"The current market price is about two taels or four dollars a stone of rice, and if you go to Shandong to buy grain, it will cost at least about two taels and one yuan of silver, which is not much cheaper." Wei Bao replied: "If we want to reduce the price of grain a little more, we must let a large amount of grain automatically pour into Liaoxi!" It would be more cost-effective than me going out to buy food. ”

"Are you in urgent need of food for the winter because you have a large number of people?" Wu Xiang asked.

"Yes." Wei Bao's answer was concise and to the point. Do you need to ask? It's not that you don't know.

If Wei Bao wants to achieve development, he must lower the price of grain and hoard enough grain for the people under his jurisdiction.

Wei Bao didn't think about engaging in unified purchase and sales, and the big pot of rice, which could save a lot of food and make it easier to tide over the difficulties.

In fact, Wei Bao had already denied the dictatorship of the proletariat in the late Ming Dynasty and took the social line!

Regardless of whether it develops in the future, there will be enough workers to lead the peasants and lead social change.

Anyway, Wei Bao just doesn't want to take the social route!

In order to develop industry, it is inevitable that a large number of people will be separated from agricultural production, and the result is that unified purchasing and marketing distort prices and forcibly make grain prices lower in the cities through grain stamps, while the peasants cannot afford to sell their grain, which makes the peasants miserable and subsidizes the workers.

Perhaps, the speed can go up, but in Wei Bao's view, it is cruel, using the peasants, who account for ninety percent of the total population, to subsidize the workers and the government, the peasants have no ability to resist, and they are obedient, what did they do wrong? Must suffer this sin?

Development cannot be achieved at the expense of the interests of several generations of peasants. This is not in line with Weber's values!

Although there is no absolute fairness in the world, Weibao will pursue relative fairness, respect everyone, and prefer to develop slowly, or even not at all!

Wei Bao's idea is to develop agriculture steadily, and now there are hybrid rice, know how to engage in chemical fertilizers, and even know how to engage in mechanized agriculture.

Engaging in unified purchasing and marketing will wipe out the traditional rice merchants, salt merchants, and oil merchants, and will wipe out the germ of capitalism more quickly.

Although the outflow of strategic grain resources can be strictly prevented and controlled by engaging in unified purchasing and marketing, Wei Bao does not need it, because Weijiazhuang and southern Liaoning are originally isolated from the outside world, and they are a kind of closed country in a different direction pursued by Wei Bao.

Closing the country to the country, in Wei Bao's view, is not all bad and undesirable.

At the same time, the unified purchase of grain also has the effect of forcibly lowering grain prices, reducing the cost of living for workers, and providing sufficient labor for industrial development.

Wei Bao knows about chemical fertilizers and mechanization, but he can't do it. The industrial capacity is too poor to do it, and now only the most basic fertilizer has been developed, nitrogen fertilizer.

As for hybrid rice, it is not a god in Wei Bao's view, the more high-yield crops are, the more they need modern agricultural technology and various fertilizer support, such as fertilizers and pesticides. Otherwise, even wild rice is not as good.

The truth is like a broiler, it must rely on various antibiotics to stay alive. Otherwise, the vitality is definitely not as good as that of pheasants.

Everything has a price. Don't expect it, it's solid, it's disease-resistant, it's productive, it's impossible.

In the pursuit of one indicator, it is necessary to abandon others, and these indicators are guaranteed by the artificial environment. If the support force is insufficient, then it is a mass death.

First distort the price of agricultural products to supplement the industry, point out the pesticide and fertilizer science and technology trees, and then reverse the agriculture, engage in grain stamps, and engage in unified purchase and sales. I don't want to think of a way from the inside, but I want to find a way from the outside to plunder the resources of the landlord class in various places, and this is Wei Bao's method.

Now Wei Bao is going to take the landlord class in western Liaodong to do these things.

At its core, developing capitalism is the encouragement of waste. People have to be constantly wasting in order to have the desire to consume and thus work more.

