Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Brainstorming
Yang Hao paused for a while, allowing the three of them to fully digest the news, and then continued: "Miaomiao, you are with Liu Xingshou, and most of you are officials and gentry, and many things that are not on the stage in official circles are never seen again. No one knows better than you. Zhuer, you have been on the Bian River for more than a year, and you should be familiar with all aspects of water transportation such as official movement, civil movement, boats, river engineering, and power. As for Dalang, you are Qi The Zhou family is both a landlord and a wealthy businessman, and they can't understand it well in terms of local gentry, merchants and merchants.
If it is necessary to transport food from various places now to solve the food shortage crisis in Tokyo, several aspects are involved.The first is the local government.The purchase of grain from the private sector and centralized transportation to the wharf is inseparable from the local government.Even if the imperial court is in a hurry to go to the house, if the local government does not fully cooperate, the whole thing will never work.And this kind of thing cannot be solved by issuing a few harsh edicts. Are there any problems, what is the crux, and can it be guaranteed that there will be no problems in the acquisition process?
The second is the local gentry and landlords, large grain merchants.I was originally a private household in Bazhou, and I know that once the common people harvest grain, the first thing they do is to cash in and sell it for money, and the more abundant the harvest, the more so. Most ordinary households only keep the rations and grain types for next autumn harvest in their hands. , nothing else.
The grain is all in the warehouses of the gentry and landlords, and the sole purpose of the gentry and landlords buying grain is to make a profit.Where the price of food is high, where to transport it.It is an inevitable thing to accumulate and live in strange places. It is true that there are no righteous gentry, but there are more people who do not punish heaven and earth for themselves.If the imperial court suddenly buys grain in a big way, even if there is no edict to the world, these grain merchants will definitely smell something unusual. Will they raise the price and wait to sell it to make the country rich?What means can be used?
The third is transportation!Even if the local government is willing to use their lives wholeheartedly, and the big grain gentry can sell the grain happily, if it cannot be transported to the capital before the river is frozen, it will still be a waste of water.These three things are intertwined and indispensable.If the local government refuses to use its orders, nothing will happen.If the large grain gentry cannot be controlled, the food shortage in Tokyo will lead to skyrocketing food prices in various places, which in turn will cause panic across the country.And transportation is the last link, and that's all I can think of at the moment.You can say whatever comes to your mind, and let's pool our wisdom to see if we can use the wisdom of ordinary people to solve problems that high-ranking officials and dignitaries can't solve. "
Yang Hao said it easily, but Cui Dalang, Xun Zhuer, and Miao Miao looked at each other in blank dismay. The major issues related to the livelihood of millions of people in Kaifeng could be resolved in this flower hall by just a few of them?
Although Yang Hao knew that the situation was serious, this matter was far more troublesome than moving out of the Northern Han Dynasty with tens of thousands of old and weak women and children with their families, and the levels involved were more complicated, but this time he was just making a plan, after all, the responsibility Not with him, so the mentality is relatively stable.Seeing that he was calm and composed, the three of them also calmed down and thought hard...
The third stick of Ningshen incense has been lit, and the third stick is about to burn to the end. Miaomiao's pen is like a snake, and she has written a thick stack of paper, her slender wrist is almost tired, and several people are still talking about it.What they said was incoherent, and they mentioned a little bit when they thought of it, and then everyone analyzed it together and came up with some solutions. As soon as the tip of the pen stopped, Miao Miao raised her head and said: "My lord, the country is built on the basis of soldiers, soldiers depend on food, and food is based on water transportation. Water transportation mainly relies on the transshipment department, delivery department and shopping department. These are the few departments involved in water transportation. The main yamen, the imperial court is eager to buy grain, and can only rely on the people of these yamen at the moment. However, the transshipment department, the purchase department and the delivery department have been in the local area for a long time, and they have many connections with the local wealthy gentry and businessmen. Even if the Shangguan is clean and honest, because he cannot do everything by himself, the chief bookkeeper, staff, and subordinates around him are also colluding with the local gentry. Insufficient, and then sold to the imperial court at a high price, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they will definitely not let it go. Once ordered to requisition grain, they will collude with the local government, store up grain and sell it reluctantly, and it is inevitable to take advantage of the opportunity to raise the price. If spending more money can save this crisis, the court may not be unwilling, but there will always be such a strange accumulation. This process, by the time they are willing to bring out the grain, it will take an unknown amount of time, and it will be too late to transport it to Beijing. " Yang Hao nodded and said yes, Miaomiao also mentioned the various opportunistic activities of officials to sell grain and grass, as well as issues such as forced apportionment, non-payment, and underpayment. These things are the most harmful to ordinary households. If it has not been resolved, the people of the whole country will be desperate. In addition, there are still competition problems among various roads. In order to ensure the smooth completion of the grain procurement tasks they undertake, trying to exclude other local governments from encroaching on their own territory must become a rational choice for each local government based on its own interests.This kind of thing is now common and is called "containment".This kind of thing has been banned repeatedly, and the methods of local government resistance are endless. If this problem is not solved, the grain cannot be collected in full, let alone transportation. Yang Hao discussed with Cui Dalang, Yang Hao nodded and said: "In troubled times, heavy codes are used. The situation is critical and cannot be treated normally. I mean, first, all the censors, supervisors and observers from all walks of life have to put down their hands. All affairs should be delegated, including inspecting food requisition. Officials must temporarily delegate powers to prevent obstructing officials, and censors have the right to dismiss them on the spot. When it comes to their official careers, they are also confused. There are far fewer officials. Second, the shipping department, the transshipment department, and the shopping department are originally equal-level yamen, but their responsibilities overlap. This is originally for the purpose of decentralization and checks and balances, but at this critical moment, it is easy for them to shirk and argue with each other