Chapter 209 Xu Jieyuan Brings Warmth to the Capital
Chapter 209 Xu Jieyuan Brings Warmth to the Capital
Xishan Coal Mine.
"Wei Zhong, did you understand everything I said?" Xu Qing had originally planned to let Yan Shan carry out the specific work of resettling the disaster victims. Now that Yan Shan had arrived, he took the opportunity to pass on the specific matters.
After all, Xu Qing is just one person with limited time and energy. After the general direction is set, what is tested is the execution ability of his subordinates. Then he can do some supervision and fill in the gaps, as well as be responsible for taking the blame.
During the start-up phase, if the boss doesn’t take the blame, people’s morale will definitely be low.
Xu Qing knew this very well and never evaded his responsibilities.
This is also the reason why Yan Shan and others feel comfortable working under Xu Qing, because doing practical work is the best way to please the boss Xu Gongming.
There is no need to guess riddles all day long and try every possible way to flatter.
If you put in the effort, there will be rewards.
What's more, the emperor had just awarded Yan Shan a Hanlin editor position. When Master Xu came to Beijing, he directly arranged for Yan Shan to be the Six-Ministry Censor. This was the ceiling for seventh-rank officials in the world. In terms of power, it was a random killing among the officials below the six ministries' vice ministers.
It can be said that Master Xu never treats his own people unfairly. If one day you feel that Master Xu has treated you unfairly, you must reflect on what you have done that is hated by God and man, and apologize immediately!
So, who wouldn't be happy working under such a person?
Yan Shan knew that the matter was urgent, so he immediately gathered people and began to take action.
The development of Xishan Coal Mine has become relatively mature, and the production of honeycomb coal is also relatively easy. Moreover, Master Gu personally took action to optimize the production process.
As long as there are people, work can start.
What the capital lacks least now is manpower.
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Soon, the first batch of porridge stalls appeared on the outskirts of the capital.
Many Fushe members came with their servants to help.
Nowadays, all members of the Beijing branch are highly educated. The worst ones are scholars with powerful family backgrounds who came to the capital to study.
In fact, there were quite a few juren and jinshi.
Naturally, these people are not here to do rough work, but to help maintain order.
As for scholars, when they stood in front of the poor people of the Dayu Dynasty, they naturally became the "masters". They simply gave orders and maintained order. The newly arrived victims naturally did not dare to make trouble and were easily driven like cattle and sheep.
This allowed the scholars of Fushe to feel some of the fun of pastoralism.
Of course, seeing the victims suffering, they also felt compassion in their hearts.
The two emotions appear together and there is no conflict at all.
For them, there is no need to embezzle disaster relief food.
Of course, these grains were all stale grains shipped from the Jinyang Prefecture port by sea, and were mixed with a lot of mud and sand, making them look very unclean.
Many tenants of Fushe members' families ate much better than this.
It has to be said that as soon as the porridge stall opened, more and more disaster victims showed up, and no one knew where they came from.
Yan Shan had specifically instructed that as long as those who lined up honestly and did not make a fuss, they would be arranged to sit aside separately after they had received their porridge.
These people are all excellent laborers.
Although he looks skinny, his honesty is his biggest plus. Anyway, after working, he will have food to eat and will be able to build up strength slowly.
As more and more victims came to the porridge stalls.
Many local people in the capital came to watch the fun.
It has to be said that people in this era are too poor in spiritual entertainment. Any excitement can attract a lot of people to watch.
The local Beijing residents were amazed to see the disaster victims queuing up for food like pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep. Sometimes, when a disaster victim fell, the people behind him would immediately step on him and step on him to the front of the line. Some people cried out in shock and covered their mouths, while others were excited.
At this time, a sense of superiority as a person from the capital, living under the feet of the emperor, arises spontaneously.
All kinds of emotions.
Of course, there were also people from the capital who couldn’t stand it anymore and took the initiative to come forward to maintain order.
In addition, with the increasing number of disaster victims, Fushe’s porridge stalls and staff were insufficient.
One after another, officials from Shuntian Prefecture came to help maintain order.
Their attitude was naturally much worse than that of the Fushe members, but because they were dressed in official uniforms and were fierce enough, order was soon restored.
Moreover, these officials were not there to drive away the victims, which made many victims unable to help but express their gratitude, with tears of excitement in their eyes.
The masters of the court have not forgotten them after all.
The current prefect of Shuntian Prefecture is Xu Zhongyi, the former prefect of Yingtian Prefecture. However, he returned to Beijing this time to take the position of prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and is the real Jingzhao Yin.
Although there are many powerful people in the capital, and one has to be more careful in work, but if one can safely complete this term and get promoted, one will at least be at the level of Vice Minister of one of the six ministries, and his future will suddenly become bright.
