When Jia Huan and Pang Ze walked into the third floor of Guiyun Building with their accompanying generals, they happened to see the scene of "popular grievances" in the flower hall.

Six Hu merchants and ten gentry were all complaining. Both sides lived in the city of Dunhuang, and the families that had been thriving for many years were all acquaintances. After the State Dynasty established its own tripod, it was restored to Hami Wei and Guazhou Wei. Dunhuang has always been the territory of the Zhou Dynasty.

"He is trying to give us a warning. Who will give us a good look, I will see later."

"Hmph, he doesn't think about his situation either. As far as I know, Governor Qi has two days left to prepare food and grass for him."

"Then he is bluffing. I guess he is extremely guilty. Ha..."

The stairs on the third floor of Guiyun Tower are four corridors for sightseeing. When you walk into the door, you will find an exquisite flower hall of about 100 square meters. It can be used for banquets. The overall style is Huyi. In addition to the mansions of various wealthy merchants, landlords, and powerful people, this is the most suitable place for banquets in Dunhuang City. It is similar to the best hotels in prefecture-level cities.

When Jia Huan showed up, the complaints of the grain merchants gradually became smaller. But there were still one or two Hu merchants muttering. It was not until he saw Huang Guan and other soldiers wearing swords and holding muskets behind Jia Huan that he shut up.

Huang Guan was tall and had a bright eye, sweeping over the chattering Hu Shangs. He laughed in his heart: Mr. Jia often said that Hu'er was afraid of power but did not have virtue. When he saw them carrying swords and muskets, he was indeed a coward.

Pang Ze followed Jia Huan, crossing the threshold and frowned slightly. This is unimaginable in the Central Plains. It is normal for officials to talk about business with merchants. It is normal for officials to be late. Shanxi merchants and Hui merchants’ shopkeepers dare not say much!

Of course, Zi Yu was deliberately late. His intention was to create a favorable negotiation atmosphere. The status of officials and merchants was unequal. However, it seemed that this first move failed. Hu Shang was indeed arrogant!

If Hu merchants and Han merchants are in a mess, they will definitely damage the grain raising plan: they will definitely raise prices uniformly!

Ziyu had silver and money in his hands, but it had just begun. Conquering the Western Regions all depended on the remaining 20 million silver dollars.

Jia Huan turned a deaf ear and looked calm, and walked straight into the main seat. None of the grain merchants in the house stood up to greet him, expressing their dissatisfaction.

Four Eight Immortals Tables were placed in the flower hall. Sixteen Hu merchants and gentry sat around them one by one. Jia Huan's main seat was at the top table.

Huang Guan and more than a dozen people under his command were blocking the entrance of the hall with swords, putting pressure on the grain merchants!

Jia Huan walked to his seat and did not sit down. Instead, he looked around at the grain merchants one by one and said slowly: "I invite all the wise men to come today to buy 70,000 shi of military rations. You should all understand the current severe situation in the Western Regions. Hu Yan is arrogant!

This official is the transfer commander of the Western Expedition Army, responsible for supplying 150,000 food and grass. Dunhuang’s water and grass are abundant and fertile. I will not let this official be empty-handed. Today I will negotiate with you the prices of rice, wheat, cattle and sheep…”

Jia Huan's opening remarks were very strong. The Western Expedition Army bought grain, and who dared not sell it? But...

"hehe…"

In the flower hall, a few laughs suddenly sounded out of place. Fat Hu Shangguli, who was sitting at the Eight Immortals table three meters away in front of Jia Huan, narrowed his eyes with a smile, and he struggled to move his huge body as bloated as a fat pig, and the nanmu chair made a creaking sound.

Gu Li is about thirty or forty years old, very fat, with a small head, short hands and feet, a round belly, and a whole person is like a meat ball. He is wearing a delicate dark silk gown. Seeing everyone in the hall looking at it, he said casually: "I suddenly have a little itchy throat. Please forgive me, Lord Jia!"

"Haha." A burst of laughter echoed in the hall! Many Chinese merchants had smiles on their faces.