Therefore, it should be suggested to the imperial court to choose one of the three divisions to take charge of the overall situation and take full responsibility. Once the purchase of grain is delayed, the chief official and all the subordinate officials should be held accountable. Third, the foundation of the country depends on Jianghuai, and imperial envoys must be appointed to go to Jianghuai to command and raise food and grass nearby.fourth……" Miao Miao scribbled furiously, writing down his opinions one by one. Cui Dalang said: "As for grain merchants' speculative hoarding of grain, the method of making huge profits is to adulterate it and pass it off as good. Old grain pretends to be new grain, and the grain is mixed with moldy grain and sand. It is difficult to find out who did it by buying it into the warehouse and mixing it with the warehouse grain, so as to make a lot of money from it. I think this point can be controlled from two aspects. If you designate the yamen in charge and the responsibilities, and don't transfer others in the middle, they will be restrained. In addition, there is an urgent need for grain in Beijing, and there is no need to store it in the granaries of the local departments, so it is not necessary to break up the grain parcels, and directly indicate the origin and name of the grain seller on the grain parcels. In this way, first, the delivery speed is much faster, and in a hurry, it is difficult for them to think of other ways to cheat. Grain merchants cheated, and then they tampered with the payment. The transshipment department and the shipping department usually bought grain. There were two methods of bartering money and bartering goods.Bartering with money is simple, and bartering is to pay the price of food with documents such as official notices and certificates, or tea, salt, cloth, alum, fragrant medicine, ivory and other items. In this way, the price is not easy to determine. 'Extraordinary', 'false estimation' and other methods can be used to make big moves..." Cui Dalang is indeed worthy of being a family of gentry and merchants, he talked about the inside story clearly and honestly, he said seven or eight items in one breath, and finally he mentioned the accumulation of strange things. "Harvesting is the most important means of profit-making. Grain merchants only seek high prices. If the price in other places is high and the local price is low, they will try to sell it to other places. If the local grain is in short supply, the government prohibits foreign shipments, and they They just closed the warehouse and did not sell it, procrastinated and waited until the price of food soared, and then opened the warehouse to make huge profits." Yang Hao smiled slightly and said: "I have also thought of this point. That's why I disagree with the court's practice of keeping the matter of food shortage secret. The court does not want to make this matter public. First, it is afraid of causing panic among the people and floating people's hearts. The other is that they are worried about food shortages. Merchants are hoarding, raising prices and reluctant to sell. However, the imperial court is not a bandit, and you cannot go to the door to snatch their own food. But I think that once there is a large-scale grain requisition, even if you don’t say it, the people will guess how much it is. By then, rumors will spread frequently and will only become more serious. Of course, how much food is lacking and how serious it is, among them... It is debatable. In this way, first, we can let the local government know that the situation is serious. At this time, even if they are usually slack, they will cheer up and dare not take too much profit from it or procrastinate.Second, strict laws and codes are clearly stipulated at the local level to curb the rise of grain prices, while Bianliang will start to raise prices from now on. The merchants and wealthy gentry tried every means to transport grain to Kaifeng, even faster and more attentively than our government's water transport.Don't underestimate their energy, for the sake of profit, once they take action, their energy may even surprise the officials.In the future, I am afraid that they will transport a considerable portion of the grain from Kaifeng. " Miaomiao said in surprise, "The price is going to be raised now? In this way, the people in the capital will complain." Yang Hao sneered and said, "Compared to starving them to death, it is cost-effective to let them spend a few more pennies now. If anyone wants to scold their mothers, let him go. You have to wait for the people to understand and support everything. What is it?" You don’t have to do anything, you have to be arbitrary when it’s time to be arbitrary, and only in this way can you attract merchants from all over the world to spare no effort to transport grain to Kaifeng.” Sao Zhu'er said worriedly: "But if that happens, countless families in the capital will lose their homes to buy grain. They know that there is a shortage of grain in Kaifeng, but they don't know how high the grain price will be. I remember that there was a severe drought in the northwest, and there was no harvest. Well, someone used two ingots of gold ingots to exchange for three meat buns, and my parents died of starvation at that time." Yang Hao raised his brows and said, "As I said before, how much grain the imperial court lacks, the wording in the announcement is highly debatable. Don't forget that while the grain merchants are transporting grain, the imperial court's water transport is also transporting grain. They When the grain arrived, it must have not yet reached the time when the road was blocked by heavy snow, and the grain stored in Kaifeng had not yet reached the time when it could not be opened. In addition to the grain transported by the imperial court itself during this period, at that time... the imperial court can take the grain. Opened the supply to the people at a par price, or even lower than the par price, so that the whole world knew that Kaifeng had sufficient food. By then, will the grain merchants be able to ship the grain back?Man said that less than half of the return journey would have to be closed due to heavy snowfall.Even if there is time, no one can withstand the unreasonable loss that comes and goes.Those foreign grain merchants have no warehouses to store grain in Bianliang. Will they sit and watch the heavy snow and winter come, and the grain will become moldy and rot?At this time, the imperial court used the name of Jiamian to "transport grain" and bought their grain at a price lower than the market price. They would only be grateful to Zaide. " Cui Dalang gasped, smiled wryly and said: "You are too insidious. None of the courtiers cherish feathers, and only you, a half-toned official, can come up with such an idea..." Miao Miao instinctively argued for Yang Hao: "Food is the most important thing for the people, and what you want is the righteousness of the people and the great benefit of the country. Besides, your lord only imposes small punishments on those profiteers. In my opinion, it is nothing more than a small punishment for those who hoard , A profiteer with no conscience, this is still light." Yang Hao was sitting upright, smiling and saying nothing: "What's the matter with the officials, can't the officials cheat people? This is my bloody and tearful experience in stock speculation. Today he just announced that he will not do anything to the market in the near future. If you don't intervene, there will be a "chicken crowing in the middle of the night" the next day, and you will lose all your money. A profiteer, a profiteer is a fart, and if you meet a traitor like me, you will not find a place to cry."
