When it comes to Jiangnan, Feng Zhidai seems to have more topics, and talks about the customs and famous places of Lingnan with great interest.

By the way, Feng Zhidai also praised the cooperation with Dayingku. Whether it is the sugar industry, or the pepper base, there is also this year's mirror of the sea trade.

"Mutual benefit and win-win, Brother Feng doesn't have to praise it so much." Xu Qilin said with a smile: "This is a certain proposition, Brother Feng should be the clearest in his heart." ”

Feng Zhidai nodded again and again and said, "That's right, a certain pair of Qi Lin's business is very admirable. This time, I still have a request for Qi Lin. ”

Xu Qilin knew that he was going to get to the point, so he said with a smile: "Brother Feng doesn't have to see outside, it's too polite to ask." If you have something to say, you can do it, and you will never shirk. ”

Feng Zhidai raised his wine glass and saluted, and said, "Dare to ask Qi Lin, can this cotton be planted in Lingnan?" ”

Yes, that's great. You don't know Huang Daopo, that is the cotton spinning that I learned from the Li people in Hainan, and later carried forward it in Songjiang.

Xu Qilin looked up at Feng Zhidai, but did not answer immediately.

According to Xu Qilin's plan, all cottonseeds will be planted in Hexi next year, and the number will be dozens of times more than this year. However, in order to promote planting throughout the country, cotton seeds are still not enough, and they must be purchased in Gaochang.

In other words, it is not until the next year that another season of cotton seed can be planted to other places to be exported.

In the end, even if it takes three or five years to promote it across the country, it will face the difficulty of insufficient cottonseeds.

The huge profits of cotton are a fact that they can see, and those powerful and rich people who come to Hexi to rent land to plant are here for cotton, and Xu Qilin can't be satisfied with planting hard.

Feng Zhidai suddenly asked about planting cotton in Lingnan, and Xu Qilin had to be cautious.

Because, His Majesty Li Er has given him an edict that cottonseed is not allowed to be bought and sold, and it must be controlled in the hands of Dayingku. The proportion of grain and cotton planted in Hexi should also be strictly controlled.

Although cotton can make a lot of money, grain is still the pillar of national stability, and Hexi still needs to supply the logistics base stationed in the Western Regions.

Therefore, Xu Qilin also issued an official document, whether it is his own land or rented, the proportion of grain and cotton must at least ensure that June Fourth is opened.

According to the calculation of acres and yields, the planting ratio of June Fourth can not only ensure the self-sufficiency of grain in Hexi, but also send nearly one million stones to the Western Regions, which also meets the requirements of His Majesty Li Er.

As a matter of fact, stipulating the proportion of grain crops and cash crops to be planted is a policy that must be implemented and an important measure to ensure social stability.

It was implemented first in Hexi, and it also had the meaning of His Majesty Li Er's investigation and investigation. When it comes time to promote planting throughout the country, there will be a basis.

Food in the mouth and clothing on the body are the two cornerstones of social stability. Food, on the other hand, is more important than clothing.

Feng Zhidai saw that Xu Qilin didn't speak, smiled, reached out and poured a cup for Xu Qilin, and said, "Presumably the imperial court has other plans, but it makes Qi Lin embarrassed." ”

Xu Qilin blinked his eyes, smiled for a while, and said, "It's not a secret, the imperial court does have a plan for cotton planting. But what Brother Feng asked was not among them. Cotton can be grown in Lingnan. ”

Feng Zhidai breathed a sigh of relief, raised his glass and saluted, and said, "I don't know how many years it will take for this cotton to be planted?" ”

Xu Qilin scratched his head and said, "This, but I don't know." In a certain calculation, it will take three or five years to say the least! ”

After a pause, he asked rhetorically, "The Feng family intends to plant cotton in Lingnan?" With the name of Geng Guogong, it is to play the imperial court! ”

Feng Zhidai shook his head with a wry smile and said: "Qi Lin doesn't know, this is not the time, my father is afraid that the court will see the crime, how dare he reach out to cotton again." ”

Xu Qilin asked suspiciously: "Why is this, Brother Feng, please explain." ”

Feng Zhidai sighed, took a glass of wine, and then told the story of the request to set up a city in Guangzhou that was rejected three times, which made the Feng family suspicious and restless.

"The Feng family is a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, and it is also out of sincerity to ask for the establishment of a city department, but His Majesty has repeatedly refused to allow it-" Feng Zhidai looked very distressed, "I don't know the stakes, so the Feng family can't feel at ease!" ”

Hey, there's something like that! It's quite uncomfortable not to be able to give gifts, but what is the mind of His Majesty Li Er, who refuses to give gifts?

Xu Qilin twisted his wine glass and fell into deep thought.

It is normal to set up a city department. The emperor doesn't even have this bit of authority, so is it still a Tang Dynasty?

