bookcurios Chapter 122 Fortress Private Trading
Chapter 122 Fortress Private Trading
Mr. Zhao did not plan to build the Weizhou Market directly locally. Some things were not suitable for trading in Wei, but Pingshan County became the breeding ground.
The Xiongnu grassland tribes mostly had leather and wool, which they could not use up on the grasslands, so they wanted to trade with the countries in the south where mulberry and hemp were developed.
The Di people had a large number of yaks, and they originally traded them in Liang and Qin, but the profit margin was too small.
The ports on the Daijun side are relatively loose, and iron ore can be traded occasionally. These materials are products they particularly need.
Why was the trade between Qin and the Xiongnu and Di peoples not smooth?
We need to ask Liang State for advice on this.
Liang State and Qin State had an agreement that all material transactions would be conducted in Liang State. This not only ensured safe transactions, but also prevented both sides from harming each other.
Liang State was happy to earn trade taxes on imports and exports.
It was different in Dai County. They allowed people to enter and leave Pingshan County freely just for the purpose of trading.
Now there is another Weizhou, which gives them an additional income option, and the key point is that no tax is required.
Beishuiquan was built into a fortress with a corridor no more than 20 meters wide. Vehicles traveling back and forth had to pay customs duties here.
There are open walls on both sides, and transactions can be carried out in either direction at either end of the fortress.
"One sheep can only be exchanged for ten packets of seasoning. This is too unfair!"
The seasoning is packed in packets weighing one pound. A sheep has at least thirty or forty pounds of meat, and a large sheep would be even heavier. Li Gengbao was unhappy. The merchants of the Great Zhou Dynasty were a bit unsportsmanlike.
South of the Beishuiquan Fortress in Weizhou, Li Laixi is the representative of the Li family in Zhao County, who sells tea, seasonings and a small amount of salt.
Li Laixi is in his thirties. He is one of the first foreign businessmen to enter Weizhou to do business because the Zhao County Li family had the advantage of being able to easily obtain goods after forming an alliance with several other families.
Most merchants in Weizhou are accustomed to doing business in Weizhou City, but Li Laixi not only has his own store in Weizhou, but also rents a house in the border fortress to trade cattle and sheep.
"Li Baiyi, do you know how difficult this seasoning is to make? Just add a spoonful of boiled lamb to it and it tastes heavenly!"
Starting from last year, seasonings suddenly appeared in Da Zhou, and they were divided into beef, mutton, chicken and other seasonings. Even a handful of barley could be cooked to taste very good if it was added with seasonings.
However, Li Gengbao was not satisfied with the price offered by Li Laixi.
"You know what? If you keep going like this, when I return to the tribe, one sheep can only be exchanged for five bags. Even a poor Baiyi master can't afford to eat."
"That's your business. Rich people certainly like that."
"No, no, no! I remember Liang Country also has your seasonings, and the price is not so expensive."
Li Gengbao told what he had seen and heard in Liang and Qin.
"Go check again, they're out of stock now because the prices of two of the ingredients have gone up."
In fact, Li Gengbao also knew that the prices in Qin and Liang were not much cheaper, and it seemed that some ingredients were mixed in, and the taste was not as good as Li Laixi's.
This is also a common problem among unscrupulous merchants in ancient times. Long-distance transportation will result in some losses, so they will fill it with other things.
Li Laixi's neighbors today are the Zhao family from the same county. They buy and sell soy products here, and protein meat is the main selling product.
The Zhao family opened their own workshop in Weizhou, producing bean sprouts, tofu, and dried tofu, and delivered these foods to the officers and soldiers in the fortress every day.
The protein meat is all transported from Luancheng. This stuff is not easy to spoil and can be sold for a month after one shipment.
Tens of thousands of soldiers cannot eat these delicious things every day, but the taste of protein meat and mutton braised together is indeed extraordinary.
"Libai, bring back some protein meat. This stuff is cheap. One pound of wool lamb can be exchanged for one pound of protein meat."
Zhao Mingyi from the Zhao family had also been doing business abroad for many years. He was old and wanted to return to his clan to retire, but the clan leader said he wanted to open up the Weizhou market, so he had to bring his clan members here.
Here in Weizhou, there are sons-in-law of the Li family, and the sons of the Zhao family are respected here. The development of the two families in Weizhou is relatively stable.
"Li Baiyi, I have some wine that you haven't tried before. Would you like to try it?"
Zhao Mingyi was stunned when he heard this. He knew that Zhao County had produced a kind of drinkable wine, which was expensive and only supplied to the military. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to buy it.
He didn't know how this Li Lai Xi came into being, but it was probably related to the Dingzhou Army.
"What kind of fine wine is that? Let me try it." Li Gengbao's voice was so loud that it startled the other merchants around him.
It is still a little chilly in the morning in the north, and everyone has started to put on thick clothes.
Li Lai Xi took out a jar of wine from behind the counter and poured it into a tea bowl.
"Wow, such a strong smell of alcohol, why is this wine so clear?"
The merchants who gathered around started talking before Li Gengbao could say anything.
"This wine is good. I wonder if the price is as pleasant as the wine?"
Li Laixi looked at the Di merchant and smiled, "This wine is actually not expensive. It just uses waste grain. Any grain can be made into wine, especially fruit, which is particularly good for making wine. It's a pity that we don't have the grapes you have here."
In fact, Zhao County already has grapes, but due to soil problems, the sugar content of the grapes is low after they mature, and they also have an inexplicable bitterness.
Li Ziqi did not come to Zhao County again last year, or rather, he did not go to see Zhao Sheng when he came to Zhao County.
After the ordinary mutation in Zhao County, it is hard to say whether it can become good after being transplanted to other places, but it is still possible to make wine.
The white wine that now appears on the tables of the nobles is produced in Zhao County.
However, the wine that Li Laixi brought was obviously not wine.
Zhao Mingyi quickly thought of this wine, which was most likely mixed with alcohol.
Because this happened in Zhaojiazhuang, the taste of the mixture of saxaul wine and alcohol is pretty good.
Seeing that this wine was worth talking about, Li Gengbao secretly made up his mind to bring some back this time, thinking that perhaps they would have a market for it.
A merchant from the Xiongnu heard about this and became eager to make a move. Few Xiongnu people came to the Zhou Dynasty to do business, and he was purchasing on behalf of the Great Khan.
This person is Nalan Eagle of the Nalan family.
Don't be fooled by his rough name, he is actually a very meticulous person. He is an eight-foot strong man with a delicate heart.
Following the aroma of the wine, he handed over a gold ingot, and then picked up the bowl and handed it over as well.
Li Laixi understood exactly what this meant.
So for the sake of gold, he filled Nalan Xiongying's bowl.
After taking a big gulp of wine, Nalan Xiongying's face flushed. After a long breath, he exhaled and shouted, "It's so beautiful, a delicious wine, like the nectar from heaven."
Accompanied by exaggerated expressions, it once again caused a sensation among the others.
“Is it really this delicious?”
"I can smell the aroma from so far away, it must be a good drink."
"Let's go get some drinks too."
Just as everyone was discussing this, they heard Lan Xiongying shout, "No... I'm buying all this wine!"
"Oh my god, is he crazy? He wants to monopolize all this great wine?"
The other businessmen present exclaimed inwardly, and no one did not doubt Nalan Xiongying's decision.