I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 26

“It was a bit unusual. Usually, guys who brag about money come with chests full of silver or gold…”

The old Guild Leader tapped Jo Gwang-yun’s book with his bony fingers.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone brag about money with a book. Haha.”

“What’s the importance of silver or gold to someone doing big business? The total amount, the numbers, that’s all that matters.”

“You young ones know well. So, how many of these books do you have?”

“Enough to buy up all the silk from Sichuan for several months.”

The Guild Leader of the Sichuan Silk Association, a major player in Sichuan, stopped laughing.

“Do you hold all the money in the Central Plains [the central region of China]? The Emperor can take it away, but he can’t buy loyalty with money.”

“Tell me how much you can sell first. I’ll take care of the money.”

The Guild Leader gestured, and a young man brought a thick ledger.

“Let’s see… the young tycoon from Gaebong will take…”

“Guild Leader.”

Jo Gwang-yun lightly shook his head.

“I don’t want silk that you need to check the ledger to know about. I have no intention of dealing with cheap stuff that doesn’t sell. I want the numbers that the Guild Leader perfectly remembers. I want the highest quality silk.”

The Guild Leader stopped the hand that was about to turn the ledger.

“Are you perhaps asking for Heavenly Silk?”

Heavenly Silk is silk thread made from the cocoons of wild silkworms in their natural state, not from farmed silkworms. Compared to farmed silk, the thread is stronger and has a better sheen, so it is considered the highest quality, but the production volume is small, so the price is incomparably higher than regular silk.

“That’s right. I know the market price, though.”

“Knowing that, you’re still going to buy all the Heavenly Silk?”

“Six *seok* [a unit of dry volume, roughly equivalent to 180 liters] of rice per bolt. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. A whopping six *seok*. That’s enough for six adult men to eat for a year.”

“Is there a shortage of silk, or a shortage of money?”

Jo Gwang-yun also knows.

No matter how much money he throws around, he can’t buy all the silk in Sichuan. And in fact, he doesn’t have enough money to buy up all the silk in Sichuan.

Sichuan silk is always in short supply. Because the quality is good, wealthy people only look for Sichuan silk.

Therefore, Sichuan silk merchants have many clients.

Sichuan silk merchants, including the Sichuan Silk Association, cannot just do business for one season and be done. They must continuously supply customers throughout the Central Plains.

In the end, the amount that Jo Gwang-yun can secure is the amount supplied to Gaebong, or a little more than that. So, he can talk big as much as he wants.

“I see you know your stuff. It seems like I have the upper hand since silk is scarce, right?”

“I had no intention of wielding the knife. I just want to secure a large quantity at a fair price.”

The upper hand is firmly held by the Sichuan Silk Association. The ‘law of supply and demand’ is the beginning of a transaction. There is a line of people who want to buy Heavenly Silk.

Jo Gwang-yun stood up after finishing this sentence.

“Guild Leader, please discuss with the members of the Sichuan Silk Association and let me know the quantity. But I’ll tell you one important fact.”

The Guild Leader of the Sichuan Silk Association looked at the young man with a puzzled expression, who was trying to end the conversation with only fundamental words without the fun of a push-and-pull negotiation.

“Only my carts will arrive from Gaebong to carry the silk. For some reason, the carts of other merchants will not be able to enter Sichuan for a while.”

“What? What does that mean…?”

“Believe my words and calculate the quantity. I’ll give you until tomorrow. If I don’t hear from you by tomorrow evening, I’ll give up the deal and leave Sichuan.”

The Guild Leader couldn’t understand Jo Gwang-yun’s actions at all.

“Are you saying you’ll go back empty-handed?”

“Even if the quality is a bit lower than Sichuan, there are many places to buy silk. The important thing is that if it’s not me, you’ll have to give up doing business in Gaebong for a while.”

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun, who returned to the inn, called the waiter.

“Do you have many friends who are free?”

“Yes?”

“I’m asking if you have many friends who are doing nothing?”

When Jo Gwang-yun slid a silver coin onto the table, the waiter’s eyes lit up.

“If you have anything you want me to do, please tell me anytime. No matter how busy I am, I have to make time.”

“Then go to the market and spread a rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“Tell them that I came to buy silk, and the amount is enormous. I’m thinking of going back with dozens of carts full. And one more thing, it’s not a credit transaction, but immediate payment.”

