Chapter 959

Even if Bailie was beaten black and blue by the Ya Nation, Lu Qinglin is now fighting for the Mou Nation instead of Bailie. How can Lu Laoliu be convinced? "Hmm, we have to contact Lu Laoliu more."

Ding Zuodong coughed lightly: "I thought you would exert force from Lu Zhensheng's eldest son Lu Lu Qingan."

He Lingchuan smiled: "Do you think Lu Zhensheng's full support for his second son will make Lu Lu Qingan dissatisfied? Do we have a chance to alienate their father and son?"

Ding Zuodong thought so.

"You guessed half right; Lu Lu Qingan will indeed be dissatisfied with his father's partiality; but when it comes to alienating the Lu father and son—" He Lingchuan shook his head, "Old Ding, you haven't stayed in the main family, right?"

"Yes." Ding Zuodong was also a manager in Dunyu, and it was also Shu Sanye's family.

Shu Daye was the main family.

"If Lu Qinglin had no promise, your idea would be entirely correct. But he is now soaring, and there is no actual competition between Lu Lu Qingan and Lu Qinglin. Lu Lu Qingan is responsible for guarding the home in Bailie, and Lu Qinglin is responsible for fighting in the Mou Nation; they are in a cooperative relationship. Lu Qinglin has already risen in the Mou Nation, so where would he look down on this little industry in his hometown? Similarly, Lu Lu Qingan also knows very well that Lu Qinglin is simply too lazy to compete with him."

"Comparing with each other among brothers is human nature." Just like He Yue must secretly compare with his elder brother, "But this doesn't affect the overall situation of the Lu family."

So the little unhappiness between the Lu brothers is not a fundamental contradiction.

"Lu Zhensheng's full support for his second son seems partial, and the clan members are pointing fingers, but in fact, he has taken great pains." He Lingchuan added, "Only by leaving Bailie and making a career in the vast world of the Mou Nation can Lu Qinglin jump out of the competition sequence with his elder brother. In this way, the two brothers will not only not compete for the family business in the future but can also support each other, and the status of the Lu clan and Bailie can rise with Lu Qinglin."

"This kind of situation is simply too common in Beijia and the Yuan Nation. In a family, the eldest son guards the family business, and the concubine son goes out to fight; once a career is made, the whole family has a way out, and it also avoids competition between brothers." It's just that Lu Zhensheng's approach is more extreme, with resources tilted toward the second son rather than the eldest son.

"Lu Zhensheng's heart is not broad, but he didn't do this thing wrong. If Lu Qinglin really climbs to a high position in the Mou Nation, Bailie's turnaround is just around the corner, and Lu Zhensheng is not unworthy of his ancestors. He is using his own method to continue the Lu bloodline."

The mirror in his arms hummed: "Which is his own method? Maybe the Lu ancestors used it before!"

After all, the Lu clan will have a child of luck every few generations; if they bet right, the family will turn over.

He Lingchuan patted the mirror lightly and talked eloquently: "But he treats himself as the main family, sucking away the resources of the whole clan; this kind of strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches will inevitably cause resentment among the Lu clan members."

Therefore, he wants to contact other Lu clan members to find more opportunities.

After all, the Lu clan is the family of his original body, and blood is thicker than water. He couldn't treat them like enemies and use cruel means as soon as he came up.

This kind of unfamiliar kinship is the hardest to handle.

Ding Zuodong thought for a moment and nodded: "The proprietor is still transparent."

He Lingchuan pressed his temples: "Let's talk about the ships."

Being a landlord is like this; in the early stages of fighting, the business is not on the right track, and there is not enough manpower, so he has to ask about everything.

Managing things on this one-third of an acre of land is not easier than being a Great Commander in Yuheng City.

Ship rental prices have risen because autumn is generally the shipping season for Blade Harbor. This ice-free port takes orders in spring and summer and ships goods in autumn and winter; now the shipping route is the busiest, so how many idle ships are there to rent?

Want to rent? You have to pay more, pay a lot more.

As for timber, Ding Zuodong also purchased a large batch of wood recently, preparing to let the shipwrights of Centipede Island show their skills.

Although the Yangshan Archipelago is full of wood, and there is no lack of thick and straight fir, the wood for shipbuilding must be dried in the shade for two or three years before the ships built are not easy to deform and seep water, and some must be smoked first to avoid insect damage in the future.

The wood just cut on the island can't build cargo ships.

"The Qing Nation doesn't produce much wood, so we have to look at Bailie. However, three years ago, a forest fire in Bailie burned for three months, and the output of the fir forest farm was halved." The output at that time affects the price now, "And several timber merchants in Bailie are related to the Lu family. If they raise the price, other merchants have to follow, and the price goes up, which is more than twice the usual! Calculating this way, the cost of building a medium-sized cargo ship has to reach one thousand six or seven hundred taels, too outrageous!"

The Yangshan Archipelago has only a few dozen ships that can carry cargo, which is seriously insufficient. They have to rent and build, and the money for both sides cannot be saved. Moreover, the output of suitable ship wood is limited; if you don't buy it now, it won't drop in price within a year.

Similar to these detailed accounts, there are dozens of them in total. Each one seems to be slightly over budget, but the total amount added together is an astonishing large number.

Not to mention anything else, the grain price has risen to this ghostly appearance, and every month there is an extra expenditure of one thousand seven or eight hundred taels. How much money does He Lingchuan have, can he afford to toss it so hard? Ding Zuodong finished reporting, and he was sweating on his forehead:

Everything is expensive to buy.

