Volume 4: How big is the heart, how vast is the earth Chapter 128 The Value of the Fire Tribe
The cost of eating cold rabbit = breeding cost + processing cost + spices + soybean oil. The other costs are fine, but the cost of soybean oil is really high. After all, the soybeans grown are not genetically modified soybeans cultivated specifically for oil extraction. One acre of land planted with more than 400 kilograms of soybeans can only produce about 30 kilograms of soybean oil. Xiao Yun thought that the price could not be lowered, but if it was too high, he was worried that the forest elves would not buy it...
Just as he was thinking about it, Evelyn took out a roll of parchment and handed it to him respectfully with both hands: "Teacher, this is the contract signed by General Kleist, please take a look and see if there is any problem."
Xiao Yun waved his hand, and Evelin quickly unfolded the paper and read: "Today, I have signed a contract with Ayun of the Snow Wolf Clan to purchase cold-eaten rabbits. The price is thirty gold coins per ton..."
"Wait. Was this price offered by General Crest?" Xiao Yun looked strange.
"This is the bid made after consultation between several elders from the Council of Elders and General Crest." Evelyn said.
Thirty gold coins equals three thousand silver coins, which equals one hundred and fifty thousand copper coins. Thirty gold coins can buy one ton of cold-eaten rabbit, which equals to 75 universal copper coins per pound (two grams). This price is a bit expensive in terms of the prices in this world, and the forest elves will definitely not make any money buying it. Xiao Yun was very surprised why these green-skinned pointy-eared people were so honest all of a sudden. After thinking about it, he realized that this thing was not a basic need for people's livelihood, and the demand was small. People bought it for their own consumption, and even if they sold it to others, it was only a very small part. Of course, they were happy to give the Snow Wolf Clan some sweetness in this regard.
After thinking this through, Xiao Yun said straightforwardly, "Okay, let's do it according to your contract. How many tons will you deliver in the first batch?"
Evelyn smiled and said, "General Kleist said that ten tons would be enough to start with."
Ten tons is twenty thousand kilograms, which is not a "good" amount... But there are plenty of rabbits in the tribe anyway, so Xiao Yun quickly agreed, signed the contract, and went out to find Qingyan immediately - to kill so many rabbits, the cubs' half-day leave would be cancelled, and they would all have to come back to work!
Rabbit meat will shrink after being fried, but the amount of shrinkage is nothing compared to the fat gray rabbits raised on alfalfa. The 20,000 kilograms that Ananas wanted was just a matter of slaughtering a few thousand rabbits. More than 300 snow wolf cubs joined in, and enough rabbit meat was killed that day. They set up a big pot in front of the cafeteria and started frying.
The rabbits are raised by themselves, the dried peppers are grown by themselves, the soybean oil is squeezed by themselves, and the sugar used to replace MSG is also made by themselves... Stir-fried rabbit does not take up the time of the chefs in the cafeteria, the cubs can roll up their sleeves and show their arms; the only trouble is the packaging container, it is too late to cook in small bottles or cans, so we just use soy sauce jars instead. Let the forest elves worry about bulk packaging, we just need to make sure there is enough quantity.
Even so, Xiao Yun was still a little indignant: "It's not cost-effective to use sugar instead of MSG... Wait, I remember that the earliest MSG was discovered from kelp? The crystals left after the kelp soup evaporated are monosodium glutamate?"
He slapped his thigh suddenly and said, "Fuck, this is a good deal! How could I have missed it?"
He was frightened by Yangmao, who was cooking next to him with sweat on his forehead.
"Yangmao, please watch over me. I remember something important and I have to go back and write it down." Xiao Yun handed the spatula to the cub next to him, wiped his hands and walked quickly towards the dormitory.
Kelp grows in low-temperature seawater and can be found on the west coast of the grassland, but wild kelp usually grows on reefs and gravel on the seabed and cannot be collected without diving. Xiao Yun has never thought of collecting this stuff... The tribe is not short of vegetables and vitamins.
