Xi'an, December 15, the sixth year of the apocalypse (1626 AD).
The early risers discovered something strange.
The Bell Tower and Drum Tower in Xi'an were covered with the same huge colored cloth overnight. Painted on the colored cloth is a peasant woman with a positive appearance and a smile on her face. The peasant woman is holding a piece of pale yellow solid in her hand and is wiping it on the collar in the basin, and the water in the basin is full of floats. foam.
What happened to the Bell Tower and Drum Tower
What does this painting mean
Numerous question marks are deeply in the heart of every Xi'an. Those well-informed people began to inquire about what happened to Xi'an
People who want to know the information are in vain, because no one tells them what happened, even people from all yamen are asking about this strange colored cloth.
Around the hour, the number of children on the street gradually increased. They clapped their little hands, sang and danced, and all the children sang the same lyrics:
"You take one, I take one, Haiyue soap can do laundry;"
"You take two, I take two, Haiyue soap washes gloves;"
"You shoot three, I shoot three, Haiyue soap washes the sheets;"
"You take four, I take four, Haiyue soap washes the cotton-padded clothes;"
"You take five, I take five, Haiyue soap washes the bronze drum;"
"You shoot six, I shoot six, Haiyue soap washes Su embroidery."
…
Some sensitive people finally remembered that a shop called "Haiyue Soap" had just appeared on Dongguanzhong Street. These strange things must have something to do with them.
One after another, people went to Dongguanzhong Street to see what happened. Sure enough, an inconspicuous red notice was posted on the left side of the shop entrance of "Haiyue Soap".
The content of the notice mainly has three points:
1. Haiyue soap is a special effect material for laundry. It will be distributed for free today. One small piece per person will be distributed to 100 people.
2. The price of each piece of soap is 50 coins;
3. In the afternoon, ten women will show the washing method for free, and customers can take their own clothes to wash;
4. The sale of soap will officially start at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, and there will be only 300 pieces of soap for sale tomorrow.
What's more interesting is that the notice specifically stated that you don't need copper coins and silver to buy soap, but you use grain. At the price of one tael of silver and two stones of rice, fifty cents can buy eleven catties of grain. Therefore, the price of each piece of soap is eleven catties of grain.
More and more people gathered in front of the "Haiyue Soap" shop. The open space in front of the shop was completely occupied, and the pedestrians had to take a detour.
"Don't crowd, line up. Well, you stand in line, or I can't distribute soap." The guy is directing the crowd waiting to receive the soap.
His words are very threatening. If someone does not stand in line, it will cause the shop not to make soap, then he is a collective sinner.
In the face of interests, the people are still very obedient. The noisy crowd quickly stood up in a long line, and the guy counted the number of people, from front to back, exactly one hundred.
"Now give you a small ticket to go to the warehouse behind to get soap."
The one hundred people in the front received the small tickets and went happily, but the people in the back quit: "We have stood now, why didn't we?"
"Resend!"
"Resend!"
"Resend!"
…
The crowd began to riot, especially the people who stood in positions 101 and 102 just now, making it extremely violent, as if they were not paying their debts.
"It's on our notice. Only the top 100 have soap hair." The guy tried desperately to explain, but his words were quickly swallowed by the flow of people.
Someone in front is making trouble, and those behind are going to fish in troubled waters, maybe they can get a small piece of soap.
The soap propaganda meeting was about to turn into a murderous case that could not be handled. The dude had no way to control the situation, and their explanation was so weak that it seemed to add fuel to the fire.
You don’t have to take any responsibility to besiege your buddies in front of the shop. There may be benefits. Which people are not scrambling
Those who had received soap, returned to the shop, hid the soap in their pockets, and joined the petition army.
Upstairs in the shop, Liu Kun has been very satisfied with the customer's response. How does this believer know that the people in Xi'an have responded so fiercely? When the crowd began to riot, he frowned, and said to the guy who was next to him: "Start the emergency plan."
"Bang!" The door of the shop opened, attracting people's attention.
A group of heavily armed soldiers walked out of the room with their heads high, separating the turbulent crowd from the shop. At the back of the soldier, there was a strong officer.
"Which one of you is making trouble here?"
The officer's gaze swept across the crowd, especially on the people who made the most violent disturbances just now, and paused for a while.
The people were so frightened that they bowed their heads nervously, for fear of being recognized by the officer.
There was no sound in front of the shop, except that the officer's voice was echoing. Even the proprietor of the nearby shop craned his neck and waited for the officer's reply.
"Cough, cough." The officer adjusted his breathing and tried to relax his tone as much as possible. "The shops benefit the people and distribute soap for free. The notice is clearly written. Are you late and have you wronged others?"
"The banditry in Shaanxi has just been wiped out by His Royal Highness King Xin. Do you still want to become a new banditry?" The officer's voice suddenly rose by an octave.
