Chapter 762 Track Closed
The incident in which twelve people from Nanyang, Yuzhou, died due to debt collection from a secret gambling house on horse racing was widely reported by the newspapers in Pingzhou.
For a time, public opinion was in an uproar, and the people of the country strongly resisted Xie Zhan, the newly appointed regent, which caused him great losses.
The Empress Dowager was instigated by someone with ulterior motives and jumped out to compete with Xie Zhan for power. For a time, the court of Dali was in chaos.
It was not until Xie Zhan used thundering means to kill the most excited troublemakers that the Dali court became as quiet as a chicken.
Xie Zhan had no choice but to take such tough measures. The situation outside and in Dali was already very serious. Why were they still thinking about internal fighting?
But because of this, countless officials hated Xie Zhan.
However, Xie Zhan's foresight is beyond their reach.
Take Pingzhou at present for example, the troops sent to defeat the Xianbei are unstoppable.
For Lu Songli and others, once the Pingzhou army moved and the war machine started turning, almost the entire Pingzhou started turning with it.
News from the front lines kept coming to the Pingzhou government office, demanding food, medicine, and supplies. Wounded soldiers were constantly being sent back for treatment...
At the same time, countless soldiers died in the war. When the list of dead soldiers was sent back to Pingzhou, Lu Songli looked at the long list in silence.
The only thing she could do was to provide pensions to the families of the soldiers who died in the war, so that the dead could rest in peace and the living could receive protection and security from Pingzhou.
Of course, there are also people who stand out in the war...
While Pingzhou and Xianbei were fighting in full swing, the Han people temporarily avoided suffering from the war because the armies of Dali and Pingzhou were in a state of confrontation.
But they suffered from another kind of suffering.
October is only the beginning of winter in previous years, but the weather in the entire Central Plains is almost the same as in November of previous years.
It has been predicted before that this year will be a year of heavy snow and the weather will be unusually cold.
Now in October, the weather is showing signs.
Ordinary people work with the fields year-round, and farming, besides hard work, depends heavily on whether or not God provides them with food. Therefore, they feel the weather changes most clearly.
"It's over. It's only late autumn and the weather is already unusually cold. How are we going to get through this winter?"
"While the price of charcoal hasn't gone up yet, those who have money should buy more charcoal, otherwise people will really freeze to death."
"It's only the people of Dali and Pingzhou who are suffering. The government has subsidized every household to have a kang. With a kang, and if we save some firewood, we can always get through the winter."
“The price of charcoal has gone up.”
“How high has it gone?”
"It has already risen to five or six coins per jin, and it looks like it will continue to rise."
Upon hearing this, everyone wailed. Life is so difficult for ordinary people.
"How about we go to Pingzhou? We can't just stay in Dali and wait for death. Winter is long and hard. The Pingzhou government is kind and will not ignore us."
"I'll go with you."
"Let's go together!"
As they were talking, some people left in groups of three or five.
Their thinking was simple: they had to hurry while there weren't many people going. Otherwise, by the time those who were hesitant had thought it through, more people would be there.
Similar scenes often occur in various places in Dali.
Chang'an, Regent's Palace
Fan Yang said, "Master, do we need to act so hastily? Otherwise, we should wait and see what Pingzhou has to offer before we act."
Although all the news pointed to Pingzhou not having prepared a large amount of charcoal for the winter, Fan Yang did not dare to underestimate Lü Songli after so many battles with her.
But Fan Yang couldn't figure it out. What methods would the other party use to help the people under his rule survive this cold winter?
What is certain is that the other party is very likely to have prepared a backup plan.
Therefore, Fan Yang felt that they could just wait for Pingzhou to make a move and then respond accordingly.
If Pingzhou also sells affordable charcoal to Pingzhou for heating, it will be easier for them to come up with a plan. Their charcoal is always cheaper than Pingzhou's.
With the comparison, I believe that the people will definitely lean towards Dali.