He Lingchuan was clear in his heart: "Isn't it the Lu family playing tricks? They want to raise my costs."

Forces capable of such actions, besides the Qing Nation, are the Lu family of Bailie. But the Qing Nation has no interest in a nameless person like He Lingchuan, so why would they target him? Only the Lu father and son would have such great malice toward him, hoping he would go bankrupt and close down early.

It seems they reacted, knowing that they sold the island too cheaply, and they are unhappy in their hearts.

Ding Zuodong cursed fiercely. The Yangshan Archipelago is like a whole set of machines; once it starts, it starts burning money, but the cost greatly exceeds their expectations.

The enemy's means are open conspiracies; even if He Lingchuan sneaks into Bailie and hacks these father and son to death, it won't be of much use.

This kind of economic attack means is not a trouble that individual martial arts can solve.

He Lingchuan is still open-minded: "No way. This loss, even if you pinch your nose, you have to eat it."

Who let him be a newcomer, who let him be unfamiliar with the place?

Who let him look like a fool with money? The losses that should be eaten, not a single one is less.

The blood that should be shed, not a drop can be saved.

"Difficulties are only temporary; just hold on and it will be fine." Instead, he smiled and comforted Ding Zuodong, "The Lu family can't exhaust us; later it will be their turn to be unlucky."

He is calm, and his subordinates are calm.

The confrontation between He Lingchuan and the Lu father and son has actually opened the curtain.

Now it's just the first stage:

The Lu father and son attack, he defends.

The other side tries to drag him down by economic means.

Business never kills without seeing blood; He Lingchuan can only rely on his thick blood to hold on.

Once the Lu father and son discover that playing dark tricks can't harm him, they will have to turn to open cards.

By then, this game can be considered truly started.

And since learning that Zhu Erniang was targeted by Beijia, He Lingchuan also has to reserve energy to guard against Beijia's move.

Lingguang suddenly interrupted from the side: "By the way, the batch of medicinal herbs you ordered has arrived. I have already drafted the pill recipe and assigned it to the Rongshan people to refine; each person must refine at least two hundred Heart-Clearing Pills. Time is tight, you and Dong Rui also..."

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes: "My share, you wrap it up; Dong Rui's, not a single one can be less."

"... Oh."

Ding Zuodong added: "By the way, the assistant in Blade Harbor revealed a piece of news to me: the Yashan Chamber of Commerce in the west went bankrupt and wants to sell off twenty-seven cargo ships in their hands, with ship ages ranging from eight to fifteen years. The three largest are ten zhang long and have a load capacity of four hundred thousand catties (200 tons)." Ding Zuodong said, "I asked the shipwright head Old Zheng of Centipede Island to go and see them on the spot. He said the ships are all good, made of pine or fir, the materials and craftsmanship are okay, and they are well-maintained. Only a few are leaking, but it's not a big problem, and they can all be repaired."

He Lingchuan frowned: "Selling off at this season, it won't be cheap, right?"

Now is the peak season for using ships in Blade Harbor. This Chamber of Commerce says it's a "sell-off," but it's actually aiming at the good time to sell ships.

"The largest three are priced at one thousand two hundred taels each, and the others are reduced in turn. I have the price list here. If you buy them all in a package, the price can be negotiated further."

He Lingchuan was surprised: "One thousand two hundred taels? So cheap?"

Now that the price of ship wood is soaring, the cost of building a ship by himself is one thousand six or seven hundred taels, not counting the man-hours of the shipwrights. In contrast, one thousand two hundred taels is really cheap enough to be heart-moving.

"Ships of this load capacity usually have a market price of one thousand four or five hundred taels, and in the autumn and winter shipping season, they rise to one thousand seven or eight hundred taels due to short supply. Last year, I heard they sold for two thousand." Ding Zuodong said, "The Yashan Chamber of Commerce is poorly managed, lost a large sum of money, and urgently needs to fill the hole."

"There are many Chambers of Commerce in Blade Harbor, and this news has already spread. The assistant said that several merchant firms are interested and have sent people to see them, and are negotiating with the Yashan Chamber of Commerce. These ships will definitely be sold."

The Yangshan Archipelago is now desperately short of ships, and even wanting to rent them is not that easy. If there are twenty-odd cargo ships to supplement, the transport capacity will be greatly improved.

"Is someone sending a pillow when I'm sleepy?" With such a good thing, He Lingchuan hesitated instead, "The ships are no problem, is the Yashan Chamber of Commerce no problem?"

Ding Zuodong's answer was very conservative: "Not found yet. But among the stewards we are evaluating, one surnamed Guan thinks that cheap has cheap tricks, and this matter is worth pondering."

"This is correct. Our current information source is too weak, and I'm afraid of saving small money and eating big losses." He Lingchuan made a decision, "Let the insiders occupy this kind of cheapness."

Wanting to buy those twenty-odd ships in a package, at least twenty thousand taels of silver will have to be spent. He doesn't have much money in his hands now, so he should be cautious.

"Yes."

He Lingchuan is the proprietor, so Ding Zuodong does whatever he says.

"How much is the total overdraft now?"

"We originally estimated that we would spend thirty-five thousand taels a month." Ding Zuodong smiled bitterly, "But now we have spent sixty-four thousand taels."

This month hasn't passed yet, he feels he is really a prodigal, having almost tossed away half of the proprietor's capital! If you count the money for buying the island, He Lingchuan has already spent one hundred and forty-four thousand taels in this short month.

(End of chapter)