However, His Majesty Li Er did not play accurately, probably out of the need for stability. dispatched a large army to conquer Gaochang, and naturally did not want anything to happen elsewhere.

In the eyes of His Majesty Li Er, the conquest of Gaochang will be completed next year, and the establishment of the city department in Guangzhou will be a year later, which will have little impact.

But the differential treatment made the Feng family uneasy, and the more His Majesty Li Er refused, the more Old Feng pondered that there was something going on.

Doubt your own loyalty, suspect that you are tempting, worry that your own family will rebel after the quasi-performance, and the court is not ready to suppress it?

In fact, this situation is not unexpected, it is caused by not learning Xu Qilin's empathy.

His Majesty Li Er has his own thoughts, and Feng Ang also has his own thoughts. Originally, there was nothing wrong, but the misunderstanding arose in the cranky thoughts.

No one is to blame for this, but if you want to blame it, people's minds are too complicated and the most difficult to figure out.

Xu Qilin, who is familiar with history, knows that Feng Ang is mostly loyal, and rebellion is unlikely to happen. But His Majesty Li Er doesn't know, it doesn't matter if you are true or false, it is safest to delay it for a year.

Feng Zhidai came from afar, the cotton was just a reason, but his real intention was to get some news from Xu Qilin. After all, he was in the capital, although he was spending a lot of money and making good connections, but he didn't make any important friends.

At that time, people's regional discrimination was still very heavy, and the Feng family could be called the southern tyrant, but they were called "Hu Yue" like the Hu people, a barbaric and uncivilized nickname.

Even Xu Jingzong married his daughter into the Feng family, and was poked in the back, scolding him for coveting the bride price of the "chief". See, what Nan Batian and Geng Guogong are, in the eyes of people, they are a "chief".

But Xu Qilin does not have this concept, and he is also close and easy-going with Feng Zhidai. More importantly, Xu Qilin has won His Majesty's trust, and there are some things that he understands His Majesty's mind better.

was recalled by Feng Zhidai's sigh, Xu Qilin felt that this matter seemed to be able to be solved, but a middleman was needed.

Thinking of this, Xu Qilin opened his mouth and said with relief: "Brother Feng don't have to worry, there must be a solution to this matter." Your Majesty has no doubt about the will of the Duke of the Kingdom, and the Duke of the Kingdom is also brave and loyal......"

"How to solve it, I hope Qi Lin will teach me." Feng Zhidai's eyes lit up, as if he was waiting for Xu Qilin's words, and he couldn't wait to ask.

"This-" Xu Qilin pondered for a moment and said, "Wait for a second thought, think about it carefully, and then give Brother Feng an answer." ”

Feng Zhidai was a little disappointed, but he was not completely disappointed. adjusted his mood, talked with Xu Qilin, and put the matter down for the time being.

Anyway, I have to leave after the New Year in Ganzhou, and I live in Xu Qilin's mansion, so I'm afraid I won't get his idea?

……………

The establishment of the Municipal Department in Guangzhou is equivalent to the return of taxes to the state, which is a major entry for the Feng family.

For Feng An, a feudal official like the Emperor of the Sky, His Majesty Li Er must be appeased, that is, to give Feng Ang appropriate compensation.

But this compensation is not easy to grasp, the family is already a national prince, the family is rich, from the official rank to the reward, it is very headache for His Majesty Li Er, right?

And Feng Zhidai mentioned cotton, but it gave Xu Qilin an inspiration. Sooner or later, if you want to promote planting, why not give the Feng family two or three years first, and the profits will be used as compensation for recovering tariffs, the best of both worlds!

Originally, Xu Qilin wanted to take the cotton spinning industry as one of the pillars of export earnings, and the Feng family was in Guangzhou, which can be said to have unique conditions.

That is to say, in addition to cotton planting, Xu Qilin will also share textile technology with the Feng family, weave a variety of exquisite cloth, and let the Feng family obtain huge profits through sea trade.

This entry to that entry seems to be a glove for a pocket, but the nature is very different.

The Feng family returned the power of tariffs to the imperial court, which was a matter of course. Who made you a courtier of the Tang Dynasty, wouldn't it be contemptuous of the authority of the court if you didn't hand it over?

The Feng family can make huge profits through cotton spinning exports, which is also natural. didn't steal or rob, just operated, and the money was not earned.

Moreover, this cotton spinning industry is a long-term and stable input, which is different from a one-time reward, which may be more satisfying to Feng An.

For the imperial court, nothing was lost in this disposition. It not only recovered the tariffs, increased the financial recipients, but also appeased Feng An, which can be described as beneficial but not expense.

Xu Qilin wrote a long report overnight in line with this idea, and sent someone to Chang'an in an expedited manner the next day.

