With this idea, the grain merchants immediately began a war for the purchase of official grain.

2,000 quintals, 10,000 quintals, 50,000 quintals, 200,000 quintals......

In just five days, the major grain merchants in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces purchased a full 200,000 quintals of grain from the Shanxi Governor's Mansion at a price of 10 taels of silver.

After listening to the report of his subordinates, a sneer directly appeared on his calm face.

He said to himself: "200,000 quintals of grain, according to the price of ten taels of silver, is two million taels of silver." However, according to the old man's understanding, all the silver in the hands of these grain merchants added up, tens of millions of taels, and there was still ......"

"Therefore, if they want to lose nothing in this business war, they must take out the remaining eight million taels of silver in their hands."

"For this purpose, complete the important task entrusted to us by the marshal of the Foreign Trade Department. The old man decided to find another way to add a fire to those grain merchants......"

Speaking of which, Zhou Lao's face was already unconsciously covered by Yan Sù.

He shouted an order to his subordinates in front of him: "Continue to sell grain tomorrow, but, in order to give these grain merchants the illusion that we are about to be unable to hold on, and the grain stored in the governor's palace is about to run out, from tomorrow onwards, the price of grain will rise directly from the original ten taels of silver to twelve taels of silver." “

The news of the increase in the price of official grain had just spread in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, and a rumor that was very unfavorable to the governor's palace was quickly spread in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces like a plague.

"Because of the continuous release of grain, and most of the grain released by the governor's palace was bought by grain merchants. Prepare to hoard and further drive up food prices and make a lot of money...... There is not much grain left in the granary of the Governor's Palace, and the price has to be increased......"

For ordinary people, they must seize the last time to stock up as much food as possible to cope with a new round of food price surges. At the same time, they are full of hatred for those grain merchants who take the lead in driving up food prices.

And for those grain merchants, the fact that the price of grain has risen and the rumors among the people. It directly confirms everyone's original inference about the Governor's Mansion of Shanxi......

In addition to feeding millions of people in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. In the hands of the governor's palace, there is no surplus grain to control the price of grain.

So, in order to complete the secret mission given to them by the imperial court, in order to earn silver. These grain merchants. Seize the last bit of opportunity as well. Large-scale purchase of grain from the Shanxi Governor's Palace......

And then. When there was no grain in the governor's palace, he sold it at a higher price and earned a large sum of silver.

Under the frenzied acquisition of these grain merchants. In just three days, more than 500,000 loads of grain once again entered the warehouses of all grain merchants in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

At this time, the price of grain sold in the Governor's Mansion once again ushered in a new round of skyrocketing, fifteen taels of silver per load, which was three times that before the commercial war.

In the face of high prices, the grain merchants, who are very confident in their own judgments, do not have the slightest intention of retreating......

Again he took out the silver and bought back a full 200,000 quintals of grain from the governor's palace......

Just when all the grain merchants exchanged their money for grain, ready to make a lot of money when the Shanxi Governor's Mansion had no grain to sell. The unexpected happened.

The Governor's Palace, which had no grain to sell on the surface, unexpectedly put up a sign to sell grain again the next day.

Not only that, but the price of grain in the Governor's Mansion was unexpectedly low to five taels of silver a load.

Of course, at the same time as the low food price was played, a piece of news was also released by the Governor's Palace.

"The Governor's Office has bought back more than one million quintals of grain from Jiangnan, which is enough for more than 10 million people in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces to hold out until the autumn grain harvest, please don't panic and don't raise prices......

When I first heard these news, both the gentry and landlords in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, as well as ordinary people, could not believe it. Because, the imperial court's blockade of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces is already a well-known thing.

In such a situation, how could the Shanxi Governor's Office buy grain from Jiangnan and transport it to Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

Could it be that the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed by the imperial court in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces are all decorations in front of the tiger and leopard army?

However, when they really bought grain from the governor's palace at the price of five taels of silver a load.

All kinds of doubts in their hearts disappeared in an instant. Instead, there's excitement from the heart. Because, according to the Shanxi Governor's Office, from now on, the two provinces of Shanxi no longer need to worry about food.

The ordinary people were happy, but the grain merchants who had hoarded a lot of grain wanted to cry without tears......

During the seven or eight days of grain purchases, they had used up all the money in their families. All grain merchants are counting on the mountains of grain piled up in the warehouses to earn more money for themselves.

However, today's action of the Shanxi Governor's Mansion not only dashed their hopes of making money, but also made them lose all their money.

For the grain they had piled up in the storehouse was bought from the governor's palace at a high price.

