Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

Han Zezheng was right.

The economic war of the dignitaries in the Far Harbor has been unfolding since that morning.

This Goethe city on the west coast is a commercial pearl, and urban residents do not have the habit of hoarding grain, or have no qualifications to hoard grain.

They tend to buy cooked or semi-processed ingredients from bakeries, vegetable stores and butchers every day. The prices of the types of bread, of course, the taste are also very different, from wild vegetables to fresh fruits and vegetables, from pickled fish to beef and mutton. The poor eat it. Cheap food for the poor, delicious food for the rich.

This model is extremely dependent on a stable food supply.

And just today, disturbing rumors are quietly growing.

Speaking of food supply, there is a problem again.

Even though Kant's liquidation operation has caught a large number of criminals who instigated rumors in the Far Harbor, and given shocking punishments, such rumors are still spreading rapidly, because this is based on the masses. In life, food prices are the most sensitive things.

During the war, the food supply of the far port has become a problem, but it still relies on inland shipping and scheduling, which supports Kant's defeat of the elves. None of the defenders and nobles starved to death, but the civilians who stopped work tasted to the taste of hunger.

Because I know what it's like, I'm afraid to hear that there is another problem with the food supply.

Fear and take action.

Even if you don't have the habit of stockpiling food, you will develop this habit.

Once again, it is not so much that the commoners and even the poor in the far port have no habit of stockpiling grain, but rather that they do not have the capital to stock up grain. When the daily wages are barely enough to support the family, who can afford extra bread? It's just a meal to earn the next meal.

The problem is...they all have money now.

Conder's money.

When the first family gritted their teeth and found a silver coin from the cracks of the floor tiles at home, and planned to exchange it for wheat that was easy to preserve, a trend would slowly form. Ten thousand residents have the most basic purchasing power, which is in the hands of the powerful.

Everyone has money, but food is limited. Everyone is afraid that they will not be able to buy it later, so they will be more eager to buy food. The more eager everyone is to sell food, the more scarce the food will be.

Food prices will also rise in response.

This is a vicious circle.

"Stupid, giving money to the poor is just stupid."

Listening to the report on the grain store in the city, Governor Norman stood in the bright and spacious office, overlooking the whole city from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He gave a cold, ironic smile.

"Master Guardian, his strength is powerful, his alchemy skills are unparalleled in the world, and the sword of forbidden spells intimidates the world, but success in one field does not mean good at another field, just as you don't know how to farm, an experienced captain may also He doesn't know how to run a horse, he doesn't know how to govern the province, and he doesn't know how to manage the untouchables, and it just so happens, I understand, the lords of Far Harbor understand it, and no one understands it better than us."

There was a sympathetic sneer behind him.

The Governor shook his head slightly: "Untouchables are untouchables. They work every day, earn enough money to feed their families, eat enough every day, and just spend all the money they earn every day, that's all."

"Economic activities are macroscopic and sophisticated, and should be controlled and adjusted by wise and kind decent people like us. When the pariahs have money, they will randomly buy things according to their stupid and short-sighted instincts, affecting our work of regulating prices... Like it is now."

He turned his head, pointed out the window, and looked at his team and partners.

"Our Lord Guardian is a benevolent and benevolent idealist. He has no experience and actually did the stupid thing of giving money directly to the pariahs. Everyone who can be mayor or even governor in the future, please remember this lesson. The pariahs are short-sighted and stupid. When they have money, they will increase the price of food and cloth, making it difficult for everyone... And this time, we should teach the pariah a lesson."

"They will eventually understand who is the benevolent ruler and who can feed them."

Having said that, he nodded to the secretary: "Mr. Collier, please draft a document for me, order the surrounding villages and towns to raise food, and concentrate on supplying the Far Harbor... His Royal Highness Kant can mess around, but as the Grand Duke appointed by the Far Harbor Governor of Hong Kong, to perform the sacred duty of an official."

Everyone present laughed heartily.

