Ming Zuo

Chapter 281 Songjiang Dangerous Situation
Xu Ruolin and Mrs. Xu joined hands to find Zuo Menggeng and talked about the leather shoes.

This made Zuo Menggeng very happy, he didn't expect the people from Jiangnan to have such sharp business acumen.

Of course he knew that there would be a market for leather shoes.

After all, in later generations, leather shoes have a wide audience.Even now, leather shoes cannot become the mainstream, but with their exquisite and comfortable advantages, they will definitely win the favor of many people.

"Since it was discussed by your sisters, then you can discuss it and finish it."

Zuo Menggeng became the shopkeeper, and left this matter to Mrs. Xu herself.

Xu Ruolan didn't expect him to be so generous, but she also admired his sharpness.

"Zhongheng trusts me, naturally, because we are all real relatives. I am a woman with little knowledge, and I can do my best to manage these chores. It's just that there are some regulations, and I need to consult Zhongheng."

Zuo Menggeng is happy to see any success in the commercial field.

"Elder sister asks questions, younger brother knows everything."

Xu Ruolan mentioned a difficulty.

"Just now when we were discussing, Ruolin insisted on putting the leather shoe workshop in Shandong. But everyone felt that Jiangnan is prosperous and the business is easy to do, so it's better to put it in Jiangnan. I don't know what Zhongheng means?"

Zuo Menggeng looked at Xu Ruolin, wanting to know her insistence.

Xu Ruolin drank tea by herself, as if it had nothing to do with her.

But her small actions still let Zuo Menggeng understand that this daughter-in-law is afraid that the property will be too far away and difficult to control.If you make a wedding dress for someone else, it will not be beautiful.

Although Xu Ruolan and others are her own sisters, Xu Ruolin will always consider the Zuo family no matter what the water is thrown by the married girl.

Knowing this intention, how could Zuo Menggeng not be moved?
However, he felt that the ideas of Xu's wives were a bit too simple.

"From the perspective of the market, it is the best choice for the workshop to be located in the south of the Yangtze River..."

Xu Ruolan and the others showed joy, but they were shocked by what Zuo Menggeng said later.

"However, my little brother is a little unclear, so please ask my eldest sister to clarify. Does Jiangnan have enough fur goods?"

Well, Xu Ruolan and the others are helpless.

In today's Ming Dynasty, cotton spinning, silk spinning, hemp spinning and other crafts are all very sophisticated and developed, except for wool spinning and leather making.

The reason lies in the limitation of raw materials.

The Ming Dynasty banned the slaughter of farm cattle, and there were few large-scale livestock such as cattle, horses and sheep, and it was impossible to form an industry of sufficient scale.

Not to mention the land in the south of the Yangtze River, it is difficult to find a piece of leather.

Under such circumstances, putting the leather shoe workshop in the south of the Yangtze River will become a source of water.

Mrs. Yu was puzzled, and asked, "Zhongheng, is there a source of goods in Shandong?"

Zuo Menggeng didn't shy away, and said, "Among the shareholders of Fuyao Group, there are merchants from Shanxi. They have connections beyond the Great Wall and can provide sufficient sources of fur goods. The cost of transporting them to Shandong by the Yellow River is not high, and it is very convenient for production."

Wang asked: "Why not send the leather goods directly to the south of the Yangtze River?"

Zuo Menggeng was not needed this time, Xu Ruolin explained.

"Sister-in-law doesn't know something. There are many checkpoints in the canal and frequent inspections. The transportation of so many fur goods can easily cause trouble."

Everyone knows that there are no fur goods produced in Daming, so if a large amount of leather goods is found, there will definitely be a disturbance.

It is not difficult for Shanxi merchants to send them to Shandong through the Yellow River, even by land, but if they want to send them to Jiangnan, unless they have good hands and eyes, there will be no accidents in the middle.

Knowing this, the wives of the Xu family stopped arguing.

"The workshop is far away in Shandong. I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of it."

Qiao's was quite regretful, obviously feeling that he had missed a big deal.

How could Zuo Menggeng give up the chance to win over allies?

"Sister-in-law, don't worry. Even if the workshop is in Shandong, you can go north to manage it. In addition, most of the workshop's production will inevitably be sold to Jiangnan. You need to take care of it so that it can be properly handled."

When they heard that they were going north to Shandong, the women of the Xu family looked at each other in blank dismay.

"It's really inconvenient for me to wait for a woman to travel far away."

This is because they are afraid of causing gossip and fear of etiquette.

Zuo Menggeng asked back: "Everyone who believes in God, not Confucianism, why are you worried about this? Presumably, Master Taishan and Taishui will not hinder this matter too much, right?"

He added another sentence.

"If you are worried about the danger of the journey, I can send a capable force to accompany you for protection."

I don't know how much money the leather shoe business can make, but it will definitely be a good business.For the sake of profit, Zuo Menggeng doesn't mind providing good protection to big clients.

