landbeastnovel Chapter 243 Asking is pointless
Chapter 243 Asking is pointless
However, although it was able to export grain on a large scale, there were still some limitations.
The total population of the free people in the entire Northern Territory is only a few million, so the market size is not very large.
Besides, many lords have been in the business of supplying grain to certain territories in the southern border for decades, or even centuries.
Generally speaking, barring major natural disasters or man-made calamities, the Southern Lords' supply channels, trading reputation, and transportation cycles are quite stable, and their cooperative relationship is almost unbreakable.
Chiffon cakes are ultimately just a newly emerging and powerful family of products, and have not yet demonstrated their ability to provide a stable supply over a long period of time.
If someone buys chiffon cake ingredients this year, and then suddenly runs out of stock next year, who will fill the gap for them next year?
If there is no food to eat during the spring and winter famine season, and there is no advance reservation, then we are doomed.
Even on Earth, some countries cannot guarantee a stable food supply for their citizens, let alone on the Huanxing Continent.
Therefore, many lords dared not easily sever old ties and handed over all their orders to Chiffon.
Richard was able to secure this huge order of 42 million kilograms entirely thanks to his help in eradicating the plague.
Those lords only made an exception and gave an order as a token of their gratitude; it's uncertain whether there will be any more.
Richard certainly understood this principle, which is why he voluntarily reduced the price of wheat from three copper coins per kilogram to two copper coins per kilogram.
This move, besides seizing market share in the northern food market, also demonstrates sufficient sincerity. If a stable supply can be maintained in the future, these trade channels can be preserved.
The reason why the snow fox and snow deer placed an order was inseparable from the batch of life crops sold by Richard.
As for whether this price reduction might provoke hatred from the lords of the Southern Territory, Richard hadn't considered that.
The Southern Territory can still trade with other races. Earning a little less won't kill us. If you're really not happy about it, then lower your prices too!
Chiffon cakes have even been sold for one copper coin for three kilograms. If all else fails, let's see who dies first in a price war.
...
On the other hand, these fourteen grain orders only represent the trade volume in the southern part of the North.
Once Chiffon Trading Company has established itself and expanded its trade routes throughout the entire Northern Territory, earning 30,000 gold coins every quarter should not be a problem!
Moreover, basic food supplies are just the beginning.
Once the grain market is fully operational and Qifeng Trading Company has officially established itself in various territories, it will then take the opportunity to put various high-end grain products on the shelves.
Selling small quantities of alcohol, jams, pickles, cheese, smoked meats, etc., can generate a steady stream of income, with the additional revenue only increasing over time.
...
Of course, such a high-profile sale of grain to the outside world would inevitably attract the attention of various forces throughout the empire sooner or later.
At that time, many people will surely inquire about the secret to the abundant harvest of grains using chiffon cakes.
If ordinary grains are so plentiful that they can be sold at will, how could life-sustaining crops be lacking?
But asking is pointless.
Earl of the Wolf is an example. Want to know the origin of war magicians and a large number of unicorns?
Don't make trouble.
They were just a group of wandering fishermen and a donkey with a carrot stuck to its forehead.
If anyone is so blind as to keep digging into the details, then you can raise your head and ask my cannon.
—Let's see if it agrees!
That weapon of mass destruction suspended in low Earth orbit is the ultimate answer to all your questions.
...
...
The crowd below was still immersed in the joy of huge profits, whispering excitedly among themselves.
Richard clapped his hands, the crisp sound instantly silencing all the noise, and the hall returned to solemn silence.
"Alright, let's leave the matter of food here for now." Richard looked at the dean of the Mystic Academy.
"Felix, besides the experimental fields, it's time to pick up the academy's old business again and get the school up and running as soon as possible."
"Literacy is the most basic thing. Basic subjects like mathematics, geography, and law also need to be taught. In particular, the 'Outline of Health and Epidemic Prevention' that I wrote before requires a perfect score to graduate."
