Chapter 1239: Carrying on the Past and Opening up the Future (One Hundred and Twenty-Nine) Merchant Guo Han
Guo Han got up early in the morning. It had been a while since he came to Yingcheng in Chu State. This was the first time he got up so early in the morning. However, today he had to entertain several important guests, so he needed to arrive early to make a speech. Full of humility.
I let out a long yawn, stretched greatly, rubbed my face and cheeks, walked to the door, opened the window, and a burst of fresh air rushed in, which instantly refreshed me.
Spring in the south is very different from spring in the north. There is no surprise like a spring breeze coming suddenly overnight and thousands of pear blossoms blooming on the trees. There is also no beautiful spring scenery where the grass and trees know that spring has not returned for a long time, and all kinds of red and purple are competing with the mangoes. In the south, even in winter, it is not like the north, where everything is yellow and dry. The climate here is mild and the people here are accustomed to greenery, but for Guo Han, who has lived in the north for many years, it is A fresh world of novels.
I remember that there seemed to be a light rain last night, and the patter hit the roof tiles, which was as sweet and sweet as a piece of music. Guo Han fell asleep amidst this piece of music played by nature. However, when I opened the window today, I saw a clear blue sky. It seemed that today was another sunny and sunny day.
Having been in the south for a long time, Guo Han also knows that sudden changes in weather are quite normal here. It rains a lot. Sometimes it rains for a few o'clock and then dies, but sometimes it is windy and sunny all of a sudden. A heavy rain came unexpectedly, drenching the unsuspecting people into drowned rats.
What a great place! Guo Han thought to himself, turned around with a smile, and opened the door. His accompanying companion had already prepared toiletries outside. Pick up a toothbrush, dip it in tooth powder, and start brushing your teeth. This is a new thing that only emerged in Han this year. In the past, everyone used a willow branch dipped in green salt to rinse their mouth. The invention of the toothbrush immediately became popular among the newly aristocratic class in Han Dynasty. However, this toothbrush was a bit expensive, costing one tael of silver each. Most people were really reluctant to spend one tael of silver to buy it. Such a branch.
Guo Hanming's identity on the surface is that of a silk and satin merchant, but in fact, he is indeed running the largest silk and satin shop in China, with branches all over Han Dynasty. And secretly, he has another identity. He is a staff member of the National Security Bureau, responsible for the intelligence collection of the southern Chu country.
As a decent businessman, the toothbrushes and toothpowder he uses are of the highest quality. The handles of the toothbrushes are engraved with patterns, and the brushes on them are also carefully selected from fine animal hairs that are both soft and flexible. I heard about the invention of this toothbrush. The inventor is preparing to launch a toothbrush used by the lower class people, reducing the cost to tens of cents. If it is completely popularized, there will definitely be a new rich man in the Han Dynasty's land. The patent fees alone are enough to support him for a lifetime.
In the past few years, new things have been emerging in the land of the Han Dynasty. Guo Han was not surprised. Compared with Yingcheng, the current Jicheng was much smaller in scale and much more prosperous. But Guo Han feels that Jicheng is much better. If nothing else, Jicheng has basically completed the road hardening.
It's much better than Yingcheng. Even if it rains heavily, you won't get a bit of mud on you. In Yingcheng, whenever it rains, the pedestrians on the street will no longer look as glamorous.
After washing up, putting on new silk clothes, and fixing his makeup, Guo Han took his companions and stepped out of the door of the inn. Outside the door, the coachman was already waiting with his carriage.
He brought the carriage all the way from the Han Dynasty, for no other reason than to show off. Of course, it was also a way to show his wealthy status. This kind of carriage was only owned by a few dignitaries in Chu State, and the price was ridiculously high. , of course, in the eyes of these noble people of Chu State, it is also worth the money.
The brand-new shock-absorbing design makes this kind of carriage extremely comfortable to sit on. Coupled with the tires made of rubber and iron wheels, this kind of carriage has almost no bumps when walking. Compared with the carriages produced by Chu State, This kind of carriage, which has been basically popular in Han State, is sold for hundreds of taels of silver in Chu State.
It’s not like the Chu people didn’t try to make their own imitations. They had no shortage of skilled craftsmen, but the problem was that it was difficult for a skilled woman to make a meal without rice. The gap in basic industry made it impossible for them to complete the production of springs for shock absorption, which were already very simple in Han Dynasty. They also did not have the ability to process and manufacture rubber. In the end, they could only import it from Han. Rare goods were available. When Han sold these things, the price was naturally very considerable. This also made this kind of carriage a rarity in Chu State.
Perhaps the Chu people have also realized their gap in basic industry, but it is precisely these technologies that the Han State has blocked most strictly.
Perhaps the only thing Chu State can create a trade surplus with Han State now is silk and satin. Although the north has begun to produce this stuff on its own, the real high-end ones are the original silk produced in the south, and Guo Han is making it. of this business.
