I still have 3 million catties of grain in Fuguo to make 5 percent of what he said, so all the food I bought was given to him, isn't this, now that the matter is done, I have to quickly find an excuse to slip away: the last general thanked the general for tens of thousands of people in Alan County

Lei Qi "Alas" If I can help you, I will definitely not stand idly by, the batch of refined salt you sent last time is good, the soldiers ate it and made dishes with it, and I will help you this time as a personal favor

After Li Yang heard this, the corners of his eyes couldn't help twitching a few times, and two big words "shameless" appeared in his mind, "General, you are taking my things to repay me for favors, I also heard the implication that you are hinting at me, after calculating my food, you still want to calculate that I have salt, and after the favor is over, he has to owe me a personal favor, and he can only repay my favor if he has something to ask him to repay my favor in the future, but when I think about it, I still have to take salt after taking the food, why is it so embarrassing in my heart, pull it down, don't pull it down, I just pretend not to understand."

"Poof" Li Yang knelt on the ground: The last general thanked the general for tens of thousands of people in Alan County

Lei Qi smiled and stretched out his hands to help Li Yang up from the ground: Li Yang should not have come forward in this matter, but I have made an exception when you made the first contribution when you recovered the city of Chuzhou, and I will send someone to inform Lord He, the governor of Chuzhou, about this matter

Li Yang blinked his eyes: The general's kindness is unforgettable, if the general has nothing to order, then the general will retire first

Lei Qi raised his hand and waved out: Hmm-let's go

Li Yang bent down and took a few steps back, then turned around and prepared to leave, at this time he just wanted to leave the Chuzhou camp as soon as possible, if the general was thinking of something, he really couldn't resist it

Just when he was about to leave the camp, suddenly a voice came from behind him, "Wait" Lei Qi walked over, raised his right hand and slapped him on the shoulder: "No, it's not right - if you travel day and night, you should be covered with dust, but you don't even have a little dust on your clothes and shoes, even if you ride the best high-grade war horse day and night, it takes a day and a half to travel from Taizhou to Huzhou, you kid shouldn't be out of the customs without permission."

After speaking, he grabbed my shoulder hard, his eyes flashed with a fierce light, staring at me with a vicious smile on his face, I don't know why, I couldn't help but tremble, and my legs became sore, Li Yang could feel that Lei Qi was murderous, he had never been so scared as he was now

"Poof" he was covered in a cold sweat and knelt on the ground: the general spares his life, the last general is really helpless to go out of the customs privately, this year Zhejiang has suffered a drought in many places after the autumn harvest only a little more than a month, the price of grain has risen from 5 to 7 a pound of money, the end of the general feels that the price of grain will definitely have to rise until the beginning of spring next year, Alan County into 40,000 people have to consume 40,000 catties of grain every day, will not listen to the past merchants said that this year Fuguo is a bumper harvest year, the last general privately out of the customs just want to use the money in hand to buy more grain to survive this winter, but also ask the general Mingjian

Lei Qi: Well, you can be quite honest when you arrive, come and tell me where you have been to Fuguo

Li Yang raised his hand and wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve: The general has only been to Lanlin City since he arrived in Fuguo

Lei Qi: Then how do you feel about the comparison between the Fuguo Kingdom and the Zhejiang Kingdom?

Li Yang: The general has never been to Yufeng City once in a humble position, so the general doesn't know how to answer your question, but the general thinks that Fuguo is much richer than our Zhejiang

Lei Qi: Well, Fuguo is indeed richer than Zhejiang, so you should have seen their army in Fuguo, how does it compare to our Zhejiang army?

Li Yang: I think that the equipment of the Fuguo soldiers is more comprehensive than ours

Thunder Rider: Can you be specific?

