Chapter 218 Mao Jie's Visit
If someone else said this, it might be called coercion.
But when these words came out of Qiao Yan's mouth, the statement that "who else but me" could not really be considered an exaggerated lie.
While the states and counties were still engaged in internal governance and rectification, Bingzhou had already developed the people's livelihood and farming issues in full swing.
So much so that when rumors of a sudden collapse were rife, few people paid attention to these fundamental changes.
However, in fact, this is the fundamental factor that determines the differences in development among different regions.
Mi Zhu can see this.
He has been traveling around the country for many years and sees things more clearly than anyone else.
Or perhaps, since Mi Zhu first came to Bingzhou in the fourth year of Zhongping, the various scenes he saw had already prompted him to make this decision.
Real big businessmen don't really need to do anything to please everyone, because the targets they choose are the ones that can make them the most profit.
This is not just because the prince in front of him is asking for a positive answer.
Mi Zhu bowed to Qiao Yan and said, "Since you dare to ask this question, I dare to answer it. The Mi family of Donghai is willing to work hard for you."
He was talking about Mi family instead of Mi Zhu, and he represented more than just his own position.
But the certainty in his words leaves no doubt that he has the capital to make this decision.
As they followed Qiao Yan out of the storeroom, Mi Zhu said, "Your Excellency shouldn't have said this. When the gift was given, the Mi family had already considered this decision. If the emperor is chosen, your Excellency, as the one who supported him, will surely be promoted. At that time, the Mi family could have regarded this as a gift of loyalty. But now we have to think of a new one."
Mi Zhu met Qiao Yan's gaze with a helpless expression.
Giving gifts is difficult.
Although he was good at giving gifts, after the workers who polished horseshoes, made chain mail, and made sailing vehicles had all been given away as gifts, and Bingzhou was now able to trade along the Silk Road and could offer Dayuan's BMWs and cotton cloth, Mi Zhu really couldn't think of any suitable gifts for a moment.
Qiao Yan replied: "But I have always believed in one principle: you have to actively strive for everything."
Seven years ago, the title of Marquis of Leping required careful planning, and the same is true for expanding power and winning over subordinates today.
With the surrender of the Mi clan from the East China Sea, the cooperation is no longer limited to her. Her two trade routes, the open and the hidden, can be fully developed.
Unfortunately, as long as the Mi family did not come to her territory, or in other words, it was not suitable for them to move from Xuzhou to Bingzhou at this time, Qiao Yan would not give them full trust.
Especially the secret line of the intelligence network was not something Mi Zhu should know at this time.
She simply transferred Bao Hong, who was originally a bodyguard, to become Mi Zhu's subordinate with a handwritten imperial decree, and let him follow his orders.
But speaking of subordinates...while Qiao Yan was writing this imperial edict, she asked about Lu Su's situation.
Mi Zhu replied, "Lu Zijing is only 20 years old. If you hadn't asked me to recommend him to Tao Gongzu, I'm afraid he wouldn't have noticed such a local tyrant. This man is indeed a man of real talent. After talking with him, Tao Gongzu tried him out and now appointed him as the chief clerk."
Mi Zhu had several contacts with Lu Su after he took office, and he felt that the other party's style and talent were truly top-notch among talents.
Therefore, he did not quite understand why Qiao Yan did not keep this man in his hands, but recommended him to Tao Qian who was far away in Xuzhou.
After all, many of Qiao Yan's subordinates are not native to Bingzhou.
But he only saw Qiao Yan smiled after hearing the appointment of the chief clerk, and jokingly said, "The chief clerks are not very old," and then signaled Mi Zhu to continue talking about Lu Su's arrangements in Xuzhou.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with this recommendation.
With Tao Qian's appointment, Lu Su will not have the possibility of contacting Sun Ce in the short term.
Compared to Sun Ce, Tao Qian is naturally less threatening.
As Lu Su serves under Tao Qian for a longer time, both he and the powerful clan he belongs to will be further bound to Tao Qian.
All she needs to do is know herself and her enemy.
This kind of bondage is just like the situation between the powerful Li family in Yanzhou and Cao Cao.
As Cao Cao obtained the title of Governor of Yanzhou, the Li family, who had originally been only in a wait-and-see state of cooperation, along with the thousands of retainers they had gathered in Chengshi, all joined Cao Cao's army.
Li Gan, who led this group of people, also had a capable nephew named Li Dian.
This is the same as Lu Su's situation, and it is also a force that Qiao Yan can never undermine.
But she has the confidence to defeat them, and she doesn't care about the flow of these talents.
Just like when she received the news that Cao Cao had sent someone to visit her, she was not too surprised. The visiting envoy was not Chen Gong, the great hero who went to Yecheng to ask for the title of governor on behalf of Cao Cao, but Mao Jie, who was also from Yanzhou.
He has also surrendered to Cao Cao,
And what she had said to Cao Pi before was not wrong.
