Chapter 73

The world belongs to the royal family of the Zhu Ming dynasty, to the nobles and eunuchs. Even the officials and gentry are barely tolerated. The distribution of benefits in the Ming dynasty is extremely unreasonable, and there is no high-pressure rule. On one side, there is unfair distribution; on the other, there is lax management. This has caused a lack of unity between the upper and lower classes, and the people and the literati have no affection for the court. When the country collapses, they only think of themselves. When the Ming dynasty fell, no class wanted to save it. Without the hair-cutting order, the south would not have resisted for decades. This is how major events unfold, let alone small matters like smuggling.

As for the vice-general Yanghe mentioned, it is of course Zhang Quanchang. Now that the official gazette has spread, a general from the Zhang family died on the Liaodong battlefield. This is a personal grudge, which cannot be easily resolved. If Zhang Quanchang remains the vice-general in Yanghe, there will be many obstacles. Li Shenming's relief lies in this.

Li Shenming continued, "Iron, grain, cloth, and medicine—these are the main items. No wonder the Fan family has been competing with you all along. There is this layer of relationship."

"Fan's principal has been planning for a long time," Zhang Han smiled lightly. "But so far, he only has connections in the Xuanfu and Jizhen areas. On the Tartar side, he is one step behind me. Here in Datong, I am not afraid of him."

Li Shenming repeatedly said, "No wonder, no wonder. No wonder the battle with the bandits was so fierce. I was wondering why the dispute had reached such a decisive point. Why couldn't they talk things out? It turns out there is this layer of relationship. If the bandits are not defeated, the Fan family will still extend their influence. If the bandits are defeated, the Fan family will be powerless in this aspect, and the officials will also favor you. From this, it seems that this business is indeed well done... Brother, I really need to join in. First, the matters of building connections, I will take care of them."

Li Shenming is indeed a shrewd person who can extract oil from a stone. He knows exactly where his position is without much ado.

Zhang Han smiled and said, "No rush, Brother, first accompany me to Lingqiu. The relationships there are deeply rooted. I've heard that there is a powerful Dongshan Association with thousands of members, many of whom are miners. If we don't resolve this association, it will cause a lot of trouble in the future. The local gentry will be led by my family from Puzhou, and the local strongmen will be a bit of a hassle for Brother."

In Lingqiu, the Zhang family from Puzhou can lend a hand. Zhang Han does not want to entrust everything to Li Shenming, nor does he want to rely entirely on Ma Cheng'en. In Datong, he skillfully leveraged both Zheng Guochang and Ma Cheng'en, and gradually built a relationship with Lai Tongxin. In a place like Lingqiu, using the power of the Zhang family from Puzhou is better, making the forces more dispersed and ensuring that no one feels indispensable to Zhang Han.

In Puzhou, a sum of silver was sent at the end of last year, and there is regular correspondence. Zhang Nian, of course, does not pay much attention to Zhang Han, but his attitude has softened. Zhang Xueceng and others still have a very high opinion of Zhang Han, especially after the rise of Heyu Sheng.

"Alright," Li Shenming answered straightforwardly, "I can set out at any time."

"Brother, aren't you waiting for the official market?"

"What little money can be made from the official market?" Li Shenming said firmly, "Of course, our major affairs are more important. I can entrust the official market to my subordinates."

"Alright, we'll leave tomorrow morning."

Zhang Han, who always acts decisively in major affairs, greatly appreciated Li Shenming's attitude and decided to go immediately.

"Brother is indeed someone who can handle major affairs," Li Shenming flattered, smiling, "Decisive and resolute. I've heard that you were always on the scene during the battle with the bandits, commanding with composure and cutting off dozens of heads. It must have been a fierce battle. If I were in your place, I would have been scared off long ago."

Zhang Han thought about his performance today. Apart from being somewhat hesitant when Wang Changfu pulled him away, he was not afraid of the blood and gore on the battlefield and even killed with his own hands, feeling no fear. He was satisfied with his performance and laughed without any modesty.

At this moment, laughter from outside continued to come in. Today, whether it was the bodyguards or the managers, they were all equally delighted. Getting rid of such a major threat meant that Heyu Sheng could make rapid progress. The route to Zhangjiakou had been established, and a branch store had been set up, but the profit was always lower than in Datong. The main reason was the bandits hiding in the Daliang Mountains.

Regardless of whether Heyu Sheng's bodyguards had the strength, the presence of these bandits was always a significant threat. The trade route between Datong and Zhangjiakou had always been at a low level, and the most important reason was this.

Whether or not there was Heyu Sheng, merchants would be cautious, reducing the scale of trade and not carrying large amounts of cash or valuable goods. Zhangjiakou did not need the eastern route of Datong, and the eastern route of Datong did not dare to expand, which made Heyu Sheng's profits on this golden trade route less than in other parts of Datong.

