novelhk Page 113
Page 113
Hu Sanniang asked in surprise.
Liangshan dared to sell refined salt and white sugar in the surrounding inns because the Jizhou Prefecture couldn't do anything about Liangshan for the time being, and the Yunzhou Prefecture hadn't made any moves, so they acted somewhat recklessly.
"Chief Hu, you may not know this, but in this day and age, officials and businessmen are practically becoming one."
The manager explained, "Once our refined salt and white sugar are transported back, these merchants will definitely have to give a portion of their profits to the local officials. When those officials see real money, they won't stop us. They might even be hoping that these merchants will make more trips."
On Liangshan Mountain, Hu Sanniang always darkened her face and dressed as a man.
Apart from the leader of the mountain stronghold who knew her true identity, in the eyes of others, this leader Hu Sanlang was just a man who spoke with a somewhat effeminate manner.
"By the way, what kind of goods did these merchants bring the most?" Zhao Yuan asked.
"The most abundant items are grains, followed by medicinal herbs, cloth, and animal hides. Livestock, timber, sulfur, and saltpeter are also acceptable."
The steward said helplessly, "The remaining pig iron, ox horns, and ox tendons are military supplies, and ordinary merchants dare not transport them to Liangshan unless they have connections."
Pig iron can be used to forge weapons and armor, while ox horn and sinew are materials for making hard bows.
As long as local officials' minds aren't completely corrupt, they will definitely be thoroughly investigated.
"But this can't go on forever,"
Lu Zhishen scratched his head and said, "The grain in the stronghold is getting more and more plentiful. If we can't finish eating all of this, won't it all go moldy and spoil in two or three years? On the other hand, pig iron and other such things are things that we in the mountains urgently need, but we can't get much of them."
"Chief Commander, there's nothing we can do about it,"
The manager said with a wry smile, "Unless we stop buying grain, these merchants will definitely prioritize selling grain, which is neither illegal nor difficult to pass through inspections."
"So, you put up a wooden sign next to this hotel, listing the exchange rates between various goods and refined salt and white sugar,"
Zhao Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Lower the exchange rate for things that the mountain stronghold doesn't need for the time being, such as grain and cloth. Raise the exchange rate to the highest level for things that are urgently needed, such as pig iron, ox horns, and ox tendons, even if it's ten or twenty times the market price!"
"If the exchange rate is that high, there will definitely be merchants willing to take the risk!" the manager said happily.
In fact, the person in charge could easily come up with the idea of increasing the exchange rate.
However, without the leader of the stronghold's consent, it's naturally difficult for a mere manager like him to make such a decision.
"Starting tomorrow, have the Registrar of Households and the Registrar of Works send someone here as well."
Zhao Yuan continued, "From now on, the prices on these wooden signs will be adjusted every three days according to the needs of the stronghold, with the priority of ensuring sufficient supplies for the stronghold."
The Household Affairs Office was in charge of daily necessities such as grain, cloth, livestock, and medicine.
The clerk was responsible for obtaining the necessary materials for camp construction and weapon forging, such as timber, animal hides, and pig iron.
With the involvement of the officials in charge of household affairs and the officials in charge of public works, the supervisors can more easily understand the needs of the counterfeiters and adjust prices more effectively.
In addition, it can also serve a supervisory role, preventing hotel managers from accepting bribes and deliberately inflating the exchange rate for certain items.
Upon hearing Zhao Yuan's words, the steward nodded repeatedly and suggested, "Chief, if we do it this way, some merchants will definitely be unwilling to sell their goods immediately and will want to wait by this lake for a couple of days to observe the increase in the exchange rate."
"Why don't we build a few more inns along the shore of this lake and make some more money from these merchants?"
"That's a good idea, let's do it your way."
Zhao Yuan smiled and nodded: "By the way, starting today, we'll also add mulberry, sandalwood, and hemp rope to the items available for exchange!"
These three items are the materials used to make the Divine Arm Bow.
The Song court lacked troops and horses, and with insufficient cavalry, it could only rely on infantry to fight against enemy states.
This divine crossbow was a major weapon of the Imperial Guard infantry.
The Song court also attached great importance to the manufacture of the Divine Arm Bow, not only keeping the manufacturing method a strict secret,
Special regulations were also formulated to prohibit the private manufacture or practice of the divine crossbow, as well as its destruction by soldiers or loss in battle...
Chapter 150 Yinmachuan Horse Market
Of course, none of this mattered to Zhao Yuan.
The system not only contains the manufacturing method for the Divine Arm Bow,
Even its upgraded version, the Enemy-Defying Bow, has detailed manufacturing steps.
As long as the materials are available, it is not difficult for the craftsmen on Liangshan to manufacture it.
Initially, Zhao Yuan intended to try and see if he could create a musket.
However, Liangshan was severely lacking in pig iron at that time.
Secondly, the iron smelting technology at that time was insufficient, and the fact that coal was mainly used for iron smelting in the north led to an increase in impurities in pig iron.
Iron produced in this way is too brittle; if used to forge firearms, it will easily explode.
Although the system also has more advanced iron smelting methods, Liangshan doesn't have its own iron mines, and even the supply of pig iron cannot be guaranteed.
Revealing a better iron-making method rashly would only benefit others if it were leaked.
Based on these considerations, Zhao Yuan decided to temporarily refrain from developing firearms.
Anyway, the Divine Arm Bow is more than enough at this point.
