Yang Zhenshan had just sent Wu Chongzhe away when, unexpectedly, Zhang Qingsong came to find him.
During the meeting just now, Zhang Qingsong did not show too much of a presence, merely listening quietly to Yang Zhenshan’s instructions.
Yang Zhenshan had thought he might have some concerns regarding the acquisition of grain and asked, "Do you have any concerns? If so, you can speak directly to me."
"No, no, I simply want to discuss another business proposition with the Marquis!" replied Zhang Qingsong.
Yang Zhenshan was startled, then he laughed and said, "Discuss business? Haha, please sit down and talk!"
"Thank you, Marquis!" Zhang Qingsong took a seat across from Yang Zhenshan with great respect.
"What business?" Yang Zhenshan asked, somewhat curious.
Hadn’t they finished discussing all business matters?
There wasn’t much to discuss about the glass business, and the grain business didn’t really count as business since Yang Zhenshan wasn’t offering them a high price. However, he did require them to transport as much grain as possible to Chongshan Pass.
They were practically helping for free, barely making any profit from it.
As for their willingness to help, unless they no longer wanted to do business in glass, they would do everything they could to help Yang Zhenshan acquire grain.
As for other business, Yang Zhenshan couldn’t immediately think of what other business he could possibly do with Zhang Qingsong.
"Actually, it’s not a big business, just a small idea of mine! I’d like to propose mutual redemption and exchange between the silver notes of Datong Bank and Chongshan Bank," said Zhang Qingsong.
"Oh!" Yang Zhenshan showed interest.
Mutual redemption and exchange meant that the silver notes of both banks could be used interchangeably: Datong Bank’s silver notes could be exchanged for Silver Coin at Chongshan Bank, and vice versa.
The benefit of this was that it would allow both banks’ silver notes to circulate more widely.
For instance, it was difficult for Chongshan Bank’s silver notes to circulate in Liaodong previously, as there were no branches there, so customers couldn’t exchange their silver notes for Silver Coin in Liaodong.
But if they could be exchanged with Datong Bank, Chongshan Bank’s silver notes could be turned into Silver Coin in Liaodong at Datong Bank’s branches.
This would enable Chongshan Bank’s silver notes to circulate in Liaodong.
This was completely beneficial for Chongshan Bank but not necessarily a good thing for Datong Bank, as the circulation of Chongshan Bank’s silver notes in Liaodong was tantamount to seizing Datong Bank’s business.
"Aren’t you afraid Chongshan Bank will steal Datong Bank’s business?" Yang Zhenshan asked.
With some embarrassment, Zhang Qingsong said, "I’m more afraid of the Marquis opening branches in Liaodong!"
Yang Zhenshan suddenly understood.
Indeed, a shrewd businessman like Zhang Qingsong would never enter a deal that resulted in a loss.
His willingness to accept a loss certainly indicated larger benefits on the line.
Silver note redemption and exchange would at most damage Datong Bank’s silver note business. However, if Chongshan Bank opened branches in Liaodong, it could harm all of Datong Bank’s operations: such as Silver Coin exchange, lending, bill exchange, and silver deposits.
The key issue was that Zhang Qingsong didn’t dare oppose Yang Zhenshan; he could only watch helplessly as Chongshan Bank snatched business from Datong Bank.
And Datong Bank was the foundation of the Zhang family from Liao’an. If Datong Bank’s business suffered, then the very foundation of the Zhang family from Liao’an would be shaken.
Zhang Qingsong looked at Yang Zhenshan with begging eyes, "Marquis, Datong Bank is the foundation of our Zhang family. I beseech the Marquis to consider the respectful relationship our Zhang family has always maintained with the Marquis, and grant our family a way out!"
He was truly panicked, having been anxious from the moment he saw Chongshan Bank’s pamphlet.
If Chongshan Bank began aggressively opening branches in Liaodong, it wouldn’t be long before Datong Bank went bankrupt.
Given Yang Zhenshan’s status and influence, enabling Chongshan Bank to establish branches all over Liaodong wouldn’t be difficult.
Yang Zhenshan hadn’t considered this point; so far, he had only intended to set up a bank in Chongshan Town and had no plans of expanding to Liaodong.
Thus, Zhang Qingsong’s concerns were understandable.
Currently, the Zhang family from Liao’an’s largest businesses were Datong Bank and the glass business, but with the glass business in Yang Zhenshan’s hands, if Yang Zhenshan took an interest in Datong Bank as well, then the life and death of their Zhang family would be entirely in Yang Zhenshan’s hands.
Zhang Qingsong didn’t believe Yang Zhenshan wished to drive the Zhang family from Liao’an to ruin, for if that was Yang Zhenshan’s intention, he needn’t have gone to such trouble.
With Yang Zhenshan’s current force, crushing the Zhang family from Liao’an would be a simple matter.
After some thought, Yang Zhenshan said, "Alright, mutual redemption and exchange is no problem. As for whether Chongshan Bank will open branches in Liaodong, that definitely won’t happen soon, but I cannot say for the future!"
The same old saying, the level to which Chongshan Bank could expand still depended on the requirements of the General Mansion.
If a day came when the General Mansion needed more Silver, Yang Zhenshan wouldn’t mind letting Chongshan Bank establish branches in Liaodong.
And if the General Mansion managed to achieve a balanced budget with ample reserves of the current Silver, maybe Yang Zhenshan would even consider shutting down Chongshan Bank.
Banking is different from other businesses. The General Mansion doesn’t belong to Yang Zhenshan but to the court.
If one day Yang Zhenshan leaves Chongshan Town, the bank’s operations must cease, as they involve too much Silver Coin and customers and could cause great unrest if issues arose.
With so many soldiers in Chongshan Town, they would surely deposit their Silver in Chongshan Bank in the future. If they found out that they couldn’t withdraw their Silver at the end...
That would lead to a violent uprising, a mutiny.
Yang Zhenshan could guarantee he wouldn’t skim Silver from the bank, and even if the General Mansion borrowed from it, he could ensure it would be repaid eventually.