Chapter 762 Track closed

The death of twelve people in Nanyang, Yuzhou, due to debt collection by gambling on horses was widely reported by Pingzhou newspapers.

For a time, public opinion was in an uproar. The people of the country were very restrained towards Xie Zhan, the newly appointed regent, and his prestige was greatly damaged.

The Empress Dowager was instigated by someone with ulterior motives and jumped out to compete with Xie Zhan for power and profit. For a time, the court of Dali was in a mess.

It was not until Xie Zhan used thundering means to kill the most active troublemakers that the court of Dali was as quiet as a chicken.

Xie Zhan had to take such a tough measure. The situation outside and the situation in Dali were already very serious. They were still thinking about internal fighting?

But because of this, there were countless officials who hated Xie Zhan.

However, Xie Zhan's foresight was beyond their reach.

Take the current Pingzhou as an example. The dispatch of troops to Xianbei is unstoppable.

For Lu Songli and others, once the Pingzhou army moved and the war machine turned, the entire Pingzhou almost turned with it.

News from the front line kept coming to the Pingzhou government office, asking for food, medicine, and supplies, and the wounded were constantly sent back for treatment...

At the same time, countless soldiers died in the war. When the list of dead soldiers was sent back to Pingzhou, Lu Songli looked at the long list in silence.

The only thing she could do was to pay pensions to the families of the soldiers who died in the war, so that the dead could rest in peace and the living could receive the blessing and protection from Pingzhou.

Of course, some people also made their mark in the war...

Just when Pingzhou and Xianbei were fighting in full swing, the armies of Dali and Pingzhou were in a state of confrontation, so the Han people did not suffer from the war for the time being.

But they suffered another kind of suffering.

In October, according to previous years, it was only the beginning of winter, but the weather in the entire Central Plains was almost the same as in November in previous years.

It was predicted before that this year would be a year of heavy snow and the weather would be unusually cold.

Now in October, the climate has shown signs.

Ordinary people deal with fields all year round, and farming, in addition to hard work, depends on whether God gives them food. Therefore, they feel the weather changes most clearly.

"It's over. It's only late autumn this year, and the weather is unusually cold. How should we spend this winter?"

"While the charcoal price has not risen yet, those who have money should buy more charcoal, otherwise people will really freeze to death."

"It's only the people of Dali and Pingzhou who are suffering. The government has subsidized part of it so that every household has a kang. With this kang, if you save more firewood at ordinary times, you can always get through the winter."

"The charcoal price has risen."

"How much has it risen?"

"It has risen to five or six coins per catty. It looks like it will continue to rise."

Hearing this, everyone wailed. The lives of ordinary people are so difficult.

"Why don't we go to Pingzhou? We can't stay in Dali and wait for death. Winter is very long and hard. The Pingzhou government is kind and will not ignore us."

"I'll go with you."

"Let's go together!"

As they were talking, some people left in groups of three or five.

Their idea was also very simple. They had to hurry while there were not many people going now. Otherwise, when those who hesitated thought it through, more people would go.

Similar scenes happened from time to time in various places in Dali.

Chang'an, Regent Palace

Fan Yang said, "Master, do we need to act so quickly? Otherwise, wait and see what tricks Pingzhou has, and then act?"

Although all the news pointed out that Pingzhou did not prepare a large amount of charcoal for the winter. But after fighting with Lu Songli so many times, Fan Yang did not dare to underestimate her.

But Fan Yang was puzzled. What method would the other party use to let the people under his rule survive this cold winter?

What is certain is that the other party is very likely to have prepared a backhand.

Therefore, Fan Yang felt that they could wait for Pingzhou to make a move and then counter it.

If Pingzhou also sold affordable charcoal to Pingzhou for heating, it would be easier for them to make a move. Their charcoal is always cheaper than Pingzhou's.

With the comparison, I believe that the people will definitely lean towards Dali.

Xie Zhan shook his head. They have no advantage in Dali now. If they keep waiting, more civilians will defect to Pingzhou.

"Now notify the local government to sell limited affordable charcoal to the people."

Xie Zhan thought, whether they can win back depends on this time.

In the Royal Merchants Group, Liao Xuewang is giving Xie Zhan's orders.

The large quantities of charcoal they prepared have been priced, but the price is unexpectedly low.

Qiao Xitong frowned and said, "Mr. Liao, do we really have to sell our charcoal at that price?" It's too cheap!

This is the time to make a fortune.

Liao Xuewang nodded, "Yes, this is the regent's order."

They all understood that the regent wanted to win the hearts of the people with this move and wash away his black and smelly reputation.

They could understand all this. It would be fine if Pingzhou competed with them. However, Pingzhou did not prepare a lot of charcoal for the winter like we did. So can they make some money while helping the people?

Now ordinary charcoal on the market is sold for seven or eight coins per catty, and the price is expected to rise. Their charcoal is of good quality, so it is not too much to sell it for six or seven coins, right?

They thought so in their hearts, but due to the majesty and means of Xie Zhan, the regent, they could only accept it.

The people of Chang'an heard the news the fastest.

"Hurry up, the government is selling affordable charcoal to the people."

"Affordable charcoal? How much is it?"

"Five coins per pound."

"Five coins? Compared to the current charcoal that costs eight or nine coins per pound on the market, this price is not expensive. How is the quality?"

"Very good."

When the people of Dali were queuing up to buy affordable charcoal, they learned a piece of news intentionally or unintentionally.

According to the news, the supplier of charcoal this time was the Royal Merchant Group. The owners of the group felt that the price was too low. It was the regent who insisted that everyone could buy such good charcoal at such a low price.

This operation really made Xie Zhan's reputation much better.

