Chapter 7

Every day, people come to Xinping Fort to buy grain, and the grain in Xinping Fort is brought from the inland. Could these grain buyers be transporting it back to the inland? Of course, they are smuggling it. Everyone understands this, but no one speaks it out loud.

As for smuggling iron pots and other ironware, that's where the real profit lies, but the court controls it strictly, and ordinary people dare not engage in such business.

The businessman in front of them was Fan Yongdou, one of the most famous large merchants.

The Fan family stores over a million dan of grain each year. It could be said that the grain controlled by Datong and Shanxi towns might not even be as much as what the Fan family has. The rise and fall of grain prices are all within Fan Yongdou's control.

Of course, it's not just the Fan family that monopolizes the market. When they join forces with a few other families, the scale reaches several million dan. Such a merchant, if he stomps his foot, the entire Xuan and Datong regions would tremble.

Since the boss said that Heyusheng is finished, the other two didn't ask any more questions. When the boss says it's over, it's definitely over.

"Boss," one of them asked, "It's almost dark. Should we rest here in Xinping Fort?"

"No," Fan Yongdou said. "We'll go to Tiancheng Fort. I have someone to meet there."

"Yes, boss."

The two were extremely respectful. Although they were high-ranking managers, no one dared to contradict Fan Yongdou in the slightest.

This boss, from Jizhen to Xuanfu, and then to Datong, had toured over a dozen branches of the Fan family. Others were already exhausted, but he showed no signs of fatigue or the need for rest. This kind of energy and self-control was far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

The carriage continued forward as the sky darkened. No one spoke, and the driver urged the horses on. There were still dozens of miles to Tiancheng Fort, and torches were lit on both sides of the carriage. The driver hoped to arrive as soon as possible.

The one called Li Mingda, who was referred to as Li Yuchun's "distant nephew," was the reason Li Yuchun wanted to take over the business and run it himself. The most important reason was that he could find Li Mingda, who could connect him to the Fan family and get cheaper grain, allowing their new business to make a profit, unlike Heyusheng, which had been losing money all along.

As for Li Mingda, he would just give up a bit of the profit. The Fan family already had many clients, and as a senior manager, Li Mingda could handle such a small matter.

Li Yuchun might have other plans, but Li Mingda didn't ask. Now, thinking about it, since Boss Fan said Heyusheng is finished, Li Yuchun won't last much longer, no matter how capable he is.

"Pity..." The carriage jolted, and Li Mingda, who was jolted in the carriage, took the opportunity to sigh softly, not sure if he was talking about the Zhang Han he had just seen or his ambitious distant nephew.

Zhang Han greeted people along the way, with a harmless smile on his face, even intentionally showing a bit of naivety. However, he was a shrewd person, and no matter how he tried to hide it, his actions still gave off a certain aura, which made many people remember him and find the young boss of Heyusheng to be quite extraordinary.

After walking out of North Street and turning into West Alley, many households had lanterns hanging by the roadside. Although it was dark, the road was still bright.

The road was paved with bluestone, making it comfortable to walk on, but the sides were dirty. People in this era were used to littering and didn't care about hygiene.

Actually, Xinping Fort was a wealthy place. Compared to ordinary cities of this era, Xinping Fort was much better in terms of urban appearance. At least the lanterns on both sides were something that ordinary people couldn't afford. Ordinary families would have dinner before it got dark and wouldn't light lamps for more than half an hour after dark, going to bed early. Only families with scholars would light candles and study until midnight.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, and the stars were faintly visible. It was almost the end of the month, and soon the small market would open again.

Zhang Han walked with his hands behind his back, and Zhang Chun held a lantern to light the way. The road was all bluestone, and it was a straight alley, making it hard to get lost.

The best time to think is while walking, and Zhang Han was pondering his next move.

Since he had already accepted the reality of his穿越, he had to face it.

Fortunately, he wasn't reborn as a beggar or a refugee, which would have been truly miserable. To break free from such a lowly status and live a normal life would require tremendous effort. Now, he had a few tens of thousands of silver taels and a few dozen people, giving him a good starting point.

Zhang Han had read some books about the Jin merchants and knew that families like the Kang, Qiao, and Fan had assets worth millions of silver taels, with their wealth lasting for hundreds of years. The Qiao family's compound was almost as grand as the imperial palace, except for the layout. The Zhang family, although a family of both officials and merchants, declined after Zhang Siwei, and no one knew about them in the Qing dynasty. He wanted to make his family wealthy and noble, as it was worth it to have such prosperity for hundreds of years.