Xie Zhan shook his head. They, Dali, had no advantage now. If they kept waiting, more civilians would only flee to Pingzhou.
"Immediately notify local governments to sell limited quantities of affordable charcoal to the people."
Xie Zhan thought, whether he could turn the tables depends on this time.
In the Royal Merchants Group, Liao Xuewang was giving orders to Xie Zhan.
The large quantities of charcoal they prepared were priced, but the price was surprisingly low.
Qiao Xitong frowned and said, "Mr. Liao, do we really want to sell our charcoal at that price?" It's too cheap!
This is the time to make a fortune.
Liao Xuewang nodded, "Yes, this is what the Regent ordered."
They all understood that the Regent wanted to use this move to win over the people and wash away his black and stinky reputation.
They understand all this. It would be fine if Pingzhou were competing with them. However, Pingzhou doesn't have as much charcoal as we do to survive the winter. So, while they're helping the people, can't they also make some money?
Nowadays, ordinary charcoal on the market is sold for seven or eight cents per catty, and this price is expected to rise. Their charcoal is of good quality, so selling it for six or seven cents is not too much, right?
They thought so in their hearts, but due to the majesty and means of Regent Xie Zhan, they could only accept it.
The people of Chang'an were the first to hear the news.
"Hurry, the government is selling affordable charcoal to the people."
"Affordable charcoal? How much is it?"
"Five cents a pound."
"Five cents? Compared to the charcoal that's on the market these days, which costs eight or nine cents a pound, this price isn't expensive. How's the quality?"
"very good."
While the people of Dali were queuing up to buy affordable charcoal, they learned a piece of news intentionally or unintentionally.
According to reports, the supplier of the charcoal this time was the Royal Merchants Group, and the owners of the group all felt that the price was too low. It was only because of the Regent's insistence that everyone was able to buy such good charcoal at such a low price.
This action did improve Xie Zhan's reputation a lot.
Officials at the Pingzhou government office also received news that Dali was selling a fixed amount of affordable charcoal to the people under its jurisdiction to help them survive the winter.
At this time, Lu Songli was discussing with them the sale of honeycomb coal in Pingzhou.
Pingzhou officials fully supported the governor's plan to sell honeycomb briquettes throughout all prefectures and counties. They had tried the honeycomb briquettes and found them very useful, much better than charcoal.
The areas under the jurisdiction of Pingzhou are all located in the north, and are currently experiencing a snowstorm that is rare in ten years. Although every household has a kang, the consumption of firewood is very high, and there is an urgent need for honeycomb coal as a tool for heating.
Since the sale of honeycomb coal throughout the country has been approved unanimously, the next thing to be discussed is naturally the selling price.
When Lu Songli revealed the pricing of honeycomb coal, all her subordinates including her father were stunned. How could such good honeycomb coal be sold so cheaply?
Ji Ran was the first to step out and speak, "Governor, would it be better to revise this price?"
He was screaming in his heart, has the governor forgotten that she has borrowed a lot of money on behalf of Pingzhou!
Without further ado, it's fine if the price of honeycomb coal is the same as the price of charcoal in Dali. It's equivalent to selling it for an extra 1 or 2 coins, which would make a lot of money. It would at least ease the financial pressure on Pingzhou.
Lu Songli didn't say anything. How big the market for honeycomb coal or coal is, how could she not know?
She priced the price at two cents a piece, and this move killed all potential competitors before they even emerged.
As the saying goes, laymen watch the excitement, while experts watch the details.
After Ji Ran's speech, other civil servants also started talking about it. It was all because their governor set the selling price of a piece of honeycomb coal at two cents, which was unexpectedly low.
Zhang Zhongxian praised Lu Songli for giving benefits to the people and loving them like his own children.
Wu Ren, Ji Wuyin, Gu Huaisheng and others who are well versed in commercial economics were all pondering the governor's intention.
After a long time, they realized that their governor did not want wealthy families or big businessmen to get involved in coal.
