Zhuang Shilin was ordered to go to Guangzhou to buy grain, the matter was urgent, and he did not dare to slack off, and after going to sea, the cargo ship pretending to be a man of color according to the predetermined plan arrived smoothly in only two days and two nights.

Guangzhou was once the largest foreign trade port in the Song Dynasty, and only gradually declined after entering the Southern Song Dynasty and was surpassed by Quanzhou, but the emaciated camel was bigger than the horse, although it did not have the grand occasion of the past, but it was still prosperous. Zhuang Shilin, as a businessman, is naturally a frequent place in Guangzhou, but this time he found that it was different. In the last year, Guangzhou was broken by the Yuan army, and then recovered by the Song army, and the situation at this moment is just as they expected, there is food, and it can be said to be very abundant, but the price is ridiculously high, even if it is settled in silver, it has reached one or two silver and a stone.

Zhuang Shilin thought that there was still time, so he did not rush to buy it all, but bought a small amount first. Because he knew that he was also a big family, buying a large amount might cause the price of grain to rise, and now most of the merchant ships that came to Guangzhou to trade were on the road, or waiting for the monsoon to go to sea in the harbor, and the merchants were waiting for the price to sell, and the merchant's instinct made him feel that there was still a chance in it, so he wanted to wait for two days to see if the price would be reduced, and he would not become a big leader.

Zhuang Shilin was not idle during the waiting time, he purchased some medicinal materials and other sundries, but the price of food fluctuated very little, which made people very anxious and strange. Seeing that the deadline for returning was getting closer and closer, Zhuang Shilin couldn't wait, so he decided to take the initiative. The method he chose was to find Guangfuju, the largest grain merchant in Guangzhou, and show the sign of Weiwangfu to bluntly tell him that the enemy army was approaching, and the war would soon happen, and it was best to deal with the grain at a low price to himself, otherwise the result would be unpredictable, and what he did was not to take advantage of the fire to rob, but to help him.

The reason why Zhuang Shilin has this confidence is because before leaving, the prince once said that there will be a war in Guangzhou, for several times to see the prince's magic skills, of course he firmly believes, and he also knows that the business travel is most afraid of war, not only will the goods be damaged, but also may be requisitioned by the warring parties without compensation, then it will be empty of people and money, and when they get the news that the war is about to happen, they will sell the goods at a low price, and even lose money, just to minimize the loss.

For this uninvited Wei Wangfu procurement, the grain merchant did not dare to offend easily, after all, Guangzhou is still the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, and he is not afraid, now the emperor has taken refuge at sea so that the decree is not passed, he is disobedient, and King Wei can't help himself. But in line with the principle of preferring to believe it or not, while stabilizing Zhuang Shilin, he immediately sent someone to inquire about the news, but he did not disclose the news, because whether it is true or not, it will cause panic in the market, and then he will have to follow the market whether he wants it or not, and whether people want their own food is two.

Everyone knows that the Yuan army has been attacking in Fuguang and Jiangxi since last year, and there have also been fierce battles in Guangzhou. Guangfuju's trading is all over the Fuguang area, so naturally there are news channels and will be verified immediately. They immediately learned that the amphibious army led by Lu Shikui, the general of the Yuan army, who was stationed in the vast area, had frequent movements, and there seemed to be a major battle, but the target of the attack was unknown. The grain merchants were shocked when they heard this, and the Yuan army garrison was only a few days away from Guangzhou.

As a result, the attitude of the grain merchants changed greatly, and they urgently met with Zhuang Shilin and took the initiative to reduce the price of rice to three yuan and one stone. Seeing this, Zhuang Shilin immediately understood what was going on, he was an old trader, and he knew that these big grain merchants not only bought grain and bought it low and sold it high to earn the difference, but they were often also big landlords, and the rent in kind collected every year was not a small amount, and there was definitely room for price reduction.

The details were tortuous, the price was also repeatedly reduced, and finally the Yuan army that attacked Guangzhou helped, and after its intention to attack Guangzhou was clear, the market was in a panic, and the proprietor of Guangfuju came to the door in person, indicating that as long as it was settled in gold and silver, he was willing to sell at the price of five stones per two pieces of silver. Zhuang Shilin is also benevolent and righteous, and took the initiative to increase the amount of purchases, but it is a pity that the ship capacity in his hands is not enough. Seeing that the enemy army was approaching day by day, all the merchants in the city were selling their goods, and the price of rice was also falling again and again, Guangfu Ju gritted his teeth and was willing to send his two big ships of 3,000 stone to help with the transfer.

And it's cheap and doesn't take advantage of the bastard, Zhuang Shilin has received this education since he was a child, and now shows that the war is not peaceful at sea, and it is likely that something will happen, so it is better to sell the ship to himself. On the two boats, Guangfuju knew that this deal was already a loss, but he also coveted the real money paid by the other party, and the amount he asked for was large, so he gritted his teeth and agreed. Zhuang Shilin immediately paid the money, loaded the ship and went to sea overnight, fleeing the war before the Yuan army arrived......

"Okay, good, you've done a good job." Spending a little money to do big things, this is not only the concept of a businessman, but also the view of Zhao Hao, who has served as a corporate executive.