If it is sold for five taels of silver. For every load of grain they sold, they lost more than five taels of silver......

Under such circumstances, these grain merchants, who had already made a lot of money in the process of raising grain prices, would certainly not sell their grain at such a low price.

They are waiting, waiting for a hope, hoping that the news that the Haw Par Army will wear out is just to stabilize the hearts of the people. In fact, the Shanxi Governor's Mansion did not have enough grain to stabilize the price of grain.

However, the next day, instead of waiting for the imaginary hope, they waited for even greater despair.

The price of grain sold in the Governor's Mansion has once again fallen to the same level as the grain price in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces a year ago, and has become an unexpected four taels of silver per load.

In the face of grain prices, which have already shown a downward trend, some grain merchants who are not very strong are trying to turn grain into silver that can be circulated. I had to take out the grain at the same price as the Governor's Palace, and still sell the grain.

However, after this period of raising grain prices, the impression of these grain merchants among the people has been reduced to the lowest point.

Therefore, even if they offered the price of four taels of silver and a load of grain, the grain shop would not be cared for.

The common people, who were full of hatred for the grain merchants, did not buy grain from ordinary grain merchants, even if they waited a little longer at the governor's palace to buy grain.

Under such circumstances, in order to turn grain into silver as soon as possible, these grain merchants had to further reduce the price on the basis of four taels of silver......

There is a good saying that in China, no matter what you do, there is a lack of ...... However, as long as there is a leader, others will flock to follow suit.

The same is true for the grain merchants who have hoarded a large amount of grain in the warehouse in front of them.

When they saw some allies who did not hesitate to exchange grain for silver at a loss, they also began to get anxious.

As grain merchants in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, they are very aware of the situation of tuntian in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

In their plan, whether it is to raise the price of grain or hoard grain to make better profits, it can only be done one month before the autumn grain harvest.

Now, there are less than 20 days left before the autumn harvest. If you can't sell the grain that has been piled up in the warehouse within twenty days. A load of autumn grain harvest, even if they have great ability, there is no way to continue to sell grain. In the end, I could only watch the grain I bought at a high price become moldy little by little, and the loss was lost.

So, a difficult choice was placed directly in front of them......

If you continue to hold on to high-priced grain and do not sell it, you are likely to lose all your money...... If the grain is sold at the current price, it will also be very bad. However, at least some of the silver can be recovered, so that the family will not go bankrupt.

As a result, more and more grain merchants began to sell grain at low prices.

Not only that, but in order to sell the grain as soon as possible and reduce losses, the price of their grain is becoming lower and lower. In just one day, it broke through from three taels of silver to three taels of silver, and there is a trend of further decline.

At this moment, no one could have imagined that the grain merchants who were still united, allied with each other, and raised grain prices together. At this moment, for the sake of interests and in order to alleviate their own losses, they have invisibly become competitors, constantly lowering the price of grain sold by the former alliance and selling the grain hoards in their hands.

At this time, the Governor's Office of Shanxi Province had invisibly grasped the power to control grain prices in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

As the director of the Department of Foreign Trade, Zhou Lao did not let go of this opportunity to beat the water dogs.

Just a day later, grain merchants from all over the country sold less than 50,000 quintals of grain. The Shanxi Governor's Mansion directly marked the lower price of three taels of silver and a load of grain.

In the face of the continuous supply of grain in the hands of the Governor's Palace, and in the face of the lower and lower food prices in the Governor's Palace. Grain traders dare not imagine whether grain prices will fall further after tomorrow...... If it continues to fall, how much money will you lose?

Therefore, in order to keep the value of the food in hand as much as possible.

As soon as the price of three taels of silver and a load of grain in the governor's palace came out, those grain merchants successively offered the price of two taels of silver, two taels of silver, and even two taels of silver......

What these grain merchants did not expect was that the Chinese have had a habit since ancient times, that is, to buy up rather than down.

In the face of lower and lower grain prices, the people of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces have become hesitant and no longer buy grain......

After a series of declines in food prices, all people are looking forward to a fourth, and even fifth, fall.

So, ordinary people are waiting, waiting for lower food prices, and then they will sell.

In the face of this situation, the most anxious are still those grain merchants who hold a large amount of increasingly worthless grain.

Just when they were in a state of panic, they began to burn incense and worship the Buddha, praying that the price of food would not continue to fall. Mr. Zhou, the Foreign Trade Department, sent them a document directly......

If they wished, the governor's palace could buy a large amount of grain from them at the price of two or two cents a load of silver. (To be continued......)