Li Yang: The generals I saw along the way that the Fu army basically wore iron armor, only a few second-rate troops wore hard leather armor made of cowhide, a spear and a steel knife and a pair of cloth shoes are the standard configuration of the Fu army, there are about a dozen bows and arrows in the quiver of the archers, and only the elite of each state in Zhejiang can be equipped with a small amount of iron armor, leather armor can be said to be regarded as a treasure in the eyes of the soldiers, the equipment of the soldiers can be said to be varied, most of them are wearing straw sandals, and the archers will not have more than eight bows and arrows in their quivers

Lei Qi's gloomy face was very ugly: Well, I know

Li Yang: The great general forgives the last general's courage, I would like to ask you how you can see that the last general went out of the customs without permission

Lei Qi: To be honest, I don't know about your private exit, but yesterday afternoon, a team of hundreds of people entered the city of Chuzhou, and they found an inn in the city to stay

I really didn't know about the customs closure order in advance, until you came to me to help you ask for food and then linked the customs closure order with the time when you entered the city, I guessed that your kid was out of the customs without permission

Lei Qi's words frightened Li Yang so much that he turned pale and didn't even dare to breathe, and his worried heart jumped faster and faster: If someone asks about this matter in the future, you will say that I asked you to go out of the customs to buy this batch of military rations

Cold sweat dripped down Li Yang's cheeks and fell to the ground: It's the general

Lei Qi: You must be curious why I protect you

Li Yang: Well, please make it clear to the general

Lei Qi: This year, many places in Zhejiang have been affected by drought, a large number of people have been displaced, and now the national capital has not come up with an effective countermeasure, you helped Sun Yuanwu raise disaster relief food and resettle 30,000 victims, I have heard about it, this relief of the disaster victims Taizhou Government has set an example for other states, Sun Yuanwu and you have made great contributions, this is why I protect you, I hope that in the future, you will be a useful person to Zhejiang, don't live up to my hard work

Li Yang: The last general will do his best to serve Zhejiang

Lei Qi nodded with satisfaction: Okay, I still have military affairs to be busy, you can step down

After leaving the camp, Li Yang raised his arm and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, just now he was really scared enough, on the way back to the inn, he remembered what Lei Qi had just said, "As soon as we went to the state city, we were already being targeted by people", probably because he was frightened, he always felt that someone was secretly watching him behind him, it seems that I can't stay in the state city, I have to go back to Alan County quickly

Back in the room of the inn, Li Yang sat down at the square table, picked up the kettle on the table, poured a glass of water, "Goo Dong-Goo Dong", he spit out a long breath, and his nervous mood relaxed a little, after a long time, Li Long, why didn't they come back

Seeing that it was about to get dark, there was a rush of footsteps outside the door, and it sounded like there were quite a lot of people, "Haha, it's still the young master, you can let General Wang Jian come forward in person" Li Yang heard that this was not Li Long's voice, so he got up and walked to the door and pushed the door open: Is Li Long's grain coming back

Li Long: Well, I'm coming back, Li Song and his brothers are waiting for us outside the city, and our brothers have rushed back to pick you up

Li Yang: Then let's go

After meeting with Li Song and them outside the city, everyone rushed to Alan County, the breeze in late autumn at night was cooler than before, the full moon hung in the clear night sky, the moonlight shone through the woods on the dirt road in the mountains, although it was a night rush, but you could not see a trace of tiredness on everyone's face, but it was full of motivation, depending on the back of a hand pushing everyone forward, always feel that they are not walking fast enough

After nearly two days of driving, everyone finally returned to Alan County, horse-drawn carts and wooden carts loaded with grain lined up in front of the manor, and the streets were crowded with residents who came to see the excitement

Li Yang crossed his arms and exhaled a long breath, and finally went home: Li Long and everyone were tired from the journey, so let them go home and have a good rest

Brothers Li Long and Li Hu arched their hands and thanked everyone: This trip has made the brothers tired, everyone hurry up and go back to rest, and I will discuss with the young master to give everyone some wine money

The guards were very happy when they heard this: thank you two commanders, then we will go back first

Seeing that the guards were leaving, Li Song asked people to vacate a few houses in the manor, and instructed the housekeepers in the manor to unload the grain from the carriage and move it to the house

Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zhuang sisters rushed over with their mothers: Son, you are back

A few of us immediately stepped forward and knelt on the ground: Mother, we're back

With a smile of relief, my mother helped a few of us up: It's good to come back - you brothers must have suffered a lot along the way

Li Song: Mother has made you worry about us

Li Yang: Mother, it's cold outside now, you can go back to the house first, and I'll go back when I'm busy with this matter with my second child

Mother nodded: Well, it's okay

Gao Yuan, Yuan Kui and others were busy training soldiers in the suburbs, "Drink, drink, drink" The sound of killing resounded in the wilderness, and Gao Yuan saw that there were a few soldiers who were lazy in training: they were like girls who didn't have enough to eat, and they all gave me some energy

Yuan Kui was on the side: Hasn't it been almost half a month since Li Yang went to Fuguo on this trip?

