On the fifth day of the tenth month of the seventeenth year of Dashun's rule, it was in the northeast of Kunming City, at Tu'er Pass.

Tu'erguan is the key point entering Kunming City, the southern capital of Dashun, from the northeast. It is also a prosperous commercial town in Kunming Prefecture.

Different from the situation in Shaanxi where tensions are high all year round, the Ming and Shun armies on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau do not really fight at all, but fight for up to three months a year, and spend the rest of the time doing business - copper coins from Yunnan, jade from Myanmar

The ironware from Huguang and the silk and cotton from the southeast all come and go through the trade routes between Yunnan and Guizhou. The war between the two sides has been going on for more than ten years, and not many heroes have been defeated, but a large number of rich people have been defeated... And

Tuerguan has also been transformed from a military stronghold into a commercial town.

And as Li Jicheng returned from India, this important trading town became even more prosperous.

Li Dingguo, who was dressed in a simple blue robe and tied with a white cloth around his waist (to bear filial piety for Li Guo), took the official road from the north and entered Tuerguan Town in the north of Tuerguan at dusk.

There are white flags hanging everywhere in the town, and the pedestrians coming and going are all wearing plain clothes. All the men in blue, like Li Dingguo and his entourage, wear white cloth around their waists in honor of the recently deceased Emperor Taizong of Dashun, Li Dingguo.

Be filial.

Now is the national mourning period of the Dashun Dynasty. The whole family of soldiers and households in the government are mourning, and ordinary people are prohibited from wearing bright clothes. All entertainment activities must also be prohibited, and drinking in public is not allowed. However, big fish and meat are still allowed.

....

When Li Dingguo, who was tired of the journey, rode into Tuerguan Town, he smelled the aroma of braised pork in cured sauce wafting from a restaurant on the roadside.

Li Dingguo, who had been traveling for many days, had not had a good meal or drink for some days. When he smelled the fragrance, the gluttons in his stomach were aroused. He immediately reined in the horse and turned around to his son Li Runxing: "

Children, let’s have some food here.”

"Win! Ada, I've been hungry for a long time. Let's eat something here before entering the customs." As he spoke, Li Runxing got off the horse, then threw the reins to the follower and strode towards a hanging room.

A restaurant with the sign "Northern Shaanxi Old Restaurant".

"My child," Li Dingguo looked at his son's arrogance and quickly ordered, "Don't disturb the people."

He didn't want everyone in Tu'erguan Town to know that King Jin had arrived - how big of a noise would this be? Why was it necessary?

"I know, kid." Li Runxing responded, walked into the restaurant, and soon came out with a waiter.

The clerk was from Sichuan. When he saw Li Dingguo riding on the horse, he knew he was a high official, so he quickly knelt down and kowtow - merchants in Dashun are humble and have strict rules. Businessmen must salute when they see ordinary soldiers, but they must salute when they see an official.

Kowtowed.

After kowtowing, the waiter said to Li Dingguo: "My lord, please forgive me. The shop is very busy today and there are no vacancies. There is only one private room left to entertain guests. However, the private room is small and cannot accommodate so many people..."

..”

"Then let them eat some outside," Li Dingguo had already dismounted and ordered, "get more good meat and vegetables, don't worry about spending money."

The boy bowed to Li Dingguo again and said with a wry smile: "The official is generous, but I still have to tell him that the price of good pigs and sheep here in Kunming has increased greatly recently. Even the price of rice and noodles is more expensive than before. Xiao

The store is a small operation, so we have to follow the market..."

"Stop talking nonsense, will Ada shortchange your money?" Li Runxing was a little annoyed and interrupted the guy.

"Let him tell," Li Dingguo frowned and asked, "How much has the price of rice and noodles increased? How much does braised pork cost per catty? How much does mutton cost per catty?"

"Returning to the official, today the price of rice in Kunming Prefecture has increased to 30 Wen per catty, the braised pork in cured sauce is sold at 700 Wen per catty, and the cooked mutton is sold at 800 Wen per catty..."

"So expensive?" Li Dingguo suddenly changed his expression.

At present, the currency and silver exchange rate in Dashun remains at 1,000 wen for 1 tael. 30 wen is 3 cents of silver, one stone is 60 catties, and requires 1, 28 taels of silver... This price is in Yingtianfu, Shanghai

There’s nothing wrong with Kunming Mansion, but this is Kunming Mansion!