There are three types of water transport: river transport, water and land transport, and sea transport. However, there are too few outlets to the sea in the Song Dynasty, and Bianliang City is inland, so it is not possible to talk about Shanghai transport, but only river transport.Water and land delivery is much larger than full land transportation, but the efficiency is low. Now the only feasible method for official water transportation is river transportation. In terms of river transportation, the Song Dynasty mainly uses the segmental transfer method handed down from the Tang Dynasty.Since the water levels in various river sections are different, if the grain ship has to go down the river, the probability of overturning and entering the water is too high. In order to reduce the loss, the Tang people invented the segmented transfer method.That is, in places with large water level differences, build a dock on the upper and lower sides. When the upstream ship arrives, it unloads at the upper dock, and then transports it to the downstream dock with a donkey cart, and then Lifu loads the new boat and continues to drive to the next water level drop. Large places will continue to act as usual. This method greatly reduces the risk of river transportation. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has been following the method of transportation invented by the Tang people.After the founding of the Song Dynasty, there were constant wars and conquests. The water conservancy facilities had not had time to be completely maintained. Every year, the river workers could only be recruited to clean up the silt. Generally speaking, the current river transportation can still meet Tokyo’s food needs, but Now it's clearly not working.As for how to speed up the efficiency of the river transport, Cui Dalang and Miaomiao were completely at a loss. Sao Zhuer obviously didn't have much confidence in himself. Even though there were only Yang Hao, Cui Dalang, and Miaomiao present, his face turned red with embarrassment, and he said: "If you want to speed up the river transportation, this..., uh Well, good boatmen and river workers are indispensable. If they are willing to work hard, rewards should be given if they are appropriate. My master pays more wages to the boatmen who work hard. They will work harder Work hard." Yang Hao nodded and smiled: "Well, when transporting by water, those who finish the transport ahead of time will be rewarded, and those who arrive late will be punished. The rewards and punishments are clear, so that the boatmen and slender hands will not delay the business. You mentioned it very well. This must be added. .” Sao Zhuer was affirmed by his brother, so he became more courageous. After thinking for a while, he said: "There are still boats. There are all kinds of boats now. Some are suitable for sea boats and river boats, but not necessarily suitable for river transportation. .Some ships have huge hulls, but they are not suitable for transporting grain. Now many water transport offices are trying to save money, and these ships can still be used, so they are reluctant to deal with them. , then the quantity delivered this time, if done well, can be increased by 20%." Yang Hao said with a smile: "Do you still think it's too little? Even if it's only 10%, it's worth trying. Now we are digging out the potential step by step in all aspects, squeezing out 10% here, saving 10% there, accumulating sand into a tower, accumulating less Cheng Duo, there is hope to overcome this difficulty." Sao Zhuer also laughed, he thought about it carefully, and said: "I... that's all I can think of. The time delay and food loss of segmented transportation are inevitable. Oh, yes, when I run the ship , found that there are two dikes with weirs and dams and sluices built to irrigate the ground. The river mud is not easy to clean up. If it is shallow, large ships will not be able to pass. It must be noted that it is summer now, and they cannot be allowed to drain the water. Put too much, and the water level in our section of the Bianhe River is a little shallow now, we have to order the government to open the sluice on the Yellow River, and then let some water in, then we will have a lot of fun in the section of Kaifeng gone." Yang Hao was stunned, and said in surprise: "Sluice? What kind of sluice?" Sao Zhu'er gestured: "It is to open an opening on the river embankment and build a sluice gate. When the nearby farmland is short of water, the sluice will be opened to release water..." Yang Hao suddenly remembered another function of modern sluices. He built two sluices at places with a large drop. The water level is even with the downstream, so that the boat can sail out smoothly and safely. I was overjoyed and couldn't help shouting: "Gate, gate, yes, this is a good idea!" Xun Zhuer looked at him in surprise, Yang Haoxin jumped up happily and sprinted around the room.After turning back and forth twice, he suddenly stopped and thought to himself: "Could it be that there is no such method now? Otherwise, why is the water transportation only transported in sections, instead of building dams and sluices in places where the water source has a large drop? But... …I only know the theory on this matter, but I am not good at the actual construction. Furthermore, how long will it take to build such a barrage and sluice on the canal? If there is no time, it will be of no help to this urgent business.” Yang Hao hurriedly asked Xun Zhuer about it, but Xun Zhuer really didn't know such a function, and was dumbfounded.Cui Dalang glanced at him in surprise, turned his body slightly, and said to Miao Miao: "Your lord seems to be far less familiar with all walks of life than I am, but as long as you let him know a thing or two, there are always many wonderful ways. What a geek, learned and skilled.” "That's it!" Miao Miao was triumphant, and she pursed her lips into a smile. In fact, there is an ancient method of building dams and sluices to store water to ensure the safe driving of ships in places with large water level drops. The residents of the ancient Baiyue area are especially good at this method. Ships, such dams cannot last long, and can only solve temporary difficulties. After the bamboo cage is damaged, the stones scattered on the bottom of the river will hinder the boats from moving, so the boats will be dismantled as soon as they pass by. Repeatedly, it is too laborious and costly. No one used this method for shipping, and after the troubled times of the Five Dynasties, many professional talents were lost, and this method gradually became unthinkable among water transport officials. This is like the advanced musket shooting method similar to "three-stage strike" in the early Ming Dynasty, but no one in the army knew about it in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Due to the restrictions of the bureaucratic system and the limited dissemination of information and materials Due to objective conditions, some useful materials recorded in the vast pile of old papers are not as well understood by people at that time as later generations. Yang Hao lingered for a while and thought to himself: "This matter should not be difficult. The widest canal is only a few feet. It should not be difficult to build a simple sluice that can be used for two or three months. If this matter is feasible, it should be carried out at the forefront. At the same time, the shipping department, transshipment department, and shopping department in various localities have to rush to work day and night. I just want to find out how to do it. The Ministry of Industry must send craftsmen who specialize in river construction. Give instructions. The rivers in various places should be carried out at the same time. One month should be enough? If this is feasible and the purchase of grain and grass is smooth, the new method can start to transport grain in mid-July. For loading and unloading, the transportation speed is one-third faster, this is a job that sharpens knives and chops firewood." Thinking of this, Yang Hao asked Miao Miao to record this method.They are not officials who have been in their positions for a long time in the court, and they don't have so many shackles in their thinking. They have come up with many ways one after another, even using the Northern Kingdom, which is still hostile to the Song Dynasty, to smuggle cattle and sheep and transport them to Kaifeng for emergencies. Fa'er thought of it all. After eating at noon, they continued to think and tidy up, and in the afternoon, the brains of several people were almost exhausted, Yang Hao said: "Everyone, let's go back and have a rest, I can't think of anything now, if I have something to add later, I will fill it in. Miao Miao, sort out these materials carefully, and I will read them again tonight, and I will be able to understand them."
