Chapter 71

Zhang Chun and Jiang Kui still followed Zhang Han. Recently, the Yu Sheng family had grown larger and more prosperous, and Zhang Han was at the center of the storm. Now, he not only had to be cautious about business and official matters but also had to guard against assassination attempts by hostile forces.

Among those bandits, there were quite a few who had escaped the net, and it was hard to say whether any of them would dare to come and attempt an assassination. Therefore, from now on, Zhang Han could no longer travel with a small entourage as he used to. He would need several capable guards to follow him day and night.

This was an inevitable measure. Looking at the few people surrounding him, Zhang Han sighed silently.

"Lai Daren, we still have a chance. We have the Fan family behind us. Fan Dongzhu has connections everywhere. We can find a pretext to cover this up, and then..."

"Spit!"

Lai Tongxin spat a mouthful of saliva on Ning Yicheng's face and, disregarding his dignity, kicked Ning Yicheng hard with his foot.

"Lai Daren, you..."

Ning Yicheng fell to the ground, his face scraping the dirt and covered in blood. His appearance was beyond description.

"Scoundrel, how can someone like you compete with Dongzhu Zhang?"

Lai Tongxin actually felt a bit wary of Zhang Han. Privately, he no longer referred to him as "that young Zhang." He kicked Ning Yicheng again and scolded him, "Are you still dreaming? The commander of Datong, the military commissioner of Yanghe, this general, and the commander of Shanxi, these are all powerful figures. The Fan family may have many connections, but they are all bought with silver. I don't think Fan Yongdou is any more skilled than Dongzhu Zhang. If the two families really compete, it's uncertain who will win. I don't know what you're thinking, but don't drag me into this mess!"

Ning Yicheng knew that the private use of household servants had been exposed. He didn't dare argue with Lai Tongxin anymore, but the resentment in his eyes was hard to hide.

"Ah," Lai Tongxin sighed and said slowly, "Shizhai, we have some friendship. I will cover for you when I report this. You won't be executed, but you won't be able to hold office. Take care of yourself in the future!"

With that, Lai Tongxin left, but he had someone keep an eye on Ning Yicheng to prevent him from running away or committing suicide. Lai Tongxin then called his clerk to embellish the report before submitting it.

...

"Heh, it was just a dream..."

Li Mingda, of course, was in the crowd during the bustling scene in the fortress.

The crowd pushed Zhang Han and his subordinates to the center, the focus of everyone's attention. Li Mingda could only push through the crowd, drenched in sweat after a few hundred steps.

In front of the deputy general's residence, he lost a shoe and desperately called for people to make way, but no one paid attention to him.

This former influential figure was now ignored by everyone. When he hurriedly returned to the Fan family's branch store, the disappointment on his face was evident.

All his plans had come to nothing!

Now he was worried that the bandits and Ning Yicheng might expose him and the Fan family.

After careful consideration, he thought it unlikely. The bandits wouldn't know the details of the cooperation between the Fan family and Ning Yicheng, and Ning Yicheng wouldn't want to trouble himself by offending such a powerful family.

The Fan family had allies in the official circles of Datong and Shanxi. Ning Yicheng's current crimes were not fatal, and the worst he could face was losing his position. If he offended the Fan family, his life would be in danger. Given Ning Yicheng's intelligence, he wouldn't do that.

"Both Dongzhu and Ning Daren are highly intelligent, and the Fan family is extremely powerful. How could they be unable to deal with such a minor figure?"

Li Mingda was puzzled and felt a wave of helplessness.

But no matter what, he had to report today's events quickly. He sat at his desk, lit an oil lamp, and began to write.

"Boss, should we put away the sign of the account office or hang it tomorrow morning?"

A favorite clerk of Li Mingda's walked in, holding the sign of the Fan family's account office and asked.

"Burn it."

"Ah?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Li Mingda turned around, his eyes blazing with anger, as if they could melt the clerk. He stood up and stomped his foot, "Burn it, burn it, take it away and burn it quickly!"

...

Compared to the gloom at the deputy general's residence and the Fan family's branch store, the Zhang family's residence in Xinping Fortress was bustling with activity.

Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong arrived early. They didn't go to watch the commotion. When Zhang Han and his group entered the fortress gate, they saw them. To reassure Chang Shi, the two managers came early, and after a few words, Chang Shi was finally reassured.

In addition, there were accountants and warehouse managers like Li Yujing, as well as managers of the mule and horse business and the account office, all gathered in the room, filling it with people.

These managers, the youngest being around twenty-five or twenty-six, and the oldest being Zhou Fengji, who was in his fifties, all had sharp eyes and quick minds, ready to calculate and act.

In modern terms, this group was a standard set of business elites.

Today's excitement didn't stop there.

