There was silence in the lobby.

The people who can sit in this position, even if they are not the top group of people in the Shanshan Merchant Gang, can also be called the mainstay of the gang.

They have huge commercial networks and industries in Beizhi, Shandong and even Liaodong, and not to mention the Shanxi side, the place of foundation, even they can go deep into the south of the Yangtze River with their early capital advantages when the Ming Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty were established.

It is only with the rapid growth of the local merchant gang forces in Jiangnan that their forces have been counterattacked by the new merchant gang forces in Jiangnan and Huguang, and they have turned from prosperous to stable development, sticking to the opportunity.

In their view, the opening of the Great Zhou Sea Ban is a huge opportunity, it may be an opportunity, it may also be a crisis, if the Shanshan Merchant Gang cannot participate, then it is an opportunity for Jiangnan merchants and a crisis for Shanshan merchants.

So it seems that the opening of the sea is mainly a matter of Jiangnan maritime merchants, and there is a certain connection with these merchants who dominate the land, but the relationship is not too big, but the real leaders can naturally see farther and see the hidden crisis behind this.

At present, the Shanshan Merchant Gang can exert greater influence in the imperial court only to provide support for the logistics of the Nine Sides brought by the Kaizhong Law, but this situation is rapidly dissolving because of the increasingly serious phenomenon of "occupying the nest" caused by the imperial merchants and the families of the nobles and even the nobles who have something to do with the important ministers of the court.

The method of opening the middle has been declining day by day, and the grain in the border areas has been sharply reduced from the initial ninety percent of the grain supplied by the merchants of Kaizhong or the merchants of Kaizhong to less than thirty percent.

This brought about a soaring price of grain in the border areas, and the grain in the border areas was more transported through various places, with high prices and high quality, but the influence of Shanxi merchants on the imperial court also declined rapidly.

"Then Fan Gong, how should we deal with it?" Finally someone chimed in, and others chimed in.

"Shaoquan, what do you think?" Fan Gong ignored the crowd of guys, and asked the representative of the new force of the Wang family in front of him.

"The bell must be tied to the bell, we have not yet been able to get a glimpse of the whole leopard, although we have gotten a lot of news from various channels, but they are all half-claws, or find Feng Keng, the person who put forward the idea, in order to understand the final thoughts of the imperial court, but this guy doesn't know whether to sell at a price, or has no fear, or the imperial court intends to let it be so, it stands to reason that such a big move, it is impossible to leave the support and contribution of our merchant gang, is it true that the imperial court really intends to exclude our Shanxi merchants?"

Wang Shaoquan's words made the face on the other side withered, and the old man surnamed Fan shook his head categorically, "Shaoquan has thought about this matter, how can the imperial court let the Jiangnan businessman family dominate?" However, the dependence on Jiangnan merchants is inevitably becoming more and more obvious, which is very unfavorable to us. ”

"Fan Gong, I'm afraid we can't sit still, we have to take a multi-pronged approach, we have to find a way from all aspects, don't wait until the overall situation is decided, we can't even divide the residual soup and water, then ......"

Wang Shaoquan weighed his sentences, "Judging from the situation in the past few days, this Feng Xiushu mainly goes to Wenyuan Pavilion when he goes out, well, and he also goes to the Rongguo Mansion, I found out the news, tomorrow he will be off, and he may have to accompany his mother to Dinghui Nunnery to enter the incense." ”

"Oh?" The old man's eyes lit up slightly, "Rongguo Mansion? What is the relationship between him and the Jia family? ”

"It should be a world friend, Feng Keng has a close relationship with Jia Lian, the eldest son of Jia Yu of Rongguo Mansion, and Jia Baoyu, the son of Jia Zheng, and Jia Huan, the son of Jia Zheng, a member ,......of the Ministry of Works, are said to be served by brothers" Wang Shaoquan obviously put a lot of effort into it, "Feng Keng went down to Jiangnan to Yangzhou a few days ago, and it is said that he stayed in the Yamen of the two Huai to transfer salt for a long time, and the two Huai patrol salt imperial Shi Linhai is the sister-in-law of Jia Yu Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion,......"

The old man surnamed Fan nodded, "Tomorrow he is going to Dinghui Nunnery, Shao Quan can go?" ”

Wang Shaoquan knew that the old man surnamed Fan couldn't sit still, so he nodded: "If Fan Gong is interested, Shaoquan will accompany him." ”

********

Suzhou Hutong, Dongting Hall.

Compared with the grandeur of the Shanshan Guild Hall, the Dongting Guild Hall is much smaller and more exquisite.

But just because the scale is small doesn't mean the energy is small.

Dongting does not refer to Dongting Lake, but to Dongting Mountain, which is located in Suzhou.

Suzhou has always produced officials, in the former Ming Dynasty, and even more so in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but at the same time, the Suzhou gentry, merchants and officials are also the most closely connected.

Dongting Hall is also the elite gathering place of Suzhou business gangs.

"This son is so difficult?"

A few people sat in the official hat chair, tasting tea with a light complexion.

"The representative of the northern scholars, whose teacher is the elder of the pavilion and the left deputy of the Imperial History of the Imperial Palace, how can he be a good person?"

"It's just that at the age of seventeen, it's too exaggerated, right?"

