A trip starting from the courtyard

Chapter 625 Because there is no son today!
In order to let everyone have an intuitive understanding, Wang Lidong asked someone to take some cotton just picked by the dustpan.

Looking at the balls of white flowers, the British Duke asked in surprise, "Isn't this a white dimple?"

He is often sent out to patrol the borders today, so he has traveled to many places. I remember that when he was in the northwest, he went to the garden of a local big family, and there were such flowers in it.

"The British public is really well-informed. This thing was brought to us from Tianzhu by merchants from the Western Regions hundreds of years ago, but it has always been used as an ornamental plant. I also accidentally discovered that this thing can weave cloth." Wang Lidong asked someone to take it. They made various props and did a series of experiments to demonstrate the characteristics of cotton cloth such as warmth retention, moisture absorption, heat resistance, and alkali resistance.

"Yuan Ruo, can this cotton coat really keep you as warm as a leather jacket?"

"If Cheng Guogong doesn't believe it, don't you know if you try it on?"

After receiving Wang Lidong's gray cotton coat on the ground, Cheng Guogong was sweating all over his body after putting it on, touched the thick coat and said happily, "It's really no worse than a jacket, and there's nothing good about it."

Seeing this, the other nobles asked for gray coats one after another and tried them on.

"Yuan Ruo, how much is such a coat?"

"The gray coat everyone is wearing weighs 4 catties. I plan to sell it for 1000 Wen. What do you think of the price?"

"so cheap?"

Zhong Xun was a little surprised.

Such a warm coat, they originally thought that the cheapest would cost two or three pennies.

Cloth was very expensive in this day and age.A cloth shirt for ordinary people costs three or four hundred cash, and winter clothes are frighteningly expensive.A winter jacket made of miscellaneous leather can't be bought for less than 2 guan.

"It's cheap, so that all the soldiers and civilians in Song Dynasty can afford it."

Everyone thought about it, and according to the current income level of the Song Dynasty, such a coat would cost less than half a month's salary, but compared to other winter clothes that can keep warm, it is really a conscience price. People in their [-]s and [-]s will grit their teeth and buy one.

"Does anyone know how many people our Song Dynasty has now?"

"I asked Xueshi Bao a while ago, and Xueshi Bao replied to Your Majesty that there are 1246 million households and 2642 million people in Song Dynasty today."

Ding Nan refers to an adult man who has reached the age of service. In the Song Dynasty, a man was 20 years old and 60 years old.After becoming adults, they have to serve corvee and pay poll tax.

If everyone calculates, even if there are only 3 people in a family, the population of the entire Song Dynasty is estimated to be as many as 8000 million.

"Then everyone buys a cotton coat, which is 8000 million sets, and if converted, it is more than 1 million coats."

All the nobles were a little dizzy after being hit by this number, Wang Lidong added more fire when he saw this,

"In recent years, I have sent someone to make statistics, and each person buys about two pieces of clothes every year. Even if it is calculated with ordinary long gowns, the annual expenditure on clothing in the Song Dynasty is about 2 million."

Seeing that some older nobles seemed to be drifting off, Wang Lidong sent someone to send pastries and fruits, and added some high-quality protein and glucose.

"Yuan Ruo, these cotton clothes are so cheap, how much does one cost? How do you plan to cooperate with this cotton business?"

"I'll take you to a place, and after seeing it, you can roughly calculate the cost."

Wang Lidong took all the nobles and rode in a carriage to the nearest cotton plantation. He harvested ten acres of cotton in front of everyone. Catty of seed cotton, the average yield per mu is about 4896 catties, and one catty of seed cotton can produce about 490% of the cotton, which translates to about 200 catties of cotton per mu.”

Pointing to the baskets of cotton, Wang Lidong said, "In addition to the land, the cost is a catty of cotton seeds plus the tenant's wages."