Yang Hao sent Cui Dalang and Sao Zhuer away, wandered around the Bian River for a while, watched the boats passing by on the Youyou River, and filtered his thoughts again, looked up and saw the attic painting workshop on the opposite bank, and couldn't help but think of Wu Wa Son. The relationship between a man and a woman is really strange. The people who thought they could be with each other for life ended up leaving him one by one, and this baby was originally a competitor he helped Liu Duoer suppress. Together, fate is really something that cannot be grasped. Dong'er stayed in his heart forever because of love, and Ziyu left him because of hatred.And Yanyan finally embarked on the path that a daughter of an aristocratic family should take. At the beginning...if he had insisted on his consistent thinking and never fell in love with her, he should have thought of the gap between himself and this kind of wealthy family. Yes, how could the wealthy Tang family agree to marry their daughter to him? How can it be a patent of this era to be in the same family?In his original era, the story of a charming rich girl who wanted to marry a poor boy mostly only existed in novels.Yang Hao felt sorry for himself for a while, and couldn't help thinking: "Yanyan...should really like me, she broke up with me unconditionally, I'm afraid... I don't have the desire for vanity, but I am forced by the pressure of the family. Maybe it's bigger. If I'm still in Luzhou and I'm with her day and night, maybe she will have the courage to resist the family's decision?" Thinking about it carefully, ever since I made a lifelong private appointment with this delicate girl, I really can't find anything about his care and consideration for Yanyan.Dong'er is as fragile as a little gardenia, and a small wind and rain can knock her off the branches, so he is considerate to Dong'er, and he has to make up his mind for her in everything. They are all willing to carry it for her.As for Ziyu and Yanyan, in all honesty, he had never treated them the way he treated Dong'er. It's not that he discounted his feelings for Ziyu and Yanyan after Dong'er passed away, but because he knew that Ziyu was strong and self-reliant, and that Yanyan came from a wealthy family, so he subconsciously felt that they didn't need to give too much from him. care support.However, no matter how strong and capable a woman is, she hopes that her man will treat her as the most delicate flower, caring and caring, right? "Is it because of my attitude that she... left me? Although I can't help myself and I can't be by her side often, but... write more letters and a few more considerate and gentle greetings, maybe No... the thoughts of my daughter's family... After all, I still know too little..." Looking up at the sky, Yang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, and rushed to the "Meihu Cave".The baby said that the sisters would come after they settled down, and she didn't expect him to take care of everything for herself.She didn't even dare to propose a form of entry. After all, with her status, no matter how glorious she was in the past, once she got a good marriage and a decent official status, being a concubine was the only possibility, and she knew herself. However, Yang Hao, who reviewed his two unresolved relationships with Ziyu and Yanyan, finally realized that the problem did not lie with them. , is also a major cause of his emotional problems. From now on, he doesn't want to have that kind of thing happen again, even if the baby can only be a concubine and can't ask too much like Ziyu and Yanyan, but he doesn't want to see it again. My own woman has a pair of resentful eyes. The mother who greeted him recognized him, and in today's brothels in Kaifeng, everyone who doesn't recognize Yang Daguan, who can make iron into gold, hastened to greet him courteously.The mother knew that he was looking for Miss Wa'er, so she welcomed him into the door with a smile on her face, and went back to the door with interest. Yang Hao entered the courtyard, but there was still no sign of moving out, the sound of silk, bamboo and music still sounded, and joyous songs and laughter continued to spread from the small buildings.After entering the second courtyard, you can see some signs. In the next pavilion, many boxes and cages have been tied up, and some servants and maids are busy. When he entered the courtyard at the end, two young masters came out of the courtyard with lewd smiles. "Haha, brother Liu, you don't know how ecstasy this Yu'er girl is, the kind of gentleness on the couch, oh my, I'll introduce you if I have a chance, but can you brother Liu be her first step into the curtain?" Bin, it depends on your own ability." The two came talking and laughing, Yang Hao frowned slightly, avoided to the side, bypassed a shady green tree, an elegant small house appeared in front, and not far ahead was Wu Wa'er's Qingyin small house. built.When Yang Hao walked to the door of the hut, he heard a woman's voice in the room say: "Tao'er, go get some hot water, I want to take a bath." As soon as Yang Hao heard this voice, he was like a thunderbolt, and his whole body froze there, unable to move. "Yes, Miss, wait a moment." A pretty girl came out of the door and was startled when she saw Yang Hao standing at the door. "Hey, you..." The girl couldn't stop her, she was pushed aside by Yang Hao and almost fell down. Yang Hao broke into the door, and saw the embroidered bed in the elegant room, the curtains were half rolled up, the room was empty and no one was seen, there was a screen on the left, and there was a faint figure behind the screen. Yang Hao became ruthless, he didn't care about who was behind, anyway, there was no girl from a good family in this kind of place, so he rushed over immediately. "Why are you going back... oh, bold!" A slender beauty behind the screen had just untied her coat and put it on the hanger, when she heard hurried footsteps, she turned her head and saw a man rushing in, so startled that she grabbed the coat and dodged it aside, her pretty face flushed with anger, flew into a rage. Yang Hao was stunned, Ziyu!Zhe Ziyu!It turned out to be her! Zhe Ziyu was also stunned, she never expected that Yang Hao would appear in front of her at this moment.The two faced each other, not knowing what to say for a while. Yang Hao's gaze slowly moved down from Zhe Ziyu's face. The moon-white cotton coat was half untied, and inside was a lotus-colored embroidered butterfly bellyband. The hillock on his chest protruded. Although it was not huge, the silhouette was pretty and charming. A touch of delicate and white cleavage is especially captivating.She was wearing pale pink silk trousers, which were soft and close-fitting, and her two little white feet were wearing a pair of wooden clogs, and the exposed toes were crystal clear and lovely like snow-white silkworm babies.Although the figure of an immature girl, Zhe Ziyu at this time has an indescribable femininity, a charming style that he has never seen before. Zhe Ziyu finally woke up, seeing him staring at her body, he couldn't help being angry and ashamed: "You...don't go out yet!" "Go out?" Yang Hao suddenly thought of what that Mr. Xunfang said just now: "Haha, brother Liu, you don't know how ecstasy this Yu'er girl is, the kind of gentleness of love on the couch, oh, yes I'll introduce you when I get the chance, but whether you, Brother Liu, can be her guest of honor depends on your own ability." Yang Hao felt pain and sorrow in his heart, his eyes burst out with anger, his body trembled, his face was livid, and he approached Zhe Ziyu step by step: "Hello! Hello! You abandon me, it's mine!" Wrong, I don't blame you, but... what's wrong with you, is it so difficult to say something to me? It's so hard that you... so shameless and shameless!" Zhe Ziyu was stunned by his scolding, pointing at himself in surprise, and asked incredulously, "Me? Is it mean, shameless?" Zhe Ziyu was so angry that his face turned red, he tossed his clothes and rushed forward: "Yang, you are such a big bastard!"
