"How much grain do we have on hand?"
While the entire city of Suma was in chaos, Zhang Jing calmly flipped through his account book.
"Reporting to sir, including the grain stored on our own estates, we have about ten thousand shi!"
The nearby accountant quickly whispered.
"What about the Liu family? How much did Director Liu and his people hoard?"
Hearing that it was only ten thousand shi, Zhang Jing couldn't help but frown.
However, he understood that there was no other way.
After all, in Jiaozhi, the price of grain was simply too low.
Even the most ordinary commoners had no problem getting enough to eat.
The weather here was humid and rainy, the soil was fertile, and the temperature was also very suitable for grain growth.
It didn't even require the meticulous farming methods of the Song Dynasty; one just needed to sow the rice seeds and harvest them after a few dozen days.
Under such circumstances, grain simply couldn't fetch a good price. If it weren't for their frantic purchasing now, the price of grain might not have risen by even a few copper coins all year round.
"Although their actions were a bit slow, their stored grain is slightly more than ours. If calculated carefully, it should be around fifteen thousand shi."
Unlike the Zhang family, the Liu family originated from military households and their consumption of alcohol was indeed much greater than other families.
A large portion of the grain they hoarded was used for brewing wine, which was unavoidable. Thus, Zhang Jing did not dwell on this matter any further.
Moreover, according to the agreement with Shao Bowen, the price at which he purchased these pills was much lower than that of the Liu family.
If the real accounts were tallied, the items he obtained in the end would definitely be far more than what the Liu family got.
"In that case, go and collect all the pills that fellow promised me. Then, find a suitable person to leak this news..."
As Zhang Jing spoke, a cold smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.
"Sir, what do you mean?"
Hearing him say that, the accountant next to him was stunned.
"These Song Dynasty merchants are going to such lengths to buy grain from us at this time. Don't you think this is an opportunity? The pills they have are truly good things, and from my observation, their inventory should be far more than what we've seen!"
"Sir, you intend to use a borrowed knife to kill?"
The accountant immediately understood his meaning.
"Who told them they are Song people? If we were to kill them, it would be a troublesome affair, big or small. Let the Liu family handle such acts of violence and arson. We just need to sit back and reap the rewards! When they come begging me, aren't you afraid they won't obediently hand over what we want?"
"Sir is wise, your subordinate will go and do it now!"
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At this time, the city of Suma was filled with people suffering from malaria.
It was incredibly simple to pick a few people from this group to test the medicine.
By the time it got dark, the symptoms of the patients who participated in the trial had already significantly lessened.
Some of them even felt that their bodies had become stronger than before.
And this strength was not from the outside in, nor was it like some crooked skill. Instead, they found it quite enjoyable.
"Liu Lang, this is the news we just received. There is indeed something fishy going on between those Song merchants and that fellow named Zhang!"
Liu Siye had just finished checking his accounts and was about to go back to rest when a servant rushed in from outside.
"Fishy? What could they possibly be up to?"
Liu Siye was quite satisfied with the quantity of grain in stock.
Unless Zhang Jing opened the imperial granary and released grain, the grain in that fellow's hands would not be more than his own.
"This is the intelligence our people have just gathered. You should read it before speaking!"
As the servant spoke, he handed over the intelligence in his hands. With just a glance at the contents, Liu Siye's face immediately turned grim. These Song merchants were clearly looking down on him! Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent gifts only to that scoundrel Zhang Jing.
"Scoundrel!"
Although the Zhang family controlled the court, the Liu family now held nearly half of the army of the entire Li Dynasty.
Furthermore, Liu Qingyuan had disciples and old friends all over the place. Even Zhang Boyu would not dare to insult their Liu family like this.
This fellow was simply playing with fire.
"I'll write you a note. You must rush back to Shenglong Prefecture immediately. I want to see a reply within three days, no matter what!"
After taking a deep breath, a bold plan appeared directly in Liu Siye's mind.
"Yes!"
With a few cold laughs, Liu Siye immediately went to his desk, swiftly wrote a letter, and handed it directly to the servant standing before him.
Only after the person left did a smile appear on Liu Siye's face.
"You want grain? Then let's see if you have the life to transport it out of Jiaozhi!"
Although the massacre of merchants had not happened for many years, the thought of the items in their hands made Liu Siye's face reveal a cold smile.
"Sir, do you think this arrangement is satisfactory?"
In the inn, in order to ensure the smooth progress of tomorrow's auction, Zhe Shijiu and the others had spent a large sum of money to rent the entire inn.
"Just clean it up. As for the rest, there's no need to be too particular. Just get some local vegetables and fruits for them. I don't think they'll have the mood to savor fine wine and delicacies anyway!"
After a brief inspection of the surroundings, Shao Bowen couldn't help but smile.
At this time, people were dying in the city almost every moment. Under such circumstances, how could these dignitaries still bother with feasting and drinking?
Getting their hands on these pills as soon as possible was the true priority.
"Don't you feel that things are proceeding a bit too smoothly? Sometimes I feel that it's all a bit unreal..."
Looking at the smile on Shao Bowen's face, Zhe Shijiu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said.
"Your concerns are valid, but I don't think they will make a move within the city. If they make a move, it will be at sea!"
Shao Bowen smiled, unconcerned.