Throughout Jingzhou, there are royal gentry families, but there are none larger than the Kuai family.
"You two don't believe it!" Jia Xu said, looking at their reactions.
Wu De and Fatty Liang didn't speak, but their expressions clearly showed disbelief.
"Who the hell is Master Ling!" Fatty Liang thought a little more, perhaps this Wang Shu is not the real name of this person! One must know that if this person had no identity, then Kuai Ran would not have asked Cai He to take the two of them. Moreover, this Kuai Ran also mentioned that this Wang Shu and his uncle Kuai Liang had an old friend, so it is impossible for him to be much different in status. It may be an exaggeration to be only higher than Kuai Ran. Children of the family.
"I can tell you the identity of our son, but you have to think about it carefully. If you know, you must keep your mouth shut. If you dare to reveal it, then don't blame me for being ruthless. If our son can save you, he can also be with that Like Cai He, let your two families disappear in Jingzhou!" Jia Xu smiled, although he was smiling, but in the eyes of Fatty Liang and Wu De, it was a sneer, which made them shiver.
That's right, this is a sneer. Jia Xu understands people's hearts, and naturally knows that a gentle person is not enough. Only force and benefits are the real fundamentals that can make a person work hard.
"It's better not to say it!" Wu De shook his head, and he flinched immediately when he saw Jia Xu's expression.
Fatty Liang frowned. He wanted to know, but he was afraid that if he found out, he would really be on a pirate ship, so he hesitated.
"Hehe, if you two don't want to know, that's fine. Anyway, you have always been just a humble businessman. Although you have money, you dare not spend it, it's pitiful!" Jia Xu began to provoke the two of them.
"What do you mean?!" Fatty Liang fought immediately, his eyes were full of anger, the feeling of being humiliated before was still there, if it was a young master here, then forget it, but such a housekeeper dare Such words "We are lowly merchants, so what is your Excellency!"
"As for me, although I am just a housekeeper under the young master, as long as I stay by the young master's side, I will be released sooner or later. I don't want to be rich and powerful, but the status of each small nobleman is still generous.
"What!" Both of them were stunned by Jia Xu's words, the status of a small nobleman! You have to know how many people have struggled for the status of such a small gentry for a lifetime, or even several lifetimes, but most people have stopped at it. Only a small number of people can become gentry and truly become masters. Just like the Mi family in Xuzhou back then, such a big family of merchants. The family property is thousands of gold, and he flattered Liu Bei for the reason of being a nobleman, but now. The family property is gone, but there is nothing left. Fortunately, the status of the gentry is above the original track, and the nine-rank Zhongzheng system has reached the extreme. At that time, it was really a high-rank no-poor family and a low-rank no-gentleman. How many people have been stumped by a small identity.
"If you two want to continue to be lowly merchants in this Jingzhou, then please, if you two want to become a small gentry like the next one, you can stay and listen to the next one!" Jia Xu pointed to the door over there and said to the two of them.
"We, let's go!" Wu De was afraid, which was beyond his comprehension.
Fatty Liang rolled his eyes and thought for a long time, "Slow down!" Fatty Liang stared at Jia Xu as if he wanted to see the slightest clue from Jia Xu's face. But he was disappointed, the old fox Jia Xu has long been a human being, how could there be any clues to be traced. Jia Xu was very calm, and even picked up the teacup on the table very naturally, poured water and drank it himself.
"Your young master really has such ability?!" Fatty Liang asked Jia Xu, staring at Jia Xu.
Jia Xu laughed in his heart when he heard what Fatty Liang said, the fish was hooked.
"Fatty Liang, you are crazy!" Wu De was anxious. He was really afraid that Fatty Liang would not be able to come on board the thief ship. Although the two were in competition and they were enemies, they still had feelings for each other, so Wu De was consoling him. Businessmen like them can get involved, and if their masters move their fingers, maybe they, businessmen, are really finished.