The third stick of Ningshen incense has been lit, and the third stick is about to burn to the end. Miaomiao's pen is like a snake, and she has written a thick stack of paper, her slender wrist is almost tired, and several people are still talking about it.What they said was incoherent, and they mentioned a little bit when they thought of it, and then everyone analyzed it together and came up with some solutions. As soon as the tip of the pen stopped, Miao Miao raised her head and said: "My lord, the country is built on the basis of soldiers, soldiers depend on food, and food is based on water transportation. Water transportation mainly relies on the transshipment department, delivery department and shopping department. These are the few departments involved in water transportation. The main yamen, the imperial court is eager to buy grain, and can only rely on the people of these yamen at the moment. However, the transshipment department, the purchase department and the delivery department have been in the local area for a long time, and they have many connections with the local wealthy gentry and businessmen. Even if the Shangguan is clean and honest, because he cannot do everything by himself, the chief bookkeeper, staff, and subordinates around him are also colluding with the local gentry. Insufficient, and then sold to the imperial court at a high price, such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they will definitely not let it go. Once ordered to requisition grain, they will collude with the local government, store up grain and sell it reluctantly, and it is inevitable to take advantage of the opportunity to raise the price. If spending more money can save this crisis, the court may not be unwilling, but there will always be such a strange accumulation. This process, by the time they are willing to bring out the grain, it will take an unknown amount of time, and it will be too late to transport it to Beijing. " Yang Hao nodded and said yes, Miaomiao also mentioned the various opportunistic activities of officials to sell grain and grass, as well as issues such as forced apportionment, non-payment, and underpayment. These things are the most harmful to ordinary households. If it has not been resolved, the people of the whole country will be desperate. In addition, there are still competition problems among various roads. In order to ensure the smooth completion of the grain procurement tasks they undertake, trying to exclude other local governments from encroaching on their own territory must become a rational choice for each local government based on its own interests.This kind of thing is now common and is called "containment".This kind of thing has been banned repeatedly, and the methods of local government resistance are endless. If this problem is not solved, the grain cannot be collected in full, let alone transportation. Yang Hao discussed with Cui Dalang, Yang Hao nodded and said: "In troubled times, heavy codes are used. The situation is critical and cannot be treated normally. I mean, first, all the censors, supervisors and observers from all walks of life have to put down their hands. All affairs should be delegated, including inspecting food requisition. Officials must temporarily delegate powers to prevent obstructing officials, and censors have the right to dismiss them on the spot. When it comes to their official careers, they are also confused. There are far fewer officials. Second, the shipping department, the transshipment department, and the shopping department are originally equal-level yamen, but their responsibilities overlap. This is originally for the purpose of decentralization and checks and balances, but at this critical moment, it is easy for them to shirk and argue with each other Therefore, it should be suggested to the imperial court to choose one of the three divisions to take charge of the overall situation and take full responsibility. Once the purchase of grain is delayed, the chief official and all the subordinate officials should be held accountable. Third, the foundation of the country depends on Jianghuai, and imperial envoys must be appointed to go to Jianghuai to command and raise food and grass nearby.fourth……" Miao Miao scribbled furiously, writing down his opinions one by one. Cui Dalang said: "As for grain merchants' speculative hoarding of grain, the method of making huge profits is to adulterate it and pass it off as good. Old grain pretends to be new grain, and the grain is mixed with moldy grain and sand. It is difficult to find out who did it by buying it into the warehouse and mixing it with the warehouse grain, so as to make a lot of money from it. I think this point can be controlled from two aspects. If you designate the yamen in charge and the responsibilities, and don't transfer others in the middle, they will be restrained. In addition, there is an urgent need for grain in Beijing, and there is no need to store it in the granaries of the local departments, so it is not necessary to break up the grain parcels, and directly indicate the origin and name of the grain seller on the grain parcels. In this way, first, the delivery speed is much faster, and in a hurry, it is difficult for them to think of other ways to cheat. Grain merchants cheated, and then they tampered with the payment. The transshipment department and the shipping department usually bought grain. There were two methods of bartering money and bartering goods.Bartering with money is simple, and bartering is to pay the price of food with documents such as official notices and certificates, or tea, salt, cloth, alum, fragrant medicine, ivory and other items. In this way, the price is not easy to determine. 'Extraordinary', 'false estimation' and other methods can be used to make big moves..." Cui Dalang is indeed worthy of being a family of gentry and merchants, he talked about the inside story clearly and honestly, he said seven or eight items in one breath, and finally he mentioned the accumulation of strange things. "Harvesting is the most important means of profit-making. Grain merchants only seek high prices. If the price in other places is high and the local price is low, they will try to sell it to other places. If the local grain is in short supply, the government prohibits foreign shipments, and they They just closed the warehouse and did not sell it, procrastinated and waited until the price of food soared, and then opened the warehouse to make huge profits." Yang Hao smiled slightly and said: "I have also thought of this point. That's why I disagree with the court's practice of keeping the matter of food shortage secret. The court does not want to make this matter public. First, it is afraid of causing panic among the people and floating people's hearts. The other is