GBP Chapter 245 Li Gengbao's Concept
Chapter 245 Li Gengbao's Concept
The Cui family hadn't been involved in border trade in recent years, and the Lu family had always dominated the market. This time, after they and the Zheng family monopolized the spices, they doubled the price.
On the grasslands, only the nobility could afford to use spices for cooking meat, and these spices were in short supply.
On the other hand, a kind of fabric called cashmere clothes and pants appeared in Weizhou, which has excellent warmth-keeping effect when worn. However, the channels for shipping from Weizhou have been blocked.
Nalan Xiongying was drinking alone in the Yangcheng Restaurant. The attendants who accompanied him could only watch from the side. Seeing that their host looked worried, they did not dare to interrupt.
Li Gengbao, who was also drinking at the restaurant, saw Lan Xiongying sighing and said with a smile, "If I remember correctly, you are from the Lan family, right? You bought out all the wine in Weizhou in one go, and we have to buy from you."
Nalan Xiongying looked up and saw a fat man walking towards him. He squinted his eyes and looked over. Then he remembered who this person was.
"So it's Li Baiyi. What brings you here now? Martial law has been declared in Weizhou."
"From the Nalan family, don't call me Bayi when you see me. I live in Xiliang, and I'm also called Dongjia there. You can call me Li Dongjia, hehe~" Li Gengbao spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. He knew very well that the Nalan family had a respected status in the grassland.
"Okay, I have to go back to the grassland tomorrow. If I can't get the wine, there's no point in staying here."
Upon hearing this, Li Gengbao quickly said, "Brother Lan, don't be so anxious to leave. Let's discuss cooperation. Maybe this trip will be worthwhile for you."
Nalan Xiongying snorted coldly: "Cooperation? What good ideas can you have?"
Li Gengbao leaned closer to Lan Xiongying and said in a low voice, "I know you have a monopoly on Weizhou's wine, but if you can't ship it out, it's all in vain. I have some connections in Xiliang and can help you open up transportation channels. We can split the profits. What do you think?"
Nalan Xiongying frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "You sound very nice, but how do I know you're not lying to me?"
Li Gengbao patted his chest and assured, "Brother Lan, I, Li Gengbao, am also a well-known figure in the business world and have some credibility. Besides, we can sign a contract first."
Nalan Xiongying was still a little hesitant: "This matter is quite risky."
Li Gengbao continued to persuade him, "Wealth and honor are sought through risk, Brother Lan. As long as our cooperation is successful, wealth will surely flow in from now on."
Nalan Xiongying gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's talk about the specific details of the cooperation first."
The two began to discuss the terms of cooperation, and the atmosphere was sometimes tense and sometimes relaxed.
Yuzhou, dozens of miles away, was on full alert. Yu Wenhua had reinforced his troops near Yiyu, initially anticipating a battle by the end of the year. However, as the year drew to a close, no troops had been dispatched.
The Nalan family informed Nalan Xiongying that Erhan Chanyu planned to send troops to the Central Plains in the near future.
This action was different from the last one by Tuoba Jing, and the Yelu family had sent many additional personnel this time, seemingly planning to launch a large-scale attack in the southwest.
The Chanyu planned to cooperate with the Huyan family, the Nalan family and other tribes, and the Yuwen Xianbei to attack from Weizhou.
Li Gengbao took out a cashmere blanket, which can be made into clothing by cutting and sewing. Of course, there is also a kind of knitted product, that is, ready-made clothing, which looks better when worn.
"Right now, Weizhou and even Dingzhou are extremely short of food. I shipped grapes from Xiliang, hoping to reap a huge profit next year. But this damn war has caused us heavy losses."
"Grapes? What does that mean?" Lan Xiongying asked in astonishment.
"Don't you know? With our grapes, Guangchang County will produce a lot of wine next year. While the taste is only slightly inferior to your new military wine, it's still delicious and especially popular with the girls." Li Gengbao smacked his lips. "And they promised me a brandy, which I will sell exclusively. This wine tastes better than your military wine and has a higher price."
"Brandy?" For someone who loves fine wine, Nalan Xiongying instantly became very interested.
"We can collaborate on this wine."
"You are so short-sighted. Don't you see the cashmere blanket and cashmere sweater in my hands? These are the best choices for nobles in our grasslands and even in the northwest."
Nalan Xiongying couldn't help but stretch out his hand and gently stroke the cashmere blanket. The touch from his fingertips was very different from the cashmere tent he was familiar with.
This cashmere blanket was so delicate that it felt like a cloud caressing his heart. It was smooth and had an indescribable warmth, giving him an unprecedented feeling of comfort.
What’s even more amazing is that its thermal insulation performance is beyond imagination. Even in this slightly cool air, you can feel a warm warmth slowly seeping from the blanket surface into your heart.
Moreover, it has no smell of sheep, but only a touch of freshness and elegance, which is refreshing and pleasant.
"The workmanship is amazing! Are you telling me these things can be found in Weizhou?"
"That's right!" Li Gengbao answered after looking around mysteriously.
"The current production of this product is low. The reason is that the wool from our grasslands cannot be transported to Weizhou or Dingzhou. They lack the raw materials for production, so the price of this product is quite high. If..."
Before Li Gengbao finished speaking, Lan Xiongying had already understood what he meant.
"If we open up Weizhou and Dingzhou, we can monopolize their external goods and become the only dominant power."
"It seems that the Lan family has this strength. This is my trump card for finally cooperating with you."
Nalan Xiongying seemed to see a grand blueprint, a vision of a future business empire. In this blueprint, the Nalan family's wealth piled up like a mountain and its power was at its peak.
Nalan Xiongying said excitedly, "Brother Li, if this can be accomplished, you and I will surely become as wealthy as a nation. But the connections involved are not easy to establish."
Li Gengbao smiled faintly. "Brother Lan, as long as we work together, there's nothing we can't accomplish. First, we need to win over the officials from both places and offer them generous benefits."
Nalan Xiongying frowned: "This will probably cost a lot of money."
Li Gengbao leaned close to him and said, "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your child. The initial investment will be earned back hundreds or thousands of times in the future."
Nalan Xiongying nodded. "Okay, as you say. But this matter must be carried out in secrecy, and no word must leak out."
Li Gengbao responded, "Of course."
Nalan Xiongying planned to secretly contact various forces. They used money and benefits to win over some greedy officials and generals, and gradually secretly took control of the command of part of the army.
In a letter to his family, Nalan Xiongying passionately wrote: "As long as we successfully control Yanzhou and Bingzhou, our future prosperity and wealth will be limitless!"
Li Gengbao also actively participated in his own circle. He made all kinds of tempting promises to those profit-seeking businessmen in exchange for a large amount of financial support.
However, their conspiracy was not flawless.
In the Chanyu's army, an upright general noticed something unusual.
He secretly investigated and found that everything Nalan Xiongying did was for the trade interests of the Nalan family, and this kind of interest would only strengthen the power of the Nalan family.