This time, it is considered that the elites from all walks of life in the far harbor joined forces to attack Kant, but everyone was afraid, so they reached a certain consensus tacitly, that is, Kant cherishes his reputation and does not dare to use force at the risk of causing public indignation in the mainland. Therefore, They can then operate within the rules.

The so-called rules are to do this thing beautifully, so that Kant will not be caught.

For example, as the chief executive, the governor wants to ensure the safety and security of the residents in his jurisdiction, so in order to solve the food problem, he has to order the surrounding areas to mobilize food.

He did just that, staying true to his duty and leaving Kant speechless.

But ordering is one thing, but executing it is another.

When the order arrives at the bottom, it must be implemented at a discount. For example, due to the consumption of the war, there is no food to adjust below. After the strict order, officials at all levels reluctantly gathered some food. The road was blocked, and it was finally transported to the far port, but it was all bought by the hungry people outside the city. This is also a helpless thing.

If your Highness Kant wants to hold you accountable, kill everyone from the governor to the town levy officer.

Thanks to them, they were also concerned about Kant's deterrence by force, and did not force the ration of local peasants and starve the Goethes in other areas, and pushed all of this on Kant's head.

"Let's teach His Royal Highness Kant a lesson... Force cannot rule a country."

After the secretary drafted the order, the governor checked it, put it on the seal, sealed it up, transcribed the copy for filing, and said lightly: "We have to let him understand the fact that Goethe is the Goethe of our nobles, and we are grateful for his protection and contribution. , willing to share the country with him, provided he joins us, and if he wants to kick us out, or overtake us... I'm sorry."

At this moment, someone behind him asked softly.

"Can we win? I'm not doubting our strength, but Kant..."

He said: "He has a way of getting food from a lot of places, Valentine, the Empire, the Council, the Elves... If the food keeps coming in, we have to keep eating it, which drains our currency, and once we're The liquidity is not enough to eat all his food, then..."

That panic would turn from the pariahs to them.

Selling food in a panic, one's own side will lose a big loss.

"Rest assured, my friend, His Royal Highness Kant is too arrogant. He thinks he is invincible in the world, and he has forged hatred everywhere instead of making friends. Whether it is the empire, the council or the elves, there are many enemies in these huge kingdoms who hate him. Even if he buys food from these places, he will definitely be hindered..."

"Even if he does get food..."

Speaking of this, the Governor sneered: "We are not alone. The uninvited friendly troops will give us a steady flow of funds. We can eat as much food as Kant buys."

The rush to buy has gradually taken shape.

Originally, this process would take three or five days to brew, but Kant distributed money to the residents of the whole city, making the consumption power of the whole city extremely high. This can indeed boost the economy in a country with abundant supplies, but it can even be artificially induced in the case of food shortages. In the case of panic, it will lead to terrible inflation.

A silver coin issued to each resident is a Luke silver coin minted by Goethe.

Kant has weighed it, and its silver content is about five grams, which is the currency with the largest denomination that Goethe middle- and lower-class people can access on weekdays. Various gold coins are far away from the lives of commoners.

This Luke silver coin can be exchanged for about twenty Simil copper coins, which is the most frequently used small change in Goethe city.

Based on the stable prices of Far Harbor during peacetime, four copper coins can buy a pound of coarse grain bread, or four loaves of black bran bread, which are the daily rations of ordinary citizens and lower-class civilians.

Six copper coins can buy less than half a catty of pork, or an ordinary lamb chop.

Forty copper coins can go to the carriage shop to rent a carriage for an hour, and a strong stevedore can earn up to thirty copper coins by working eighteen hours on the dock.

An ideal three-meal meal for a decent citizen, a service including dessert, eggs, bread, vegetables and meat, and a tip, in a neat and ordinary restaurant, costs about twenty copper coins.

This price is carefully calculated, and under the control and manipulation of the powerful, a strange balance is reached, which keeps the society relatively stable.

The lowest-ranking civilians who sell their labor can always support their families as long as they work hard. Although there is a high probability that they will suffer from malnutrition and overdraft their health, they will not starve to death immediately.

Small townspeople can maintain a relatively decent life to form a sense of superiority over the lower classes.

And the upper...