Zhangjiakou, this military fortress, was a major trade center in the north at the time, far surpassing any horse market. It accounted for more than one-third of the trade with the northern tribes. In the entire north, no city's commercial scale could rival Zhangjiakou, which was more prosperous.

Eliminating the bandit threat would make the trade route to Zhangjiakou more prosperous, with significant growth in the short term. The route would undoubtedly be controlled by Heyu Sheng, and the greatest profits would also go to Heyu Sheng.

Outside, Liang Hong and the managers of the horse and mule trade were already discussing the allocation of carriages to the eastern route. It was clear that the number of merchants heading to Zhangjiakou would increase sharply in the near future, followed by an increase in the transportation of goods and, more importantly, an increase in the flow of money. These changes needed to be prepared for in advance.

Li Shenming listened for a while and smiled, "Your managers are truly dedicated, making one envious."

Zhang Han also smiled. Zhou Fengji and others had indeed improved significantly, which was Zhang Han's principle in leading people: trust and not doubt, delegate daily affairs to them, and frequently remind the managers of the big picture. He also taught the young clerks who had become managers to read books, make reports, and learn the Longmen accounting method. Changing their way of thinking was a gradual process, not something that could be achieved in a day. Li Shenming did not know these things, and in his view, Zhang Han was incredibly lucky, with a medium-level business like Heyu Sheng hiding so many high-level managers, which made him particularly envious.

Li Shenming had the idea of befriending Zhang Han and smiled, "Let's stop hiding. Let's go out."

Zhang Han naturally had no objections. As soon as they stepped out, Liang Xing smiled, "If the principal doesn't come out, we'll think you're hiding from the celebration."

"Would we really be able to do without your drinks?" Zhang Han laughed and scolded, then quickly instructed, "Bring the drinks and dishes. Everyone has been fighting all day, and the managers have been worried all day. Let's all have a good drink."

The kitchen had already prepared the banquet, and at Zhang Han's command, the drinks and dishes were brought out.

However, Zhang Han refused to have his side served first and instead had the servants deliver the drinks and dishes to the horse and mule trade. The bodyguards had incredible luck today, with no one killed and nearly thirty bandits killed or injured. On their side, only a dozen were injured, two of them seriously. Zhang Han had already called a doctor, and he himself had visited the two seriously injured bodyguards. After privately asking, the doctors said there was no major problem, and as long as they got through the night, they would recover over time. Among the dozen lightly injured, a few had bone injuries and might find it difficult to fight in the future. Zhang Han saw their low spirits and comforted them, assuring them that even if they were disabled, the business would take care of them and not let them end up with no future.

Sending the banquet over would naturally lift the bodyguards' low spirits.

Of course, Wen Zhongfa and the others were not included. They were isolated and would need some time before they could continue working for the business.

The second round of drinks and dishes was brought out and placed in the middle. Zhang Han invited Li Shenming to sit in the seat of honor, and he himself sat beside him. Zhou Fengji and Liang Hong were also at this table, along with Liang Xing, Wang Changfu, and Yang Qiu.

Those sitting at this table were Zhang Han's most capable team. Zhang Chun, due to his status, did not sit at the table but served behind him. This fellow had probably already eaten in the kitchen, so Zhang Han did not need to worry about him.

As the drinks and dishes were served, Liang Hong stood up with a glass of wine and smiled, "Today, the principal Li has honored us with his presence, which is a great honor. Today, our principal led the bodyguards to defeat the bandits, which is a great good deed. Now, with such a major customer like Principal Li, it is even better..."

"Third Manager," Zhang Han, hearing Liang Hong's flowery words, smiled and interrupted, "Brother Li and I have decided to pick a good day to exchange letters and call each other brothers in the future."

"Ah?" Liang Hong was surprised, but his face quickly turned to a full smile. This time, the formalities were much less, and he said, "This is excellent. In the future, if Principal Li has any instructions, I will certainly follow them."

Li Shenming, of course, said a few polite words, and then everyone toasted each other. Li Shenming was indeed a person skilled in socializing, and after a few rounds of toasts, everyone felt very close to him. Even Li Shenming went to Old Cai's table, first toasting Old Cai, then toasting Cai Jiu, saying, "I heard this young brother is an expert in the ironworks. Let's have a drink. We will have many opportunities to work together in the future."

Cai Jiu did not expect to be involved today. He stood up with a red face, stammering a few polite words. Li Shenming, seeing the crowd, knew that this was a shy young man, so he smiled and clinked glasses, not saying any more.

Zhang Han then instructed Yang Qiu at this table, "Quickly pick capable people. I have a letter to be sent out of the fortress by night to Puzhou, and then bring back the receipt. I need to prepare for a few days, and then I will go to Lingqiu with Principal Li."

Yang Qiu, who was no longer afraid of more tasks or complexity, had a completely different attitude from when he was just a bodyguard in training a few months ago. Now, he hoped that Zhang Han would give him more tasks. He picked up a piece of osmanthus duck, swallowed it, and smiled in agreement, then got up to make arrangements, not even drinking more.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends