Zhuang Shilin was ordered to go to Guangzhou to purchase grain. The matter was urgent, and he did not dare to neglect it. After going to sea, he pretended to be a Semu cargo ship according to the scheduled plan, and it took only two days and two nights to arrive successfully.?

Guangzhou was once the largest foreign trade port in the Song Dynasty. It gradually declined after entering the Southern Song Dynasty and was replaced by Quanzhou. The emaciated camels were bigger than horses. Although it was not as grand as it used to be, it was still prosperous. As a businessman, Zhuang Shilin naturally came to Guangzhou often.

The place where they were going, but this time he found something different. Last year, Guangzhou was captured by the Yuan Army, and then recovered by the Song Army. The situation at this moment was just as they expected. There was food, and it could be said that it was very abundant, but

The price is ridiculously high, even if it is settled in silver, it only costs one tael of silver or one stone.

Zhuang Shilin thought that there was still time, so he did not rush to buy all of them, but bought a small amount first. Because he knew that he was also a big merchant, and buying a large amount might cause the price of food to rise, and most of the merchant ships coming to Guangzhou to trade now were in Guangzhou.

On the road or in the harbor waiting for the monsoon to go out to sea, merchants are waiting for the price to sell. The businessman's instinct makes him feel that there is still an opportunity, so he wants to wait for two days to see if the price will be reduced without taking a big deal.

Zhuang Shilin was not idle during the waiting time. He purchased some medicinal materials and other sundries, but the price of food fluctuated very little, which made people very anxious and strange. Seeing that the deadline for the return voyage was getting closer, Zhuang Shilin couldn't wait any longer.

He decided to take the initiative. The method he chose was to find Guangfuju, the largest grain merchant in Guangzhou, and display the sign of Prince Wei's Mansion to tell the truth that the enemy was approaching and the war would break out soon. It was best to sell the grain at a low price.

Give it to yourself, otherwise the results will be unpredictable, and what he did was not to take advantage of the situation, but to help him.

The reason why Zhuang Shilin was so confident was that before leaving, the prince once said that there would be war in Guangzhou. He had seen the prince's magic skills several times and he believed it. He also knew that business travelers were most afraid of war. Not only would the goods be

If there is damage, it may also be requisitioned by the warring parties without compensation. At that time, both men and money will be lost. When they get the news that war is about to break out, they will sell goods at low prices, even at a loss, just to minimize the loss.

?Bi ?Quge

The grain merchant did not dare to offend this uninvited purchaser from Prince Wei's palace. After all, Guangzhou was still the territory of the Song Dynasty, and he was not afraid. Now that the emperors had taken refuge at sea, the government orders were blocked. Even if he disobeyed, so did Prince Wei.

He couldn't help himself. But based on the principle of trusting what he had and not trusting what he didn't, he immediately sent someone to inquire about the news while keeping Zhuang Shilin in check. However, he did not disclose the news because whether it was true or false, it would cause confusion in the market.

Panic, then you will have to follow the market whether you like it or not, and you have to decide whether others want your own food or not.

Everyone knows that the Yuan army has launched a large-scale offensive in Fuguang and Jiangxi areas since last year. There have also been fierce battles in Guangzhou. The sales of Guangfuju are all over the Fuguang area, so naturally there are channels for information, and they will be verified immediately.

.They immediately learned that the Shuilu army led by General Lu Shikui of the Yuan Army stationed in Guangda was mobilized frequently. It seemed that a major war was taking place, but the target of the attack was unknown. The grain merchants were shocked when they heard that the Yuan Army was stationed only a few days away from Guangzhou.

The journey comes as soon as it comes!

So the grain dealer's attitude changed drastically, and he urgently met with Zhuang Shilin and took the initiative to lower the price of rice to three guans per stone. When Zhuang Shilin saw this, he immediately understood what was going on. He was an old businessman and knew that these big grain dealers not only buy grain at low prices but also buy at high prices.

Those who sell to earn the price difference are often large landowners. The physical land rent collected every year alone is a large amount. There is definitely room for price reduction. Now that the initiative has been transferred to their own hands, they will definitely have to pay back the money on the ground.

The details were twists and turns, and the price was repeatedly lowered. In the end, the Yuan army that attacked Guangzhou came to help. After its intention to attack Guangzhou became clear, the market was in panic. The owner of Guangfu Ju came to the door in person and expressed his willingness to settle in gold and silver as long as he settled in gold and silver.

The price was five stones for every two taels of silver. Zhuang Shilin was kind and righteous, and took the initiative to express his willingness to increase the purchase volume, but it was a pity that the ships in his hands did not have enough transportation capacity. Seeing the enemy approaching day by day, various merchants in the city were selling their goods, and the price of rice was also at a low level.

After surrendering again and again, Guangfu Ju gritted his teeth and was willing to send two of his three thousand stone ships to help transfer the goods.?

It is cheap and does not take advantage of the bastard. Zhuang Shilin has received this education since he was a child. Now he said that the sea will not be peaceful even if the war is going on, and something will probably happen, so he might as well sell the boat to himself. Taking two boats, Guangfuju knew clearly that this

The transaction was already a loss, but he also wanted the other party to pay real money and silver, and the amount he wanted was large, so he gritted his teeth and agreed. Zhuang Shilin immediately paid the money, shipped it to sea overnight, and escaped from the war before the Yuan army arrived.

