Since the Chanyuan Alliance, since the annual coins that need to be delivered to the Liao Kingdom every year include cloth and silk, becoming an imperial merchant in the weaving industry has always been a tangled matter.
The annual demand for cloth of 300,000 pieces of silk is not a small amount. If it is not broken into parts, no cloth merchant can eat it. And even if it is broken down into parts, the figures given by the court are still large figures.
However, with such a huge demand for cloth, it was impossible for the imperial court to offer a truly high price for the purchase. This was not a luxury item, and the price was often even lower than what was available on the market.
Every year, some precious silks and satins are purchased by the palace. This is the price of luxury goods. Of course there is profit, but compared to 300,000 pieces, the demand is not huge. Becoming an imperial merchant is a sure thing
There will be certain privileges, so for large merchants, some merchants will spare some time to take orders related to Sui coins, make small profits but quick turnover, or simply ignore making money and use some of the privileges given by the court to develop business in other places.
The foundation of the Su family is still a little insufficient in this regard. Of course, it is no problem to take on a small part, but if you take the initiative to ask for it, it will be quite troublesome. The Su family itself has a large amount of business to maintain. Once the royal order is accepted,
Next, they don't care if you need time buffer or something, they must deliver the goods when the time comes. If they don't want to affect the supply and demand relationship of the already saturated business, the Su family must ensure sufficient supply capacity in advance.
In other words, you are required to prepare new workshops and new sources of raw materials in advance. These businesses do not provide much profit and may bring certain privileges, but the energy spent in expanding these new workshops will itself make the Su family
The expansion ability has truly reached saturation, and privileges are given to you, but you have no energy to expand.
On the other hand, if you can take over part of the business of old cloth, and you have a better kind of cloth, the palace will also release the demand for some precious silks and satins, and this small part will make more money. Everyone can
If you want this part of the business, except for a few nationally famous rare silk fabrics, the rest of the cloth merchants who want to offer their precious silks have to pack up a portion of the unprofitable old cloth, plus get through various companies.
It is very difficult to make a profit purely on the miscellaneous expenses of such joints. This is just a way for super large merchants with sufficient funds to obtain privileges to expand their business.
There are many large cloth merchants like this in Bianliang area. Although Jiangning is also a place where the weaving industry flourishes, the business of Huang merchants is basically fixed by a few medium-sized cloth merchants. They switched to this field, but they are prosperous enough and have a high position in the cloth shop.
It is no different from the three families of Wu, Xue, and Su. Of course, some will be shared occasionally. It is not that the medium-sized cloth merchants always take over the annual cloth business, but those who become imperial merchants only become medium-sized in the end.
The reason is that the pressure on Suibu is too great and the profits are not high.
To solve such a problem, the best way is actually to improve technology. Xi Junyu can probably feel some of Su Tan'er's efforts in this regard. He has been working hard for several years, and he probably has some ideas in front of him, but...
Now, the problem arises...
"In the past few years, if you could further reduce the cost of cloth and improve efficiency, you would have no problem taking over the business... Of course, there will definitely be jealous people in a year or two. But the problem is that starting last year,
The relationship between the Liao Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom has become tense. Now both of them are waiting for the war to begin. Once the war breaks out and the two tigers fight, our country will definitely send troops, and we will definitely not send new coins to the Liao people in the future. These thirty
Thousands of dollars worth of cloth, I can only bear the loss..."
"But if there are no more annual coins, all the royal merchants will receive are the silks and satins sent to the palace. The Xue family and the Wu family must be following up now. We may be able to defeat the Xue family, but we cannot win against the Wu family.
Family, they already have connections in the palace and are very familiar with the adults in the Zhizhi Mansion. I know you have spent some time preparing in the past few years, but in this situation, the chances of winning are no longer high. The most important thing is
Still in terms of New Year's Cloth, no matter how good the silk you presented is, the demand in the palace is not high, but if you add New Year's Cloth, they won't want it, and you have invested a lot of new workshops, which will be empty out all at once, but if you are not prepared
New workshop, if the demand for cloth is still there for another year, what should we do..."
After Xi Junyu said this, Su Tan'er was silent for a long time before speaking: "Isn't it just as difficult for the Xue family and the Wu family to solve the problem of yearly cloth?"
"If there is still one year's demand for annual cloth, they are going to hold on to it without adding any chips. They will first give up part of the market share. If the troops are sent out next year or the year after, and they fall out, they will take the silk and satin business.
