Chapter 194: Chapter 137: Inducent and Proposal; Entering the City Again
"Thank you, Auntie." Cheng Zongyang stood up to take it and offered his thanks.
"Go take care of this. Zongyang and I are going to have a drink at noon," Li Lu imdiately instructed his wife.
"Alright! I’ll go right now." Mrs. Wang of the Li Family nodded happily.
Her husband’s current status and transformation were all thanks to Cheng Zongyang, so she was naturally very courteous and attentive to him. Besides, he brought dozens of pounds of at every ti he visited—what a rare treat!
Cheng Zongyang didn’t object. After Mrs. Wang of the Li Family left, he began to ask about the situation:
"What’s the situation in the County Town? What have you found out about the Thirteen Royal Families? And the war?"
These matters were all related to his future plans, so naturally, Cheng Zongyang wanted a clear understanding. They were also the key things he had asked Li Lu to investigate last ti.
Over the past few months, the situation in the County Town had been in constant flux, never once stabilizing. It had been this way when Chang Younian was in charge, and it remained so after Luo Dingran’s arrival.
He was glad he hadn’t decided to live in the town, having dodged a great deal of man-made trouble as a result.
Li Lu then began to relay all the information he had painstakingly gathered from various sources over this period.
This was all information Cheng Zongyang had previously tasked him with finding. After becoming a Chief Constable, Li Lu was naturally able to acquire intelligence from many more sources.
Such were the benefits of a higher station!
Cheng Zongyang nodded from ti to ti, listening intently. He would occasionally interrupt with a question before letting Li Lu continue.
"...So, the County Town is relatively stable for now, but supplies are still scarce, and there’s no telling when the grain will run out. Once it does, the County Town will descend into utter chaos!"
After hearing Li Lu’s report on the County Town, Cheng Zongyang motioned for him to pause. He took a mont to digest the information and analyze the current state of affairs.
At last, he glanced toward the entrance of the main room. Seeing no one was coming, he lowered his voice and said to Li Lu:
"With supplies in town being so tight, if I could get my hands on a batch of food, would there be any way to sell it?"
Li Lu’s expression changed in surprise. He asked in a hushed voice, "What kind of food?"
He had never expected Cheng Zongyang to suggest such a thing. ’He has enough food to sell?’
Cheng Zongyang explained, "It’s through my master. Luoyang is near the sea, and since the drought didn’t affect it much, they aren’t short on food. He had his people bring over a large quantity of dried sea fish, but I’m not sure if anyone here would eat it."
"Ha! As long as there’s sothing to eat, why would you worry about no one eating it?"
Li Lu said, "The County Magistrate is constantly pleading with the Commandery City for grain. He’s terrified the county will run out and the people will rise up in full-scale revolt! But the Commandery City is close to the battlefield, and nearly all their grain goes to supply the front lines, leaving much less for the rear. How much can your master get his hands on?"
The distance between Prefecture Cities is vast and the roads treacherous. It’s impossible for ordinary rchants to transport goods over such long distances to sell in a disaster-stricken area.
For one, the journey is too long and dangerous. Two, the transportation costs are exorbitant. Three, the people in a disaster area are penniless, making it difficult to sell goods at a high price. And finally, the great families have their own supply channels and won’t pay a premium for a traveling rchant’s wares.
That’s why you almost never see private rchants selling goods across regions.
So, he was astounded to hear that the master backing Cheng Zongyang could actually transport goods here.
Cheng Zongyang thought for a mont. ’The first batch of fish dried and stored in the Wilderness World is about three thousand pounds.’
A sea fish weighing three or four pounds would only yield about half a pound of dried fish when fully processed. Three thousand pounds of dried fish, therefore, ant a catch of over 5,000 fish.
If not for the lack of space, the amount they dried would have been even greater.
But the second batch was still in the process of being dried. They had expanded the drying area, but it would still take another half a month to finish. It was estimated to yield five or six thousand pounds, more than the first batch.
Winter wasn’t like sumr. It had its own advantages—at least you didn’t have to worry about the fish going bad. There was less rain, and even without direct sunlight, you could still dry a large amount.
"Around three thousand pounds, I think," Cheng Zongyang said, a bit uncertainly. "If it sells well, my master will prepare an even larger second batch. But the question is, what’s the going price?"
Li Lu was visibly surprised when he heard the number—three thousand pounds.
That was an enormous amount.
After a mont’s thought, he said, "I honestly don’t know about that. Let
go ask your auntie."
With that, Li Lu walked out.
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