diskusbooks Chapter 280 Yiyu Commercial District
Chapter 280 Yiyu Commercial District
Outside Yanzhou, flames of war raged, shouts of killing were deafening, and the battle was in full swing. Hundreds of miles away, in Weizhou, however, a different scene was bustling and orderly.
The May breeze gently blows along the hillsides of Weizhou and Guangchang counties. Many figures are working hard in the fields, planting a new crop - cotton.
Originally, people who were accustomed to traditional farming were quite resistant to these unfamiliar crops. After all, the inertia of farming made them more inclined to familiar crops.
However, at that time, all the land in the county was publicly owned. This change made many landlords dissatisfied, as they did not want to participate in agricultural cooperation.
But at the command of the county government, those landlords who refused to cooperate were instantly in trouble.
The three counties and two towns under the jurisdiction of Weizhou County explicitly stipulated that if crops were not planted in accordance with the requirements of the county government, the reduction in production caused by natural disasters or war would no longer be taken into account when collecting land taxes, and those who refused to pay farmland taxes would be punished as tax evasion.
Moreover, the vast majority of farmers participated in the production-linked cooperatives, and they carried out production in an orderly manner based on the villages and communes divided by the county government.
Without tenants to farm their land, the landlords were dumbfounded.
In ancient times, deliberately leaving land uncultivated was a serious crime! Unlike later times, people who did not cultivate land could still enjoy certain benefits.
Mr. Zhao's arrangement was intended to effectively integrate human resources and allow people to take on jobs that suit them best. Under the principle of equal pay for equal work and distribution according to work, most people have benefited significantly.
In terms of official appointments, a strict three-level assessment system has been implemented.
The first level is scored by the managers.
The second level is to compare and assess officials of the same level, taking the middle line for measurement.
The third level is the assessment by superiors and the inspection team.
Especially at the third level, if the official's comments didn't match those of the inspection team, he would be very likely to be implicated. Furthermore, the inspection team's comments were randomly checked, which was mysterious, and no one knew who was actually writing them.
It is impossible for a low-level official to get all the members of the inspection team to write good reviews for him.
Many hostile spies with ulterior motives secretly spied on the three counties and two towns of Weizhou. They were surprised to find that the food reserves here were not sufficient, and they were full of doubts.
However, these places always have all kinds of goods for sale, attracting merchants from surrounding countries.
In May of this year, a report on the division of the Yi Yu commercial area written by Zhao Sheng and a summary of the security guidance for Yangcheng Border Trade County were delivered.
Although Yangcheng Border Trade is jokingly called the smuggling county, it has cheap goods that are difficult to obtain elsewhere.
These goods were specially prepared for several large families on the grassland and would never appear in Yi Yu.
After receiving the letter forwarded from Weizhou, Zhao Mingyi, the mayor of Shuiquan Special Economic Town, said to Gong Jianyi with a serious expression, "It seems that the Yi-Yu trade war will become our main battlefield."
Gong Jianyi took the letter and read it carefully. Although he had some ideas in mind, he was still inexperienced and did not dare to speak rashly. He just said respectfully to Zhao Mingyi, "Mayor Zhao, it seems I have to go to this Yiyu Commercial District."
"That's right, Huaian Town has started to build a storage warehouse, which will be built as strong as an iron barrel. But the actual journey to Yi Yu is the most dangerous." Zhao Mingyi frowned, worried.
"It's okay. Doesn't the letter mention asking Xiongnu and several other merchants to jointly establish a concession and maintenance association with us?" Gong Jianyiren looked determined.
"That's true, but the problem lies in this maintenance association. Who will be the president? Apparently, when they recommended a president last time, they wanted someone from our group. Since neither you nor I can go, who can we send?"
Zhao Mingyi sighed deeply, his face full of worry.
"Anyway, it's impossible for the prince consort to go, haha~"
When Gong Jian Yiren said this, he couldn't help laughing, and there was still a bit of the innocence of a teenager in that smile.
Seeing that Gong Jianyiren, who was only seventeen years old, still retained the innocence of a child, Zhao Mingyi couldn't help but smile, and the haze in his heart temporarily dissipated a little.
Yi Yu County is a buffer zone at the front of Wanquan Pass. It is almost deserted and horse bandits roam here all year round.
Only a few small towns still had people, consisting of a few inns and a few craftsmen who shoeed horseshoes. Behind them, different forces backed them.
The Nalan family set up an inn here, mainly used for collecting intelligence. Because it was close to the Wanquan Pass, it was given a very Chinese-sounding name - Longmen Inn.
The Dragon Gate Inn, located in Anjiabao, was home to seven people. The owner, a middle-aged man, was short and thin, and coughed every three sentences. Passing merchants jokingly called him "consumptive."
There was a cook in the kitchen, along with two helpers. The cook was tall and muscular, and the owner called him "the big fool." He knew how to make steamed buns and boiled mutton, but nothing else.
Fortunately, this restaurant is quite honest, otherwise it would be terrible if diners found nails or bent hairs while eating.
To the north of Anjiabao is Xima Town, to the west is Shama Township, and further west are Chaihebao and Xinpingbao.
In May, there was a trade fair in Luancheng, and the issue of the division of Yi territory was not brought up for discussion.
However, Zhao Sheng chose Lucheng as the venue for the trade fair, fearing that chaos would occur. They would discuss the Yi Yu territory issue after the trade fair.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the construction of Yi Yu and the division of territory this time will depend on who has abundant goods, abundant wealth, and powerful influence.
The construction of Yiyu was not only driven by commercial needs, but also by many other considerations. Zhao Sheng's inspiration to them was to build this place into a free trade port.
To transport goods from Huaian Town to Yiyu, the shorter route is Chaihe Fort, but for safety, the safer route is Zuoweiying at Wanquan Pass. While Zuoweiying is the safest option, it adds an hour to the journey.
Therefore, Gong Jian Yiren planned to explore it himself to see if he could find a safe route among these paths.
Xue Bing was the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 3rd Division of Sun Youliang. When he saw Gong Jianyiren coming, he brought Chen Zaocao and Wang Cai with him.
"Mr. Yiren, I heard you were going to Yiyu. I'd like to introduce you to the members of the town's Self-Defense Force. It will be much easier to have them act as your guide."
"Yes, thank you very much, that's very thoughtful of you."
In response to Xue Bing's enthusiasm, Gong Jianyiren clasped his fists in thanks.
"You're welcome. Your journey is safe, and we will accompany you throughout. However, Yu Wenhua's troops are active in this area, occasionally looting, and this area has become almost deserted."
"We won't go too deep. We'll mainly check the routes along the way to see which one is more suitable for travel."
"Okay, we'll do whatever the sir decides."
Xue Bing came this time with two rocket launchers and a full battalion of rifles, and his combat effectiveness was quite strong.