After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

To be honest, making money in Jiangnan is not easy, but currently, the money and grain earned from Jiangnan are the most.

Nearly half of the northern aristocrats have migrated south, and those who remained were caught in the midst of war and are mostly not wealthy. Plus, the chaotic situation in the north, with Gou Xi still present before, and several large trading business fighting for deals, Zhao Hu’s efforts in northern provinces barely keep up with Jiangnan.

But Jiangnan is only so large a piece of land, so in terms of profit, Jiangnan is still more lucrative.

Naturally, he is unwilling to give up on the Jiangnan market.

Moreover, this time Zhao Hanzhang explicitly stated she would support him, which is very different from him previously using Zhao Hanzhang’s name quietly and acting low-key.

She’s spoken to this extent, if he doesn’t take the chance to expand his commercial forces in Jiangnan, he really has wasted his wit.

This time, when he looked at Zhao Hanzhang, he felt incredibly pleased, and his heart no longer hurt. Leaning forward, he said with a smile: "What about King Langya? He’s just a Vassal King, his fief is in Xuzhou, not in Yangzhou. If you want him to leave Jiangnan, isn’t it just a matter of you issuing a decree? If you don’t act now, it’s leniency, let those in Jiangnan dare to oppose. You can just march south, you even wiped out the Xiongnu, are you afraid of those few weaklings?"

Zhao Hanzhang asked: "Will you provide the military funds?"

Zhao Hu quickly changed the topic: "How do you plan to contend with them? Just say it, I will definitely help you. Forget about sending troops, we should maintain peace, especially now as the war disasters are just fading in every region, and the people have not recovered yet."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded in agreement and relief, "Seventh Ancestor is right." No need to mention it again next time.

After pondering for a moment, she said: "To make them submit, we must constantly suppress them, let them taste the bitterness of failure, so that when they encounter Seventh Ancestor’s caravans in the future, they will know to retreat, by then, Seventh Ancestor can do whatever business he wants, and they won’t be able to monopolize."

Zhao Hu’s spirits lifted, and he eagerly asked: "How to suppress?"

This is Zhao Hanzhang after all, isn’t getting her personal advice far superior to those half-baked advisers under him?

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her voice and said: "The more they prevent us from buying something, the more we should buy it. If we can buy what they guard closely, isn’t that their failure?"

Zhao Hu nodded thoughtfully, so what is it that they guard most closely?

Silk?

Porcelain?

It can’t possibly be tea?

Zhao Hu was weighing in his mind when he saw Zhao Hanzhang shaking her head, looking at him in exasperation.

Zhao Hu paused, feeling a surge of irritation, he angrily said: "What is that expression? There are many good things in Jiangnan. Do you think they are easy to buy? Those aristocrats are very shrewd, they keep the best for themselves. What they’re willing to sell me are mid-range, at most upper-mid-range goods."

Zhao Hanzhang said: "Selling these things, they can earn a lot of money from us, and then purchase the glassware, ironware, and books they want. What would they be unwilling to part with?"

"Then what do you say they are unwilling to sell?"

"Grain!" Zhao Hanzhang’s lips curled as she said: "Currently, what they are most reluctant to sell, and least want to sell to us, is grain."

Zhao Hu thought for a moment and realized it was true, but...

He suspiciously looked at Zhao Hanzhang: "Did you specifically come to me just to have me purchase grain in Jiangnan?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded with a smile.

Zhao Hu frowned, "Is it because you urgently need grain? How do I know you are not setting me up?"

Zhao Hanzhang calmly replied: "Seventh Ancestor, do you know why you need to trade under my flag now? Because you don’t know how to create a win-win situation."

"Whether in business or in life, I like win-wins. In this matter, if I win, you also win. This is a joyful matter for both sides, why do you believe this deal must have a loser?" she said: "If successful, not only will you make money, but you can also suppress Jiangnan aristocracy, establishing a foothold in Jiangnan for yourself."

"In the future, even without my endorsement, people in Jiangnan would not dare to underestimate you," Zhao Hanzhang said: "The same logic applies to other matters. The businessmen of the world are all bustling for profit. If you can offer enough benefits, even if I don’t support you, they will choose you, this is a win-win!"

Zhao Hu lowered his head and began to ponder.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Hanzhang asked him: "Seventh Ancestor, what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Hu gritted his teeth and said: "As you said, win-win! If I buy a large amount of grain from Jiangnan, you won’t suppress the grain price against me, right?"

Zhao Hanzhang promised: "Seventh Ancestor, I like win-wins. If I win, you will win too."

Zhao Hu then slapped his thigh and said: "Done!"

Zhao Hanzhang slightly curled her lips.

Zhao Hu immediately called his managers, instructing them to gather funds to send to Jiangnan, and also wrote several letters to quickly deliver to Jiangnan, asking the business caravans still there to first contact for buying grain.

As for the funds for purchasing a large amount of grain, apart from what the business caravans currently have on hand, the rest naturally needs to be shipped from Yu State.

However, there is no more cash on hand for Zhao Hu in Chen County, but there’s still quite a bit in Xiping, so he instructed the manager to go back and take it.

Zhao Hanzhang would never appear with the money; the grain had to be shipped to Yu State, then she would buy it.

No, she didn’t even plan on spending her own money; with so many grain merchants in Yu State, anyone he sells to is profit. As for her funds, they were naturally handed over to Wang Si Niang and Yuan Li for buying grain.

Zhao Hanzhang relied on the grain Zhao Hu brought back to activate the northern grain market. Besides Zhao Hu, she had also deliberately arranged to meet with several larger grain merchants or gentry families with grain stores today.

The purpose was to entice them to buy grain from Jiangnan.

There’s strength in numbers, and their main goal was to gather all the surplus grain from Jiangnan to the north to help the northern disaster victims through this winter using Jiangnan’s grain.

The court’s documents, along with Ji Yuan’s letters, soon reached Wang Si Niang and Yuan Li.

Upon seeing the quantity of grain required in the official document, Wang Si Niang couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed, but upon seeing that the court would provide funds and that the money was already on its way, she breathed a sigh of relief. After closing the document, she called the chief secretary and said: "Make arrangements for a banquet at the Inspector Mansion in two days, and invite the big merchants and gentry to attend."

The chief secretary complied, and before retreating, he stopped and said in a low voice: "Governor, General Wang is now heading to Yuzhang, should he be summoned back? What if he clashes with Wang Dun..."

After some thought, Wang Si Niang sighed: "Let him be, he has his own discretion. At this time, peace is preferable to war, he will not act rashly."

The chief secretary acknowledged.

When Wang Cheng died, Zhao Hanzhang was embroiled in warfare and couldn’t make decisions for them. King Langya merely made a gesture by demoting Wang Dun’s rank, but in fact, he still led the Yangzhou army; though without the title of General, he wielded General’s power.