Chapter 84: The Sweet Harbor Tempest - A Plea for Peace

This meant, of course, that apart from a small faction loyal to Third Master Zhu, he represented the attitude of the majority of the sugar companies.

Regardless of the truth of this statement, Feng Guangfeng’s arrival at least showed that the Haiyi Guild was beginning to crumble from within, and some members were looking for a way out.

“What is the purpose of your visit?”

Feng Guangfeng hesitated for a moment before revealing the secret discussions that had taken place among the many sugar companies of the Haiyi Guild a few days ago.

Apart from Third Master Zhu’s “Riyicheng,” all the other sugar companies in the Haiyi Guild now believed it was time to make peace with Huanan. The immense power Huanan had demonstrated in both fundraising and dealing with pirates had made them realize that Third Master Zhu’s attempt to crush Huanan was a futile effort.

Therefore, they proposed a truce. The Haiyi Guild would accept Huanan as a member, granting them all the privileges of the trade. In the future, Huanan could purchase sugar in Leizhou at the agreed-upon guild price, and no one would interfere. Huanan’s sugar could be freely transported and sold, and the Haiyi Guild would not intervene.

In return, they hoped Huanan would lower its sugar price to one tael and eight qian, while the Haiyi Guild would raise its price to two taels. This would attract the sugarcane farmers who had not yet sold their sugar to Haian Street.

“This is unreasonable, I know,” Feng Guangfeng said, “but for these past few days, none of the firms have received any sugar. Huanan has already bought a lot of sugar this season and has surely made a great profit. We implore you to show mercy and give your fellow tradesmen a way to survive!” With that, he bowed deeply again.

Wen Tong thought to himself that these terms were rather absurd. Was this what they called a plea for peace? Was a seat in the Haiyi Guild supposed to be such a great offer? As for free purchase and transport, wasn’t Huanan already doing that freely? Of course, this “freedom” had been won with the guns of the transmigrator group. As the Great Ancestor said, “Great undertakings arise from conflict,” a true insight into the nature of things.

“Manager Feng!” Wen Tong thought for a moment. “This is a strange request! It was the Haiyi Guild that lowered the price of sugar in the first place. What does that have to do with Huanan? Now you want to buy sugar, so you can just raise your price back up. Huanan will promise not to raise its price any further.”

“Well—” Feng Guangfeng was at a loss for words. This rebuttal was logical and well-founded, and he had no response. He had known from the start that asking Huanan to adjust its price would be difficult.

“…Is joining the Haiyi Guild such a rare privilege?” Wen Tong laughed. “Huanan Sugar Company has been doing just fine on its own. You’ve all seen what happens to those who try to cause trouble. You people are naive! Truly naive! Still scheming at a time like this!” He burst into laughter, a full display of his “aura of a conqueror.” “If our master hadn’t decided to be benevolent towards you, the Haiyi Guild would have been reduced to ashes long ago.”

This laugh was hearty and triumphant, sweeping away the months of anxiety. Even Zhou Shidi, who usually prided himself on his “imperturbability” as a martial artist, couldn’t help but smile.

If these words had been spoken half a month ago, Feng Guangfeng would have thought he was boasting. Now, his back was drenched in sweat.

“Yes, yes,” Feng Guangfeng bowed again. “In the past, we were blind and foolish! We have caused much offense! But I still implore you, managers, to grant us this. All the members of the Haiyi Guild, big and small, will be indebted to you!”

This was a difficult situation. A flat refusal might cause them to band together more tightly, stubbornly following Zhu An to the bitter end. It would also mean losing a golden opportunity to take control of the Haiyi Guild. But if they agreed, they would lose credibility with the sugarcane farmers of Leizhou.

This matter had to be handled with caution. Wen Tong and Chen Tianxiong exchanged a glance. Wen Tong said, “In that case, Boss Feng, please return for now. We need to discuss this matter before we can make a decision.”

“Yes, then I will await your good news.” Feng Guangfeng knew that such a major issue would not be resolved with an immediate promise. He expected they would have some conditions, which was to be expected.

Chen Tianxiong nodded. “If we have news, where can we find you?”

“Go to the Dachang Rice Shop and ask Boss Zhu to pass on a message. He is from my hometown.”

“Boss Zhu? Isn’t he from Qinzhou?” Chen Tianxiong asked deliberately. “I remember the owners and managers of the Haiyi Guild are all from the Shantou and Guangzhou areas.”

“I am not from there,” Feng Guangfeng said without hiding anything. He explained how he had been a clerk at Richang Ji and was chosen by the owner to marry into the family and inherit the business.

Chen Tianxiong had already investigated these matters. Now, seeing him speak so openly, he felt that Boss Feng was a rather honest person. This attitude was a good sign.

“We need to take over the Haiyi Guild,” Wen Tong said after seeing Feng Guangfeng off and returning to the room.

Several of Huanan’s key figures had gathered in the room. Mei Lin had returned to Lingao. Xiao Gui and Bei Wei were not interested in such business matters and did not attend. However, Chang Shide, who had just returned from Lingao, was present.