It is necessary to engage in a game of cake and face smashing, engage in tomato throwing festival, encourage fashion clothing, and throw away a piece of clothing after wearing it for half a year. Let the workers all apply for credit cards, and make money to eat food. We can no longer engage in the habit of thrift and frugality. That's old feudalism and it has to be cleared.

Extrapolating back to the successive dynasties of China, as long as the population reached a certain level and the number of people who were separated from agricultural production increased, because there was no currency with stable prices, grain would inevitably be expensive and cheap, and the development of industry and commerce would inevitably suffer from serious inflation.

However, if we do not develop industrial and commercial employment, how can we solve the problem, and how can we maintain social stability if we do not solve the problem of employment.

Except in a few extreme cases, it was never the proletariat of the peasants who were the first to revolt since ancient times, but the pathetic industrial and commercial workers, the urban vagrants, who were more proletarian than the proletariat.

They are the main body of the displaced people.

So what peasant uprisings were only a minority, and the reason for the fall of most dynasties was the revolt of the exiles.

"Do you really have 30 million taels of silver?" Wu Xiang asked. Wu Xiang had already asked before, but Wei Bao did not answer.

Wei Bao saw Wu Xiang ask this question again, knowing that he couldn't hide from it, so he simply said honestly: "It's just a claim, but there are not so many of them, I can take out about 12 million taels of silver at most, and I have to keep a little silver for turnover." ”

Wu Xiang smiled, as if he had already seen through Wei Bao's lies: "Claimed, haha, I knew you didn't have so much silver!" Your silver basically comes from the big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong! Besides, even if most of the people you smuggled in Liaodong this trip avoided paying the silver to the big families in Liaodong and Liaoxi, you still couldn't avoid paying the silver to those officials and generals in Jiliao. I estimate that you will not even be able to come up with 12 million taels of silver, at most about 10 million taels. ”

Wei Bao was secretly surprised, Wu Xiang is amazing, his own account is too big, and now he can only rely on estimation many times, Wu Xiang seems to know better than him.

"That's pretty much it." Wei Bao nodded and said, "This time it is very important for me to buy food for the winter!" ”

"I know, but if you want to use 10 million taels of silver to attract grain from Beizhili and Shandong, it seems that it is difficult to do so. Not to mention that the grain from Shanxi, Henan, Anhui and Nanzhili is really attracted, and the grain in western Liaoning must be piled up! When the time comes, it will be these merchants and gangs who transport grain from other places to Liaoxi, they are not so stupid, and the news is very well-informed! Wu Xiang said.

"I've thought about it. On the one hand, we amplify the good news of the Jinzhou army's defeat of Jiannu! Infinite magnification! The Jinzhou army defeated the enemy 30, we say 30000! And render the Liaodong army is expected to recover the entire Guanwai and capture Shenyang within the year! Drive Jiannu back to the deep mountains and old forests. I have enough work to do these things! The validity period of this news is enough to last for two months! On the other hand, for every large-scale purchase, I earn grain at a high price, attracting all the grain from the surrounding areas to Liaoxi! I will gather 12 million taels of silver, the first five times, each time spent 2 million taels of silver, and by the sixth time, I estimate that the price of grain has successfully reached below two taels of silver and one stone of grain, and when the time comes, the remaining 2 million taels of silver will be spent at one time, and as much as you buy. In this way, the big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong can also get great benefits, a large amount of grain, and the foreign merchant gang will definitely not want to pull it back! Wei Bao said.

