Chapter One Hundred and Two
"This item was developed under the orders of Lord Xuande’s Chen Zichuan, so I would ask the families behind each of you to remain calm," Mi Zhu, clearly aware of the greed in everyone’s eyes, cautioned them. Wealth and riches can blind people, and only sufficient strength or a solid foundation can suppress others’ greed. Liu Bei just so happens to possess a royal identity, which is enough to deter the Northern Aristocratic Families from acting rashly.
With Mi Zhu’s warning, all the merchants reluctantly suppressed the greed in their hearts. After all, the name Liu Xuande still held some prestige at that time. The only ones who dared to pursue Dong Zhuo’s Army were Liu Bei and Cao Cao, and both were from Yanzhou, which naturally meant they were quite renowned.
"However, since I have brought this thing out, it means that I do not intend to keep it for myself. All of you here represent the Northern Aristocratic Families, so I believe we can join hands to control the wool production in the North. Lord Xuande only wants half of the profits; the rest will be divided among you! I have to leave now for other matters. If you have any further questions, just ask Ke Xing (Zhao Zun)." After finishing his speech, Mi Zhu left with a cupped-hands salute, tacitly acknowledging Zhao Zun’s status as the vice president. Whether he could actually secure the position was up to him, given that there were many eyeing it. Mi Zhu had done all he could to help him.
Upon Mi Zhu’s departure, all the merchants exchanged glances, packed up the wool in their hands, and prepared to return to their respective families. They were merely public figures; the real decision-makers were their families behind the scenes, and they were not as free as Mi Zhu. Aware of these circumstances, Mi Zhu had directly given them the yarn made from cashmere.
In this way, it had become impossible for any Northern family to monopolize the trade. The only option left was to unite. Chen Xi was also curious to see whether these families would be overcome by greed and swallow up Liu Bei’s share. If they didn’t infringe on it, it would indicate that these families might coexist peacefully with Liu Bei. If they did, then there would be no point in trying to leverage the Aristocratic Families in the future.
In ancient times, due to the difficulties of travel, the political and power circles easily formed region-centered groups. The Han Dynasty’s North, South, East, and West were never quiet, and Chen Xi wouldn’t mind letting the North and South bicker and weaken each other’s forces. So, even if his share was consumed, it wouldn’t be a significant loss.
Similarly, Chen Xi felt that these people wouldn’t see the full picture; the yarn was spun from cashmere. They were told it was wool so that once they realized they couldn’t replicate it, many would lose interest. Being a distributor and retailer is great when we’re the only upstream supplier. It couldn’t get any better.
Giving a carrot to the North and a jujube to the South: let them fight. The more terrible the battle, the easier the situation would be to handle. Chen Xi’s malice was beyond what these people could estimate, and only Mi Zhu felt that Chen Xi would not really let others take advantage of him for nothing.
Think about it, the Zhen Family is already in a precarious situation as if a white silk ribbon is tightening around their necks. Once the Mi Family begins selling at lower prices than the Zhen Family in Jizhou and the deadline in April arrives, Mi Zhu can simply take the promissory note, accuse the Zhen Family, and they could be hung out to dry. At this point, the Zhen Family isn’t far from selling themselves into servitude for the whole family.
As for official protection, by then the war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan would be in full swing. Expecting Yuan Shao to risk antagonizing Liu Bei, who controls an entire county and the allegiance of Guan, Zhang, and Zhao, just for the sake of the Zhen Family was wishful thinking. Yuan Shao wouldn’t want to be attacked from both fronts. Gongsun Zan, a man known for his unbridled aggression, could single-handedly shatter the 300,000-strong Wuhuan. So, the chances of Yuan Shao abandoning the Zhen Family exceeded ninety percent; at most, he might try to preserve the Zhen lineage, but family assets would be the last of his concerns by then.
As for whether Yuan Shao might harbor thoughts of dealing with Liu Bei after defeating Gongsun Zan, haha, by the time Yuan Shao had finished with Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei, having swallowed Qingzhou, would be in a position to wrestle with Yuan Shao. By then, if you think about making Liu Bei look bad, it would be strange if Liu Bei didn’t make you regret it!
Gongsun Bogui is a tough nut to crack, especially with Liu Bei supplying provisions. It’s possible that Gongsun Bogui, who was supposed to last three years, could hold out for five. Three to five years is enough time for Liu Bei to completely assimilate Qingzhou and then turn to conquer other regions.
"Zizhong, you’re back," Chen Xi greeted the dust-covered Mi Zhu, who had finally managed to return during the New Year.
"I have completed the task assigned by Chen Zichuan. The Zhen Family, what a pity," said Mi Zhu with a wry smile. "I plan to relocate my family to Mount Tai. As for the salt industry, I intend to gradually transfer it to the hands of those Southern and Northern businessmen. As for the price, I think it’s best not to go too low."
"Eight hundred coins per dan; five times the price of millet. Of course, I’m referring to the price of millet from Mount Tai. I won’t concern myself with other places," Chen Xi pondered briefly before speaking. Direct dumping indeed has a significant impact, yet slightly cheaper prices might go unnoticed by others, and for Chen Xi, any price would be profitable.
"That’s not too cheap, either. What about the price inside Mount Tai?" Mi Zhu asked, somewhat curious.
"Inside Mount Tai, the price will be the same as millet, but purchases are limited to one month’s worth at a time," Chen Xi replied with a smile. "This way, merchants who want to mix in cheap salt from Mount Tai will hardly make any profit."
"Hmm, Zichuan is indeed cautious. I have news for you. I got word from the merchant association under my control that there are about three to four thousand war horses in the North without buyers, priced at thirty thousand coins each. I’ve already seen the goods, but since these horses are illicit, it’s difficult to transport them back. Although I’ve paid a deposit, it’s not easy to take delivery. Do you have a solution?" Mi Zhu shared some promising news with Chen Xi.
"Thirty thousand? That’s not even possible in the Border Commandery, is it? Aren’t the prices in the Border Commandery sixty thousand per horse, and one hundred thousand within the Inner County?" Chen Xi exclaimed in shock. The price was terrifying—surely it wasn’t a swindle within a swindle?
"That’s why I’m asking you," Mi Zhu said, glancing at Chen Xi.
"Whose horses?" Chen Xi inquired.
"Dong Zhuo’s horses!" Mi Zhu declared. "That’s why those guys in the North are afraid of getting entangled with Dong Zhuo, as they’d have to cross Bingzhou—Yuan Benchu can hardly reach that far, and Cao Mengde can’t afford it; they want cash on delivery or a grain trade!"
"How much deposit did you pay?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"One million coins," Mi Zhu stated calmly, as though the loss of such an amount to a bad investment didn’t matter much.
"I’ll write a letter to Hua Xiong to let him swindle them," Chen Xi said unscrupulously. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry had already started selling horses, and it seemed their days were quite troubled. There was no choice—Dong Zhuo’s exploitation in Meiwu had been too severe, leaving hardly any means of survival for the soldiers. Selling horses was a last resort, but this presented a good opportunity.
"..." Suddenly, Mi Zhu felt that telling Chen Xi about this wasn’t such a good idea after all; it was damaging his own reputation.
"Oh, my mistake. I just meant to take in those selling the horses; after all, Hua Xiong was once a brave general of Xiliang," Chen Xi seemed to catch Mi Zhu’s skeptical gaze, so he looked up to explain.
Seeing that Mi Zhu still wore an untrusting look, Chen Xi resorted to the truth, "One billion coins or six hundred thousand dan of grain is way too much; Mount Tai is too poor, but the war horses are too important. Let’s do it this way."