Chapter 602: Business as Business (Part )
Dongshan Trading Company is the number one trading company in the Song Dynasty, with its industries and businesses spread all over the world.

In the city of Luoyang alone, there are dozens of businesses belonging to the Dongshan Company, with annual revenues ranging from millions to tens of millions.

If all the businesses of Dongshan Company, big and small, are taken together, the annual income minus the huge expenses would result in a surplus of at least hundreds of millions or even billions.

In fact, apart from Shen Dongshan, there is probably no one else in the world who can clearly know how much money Dongshan Company can make in a year?

There are dozens of accountants under Shen Dongshan's jurisdiction. Each of them is in charge of a specific business and they do not know each other. Therefore, they only know the situation in their own accounts and know very little about other businesses, let alone the accounts of the entire Dongshan Company.

Today, Luo Tianjin opened his mouth so high, how could Shen Dongshan not be shocked?

Because of his inner shock, Shen Dongshan's tone sounded a little uneasy: "Did Shen hear it wrong? How much does Palace Master Luo want to borrow?"

"I want to borrow three years' harvest from Dongshan Company." Luo Tianjin repeated word by word, "I wonder if Mr. Shen is willing to help me?"

"Three... three years?" Shen Dongshan stared at Luo Tianjin, who looked solemn, with a pair of unbelievable eyes, and said incoherently, "Did Shen hear correctly? Do you know... how much the harvest is in three years? Besides, if Lord Luo borrows the money, how will the Dongshan Company support its family?"

"Mr. Shen has been doing business for decades and has accumulated a fortune. Three years of harvest is not likely to break his bones." Luo Tianjin said with a half-smile, "What's more, I am only 'borrowing', not 'asking'. Is Mr. Shen worried that I will go back on my word and not return the money?"

"Of course not!" Shen Dongshan was thinking of a countermeasure quickly, but Luo Tianjin's request was too shocking, which caught him off guard. He was so confused that he could only perfunctorily say, "With the reputation and status of Lord Luo in the martial arts world, how dare I judge him by my own standards?"

"I wonder what Mr. Shen thinks?"

"Excuse me for asking, but what exactly does Lord Luo want to do by borrowing so much money?" Shen Dongshan cautiously probed, "Do you want to learn how to do business from me?"

"I am just a martial artist, I know nothing about business." Luo Tianjin said self-deprecatingly, "I have three reasons for borrowing money. First, to expand the scale of the Xianwang Mansion. After all, the current situation is turbulent, with strong winds and waves, large ships are less likely to be destroyed than small ships. Second, as the leader of the martial arts world, I should shoulder the heavy responsibility of stabilizing the overall situation of the Central Plains martial arts world, promoting the great plan of the martial arts world, and changing the pattern of the martial arts world, all of which require sufficient gold and silver as a backing. Third, in addition to the large sects with deep heritage in the martial arts world, more heroes live in poverty, with no food to eat and no clothes to cover their bodies all day long. As the leader of the martial arts world, how can I sit back and watch? I am not afraid of being laughed at by Mr. Shen. Luo has always had a great ambition, which is 'I wish I could have thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor people in the world.' In this way, I need a lot of gold and silver."

At this moment, the three reasons Luo Tianjin gave were actually excuses he had thought of early in the morning.

Right now, Luo Tianjin wants to raise an army to start a rebellion, but few people know about it. Even the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion know nothing about it, let alone the cunning and treacherous Shen Dongshan?

There is a saying that goes, "A merciful person cannot command an army, and a righteous person cannot command wealth." As a leader among businessmen, Shen Dongshan is naturally ruthless and unrighteous, and always puts profit first. Therefore, it is impossible for Luo Tianjin to trust him, let alone reveal all his secrets to him.

Shen Dongshan also had a clear mind about this.

Although Luo Tianjin's three reasons sounded reasonable, Shen Dongshan knew in his heart that they were just excuses he made to fool himself.

