“No?” Jin Feng was stunned for a moment, then asked, “How did Zhou Changlin respond?”
The new cloth from Xihe Bay Textile Factory was low in cost and high in quality. Once launched, it would certainly seize the market rapidly.
There was no doubt about that.
Jin Feng truly could not imagine what countermeasure Zhou Changlin could possibly have.
“At first, when Zhou Changlin saw our new cloth, he was dumbfounded. But then he simply shut down his own workshop and secretly ordered people to buy up large quantities of our new cloth, only to resell it elsewhere.”
Mancang said with a wry smile, “Factory Director Tang had set the price of the new cloth very low to capture the market quickly. It was cheaper than the cost of Zhou’s own production, and it had patterns too. Zhou Changlin could make a fortune just by reselling it once, earning even more than our factory. That really infuriated Factory Director Tang.”
“This…”
To be honest, Jin Feng had not expected Zhou Changlin to break the deadlock this way.
But it made perfect sense.
The Zhou family had been in the cloth trade for so many years. Their channels, connections, and networks were far stronger than those of a newcomer like Tang Dongdong.
Since Tang Dongdong’s selling price was lower than his own production costs, and the product was superior, why bother producing anything himself?
He could simply switch from manufacturer to distributor.
Not only would he earn more than before, but he would also avoid the hassle of running workshops.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
“Zhou Changlin truly has the skills to lead the Zhou family to become Guangyuan’s largest cloth merchant!”
Jin Feng sighed in admiration, then smiled and asked, “How did Dongdong fight back?”
Given Mancang’s temperament, if their textile factory had lost, he would have been even more panicked than Tang Dongdong.
The fact that Mancang remained relatively calm now suggested that Tang Dongdong still held the upper hand.
“After Factory Director Tang discovered that the Zhou family was buying up our new cloth, she directly released a huge batch from the warehouse. To prevent others from snatching the business, the Zhou family had to swallow it all.”
Mancang said, “Factory Director Tang had Xiaoyu send people to watch the Zhou family closely, saying she wanted to stuff Zhou Changlin to death. So she released a batch, and the Zhou family took it, batch after batch, until they could take no more.
Zhou Changlin probably never expected Factory Director Tang to have stockpiled so much. He held out for over half a month, but finally could not endure it. The Zhou family’s silver was all spent, and their warehouses were full to bursting.
At that point, Factory Director Tang suddenly approached the Zhou family’s downstream customers directly, offering even lower prices and guaranteeing door-to-door delivery. She snatched away many of their clients.”
“Dongdong’s method is quite good.” Jin Feng nodded slightly.
Merchants chase profit. When Tang Dongdong could offer lower prices and door-to-door service, it was obvious whom the downstream customers would choose to work with.
In truth, Tang Dongdong and Zhou Changlin were waging a psychological war.
If he were in Zhou Changlin’s position, he would never have guessed that Tang Dongdong would hoard enough stock to bankrupt the Zhou family.
As Guangyuan’s largest cloth merchant, the Zhou family had exceptionally deep pockets.
Draining them dry was no easy feat.
The main reason Tang Dongdong’s plan succeeded was her backing from Xihe Bay, combined with the enormous cash Jin Feng had recently earned from glass beads and black knives, providing her with a steady flow of funds.
Anyone else attempting this plan would almost certainly have failed.
“And then?” Jin Feng continued asking, “Though the Zhou family ran out of money, they still have the new cloth they acquired. If they ship it farther away and sell it, they could recover, perhaps even earn more. Dongdong wouldn’t let them off so easily, would she?”
“This…” Mancang suddenly hesitated.
Seeing Jin Feng looking at him with a half-smile, he finally spoke up, “Factory Director Tang guessed that the Zhou family would send the new cloth to the capital, so… she made some arrangements…”
“What arrangements?” Jin Feng asked curiously.
“Factory Director Tang found out the route the Zhou family would take to the capital in advance, then had someone secretly tip off the bandits…”
After saying this, Mancang glanced worriedly at Jin Feng, looked around to ensure no outsiders were present, and continued,
“The bandits heard there was a big haul and gathered several thousand men to rob the Zhou family… When I left, I heard the Zhou family suffered devastating losses. Not only was all the new cloth seized by the bandits, but the two sons Zhou Changlin sent to escort the shipment were also killed. Now Zhou Changlin has only one foolish son left alive…
It’s said that to buy the cloth, Zhou Changlin not only used up all his own silver but also borrowed heavily. By now, the creditors have probably come knocking.”
Jin Feng would learn these things upon returning to Xihe Bay anyway, so Mancang simply told everything he knew.
Hiss!
Jin Feng drew in a sharp breath.
Tang Dongdong’s move was indeed ruthless.
The wealth Zhou Changlin had accumulated over decades of hard work was now lost in one fell swoop.
Two of his three sons were dead.
And he faced pressure from creditors.
His fate was imaginable.
Jin Feng knew the matter was certainly more complicated than Mancang described.
Since Zhou Changlin had sent two sons to escort the cloth, it showed how seriously he took it. The guard force must have been strong.
Bandits were not fools. They generally avoided provoking merchant caravans that clearly had powerful backing.
Yet the bandits struck anyway. To say Tang Dongdong had not stirred things behind the scenes, Jin Feng would never believe it.
As for exactly how she did it, she probably had not told Mancang.
“Sir, you’re not angry, are you?”
Mancang was an honest man. At this moment, he felt like a snitching villain.
Looking awkward, he wanted to plead for Tang Dongdong, “Actually, Factory Director Tang did this because…”
“Mancang, this has nothing to do with you. I’m not angry either.”
Jin Feng reassured him, then said, “The marketplace is also a kind of battlefield. It can claim lives too. You don’t need to worry about this matter. When I return, I’ll ask Dongdong myself.”
“Yes. In future, I’ll just do whatever you instruct me to do, sir.” Mancang nodded repeatedly.
He had previously gotten along well with Tang Dongdong and thought her very kind.
But ever since hearing from Xiaoyu about her fight with Zhou Changlin, Mancang felt a little afraid whenever he saw her.
This society was too complicated. He was better off staying honestly in the smelting workshop, forging iron.
“That’s enough.” Jin Feng smiled and patted Mancang on the shoulder.
This was why he liked Mancang.
Though not particularly clever, he had strong execution and was very reliable.
The female shopkeeper leading the way reached a small courtyard, stopped at the entrance, and gave Jin Feng a slight curtsy to indicate they had arrived.
Jin Feng glanced at the courtyard. Though not large, it was quiet and elegant, clearly carefully arranged. He nodded in satisfaction and gestured for her to return to her duties.
As he entered the courtyard, he turned back and asked, “Is there anything else?”
“Oh yes, there’s one more quite important matter…”
Halfway through speaking, Mancang noticed Jin Feng’s steps had stopped.
Following Jin Feng’s gaze to the figure in the courtyard, he silently closed his mouth.
In the small courtyard, Runniang approached with a smile, “Sir!”
“Runniang, why have you come too?” Jin Feng asked with a wry smile.
“Sister Xiaorou asked me to come and attend to you, sir.”
Runniang blushed as she looked at Jin Feng, “Sir, you’ve grown thinner!”
