jdhmnovel Chapter 155 It has to be my father-in-law!
Chapter 155 It has to be my father-in-law!
Yang Shaofeng smiled slightly and said, "I plan to send a batch to Xu Xiang and Chang Pingzhang's army after the doctors and medicines arrive and a simple decoction is prepared, so that they can find some sick Semu people to test the medicine."
Using the people of Ningyang County as test subjects is definitely not an option, nor is using ordinary people of the Ming Dynasty. However, using people of different ethnicities as test subjects is perfectly acceptable, since Magistrate Yang can treat all non-Ming people equally and can absolutely do so without discrimination.
Wang Qiong was momentarily stunned and asked, "Semu people? Brother Yang, please don't joke. Minister Xu and Chang Pingzhang are fighting against the Tartars. If those Semu people are suffering from a cold, they cannot possibly be on the battlefield. Where are Minister Xu and Chang Pingzhang going to find Semu people to test medicine for you?"
Magistrate Yang smiled again and said, "Brother Wang, please rest assured. There are so many Semu people, some of them will inevitably get sick. You must trust Minister Xu and Minister Chang."
Wang Qiong nodded, but did not pursue the matter further. Instead, she changed the subject: "By the way, there is another good news to tell Brother Yang—His Majesty plans to designate the mushrooms and bok choy from Ningyang County as tribute items, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will be responsible for purchasing them from now on."
Upon hearing the word "tribute," Magistrate Yang was so heartbroken he could hardly breathe, mistakenly believing that he had to send a bunch of mushrooms and bok choy to Old Lantern every year for nothing.
However, upon hearing that the Guanglu Temple would be in charge of the procurement, Magistrate Yang immediately became happy.
Look, look, it has to be my father-in-law!
With the title of tribute, the mushrooms and bok choy from Ningyang County will be a grade higher than those from other places, and it is only natural that they will be sold at a higher price.
If someone were a little more ruthless, they could have someone transport some mushrooms and bok choy to the grasslands, and that pound could be exchanged for a whole sheep.
After thinking about it for a while, Magistrate Yang gave up on the idea.
I am a kind-hearted official, how could I do such a wicked business?
So Magistrate Yang looked at Wang Qiong and said, "Brother Wang, I have a money-making idea. If managed properly, it can bring a lot of money to the national treasury every year. I wonder if you want to hear it?"
Wang Qiong's eyes widened immediately, and she stared intently at Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Brother Yang, please speak quickly!"
Yang Shaofeng said, “Our Ningyang County can cultivate quite a few mushrooms and bok choy every winter. Although it cannot supply the entire Ming Dynasty, after deducting the portion used as tribute and the portion consumed by the people themselves, it should amount to several thousand catties.”
Upon hearing the figure of several thousand kilograms, Wang Qiong immediately lost interest.
What can you do with several thousand kilograms?
Even if we brought them all the way to the capital, it wouldn't be enough to sell in a single day. I'm not even sure if I could manage to snag one!
Just as Wang Qiong was inwardly complaining, Yang Shaofeng continued, "If Brother Wang could arrange for a few people to haul a hundred or so pounds of mushrooms and bok choy to sell on the grasslands each time... it wouldn't be unreasonable for us to exchange one pound of vegetables for a sheep, would it? If Brother Wang thinks we're selling them too cheaply, we could exchange two or three pounds of vegetables for a cow?"
Wang Qiong was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "My good brother Yang! Right now, our Ming Dynasty is fighting against the Tartars, and you want to sell mushrooms and bok choy on the grasslands? You, you, you..."
Yang Shaofeng smiled dismissively and said, "Am I aiding the enemy?"
Wang Qiong did not answer, but Magistrate Yang said with a smile, "Mushrooms and bok choy actually grow very quickly, a new batch can be grown in ten or twenty days, but a cow or sheep cannot grow up in one or two months. If we use vegetables to exchange for cattle and sheep, and even use tribute-level vegetables to exchange for a year, the tribal leaders and Nayans of the Tartars will definitely be very happy."
