Chapter 23 Market News At the banquet, Tian Ze was sincere in his heart. Although he expressed his intention to recruit them, he did not mention much in his conversation. He just commented with the two of them on the situation in the world and talked about governing, training troops and strategies to resist the Hu. Jia Xu stood aside and calmly displayed the powerful strength of Tian Ze's subordinates. Cheng Yu and Chen Gong did not hide anything. They knew everything about the world through their conversation and had many profound and unique insights. Tian Ze and Jia Xu nodded secretly after hearing this. The astute Jia Xu quickly figured out the background of these two people. Cheng Yu is similar to himself. He is as ruthless as himself and is also good at military strategy. He can be said to be both civil and military, and he would be suitable for any position. Chen Gong is no less capable than Cheng Yu, and most importantly, he has first-rate governing ability, making him a very good candidate for...the position of county magistrate. Jia Xu wanted to abdicate and let others take over his throne. But when he looked at Tian Ze who was chatting excitedly beside him, he couldn't help but sigh and gave up the idea. He knew Tian Ze's character and would never demote him.
The generals listened to the discussion of these wise men but could not get a word in. They could only eat in silence. Only when discussing the art of training troops did the generals have the opportunity to communicate with each other. After the banquet, Cheng Yu and Chen Gong were more and more shocked by Tian Ze's strength. Not only Jia Xu, but all the generals present are by no means mediocre. After the banquet was over, Tian Ze arranged accommodation for the two of them next to his own room in the county government office. That night, Chen Gong knocked on Cheng Yu's door. "What do you think of County Magistrate Tian?" Chen Gong sat on a chair beside him, staring at the candlelight in front of him in a daze. "He has a gentle personality and is upright. He is a good county magistrate." Cheng Yu poured a cup of tea for Chen Gong. After arriving in Wen County, he realized that tea could be drunk in this way, which was quite refreshing. "He intends to recruit you and me, I'm afraid his ambition is not small." "This boy is kind, but nowadays, kindness makes it difficult to achieve anything." "Not necessarily. Jia Wenhe seems peaceful, but I feel he is hiding very deeply, probably far more than you and I. With his assistance, it shouldn't be a big deal." "Oh, it seems that you are interested in following me?" A strange look flashed in Cheng Yu's eyes. Chen Gong shook his head: "Let's observe for a while." His family background was far inferior to Cheng Yu's. Even if he entered officialdom, he could probably only be a county magistrate in his lifetime. His willingness to come to Wen County this time showed that he had already had the idea in mind, but he had not yet made up his mind. "Yes, this County Magistrate Tian still has a lot of things hidden. If we don't show him to you, how can we be convinced?" Cheng Yu said lightly, looking at the tea leaves floating in the cup. At the banquet yesterday, Tian Ze had already revealed a lot of inside information to them. For example, the county has a population of nearly 10,000, with abundant grain and large amounts of meat in the treasury, many oxen and horses, and nearly a thousand elite soldiers. But Cheng Yu knew that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The strength of this County Mayor Tian is unimaginable. Will he be the one I have been waiting for? Cheng Yu couldn't help but murmur in his heart. Since he was a child, he often dreamed of climbing Mount Tai and holding the sun in his hands, so he had been looking for someone worthy of his assistance. What he wanted to follow was not just a capable official, but a heroic leader who could shine like the sun on earth. Although he is nearly 40 years old now, he believes that he will eventually wait for his chance, so he made this trip to Liaodong. …… The next day, Tian Ze prepared breakfast early in the morning, and there were not so many people coming to eat this time. All the generals had already gone to the training ground to train the soldiers, and only Tian Ze, Jia Xu, Dian Wei and Tian Chou accompanied them. Although the breakfast prepared by Tian Ze did not have many varieties, it was quite exquisite, delicious and nutritious, which once again amazed the two of them. "What are your plans for today?" Tian Ze asked after eating. Having failed to recruit these two wise men yesterday, Tian Ze felt that this matter might be a little difficult. But he was not in a hurry. If he got it, it would be a blessing, and if he lost it, it would be his fate. There were still nearly ten years before the world fell into chaos, and the Yellow Turbans had not yet revolted. There was plenty of time to find and train talents. "Thank you for your hospitality, County Magistrate Tian. We would like to stay in the county for a few days." Chen Gong said. "Oh? Do you need someone to accompany you? I'm always available." Tian Ze's eyes lit up and he said with a smile. His daily life basically cycled between strolling, fishing, and drinking tea. He left all military and political affairs to Jia Xu, and lived a very carefree life. Because he has a clear understanding of himself, Tian Ze knows that as a lord, the most important thing is to select talented and capable people. The rest is to travel more, make friends, win the hearts of the soldiers and the people, and discover problems and shortcomings. "Thank you, County Magistrate. We