At this moment, Li Chongyi spoke again."After testing, the efficiency of the curved beam plow can reach three times that of an ordinary plow. It can plow up to 10 mu of land a day. "In addition, the land plowed by the curved shaft plow is deeper. Based on my estimation, the grain production of the year can be increased by at least 50%. I think everyone should know what this means.”
"Prince, are you selling this plow? I'm willing to buy five of them!”Xu Fang said.
"Since this thing has been manufactured, of course it has to be sold. However, this Yi Guan…" Li Chongyi laughed.
"Prince, how about 500 coins?”Xu Fang said.
Li Chongyi laughed and shook his head." I think Brother Xu must have misunderstood me. It's not that I don't think Brother Xu gave me enough. I just think it's too much." I've already said that I didn't build this Quyuan Li for myself, but for the Great Tang and its millions of citizens. How many commoners would be able to afford one if Yi Guan was willing to pay for it? Therefore, I will summarize the manufacturing method of the curved shaft plow and present it to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty can announce it to the world and benefit the people!”
When everyone heard this, they were a little anxious. If they told Li Shiming and let him announce it to the world, how long would it take? Perhaps a month later, the spring plowing would be over and they could only be used next year. What about this year?
Xu Fang was the first to speak,"I admire your benevolence." "However, a few days ago, my cattle died of illness one after another. The prince might sell these curved shaft plows to me for emergency use. I'm willing to pay two strings for one!"”
The others were stunned. How did Xu Fang beat them to it again? Immediately, another person stood out." Prince, I am also willing to buy these five curved shaft plows at the price of two strings of coins.”
"Xu Fang, Liu Chuang, you guys eat meat, but you also let us drink soup? Prince, you can't sell them all. You have to give me one!”
"All of you, step aside. This Qu Yuanli is mine.”
"What is the Laizhou Marquis Manor? My Lu Public House wants it all. Prince, you must sell it to me!”
"What are you snatching for? The things that the Eldest Young Master made naturally belong to the Hejian County Prince's Mansion! Young Master, am I right?" This was the steward of a farm in the Prince's Mansion of Hejian County. He had also been invited.
"Everyone, quiet down!" Li Chongyi frowned and said with some difficulty,""I know that everyone has their own difficulties, but I only have less than a thousand curved shaft plows with me. I originally planned to present them to His Majesty together…Forget it, forget it. Today, I, Li Chongyi, will be a disloyal official and sell all these curved shaft plows to you. However, I only charge two hundred wen for each curved shaft plow. In addition, there's something I have to make clear in advance. After I present the Quyuan Plow to His Majesty, His Majesty will definitely announce to the world that this Quyuan Plow can be bought on the market for a few dozen copper coins. Therefore, everyone can buy a little. There are a total of 200 people here today, and each family can buy at most five.”
"I want five!"
"I want ten. If any of you don't want it, give me your share and I'll give you a hundred wen.”
"I want five too. Only a fool wouldn't want them!”
"That's right. Even if you buy it and rent it out, you can earn back the 200 wen in a few days.”
The Zhao father and son trio were dumbfounded. Previously, they were still worried about how they could sell these Qu Yuan Li. Moreover, the curved shaft plows were too simple to make. As long as a qualified carpenter dismantled the curved shaft plows, they could replicate them. At that time, with 1,000 curved shaft plows in their hands, their wages would not be guaranteed.
However, he did not expect Li Chongyi to sell nearly a thousand curved plows so easily. Not only did he sell them, but he also had to beg others to buy them!
Even to the extent that the two families, which were already at loggerheads, actually got into a quarrel because the other party bought two more curved shaft plows than their own, and then started to fight with weapons.
1,000 curved shaft plows cost 200 copper coins each, a total of 200 strings.
Li Chongyi referred to the wages of the Zhao father and son and gave the craftsmen in his own residence the same wages. They were all fifty copper coins for a curved shaft plow. Although the craftsmen in his house were 'slaves', they did not need to pay money and it was only right to let them work, but Li Chongyi still did not pay them less.
He couldn't possibly 'rather be friends than slaves,' right?
There were more than 20 craftsmen in total, and each of them received close to two strings of money. They were all extremely grateful to Li Chongyi.
After receiving the money, a craftsman asked,""Young Master, are we still going to continue producing?”A craftsman asked Li Chongyi.
"Continue to produce. There's still more than half a month before the spring plowing. You can still produce for a few more days. This time, however much you sell and how much you sell, it's all yours.”
"Thank you, Young Master."
The craftsmen's money had all been distributed. Next was the children hired by Li Chongyi from the village. Originally, the elders of the village had already said that these children were not allowed to receive wages because the first batch of curved shaft plows produced by Li Chongyi was given to the farmers for free.
After receiving Li Chongyi's favor, how could the farmers be willing to let their children ask for Li Chongyi's money again?
However, Li Chongyi still called them over.
Looking at the twenty or so children who were about twelve or thirteen years old looking at him, Li Chongyi smiled and said,""Don't worry, I won't forget about your share. However, you don't have as much as two strings of coins. Each of you only has five hundred wen. Steward Wu, distribute the money to them.”
The group of children was excited and squeezed in front of Wu Dayong. Although each person had less than five hundred wen, as children of ordinary farmers, they had never had so much money since they were young!
After deducting the money he had given to the children hired from the village, he had about 10 strings of coins in total. In the end, Li Chongyi was left with 140 strings of coins.
At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, this was already a considerable sum of money. If productivity and other factors were not taken into account, and only the price of rice was calculated, each bucket of rice was five wen, which was 12.5 catties. One wen was equivalent to 2.5 catties of rice. In modern times, one catty of rice was equivalent to two yuan, which meant that one wen was equivalent to five yuan in modern times. It was equivalent to 5000 yuan, which was 140 strings, which was equivalent to 700,000 yuan.
If this analogy was not appropriate, then let's change it to another one. In modern times, an ordinary family of three would spend 30,000 yuan a year. This was considered a local consumption area. Usually, it was the consumption level of a county or township. In the Great Tang, a family of three could live for a year on five strings of money, and it was considered above average in the Great Tang. 5 Guan = 30,000 RMB, 140 Guan = 840,000 RMB. It was different from the above calculation, but the result was similar.
Not only did he earn money, but he also gained a reputation for benevolence and righteousness.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。