It didn’t matter to the waiter whether this was true or a bluff.

Only that the silver coin in front of him should belong to him.

“Leave it to me. In about an hour, everyone in Sichuan will know.”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled and nodded, and the waiter quickly took the silver coin and ran out.

Now, all that’s left is to wait for the Sichuan Silk Association Guild Leader to contact him.

Jo Gwang-yun spent a leisurely time filling his stomach and enjoying a drink. He will surely hear from them tomorrow morning.

But his prediction was wrong. The waiter, who had not been seen during the day, knocked on the door of the bedroom.

“Sir, you have a guest.”

The only one who would look for Jo Gwang-yun in Sichuan is the Sichuan Silk Association.

A quick conclusion is a positive sign. If they have a strong intention to refuse, there is no reason to look for him so urgently in the middle of the night. The waiter did his money’s worth.

Going downstairs, the Guild Leader himself appeared.

Rather than wasting time sending a messenger to convey the conditions, he intends to quickly finalize the deal.

“Guild Leader, you came in person. You could have just sent someone to call me.”

“Forget the greetings… Eighty bolts of Heavenly Silk. Take the rest as you wish.”

Eighty bolts of Heavenly Silk is two months’ worth of supply for Gaebong silk merchants. Isn’t it something you can’t sell because you don’t have it? It’s a number I fully understand.

Jo Gwang-yun didn’t answer immediately and looked at the Guild Leader’s expression. He keeps reaching for the teacup, trying to hide his nervousness.

It seems the strategy worked.

“Why? Is it too much? Seeing that you can’t answer easily, I guess you don’t have as much money as you boasted?”

He seems to have forgotten that he rushed here, and he shows unnecessary composure. Jo Gwang-yun smiled slightly and bowed politely.

“No. I was thinking about how to express my gratitude because you agreed so easily. Thank you, sir.”

“I’m just getting money and selling goods, what’s there to be thankful for…”

“Of course, I thought you would sell it cheaply, so I greeted you in advance.”

“What? Seriously. You’re just like a merchant who demands one more when you give him one. I’ve already thought about it. How about a 10% discount?”

“Surely you’re not passing on a 10% discount from the market merchants’ price, are you?”

“Hey, man. Do you see me as such a robber? Of course, it’s the wholesale price.”

“Looking at the Guild Leader’s appearance now, I think you would agree even if I asked for a 20% discount… Okay. I will buy it at a price 10% lower than the current wholesale price.”

The Guild Leader’s face lit up with a smile at Jo Gwang-yun’s words.

“You spread the rumor, didn’t you?”

“Yes. It seems to have worked.”

“Oh, don’t even mention it.”

The Guild Leader waved his hand.

“All the Sichuan silk merchants are out of their minds. They all rushed to me and made a fuss, saying they would secure the quantity.”

“Then why didn’t you sell it at a higher price?”

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

After a long time, a solid system is established. From this point on, the person sitting at the top of the system can continue to pick sweet fruits without doing anything, as long as the system doesn’t collapse.

All they do is manage the system so that it doesn’t collapse, and what they fear most is a crack in the system. The law of inertia exists here as well.

Jo Gwang-yun’s mass purchase may not be such a dangerous thing. But it is also the ability of a capable person to prevent it in advance if there are any strange signs.

The Guild Leader of the Sichuan Silk Association was a capable person.

The Guild Leader has both worries and expectations that Jo Gwang-yun’s mass purchase may not be a one-time thing.

“There must have been merchants who didn’t look for the Guild Leader, and they must be quite large. And you were worried that I would trade with them.”

This was the Guild Leader’s worry.

“Listen. Since you’ve read my mind, I’ll be honest. The reason I accepted 10% even though I knew I could give it to you for 20% is because you intend to continue trading with me in the future, right?”

This is the Guild Leader’s expectation.

“If the Guild Leader continues to respond quickly like now and deals flexibly with any events that may occur, then the only person I will meet in Sichuan will be the Guild Leader.”

The wrinkles on the old Guild Leader’s face smoothed out a little. Jo Gwang-yun hoped that the person who would succeed this old Guild Leader, who didn’t seem to have much time left to live, would also be smart.

< To Sichuan (4) > End