Chapter 444 The crisis is coming

Chapter 444 The crisis is coming

Chapter 444 The crisis is coming
"What should we do? We are running out of stock."

"How can there be no stock? Don't you have a salt field? I know you have a large amount of stock in your Yancheng County warehouse. Just use your own stock! Don't always rely on official warehouses."

Wan Guiping looked suspicious and asked, "Is Wei Jianjun deliberately using this incident to make a fuss and stop shipping to us?"

"Master Wan, you're overthinking it. Jiangdu's second-tier salt merchants are almost wiped out by you three. You three have almost monopolized the second-tier market. If not you, who will the salt be given to?"

Wan Guiping sneered, "Maybe the counties are coming directly to pick up the goods? The salt inspector bypassed us, and it's eighty coins a bushel!"

Wei Chaofeng laughed dryly, "I would like to do this, but Master Wan, do you think it is possible?"

Wan Guiping snorted, "I don't think you would dare!"

After a pause, he asked again: "Did the county government say when the lockdown will be lifted?"

"Governor Cui said that it would not affect the normal operation of the salt industry. It would take at most ten days or half a month. Even if the case cannot be solved by then, they will unseal it for us."

"It will take ten days or half a month!"

Wan Guiping suddenly widened his eyes and said in a lost voice: "How can we hold on?"

Wei Chaofeng said calmly: "First, this matter has nothing to do with me. Second, if the Wan family is really in a hurry, they can either consult with Governor Cui or use their own salt. I am just a small official of the sixth rank. Even if you three families want to kill me, I can't do anything!"

Wan Guiping hurried back home and reported the matter to his father Wan Gu. Wan Gu also realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly sent someone to invite the heads of the other two families to discuss the matter.

The head of the Cao family is Cao Guoren, and the head of the Yu family is Yu Zhen. They are both about the same age, both in their fifties, and were originally local tyrants who were not in the limelight.

The so-called local tyrants are actually gangster leaders. In the eyes of ordinary people, these tyrants are brave and dare to fight, and are very scary, but in the eyes of the government and the aristocratic families, they are nothing. They have no knowledge, no background, no connections, and no wisdom. They are nothing more than nouveau riche who have become rich in a short period of time by clinging to the Guanlong nobles.

In fact, it is true. Jiangdu has always been ruled by the Liu, Xiao and Chen families. Before, these three families were just owners of private salt fields. After their salt fields were acquired by the Guanlong nobles, these three families managed the salt fields for the Guanlong nobles on the one hand, and on the other hand, they themselves became second-level salt merchants.

The salt was purchased from the Guanlong nobles at the price of thirty coins per dou, the same price as the salt inspectors, and then sold to the third-level salt merchants in each county at the price of eighty or ninety coins, and then 70% of the salt profit was given to the Guanlong nobles.

At this time, the Guanlong nobles were still relatively restrained and did not dare to purchase goods directly from the Salt Inspectorate. At most, they would secretly purchase goods directly from salt households, but they also did not dare to go too far.

It was also at this time that other second-tier salt merchants were able to purchase goods from the Salt Inspectorate and lived a comfortable life. The Liu, Xiao, and Chen families made a lot of money, and small and medium-sized salt merchants relied on the docks and freight transportation of the Liu, Xiao, and Chen families to make a living.

But since Emperor Wen of Sui visited Jiangdu, Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian relaxed the restrictions on the Guanlong nobles. The Guanlong nobles were no longer afraid and not only monopolized the private salt fields, but also gradually monopolized the official salt. If the salt inspectors dared not agree, they would purchase directly from the salt households, and the salt inspectors could not even make a profit from the difference of twenty cents per dou.

The consequence of this was that Liu, Xiao, and Chen, as well as more than one hundred small and medium-sized salt merchants, could no longer get salt and were forced to change their careers or go bankrupt.

The worst-hit family was the Chen family. They had no other business. The wharf and fleet were acquired by the Yuan family. When the Yuan family abandoned them, the Chen family could only live off their assets. Five years later, they completely collapsed. From one of the three heroes of Jiangdu, they became a small landlord who lived on a thousand acres of land.

In just five years, the people of Jiangdu became the world of the three families, Wan, Cao, and Yu. They could earn 20 wen per dou of salt profit every year, and together with their masters behind the scenes, they monopolized the salt in almost the entire south.

But now a new situation has arisen. The official salt has been frozen, and Yuan Min, who has been supporting them from behind, has also been transferred. The three companies discussed for a long time but still didn't know what to do. They didn't realize that the situation in Jiangnan has changed, and the lucrative salt industry will also change with it.

