The next morning, Liu Feng planned to set off.
They brought along some guards, as well as Song Gaoyan, the actual person in charge of the business.
Then he took some silver notes with him.
Then they headed towards Yicheng in Qingzhou.
This trip is a long journey; we'll be traveling for a long time just to get there.
Jia Huating's Jia Jia is said to be from Zhoukou in Qingzhou.
They were heading in the same direction as Liu Feng, but it was unclear whether they would pass through or not the Jia family's territory.
The mountain road was difficult to travel, so the group rode horses at a moderate pace, and it took them four days to reach the outskirts of the first city east of Qingzhou.
"Luzhou City?"
Liu Feng chuckled.
Looking at the defenses of the city walls, he couldn't help but smile.
Because the cities east of Qingzhou are all in the rear, and are easy to defend and difficult to attack, they are not heavily guarded.
Moreover, the four major cities to the east of Qingzhou are not far from each other, and they can exchange goods and services, making them very prosperous.
So Liu Feng could see a large number of caravans coming and going at the city gate.
Moreover, the checks are very simple and almost unnecessary.
When Liu Feng arrived, the city guards, who were lazily sunbathing, didn't even bother to look up, and Liu Feng went straight into the city.
Luzhou City is nestled among mountains, but within a vast mountain range.
In the east of Qingzhou, it is rare to find large areas of flat land to build cities, so cities are built in river valleys against the mountains.
Compared to places like Dasanguan, Luzhou City looks much more open and imposing from a distance.
In addition, due to the special circumstances in the east of Qingzhou, commerce was developed and there were no extra county towns, with large cities like Luzhou as the main ones.
Most of the villages are located in sunny spots in mountain valleys and on hillsides.
These places are self-sufficient in local products, so they have never developed a complete commercial system, and merchants from other places rarely come here.
It looks very prosperous, but in reality, it's just a few cities playing around.
What a pity.
After entering the city and walking down the street, Liu Feng could smell a familiar fragrance from a great distance.
That's right, it's a local specialty: Sichuan peppercorns.
This ingredient is an important spice, abundant in the local mountains, and also cultivated in small quantities for commercial purposes.
When Liu Feng was selling spices in the Northern Barbarians, he selected Sichuan pepper as one of the spices.
This thing is very expensive.
Liu Feng sighed, "When it comes to abundant resources, Qingzhou is the place to be; no other place can compare."
If I could grow wild peppers myself, plus the chili peppers I already have.
Then Liu Feng could create many delicacies that only exist in later, modern times.
If restaurants serving the same dishes are opened on every street in the area, it will definitely be a way to make money.
I never expected that this first way to make money would come so easily.
"Old Song, do you recognize this?"
The aroma wafting from the roadside was coming from a simple little meat stall.
Liu Feng walked over and pointed to the contents of the small bowl on top of the broth, which contained some freshly crushed Sichuan peppercorns.
This stall sells grilled meat, but it's quite different from the modern grilled meat.
Essentially, it's similar to teppanyaki.
They lit a fire under a stone slab and roasted the meat on the slab. In ancient times, this method of roasting meat had a special name: 炙 (zhì).
Even though it's a year of famine, some people are still willing to buy a few slices of grilled meat occasionally to treat themselves.
"This stuff is called 'mountain pepper' in this area, and it has a numbing taste."
"They are all local specialties, and they are relatively expensive spices. Grassland tribes like to sprinkle some on their barbecue."
"It tastes very delicious."
"This thing isn't worth much locally, but it's extremely expensive outside."
"However, I heard that it is also produced in Yanzhou and some mountains in Xirong, but the best quality comes from Qingzhou."
"The wild peppers from Qingzhou have the most authentic flavor."
Song Gaoyan, on the other hand, was a seasoned veteran who had traveled all over the country. She was knowledgeable and could speak eloquently about these products and their effects.
"If we get our hands on this, we might make money."
"Absolutely."
Song Gaoyan answered crisply and concisely.
“Outside, this stuff costs at least ten taels of silver per pound, but locally, it won’t cost more than three taels.”
"However, this thing is not easy to obtain. Its production is limited, and it is basically monopolized by a few large families."
"It won't be easy to start a business selling Sichuan peppercorns."
It's no wonder that they're rarely seen outside, since under a monopoly, other businesses would face difficulties with pricing and transportation if they wanted to do it.
This can be seen from this single product.
In Qingzhou East, many businesses are probably like this.
Once a certain commodity is controlled by a few families, it becomes very difficult for other trading companies to get involved.
Therefore, very few people are willing to engage in these monopolized businesses.
However, Liu Feng is none other than someone else.
Whether the quantity is large or small, Liu Feng can sell it, and he can also process it himself.
As long as he could get his hands on this thing, Liu Feng had countless ways to make money from it.
They wandered around the streets again, and soon after, Liu Feng asked a question.
"Are all four cities east of Qingzhou under the jurisdiction of An Ding?"
"Why don't I see many guards?"
"If the northern barbarians can't get in, are there no bandits or anything to harass us?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com