The people's food is the sky, and the problem of eating the people is not only the most concerned by the rulers of all dynasties, but also the top priority of the people's families.

So when hundreds of officials went door-to-door to tell Zhang's grain shop that it only sold rice at the price of 20 wen and 1 bucket, the people of the whole city were boiling, after all, 20 wen and 1 bucket was too cheap, for most of the ordinary people who spent a penny to calculate their lives, the price of half the price was still crazy for countless small people in Shengdou.

Every household was mobilized, holding grain bags and baskets to run to the Zhang's grain shops distributed throughout the city, hundreds of thousands of people were mobilized, and there was a grand flow of people in Songcheng County that only the Shangyuan Festival lantern viewing can have.

Zhang's grain shop is located in Songzhou Street, is a large store covering an area of nearly ten acres, the storefront of the store is at least three zhang away, there is a long row of counters, and there is a huge signboard hanging above the store, on which there is only one line of big characters: 'Dou rice 20 Wen, each person is limited to buy five buckets. ’

At this time, the crowd in front of the grain store was surging, thousands of people carrying baskets and bags crowded in front of the store, very noisy and noisy, and a soldier who was originally responsible for protecting the store was also forced to change to maintain order, and they took a lot of effort to divert the crowded crowd into twelve teams, each team was hundreds of steps away, and there was a steady stream of people buying rice from all directions.

Although the store is limited to buying only five buckets per person, the wisdom of the people is infinite, and many people buy five buckets of rice and hand over the rice bags to the ladies and children to guard, they put their clothes on backwards, and go to another team to line up.

Or fathers, sons, brothers, wives and children go into battle together, and each team lines up with one person, guaranteeing that you can buy a few stones of rice at a time.

A dozen paces away from the procession, dozens of people from other grain shops were protesting with banners, and they were being watched by the soldiers, and no one dared to approach the grain store, so they could only shout slogans in the back.

"Profiteers get out of Yingtianfu!"

"Disrupt the market, you can't die well!"

.........

The shouts had little effect, and the people in line to buy rice craned their necks to look at the shops, everyone in a desperate mood, and no one would pay attention to the protesters.

Market competition is like this, as long as the people are affordable, you can't get the affordable, and no matter how many slogans you shout, there is no point.

Behind the counter of the rice shop is a small two-story building, at this time Zhang Xing is standing by the window with his arms folded in his chest, looking triumphantly at the surging crowd and at the protesting opponents shouting slogans, with a playful look in his eyes.

Originally, it was just to save the flow of people and had to take the price reduction measures, but it received an unexpected effect, making him realize the benefits of price reduction, in the past, he relied on power to monopolize the market, and now even if Yang Du falls, he can still monopolize the grain market, and he uses the means of price reduction to squeeze all competitors down.

This is to see whose capital is thick, and who can compare the cost with the Zhang family?

In fact, he sold Doumi 20 Wen to protect the capital, the loss is not big, if the opponent dares to follow, he will drop to Doumi 15 Wen, and then follow, he will drop to Doumi 10 Wen, see who can crush whom?

A chief steward was a little worried, and stepped forward and said cautiously: "Yanei, the loss of the grain shop is too great if you go on like this, it is better to end it in three days!" ”

Zhang Xing turned around and glared at the chief steward fiercely, "Who dares to end?" If we do not completely monopolize the Yingtianfu market, the price reduction will never end. ”

Another steward said: "I heard that the county government is still preaching for us everywhere, encouraging the people to come to us to buy rice, and want us to lose a lot. ”

Zhang Xing snorted, "He gave us publicity for free, I can't ask for it, they look down on the Zhang family too much, this loss, my Zhang family will not take it to heart." ”

"Yanai, aren't we going to go back today? Still not leaving? ”

Zhang Xing smiled, "Wait for two more days, and it's not too late to leave when the general trend has been decided!" ”

He remembered something again, and said to his entourage: "You go to Zhao Qian and bring me a message, saying that I understand his loyalty very well, and I will definitely speak for him in my uncle's place!" ”

........

Seventeen Zhang's grain shops in Songcheng County are distributed in various parts of the city, each store must be near the river, easy to transport grain, the total granary of Zhang's grain shop is located in the grain wharf, is a large warehouse covering an area of 30 acres.

The booming sales of grain made the warehouse extremely busy, and people were constantly coming and going, carrying bags of grain onto small boats and transporting them to various parts of the city.

