Longzang

Chapter 415 Trading Grain for Brocade
After returning to Qingming, Wei Yuan opened the map and continued to study the information on the seven western prefectures of Ningzhou.

The seven prefectures had four distinct seasons and were rich in resources, making them fertile lands even in the Western Jin Dynasty. The Xu family controlled most of the industries in the seven prefectures, other aristocratic families controlled a small portion, the Western Jin court controlled 10%, and various local small and medium-sized wealthy households that were not from the Xu family also controlled 10%.

The seven prefectures are also fertile lands known for their mulberry and rice production, and their Ning brocade is particularly famous. Ning brocade is luxurious and extravagant, with vibrant colors, requiring a great deal of time to manufacture, and skilled craftsmen can weave patterns that are as beautiful as paintings. Many well-known established brands exist in the seven prefectures, such as Mi Ji and Yao Ji, which are large brocade shops.

Ningjin was loved by various ethnic groups. In addition to being used by the human race, it was also in high demand by the nobles of the Liao and Wu ethnic groups.

It was only early spring, the time for the summer and autumn crops to be harvested in the fields, and autumn was the season for replanting mulberry seedlings. Whenever Wei Yuan saw this, he would seem lost in thought.

After careful consideration, Wei Yuan left Qingming and went to Sun Chaoen's place.

The number of displaced people in Bianning County has decreased significantly. The previous season's grain has just been harvested, and it is time to resume farming, so the number of displaced people leaving their homes has decreased significantly.

Upon arriving at Sun Chaoen's residence, Wei Yuan noticed a change in Sun Chaoen's entire demeanor. He exuded an air of jewels and jewels, and his noticeably fuller figure made him appear even more gentle, refined, and flawlessly radiant.

Wei Yuan already knew what was going on and said, "It seems that Brother Sun's Dharma Image will be ready in the next few days. I wish Brother Sun success in creating his Dharma Image in advance!"

"I'm already quite old, how can I compare to my brother's courage and diligence? However, with the help of that Three-Flavor Ascension Pill, I still have some confidence in this Dharma Form."

After congratulating him, Wei Yuan got down to business: "I need to find a few large merchant caravans that travel to and from Ningxi to help me sell grain and then purchase Ning brocade and mulberry silk."

Sun Chaoen was immediately taken aback: "You want to sell grain?"

Summer grain was on the market at this time, but grain prices remained high everywhere, which is why a large number of refugees appeared. In addition, the northern border had been under fighting for half a year, and grain prices remained stubbornly high.

Qingming now has 600 million jin of grain stored up, which is far beyond its capacity to consume. Moreover, Wei Yuan is continuing to cultivate new fields. As the changes in the world deepen, the yield per unit area of ​​Qingming's grain fields is gradually increasing.

"How much Shu brocade and mulberry silk do you want?"

Wei Yuan said, "The first batch of brocade will require at least 100,000 bolts and 500,000 catties of mulberry silk."

Sun Chaoen was once again taken aback. This was a huge deal worth millions of silver coins, which would undoubtedly raise prices across the entire Seven Counties.

"Does my brother really need so much silk and brocade?"

“We can’t use it now, but we can sell it to the west,” Wei Yuan said.

Sun Chaoen frowned in thought, and after a moment said, "The quantity of silk brocade we need to buy is too large. I'm afraid we'll have to contact those old brocade shops. I'll go and make the arrangements now. I have some classmates and acquaintances in those counties, so they should be able to help us make connections. Especially since we're exchanging grain for it, there shouldn't be any problems."

With grain prices soaring and many places even experiencing shortages, bartering grain is even more effective than exorbitant silver.

"Then I'll leave everything to Brother Sun." Wei Yuan was busy with other matters, and after the matter was settled, he took his leave.

After Wei Yuan left, Sun Chaoen immediately summoned several caravan owners and held a secret meeting with them for an hour. Afterward, he began writing letters to acquaintances in various prefectures of Ningxi.

Ningzhou, Shanyang County.

This is the most famous mulberry brocade production area in Ningzhou. There are three major brocade companies in the area, which occupy more than 60% of the mulberry orchards and 80% of the brocade weaving workshops.

At this moment, inside the Mi family mansion, the master had just woken up from his afternoon nap. Full of energy, he strolled to the side courtyard to feed the several tigers kept there.

These tigers were extremely ferocious, and the Mi family always fed them live animals to maintain their wild nature. There were several arenas in the county town where fights between humans and ferocious beasts were frequently held, each one a fight to the death. These tigers were also regulars there.

Just then, a young man entered beaming and exclaimed, "Father, great news!"

A moment later, Master Mi sat in his study, carefully read the letter in front of him, and remained silent in thought.

The young man said anxiously, "Father, we must make a decision soon! This order includes 20,000 bolts of brocade and 100,000 catties of raw silk. The other party said they will need at least this much every year. If we don't accept it, the Yao and Xu families will definitely not let us off the hook. Then we will be outdone by them."

The old man remained silent, his brows furrowed.

At this moment, the steward rushed over and said, "Master, Yuhu Village has suddenly changed its mind and sold the agreed-upon 900 mu of mulberry orchard to the Yao family!"

The master was furious and slammed his hand on the table: "What? What price did the Yao family offer?"

"They offered a full ten percent more than us!"

A cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes as he said, "Those unruly people dared to break their promise to the Mi family for such a paltry sum of money; they deserve to die!"

The young man said, "It must be that the Yao family also received an order, which is why they are expanding so aggressively! Father, we can't hesitate any longer!"

The master asked slowly, "Who are those people on the other side? What do they intend to do with so much silk brocade?"