"I don't want to be a businessman anymore. I'm just a businessman!" Fatty Liang began to growl, his eyes glowed red, it wasn't because he was stimulated by Cai He and Jia Xu today, but because he lived this life Having been stimulated for decades, he originally thought he could make money, and he has money. He was able to bring happiness to his family and dignity to himself, but he was wrong, his identity as a businessman was doomed, he could only be in the lobby of the music hall, in the Tianzihao box. He can't go to the local box! he can! He has enough money to go, but just because he is a businessman, he is not qualified to go! No one will ask him to go again. "I'm done!"
"Fatty Liang, you!" Wu De suddenly found that the Fatty Liang in front of him became strange, and this was no longer the Fatty Liang whom he had competed with for decades.
The corners of Jia Xu's mouth turned upwards. He looked at the two of them while drinking tea, and he knew that neither of them would be able to leave.
"Wu De, skinny Wu, do you want to live a life of being aggrieved!" Fatty Liang opened his blood-red eyes and looked at Wu De.
"I, I, I!" I don't know why, seeing Fatty Liang like this, Wu De also gritted his teeth in his heart, "Yes, I don't want to live a lifetime of being aggrieved!"
"Let's not talk about a mere gentry, my son, it's not impossible for you to become an aristocratic family!" When a gentry grows bigger, it becomes an aristocratic family, and an aristocratic family is someone who can really take root in one place.
"Tell me, who is your son and what do you need us for!" Fatty Liang calmed down beside him, he knew that there is no free lunch in this world, how could someone who can give them the status of a nobleman let them get it for nothing? Well, what conditions must be required.
"Hehe, it's easy to talk to smart people!" Jia Xu put down the teacup in his hand, and the two of them had basically entered Jia Xu's pocket.
"Our young master is a man in Jingzhou who is much older than your Jingzhou Mu!" Jia Xu still let them guess, because only then can they truly know who Liu Mang is and how high Liu Mang is.
"Greater than Jingzhou Mu?!" Fatty Liang and Wu De were lost in thought.
"Impossible! There is no one in Jingzhou who is bigger than Jingzhou Mu!" Wu De shook his head, he looked at Jia Xu, could he be brushing them off
"You mean!" Fatty Liang paid more attention to things than Wu De, so he thought about it and said to Jia Xu.
"That's right, that's our young master!" Jia Xu said with a calm expression.
"Fatty Liang, who is he talking about?!" Wu De asked in confusion, seeing that Fatty Liang and the housekeeper both understood.
"Hehe, Brother Wu!" Fatty Liang suddenly smiled wryly, "Who is it that speaks for us!"
"It's Mr. Wang Shu!"
"You read this Mr. Wang Shu upside down!" Fatty Liang said to Wu De.
"Read it upside down?!" Wu De was stunned for a moment, and then began to read it. What is the mystery of reading it upside down
"Master Wang Shu, Zigong King Shu!" Wu De didn't react at first, but then he was stunned. "Wang Shu, King Shu! King Shu, Your Highness King Shu!" Wu De looked at Jia Xu stupidly.
"You mean His Highness the King of Shu?!" Liu Mang's reputation is not small in the whole big man. Because Liu Mang is the only prince, and he also has the title of a holy king. Originally, this has nothing to do with small businessmen like them. After all, he is a businessman from Jingzhou. How could it be possible to know these princes, but Liu Mang's call-up order let Wu De know about this King of Shu, because the tax burden on the land that Liu Mang gave was only three levels, and Wu De laughed at that time, if they were in If you collect grain in Yangzhou, you will be able to buy the most grain and grass at the least price, because the rarest things are the most expensive, and naturally they are worthless.
If that Wang Shu is really the king of Shu, then they can really be given the status of a noble family. After all, Liu Mang was a prince and had already established his own mansion. There is even the ability to set up your own kingdom too. The identity of a mere gentry is not a problem.