The key was, how to do it, and where to start?

The grain business, according to Zhang Han's understanding, was controlled by major forces, including the government and the military, as well as large merchants. Heyusheng was far too weak to compete. No matter what Zhang Han did, without several hundred thousand taels of capital, it was impossible to even think about it.

Besides grain, there were tea and cloth.

Tea in Shanxi mostly came from Sichuan, and the profit mainly went to the producers in Sichuan. The logistics costs were also high.

Cotton and cloth were specialties of Jiangnan and Shandong. Shanxi only produced a small amount of coarse cloth, which was not enough for local use, let alone for sale. Like tea, the profit margins were entirely dependent on the producers.

Moreover, Zhang Han and Heyusheng were not at the level to compete with the producers. To put it bluntly, they were too small to get involved in such matters.

Apart from these major items, other goods could also make money, but not as much as large-scale trade.

The normal practice of buying low and selling high was how Grandfather Zhang Yun made his fortune. Back then, the market in Xinping Fort was new, and the major players had less control. Many diligent and shrewd merchants became wealthy during that time.

With Zhang Han's skills and vision, even if he operated in the cracks, he would surely do well in the future. However, it might take decades, and he couldn't wait that long.

What Zhang Han wanted to do now was to find a gap in the market, monopolize a specific industry, and accumulate capital. Then, he could compete with the major players.

But finding such a gap, even for someone as shrewd as Zhang Han, was not easy...

"Little Boss, something's wrong..."

Zhang Chun had been holding the lantern and following without disturbing Zhang Han's thoughts. He had gotten used to Zhang Han's silent and contemplative state over the past few days.

But today, Zhang Chun interrupted Zhang Han, and his tone was very tense.

Zhang Han's mind quickly snapped back from his daze. He silently scolded himself for being so careless. There had been a rustling sound behind him, getting closer, and he hadn't noticed it.

West Alley wasn't long, about a mile and a half. Zhang Han and his servant had already walked halfway. Another hundred steps, and a thirty-step turn, and they would be home. But this short distance was now difficult to traverse.

Four men, two in front and two behind, stood in a row, blocking the alley completely.

By the light of the lantern, it was clear that these four men were young, in their twenties, or even younger. In this era, people didn't shave, so even those with beards might only be in their early twenties. Judging by their faces, they didn't look much older than twenty.

They were dressed in the typical Northern style, wearing tilted fur hats, dirty cotton jackets, and leather belts around their chests. Each had a rough face and a menacing look.

"Little Boss Zhang, you're a big businessman, eating and drinking well every day, wearing warm fur coats. We, on the other hand, are eating wind and ice... Comparing ourselves to you, it's frustrating. We have no choice but to ask you for some silver, just a few dozen taels to help us out."

The one speaking was the youngest, probably not even twenty, with a very sinister look. As soon as he opened his mouth, he demanded silver.

After saying that, the young man smirked and said, "Erhu, tell the boss our name."

The bearded man next to the young man stepped forward and loudly said, "We are from the Xinping Association."

Although Zhang Chun was afraid, he stepped forward and said angrily, "This is outright robbery. If we report it to the Qing Military Hall, you'll be beaten and expelled from the fort."

Xinping Fort, along with the entire Tianzhen County and Xuanfu's Zhangjiakou, extending west to Shahuikou, and half of Shanxi, all belonged to the military town. It was a border area, and the local administration was under the Qing Military Hall, which also governed the merchants. The times were different from a hundred years ago, when many bandits were captured and executed by the garrison commanders.

But even back then, execution didn't stop the bandits. How could a beating or exile deter them now?

Zhang Chun's words only made the bandits laugh. The young man who spoke first smirked and said, "Beating is our business. Little Boss Zhang, just give us the money. If you can get someone to capture us right now and beat us to a pulp, that's your skill."

Zhang Han smiled slightly and reached into his robe.

The bandits thought they had scared the young businessman and saw Zhang Han reaching for money, so they all wore smug smiles.

But what Zhang Han pulled out was a shiny dagger, about a foot long. He removed the sheath, revealing the sharp tip.

"Silver, you can have it," Zhang Han said with a smile, staring at the young bandit. "But if you're here just to scare me, and if we fight, there will be injuries and possibly deaths. Have you really thought about the consequences?"