Chapter 63

Businessmen fear nothing more than encountering a group that forms a monopoly. The current situation in Tanggu is exactly like that. It has only been four years since the Second Opium War, and the newly opened commercial ports are basically monopolized by the British and French. Although the Americans can also participate, due to their domestic war, they have not been deeply involved.

In such a situation, British and French merchants naturally form an alliance, setting up a price cartel. For example, in this hog bristle trade, the price of one silver dollar per kilogram seems high, but once transported back to Europe, there would be at least a fourfold or even higher profit.

This is a typical case of distance creating beauty. The long sea route not only causes inconvenience in transportation but also results in extremely high profits for goods. For businessmen, this is both painful and joyful.

The Chinese merchants are not blind to this. The intelligence and wisdom of the Chinese cannot be underestimated. Forming a price cartel to make money through a monopoly is not a new tactic. However, due to various reasons, Qing merchants can only be local traders without their own long-distance trade, thus being constrained in every aspect. Even when encountering a monopoly, they can only suffer in silence.

Now, Xiao Letian actually says he wants to break the British and French price cartel and introduce new faces to the business world. This is absolutely a great benefit for the businessmen in Tanggu Port. Moreover, with Xiao Letian's reputation as a "second-rate foreigner," he might really be able to pull it off.

The merchants present already had a look of eager anticipation in their eyes. Xiao Letian was very familiar with this look. He knew what these merchants truly needed, and winning their hearts would be a piece of cake if he addressed their needs.

The strange atmosphere in the trading house made Huang Juren and Xiao Bian Sun very uneasy. Their dog-like sense of smell detected a scent of betrayal. They knew these merchants had been swayed by Xiao Letian, and the greed and hesitation in their eyes were unmistakable.

Xiao Bian Sun gripped the steel dart at the end of his braid, his cold gaze fixed on the few allies, the threat clear even to a fool.

"Ha ha ha, your words are sweeter than honey, but don't forget that Tanggu is still part of the Qing Empire. Even if foreigners come, they must follow the treaty rules. You say new foreign merchants can just come in? Where do you put the court and the Emperor? Where do you put the Prefect and the Military Commissioner? You are truly arrogant..." Huang Juren had to speak up, emphasizing the terms "Prefect" and "Military Commissioner."

On the surface, he was questioning Xiao Letian, but in reality, he was threatening the merchants, warning them not to be traitors and to be careful of the consequences.

Xiao Letian paid no attention to such low-level threats and didn't bother to respond. He just turned to Fan Lian and asked, "Is it almost the auspicious time?" Fan Lian took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "In about fifteen minutes, it will be the most auspicious time..."

At that moment, a slightly awkward voice came from behind Xiao Letian. "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Fan, on the opening of your esteemed shop, we fellow merchants have nothing to offer. According to tradition, we should all support your business. Today, we must celebrate the grand opening..."

The speaker was a merchant surnamed Wang, a third-rate boss in Tanggu who ran a small freight station, taking on scattered business from the major merchants. He didn't make much money but often faced a lot of trouble. Almost everyone present could scold him a few times.

Xiao Letian and Fan Lian had known that merchants would come to discuss the hog bristle business today, as it was pre-arranged with many merchants before the opening, for good luck. However, they were puzzled by the awkward expression on Wang's face.

"Mr. Wang, your generosity is much appreciated. I will certainly toast you three cups later..." Before Fan Lian could finish his polite words, Wang's face suddenly turned red, and he whispered, "I dare not, I dare not... But my business is small, and I need to buy more goods today. I hope Mr. Fan can pay me the money in advance..."

Fan Lian's face froze, thinking this was an unusual request, but Xiao Letian suddenly smiled and asked, "Mr. Wang, do you want a banknote or cash?"

"Cash, cash, I only accept cash. I am truly ashamed, I am truly ashamed..." Wang's face turned completely red. He knew he was a small-time merchant, unable to offend Huang Juren and his group, nor could he offend Xiao Letian. But with Huang Juren's group being so numerous and forcing him to take the lead, Wang had no choice but to go through with it.

"Bring in seven thousand silver dollars for Mr. Wang..." Xiao Letian shouted, and two strong men from the back office walked out, carrying large lacquer trays piled high with red-wrapped silver dollars. Each roll contained a hundred Mexican silver dollars, and there were seventy rolls in total, heavy and appealing.

Xiao Letian picked up a roll of silver dollars and gently broke it, causing the shiny silver dollars to clatter into the lacquer tray. The double-headed eagle emblem was clearly visible, a famous currency that had a significant impact on the late Qing financial market: the Mexican silver dollar.

"Mr. Wang, here are seven thousand Mexican silver dollars. Do you want to count them one by one?" At this point, Wang had no face to count them individually and quickly gestured for his shop assistants to take the tray away.

Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed. "I am truly sorry, my small business, please don't take it to heart..." Xiao Letian had already seen through the situation, patted Wang on the shoulder, and said sincerely, "No problem, you have your own difficulties. We have a long way to go, and time will reveal true character..."

At that moment, another major merchant stood up and bowed slightly to Xiao Letian. "Mr. Xiao, you are truly generous. I cannot not support your business today. I have eight thousand kilograms of hog bristles and want to transfer them to you... But I also need cash, I am truly sorry, my business needs capital, I apologize..."

Xiao Letian laughed heartily and said confidently, "What are you talking about? You are all guests. Since you support my business, how can I not appreciate it? Accountants, prepare the contracts, we will take all the hog bristles you have today..."