that they are worried about food shortages. Merchants are hoarding, raising prices and reluctant to sell. However, the imperial court is not a bandit, and you cannot go to the door to snatch their own food. But I think that once there is a large-scale grain requisition, even if you don’t say it, the people will guess how much it is. By then, rumors will spread frequently and will only become more serious. Of course, how much food is lacking and how serious it is, among them... It is debatable. In this way, first, we can let the local government know that the situation is serious. At this time, even if they are usually slack, they will cheer up and dare not take too much profit from it or procrastinate.Second, strict laws and codes are clearly stipulated at the local level to curb the rise of grain prices, while Bianliang will start to raise prices from now on. The merchants and wealthy gentry tried every means to transport grain to Kaifeng, even faster and more attentively than our government's water transport.Don't underestimate their energy, for the sake of profit, once they take action, their energy may even surprise the officials.In the future, I am afraid that they will transport a considerable portion of the grain from Kaifeng. " Miaomiao said in surprise, "The price is going to be raised now? In this way, the people in the capital will complain." Yang Hao sneered and said, "Compared to starving them to death, it is cost-effective to let them spend a few more pennies now. If anyone wants to scold their mothers, let him go. You have to wait for the people to understand and support everything. What is it?" You don’t have to do anything, you have to be arbitrary when it’s time to be arbitrary, and only in this way can you attract merchants from all over the world to spare no effort to transport grain to Kaifeng.” Sao Zhu'er said worriedly: "But if that happens, countless families in the capital will lose their homes to buy grain. They know that there is a shortage of grain in Kaifeng, but they don't know how high the grain price will be. I remember that there was a severe drought in the northwest, and there was no harvest. Well, someone used two ingots of gold ingots to exchange for three meat buns, and my parents died of starvation at that time." Yang Hao raised his brows and said, "As I said before, how much grain the imperial court lacks, the wording in the announcement is highly debatable. Don't forget that while the grain merchants are transporting grain, the imperial court's water transport is also transporting grain. They When the grain arrived, it must have not yet reached the time when the road was blocked by heavy snow, and the grain stored in Kaifeng had not yet reached the time when it could not be opened. In addition to the grain transported by the imperial court itself during this period, at that time... the imperial court can take the grain. Opened the supply to the people at a par price, or even lower than the par price, so that the whole world knew that Kaifeng had sufficient food. By then, will the grain merchants be able to ship the grain back?Man said that less than half of the return journey would have to be closed due to heavy snowfall.Even if there is time, no one can withstand the unreasonable loss that comes and goes.Those foreign grain merchants have no warehouses to store grain in Bianliang. Will they sit and watch the heavy snow and winter come, and the grain will become moldy and rot?At this time, the imperial court used the name of Jiamian to "transport grain" and bought their grain at a price lower than the market price. They would only be grateful to Zaide. " Cui Dalang gasped, smiled wryly and said: "You are too insidious. None of the courtiers cherish feathers, and only you, a half-toned official, can come up with such an idea..." Miao Miao instinctively argued for Yang Hao: "Food is the most important thing for the people, and what you want is the righteousness of the people and the great benefit of the country. Besides, your lord only imposes small punishments on those profiteers. In my opinion, it is nothing more than a small punishment for those who hoard , A profiteer with no conscience, this is still light." Yang Hao was sitting upright, smiling and saying nothing: "What's the matter with the officials, can't the officials cheat people? This is my bloody and tearful experience in stock speculation. Today he just announced that he will not do anything to the market in the near future. If you don't intervene, there will be a "chicken crowing in the middle of the night" the next day, and you will lose all your money. A profiteer, a profiteer is a fart, and if you meet a traitor like me, you will not find a place to cry."
There are three types of water transport: river transport, water and land transport, and sea transport. However, there are too few outlets to the sea in the Song Dynasty, and Bianliang City is inland, so it is not possible to talk about Shanghai transport, but only river transport.Water and land delivery is much larger than full land transportation, but the efficiency is low. Now the only feasible method for official water transportation is river transportation. In terms of river transportation, the Song Dynasty mainly uses the segmental transfer method handed down from the Tang Dynasty.Since the water levels in various river sections are different, if the grain ship has to go down the river, the probability of overturning and entering the water is too high. In order to reduce the loss, the Tang people invented the segmented transfer method.That is, in places with large water level differences, build a dock on the upper and lower sides. When the upstream ship arrives, it unloads at the upper dock, and then transports it to the downstream dock with a donkey cart, and then Lifu loads the new boat and continues to drive to the next water level drop. Large places will continue to act as usual. This method greatly reduces the risk of river transportation. