The autumn harvest had finally arrived. Those who had land at home prepared their tools. Those who had enough manpower would do the work themselves, and those who didn't would ask others for help. The price of grain rose again and again. With the receipt from the Zhang family's winery, the price of a bushel of wheat rose to thirty-five copper coins, and the price of rice also rose to fifty copper coins.
This made the other people who were collecting grain miserable. Either the Zhang family collected all of the grain, or they raised the price at a later date. Now, the Zhang family had approached everyone who had land, but the Zhang family didn't have the money and insisted on waiting until a month after the autumn harvest.
As a result, they couldn't lower the price of the grain they collected. Those who had grain, even if they hadn't been approached by the Zhang family, learned their lesson. They didn't sell and waited for the price to rise. Even if their families were in urgent need of money, they wouldn't budge. Even though the cost of purchasing grain had increased by half, there was still no market.
The most infuriating thing was that the grain that Zhang Zhong had plundered was put in Changping Warehouse in Yizhou. He only paid the workers who helped to harvest, but didn't give them any grain. The wages were very low, only ten copper coins per person per day. Even so, those idiots who followed him to harvest felt that they had taken advantage of him, saying that it was an army operation.
What made it even more helpless was that the officials of the neighboring prefectures didn't say anything. They didn't even try to help Chang Pingcang in Wing Prefecture. Wasn't it just him being the Jiannan Prefect and the Jiannan Inspector? Wasn't it just him dealing with a bunch of officials? Now that he was no longer one of them, was there a need for them to be so afraid of him?
As the price of grain increased, so did the price of livestock. This was especially true in autumn, when there was less grass to feed. A horse that used to cost five strings of coins couldn't even be bought with eight strings of coins now.
The only thing that didn't change much was the price of salt. Zhang Zhong had specially consulted with the officials of the neighboring prefectures, and no one knew what he said to them. The price of salt stabilized, and so did the price of oil, which only rose by a little less than ten percent.
At this moment, the entire Jiannan Prefecture was like a small wooden house before a storm, giving the intelligent people a feeling that they were floating.
The merchants who were collecting grain had no choice but to look for Master Qi, who was working with them.
"Boss Qi, we can't get enough grain. The price is getting higher and higher. The commoners are reluctant to sell." A grain merchant said to Boss Qi.
"If the price is high, then buy it at a high price. Wheat is 35 copper coins a bushel, rice is 50 copper coins a bushel. Buy as much as you can." Boss Qi gave the same price as Zhang Zhong.
All the merchants shook their heads. Another merchant opened his mouth and said, "Boss Qi, we can't accept the same price. The commoners are willing to keep it for Zhang Zhong. They all say that the Zhang family's children are fighting at the front lines. We can't disappoint the heroes."
"Then raise the price. 40 copper coins for wheat and 55 copper coins for rice. I'll write a letter and discuss with someone. We'll charge you according to this price first. More money will be delivered soon."
Qi Dongjia's heart was filled with both joy and worry. He was happy because the price of grain was too high, but he was worried because the time limit for the goods he had conned was approaching. Originally, he thought that this sum of money would be enough to buy more grain and livestock, as well as increase the price of goods in Jiannan. But now that the price had increased, the amount of goods that needed to be bought had not reached the required amount.
The plan drawn up by the higher-ups made him feel that something was wrong. Just where did it go wrong?
Qi Dongjia couldn't figure it out, so he could only write a letter and have someone secretly send it away.
Zhang Zhong could also feel the current situation in Jiannan, but he wasn't in a hurry. He had already made the necessary arrangements and was only waiting for the final blow. During this process, a portion of the commoners would suffer losses. But that didn't matter. He would be able to compensate them before the end.
As for the merchants who had suffered even greater losses, he didn't care. Each and every one of these merchants were smart. How could they not understand how much damage their actions would cause? Since they were willing to go against their conscience and add fuel to the fire, they had to be prepared to bear the consequences. If the merchants at the border were not dealt with properly, they might be in danger in the future.
Zhang Zhong, who was waiting for the situation to develop, began to work hard to perfect the ski resort. Old Man Pi and the other two also followed behind Zhang Zhong to help. They were faintly anticipating what the Zhang family hadn't told them yet.
It wasn't only Zhang Zhong and the others who were busy. Xiao Bei and the others were also very busy. The original three-story house was too short, and the children grew quickly. They put away the house made of agarwood and put it into the large warehouse. Then, they made a three-story house made of ginkgo wood for them.
This time, the height of each story was five feet. If it was a little higher, it would be the same height as the door. Not long after it was finished, the glass was installed, and a new batch of toys were changed. There was also a carpet and other protective measures inside, but there was no bedding.
Xiao Bei and the others, under the guidance of the big brother's Young Man, found straw to fill the house. They also asked the servants to dig a tunnel under the house. The tunnel under the house could be pulled open. The tunnel could be pulled open now, and the tunnel could be pulled open before. It could be used to escape at a critical moment.
Most of the straw in the house was' secretly 'sent into the tunnel by Xiao Bei and the others. Qiang Hu's son and daughter were also busy. Unfortunately, the two of them spoke late. Until now, they could only say one or two simple words, and their expressions were still unclear.