As for pork and mutton, they are even more expensive. The price of cooked pork and mutton is 700 to 800 yuan per catty...a lot less!

Seeing his father's gloomy face, Li Runxing thought to himself: Isn't Ada too stingy? He just took 80,000 taels of silver, now he can't bear to spend it?

At this moment, Li Dingguo spoke again, "I know, you can have the mutton in the water basin and the roujiamo...it's not worth your money."

"Thank you, thank you...you, the young master, and other gentlemen please come in!"

The clerk was naturally smiling from ear to ear, and he diligently invited Li Dingguo, Li Runxing, and several of the guards, staff, and accountants who were closely following Li Dingguo into the store.

The business in the store was surprisingly good, and it did not become cold due to the price increase. The people sitting inside eating and drinking were all soldiers in blue clothes... Li Dingguo found that the blue clothes of these people were not made of coarse cloth.

But they are made of silk! And they are not very old, and I don’t know where they come from?

After entering the private room, Li Dingguo stopped the waiter and asked: "Are the people eating downstairs all soldiers from the government? Where do they come from?"

"Of course those are government soldiers, otherwise they wouldn't be able to wear blue!" the guy said, "They are all from Tu'erguan Camp."

"Tuerguan camp?" Li Dingguo thought for a while, "Isn't that an empty camp?"

"It's not empty anymore," the waiter laughed. "A month ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's Long March soldiers came from the south and stationed themselves at Tu'erguan Camp. Those Long March soldiers came from Tianzhu, and they all had them in their pockets.

A few of them will go back to the camp to play, eat and drink during their vacation."

He didn't tell the whole story. Of course, Li Jicheng's uncles and soldiers didn't go out to the camp just for stuttering. There are several brothels in Tu'erguan Town...

Li Dingguo asked again: "Does the increase in the price of rice, flour, pigs and sheep in Kunming Prefecture have something to do with these Long March soldiers coming from the south?"

"This..." The guy was startled by the question, "Don't you dare say such nonsense!"

Li Dingguo waved his hand to stop the man from talking any more, then ordered Roujiamo and Shuipen Mutton and sent him off.

Li Laiheng and Li Jicheng from Wuhua Mountain have known about the sharp rise in prices in Kunming Prefecture for a long time. As for the reasons for the rise in prices, Kunming Prefecture Niu Quan is reporting to Li Laiheng and Li Jicheng, their father and son.

"The recent rise in prices in the capital is caused by too much gold and silver coming from the south. I have arranged for government officials and merchants to purchase goods in Guizhou and Sichuan. After a while, they should be able to calm down. Please don't worry, Your Majesty and Your Highness."

.”

"How are prices elsewhere?" Li Laiheng asked again, "They won't all rise as much as here in Kunming, right?"

"The increase is just a little bit higher," Niu Quan said. "It can't be compared with Kunming. Kunming has prosperous commerce and the benefits of making money. Industry and merchants gather together, so prices will naturally be a bit more expensive. Elsewhere, commerce is suppressed and agriculture is emphasized.

We are all people who farm and feed themselves, so what does it matter whether the price of food is high or low?"

Li Laiheng nodded slightly, "That's right."

In fact, what Niu Quan said is not quite right. The impact of inflation on self-sufficient farmers is not small, because farmers in Dashun have to bear heavy corvee labor, mainly transporting military grain and materials to the front line, or building cities in dangerous places.

.For this reason, they need to leave their hometown and serve in far away places, and sometimes they will be transferred between different service locations. After they arrive at the service location, there will naturally be supplies, but they have to solve it themselves on the way. So

They had to bring a little copper money to buy some food.

In addition, farmers also have big things that cost money, such as weddings, funerals, and medicine when sick. Sometimes they also have to buy farm tools, animals, etc. There are still many places to spend money.

Their source of money comes from official merchants and the purchase of surplus grain and cloth. The so-called "hebuy" means compulsory purchase at the official price... Of course, Dashun suppresses business, so there will be no private merchants going to the countryside to purchase.

Rice, grain, cloth, pigs and sheep. Those who can do this business are officials and merchants appointed by the government.
Chapter completed!