But Fatty Liang is still smiling wryly, this is really on the boat of thieves, the status of this gentry is easy to get, but you have to know that if this one is not done well, the family will be destroyed. Although Liu Mang is the king of Shu now, he is in Jingzhou. In Jingzhou, it is basically equivalent to being a hostage, and it is difficult to protect themselves. How to help them, if a collaborator's label is not deducted, then everyone will be finished.
"Ah!" Wu De was afraid again, he was too cautious, "Can you quit!"
"Hehe. Brother Wu, what do you think!" Jia Xu looked at Wu De with a smile on his face, "Since you all know the identity of the young master, then either you belong to me or I have to shut up!"
"Shut up?! I will keep my mouth shut!" Wu Demeng said, nodding his head.
"Only the dead are the best at keeping secrets!" Fatty Liang was much better than Wu De. He knew that they might still be able to leave, but now that he knew who this Mr. Wang Shu was, he still had to leave. Is it possible!
Impossible. This butler is not alone, there are two guards beside him. These two guards are the kind of people who have killed people and seen blood. If one of them is not good, the two of them will really die here. As for what you want, go out and report something perfunctory first. Then don't even think about it, even if they reveal Liu Mang's identity. Liu Biao can't do anything to Liu Reck, because Lu Bujun is watching covetously by his side, so how could Liu Biao do anything to Liu Reck! But these two small merchants might be taken by Liu Biao to appease Liu Mang, and they were the ones who died in the end.
"Okay! Mister, since we all know His Highness the King of Shu, you should tell us your name too!" Fatty Liang is indeed a person who has seen the world, and he wants to know that the person talking to them is Liu Who is around Mang, can he speak in front of Liu Mang, and how much weight his words have, so that he can continue to invest.
"Hehe, I am Jia Xu, and now Jia Wenhe is the prefect of Hefei, Yangzhou!" Jia Xu clasped his fists at the two of them. Liu Mang's side exists as a staff officer.
"You are Jia Wenhe?!" Fatty Liang pointed at Jia Xu and said in surprise.
"Why, brother Liang knows me?!"
"Master Jia, you may be so forgetful. When you were under the command of General Xiao Zhang, we had a deal!" Fatty Liang said to Jia Xu.
"That's right!" The Little General Zhang mentioned by Fatty Liang is Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu used to be an alliance army in Jingzhou. At that time, Liu Biao could sleep peacefully, and he didn’t have to worry about the remnants of the Yellow Turban or the old Cao. During that time, Jingzhou and Nanyang Zhangxiu were in the honeymoon period. Naturally, Zhang Xiu’s requirements were met as much as possible. Zhang Xiu didn’t like it. Gold loves grain and grass, and it is precisely because of buying and selling with these people that he was able to accumulate hundreds of thousands of shi of grain and grass, but in the end he was burned clean by Jia Xu.
"Since Brother Liang and I have been in contact before, the future cooperation will be more enjoyable!" Jia Xu also maintained a kind of kindness towards Fatty Liang.
"That's nature, that's nature!"
"What does His Highness King Shu need?" Fatty Liang and Wu De asked Jia Xu.
"It's still His Highness the King of Shu!" Jia Xu said with a smile.
"It's the lord, the lord!" Fatty Liang and Wu De nodded obediently and said.
"Yangzhou is short of food and grass, I believe you two are also aware of it!" Jia Xu began to give instructions to the two of them.
The two nodded when they heard Jia Xu's words. Almost half of the world knew about Yangzhou's lack of food and grass. Because of Jiang Dongsun's plan, more than one million people suddenly flooded into Yangzhou's originally barren area. It can be said who is the prince with the heaviest burden in the world, that is the Lu Bu army in Yangzhou, and the army supported by them is at most hundreds of thousands, even Yuan Shao, the biggest overlord of Hebei at the time. Occupying the land of the four continents is nothing more than raising 500,000 soldiers and horses, and Liu Mang has to support a population of more than one million at once, so the burden is naturally extremely heavy. If it wasn't for the pressure of grain and grass, Liu Mang would not have come to this Jingzhou. He just wanted this Liu Biao to sell grain and grass to Yangzhou to alleviate Yangzhou's difficulties.