But now that kelp is related to the good business of MSG, Xiao Yun must not let it go - it is true that MSG is criticized by many wild health experts in modern times, but we must not forget that MSG has changed the dietary structure of the people on earth in just a hundred years since its introduction~!
When it comes to the food business, the public taste always has the final say!
After writing this down in his notebook, Xiao Yun began to stroke his chin again...
Since he started doing business, he never thought about monopolizing or hoarding rare goods. It's not that he doesn't know the benefits of monopoly, but with the size of the Snow Wolf Clan, you can't afford to play a monopoly operation - a child carrying gold through the market will surely die, this principle is true for all things, if it weren't for the soy sauce, wool, vermicelli and other high-volume businesses, he would have given up part of the profits to share with partners, potential enemies would have jumped out to slap you in the face, and would have given you a chance to grow timidly?
Although the MSG business is good, the Snow Wolf tribe alone cannot consume it, so he needs to find a partner.
The partner in front of us is of course the Ananas forest elves, but... the soy sauce business has already fed them a lot of meat, and if they send the big piece of fat meat of MSG to their doorstep, what if their appetite is aggravated?
As the saying goes, a little help is always rewarded with a big help. If you do this, you will get into trouble!
Although the forest elves have shown a very high moral integrity so far, does Xiao Yun want to bet that their moral integrity will always be high? Don't forget that the guy who secretly harmed Asumushumu is hiding in the upper echelons of Ananas!
"Carlisle is not bad...but Saint Bridge is too far away from us." Xiao Yun shook his head and sighed. The fact that Saint Bridge is far away is not without advantages. He can safely hand over the terminal market of woolen products to Carlisle and try his best to avoid threatening the textile business of the forest elves and dark elves and avoid conflicts of interest. However, being far away also has disadvantages. He can't count on mutual help.
There are two other optional cooperation targets on the grassland. First of all, the Tauren can be chosen. Xiao Yun has no doubt that the Tauren, who are dedicated to serving the people, will not care about market interests at all and can easily leak the MSG production process. If he chooses to work with them, it is unless Xiao Yun also wants to be a full-time cross-border and cross-race saint.
The Tiger Tribe is a good target for cooperation, but unfortunately they have not yet resolved their old and new grudges with the Snow Wolf Tribe, and now they are eager to cause trouble again... Xiao Yun will consider visiting them only when the Tiger Tribe is more thoroughly educated and knows that the weak should have the character of the weak.
As for the snow mountain elves, don't even think about it; they're impossible.
Why? Because the snow elves are too awesome. They are so awesome that warriors can practice both magic and martial arts, and the elven king is so arrogant and domineering that he unifies the martial arts world. Any snow elf warrior will always say "my king, my king". Xiao Yun thinks it is better to stay away from such an awesome person - he dares to ask for a transaction volume of 10 million to do business with Ananas because they are an independent city-state, and the rule of the elven queen is a radiation rule; as long as the senior executives of Ananas are not all crazy, they will value their own interests above the interests of the entire tribe, and the possibility of them saying "the snow wolf tribe can make money, just pull them over and make them a family" is much smaller than that of the snow elves...
When the snow elf warriors Ed and Xiu came to his door this winter, Xiao Yun sent them away with a total transaction volume of a few hundred thousand kilograms. He didn't pretend to have ten million at all... But even if you want to show off, you have to choose the person!
The snow elves only bought the soy sauce, vinegar, barbecue sauce and vermicelli needed for their own consumption, which in itself shows that they had no intention of resell them at all. There was no need for them and they didn't need those things!
Facing such a domineering and awesome snow elf, you go to their door and say that someone wants to discuss a big business with you that will affect the dietary structure of people across the continent and the world. Is there any difference between this and washing the food yourself, packing it up and giving it to someone else on their bed?
Sighing and closing the book, Xiao Yun, who had the character of a weakling, said forcefully: "Let's seal it up first... We'll talk about it when we find a suitable target for cooperation."
Xiao Yun would never commit the literary youthful disease of crying and screaming about how the weak also have human rights. Since he didn't have the ability to move stones to break the sky, he should use his brain to improve his own situation.