Instantly, the entire trading house was in an uproar. The merchants, who had already colluded, stood up one by one, shouting continuously.

"Mr. Xiao, I have twelve thousand kilograms in my warehouse... I have thirty thousand pounds... sixty thousand... eighty thousand..." The numbers kept climbing, but Xiao Letian remained calm, showing no emotional fluctuation.

The accountants carried out boxes of silver dollars, and after each contract was signed, the cash was immediately paid. Xiao Letian was not worried about these merchants reneging on their deals; if these small-time merchants dared to cheat him, they would be asking for trouble.

The people of Tanggu were amazed today, having never seen such a business transaction. Without even seeing the goods, they received full payment with a contract, and all in cash, not banknotes. The most peculiar thing was that the Le Tian Trading House only used one type of currency: the Mexican silver dollar.

"Huang Juren, this... this doesn't feel right. Where did Xiao Letian get so many foreign silver dollars? Could it be that he really has foreign backing?" Xiao Bian Sun had lost his arrogance, his voice weak.

Huang Juren was also stunned. Although he was a major landowner in Tanggu, most of his wealth was in land and other physical assets. He had at most about 100,000 taels of silver at home, and he had never seen such a large amount of cash being spent. In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Le Tian Trading House had already paid out 100,000 silver dollars.

"Let's wait and see... We are not losing anything. I don't believe Xiao Letian is possessed by a god of wealth. How could he have accumulated so much money in just over half a year back in the Qing Empire? Did he conjure it out of thin air?" Sweat appeared on Huang Juren's forehead.

At that moment, the people on the street outside were also amazed. They saw the shop assistants of various merchants carrying red-wrapped silver dollars to their respective shops. Even the foreigners were surprised, watching this wealth feast from a distance and marveling at the prosperity of the Qing Empire.

At this point, Fan Lian pulled Xiao Letian aside and whispered, "We can't keep this up. They are clearly trying to outspend us. We only have 400,000 silver dollars in the vault. If we keep spending like this, we will run out in a day..."

Xiao Letian did some quick calculations. "400,000 silver dollars, 400,000 kilograms, that's 400 tons of hog bristles... Damn, that's a mountain. These merchants can't possibly have more than this, right?"

"Oh, my dear Mr. Xiao, don't be impulsive. Do you know how much cargo can be transported by sea? Just the Lucky ship alone can carry over 1,000 tons of hog bristles. The warehouses in Tanggu are already full of hog bristles from Zhili, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi. Even if we fill one Lucky ship, we can fill two more if we have enough time..."

Xiao Letian took a deep breath. He had underestimated the scale of maritime trade. This was the peak of the age of sail, and the seas were filled with massive ships carrying hundreds or even thousands of tons of cargo. His initial estimate of a few hundred tons of hog bristles was indeed too low.

Seeing the strange look on Xiao Letian's face, Fan Lian frowned and whispered, "It looks like these merchants are determined to outspend us. They are collectively pressuring us. We have no choice but to hold on until the opening, then quickly start the ceremony. In the afternoon, we will stop accepting hog bristles, and from tomorrow, we will limit the amount we accept each day until the cash from Taibai Peak arrives..."

Xiao Letian smiled bitterly. "It's not that simple. This isn't just a competition of wealth; it's a scheme by the Huangs to force me to back down. They want me to lose face in front of the people and even make the foreigners look down on us..."

"The famous 'second-rate foreigner' and the leading Shanxi merchant, Mr. Fan, if you can't even come up with a million taels of silver, who will dare to do business with us in the future? Damn, I hate this kind of open scheme; it's the hardest to deal with..."

Xiao Letian was right. A million taels of silver was not a lot for him and Fan Lian. Taibai Peak had over a million taels of silver in reserve, and Fan Lian had another million taels in Beijing.

Money was not the problem, but time was. Even if they had the money, they couldn't transport it in time, and these people didn't want banknotes, intentionally trying to ruin the opening ceremony. However, during the grand opening, they couldn't afford to confront them.

Just as Fan Lian was frowning, a voice rang out. "The Le Tian Trading House is truly remarkable, and the Four Seas Trading House is in awe. I have 300,000 kilograms of hog bristles and want to transfer them to Mr. Fan... I want cash, not banknotes..."

At the critical moment, Mr. Niu finally made his move, and it was a throat-lock. If Xiao Letian accepted this deal, the trading house's cash reserves would be depleted, and the merchants in line would get nothing. But if he refused, he would be seen as backing down in front of all the merchants, and even the foreigners would look down on the Le Tian Trading House.

"Mr. Niu is truly wealthy, I can't compare. But I have 100,000 kilograms in my warehouse, and I hope the Le Tian Trading House can take it..."

"I have 120,000 pounds... I have 150,000 pounds... I have 130,000... I have 210,000..."

Mr. Niu's move signaled the entry of the top-tier merchants in Tanggu into the battle. Unlike the small-time merchants, these people had at least 100,000 kilograms of hog bristles in their warehouses. Once they joined, the transaction volume skyrocketed to a terrifying 700,000 silver dollars.

Huang Juren watched Xiao Letian with a cold smile, thinking, "You are impressive! I want to see how impressive you can be. The total inventory of hog bristles in Tanggu is 1.4 million kilograms. Do you think we would tell an outsider? If you can come up with 1.4 million silver dollars, I will leave Tanggu and hide from you for the rest of my life..."

---

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.