Speaking of which, Emperor Yang of Sui was indeed a very generous emperor.

Back then, he not only held a big banquet in Zhangye, but also encouraged merchants from the Western Regions to go to the Central Plains to do business, and held a grand event in Luoyang. It is said that in that year, all Hu merchants who went to Luoyang to trade did not have to spend money on food and accommodation in Luoyang.

This approach left a very impressive impression of being stupid and having too much money. But at that time, this policy was indeed very attractive to those Hu merchants in the Western Regions.

In that era, almost all trade between the East and the West was monopolized by the Turks. The Hu merchants were already accustomed to doing business with the Turks. Over time, the Turks' financial resources became stronger and the threat to the Central Plains was greater. The move of Emperor Yang of Sui was basically to remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot.

By this time in the early Tang Dynasty, Hu Shang no longer had the same treatment as the Sui Dynasty.

In the fourth year of Zhenguan, some people in the Western Regions said they wanted to pay tribute. In fact, they were a bit suspicious of coming to the Central Plains to do business in the name of tribute.                                                                                                      

Regarding this matter, Wei Zheng advised at that time: If it was just a merchant exchange and asked them to do business with the people on the border, there would be no problem. If they were to entertain them as guests, it would be "not China's benefit."

In fact, there is no need to do that. Since the trade pattern has been opened, why should these people eat and live in vain?

This thing is like the discounts for new customers in various apps in later generations. For new customers, various red envelopes will be distributed in large quantities. Don’t think about old customers.

Therefore, these Hu merchants cannot live in the inn and cannot enjoy the treatment of free food and accommodation. Small towns on business roads in the Western Regions have the opportunity to develop the catering and accommodation industry.

The money of Hu merchants is not easy to make. I heard that at some large wharfs in the Central Plains, those coolies who brought goods to others often rushed forward to the cargo ships of the aristocratic families and Central Plains merchants, because most of these people are generous. If they change to Hu merchants' cargo ships, everyone's enthusiasm will not be so high, because most Hu merchants are stingy.

But that was in the Central Plains, where Changle County was a large part of the local economy was driven by these stingy Hu merchants.

Changle County has neither rich resources nor any characteristic industries, nor has it competed with the surrounding cities, so the Hu merchants could not stay in the city for more, so this county was very poor.

In order to develop the local economy, Luo used his recent hard thinking to set three short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for this small city.

The short-term goal is to promote tofu vegetables, improve the food level of restaurants and the accommodation environment of the guest house, and provide better services than surrounding towns under the same or similar price conditions, so as to retain some of the Hu merchants who are not in a hurry to rush, and bring some income to the small town through the consumption of these people.

Hu merchants traveled between the Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty and needed to travel through a large desert. The summer was hot in the desert, the winter was extremely cold, and there was windy and sand in the early spring. Generally, Hu merchants chose to travel through the desert in late spring and early summer, or autumn.

In the second and third months of the lunar calendar, there were not many caravans coming from the Western Regions. Instead, there were some Hu merchants coming from Liangzhou. They settled in the Dunhuang area, waiting for the opportunity to cross the desert again, the right season and the right weather.

These Hu merchants who traveled between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions were more like gold digger adventurers than merchants.

They do not have rich assets and huge network of relationships like some merchants in the Central Plains. They risked their lives and came to the Tang Dynasty thousands of miles to make a lot of money.

Some Hu Shang also chose to settle down in the Tang Dynasty since he came to the Tang Dynasty or walked a few times and earned enough capital.

Whether in the Hexi Corridor or in Chang'an and Luoyang, there are many such merchants. They either resell goods or operate restaurants and do anything, but most of them still do business, and they also hear that they are loan sharks.

There are also some settled Hu merchants in Dunhuang, but there is no one in Changle County.

"There is Changle County in front." On the afternoon of that day, a caravan came from Jinchang.