When Princess Yang'an visited Yecheng and stayed for a while under the pretext of visiting her son, the existence of cotton and cotton cloth quickly spread due to the princess's publicity.
Cao Cao has always attached great importance to people's livelihood and agricultural affairs, and he is also foresighted. Because cotton clothes can keep out the cold, he immediately sent Mao Jie out.
The person he sent was not Cao Ang, whom Qiao Yan had met several times, but Mao Jie, who was a stranger to her and quite interesting.
The initiative in trading something like cotton could only be in Qiao Yan's hands. Personal connections were obviously of little use; at most they could only determine whether the transaction could be made.
So instead of asking Cao Ang to reminisce about the past, it would be better to be frank and directly characterize this transaction as a trade between the two states.
Mao Jie currently holds a position similar to Qin Yu's under Cao Cao because of the suggestion of "cultivating crops and storing military supplies" he put forward when he defected to the country.
It's appropriate for him to negotiate transactions like cotton.
What Qiao Yan didn't expect was that she saw a familiar face among Mao Jie's entourage.
Tian Yan of the Puyang Tian family.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the past, Qiao Yan persuaded the local powerful Tian family to work for her and help her defeat the Yellow Turbans.
Because Tian Yan risked his life to go to Changsha to report the news, he was rewarded with the title of Marquis of Ting.
Even though there was a difference of four ranks of marquis between him and Qiao Yan, for most people, Tinghou was already an extremely rare reward.
People with such a start can have an especially smooth journey in the early stages of their official career.
But Tian Yan was obviously not among them.
Back then, his father offered sixty pieces of silk to redeem Qiao Yan's death in the hope that she would not involve them in such dangerous incidents again. Tian Yan did not notice the subtleties of the conversation at all, which shows that he is not a person with political emotional intelligence.
But being open-minded has its advantages.
With Qiao Yan's achievements today, even if she is not in Yanzhou, it is enough to make the head of the Tian family who chose to give up maintaining contact that year frustrated to the point of beating his chest and stamping his feet. However, Tian Yan was completely unaware of this.
Even when Qiao Yan looked at him, he smiled as if he was meeting an old friend again.
It's kind of ignorant and unconscious in a sense.
Qiao Yan sighed in his heart and then turned to Mao Jie.
"The reason why Mao Chenggong came here was already stated in the visiting card sent in advance by Cao Yanzhou. But I ordered Dezu to inform Yuan Benchu of the news, and I think Meng De has also received it. I don't think there is any need to discuss this deal."
Mao Jie did not show any surprise at her refusal, but replied calmly: "May I ask you a question, Your Excellency? Please give me some advice."
Seeing Qiao Yan raised his hand to indicate, Mao Jie continued to ask: "Does this cotton really grow on trees like kapok?"
Yuan Shao and his advisers were led into a ditch because of the misunderstanding first caused by Xu You and Chen Lin, and then misled by Yang Xiu, and really thought that cotton and kapok were the same thing.
But Mao Jie and Zao Zhi under Cao Cao did some calculations after receiving the news.
If we want to supply the soldiers in Bingzhou and Liangzhou, we have to rely on it to grow on trees... I'm afraid it will have to grow all over the mountain.
With this number, it would be impossible for Qiao Yan to hide the place where these plants were planted from outsiders.
Even if she had started planting tree species after she first arrived in Leping and gradually expanded the cultivation area, she would not be able to do this.
The only explanation is that this is a gate that grows in the fields like millet and wheat, and can ensure the safety of the fields by guarding them.
It doesn't matter where the species comes from. Being able to plant them in the fields means that Men Qiaoyan can expand the range of planting to an unknown extent within a year.
Then there is the possibility of foreign trade.
Mao Jie then asked, "I am here to discuss this deal sincerely on the orders of Cao Yanzhou. I will never mention this question to other states and counties after I leave this place. I just want to ask you, what is the price for cotton seeds? If I just want to trade cotton clothes, what is the price?"
Qiao Yan took the tea beside him and took a sip. "You are very smart."
This is the default for the previous sentence.
She then added, "Unfortunately, there is no need to talk about the former. Cao Yanzhou has just expanded its power from Dongjun to the entire Yanzhou. Does it really have the spare energy to develop new crops? I will not hide it from you. There are dozens of diseases and pests in the cotton planting process. I am just afraid that you don't have the energy to do so."
Mao Jie's eyes did not move away from Qiao Yan's face.
Her calm expression made it difficult to judge the truth in her words, but strangely, Mao Jie had a hunch that what she said might indeed be true.
It was just as she said. The current priority of Yanzhou was to allow the counties that had surrendered to Cao Cao to further expand the scope of military settlements as soon as possible under the coordination of him, the Bookkeeper, and Zao Zhi, the Captain of Military Farms.
In order to realize the standardization of field cultivation as soon as possible, we should take the path of simplifying things instead of causing trouble for ourselves.
