The return of the twelve 'luxurious' cargo ships at Lu Zhou's dock set off a new wave of enthusiasm for setting sail.
Adhering to the theory of 'the bold die of overeating and the timid die of starvation', many people who originally did not dare to set sail were now eager to give it a try.
Before the goods of the twelve ships were all unloaded into the warehouse at the dock, the merchants from all over Lu Zhou rushed to the dock as fast as they could.
One of them wanted to see what the goods were and how much they were worth. The other was to find out where the fleet had gone and what kind of danger they had encountered.
The merchants of the twelve ships were also praised by countless people. While they were happy, they could not help but feel like they had survived a disaster.
"Master Li, Master Li, have a safe journey. I wonder if you have time these days? We have reserved a banquet at the flagship store of Ocean Cloud Inn in the state capital. We hope Master Li will come."
As the leader of the twelve ships, Li Mian had just gotten off the ship and had not even exchanged a few words with the people of the Chamber of Commerce when someone approached him and extended an invitation.
Hearing other people's words and looking at the envious and jealous gazes of others, Li Mian suddenly felt proud and elated. When he first rented a ship here with others, many people scolded him for being a fool. Before setting sail, he had even heard many people belittling him.
Now that he was back, he thought, 'Aiya, life is really unpredictable.'
After carefully sizing up the person who had invited him, Li Mian knew this person was the one who had not heard bad things about him. He shook his head and smiled back at the other party. "I'm tired from the journey. I really don't have time these days. Why don't we wait for a month and talk about other things after I've rested up?"
"Master Li, don't worry if you're tired. I've already prepared a place to rest. Tell us, where did the fleet go? We want to go and see the vast world out there."
This person was still unwilling to give up. It was as if he did not hear Li Mian's rejection.
Li Mian was a little impatient. He replied flatly, "No need. I've already arranged a place to rest. The wind is strong and the waves are high. How can we remember the way? Besides, we are not prepared to set sail, let alone draw a map. Excuse me, everyone, please make way. I'll pay for the ship. "
What he said was exactly what many people had said before they set out to sea, and now it was used to refute what had happened before.
As for where they were going, what kind of resources there were, and what they had to be careful of on the road, they definitely couldn't tell others so easily.
That was information that he had risked his life to obtain. Why should it be given to others for free? Those who wanted to make a fortune would rent their own boat and go out to sea. They would also experience what it meant to die nine times out of ten.
As soon as Li Mian finished speaking, the people from Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce surrounded the area to prevent outsiders from getting close.
The person in charge of the Chamber of Commerce held the booklet in his hands as he discussed the details with Li Mian.
"Boss Li, congratulations on your safe return and bringing back so many good things. Should we talk about the rental fee and the price of the goods?"
The person in charge asked Li Mian as he checked the items they had brought down from the ship.
Li Mian nodded a few times and replied, "Manager Zhang, we've discussed the matter of the ship before we came back. We want to buy it. Although it's damaged in many places, it's our first time on such a long journey. We can't return it to the Chamber of Commerce. Manager Zhang, please take a look at the goods and see if they're worth the money."
The 12 ships were not given out for free. Li Mian and the others came from Jiangnan. Before they rented the ships, they had to use their properties as collateral. After they returned from the sea, they would use the price of the goods as collateral. If there was more, they would be refunded.
They were given three years. If they did not return in three years, the properties used as collateral would belong to Lu Zhou's Chamber of Commerce.
Now that all 12 ships had returned safely, Li Mian did not plan to continue renting ships. Considering that he would be going out in the future, he might as well buy them. He could save a lot of money in the future.
However, he was not sure if the goods were worth the money. He was a little worried.
The person in charge, Manager Zhang, had already seen the various goods brought back by the fleet. Based on the booklet made by the young master and young lady, he knew that these goods could be exchanged for more than 20 ships. It was not that the goods were valuable. The rarer something was, the more valuable it was. The first time they returned, there were many things that Great Tang did not have.
Not to mention the other things, just the koala. In Great Tang, no one had even heard of it, let alone seen it. Naturally, many people were willing to pay a sky-high price to buy it.
As for how the young master and young lady knew, was there even a need to ask? They were immortals, there was nothing that they did not know.
With this thought in mind, Manager Zhang said to Li Mian, "Boss Li, according to the contract when you rented the ships, in addition to the goods, you have to tell the Chamber of Commerce everything you saw and heard on the way and present the sea map you drew.
