The Founding of the Red Chamber

The several bank owners are all well-informed people, but for the Jinling King's Rebellion, the ones who feel the deepest feelings are the Chen Dong family of the Huishang Bank and the Huo Dong family of the Yanshang Bank. In fact, Huo Dong's hometown is also People from Huidi, but the Chen family started as a grain merchant, and the Huo family started as a salt merchant, so the business is divided.

At the beginning, the King of Jinling was in chaos, and the Huo family was in Yangzhou, but they were often exploited by the King of Jinling.Even the Chen family in Lianghu also has business in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and they also suffered a lot.

Moreover, as Lin Jing said, those who sell grain and salt know best how the common people live now.It would be fine if Jinling King was just a turmoil in a peaceful and prosperous age. After all, the turmoil is over now, and everyone can live a peaceful life in the future.But if the world is not peaceful, how coveted these rich and powerful businessmen will be, and I think these people know it in their own hearts.

Lin Jing enjoyed drinking and chatting with several hostesses.

However, several merchants couldn't help thinking deeply about Lin Jing's words. In terms of financial resources, even the land outside the customs has the advantage of a market, and they are not as good as their few big merchants who are banks.However, even though the outside of the pass is a little poorer, Lin Jing has a heavy army in his hands. The reason why the few of them made concessions on the issue of the bank name is because of Lin Jing's military prestige.

When Lin Jing said something that was not peaceful in the world, he naturally had his own interests. All the merchants understood this.However, what really worried the few families was that they were afraid that what Lin Jing said would become a reality.They have money, but what they lack is the experience of preserving themselves in troubled times.

Lin Jing's words hit his heart.

Therefore, after this drink, Huo and Chen's two bosses often talked to Lin Jing in private. In addition to maintaining their relationship with each other, there was also business between the two. , It is extremely encouraging to open up wasteland and farm land.Don't look at the bitter cold outside the customs, and the fertile land does not allow the land of the two lakes and plains. However, due to the population outside the customs, although the grain yield per mu is not low, the overall output is not high.Therefore, Lin Jing intends to buy grain from the Chen family for a long time.This kind of long-term business, even if the two lakes are far away from the customs, the Chen family is quite moved.On the other hand, at the Huo family's place, Lin Jing inquired about the Huo family's salt business. Huo Dong's family said, "Although you can't die from starvation, the shopkeeper, and moreover, the more chaotic the world is, salt can be compared to gold and silver. I trade it directly. To be honest, Amu, our efforts to manage upwards have become stronger and stronger."

Lin Jing said with a smile, "I don't have any shortage of salt from your house, and what's more, we can't afford the price of salt from your place."

Huo Dongjia laughed, "You are facing the sea here, can you still be short of salt?"

Lin Jing laughed, and Huo Dongjia squinted his eyes and smiled, "Although there is no business to do on Yanshang, it may not be that there is no other suitable business."

Lin Jing said to Huo Dong's family, "I can't hide it from you." He paused, and asked Huo Dong's family, "In your opinion, how is our discussion outside the customs?"

Huo Dong's family said, "Everything is prosperous."

Lin Jingdao, "I can't say that all businesses are prosperous, but if you just do some bank business, wouldn't it be disappointing for Huo Dong's family to travel all the way outside the customs?"

Huo Dongjia laughed, "I can't hide it from Mr. Mu."

In fact, not only Mr. Huo's family, but also several other masters, who were able to come all the way to the outside of the customs, of course, not just to open a bank branch.For example, the Chen family, although everyone has always said that the salt class is a huge profit, but the grain and grass business is not profitable?How can these soldiers and bandits outside the pass survive without a large amount of food and grass?Huo Dong's family had already inquired about it, and Guan Wai signed a large agreement with the Chen family on grain and grass, and it was a long-term business supply.

Huo Dong's family naturally had other purposes when they came here.Although he started out as a salt teacher, he was able to organize these salt merchants and set up a bank, but he was involved in far more than just the salt business.Huo Dong's family used to have a large amount of tea shreds trading with barbarians, but now, the Bianzhou market is closed, and General Guan Tingyu's place, even the rich families of Jin and Xu Wei, can't open the channel, let alone their Huo family is far away in Jianghuai.Huo Dong's family is close to the customs, and they heard that the market outside the customs is very hot, so if they want to come here to see the tea and silk business, there is a market for trading.

Huo Dong's family saw that Lin Jing was a good man, and there was nothing to hide from him, so they took advantage of the situation and asked Lin Jing seriously.Lin Jing said, "As much as you have, just bring it in. However, we are not richer outside the pass than inside the pass, and you probably know the price of these two things now."

Mr. Huo's family naturally did market research earlier, Mr. Huo's family laughed, "The price naturally follows the market. It's the tax outside the customs. I don't know how to collect it."

Lin Jing said, "Thirty percent of the profit."

Huo Dong's family breathed a sigh of relief and went straight over, thinking that this surnamed Mu really had three eyes, and he would take [-]% of the shares if he didn't pay anything for the bank account.Today, he still needs to tax [-]% of the profits from tea shreds.Lin Jingyuan thought that Mr. Huo's family probably wanted to talk about the price or something.Unexpectedly, Huo Dong's family said directly, "I will give you [-]%."

Lin Jing's brows moved slightly, "I think Mr. Huo's family has something important to tell me."

