NOVPUBThe Zhen Family was recently so happy they were almost bursting, possibly because of the New Year and the confrontation between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao, many merchants doing business in Jizhou were somewhat dispirited. Furthermore, knowing that the Zhen Family had recently made a huge windfall, many merchants decided to leave Jizhou. They sold their goods to the Zhen Family at prices far below the market value, almost equal to the cost of production.
With a large family business, the Zhen Family naturally welcomed all comers in these good times. Other merchants worried that the war might spread to Jizhou, so they quickly sold off their inventory to the Zhen Family.
As an aristocratic clan in Jizhou, the Zhen Family knew much more than those merchants without any backing. They were very aware that the war could not possibly reach Jizhou. Although Gongsun Zan could be seen defeating the Wuhuan in the north and the Yellow Turbans in the south, with his White Horse Righteous Followers appearing exceedingly strong, the Zhen Family knew this was only on the surface. The Yuan Family, boasting ancestry of four generations and three dukes, only needed to give a slight advantage to Jizhou to turn the tide of the war.
Because of this, the Zhen Family started an all-out purchasing spree across Jizhou. Knowing the war would be won, they were not worried about their business suffering significant losses. They continued to buy up goods throughout Jizhou, clearing the inventory of any merchant who wanted out. Of course, the price was only the cost, and it was the original cost from the place of production.
Even so, basically all the merchants in Jizhou ended up selling their property and inventory to the Zhen Family at a low price. Naturally, they sought to break even on the land, but the inventory could only be calculated at the cost of production, leading to huge losses.
Jizhou was a large province with a population of five million in this era before widespread warfare. Therefore, Yuan Shao’s deep roots were not just empty words. Although he obtained Jizhou through deception and cunning, after stabilizing it, Yuan Shao’s power had significantly increased, catapulting him to the rank of the leading feudal lord just below Dong Zhuo, rivaling his brother Yuan Shu.
With numerous people came numerous shops, and with numerous shops came many who wanted to leave. There was much for the Zhen Family to acquire, and after swallowing up nearly half of Jizhou’s commerce, the Zhen Family found their funds were not keeping up. However, dreaming of a bright tomorrow, they decided to use their inventory to complete the purchases.
The Zhen Family, with a history spanning hundreds of years, had a strong reputation. In Jizhou, they were amongst the most preeminent families. Therefore, the merchants did not say much. There could be deferred payments when money was tight since selling to the Zhen Family was all about seeking peace. However, if they didn’t pay now, the price would rise later on.
Of course, that was the case for some people. Others insisted on seeing cash upfront, while a separate group preferred to exchange their Jizhou storefronts for Zhen Family storefronts in other provinces and counties.
In this manner, the Zhen Family, with some strategizing and scraping together of resources, forcibly absorbed the entire commercial property inventory of Jizhou. This enormous "cake" was so tempting that even Yuan Shao himself was somewhat enticed. However, the Zhen Family specialized in this business. If Yuan Shao were to now intervene, it would not only be unprofitable, but he had also already thought of leveraging the Zhen Family for his own benefit, as they only had two young children left. Who would know if he slowly encroached upon them?
In another place, Mi Zhu was leading a large group of his merchants association members for tea, which also involved passing along some instructions. Naturally, the merchants joining him for tea were all trustworthy individuals. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"What do you all think of this exchange?" Mi Zhu sat in the chairman’s seat with a smile on his face, having grown even more prosperous recently.
"Zizhong really lives up to his reputation as the patriarch of the Five Great Merchants. This time, we almost had no losses and recovered the storefronts we’ve always wanted but never had the opportunity to obtain. At last, we’ve succeeded," a small old man wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket said with warm compliments. "Moreover, we’ve released a bunch of information to conceal our real purpose. It seems the Zhen Family has no idea that their so-called low-price acquisition actually allowed us to earn a small profit! What a thrill!"
"Then, gentlemen, let’s follow what we agreed upon earlier, shall we? How about I, as the Guild President, make a profit too?" Mi Zhu said with a smile, "Though my Mi Family might not possess as much wealth as the Zhen Family, purchasing the collateral from your hands won’t pose much of an issue. Moreover, with the high regard you all hold for me as the Guild President, I would also like to point out a way forward for you. We are all trusted allies here, so I’ll bring out the item now!"
"Why would the Mi Family Patriarch say such a thing? Since we joined the Mi Family guild, it has always been the Mi Family Patriarch who has been strategizing for us. Therefore, we all decided to gift the Zhen Family’s collateral to the President. As for the losses of those small merchants, if we take them on, we naturally won’t let them suffer for nothing," Zhao Zun, who was also from Xuzhou, stood up and said as soon as he heard Mi Zhu intended to purchase.
In recent times, Zhao Zun had realized the immense potential of this merchant guild, and with Mi Zhu at the helm, no one would dare challenge his position as Guild President. However, with Mi Zhu often being away, Zhao Zun had his eyes on the vacant position of Vice President—a plump job indeed! Just a little bit of manipulation, and the Xuzhou Zhao Family would bloat with wealth.
Mi Zhu inwardly chuckled bitterly; Chen Xi had guessed right. The two Vice President positions were left vacant deliberately to bait a catch, and sure enough, someone had taken the bait.
"Since that’s the case, then I will accept," Mi Zhu said, declining twice before accepting everyone’s goodwill. After all, a person who is too selfless won’t secure loyalty from subordinates; it is natural for one to seek some personal gain.
After a while, Mi Zhu had someone hand out the sheep wool yarn, one strand per person. Soon, all the merchants began to scrutinize the yarn, and eventually, the little old man from the Zhang family who spoke earlier asked, "May I inquire how the President produced this item? It is neither hemp nor silk." As the old man spoke, his eyes gleamed, and anyone with half a mind could see the huge profit potential contained within!
Both hemp yarn and silk yarn are staples of life, and the profits from such necessities far outweigh those from luxury goods. Should this type of yarn become widely available, the profit it could bring was enough to start wars!
"This is wool yarn," Mi Zhu answered with a wry smile. Who could have imagined that it was made of sheep’s wool? "It is made from sheep’s wool."
This wool yarn was even less challenging to produce than the hemp yarn, especially since initially, Chen Xi did not differentiate between coarse wool, fine wool, or cashmere; as long as it was wool yarn, it would do.
Once the craftsmen took over the task, it did not take long for them to produce usable wool yarn. That being said, the endeavor would have remained at that level if not for Chen Xi directly informing them of other methods. Otherwise, without a few decades, it would have been hard to break from the traditional ways of thinking.
With hints provided, the craftsmen quickly developed three types of wool yarn: one for weaving carpets, made from coarser wool; another made by combing out finer wool, suitable for clothing; and then cashmere combed out using a finer comb...
As for the issue of goats producing less and coarser wool, in Chen Xi’s view, that was not a problem at all—still much better than hemp fabric. Besides, a small quantity of cashmere could penetrate the upper market; scarcity makes things valuable, not to mention that goat cashmere is soft enough!
"Wool yarn?" All present echoed in unison, then fell silent, only to stare blankly at Mi Zhu once they realized the implication. This could indeed turn out to be a grand enterprise—enormously grand—with profits that could rival the total assets of the Five Great Merchants and provide an unending stream of wealth to any aristocratic clan.