"I heard that the poems and songs are not fine, but they are especially good at current policy theory, which is just in line with the way of today's imperial examination."

"No wonder the saints are so blue-eyed today,......"

There was a burst of laughter in the hall, and it is no secret that the saints don't like poetry today, and it is widely circulated among the gentry in Jiangnan, and many literati and ridicule each other with this.

"Not really, it is said that this son also competed with fellow villagers who are famous for their poetry and writing at the Enrong banquet, and it is not inferior, and later there are rumors that this son just disdains to spend more time on poetry, and there are different opinions,......"

"Hmph, born as a martial artist, no wonder this vulgarity is unheard of,......"

"Don't hear the avenue? So can this strategy of opening the sea be called a great road? If it weren't for the Great Dao, why would you and I have to go to great lengths here, just to meet each other? ”

"You! It's just insulting, you Xishan people are so ......"

Seeing that several people were about to quarrel, there was no longer the same leisure and ease as before, but no one was willing to solve it.

"Okay, there's no point in saying this, the situation is stronger than people, and we have to think about our own affairs." An old man in a brown shirt who had not spoken, and sat at the top of the house, finally spoke.

"Gong Xu, it's not a way to sit back and wait like this." A middle-aged man sitting next to the brown-shirted old man also glanced at the few people who were still chattering over there with some displeasure, "This son is said to have colluded with the maritime merchants of Fujian, and also has connections with the merchants of Ningbo, but we Suzhou people are the only ones who are ,...... outside."

"Ningbo businessmen are because they want to set up a shipyard in the north, which is the intention of the imperial court, and the people in Ningbo may not be willing to go, but they are afraid that they will not be able to withstand the pressure of the imperial court." Xu Gong said lightly: "If you, the Xishan Xu family, are willing to participate, presumably the imperial court will also be happy to see it." ”

Being squeezed by the old man like this, the middle-aged broad-faced man was also a little embarrassed, he was just looking for a topic, but he didn't expect this Dongshan giant to give face at all.

"Is there any news from the Huizhou Guild Hall?"

"I didn't make much of a move, and their post was sent in a long time ago, but it's just like us,......" Although the man surnamed Xu was stupid in his heart, he still didn't slack off in the face of the old man's inquiry surnamed Xu, "But Longyou's gang seems to have received the post, but they are not sure ,...... yet"

"What? Longyou's gang received a post? Really? Why? The old man surnamed Xu suddenly became nervous.

If everyone is out of play, then he can still be sure, but if someone other than the idea takes the lead, it has to make him frightened.

What is more crucial is that it involves the transformation of the entire commercial system from Liaodong, Beizhi, Shandong, Nanzhi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangzhou, and even Huguang and Jiangyou along the Yangtze River.

This means that as soon as the sea ban is lifted, the maritime industry will usher in a huge development, and the huge cost advantage of water transportation compared with land transportation will quickly appear.

Originally, the most important thing was the golden waterway along the Yangtze River and on both sides of the canal, but after a few years, I was afraid that Liangguang, Fujian, Zhejiang, Nanzhi and Shandong, Jingshi and Liaodong would form another broader maritime golden waterway, and these three waterways would be connected as a whole, so no one could predict what kind of changes would be brought to the commercial trade in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even these three waterways will be connected to the future high-sea trade with Korea, Japan, and the South Seas, and with the huge consumer market system and production system in the Great Zhou, both imports and exports will bring unpredictable benefits.

The man surnamed Xu shook his head, "I don't know this, in addition, I also learned that this Feng Xiu also sent a post to the Jiangyou Guild Hall, but I don't know who received it from the Jiangyou Guild Hall." ”

The old man surnamed Xu pondered and was silent, reasoning should not be like this.

Feng Keng is originally from Shandong, grew up in Shanxi, his teacher Qi Yongtai Beizhiren, Qiao Yingjia Shanxi native, and his engaged Shen family is a scholarly family in Suzhou, and they all know these veins well.

You say that he is kind to the Shanshan merchant gang, it is reasonable, and there are contacts with the Fujian maritime merchants and Ningbo merchants, which is the voyage to southern Liaoning-Denglai, but the Hui merchants, the Shanshan merchants, and the Dongting merchants, the three most powerful groups in the Great Zhou Dynasty today, he does not contact any of them, and even the group of imperial merchants does not seem to have received an invitation, but has contacted Longyou and Jiangyou merchants, which is too incredible.

Although the power of Longyou and Jiangyou merchants is not weak, they are inferior to Hui merchants, Shanxi merchants and even their own Dongting merchants, but they are recognized by the world, even if they are rich Yangzhou salt merchants, it is also an equal share between Hui merchants and Shanshan merchants, how could it be the turn of Longyou merchants and Jiangyou merchants?

"Weng Gong!"

There was a chaotic sound of tables and chairs in the hall, but an old man was seen walking in accompanied by several people.

"Weng Gong!"

"Weng Lao!"

His hair was white, but he was in good spirits, and even the old man surnamed Xu rarely got up: "Brother Qiyang." “

This is the representative of the Dongting Business Gang, Weng Di, and his son Weng Qiyang.

"Brother Chengdong, this Feng Xiu is not simple, it can be said that he has a splendid chest, he connects the Anfu merchants and the Longyou merchants, which is intended to be in the east." As soon as Weng Qiyang sat down, he made a big move.