Chapter 217 Huazhou Wedding Invitation
Li Tai secretly felt that the price was a bit exaggerated. Although Diaoyinhu was considered an outlier among the Jihu ethnic group, each had considerable savings. Diaoyinliu, as the largest force in their realm, must have stronger financial resources, but they had to pay for it. It would be a bit difficult to provide supplies for half a million bolts of silk.
For example, the dozen or so Hu chiefs who worshiped the Lord before were a bit frightened recently because of the ruthless killing of the land, and they were not very active in hiring, so the construction period was quite delayed. However, the initial investment was already so large that they were not willing to give up halfway. After their respective financial resources were in short supply, they began to actively attract other partners to join.
However, professional matters should be left to professionals. Since Monk Hongyi was so confident, Li Tai nodded and said with a smile: "Then it depends on your plan. After this thing is completed, I will definitely give you a reward." !”
"Old monk, outsiders don't need to use too much material in the world. The former is obsessed with evil ways. Fortunately, he was saved from disaster by the Lord's grace. He even promoted the old monk to take charge of the big temple. He has no desire for himself anymore and only has worldly sentiments. I’m sorry, I beg your lord to give me a favor.”
This old monk has been pretending to be addicted recently. He talks like he has seen through the world and has no desires. However, his request for reward made Li Tai a little bit dumbfounded: "There are so many filthy monks in the door. I'm afraid they won't be tolerated in the world." Outside, I beg you to stay indoors and serve as a servant. If you can fill this gap with your kindness, your worldly wishes will be fulfilled and you will be your mouthpiece for the rest of your life!"
As the saying goes, you are happy when you are having fun behind closed doors, but if you put your pants up and kill someone, you become the filth of a Samana. But it has to be said that the request made by Monk Hongyi also made the subsequent relationship more harmonious.
At present, the temple has not yet been completed, and the money and goods needs are already huge, and the scale will only get bigger in the future. If it weren't for his confidant Humerus, Li Tai wouldn't be able to use it for a long time. With this bond of friendship between them, it wouldn't be a problem.
Li Tai nodded and said with a smile: "Master, don't worry. After you return home, I will take your son as my disciple and join my family. In the coming year, your marriage will be a family affair, so that you don't have to be disturbed by worldly sentiments!"
After hearing this, Monk Hongyi was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly to express his loyalty and gratitude.
In the next few days, Li Tai stopped asking about this matter and just focused on handling the military and political affairs accumulated in the city.
When Monk Hongyi arrived again, he brought good news. After visiting various Buddhist ceremonies, Liu and his son finally decided to agree to the price, and said that they would send an advance supply of 100,000 pieces of silk within the month. in the temple to speed up the construction period of the temple.
Li Tai was overjoyed after hearing this, and secretly reflected on the fact that he had never seen the world and could barely eat four dishes. Rich people came to his door and let him bleed. He was actually worried that the knife was too harsh.
It is also because he does not have the thinking mode of this world in his bones, and underestimates the temptation and appeal of religion to people's hearts.
As the chiefs of Jihu who survived in the cracks, Liu and his son were able to amass such a rich family fortune. Obviously they were not stupid people with a lot of money. Since they were willing to spend so much money, they must have felt that there was huge value and opportunity in it.
In line with the principle of learning from the experience and correcting mistakes, Li Tai made another request after some reflection: "Tell them that accounting for such a large amount of materials is complicated, and a slight oversight will lead to huge surpluses and deficiencies. Donner then made another request." Giving the Buddha a bad reputation for greed will undermine the sincerity of worshiping the Buddha. Therefore, it is most fair to each other to only accept grain and silk."
Diaoyinhu is half-farming and half-grazing. Even if there are some farming and weaving operations, the scale is far less than the output of the large estates of the powerful people in Guanzhong. It is obvious that such a huge amount of grain and silk cannot be produced. What to do? Of course it’s a trade and exchange!
Nowadays, there are people with billions of assets in Guanzhong, but only Li Tai and his allies behind him have the channels and ability to carry out large-scale transactions with Beizhou Jihu.
There must be profit and loss in all transactions. Even if Li Tai restrains himself from such a large amount of material transactions, making 20% is not much. After all, transporting grain and silk from Guanzhong is a considerable transportation expense.
This year in Guanzhong is the Year of the Great Master again, and the trend of grain debasement is clearly visible. The efficiency improvement and large-scale weaving brought about by the large spinning wheel also allowed rural households in Qumeng to own a large amount of cloth.
Therefore, it is also the responsibility of Li Tai, the leader of the channel alliance, to turn these grain and silk rings into more valuable commodities. If Diaoyin Liu provides pastoral materials worth 500,000 pieces of silk according to the current price in this town, the profits will be even more astonishing when they are sold back to Guanzhong!
This is not an additional burden for the Diaoyin Liu family. After all, they had already planned to donate materials worth half a million pieces of silk. They wanted to rely on their strong financial resources to come from behind and gain a certain degree of leadership in the Buddhist temple. Some personnel costs for goods exchange have been increased, but compared with the massive investment, this cost increase is negligible.
Sure enough, when Monk Hongyi conveyed Li Tai's intention to Liu Chang'an, who was staying here to take charge of liaison, he did not object, but said that such a large exchange may not be completed in a short time.