Dozens of steps away from the granary, Zhu Long was a little dumbfounded, the rice he transported was all filled with sacks, how could they mix sand into it?

You must know that the mouth of the sack is sewn up, and there is no way to mix sand into it.

"Why don't you set fire to the warehouse!" Zhu Hu said in a low voice.

"Nonsense!" Zhu Long glared at him, "The official's well-thought-out plan, if it doesn't work, we will report it, and we can't change the plan indiscriminately." ”

At this moment, Zhu Bao absconded among the people and whispered to everyone: "There is bulk grain, and there are quite a few of them!" ”

Zhu Long perked up, "It's all in the granary?" ”

"It's all in the back, the front is a grain bag, and the back is dozens of large warehouse buckets, which are all bulk grain, accounting for at least half, and there are labels on it, which is the loose grain of the Zhao family in Gushu County."

Zhu Long was overjoyed and asked again: "Then can you sneak in from the back window?" ”

Zhu Bao smiled: "There is indeed a window in the back, which is locked, you are waiting in the back, and I will mix in from the front and open the window for you!" ”

The four of them acted separately, Zhu Bao once again mixed into the ranks of the people, and Zhu Long took Zhu Hu and Zhu Ying to the back of the granary, and they prepared dozens of bags of sand and placed them neatly under the base of the wall.

In a short time, the window overhead was 'click!' With a sound, a crack was slowly opened, Zhu Ying had the best light skill among the four, he gently leaned over, climbed up the window, rode on the window, handed bags of sand in, and finally pulled Zhu Long and Zhu Hu into the window.

.........

The next day, Ying Tianfu's rice rush was still hot, Zhang Xing saw that the general trend had stabilized, he was anxious to rush back to the capital, so he asked Zhao Qian to continue to protect Zhang's grain shop, and he himself returned to the capital by boat.

At the same time that Zhang Xing arrived in the capital, Xiangguo Han Qi presented a secret report to Zhao Zhen, the son of heaven.

The more Zhao Zhen looked at it, the more serious his face became, and finally his face showed a look of anger, "This.... Is this true? ”

"Your Majesty, the content is true, Gushu County ordered a report, and Liu Jisi of the Zuo Yuan personally led a team to Gushu County to secretly verify and grasp a large number of facts, and they brought back half a foot thick investigation materials, if Your Majesty needs it, Weichen can provide it at any time."

"It's ridiculous!"

Zhao Zhen slapped the table heavily, and said angrily: "The ancestral hall surpasses the Guide Hall, and I can't bear it, but I occupy tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land, and I don't pay a penny of taxes for seventy years, who gave them the power?" What do I rely on to sustain my country? ”

Zhao Zhen was so angry that his chest was about to explode, and he paced back and forth in the imperial study with his hands, and he actually dared to raise a private army of thousands of people, this is to rebel!

Han Qi said unusually calmly: "Zhao Qian has 30,000 troops in his hands, he can't be forced to be in a hurry, Weichen suggests that he be secretly arrested and entered into Beijing, or find an excuse to coax him into the capital first, and then His Majesty will interrogate him." ”

Zhao Zhen slowly calmed down and asked, "What about Xianggong's suggestion?" ”

"Wechen was worried that someone would soon send a message to Zhao Qian, and Wechen suggested using flying pigeons to send a message and order Fan Ning to secretly arrest Zhao Qian and enter Beijing."

"Will anyone be tipped off?" Zhao Zhen glanced at Han Qi and asked.

"There will definitely be!" Han Qi nodded affirmatively.

"Wechen's advice minimizes the risk."

Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment, and finally nodded, he returned to the imperial case and wrote a note, stamped it with his own private seal, and handed it to Han Qi, "Use the flying pigeon to send the message, pass this to Fanning!" ”

At the same time, he took out a gold medal for mobilizing the world's soldiers and horses, and handed it to Han Qi, "Send someone to Ying Tianfu as soon as possible, and hand over this gold medal for troop transfer to Fan Ning, I have appointed him to temporarily pacify him." ”

"Wechen obeys!"

Han Qi took the note, bowed and bowed.

Zhao Zhen continued to read the secret report of the Zuo Yuan, he remembered that the Zhao family applied to him to build an ancestral hall many years ago, it turned out that he was deceiving himself, and for a while, Zhao Zhen's face was difficult to see.