He heard Qiao Yan continue: "As for the latter... I have a suggestion. I wonder if Mao Congshi can make this decision for Cao Yanzhou."
"If the linen cloth for making cotton-padded clothes is sent by you from Yanzhou, we can return it at the price of one cotton-padded clothes for one stone of rice."
"But if we produce the finished product directly, it would be one cotton coat for every ten shi of rice."
This is not a number that Qiao Yan came up with casually.
The per-acre yield of cotton at this time of year is far from comparable to that of later generations. In order to ensure the smooth growth of the experimental products in the first year, the distance between the cotton seedlings was slightly increased during the transplanting process, resulting in a yield of about 200 kilograms per acre.
The jin here is the modern jin.
The remaining weight after removing the cotton seeds could be used to make about two to three hundred cotton-padded jackets according to the specifications that Qiao Yan had people fill them with.
According to Bingzhou's farming methods, the average yield of millet and wheat in Shangjun is about eight shi per mu.
In other words, she exchanged a field that could produce eight stone of rice for enough cotton to make two hundred cotton-padded jackets.
But the cost of cotton cannot be calculated in this way.
Compared with the intensive cultivation of cotton, the cultivation of crops such as wheat and millet is relatively rough, which increases the consumption of labor.
The deseeding and pounding of cotton after harvesting also consumes a lot of labor.
In addition, there is another big thing, which is the fabric used to make cotton-padded clothes.
Even if it is made of linen, the price is not low.
Based on the cost of a cloth garment of more than one hundred coins, a double-layer garment would cost nearly four hundred coins.
This is the price of nearly eight stone of rice at the current grain price in Bingzhou!
We also have to take into account the cost of labor and silk thread. So, ten stone of rice for a cotton coat is already an extremely generous price.
But one acre of land can bring in a net income of more than 300 dan of grain, which is a very profitable business compared to the original less than 10 dan!
But when talking about this business, the Bingzhou governor held the teacup without any emotion, as if it was a casual conversation after dinner. Even though Mao Jie was experienced, he could not imagine the huge profits involved.
He also had no idea that shortly before he came to Bingzhou, Qiao Yan had taken over the Mi family, which was the richest family in the East China Sea. This undoubtedly boosted her confidence when discussing this deal.
He mentally calculated the manpower needed to produce the linen and the extra expenses for transportation, and replied to Qiao Yan, "Let's choose the latter. I will return to Yanzhou and discuss with the Lord of the Prefecture within half a month, and then I will deliver the grain for the transaction. I wonder if Lord Qiao can spare an extra 3,000 cotton-padded clothes?"
Winter is coming.
They must prepare quickly.
Fortunately, although the price offered by Qiao Yan was equivalent to a thousand coins in Yanzhou, it was still worth the money compared to the cold-proof effect of the cotton-padded jacket that Mao Jie had seen.
If it is used to ensure that all soldiers survive the winter, it will definitely play a significant role.
Unfortunately, Yanzhou is not as generous as Bingzhou. At present, it can only send 30,000 dan of grain as a transaction.
When Mao Jie was escorted out of the meeting place by Qiao Yan's men, he couldn't help but sigh.
How much wealth has the Bingzhou Mu, who could spare 3,000 cotton-padded clothes without a frown, accumulated now?
It seemed as if the battle in Liangzhou did not cause any harm to her at all.
But there was no point in thinking too much. He had to return to Yanzhou as soon as possible and report the situation there to Cao Cao.
Compared to Mao Jie, who easily negotiated the deal and felt that they were not at a loss, the other person was in a much worse situation at this time.
Tian Feng used his fake identity to join Bingzhou's household registration, and got a job starting from the bottom in a farm tool manufacturing place.
In order to make himself look less like a scholar, he even observed several farmers and tried hard to imitate them.
This painstaking disguise caused him to miss the news that Yang Xiu and Princess Yang'an were heading for Yecheng, and he also missed the attempt by Yuan Shao's men to sneak into Bingzhou to try to find out his whereabouts.
Fortunately, hard work pays off. He has now settled down in this production office. After working for a month and getting a permanent position, he will be able to get in touch with more secrets related to Bingzhou's farming!
That is... there was a man who shared the same bunk bed with him, and he was really persistent in using his poor brain to learn arithmetic.
But since Tian Feng came here, he has never seen him calculate any complex number correctly!
He asked for help from those who lived here one by one, but most of those who chose this job did not have the skills.
Tian Feng was annoyed by his noise and just calculated the answers for him.
He thought this was the beginning of a good night's sleep, but who knew that on the next day he was taken to the core area of this "factory".
The idiot patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's really worth it that I got in among this group of newcomers. I actually found someone with talent!"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you before. My name is Zhang Niujiao, and I'm the manager here. What's your name?"
"Your Excellency is right. Talents must be discovered by oneself."
Zhang Niujiao was extremely satisfied with his discovery and promised Tian Feng, "Listen to me, follow me and work hard. If you can achieve some results, I will recommend you to the Lord!"
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