bullyxtreme Chapter 275 Old Shao, do you want some salt?
Chapter 275 Old Shao, do you want some salt?
Chapter 275 Old Shao, do you want some salt?
Shao Shuyi did not lie to Ge Daji. He really went to Pudong, boarded the newly acquired large ship Majia, and arrived at the mouth of the Wusong River on June 20. He then found a guide, asked if the ship could sail in, and sailed upstream all the way to the foot of Shanghai County.
Five hundred ingots of cash were carried on board. Apart from the gifts, the rest were left in Pudong to support their continued construction.
As for the accounts, after selling a large amount of Huai salt and salted fish, there were still about 3765 ingots of paper money, which was quite astonishing.
In addition, approximately 65 jin of salt are still stored in multiple locations in Matuosha and Jiangyin.
After purchasing a batch of grain from Yang Mao and Madam Liu, Ma Tuosha's grain reserves approached one thousand shi. Half of it was stored in Chong Sheng Temple, three hundred shi were stored in a newly opened granary, and the remaining two hundred shi were stored in nearby households.
The local area was undergoing land reclamation and military training, which consumed a lot of resources. Food was purchased as needed, allowing the warehouses to operate on a rolling basis.
The grain stored in the "Shaojiazhuang" warehouse in Sanlinli, Pudong, has reached 300 shi (a unit of dry measure), and construction is still ongoing. The money brought this time was mainly to instruct Jiang Bayue and Wang Hua to hire people, including the elderly, women and children, whenever they had free time to quickly expand the warehouse, houses, walls and other facilities, as well as dig some ditches and level the wasteland.
The "Brothers Grain Shop" in Huangtiangang also opened, renting many warehouses and houses. The first order of 500 shi of grain has been placed, with Yang Mao from Wuxi and Madam Liu each supplying half. The former offered a price of 40 guan per shi, while the latter offered 39 guan. This was a discount price for large customers; for ordinary people, it would be 40 guan or more. The price increase of grain was real.
When Shao Shuyi arrived at the location, he looked up and saw a rather large mansion standing in front of him.
The area around the yard was a mess, with makeshift shacks, half-dug ditches, a riverbed being dredged, and scattered piles of bricks, tiles, and timber. As for the sheep droppings scattered everywhere on the ground, that was a minor issue; in short, it was incredibly dirty and chaotic.
"This place is far inferior to Taicang." Wu Heizi, dressed in new clothes, looked around and said, "It's just that the place is quite large, and there seem to be quite a few buildings. It must have cost a lot of money."
"This is Shao's residence. My house is on the east side," Gao Daqiang said, pointing to a house on the east side of Shao's residence.
Wu Heizi looked around and finally spotted a brightly decorated courtyard. He laughed and said, "Oh, it's on the other side of the river. It looks pretty good. A house built of bricks and stones. How many families can afford to live like that these days?"
"That's enough." Kong Tie walked beside him, his dark face expressionless, and said, "While firing bricks and tiles is certainly not cheap, there are still quite a few wealthy families willing to spend the money. Even if we can't use bricks and tiles for all the houses, building some of them shouldn't be a problem."
"You're too serious, you bastard," Wu Heizi chuckled.
The group continued walking.
Gao Daqiang and Bian Yuanheng each led a team of guards on either side, spreading out at a distance.
To be honest, they were quite conspicuous. They were fully equipped, wore tan leather armor, and had serious expressions. Their marching, troop formation, guard duty, and search were all quite organized. If you didn't know better, you might think some important figure had arrived.
Fortunately, this is the countryside, the most desolate place under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, so there is not much of a problem.
As Shao Shuyi approached the gate of the mansion, a group of children scattered in a panic, but they did not go far. After they entered the courtyard, they gathered around to watch.
Shao Shuyi smiled and gave each of them a piece of candy before letting the mischievous children disperse.
Perhaps because it was not yet fully completed, there were not many people living in the courtyard, with only occasional people coming to sweep and clean it.