Gao Yuan: It's been more than half a month since you said this, and I guess I'll be back soon

Yuanhong: I heard Da Niu say that the patriarch has returned to Zhejiang, and now they seem to have encountered some tricky things in Chuzhou

Yuan Kui: It's getting colder day by day, and my brothers are tired, so I think I'll stop here today

Gao Yuan shouted softly, "Stop", that's it for today, everyone should go back early

When I returned to the county, I saw on the street that the manor was full of carriages and wooden carts full of grain, and all the smiles of joy leaked from the faces of the people, needless to say, this must be Li Yang and they are back, so several people sped up their pace and trotted all the way into the manor, and saw Li Yang and they were busy carrying grain

Gao Yuan and Yuan Kui ran over and raised their arms and hugged Li Yang: Why don't you call someone to tell us when you come back

Li Yang: I also just came back for a while, and you see that my memory patronizes and pours these grains and looks at this matter

Yuan Kui: Then how much grain did you buy on this trip to Fuguo?

Li Yang: I bought a total of 5 million catties, and I could have shipped back 2 million catties this time, but 1 million catties were deducted in Chuzhou, and the remaining 3 million catties were not shipped back in Fuguo

Yuan Kui: Why should the state capital withhold our grain?

Li Yang snorted: This is a long story

Gao Yuan: You should be tired too, so go back and have a good rest, and we'll leave the rest to us, and we'll talk about the rest in the council hall in the evening

At night, everyone gathered in the council hall as usual, and Yuan Kui glanced at the people present: The patriarch heard that you were in trouble in Chuzhou, is it related to the 10,000 denier of grain that was detained

Li Yang: That's right—before we returned to Zhejiang, the country issued a customs closure order, and in order to curb grain merchants from stockpiling up grain and driving up grain prices, for fear that grain would flow out to enemy countries, whether it was grain shipped abroad or grain shipped to Zhejiang from abroad, all of them were seized on the spot

The 20,000 denier of grain I brought back this time was seized in Chuzhou, and for this matter, I specially went to the general to visit the general in the prefecture camp and asked him to come forward, so that the grain was returned, and in order not to leave a handle for the prefect of Chuzhou, the 10,000 denier of grain was filled with military rations

Yuan Kui: If there is less than 10,000 deniers of food, there will be less than 10,000 deniers of food, as long as people come back safely, it is better than anything else

Gao Yuan: yes - with this 10,000 denier of food, it should be no problem for everyone to survive this winter

Li Long: Young Master, don't you want our 30,000 denier of grain in Fuguo?

Li Yang: Then how is it possible that I just want to discuss this matter with you

Gao Yuan: Patriarch, what are your plans?

Li Yang: I want to open up a trade route from Alan County to Fuguo on the sea, so that we can buy back what we need from Fuguo, and we can also sell our goods to Fuguo to earn some silver

Han Juzheng heard that there was a trace of doubt behind him: No, Brother Li

Li Yang: What's wrong?

Han Juzheng: If the national capital really wants to curb grain merchants from raising grain prices, it should let grain flow into Zhejiang from abroad in a steady stream, but once the customs closure order makes it impossible for grain from abroad to enter Zhejiang and the grain is monopolized by grain merchants, then grain merchants can raise grain prices unscrupulously

In the end, it was the reader who explained the drawbacks of the closure order in just two sentences, and the people present wondered in their hearts whether this was really the case

Gao Yuan: How could the big men in the national capital issue such a decree?

Li Yang: Maybe they see a different picture than we do, they are worried that once a large amount of grain flows out, the two countries will start a war again, and Zhejiang will be defeated

Han Juzheng: If Brother Li wants to open up maritime trade privately, the coastal defense battalion must be indispensable, do you want to discuss this matter with General Longchuan first, after all, the coastal defense battalion is under his command

Li Yang: Ju Zheng, what you said is right, but I want to listen to everyone's opinions on this matter first, if everyone thinks it is feasible, I will find an opportunity to discuss this matter with General Longchuan in the next two days

Yuan Kui: If you want me to say, there's nothing that can't be done, aren't we still in Fuguo where 30,000 deniers of grain have not been shipped back?

