Chapter 739
Fei Wenwei, as expected, lived up to the expectations of the Grand Marshal!
After Song Da sat down, his gaze swept over the increasing number of guests in the room, and he couldn't help but sigh:
"Good heavens, there are far more people here today than there were yesterday in Daliao Ward!"
Yu Feng picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and sighed:
"That's understandable. The threshold for entering Da Liao Fang is too high. The entrance fee alone is not something that ordinary merchants can afford. Moreover, a seat on the fourth floor costs 50,000 coins. Only those large and wealthy merchants can afford such spare money."
"yes,"
Song Da nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing:
"How could we, medium-sized businesses, and those small-scale merchants, dare to dream of the grandeur of Da Liao Fang?"
"It's only because Manager Chen's Yanshan Winery treats people honestly and invites people regardless of the size of the business that so many people come."
After a brief chat, Fei Yi turned slightly to the side, lowered his voice, and asked seemingly casually:
"Gentlemen, to be honest, I've recently been considering moving to Fangcheng to do business. However, I'm new here and unfamiliar with the local customs. I'd like to know what I should be aware of. I would appreciate your guidance."
As soon as the words were spoken, the lively conversation came to an abrupt halt, and the expressions of the group of people turned serious in unison.
We looked at each other, remaining silent, a hint of hesitation and wariness flashing in our eyes.
In chaotic times, the migration of merchants is already abnormal, so Fei Yi's sudden question inevitably aroused suspicion.
In the midst of this awkward silence, Lin Biao arrived late. As soon as he reached the third floor, he saw the table where Fei Yi and the others were and immediately walked over.
Upon seeing him arrive, everyone quickly composed themselves and greeted him, breaking the silence.
Lin Biao smiled and cupped his hands in response. He had just sat down and hadn't even spoken when Zheng Ji and Feng Qian accompanied Chen Li up to the third floor.
The three of them walked straight to an empty table at the front of the third floor. Zheng Ji and Feng Qian stepped aside and sat on either side of the main seat.
Chen Li did not sit down immediately, but slowly turned around, looked around at everyone on the third floor, and raised his hand to make a slight gesture.
The noise inside the room instantly subsided; everyone stopped talking and looked up, all turning their gazes toward Chen Li.
Chen Li raised his hand to press down and said:
"Gentlemen, I presume that you all visited the Great Liao Ward yesterday?"
After he finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone present:
"After witnessing this firsthand, what are your thoughts?"
The room fell silent.
The merchants who had been whispering just moments before now all lowered their eyes in thought, none daring to speak rashly.
Fei Yi sat upright at the table, his mind already fully clear.
Chen Li's hosting of this banquet today is clearly intended to unite everyone present to target the rising power of the Liaofang.
But he also knew that everyone present was a profit-driven merchant, and the price reduction offered by Da Liao Fang yesterday was unprecedented in its magnitude.
With such tangible benefits right in front of them, how could anyone easily go against the Great Liao Warehouse and rashly side with Chen Li?
Therefore, even though they each had their own plans, no one was willing to take the lead and express their opinion. They only dared to remain silent and wait and see.
Seeing this, Chen Li showed no impatience whatsoever, but instead slowly spoke:
“The pricing of Da Liao Fang yesterday was not the work of ordinary merchants. If this continues, it will inevitably disrupt the order within Fang City and damage the foundation of your long-term business.”
He leaned forward, his gaze sharpening:
"You are all seasoned businessmen, and you should know that the price reduction promised by Da Liao Fang yesterday is simply not something that can be sustained by normal business operations."
"There must be some hidden trickery involved here. Don't you all want to find out the truth to avoid getting burned later?"
After saying that, Chen Li said no more, raised his hand and took out a gold medal from his pocket, slowly displaying it to everyone.
A gold medal is clearly no ordinary item.
Those in the room who had failed to ascend to the fourth floor of the Daliao Warehouse yesterday and had never seen this sign before were all stunned upon seeing it, their eyes filled with astonishment.
"Yesterday, on the third floor of the Da Liao Warehouse, you were all given silver medals, weren't you?"
Chen Li spoke calmly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the merchants who had gone up to the third floor yesterday raised their hands, took out silver tokens from their pockets, and handed them to everyone.
"Oh?"
Chen Li raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion, and asked:
"As far as I know, a gold token can get you a 40% discount on the fourth floor. How much of a discount can you get with your silver tokens?"
"Reporting to Young Master Chen, we can only reduce the price by 20% with our silver token."
One of the merchants bowed in response.
The difference between 20% and 40% is a full 100% discount!
These words caused an uproar. The crowd, which had been silent just moments before, suddenly looked shocked and began to whisper among themselves.
The same discounts at Daliaofang have such a huge difference; this is indeed strange.
