Chapter 16

"Your subordinate greets the大人."

"Shizhai has come, please sit down."

"Thank you,大人, for allowing me to sit."

Not long after the lamps were lit, the silver was moved away, and Lai Tongyu drank a bowl of ginseng soup, which restored much of his energy. He usually lived a life of luxury, always carried in a sedan chair around the fortress and rarely moved at home. His status meant he did not need to dress or wash himself, and his meals were served to him. To put it bluntly, the only thing others could not do for him was to relieve himself; otherwise, Lai Tongyu would be too lazy to do anything himself.

Being so lazy, he naturally became quite overweight. Today, to maintain his presence before the Tartars, he had to wear iron armor and ride horses back and forth, which exhausted him greatly. The person who came to greet him was Ning Yicheng, a Qing army hall co-magistrate and also the market judge, with many responsibilities. His visit was certainly not for idle chat.

Lai Tongyu struggled to sit up, and with Ning Yicheng's respectful attitude, he could not act too arrogantly. Lai Tongyu was a third-rank general, while Ning Yicheng was a sixth-rank civil official. Although Ning Yicheng was only a juren (scholar) and a miscellaneous official, he was still a civil official, and as a direct subordinate of Yanghe Dao, Lai Tongyu had little power over him. They were more like allies.

"Your actions today were very decisive," Ning Yicheng sipped his tea and smiled. "The heavy punishment and the standing cage, including two people from the Fan family's business, I think this will make many people cautious."

"Hmph, Shizhai, you are right," Lai Tongyu coldly snorted, shaking his head. "They are all plotting to make big money but refuse to give us any benefits. Do they really think they can get away with it?"

"Of course," Ning Yicheng smiled. "Your family has a long history of military service, deeply rooted in the western part of Xuangfu, and has considerable influence in Datong. These people trying to bypass us are truly looking down on us."

Mentioning the silver, Lai Tongyu was truly indignant. The situation on the grasslands had changed dramatically, and the future demand for grain and other supplies had increased several times over. The original official markets and monthly markets could not meet such a large demand, and once the war started, the horse markets would certainly be closed or reduced. With the increased demand, many people were planning to engage in smuggling. Previously, large merchants did not do this because the profit was not high enough, and there were few people buying goods at the border. Now, with the increased demand, the profit from smuggling had increased tenfold or even a hundredfold. This business could no longer be left to small traders and needed to be unified.

Lai Tongyu knew that Fan Yongdou, the head of the Fan family, had recently traveled through many places from Xuangfu to Jizhen, meeting people and discussing matters, and most importantly, bringing the border fortress officials under his control to avoid any trouble. The route commanders and the leading guerrilla generals also needed to be bribed, and the highest-ranking officials, such as the military inspector, the governor, the general, and the governor-general, might not accept such gifts, and some could not be bought with silver. Fan Yongdou was very smart; he bribed the people around these high-ranking officials, such as their advisors, clerks, and minor officials. These people were easier to buy, and thus, the upper and lower levels would be in harmony. Even if some high-ranking officials knew something was amiss, they would offend many people by investigating, and even the governor-general would have to think twice. At this point, the business would be secure.

Newping Fortress was second only to Zhangjiakou Fortress, and Fan Yongdou had bribed many people here. However, Lai Tongyu, the general, was a bit peculiar. He thought Fan Yongdou's benefits were too small and wanted to get a bigger share of the business.

As for why the Mongols were buying so many goods and the demand had increased so much that smuggling was necessary, this was not within Lai Tongyu's consideration.

Ning Yicheng, like Lai Tongyu, was extremely greedy, a man who could squeeze oil from a stone. However, being a juren, he was also cunning and often incited Lai Tongyu to take the lead.

"Once there is any news, your subordinate will inform you immediately."

"Hmm, hmm." Lai Tongyu nodded repeatedly. "With Fan Yongdou, it's best to be polite. The people behind him, to be honest, we cannot afford to offend them too deeply."

"Your subordinate understands and will be careful."

Fan Yongdou had a fortune of several million, and the Fan family was deeply rooted in Shanxi Datong. They had connections with the top military families and had also bought off some civil officials with silver. Although such a powerful merchant family could not be compared to the noble military families and gentry, they were not to be trifled with. Lai Tongyu could easily put a dozen small merchants in chains, but he would not offend Fan Yongdou too much. A little pressure to get some benefits, and everyone could prosper together.

"By the way," Ning Yicheng was about to leave and seemed to remember something. He patted his head under his official hat and smiled. "The military supplies your Excellency entrusted me with have been assigned. The shops and the official stores have been arranged, and all the supplies will be handled by them. I will send people to supervise to ensure everything is done properly."

"Oh?" Lai Tongyu responded, asking casually, "Which shop was chosen?"

