After our homes were confiscated and we were exiled, the women in my clan and I raised a million sol

"Master, I'm a little worried. Just as you said before, if we open the granary to release grain now, I'm afraid there won't be enough grain in it!"

"As long as the grain merchants in the city hold out for a few days, what will happen if the granaries are completely empty?"

Liu Yu cupped his hands and expressed his concerns.

Now the grain price in Ninggu City has gone through the roof. Once the granaries are opened and the grain is sold at a price of 110 wen per dou, the people will definitely scramble for it when they see the low-priced grain.

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "Did Mr. Liu forget about the batch of 'relief grain' we prepared outside the city?"

When Liu Yu and others heard this, their eyes lit up instantly.

But he frowned and said, "The four major grain merchants, Zhou Qian and Zhao Qian, have occupied Ninggu City for many years. Their power is complex and intertwined. I'm afraid they know the true situation of the granary..."

Zhang Liang's eyes flashed with coldness and disdain.

"They know how much grain we have. They can handle it, but can the grain merchants who are attracted here, the small grain merchants in Ninggu City, withstand it?"

"If you sell first, you'll make a profit. If you sell later, you'll go bankrupt. If you don't sell, you'll lose a net amount of food and a lot of costs. If it were you, Mr. Liu, who had to choose, what would you do?"

After hearing Zhang Liang's explanation, everyone present suddenly understood.

Zhang Liang wanted to trample on foreign grain merchants and force the four major grain merchants to sell grain!

"I'll do it right away!"

Shen Zui was so anxious that he raised his foot and prepared to walk outside.

But he was stopped by Zhang Liang.

Shen Zui turned around, looked at Zhang Liang and asked, "What are your orders, lord?"

"There's not much grain left in Ninggu City's granaries right now. Don't sell it too quickly. Let the people line up to buy it. Register each household. Those who don't register won't be allowed to buy."

"Spread the news that I have collected a large amount of food and that it is now being transported to Ninggu City. Tell the people not to worry!"

"The food restriction order may last for ten days, or even half a month!"

Hearing these words, everyone present felt their scalps tingle instantly.

Shen Zui said directly: "My lord, this plan is too vicious. These profiteers in Ninggu City are in trouble for the rest of their lives. I'm afraid the price of grain in Ninggu City will plummet!"

After saying this, Shen Zui hurried out and did as Zhang Liang instructed.

As a soldier, Wang Wu didn't know much about this kind of thing, so he asked, "My lord, I'm afraid foreign grain merchants won't believe such gossip, right?"

Zhang Liang sneered, then shook his head: "General Wang, you are wrong."

Wang Wu looked at Zhang Liang's handsome face with doubt.

Zhong Tian, ​​who was standing nearby, explained, "General Wang has been in the army for many years, so it's normal for him not to understand this kind of thing."

"These grain merchants from other places travel dozens of miles to sell their grain. At least one-tenth of it is lost along the way. The hired workers need daily wages and food expenses. Every additional day of delay increases their costs."

"Even if they refuse to sell and leave immediately, returning home would cost a fortune. At this point, even the slightest disturbance would send them into a state of panic!"

"And the real power of this plan, my lord, lies in the stampede. The first grain merchants to make a profit will still make money, but the later grain merchants will have nothing to drink. So, it is obvious what the foreign grain merchants will do."

Hearing this, Wang Wu's expression was complicated.

At this time, the people of Ninggu City had endured hunger and oppression for a long time and finally reached the limit of their patience.

In a dusty square, desperate people gathered into a force that could not be ignored.

A fairly sturdy man, with a determined glint in his eyes, jumped onto a makeshift stool and became the focus of everyone's attention.

He took a deep breath, his voice loud and powerful, resounding through the sky: "Brothers and sisters! We have been forced into a desperate situation. Those damned officials and profiteers won't let us live, so we will fight them to the death! Since we are going to die anyway, why not fight our way out?"

The man's words were like sparks falling into a pile of dry firewood, instantly igniting the crowd's long-suppressed anger and fighting spirit.

