On the second day of 80, the frenzied rush for food began.

Originally, Zhou Dao had no cash, and before he could fill the grain depot in Luoma City, Xu Wei withdrew 800 yuan to Zhou Dao in advance, and told him, "Ten days later, each family will compare prices, you can do it." That is to say, in less than ten days, the news of the government's grain collection will spread.

"Time is money!" Zhou Dao remembered an old saying, and then he felt like a honeycomb had been stabbed, and the people of Hesheng poured out of the nest and became crazy and busy. Except for a few people who were left on the county wharf to continue to collect grain as merchants, the rest of the people all went out to collect grain or contact grain collection matters. The previously mentioned Man'ergou, Shiqupu and Hujia Zhaizi in Shipanshan all sent people this time, just for two words: collect grain.

All the larger boats on the wharf were chartered by Hesheng, and they went upstream along the river to the larger market town wharf to collect grain on the spot! When to fill the ship and when to return. At the same time, Zhou Dao has reduced the supply of grain to the downstream state towns, and the price of grain now is different from the price of grain in a month. He needs money, but he needs food even more, and when everything goes into the grain depot of Luoma City, Xu Wei immediately exchanged it for cash. The grain from the Hesheng and Mill warehouses was transported here, and if they couldn't be loaded, they were directly transported into the official warehouse, and they didn't care about it, and they didn't care about avoiding suspicion. It's just a matter of the past few days, and when others wake up, the price of grain will continue to rise, and it will no longer be the price it is now. So it became more and more blatant to do it, how wrong can it be to transport grain to the official warehouse? As long as you can exchange the money, and so on, within a few days you actually lent out 6,000 yuan, and then use the money to collect grain, the most important thing is to be sure: fast!

After only two or three days, Yu Liangji and the other two grain merchants smelled wrong, and Hesheng was collecting grain on a large scale, but the shipment was very small. Then the surplus grain Ji got the exact news from Li Hui that the government was going to levy grain on a large scale this year. "Yu Chengzhong, who is a dog day, actually dares to suppress the official document of the grain requisition for a few days without sending it! Even I hid it, what kind of heart did he have? Li Hui slapped the table angrily, "God knows what he is doing, you know what I know." Yu Qin sat aside with the shopkeeper and said coldly. In the days that followed, more people joined the harvest.

It was the grain harvest season and a bumper harvest, and it should be the cheapest time of the year, but the grain price did not fall at all compared with previous years, and it rose a lot, and the peasants were very happy. On the seventh day, as soon as the notice of grain requisition was posted, the price of grain began to rise rapidly, and everyone began to stock up on grain. People saw that the price of grain was the same price every one or two days, and they began to sell it one after another, but the grain merchants headed by Hesheng still bought like crazy, so there were fewer and fewer people selling grain, and the grain was at a price every day.

"My mother, alas, ten days ago, she still sold grain for 200 wen a load, which is about the same as in previous years, and it has only been a few days, and it has always been 700 wen! It's 500 more! The peasants gathered together and said, "Crazy, crazy, sooner or later it will fall, and it may be harmful." "Two bald man, you don't talk nonsense! You sold it yourself early, who is to blame? "Damn! It's not Hesheng, damn it, I ran to the town to collect grain, didn't I think that I would give less money to the boat? It's a little higher than in previous years. Dog's day, it's a big loss! "Second bald, you kid is not as lucky as Lao Tzu, you can't afford it!" This year, Lao Tzu received the grain late, and he was worried about the fall in grain prices at first, but you see, he sold it at a good price yesterday. "Liu Erbing, what price did you sell?" Liu Erbing, who called Liu Erbing, listened, didn't speak, and proudly compared six characters with his hands. "Your mother, today is always 700 Wen, Lao Tzu doesn't sell it, what are you proud of?" Wu Laosi, who spoke, was full of disdain. "Don't be greedy, anyway, this year is a fat year compared to previous years, don't you say?" The crowd was gossiping, some nodding and others shaking their heads.

"Do you know why the price of grain is still rising this year?" "Huh? It's weird, why? I've heard that there's a war going on in the north. "Eighteen! I just heard from the guy who collected grain in the town at noon today, the government is going to collect grain, this time not only the position is often closed, but the military warehouse and the transshipment warehouse have to open the warehouse to collect grain, do you think about how much you have to collect? "Huh? And what's going on? No wonder it can't be so fierce? That's right. "Who did you listen to?" "Halcyon's buddy?" "Isn't that right? Huang Qiguan'er, you made it up yourself, right? "What's wrong? What I've heard with my own ears, is it possible that I can make it up in such detail? If you don't believe it, ask Niu Wa'er, he is also there. "It's not made up, it's not made up, there is such a thing, at noon, I was there, and the two guys who were collecting grain were there to tell us, and many people knew about it." "Huh? That's not right. "What's wrong?" "When did you see the grain collector tell you that you must lose money selling grain now, and it will have to rise again in the future?" "Huh..." Everyone looked at each other when they heard this, "Shouldn't the two guys have nothing to say there?" "Probably right?" Most of the people in a circle were silent, some shook their heads, and some nodded.