"Lord Luo is generous and righteous, helping the poor and the needy. I admire him very much." Shen Dongshan agreed, "However, Lord Luo is an outsider, so I'm afraid he doesn't know much about the current business world."

"Oh?" Luo Tianjin had anticipated Shen Dongshan's refusal, so he remained calm. "May I ask Master Shen to clarify."

"To be honest, Shen has made some money in business over the years, but most of it was ten years ago." Shen Dongshan said bitterly, "In the past ten years, the country has been in trouble, the world has been turbulent, and the people are uneasy. We businessmen are also inevitably affected, so business is getting harder and harder, and making money is getting harder and harder. Because the treasury is empty, the government's tax burden is getting heavier day by day. On the other hand, the people are short of money and are becoming more and more frugal. Merchants are caught in the middle and have long been unable to make ends meet and are struggling to carry the burden. In addition, there are more and more corrupt officials and bandits. If we want to live in peace, we must make arrangements and give money everywhere. No one dares to offend us."

Listening to Shen Dongshan's complaints, Luo Tianjin said nothing, just stared at him quietly.

"Don't be afraid of being laughed at by Palace Master Luo. In fact, the business of Dongshan Company has plummeted in recent years. I work very hard all year round, but not only can I not make any money, but I have to pay a lot of money. I have been losing money for several consecutive years." Shen Dongshan sighed, "If it weren't for the surplus accumulated in the past few years to barely support this business, I'm afraid Dongshan Company would have ceased to exist long ago."

"Since he has been losing money for years, why is Mr. Shen still trying to hold on?"

"Lord Luo, you don't know that Shen has been in a dilemma for a long time since he has been in business for so long." Shen Dongshan said, "Moreover, the survival of Dongshan Company is related to tens of thousands of associates, and even hundreds of thousands of their families. If it collapses, it will inevitably cause a disaster. Can I watch hundreds of thousands of people starve to death? Moreover, Dongshan Company's business is spread across all walks of life, and many businesses have become local leaders. Once it closes, all industries will suffer, and prices for people will soar, causing great chaos. Shen cannot bear this responsibility."

"Listening to your talk is better than reading for ten years." Luo Tianjin's words were full of sarcasm.

Shen Dongshan knew that Luo Tianjin was unhappy, so his expression changed slightly and he said in a gentle tone: "In fact, although the situation is bad, fortunately, I still have some food left, and I believe we can get through this difficult time. Lord Luo and I are close friends, and if you ask for help, I will definitely do my best. How about this, I am willing to sell some of my belongings to raise 30 million taels for Lord Luo to temporarily relieve the urgent need, how about that?"

"A mere thirty million taels is enough to alarm the richest man in Song Dynasty and make him sell off his belongings?" Luo Tianjin said with a hint of meaning, "How can I bear this?"

"Lord Luo, you don't know that although I am wealthy, most of it is from business, not cash." Shen Dongshan explained, "In terms of cash, I am afraid I am far less calm than Lord Luo. I heard that Lord Luo always spends money lavishly on his subordinates, often giving out tens of thousands of rewards. I am very envious of such a strong family background." "Are you making fun of me, Master Shen?"

"Absolutely not!" Shen Dongshan shook his head seriously, "I am different from Lord Luo. You can spend your gold and silver as you please, but I can't. Most of my gold and silver are used for business turnover and to deal with emergencies. I don't dare to spend it casually at ordinary times, for fear of something unexpected happening."

"As the saying goes, 'A lean camel is bigger than a horse.' It's Mr. Shen's freedom to lend or not, but he shouldn't be perfunctory to me." Luo Tianjin pretended to be wronged and complained, "As far as I know, the food and military equipment that Mr. Shen donated to the court is worth over 100 million. Why is it that 30 million has become difficult for me today?"

"The court wants 'things', while the Luo family wants 'cash', so they are naturally different." Shen Dongshan explained, "Most of those food and weapons are from Shen's own business. Although they are worth a lot, the actual cost is very low."

At this point, Shen Dongshan changed the subject and said jokingly: "If Palace Master Luo also wants something..."