Wu Xiang smiled slightly: "Xiaobao, you are still too young!" There is no one in this world who is stupid, all the merchants can roll in the mall, which one is not the master who is more shrewd than a monkey? First of all, you must have 30 million taels of silver, and in my opinion, 30 million taels of silver is far from enough! You have to have at least 50 million taels of silver! Secondly, you must invite people from various merchant gangs to your Weijiazhuang silver treasury, and you must let them see with their own eyes that you really have 50 million taels of silver! Moreover, every time you buy grain, it must not be less than 6 million taels! The first time it is best to take out 10 million taels of silver! After doing this four times, it is possible to attract all the surrounding grains, and even attract the grains of Nanzhili! ”

Wei Bao sweated, your method is naturally more secure, "But I don't have so much silver?" ”

"Don't you still have 180,000 taels of gold in your hand that you have intercepted from your ancestors? It can be regarded as at least 5 million taels of silver! Nothing more, no less! Add the 12 million taels of silver you put together yourself, which is almost 20 million taels. Plus, I can lend you another 20 million taels of silver! I don't have so much in my hands, but my Wu family's property and a hundred years of credibility can allow me to collect this silver! In this way, you have almost 37 million taels of silver! It is claimed that 50 million is targeted. Wu Xiang said with a smile.

"Lord Wu wants to lend me 20 million taels of silver?" Wei Bao was stunned all at once.

Originally, the 170,000 taels of gold he had intercepted from his ancestral family (Wu Xiang didn't know that Wei Bao had spent 10,000 taels of gold to bribe Sun Chengzong), and Wei Bao didn't plan to move.

Not only Wei Bao was stunned, but even Wu Xuexia on the side was dumbfounded, he didn't expect his father to help Wei Bao so openly? Pleasantly surprised.

Wu Xiang smiled and nodded.

"What conditions do you have?" Wei Bao asked calmly. Wei Baocai didn't believe that Wu Xiang was because he loved his daughter and took a fancy to his son-in-law, and then he was afraid that his daughter would not be able to live a good life in the future, so he gave up his life to help himself. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and pie in the sky will not fall out of the sky!

"Simple, after three years, you will give me 40 million taels of silver, otherwise, your Wei Bao is mine! Your heaven and earth business name is mine! Your Weijiazhuang is mine! Your Liaonan is also mine! Also, all your properties are mine! In short, everything that belongs to you Wei Bao, if you don't have 40 million taels of silver, you have to be surnamed Wu! Wu Xiang said with a smile.

Wei Bao and Wu Xuexia gasped at the same time! So ruthless!

Only then did Wei Bao know that Wu Xiang was going to be a good person? This is already a decision to make a lot of money on yourself!

"Lord Wu looks like he wants to buy me as your lifelong slave? This is so risky, do you think I will promise you? If I don't harvest some grain, I may not be able to survive this winter! But after three years, 40 million taels of silver will be repaid, and the pressure is too great! Also, I promised to repay half of the last gambling money of the big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong three years later, and now half a year has passed, that is to say, I will take out nearly 7 million taels of silver to repay the debt in March of the seventh year of the weather! I made a pact with them! I just took out 7 million taels of silver in the seventh year of the Apocalypse, and if I want to take out 40 million taels of silver in August of the seventh year of the Apocalypse, do you think I will give up the silver? Can you repay nearly 50 million taels of silver in such a short period of time? Also, your usury, which has doubled in the past three years, has made a profit of 200 percent, which is too ruthless, right? "Wei Bao doesn't have a good airway.

Wu Xuexia didn't speak, seeing that Wei Bao was angry, she looked at her father with a blank look.

Wu Xiang smiled slightly, and said calmly: "You will agree, my amount is not deliberately outrageous, it proves that I am very sincere to do this business with you, with your Xiaobao's vision and means, I believe that you can make so much silver in three years!" Also, if I don't help you this time, you won't want to receive a grain of food! Not to mention, they also want to get a larger range of grain from Beizhili and Shandong, and even Shanxi, Henan, Anhui and Nanzhili, to western Liaoning. Weigh it for yourself! ”

"I'll help your Wu family earn a full 20 million taels in three years!" Wei Bao finished speaking gloomily, silently settling the accounts, how could he feel that this sale was a loss: "Aren't you afraid that I won't be able to pay such a large amount of money by then, and I will pay the bills?" ”

"What are you going to pay for? Ignoring the laws of the Ming Dynasty? The contract was written in black and white. Wu Xiang said with a smile: "Since you dare to promise to return nearly 7 million taels of silver to the big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong, are you afraid of another 40 million taels of silver?" ”

"If I ignore the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty at that time, what will Lord Wu do?" Wei Bao looked at Wu Xiang tentatively.