Everyone immediately calculated that if a coat weighs 4 catties and sells for 1000 renminbi, the price of a catty of cotton cloth is 250 renminbi.
The output value of one mu of land is 50000 renminbi, about 60 guan, and if grain is grown, the annual rent for one mu of land is only one stone of grain, which is equivalent to three or four hundred renminbi.

The difference between the two is more than 100 times.!
Seeing a few nobles secretly stuffing seed cotton in their pockets, Wang Lidong waved his hands and led everyone back to Sihai Trading Company, and then handed over a cooperation plan.

The cooperation method is not complicated. Everyone spends money to raise funds to set up a cotton trading company, and then buys land to grow cotton and set up a cotton textile factory.

It is expected to raise 1000 million yuan, of which 600 million yuan will be used to buy farms. According to the current land price, almost 200 million mu can be bought, and the remaining 400 million yuan will be used to build four cotton textile factories.

Everyone immediately calculated in their minds that with a yield of about 200 catties per mu and 200 million mu of farmland, 4 million catties of cotton will be produced every year, so the annual harvest will be 1.25 million cottons!

Even the battle-tested British Duke couldn't resist ordering half a watermelon, and after eating a few mouthfuls, he said, "Yuan Ruo, 4 million catties, can it be sold out?"

Wang Lidong laughed and said: "Everyone, don't forget that our cotton cloth can not only be sold to the soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty, but also to the people of other countries.

The population of Liao is about 350 million, that of Xixia is about 300 million, that of Dali is about 500 million, and that of Fusang is about 3000 million. Just a few countries around here add up to 6000 million people. I remember a few years ago I met a big merchant, He said that the population of Tianzhu is about [-] to [-] million, and there are also big food countries, and the population of Seljuk and others is tens of millions."

"Two million mu of land seems to be a little less."

"Everyone, don't forget that cotton clothes are half cheaper than linen clothes, so you may buy one or two more pieces of 4 million catties every year than before. Maybe even our Da Song itself is not enough."

"Yuan Ruo, do you want to buy more land?"

"I've already made a plan for this matter. Please turn to the last two pages of the cooperation plan."

Everyone read it, and it was written that if the sales reached the corresponding amount, they would start a plan to increase production and expand production
After chatting with the nobles for half an hour, Wang Lidong declared the meeting to end after explaining everything he needed to say.

It is impossible to make a decision on the same day for a big business involving hundreds of millions of dollars.

Everyone went back to their respective homes, and then they went to whomever they should discuss with.

He also gave a time limit. Within ten days, send the corresponding member's money to the Four Seas Trading Company. After ten days, if you still haven't paid the money, you will automatically give up.

After sending off all the nobles, Wang Lidong looked at the position of the sun and estimated that it would be almost 5 o'clock.

go home for dinner.

After getting into the carriage, he didn't open his mouth and said,

"My lord, several nobles have secretly taken seed cotton. Maybe these families will abandon us and go it alone?"

Wang Lidong laughed, "Money is alluring. You don't need this kind of partner."

While the two were chatting about which honorable families might not be able to withstand the temptation of money, in a carriage less than one kilometer away from them, Yu Zihui, the youngest son of Lian Guogong, was persuading his father to get rid of Qi Heng , do it alone.

It's just growing cotton. Although they haven't grown it before, this kind of thing is definitely not difficult. It's amazing to go to Wang Lidong's manor to dig a few tenants.

As for the seeds, I didn't know this thing could weave cloth before, but now it's not difficult to get it. Hu merchants in the Western Regions must have it, and Wang Lidong has planted it for several years, so the tenants must have seeds.

And the loom, the machine for weaving linen should be able to use it after a change.

They are all worn, and there is not much difference when I think about it.

After his son finished talking, Lian Guo was fair, "Hui Er, who is running the charcoal business in the capital?"

Although it was strange why his father asked such a naive question, Yu Zihui still replied honestly: "The Duke of Qi."

