The First House in Lin Shui. The ship merchants were still in the room where they ate the day before. It was not because they were rich. Even if they were rich, they still had to line up to get a room on the fourth floor of the First House in Lin Shui.
It was because Between the Clouds and the Water had attracted too many people recently, causing some people here to be unable to afford the rooms on the fourth floor of the First House.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the merchants of the ship seemed to be rich and overbearing. When it came to small amounts of money, they would never relax, even to the point where it would make people's hair stand on end. When they used this room, they calculated the price of the food and the price of the time.
When they ate, they would definitely be stuck until the last quarter. As long as they finished eating, they would not continue to take care of the room. When other rich people came, they would directly pay for a day or even half a month. According to the amount of five hundred copper coins per hour, even if they did not come, the room would still be reserved for them.
The ship merchants would take the room if they had it, but not if they did not. They would definitely not pay when they did not eat.
At this time, they were very lucky to meet a time when they were not willing to spend money and eat in this room.
"Brother Weitong, should we wait for them to finish talking and then block the waterway from the Jing River to the Luoshui River? The Little Luoshui River also uses the Luoshui River. It's good to settle there. They still want to do things with us. They want us to stop the big boat there and then let the small boat transport it.
They also want us to discuss with the people of Luochuan County and jointly build a pier there. Are they stupid? If we just block the place where the Jing River enters the Luoshui River, what can they do? "
Guo Ren seemed to have drunk some wine before coming here. When he spoke, his tongue was not straight. It was awkward no matter how one listened to it. Fortunately, his mind was still clear.
Mi Fan's face was gloomy. He naturally knew where Guo Ren went. It was the only brothel behind the Little Luoshui pier. That brothel was opened by a person in the capital. Even the most ordinary woman would cost five strings of money a night. Some of them sold their skills but not their bodies. No amount of money could buy them, and they also covered their faces with veils.
It was said that the rent of this brothel was 20 times higher than other places. All the food and drinks had to be prepared by the first brothel in Linshui. Similarly, the price was 20 times higher. Otherwise, they could just sit there and chat with the veiled women or listen to music.
No one would do that. There was a pile of food in front of a girl. She could eat a little when she was resting. She couldn't afford to give you a cup of plain water.
It seemed that Guo Ren had spent a lot of money today. A few dozen copper coins to listen to a new song was not considered little. A few hundred copper coins to chat with a beauty and listen to the sound of the zither was also not considered much.
"Brother Weitong, just say the word and we will immediately go and block that place. I don't believe that 60 ships of sand and stones can't block that waterway."
Guo Ren was still thinking about the good things. When Mi Fan received the letter the night before, he told them the contents. The Zhang family would work with Luochuan County, Dingping County, and their shipping company to build a pier in Dingping. It would be convenient for large ships to transfer to small ships, and small ships to large ships.
At the beginning, no one would have thought that this could be done. When the time came, both sides would earn money. When they transferred, they didn't need to use the same merchant or the same type of goods. The large ships would receive goods along the way. When they reached Dingping County, they would start to distribute the goods to the small ships.
This way, the journey would be shorter. They wouldn't have to wait for the goods to come to the capital to earn money. They just had to transport goods from Chuanshu all the way back and they could earn a sum. After all, the return journey was against the current. It was too tiring for the large ships to travel. If they didn't load the goods in the capital, they would lose money.
With the small ships in Dingping to receive goods, not only would they not lose money, but they could also earn a little more. The route would be divided into segments and there wouldn't be a shortage of goods.
However, this idea was sent by the Zhang family. Now, the shipping company wanted to pressure the Zhang family. Therefore, no matter how good the idea was, it could only be used to deal with the Zhang family. The small river could earn money because it connected the capital and Chuanshu. As long as the diversion point in Dingping County was blocked, the goods from the capital could only be transported to Luochuan County.
This was also the place called Da Luoshui. If they cut them off, everything would be solved. They would turn their cooperation into a conspiracy. These people were more excited.
At this time, after hearing Guo Ren's words, they also felt that it was feasible. The idea of cutting off the trade route was suggested by Mi Fan. However, Mi Fan would never have thought that they would be prepared to cut it off like this.
Looking at Guo Ren's excited gaze in front of her, Mi Fan finally couldn't hold it in and said loudly, "Good idea. Using dozens of ships to block the Luoshui River. In a few days, our heads will be cut off to block the Luoshui River. Does the Jingshui River belong to us? We can block it if we want to?
