Chapter 78

"Your hearts are clouded by greed, not knowing the limits of your actions, and being incited by villains, you actually dared to compete with me in wealth, trying to force me out of Tanggu City with underhanded tactics? This is a delusion. I can tell you frankly, I am very displeased, and I wish I could kick each of you into the sea..."

Xiaole Tian stood at the window on the second floor, scolding the group of merchants whose faces were ashen, as if he were lecturing a group of grandchildren. However, for some reason, the more harshly Xiaole Tian scolded them, the more relaxed the merchants' expressions became.

They were not naturally base, but years of business experience had taught them that being scolded meant there was still hope. If the other party had already considered them dead, they would not say a single word to them.

"A mere junior scholar and a ruffian, how could they make all the merchants in Tanggu City bow down and act like grandchildren? Look at your arrogant demeanor in the foreign trading house yesterday, as if you could kick me, Xiaole Tian, out of Tanggu City at any moment. You said you only wanted cash and not banknotes, and that you would not delay payment... I spit on your faces, being used like dogs and still putting on airs of superiority? Shameless..."

"Merchants should do what merchants should do, operate with integrity, and not cheat the young or the old. Focus on your business and don't meddle in others' conflicts. Now what? Your homes have been ransacked by thugs, and your warehouses have been burned by mobs. Go to the junior scholar Huang for compensation for your losses! Go ahead..."

Xiaole Tian's mouth was truly venomous, and this tirade almost made the merchants jump into the sea to commit suicide. They should have been ashamed, as last night, seeing their empty storefronts and burning warehouses, ten small merchants committed suicide that night. The feeling of having turned the tables on themselves was unbearable.

"You are all older than me, so I don't need to teach you about retribution..." Xiaole Tian scolded for a full fifteen minutes before taking a sip of tea to catch his breath. "Although what you did was foolish and immoral, you have already been punished in yesterday's riot. What you did was only against morality, not punishable by death, so you don't need to worry about me settling scores later. As for your pleas for mercy, don't even mention it. The Magistrate is here, so why are you begging me for mercy..."

Upon hearing Xiaole Tian's mocking words, Zhou Mingkui, whose face had just turned a bit rosy, was once again frightened pale and quickly bowed his head, saying humbly, "I dare not, I dare not..."

The merchants who had harmed Xiaole Tian at the port, upon hearing that their lives were safe, burst into tears, bowing deeply and not getting up. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for your magnanimity..."

Xiaole Tian sneered, "Death may be spared, but life will be hard!" The merchants present were stunned, but when they saw the stack of contracts in Xiaole Tian's hand, they all froze, with several collapsing to the ground.

"Look carefully, these are the contracts for pig bristles you signed with me yesterday. The prices and quantities are clearly written in black and white. Deliver the goods to me in the next two days..."

Before Xiaole Tian could finish, cries of despair filled the room downstairs, and almost all the merchants knelt down. "Mr. Xiao, you might as well kill us. The fire yesterday destroyed half of the pig bristles in the warehouse. Even if you kill us, we have no goods to deliver..."

"Mr. Xiao, please be merciful and give us a few more days. My pig bristles were not burned, but the money for the goods was stolen by the thugs. I am bankrupt. Please give me a chance to live..."

The crowd wailed, but no one dared to mention how Xiaole Tian had used their silver to hit the thugs, fearing that they might anger this killer. Despite their pleas, Xiaole Tian's kindness had already been exhausted, and now he looked like a man of business.

The merchants finally broke down. Two of the outermost merchants screamed and ran towards the sea. At that moment, the foreign merchants on the ships were watching the commotion, and suddenly saw two figures screaming and diving into the sea.

One person leading, another followed. In a blink, over a dozen merchants, unable to bear the pressure, closed their eyes and jumped into the sea. They truly did not want to live anymore.

"Save them! Save them quickly..." Xiaole Tian, seeing that things had gone too far, immediately ordered the rescue. However, the first to act were the foreign sailors in the harbor.

Captain Corsica stood at the bow of the ship, shouting in French. The sailors from the Lucky and the surrounding merchant ships jumped into the sea like dumplings, and after much effort, they managed to save the merchants. Fortunately, the rescue was timely, and no one died.

When the merchants were lined up on the dock, drenched like wet chickens, Xiaole Tian also came downstairs, standing in front of them and pointing at them, scolding, "Worthless, foolish, can't you earn money if you lose it? I can't believe you are all sea merchants and can't handle a business worth over a million taels?"

"You talk easily, but I have the skills to earn money. However, my working capital has been stolen, and without it, I am as good as dead. Sea merchants have large operations, and even borrowing at high interest rates is difficult! Sob, sob, sob..." One merchant even burst into tears.

