Chapter 43

Wen Zhongfa also came from a poor family, his parents having died early, and he had taken the path of a footman. This man was agile and quick-witted, the kind who would never be at a disadvantage.

Yang Qiu laughed and scolded a couple of times, promising to definitely wait for him in the fort and then hold a banquet, so he could come and drink a couple of cups of celebratory wine.

After a while of laughing and joking, the horse was ready, and as Yang Qiu mounted, he remembered to ask Liu Dequan, "Dequan, why are you so quiet?"

Liu Dequan snorted and said, "I think about the hard work every day, being controlled by others, and I really feel happier when I was a bandit."

"What's so happy about that?" Wen Zhongfa said, "Eating one meal and starving the next, barely making a few taels of silver, and you have to do evil to get it. After getting the silver, you have to give most of it to the gang leader. Old Liu, did you drink this morning?"

Liu Dequan glared at Wen Zhongfa and continued, "Being a bandit is tough, but if you can curry favor with the people in the government and form your own gang, wouldn't that be better than now?"

Yang Qiu smiled and said, "We didn't have the connections back then, so we joined the master."

"We now have a reputation, silver, and many brothers. It would be better to do our own thing."

Yang Qiu stopped smiling, looked at Liu Dequan, and said in a low voice, "Without someone backing you, you're just dreaming. The young master has the support of the Puzhou Zhang family and a few powerful figures. Otherwise, do you think it's easy for us to beat up people and seize territory? The authorities would have arrested us long ago."

No one knew how much the account office made, except for Zhang Han himself. The guards could only estimate the profits from the mule and horse business. Now, there were hundreds of large carts, and the number was increasing towards a thousand. The carts of Yusheng were good, with many mules and horses, excellent service, and many branches. The mule and horse business had almost driven all the other businesses in the fort to bankruptcy. The carts and horses were rarely at rest, and every day, the large carts were all dispatched. There were many short-distance trips, and not a few long-distance ones. Once the route to Zhangjiakou was opened, almost every day, about two hundred carts went to Zhangjiakou, where the business was even more prosperous than in Datong. The current number of carts and horses was far from enough. The number of trips per day, the costs, and the expenses for personnel, though secret, could be roughly estimated. Yang Qiu estimated that the mule and horse business made at least a thousand taels a month, which was a conservative estimate. With this manpower and financial strength, they could support the powerful figures above, and the more powerful they were, the less others dared to move. The more territory they seized, the more business they got.

This was a virtuous cycle. Zhang Han, the young master, had good foresight and strong skills, seizing the opportunity first. Now, even if some large families had the intention to do this, they would face the giant Yusheng, and they would have to find a way to seize the routes. This would be too much effort for little gain, and it wouldn't be worth it.

Hearing Yang Qiu's words, Liu Dequan smiled and said, "They may not be targeting the mule and horse business. This is a deep water game, Yang Head. We have a good relationship, so I don't need to say much. When the time comes, we will advance and retreat together, okay?"

Yang Qiu stared at Liu Dequan, then laughed and said, "You also have a cunning side? Fine, I'll just listen for now. When you explain it clearly to me, we'll discuss it."

Liu Dequan indeed had some plans, but now the other side had only hinted at it, and Wen Zhongfa was also very shrewd. Liu Dequan didn't trust him much, so he just laughed and said nothing more.

"Let's go!" Yang Qiu waved his whip, still looking spirited, "We eat from their bowl, so we must work for them. To Tianchengwei!"

...

"Master, please sit."

Li Mingda eagerly arranged the chair, and after Fan Yongdou sat down, he personally served a covered bowl of excellent Jixian white tea, the aroma filling the air.

The weather in the fifth month of the lunar calendar already had a summer feel. Fan Yongdou had been traveling, and his hat and clothes were covered in dust, with wheat stalks on his collar. He didn't mind, took a sip of tea, and smiled, "How has the grain collection been in Xinping Fort recently?"

Li Mingda bowed and said, "It was smooth at first, but then Yusheng also started collecting grain in various places, with a price two fen higher than ours. The small grain merchants and farmers are all anxious. We have already collected at least 30,000 shi less, and it will be even less in the future."

Fan Yongdou frowned and said, "This is just one place. There are also Zhenmen Fort, Shoukou Fort, Jinglu Fort, all the way to Zhenbian Fort, Desheng Fort, Zhenqiang Eight Forts, Yanghe Fort, Tiancheng Fort, Zhenlu Fort, and the counties of Wuzhou. Everywhere is unstable. On my way here, the grain collection in all places is only about 70% of last year. Yusheng has set up at least twenty collection points. I really underestimated that young Zhang Han."

Li Mingda didn't dare to speak. Last year, the master praised Zhang Han but also predicted that Yusheng would collapse. However, Yusheng not only didn't collapse but developed rapidly, surprising many people.

