The weather was fine, and Yuan Xi left Zhao Yun's escort team to let the people's army enter Ji County first. He wants to walk around Ji County to learn about the people's livelihood. The vicinity of Ji County has a large population, the size of the villages is very large, and sometimes you can see the large and small walled cities standing in the distance. These forts are fortress-like and surrounded by farmland, a bit like medieval castles in Europe.

In order to protect their crops and property, some wealthy families built these fortified cities, and the people of the vicinity also moved in. Usually they go out to farm and graze, but at night they hide in the walled city, which is very safe.

In the countryside of ancient China, the influence of the clan has always been greater than that of the imperial court. The patriarch of the clan was the king of this small kingdom, and his orders directly affected the lives of hundreds of people up and down the clan. The division of labor and cooperation within the clan can effectively promote production, similar to preventing thieves, raising silkworms and weaving, farming and labor, and sacrificing weddings and funerals. And those orphans and widows can also be taken care of in the clan. From this point of view, it is very good for society.

But the problem caused by this is the problem that Yuan Xi is facing now. As the assassin of Youzhou, his decree cannot reach these walled cities. And in the meantime, he can't do anything about the big and small, and the land is annexed. These walled cities are like interest groups, and they are difficult to overcome. It is difficult to keep the government's tax revenue alone.

They came to a tea house in a village and sat down to rest. This village is in the south of Ji County, and the tea house is open in the woods next to the official road, and the flag is flying, which is very obvious. The owner of the tea house set up a stone table and several stone benches in the open space, and the stone benches were covered with soft cushions. Pedestrians come here to sit, so business is good.

Ji County is the transportation hub in Youzhou, and the people of Youzhou are very keen on business. After all, the land is barren, and you can't make a fortune by farming. Moreover, it is located in the northern Xinjiang, where the Hu people gather to the north, and the Central Plains to the south, so that the horses from the north can be bought in the south, and then the utensils and cloths from the south can be sold to the north, from which you can benefit a lot. It's just that the business of this foot merchant is not easy to do, the risk is very high, and the world is not peaceful.

Yuan Xi listened to a few interesting anecdotes from the owner of the tea house, and laughed with all the tea guests. This boss is very funny, is a bold character, not only provides tea, but also picks a lot of fruits to make preserved fruits, free for everyone to enjoy.

The most talked about is still about the fire in Yijing. The Gongsun Chan tree fell and scattered, and the people who relied on Gongsun Chan in the past also disappeared without a trace. For example, Le Hedang, who started as a businessman, funded Gongsun Chan when he was poor, and later worshiped Gongsun Chan and became righteous brothers. Speaking of this person, everyone is embarrassed. Back then, when Le He was in the limelight, he couldn't say that he was rich enough to rival the country, but he could be regarded as a rich state. This trade route from south to north was built by him. Even Gongsun Zhan's military funds were supplied by him.

Since Gongsun Zhan was besieged by Yijing, this person suddenly disappeared, everyone shook their heads when they talked about it, and some scolded the businessman for being unjust, and even his righteous brother was in danger, and he didn't go to the rescue.

But one of the tea merchants stood up and said, "A merchant, how do you want him to save him?" ”

This is a young man, dressed very carefully, a coat made of fur is clearly a precious mink, or a rare purple, and there is a look of indignation on his face.

The bystander said: "Even if you can't save it, you should go to Yi Jing and die together, where this righteousness lies." ”

The young man was about to say more, but a slightly chubby middle-aged man next to him stopped him, arched his hand at everyone, and said, "Everyone is right, my son is too young to speak." ”

This middle-aged man has gray sideburns, but his skin is well maintained, his face is very shiny, his chin is double, and his face is a little round, which is very rich.

When he had said this, the crowd saw that he had raised his hands and feet with great grace, and they gave up.

Someone said: "A few people seem to be businessmen, no wonder they want to speak for businessmen like Le Hedang." After all, Le He is the ancestor of a businessman, even if he is hiding now, the money he earned back then is enough to spend several lifetimes. Maybe he's hiding in a walled city right now, and he's at ease. ”

Speaking of Le Hodang's wealth, the box opened. Some said that the gold he earned was spread under the floor of his house, and he slept on the gold every day. It is also said that Le Hodang built more than a dozen cellars, which were full of gold, silver and jewelry, and when he walked in, he sparkled. The example given by the speaker is the Word, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. Others, on the other hand, were jealous and kept saying that the businessman was not.

"Let's just say that these traders have neither grown anything from the field nor laid an egg, but they have made so much money, and this money is all our blood and sweat."

"Yes, these are the bloodsuckers lying on our peasants, we toiled all day, and in the end, the money went into their bags."

"Businessmen are good at calculation, they have no righteousness in doing things, and it is their nature to value profit over righteousness. From this point of view, Gongsun Chan made friends with such a person, but he miscalculated. ”

"It's also ......"

In the woods, the middle-aged man who had just spoken seemed to be a businessman, and these ordinary peasants who were resting in front of him counted the merchants, and the more he talked, the more angry he became. But he kept smiling and silent, only touching his beard slightly.

Yuan Xi and his entourage had more than 20 people, leading horses, so they occupied a large area. Listening to these people arguing here, it turned into abuse, Yuan Xi couldn't listen to it anymore, so he said loudly: "Listen to me, Shinong, business, and industry have their own value. The role of this merchant is to dredge the north and the south, so that the goods flow, and the goods are circulated, so that the value can be revealed. Merchants buy and sell goods, and they take a lot of risks themselves, and it cannot be summed up. ”

Some people couldn't help but refute this kind of remarks on behalf of businessmen. On the contrary, it was the middle-aged double-chin merchant who looked at him twice.

Some people transferred their indignation against the businessman to Yuan Xi and hurled insults at him. Zhang Ding, the guard beside Yuan Xi, shouted: "Bold! Dare to be rude to our son? ”

Seeing that Yuan Xi was quite pompous, and the guards were all carrying blades, everyone was a little afraid of him, and they didn't dare to continue talking, so they hurriedly drank tea and left one by one.

The middle-aged businessman and his entourage also got up, and there were seven or eight of them in total, carrying the burden and leading the horse. The middle-aged businessman came to Yuan Xi and said with a calm smile: "Thank you Gongzi for speaking a fair word for our businessman." At a young age, the son explained the way of business thoroughly and admired it. ”

Yuan Xi said: "Don't dare to be." ”

After saying this, the group left the woods and headed south from the official road.

Only Yuan Xi and the others were left in this forest.

Lu Fang and the others left, and then asked, "Second son, is this businessman really that important?" They moved goods around, and they didn't see a single item added. It turned out to be ten catties of millet and was sold by them, and it was still ten catties of millet rice, which did not increase or decrease. My family used to be poor, and if I hadn't asked the merchant to borrow money, I wouldn't have ended up in poverty. ”

Yuan Xi looked at the direction in which the middle-aged businessman had left, and said to Lu Fang, "What should I have for dinner?" The mouth suddenly faded, or I had some umami. I wonder if there are any live fish and shrimp nearby? ”

Lu Fangdao: "This is not the seaside, where do the fish and shrimp come from?" ”

Yuan Xi said: "I'll pay ten gold, you go buy me a catty." ”

Lu Fang was so anxious that he jumped to his feet and said, "Ten gold? Where is a pound of fish and shrimp worth ten gold? ”

Yuan Xi laughed and patted him on the shoulder. ...