Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 776 Bundling of Interests
Li Xin didn't care at first, but the result of today's auction really surprised him. The auction of just one batch of materials brought such a big gain. It was said that Zheng Hongkui and Li You had several times more materials. If these materials could not be transported back, they would have to be destroyed directly.

This is all pure silver! Li Xin knew too well how difficult the Ming Dynasty's finances were. Apart from other things, his Shandong Province alone was short of money everywhere.

Wars require money, the salaries of officials and yamen runners require money, local production and water conservancy require money, and the people's livelihoods also require money.

How much can one do with a hundred taels of silver? Moreover, this is not just a hundred or a thousand taels of silver, but tens of thousands of taels of silver or even more.

With a large sum of money in hand, many things became much easier. Li Xin felt bad when he thought about the supplies that were about to be destroyed.

Now the businessman surnamed Zhao suddenly said that he had sea vessels, and five large sea vessels, which could be handed over to the Shandong Navy for material transportation. In addition, more sea vessels could be obtained later, which suddenly opened up Li Xin's mind.

Since the merchant surnamed Zhao could do it, could other merchants do it too? Even if these merchants were not very good, it would always be no problem for them to unite and get a few more ships. If they suddenly had 20 or 30 more ships, even a dozen ships would be enough to solve the urgent problem. With these ships, they could not only transport all the supplies in the hands of Zheng Hongkui and Li You, but also play a role in the next sea crossing operation. Isn't this a best of both worlds solution?
However, Li Xin also knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially since the idea came from a businessman named Zhao.

Li Xin himself was born into a local noble family, and his family also engaged in business. He knew too well the nature of businessmen pursuing profits. Since the merchant surnamed Zhao was willing to donate his sea vessels to the Shandong Navy for the transportation of materials, he must have his own agenda.

"What do you want?" Li Xin asked seriously.

The businessman surnamed Zhao said flatteringly: "As a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, I should contribute to the Ming Dynasty. I have no other request..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Xin interrupted him and said, "As the sage said, when you show courtesy to others, you must have something to ask for. You are a businessman, and businessmen will not do business at a loss, nor will they pay for nothing. Since you have paid, you must have something to ask for. Just tell me the truth, and don't beat around the bush."

The smile on the businessman surnamed Zhao's face froze, and he looked a little embarrassed, but he quickly returned to normal, and after a chuckle, he stated his request.

His demands were not high. He said that as long as he could be sold first after the materials were shipped back, and the price could be calculated based on the average amount of today's auction. He would definitely not let the court suffer any loss, and that was enough.

"Haha, you have such a big appetite." Li Xin laughed immediately. He already knew how much goods this guy had taken today. Now he wanted to reserve the rest of the goods at once. Moreover, according to his five ships, the amount of goods was almost more than two-thirds of what was sold today.

Moreover, Li Xin knew that he had teamed up with the other four people to get this batch of goods today, and now he was going to swallow up all the subsequent goods in one go. He also proposed to buy at the average price of today's auction. On the surface, it did not seem that he was getting any advantage, but in fact, he was getting a huge advantage.

You should know that monopoly trading is completely different from ordinary trading. If the materials of Liaodong, especially the special products of Liaodong, are only in his hands, then the profit from the final sale will be far greater than the amount of batch sales by various companies. This is why scarcity makes things valuable, and it is also the advantage of monopoly.

The merchant surnamed Zhao made a good calculation. All he paid was five ships and the sailors on board. The price he got from such a payment was not only the monopoly of the following materials, but also the opportunity to establish relations with Li Xin, Zheng Hongkui, Li You and others. Once the Liaodong War was over and Shandong's next sea trade began, he would be the first to get the moon and become the best among all merchants.

"I am just speaking the truth. I dare not deceive you. If you feel that my conditions are not enough, please give me your advice and I will do my best to meet them." The businessman named Zhao replied respectfully.

His gaze lingered on him for a moment, and Li Xin said leisurely: "Since what you have done is considered meritorious, I cannot but reward you. I will do as you wish. But I have something to say in advance. If you cannot do it, I will not agree."

The businessman surnamed Zhao was immediately overjoyed and nodded quickly: "Please tell me, sir. I will definitely do it."

"Okay!" Li Xin nodded and said, "First, your sea vessels will be seconded to the Shandong Navy. The ships and sailors will be under the command of the Navy. Your people must obey orders and must not disobey military orders. If they violate military orders, they will be punished!"

"Of course!" The merchant surnamed Zhao said hurriedly, "I understand that military orders are as important as mountains. I have no objection to this. After I hand over the ship, I will not interfere with the transportation. All matters will be arranged by you, sir."

Nodding slightly, Li Xin was still very satisfied with his statement. He continued: "As for the second point, the materials transported back by your ship can be handled according to your request just now, but I cannot guarantee whether other merchants will follow suit. If other merchants also lend their ships to the navy and take on the responsibility of transportation, I will naturally treat them equally. Do you agree to this?"

