Lu Wu held the porcelain cup and presented it in front of Zhou Keshan.
Zhou Keshan looked at the porcelain cup and hesitated to take it.
Lu Wu was also very patient and just kept holding it. But he was a frail scholar with very slender arms. He held it up in the air for a long time, and his hands gradually started to shake, and the wine was sloshing around.
He frowned, showing a dissatisfied look: "Mr. Zhou, you have money, why are you in trouble?"
Zhou Keshan sighed deeply and finally took the porcelain cup.
If you drink this glass of wine, you will lose a lot of money.
Because the channels for importing grain to the Mizhou Forge Market were blocked, a large number of grain ships were parked in the private ports of Daishan, Xiushan, Changtu, and Lanshan islands. They could not pass through the hands of the Qingyuan Shipping Department. It cannot be transported to other places. So these giant businessmen are also making trouble.
Behind the commotion of the giant businessmen, Zhou Keshan's promotion was naturally indispensable. And now Lu Wu asked Zhou Keshan to "stop making trouble", and Zhou Keshan was not the only one he was talking about.
Lu Wu leaned back slightly and looked at this gesture with satisfaction, which represented submission.
Shi Miyuan was in Lin'an, thinking that Lu Wu and others would fight to the death with the Song Dynasty's maritime merchants at various trading ports, including Qingyuan Mansion. But he has been in a high position for so long that he has no understanding of how people below him do things.
In a place like Qingyuan Mansion, there has always been a situation where shrimps have their own way, and crabs have their own way. All parties are fighting against each other, each with their own goals, but it is not a matter of life and death. With such huge financial interests on the table, what can't be said? Parties can change from enemies to collaborators at any time. Zhang Liangpeng, who was behind Lu Wu in East Zhejiang, was already in a higher position and had reached an agreement with those behind the giant businessmen.
Lu Wu summoned Zhou Keshan today with many people's requests.
Zhou Keshan can no longer make trouble, he still has to deal with other people's troubles. Otherwise, the food business for people coming from the north will be completely useless, and everyone will break up. By then, the giant merchants will have lost money, and the local forces of the Jin Kingdom behind Zhou Keshan will probably face starvation.
Therefore, not only could Zhou Keshan no longer lobby everywhere, he also had to spend money to smooth the losses of giant businessmen. This is what Lu Wu asked for: "not making a fuss."
"If I take over so much food, it must be shipped one after another, and it cannot rot on the island or on the ship. Can Mr. Burke..."
"After all, this is a major matter ordered by Mr. Shi. Brother Zhou, please don't embarrass me."
Does that mean you really want to die on the island or on the boat?
Zhou Keshan's face looked ugly as if he had been run over by a wheel, but he raised his neck, drank the wine, and then left the table.
"I promised, let's do it now!"
"Slow down!" Lu Wu raised his hand to stop Zhou Keshan: "Mr. Zhou, just sit here and eat and drink in peace. I will accompany you. Can't we just let the people below take care of the money transfer matters? Those big businessmen have now arrived at your residence to wait, and the handover between the two parties was very fast!"
This is because they are afraid that I, the golden cicada, will escape from my shell and take me as a hostage.
Zhou Keshan was furious.
Lu Wu consciously took the initiative, holding up chopsticks with a smile and urging: "Come, Mr. Zhou, let's eat vegetables. This Huangque Sauce is a recipe that was popular in Fengle Tower in Bianjing back then. Put away the Huangque After cleaning, wash and dry it with hot water, then mix it with wheat yellow, red yeast rice, salt, pepper, and green onion. After that, put a layer of oriole in the jar, put a layer of sauce, compact it, and marinate it. Just soak it with fine wine to make it delicious. Please try it!"
Zhou Keshan didn't want to pay attention to such words.
He took out a silver waist badge from his waist, summoned two of his men, whispered a few instructions, then picked up the kuaizi and ate it.
This banquet lasted until dusk.
Many cronies of the wealthy businessmen arrived at the restaurant one after another and respectfully reported to Lu Wu that they had already obtained the money and the copper coins. The amount was good and the business was done.
A large number of Zhou Keshan's subordinates rushed to ask Zhou Keshan's seal to approve the relevant documents, and various guarantors and intermediaries wanted to sign in person.
Then, these subordinates have to go to various islands and ports to inspect the inventory with their own eyes and arrange escorts to receive the ships. Fortunately, there are special speed boats called "water pegasus" from Lanshan to other islands in Changguo, which can travel up and down the sea as if they were in vain, so we can complete the journey in half a day.
Zhou Keshan didn't throw Kuaizi away until all his men who had gone to various places came back.
This action was very rude, but Lu Wu understood that he had been deprived of huge profits in half a day, and almost left Mingzhou empty-handed, so he smiled slightly and was not surprised.
"Brother Zhou, don't be angry. There is no way around this. We have to do it. This time, everyone is showing mercy. There may be a chance to work together next time, who knows."
Zhou Keshan said coldly: "That will happen next year, let's talk about it later."
