Chapter 38

"Here is a fifty-tael ingot, exchanged at the Chen family's discount store at the west end of North Street. All the broken silver and loose coins have been converted into large ingots. Mother, please take a look and then we will store it in our account bureau's silver vault."

Chang Shi stood at the door of the silver vault, Zhou Fengji half-turned his body, pointing to the ingots piled inside, and introduced in a low voice.

Chang Shi rarely came out today, sitting in a small sedan chair carried by two people, with several old women and servants following. She did not call for the maids like Yangliu to come along. The north was much more conservative than the south. In places like Suzhou and Nanjing in the south, young girls and women could go out freely, even weaving at the door and joking with men without anyone interfering. The customs in the north were much more conservative, and young women and nearly grown girls could not go out freely, even the maids of wealthy families were the same.

Chang Shi took a tour of the old store, which was similar to before, except that the grain was piled up like mountains. Zhou Fengji and several warehouse managers watched the laborers move the grain into the warehouse.

After watching for a while, Old Zhou personally accompanied Chang Shi to the account bureau. This was a newly purchased large courtyard, adjacent to the mule and horse market, with guards, and all the houses had been rebuilt. The original brick and wood structure was demolished and rebuilt with thick blue bricks, without windows, only one door, with several locks. When the vault was opened, the warehouse managers, Zhou Fengji, and Li Yujing had to open it together, then record the daily accounts and the accounts of incoming and outgoing goods. Zhang Han would check every night. The silver vault was so strict that it would not be opened for ordinary people unless Chang Shi came.

Deputy Envoy Zheng and General Ma both sent people to the account bureau, but they were not allowed to come to the silver vault. Li Yujing was very busy, making new account books every day for them to check. The profit was reduced by more than ninety percent, but even so, the two officials were very satisfied. According to the reduced profit, they could still get several thousand taels of silver a year. For Zhang Han's business and their investment, the return was simply too generous.

To gain people's trust, Zhang Han himself also deposited silver, and the new Ping Castle and Datong were the places with the most deposits. Transporting goods from the main source was also a way, and many people deposited silver in the new Ping Castle and then took it to Datong to buy goods, which was very convenient. Of course, more people deposited silver in Datong and then took it to the new Ping Castle.

This business route also brought substantial profits to Heyu Sheng. From March to early May, the average daily orders increased from several thousand taels to between thirty thousand and fifty thousand taels, meaning that the account bureau's daily income was over a thousand taels.

In the past, Grandfather Zhang Yun spent thirty years earning a fortune of forty thousand taels, but now Zhang Han could earn that much in a month.

The combined store of the cart and mule market also developed very well. By mid-April, the last branch in Zhangjiakou was successfully merged, and the business route to Zhangjiakou was opened. There were over a thousand trips per day, and there were already seventeen branches, with over a thousand mules and donkeys, over six hundred carts, and over a thousand hired laborers and mule drivers. There were nearly two hundred guards protecting the mule and horse market and the account bureau, stationed at several key points. Each branch had several to a dozen guards when the silver carts passed. So far, the silver carts of the mule and horse market and the account bureau had not been robbed, and Heyu Sheng's reputation was growing. The expenses for this part of the staff were the largest, with carts being continuously made and mules and horses being continuously purchased. Over seven thousand taels were spent on buying mules and horses, and about four to five thousand taels on making and buying carts. The monthly salary for over a thousand people was nearly two thousand taels, and the expenses for food and clothing were over a thousand dan of grain and two hundred taels of silver for salt and vegetables. Including the expenses for mules and horses, the monthly expenses were several thousand dan. After deducting these expenses, the daily net profit was between three hundred and four hundred taels.

With a large number of people, high expenses, and high costs, the logistics business of the mule and horse market indeed had low profits and was considered low-class. No noble or scholar families were willing to do this business. They opened money shops, pawnshops, minted fake money, or lent money, and the silver came in easily. Why bother earning this low-class money?

This gave Zhang Han an opportunity. Now, with three to four hundred taels a day, he was confident that in a few years, it would be three to four thousand taels a day. Of course, that would require spreading the entire transportation network across the north. At that time, the account bureau's business would be even more unimaginable. Calculating this way, earning a fortune like Fan Yongdou's, or even surpassing it, within ten years was not a dream.

Zhou Fengji watched over the main store every day, and his most important job was to collect grain and supervise Li Yujing and others. Managing the warehouse was also the old manager's job. He was diligent every day, not daring to be careless. Every day, large amounts of silver were deposited, and Zhou Fengji was both happy and under great pressure.

Profits were being made everywhere, but collecting grain was almost becoming a losing business.

Now, Heyu Sheng could hardly collect grain at the ordinary market price. The small grain stores in the new Ping Castle were stripped bare by Zhang Han and others, and the large grain stores would not sell much. The story of Li Mingda had spread throughout the castle and became a laughing matter.

