After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1195 - 1177: Private Vault

The money in her private treasury, Ting He’s the most knowledgeable about it.

Zhao Hanzhang immediately went back to ask Ting He.

Upon hearing, Ting He reported a huge number to her. Seeing little expression on her face, she whispered, "There are three caravans yet to be accounted for. Among them, Wu Erlang’s caravan is the most valuable. Last year, it earned 246,800,000 Copper Coins. This year, the conditions are favorable, and the routes have become much smoother. It should be able to earn more."

Zhao Hanzhang was tongue-tied, "How did it become so profitable?"

Ting He said, "The Lord divided their routes. One caravan is responsible for the Western Regions, another for the South, not allowing them to cross boundaries again. The goods brought back are distributed in Luoyang, shortening their time. Previously, Wu Erlang needed a year for a single expedition, taking goods from the North to the South, and then from the South to the North, thus earning a price difference back and forth."

"But since the year before last, due to the lady being on good terms with Xiliang, the Lord made Wu Erlang responsible only for the caravan north of Xiliang. He had Wu Erlang sell furs, medicinal materials, cattle, and sheep from places like Xiliang and brought a lot of manpower there, opening paper mills and wool mills on the other end of Xiliang."

"Xiliang greatly admires things from Central Plains, paper sells very well, along with the books he brought over, which also sell extremely well. The yarn and blankets woven from wool at the wool mills sell well in Xiliang, Qiang Hu, and Xianbei areas, even doing quite well in Chang’an area. It’s just a pity that people in Luoyang aren’t too fond of them, so they haven’t been sold here."

Ting He explained, "Last year Wu Erlang encountered a Western Region merchant from the Great Yuezhi area and bought a lot of gemstones and spices. Just the gemstones and spices earned a considerable amount of money."

Zhao Hanzhang: "That I know. Last year when I married, he gifted me a box of gemstones and a box of spices."

Then she kept a few, and gave the rest to Mrs. Wang, rarely finding use for them.

Ting He laughed, "That was the best batch, and what went out were what the lady left over. This year Wu Erlang is delayed in returning and accounting, probably because he went to the Great Yuezhi. If he can fully open this Western Region route, silver coins won’t be an issue in the future."

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her eyes and said, "Copper Coins are ultimately inconvenient to carry, it’s still necessary to find more silver and gold mines."

Ting He also nodded, "Wu Erlang also said money is difficult to carry. There is quite a bit of silver in Xiliang, so he often exchanges glassware and tea for gold and silver there."

Zhao Hanzhang’s heart burned. With so much money in her private vault, this battle can definitely be fought.

She asked Ting He, "Do you know how much money is at Ting Han’s place?"

Ting He shook her head, "You can only ask Fu An about this."

She paused and then whispered, "But it should be a significant amount. I hear Fu An say, the Lord has two caravans in his hand that earn a lot, and Seventh Grandfather loves to drag the Lord into business deals. Many workshops have shares from the Lord, so he’s made quite a bit."

Zhao Hanzhang understood and felt relieved. She cheerfully asked Ting He, "Is there any difficulty in managing these things?"

Ting He: "Just that manpower is still inadequate. Uncle Cheng and Zhao Tong are getting old, their energy is failing in the past year or two, many things have been handed over to me."

So now, by Zhao Hanzhang’s side, Tingyu and Zhao Ya are used—Zhao Ya when going out, Tingyu at home, with Ting He occasionally accompanying.

Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment and said, "You can stroll in the school when you have time, or look outside. In places like weaving and embroidery workshops, employ more ladies. Look for those with opinions, ability, and loyalty, then promote them. Each workshop has its own stewards, let them manage their subordinates; you just manage them well. You can also bring along two people to help, they too need to be trained."

Ting He agreed.

Zhao Hanzhang thought through the managers who make money for her and said, "Transfer Hu Zhi to Luoyang, I might need a substantial amount of money in the coming year, so let him assist you."

Ting He noted it down.

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang say, "Let the stewards of workshops in various places start purchasing and storing grain. Store it in their respective workshop warehouses. Every workshop should fill one warehouse, but don’t inflate the prices."

"This stored grain will be useful, let them do it quietly, without fanfare, and don’t let news leak."

It’s impossible not to leak news, with so many places, so many people buying so much grain at the same time, and they’re all Zhao Hanzhang’s properties—how can it not attract attention?

At this time, the annual tax grain has just been paid, and it’s when farmers start tallying up their year’s harvest, selling off the excess grain. So the grain price has dropped a lot compared to the past year.

No, it has dropped significantly.

Before this, grain scarcity, locust plagues, war, various natural disasters, and human-caused calamities kept grain prices high.

This year is a bumper year. On top of that, Zhao Hanzhang waived quite a bit of taxes, so the market is flooded with grain, naturally pushing prices down.

The prices at grain shops fell, and the grain merchants’ purchasing prices from farmers are even lower. Many have already sold grain, but the majority of folks who suffered hunger are more cautious and are unwilling to sell their grain.

Observing this, the grain merchants started cozying up to some landlords—with one hand buying grain at slightly above market price, while discussing with them about releasing even lower market prices.

Clearly, they haven’t received much grain in the countryside, but the grain merchants kept pressing the prices down every three days—each time dropping just a few Copper Coins per stone, averaging a few cents per pound. But to ordinary folks, even such a few cents are enough to hurt.

Adding to the fact that landlords are leading grain sales, saying, "A bumper year, grain’s worthless now. If you don’t sell now, it’ll only get cheaper."

Someone stubbornly said, "Let it fall; I’m not selling anyway."

"If there’s extra grain at home, why keep it? I predict next year will be a bumper year too, keeping old grain is even more worthless," the landlord said. "Furthermore, if you don’t sell grain, where will the money come from to repair houses, buy farming tools, exchange seeds? Is anyone in your family getting married? You need to buy pots and pans at least to make a living, right? Busy for a year, at least buy some meat to eat?"

To trade, money is needed, but where does money in rural areas come from?

Naturally, it’s by selling agricultural products.

Also, people can’t escape birth, aging, illness, and death. Medical expenses require money; when children are born, various purchases require money. When someone dies, money is still needed.

Thus some people began to panic, seeing grain prices fall day by day, and started selling.

Soon, a County Magistrate noticed this unusual scene, recalling the "Merchant-Gentry, Official-Merchant, Official-Gentry Collusion Stockpiling Case" mentioned in school. He immediately wanted to intervene, but as he reached out to a few landlords and merchants couldn’t persuade them yet, someone began to go to the countryside to purchase grain en masse.

To receive grain from grain merchants, the people even raised grain prices, surprisingly matching grain shop prices.