"This..." The businessman surnamed Zhao paused, smiled bitterly and said, "There is nothing wrong with what you said, sir. The more work you do, the greater the profit. Naturally, I have no objection." The businessman surnamed Zhao also knew that this matter could not be concealed. As long as he stepped forward, the news would spread quickly. Many businessmen in Shandong also had ships. Maybe they did not have as many ships as he did, or it would take time to transfer ships, but when faced with the benefits, they would surely flock to him and make the same demands.

Therefore, the businessman surnamed Zhao did not think about doing this unique business, but just wanted to make a fortune before others could react. As for what happened next, we will talk about it later. After all, the initiative was not in his hands, but in Li Xin's hands.

But unexpectedly, Li Xin had already thought of this and brought it up directly, which made the businessman named Zhao feel bitter. However, he still would not give up this opportunity. After all, the earlier the better, and the more benefits he could get. In any case, this deal was worth doing.

After agreeing, the businessman surnamed Zhao waited for Li Xin to say the third point, but Li Xin did not continue. Instead, he looked at him with a smile and said, "Okay, since you have agreed, do it as soon as possible. The sooner the ship is dispatched, the sooner the journey can be completed. Go ahead, and inform me when the ship arrives."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir!" The businessman surnamed Zhao was overjoyed and knelt down and kowtowed immediately. Li Xin waved his hand and told him that there was no need to do so. As long as he did a good job, he would never treat him unfairly. After getting Li Xin's approval, the businessman surnamed Zhao left happily. After leaving the governor's office, he saw his cousin waiting outside. Seeing his cousin just coming out, he hurried to greet him.

"Cousin, why did you come out just now? You kept me waiting for so long." The middle-aged man complained.

"Haha, are you impatient?"

"Of course I have. I have been waiting for half an hour. If I hadn't asked someone and they told me that you had something to do in the government office, I would have thought that you had returned to the inn first."

Patting his cousin on the shoulder, the businessman surnamed Zhao said with a smile: "Brother, luck can't be stopped. Do you know who I just met?"

"Who to see? He can't be going to see the governor, right?" the middle-aged man asked unhappily. He had clearly agreed to return to the inn to discuss the subsequent sale of the goods after the auction, but in the blink of an eye, his cousin had disappeared. He walked around the gate of the yamen but couldn't find him. He asked other people, but they didn't know either. If a yamen runner had not said that he saw him go to the second hall, he would have returned to the inn long ago.

"Hey, you guessed it right." The businessman named Zhao replied with a smile.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened: "Cousin, are you kidding? Are you really going to see the governor?"

"Haha, how can this be fake? Let me show you this." The man surnamed Zhao said as he reached into his arms, took out something and showed it to the other person. When the middle-aged man saw what the other person was holding, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe that what he saw was real.

This is the business card of Li Xin, the governor of Shandong. It cannot be fake. With this business card, one can not only enter the governor's office directly, but also ask to see the governor at any time. Although his cousin is a wealthy businessman, the status of merchants in the Ming Dynasty is not high. How could he get this thing as a businessman?

"Where...where did this come from?"

"Of course it was given to me by the governor." The businessman named Zhao said proudly.

The middle-aged man was stunned. He couldn't understand how a governor could give such a thing to his cousin. Why? Just when he was about to ask, the businessman surnamed Zhao winked at him and whispered something in his ear. When he heard clearly what his cousin said, the middle-aged man was even more shocked.

"We'll talk about this in detail when we get back, brother. Our luck has come. If we can handle this well, we'll be rich in no time!" The businessman surnamed Zhao said with a smile, and then he took his cousin away. The two of them left the governor's office and went back to the inn, where they closed the door and recounted the whole story in detail. After hearing this, the middle-aged man finally realized why his cousin said this was an opportunity and that their luck had come. It was indeed the case. The middle-aged man was so excited that he slapped his thigh. If the businessman surnamed Zhao hadn't told him not to be too happy and to arrange for the ship to go north immediately and to keep the news secret as long as possible to prevent other people from reacting, he would have even laughed out loud three times in excitement.

The merchant surnamed Zhao and the middle-aged man were very quick. They sent a letter to the ships in Jiaozhou Bay that day, informing them to go north to Laizhou immediately. A few days later, five ships arrived day and night. When the ships arrived, the merchant surnamed Zhao immediately asked to see Li Xin and told him that the ships were already in port.

Li Xin was very happy to hear the news. He immediately incorporated the five ships and the sailors on board into the Shandong Navy and handed them over to the navy warships that were about to return. At this time, the news that the merchant surnamed Zhao had lent the ships to the Shandong Navy could no longer be concealed and soon spread.

After learning of his actions, other merchants immediately stamped their feet and cursed, expressing their contempt for this guy's shamelessness in making the first move without telling anyone. However, they could not let go of such an opportunity. Those who had ships immediately ran to the governor's office to follow the example of the merchant surnamed Zhao and lend their ships to the Shandong Navy, only asking for the same treatment as the merchant surnamed Zhao. Those who did not have ships were also trying to find connections, whether it was temporary borrowing or other methods to get one or two ships from the south. They could not just watch others get rich and miss this great opportunity, right?

(End of this chapter)