You are holding on to the royal merchant privileges and getting your market share back. But you are improving the looms, you are taking risks, and you have invested too much. Of course I would have supported you a few years ago, but now I may not be able to win over you openly.
, this is no longer a profitable business, it’s better to get out as soon as possible." He sighed, "This is not a mistake in your calculation, but the opportunity is right, and there is nothing you can do about it..."
In the past, due to the relationship between Suibu, the Imperial Merchants were not so good. For the big merchants who really had the ability to swallow them up, they could become bigger, but for the Su family or smaller merchants, it was
A burden or even poison. But just when Su Tan'er wanted to take action, another war was about to start. Seeing hope, Sui Bu might be gone. The Xue family and the Wu family also came to fight, and the Su family's investment turned into a
joke.
After listening to Xi Junyu's words, Su Tan'er frowned slightly and shook her head: "Shopkeeper Xi thinks... what will happen after this war?"
"Huh?" Xi Junyu was stunned for a moment, and then said, "After the fight..." When he said this, he suddenly understood what the other party meant: "You also..."
"Since I was born, I have been giving away coins every year." Su Tan'er lowered her voice, "Some things are disgraceful to say, but they seem like endless things. Of course I also hope
, we can defeat the Liao people. But... we have never won. The Tanyuan Alliance more than sixty years ago, the Blackwater Alliance seven years ago, and now there is another Jin Kingdom. What will happen if we fight?
?If two tigers fight and die together, that would be great, but will this really happen?"
Su Tan'er shook her head: "Everyone says that the Liao people are barbaric and cruel, and the Jin people are vulgar and uncivilized. When it comes to me, the Wu Dynasty is the great dynasty. I... I also like to hear this story. I went to the teahouse to listen to it when I was a child.
I can't help but clap my hands and laugh when I tell the story. But if it's true... I don't believe it. There will be wise people everywhere. If we can't defeat them, it only means that they are stronger than us. If we are stronger, we have to admit..."
"Only those who admit defeat can win back. I am a businessman. If you lose, you lose. If the money is gone, it is gone. It is useless to make any excuses. Give your excuses to others. If you know what they do, they will not lose. You will
Only when I know how to guard against him and give myself the shortcomings can I see myself clearly. Shopkeeper Xi, the Liao Kingdom could still force us to sign the Blackwater Alliance seven years ago. The Jin Kingdom will now be able to challenge the Liao Kingdom and they will fight.
At that time, no one really cared that Wu Chao was watching next to him?"
"Now when I go to teahouses and restaurants, I listen to the talented people talking about how the Wu Dynasty wants to reap the benefits of the fishermen, how the Liao Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom are barbaric, vulgar, stupid and brainless, and how they are trying to provoke a fight between the two countries... I just
She is a woman. If she were in the Liao Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom, she would not be so short-sighted. Our dynasty has been oppressed for nearly a hundred years, and they are so happy to say that the other party is a stupid beast. We are so oppressed by a group of stupid beasts.
How long? Maybe it’s because these scholars and talented people talk about the story of our Wu Dynasty knights defeating the Liao barbarians all day long, that’s why our Dynasty is so weak..."
Her expression dimmed: "If there really is a fight, the best result is of course that both of them will lose, and I won't have to give any more money. By then, the improved loom will still be useful. But there are other consequences.
, if the Liao Kingdom wins, and the troops are raised to investigate, the amount of annual coins our government will give to the Liao Kingdom will have to increase. If the Jin Kingdom wins, will they not need the annual coins? How can it be so good? I heard about the friction between the Liao and Jin countries,
A large part of it is because the Kingdom of Jin wants to do business with Dawu. It is also possible that if the two countries stop fighting, the Wu Dynasty will not only give the Liao Kingdom annual coins, but also give the Jin Kingdom at the same time, but... it is impossible for them to give me weapons.
What happened with Chao Sui coins..."
"I also hope that my country can win. If one day the army is deployed, the government will definitely come to my house to ask for money. Grandpa and father are already prepared. But if we can't win in the end, then... what should we do..."
Xi Junyu stood aside for a long time. The situation in Jinliao was tense now. The whole country said that if two tigers fought, one of them would be injured. The Wu Dynasty had a chance to take a breather. Even if the result was worse, it would not be worse than the current situation. Unexpectedly, Su Tan
She actually had this idea. Should she be said to be too pessimistic or too sober? Looking back on this woman's past behavior, she found that her soft appearance was indeed extremely tough. In fact... he was trembling slightly in his heart...