“Of course. Otherwise, we could have just destroyed the Haiyi Guild,” Chen Tianxiong said. His thoughts were much more complex than Wen Tong’s. His recent intelligence gathering had given him a good understanding of the Haiyi Guild’s overall scale and capabilities. These twenty-one sugar companies, even the smallest, had a capital of over ten thousand taels. Their total capital was over five or six hundred thousand taels. If the transmigrator group could control this sum, it would be of immense benefit to Huanan’s future development.

Control did not mean possession; otherwise, it would be blatant robbery. Simply joining the “Haiyi Guild” as a member would not allow them to control it. Although Third Master Zhu controlled the “Haiyi Guild” to some extent, he had only managed to get everyone to act in concert. The businesses were still run independently.

“If we’re going to do it, let’s make it a holding company,” Chang Shide said, his words startling everyone.

“Hehe, we’re on the same page,” Wen Tong said, his face beaming. “Of course, we’ll be the chairman and CEO.”

“What CEO? This habit of overusing English acronyms must be changed. This is called keeping up with the times! Let’s just call it Chief Executive Officer,” Chen Tianxiong said with a straight face.

“Alright. But it will be difficult to persuade this group of people to join a joint-stock company. People are too complicated.”

“That’s why now is the perfect time,” Chen Tianxiong said. “We’ll ride the momentum of our great victory at Juhua Islet, and while they are all scared to death, we’ll push this through. Once they’ve recovered, it won’t be so easy to handle these sugar dogs!” He took a sip of tea to wet his throat. “It doesn’t matter if people are complicated. The key is to appeal to their self-interest.”

The Haiyi Guild had initially united to deal with Huanan, and now they were ready to abandon Third Master Zhu to seek peace. It was all driven by self-interest. As long as the Huanan joint-stock company could offer them sufficient benefits, these merchants would naturally be happy to comply.

“However, this will still be difficult to execute. The key is to have someone among them who understands the market and the situation. Only then will our proposal be persuasive. Otherwise, if they are all a bunch of country bumpkins, our efforts will be in vain!”

“And they must have prestige,” Wen Tong added. “Those who see things clearly often don’t have power. And without power, what they say is useless.”

This resonated with everyone. Moreover, their knowledge of the inner workings of the Haiyi Guild was limited. Apart from what they had heard from Xiao Zhanfeng, who was also an outsider with limited knowledge.

Wen Tong asked, “What about Feng Guangfeng? I think he’s quite honest and sincere.”

“No,” Chen Tianxiong said. “He married into the family. In ancient times, such people were looked down upon, and he’s not from the same hometown as most of the Haiyi Guild members. Besides, he’s just a small player. His words carry no weight.”

Everyone was slightly disappointed. Then Chang Shide suddenly laughed. “I’ve got it! All trade guilds claim to protect the interests of their members, but in reality, it’s always the few large firms that benefit, while the smaller ones lose out—”

“We’ll win over the small firms!” Chen Tianxiong had already caught on.

They immediately summoned Liao Daxing and asked him about the situation of the sugar companies in the Haiyi Guild.

“There are four large firms. The rest are small,” Liao Daxing, with his years of experience as a clerk in a grain shop, knew these details.

“The largest, of course, is Third Master Zhu’s Riyicheng,” Liao Daxing said. In fact, Riyicheng was not originally the largest. When it was passed down to Third Master Zhu, it was at the bottom of the list of large firms.

“…The reason it prospered was because he founded the Haiyi Guild. He united the scattered businesses of Haian Street—and reaped many benefits for himself in the process.”

“There must be some conflict between the large and small firms, right?”

“Of course! Just look at the public accounts.” Liao Daxing explained that the Haiyi Guild had a public fund for bribing officials, paying off pirates, and hiring guards. Initially, the annual budget was ten thousand taels, shared proportionally, with large firms paying a full share and small firms paying half a share.

“…Later, it became twenty thousand taels a year—”

“The large firms claimed to pay, but they either didn’t pay or paid less, right?”

“Yes, that’s what the small firms say in private,” Liao Daxing nodded. “Actually, only Riyicheng doesn’t pay at all. The large firms do pay less. Besides, only heaven knows how the Haiyi Guild’s public funds are spent. It’s all managed by Third Master Zhu’s people.”

“How do you know so much?” Chen Tianxiong was intrigued.

“It’s not difficult. Boss Feng and Boss Zhu are from the same hometown and often drink together. I heard it all from them. Boss Feng is quite a character!” Liao Daxing spoke of Feng Guangfeng with a sense of admiration.

“He’s a good man and a skilled businessman. It’s rare to find someone who isn’t obsessed with money! Several of the small firms respect him a lot and don’t look down on him just because he married into the family.”

After this inquiry, they had a general understanding of the structure and problems of the Haiyi Guild. However, the information provided by Liao Daxing only confirmed that their idea of winning over the small firms was feasible. How to do it was still a big question.