novelhk Chapter 1163 Don't underestimate the Gao Family Chamber of Commerce!
Chapter 1163 Don't underestimate the Gao Family Chamber of Commerce!
Gao Yao's pen moved fluently across the paper, each character carrying multiple meanings. He instructed the steward in Fan Jian's household to propose increasing border military spending at the next Ministry of Revenue meeting; he instructed the Second Prince's advisors to encourage the Second Prince to expand his private army in Jiangnan; and he instructed the Princess's maid to reveal some "clues" of the First Prince's secret dealings with Northern Qi.
These seemingly unrelated instructions will ultimately converge on one result: exacerbate internal conflicts within Nanqing, deplete Emperor Qing's energy, and create conditions for the final action.
After writing the secret letter, Gao Yao sealed it in a specially made wax pellet and summoned a trusted confidant to deliver it. Having done all this, he walked to the window and looked towards the direction of the palace.
The palace, brightly lit in the night, resembled a lurking beast. Emperor Qing might be reviewing memorials, having a secret conversation with Chen Pingping, or contemplating how to balance the power between his two sons. He was unaware that a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows, and a pair of hands were slowly but surely weaving a vast net capable of overturning everything.
Gao Yao remembered the plot of the original novel "Joy of Life," Emperor Qing's shrewdness, Ye Qingmei's tragedy, and Fan Xian's struggles. But now, he has arrived, and all of that will change.
He is not Fan Xian; he doesn't intend to follow the original script. He wants to write his own story and establish his own order. And all of this will begin with the fall of Emperor Qing.
"Emperor Qing, you've schemed your whole life, but did you ever foresee a variable like me?" Gao Yao murmured to himself, a complex mix of emotions flashing in his eyes—warning, respect, and a resolute determination to kill.
He turned back to the table, opened a hidden compartment, and took out what was inside—not weapons, not secret manuals, but a thick stack of blueprints. Artillery designs, musket improvement plans, saltpeter exploration maps… these were the true sources of his power.
The combination of technology and military force, the clash between modern thinking and ancient political intrigue, will be an unequal war. And Gaoyao is fully prepared.
Night deepened, and Gao Yao blew out the candle, but didn't leave his study. He sat quietly in the darkness, pondering every detail of his plan and anticipating possible variables. Three months—not a long time, not a short time. He needed to complete all the arrangements within that time.
The moon outside the window was obscured by clouds, plunging Kyoto into deeper darkness. But Gao knew that dawn would eventually break. And at that time, the world would usher in a new era.
He gently touched the completely healed wound on his chest, a remnant of his battle with Si Gu Jian. The pain had long since disappeared, but the insights gained from that battle were deeply etched in his heart. He had a fairly good understanding of the power of a Grandmaster and the rules of this world.
Next, it's time to change the rules.
Gao Yao closed his eyes and began circulating the true energy within his body. It wasn't any kind of true energy from this world, but rather a special energy fused with the rewards from the mythical Qin Dynasty. It flowed through his meridians, strengthening every muscle and every bone. At the same time, his brain was working at high speed, analyzing intelligence from all sides and adjusting his action plan.
The night passed without incident, save for the long, steady breathing in the study. As the first rays of dawn pierced through the window, Gao Yao opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of weariness, filled only with clarity and resolve.
A new day has begun. Emperor Qing's birthday is one day closer.
Meanwhile, Gao Yao's plan had taken another step forward. The Chamber of Commerce continued its business as usual, and everything seemed peaceful. But beneath this calm, undercurrents were rapidly surging.
The Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce, a rising force, rapidly eroded the low-end market with its low prices and standardized goods, disrupting the long-established commercial structure of Dongyi City. Tianxia Bank, which originally monopolized 30% of Dongyi City's grain and oil business, now had 20% of its share forcibly taken away by the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce.
Previously, Tianxia Qianzhuang had also taken action, secretly mobilizing resources through other chambers of commerce on several occasions in an attempt to squeeze the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce out of Dongyi City. He united with seven local chambers of commerce to uniformly lower acquisition prices and create obstacles on transportation routes. During those days, the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce's convoys frequently suffered heavy losses due to "unexpected" landslides and bridge damage.
Strangely, no matter how great the difficulties, the flow of goods in the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce never truly ceased. Damaged roads were always repaired in the shortest possible time, and shops experiencing shortages were always replenished within three days. It was as if an unseen hand was supporting this seemingly ordinary chamber of commerce.
However, the situation has now changed. At Si Gu Jian's suggestion, Tianxia Money House has begun to cooperate with the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce.
As a result, the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce expanded rapidly—with the financial support of Tianxia Qianzhuang, this chamber of commerce, which originally only had branches in the three prefectures of Nanqing and the two states of Beiqi, now had established businesses in seventeen important cities. From the capital, Danzhou, and Cangzhou of Nanqing, to Shangjing, Jinzhou, and Youzhou of Beiqi, and then to Dongyi City and the capitals of the five surrounding vassal states, the blue-and-gold signboard of the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
What's even more frightening is its plan: to complete the entire operation within three months, establishing a complete chain from raw material acquisition, production and processing, warehousing and logistics to end-user sales. This complements the "money flows like water" philosophy of the Tianxia Qianzhuang (a type of money exchange) – the Qianzhuang is responsible for the financing and circulation of funds, while the Chamber of Commerce is responsible for the circulation and monetization of goods. The combination of the two can almost monopolize the commercial lifeline of the entire continent.
"Master, this disciple doesn't understand." Yun Zhilan had once mustered the courage to ask, "The Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce's expansion is bound to squeeze the survival space of our local Dongyi City Chamber of Commerce. Why should we..."
"Because their foundation isn't in this world." Si Gu Jian interrupted him, turning to look at the distant north. "Have you ever seen a merchant guild that can still supply grain continuously when prices are pushed below cost? Have you ever seen a merchant guild that can simultaneously establish a complete distribution network in seventeen cities within three months?"
Yun Zhilan fell silent. He recalled the grain war that had previously targeted the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce—the Dongyi grain merchant alliance, led by several chambers of commerce, had driven down the purchase price to three qian of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure), a price even farmers could not afford. Normally, any chamber of commerce in such a situation would either stop purchasing altogether or end up operating at a loss after buying at exorbitant prices.
But the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce was different. They not only bought all the grains at three qian of silver, but also set the selling price at three and a half qian per shi—a price that couldn't even cover the transportation costs. What was even more astonishing was that the quality of the grains from the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce was remarkably uniform; every bag of rice was plump, dry, and clean, unlike the inconsistent quality of goods from ordinary grain merchants.
In that battle, the Dongyi Grain Merchants Alliance lost 80,000 taels of silver, while the Gao Clan Merchant Guild lost at least 150,000 taels. Everyone thought the Gao Clan Merchant Guild wouldn't survive that month, but not only did they survive, they continued to dump their goods at low prices in the second month, completely crushing three medium-sized grain merchants.