Chapter 74: Covering Mountains and Seas (I)
"Brother Huo, how big a place do you want to open in Muping County?"
After hearing this, Huo Chong asked his men to go down first. Magistrate Zhang also asked his men to wait outside. Huo Chong then asked, "Brother Zhang, I just arrived in Mouping County and I am unfamiliar with the place. The magistrate of Linzi County did say something about your difficulties. Why don't you tell me how much you want? If I can help, I will definitely not refuse. If I really can't help you, I can only leave in shame."
Magistrate Zhang was speechless for a moment. After a while, he suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, I've heard what Prince Yong said about Brother Huo. Now I understand that Brother Huo is indeed a real person."
Huo Chong waved his hand, "I'm just a dull person. Brother Zhang must have seen many people who are well versed in worldly affairs. He can understand what others mean when they say something. I really don't have that ability, but I want to help everyone without knowing my own limitations. At this time, I can only ask honestly. I will do what I can do. If I can't do it, I can only explain it to your face ."
When Magistrate Zhang heard this, he thought for a moment and extended his hand towards Huo Chong.
"Fifty taels?" Huo Chong asked.
County Magistrate Zhang rolled his eyes at Huo Chong, who could only continue to ask, "Five hundred taels?"
"Brother Huo, I heard that you pay so much tax in Zibo County every year. Brother Huo has set up property in Mouping County. If anyone in the government office makes things difficult for Brother Huo, I will definitely not let them do whatever they want. But if Brother Huo can't pay this amount, I will not look good. I can't let people say that I didn't lend a helping hand to Brother Huo."
Magistrate Zhang's words sounded nice, but it was really harsh to ask Huo Chong to pay 500 taels of tax. The business tax in the Qing Dynasty was about 5% at that time, and 500 taels of tax was equivalent to asking Huo Chong to do 10,000 taels of business. Even though Huo Chong came prepared, he still felt quite pressured.
"Brother Zhang, you think too highly of me. Haha." Huo Chong laughed dryly and said, "How about two hundred taels?"
Magistrate Zhang had no intention of bargaining. He said solemnly, "Brother Huo, Prince Yong thinks that you are a real person. I believe in Prince Yong's judgment, so I told you the truth. This matter concerns my evaluation, and I really have no choice ."
Seeing that County Magistrate Zhang was so blunt, Huo Chong could only say, "Before I came here, the higher-ups suddenly placed an order for me to deliver another 90,000 kilograms of glazed fire to the capital before the end of the year. I wonder if Brother Zhang has heard of the price of this glazed fire."
"It seems to be one tael of silver and fifteen catties." County Magistrate Zhang answered readily.
"I will make these 90,000 catties of colored glaze fire in Muping County. After collecting taxes, the money is 300 taels. Adding what I have already paid, this is all I can do. It will definitely be a little short, so I hope Brother Zhang will forgive me."
After hearing this, Magistrate Zhang thought for a while and said decisively: "Since Brother Huo said so, I can only let Brother Huo do it. If Brother Huo wants my help, you don't have to be polite."
Huo Chong was not kidding with Magistrate Zhang. He had indeed received the order before this trip. Moreover, Lao Shisi even sent someone to say that the living Buddhas in the Tibetan area liked the colored glaze fire very much. This batch of goods should not only be of good quality, but also have good appearance.
The key to a good appearance lies in the quality of agar. If the purity of agar is high, the solid alcohol produced will have a translucent feel. Huo Chong arranged for people to pay attention to the harvest of potatoes and sweet potatoes used for brewing wine, and he took people to the seaside to organize fishermen on the seaside to collect hornwort for refining agar.
With two years of experience, Huo Chong knew that every summer, the seaweed growing in the sea would break. The paper slips that entered the sea would wash up on the shore. If they were not collected immediately, the seaweed would soon die under the wind, sun and water. The immediate priority was to mobilize the fishermen on the beach to collect the seaweed as soon as possible.
The fishermen were indeed very poor, and when they heard that they could earn at least ten cents a day working, and that a pound of horn lettuce could be sold for only one cent, their enthusiasm for production increased greatly. Huo Chong set up nine spots to collect the vegetables, and fishermen came every day.
After only three days of harvesting, someone blocked one of Huo Chong's harvesting spots. Upon hearing the news, Huo Chong went there immediately. However, he saw his men holding sticks and confronting seven or eight guys. He stepped forward and announced his name, and the leader of the opposite side stood up and said, "Master Huo, you are harvesting our vegetables, what do you mean by that?"
"Your family's food? Haha." Huo Chong was amused by this guy's words, "I've heard of people who own mountains, but I've never seen people who own the sea. How come such a big sea is yours? Are you the Dragon King of the Sea?"
A large number of fishermen have already invested in this industry. Now they are blocked from selling oxhorn vegetables, and the fishermen are angry. Hearing Huo Chong laugh at these guys, some people have been amused and laughed.
The leader was laughed at by everyone, his face was full of anger. He shouted loudly: "We have been making a living here. When you came here to collect seafood, did you ask our Master Li?"
"Is it Li Daoqiong, Master Li?" Huo Chong remembered this name from the investigation report he had read.
"Since you've heard it, how dare you do this here?" The guy became even more arrogant.
Huo Chong sighed. It seemed that he had not done a good job of preparation. He should have come here to meet the local leaders first. But he did not expect them to be so courageous. Perhaps he underestimated them.
"Brother, I will go to see Master Li tomorrow. What do you think of going back and telling Master Li today?"
"Clear up your stall." the guy shouted.
Huo Chong sighed, "Brother, it's okay for me to close this stall. But so many brothers have come so far to come here, let me collect their vegetables first, and then I will close this stall, what do you think?"
The guy raised his eyebrows and shouted, "I told you to take it, so you took it. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Huo Chong sighed again, took a few steps forward, and slapped him on the face. Then he kicked him to the ground.
The group of people who came with this guy were shocked and were about to come up and fight. Huo Chong called out, and the employees rushed up with their weapons and fought with this group of people.
The employees who came this time were all selected by Huo Chong. Although they were not brave and aggressive, they had all received basic martial arts training. In a short while, they beat the gang into a panic.
After driving these people away, the gang did not chase them to death. Instead, they returned to the fishermen who came to buy vegetables and shouted, "Everyone, the troublemakers have been driven away, let's continue to collect. Don't delay everyone from making money."
Hearing the word "earning money", the fishermen, who were a little uneasy at first, immediately regained their energy and hurriedly started selling vegetables. The seaside was once again full of joy.
Huo Chong no longer needed to do these things himself. He just stood aside and thought about when to go and pay a visit to Li Daoqiong.