As long as what you say is true and the map is true, you can exchange these two things for four ships. Furthermore, the next time you go out to sea, you can get new equipment from the Chamber of Commerce, such as the equipment used to collect fresh water on your ship.
According to the previous agreement, the goods must be handled by the Chamber of Commerce. There are two methods. One is that the Chamber of Commerce gives you a price. Don't worry, it is enough for you to buy a ship. The Chamber of Commerce does not know how much it will sell for. If it sells for more, you have to agree.
The other method is that the Chamber of Commerce will not buy it directly, but will help you contact other buyers. In the end, the Chamber of Commerce will take 40% of the net profit. Don't worry, it is not the gross profit. Go back and discuss it.
Oh, the goods do not include animals. The animals and plant seeds you brought back must be given to the Chamber of Commerce unconditionally. We will take over now and write a letter to inform the master in the capital. "
After Manager Zhang finished explaining the conditions, he did not rush Li Mian to make a decision immediately. He leaned back in his chair and flipped through the book in his hand. In his heart, he already knew where the animals would go. The big animals would naturally be sent to the Tang Dynasty Zoo. As for the small animals, such as koalas, Xiao Bei and the others would probably have new playmates.
This thing was really too cute, especially when it was in someone's arms. It turned its head to look elsewhere and then timidly turned its face back, looking like it was wronged. One could not help but want to get one to hug.
At this time, Li Mian had already excused himself and went to discuss with the merchants he was working with. He was very clear in his heart that since he had signed the contract, he could not go back on it. The sea map and the key anchorage had to be handed over.
If it was another shipyard, perhaps the rental of the ship could be faked. However, for the shipyards of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, that was definitely not possible.
Not to mention whether the other party would be suspicious, just the fact that the other party immediately took out the map and compared the little thing, which he did not even know the name of, showed that they knew a lot of things. Yes, a lot.
If he angered them, the consequences would not only be suppression in terms of business. If they were unhappy, they might even send a few gunships after him when he set sail again.
'Yes, I have to follow the contract. There are some benefits that cannot be taken advantage of,' Li Mian reminded himself in his heart. Only then did he feel relieved.
The other merchants who were stopped outside were now both regretful and excited. They regretted that they did not work with Li Mian to set sail. They were excited because if others were to make money, they would be able to make a profit too.
Just like when they were on Xinyuan Island, the Zhang Family and Wang Family were indeed impressive. They actually knew that there was a large area outside and that there were many things that the Great Tang did not have. They originally thought that the Great Tang had everything.
Thus, while Li Mian was discussing with others on how to cooperate with the merchant association, a storm was brewing in the sea.
*****
At the edge of the desert near the Jinchuan.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were calculating the number of animals they received this time and estimating how much profit they would make.
"Xiao Bao, it seems like the Tufan and Turkic Khaganate will have to pay a higher price this time. You actually sold the operation model of the bank to them. They can't help but be tempted. You are really too evil."
After calculating the accounts, Wang Juan realized that not only did they not lose money this time, they even made a lot of money. Just the animals alone were enough to cover the expenses of the forty thousand people along the way. There were also the local medicinal herbs and slaves. This could be considered a real profit.
More importantly, the Tufan and Turkic Khaganate had already accepted the Great Tang's paper currency and acknowledged its legitimacy. This way, they would have a stable foreign exchange channel in the future. When the time came, they could use the animals they obtained from the Tufan and Turkic Khaganate to increase the acceptance of the country's currency. This could be said to be killing many birds with one stone.
Of course, the most impressive thing was not how much money they earned this time. It was that the Tufan and Turkic Khaganate understood the importance of a country having its own currency system.
This so-called currency system was actually a bank. The success of the Great Tang Bank had caused many of the surrounding small countries to be envious. This was especially so for the people who were emperors. They realized that ever since the Great Tang had a bank, Li Longji's treasury had started to fill up.
Who wouldn't want to have money in their hands? This was especially so when this money could be used to build a place and fight a war. Yes, fighting a war was the most frightening thing.
Once Li Longji had money, who could guarantee that he wouldn't make a move against them?
Under such circumstances, Zhang Xiaobao wrote down the operation model of the bank and wanted to sell it to the Tufan and Turkic Khaganate as a commodity. The price he set was extremely high.
After Que Teqin and Tzuzan Chide found out about this matter, they were worried for a period of time. In the end, they were willing to pay a higher price in exchange. They were really worried that if they didn't have such a bank in their country, when Li Longji raised more money to fight a war, their country wouldn't have the strength to retaliate.
