Chapter 387: Trade, Han Peng

Does Does Da Xia Year 8, September 1st.

The deep integration of the Jiuzhen at the southern foot of Mo'ao is not just staying on the surface.

Interactions, marriages, alliances, treaties, etc., can certainly deepen the connection between the Jiuzhen, but the core integration measure of the Jiuzhen is actually trade.

Because of the existence of trade, the Jiuzhen can exchange what they have for what they need, from some precious cultivation resources, to hunting weapons and equipment, to various materials used in daily life. With the flow of these materials, people in all towns have more choices. For example, people in Bashang, the southernmost, can wear the red silk clothes unique to Muyin Town, while people in Beishuo, the northernmost, can use the Long Hu Li Dan unique to Jiang Xia Town, etc.;

Because of the existence of trade, the Jiuzhen can learn from each other, from the management system and position design of the town territory, to martial arts techniques and hunting skills, to problems and difficulties generally encountered during cultivation, to small tips in daily life. The information exchange brought by trade has brought great convenience to people in all towns, whether in life or cultivation;

Because of the existence of trade, the Jiuzhen can integrate resources, not only greatly improving productivity but also occasionally coming up with new things.

There are many examples of greatly improved productivity, such as Ling cloth:

Ling cloth is a specialty of Beishuo Town. Its main material is mulberry silk. Because of its soft and delicate texture and its dual characteristics of wind resistance and warmth, it is one of the top clothing fabrics in the Jiuzhen at present.

Mulberry silk is produced from white mulberry trees. This tree is actually quite common in Mo'ao Mountain, but the problem is that each tree produces only three to five jin of mulberry silk a year, and every 30 jin of mulberry silk can produce 1 meter of Ling cloth.

In the early days when Beishuo Town just developed Ling cloth from mulberry silk, 1 meter could sell for 50 taels of silver. You must know that making a set of clothes for an adult requires at least two meters of fabric. The raw materials are so expensive, let alone the finished clothes.

At that time, clothes made of Ling cloth sold for at least 120 taels each. If a famous master took action, the price would have to overflow by another 30% to 50%.

But as the Jiuzhen opened up trade routes, the mulberry silk from the Eight Towns poured into Beishuo, and the production of Ling cloth in Beishuo Town immediately surged. At first, Beishuo hid it and wanted to continue selling Ling cloth at a high price to make money, but as the secret that mulberry silk is the raw material for Ling cloth was successively known to the other Eight Towns, they raised the price of mulberry silk one after another, and Wu Chuan Town also developed the production technology of Ling cloth. Beishuo had no choice but to lower the price.

By now, the price of Ling cloth has dropped to 5 taels of silver per meter, which is a 10-fold reduction compared to that time.

A price reduction means that more people can use it. When it was 50 taels per meter, basically only Cold-Resisting Grade soldiers in each town could wear Ling cloth. After the price was lowered tenfold, many Earth-Digging Realm limits, and even Earth-Digging Realm soldiers, could wear it.

The sign of improved productivity is naturally not just output, but also new things born after resource integration. The most representative one is Jin Shan Town's Tiger Power Pill.

People at the peak of Cold-Resisting Grade cultivation who want to continue to improve their strength now have three choices: Tiger Power Pill, Long Hu Li Dan, and Green Cod Pill. But looking back fifty years, there was actually only one choice: Bashang's Green Cod Pill.

More than sixty years ago, Xia Hou Ming, the father of Xia Houzhang, risked his life to open up a water area for Jiang Xia Town. Thanks to that water area, Jiang Xia Town successfully developed the Long Hu Li Dan, which gave all the peak Cold-Resisting Grade soldiers in the Jiuzhen another choice.

And Jin Shan Town's Tiger Power Pill is completely a product of resource integration.

The medicinal pill developed by Jin Shan Town for Cold-Resisting Grade cultivation is called Tiger Yang Pill.

More than twenty years ago, Longgu Town discovered a spiritual plant called Tiger Pattern Grass deep in Mo'ao Mountain. They studied it for several years without understanding it. Later, in desperation, they took it out and sold it to the other Eight Towns to let them study it.

After Jin Shan Town got this Tiger Pattern Grass, they studied it for several years and actually accidentally developed the formula for the Tiger Power Pill.

Thus, the peak Cold-Resisting Grade soldiers of the Jiuzhen finally had a third choice.

"The Jiuzhen began official formal trade seventy years ago. This measure not only improved the strength of the nine town cities, but also enriched the material life of everyone in the Jiuzhen, and also raised the average cultivation level of the Jiuzhen by a large margin.

It is no exaggeration to say that the human civilization process at the southern foot of Mo'ao Mountain only began to develop rapidly after the Jiuzhen began to trade. You people are still young and don't know how bitter it was seventy years ago.