Then why don't we pool together the ships of our families and make a hundred ships, fill them with sand and stones, send them to the canal, and sink them to block the waterway to the capital. That way, the transportation to the capital will be useless, and the grain won't be able to enter the capital. Even the Emperor will be afraid of us. Don't you think so? "
When everyone heard this, they didn't make a sound. Only now did they think about how the two counties and prefectures would react if they blocked the canal. Even if they had a few heads, it wouldn't be enough to chop them off. For the sake of one Zhang family, they would harm the common people. Even if the Zhang family didn't do anything, there would be many people who would do it. If they handed in a memorial, the Emperor would see it. With just a word, the princes in the prefectures would confiscate their families.
Although Guo Ren's body wasn't easy to control, his mind was still clear. When he heard this, he asked, "Brother Weitong, didn't you say the waterway would be blocked the night before? If we don't sink the ships, what else can we do? "
The other merchants also looked at Mi Fan.
Mi Fan felt a bit sad that she had to work with a group of idiots. However, these people did listen to her, so she could only say, "Those who come from Chuanshu don't dare to take the dangerous route. It's only because they haven't reached Chuanshu that small boats can pass through.
In Dingping County, when you enter the Luo River, don't you know how fast the current is? If you use an oar, when a wave comes, all your strength will be wasted. If you use a bamboo pole, you won't be able to reach the bottom of the water. Don't their small boats rely on the trackers from that corner to pull them?
Send three large ships over. As long as they anchor there, say that the ships are broken and can't move, their small boats won't be able to be pulled by the trackers. They will need to go around our large ships. It's already a fast current, and now it's blocked by three ships. Which small boat do you think will be able to pass? "
"That's right. As long as a small boat wants to pass, it'll happen to meet the three large ships blocking the slanting current. One boat will capsize. We didn't do it on purpose. It's the large ships that are broken. After a few boats capsize, we'll send a few large ships and leave three ships there. We'll say that there's a problem. Even if they don't want to, they'll have to hold on.
Only those who have rowed for decades are willing to give it a try. Others won't be able to do it. How many people can they find? One in a hundred. It's a good idea. "
When a merchant heard Mi Fan's words, he also thought of this point and started to flatter her.
When the others heard this merchant's words, they also understood the reasoning behind it. They all agreed.
Mi Fan felt a bit helpless. How could no one think of such a simple thing? They were even prepared to sink the ships to block the entrance. She sighed to herself and said, "This matter isn't urgent. We'll talk about it after we ask them about the details of the sea route."
The merchants once again banded together, and one by one, they began to talk about how to deceive. The more Mi Fan heard, the stronger her fear became. Even when she mentioned using a boat to divert the small boats, she felt the same way.
This plan was perfect. She didn't know where it went wrong. Could it be that the Marquis's shipyard could make small boats that were not afraid of such things? Unless they ate deep water. But if they ate deep water, they wouldn't be able to cross the river.
As long as she thought of this, she felt a bit upset. She couldn't help but say, "Actually, the Zhang family's plan of switching from large to small boats will make us more money than before. Why don't you think about it?"
"What's there to think about? If they don't die, we will. So many pairs of eyes are watching us. If we really lose face, will we still do business in the future? Brother Weitong, you overestimate the Zhang family. This is a matter on the water. They don't understand. They only know how to farm and raise chickens. How would they know the dangers on the water?"
Guo Ren poured himself a cup of wine and drank it again. His eyes were glazed over, but his words received the agreement of the other merchants. They were indeed afraid of the Zhang Family's manor, but that was on land. They didn't dare to interfere with some of the transactions.
But when it came to the water, it was not as simple as imagined. No matter how powerful the Zhang family was, could they naturally understand things in the water? Then they wouldn't have to manage a small river.
Mi Fan looked at the gazes of the merchants that were looking at him one by one. Finally, he compromised, even though he felt like his heart was being tightly grasped by someone.
He had never been in such a situation before. In the past, when there was danger, he just felt uncomfortable. This time, he found it difficult to even breathe.
What is it? What other tricks does the Zhang family have? Why is it like this? It's worse than dying. Could it be that the whole family is exterminated? The Zhang family really has this ability. He just has a top scholar and knows a Marquis. Why does his chest hurt?
Mi Fan pressed his hands to his chest. He valued his body's reaction very much. In the past, when he encountered things, he only felt a little uncomfortable. Every time he made the decision to hide, he would go to the temple or Taoist temple and receive good news.
But this time was different. He felt like he was going to die immediately.
Those merchants didn't know how uncomfortable Mi Fan was. They were still fantasizing about forcing the Zhang family to beg for mercy and be as obedient as dogs.
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