...so admirable.
But even so, in Xi Junyu's heart, he still holds the idea that the Wu Dynasty will not get worse. Improving the looms, using the spare power to take over a large amount of old cloth business, reducing costs and increasing profits, this
It is indeed a most upright conspiracy. But such profits cannot be earned for long. Generally speaking, unique secret methods in printing, dyeing or stitching can often be maintained for a longer time, but the improvement of looms can only take less than one or two years.
Over time, the method will be spread, and everyone who is interested will know it. When everyone improves it, profits will still be wiped out. Many times, it takes a lot of effort, but it is often not pleasing to the eye.
He opened his mouth and was about to say these words, when a sound of applause suddenly sounded next to him, and a figure clapped his hands in the darkness on the other side of the corridor. Just now, Su Tan'er's words were serious, and Xi Junyu didn't even pay attention to his surroundings. At this time,
Juan'er was surprised and said: "Uncle, why are you here?"
The person in the darkness over there was Ning Yi. He was holding an oil-paper umbrella in one hand and two rustic-looking mountain products, smoked dried hares and the like in the other hand. He smiled and gestured to the back.
Suddenly, it was the direction of the small square where the carriage was parked: "I was waiting for dinner, so I ran to the kitchen to have a look. I happened to pass by and remembered that there was something left on the carriage... Ah, this is from Xiaochan's folks.
Geng protects the courtyard, just take it as a favor, so as not to let the guy who is packing the carriage take the sheep away, and then come over and hear the voices."
He smiled and pointed at Su Tan'er: "You are wrong, you are not patriotic."
Xi Junyu originally planned to say a few words about this matter, but when he heard Ning Yi say this first, he frowned slightly in his heart. This guy is also a scholar. Even if the article is well done, it will not be the same as what Tan'er said.
The guys who like to tell stories about warriors from the Wu Dynasty defeating the barbarians from the Liao Kingdom are no different. From a purely logical point of view, what Su Tan'er just said makes perfect sense, but it cannot be generalized with the changes in business.
He turned his head and saw Su Tan'er next to him couldn't help laughing. Such a smile was extremely rare in Xi Junyu's impression, because vaguely, the woman behind her seemed to be laughing too, and was in front of him.
Su Tan'er blends into one.
She just smiled like that and turned her head angrily, but her eyes were still on Ning Yi. Her tone was slightly angry, but it was not coquettish, it was just a natural joke like a friend: "My husband..."
At the same time, in another part of the city, at the Qinhuai River Bend under the heavy rain, a figure knocked on the door of the stilted building with lights on. When Nie Yunzhu opened the door, he saw his body covered with rain.
Wet Yuan Jiner.
She was wearing thin cotton pajamas and pajamas when she jumped out of Jinfeng Tower today. She had been caught in the heavy rain all the way. The clothes clung to her body in the light and seemed to be transparent. Of course, in the eyes of Nie Yunzhu, who is also a woman, this
The condition only made Yuan Jin'er a little more petite and frail. The usually youthful and lively girl showed a smile at this time, stretched out her hand to touch the rain on her face, then lowered her head and shook the water-like weed vigorously.
His long hair was splashed with water, and then he yawned.
"Ah...Sister Yunzhu, I'm so powerful. I almost...well, I swam all the way from Jinfeng Tower. Even so...hehe, I really want to sleep. Sister Yunzhu, where is your room? I
Just sleep on the floor..."
She covered her mouth with one hand and yawned wildly, then coughed a few times. She seemed to be extremely sleepy. Nie Yunzhu was just stunned for a moment, and immediately reached out to hug her: "No, you have to take a warm bath first."
Water bath... Hutao, heat up the hot water quickly..."
"Well... I won't take a shower anymore... The water tastes so bad that I almost turned into a steamed bun... Hee, sister Yunzhu, you are so warm..."
Yuan Jin'er softened in her arms, put his arms around her neck, closed his eyes, and murmured a smile. Then he wiped his face on the clothes on Nie Yunzhu's shoulders a few times, and leaned there contentedly.
, he was about to fall asleep. Then, another voice came from the rainstorm: "Miss, Miss..."
Kou'er, who was almost soaked all over, hugged a small package and chased after him.
Not long after, Nie Yunzhu looked at the naked woman sleeping on her bed with her quilt in her arms with a wry smile, and probably knew the whole story...