Taking advantage of this famine year, the Confucius Mansion and the King of Lu were annexing farmland wantonly. In this famine year, the price of an acre of land plummeted several times or ten times, which was really a huge bargain.

As for the family in the dark, it was the Wenxiang Sect. Natural disasters and man-made disasters left the people helpless. They needed faith to numb themselves. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Wenxiang Sect expanded aggressively, occupying parts of Dongchang Prefecture and Jinan Prefecture.

The Mu family and the so-called leader Xu Hongru's line are all expanding their followers. Similarly, under such chaos, the Wenxiang Sect will not let go of those cheap properties. They are also taking this opportunity to enrich themselves.

Counting this year, Shandong has had three consecutive years of major disasters. Many people have gone from powerful to wealthy, from rich to poor, and then went bankrupt. They have not survived this wave of disasters. There are also those who returned to their hometowns in the autumn and winter of last year.

Refugees, they did not expect the good times they expected.

After seeing such a scene, everyone has already experienced it. They know that staying in their hometown is waiting for death, so it is better to leave before the disaster is revealed.

Walking aimlessly is not an option. The best way is to go to the canal first, and then go south along the canal. Going to the north is also not an option. The situation in Beizhili is not good either, and the officers and soldiers there are killing too many people.

Damn it, it's a dead end. The only good place to go is to the south. It's said that the weather there is good and there is a special charity house to take care of you. There is still a way to survive there.

There are also terrible legends that there is a big insect blocking the road between Xuzhou and Huai'an Prefecture, and this big bug has killed tens of thousands of people in its hands. However, there is also a saying that this big bug is actually a kind person, and the refugees who can get through will be resettled.

Whether the legend is true or false, not many people hear it, and those who hear it may not believe it, but everyone is sure of one thing. If you go to the south or the west, there is only a dead end if you stay.

It is really lively along the canal. Linqing Prefecture, Dongchang Fucheng Liaocheng, Jining Prefecture, these large hub towns, even have a large number of refugees gathered along the canal. Some are silently walking south along the river, and some are begging on the boat.

Give me a way to survive and some food.

On the shore, it was slipping from the human world to hell step by step. On the boat, I didn't feel much at all. Instead, I looked at the scene quite leisurely and contentedly.

"They say there is a severe drought in Shandong, but why is there so much water in the canal under our feet?" someone asked in confusion.

"Young master, you don't know that in order to ensure that there is enough water in the canal, the imperial court has officials in charge of springs in Shandong. All springs and streams along the canal are not allowed to be used to irrigate the fields. In severe weather, you have to drink it.

Come here to drink secretly. As for digging wells, it is strictly prohibited. If you are caught, it will be a crime of beheading."

"Isn't it natural to drink water and dig wells? Why do you have to behead your head?" Of course the people who heard this felt strange.

"These are all to fill the river with water. Without this river, food from the south would not be transported to the capital, and the people in the imperial city would not have enough to eat. This is a big deal."

I first heard that it was unreasonable to deny access to water along the way, but when it came to the capital and the imperial city, the person who asked fell silent.

After all, those who worry about the country and the people are in the minority. The Caoding troop transporters on the official ships and canals are used to seeing this kind of scene, and they don't even bother to look at it. Except for a few who are looking after the ships, the rest are gathering and chatting.

"Look at what's on the shore, there might be some good stuff. Last time, Lao Liu exchanged a small half bag of brown rice for a teenage one. It was still dark when he got on the boat. When he washed it out, hey, a pretty girl with a clear face.

Just like those rich ladies in the south of the Yangtze River, it’s good that they can’t get out of the cabin all day long.”

There was a burst of laughter, and another person said disdainfully: "Old Liu, what does this mean? When we get to the dock in Jining Prefecture, I don't know how many people are willing to sell themselves there, and I can't find any. I heard that there are people who come from scholarly families.

You don’t even need to give me rice, just give her a mouthful of food and she will follow you!”

"You just don't have a clear mind. In places like Linqing Prefecture and Jining Prefecture, even if there are good goods, how can it be our turn? There are so many people everywhere in the southeast, northwest, and the powerful forces in the world.

The good stuff has been picked up long ago, what can we get in exchange?"

"Speaking of Linqing Prefecture, have you ever seen the Holy Aunt?"

The topic turned to the Wenxiang Sect. Most of the Caoding soldiers on the water transport were closely related to the Wenxiang Sect. They either joined the sect or had people around them who were in the sect.

However, the believers on the waterway are different from those on the shore. They join the religion more for the purpose of forming a group and having less to do with piety, and they talk about it more casually.

"That day, I went to worship with everyone, and the wind blew up the gauze in front of the saint. God, my soul flew away at that time. How could there be such a beautiful woman?"

"Keep your voice down, it's nonsense to say such things. This is the boundary of Yanzhou. It will be a big trouble for people here to hear it."

Speaking of this, everyone became a lot quieter. Someone said with a smile: "The Holy Aunt is aloof, let's talk about buying people. You said we bought it here, used it on the road, and then sold it to the south.