After walking around, Shao Shuyi returned to the front courtyard and said, "It's quite nice. It's just that the corner tower isn't finished yet, so it doesn't look very comfortable."
The complex consists of over a hundred rooms, all enclosed by thick walls. At each of the four corners of the walls, a corner tower will be built, capable of accommodating nearly ten archers firing simultaneously.
Overall, it is somewhat similar to the manor houses and fortified villages of the Wei and Jin dynasties, only on a smaller scale.
Not long after they finished their walk, Wang Huadu, having received the news, appeared on the east bank of the river. He waved to them as he quickly crossed the small wooden bridge and arrived at the Shao residence.
"Brother Shao, you didn't even tell me you were coming. I thought you weren't arriving until the afternoon," Wang Huadu said, waving his hand to dismiss the men who had come with him. He stepped forward, bowed, and said.
"I wanted to come and see it as soon as possible," Shao Shuyi said. "I only knew that houses were being built and wasteland was being reclaimed here before, but I didn't know how it was going. Now that I've come, I can see it all, and it's really great."
Upon hearing this, Wang Huadu breathed a slight sigh of relief and then asked, "Brother Shao, how many days are you staying here?"
"Two days, I'll head to the next place as soon as your wedding is over."
"Brother Shao, you really should stay here a few more days."
"What's wrong? Is there trouble?" Shao Shuyi asked.
Wang Huadu shook his head and said, "It's not that there's any trouble, but someone from the sand pit wants to come and see you to discuss important matters."
Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised and asked, "Going to the sand quarry?"
"Exactly," Wang Huadu replied. "After Zhu Chen died, the officials at the salt field were quite worried, fearing that no one would come to collect their salt. When I learned of this, I had the salt farmers pass on a message. They were somewhat tempted, so they decided to send a minor official to take a look. They didn't specify an auspicious day. If you're in a hurry, tell them to come tomorrow."
Shao Shuyi grunted and said, "Although it's a good thing, it's a bit rash."
"What are you afraid of?" Wang Huadu said nonchalantly, "Wealth and status are earned through gambling, not waited for. If you have the guts, come and arrest me."
Furthermore, they have no idea you exist, Brother Shao; they only think I'm going to smuggle salt.
Shao Shuyi and the others exchanged glances.
Liang Tai was silent for a moment, then said, "We can give it a try. There aren't many people at the saltworks, and we can't gather enough manpower in a short time."
However, the dog slave will be in trouble later. It wouldn't be good if the Li brothers became jealous of him.
Gao Daqiang nodded and said, "If we meet tomorrow, there won't be any major problems. Even if all the salt police are sent, what can they do?"
Bian Yuanheng looked at Shao Shuyi and said, "Shao She, you make the decision."
Shao Shuyi then said without further hesitation, "Then tomorrow, no exceptions."
Wang Huadu's wedding is the day after tomorrow, so I'll definitely be there. The day after that, I can pack up and leave, heading straight to Suzhou.
Actually, he had originally intended to contact the Fei family in Shanghai, but he was worried they wouldn't pay attention, so he hadn't included it in his formal itinerary. Now that he saw Wang Huadu taking the initiative to contact him at the sand quarry, he was somewhat tempted again. He would ask Jiang Bayue later where the Fei family's estate in Shanghai was located, and if it was on his way, he would go and take a look to observe.
******
On June 25th, the Xiashachang sent a clerk named Qu Yue, who arrived quietly under the cover of night.
The meeting place was set in a thatched pavilion by the river. Shao Shuyi sat in the center, with seven or eight people standing on his left and right.
Qu Yue had some courage; upon seeing this display, he only paused for a moment before stepping forward to bow and ask, "May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"
"His surname is Ximen, and his given name is Qing," Shao Shuyi said.
The expressions on everyone's faces remained unchanged. Who among those living on the streets doesn't use an alias? Otherwise, what if the authorities investigate their entire family history?
Mengde, Cao Luo, and Wu Dalang have all used it, so what's wrong with Ximen Qing using it again?