"can!"

Before Shen Dongshan finished speaking, Luo Tianjin made a prompt decision and said, "I don't need cash, I just want the things."

"This……"

Shen Dongshan never expected Luo Tianjin to be so persistent. He was stunned and said in astonishment: "There are only more than 2,000 people in the Xianwang Mansion. I'm afraid you can't use up all the things you want. Isn't it a waste in the end?"

"Master Shen, you don't need to worry about this. At worst, I can just sell the things. Now I just want to know if Master Shen is willing to lend it to me."

"Since Lord Luo is determined to get it, I will not beat around the bush." ​​Shen Dongshan said bluntly, "I am a businessman, so I should talk business. I offered food, fodder and weapons to the court not out of loyalty, but for our mutual benefit. For example, the court promised to exempt Dongshan Company from taxes for the next ten years, and to open the government's docks and post stations for my caravan to travel. That is why I am willing to help you. Lord Luo, what benefits can you give me by asking to lend me three years' harvest?"

"Mr. Shen is a man of quick words. I admire him!"

Luo Tianjin knew the principle of "no gain, no early rise", so facing Shen Dongshan's blunt words, he did not show a trace of dissatisfaction on his face, but was very pleased, and smiled lightly: "I dare to ask for money, so there are naturally conditions for exchange."

"Oh?" Shen Dongshan was skeptical, "I wonder what Lord Luo has to say?"

"Silk Road!"

Luo Tianjin hit the nail on the head. These four simple words made Shen Dongshan's eyes light up, and an indescribable look of shock suddenly emerged between his brows.

"What do you mean?"

"Since the Song Dynasty moved south and settled in a corner, the once prosperous Silk Road has gradually become deserted. Today, it is even more difficult for merchants from the Song Dynasty to get involved. As for how many business opportunities are there in the northwest? How much profit is there? I don't need to say much, Mr. Shen knows it very well." Luo Tianjin said confidently, "With Mr. Shen's ability and brains, only operating in the Central Plains, occasionally doing business with small places like Goryeo and Japan, and being called the 'richest businessman in the Song Dynasty' is definitely a waste of talent. You should expand the territory of Dongshan Company, hold the huge business opportunities in the northwest tightly in your hands, and become the real 'richest businessman in the world'!"

Luo Tianjin's words had unparalleled appeal to Shen Dongshan.

Human nature is greedy, and Shen Dongshan is the most greedy among the greedy. He has been doing business for many years, so he is naturally familiar with the famous "Silk Road". As for the business opportunities and profits therein, he is even more salivating and eager to get them.

Unfortunately, the situation forced the Song Dynasty to be weak and unable to control the situation in the northwest. First there was the Western Liao Dynasty, then the Jin Dynasty, and then the Mongolian Empire. The world was in turmoil and instability. As a Han Chinese, Shen Dongshan had been hesitating, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare.

Today, after being hit on the point by Luo Tianjin's words, it was inevitable that one's mind would be shaken and a wave of disturbances would arise again.

"Lord Luo..." Shen Dongshan swallowed hard and said intermittently, "Is there any way for me to do business on the Silk Road?"

"The Silk Road has unlimited business opportunities. One year's harvest is comparable to three years in the Central Plains." Luo Tianjin said with a half-smile, "I wonder if Mr. Shen has heard of the name of 'Young Qin King'?"

"Young Prince Qin... Young Prince Qin..." Shen Dongshan frowned and tried to recall the past. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he said hurriedly, "I have heard a little bit about this. It is said that this person is from the royal family of Liao. He still has a very high prestige and power in the Western Regions. Could it be that..."

"That's right!" Luo Tianjin nodded and said, "The young king of Qin and I are close friends. As long as I ask for help, he will help Mr. Shen's Dongshan Company enter the Western Regions and reopen the Silk Road. When the time comes, as long as Mr. Shen makes arrangements, I believe the Mongols will not cause trouble for you. What do you think of this condition, Mr. Shen?"

……

(End of this chapter)