Song Mingyue

Chapter 50 Food shortage (please recommend)

The back hall of the Yamen in Jiangning Mansion.

Wang Hanzhi was pacing up and down the house like ants on a hot pot.

His hair was already greyish-white, but after these few days, it was half gray.

For disaster relief, Wang Hanzhi, an old official, has rich experience, but he knows that Jiangning City is complicated and complicated, and he, a fourth-rank magistrate, cannot easily control it.But after raising more than 12 yuan that day, he was greatly relieved.

However, things are far from as simple as he thought.

However, in more than ten days, the rice grain in the south of the Yangtze River has soared from the usual [-] yuan per stone to three times a stone, and it has continued to rise. Now it has risen to three times [-] yuan per stone, a full double times, and still can't buy food.

It stands to reason that in recent years, there have been natural disasters in recent years, and the major grain merchants have already stockpiled grain. It should not have risen so fast. Last year, the highest increase was only two times, and then it fell to the usual five hundred. No matter how serious the floods are this year, it should be the most. Rise to three.

However, for more than ten days, the rice grains in the hands of major grain merchants have either been snapped up or hoarded and not sold, making the rice grains that can be circulated in the market increasingly scarce.

Of course Wang Hanzhi knew who was operating behind the scenes, but he was helpless.

Rice grain and private salt are the foundation of the Zheng family. The Zheng family controls most of the rice grain business on Jiangnan East Road. Apart from the Zheng family, no one else has the ability to control the entire rice grain market on Jiangnan East Road.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to lower his status, and as a fourth-rank official, he went to the Zheng Mansion several times to ask to see Zheng An, but repeatedly bumped into the wall.

"The Zheng family is also a relative of the emperor, how can they disturb the local area and make a fortune for the country..."

However, it is useless to say these things, the Zheng family has always started from illegal business operations, and it is not the first time that Zheng An has done such a thing as making money in the hands of the country, otherwise, why did Zheng An go from a small gangster to a well-known Jiangnan in one fell swoop? wealthy businessman.

Furthermore, Zhao and Xie's family were originally married, and now Wang and Zhao are married again. The Zheng family's position in the south of the Yangtze River is in jeopardy, and Wang Hanzhi and the Wang family have always been very close. Zheng An has long intended to repair Wang Han.

And the most important thing is that this time, the Zheng family not only called on the major grain merchants to hoard rice grains and sell them for a price, but also tried their best to hoard more than [-] shi of rice grains, and then sold them at a price of four to five shi per shi. If the food is sold at the usual price, it will be a profit of nearly one million.

With this battle, the Zheng family can shock the entire Jiangnan, overwhelming the three families of Zhao, Wang, and Xie, and regaining their disadvantage.

The shopping mall is like a battlefield, whether it is Xie Yun who is known as a female Zhuge, Xie Yu who is a Confucian businessman, or Wang Tong who is calm, after all, he ignores Zheng An who retreats behind the scenes, and regards him as a toothless tiger. Otherwise, it would not have happened that the Zheng family and its associated grain merchants had been snapping up in the south of the Yangtze River for nearly ten days before they realized it.

It's just that the original business of the three of them was not above rice and grain. Even if the Zheng family made a lot of money, it wouldn't hurt him. It was Wang Hanzhi who really wanted to hurt his bones.

Not only was the government's stockpile of grain dwindling day by day, and disaster relief continued, but the people in the city were also running out of surplus grain because they couldn't buy grain.

Once the food in the city is exhausted, not only the 20 victims will be short of food, but also the [-] indigenous people in the city will have no rice to cook, and chaos will inevitably arise.

Of course, at that time, the Zheng family will not let the city be in complete chaos, and the commander will make it so chaotic that it will soon be out of control, and then sell grain at a high price, taking the opportunity to make a fortune, and he, the prefect of Jiangning, has done it well.

At this moment, he finally knew that his predecessor, Zhang Zhuang, had only served as the prefect of Jiangning for three months, and then retreated. The muddy waters in Jiangning... are too deep.

At this moment, the report from outside the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Young Master of the Zhao Family, Eldest Young Master of the Xie Family, and Second Young Master of the Wang Family, please pay homage to the magistrate."

Wang Hanzhi restrained his mind and said anxiously: "See you soon."

As soon as the words were finished, Zhao Hao, Wang Jue and Xie Yu had already entered the back hall.

After some courtesies and greetings, the three of them had just sat down. Wang Jue, who was impatient, asked first: "The Zheng family is plotting something wrong, and the city is about to run out of food. I don't know what the lord is going to do?"