Qu Yue clearly didn't believe it was his real name either, but he didn't say anything, only saying, "Master Wang sent someone to say something earlier," "That's true." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "I want to sell salt, I wonder if that's possible?"
Qu Yue took a closer look and thought to himself that the seven or eight burly men beside this man looked quite good and must be brave and willing to fight.
Therefore, it's not entirely wrong to make a living by smuggling salt.
"May I ask where Master Ximen intends to sell salt, and how much he can sell each year?" Qu Yue asked.
"Suzhou," Shao Shuyi said, "how much can the sand quarry pay me each year?"
He certainly didn't only trade salt in Suzhou; it's just that the salt market there was more complex. While the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces had a system of official salt transport and sales, Suzhou and Hangzhou operated on a commercial basis, allowing salt merchants to exist.
Therefore, this place had government offices, salt merchants, and a large number of private salt dealers. However, the imperial court was quite strict in its control. In comparison, the scale of private salt dealers was not large and they were not very stable, so it was very complicated. It was difficult for ordinary people to know who had sold private salt here and who had not.
Upon hearing this, Qu Yue frowned slightly. Even if they transported salt to Suzhou, they might not be able to sell much.
He asked softly, "Suzhou?"
Shao Shuyi laughed. These corrupt officials are quite greedy; they have quite the appetite.
"If you give me a lot of salt, I can sell it elsewhere," Shao Shuyi said. "Tell me, how much salt can you give me?"
"Two hundred jin (8 catties) per year," Qu Yue tentatively reported a number.
Shao Shuyi was somewhat dissatisfied and said, "Isn't Master Qu underestimating me? Eighty thousand catties? That's not even enough to fill a tooth gap."
Upon hearing this, Qu Yue seemed to understand, and then asked, "Can you consume five hundred yin?"
Shao Shuyi waved his hand helplessly and said, "I understand that you are being a little cautious since this is my first time dealing with this. How about this, you bring over a thousand ingots first, and we'll see if I can sell them."
Unexpectedly, Qu Yue shook his head and said, "I don't have a thousand taels, I can only give you five hundred taels, and right now I can only give you a hundred taels."
"You underestimate my strength!" Shao Shuyi smiled and asked, "How much is one 'yi'?"
"Three ingots," Qu Yue said. "This price is non-negotiable. There are many people involved in splitting the profits, and any less would mean no profit."
The Lianghuai Transport Office handled the transport and sale of salt, charging two ingots for one yin (a unit of dry measure) of salt. The Liangzhe Salt Bureau distributed salt, and the government purchased it for three ingots for one yin. This price wasn't unacceptable, as diversifying the supply sources was something that "large enterprises" valued highly. Even if the price was a bit higher, it at least reduced the risk of supply disruptions.
He happened to have three hundred ingots of paper money. He had originally planned to leave them for Jiang Bayue and Wang Hua to use for overseeing the construction of Sanlinli, but now it seemed he could use them temporarily and then ask someone to bring him more money later.
Thinking of this, Shao Shuyi asked, "Where do we get the salt?"
"Is this place alright?" Qu Yue pointed to Wang Huadu's residence and said, "The situation is tense right now, we can't go directly to the salt field to get salt."
"How do you transport it?"
"This place is very close to the sand quarry, where there are official ships. Transporting salt out won't attract attention. Just transport it here at night, and you can unload it."
"That works too." Shao Shuyi readily agreed, then asked, "Do you know anyone at other saltworks? Like Qingcun Saltworks, Pudong Saltworks, or Yuanbu Saltworks?"
Qu Yue gave him a strange look and replied bluntly, "I don't know him."
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "It's alright. Can the salt be delivered tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"Then let's not delay and complete the transaction as soon as possible," Shao Shuyi said. "When I sell these hundred samples of salt and come back to collect more, you will naturally know who should get more salt."
Qu Yue remained noncommittal. Seeing that Shao Shuyi had nothing more to say, he bowed and took his leave.
Shao Shuyi got up and saw him off at the crossroads. He watched as the man boarded an inconspicuous little fishing boat and left before returning to his own side.
>