Of course, what Wang Juan praised was not that the people from both sides were willing to spend money to buy the bank, but what they did after they had enough money.
Zhang Xiaobao also understood what Wang Juan was referring to. He turned to the last page of the account book and said, "This is called being in line with the international market. I'm a good person. I'm helping them to gather money."
"You're lying with your eyes wide open. Not to mention me, even Xin Er knows what you're planning to do. You want to start a real financial war with them after their banks are established.
This is the temptation of the devil. You gave them hope and let them open Pandora's Box. It's just like asking people to go overseas to search for new places and obtain more things. The benefits are accompanied by risks.
When you asked people to go out to sea, you said it very nicely. Why didn't you organize a fleet yourself? I don't know if any of them can come back alive. This is the sea. When it breeds life, it also devours life. "
As Wang Juan spoke, she thought of the merchants who were encouraged to go out to sea. She hoped that they could come back alive and bring back more good things.
Just as Wang Juan mentioned this matter, the pigeon that was trying its best to fly had already arrived in Yizhou. It received Shui Yun, who was sending letters back and forth, and put the letters on Shui Yun. Then, it flew towards the edge of the desert.
In the palace of Tubo, Zuzan Chide was holding a piece of paper that Yiluo had just exchanged for with a lot of resources. He was reading word by word.
Beside him was Princess Jincheng. Now, her status was obviously much higher than before. The entire harem of Tubo had almost become her world. No one dared to compete with her anymore.
Everyone was afraid that if they provoked her, the Tang Empire would take revenge.
If it was in the past, no matter how powerful the Tang Empire was, no matter how tough Li Longji was. After all, it was very troublesome for the Tang Empire's army to attack. They were usually passive and would not take the initiative to attack.
But ever since that Cuckoo Demonfiend appeared, everything had changed. No one could guess the true thoughts of a child. Perhaps it could be said that children were never so stable. If they were happy today, they would laugh. If they were unhappy tomorrow, they would cry.
Whether they could attack or when they would attack had nothing to do with the thoughts of Li Longji and the other officials.
Zuzan Chide also knew about the recent situation in the harem. He had even added fuel to the fire once. There was no helping it. Who told the desert to station forty thousand soldiers?
"This is the method of the Great Tang Bank. Good, very good. Why didn't anyone in my court think of it? This way, merchants will come and go frequently. Every transaction will have to pay a tax to the Great Tang, and Li Longji will have more and more money in his hands. Nuannu, when you return to the Great Tang this time, you must remember to ask more about the disadvantages of the bank.
I'm worried that Zhang Xiaobao will give me something that I can't see through. If I do as he says, it will bring me a lot of trouble. He and Wang Juan will not give up on killing me. "
Zuzan Chide flipped through a few pages and saw an introduction written by Zhang Xiaobao, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the bank. Of course, those weaknesses did not seem to be anything special.
As he continued reading, Zuzan Chide could not understand. There were many technical terms in the book, and this was not his forte.
The only thing he knew was that Zhang Xiaobao would not be so kind. Even if the Tubo had paid a great price, Zhang Xiaobao might have set a few traps. Even if he returned to the Great Tang, no one would tell him this. He could only rely on Li Nuannu.
What else could Princess Jincheng say? She was already married to the Tubo. Since Zuzan Chide mentioned it, she had to help him ask. What made her even happier was that Zuzan Chide's words meant that she could return to the Great Tang to take a look.
She thought that she would have to stay in the Tubo for the rest of her life. She did not expect that she would have the chance to return. This time, no matter what, she had to stay for a while. Or perhaps, she could look for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to discuss and see if she could return to visit her parents every once in a while.
Thinking of this, Princess Jincheng saw that Zuzan Chide was still waiting for her reply. She quickly said, "Zuzan Chide, you can rest assured. Nuannu will definitely help to ask about the key points. I believe that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan will tell Nuannu."
"Don't, don't ask the two of them. I heard that the two of them are not on good terms with Zhang Shuo. You have to think of a way to ask Zhang Shuo and Wu Huifei. That woman had once made a move against the Great Tang Bank. It's a pity that her methods were not good enough. Not only was she seen through, she even allowed Zhang Xiaobao to take the opportunity to open up a better bank."
Zuzan Chide, who had collected a lot of information on the Great Tang, immediately stopped Princess Jincheng when he heard that she wanted to ask Zhang Xiaobao. Wasn't that just waiting to be cheated?