"To put it more bluntly: even if the cattle and sheep are dead, we can still bring them back to eat. One cow is enough for the two of us to eat for at least ten days, right? But these three or five pounds of mushrooms and bok choy, how many meals can they feed the two of us?"
"As long as we exchange them discreetly and in small quantities each time, within two months, the strength of those Tatar tribes will be greatly reduced, and the herders may not even be able to make a living."
"At this point, if the imperial court sends someone to persuade a few more to surrender, will the Tartars still be able to cause trouble?"
Wang Qiong's eyes widened again.
No, can you still play it like this?
Trading mushrooms and bok choy for someone else's cattle and sheep? Only you, Magistrate Yang, could come up with such a despicable and outrageous idea!
Just as Wang Qiong was inwardly complaining, Magistrate Yang sighed again and said, "Actually, it's a bit late. If it had been three to five months earlier, we could have sent people to the grasslands to buy a batch of wool."
Wang Qiong was slightly taken aback, and asked blankly, "Brother Yang, do you need wool? What's it for?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "What I need is not just wool, but the down from the sheep. Whether it is spun into yarn to make clothes or made into blankets, it is a very good raw material."
"Even if all else fails, we can bring back the wool and cashmere and burn them—as long as they are willing to raise sheep on a large scale. Because with more sheep, they will need more pastures, and the various tribes may fight over pastures. And if too much grass is eaten, the pastures will degrade, and the herders will not be able to live and graze peacefully."
"For the sake of the grasslands, they have no choice but to relocate. As they relocate, our Great Ming can send people to occupy the land for cultivation. When cultivating, we can plant more trees and grass, and the land can slowly recover."
"But while it's easy for them to move away, is it easy for them to move back?"
"With cement, building a city would become incredibly easy. As long as enough craftsmen and materials are gathered, the city wall could be built in one or two months. Do you think they can conquer a city wall that is three zhang wide and five or six zhang high?"
After a slight pause, Magistrate Yang sighed again and said, "It still won't work. Buying wool and such will cost a lot of money, and the imperial court may not be able to come up with that much money in a short time. If we buy too little, the effect won't be very good."
Facing the sighing Magistrate Yang, Wang Qiong felt a surge of relief—fortunately, fortunately, he was in cahoots with Magistrate Yang, otherwise he might die at his hands without even knowing how, or even be sold out and have to count the money for him!
Magistrate Yang then turned his gaze to the honeycomb briquette stove in the corner of the room.
Should we sell this thing?
If you don't tell them how the chimney is built, carbon monoxide will definitely kill a lot of people.
However, if they learn how to make honeycomb briquettes from coal and then go on to mine coal, it could improve their iron and steel smelting capabilities, which would be detrimental to the Ming Dynasty.
After some deliberation, Magistrate Yang finally abandoned the idea of selling honeycomb briquettes to the grasslands. Instead, he picked up his water cup and said to Wang Qiong with a smile, "Come, Brother Wang, let's drink to victory!"
Wang Qiong picked up his water cup and drank it down with Magistrate Yang. Then, with a bitter expression, he said, "Brother Yang, I would like to advise you to stop making so much trouble for now."
Just as Magistrate Yang was filled with questions, Wang Qiong continued, "You don't know, from Kong Xixue to those scholars he summoned to the capital to participate in compiling the 'Hongwu Great Dictionary,' not a single one of them didn't hate you!"
After hearing Wang Qiong's words, Magistrate Yang couldn't help but feel a little smug.
He was hated by Kong Xixue and the scholars he gathered.
That's nothing! It's my skill, Yang, to be hated by them!
Magistrate Yang smiled smugly and said, "Does Kong Xixue still have time to be jealous of me? It seems that the Hongwu Dictionary is still not enough to keep him busy."
Wang Qiong was slightly taken aback, then tentatively asked, "Brother Yang, do you... have some new ideas this time?"