Guo Lun, the patriarch of the Dunhuang clan, is an old man in his sixties. He was wearing a light blue cotton shirt and shook his head slightly. It seems that Guli, the number one rich businessman in this city, does not take Senator Jia seriously at all! Senator Jia is so embarrassed!

Jia Huan's eyes were slightly cold. He recognized the meat ball in front of him in the morning. He met the Hu people with guards and showing off his power. Not many people of this size.

Jia Huan glanced at Guli and did not respond to this insincere apology. He continued: "I will talk about what method to take to quote. First of all, I need to remind you of a historical story: the four towns of Anxi in Tang, the Han son was a slave, and the wife and son were separated.

Bloodline and race are not something that others will admit if you want to change. If the Bayegu coalition forces conquered Dunhuang, what will happen to you? Is it useful to lick marriage? You can go through the history books and see what it is. Learn from history."

Jia Huan paused and said, "Now we get back to the point. Please write your own quotations and the amount of grain you can prepare secretly on paper. This official will select the lowest quotation for merchants to purchase.

I need to remind you that this grain purchase is only the first business. In the future, all the materials of Dajun will be purchased from Dunhuang City, and the estimated amount will not be less than 10 million silver dollars."

To put it simply, Jia Huan's words are "engineering bidding".

These sixteen Hu Shangs and Han Shangs are now sitting together and chatting very well. Most of them are old acquaintances. They seem to be a whole, but they are not! Since ancient times, Han and Hu are incompatible! When the Baye Gu tribe coalition came, the Tuyuhun people could surrender and become second-class people. What about the Han people? The endings of the four towns of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty can be reviewed.

At the same time, Jia Huan drew a cake, a purchase of 10 million silver dollars. There are many things that needless to say, and of course he will cooperate with the merchants who purchased grain this time.

Businessmen are short-sighted and may not talk about the country or national justice. Didn’t the Shanxi merchants sell the Ming Dynasty completely? But merchants are absolutely profit-seeking!

The point is that Jia Huan adopts the model of dark labels. No one knows the price of others writing on paper. This intensifies competition and is conducive to obtaining food at low prices.

Perhaps, some people are more optimistic that Hu Qi will win on the front line, and perhaps some are more conservative. But among the sixteen grain merchants, some will definitely be gambled! The opportunity is right in front of you. If these grain merchants dare not gamble, will they have the courage to sell grain at a high price?

Is my sword unfavorable?

After Jia Huan finished speaking, he sat down and made a gesture, asking Qian Huai, who was waiting outside, to come in with his bookmakers and give him pens and ink to the grain merchants.

The atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly became a little subtle!

The companions became commercial competitors.

Guo Lun looked at Jia Huan again and changed slightly. The old man in his sixties lowered his head and drank tea, thinking about the Guo family's offer in his heart.

…

…

In the evening, Miao Qi, deputy general (third rank) and dozens of cavalrymen, returned from outside the city to the mansion of the deputy general in the west of the city.

He had just returned from handling military affairs. How could he feel at home in the military camp? Even the Jiubian was bitter and cold. He was originally in Ningxia Town where he was stationed, and it was not as comfortable as Dunhuang.

In front of the courtyard, the housekeeper greeted the servants and ordered the servants to properly arrange their followers and horses. Miao Qi took off the cotton armor on his body, sat in a chair, and the servant presented fragrant tea.

The housekeeper bowed and said, "Master, Gu Li came to visit in the morning and said that Senator Jia summoned the city COFCO to discuss matters in Guiyunlou tonight."

Miao Qi nodded slightly while drinking tea. He did not pay attention to Jia Huan at all. His attention was on Qi Chi, the governor of the Western Regions. Although Qi Chi requested the court to promote him to deputy general, he was suppressing his influence in the army.

This Guazhou battle excluded him. He knew that the deeper reason was that Qi Chi and his position on the Hu people were different.

Miao Qi asked, "I understand. Didn't Jia Huan come to me to post today?" He took a gentle stance towards the Hu people, but he would not be stupid enough to hope that the Western Expedition would fail. In fact, if the Governor Qi was stationed in Kucha, his autonomy in Dunhuang City would be greater.

Therefore, he was still willing to help with the purchase of military rations. It was just the price...