During the severe spring famine, grain prices generally rose, reaching an average of six taels per dan, nearly double the price of four to three taels during a good year.

Even with the price increase, Zhang Han continued to collect grain. Although the price at which Silver Ingot and others collected grain was also high, the profit was severely reduced. Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong had already advised Zhang Han to give up, as smuggling was for profit, and such large-scale grain sales had no benefits and carried the risk of being caught, making the effort and reward disproportionate.

Zhang Han naturally did not accept such advice. He was establishing the future smuggling route, and the current profit was insignificant.

The grain bought by Silver Ingot and others was only partially transported elsewhere, gradually accumulating and being sent to Liaodong via the Kharachin and科尔沁 (Khorchin) regions. The entire Mongolian grassland was short of grain, and Zhang Han's share could not even satisfy the needs of the Boshitutu tribe, let alone the entire Mongolian tribes and Liaodong.

Compared to the vast future, the current small loss was truly insignificant.

Zhou Fengji continued to introduce: "These are all one hundred-tael ingots, with a better quality than the one hundred-tael ingots. These ingots are regularly transported to the silver vaults of the various branches for display, and customers are often shown them to make them feel more secure."

Heyu Sheng's reputation had already been established, with various relationships, a large-scale mule and horse market, and branches in various places. The account bureau's business would become increasingly prosperous. For some cautious and timid customers, displaying a mountain of one hundred-tael ingots was a necessary measure.

In the Qing Dynasty, a famous Shanxi merchant family once used mules and horses to carry a large amount of silver, possibly several hundred thousand taels, around the city, causing a sensation locally and nationally. The regular display of wealth to gain trust was not just a show of wealth, but a clever strategy in the absence of a credit system during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Before Chang Shi, a silver mountain had already appeared.

This was the silver earned over two months, with the account bureau and the mule and horse market totaling sixty thousand taels. Thirty thousand taels were stored in the Datong and Yanghe branches. Sixty thousand taels of silver were nearly a thousand large and small ingots, arranged in a pyramid shape. Even in this large warehouse, the silver mountains were too dazzling.

At this moment, all the miscellaneous people were kept at a distance. The sight of wealth could move people, and the integrity of the guards could not be trusted. Therefore, the vault opening time was very short, and only some experienced and honest laborers were allowed to move the silver, while the guards could only watch from a distance.

In Chang Shi's eyes, there was a dazzling silver light, and this middle-aged woman suddenly felt dizzy.

"Master, this is the grain to be transported today, still twenty thousand dan this month."

Liang Hong's beard had grown longer, and he looked much more mature. He wore a fine Ning silk robe, which looked smooth and shiny... In the past few months, the managers had received monthly dividends, as had Li Yujing and the warehouse manager Yang Shiming, as well as Li Xing, Old Cai, and Wang Changfu, the team leaders.

The person in charge of the mule and horse market was now Old Cai. Hearing Liang Hong's words, Old Cai added, "We use two hundred carts each time, each carrying less than twenty dan, and it takes five trips to transport it all. This month, the guard at the checkpoint is Wu, and there are two battalion commanders and five company commanders, and several dozen team leaders, all of whom have been taken care of."

Zhang Han nodded and smiled, "The three managers and Old Cai have done well."

Old Cai's face was full of smiles, and he replied, "They say that this amount of grain should be enough until autumn. After the autumn, they hope for more, and if there are other goods, they will also need them, but not in large quantities, as there is a monthly market, and many herders will come to buy on their own."

Old Cai was the former yard sweeper Lahu, now in his thirties, with much less of the aggressive aura he once had. Of course, he still had some arrogance, but being older and with a family, he had become more restrained. Zhang Han saw his diligence, the clean yard, and his good care of the horses, and promoted him to manage the mule and horse market. This made many people envious, as other Lahu were still running around, while Old Cai sat and drank tea after finishing his work, making people very jealous.

The grass on the grassland had grown tall, and many herders were busy moving their herds. The herds were gradually fattening, and the Mongolians could survive for a day or even two or three days with a little mare's milk and a few pieces of dried cheese, and a few pieces of dried beef. They would slaughter a sheep and cook it in a large pot, which would last their families for several days. Therefore, the demand for goods from Silver Ingot was also decreasing, but the demand for miscellaneous goods was increasing.

At this time, they needed scissors for shearing wool, small knives, iron pots, iron nails, and various fabrics. The losses during the move were significant, so the demand for miscellaneous goods was high.

In the past, these Mongolians waited for the market, and in the past two months, many still came to trade, but the number had greatly decreased, and the rewards from the Ming Dynasty had also decreased.

General Lai and Silver Ingot knew where the problem lay, but everyone understood and did not say it.