..........
The hotel manager received the order and went to carry it out.
Zhao Yuan, Lu Zhishen, and Hu Sanniang waited for more than an hour in the back room of the inn before Lin Chong finally returned!
And just as Zhao Yuan had guessed,
Lin Chong not only returned on his own, but also brought back more than two hundred fine horses!
But the surprises he had prepared for Zhao Yuan didn't stop there.
Because those two hundred-plus fine horses were all ridden by soldiers.
With Lin Chong's shout
The soldiers reined in their horses in perfect unison, their movements practiced and efficient.
These two hundred-plus people could actually be considered a cavalry force with superb riding skills!
Lin Chong led his men to the lakeshore, and was somewhat puzzled by the carriages and merchants next to the inn.
When did the north bank of this lake become so lively?
But upon seeing Zhao Yuan and the other two waiting there, he quickly dismounted and hurried over.
Upon reaching Zhao Yuan, Lin Chong immediately bowed and said...
"Lin Chong, the Second Infantry Commander of Liangshan, greets the Chieftain!"
As Lin Chong bowed,
The two hundred-odd cavalrymen quickly dismounted, knelt on one knee while holding the reins, and shouted in unison,
"Greetings, Chieftain!"
"Brother, please rise!"
Zhao Yuan quickly helped Lin Chong up and then shouted loudly to the cavalry.
"Brothers, you've all worked hard, please get up!"
The cavalrymen immediately stood up, but remained standing neatly beside their horses.
"Brother, thank you for this surprise!"
Zhao Yuan laughed heartily, "I originally thought that it would be quite good if my brother could bring back a hundred or two fine horses, but I didn't expect that my brother had even trained a cavalry for me!"
"It's a long story,"
Lin Chong smiled slightly: "Brother, let these cavalrymen take the boat up the mountain first. I'll tell you the details later!"
Zhao Yuan naturally wouldn't object; the three Ruan brothers' fleet was already anchored at the shore, waiting.
The two hundred-plus cavalrymen boarded the boat one by one and headed towards Liangshan in the marshland.
Such a commotion naturally alerted the merchants waiting nearby.
Many people were secretly surprised when they saw the two hundred-plus cavalrymen.
Ordinary bandit strongholds are either composed entirely of infantry or have twenty or thirty horse bandits; that's considered a significant force.
Liangshan suddenly received over two hundred new cavalrymen, in addition to the soldiers they had acquired from the Water Margin.
The total strength is enough to rival the Imperial Guard in Jeju Prefecture!
No wonder they dared to openly sell refined salt without any fear of the government!
......
After sending the two hundred-plus cavalrymen, along with their horses, to Liangshan,
Zhao Yuan and Lu Zhishen couldn't wait to take Lin Chong to the hotel on the north bank and ask him about the situation at Yinma River.
"Don't worry, brother, the horse market at Yinmachuan has already been built."
Lin Chong said with a smile, "We owe a lot to a brother named Duan Jingzhu, the Golden Retriever!"
Duan Jingzhu, a golden retriever?
Zhao Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but fortunately Lin Chong did not notice his abnormality and continued to recount his experiences on Yinma River over the past two months in detail.
It turns out that after Zhao Yuan and the others left,
While training soldiers at Yinmachuan, Lin Chong and Yang Lin also spread rumors that they planned to build a horse market there and buy horses at high prices.
However, due to Deng Fei and his men's previous looting at Yinmachuan,
Many horse traders, though they had heard the news, dared not come, fearing it was just a trap.
Ten days passed like this, and still not a single horse trader was seen on the Yinma River.
Lin Chong and Yang Lin were naturally anxious.
Lin Chong, in particular, knew how desperately Liangshan was short of horses.
Without enough horses, you can't even build a cavalry force!
Cavalry commanders like him could only lead infantry into battle!
Just when the two of them were getting anxious,
But a man with red hair, a yellow beard, and a burly build came to the door.
Inquire about matters concerning the horse market.
After inquiring with Yang Lin, Lin Chong learned that the man's name was Duan Jingzhu, also known as the Golden-haired Dog, a native of Zhuozhou, and a horse thief.
Duan Jingzhu and his companions mingled in the Liao and Jin dynasties for many years, making a living by stealing fine horses from the north and then selling them to the south.
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Because the horses were of dubious origin and sold in horse markets along the Song-Liao border, they were easily apprehended by the authorities.
Duan Jingzhu and his gang used to drive horses to Henan and Shandong to sell.
However, this back-and-forth exchange obviously consumes a lot of time and energy.
Upon hearing that Yinmachuan was going to buy horses, Duan Jingzhu immediately went to inquire about it.
Lin Chong and Yang Lin were naturally unwilling to miss this opportunity. To show their sincerity, they paid the deposit even before seeing the horses!
Duan Jingzhu accepted the money, and seeing that the matter at the horse market was true,
He then had his accomplices take all the dozen or so horses they had stolen to Yinmachuan.
They made this first deal.
With Duan Jingzhu and his group helping to spread the word,
Gradually, other horse smugglers began to dare to come to Yinmachuan to sell their horses.
Lin Chong and Yang Lin wanted to expand the horse market.
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They bought all the horses from these horse dealers, whether they were domesticated or military horses, in one go.
After a while,
Yinmachuan Horse Market gradually gained a reputation among horse smugglers.
Most of these horse smugglers were like Duan Jingzhu and his group.