Of course, Xu Qilin also told Feng Zhidai and asked him to wait for a few days with peace of mind. As for the details in the report, they were not told.

Feng Zhidai calmed down a little, and Xu Qilin sent someone as a guide to wander around and have a good taste of the local scenery.

Now Ganzhou, like all parts of Datang, also implements a curfew system. However, in the business districts outside the city, there is no such restriction.

As the reputation of Ganzhou's specialties became more and more resounding, it attracted more and more mainland businessmen to come to trade. The rationing of mirrors, silk, porcelain, tea and other scarce materials also made Hu merchants rush to it.

Although Gaochang closed the road and only the northern route was interrupted, the Silk Road was not completely cut off.

Merchants who go to the Western Regions can take the south road and the middle road, the south road climbs over the steep Altun Mountain, and the middle road passes through the uninhabited area of Lop Nur.

Along with huge profits, hardships and dangers were commonplace on the Silk Roads, but the lure of money did not detract from the adventurous merchants.

A mirror did not need to be shipped to Europe, and it was sold for fifty or sixty taels of gold only in Dashi, which was still a small exquisite mirror. Even in Khotan, Shule, Qiuzi and other countries in the Western Regions, mirrors can double their earnings.

The biggest advantage of the mirror is its small size, and it is not a problem to carry more than a dozen exquisite mirrors with you. This advantage, coupled with huge profits, suddenly made the mirror the biggest commodity that Hu merchants competed for.

Xu Qilin is so ghostly, it's not enough to just buy a mirror, we have to match it. Or silk, or porcelain, or tea, you have to buy enough of them before you can sell them to you at a reasonable price.

But even so, Hu Shang was still enthusiastic. The matching is also a sought-after commodity, which is not worried about selling when it is shipped to Central Asia, and it is even more crazy to grab it in Europe, that is, to prepare more personnel and camels, and pay more hard work.

The activity of commerce and trade has made the business district outside Ganzhou expand several times, and it has almost caught up with the area of the main city.

The traffic was busy, the crowds were crowded, there were many restaurants and inns, the southern and northern dialects converged, and the lively and prosperous scene made Feng Zhidai stunned.

The point is that there is no curfew here, and a night culture has been formed. Just like Chang'an, many wealthy families in the main city have homes here, just for night tours.

"Hehe, can you hear the local voice?" Feng Zhidai shook his head with emotion, but his eyes involuntarily looked at the dusty woman who was leaning on the building and laughing.

Where there is prosperity and the flow of people, there is a place of wind and moon. And here, orchids are the most, and Han women also have them, but they are very few.

It's no wonder that Feng Zhidai felt strange when he heard the Lingnan accent and sighed.

"That's the Oiran of Ganzhou." The guide grinned and said: "Nengwen knows poetry, it is not outstanding in Chang'an or Jiangnan, it can be compared with orchids, but it is the best." ”

Feng Zhidai nodded and said, "The current Ganzhou is only attractive to merchants, and there will be more kabuki in the future, so she will be compared." ”

The guide said: "It's not easy to come here to make a living, but she is also a discerning person, as long as it takes two years, the money she earns is enough for her to start another job." ”

After a pause, the guide continued: "Xu Cheng promised His Majesty to build a plug in Jiangnan within three years, and it seems that two years will be about the same. ”

"Xu Cheng's talent is admirable." Feng Zhidai was a little emotional, and said: "In the future, the marquis will pay homage to the prime minister, and the future is immeasurable!" ”

The guide agreed, stretched out his finger and said, "That restaurant was moved from Chang'an, and the owner has some relationship with Xu Cheng. If Mr. Fung doesn't feel comfortable eating local food, he can go there. ”

Feng Zhidai raised his eyes and looked at the signboard, and said with a smile: "Drunken Night Building, there are many branches in Chang'an, and the reputation is also very loud. I knew that the shopkeeper was of the same clan as Xu Cheng, but I didn't expect to open the semicolon here. ”

"It's not just this one, it's a semicolon of Chang'an." The guide said: "Mr. Feng paid attention to the signboard, and he knew that there were many shops in Chang'an's East and West Market. He who came early took good land; Those who came late had no choice but to propose to the government to continue the expansion. ”

"Could it be that Xu Cheng is not in favor of the expansion?" Feng Zhidai asked with some confusion.

The guide thought for a while and said, "Maybe it has something to do with the temporary signing of the Suzhou Assassin History, and if you leave all the benefits in Ganzhou, the imperial court will not agree." ”

"I forgot about it." Feng Zhidai patted his head and said, "Presumably Xu Cheng has some considerations, or to build another trade market in Suzhou." ”

The guide shrugged his shoulders, not much enthusiasm for this, and said: "Originally, two years would be good, but there is one more Suzhou, and Xu Cheng is afraid that it will take three years to return to Beijing to report on his work." ”

……………