With the armed forces of the new army, I don't believe that anyone who is not open-eyed dares to mess around.

Seeing that he has done this, the women of the Xu family were all moved.

"Let me discuss it with my family and give you an answer, okay?"

Xu Ruolin smiled calmly.

"What did the eldest sister say? Either don't do this business, or if you do, it belongs to our sisters, and outsiders don't want to get involved. If you don't do it, the younger sister would rather shelve it than be alone and alone."

These words were so heartwarming, the women of the Xu family were so moved that they gathered around Xu Ruolin to have a great time.

After seeing off Xu Ruolan and the others, Xu Ruolin immediately regained her composure.

"Looking at what Big Sister and the others mean, once this business is completed, I'm afraid there will be a lot of potential. If it doesn't work, let's do it ourselves first."

Zuo Menggeng laughed loudly, and couldn't help scratching her pink nose.

"Who was the one who made the vows and sisterly love just now? Why did you turn around and become a tiger protecting food?"

Xu Ruolin was so coquettish.

"Aren't I doing this for you? Knowing that you spend your money in many places, even if you make your sisters sad, there is nothing you can do."

Zuo Menggeng stretched out his hand to hold her in his arms, and said softly: "It doesn't need to be like this."

In Xu Ruolin's view, Zuo Menggeng taught: "Money is important, but for us, the structure is the kingly way. Through this and that kind of business, more and more people will be drawn to our side and become our ally. Only in this way can we be invincible. Compared with it, mere money is secondary."

The women of the Xu family, whether they are married daughters or married daughters-in-law, stand behind the deep-rooted big families in Songjiang Mansion and other places.

One or two of these big families may be normal, but when added together, the energy is too great.

To put it bluntly, without the support of these families, the prefect of Songjiang would not be able to sit still.

Zuo Menggeng always kept that famous saying in mind.

"Make friends more, make enemies less."

In this way, the trend of victory and defeat will inevitably be reversed.

Especially if you want to develop a new class in the late Ming Dynasty to fight against the stubborn and conservative landlord class, the cultivation of interests is very important.

When the new classes have gained enough benefits and come to the forefront of confrontation with the old forces, these new classes will naturally push him to transform the world without Zuo Menggeng's painstaking efforts to win them over.

Other than Mrs. Xu, there are more eager people in Songjiang Mansion who want to discuss business with Zuo Menggeng.

Xu's in-laws and local merchants from Songjiang came to the door together, all of them came to find Zuo Menggeng.

Xu Erjue's father-in-law Yu Ting'e, Xu Erjue's father-in-law Qiao Wei, Xu Erdou's grandson He Ding, Xu Ermo's father-in-law Huang Zhen, Ai Tinghuai, Xu Yuandu, and Pan Xiaona's father Pan Yunlong.

Why is Xu Erdou's wife surnamed Wang, but his brother-in-law's surname is Sun?
Because Wang is the adopted daughter of Sun Yuanhua.

That's right, Sun Heding is the eldest son of Sun Yuanhua.

Sun Yuanhua has three sons, all of whom are studying at home now.

In addition to these relatives of the Xu family, there are also big local businessmen.

"This is Zhang Qi Zhang Wangshui. He has traveled all over the world, traveled all over the world, and has seen countless things."

"This is Mr. Li Wancai from Qinglong Town."

"This is Lord Qin Zhiwen of Shagang Town."

"This is Wunijing Caichang Monkey."

"This is Mr. Bai Sixu from Fengjing Town."

"This is Chen Meigong from Zhujing Town."

"This is Lord Lin of Kangxi, Qianmentang."

"This is Mr. Shen Youtian from Zhujie Pavilion."

"This is Qu Ye Qu Mansong from Loutang Town."

"This is Mr. Gong, Fangshi of Nanqiao Town."

After hearing Xu Ji's introductions one by one, Zuo Menggeng realized that his perception of ancient Shanghai was a little off.

He always believed that the rise of Shanghai was caused by the opening of ports after the Opium War.

It turns out that at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the urban structure of Shanghai was basically formed.

"There are so many businessmen coming and going, so far the name is Little Linqing. This old man, who is from Zhujing Town, feels very cordial to see General Zuo, who is a real Linqing person."

Chen Meigong is Chen Jiru, a famous painter.

I am always from Zhujing Town, but I am not here today to study knowledge and paintings.

Pan Yunlong asked on behalf of everyone: "Zhongheng, it is said that you will be responsible for quelling the bandits in Shandong, but you don't know when they will stop?"

Zuo Menggeng was a little strange.

Why are the people in Songjiang Mansion so concerned about the war in Shandong?
"Dare to ask uncle, what's the key?"

Pan Yunlong stamped his feet with a sad expression on his face.

"You are one of your own, so there is no need to hide it from you. Due to the chaos in Shandong, our Songjiang Mansion has no more cotton to use, and the workshops and households no longer have any income. I am afraid that people will starve to death."

(End of this chapter)