He and Lord Wu are old friends, and he and Xu Qing are close friends regardless of age difference. This time he will definitely help his old friends to save face.
What's more, Xu Qing even sent him some local specialties.
However, the layman watches the excitement while the expert watches the details.
In the capital, many noble officials and some wealthy merchants also sent people to watch the fun. After all, the victims were now running towards Xu Gongming, and everyone also wanted to see how Xu Qing would clean up the mess.
Soon someone discovered that the coal cakes used to cook porridge in the porridge stall were completely different from those they used in their daily lives.
Some powerful businessmen even smelled huge business opportunities from it.
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The characteristics of the honeycomb coal used in the porridge stalls quickly spread.
The news could not be concealed at all, and Xu Qing didn't want to hide it.
Shuntian Times and Xinmin Daily have recently published an article that talks about the benefits of honeycomb coal and explains the origin of honeycomb coal.
This is the fairy coal produced by overseas Fang Xiandao after many years of research.
Ordinary coal briquettes produce a lot of smoke and ash, have numerous disadvantages, are harmful to the human body, and can easily cause illness if used for a long time, and even secretly damage one’s life span…
However, Fang Xiandao's fairy coal not only does not have these disadvantages, but also has the effect of prolonging life if used for a long time.
Although honeycomb coal is simple to make, the Taoist coal brought by Xu Jieyuan is blessed by special Taoist magic. If others learn it, there is no guarantee that it will be effective or harmful.
If you think the fairy coal is useful without the blessing of magic, Xu Jieyuan doesn't mind you doing the same.
Of course, a new news was recently announced that the largest coal mine franchise near the capital has been bought by Xu Jieyuan at a sky-high price.
It has the endorsement of the cabinet, the support of the prime minister, and the tacit approval of the Imperial Stables (which is equivalent to the tacit approval of the emperor).
The Imperial Stables were responsible for managing most of the emperor's private properties, and part of the ownership of the Xishan Coal Mine was in the hands of the Imperial Stables.
Therefore, if other people want to make honeycomb coal, the cost alone will be much higher than Xu Jieyuan's.
In addition, Xu Jieyuan set the price of honeycomb coal lower than the original coal cakes.
Because a large number of disaster victims were relocated to Xishan Coal Mine by Yanshan, simple sheds have been built there to accommodate these victims.
The occurrence of this incident has also alleviated the pressure on the capital, and will not allow a large number of disaster victims to gather in this capital, which would be a disgrace to Your Majesty's wisdom.
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As Xu Qing resettled the victims, he launched a series of attacks, and Prince Yu lost his temper.
It can even be said that Xu Qing did not even consider Prince Yu as his opponent, and Prince Yu fell without even exerting any strength. He had no power to fight back.
It was as if the two were not playing the same game.
Prince Yu was still thinking about establishing himself as a virtuous king and engaging in a war of public opinion with Xu Qing, but what was the result?
They don't even want to play this game with you, they just change the rules.
"Mr. Dai, how could this happen?" Prince Yu murmured.
To be honest, Mr. Dai was a little confused. He was the best at playing the game of emperor, but Xu Qing's moves were simply beyond the reach of any political scheme.
Belongs to the fairy from outer space.
He cheated.
What kind of immortal coal is this?
This sword was aimed directly at the foundation of the country, and it made Mr. Dai dizzy and disoriented.
Prince Yu saw Mr. Dai was silent, and asked again: "There are so many disaster victims, can one Xishan Coal Mine accommodate them all?"
Mr. Dai smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, the more victims there are at a time like this, the worse it will be for the court."
"Why? Wasn't it Xu Gongming who couldn't hold on first?"
Mr. Dai couldn't help but hold his forehead, then patiently explained: "Your Highness, have you ever thought that even if there are only 10,000 disaster victims, these 10,000 people now rely on Xu Gongming for food and work under Xu Gongming. After a long time, they will do whatever Xu Gongming says. How terrible is this?"
"How can a mere ten thousand people cause such a great harm? There are millions of people in the capital." After all, Prince Yu was born in the deep palace, and his understanding of ten thousand people is not intuitive at all.
Mr. Dai knew that this was the error in the upper class’s judgment of the lower class.
Ten thousand disaster victims, twenty thousand disaster victims, or even more, are just numbers.
Of course, the disaster victims had no organization, even if there were hundreds of thousands of them, they would still be lambs to be slaughtered in front of several thousand regular troops. The problem is that now these disaster victims have an organization, and that's different.
Mr. Dai explained the interests involved.
Prince Yu broke out in a cold sweat, "No, this kind of thing that endangers the country must not happen. I will report to my father and stop Xu Gongming from continuing to provide porridge and recruit workers."
"My Lord, don't forget that the two dragons don't meet."