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has been following the method of transportation invented by the Tang people.After the founding of the Song Dynasty, there were constant wars and conquests. The water conservancy facilities had not had time to be completely maintained. Every year, the river workers could only be recruited to clean up the silt. Generally speaking, the current river transportation can still meet Tokyo’s food needs, but Now it's clearly not working.As for how to speed up the efficiency of the river transport, Cui Dalang and Miaomiao were completely at a loss. Sao Zhuer obviously didn't have much confidence in himself. Even though there were only Yang Hao, Cui Dalang, and Miaomiao present, his face turned red with embarrassment, and he said: "If you want to speed up the river transportation, this..., uh Well, good boatmen and river workers are indispensable. If they are willing to work hard, rewards should be given if they are appropriate. My master pays more wages to the boatmen who work hard. They will work harder Work hard." Yang Hao nodded and smiled: "Well, when transporting by water, those who finish the transport ahead of time will be rewarded, and those who arrive late will be punished. The rewards and punishments are clear, so that the boatmen and slender hands will not delay the business. You mentioned it very well. This must be added. .” Sao Zhuer was affirmed by his brother, so he became more courageous. After thinking for a while, he said: "There are still boats. There are all kinds of boats now. Some are suitable for sea boats and river boats, but not necessarily suitable for river transportation. .Some ships have huge hulls, but they are not suitable for transporting grain. Now many water transport offices are trying to save money, and these ships can still be used, so they are reluctant to deal with them. , then the quantity delivered this time, if done well, can be increased by 20%." Yang Hao said with a smile: "Do you still think it's too little? Even if it's only 10%, it's worth trying. Now we are digging out the potential step by step in all aspects, squeezing out 10% here, saving 10% there, accumulating sand into a tower, accumulating less Cheng Duo, there is hope to overcome this difficulty." Sao Zhuer also laughed, he thought about it carefully, and said: "I... that's all I can think of. The time delay and food loss of segmented transportation are inevitable. Oh, yes, when I run the ship , found that there are two dikes with weirs and dams and sluices built to irrigate the ground. The river mud is not easy to clean up. If it is shallow, large ships will not be able to pass. It must be noted that it is summer now, and they cannot be allowed to drain the water. Put too much, and the water level in our section of the Bianhe River is a little shallow now, we have to order the government to open the sluice on the Yellow River, and then let some water in, then we will have a lot of fun in the section of Kaifeng gone." Yang Hao was stunned, and said in surprise: "Sluice? What kind of sluice?" Sao Zhu'er gestured: "It is to open an opening on the river embankment and build a sluice gate. When the nearby farmland is short of water, the sluice will be opened to release water..." Yang Hao suddenly remembered another function of modern sluices. He built two sluices at places with a large drop. The water level is even with the downstream, so that the boat can sail out smoothly and safely. I was overjoyed and couldn't help shouting: "Gate, gate, yes, this is a good idea!" Xun Zhuer looked at him in surprise, Yang Haoxin jumped up happily and sprinted around the room.After turning back and forth twice, he suddenly stopped and thought to himself: "Could it be that there is no such method now? Otherwise, why is the water transportation only transported in sections, instead of building dams and sluices in places where the water source has a large drop? But... …I only know the theory on this matter, but I am not good at the actual construction. Furthermore, how long will it take to build such a barrage and sluice on the canal? If there is no time, it will be of no help to this urgent business.” Yang Hao hurriedly asked Xun Zhuer about it, but Xun Zhuer really didn't know such a function, and was dumbfounded.Cui Dalang glanced at him in surprise, turned his body slightly, and said to Miao Miao: "Your lord seems to be far less familiar with all walks of life than I am, but as long as you let him know a thing or two, there are always many wonderful ways. What a geek, learned and skilled.” "That's it!" Miao Miao was triumphant, and she pursed her lips into a smile. In fact, there is an ancient method of building dams and sluices to store water to ensure the safe driving of ships in places with large water level drops. The residents of the ancient Baiyue area are especially good at this method. Ships, such dams cannot last long, and can only solve temporary difficulties. After the bamboo cage is damaged, the stones scattered on the bottom of the river will hinder the boats from moving, so the boats will be dismantled as soon as they pass by. Repeatedly, it is too laborious and costly. No one used this method for shipping, and after the troubled times of the Five Dynasties, many professional talents were lost, and this method gradually became unthinkable among water transport officials. This is like the advanced musket shooting method similar to "three-stage strike" in the early Ming Dynasty, but no one in the army knew about it in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Due to the restrictions of the bureaucratic system and the limited dissemination of information and materials Due to objective conditions, some useful materials recorded in the vast pile of old papers are not as well understood by people at that time as later generations. Yang Hao lingered for a while and thought to himself: "This matter should not be difficult. The widest canal is only a few feet. It should not be difficult to build a simple sluice that can be used for two or three months. If this matter is feasible, it should be carried out at the forefront. At the same time, the shipping department, transshipment department, and shopping department in various localities have to rush to work day and night. I just want to find out how to do it. The Ministry of Industry must send craftsmen who specialize in river construction. Give instructions. The rivers in various places should be carried out at the same time. One month should be enough? If this is feasible and the purchase of grain and grass is smooth, the new method can start to transport grain in mid-July. For loading and unloading, the transportation speed is one-third faster, this is a job that sharpens knives and chops firewood." Thinking of this, Yang Hao asked Miao Miao to record this method.They are not officials who have been in their positions for a long time in the court, and they don't have so many shackles in their thinking. They have come up with many ways one after another, even using the Northern Kingdom, which is still hostile to the Song Dynasty, to smuggle cattle and sheep and transport them to Kaifeng for emergencies. Fa'er thought of it all. After eating at noon, they continued to think and tidy up, and in the afternoon, the brains of several people were almost exhausted, Yang Hao said: "Everyone, let's go back and have a rest, I can't think of anything now, if I have something to add later, I will fill it in. Miao Miao, sort out these materials carefully, and I will read them again tonight, and I will be able to understand them."