The housekeeper whispered, "No."

Miao Qi was slightly stunned, and a playful smile appeared on his facial features that were cut like a blade. "Hey, he is quite confident. He will come to visit tomorrow and say I am not here."

Very dissatisfied.

But Vice General Miao obviously did not expect the direction of the matter!

…

…

On the evening of August 14, Jia Huan convened Hu merchants and Han gentry to discuss the price of purchasing grain. In the end, the local Guo family received the order. 70,000 s of rice, one stone was worth 12 silver dollars. A total of 840,000 silver dollars.

On August 16, the grain in several fields outside Guojiacheng was concentrated in one place nearby, and the Governor's Office was transferred to take over and sent officials to register. At the same time, the first batch of grain had been shipped and sent to the Guazhou front line.

…

…

In mid-August, it is colder in the night.

On the evening of the 16th, Hu Shang Guli quietly went to the mansion of the deputy general in the west of the city. A group of Hu Shangshang gathered together and complained loudly and cursed Jia Huan and the Guo family. After a while, an old servant led Guli to Miao Qi's study.

Miao Qi was in his forties, with a handsome appearance, sitting behind the desk wearing a white light fur, staring at him with sharp eyes, and stroking his chest with one hand. After a while, he asked coldly: "What's going on in Guiyun Tower?"

In the past two days, news in the city has spread. Jia Huan adopted the method of secret bidding and was eventually won by the Guo family. But who knows if the Guo family has the lowest quotation? After all, the news was announced early on the fifteenth!

There is no curfew in Dunhuang, and Jia Huan lives in a crowded inn. Who knows if there are any grain merchants who visit him privately at night?

Relatively speaking, Jia Huan's tough attitude towards the Hu people in Guiyun Tower was not very eye-catching. He was just a military officer.

Gu Li looked bitter and said injustice: "Sir, we all offer the same price. However, the Guo family was too treacherous. He agreed in advance, but in the end he quoted a low price and grabbed the business." The Han people are the most cunning and shameless in doing business.

Miao Qi snorted coldly and was in no mood to speak. He looked like a stupid pig at this time!

At the same time, he was also a little angry and embarrassed. It was his original intention to raise the price a little. He was too sharp and his roots were still here. However, Jia Huan came to the city for a few days and did not come to visit him, the deputy general who was left behind, which made him extremely unhappy!

Guli's little eyes turned and he smiled flatteringly: "Sir..., we..."

Miao Qi stared at him and scolded, "What are we? You are in Guiyun Tower and mocking Jia Huan for no reason. But why? I, the imperial official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, can you, a merchant, ridicule?" He scolded him in a sarcastic manner.

Take advantage of the issue and play.

If it weren't for this, he would be in the middle of mediation. Will it be difficult to get a piece of the military procurement in the future? 10 million silver dollars!

"I..." Gu Li lowered his head and felt humiliated in his heart!

He could buy Han girls as slaves and play with them freely. He could rush in the streets and be arrogant. He could issue instructions to other merchants. He could be despised by Jia Huan and left senator from the fourth rank, but he had no confidence in front of the deputy general who held 20,000 troops. Therefore, it would be better to rule Dunhuang by the Ye Gu tribe.

Miao Qi cursed angrily: "You are not convinced yet. Touch your pig brain and think about what are the benefits of offending Jia Huan?"

Guli shook his head.

There were endless curses in the study.

Guli deliberately sang against Jia Huan in Guiyuan Building in public, causing Jia Huan to face her face. However, Jia Huan fought back with facts, proving that without Guli's cattle and sheep, he could still prepare military rations!

Very relieved!

Why are you so arrogant? Without the butcher Zhang, can’t I eat pork?

This kind of experience of being slapped in the face without being pretended, usually feels very uncomfortable for the person involved. As a result, at this moment, he was scolded by Miao Qi again!

It's so frustrating!

However, the fat Hu Shangli, who was pretending to be very gentle and scolded, and Miao Qi, did not understand Jia Huan's temper and personality. It is difficult for Beijing to spread the evaluation of Jia Huan to Dunhuang!
Chapter completed!