That day, Kant issued a total of nearly 240,000 Luke silver coins, one ton and two hundred kilograms of silver, which only consumed most of the silver that the Tinston family had seized. of antiques, jewelry, famous paintings, magic crystals and enchanted equipment.

And even more valuable properties, land, fleets, chambers of commerce, and so on.

This is just one of the richest families in Far Harbor.

In other worlds, there is no so-called division between rich and poor.

But the point is not this. The point is that, under the plan of the interest groups that manipulated the city and even the entire province, the stable prices of Far Harbor were turbulent. The weapons of the aristocracy began to push food prices soaring.

After receiving Kant's order, Han Zezheng led the progressive forces to join Kant, and they gathered strength and started to counterattack to suppress food prices. This was their first battle.

"Granting grain... The food stored at home, the storage of the farm outside the city, the food you secretly hoarded, keep your own for a month, and all the rest are collected and sold in the city."

The large conference room on the second floor of Chaosheng Manor has become the command center of the food price defense war. Han Zezheng is authorized to take full responsibility for this matter. He represents Kant's will and has Kant's military support.

What Kant said to him seemed to arouse the ambition of the Pentecostal old man. He looked at the nobles, businessmen and people from all walks of life sitting on both sides of the conference table: "I know that many of you here are like me, ambitious, There are pursuits and wisdom, so I took refuge in His Royal Highness Kant."

"To all of you of the Far Harbor, we are all traitors, but we know that we have made the right choice, and since we have made our choice, we should always trust our new loyal master, the second time Allegiance is not disgrace, but wisdom, provided that there will be no third time."

With both hands on the table, he leaned forward in a very aggressive stance.

His eyes are as sharp as swords, and his will is unquestionable.

"I know that among all of you here, there may be hidden swaying grass, or even the enemy's spies. You should know the corpses in front of the municipal square that were split, cut, strangled and cut off, even if you take ten thousand steps back, His Royal Highness Kant lost in this battle, but he still can't change the fact that he used the sword of forbidden curse to deter the mainland, he still has the power to kill any betrayers, don't repeat the mistakes of the fools."

"So I repeat it one last time."

"Leave at most one month's rations, and all the rest will be collected. The shogunate will buy it from you at the market price. No matter if you are hoarding food, it is for self-protection or to make a fortune. Now is not the time."

"His Royal Highness Kant does not allow you to make a fortune in this matter. You have taken refuge with His Highness, and you don't have to worry about self-protection. Could it be that His Highness Kant will sit and watch you starve to death? Do the food you hoard include His Highness Kant's candy, biscuits, bread and Are the pastries delicious?"

"Please make the right choice."

At this time, a businessman raised his hand cautiously.

"Mr. Fried, what's the problem?"

"Yes, Your Excellency Han." The gentleman with the mustache stood up and bowed his head, "Forgive me, even if we hand over all the food we have stored, we will not be able to compete with the enemy. You are all from far Hong Kong, and you should know that this time How much power and energy does the enemy we face hold, if we just sell our food reserves to stabilize prices, we will soon be swept away by the panicked people..."

"Thank you for your frankness, Your Excellency."

Han Zezheng said, "But this is His Highness's order. Lord Kant has his own arrangement."

Hearing this sentence, even though there was a lot of slander in his heart, Mr. Fried could only bow and sit down.

How can it be so?

- His Royal Highness Kant really doesn't understand the economy and people's livelihood.

This is the private complaint of these "progressive forces".

But on the bright side, they still agreed to all Han Zezheng's requests and orders.

The grain depots and granaries of each family were continuously opened, grain was mobilized, and blood transfusions began to be carried out to the far port.

After the people left, Han Zezheng sat back in the chair and slowly exhaled.

Han Guangcheng, the secretary, stepped forward and massaged his father's temples.

"...Sir Father."

The young son looked around carefully, and then lowered his voice: "What you do is different from what you usually taught me... We are throwing grain now, and there are no restrictions, just like holding firewood to fight the fire, this is not getting worse Why? Why didn't His Highness Kant send troops to limit the price?"