Unlike Xuyi and Sizhou, which relied on river transportation, maritime trade could not always maintain huge volumes of transportation. It's just a small amount of supplies. Just use a small boat with five hundred or one thousand materials, install a few wild fox sails, and take the Liyang route. You can set off at any time.
But bulk cargo, such as grain and horses, can only be transported by a ship as big as a house and with sails as big as the clouds hanging from the sky. Such a big ship must rely on the monsoon wind. The southwest monsoon starts in May and June, and the northeast monsoon starts in September, October, and November. The big ship only goes back and forth once in a year.
When Zhou Keshan said this, he obviously hated this sad place and planned to go back to the north to recuperate for a year and a half. Maybe, he would have to explain to the marshal of the Kingdom of Jin behind him why the business had suffered such heavy losses.
Lu Wu laughed and raised his glass to signal: "Then see you next year. Let's have another drink."
After finishing the last glass of wine, Zhou Keshan turned around and left.
His subordinates also followed him out of the house.
When he was about to reach the door of the restaurant, Zhou Keshan suddenly stopped and asked, "Why did the Dinghai Army choose today to conduct the drill? Is it just to scare me?"
Now that Zhou Keshan has left the table, Lu Wu has also stood up. At this moment, he was standing by the window, looking at the huge fleet anchored in the sea between Lanshan Island and Changtushan Island not far away.
At this time, the sky is getting dark, and the ships are illuminated by many pine torches. Looking from two or three miles away, the ships are hazy and the lights are reflected on the sea like stars, which is dazzling and refreshing.
Lu Wu stared at the fleet with satisfaction and said casually: "That's not the case. The fleet gathered here because a few days ago, there was a report from a fast ship that a merchant from Korea would arrive, which is said to be rare in the past years. A large fleet was accompanied by nobles from Goryeo. Since Lingxu and Lingfei traveled between Qingyuan Prefecture and Goryeo during the Xuanhe period, our court has had a practice. If Goryeo dispatches a large fleet, the navy of the Song Dynasty will We must also line up to greet each other to show the sincerity of the Kingdom in treating others.”
"I see."
Zhou Keshan nodded and stepped out.
The people of the Goryeo Kingdom have always liked to brag. They claim that the father of the founder of the Goryeo Kingdom, Wang Jian, was the founding emperor, and that he was the son of Suzong of the Tang Dynasty and Princess Goryeo. And the Emperor Jian himself rose to prominence through maritime trade, and only then accumulated the strength to unify the three Koreas.
Over the years, Goryeo's Licheng Port has been as famous as the Jin Kingdom's Mizhou Jiaoxi, Dengzhou Penglai and other ports. It is a famous port in the north. There were three to five thousand Song merchants doing business there every day, with hundreds of ships; the size of the Goryeo merchants and fleet was roughly the same as that of the Song people.
Therefore, the Song Dynasty court always looked highly upon the Kingdom of Goryeo. Although the two countries have severed diplomatic relations in recent years and have no official exchanges, whenever there is a major commercial cooperation, the Dinghai Navy will definitely be dispatched. Firstly, it shows a welcoming gesture, and secondly, it also shows the strength of the Chinese Navy. To prevent Korean people from having any unnecessary thoughts.
The navy gathered in Dinghai to welcome the Goryeo fleet, and scaring Zhou Keshan was just a small incidental task.
Zhou Keshan knew this clearly. He just couldn't help but ask, in order to make Lu Wu a little more disgusted in the future.
He knew about the arrival of the Koryo fleet earlier than Lu Wu. He also knew that the so-called large Koryo merchant fleet was basically the merchant fleet of the Dinghai Navy. It's just that the ships of the Ding Navy have all changed their flags, and are equipped with official certificates and guides issued by the Kingdom of Korea, and they are equipped with Korean interpreters and sailors to cover up others' ears.
Song people were good at maritime trade, so many things could not always be hidden from them. Even if Lu Wu is a fool, if he comes again next year, he will understand the conspiracy between Ding Haijun and the Korean people. How will he face himself by then?
Zhou Keshan thought curiously, maybe I can tell him: Mr. Birch forced you to sell such cheap grain to me. I really have no choice but to do it!
Lu Wu must be able to hold back his violent rage, right?
That is inevitable, because if we all show mercy, we will have a chance to work together next time. This is all business, all for money!
As he thought this, he gradually couldn't hold back his laughter.
Because I had tightened the muscles on my face all afternoon, it felt like my cheeks were almost twisted and cramped. So he rubbed his face and quickened his pace, stepping on the slippery stone road that snaked along the island's terrain, trying to stay as far away from the restaurant as possible.
Several of Zhou Keshan's confidants came closer and whispered: "Tikong, this is a real big business. We have to quickly mobilize people to move the grain, the sooner the better. We can't give those grain merchants a chance to react! "
"It will be harder today and tomorrow. We will arrange three times the number of people to keep an eye on all the warehouses. As soon as the fleet arrives, we will immediately cooperate with the watermen to carry it and set off. Tell the brothers not to be lazy. I will pay three times this trip... no, five times. The reward!"