"Come to think of it, the soldiers have been training for almost two months." Xiao Yun walked out of the room and looked at the snow outside. He touched his chin again, "It's almost time for armed training. For training, it's definitely right to learn the PLA's methods."
A cub said so... A few days later, 188 Snow Wolf warriors wrapped in thick fur clothes, carrying huge cowhide backpacks, wearing ski skates, and holding sword belts with long spears, short spears, broad-backed machetes and other weapons appeared on the frozen surface of the Bulei River.
The snow was very heavy, and the cold wind wrapped around the snowflakes and hit the soldiers' skin exposed outside their hats and masks. Ice crystals hung on their eyelashes and eyebrows, and even the masks through which they exhaled were covered with a layer of ice.
A Yan was so cold that she almost lost consciousness all over her body. She couldn't bend her knees and she slipped to the ground without paying attention. She slid more than ten meters on the ice. She quickly pulled out her dagger and stabbed it hard into the ice, only then did she stop her out-of-control body.
"Ayan!" Yu pulled down his mask and shouted, then quickly slid up to support her. It took him a long time to pull Ayan up from the ice.
“Huh… I’m so tired… Maomao… I can’t skate anymore…” A Yan’s face was pale and she was panting so hard that she couldn’t straighten her back.
"Everyone has consumed a lot of physical energy, let's take a break." Xiaohua slid over slowly, looked at A Yan's face, and suggested to Yu.
Yu glanced towards the east. He was a little dissatisfied with today's progress, but when he looked at the soldiers again, he saw that except A Yan, several of them had trembling legs, so he could only nod.
Even the cubs can now build an igloo in the wild, so the soldiers are naturally better at it. Some soldiers burned firewood smeared with rabbit fat to melt the snow, while others squatted by the river to break the thick ice and catch fish. When the igloo on the shore was formed, the fish in the iron pot was almost cooked.
"We don't have time to fry the fish nuggets. Be careful with the fish bones when you eat them." Xiaohua handed the fish soup to the young soldiers who were unable to move like Ayan. "We should be able to reach . We will stay there overnight and then we will have something delicious to eat."
Under normal circumstances, Ah Yan would definitely complain a bit, but at this moment, he really had no strength. He shivered as he picked up the soup bowl and drank half of it before he felt better: "I'm freezing... Ah Yun is really too much, driving us out in such cold weather."
An elite warrior who originally lived in the central part of the grassland laughed and said, "It's good. In the past, our tribe lacked food in the winter, so we only wrapped ourselves in animal skins and went out hunting. This 'training' also prepared food for us to bring out, and we also have such warm clothes to wear, which is already very good."
"Yes, it's great to drink such delicious soup outside. In the past, it was good enough to bring some salt when going out hunting." Another elite warrior said lazily.
"Stop being picky. Ayi's people are locked up in the east, and we don't know if they can get enough to eat in this weather." A Tian reached out and scratched A Yan's scalp.
Ah Yan scratched his head in embarrassment: "I was just complaining about Ah Yun casually, you guys don't have to speak so seriously about me."
Several warriors laughed. It turned out that A Tian, who was from the same tribe as A Yan, shaved his scalp again in embarrassment and anger - All the young people from other tribes combined are not as talkative as you!
"The water is boiling. Let's go into the igloo and soak our feet. The first team goes in first." Yu, who was guarding the campfire, shouted.
It was Ayun's idea to soak feet in hot water to restore body temperature when one is very cold. The soldiers tried it twice and found it really worked, so they enjoyed doing it... There was no condition for taking a hot bath, but all they needed to do to soak their feet was to bring a few large copper basins.
Of the 188 soldiers, except Yu and Xiaohua who served as the captain and deputy captain, the other 186 soldiers were divided into six squadrons and thirty teams. Each team had six people and was led by an elite soldier. The six-person grouping pattern was exactly the same as the Snow Wolf warriors' habit of forming teams when patrolling and hunting. In their long hunting life, the Snow Wolf warriors had instinctively figured out the "wolf pack tactics" that best suited them: one person confronted the enemy head-on, four people attacked from the left and right flanks, and the last person wandered around the back. Even the most powerful enemy would be defeated by this staggered and progressive attack pattern from all directions.