are just strolling around and will not disturb you." Chen Gong declined. "Okay, then you guys go ahead and get busy. Wenhe, give them two tokens. If they need anything, just tell me anytime. You can also come to Wenhe." Upon hearing this, Tian Ze was not disappointed. He picked up his fishing rod from the side, hummed a song and left. Looking at Tian Ze's elegant back, Chen Gong was stunned: "County Magistrate Tian, have you always been so carefree?" Jia Xu smiled slightly: "The county magistrate is a wonderful person. He spends two hours every day fishing by the backyard pond, and spends the rest of the time wandering around outside. If you have anything to do, just tell me." Then he took out two jade tokens from his sleeves: "This is the county magistrate's token. With this token, you can move around freely in Wen County without any taboos." "Thank you, Wenhe." Watching the two men leave the government office after thanking him, Jia Xu smiled faintly: "Cheng Zhongde and Chen Gongtai are quite interesting. It seems that we don't need to use those means." Walking on the bustling streets and listening to the hawking sounds all around, Chen Gong felt just like the first time he went to Luoyang. As he walked and looked around, Chen Gong counted the shops around him and silently kept track of the numbers in his mind. "Drapery shop, clothing shop, white sugar shop, brown sugar shop, oil shop, butcher shop, hotel, soap shop..." The dazzling array of stores made Chen Gong dizzy. Fortunately, there were only two commercial markets in the county, and Chen Gong quickly estimated the result. There are more than 190 shops, and the clerks estimated that there should be about a thousand people, but the transaction volume is huge. In just half an hour, just from what Chen Gong heard, he estimated that at least 100,000 yuan of business was completed. Although he didn't know how much the profit was, it must be not low.
These merchants from other places almost always come directly to the shops and start trading as soon as they arrive, without wasting any time. "My dear brother, you should be from Dongjun." Hearing the familiar accent among the voices of many merchants trading, Chen Gong quietly avoided the merchants around him and walked forward, speaking in his hometown dialect. The person being asked was a middle-aged man who looked quite wealthy. When he turned around and saw Chen Gong, he realized that he had met a fellow villager. He was quite surprised and asked, "Yes, brother, are you also from Dongjun?" "Of course, you and I are from the same hometown. My name is Chen Gongtai, but I don't know what your name is, brother?" "Bai Ni, hello, brother." The middle-aged man hurriedly bowed upon hearing this. Just by taking a quick look, he realized that the man in front of him had an extraordinary temperament and was definitely not an ordinary businessman. He must be from a wealthy or poor family, so he did not dare to neglect him. "Brother Bai, what is the goods you are trading? Why are you willing to come here from thousands of miles away?" Chen Gong asked, looking at the two large carts of pottery jars behind Bai Ni. "White sugar is a specialty of Wen County. It is only available here in the whole world. It is as white as frost and has a pure sweet taste. Many dignitaries love it very much, and there is no problem selling it." Bai Ni looked around and whispered to Chen Gong slightly closer. If it were any other businessman, he might not say much, but he was facing a scholar. Although in Tian Ze's opinion, white sugar is not much better than brown sugar, it looks good and the rich people of this era like it. Although he had tried the yellow mud sprinkling method he had heard of in his previous life for a long time without success, and he could not make activated carbon, but after continuous experiments, he developed a method of making sugar from charcoal. The effect is very good. The white sugar produced is white in color and sweeter, and is very popular. Today it has become one of the main products of Yuelai Chamber of Commerce and Wen County, and is famous all over the world. "This place is far away from the Central Plains, and it may be inconvenient for transportation. Brother Bai, aren't you worried about losing money?" Chen Gong asked. "No, the price of this sugar is quite high. As long as we can transport it back, we don't have to worry about losing money." Bai Ni treated the jars and cans on the cart as if they were treasures and directed the servants to put them in the right order and tie them up with ropes, for fear that they would be damaged later. The businessmen of this era are able to survive in such a harsh environment, and their insight and discernment are far greater than that of ordinary people. If there weren't enough benefits and certainty, why would they travel thousands of miles to such a bitter and cold place like Liaodong? "There are many Hu people to the west of Wen County. If they are robbed..." Chen Gong asked again. "No, the Wen County government has already considered all of this for us." "There is a road to the west of Wen County that leads directly to the port. It is very flat and only a few miles away. There are always cavalry patrolling around. If we find any traces of the Hu people, we will have enough time to retreat to the port or the county." "Port? Is it possible to transport goods directly to Yuyang by water?" Chen Gong asked. He and Cheng Yu had previously followed the caravan from Yuyang by water, and had also seen the strange sea ships under Tian Ze's command. Shiraki shook his head: "No, it was transported to Liao County." (End of this chapter)