These words sounded like a clarion call, resonating deeply within the people.

There were bursts of responses from the crowd.

But the next second, when they saw the scene on the street, the people were stunned.

On the streets of Ninggu City, soldiers in armor were galloping on their horses, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Pass the order from the county magistrate to post the notice!"

"From this moment on, the granaries will be opened for grain. You can buy grain at a low price for just 110 coins per bushel. There's no limit on the quantity, and citizens can line up to buy it!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the man standing on the platform widened his eyes, and even the people below looked incredulous.

"What?"

"Open the granary and sell the grain at 110 wen per dou?"

The man trembled in disbelief.

One hundred and ten coins per dou, compared to the current sky-high price of two hundred and thirty coins in Ninggu City, it is a full one hundred and twenty coins lower.

Although the price of grain is still very high, it is the lowest compared to the current price of 230 wen per dou.

Countless people with sallow faces came out and gathered at the place where the notice was posted.

When they actually saw the contents of the notice, countless people were excited.

When the yamen runner who posted the notice came to the place where the people gathered and brought the unbelievable news, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd.

The people opened their eyes wide, their faces filled with expressions of surprise and suspicion.

They all grabbed the yamen runners and asked anxiously, "Is this true? Are they trying to trick us?"

Facing the people's doubts, the yamen runner frowned, looking a little unhappy, but he still replied patiently: "Of course it's true! After Prince Wang learned about the situation in Ninggu City, he immediately rushed back."

"He found the county magistrate and persuaded them to open the granaries and release the grain."

After hearing these words, the people who were originally full of doubts were instantly overwhelmed by great surprise.

Tears glistened in their eyes, and they were moved to tears.

For a moment, voices praising Zhang Liang rose and fell, echoing in the air.

"Prince Wang is truly our great benefactor!"

"Yes, without him, I'm afraid we won't be able to survive."

"Prince Wang is truly a kind-hearted man. He saved all of our lives!"

Then the people began to disperse and ran towards other directions of Ninggu City, intending to spread this good news throughout Ninggu City.

"The granaries are open for food, finally the granaries are open for food!"

"One hundred and ten coins a bushel! There's hope, there's hope!"

Not long after, a steady stream of people ran towards Ning Gucheng's granary.

At the same time, fearing that some people might still be unaware of the news, armored Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen galloped past on their tall horses on every street in Ninggu City. They shouted at the top of their lungs, "Send the order from the county magistrate; post the notice!"

"From now on, we will open the warehouses and release grain. The price is only 110 coins per bushel. There is no limit on the quantity. People can line up to buy it."

All of a sudden, the people of Ninggu City heard the news and the whole city was shocked.

At this time, the four major grain merchants in Ninggucheng gathered together to discuss when to sell the grain in their hands.

"Master Zhou, the price of grain in Ninggu City has reached 230 coins per bushel. Why don't we take action? Those low-class people in Ninggu City are making a fuss! I'm afraid of what will happen if they attack us."

Hearing Qian Duo's words, Zhou Xia waved his hand and said calmly, "Why are you panicking? Can't the guards in your house deal with some untouchables?"

"In Ninggu City, as long as the four major families are united, and now we have the support of Prince Wang, we can monopolize the grain price. We must seize this wave of wealth. I predict that the price of grain in Ninggu City will rise to at least 250 coins per bushel!"

Everyone was shocked.

"Two hundred and fifty wen?"

Even though the price of one dou has only increased by twenty wen, for them, it means they can at least earn tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of taels more!

"We are able to have such wealth thanks to Prince Wang! Now that I think about it, the 30% profit we gave him was really worth it!"

Sun Yi sighed and then said something with emotion.

Zhao Hao stroked his beard and said with some disdain, "I thought this prince came to Ninggu City and got rid of those corrupt officials, and then opened a soup kitchen. He really wanted to stand up for those untouchables."

"But I didn't expect that he would hate us just as much as we do, or even more than we do. It's just that he cares more about his reputation!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.