As for enemies that are not that strong… they can be dealt with in any way. As for those that cannot be caught up, that is another matter.
After a two-hour rest, young soldiers like Ayan recovered 70% to 80% of their strength, and the team set out again. Using skis on the snow and ice skates on the ice, the team moved very fast, and entered the core area of the central grassland a week after the departure.
That night, the team chose a frozen swamp to spend the night.
"The mission given by Ayun is to contact more than five tribes and deliver friendly messages. At the current speed, I think we can try to break through the mission goal and contact as many tribes as possible."
In the ice house, Yu and Xiaohua gathered six squadron leaders and discussed the next marching arrangements head to head.
"Okay." The six squadron leaders are all the elite among the elite. After hearing Yu's plan, their eyes lit up and they nodded hurriedly.
"Our tribe originally lived in this area. I know where several surrounding tribes live." A squadron leader said eagerly.
"Don't be in a hurry. After knowing where the tribe is, we still need to think about how to convince others and gain their trust." Yu raised his hand to stop him. "You have all finished reading the manual given by Ayun. Who has the confidence to do what it says? We can divide into three groups and contact the three families at the same time. I can lead one side, and two of you can lead the team."
The six squadron leaders immediately shut their mouths tightly, and Xiaohua even moved her butt a little further away from Yu, fearing that she would be singled out...
"Someone has to be responsible for the persuasion. If they don't take the initiative, I will just do whatever I want?" Yu said helplessly.
Xiaohua knew very well that she would not be able to escape if Zhendengyu called her out, so she quickly said, "How about this, anyone can lead the team, and if they want to persuade someone, they can find someone from among the soldiers? Ayan is quite good at talking, I think he's the right person to do this."
"Yes, yes, yes, there must be someone among the soldiers who is good at this." The squadron leaders nodded in unison.
feather:"……"
Yu once again discovered that there was a reason why Ayun always kept a close eye on his, Hongye and Languo's study progress. Leadership is indeed difficult...
"Okay, we'll find someone from the warriors." Yu cheered up and said, "But we, the team leaders, can't just ignore everything. We still have to keep an eye on things. We still need to say some things, such as how the tribe arranges work, how to provide daily necessities, and how to take care of cubs and the elderly... We have to explain the details clearly to reassure others. After all, if we just talk, people will risk running more than 2,000 miles to join us. We have to understand that people will feel uneasy. We have to let them know what aspects of our tribe are trustworthy..."
Xiaohua sighed secretly. Yu used to be very quiet and people often forgot his existence. Ever since he started leading a team of warriors, Yu has become more and more talkative.
Two days later, in the coldest weather of the winter, the tribes that had been huddled at home began to welcome guests from afar...
In the city of Ananas, General Kleist welcomed ten cylinders of original cold-eaten rabbit with a smile on his face. Without saying a word, he kept two cylinders for himself and his soldiers, sent two cylinders to another general, gave two cylinders to the department in charge of city material management, and arranged two cylinders for several local elders who finalized the deal with him. Finally, the remaining two cylinders of cold-eaten rabbit were delivered to the Council of Elders.
General Crest was clearly expressing his dissatisfaction with Elder Gwendolyn, who had the most say in the Council of Elders... Last year's fan trade really pissed off this good-tempered general.
In response, Elder Gwendolyn simply smiled indifferently, packed one jar and sent it to Stephens to present to the Queen, and left one jar in the Parliament, thus she easily resolved the matter.
Elder Gwendolyn also expressed her opinion that Ananas was the queen's vassal city, and it was normal to present gifts. No one dared to openly oppose her on this point.
Of course, she also conceded that Ananas should protect his own interests... She would not be stupid enough to go against the local party in this regard.
The study room, which was set up with a constant temperature magic array, was warm as spring. Elder Gwendolyn, who was enjoying afternoon tea leisurely, put down the new issue of "Travels of the Continent" and tapped her fingers on the armrest several times. She guessed the deep meaning of the Snow Wolf Clan's behavior.