"My lord wants us to transport the grain and grass there!" Fatty Liang and Wu De were very embarrassed. "To tell the truth from Master Jia, we also want to transport the grain and grass to Yangzhou to sell, but the grain and grass can't leave Jingzhou at all. !” Fatty Liang said bitterly to Jia Xu.
Yangzhou lacks grain and grass, and these grain and grass merchants also know that Yangzhou is also buying a large amount of grain and grass. These grain and grass merchants are also eager to sell grain and grass. Merchants are only looking for profit. Liu Mang paid such a high price to buy grain and grass. How could they not sell it? It’s just that they wanted to sell it but couldn’t deliver it. There are only two ways to transport Jingzhou's grain and grass out. One is to go down the Yangtze River and go to Jiangxia, so that it can be sold to any place in the Yangtze River. Jiangxia used to be a foreign trade place in Jingzhou, and countless grains and grasses were sold. , Difficult to replace with steel and replace with salt.
But now Jiangxia is at war, and most of Jiangxia has been occupied by Jiangdong Army. Although the Jiangdong army is still very tolerant of the merchants in Jingzhou, these merchants are the only ones who are not beheaded when the two armies fight. Yangzhou, then the Jiangdong Army has already taken it directly, and will let these grains be transported to Yangzhou. Obviously it is impossible.
Another way is to go up the Yangtze River upstream, from Xinye or Nanyang. Nanyang is now in the hands of Liu Bei, and it is impossible to pass through. Xinye is also an important town in Jingzhou, how can it be transported. When they arrive in Xinye, they will be sent home.
"Xinye!?" Jia Xu couldn't help laughing when he heard the place name.
"If your grain and grass can be transported to Xinye, then you won't be needed for the rest!"
"Huh?! Junshi Jia?" Fatty Liang looked at Jia Xu suspiciously. Does Jia Xu have someone in Xinye? Even if he knows some people, he can't be transported out. The prefect of Xinye is Liu Qi, the eldest son of Jingzhou Liu Biao. How could he let his father's grain and grass be transported out
"You don't need to worry about this! Shanren naturally has a clever plan!" Jia Xu said with a smile, they guessed a little bit, Liu Mangjun's internal response in Xinye was really the eldest son of Jingzhou Mu, Liu Qi.
Previously, Jia Xu was skeptical about the relationship between Liu Mang and Liu Qi, because if he made friends with Liu Qi, he would definitely offend the Cai family, one of the largest families in Jingzhou, and even the Kuai family who was with the Cai family. , but now this is an unspeakable benefit. Going to Xinye, with Xinye Chief Executive Liu Qi as the internal support, is it afraid of other things
"If this is the case, then it would be the best. We will start tomorrow. I can get about 10,000 shi from the granaries in Jingzhou!" Fatty Liang said to Jia Xu.
"I don't have as many as Fatty Liang, but I still have eight thousand stones!" Wu De also said to Jia Xu.
Ten thousand stones plus eight thousand stones! It is less than 20,000 shi. Although this is not a small number, it is still far from the behemoth in Yangzhou. Jia Xu frowned.
"Why? Master Jia thinks it's too little! Liang can only do his best, and he can still come up with five thousand shi!" Fatty Liang is going to consume his family's wealth, and the 10,000 shi was supposed to be sold this year. Yes, he also spent a lot of money on this ten thousand stones.
"I can also take out three thousand stones!" Wu De looked at the two sides and took out another five thousand stones, and those who were not far behind joined in.
Jia Xu shook his head again, eight thousand stones would not be enough.