This sentence, that is, on this occasion, there are only three people, Wei Bao, Wu Xiang and Wu Xuexia, if there is one more person, Wei Bao will not say such a thing, because this is a sentence that completely represents rebellion! Under what circumstances can a subject of the Ming Dynasty say such a thing as ignoring the laws of the Ming Dynasty?

Wu Xuexia looked at Wei Bao in surprise, as if she didn't know Wei Bao.

Wu Xiang heard Wei Bao say this, but he seemed to hear a very common sentence, such as have you eaten it, and smiled: "That's better!" Xiaobao, if you have such a big courage, it also proves that I Wu Xiang is not wrong, a man must have the pride and ambition to be willing to cut his body, I Wu Xiang does not, but I admire such a person! You don't obey the laws of the Ming Dynasty, but you can't help but give an explanation to your subordinates and the people of the world! In that case, you must repay my money, otherwise you are a man without faith, and a man without faith, who will follow you? ”

Wei Bao was speechless, indeed, people in this era regard faith as greater than the sky, and losing faith is indeed equivalent to cutting off the meridians!

Wu Xiang smiled slightly, and continued: "Therefore, borrowing money, the most afraid thing is that the other party is not capable, and if he can't make money, he will spend money!" I believe that Xiaobao you have this ability, otherwise I wouldn't have to gamble my life! Besides, the only risk in my business is that you die! When people die, the people and trees under you are scattered, and my money is lost! ”

Wei Bao nodded silently, all the possibilities were calculated by Wu Xiang, at this moment, Wei Bao obviously felt that in front of Wu Xiang, he was still too immature. If Wu Xiang had studied him so targeted from the beginning of his emergence and paid attention to him, Wei Bao thought that under Wu Xiang's suppression, he would never have achieved such a great achievement in a short period of time, Wu Xiang was a light enemy at first, but when Wu Xiang attached great importance to him as an opponent, it would be difficult for him.

"You can think about it, but be quick, today's banquet is an excellent opportunity to let these rumors out!" Wu Xiang smiled: "Also, if you borrow my silver, I will worry that you will die in vain!" This is equivalent to buying a guarantee for yourself! ”

Wei Bao nodded: "Don't think about it, double it!" I agree that three years later, in August of the seventh year of the Apocalypse, I will return you 40 million taels of silver! ”

Wei Bao's decisiveness, as Wu Xiang expected, was not too surprised.

Wu Xuexia hurriedly said: "Wei Bao, this is a big matter, you'd better think about it again and think clearly, 40 million taels is not 4,000 taels!" ”

"I know what's at stake." Wei Bao said: "So, Lord Wu, how much benefit are you going to get from this trip to help me buy grain?" ”

"I don't want any good! Didn't you set up the Jiliao Chamber of Commerce in the name of Sanfu? I can mobilize everyone in the Wu family to help you buy it in the name of Sanfu! You only need to set aside the benefits of 2 million taels of silver for other big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong! Let them benefit in the process of this big purchase of grain, and do so, for the sake of Xiaobao! I don't have the ability to resolve the grievances between you and your ancestors for the time being! If you have a good relationship with other big families, then the only thing you have to watch out for is your ancestral family, which will make your pressure much lighter. A newly planted tree must not shake its roots, nor a newborn bird may pull out its feathers. I'll just wait for you to pay me back 40 million taels of silver in three years. Wu Xiang said with a smile.