Li Long: That's right, if you don't bring this grain back, won't it be a cheap deal for those merchants in Fuguo?

Takahara: I think we should be cautious about this, after all, it is impossible for several warships to unload cargo on the coast to avoid people's eyes

Han Juzheng: If Brother Li wants to open up maritime trade, the 20 guards of Taizhou Mansion have to pay a visit first, and if there are no red eyes among them, if they poke this matter out, it will not be a joke

Li Yang looked embarrassed: I don't know them, so I have to find an excuse to go to visit me

Li Song: Isn't our mother about to celebrate her birthday, so it's better to invite them all over on this ground, so that you can not only support our mother's birthday, but also have a past intersection with them

Li Yang: The key is whether they can come

Han Juzheng: It is said that Brother Li, you and they are the same Taizhou garrison, if you invite them, they should give them a thin noodle, and when they do things in the future, can't they also invite you

Li Yang: The second birthday of our mother is a matter of asking you Zhang Le, I will invite the 19 guards to attend my mother's birthday banquet, is there anything at home during my time in Fuguo

Guanshan: The businessman from the south of the country has already sent 200,000 catties of cotton, and I asked people to put the 200,000 catties of cotton in the warehouse

Li Yang: Ju Zheng: Tomorrow, you will go to the county in the name of the county government to recruit some female workers, and it will get colder and colder day by day, so we have to sew out the winter cotton clothes and quilts as soon as possible

Han Juzheng: There are 35,300 people in Alan County, and this cotton can only be sewn into cotton clothes, pants and shoes for the winter, and if we want to sew quilts, we have to buy some cotton

Li Yang summed it up in his heart, to make a set of cotton clothes and cotton pants, it takes about 5 catties of cotton, and a pair of cotton shoes has to use more than half a catty of cotton, so there is really not much left of 200,000 catties of cotton: Juzheng cotton clothes, let's do it according to the size of the cheongsam we wear, so that wearing it on the body can not only keep warm and sleep at night, but also be used as a quilt cover, and I am looking for a few tailors with better craftsmanship to make the cotton clothes look better

Han Juzheng: I'll go to Zhang Le to do this, by the way, in two or three days, the two warships of the new system will be able to go to sea

Li Yang: Then the coastal defense battalion has 10 warships

Guanshan: Two days ago, Ouyang Xiu sent a batch of ordnance, and Poor Dao counted 1,000 spears - 800 steel knives - 200 bows - 2,000 arrows - 200 sets of iron armor - 50 sets of heavy armor - 300 long shields - 200 round shields

Li Yang: Guanshan Daoist, all these ordnance were allocated to the coastal defense battalion

Gao Yuan was not happy when he heard this: why are all these ordnance allocated to the coastal defense battalion, and the soldiers of the trap camp should also replace their ordnance

Yuan Kui looked at Gao Yuan and shook his hand: The ordnance of your trap camp is much stronger than the ordnance of my fire trap camp, and you want me to say that this batch of ordnance should be allocated to the fire trap camp

Hengqi: Don't argue with the two of you, my brothers in the Shadowwind Camp are still training with burning sticks, so this batch of ordnance should be given to the Shadowwind Battalion

Yu Wenzhi slapped his fan slowly: I don't think it's better for our 4 battalions to divide these ordnance equally

Gao Yuan: My mountain trapping camp is the main battle force, if you want to divide it, I can take half of the mountain trapping camp, and the rest will be your three battalions

Yuan Kui was not to be outdone: When did you trap the mountain camp and become the main battle unit, don't look at the equipment of my fire trap camp is worse than yours, if it is really a competition, it is not certain who wins and who loses

Hengqi: Why don't we find a place for the brothers of each battalion to carry out activities, and if that battalion wins, we will allocate these ordnance to that battalion

Gao Yuan stood up from his chair: who is afraid of whom, go

Li Yang shouted softly: Okay, don't be foolish, can you persuade General Longchuan to take the coastal defense battalion to the sea to smuggle all the fingers of this batch of ordnance