Seeing that no one could figure out the reason, Wan Gu could only sigh and say, "That's it! Let's send someone to Luoyang to report, and then transfer the salt from the Yancheng County warehouse for emergency use."

In the past, they reported to Yuan Min, but now Yuan Min was transferred back to the court, and the new contact person for the Guanlong nobles had not yet come to Jiangdu. They had no choice but to report directly to the Yuan family in Luoyang.

At this time, Yu Zhen suddenly thought of something and said, "I received a letter from my cousin today. A shop selling refined salt appeared in Wu County, and it only costs 20 coins per catty. Now it has also appeared in Jinling County."

"what?"

The other two families were shocked and looked at each other in bewilderment. If refined salt was 20 wen per jin, wouldn't they be finished? Who would buy coarse salt at 10 wen per jin?

"Master Yu, are you sure this is true?" Wan Gu asked.

Yu Zhen shook his head. "I don't know. I just heard it from my cousin. He sent me a pigeon letter. The content was very brief."

Yu Zhen's cousin Yu Chunxiao was a powerful man in Piling County. It was his family's fleet that blocked the waterway. With the support of the former governor Dou Shan, Yu Chunxiao monopolized the salt market in Piling County. Now Pei Renji was the governor of Piling County. With Pei Renji's support, Xihai Jingyan Store appeared in Piling County.

Wan Gu thought for a moment and said, "Then don't rush to report to Luoyang. Send people to Wujun and Pilingjun to investigate, and then report to Luoyang together."

In Wu County, Xihai refined salt is selling like hot cakes, at twenty cents a pound. As long as you don't use it to pickle vegetables, one pound is enough for a family of four to eat for a month.

For a family of four, ten cents of coarse salt would need four or five pounds to last for a month. What's more important is the taste, as refined salt does not have the disgusting sand and soil in coarse salt.

When it comes to food, oil, salt and daily necessities, the common people are all very savvy. If you save thirty cents a month, you can still eat clean refined salt. Which idiot would buy coarse salt at ten cents a pound?

So no one bought coarse salt anymore.

Of course, it is not just Wu County. There are two salt shops on the streets of every county in Wujun, one in the south and one in the north of the city. They have the same red roof and white walls. The Xihai Salt Shop is particularly eye-catching.

There was also a long queue.

Five days later, two salt shops also appeared in each of the four counties of Piling Prefecture: Jinling County, Jiangyin County, Wuxi County and Yixing County, with the same decoration, the same selling method and the same long queues.

That morning, the salt shop in the north of Wu County opened as usual.

The shop is an official store with a monthly rent of 500 wen. It is about 50 to 60 square meters, with a red roof and white walls, which is particularly eye-catching. The sign reads "Xi Hai Jing Yan Shop".

There were two long queues in front of the salt shop, each stretching all the way inside and outside. Several shop assistants were busy selling weighed bowls of salt. The salt was packed in small wooden bowls, each bowl weighing one kilogram, and each person could only buy a maximum of three kilograms.

There were two shop assistants in total, one collecting money and the other adding salt.

"Madam, please buy two kilograms of salt!" the clerk shouted after taking the money.

The clerk used a small wooden bowl to scoop a bowl of salt from the large salt bucket, shook it and made it flat, which was one pound.

Open up the cloth bag that the old lady was carrying and pour two bowls of salt into it.

"Auntie, it's two kilograms, have a safe trip!"

The two young men were quick, smart and efficient.

"I run a restaurant. Three kilograms is too little. Can I buy a few more kilograms?" asked a middle-aged man.

"I'm sorry, boss! We can deliver the goods to your door in the future. Now is the beginning, and there is not much salt. Please find a few more waiters to line up."

"Forget it, buy three pounds first."

The shopkeeper gave the money, and the clerk shouted, "This shopkeeper, three pounds!"

Another waiter quickly poured three bowls of salt into the shopkeeper's bag.

Not far from the salt shop, three constables were patrolling back and forth with knives, and several men were looking at the salt shop stealthily and talking about something.

The constable immediately went up and shouted, "If you want to buy salt, go and queue up. What are you discussing here? Do you want to commit a crime?"

The men were so scared that they quickly walked away and found a teahouse to write down the information.

There were two salt shops in each of Wu County and Piling County, both named Xihai Salt Shop. The identities of the shop owners were unknown, but they were protected by the government. The shop only sold refined salt, at twenty cents per pound.

They wrote down the investigation information and immediately rushed back to Jiangdu to report to the Wan family.

(End of this chapter)