"The charcoal and stone business of the entire capital for a year adds up to about 300 million yuan, and the Duke of Qi's family accounts for 200%, which is about [-] million yuan."

Yu Zihui nodded.

Lian Guogong said: "Then do you know how many officials have died over the years for this 200 million business?"

Yu Zihui asked curiously, "How many died?"

Lian Guogong raised two fingers.

Yu Zihui, "2?"

Lian Guogong shook his head slightly, "Twenty or so. The biggest official among them is the second-rank purple-clothed official."

Yu Zihui asked in surprise: "So many?! Which second-rank official? Who did it?"

"The second son of the former Prime Minister Lu Xianggong, the former governor of Kaifeng, Lu Gongbi. The other three sons of Lu Xianggong have also disappeared in the past few years. His family is now extinct." Lian Guogong said quietly, "As for who will come down?" Whoever gains the most from his hand will be the most suspected.”

Yu Zihui's face turned pale, and he muttered,
"Qi Guogong looks very kind. I didn't expect to be so ruthless. After killing so many officials, why don't you arrest him now?"

"Just guessing."

"Father, it doesn't look like Duke Qi."

Lian Guogong said, "It was discovered by your third uncle. In recent years, whenever Qi Guogong's mansion is attacked, various accidents will happen one after another. There is no exception."

Third uncle?
That should be right.

This person is on business in the largest secret service agency in the Song Dynasty, the Imperial City Division.

Although the position has been kept secret, but it will not be too small.

Yu Zihui suddenly said: "No wonder the boss has told me these two years to be more polite when I see Yuan Ruo."

Lian Guogong said: "In the past, the charcoal business was won by a coalition of ten companies, but now Qi Guogong's family has taken more than half of it, how can this business be kept without any means.

A business of 200 million yuan is so dangerous.If our family went it alone and bought a dozen or 20 mu of land to grow cotton, our annual income would be almost tens of millions.

With such a large amount of money, how many forces do you think will covet it with envy?
Wouldn't the officials be tempted when they saw it today?

Will the ministers and politicians remain indifferent?

Will the princes of Zhao Song clan drool?

Can our Lianguo government withstand the bite of so many hungry wolves? "

Yu Zihui thought about it carefully, and shook his head. Apart from his father, the Duke, who held a false position in the imperial court, only his elder brother served in the imperial army, but his position was not high, and he was in charge of a team of more than 5000 people.

None of the forces mentioned by his father could be handled by his family alone.Not to mention these top bigwigs, even if they are random transfer envoys along the way, if they deliberately make things difficult for their family's business, they will be in trouble for a while.

"Father, even if more than a dozen of our honorable families unite together, if the current officials open their mouths, wouldn't they have to hand it over in the end?"

Lian Guogong said: "Hui'er, although the Song dynasty is rich and the military is cheap, you still underestimate the sixteen nobles of our family.

90% of the forbidden army in the country is in the hands of us.

Even if today's officials see it, they have to be careful.As for other forces, unless they take out real money in exchange
And today's officials should not be very good at opening this mouth. "

Yu Zihui was surprised and said: "There are hundreds of millions of coins every year, how can the current officials not intervene?"

Lian Guogong said: "If it was a few years ago, it should have intervened, but now. I think the chances are not high."

"why?"

"Because there is no son today!"

Great Song Palace, Zichen Palace
Today's officials wear gray military coats, feel it, it feels very solid, and it moves casually without pricking the skin. It is much more comfortable than linen. After a while, the body starts to feel hot, "This clothes are good."

"Officials, take it off, it's such a hot day, don't overheat your body." Seeing that he was sweating slightly today, the chief eunuch hurriedly persuaded him.

The emperor also felt uncomfortable with the heat, so he asked the eunuch to help him take off the back and said, "You send someone to watch over this matter, as long as the business is done in a proper manner, don't interfere."