Chen Li raised his hand at the opportune moment, silencing the crowd's murmurs:
"Gentlemen, please take note: the Da Liao Fang's discriminatory treatment and its price-cutting practices, regardless of cost, are definitely problematic!"
"In my opinion, the Liao Kingdom is probably secretly supporting them."
He glanced at the crowd and said, “The Liao Kingdom’s actions are by no means benevolent. They want to use such low prices to dump goods and exhaust the wealth and foundation of our Fangcheng merchants.”
“Once we are unable to sustain ourselves, they will seize the opportunity to take control of Fangcheng's commerce. At that time, it will be difficult for you all to protect your businesses!”
These words exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap, the discussion stopped instantly, and everyone in the room fell into deep thought.
Each of you here today has been operating in the housing market for many years, and your businesses have been thriving.
Since its opening, Da Liao Fang has maintained an extremely high profile and acted ostentatiously, yet the forces behind it have always remained mysterious and unpredictable, with no one able to uncover its true nature. Such unusual behavior is perplexing.
Chen Li's words only made people more uneasy.
Seeing this, Chen Li pressed his advantage and spoke again:
"Yesterday, on the fourth floor of the Daliaofang, I met a female shopkeeper who called herself Gongsun Rong. It was she who gave us this gold medal, saying that we could enjoy a 40% discount with this medal."
He paused, then asked:
"What did the steward you all see on the third floor yesterday say? Was there anything unusual when he presented you with the silver medals?"
"Reporting to Young Master Chen, the steward of the third floor yesterday was indifferent. He simply gave us this silver token and told us that we could get a 20% discount with it. He didn't say anything else or reveal any reason behind it."
A merchant answered in response.
Upon hearing this, the crowd began to discuss it again, their expressions varying.
There was doubt, vigilance, and a touch of anger.
At first, everyone thought it was just a discount for the opening of Da Liao Fang, but now it seems that this differential treatment is clearly for ulterior motives.
Following the crowd's emotions, Chen Li added a few more inflammatory remarks, each one hitting the merchants' core interests.
Before long, everyone in the room showed indignation and their emotions became increasingly agitated.
Sitting to the side, Fei Yi looked at the scene before him and was also excited.
He had been testing the strength of Chen Li and his two companions, but now he saw that they had stirred up the profit-driven merchants present with just a few words, their appeal far exceeding his expectations.
Fei Yi thought to himself, if he could win over Chen Li and the other two to the Han Kingdom and use their influence to gather the merchants of Fangcheng, then it would be a piece of cake for the Han Kingdom to take over Fangcheng.
He knew perfectly well that these merchants didn't care who was in power; profit was their only pursuit.
If the Han Kingdom successfully captures Fangcheng in the future, all it needs to do is introduce some low-profit, people-friendly trade policies and give these merchants enough benefits. They will surely support it wholeheartedly and never have any disloyalty. With this in mind, Fei Yi had already made up his mind.
After the banquet ended today, I immediately reported the situation here to Xiao He overnight, and made sure to facilitate cooperation with Chen Li and the other two.
At this moment, seeing that everyone's emotions were in place and the time was ripe, Chen Li slowly began to speak:
"Gentlemen, the Da Liao Fang has ulterior motives and intends to disrupt the commerce of our Fangcheng and harm your interests."
"In my opinion, we should join forces and refrain from going to Da Liao Fang for the time being."
"Their price-cutting tactics, regardless of cost, are unsustainable in the long run. Once they lose customers and income, they will naturally collapse on their own in no time."
As soon as he finished speaking, many merchants in the room were persuaded and nodded in agreement.
They had realized that if they allowed Da Liao Fang to continue developing in this way, their own business would be dragged down sooner or later. It would be better to follow Chen Li, unite and fight back, and protect their own foundation.
Merchants naturally band together to pursue profits, and now that they have a leader and share common interests, they naturally hit it off immediately.
Seeing everyone's response, Chen Li smiled with satisfaction and immediately raised his glass:
"Today, I am grateful for your trust in joining me to thwart the schemes of Da Liao Fang. Let me raise a toast to you all, wishing us a pleasant cooperation in the future and working together to ensure the stability of Fangcheng's commerce!"
With that, he flicked his wrist and downed the strong liquor in one gulp, cleanly and decisively.
Seeing this, everyone in the room followed suit and drank their drinks in one gulp.
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone put down their glasses and took their seats.
Half an hour later, the banquet ended, and everyone looked slightly tipsy.
Chen Li stood up and personally escorted everyone to the gate of the mansion. He bowed to each of them to say goodbye, and in his words he gave them many instructions, indicating that they must keep their promise and not give up halfway.
Everyone readily agreed and then left in their respective cars.