Almost overnight, Yusheng's scale had expanded a hundredfold. Previously, it was just a medium-sized business in Xinping Fort, but now it had become a top-tier large merchant, second only to a few families like the Fan and Kang families. Who could be sure that in a few years, the Zhang family of Yusheng wouldn't become a major player like the Fan and Kang families in the Shanxi merchants?

If it went further, Zhang Han might restore the glory of the Puzhou Zhang family... When Zhang Siwei and his son were around, the Puzhou Zhang family was the leader of all Shanxi merchants!

Thinking of this, Li Mingda smiled to himself and shook his head, "I'm really getting old, thinking too much..."

"You don't need to worry too much about this. Someone is already causing trouble for Yusheng."

Fan Yongdou always remained calm and collected, with a wise and calm demeanor. Indeed, with his current status and identity, it was unnecessary to quarrel with a young man. Over the years, he had laid out plans in Jizhen, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, and Yansui. From the governor, the eunuchs in the capital, the generals, and the local strongmen, the Fan family had connections everywhere. Just these connections would take Zhang Han years to catch up. The Fan family lacked connections outside the pass, and they had never dealt with the Tartar nobles. Fan Yongdou could see that once the Liaodong situation arose, the trade routes to the outside would be greatly affected, and that would be a good opportunity to make money.

Due to his life experiences and perspective, Fan Yongdou didn't think about doing business with the Jurchens. His current focus was still on the Mongols.

In this aspect, Fan Yongdou didn't know that Zhang Han was already far ahead of him.

"Are you talking about Commander Zhang Wuchang of Tianchengwei?"

"Exactly."

Fan Yongdou nodded slightly and said, "The Zhang family may not buy the Ma family's account, and we can't act directly, but he can do it without any trouble or hesitation."

"Master must have put in some effort."

"Actually, I didn't," Fan Yongdou's face turned grim, and he said in a low voice, "If you don't kill a snake, you shouldn't strike it. Zhang Wuchang can only cause some trouble for Yusheng, which is not much. Our family also wants to set up an account office. If Zhang Han were here, he might not be able to compete with him. The last time you mentioned the agreement with that Zhou, we can do it if there's an opportunity."

Li Mingda nodded heavily and said, "Master, rest assured. We have already contacted them secretly. As long as Zhang Han moves, they will act."

Fan Yongdou said without showing any emotion, "There won't be any mistakes, right?"

"Definitely not," Li Mingda smiled confidently, "They have been in the mountains for years. This is a small matter, and they will certainly do it well."

"That's good." Fan Yongdou leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes comfortably.

...

"Zhang family?"

Yang Qiu, dusty from travel, stood in front of Zhang Han, his face no longer showing the unstable and frivolous expression, but instead a steady and somewhat hidden ruthlessness.

The presence of this person seemed to lower the temperature in the room, but Zhang Han paid no attention, just sitting and pondering.

This was his office for the account office, a quiet place with strict security. Every month, more than twenty guards were on duty here, and no one else could even approach the gate. Zhang Han liked to meet people and think here, walking between the heavy silver vaults. The brick and tile buildings were solid and tall, and most of them were still empty. Every time Zhang Han walked around, he thought about when these buildings would be filled.

"The Zhang family... no mistake. On the surface, there are more than ten grain stores, and the most active are the owners of the large grain stores like Ma Chao, Jiang Dalin, and Zhang Yanhong. Behind them is Commander Zhang Wuchang, who is from Yulinwei. His uncle is Zhang Chen, who has served as the general of four towns. His son, Zhang Chengyin, is the current general of Guangning. His grandson, Zhang Quanchang, is the deputy general of Yanghe. Zhang Yingchang is now the commander of Lingzhou, and Zhang Dechang is a colonel in Jizhen. Zhang Wuchang is considered the least successful, but he is still a commander and a third-rank military official."

This time, Yang Qiu had gathered very detailed information, and Zhang Han listened with a frown.

He had been to Zhang Quanchang's house in Yanghe, but didn't see anyone, leaving 200 taels of silver and a red envelope at the door. At the time, he didn't notice anything unusual, but now it seemed that this matter had been planned and launched over a long period, with many intricate details. In other words, it was a deep and complex situation. A commander was not a high-ranking official, and a third-rank military official couldn't show off in front of a scholar. When encountering a powerful local official, they had to show respect, or they might be impeached for arrogance. The higher officials, such as the military inspectors and provincial inspectors, would always side with the civil officials, and the military officials would suffer. Without troops, they had no power, and a commander could only maintain a dozen or so bodyguards, which was not enough to be a captain in the border army. Zhang Wuchang's ability to order people to move against Yusheng relied on his family background.

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A new week has started, and I still need your support. Please vote and, if you think it's good, please add it to your favorites. I thank you all.

I also want to address two issues.

One reader has a lot of complaints about the ethnic views in my book. I ask you, what are the ethnic views and historical perspectives of someone who doesn't read much and doesn't go online, under the influence of orthodox education? Should writing a book be gradual and reveal some facts slowly? Should modern people talk about integration rather than