Elder Gwendolyn was not surprised that her tentative behavior was seen through by the Snow Wolf Clan, who guessed that she, an "enemy", was lurking nearby, nor did she care; human nobles would clip the claws of their pets, and if the Snow Wolf Clan wanted to borrow the "power" from the forest elves to live in peace, of course they needed to lie down and expose their belly.
"...The chief of the Fire Tribe is indeed quite good." Elder Gwendolyn commented with a hint of approval.
After being tempted, she did not rush to get angry or ashamed, but instead was alert to her own situation and adjusted her external strategy. She used methods that would not expand the conflict and put herself in crisis to demonstrate her potential and value, strive to be taken seriously by others, and try her best to avoid being trampled on as an insignificant weed. In Gwendolyn's opinion, this response is also quite excellent.
From the very beginning, Elder Gwendolyn looked at the Snow Wolf Tribe, which took the initiative to do business with the elves, differently from others - General Crest and Evelyn would feel that they were taking advantage of others because of the low prices of the Snow Wolf Tribe's goods, but she would not, because she could see that the Fire Tribe gave up their profits in order to seek protection.
The friendship of the forest elves is not cheap, so this level of concession is natural.
And now, Elder Gwendolyn's opinion of the Snow Wolf Tribe is even better than before... It is true that the current Fire Tribe is just a newly sprouted seed, but they have indeed demonstrated their potential and value, and such tactful and clever performance will naturally receive positive reviews from Gwendolyn.
"How much should we bet..." Elder Gwendolyn picked up the teacup, took a sip gracefully, and looked into the void, and began to think about the capital that the Snow Wolf Tribe already had.
On the other side of the inland sea is the ice-free port of Valentine.
Isaac, who was exhausted from dealing with intelligence dealers, finally recruited several members one after another and settled them in the base. Having solved the issue of manpower for the adventure after the spring, Isaac could finally breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a rare period of peace and quiet.
The most popular words in Valentine this month, besides cold rabbit, are gourmet hunter. The threshold of the Hunter Association's branch in the city was almost trampled down. The officials of the association were fed up with the visitors who kept coming to ask questions, so they had someone post a formal notice, declaring that the Hunter Association has never had a gourmet hunter, and that no Snow Wolf hunter who was good at cooking had ever obtained the association badge. It was a laughing stock for a while... Isaac laughed wildly for five minutes after hearing about it. The Hunter Association's professional badges are not a secret. Even thieves can get the treasure hunter professional badge from them. If there really is a gourmet hunter, there is no need to hide it.
Compared to the Gourmet Hunter's Travels that everyone likes, Isaac actually likes the Elf Ranger's Travels more. He even bought a new travelogue and sealed it up and put it in his backpack, planning to buy a cheap piece of mountain land and become a landlord after he retires - all the flat land in the southern continent has been owned, and it is very expensive. The price of mountain land is only one-tenth of that of flat land.
Sitting in the room and rereading the Elf Ranger's Travels, Isaac once again had the idea of inviting the Snow Wolf Tribe to join the team... But it was just a thought. He saw with his own eyes so many people throwing the cub Nanfeng onto the beach, and he didn't want to experience it himself.
Just as I was enjoying the show, I heard rumbling footsteps coming from the corridor. It was Arnold the Dwarf, as he was the only one who walked so carelessly.
Sure enough, with a clang, his door was pushed open by Arnold. The impetuous dwarf moved very quickly with his short legs and directly thrust a brand new thick book into Isaac's face: "I got the new issue of the travel notes, Isaac, please read the story of the Gourmet Hunter to me and see if this chapter tells who he is!"
"The travel diary is out?" Ali, who had very sharp ears, came running over from the next room.
"Don't grab it, idiot. You can't read!" Arnold slapped away Alex's outstretched claws and stubbornly pushed them against Isaac's nose. "I got it with great difficulty. The entrance of the bookstore is full of pub and restaurant owners and chefs. It's a waste of time to squeeze in!"
"Okay, okay, I'll read to you." Isaac took the book with a smile on his face. He was also very curious about whether the Elf Ranger Crest would teach better agricultural knowledge in this issue.