Han Zezheng opened his eyes and glanced at his son with relief, finally making some progress.

He slowly let out a breath: "Games! His Highness's picture is not about the gain or loss of a city's grain prices. If you move the swords first, you will be weaker by three points. This time, if you use the swords, next time it happens, you will move again. Daobing, every time you do this, the rules are broken. Not to mention, the merchants will use the sword every time they see you, and they will send troops to intervene when the food price rises. Who would dare to do business? In this way, the far port will be completely abolished already."

"Moreover, flipping the table again and again, speaking with swords and soldiers, and solving economic and commercial problems with wars, every time this happens, it can only show the incompetence of the rulers and make the kings of all countries despise them with jokes."

Han Guangcheng muttered: "That can't be so messy, the food we can raise is simply a drop in the bucket. The price is set low, and it is swept away. What is the use other than raising the price of food? I think Kant His Royal Highness fought fiercely, and there is no magic to say, alchemy skills are unparalleled in the world, but this business is poor..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his head was hit, and Han Zezheng said angrily: "Presumptuous! How can you criticize the lord? My Han family has taken shelter under the lord's door, and that is your lord! The superior and inferior, taught you since childhood. , what can be said and what can't be said, have you forgotten all?"

When his father was angry, Han Guangcheng had to kneel down: "My child is wrong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the old father's foot: "Don't kneel! Stand up!"

Han Guangcheng had no choice but to get up and bow his head to beat and scold.

Old Han sighed: "You...you're still young, this way of being loyal to the monarch, sometimes you're admonishing directly, sometimes you're not suspicious, now is the time to not be suspicious, but you want to be straight, in addition to adding disgust, What's the use? At least His Highness has never lost since he came into existence."

Han Guangcheng raised his head when he heard the overtones: "You mean... Your Highness can still win this time?"

"Yes."

"But... why?"

"I don't know, but I don't have to know, before the Battle of Valentine, before the Battle of Danfeng Lucerne, you knew how His Royal Highness Kant was going to defeat the five Dragon Banner Legions, and you knew how to defeat it by yourself. Is the entire elven expedition elite? So now, it's normal that you don't know."

Han Zezheng sat back in his chair and said slowly, "Now, we just need to believe."

"...Sir Father."

The son asked softly, "You say that the way to be loyal to the monarch is sometimes in direct remonstrance, and sometimes in non-doubt. The child does not understand, when should we be straight and when should we not doubt?"

The Aurora businessman was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "The one who views history for the father, has never been like His Highness. This is a hero that has never been seen in all dynasties. When should he speak directly and when should he not doubt it? It's very simple."

"Before the lord encounters his first failure... no one will doubt it!"

He glanced at his son: "Come on! Let you learn literature, you like arithmetic, teach you astrology, you use it to measure bearings, you have always wanted to set sail to the sea, so learn arithmetic formulas, and now use what you have learned here. , His Highness said that no one in the far port would be allowed to starve to death, please calculate for me how much food we have to leave for emergency relief, and…”

The battle for food price defense in Far Harbor kicked off.

In the frantic and anxious rush to buy and raise prices, the next day, the rumors and anxiety were intensifying, and the cheap food that was shipped in was swept away. , after a splash, it disappeared.

Kant met Han Zezheng who was in a hurry.

"Your Highness, there is a problem."

The old man said solemnly: "The source of funds for this business war is more complex and abundant than imagined. The enemies we face are not just the local dignitaries in the far port."

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PS1: Update…

PS2: The currency setting of this book is not a simple and crude one to ten to one hundred of gold, silver and copper. Try to strike a balance between reasonable setting and reading cost. The relevant economic and currency settings will be released as adjustments in the future. For example, the price setting of the far port in this chapter refers to the price of the big French cities before and after the French Revolution, so as to ensure the authenticity and rationality as much as possible.

PS3: The reason for choosing France is that there is no other meaning, because the works of Balzac, Alexandre Dumas and others are very detailed and true records of the social and people's livelihood at that time. The ready-made settings can be prostituted for free - well, there are white characters. .