Chapter 870 Trade Route

Chapter 870 Trade Route

Chapter 870 Trade Route
After spring sowing in February, the weather gradually warmed up.

Prime Minister Yu Chen, who had survived the entire cold winter, fell ill again and did not return to work until the end of the month.

"I actually wanted to go to Jiangdong back then. But with my body, I would get sick every other day if I went there, and would die suddenly in a few years due to the unfamiliar climate." In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yu Chen said to the visitor with a wry smile.

The guest came from Xingyang, and was Li Ju’s nephew Guo Song.

This family from Pingyang has now settled in Xingyang, and is now a typical Henan native. And they are undoubtedly the Prime Minister Yu Chen's people, and they have previously joined Sima Yue.

After Sima Yue's death, Li Ju and Guo Song, the uncle and nephew, faced two choices: to continue to be involved with the old people in the Yue Mansion, or to choose another way.

Obviously, they chose the Yingchuan Yu family.

Guo Song is now the head of Mi County. He has been working for many years, but has no way to be promoted. Every time he goes to the higher authorities for an inspection, he fails to meet various requirements, which makes him feel very frustrated.

People like them who come from poor backgrounds must have someone above them who can find a way to get the Ministry of Personnel to ignore their family background, demeanor, appearance, knowledge and other negative factors, so that they can pass the examination and be arranged a good position.

If you are a scholar, you will have fewer worries in this regard and can pass the normal assessments, because this system is tailor-made for the scholar class.

If you are not from an aristocratic family and want to enter the officialdom, don't you need the support of a noble? This is because the conditions are relaxed now. Twenty years ago, the King of Liang had to arrest Sima Yi before he could find a filial and honest official.

"I already know what Guangzhong asked for." Yu Chen sat behind the mist, his face a little tired, and said: "You want to join the army, but it's a little difficult. Next month, the new Heiliang Right Camp will be established, and the first round of recruitment will be 3,000 soldiers. These 3,000 people are not something you can join, even if you are good at martial arts. If you have to say it, the Zhuosheng Army may be a good way. The unit has now moved to Yanmen and may go to Mayi next. They are recruiting soldiers. But they are not recruiting soldiers, they have to graze cattle, sheep and other livestock, and the court only subsidizes a little. If you are willing to go, I can arrange it. If you don't want to go, isn't it better to be the magistrate of Mi County than to be a warrior? How many people want to be the magistrate but don't have the opportunity."

"We can capture them alive, please help us, Prime Minister." Guo Song said earnestly, "I am willing to lead a hundred cavalrymen to join the army."

"Does Shi Hui (Li Ju) know about this?"

"My uncle also advised me not to act rashly."

Yu Chen smiled and said, "I called you here for something else."

"Please speak, Prime Minister." Guo Song said.

"No hurry." Yu Chen called a servant from the prime minister's mansion and asked him to invite the other person in.

"Uncle." Guanqiu Lu, a clerk from the Golden Division of the General's Mansion, walked in quickly and saluted.

Yu Chen pointed to a couch in the room and asked him to sit down, then said: "The king wants to do business with Pingcheng. Zongru, you have traded cattle and sheep with the chieftain of Kelan before. Tell me, what is the difficulty?"

When Guanqiu Lu heard this, he knew it was something from his professional field, so he immediately said confidently: "Uncle——"

Yu Chen knocked on the high table.

Guanqiu Lu immediately changed his words: "Prime Minister, the difficulty lies in the middle of the journey."

"When cattle and sheep cross the border, they need to eat a lot of grass. If they all take the same route, after the first batch of cattle and sheep cross the border, the grass will not have enough time to grow, and the second batch will come, and there will not be enough food. If they don't have enough to eat, they will lose weight or even die, and that will be a loss."

"It is not enough to just eat while walking. Even if people travel long distances and have enough food every day, they still need to rest after a long time. The same is true for livestock, so they need fattening grounds as a resting place during the journey. Fattening grounds need to prepare a large amount of fodder all year round, and hire people to take care of the livestock and restore the lost fat so that they can continue on the journey."

"So, this is not a simple matter. So far, I have only built one road, from Xiurong to Hedong. I have recruited nobles from the tribes along the way to join us and share the profits. Only then can I barely make ends meet."

Yu Chen hummed.

It is impossible to do this business without getting many people involved.

Guanqiu Lu himself was an official of the shogunate, and he probably also used the title of prime minister to get things done. This was how he was able to deal with various difficulties and successfully establish a road for buying and selling livestock - he certainly did not allow others to take this road, because he was worried that other people's cattle and sheep would eat up all the grass.

In addition to Guanqiu Lu, as far as Yu Chen knew, the guests of Empress Hui Yang also established a "livestock road" from Taiyuan to Pingyang. Everyone knew that Yang Xianrong was making money for the King of Liang, so no one dared to stop it, and it ran smoothly.

Others are a bit more troublesome.

Many grasslands are owned by owners. Even if they are not, the locals do not like to see outsiders driving cattle and sheep to eat their grass.

Everything has value, even weeds.

"Leave the route from Xiurong to Hedong to our clansmen." Yu Chen said, "Next you go to Pingcheng."

"Pingcheng?" Guanqiu Lu was a little worried.

"Don't worry, Yuandu will go with you." Yu Chen said, "Think of a way to build a livestock trade route from Pingcheng to Bianliang. Henan is actually very short of livestock. There are still not enough ox carts and sheep carts, let alone horse carts. This year during the spring plowing, there were even more than a dozen families sharing one ox, and some of them died from exhaustion. It was simply horrifying. The construction of this road can not only alleviate the predicament of Henan's livestock shortage, but also sell Henan's goods to the grasslands, which is a win-win situation."