At that time, the Jiuzhen didn't interact with each other at all. If they interacted, it would inevitably be war. From time to time, several village-level camps would disappear, and from time to time, strange monsters would appear, causing misery to the people, and humanity was also miserable."

At night, on the Qingshi Road north of Hong Sect.

A team of about a hundred people was pushing two giant four-wheeled material carts, moving slowly south through the wind and snow.

Because the team is currently located within the territory of Does Does Da Xia Town, the snow on the Qingshi Road is not thick, and it can be seen that it is regularly cleaned by nearby village-level camps.

Most of the people in the team were pushing and pulling carts, and only ten or so people with decent clothes were leading the way in front. The leading gray-haired old man was telling the group of young people beside him about the trade of the Jiuzhen.

The ten or so people beside him nodded slightly, showing approval.

Only two young men in casual clothes were somewhat absent-minded, their eyes always fixed on the Hong Sect direction to the south.

There was also a middle-aged man who, after listening and thinking for a moment, shook his head and sighed lightly to the old man: "Everything Han Lao said is correct, but it is a pity that the benefits brought by the Jiuzhen trade were all taken by the nine town cities. We village-level camps only got some scraps and didn't enjoy much actual benefit. Strictly speaking, everyone is just working for the town cities."

As the middle-aged man's voice fell, everyone's expressions suddenly became subtle.

A flash of gloom flashed in the old man's eyes. He glanced covertly at the two young men in the team. Seeing that their brows had already sunk, he immediately said: "Leader Yue, this kind of talk is not allowed! Trade was originally formulated jointly by the Jiuzhen. It is understandable that the town cities benefit the most.

You still have to think back, if there were no Jiuzhen trade, how could we people see so many good things?"

"It's just seeing them, but not being able to afford them. What's the use?"

"Normal trade only exists between the nine town cities. Without the commercial permit issued by the town cities, there is no qualification to buy materials across towns. We people in village-level camps, even if we take silver, can only sneak around. If we are lucky, we are slaughtered at a high price, and the things can be obtained. If we are unlucky, we are killed and robbed, and finally, we lose both people and wealth. There are countless examples!"

"That's right, the materials obtained from the trade between the nine town cities, when sold to us village-level camps below, all have a 20% premium. Except for some low-level cheap things, we can only look but not buy things that are a bit expensive. We don't even have the qualification to buy some high-level things."

Yue Long's words finally resonated with more people.

It could be seen that the old man's words were intended to remedy the situation, but his words unexpectedly had the opposite effect, causing more dissatisfaction with the town cities, and they spoke one after another.

This has to mention the three trade rules formulated by the Jiuzhen.

First, trade is limited to the nine town cities; second, it is not that anyone can participate in the trade casually. Except for the Jiuzhen Chamber of Commerce, anyone else who wants to conduct cross-town trade must have a commercial permit certificate issued by the Chamber of Commerce; finally, there is the time limit for trade. Trade is not always going on. Only in September and October of each year, when the Jiuzhen open the commercial trade channels at the same time, will a large number of materials, silver, and cast money begin to circulate.

With the restrictions of these three rules, combined with the fact that all village-level camps at the southern foot of Mo'ao Mountain can only go to their respective town cities for trade, the final effect formed is not difficult to deduce.

The productivity of town cities and village-level camps is inherently unequal.

For example, for the same ten-forged weapon, the town city can definitely crush the village-level camp in terms of craftsmanship. In order to improve combat effectiveness, people in village-level camps can only spend more basic materials to exchange and buy in the town city.

This phenomenon of unequal productivity naturally caused the Jiuzhen to exploit the village-level camps under their jurisdiction. Usually, this exploitation is very serious, and when the Jiuzhen began to trade, whether it was due to the increased demand for various basic materials, or other costs generated in the trade, and various other factors, it undoubtedly aggravated this exploitation.

For example, Beishuo Town has a medicinal pill for treating severe wind-cold, called Fuyang Pill. Because the medicinal properties are mild and suitable for both adults and children, it is a life-saving medicine in village-level camps where cold-resisting means are not strong. In the early days, the price of this medicinal pill was 20 taels per pill. Later, the Jiuzhen began to trade. Beishuo found that the same type of medicinal pills refined by the other Eight Towns were not only poor in effect but also only suitable for adults. Seeing that the medicinal pills were in high demand, they immediately adjusted the price to 40 taels per pill.

This price increase is not only aimed at the other Eight Towns, but also the village-level camps under its own jurisdiction in Beishuo.

Since Fuyang Pill has risen in price, according to normal logic, the price of the main material, Warm-Returning Grass, and other various drugs in the formula should also rise.

The problem is, do these village-level camps dare to raise prices to the town cities? ===== CHAPTER 388 =====

The problem is, do these village-level camps dare to raise prices against the garrison town?