Subsequently, Pingzhou began to sell honeycomb coal in limited quantities to the people of Pingzhou.
Want to buy honeycomb briquettes for the winter but don't have the money? As long as you're a Pingzhou resident, you can buy them on credit and pay them back next year, or even get work-for-work.
The news soon reached Dali. When Xie Zhan received the news, he immediately saw the intention of Lu Songli's move and stood up suddenly.
He looked towards the northeast and sighed in his heart, Lu Songli, you are so ambitious.
Fan Yang and other subordinates were confused, "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Xie Zhan shook his head and lowered it to hide his inner excitement.
All of Lu Songli's strategies and actions are truly jaw-dropping and amazing.
This honeycomb coal is a new thing. A piece of honeycomb coal can provide twice the heating effect of charcoal of the same quality, so its price can be higher.
With a population base of 16 to 17 million Han people, if the price is eight cents, is it expensive?
Not to mention eight cents, even if it was priced at ten cents it wouldn't be expensive.
But Pingzhou did not sell it for ten cents, nor for eight cents. It could have been sold for six cents, but it didn’t; it could have been sold for four cents, but it didn’t; it was finally priced at two cents a piece!
What is Lu Songli doing? She is competing with Dali for the hearts of the people, and she is also trying to kill potential rivals.
While Xie Zhan remained silent, other ministers were discussing the matter.
"A good thing like honeycomb coal is only sold for two cents? Is Lu Songli crazy?"
"Yes, two cents, is there any profit to be made?"
"Regardless of whether she makes money or not, her methods of winning over the people are sophisticated."
"What is Lv Songli trying to do by driving the price of honeycomb briquettes to the lowest point in one fell swoop? This behavior is completely inconsistent with her expertise in commercial economics."
Only then did Xie Zhan quietly refute them, "No, doing this is precisely her brilliance."
If Lu Songli, who was far away in Pingzhou, heard Xie Zhan's evaluation, he would also sigh and say that your opponent is the one who knows you best.
Lu Songli is well versed in the ways of the market. When someone develops a new product, there's a lot of room for price, so they'll definitely sell it at a high price, generating huge profits. After all, they're the sole proprietor of the product.
He can keep enjoying the monopoly until someone develops the same product, and then he can lower the price.
If someone else enters this field, customers will have more choices and he will lower the price further.
It is human nature to play like this.
But doing so will turn a good opportunity into garbage and a good product into mediocre.
She could have sold it for eight or ten cents, but she didn't, and finally sold it for two cents. What was she doing? She was closing the track.
She was telling all potential profit-seekers, such as those wealthy families and large merchants, that I had discovered this: honeycomb briquettes had already been stripped of their profits, squeezed to the bone. You wouldn't make any money if you came in, and you'd be dead, so get out! Don't come back!
It's similar to what happened later when Lei Jun developed the Chinese smartphone. The first Xiaomi phone could have sold for 5,000 yuan, which was a lot compared to Apple and Samsung smartphones at the time, and Chinese people were willing to buy it. But Lei Jun ultimately sold it for only 1,299 yuan. Lei Jun used a closed-off cost strategy to eliminate any potential competitors.
Xie Zhan was the one who could best see the deep meaning of Lu Songli's move.
At this time, the aristocratic families also analyzed the intention of Lu Songli's move.
Pei Ruowang shook his head and sighed, their family had no chance.
They originally thought that Pingzhou was now fighting against the Xianbei, and after defeating the Xianbei, they would move on to fight against Dali. After such a long war and consumption, there would always be a time when they were unable to cope, and they would still have a chance at that time.
But Lu Songli's move will obviously accelerate the unification of the Han people.
For the common people of Dali, this is a life-saving grace.
While the ministers of Dali were still arguing, Xie Zhan had already seen his fate, the fate of Dali.
In this round, Dali was completely defeated by Pingzhou!
Dali lost and the situation was hopeless.
He also lost to Lu Songli.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