The newly planted tree cannot shake its roots, and the newborn bird cannot pull out its feathers, this sentence was said by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor family, started in the peasant uprising, and finally became the emperor and created the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang's background and experience determined his strategy for governing the country. Advocating frugality. After becoming the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang still remained thrifty, did not like luxury, and was very simple in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation, eating only vegetables for breakfast, riding in a carriage, living in the palace, and wearing clothes were very simple.

Reduced taxes. When the Ming Dynasty was first established, Zhu Yuanzhang said: The world is initially decided, just like a newly planted tree cannot shake its roots, and a newborn bird cannot pull out its feathers, but must recuperate in peace. It meant not to deprive the peasants too severely, and he once warned his son to always think of the hunger and cold of the peasants.

It's light. More than 200 years of officials in the Ming Dynasty, are based on Zhu Yuanzhang's regulations as the standard, according to the "Ming Shilu" and other records, the salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty is very low, the late Ming Dynasty thinker Gu Yanwu once sighed: since ancient times, hundreds of officials are thin, there is no such thing.

Felony corruption. After Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, he found that many officials were extravagant, so he made up his mind to rectify it and promulgated the "Da Ming Law", "Da Huo", "Da Hu Continuation" and other decrees.

Under the guidance of Zhu Yuanzhang's statecraft, the Ming Dynasty became increasingly powerful, second to none in the world at that time, and led the economic development of Western countries.

Wei Bao admires Zhu Yuanzhang very much, so he also knows a little about Zhu Yuanzhang.

For example, after Zhu Yuanzhang, through the joint efforts of the government and the people, the economy of the Ming Dynasty achieved great economic development, which led to a large inflow of Western silver into China, which further prompted European explorers to mine silver in the Americas.

Politically, the Ming Dynasty carried out tributary diplomacy, and Ming China became the object of yearning and worship of neighboring countries. All this is not unrelated to the statecraft adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

History has repeatedly proved the role of thrift, thin endowment, anti-corruption, etc., Wei Bao has been in line with Lao Zhu, the development of their own line, this era can not get rid of the feudal system, we must continue to study and explore, Wei Bao can get out of his own way.

After listening to Wu Xiang, Wei Bao couldn't help but sweat, and secretly thought to himself, how much can I thank you? "Thank you, Lord Wu, for being so thoughtful for me!"

"Well, this is not only for your sake, but also for my family Xuexia, although it is not suitable for you to talk about marriage within five years, and you will be a wife. But I hope you treat Xuexia as a wife who has never passed through the door in your heart! It's not in vain! There is a lot of business, I don't have to do such a risky business, the Wu family has been stable and stable, in Liaoxi and Liaodong, no one's property can surpass my Wu family. Wu Xiang looked serious: "I don't have to take such a big risk to help you become the largest and most powerful big family in the north!" You can't grow a big tree under a big tree! I just hope that Xiaobao you will have the strength by then, and don't forget my hard work today! ”

Wei Bao glanced at Wu Xuexia, Wu Xuexia blushed and also looked at Wei Bao.

Neither of them said anything.

When her father was talking to people about business, Wu Xuexia was still very measured and would not interfere easily.

After that, Wei Bao signed a contract with Wu Xiang! It was agreed that Wu Xiang would lend Wei Bao 20 million taels of silver, and Wei Bao needed to return 40 million taels of silver to the Wu family in August of the seventh year of the Apocalypse, and when the Wu family's silver was transported to Weijiazhuang, the contract between the two parties would take effect.

Wei Bao looked at the contract in his hand, and felt a little pressured! There is no shadow of the old account, and a new account has been added, although it is not a bad thing to be able to borrow money, which shows that others value their own ability and value their ability to repay, but such a large amount, not to mention Wei Bao personally, is the Ming court, I am afraid that I can't afford it, this is the total amount of taxes paid by the Ming court for two years!

And Wei Bao only has such a little resource in his hand, how can he be good at dancing with long sleeves to make a profit of nearly 50 million taels of silver within three years to repay the debt?