The young man said anxiously, "Father, why do you care what they're using it for? They're buying it with real money, and they can even exchange it for grain! And they're moving incredibly fast. Didn't you see that the price of grain in the county town has dropped by 30%? That's because the grain carts over there have arrived." The master still said, "Go and find out more. Make sure you find out who these people are and what they're buying so much silk for."

At this moment, inside the Yao family mansion in the East City, the head of the Yao family was hosting a banquet for his guests and personally accompanying them.

The host at the banquet was an elderly man with a serene face, clearly a Dharma Aspect cultivator, and possessing an extraordinary demeanor. The old man held a cat in his arms and said, "I am truly flattered that the patriarch has personally hosted this banquet."

The head of the Yao family was a middle-aged man with the cultivation level of the late-stage Dharma Aspect Realm.

However, although the old man's cultivation was clearly inferior to his own, he constantly gave the Yao family patriarch a chilling sense of danger, as if he were sitting next to a fierce tiger. Therefore, the Yao family patriarch dared not underestimate the other party, especially since the other party had brought a large order.

After a few rounds of drinks, the host, seeing that the atmosphere was just right, asked, "Mr. He, you just mentioned that you'll have the same order next year. Is that true?"

The old man surnamed He chuckled and said, "Let me be frank with you, the orders next year will actually be even bigger! I've also placed orders with several other companies, and the order volume is allocated according to each company's strength. Of course, if a particular company is more sincere, adjustments can be made."

The patriarch's eyes burned with desire, but he still asked, "Then allow me to add one more thing, where did all this silk go? Who could possibly use so much?"

The old man surnamed He smiled slightly and said, "What's so hard to guess? Patriarch, why don't you think about it? In the entire Western Regions, who can provide so much grain?"

The Yao family patriarch was startled and lowered his voice, saying, "Is it really the military governor? Why would the governor need so much silk?"

"My lord is stationed on the western border, and now the entire western gateway is in his hands. As for this silk brocade, you can use as much as you have."

The Yao family patriarch suddenly realized that Wei Yuan wanted to reopen trade with the Wu tribe!

This kind of thing is shameful, but everyone used to do it. The Xu family, in particular, treated human sacrifice as their main commodity. Silk brocade is fine, but it's still far inferior to human sacrifice.

This makes sense; if trade with the Wu tribe were to resume, the combined silk and brocade of the entire seven prefectures wouldn't be enough.

This is a path to great wealth!
The Yao family patriarch immediately made a decision, saying, "If you increase the quantity you need by another 50%, I can make the decision right now to reduce the price of the silk brocade by another 20%!"

The old man was quite satisfied and laughed, "The patriarch is indeed a shrewd and decisive man! Then I will take half of the list from the Mi family and give it to the Yao family!"

When the head of the household heard that the order was from the Mi family, he was overjoyed and kept urging them to drink, and the guests and hosts had a great time.

After the old man left late at night, the Yao family patriarch regained his senses, ordered someone to bring a map, examined it carefully, and then drew a piece of land with a pen, saying, "Replant all 20,000 mu of land in this county with mulberry seedlings!"

The elders nearby were all taken aback and exclaimed that it was unacceptable. What if Wei Yuan didn't want the Shu brocade in the future? Wouldn't all of these be stuck in their hands?

But the patriarch snorted and said, "Even if Wei Yuan no longer wants Shu brocade, as long as he fulfills his promise in the next two years, I dare to add another 100,000 mu of mulberry fields! With this land, we can suppress the Mi family. Hmph, they've been in the top position for eighty years; it's time for a change!"

"But……"

"No buts! You think a Dharma Master who's not even twenty years old will live less than three years?!"

After thinking it over, the clan elders suddenly understood and their furrowed brows relaxed.

In the azure sky, Wei Yuan was still studying the product data of the seven prefectures.

Exchanging grain for brocade was only the first step in his plan. Qingming had the element of Jia wood to generate Xuan, giving it a natural advantage in grain cultivation. Wei Yuan planned to use low-priced grain to flood western Ningzhou, encouraging more people to switch to mulberry cultivation.

If this continues for three to five years, the production of silk brocade in the seven prefectures will inevitably increase significantly, and various brocade weavers will emerge like mushrooms after rain, but this will also squeeze out the number of other weavers.

At this time, Wei Yuan had already sent the information about the loom to the vast land of Wanli, and some mortals were specifically studying how to improve it. Xu Wenwu's information stated that the origins of the outer world began with the loom.

Sending large quantities of Ningjin to the Wu tribe would allow them to exchange for much-needed supplies and Blood Necklaces. Wei Yuan realized that these life-extending evil objects were the key to unlocking access to the upper world. Moreover, with Ningjin as a trade currency, Wei Yuan could also obtain some sacrificial offerings in return.

The biggest advantage is that no matter how much Ningjin is imported to the West, it will not increase the Wu tribe's fighting strength by even a fraction.

With the plan settled, Wei Yuan sent a divine thought to the mortals in the vast land, and several hundred people began to worship the statue of Tianyu.

In half a day, the heavily injured Tianyu appeared before Wei Yuan.

He looked at Wei Yuan with a resentful expression and said, "I remember giving you a token to keep in touch."

Wei Yuan blushed, embarrassed to admit he had forgotten about it, and could only vaguely say, "The signal was bad, and the token didn't respond, so I had no choice but to resort to this. I'm really sorry. But how badly were you injured?"

Tianyu coughed violently again, almost coughing up blood, and sighed, "This injury has been going on for more than half a year. I don't know why, but I was suddenly hit hard and almost died. The attack came out of nowhere, and I still don't know what happened. Fortunately, after resting for so long, I'm mostly healed."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. Calculating the time, he suddenly felt a little guilty.

(End of this chapter)