"Go away quickly. I heard that a new county magistrate came from their place and taught the restaurants in the city to learn to curry vegetables." A Hu Shang wrapped in a white turban said loudly.

"It's just tofu. Have you not eaten enough in Liangzhou City?"

"Changle County is too deserted and not lively at all."

"We will rest here for one night and go to Dunhuang early tomorrow morning."

"Go to Dunhuang to have a good rest."

"Everyone will leave soon! Changle County is ahead, we will stay here tonight."

This group of dusty Hu people spoke loudly, even if others heard it, they would not understand it.

At that time, Emperor Wu of Han sent people to garrison the border in the Hexi Corridor, and many Han soldiers lived and settled here, so the language here was mainly based on Chinese dialect.

These Hu people have a bad impression of Changle County. In the past, every time they passed by, they didn’t have a good meal and accommodation. The city was small and there were very few people. They were not lively enough. Not to mention the entertainment, they didn’t even have a decent bathhouse.

The group of people were rumbling and talking while walking, saying that it was a bad thing in Changle County.

When I was about to enter the city gate, I looked up and found that it was the dilapidated city wall before.

After entering the city gate, I looked at the streets in the city. It was a little different from the past. The streets were much cleaner. Although there were not many pedestrians on the street, they were in a hurry, and it was not the dull scene in the past.

"The guest wants to have a meal, go to my house. I, Aye and the magistrate of Naluo, learned tofu dishes, which was delicious. Today, I also stewed mutton and newly launched bean sprouts at home..."

There was a teenager in his teens next to the city gate. Seeing that the group entered the city, he hurried up to start a business for his own food shop.

When those Hu people heard him say that the tofu is a little bit moved, and when they heard that the stewed mutton, they felt a little bit greasy. Then they heard that there were new bean sprouts. The leading people looked at each other and decided to go.

On the way, their group either ate jerky or ate pancakes. Although they had stayed in many towns and stations, it was rare to find vegetables in winter, so they had already wanted to eat something refreshing to change their taste.

When he arrived at the food shop that the child opened at his house, his brother and sister came out to greet him. Twenty or thirty Hu merchants packed his food shop in a blink of an eye.

I saw the guesthouses next to me very envious and secretly regretted that I didn’t let my family go to the city gate to squat today. There are not many caravans in this season, so who would have thought that so many people would come today?

These Hu merchants ordered vegetables and placed animals, but they were not assured to hand over all the animals and goods to the store for care.

Just as these Hu merchants ordered one or two dishes, a child quickly jumped out of the food shop, shook his feet and ran all the way to a shop in the middle of the street with no business names, and shouted:

"Twenty-nine guests came to my house. They just ordered three shreds of mixed rice and home-cooked tofu."

"I know." The one who looked at the shop was a slightly older servant.

Although this man looked old, he was quite moved. In a short while, he took off bean sprouts, leeks, dried tofu from the shelves beans, and a lot of tofu. These things were packed in a basket, which was quite heavy.

"Can you take it?" the officer asked him.

"Yes." The child lifted up the hemp rope on the basket and hung it behind his neck, hugged it and walked out the door: "I, Aye, will send you money later."

"Cicada."

On the other side, at the food shop, the Hu merchants ordered a few more dishes. The eldest son of the shop also came out of the shop at this time. On the way, he met his younger brother, so he took the basket from his arms and told him several other dishes ordered by the customer, asking him to turn it back and pass the message, and the adults at home would go and pick it up later.

There were so many customers coming at once, and the food shop was very busy. They washed vegetables and made porridge. After the big pot of steaming cornmeal porridge was cooked, the three-spark here were prepared.

The hot porridge and cold dishes were very appetizing. Seeing the Hu merchants drinking the porridge with chopsticks, put the cold dishes in their mouths and chewing them in large mouthfuls, they were very satisfied with the expression on their faces.

While the Hu merchants were eating, new dishes were constantly served. The taste was quite good. The most rare thing was that the ingredients of each dish were very fresh, so it was not easy to do this.