The officials of Pingzhou Prefecture also received the news that Dali sold affordable charcoal to the people under its jurisdiction in a fixed amount to help them survive the winter.

At this time, Lu Songli was discussing with them the sale of honeycomb coal in Pingzhou.

The officials of Pingzhou agreed with the governor's plan to sell honeycomb coal in all prefectures and counties in Pingzhou. They tried this honeycomb coal and it was very useful, much better than charcoal.

Pingzhou is located in the north, and is experiencing a rare snowstorm in the past ten years. Although every household has a kang, the consumption of firewood is very high, and honeycomb coal is urgently needed for heating.

Since the sale of honeycomb coal in the whole territory has been unanimously approved, the next thing to discuss is the selling price.

When Lu Songli revealed the pricing of honeycomb coal, all her subordinates including her father were stunned. Isn't it true that such good honeycomb coal is sold so cheaply?

Ji Ran was the first to speak, "Governor, is it better to revise this price?"

He was screaming in his heart, did the governor forget that she had borrowed a lot of money on behalf of Pingzhou!

Let's not talk about anything, the pricing of this honeycomb coal is the same as the charcoal price of Dali. It is equivalent to selling one or two more coins, and you can make a lot of money. At least it can ease the financial pressure of Pingzhou.

Lu Songli didn't say anything. How big is the market for honeycomb coal or coal? Could she not know it?

She set the price at two coins per piece, and this move killed all potential opponents before they even sprouted.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the excitement, while experts watch the doorway.

After Ji Ran spoke, other civil officials also talked about it. It was all because their governor set the selling price of a piece of honeycomb coal at two coins, which was unexpectedly low.

Zhang Zhongxian praised Lu Songli for benefiting the people and loving the people like his own children.

Wu Ren, Ji Wuyin, Gu Huaisheng and others who were proficient in the commodity economy were thinking deeply about the governor's intention.

After a long time, they realized that their governor did not want the noble families or big merchants to get involved in coal.

Subsequently, Pingzhou began to sell honeycomb coal to the people of Pingzhou in limited quantities.

Want to buy honeycomb coal for the winter but have no money? As long as you are a citizen of Pingzhou, you can buy on credit and pay it back next year, and you can also work instead of buying.

The news soon reached Dali. Xie Zhan, who saw the intention of Lv Songli's move at a glance, stood up suddenly.

He looked to the northeast and sighed in his heart, Lv Songli, you are really ambitious.

Fan Yang and other subordinates were confused, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

Xie Zhan shook his head, he lowered his head, hiding his inner excitement.

All of Lv Songli's strategies and behaviors are really jaw-dropping and amazing.

This honeycomb coal is a new thing. The heating effect of a piece of honeycomb coal is twice that of charcoal of the same quality. Its price can be higher.

With a population base of 16 or 17 million Han people, if it is priced at eight cents, is it expensive?

Not to mention eight cents, even if it is priced at ten cents, it is not expensive.

But Pingzhou did not sell it for ten cents, nor did it sell it for eight cents. It can also sell it for six cents, but it doesn't sell it: it can sell it for four cents, but it doesn't sell it; it finally priced it at two cents a piece!

What is Lv Songli doing? She was competing with Dali for the hearts of the people, and she was also killing potential rivals.

While Xie Zhan was silent, other ministers were discussing this matter.

"A good thing like honeycomb coal is only sold for two cents? Is Lv Songli crazy?"

"Yes, two cents, is there any profit?"

"Whether she makes money or not, her means of winning the hearts of the people are high."

"What does Lv Songli want to do by lowering the price of honeycomb coal to the lowest in one fell swoop? Such behavior is really inconsistent with her expertise in commodity economy."

Xie Zhan then quietly refuted them, "No, doing so is precisely her brilliance."

If Lv Songli, who was far away in Pingzhou, heard Xie Zhan's evaluation, he would also sigh that your opponent is the one who knows you best.

Lv Songli is well versed in the market. When ordinary people develop a new thing, there is a lot of room for price, so they must sell it at a high price, with high profits, after all, they are eating alone.

This monopoly can continue until someone develops the same thing, and then he will lower the price.

If someone else enters this field, customers will have more choices, and he will lower the price.

This kind of play is human nature.

But doing so will turn a good opportunity into garbage. A good product will also become mediocre.

She can sell it for ten cents or eight cents, but she doesn't sell it, and finally sells it for two cents. What is she doing? She is closing the track.

She is telling all potential people who want to enter this industry for profit, such as those aristocratic families and big merchants, that I have researched this, and the profit of honeycomb coal has been stripped by me, and the profit has been compressed to the extreme. You can't make money if you come in, you will die, so get out, don't come in!

It was the same as when Lei Jun developed domestic smartphones in later generations. The first Xiaomi phone could have been sold for 5,000 yuan. Compared with Apple and Samsung smartphones at the time, 5,000 yuan was more than enough for Chinese people to buy, but Lei Jun only sold it for 1,299 yuan in the end. Lei Jun used the method of closing the cost track to eliminate all potential opponents.

Xie Zhan was the one who could best see the deep meaning of Lu Songli's move.

At this time, the noble families also analyzed the intention of Lu Songli's move.

Pei Ruowang shook his head and sighed. Their noble family had no chance.

They originally thought that Pingzhou was now fighting against Xianbei. After defeating Xianbei, they would turn to Dali. After such a long war and consumption, there would always be a time when they were unable to cope with it. At that time, they still had a chance.

But Lu Songli's move would obviously accelerate the unification of the Han people.

For the people of Dali, this was a life-saving grace.

While the ministers of Dali were still arguing, Xie Zhan had already seen his fate, the fate of Dali.

In this round, Dali lost to Pingzhou!

Dali lost, and the situation was over.

He also lost to Lu Songli.