Yang Hao sent Cui Dalang and Sao Zhuer away, wandered around the Bian River for a while, watched the boats passing by on the Youyou River, and filtered his thoughts again, looked up and saw the attic painting workshop on the opposite bank, and couldn't help but think of Wu Wa Son. The relationship between a man and a woman is really strange. The people who thought they could be with each other for life ended up leaving him one by one, and this baby was originally a competitor he helped Liu Duoer suppress. Together, fate is really something that cannot be grasped. Dong'er stayed in his heart forever because of love, and Ziyu left him because of hatred.And Yanyan finally embarked on the path that a daughter of an aristocratic family should take. At the beginning...if he had insisted on his consistent thinking and never fell in love with her, he should have thought of the gap between himself and this kind of wealthy family. Yes, how could the wealthy Tang family agree to marry their daughter to him? How can it be a patent of this era to be in the same family?In his original era, the story of a charming rich girl who wanted to marry a poor boy mostly only existed in novels.Yang Hao felt sorry for himself for a while, and couldn't help thinking: "Yanyan...should really like me, she broke up with me unconditionally, I'm afraid... I don't have the desire for vanity, but I am forced by the pressure of the family. Maybe it's bigger. If I'm still in Luzhou and I'm with her day and night, maybe she will have the courage to resist the family's decision?" Thinking about it carefully, ever since I made a lifelong private appointment with this delicate girl, I really can't find anything about his care and consideration for Yanyan.Dong'er is as fragile as a little gardenia, and a small wind and rain can knock her off the branches, so he is considerate to Dong'er, and he has to make up his mind for her in everything. They are all willing to carry it for her.As for Ziyu and Yanyan, in all honesty, he had never treated them the way he treated Dong'er. It's not that he discounted his feelings for Ziyu and Yanyan after Dong'er passed away, but because he knew that Ziyu was strong and self-reliant, and that Yanyan came from a wealthy family, so he subconsciously felt that they didn't need to give too much from him. care support.However, no matter how strong and capable a woman is, she hopes that her man will treat her as the most delicate flower, caring and caring, right? "Is it because of my attitude that she... left me? Although I can't help myself and I can't be by her side often, but... write more letters and a few more considerate and gentle greetings, maybe No... the thoughts of my daughter's family... After all, I still know too little..." Looking up at the sky, Yang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, and rushed to the "Meihu Cave".The baby said that the sisters would come after they settled down, and she didn't expect him to take care of everything for herself.She didn't even dare to propose a form of entry. After all, with her status, no matter how glorious she was in the past, once she got a good marriage and a decent official status, being a concubine was the only possibility, and she knew herself. However, Yang Hao, who reviewed his two unresolved relationships with Ziyu and Yanyan, finally realized that the problem did not lie with them. , is also a major cause of his emotional problems. From now on, he doesn't want to have that kind of thing happen again, even if the baby can only be a concubine and can't ask too much like Ziyu and Yanyan, but he doesn't want to see it again. My own woman has a pair of resentful eyes. The mother who greeted him recognized him, and in today's brothels in Kaifeng, everyone who doesn't recognize Yang Daguan, who can make iron into gold, hastened to greet him courteously.The mother knew that he was looking for Miss Wa'er, so she welcomed him into the door with a smile on her face, and went back to the door with interest. Yang Hao entered the courtyard, but there was still no sign of moving out, the sound of silk, bamboo and music still sounded, and joyous songs and laughter continued to spread from the small buildings.After entering the second courtyard, you can see some signs. In the next pavilion, many boxes and cages have been tied up, and some servants and maids are busy. When he entered the courtyard at the end, two young masters came out of the courtyard with lewd smiles. "Haha, brother Liu, you don't know how ecstasy this Yu'er girl is, the kind of gentleness on the couch, oh my, I'll introduce you if I have a chance, but can you brother Liu be her first step into the curtain?" Bin, it depends on your own ability." The two came talking and laughing, Yang Hao frowned slightly, avoided to the side, bypassed a shady green tree, an elegant small house appeared in front, and not far ahead was Wu Wa'er's Qingyin small house. built.When Yang Hao walked to the door of the hut, he heard a woman's voice in the room say: "Tao'er, go get some hot water, I want to take a bath." As soon as Yang Hao heard this voice, he was like a thunderbolt, and his whole body froze there, unable to move. "Yes, Miss, wait a moment." A pretty girl came out of the door and was startled when she saw Yang Hao standing at the door. "Hey, you..." The girl couldn't stop her, she was pushed aside by Yang Hao and almost fell down. Yang Hao broke into the door, and saw the embroidered bed in the elegant room, the curtains were half rolled up, the room was empty and no one was seen, there was a screen on the left, and there was a faint figure behind the screen. Yang Hao became ruthless, he didn't care about who was behind, anyway, there was no girl from a good family in this kind of place, so he rushed over immediately. "Why are you going back... oh, bold!" A slender beauty behind the screen had just untied her coat and put it on the hanger, when she heard hurried footsteps, she turned her head and saw a man rushing in, so startled that she grabbed the coat and dodged it aside, her pretty face flushed with anger, flew into a rage. Yang Hao was stunned, Ziyu!Zhe Ziyu!It turned out to be her! Zhe Ziyu was also stunned, she never expected that Yang Hao would appear in front of her at this moment.The two faced each other, not knowing what to say for a while. Yang Hao's gaze slowly moved down from Zhe Ziyu's face. The moon-white cotton coat was half untied, and inside was a lotus-colored embroidered butterfly bellyband. The hillock on his chest protruded. Although it was not huge, the silhouette was pretty and charming. A touch of delicate and white cleavage is especially captivating.She was wearing pale pink silk trousers, which were soft and close-fitting, and her two little white feet were wearing a pair of wooden clogs, and the exposed toes were crystal clear and lovely like snow-white silkworm babies.Although the figure of an immature girl, Zhe Ziyu at this time has an indescribable femininity, a charming style that he has never seen before. Zhe Ziyu finally woke up, seeing him staring at her body, he couldn't help being angry and ashamed: "You...don't go out yet!" "Go out?" Yang Hao suddenly thought of what that Mr. Xunfang said just now: "Haha, brother Liu, you don't know how ecstasy this Yu'er girl is, the kind of gentleness of love on the couch, oh, yes I'll introduce you when I get the chance, but whether you, Brother Liu, can be her guest of honor depends on your own ability." Yang Hao felt pain and sorrow in his heart, his eyes burst out with anger, his body trembled, his face was livid, and he approached Zhe Ziyu step by step: "Hello! Hello! You abandon me, it's mine!" Wrong, I don't blame you, but... what's wrong with you, is it so difficult to say something to me? It's so hard that you... so shameless and shameless!" Zhe Ziyu was stunned by his scolding, pointing at himself in surprise, and asked incredulously, "Me? Is it mean, shameless?" Zhe Ziyu was so angry that his face turned red, he tossed his clothes and rushed forward: "Yang, you are such a big bastard!"