The granaries of Zhou Dao are all full, and they can't be full! The grain he had put into the official warehouse in advance was almost unfilled. He has no money in his hands now, and he will not chase it up except to encourage others, and the total amount of nearly 8,000 yuan mortgaged has already been exchanged for food. The news of the government's grain requisition is known even in the remote mountains, people are desperately hoarding grain and collecting grain, farmers are smiling at the rising grain prices, and those who have sold grain regret not being at the beginning, and those who have not sold have not sold the grain in their hands tighter, "There is no three runs and one burden, don't even think about it!" Wu Laosi is full of ambition, that pride and self-confidence, to paraphrase a later sentence, leverage!

On the tenth day, compare prices. The grain merchants and big households in the county had to go to the county government to make quotations, but the female proprietor of the surplus grain record did not come, but only called the shopkeeper and the account office. They heard the rumors, the amount of grain collected by the government this time is huge, and the amount of grain collected cannot be guaranteed to be cash, and it must be matched with a certain amount of money payment, as for what proportion, I don't know! I don't tell you, I figure it out for myself. In short, the cash is insufficient, and the money is enough! If you sell grain and are in a hurry to collect the money, then you should wait to collect the money. "Eat, eat! surnamed Zhou, take Jiaozi to support you! The female proprietor said viciously.

Therefore, the quotations of each grain seller in the county government today are higher than the other, for fear that the price will be lowered and the task will be apportioned. There is a big family that grows grain, and he reported in the hall that he had three runs of 800 wen per load, which was a long cut higher than the grain sold in the county, and was angrily reprimanded by Lord Yu in public, scolding him for not sharing worries for the court, and only thinking about filling his own pockets to make a fortune! The crowd pleaded for mercy and did not accept it, so they slapped ten boards on the spot.

"In the final analysis, there is still a lack of loyalty, loyalty to the DPRK, this matter can not be talked about, Master Li has to go back and check how his family's taxes are paid? Is there any leakage? Some people don't know how powerful they are, but we have to be cured as court officials! Or where does a bright future come from? Yu Gong said righteously, and the big man was so painful and annoyed that his face turned purple, and he repeatedly deducted his head to forgive.

Master Yu stopped looking at him and continued, "Although the price of grain has really risen sharply now, as long as you go out and take a look, this is also a fact, and it is obvious to all." But you must be in a public spirit, just have a little profit or capital preservation, and you are absolutely not allowed to sit on the ground in front of the government! If that is the case, this official will not be spared! Master Li, do you think so? Li Hui, who was sitting on the side, listened, and hurriedly got up and arched his hand, "It's still Lord Yu's wisdom, what your lord said is very true!" Yu Zhixian nodded with a smile, and then looked at Xu Wei who was standing on the side, and Xu argued, "The offer continues." ”

In the end, Hesheng Grain Company, the largest grain merchant in the county, won the bid at a "low price" of 2 quintals of 300 wen per quintal to underwrite 7,000 quintals of grain purchased by the government, accounting for 70% of the total amount of grain hoarded by the government in the county! The remaining 30 per cent is shared by others. So far, the errand of grain procurement in this county has been successfully completed!

Three days later, in the hall in the backyard of Hesheng, Zhou Dao, Xu Wei and Lao Zhang were settling accounts. As early as the autumn grain harvest had just begun, he began to buy in large quantities, and at that time, the government's documents for collecting grain had not yet been issued to the localities. It is based on the fact that the average cost of his early and late periods is about 300 wen per quintal, which is slightly higher than the price of grain harvested in the autumn of previous years, of which the 7,000 quintals that were finally sold to the government are two quintals and 300 wen per quintal (note: at this time, each guan is not calculated according to 1,000 wen, but 900 wen per quintal, and in real history, each kan is less than 1,000 wen), so that he made a net profit per quintal, and made a total of 7,000 kan from this transaction.

The county government very realistically only allocated 500 yuan in banknotes, and once the grain was put into the warehouse, the total amount of money was more than 16,300 yuan, and after deducting the 8,000 yuan borrowed from the mortgage, Zhou Dao still had more than 8,000 yuan, including more than 1,000 yuan in advance by himself. The payment of money and money fully reflects fairness and efficiency, which is indeed true.

The government made a profit of 7,000 yuan, and the first deducted 500 yuan of banknotes, and the remaining 6,500 yuan. According to the original agreement, a total of 8,000 yuan of grain loans were mortgaged, with a monthly interest of five cents, and less than a month was calculated on a monthly basis, and this part of the score was given to adults with an interest of 400 yuan. 6,500 guan and then deduct this part of the interest, leaving 6,100 guan. It is said that the profits of the government's grain collection are divided in half, that is, half of the profits of 6,100 yuan, 3,050 yuan in cash, and 250 yuan in money. That is, this time, Yu Yu finally got 3,450 yuan in cash, including 400 yuan of interest, and another 250 yuan in banknotes. From this transaction, Hesheng Grain Bank received 3,050 yuan in cash and 250 yuan in banknotes.

"After planning for so long, so many people, this big chase is busy, and a lot of labor has not been counted, and in the end, the biggest benefit is still the official master." Zhou Dao smiled a little self-deprecatingly, "They turn their mouths up and down, hey! can life and death. Xu Wei listened silently, and only said after a while, "If there is no them, where is your share?" "That's just as well. Zhou Dao nodded, then raised his eyebrows and said, "We also made money this time, haha!" All three laughed. After this operation, Halcyon's assets have more than doubled.

From that day on, the Hesheng Grain Store no longer collected grain, but accelerated the sale of self-hoarded grain, and increased the volume of grain transportation to the state city. All of them withdrew to the men who were collecting grain from all over the town. A few days later, food prices began to fall.