"Ah." Prince Yu remembered the prophecy that the two dragons would never meet, and was afraid that if he saw his father, he would be gone, so he could no longer stand up. He said, "I will write the memorial."
Mr. Dai stopped him and said, "Anyone can write this memorial, but not the prince."
Prince Yu understood immediately and grabbed Mr. Dai's hand, "Fortunately, Mr. Dai reminded me that I really can't write it. Well, let Shen Mo write it. He is Xu Qing's provincial examination teacher. If he criticizes the hidden dangers of Xu Qing's porridge distribution, it will definitely be very appealing."
Lord of Heaven and Earth, personal teacher.
Shen Mo can be said to be a powerful weapon for Prince Yu to deal with Xu Qing. However, Shen Mo is a very mediocre person who hates trouble the most. Prince Yu can only force him this time.
However, the other party's adoptive father passed away not long ago, and he has been in excessive grief recently and has not gone out of the house. Even if Prince Yu forces him, he may not be able to do it.
But you have to give it a try anyway.
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Nanzhili Guild Hall.
Now, all the prominent nobles, gentry, imperial merchants and other people in the capital who have the say have been invited.
Of course, there are some who don’t come because they are afraid of causing trouble.
For example, the British public, etc.
He is a top noble, and the most important thing is not to make mistakes.
Xu Qing is a bad person. Even if he offers great wealth to tempt them, they dare not get involved with this plague god.
As for the others coming, they naturally have their reasons.
Because Xu Qing did not plan to sell the fairy coal directly, but planned to give the fairy coal to the prestigious gentlemen in the capital to sell, and this time what was being discussed was the sales rights of the entire northern Zhili.
Winters in the north are already cold, and the bitter cold is getting worse every year.
The significance of the emergence of fairy coal is naturally extremely important.
The right to sell Xianmei in the entire northern Zhili, once they get a share, it will be like getting a golden rice bowl that will ensure a stable income regardless of drought or flood.
Anyone would be moved.
Xu Jieyuan is such a good man, the savior of the capital, he is here to bring you warmth!
As soon as this news came out, everyone's impression of Xu Qing changed a lot.
Under everyone's attention, Xu Jieyuan appeared.
As the martial arts master's masculine energy was released, the entire place fell into silence.
Of course, Xu Jieyuan took into consideration that some people could not bear it, so he immediately withdrew his momentum.
After some pleasantries, Xu Qing got straight to the point.
Starting tomorrow, each household will open a porridge stall to solve the problem of food for the disaster victims. Whoever feeds more disaster victims will get more shares of the right to sell Beizhili Xianmei.
In addition, all companies that have obtained the sales rights must organize themselves together to establish the North Zhili Xianmei Chamber of Commerce.
If the sales volume does not meet the target, there is a corresponding penalty mechanism, and even the right to sell may be revoked...
There are many details.
If you have any objections, we can discuss it further.
In this regard, Xu Qing did not take advantage of his power to bully others.
Although the goods can only be obtained from Xu Qing, the shipping price is fixed. If Xu Qing wants to raise the price, he must get the consent of everyone.
He even wanted the operating rights of the Xishan Coal Mine, and most of the profits had to be handed over to the emperor's treasury.
Because of this, everyone believes that Xu Qing can retain the operating rights of Xianmei, because no matter who takes over, they will be extremely corrupt and will not be able to be like Xu Qing.
As the greed increases, the cost will go up. How can we compete with Xu Qing who has mastered the Xianmei technology?
The power of Xu Jieyuan's operation lies in that he does not need such enormous wealth, the cost can be very low, and if a real fight breaks out, no one can be his opponent.
Without desire, one is strong.
Even if there is no Xishan Coal Mine, it will not affect Xu Qing's monopoly on Xianmei.
Moreover, in public opinion, everyone has already determined that if it were not for the blessing of the Taoist magic mastered by Xu Qing, the fairy coal would be harmful rather than beneficial to people.
This subconscious recognition will become more and more popular with the publication of Shuntian Times and Xinmin Daily.
As for Taoist Gu who dug up the immortal way?
He is an overseas immortal master who is unfamiliar with the place and was brought to the capital by Xu Qing. Taoist Gu would not trust others if they came to see him.
What's more, Princess Dongming, who has a close relationship with Taoist Gu and is almost like a father and daughter, is said to be Xu Qing's lover.
Therefore, no one expected to take control of Xianmei from Xu Qing.
This time, Xu Qing brought everyone to the table to eat, so everyone had food to eat. If Xu Qing overturned the table, no one would have anything to eat.
For Xu Qing, even if Xianmei's money flowed into the inner treasury, he had a hundred ways to earn the money back from the inner treasury.
When you reach a certain level, it doesn’t matter how much wealth you have.