Xiaole Tian stood up, looking around at the merchants and said earnestly, "You have no money, but I do. Isn't it just a matter of lending? I, Xiaole Tian, am not a miser. Just ask, and I will lend you whatever you need..."

Upon hearing this, the merchants' eyes lit up. "What interest rate will you charge?" Xiaole Tian smiled slightly. "If I said no interest, you wouldn't trust me. Let's say one percent, with a one-year term. I won't play the compound interest game..."

Before he could finish, the merchants surrounded Xiaole Tian, scaring Xiang Shaolong, who was ready to act. "Mr. Xiao, you are not lying to us? Really just one percent? You really won't play the compound interest game?"

Xiaole Tian pointed at the sun and said, "The gods and ancestors are watching. I will not lie to you..." Hearing Xiaole Tian swear by the gods and ancestors, the merchants no longer had any doubts.

"Mr. Xiao, your great kindness, I will never forget!" Everyone said this and then knelt down with a loud thud. Xiaole Tian smiled bitterly and pulled up the nearby Mr. Niu. "Enough, enough, you have bowed too much today. I don't understand why you all love bowing so much..." He then helped Mr. Niu brush off the mud and water on his body.

At this point, all the merchants in Tanggu had been completely subdued by Xiaole Tian. The emotional highs and lows of the past two days, coupled with the extreme stress of death and bankruptcy, had completely broken their psychological defenses.

Now, with a little kindness from Xiaole Tian, he received the gratitude of all the merchants. In just two days, Xiaole Tian had won the hearts of the sea merchants in Tanggu, becoming the undisputed leader of the port's business community.

"Mr. Xiao, I am ashamed, truly ashamed..." Mr. Niu, who dared not let a nobleman help him brush off the dust, took three steps back and said respectfully, "From now on, my Four Seas Trading House will follow Mr. Xiao's lead!" He then bowed again.

"The hundred merchants of Tanggu, from today on, will follow Mr. Xiao's lead..." It was like a thunderclap, and all the merchants present collectively pledged their loyalty to Xiaole Tian. At that moment, Xiaole Tian was almost grateful to the junior scholar Huang and the others. If not for their actions, he could not have won the hearts of the people in just two days.

With the drama reaching its climax, there was nothing new to add. Mr. Fan began writing promissory notes on the execution ground, lending money at one percent interest. In just two hours, over a million taels of silver were moved.

One million taels of silver, at 35 grams per tael, is over 35,000 kilograms, or 35 tons. This mountain of silver not only made the Chinese merchants dizzy but also made the foreigners in the harbor drool. The shine of the silver was mesmerizing.

From that day on, the name of Le Tian Trading House was firmly established. No Chinese or foreign merchant dared to doubt its financial strength. Gradually, the nickname "Southern Hu, Northern Xiao" spread, and Xiaole Tian became one of the two great financiers, alongside Hu Xueyan.

When the affairs on the square were almost settled, Captain Corsica and a group of foreign merchants personally visited Xiaole Tian, using the Qing Dynasty's etiquette and even preparing a formal letter of introduction, showing the high regard for Xiaole Tian in just two days.

"Dear Mr. Xiao, I did not expect you to be such an excellent businessman. In just a few days, you have conquered all the merchants in the port. I believe we can delve deeper into future cooperation. You have won the respect of all of us..." After Captain Corsica spoke, over a dozen foreign merchants collectively removed their hats and nodded in respect to Xiaole Tian.

Xiaole Tian was delighted. Foreigners are practical; as long as you can control them, they are actually more charming than domestic merchants. He understood the implications of Captain Corsica's words: a big business opportunity was coming, and he was now part of the inner circle of sea merchants.

"Ha ha ha, thank you all for your support. Please accept my sincerest gratitude..." Xiaole Tian, speaking fluent English, invited the merchants to the back yard of the trading house. "Let's talk. What good goods do you have for me? Do you have any rear-loading Mauser rifles? American-made Remingtons are also fine. I also need silver ore. I need as much as you can provide... Oh, Captain Corsica, could I ask you a favor when you return to sea..."

The inner courtyard of Le Tian Trading House turned into a meeting room for smugglers. They lowered their heads and whispered, finalizing deals that violated the laws of the Qing Dynasty and European countries. The generous Xiaole Tian even used gold for transactions.

"Oh God, generous Mr. Xiao, you are actually using gold to trade with us. You must know that the entire European monetary system is based on the gold pound, and gold is the lifeblood of our countries..."

"Long live! With gold, let the law go to hell. Dear Mr. Xiao, we love you so much..."

Amid the howls and cries of the foreigners, Xiang Shaolong quietly sat on the roof, saying to the nearby eagle, "