The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 190

"Does Your Excellency already have a solution?"

Yan Song hurriedly asked.

"Since I asked you to recruit refugees, I have naturally considered all the variables. You will see once you come with me to the dock."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he got up and walked out, with Yan Song and Zhang Cong quickly following behind.

Zhou Chu, Shen Lian, Lin Lu, Zhang Cong, and Xia Yan rode their horses towards a dock in Suzhou Prefecture, led by Zhou Chu.

This dock is an official, private dock. A few days ago, Zhou Chu, in the name of Yan Song, temporarily turned it into a dock exclusively for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Suzhou Prefecture has many small wharves; one more or one less won't make a difference.

Zhou Chu and his two companions were alright, but Yan Song and Zhang Cong were scholars and their riding skills were really mediocre. Fortunately, Zhou Chu didn't ride too fast. Even so, the two of them were almost shaken to pieces along the way.

Normally, officials like them would travel by sedan chair, or at the very least by horse-drawn carriage. However, since they were following Zhou Chu, who was riding a horse, it would be inappropriate for them to travel by carriage.

The group headed straight for the dock, and anyone who tried to follow them was easily dealt with by the Imperial Guards who were secretly following them.

The dock was quite far from the Jinyiwei headquarters, and it took the group almost an hour to walk there.

Upon arriving at the dock, Zhang Cong and Yan Song saw rows of ships moored there, with countless laborers carrying sacks off the ships. However, they had no idea what was inside the sacks.

"Gentlemen, please come with me to take a look."

Zhou Chu dismounted and strolled toward the warehouse next to the dock.

Yan Song and Zhang Cong hurriedly dismounted and followed.

As soon as they entered the warehouse, Zhang Cong and Yan Song couldn't help but gasp. Before their eyes, rows of sacks filled with sacks had almost filled most of the warehouse, and the stacks were quite high.

It's important to know that dock warehouses are extremely large, designed to store cargo from ships. The cargo throughput at any dock is staggering, and small warehouses simply cannot hold it all.

Zhou Chu opened one of the sacks, and Yan Song was instantly dazzled by the white rice inside.

Only then did Zhang Cong realize that the warehouse was actually full of grain. For a moment, his mind went blank. He had never seen so much grain before. The visual impact alone was enough to shock him and Yan Song.

"Sir, where did this grain come from?"

Yan Song said dryly.

"Naturally, it's Annam and Jiaozhi, mainly Annam."

Zhou Chu smiled.

For the Ming Dynasty, the most precious thing in Southeast Asia was never spices and timber, but rice.

Southeast Asia is located in the tropical monsoon region and has typical tropical rainforest characteristics. Rice is generally harvested three times a year throughout Southeast Asia, while a few areas further north can harvest twice a year.

This has led to mountains of rice piling up in Southeast Asia, often leaving it to rot.

Most merchants who travel to Southeast Asia for trade do not choose to buy cheap grains, since for them, other things in Southeast Asia can earn them much more money than grains.

Of course, some grain traders do go to Southeast Asia to purchase goods, but many of them switch to other industries after a while.

After all, seeing others making a fortune with a ship full of spices, jade, or ivory, while they could only earn a little money with a ship full of grain, was a disparity that most people couldn't accept.

This has led to increasingly sluggish sales of grain in Southeast Asia. After all, for grain merchants, the entry of Southeast Asian grain into the Ming Dynasty would only affect rice prices.

"Annam? Didn't our Great Ming just declare war on Annam?"

Yan Song asked, his face full of confusion.

"This is a feint by His Majesty. In reality, His Majesty has long hidden a surprise force on the border of Annam. As the saying goes, attack what the enemy does not expect. Now Annam is already the territory of our Great Ming. However, it will be announced to the public in a while."

Zhou Chu smiled.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cong and the other man suddenly realized what was going on.

As for Zhou Chu's claim about the surprise attack deployed by His Majesty, the two of them listened but didn't really believe it. They knew very well that this so-called surprise attack was probably related to the Jinyiwei centurion in front of them.

Compared to Zhang Cong, Yan Song knew more, after all, the delegation to Annam was led by his brother-in-law. Yan Song even suspected that the entire plan against Annam was inseparable from Zhou Chu.

The thought sent chills down Yan Song's spine. Others take things one step at a time, but this young man is thinking ten steps ahead. He probably planned all of this before even arriving in Suzhou.

Only then did Yan Song realize how vast the gap was between himself and the young man before him.