Huo Dong's family sighed, "You can't hide anything from your lord. Hey, we merchants, apart from doing business, are far inferior to your lord's foresight. I thought about what your lord said about the world's unrest. I am far less knowledgeable than adults, and adults have to point out a safe road for my Huo family."

Lin Jing didn't understand the meaning of Huo Dong's family, he understood as he said, how else should he give advice to Huo's family?

Seeing that Lin Jing didn't speak, Huo Dong's family thought he was not happy, and said earnestly, "If your lord is willing to give some advice, we can discuss the profit."

Lin Jing waved his hand, he was not greedy, he said, "I didn't understand what you meant at once. You also know that life is hard for the people now, and the court has been corrupt for a long time. Besides, disasters continue today. I watched , is not the scene of a prosperous age. You know these things after thinking about it, so what else do you want me to point out?"

"Hey, we merchants can still be safe during the Taiping period. Once the current situation is chaotic, we will be like fish and meat at the mercy of others." Saying this, Huo Dong's family sighed, "To tell the truth, my lord, I have some trouble keeping up with you." This relationship, originally, if I hadn’t experienced the chaos of the King of Jinling, I would have no knowledge of the prosperous and troubled times. But the chaos of the King of Jinling, back then, I thought I had something to do with the government, but it was just being slaughtered by others. My lord, you His eyesight and insight are far superior to mine, so please give me some pointers."

What did Lin Jing think about it? He thought for a while and said, "This word can come out of my mouth and enter your ear."

"My lord, don't worry, don't say anything about Huo Mou, the secrecy is still reliable." Huo Dong's family can achieve such a scale of business, and naturally they are not talkative people.

"Actually, the reason is simple, but a window on the first floor can be broken at a single touch." Lin Jing asked Huo Dong's family, "Back then, the King of Jinling was in chaos, why did your family let others slaughter it?"

Huo Dong's family said, "Naturally, it is because the King of Jinling is so powerful that he occupied Jianghuai."

"Where does he come from?" Lin Jing continued to ask.

Huo Dong's family said, "There are many soldiers and many generals. At that time, the king of Jinling stationed troops in Yangzhou."

Lin Jing smiled, "That's it. Of all the general forces in the world, in the final analysis, there is only one force, and that is military power. If you don't want to be slaughtered by others, there is no other way, just control the military power yourself."

As soon as Lin Jing finished speaking, Dong Huo's face turned pale, but Lin Jing looked at him without changing his face, as frankly as if what he just talked about was just an insignificant and leisurely topic.After all, Huo Dong's family is used to seeing the world, and said, "Your Excellency has to explain it clearly."

Lin Jing said, "How can I explain this? It's nothing more than recruiting troops. Now that your business is going well, there are still fewer servants?"

Huo Dong's family said, "No way, there are quite a few guys, but it's okay to ask them to run errands and do business. If they are armed with knives and guns, let alone the soldiers and horses of the imperial court, they are far worse than the bandits outside the pass."

Lin Jing smiled, "Naturally, you have to practice. You must have guards around you. Follow how the guards train, recruit more healthy soldiers, and train them the same way."

Huo Dong's family whispered, "I don't know about the military equipment, can you discuss it here, sir?"

Lin Jing glanced at Huo Dong's family, and said helplessly, "You have said everything. But, given your status in Jianghuai, what's the difficulty in getting some weapons?"

Huo Dong's family sighed, "It's not difficult to buy weapons with money, but how can the yamen still have useful weapons. At the beginning, King Jinling rebelled, so we also had troops stationed in Yangzhou. When King Jinling's army came, In addition to the real swords and guns on the catchers in the government office, or the sharp swords and guns of the guards of General Yangzhou, let alone Curry, even the Yangzhou garrison mostly has no swords and guns. Wait for Curry to see, They were all tattered, and there were not many arrows. There was a big disturbance in Jinling King, and Yangzhou City fell for several years. No one mentioned these things, but we personally knew the basics. Later, the court The garrison was re-dispatched, but I don't think it is any better than before. Hey, although Yangzhou is rich, the soldiers are incompetent, so it is useless. Fortunately, the king of Jinling has fallen, and there will always be a few days of peace. I heard earlier My lord's words really alerted me, and I need my lord's advice and help." Huo Dong's family would rather pay a high price to buy some from Lin Jing with knives and guns.

Lin Jing occupies a huge territory outside the pass, and he has his own self-respect. As for the gold, silver, copper and iron mines outside the pass, Lin Jing is even less polite.Huo Dong's family also said, "It's a pity that the Guanwai army suffered too much damage before. When the Guanwai army went to Jianghuai to suppress the rebellion, although I have never met the two generals of the Guanwai army, I heard that the benefits of the Guanwai army's swords and soldiers are beyond ordinary The third boy in my family also got a Guanwai knife. I have seen that knife, and it is indeed made of high-quality iron. My lord, a certain merchant has no knowledge, just, just a knife like that."

"You have a good eye," Lin Jing teased, "Your guards used to have some self-defense weapons, and there is no shortage of weapons right now, these things just can't be rushed."

"No hurry, no hurry, my lord, just give it to me when it's cheap."

With this ordnance procurement business, the connection between the two will naturally become closer.

Lin Jinggang had a good business deal with the Huo family, and the Xu and Wei families couldn't wait to find them.Well, it's not just these southern barbarians who want to do business with outside the customs, it's a place as big as the market, I heard that there is no rest all year round, we also have business to do with!