Some timid people who happened to be on the fringe began to sneak away, while the people in the center of the shop didn't dare to move. It seemed that as long as they moved, they would become gangsters.
"Haha, the general is serious, they are all good people." Liu Kun walked out of the shop, clasped his fists and saluted the people: "Everyone, I know you just like the soap sold in this shop, don't you?"
"Yes, yes, we are all good people." The courageous person uttered a voice, and the courageous person also kept nodding. This Liu Kun is simply their savior.
"Okay, then I will temporarily announce that we will add a distribution activity. You line up and we start to touch the prize activity. The five people who touch the prize will get a whole bar of soap." A whole bar of soap is the value of five. Shiwen's soap is much larger than the soap distributed earlier.
The crowd remained silent, neither opposed nor supported.
"What? You didn't mean it?" Liu Kun didn't know if they were frightened.
"Originally, we are willing." There is soap distribution, don't be a fool.
"Okay, then you line up." Liu Kun said to a guy again: "Go check the number of people."
Under the temptation of Liu Kun's prizes, and the deterrence of heavily armed soldiers, these people lined up in sequence.
"Proprietor, a total of 482 people." The guy quickly checked the number.
Liu Kun whispered a few words to him, and the dude turned and went back to the shop. After a while, he came out with a one-foot-square paper box.
"Everyone." Liu Kun pressed his hands down to stop the noisy and curious crowd, "I am now announcing the rules. There are 482 square wooden blocks in this carton, which is exactly the same as the number of you. After a while, each of you will take out a square block from the carton, but only five square blocks are marked with the word "award". Those who touch these five square blocks can get a whole bar of soap. Everyone understands No?"
"Understood." The voice was excited but not neat.
"Those who touch the prizes will make a publicity for the store; those who can't touch the prizes will have nothing to lose. You have the right to have fun. Don't be disappointed. Our store will carry out prize-touching activities from time to time in the future." , "Now start drawing the prize."
The dude held the cardboard box and walked past everyone, and everyone touched a square wooden block.
"Now start to redeem the prize. Those who have the word'award' written on the square wooden block, please come forward and accept the award." Liu Kun has already taken out five pieces of soap and waited for the award.
The five lucky winners held their prizes in the eyes of everyone's envy. Such a large piece of soap is worth fifty copper coins, or eleven catties of rice. According to the value of later generations, it should be more than 30 yuan.
"Everyone," Liu Kun looked at most of the disappointed eyes, "Tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning, our shop will start selling soap. This first batch is limited in quantity. Those who plan to buy can come early. Of course, we don't need silver, just food.
"Proprietor, why don't you want silver?" Some people are very puzzled by Liu Kun's approach. In Shaanxi and Daming, there is no need to buy silver.
"Sorry, this is the secret of our store. I can't say for the time being. We will still check the cash in the future." Liu Kun was extremely satisfied with today's publicity activities, and this satisfaction turned into admiration for Zhu Youjian.
Zhu Youjian, who is far away in Yansui, is worrying about the people in Yansui for the New Year. There is no food, and the market is deserted and desolate, without the festive color of the Singapore dollar at all. At present, most people save money at home because they help the government build roads or work in mines, but there is no food in the market, and money is useless.
On December 24th, Zhu Youjian had transported more than 10,000 catties of grain in Xi'an for 1,000 pieces of soap to Yansui. Including the five thousand catties of grain distributed to Yansui by the imperial court, it amounts to one hundred and fifty shi.
For the distribution of grain, Zhu Youjian and Gao Yingxiang have already combined.
Yansui Prefecture has jurisdiction over Jiazhou and Suide Prefectures, as well as five counties of Fugu, Shenmu, Mizhi, Wubao, and Qingjian, as well as three military forts, Jingbian, Dingbian, and Huaiyuan.
The army and the military fort were separately issued by the court, and Zhu Youjian and Gao Yingxiang were concerned about the remaining civilian households.
According to the latest statistics from Gao Yingxiang, there are only 58,000 people in Yansui Prefecture, or more than 8,600 households. According to the ten catties of grain per household, 80 shi grains are shared, and the remaining 70 shi grains are distributed to five counties and two states, and each state can get ten shi.
These grains are not free food for disaster relief, but are sold to the people at par. If the people’s family is really poor and cannot afford to buy it temporarily, the local head of household will take care of it. The grain will be taken back for the time being. After the beginning of the year, the grain will be paid back.
Zhu Youjian did not participate in the food distribution. He racked his brains in order to raise Singapore dollars in food for the people. Now that the food is available, he feels very tired, so he rests at home and enjoys the service of Wan'er and Hu Xinxue by the way.
Li Jun took the two small teams of the special forces to participate in the food distribution work of Yansui Mansion, temporarily supervising the execution of the government. Fortunately, Gao Yingxiang personally participated, and the food distribution went on smoothly.