…

"Okay, okay, you did a good job on this errand." Spending a small amount of money to do big things is not only a businessman's philosophy, but also the perspective of Zhao Bing, who has served as a corporate executive. To put it bluntly, a businessman is also a businessman.

Of course he praised me profusely.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. This is also a dangerous matter. As soon as we left the port, the Guangzhou Navy began to block the port. We almost couldn't come back." Of course, Zhuang Shilin was very happy to receive His Highness's praise, but when he thought about it, he was also scared.

"You can find wealth in danger, it's so easy to take advantage of it!" Zhao Bing said with a smile.

"Yes!" Zhuang Shilin was stunned after hearing this. He did not expect that His Highness actually understood this truth and felt that he had met a close friend.

"Master Zhuang, you have just returned from Guangzhou. You know the situation better. Do you think Guangzhou can be defended?" Zhao Bing asked again. He knew that if there was a war in Guangzhou, the news would soon spread here, which would frighten the imperial court.

It was another bad news for him. He had to understand the current situation so that he could make contingency preparations.

"Your Highness... I am about to report this matter." Zhuang Shilin hesitated, not knowing how to answer. He said that it was against his will to hold on, and he was afraid that His Highness would accuse him of being alarmist if he said that he could not hold on.

"Tell the truth, no need to hide it." Zhao Bing immediately saw what he was thinking and said.

"Yes, Your Highness, that subordinate is talking nonsense." Zhuang Shilin stood up and saluted, and said after a while, "Your Highness, I think that the Tatar army is at its peak, but although our court has gathered some troops, most of them are rural soldiers.

Volunteerism. Moreover, the last time the two armies fought in Guangzhou, the city defenses were seriously damaged and they were not repaired in time. I am afraid it will not last long."

"Well, how is the situation in the city?" Zhao Bing nodded and asked again.

"When the subordinates left, the government began to forcibly recruit young people and prepare supplies to defend the city. However, the merchants were busy selling their goods and the people rushed to flee outside the city. There were also gangsters who took the opportunity to rob. Although the government sent people to suppress them, they could not stop it.

, they sent troops to seal off the port and the city, and now there is chaos." Zhuang Shilin sighed and said.

"There are strong enemies outside and uncertainty inside. It seems that we can't hold it anymore." Zhao Bing also said with a sad expression. If Guangzhou is lost, not only will it lose an important town, but the road to the south will also be cut off. The imperial court will face the dilemma of being attacked on three sides.

, the situation is very bad.

"Your Highness, will the court evacuate?" Zhuang Shilin asked, looking at the prince's face.

"Once Guangzhou is lost, the imperial court will definitely evacuate. We have to make some preparations." Zhao Bing nodded.

"Why don't you unload the food on your highness's ship first, so as not to waste time? But you still need to keep it under control. When we entered the port today, officers and soldiers intercepted us and wanted to requisition our ships and property. They took out the royal palace's sign so they didn't dare to do it.

We had to move, but we also had to leave a boatload of food. Fortunately, Liu Zhu led the soldiers from the mansion and arrived to relieve the siege. There was almost a conflict twice," Zhuang Shilin said.

"Oh, which army is it?" Zhao Bing was surprised. Those officers and soldiers knew it was his ship, but they still dared to take action. They didn't take his prince seriously.

"Your Highness, they claim to be the Yingzhou Army, and they should belong to Deputy Privy Envoy Zhang." Zhuang Shilin replied.

"Yingzhou Army?!" Zhao Bing knew that the Yingzhou Army was Zhang Shijie's direct descendant and the most combat-effective force in the country. He always felt superior to others and acted domineeringly. However, this also shows that Zhang Shijie has a deep regard for this little guy like him.

The prince's attitude was that he didn't regard him as a dish at all, but their brazenness was too much. "Now that all the ministries are short of food, it is inevitable that some people will covet it. So as you said, most of the food will be left on the ship, so that the water

The army strictly guards the place to prevent robbery."

"Your Highness, I think that the food we bought is enough for two months, so we can sell some to them to avoid getting into trouble with them." Zhuang Shilin hesitated and said. He also knew the importance of food at this time, but he felt that for

It would not be a wise move for the prince to confront the big shots in the court.

"Well, what you said makes sense." Zhao Bing thought for a moment and said. He was still young and couldn't compete with them, so he could only make a note of it for the time being. "But we can't take advantage of them. Look at the other people in the house.

What a shortage." He curled his lips and said, now that he had the armor and weapons for his team.

"Your Highness... Your Highness is still smart!" Zhuang Shilin was stunned for a moment, but he soon understood what the prince meant. He thought to himself that the prince is really a fellow-minded person. He has such knowledge at a young age. It would be a pity not to do business.

Next, Zhao Bing talked with Zhuang Shilin about what he saw and heard on the way and learned about the outside world. Then he told him about the personnel arrangements made by the government after he left and the duties of the general bureau, and then let him know

Wang De led Zhuang Shilin, who had long been unable to resist taking up his post, to go to work and handle the handover.

"Your Highness, someone is coming from the palace." The biggest problem of getting food was solved. Zhao Bing had not sat down for a while after sending Zhuang Shilin off, but a small yellow door ran in to report.
Chapter completed!