Authority is the foundation.
Moreover, these fairy coals can be transported back to Nanzhili by sea. Or even mined directly in Nanzhili...
He doesn't care about money at all now. If he wants to do something, there are always people who give him money and ask him to do it.
Even now, with all the wealth and fortune I have, I am not as happy as when I used to dig earthworms and raise chickens with my aunt.
At that time, every little progress in cultivation made Xu Qing extremely excited.
If there was no crisis in his life span, he might have been working as a private school teacher in Nanzhili, teaching and educating people, and he would have been equally happy.
Well, this kind of thing is only suitable to be said when showing off, Xu Qing can't really do it.
"Okay, now that we've talked about Xianmei, let's get to the point. How are these disaster victims going to be resettled in the future?" Xu Qing threw an important question to everyone.
Everyone looked at each other.
Someone suggested: "Why not pack up and go to Xishan Coal Mine to dig coal."
Mining coal is so good, there is food and shelter, it is really a good deal for these peasants.
Everyone agreed.
Xu Qing said: "I did some preliminary calculations and found that 3,000 people are enough for the Xishan Coal Mine. After all, we can't lay off all the original coal miners."
When there are too many people, it is easy to arouse suspicion. Once you are suspected, it will be difficult to do anything.
Xu Qing didn't even plan to support 10,000 disaster victims, that would be too many.
When the Sima family rebelled in the capital, they only had three thousand death-defying warriors as their backbone.
What's more, Xu Qing himself is a contemporary martial arts master.
When doing things, Xu Qing always follows the general trend and lets things happen naturally, instead of being so radical.
"What does Xu Jieyuan have in mind?"
"Most of the victims were farmers who had been planting crops. Now they have lost their land or suffered from the disaster and have no choice but to come to the capital to seek survival. I brought some crop seeds from the south this time, which are suitable for planting in the north. Among them, there are some exotic species from overseas from the Fangxian Dao. You all have a lot of land at home, so you can let them try the planting effect when you settle these victims. In addition, Taoist Master Gu and I are studying some mechanisms. If they are made, a large number of manpower will be needed to enter the workshop. These workshops will also be run by the court and you virtuous people. If you think that some workshops will lose money, Xu will run them himself."
Xu Qing's words were very clear.
If I can see at a glance that there is profit to be made, I will give it to you directly; if you think it is not feasible, I will do it myself.
The main reason is Xu Qing’s personality. When dividing the money, he never breaks his promise.
Besides, the matter was not urgent, so everyone naturally agreed.
Xu Qing discussed with everyone again and again, determined the general result, and then signed the contract document...
The work is complicated, but also extremely detailed.
Every family has a dedicated accounting office, so naturally they have to go back and check it carefully.
After all, we are all masters, so it is difficult for them to use their power to bully others. At this time, credit is more important.
Once the written contract is signed, it will be impossible to break the promise unless Xu Qing falls.
Xu Qing took action and sent everyone away.
He dared not ignore the affairs of family, nation and the world, and had to do it himself.
At present, there is no problem with the general trend, and what remains are details and minor trends.
Xu Qing did not hide anything from the Prime Minister regarding the operational procedures of the entire incident.
This also set a good example for the Prime Minister that it is not necessary to completely clear the land to bring peace to the country, there are other methods that can be used together.
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On the other hand, the court was not as concerned about Xu Qing's affairs as Prince Yu imagined.
Because the most important thing for the court now is the establishment of the Grand Council.
Compared with the changes in the power structure at the top, the Xianmei incident is just a small matter.
It was precisely because of the incident at the Grand Council that Xu Qing's work of sending warmth to the capital could proceed calmly. Otherwise, everyone's attention would be on Xu Qing, and he would be watched no matter what he did. How could that be a good thing?
The fire started by Xu Qing burned directly to the backyard of the court, which was actually a covert operation.
Some senior officials even believed that Xu Qing's involvement with Xianmei was intentional, in order to fish in troubled waters and make a fuss about the affairs of the Grand Council.
Moreover, many high-ranking officials and dignitaries have subconsciously regarded Xu Qing as one of the players in the big chess game in the court.
After all, Xu Qing's influence is no less than that of the six ministers.
In particular, whatever Xu Qing did was tacitly approved by the emperor and supported by the prime minister.
You know, in the imperial court, it doesn’t matter what kind of official you hold. The key is how close you are to the core of power. This is the most important thing.
The Prime Minister was of course aware that the establishment of the Grand Council would certainly involve some twists and turns, but he was waiting.
When an opportunity arises, the final decision will be made.
Before we knew it, the cabinet began to use honeycomb coal for heating and making tea during meetings.
Fairy coal, what if it really has the effect of prolonging life?
It never hurts to try!
(End of this chapter)