"Your subordinate chose Heyusheng."

"Heyusheng?" Lai Tongyu thought for a moment. "The Zhang family of Heyusheng, are they from Puzhou?"

"Their patriarch came from Puzhou, but it seems they had a falling out and split from the family decades ago. There has been little contact since then, and it's hard to say if Puzhou still recognizes them. Besides..."

At this point, Ning Yicheng smiled. "The Zhang family of Puzhou is not as powerful as it used to be."

"That's true."

To Lai Tongyu and Ning Yicheng, Heyusheng was a minor player, a mere ant, not worth much attention. If the Zhang family did not have the background of Puzhou, they would not even have wasted these few words.

The total amount of goods to be purchased was not alarming, ranging from several thousand to ten thousand taels, but even in remote counties without merchants, the task could ruin families. In Newping Fortress, with so many merchants, the fat sheep could be slaughtered, and the officials and soldiers would not let this opportunity pass.

Without ruining families and causing suffering, who would fear the officials and merchants? Who would really break their family to pay tribute?

The chosen shop owners would almost certainly go bankrupt, and whether they would lose everything depended on the actual situation. If needed, neither Lai Tongyu nor Ning Yicheng would show mercy.

...

In the night, Zhang Han and Zhang Chun walked ahead, each holding a lantern, followed closely by the dejected Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong.

The matter was serious, and only the two managers were informed. The accountant Li Yujing and the warehouse manager Yang Shiming were kept in the dark. The shop was still bustling, and everyone was in high spirits, feeling that the shop's prospects were improving. In such a situation, Zhang Han and the others found it hard to announce such bad news.

Everyone understood that if they could not get through this, Heyusheng would be finished, and the possibility of getting through it safely was extremely small.

The officials, when selecting the shops for the purchases, had carefully considered and avoided those with any background to avoid trouble. The chosen ones were usually wealthy families with no background, easy targets for exploitation.

The Zhang family had been safe in Newping Fortress, and when the patriarch Zhang Yun was alive, no one would dare to touch them. Zhang Yun's grandfather was a grand scholar, his father a vice-governor of Huguang, and his uncle a minister of works, Zhang Jiazheng. Such a strong background was enough to protect them. Even when Zhang Han's father, Zhang Cheng, was alive, the family still enjoyed the benefits of their ancestors. Now, with Zhang Han, a young boy, the Zhang family, this fat sheep, was finally ready to be cooked.

Zhang Han felt a burning rage in his heart.

His thumb was tightly pressed into his palm, the nails piercing the skin, and blood was flowing.

By now, he had fully integrated into this era and into Heyusheng.

Regardless of his past life, he was now the owner of Heyusheng, familiar with the three managers, and the apprentices had gradually accepted him. He had a loving mother at home, and all of this was what he cherished most.

And now, because of a minor official's whim, everything could be destroyed.

Zhang Han was not just angry at those who imposed these disasters on Heyusheng; he was more angry at himself.

Why was his strength so weak? Why did he seem to have no resistance at all? What had he been doing all these days?

After his穿越, Zhang Han finally felt the tension and urgency!

A minor official's capricious act could bring disaster to Heyusheng and the Zhang family. What if a more powerful person targeted Heyusheng? What if war broke out suddenly? What if a large-scale famine occurred? What if refugees flooded in?

A sense of unprecedented crisis, like a heavy stone, pressed down on Zhang Han.

"Master, we can't escape..."

Seeing the situation at the Zhang family's front door, Liang Hong's voice was filled with despair.

A small group of soldiers was patrolling the walls of the Zhang family's residence, and a few watchmen and firemen had set up tents at the base of the walls. It was clear that not only the soldiers but also the watchmen and firemen would be staying there. With so many people guarding, the Zhang family could not escape.

"Ah, it's over, it's over."

Zhou Fengji also sighed in despair, then squatted down on the spot, covering his face and sobbing. A man in his fifties, who had experienced many hardships, was now reduced to a child, crying in despair over the official's decision.

Zhang Han felt a heavy weight in his heart, but his character did not include the word "give up." He took a deep breath and continued forward.

"Is that the young master of the Zhang family?"

"Yes, I saw him at the horse market today. He was still playing and drawing for that Tartar prince."

"He has plenty of silver. I wonder how much we can get from this trip."

"They get the meat, and we don't even get the scraps. Let's just drink some soup."

"Having soup to drink is good enough, ha ha."

In the group of soldiers, there were two leading officers and a minor official from the Qing army hall. They did not avoid Zhang Han, and although their voices were not loud, he heard them clearly.

Zhang Han gave them a cold look but did not argue. It was pointless.

The house was already in chaos, with the main room brightly lit and many servants running around like headless ants.