Of course, this time he came not only to buy another large amount of goods, but also to bring the latest silk reeling and weaving technology from Han Dynasty. This was the most powerful bait in his hand. At the same time, a trap was also hidden. in it.
This time he wanted to meet with Fan Zhuo, a great nobleman of Chu State. Master Fan Zhuofan is the largest operator and controller of silk and satin merchants in Chu State. To put it bluntly, Master Fan has the pricing power for Chu State's silk and satin sales.
On the surface, Guo Han was here to negotiate the price of imported goods with Fan, and to use the latest machines as his bargaining chips, but secretly, Guo Han's mission was to persuade Fan Zhuo to exert influence on King Huai of Chu to prevent the Chu people from joining the war when Han and Qin were currently confronting each other in Jinyang. Fighting on two fronts was a situation that Han was unwilling to face.
The sudden war between Han and Qin without any warning was also beyond the expectations of the Chu people. For a while, the Chu people also split into two factions. The military led by Taiwei Qu Zhong and General Qu Wan insisted on completing the alliance with Qin and going to war with Han, taking the opportunity to attract Han's troops, relieve Qin's pressure, and let Han fight on two fronts to consume Han's strength. But the other side believed that the Qin people were still strong and it was no problem to resist the Han army. The two countries, whether Han or Qin, were ambitious and should be allowed to fight each other. It would be best if both sides were hurt. It was not appropriate for Chu to intervene at this time.
King Huai of Chu was undecided, and Huang Xie was also undecided. Huang Xie's opinion would be the decisive vote in Chu. Fan Zhuo was Huang Xie's son-in-law, and the two were also close friends.
Today Guo Han booked the most luxurious Yao Garden in Yingcheng just to entertain Fan Zhuo.
The agreed time was noon. Guo Han, who arrived at Yao Garden early, took care of everything personally. Fan Zhuo was a person who never tired of fine food and never tired of fine meat. The luxury of his life was so luxurious that even Guo Han, who was used to big scenes, was amazed. His wealth was also one of the most numerous people in Chu. Because of his close relationship with Huang Xie, this person was very ostentatious. This is a completely different type of official from the Han officials Guo Han had seen. In the Han Kingdom, Guo Han was used to the officials' frugality. In fact, from King Gaoyuan of Han down, there was basically no one like Fan Zhuo who was afraid that others would not know that he was rich. In fact, there were many officials in the Han Kingdom who were richer than Fan Zhuo. For example, Wu Kai, if we really talk about wealth, how could Fan Zhuo compare? But as far as Guo Han knew, Wu Kai's daily life was very low-key and restrained.
This time, in order to cater to Fan Zhuo, Guo Han specially transported a batch of special products from the north by express horses. These things are very rare in the south. Some of them were even sent all the way from Liaodong by express horses at the post station. For this meeting, the Han Kingdom also spent a lot of money. Of course, from the perspective of face, the payer of all this was Guo Han, a silk merchant.
After the chef brought from the north had prepared everything needed for the banquet, Guo Han was relieved to go to the gate of Yao Garden to welcome Fan Zhuo. These precious ingredients were rarely eaten by King Gao Yuan of Han, because the cost of ensuring the freshness of the ingredients was too high.
Seeing a luxurious carriage coming from afar, Guo Han's face was immediately full of smiles. He walked out of the gate and greeted it respectfully. Looking at the carriage, Guo Han had the urge to laugh in his heart, because this carriage was also produced in the Han State, but after it came to Fan Zhuo, more decorations were added, inlaid with gold and jade, and it was dazzling.
Sometimes Guo Han was very puzzled. The Fan family was also a wealthy family handed down from the Chu State. Such people were generally very introverted, but this Doctor Fan was an outlier.
Guo Han went forward and held the reins in person, bowing deeply, "I am Guo Han, a humble man, thank you, Doctor Fan, for your presence."
When the carriage door opened, a thin middle-aged man leaned out of the carriage, glanced at Guo Han, and a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes. He didn't want to come. If Han wanted high-end silk, it could only be purchased from Chu. And if it shipped from Chu, it naturally couldn't bypass him. Now this is an important source of his wealth. Han needs a huge amount. This businessman actually wants to lower the price. If he lowers the price, what will he make?
It was a pity that the purchase of high-end silk from the Han Kingdom was also monopolized by this businessman named Guo. It was said that this man had a great background, otherwise he would not be able to swallow such a big business. More importantly, the person in charge of the negotiation with the businessman named Guo reported to Fan Zhuo that Guo Han brought the latest technology for silk reeling and silk weaving. According to the businessman named Guo, these two new technologies would greatly reduce his production costs, but Guo Han was unwilling to show his hand until he met Fan Zhuo in person. Fan Zhuo was naturally aware of the endless new technologies in the Han Kingdom. If it were not for this, he would never have honored him today. (To be continued...)