"Master Jia, our ability is limited, and we may not be able to support our family if we raise any more!" Fatty Liang said to Jia Xu in embarrassment. Although they are wealthy businessmen, this is also a limit. If they take it out again, they will really go bankrupt.
"I'm not letting you go bankrupt, what I mean is that these are just a drop in the bucket. But it's better than nothing!" Jia Xu comforted the two of them, "So, Brother Liang and Brother Wu, you two will do everything possible to collect food and grass to transport Go to Xinye, and when you arrive in Xinye, someone will contact you!"
"Yes!" Fatty Liang and Wu De nodded. Although their hearts were very distressed, because of the lack of this batch of food and grass, they might have been in vain in the past few years, but they still gritted their teeth and fought hard for the sake of their gentry status.
Jia Xu looked at the expressions of these two people, how could he not know what they were thinking? You can report all the expenses from me, and when you arrive in Xinye, someone will give you the money for food and grass!"
"Don't dare, dare not!" Fatty Liang and Wu De hurriedly lowered their heads, saying they didn't dare.
"Why don't you dare! You don't give all of the money to you, and some of it is for you to collect excess food and grass and transport it to Xinye!" Jia Xu said to the two. The look of the two wanting but not daring to want it really makes people want to laugh. "If you have taken out all the food and grass, how can you do things for the lord without money?!"
"In this way, Mr. Liang will definitely look for Wanshi food and grass for the master again!" Fatty Liang said to Jia Xu Chengruo.
"Me too, me too!" Wu De also hurriedly said.
"Do your best, don't be too ostentatious!" Jia Xu reassured the two of them, the purchase of this grain will be noticed by interested people, so do your best and not be too much.
"This is just one of the things!" Jia Xu said that what is happening now is just one of the things. He came to Jingzhou to buy food and grass. Although these two private businessmen were able to provide tens of thousands of food and grass, they were only a drop in the bucket, not enough for Yangzhou's consumption. The real person who can touch the crisis in Yangzhou is the official food of Liu Biao in Jingzhou. This is the reason why Liu Mang came here. Why, isn't everything Liu Mang is doing now just to make Liu Biao change his mind? Fatty Liang and Wu De were just helping out in an emergency.
What Jia Xu wants to say next is the most important thing.
"Also ask the military division to speak clearly!"
"The second thing is also the most important thing. That is, my lord needs the two of you to let the merchants in Jingzhou put their industries or business in Yangzhou as much as possible! It is also for you to make more friends with those merchants and tell them that we are welcome in Yangzhou." Merchants in Jingzhou, these are what we need in Yangzhou, and what we treat these merchants in Yangzhou!" Jia Xu took out a piece of paper from his pocket. Many things were densely written on it with ink. These are all written by Liu Mang. Yangzhou is now in need of a lot of waste, and there is an urgent need for many things, such as salt and iron. These are Yangzhou’s must-haves. With salt and iron, Liu Mang can build heavy armor troops and change parts. In order to ensure the consumption of weapons and equipment.
"Huh?!" Fatty Liang got it first, but as soon as he got it, he was taken by Wu De next to him.
"Fatty Liang, you can understand! What are you pretending to do!" Wu De looked at Fatty Liang with disdain. Fatty Liang was known for being illiterate and illiterate.
"Hey!" Fatty Liang smiled awkwardly, and Jia Xu also looked at Fatty Liang with a smile. There are many illiterate people in this era. It is not surprising that there are also many people in Liu Mang's army who are illiterate. Liu Mang is now forcing them to read and write.
Fatty Liang didn't know how to read, but fortunately, Wu De next to him knew, so Wu De took it and started to read.
The front is all that Yangzhou is lacking now, and even some coal fires are included. This is already considered a big purchase. Liu Mang's budget below is also huge, which made both of them dumbfounded, saying 10,000 Five thousand gold~!
This is really a huge business astronomical figure.
This is not what shocked the two of them. What really shocked them was the discount for merchants written by Liu Mang after that. The terms above made the two of them stunned!