In this way, you can still make a fortune by playing.”

"Why are you so anxious? Be careful about being accused by the superiors on this ship. If you wait and see what happens next, you won't have to buy anything by then. You'll just take care of the food."

Everyone laughed evilly, and one of them sighed out of tune and said, "Human life is so cheap that it won't be worth a penny. When the time comes, no one will even buy it."

Compared with Shandong, the situation in South Zhili is much better. Except for strange places like Fengyang, there is no need to worry about drought anywhere else. The Yellow River, Yangtze River, Huai River and other rivers all pass through here.

In the past, droughts occasionally occurred in Xuzhou, but now there is no need to worry. The large number of refugees who have been taken in have used almost free labor to dredge the rivers and ditches, ensuring the irrigation of the fields. Those village bosses and old masters are saying that this year

There will definitely be a good harvest.

Ru Hui and Zhou Xuezhi have already reduced the amount of grain purchased. Over at Luoma Lake, they can still exchange grain for wine, but they need to use more grain to exchange for wine. It is best to pay in silver.

The large number of refugees recruited not only consume food, but also the large amount of free labor makes Zhao Ziying's affairs much more convenient.

For example, there are many craftsmen among the refugees, carpenters and bricklayers are more common, and they were used when building the salt market.

Brick and tile houses cannot be built overnight, but there is no shortage of wood and bamboo near Xuzhou. Wooden houses and bamboo warehouses and greenhouses were quickly built. The salt merchants in Yangzhou hurriedly started to resettle. They really couldn't afford the delay.

One day is one less day of business.

There is no need for Zhao Jin to inform the buyers in Henan, Shandong and Fengyang Prefecture. The salt merchants have already passed the news there. They would rather not make a penny first and let the buyers there buy what Zhao Jin has withheld.

For salt goods, although all the money belongs to Zhao Jin, they would rather use this method to stabilize the original buyer first, rather than letting others take over.

The Feng family's salt goods were finally able to transit Xuzhou, but this time they were heading for the salt market. There were dozens of large trucks at a time, as well as ships on the waterway. The scale and skill shocked everyone else.

The newly formed salt patrol team has been busy for a short time and is now free again. However, this does not mean that they have nothing to do. After all, Xuzhou is a land hub, and there are still salt lords and salt traders who do not want to pass through the salt market and want to sneak across the border for trafficking.

There are also salt merchants who have set up operations in the salt market and do not want to give up their secret private salt business. If they are found out, they will be fined and confiscated, and there is nothing to say.

After all, there are not many people who dare to take risks. Part of the salt patrol team will be used to pick up and transport salt merchants. The salt sellers enter the Xuzhou boundary and the salt sellers leave the Xuzhou boundary. This has to be watched by someone. After all, this salt product is

There is no way to pursue the private goods that are not subject to the king's laws, whether it is a search or a gangster, and there is no way to pursue them after they are obtained. Having someone to escort them, of course, is an extra sum of money, but the safety is guaranteed.

In addition, this salt patrol team also accepts the common practice of Xuzhou people in Huai'an Prefecture. Once something happens there, this salt patrol team will go there in the name of banning illegal salt. What is clever is that Xuzhou Guards set up a river patrol team back then.

There are three teams, salt patrol and bandit patrol. The scope of patrol and pursuit includes Huai'an Prefecture. Even if a large group of people crosses the border, there is an official reason to cover it up.

This salt patrol cavalry usually consists of soldiers from the Xuzhou Guard and people from all over Xuzhou who ride horses. If something happens, the cavalry from Zhao Ziying will join in, and no one will be able to spot the problem.

Salt merchants and people from all walks of life who were preparing to do business in the salt market spread the news early. Buyers from all over Henan, Shandong, and Fengyang Prefecture rushed over after receiving the letter, even though there were no warehouses or stores.

It's complete, but the business has already been done.

The big car shop outside Hejiazhuang is now called Zhaojia Inn. The price of accommodation has tripled. Even so, it is still hard to find a room. Salt merchants from South Zhili and wealthy people from other places come here.

Guests filled all the decent places.

These people came not only to buy salt, they saw the goods and specialties collected from all over the market in Hejiazhuang, and saw that there was profit in it, so they naturally wanted to buy the goods along with it, and they also thought of selling their own products there.

If we bring the goods to sell, do we also need to rent a store in this market?

Several commanders of the Xuzhou Guard were already grinning from ear to ear. The sales of various goods produced by the Xuzhou Guard had greatly increased, and the money was naturally rolling in.

In May, Zhao Jin's reputation for turning stone into gold even overshadowed Zhao Ziying's reputation.

Some people have noticed, some have not noticed that when the salt market began to prosper, it happened to be the time when the Feng family sent people to sue for peace.

The so-called first harmonious family in Jiangbei would naturally not publicize it everywhere, but there is no airtight wall in the world. Even if he wanted to hide it, even the people who came to sue for peace on his family’s behalf would not hide it. When the news spread, everyone’s

My mind is at peace.
Chapter completed!