It stands to reason that with the identities of the three of them, although they can be regarded as the leaders of the rich second generation in Jiangning City, they are not qualified to ask Wang Hanzhi these words.It's just that newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, and Wang Hanzhi has always been enlightened, so he didn't mind the recklessness of the three hot-blooded sons at all.

Wang Hanzhi frowned, sighed for a long time and said: "The rice and grain on Jiangnan East Road are all under the control of the Zheng family. Except for the Zheng family's own stockpiling of grain, the rest are also the Zheng family's leader. Buying grain at a low price on Jiangnan East Road is already a delusion. The flood in Liangzhe Road is far worse than Jiangnan East Road, and there is no grain to sell. The only place to get money is Jiangbei."

The three of them are all juniors who are not as weak as the crown. If the situation was not urgent, Wang Hanzhi would not confide his heart in front of the three juniors, but at this moment he talked about everything.

"The grain merchants in the north of the Yangtze River follow Huang Wenhu's lead, and Zheng An has a fateful friendship with Huang Wenhu. I'm afraid Zheng An has already said hello. If he wants to buy grain from Huang Wenhu, it will be even more difficult..."

Wang Hanzhi's tone was full of deep helplessness, which made people despair.

"Who is Huang Wenhu?" Zhao Hao asked with a frown.

Wang Jue said: "Huang Wenhu was born as a smuggler in grain, and later founded the Huainan Grain Gang, which even swept the entire Jiangbei rice grain market. Because of his lameness in the battles between the rivers and lakes in the past, he was called the 'lame tiger'."

"A lame tiger?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed in Zhao Hao's mind, as if thinking of something, a gleam of light appeared in his eyes.

Wang Hanzhi sighed and said: "The current plan, I am afraid that the only way is for the old man to go to Jiangbei in person and persuade Huang Wenhu to sell grain with his colleagues in Jiangbei to solve the urgent need of Jiangning Mansion. ..."

Wang Jue became irritable when he heard this, and said angrily: "Zheng An has ulterior motives, so he has a serious disease, which is what he deserves; and Huang Wenhu's son, who is nearly thirty years old and has nothing to do, is said to have become an eunuch, which is also retribution!"

"What?" Zhao Hao jumped up suddenly, his eyes brightened.

Wang Hanzhi and the other three showed puzzled expressions and looked at Zhao Hao puzzled, not knowing why he was so excited all of a sudden.

Zhao Hao thought about it for a while, the look in his eyes became brighter and brighter, and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, how can you condescend to beg that reckless grain merchant, and I wish to set off tomorrow with my two elder brothers to Jiangbei , You should use your sharp tongue to persuade Huang Wenhu to sell 20 shi of grain at a fair price, so as to solve Jiangning's urgent needs."

"What?" Seeing Zhao Hao's confident appearance, Wang Hanzhi was instantly confused.

Xie Yu and Wang Jue were even more in disbelief, feeling that Zhao Hao was talking in his sleep.

Zhao Hao said in a deep voice: "You two brothers, do you dare to go to Jiangbei with the foolish brother?"

The two were instantly touched by his impassioned look, but they said half-believingly: "If you are confident, we are naturally willing to go with you."

Zhao Hao looked at Wang Jue, and said calmly: "Brother virtuous, I know that younger brother never speaks lies. On that day, I made a bet with Zheng Feng with Hefeng Tower as a bet. Everyone in the world knew that I would lose. What was the result? Brother Xian said, I must pass the test of the Six Arts, marry Lingmei and return home, what will happen? Could it be that Brother Xian still refuses to believe in the abilities of a foolish brother?"

These words were meant for Wang Jue, and also for Wang Hanzhi.

Could it be that the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangning and the evening festival of my Wang Hanzhi are all in the hands of this son?
As for Xie Yu and Wang Jue, after thinking about it carefully, this former dude brother has really done a lot of unexpected big things in the past six months, and finally chose to be convinced.

"In that case, I will set off tomorrow and go to Jiangbei with my brother."

Zhao Hao laughed, and bowed to Wang Hanzhi: "My lord, please sit still in Jiangning City. It may take half a month at most, or ten days at least. I will return with 20 shi of rice and grain."

Until the backs of Zhao Hao and the other three disappeared at the entrance of the back hall, Wang Hanzhi was still staring at the entrance as if in a dream.

PS: There is another chapter at 19:[-] in the evening, please leave a recommendation ticket, thank you!
(End of this chapter)