Li Tai was so considerate, so of course he would not embarrass him. He immediately sent a message to Liu Gong, who was staying at Baishui Village, to go north to negotiate business with Liu Changan on behalf of Qumeng.
Under the premise that both parties are sincere and each gets what they need, a deal is quickly concluded.
Qu Meng was responsible for providing 50,000 bolts of silk and the equivalent amount of grain, while the Diaoyin Liu family provided the equivalent amount of pastoral products. It was agreed to complete the transaction before the end of the month, test the results, and discuss the next material transaction. .
This batch of grain and silk did not even need to be raised separately, because it was originally going to be transported to Beizhou before autumn for the consumption of the people and horses defending the city. Now that it is injected into Luochuan Temple, it is also under Li Tai's control and he will not call it by mistake.
Seeing that the transaction was so smoothly achieved, Li Tai was also very happy and reciprocated the favor. Within his own authority, he assigned Liu Chang'an to be the commander of the city defense army, and led a group of rural soldiers to guard near the Luochuan Temple to avoid small thieves. Peeping and plundering.
Liu Changan was also overjoyed after receiving this appointment. He felt that Governor Li was really fair and clear-cut in his actions. He had just made a contribution and would be able to repay him immediately. When he learned that there were not enough men and horses to control the city, he even patted his chest and said that he could use five hundred tribesmen Ding Yong.
Of course Li Tai is even happier. You donated the huge stuff, and then you have to be responsible for guarding it for me. Finally, you have to be grateful to me.
It should be noted that if these 500,000 pieces of silk were lost to Ji Bafu shortly after the Battle of Mangshan in the ninth year of Datong, when the Bafu announced the reward, Yu Wentai, who was impoverished at the time, might not even have a gift. Tong and Dadu were willing to award it, and even a governor-general would be a good idea!
But once this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to get it back. Yuwentai's eyelids have become extremely high this year.
In addition to the material allocation for the two defense cities, Li Tai raised nearly 10,000 troops in the area of the three defense cities, which did not add any burden to the Bafu. If he had not made that windfall last year, Yu Wentai would not have praised his little treasure to the sky. .
But this year there is not even a commendation book. Although there is a guilty conscience and worry that Li Tai will take advantage of the situation to collect the debt, it at least shows that Yu Wentai is really in trouble this year.
With the participation of the Diaoyin Liu family and the huge donation of money, the materials for the construction of the Luochuan Temple were more than enough, and even the construction of the two defense cities in Li and Tai could be greatly influenced, greatly shortening the investment cycle.
As for the distribution of the right to speak about the completion of the temple, Li Tai also has a bottom line, that is, Jihu must not be completely controlled.
First of all, we must continue to expand the army, let cousin Cui Qian eliminate a group of rural regiments in the border area, and continue to expand the defense force of Luochuan Fangcheng. It must reach at least 5,000 troops, which can ensure that Luochuan Temple is always located at the Fangcheng. Shocked by the military front.
As for the Buddhist management and religious status within the temple, although the Diaoyin Liu family has a niche to themselves, Li Tai will also give them the corresponding right to speak in return, and it is not a loss to be a deputy abbot.
But no one said that temple affairs are decided between two or three people, especially the selection of various responsible monks. Does it have to be recommended by a group of elders? Let everyone put forward their own opinions and contribute their own strength to the development of the temple, and use the virtuous to eliminate the mediocre.
The qualifications of this elder group will have to be sold for an additional fee. Governor Li pays attention to fairness and justice in his work, but does not make it public.
He has ordered the craftsmen of Baishui Village to use various copper and tin materials to build a larger statue of Master Liu. When the main hall of the Buddhist hall is completed, it will be placed in the hall. The niches on both sides can also be sold.
But this big Buddha statue required various tribes to raise money to bring it over. Ten families were initially scheduled to occupy the position of elder, with Luochuan Fang occupying one seat, Fucheng County occupying one seat, Li Tai himself also occupying one seat, and Diaoyin Liu family having one seat. The remaining ones are awarded by bidding by the Hu tribes. The steward monk must be nominated by the elders and selected by the masses. If the votes are not more than half, the decision will be made by the presiding officer.
Of course, this set of rules is still very rough and needs to be improved after implementation. That is a story for another time.
The temple's construction funds suddenly became extremely abundant, and Li Tai also felt that he had to make a greater contribution.
So he sent a message to Shang Yuan Village and ordered his construction team to go north to instruct these Jihu people on how to build houses. He built Shang Yuan Village frequently, and of course he also trained a group of experienced civil engineering brothers to come here. Earn some spare money and supplement your family income with consulting fees.
Some people really carelessly talk about it. Li Tai is still here complaining that Yu Wentai is a bit indifferent this year. He is reluctant to send even a letter of praise. He doesn't expect a letter from Daxingtai to be sent to the city the next day.
This letter is not a letter of praise, nor does it involve official business, but an invitation for him to return to Huazhou for a wedding banquet!
Yu Wentai's daughter and Yu Jin's son are getting married this month. Daxingtai knows that he has a hard time working in Beizhou. If he feels homesick, he can go back and have a wedding banquet.
After reading it, Li Tai wanted to scold me. It's okay if you don't give me a soft talk. I am self-reliant. It's okay to send me to Beizhou to drink from the northwest wind. I'm big-hearted. But when you marry your daughter and join the family, you think of me. !