Chapter 306 The crisis of trust has a long history
Li Siye guessed that for such a big matter, businessmen should carefully consider it. It was right not to come in late. After someone has thought about it, they will naturally come to consult.
He clutched his head and continued to wait. Another half month passed, but no one came. This made him very worried! There were many people in the Protectorate's Mansion waiting to see his joke. If things went wrong,
Not only was his face disgraced, but his husband, Ling Cha, also lost his face.
People who do things always have to bear all kinds of risks, but people who do nothing can happily watch others work and suffer misfortune.
The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. The subordinate officials, wearing bamboo hats, were sitting on their knees in front of the desk, with sweat dripping from their heads. From time to time, they raised their heads and squinted their eyes to glance at the sun.
They were especially complaining about Li Siye, secretly laughing at him for being so whimsical that he actually wanted to hand over the government's inn to merchants to build. Even though the merchants had great respect for the Anxi Protectorate, they actually kept it at arm's length and it was absolutely impossible to do business with the government.
I dare not think about it, and I simply lack the most basic trust.
The Duhufu holds a murderous knife in its hand, and there is no equality in terms of power or interpretation. How dare the traders come? Aren't they afraid that the Duhufu will suddenly repent and take back the inn?
Li Siye sat anxiously under the eaves and steps. There was still some residual soup left in the tea in the cupboard. He threw the empty cup on the felt, stood up and waved to the subordinates: "That's it for today, we will continue tomorrow.
Waiting in the courtyard."
The subordinates stood up with gloomy faces, each covering their faces with bamboo hats, and muttered to themselves: "If you come tomorrow, if you keep waiting, no one will come even if you wait for more than ten years!"
They were about to carry the table and futon into the room when a slightly chubby face poked out from behind the door leaf. When they saw the two soldiers standing on the left and right of the doorpost, they suddenly retracted their heads.
Li Siye's eyes were quick and he immediately shouted towards the door: "Who was it just now? Why didn't you want to come in?"
The two soldiers from the Protectorate's Palace immediately went out and "invited" the person who was snooping outside the door. The person looked very nervous, as if he had followed the Palace of Hell, and came to the steps of the main hall with his neck hunched and an uneasy expression.
Li Siye felt there was a little hope, so he stretched out his hand to wave to him and asked, "I just saw you appear at the door, why did you shrink back again?"
This man was wearing a coarse Gebu coat and silk underneath. He had a thick scarf wrapped around his head and a shawl hanging down to his shoulders to block the wind and sand. He looked like a businessman who often ran on the Silk Road. He asked tentatively in a low voice: "I heard
They said that the Duhufu would build more than 50 inns in Anxi and wanted us businessmen to pay for the repairs. It was not in the form of voluntary donations, so I came here specially to take a look. I... I just took a look, you won't force me to do it.
Bar?"
"Of course not!" Li Siye was particularly excited. Since someone came to the door, it showed that the matter was still attractive to the businessmen, but I don't know what concerns caused them to hold back.
"Come, please sit down." Li Siye extended his hand and invited him to take a seat on the felt in front of the eaves.
The merchant waved his hands repeatedly and said he didn't dare: "I'm just a business traveler. How dare I sit across from General Li? I'd better stand at the foot of the steps."
"It doesn't matter. We are discussing business today. Since you are here to discuss business with the Anxi Protectorate, our current relationship is equal. We are just partners. Sir, please take a seat!"
Li Siye, a gentleman, shouted at the merchant until his blood boiled and he was extremely excited: "How dare you, how dare you, I am just a small businessman, how can I dare to be called a gentleman? Well, I'd better not sit down, because of the teachings of the late emperor.
It cannot be violated.”
He was stunned for a moment before he remembered that Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, had promulgated a law restricting merchants, which stipulated that the children of merchants were not allowed to be officials or participate in the imperial examinations. During the Xuanzong period, soldiers such as the Long March athletes were also excluded, and it was also stipulated that merchants were not allowed to interact with scholars.
Even if people stand side by side with officials, they should not share the same crime. As an official of the Protectorate, he did not think of it for a moment, but the merchant remembered it firmly.
"Okay." Li Siye stopped insisting, scooped out a bowl of tea from the tea bowl and handed it to the other party: "Come, let's quench our thirst before we discuss."
He waited for the merchant to finish speaking, and then slowly said: "I have conducted a detailed and thorough investigation on the Central and Southern Roads on the Silk Road. It is absolutely profitable to operate inns on the trade roads, but it has been a long time.
, the Duhufu's lack of unified management of the post station has allowed a large amount of money to flow into the pockets of the postmaster and other private individuals. Wasn't it discovered a while ago that the postmaster of Chihe Post took advantage of the geographical advantage of the post station to charge high fees for accommodation from passing business travelers
Fei, within ten years, made more than 8 million yuan. Counting his squandering and bribing his superiors, he already made more than 15 million yuan."