The only people in the Great Tang who were not on good terms with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were Zhang Shuo's faction and Wu Huifei. Ever since Empress Wang regained favor, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Wu Huifei had been thinking of ways to deal with the Zhang and Wang families.
However, the two families were too stable. Even Li Longji was biased towards them, causing Wu Huifei to fail time and time again.
However, if Zuzan Chide suggested to work with them, they might be able to gain other benefits.
Princess Jincheng nodded her head and agreed.
She sighed in her heart. Sometimes, she did not know what she should do. The conflict between the two sides seemed to have put her in the middle.
Zuzan Chide took a few more glances at the book in the bank. He rubbed his sore eyes and said to Princess Jincheng, "This time, there probably won't be anything good over there. If anyone asks you about the specific situation of Tubo, you must not tell them."
"This slave will remember." Princess Jincheng nodded her head.
Only then did Zuzan Chide's thoughts settle.
The one who was equally vexed was Commissioner Que. Don't look at how the current ruler of the Turks was Mo Jilian. The person in charge was Commissioner Que. He controlled the army and naturally controlled the entire Turks.
He really wanted to personally go to the Great Tang to take a look at the Sword Meet on Mount Hua. However, he did not dare to do so. If he controlled the army and something happened, he would lose everything.
Thus, he could only let Mo Jilian go personally. At the same time, he was very worried. If Li Longji supported Mo Jilian and helped him take over his military power, it would be difficult for him to do so.
This matter was not over yet. Now, there was the problem of a bank. The spies sent to the Great Tang had already sent back more than one report, describing the various benefits of a bank. It would allow Li Longji to collect a lot of taxes and make the Great Tang even more prosperous.
Now that the method had been bought back, he did not know if it was true or not. It seemed like the bank was just a few simple methods. However, Commissioner Que was very clear that it was not so simple. If something went wrong, the entire Turks might be implicated.
Thus, he came to Mo Jilian's place and said to Mo Jilian, who was about to set off, "When you go to Tang, it's best if you can get in touch with the Tubo people. Tell them that we are willing to cooperate with them, in terms of military and bank. If they can find out about the bank's problems, we are willing to pay the corresponding price."
In truth, Mo Jilian did not want to go. If he was stopped, he would lose his current position. However, he had no other choice. If he did not go, Li Longji would have an excuse to attack the Turks, and the surrounding countries would not help him.
With this thought in mind, Mo Jilian hastily said, "Have someone make a copy of the thing that Zhang Xiaobao sold to us. When I bring it to the Great Tang, I will compare it with the Tubo people to see if it is the same. I also want to bring more warriors. Since it's the Sword Meet on Mount Hua, it will be a martial competition. We can only win and not lose."
*****
While the Tubo people and the Turks were thinking of their own methods, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan received a letter from Lu Zhou.
"They really came back. They came back very quickly. A year and a half is enough for a round trip. They got koalas. Did they go to Australia? That's not close to here. We have to go around Ma Liujia.
The letter that a pigeon can carry is too small. It only wrote a few things that we need the most and did not mention anything else. I wonder if there are kangaroos. Yes, ask them to send the koalas quickly. Koalas are not easy to raise. Also, the leaves that they brought back. If the seeds can't keep up with the koalas' eating speed, they will starve to death. "
Zhang Xiaobao read the letter and imagined the scenery of the places that the merchants had been to. He was a little yearning.
Wang Juan was also very happy. It was good as long as someone went there. Even if it was only to Ma Liujia, it was fine. The places along the way had a lot of resources. There were spices, copper, gold, and good trees. Anyway, there were countless of them.
"Good, send the koalas over for Xiaobei and the others to play with. It will be very interesting for the children to hold the koalas. I'm just afraid that the koalas will be killed by Xiaobei. Forget it, life and death are predestined.
We have to go back soon, otherwise, we won't be able to make it in time for the New Year. You write a letter to Mo Jilian and Zu Zan of Chi De to urge them to go with us. Also, we have to think of a way to make them stay here. We can't go back now.
We have to wait until the population in the north of Hebei Province decreases. It would be best if we can directly incorporate their army. When the matters in the north of Hebei Province are settled, even if they all go back, they won't be able to do anything. "
Wang Juan had never held a koalas with her own hands. Imagining the scene when the time comes, the corner of her mouth revealed a trace of a smile.
Zhang Xiaobao touched his face with his hand. "Aiya, but Tuyu is really not easy to deal with. I guess he has thought of something. After all, they have no way to contact the outside world for a long time. When they come out, I think they will arrange for someone to send a message every once in a while.
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