Li Shenming came from Datong. There were still ten days before the official market this year, and he had already deposited tens of thousands of silver in the account office. This time, he came with only a few attendants, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a fan, accompanied by a few servants, riding a few horses. Without the account office, he would have had to bring many attendants and travel with carriages, making his journey longer and more noticeable, which would have been difficult in the scorching summer.

When Zhang Han entered, the entire grand hall was in an uproar.

People bowed, saluted, and a few newly promoted clerks knelt at the door to welcome him. Chang Shi, supported by a few maids, also came to the hall entrance to greet him. After looking him over for a while, she said, "Thank goodness, you're not hurt."

Zhang Han smiled, "I didn't get involved, so how could I get hurt?"

"It's good that you didn't get involved," Chang Shi said, reciting a prayer, "But your subordinates are also human. Don't put them in danger if you can avoid it. If they get hurt or anything, even if we pay them in silver, a person is much more valuable than silver."

The woman, not yet fifty, had been at home for the past half year, and her health was excellent. She had already started reading Buddhist scriptures and was looking forward to holding her grandson, feeling like an old noblewoman. However, when she said this in public, it was full of wisdom.

Zhang Han was taken aback and then answered solemnly, "Mother, rest assured, I won't put my subordinates in danger unless absolutely necessary."

"Um, I just said that," Chang Shi smiled, "There are many people here, go about your business. Don't neglect your guests because of me."

With that, Chang Shi turned and left for the inner quarters, and everyone stood up to see her off.

Li Shenming smiled at Zhang Han, "Seeing your mother today, I understand why you have such great talent."

Zhang Han bowed and smiled, "Brother, you flatter me."

They exchanged glances, turned, and went to the east room, closing the door for a private conversation.

After sitting down, Li Shenming said bluntly, "After this incident, I believe your account office will flourish. When I left Datong, I saw your letter and learned that you intend to open an iron mine. To be frank, smelting iron in a blast furnace has uncertain output and the risk of furnace collapse, which can injure people and cause significant losses. The area is also full of troublemakers. Although I can connect with Lingqiu County, and you have connections in Puzhou, it's still a troublesome matter. Without substantial profit, it's not worth the effort."

Opening an iron mine was actually considered a low-level business by the true elite.

In the south, the iron mines in Ma'anshan were operated by some gentry, but in the north, it was mostly done by local farmers. With Zhang Han's planned furnace, he could produce a million pounds of pig iron a year, but selling all of it would only yield a few tens of thousands of silver, minus the salaries of the workers and the cost of coal, which was lower than using charcoal. If charcoal was used, the cost would be much higher, and the raw materials would be difficult to obtain. In Shanxi and Shaanxi, it's hard to imagine, but the mountains were mostly deforested, and many hills were bare, which would surprise many modern people who think the area is lush and green.

Additionally, there were the costs of bribing local officials and dealing with local troublemakers, which would also be significant.

Li Shenming was not very optimistic about this business. If not for the rapid development of Zhang Han's account office and mule and horse business, he probably wouldn't even be interested in discussing it with Zhang Han.

Last year, when Li Shenming talked to Zhang Han, he only saw him as a variable, a minor piece in a larger game. The most important thing was to maintain the route from Datong to Xinping Fortress to facilitate his business.

However, Zhang Han's performance was nothing short of miraculous. In just over half a year, the Yu Sheng account office had expanded widely, and the mule and horse business had opened several branches along several routes. Now, the merchants Li Shenming dealt with no longer asked, "Who owns the Yu Sheng account office?" or "Who is Zhang Han and what is his background?" Instead, they mostly entrusted their silver to the Yu Sheng account office, retrieving it when they needed to buy goods, which was very convenient.

While there was some additional cost, compared to the chaos and risks in various places, this cost was necessary, and no merchant felt it was a waste.

Of course, there were still many who clung to their silver, especially small and medium merchants with a few thousand or a few hundred silver, or even just a few dozen silver, traveling routes of about three hundred miles, where the risk was still manageable. They were not very willing to deal with the account office, but they were the main customers of the Yu Sheng mule and horse business. Small and medium merchants couldn't afford their own caravans and mule teams, and the Yu Sheng transportation was strong, inexpensive, and extremely safe, making it the first choice for small and medium merchants.

Zhang Han now reported to Ma Cheng'en that the account office earned a hundred silver daily, and the monthly dividend to General Ma was over a thousand silver, with an annual income of over ten thousand silver. This income was already more than the Ma family's income in half a year. Ma Cheng'en praised Li Shenming for his foresight and smiled broadly, and Li Shenming was also proud. However, Li Shenming felt that the income should be even higher, but after the accountants sent by Ma Cheng'en to Xinping Fortress checked the accounts and found no issues, he didn't want to raise any objections.