Especially in places like Changle County, these food shops may not necessarily have one or two orders all day long. It is almost impossible to prepare so many ingredients and keep them fresh.

It was precisely because Luo Yong considered this that he asked the government to come forward to help these food stores prepare stocks. He not only asked people to buy ingredients locally, but also invited the porters who went out to sell tofu to buy some things that were not available locally from Jinchang Dunhuang and other places.

These things are priced at 20% on the original price and sold to the city's tavern restaurants, so that those shops can avoid the stocking cost. Although the price is a little more expensive, the supply points operated by the government are not only fresh ingredients, but also have a very complete variety. The operating costs of the 20% of the price increase may not be enough as the supply point. Everyone is doing business and has some knowledge of this.

"Aweng, it's time to eat." In the evening, a boy aged six or seven came from the county government with a big stone pottery bowl.

Since Ah Weng was arranged to sell vegetables here, helping Ah Weng cook food every day has become his job. The child obviously likes this job very much. Every day, he will go to the county government to report on time with a big bowl of stone pottery when it is time to dinner. The people in the county government know him.

"You eat first, I'll take a look at these dishes." This servant is old and doesn't eat as much as those young people. It just so happens that the eldest grandson in his family is growing up, so he divided the food into him every day.

"Aweng, what are you going to eat tomorrow?" They will eat whatever dishes they want tomorrow, so just ask their own Aweng and he will know what to eat in the county government tomorrow.

"These courgettes cannot be put on anymore. I might want to eat fried courgettes tomorrow."

The officer counted the things on the shelves, walked slowly to Hu's bed by the window and sat down, looking at the food on the low table, a large bowl of braised lamb, and two big and small cakes.

Changle County is located in the border area, with arid weather, and there is not much land to cultivate, so the price of grain is quite high. In the past two years, there have been many people raising sheep, mainly for cashmere and mutton fat soap, and then the local mutton price became very cheap.

However, no matter how cheap it is, the people must first have money. If they can’t even take out a copper plate in their hands, no matter how cheap the mutton is, they still can’t afford it.

"Ahon, you eat the cake. This cake is baked with white flour and maltose is added."

"You can eat this cake, Ahon loves to eat meat."

"Ahon, take a bite."

"Then take a bite."

"How about it? Is it delicious?"

"good."

“This cake is so delicious!”

"hey-hey……"

In the county canteen, I often make some such exquisite food. Most of the servants have to take it home, and the kids at home are very rare.

The grandparents and grandsons sat opposite Hu's bed by the window, and in the dim light, they shared a meal.

The child was full, and he rummaged and played on Hu's bed for a few times. When he was sleepy, he fell asleep there.

The officer covered his grandson with a quilt, removed the low table, and then went out to close the yard. Standing in the yard, you could hear a group of women talking loudly. The Hu merchants ordered a lot of dishes just now, and the food shop must have earned a lot today.

If they eat well, those people might be able to live here for a little longer. After all, at this time, they can't enter the desert. If this is true, the restaurant owner will probably be very happy.

This is also thanks to the new Luo County Magistrate. If it weren't for the new dishes he taught and had made such a shop to serve ingredients, the Hu merchants would be satisfied with the food, they wouldn't have ordered many dishes today, let alone staying here for a long time.

When the county magistrate first came, many people in the county were not optimistic about it. He is so young and gentle scholar, he is really as amazing as the rumors outside?

It is said that a good wife cannot cook without rice. They are not very good at this place. No matter how smart Luo Sanlang is, he is afraid he will be helpless in Changle County.

However, it was this young county magistrate Luo who could not only fight the county magistrate and others, but also guide the business methods of the city's merchants. He was willing to teach those peddlers and barons. He was not tired of any matters in the city, and he put them into practice one by one.

Originally, I thought it was spread by people in the world, but I never thought that real people were better than the legendary ones.

The night was getting darker outside the window, and this old worker had a good dream that night.
Chapter completed!