"I asked you to set aside 2 million taels of silver for the big families in Liaoxi and Liaodong who helped you buy grain on your behalf, and it was not just to improve the relationship between the two of you. It can also make your Funingwei, a stone city and the triangular business district of Bulao Pavilion rise immediately! I also think that the people in Liaodong have been drained, and Liaoxi should be bold enough to enlarge it and get more people to come, no one will succeed. Each family has earned silver, so they naturally don't care about the investment of ten thousand taels of silver. Wu Xiang said: "Xiaobao, do you like it very much, the more people in your hands, the better?" ”

"No, it's just right, and more is not better. Like shoes on your feet, the right fit is the best. Wei Bao replied.

In Wei Bao's view, population is the key to a country's development, and if the food security coefficient can be met, Wei Bao believes that the more people, the better.

However, this is mainly for the state of agricultural development.

In fact, when the United States had 200 million people, it was the strongest in the world.

Illustrates that it does not take much population to become a world hegemon.

2, 300 million will do.

The number of people depends on the number of resources that the state can control, and it makes most sense that there are slightly more resources than it can support.

When, people are key, the main thing is whether they can afford it.

In the later generations, the agriculture of Japan, the agriculture of the Netherlands, a small lump of projectile land, how many people were raised? Therefore, technology is productivity.

Wu Xiang was very satisfied with Wei Bao's answer, "Aren't you very clear?" Why is it that when you compete in the internal competition of Shanhai Academy, your strategy is only Ding and so on? ”

When Wei Bao heard this, his face immediately darkened, and he looked at Wu Xuexia, you even went home to tell your father about this?

Wu Xuexia also immediately said coquettishly: "Dad, what are you talking about?" Wei Bao, how much did he try, what does it matter to you? ”

Wu Xiang smiled and said: "I'm not nosy, I hope Xiaobao can raise people in high school this time!" If Xiaobao has a reputation for lifting people, I can even try to help you get a real shortage in Funingwei! ”

Wei Bao looked at the posture of a prospective old man thinking about his son-in-law, and said with a smile: "Then thank you Lord Wu!" ”

"It's still called Lord Wu? Isn't it time to change your tune? In private, at least you have to call your uncle, right? Wu Xiang said with a smile.

"Uncle!" This uncle's cry made even Wei Bao himself blush a little.

Signing a contract with Wu Xiang for such a large amount and such a large amount made Wei Bao a little dazed, and he didn't know if he used Wu Xiang's power or Wu Xiang managed to control himself.

Anyway, from beginning to end, Wei Bao is passive, this feeling is very bad, Wei Bao doesn't like the days of being passive and being led by the nose.

"Go back, and if you have the money, let go of your hands and feet! I can guarantee that you can buy more than 25 million stone of grain this time! Four or five million people spent the winter, barely enough! Wu Xiang said with a smile.

Wei Bao was not as optimistic as Wu Xiang, because Wei Bao's goal was not just to hold the first line of Jinzhou City.

And Wei Bao's goal is not only to completely drive Jiannu out of southern Liaoning, but also to fight, and it is a large-scale war! A lot of food and silver is needed!

At the same time, Wei Bao also has to develop the commodity economy and market economy for the people in the area under its jurisdiction, which requires sufficient food and silver!

Even, Wei Bao has to focus on next year, the year after tomorrow, after the pioneering, the second year can not be expected to get a high grain harvest, wasteland to become a normal acre, at least two years or more cycle!

Although corn, sorghum, soybeans, sweet potatoes, potatoes and other crops can help improve the quality of the land, it is definitely not possible to plant anything and expect a large-scale harvest immediately.

Combined, even if the grain purchase went smoothly this time, and there was no problem in barely settling the people under him for the winter, Wei Bao was still at least twice as much grain.

In other words, in addition to the 25 million stone grain, Wei Bao needs at least 25 million stone grain!