Lord of the Desert

Chapter 425 Gambling
"Greetings, Senior Zhu."

Hong Fan bowed and greeted him, and by the time he was done, all the pressure on him was gone.

"In that last move, I pressed 60,000 pounds of force on your shoulders, and you were able to stand up straight and salute. It's not difficult to look down on your peers."

Zhu Zhanran praised lightly.

"The true energy you just used should have been used to practice the Blazing Explosion Canon. It was probably given by the Martial Arts Academy?"

He raised his eyebrow and asked again.

"What you said is true, but it is not a gift, but an exchange for military merit."

Hong Fan replied.

"What a 'change'."

Zhu Zhanran laughed coldly.

"This martial art was originally owned by the Mo family of Hanzhou in this dynasty. Seventy years ago, the Mo family declined and somehow the original text was lost. However, twenty years later, it was rediscovered in the Wuxun Pavilion of the Zhangwu Academy..."

"Hmph, forget it, let's not talk nonsense today; I invited you here for serious business."

As he spoke, he pointed to the iron chair beside the copper table.

Hong Fan sat down without hesitation.

"You did a great job on your trip south that day, especially your skill in making steel in the converter, which was so superb that it left thousands of craftsmen in my village helpless."

Zhu Zhanran came straight to the point.

"I invited you here today because I want to buy your skills."

Hong Fan wanted to speak when he heard this, but someone raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't worry, listen to my conditions first."

Zhu Zhanran said in a tone that brooked no rejection.

"I heard that your company invested 300,000 or 400,000 taels of silver in advance, and you hold half of the shares. So, the Zhu family will pay 3 million taels of silver - 50% of which is cash, 30% is houses and land in Xijing City, and 20% is antiques and treasures - in exchange for your skills and all the shares of Tiannan Bank."

"Based on these conditions, as long as you nod, both the Shura Sect and the Shen Family will surely agree."

Even Hong Fan was secretly shocked when he heard this plan.

Three million taels.

This is ten times the total assets of the Hong family today, and is equivalent to the taxes of 20 million people in Liangzhou for nearly half a year. It can be exchanged for the most luxurious and generous material enjoyment that Dahua can provide, as well as all martial arts resources that have a market value.

This is a condition that only a god has the ability and courage to propose.

But Hong Fan could not agree.

Because steel is the foundation of all future blueprints.

"Hoo, Senior Zhu..."

He took a long breath and then shook his head firmly.

The muscles on Zhu Zhanran's cheeks tensed.

"Hong Fan, think about it again."

"These three million taels are the upper limit of what the Zhu family can raise right now. I have never offered such conditions since I ascended to heaven, and I don't want to be rejected."

Zhu Zhanran said this with a fixed gaze, his eyes seemed to be real.

Although Hong Fan was sitting upright, he could clearly see with his peripheral vision that the red clouds in the sky were slowly sinking and shrinking, as if they were responding to the emotions of the gods.

He then placed his hands on his knees in the mudra of wisdom, paying attention to every trace of fear, panic and greed in his heart until all thoughts were annihilated and only silence remained.

"Senior Zhu, from the great Martial Saint to the humble pawn, everyone has something they hope for, but nine out of ten things in this world don't go as planned."

After a few breaths, Hong Fan replied.

"Heh, where on earth do you get the courage from a little innate like you?!"

Zhu Zhanran laughed out of anger.

The red clouds rolled in response, as if the red sky was boiling. Through the distant gap in the clouds, one could vaguely see the dark night, raging wind and snow outside.

However, the young man sat as steady as a mountain, unmoved.

"Hong Fan, ah Hong Fan, have you ever thought about what would happen if I attacked you?"

Zhu Zhanran pointed north and asked in a low voice.

"If you die here, all your plans will be in vain. I may have a few enemies, but that's all."

"Li Pochen, Ying Zhangjian, Shen Moye, you may think they are your support, but these three have only fought with me at most, and they will never fight to the death for you."

Hong Fan smiled when he heard this.

"why are you laughing?"

Zhu Zhanran asked.

"I smiled because I heard what you said and I knew you had no intention of killing me."

Hong Fan answered.

"Senior Zhu, money can buy almost everything, but it can't buy more money. I know that the Zhu family has been running Tongyun Villa for many years, and I am unwilling to accept the sudden change. However, the business world is like a battlefield. There is a saying in my hometown - what you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiation table."

The red clouds calmed down strangely.

"So you are unwilling to give Tongyun Villa a way out?"

Zhu Zhanran suppressed his anger and remained silent.

"Of course not, otherwise why would I come all the way here?"

Hong Fan returned immediately.

"I want to join hands with the Zhu family to plan for the future together."

"How to say?"

"Tiannan Bank will be the main operator and all of Tongyun Villa's metal smelting business will be incorporated into it, including the thousands of craftsmen you just mentioned..."

Zhu Zhanran's mouth corners gradually drooped.

Hong Fan spoke faster.

"After the merger, your family will take 30% of Tiannanxing's shares, and will have one board seat along with Shura Sect and the Shen family. The equity of the other parties will be reduced accordingly. In addition, the management will remain unchanged for the time being, with Wen Zhongguan in charge of technical production, Hongfu in charge of personnel, Shen Tiexin in charge of finance, and the Zhu family can appoint a senior executive to be in charge of sales."

This was a simple and clear plan, but to Zhu Zhanran it sounded almost equivalent to Tiannanxing swallowing up Tongyun Villa completely - according to this ratio, the equity of the new Tiannanxing would be roughly divided into three equal parts, one part in Hongfan, one part in the Shen family and Shura Sect, and one part in the Zhu family.