Even so, Qiang Hu was very happy. He spoke earlier than his two older children. The oldest one could only speak when he was two and a half years old. Of course, compared to the children of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, they couldn't be compared. In his opinion, this was because the parents were powerful, and the children were also powerful.
Only those who knew the truth would understand that this was the difference between nutrition and infant education. Xiaobei and the rest were already able to express their thoughts to others very well. They could understand simple stories and could even ask questions when others were telling stories.
The servant girl in charge of taking care of them clearly knew that they had stuffed all the straw into the tunnel below. At night, when they weren't paying attention, she took the opportunity to spread the straw properly. However, she still pretended not to see.
It took Xiao Bei and the rest two days to finally pave all the tunnels with straw. On this day, Xiao Bei happily pulled the maidservant to stand outside the house while they entered the house and closed the curtains from the inside. They jogged to the bottom and squeezed out. They circled the outside and stood behind the maidservant. They nudged the maidservant and widened their eyes to wait for the maidservant's reaction.
The servant girl was still looking at the house attentively. After her clothes were pulled, she turned her head and was' shocked '. "Ah! Xiao Bei, why are you outside? "
"Hahahaha ~!" Xiao Bei and the others laughed proudly. They shook their little heads and refused to say anything. Qiang Hu's two children wanted to say something, but they couldn't. They could only worry.
"Xiao Bei, tell me quickly. What's going on? You're so powerful. "The servant girl continued to ask curiously.
"T-tunnel warfare. Ambush. Millions of divine soldiers. Do you still dare to fight bad guys with Big Brother and Big Sister?" Xiao Bei waved his little fist and said.
"We don't dare. We don't dare anymore. Xiao Bei is so powerful." The servant girl pretended to be scared.
"Hahaha ~!" Xiao Bei laughed happily again. As he laughed, he suddenly pouted and said, "Why aren't they back yet?"
The servant girl's expression also darkened. She comforted him and said, "Soon, soon. When Little Young Master and Little Miss come back, they will bring delicious food for Xiao Bei."
"No. Beat the bad guys and come back alive." Xiao Bei seemed to know that there was danger over there. He only had one request.
*****
Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao still didn't know that their younger brothers and sisters at home were thinking about them. They had already entered the desert and stayed there for a day.
The two Tibetan soldiers who followed them didn't enter. They kept a certain distance to ensure the depth of the defense line. On the one hand, they waited for supplies from behind. On the other hand, they wanted to see when exactly Wang Juan would come out.
Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao weren't in a hurry at all. The desert here wasn't as unbearable as other places. There were grasslands, lakes, and many oases. It would be strange if the two of them died of thirst or hunger in this desert.
"Xiaobao, I used to come here when I was traveling. They sold pearls. These are Lake Pearls. Find more and bring them back for Xiaobei and the others to play with. They can also be used as cosmetics. Ah, this is Desert Cistanche, also known as Desert Cistanche. Quick, pick them. There are so many of them. Take them back and cook them.
They don't dare to chase after us. "Wang Juan, who treated entering the desert as a tourist trip, found something good. Desert Cistanche, a real wild Desert Cistanche. She picked them while calling Zhang Xiaobao, who was still looking at them on the way here.
"I'm not looking at them. I'm thinking that the desert here is good. If one day we can build a railway here, we can make use of the resources here. When can we completely annex Tibet?"
Zhang Xiaobao looked at the yellow sand in front of him and felt very comfortable. He came over to pick the Desert Cistanche and said.
Wang Juan looked at the resting soldiers and said, "If I want to fight, I can fight. Economic war, unconventional war. Give me another 100,000 Tang soldiers, and I will be able to take over the entire Tubo in two years. Your economic war is good, but you don't gain much from it. You cheated our own merchants and the Tubo people, but the loss of Tubo people is not too big.
I have to help you. Whether it is political or economic means, in the end, they need military force to maintain. The Jews are so powerful and have good means of making money, but they also spend money to hunt down the specific people who killed them. They can't destroy other people's country, and military force is not enough.
The oil country wants to fight an economic war with other developed countries, but in the end, it can only be replaced by other countries' troops. I will help you to improve the plan and let Tibet suffer more losses. "
"That's fine too. My plan this time can only swallow the money sent by the Tubo Empire. If you can lead troops to help, I can hurt the Tubo Empire. War is always the most direct method to solve conflicts."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't refuse. After all, he couldn't lead troops to fight.
Wang Juan picked all the Desert Cistanche in front of her and spread it on the sand to dry. She also lay on the sand, narrowed her eyes, touched her face and said, "After days of fighting, my skin is not good. I have to go back early to take care of it. What else? I can't come here for nothing. "
"There are all kinds of medicinal herbs. You can't be a temporary truce and let the soldiers help you pick the herbs, right?" Zhang Xiaobao flipped the sand around him and found no insects or shelled things. He gave up the idea of looking for earth snails to make soup.
"I need to take a few days to train the troops. I have been fighting while running, so I don't have time. The next battle will be the real test. Get up, let's move forward."
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