"Haha! Mr. Lin, you fought with the intruder, defeated him, and then pursued the victory and captured him alive. It is really a great achievement!"
"Master Lin, I am afraid that no one in this court can compare with you in the future. I am waiting here to congratulate Master Lin on the title of king!"
"Master Lin, I wonder if you came to us this time for food?
To be honest, the Ming Dynasty is running out of food!"
"Just because you bought a lot of grain, there is now a food shortage in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. All the grain in the hands of grain merchants has been sold out!"
"Oh! We really can't buy it anymore!"
When the merchants saw Lin Fan, they all felt embarrassed.
Lin Fan knew in his heart that these people couldn't buy food. It was obvious that the purchase price of food had increased, and they would make no profit if they sold it to themselves.
"Well, I know this too. Now the whole country is short of food. The food in Xi'an City must also be used to relieve the victims!"
Lin Fan said in a deep voice.
"Master Lin, you are so kind and righteous!"
The merchants all said with thumbs up.
Lin Fan couldn't help but give them a big roll of his eyes. I am benevolent and righteous, but you are not benevolent and righteous at all!
"I'm looking for you this time because I hope you can use your connections to transport some food from overseas."
Lin Fan said.
"This... Mr. Lin, you are making things difficult for us! Our Ming Dynasty has a sea ban, how can we people dare to extend our hands overseas!"
All the merchants are doing it wrong.
Lin Fan looked at them and said, "Is it difficult?
Emperor Taizu’s original intention of imposing a sea ban was to prevent the gold and silver of our Ming Dynasty from flowing out!”
"These things are all treasures in our country, but what if you exchange them for tea leaves, antique vases, etc.?
In this way, my lord, I will have a way to keep you safe!"
"Moreover, our porcelain and tea from the Ming Dynasty are very popular overseas. You trade antiques and tea for food, and I buy them at a high price."
this……
After hearing what Lin Fan said, all the businessmen present showed hesitation. You must know that as a businessman, it is impossible to be so big and say that they have no contact with businessmen from overseas countries.
However, if they agreed to this matter at this time, wouldn't it mean that there was another clue in Lin Fan's hands? What if Lin Fan used this reason to deal with them in the future?
"This... Mr. Lin, forgive us for not being able to help!"
One person said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Mr. Lin, we are businessmen and like money, but we don't dare to do anything that violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"
The merchants said one after another.
Lin Fan said in a deep voice: "Haha! You are probably worried that I will settle the scores in the future. Don't worry, I will not supervise this matter, and I will not let you leave any clues."
"You just need to give me the food on time, and I will treat it as if you bought it from elsewhere. And if someone finds out, just come to me directly and I will help you solve it."
Lin Fan could tell at a glance that these people were worried that he would settle accounts with them later. He said this to give these businessmen a reassurance.
"Mr. Lin, are you serious?"
At this time, all the merchants were interested.
"Of course it's true. The country is facing a crisis now. Even though the people have been stabilized now that they have received land, if there is no food, they will still be in chaos in a month or two!"
"After all, it will take four or five months for the grain to mature. If you go and buy a large amount of grain, you are also sharing the country's worries!"
Lin Fan said.
"Well! Since Mr. Lin has already mentioned this, if we don't help Mr. Lin solve this problem, then we are ignorant!"
"Mr. Lin, we do not have many connections overseas, but we know some people who are engaged in this kind of business. We can ask them for help, but at this price..."
In the final analysis, businessmen still have to look at profits.
Lin Fan said: "At five times the previous market price, I will buy as much food as you can buy, but there is a prerequisite. I can only exchange it for tea leaves and antiques."
You must know that silver and gold are extremely scarce resources. In the 21st century, many high-tech products require the use of these two things.
Especially gold, how much gold a country stores directly determines the country's currency and its international status.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin, we previously stocked up some goods, which were all high-end gadgets. Now that we are in a state of chaos, we may not be able to sell them at home, but will have to sell them overseas!"
"The batch of porcelain I hoarded is very popular overseas. I just took this opportunity to exchange for food with them."
The merchants said one after another.
At this moment, Lin Fan suddenly thought of another problem. At this time, there seemed to be no crops such as potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes in the Ming Dynasty.
"Which of you can easily go to sea?"
Lin Fan asked.
"Mr. Lin, if we want to cooperate with overseas countries, we must go to sea. This trip will take at least a month or two."
One person said.
"Okay! When you go to sea, I will send you a hundred soldiers on each ship to protect you. You only need to be responsible for their food."
Lin Fan said.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin!"
After hearing what Lin Fan said, the merchants all said excitedly.
You must know that it is very dangerous for their merchant ships to go to sea. Once they encounter pirates, they can only watch their goods being robbed. Now that it is better, Lin Fan has sent people to protect them, and they are much safer.
As for the soldiers eating, this is a trivial matter.
Lin Fan's purpose was to ask these soldiers to follow these merchant ships. Wherever they went, the soldiers would be responsible for finding the crops they wanted.
Once the sweet potatoes and potatoes are brought back, most of the food shortage problems can be solved in a short period of time, and then, you can calmly solve the problem of becoming the prince.
However, wasn’t the emperor what he wanted to be from the beginning?
Why do you want to be the prince now?
Thinking of this, Lin Fan shook his head. He asked these merchants to go back and prepare. When they set out, he would send soldiers to protect them.
At this time, in the palace, Chongzhen was in the imperial garden. In front of him, there were several plates of exquisite food, and he was holding a bowl of white rice and eating it with big mouthfuls.
Ever since Li Zicheng's uprising, Emperor Chongzhen has not had such a good appetite for a long time.
Now, Li Zicheng and Niu Jinxing were captured alive, all his men were subdued by Lin Fan, and Liu Zongmin was shot to death by Lin Fan with an arrow!
"OK!"
While Chongzhen was eating, he suddenly praised it loudly!