"However, the priority at present is to cooperate with the city hall to train the business team needed by Chiffon Trading Company. Chapter 248 of this chapter, 'Ask in Vain, There's a Surprise, Click to Unlock Now,' should help them become qualified overseas managers as soon as possible."
Speaking of this, Richard suddenly remembered a young serf steward who, when calculating work points, managed to calculate 15 plus 25 as 28, which infuriated Richard.
He shook his head, refocused his attention, and continued:
"School fees should be clearly divided according to status. Qifeng citizens can attend school for free, and textbooks will be provided by the city hall."
"Chifeng charges the people thirty copper coins, but children under the age of twelve only need to pay five copper coins."
"The school's class time has been adjusted to after sunset, with two hours of classes every evening."
Although light panels are not yet ubiquitous and cannot be universally adopted by every household, they are not yet available everywhere.
However, all public buildings, school buildings, halls, and main street lights in the city have been installed.
The nights are no longer pitch black, and schools now have the capacity to hold classes at night. Since daytime time is precious, let's not waste it at school.
Everything in the territory is just beginning, so we won't force everyone to learn.
However, the basic requirements for subsequent employment at the city hall, selection of servants for military service, and even promotion to citizenship all require a graduation certificate issued by a school.
Richard hoped that the overall knowledge and cognitive literacy of the people of Chiffon would be higher than those of other territories.
Putting everything else aside, at the very least, one should be self-aware enough not to spit indiscriminately, or engage in unseemly and unhygienic behaviors such as urinating or defecating. Richard finds these things the most intolerable.
There's a rule in Chiffon Laws that says if you catch someone doing something like that, you get ten free draws right there on the street!
...
After explaining all the relevant matters concerning the Mystic Academy, Richard turned his gaze to Henry, the chief infrastructure engineer.
"Alright, let's talk about the current progress of the project."
Upon hearing this, Henry stepped forward and began to report on his work.
"Reporting to you, sir, the finishing touches on the inner city are basically complete, and the stone-paved road leading to Frost Territory is almost finished. It will be fully open to traffic in another three to five days."
"We now have a sufficient number of serfs who can be deployed to other projects, such as the outer city area and the riverside park. Do you think we should start these two projects?"
Richard tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.
According to the original plan, the outer city area should not have been put on the agenda so quickly; the construction time should have been at least until next year.
The plan can't keep up with the changes.
More than 10,000 new settlers are still living in tents outside the city. Although food is plentiful and firewood is cheap, it is not a long-term solution.
Winter arrives suddenly in the far north, and once the first snow falls, tents can't keep out the biting wind.
However, the outer city area is planned to cover a total area of ten square kilometers, and the city wall alone is several kilometers long. Even with the current number of serfs and monster troops, it is definitely not something that can be built in two or three months.
Thinking of this, Richard said to Henry:
"Let's gather all the serfs and monster troops, find a piece of land outside the east of the city, level it, and lay underground pipes according to the standards of the inner city, and then pave the ground with stone slabs."
"First, we need to build a habitable residential area in the outer city. Estimate how long that will take, given the scope of the construction."
Upon hearing this, Henry immediately pulled out the writing board he always carried with him from his waist and began writing and drawing on it with a charcoal pencil.
He paused halfway through the calculation, then turned to Wendy beside him and asked:
"Your Excellency Wendy, approximately how many households are represented by those ten thousand-plus subjects?"
Without a second thought, Wendy replied, "About three thousand households."
When this number reached everyone's ears, their hearts skipped a beat.
Three thousand households...
This means that there are only three to four people in each household on average, which is too few!
Under normal circumstances, a family in the North has at least five or six members, and some even have three generations of grandparents and grandchildren living together.
But after the plague raged, every household lost a loved one, and almost every household lost one or two family members.
Some families were left with only one son, while others were completely wiped out, leaving no one to even collect the bodies.
Everyone sighed with regret.
Henry buried himself in his calculations, his pen constantly tracing lines across the board, before finally looking up to report to Richard.
"If we can mobilize all available serfs and monster troops, we can complete an area large enough for three thousand households to live in about half a month."