For Fei Yi, the banquet initiated by Chen Li was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to build his network.
During the banquet, under the guise of discussing matters, he made small talk with most of the merchants in Fangcheng, chatting about the pros and cons of trade or subtly probing their positions. He not only figured out the background and demands of each merchant, but also quietly expanded his network of contacts.
After this banquet, his plan to win over merchants and help the Han Kingdom take over Fangcheng became clear, and he no longer had any of his previous hesitations.
After the banquet, Fei Yi hurriedly returned to his temporary residence in Fangcheng and began writing furiously.
The pen flew across the paper, clearly recording everything he saw and heard at the banquet, Chen Li's plans, the merchants' attitudes, and his own speculations about the forces behind Da Liao Fang.
In less than half an incense stick's time, a secret letter was written.
Fei Yi raised his hand to blow the ink off the letter, stood up, and called out:
"Wu Zhong!"
Upon hearing the sound, Wu Zhong immediately entered and bowed respectfully.
"What are your orders, sir?"
Fei Yi handed the letter pouch to him, his expression growing increasingly serious:
"Quickly send a reliable person to deliver this letter to Huyang City overnight, and personally hand it to the Grand Marshal. There must be no delay."
"Understood!"
Wu Zhong accepted the letter pouch with both hands and immediately arranged for his trusted scouts to deliver the secret message.
……
Inside the main camp of the Han army in Huyang City, the lights were on full display.
Xiao He sat upright in the main seat, holding the secret letter sent by Fei Yi in his hands. His brows were slightly furrowed as he carefully studied every sentence in the letter.
After a moment, he slowly put down the secret letter, raised his hand to rub his temples, and then gestured to Ma Su beside him:
"Youchang, take a look too."
Ma Su stepped forward, took the secret letter, and carefully read it word by word, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
After reading the letter, he handed the secret letter back to Xiao He, then turned and asked with his hands clasped in a respectful gesture:
"Grand Marshal, Fei Wenwei has already explained the specific situation of Da Liao Ward in Fangcheng in his letter. Such disregard for right and wrong is something that ordinary merchants cannot support."
"According to the letter, there must be a powerful force secretly supporting the Da Liao Ward. Perhaps, as Fei Wenwei speculated, it is indeed related to the Liao Kingdom."
"Now is the time to act, Grand Marshal, what should our army do next?"
Ma Su also knew that this matter was of great importance, and dared not make a decision on his own. He could only wait for Xiao He to make a decision.
This instruction is crucial, as it relates to the direction of all subsequent plans.
Alternatively, taking advantage of the momentum of the merchants' alliance, he could personally lead all the merchants of Fangcheng out of the city to welcome Xiao He into the city and take over Fangcheng without bloodshed.
Alternatively, Xiao He could personally lead the Han army to forcibly flatten Fangcheng and subdue the area by force.
Faced with two choices with vastly different advantages and disadvantages, Xiao He was momentarily undecided and fell into deep thought.
After a while.
Xiao He slowly raised his eyes, his expression softening:
"Don't worry, young man. The letter mentions that there is a banquet in Fangcheng today, which was initiated by Chen Li, the manager of Yanshan Winery."
"Fei Wenwei is probably waiting for the outcome of the banquet. We might as well be patient and wait until the banquet is over before making a conclusion."
Upon hearing this, Ma Su nodded in agreement:
"The Grand Marshal is absolutely right. The letter also vaguely mentions that Chen Li's banquet is most likely an attempt to unite the merchants in Fangcheng City to deal with Da Liaofang."
"If Chen Lizhen can successfully unite all the merchants, it will be a great thing for us!"
"Yes."
Xiao He's lips curled up slightly:
"If the merchants can truly unite and form a cohesive force, Fei Wenwei will be able to take the opportunity to put pressure on the garrison of Fangcheng."
"At that time, we will be able to easily take over Fangcheng without losing a single soldier, saving us a lot of trouble."
Upon hearing this, Ma Su burst into laughter:
"In this way, our army will have victory in sight!"
The two exchanged a glance and reached a consensus.
Without saying anything more, he quietly waited for Fei Yi to send another secret report.
Before we knew it, it was already late afternoon.
A soldier entered the tent and shouted:
"Grand Marshal, urgent report from Fangcheng!"
A glint of light flashed in Xiao He's eyes:
"Bring it here quickly!"
The soldiers presented it with both hands.
Xiao He took it, eagerly opened the envelope, and carefully read the letter.
The more he read, the wider his smile became.
After Xiao He finished reading, he handed the paper to Ma Su, who was standing to the side:
"Youchang, look, it's done!"
Ma Su took the paper, quickly read it, clapped his hands, and said:
"Excellent! Fei Wenwei has indeed lived up to the Grand Marshal's expectations!" (End of Chapter)