Guanqiu Lu thought for a moment and said, "It seems a little long."

"It is indeed long, but you can think of a way, such as building a ranch along the way, since there are a lot of wastelands anyway." Yu Chen said, "Go south from Yunzhong County, through Mayi, Yanmen, Xinxing, Taiyuan, Shangdang, Henei, and Xingyang counties, and finally arrive at Chenliu." At this point, Yu Chen looked at Guo Song and said, "Guangzhong, I summoned you here today for this matter. Xingyang needs your help."

Guo Song suddenly realized that this was the reason! He thought that the Prime Minister had chosen him and was going to promote him.

He said immediately, "As you command."

Yu Chen looked at Guanqiu Lu again and said, "There is a piece of wasteland in Henei, near the entrance of Taihang Pass. I can lend it to you temporarily, but you have to recruit your own people. Xinxing and Yanmen are vast and sparsely populated. I can also find wasteland for you to use as pasture, but you have to find a way to get Shangdang, Taiyuan, Chenliu, Mayi, and Yunzhong yourself."

Guanqiu Lu thought for a moment and said, "We need to get Shangdang Liu Runzhong to join us, and we need to find someone else in Taiyuan. As for Mayi and Yunzhong, it's a bit difficult because we don't have anyone we know."

"So I asked Yuandu to go with you." Yu Chen said, "This is a big deal, and the king is very concerned. Especially in Dai State, if we can get a few more nobles and high-ranking officials to join us, so that they can also share the benefits, the matter will be settled. You should also not be so obsessed with money, and give a little more profit appropriately, even if it is just to break even. The king will reward them with official titles, and the important thing is to maintain this trade route."

Guanqiu Lu understood a little, but he still had one thing in mind: "If the people of Dai rebelled, they would not be stopped by such a small profit."

"Of course, we can't just rely on this trick." Yu Chen said, "Your Majesty wants to tie up the nobles of Dai State tightly, and this is just one of the ropes. But you should not underestimate the benefits of trade. Most people in the world are mediocre, and those who can resolutely give up the immediate benefits are definitely not ordinary people. Money is indeed not very effective against such people, but there are other ways. In short, this matter must be done as soon as possible, without hesitation."

"Yes." Guanqiu Lu replied.

After talking about this important matter, Yu Chen seemed to be relieved, and his expression became even more tired.

"Uncle." Guanqiu Lu looked at Yu Chen's increasingly thin face, and was hesitant to speak.

"Don't worry, fellow Confucian scholars." Yu Chen smiled carefreely, saying, "Everyone will have this day. The Yu family has flourished under my leadership and is now as prosperous as it is today. Even if I go to the underworld, I will not be ashamed to face my ancestors. What I am worried about now is only the affairs of my children."

Guanqiu Lu was somewhat moved and also somewhat sad.

"Zongru, you have to help me." Yu Chen said.

"Okay!" Guanqiu Lu felt as if something was blocking his throat and felt extremely uncomfortable.

In February, the angel came to Pingyang again.

My cousin Wenjun has been canonized as queen, and all her etiquette and ceremonials are the same as those of the empress.

Yuan Gui was the governor of Xuzhou. Although he did not have any outstanding achievements, he did not make any major mistakes. He was mediocre, but for the Yu family, not making mistakes was worth celebrating. They did not need Yu Liang to make any great achievements.

The other members of the Yu clan all held official positions.

Despite the family's illustrious status, his uncle felt under great pressure and even became somewhat pessimistic, which made Guanqiu Lu very uncomfortable.

Guo Song also sensed something vaguely, but he didn't dare to speak. He just lowered his head and said nothing. He thought to himself that it turned out that the powerful prime minister also had many troubles and was even more cautious than small people like them.

"Guangzhong, since you want to join the army, then go and capture the living soldiers." Yu Chen was silent for a while, then said to Guo Song, "Take care of the matter of Xingyang grassland first, and then I will transfer you there. Mayi is not peaceful, if you have time, you can help take care of it."

"Yes, sir." Guo Song replied.

After Yu Chen finished speaking, he asked Guo Song to go back and prepare. Guo Song bowed and turned to leave the Prime Minister's Mansion.

When I came to the street, I felt a little emotional.

Once upon a time, he and his uncle Li Ju made their fortune by fighting the Hu people, but now they have to cooperate with them.

The trade route established by Guanqiu Lu was actually quite profitable.

According to the Prime Minister's plan, the Xingyang Li and Guo families who participated in it should also be able to share the benefits, although it may be only a little.

But this is a long-term business. The income in one or two years is limited, but what about ten or twenty years? That would be a huge income.

But anyway, this is not what he is pursuing.

He would rather serve in the army, win meritorious service, be rewarded, and be promoted to a higher position, which would be much better than his current position as the head of Mi County, where his end is foreseeable - if nothing unexpected happens, he will remain an official of this level for the rest of his life and will never be promoted. It is even possible that he will be dismissed from office in a few years.

There are not many opportunities now. Suo Tou in Shengle is an opportunity, and the Huns in Chang'an are also an opportunity.

As for Jiangdong, he actually didn't want to go there. Since the Han Dynasty, the number of soldiers killed by plagues in the southern expeditions was probably no less than those who died on the battlefield.

The fact that people in the north cannot adapt to the local climate is really terrifying. If there is no other choice, who would be willing to migrate south?

As the sun set, Guo Song left the city and prepared to go back to his hometown to see if he could recruit some people skilled in archery and horse riding to join the army.

(End of this chapter)