"I have calculated that even if we entertain business travelers at ordinary prices, we can recoup the money spent on building the inn in one year, and the remaining two years will be completely profitable. Do you think this business can be done?"
The merchant bowed and crossed his hands and replied: "I have done the math on this account and know that it is profitable, but what I am afraid of is not losing money, but losing everything."
"how do I say this?"
"We traders can do business safely on the Anxi Commercial Road because the Duhufu is protecting us. Naturally, we are willing to do business with the Duhufu. However, officials and merchants are different and have to rotate back and forth. If we build the post station into
, if the governor of Anxi is replaced by someone else, if he categorically denies the terms we have with the Protectorate and wants to take back the inn within the first year, wouldn’t we lose all our money?”
Li Siye was silent for a moment, he really didn't expect this.
Due to the low status of the merchants, they were indeed as weak as duckweeds in front of the Duhufu. Once the Duhufu began to harvest wool, the merchants had almost no room for resistance.
The merchant looked at Li Siye and whispered softly: "General Li treated me with great courtesy, so naturally I had to tell the truth. I'm afraid it's not just me, but almost all the merchants think so. We don't dare to do business with the imperial court.
It is because of this that after all, once the emperor and his ministers come to power, it is easy to change orders day by day when a new governor comes to power."
This matter is difficult to solve. Even if Li Siye is responsible, he cannot guarantee to the merchants that the next Jiedushi will not forcibly take back the inns built by the merchants. The key is that he wants to guarantee, but no one believes it.
Dare to believe in an uncontrollable future.
Li Siye pinched his chin and said: "The business operation period I announced in the notice is three years after the inn is built. Do you think the Jiedu envoys of these four towns will be changed within these three years?"
The merchant solemnly crossed his hands and said, "We have no way of predicting this, and we don't dare to take such a risk."
He then focused on the topic and asked: "Who do you think will be the Jiedushi envoy? Who has the possibility to ascend to the position of Jiedushi envoy of the four towns."
"I dare not say this, and it is not easy to say."
He stood up from the carpet, folded his hands in front of his lower abdomen, raised his chest and raised his head, saying: "There is nothing you dare to say. As businessmen, you have been traveling along the Silk Road for a long time. You have to see all directions and listen to all directions. How can you treat the protector of the capital?"
I don’t have my own predictions about the government’s future trends. If you speak out boldly, I won’t blame you.”
The merchant glanced around and saw that no one was eavesdropping, so he boldly said: "If there are changes in the Jiedushi of the four towns in the future and the court does not dispatch them from other places, the Jiedushi of the four towns in the future will not be Fu Meng Lingcha."
No one else."
The businessmen's political sense was really keen, and they guessed it almost exactly, which undoubtedly gave him a glimmer of hope. Li Siye thought for a moment, nodded and said: "If I re-post the announcement, it will not only cover the Anxi Protectorate's Palace, but
The official seal of the document is also stamped with the seals of Jiedushi Tian Renwan and Deputy Governor Meng Lingcha. Anyone who intends to come to Kucha to discuss contracting matters can take off the notice as a voucher and come to discuss the business of the post station with us.
In your opinion, can you businessmen be trusted?"
Upon hearing this, the merchant solemnly crossed his hands and said, "Of course! As long as Jiedushi and Fu Mengduhu can show their determination and show that they fully support the merchant in building the inn, we will naturally dare to take this risk."
"You stand back and wait, I'll go find Protector Fumeng right away."
A moment later, Li Siye stood in Fumeng Lingcha's study, bowed his hands and reported.
Fumeng Duhu raised his head, tugged at his beard and thought: "You said that businessmen are afraid that the Duhufu's orders will change day and night, fearing that the money they invested will be wasted."
"That's true. They were worried that after the power transition occurred in Anxi, the new Jiedushi would overthrow his predecessor, so they were hesitant to come to reveal the list."
"This is indeed quite difficult. This cannot be guaranteed." Fumeng Lingcha shook his head and smiled, and asked him: "Have you come up with any good ideas?"
"Yes, yes?"
"Huh?" Fumeng Lingcha raised his head in surprise: "Say."
"The Anxi Protectorate will produce another announcement. It must not only bear the official seal of the Protectorate, but also must be stamped with the seals of Tanaka Cheng and you. This will clear the suspicions of merchants all over the world."
"Oh, you want my seal..." He suddenly raised his head with a smile but not a smile, and asked: "What does this mean? If I stamp my seal as Deputy Protector, can they relieve their worries? Is it possible that I have...
…”
"That's right," Li Siye clasped his hands in front of his chest, his voice low and firm: "Traders are doing business in Qixi, so they naturally have a keen estimate of the situation in the Duhu Mansion. They believe in their own judgment. As long as you
By stamping their seal, they are equivalent to receiving the oath certificate of the next Jiedu Envoy."