It seemed fair. But compared to the entire Tongyun Villa that our side paid, the cost paid by the other two parties was just a sudden new technology and hundreds of thousands of taels of start-up capital.

In this "business war", Tongyun Villa is undoubtedly the loser, and the chips of the winner and loser cannot be exchanged equally.

Zhu Zhanran knew this, but he couldn't accept it psychologically.

"What a big appetite, like a snake swallowing an elephant."

He laughed harshly.

"You want to take away all the accumulation of Tongyun Villa over a hundred years..."

“No, Senior…”

Hong Fan wanted to explain but was interrupted immediately.

"I really don't understand why you look down on my Zhu family so much?"

Zhu Zhanran crushed the armrest of the throne.

At this time, Hong Fan's hair stood on end, realizing that the other party's patience had reached its limit.

"Senior Zhu, words are powerless. Let's talk about deeds instead of intentions. Please hold your anger and listen to my last condition."

He stood up suddenly and spoke quickly.

"According to my calculations, Tongyun Villa's annual net profit from metallurgy was 600,000 taels, is that correct?
"Not bad at all."

Zhu Zhanran responded coldly.

"In this case, I am willing to make a bet with you - if Tongyun Villa merges into Tiannan Bank with 30% of its shares as consideration, ten years later, the annual dividends that the Zhu family will receive from Tiannan Bank will exceed 1.8 million taels."

Hong Fan said with absolute certainty.

"If it is achieved, it means that the valuation I gave you today is reasonable. If it is not achieved, I will transfer all the shares of Tiannanxing to you."

"What did you say?!"

Zhu Zhanran suspected that he had heard it wrongly.

A 30% stake and a triple dividend means that Tiannanxing’s profit in ten years’ time will be nine times greater than that of Tongyun Villa now.

It should be noted that the Chinese society has been floating in a static state for a long time.

As early as twenty years ago, Tongyun Villa had taken up all the market it could - the rest were either inaccessible or unprofitable.

For twenty years, Zhu Zhanran's annual cash flow and net profit have only fluctuated slightly, and there has been no growth at all.

On the other side, after talking about practical benefits, Hong Fan began to express his emotions again.

"I was blessed with a star at the age of seventeen. In three years, I have come to where I am today. I can have a conversation with you on the top of the Tower of Babel. I consider myself the best among all the best in the world."

"I came here today, firstly to solve the dilemma of the business, and secondly to see the gracefulness of Tongyun Jizhao."

"Senior, as the Southern Sky Pillar of Liangzhou, your reputation is known far and wide. Perhaps you don't know that I have admired you since I was a child."

"Although I just met you, Senior, I know that you are as noble as a white elephant in the forest, and don't care about money or worldly things. From my private speculation, you are not thinking about the increase or decrease of some external wealth, but because you have to fight for the responsibility of your family..."

Zhu Zhanran was shocked when he heard it before, but now he was stunned.

Noble as a white elephant in the forest;
There is no such thing as gold or silver;
The mind does not increase or decrease due to a little external wealth;

I have to fight for the responsibility of my family...

He pondered it carefully, and at first he did not understand what it meant. But after tasting it three more times, he felt more and more that Hong Fan's words hit the nail on the head.

[This kid understands me. ]

Zhu Zhanran had an idea, but he was still skeptical about the bet.

"You just said that in ten years, Zhu's dividends must exceed 1.8 million taels of silver per year, otherwise you will give away all your shares - are you serious?"

He confirmed it.

"How dare I lie in front of your Excellency?"

Hong Fan said nothing.

This time Zhu Zhanran was completely moved.

Dahua has been established for three hundred years, and all the cakes have been divided long ago.

When everyone is just fishing in stagnant water, no one can imagine what a business with an annual growth rate of several tens of percent will be like.

Because of this, Zhu Zhanran could not refuse this hugely profitable agreement.

"Hong Fan, based on what you just said, do you dare to make a written statement?"

he asked solemnly.

"of course."

Hong Fan nodded solemnly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhu Zhanran using his fingers as a pen to write on the red copper table, writing down the gambling agreement word by word amidst the flying copper chips.

Then, Hong Fan also heated his index finger to the limit and signed his name.

"well!"

When Zhu Zhanran saw that everything on the desk was completed, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Having been in the martial arts world for many years, he is definitely not a naive person. He originally did not believe that Hong Fan admired him, but now that such conditions have been written down, how could they be false?

[Eh, Chisha, who stirred up the turmoil in Liangzhou, actually admires me so much? ]

[Hey, everyone knows that I have a noble character. What the hell, what can I do? What can I do? ]

Zhu Zhanran looked at Hong Fan's handsome and heroic appearance, and his heart was filled with joy. He suddenly felt that this boy was particularly pleasing to the eye.

"Well, well done Hong Fan, great accomplishments, great courage, you are indeed the best of the best in the Nine Provinces, the best of the best in the world! It's a pity that so many of my juniors are more stupid than the other, not only are they not as courageous as you, but no one understands my mind as well as you do..."

He suddenly stood up, patted Hong Fan on the shoulder affectionately, then picked up the bronze table with the gambling agreement written on it and rose into the air from the top of the Tower of Babel.

"From today on, Hong Fan will be the guest of honor in my house. You must not neglect him!"

The three sentences spread out like thunder, first striking clearly in the ears of everyone in Tongyun Villa, and then rolling away into the mountains.

The red clouds dissipated and the world became clear.

Hong Fan heaved a long sigh and stood on the top of the iron tower with the blue night above his head.

Looking down, the valley is like intestines and the river reaches the sky.

(End of this chapter)