"Thank you for your praise, your subordinates are also risky in this matter, we just left the port, and the Guangzhou sailors began to close the port, and we almost couldn't come back." Zhuang Shilin was of course very happy to receive His Royal Highness's praise, but he was also afraid in retrospect.

"Is it in danger of wealth and wealth, where is it so easy to take advantage of the cheapness!" Zhao Hao said with a smile.

"yes!" Zhuang Shilin was stunned when he heard this, he didn't expect His Royal Highness to understand this truth, and he actually had a feeling of meeting a soulmate.

"Director Zhuang, you just returned from Guangzhou, you know the situation better, do you think Guangzhou can hold on?" Zhao Yu asked again, he knew that the war in Guangzhou was together, and the news would soon spread here, which was another bad news for the imperial court, which had become a frightened bird, and he had to find out the current situation and make preparations for contingencies.

"Your Highness...... The subordinate was about to report the matter. Zhuang Shilin wanted to speak and stopped, he didn't know how to answer, saying that he was a little against his will, and he was afraid that His Highness would reproach him for being alarmist.

"Tell the truth, don't hide it." Zhao Yu immediately saw his thoughts and spoke.

"Yes, Your Highness, that subordinate is lying in vain." Zhuang Shilin got up and saluted, and said with a deep sigh, "Your Highness, my subordinates think that the Tartar soldiers are in full swing, and although our dynasty has gathered some soldiers and horses, most of them are village soldiers. Moreover, the previous battle between the two armies in Guangzhou was seriously damaged, and it was not repaired in time, so I am afraid it will be difficult to last. ”

"Well, what's going on in the city?" Zhao Yu nodded and asked again.

"When the subordinates left, the government began to forcibly recruit young men and prepare supplies to defend the city, while the merchants were busy selling their goods, and the people rushed to flee outside the city. There were also hooligans and ruffians who took the opportunity to rob, and although the government sent people to suppress it, it was difficult to stop it, so they sent troops to seal off the port and the city, and now it is a mess. Zhuang Shilin sighed and said.

"There is a strong enemy outside, and it is uncertain inside, it seems that it is really impossible to hold it." Zhao Yu also said with a gloomy face, Guangzhou will not only lose an important town, but the road to the south will also be cut off, and the imperial court will face the dilemma of being attacked on three sides, and the situation is very bad.

"Your Highness, will the imperial court evacuate?" Zhuang Shilin looked at the prince's face and asked.

"Once Guangzhou is lost, the imperial court will definitely evacuate, and we have to make some preparations." Zhao Yu nodded.

"Your Highness, don't unload the food on the ship first, so as not to delay time. However, it is still necessary to take good care of it, when we entered the port today, there were officers and soldiers to intercept it, and we wanted to requisition our ships and property, and their subordinates took out the brand of the palace so that they did not dare to move without permission, but they also asked us to leave a boatload of food, fortunately, Liu Zhu led the soldiers in the palace to arrive to relieve the siege, and the two almost clashed. Zhuang Shilin said.

"Oh, which way is it?" Zhao Yu was taken aback, those officers and soldiers knew that it was their own ship, but they still dared to do it, and they didn't take their own prince seriously.

"Your Highness, they claim to be the Yingzhou Army, and they should belong to Deputy Envoy Zhang." Zhuang Shilin replied.

"Yingzhou Army?!" Zhao Yu knew that the Yingzhou Army was Zhang Shijie's descendant, and it was also the most combat-effective unit in the ****** now, and he felt superior everywhere, and it was inevitable to act aggressively, but it also showed Zhang Shijie's attitude towards his little prince, and he didn't treat him as a dish at all, but it was too much for them to be so blatant, "Now that all departments are short of food, it is inevitable that some people will covet it, so first as you said, most of the food will be left on the ship, and the navy will be strictly guarded to prevent someone from robbing it." ”

"Your Highness, your subordinates think that the food we have bought is enough for two months, and we can give them some of it, so as not to make trouble with them." Zhuang Shilin hesitated and said, he also knew the importance of food at this time, but he felt that it was not wise for the prince to confront the bigwigs in the DPRK and China for this reason.

"Well, you have a point." Zhao Yu thought for a while and said, he was fledgling, and he had no power to compete with him, so he could only write it down temporarily, "But we can't cheap them, you see what else is in short supply in the house." He pursed the corners of his lips and said, his team's armor and weapons are available.

"Your Highness...... Or Your Highness is clever! Zhuang Shilin was stunned, but soon understood what the prince meant, and secretly thought that the prince was really a fellow believer, and he had such knowledge at a young age, so it was a pity not to do business.

Next, Zhao Yu talked with Zhuang Shilin about what he saw and heard on the way to understand the outside world. Later, he told him about the personnel arrangements made by the Fuzhong after he left and the ministry of the General Bureau, and then asked Wang De to lead Zhuang Shilin, who had already been unable to hold back and take office, to go to his post and handle the handover.

"Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived." The biggest problem of food availability was solved, and before Zhao Yu sent Zhuang Shilin away and sat down for a while, a small yellow door ran in and said.

"Did anyone from the palace say anything?" Zhao Hao frowned and asked, as soon as his grain ship came back, someone came from the palace, so he couldn't help but think about it......