The eunuch couldn't help reminding: "The official's harvest is hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The slaves think that this number may be the most conservative."

Now he waved his hand.

If it were ten years ago, he would roll up his sleeves for a business worth several million dollars, let alone hundreds of millions. But now, given his physical condition, it is no longer possible to have a son. After two years of closing my eyes, I don't know which bastard is cheap.

The next day, not long after breakfast, Wang Lidong was dragged by Qi's mother to the polo field in the west of the city.

Although it was just after eight o'clock, the polo field was already crowded with people and it was extremely lively.

In the rest area on the sidelines, there were piles of big girls and young daughters-in-law, all dressed up beautifully, so old man Wang Lidong couldn't help but glance at them several times.

It's a pity that he became Qi Heng through time travel. If it was Gu Tingye, a prodigal son, he would be able to swagger and squeeze through the waves now.
When she was lamenting her bad luck, a female voice suddenly sounded in her ear, "This is Yuan Ruo."

When Wang Lidong regained his senses, he saw a round-faced and handsome middle-aged woman next to Qi's mother, wearing a vermilion silk dress with golden luan, phoenix and cloud patterns, with a golden red gold spreading wings on her head. The big hairpin with phoenix hanging beads, and two ruby ​​earrings the size of thumbs hung on both ears. This outfit gives people the feeling of --- style!

"I have seen Princess Yan."

Concubine Yan took two steps forward, grabbed Wang Lidong, looked up, down, left, and right, and praised, "Pingning, you are really lucky. No wonder Feiyan never forgets, you are really a good-looking talent." Then he asked about his height and weight , what do you usually like to eat, what books are you reading recently
If he hadn't known that King Yan had no daughter, Wang Lidong would have suspected that this man was planning to recruit him as his son-in-law.

Seeing her son winking at her, Qi's mother knew that she was impatient, and hurriedly stepped forward to interrupt Princess Yan's performance, then waved to her son, "Heng'er, go and play."

Wang Lidong walked away, so as not to be dragged by the middle-aged woman endlessly.

He found a place with a better view, and scanned the entire rest area, unexpectedly, he saw an acquaintance. In a remote pavilion, Rulan's mother, Wang, was sitting around a group of women, grinning silly. smiling.

Since this person is here, then girl Rulan should also be here.

At this moment, Ru Lan was hiding in a corner with Ming Lan and a girl of the same age, playing chuiwan with great interest.

Chuiwan is an ancient sport in which a ball is hit into a hole with a stick.The predecessor may be the step playing ball in the polo of the Tang Dynasty.In the Song Dynasty, stepping gradually evolved from the original confrontational competition in the same field to a non-confrontational competition of hitting the ball sequentially, and the goal was changed to the hole.

The ball hole, also called "home", is a small hole; a small flag is placed beside the nest.When hammering the ball, the winner is when the ball enters the nest, and the winner is the winner.

According to legend, during the Yuan Dynasty, Chui Wan was introduced to Europe by the Mongols and became a 'golf ball'.

"Xiao Liu, can you hurry up?"

Seeing that Minglan was holding a cue stick and aiming at it for a long time without moving, Rulan was a little bit crazy.

This is one of her few strengths.
"Got it, got it." Sheng Minglan stared at it for more than half a minute, then felt that it was coming, and lightly waved the club in her hand, and the gray ball rolled to the hole five meters away from the target hole. place.

what!
Ru Lan suppressed a laugh.

He jumped in front of his own ball, glanced at it twice, and then swung the cue, "snap". After the ball rolled two meters, it smoothly fell into a small hole.

"Ha! Going in again!" Ru Lan quickly ran to the side, picked up a wooden chip, and inserted it into her scoring frame.

Sheng Minglan looked at her scoring frame, there was only one wooden chip alone, and Ru Lan's frame had a total of 1 sticks. She looked around twice, if there was no place to go, she immediately turned around and left people.
(End of this chapter)