Chapter 1: The Merchant Group

  Among the mountains, the grass and trees are withered, in the late autumn weather, the sky is high and the air is refreshing, the fields are vast and comfortable. A merchant caravan is winding its way through the mountain path, the pack horses lowering their heads, the goods on their backs weighing them down, leaving them no time to relax for a moment. The porters are waving their whips, shouting loudly as they move in and out of the caravan, intimidating the horses that are almost collapsing.

  The caravan was not large, with only forty or fifty horses pulling the cargo. Behind the caravan followed a dozen or so knights, their horses and pack mules clearly distinct, tall and majestic, with swords at their waists and arrows on their backs, each one strong and powerful, looking like tigers and bears, that was the caravan's escort.

  Di Zhe was in the middle of this merchant group, with his hair tied up in a bun at the back of his head, looking somewhat unruly. His soul had been inhabiting this body for three years now, and after a long period of grinding and merging, he could no longer distinguish whether the one manipulating this body was the soul from the 21st century or the original host. Three years was neither long nor short, and most memories of the future were becoming vague, but the sense of oppression brought by this era was becoming clearer, because this spring a new emperor ascended to the throne, with the reign title Chongzhen.

  For Di Zhe, this was the Ming Dynasty over 300 years ago. In the summer, there were no refrigerators and in the winter, there was no heating, but at least he had a good body and as the son of a wealthy merchant family, he didn't have to worry about having enough food and drink. However, since this spring, with the new emperor ascending to the throne, the reign title "Chongzhen" sounded like a curse in his ears. If his gradually fading memories were correct, this should be the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Ten or twenty years later, the northeastern Tartars would conquer the Central Plains and the Han people would shave their heads bald, leaving only a pigtail at the back of their heads, marking the beginning of the darkest era.

  Under the leadership of an experienced fellow, the merchant team proceeded at a steady pace, using the most energy-saving way to cross the mountains under their feet. After noon, the merchant team finally crossed the last big mountain ridge in sight, and the fellow and the pack horses seemed to have let out a sigh of relief. The most difficult road had passed, but the dangerous road was yet to come. A middle-aged man with a neat appearance and a fur hat on his head came from the crowded merchant team to the guard cavalry team, bowed and asked in a low voice: "Second young master, are you going to rest outside Xuan Town?" That was Sunzi Cai, the leader of the merchant team's fellow. He had walked along this road from Jiezhou to Xuanfu dozens of times, and he knew best where to be vigilant and where to rest along the way. The entire journey was arranged by him.

  The distant will ultimately return to the distance, Di Zhe withdrew his thoughts and waved his hand: "All listen to you!" Xuanzhen is a barrier for the business team going out of the pass. Inside the Great Wall of Xuanfu, it is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, under the jurisdiction of the "Great Ming Law". Although there are various troubles, there are still rules to follow. Once you leave the gate of Xuanfu, you will enter the wharf into the grassland - Zhangjiakou. Although it is still nominally part of the Ming Dynasty, it follows the jungle law. Whether to abandon the corpse in the wilderness or return with a brocade dress depends on the fate. Therefore, business teams going out of the pass will be used to having a full meal inside the Great Wall of Xuanzhen, and over time, they have developed such a habit.

  From Shanxi to the exit of the Great Wall, the road is not far, but the mountain roads are rugged and difficult to travel. However, from this point on, the difficult mountain roads will gradually transition into plains, all the way until after passing through the gates of Zhangjiakou, where it becomes a vast grassland. For pack horses, the most arduous part of the journey has already passed, but the treacherous road is only just beginning. On the border between the grasslands and the Ming dynasty, there have never been a lack of bandits and horse thieves targeting travelers along the way.

  After turning a corner at the three-way intersection, the road beneath my feet changed from bumpy to flat and wide. This was the official road leading from Beijing City to Xuan Town. The Xuan Prefecture is located in the northern part of Beijing City and serves as a barrier against the Mongolians on the northern grasslands for the defense of the Great Ming's capital. After years of hard work, the roads were relatively well-maintained for the convenience of transporting supplies.

  Di Zhe saw that there were no pedestrians on the main road, so he waved his hand and urged his horse to gallop for a while. The horseshoes of the guards behind him also made a loud noise, which was considered as exercising their limbs before leaving the border. All merchants who dared to transport goods out of the border would have their own guards, with more than 300-400 people or less than 100-200 people. Of course, these were just security guarantees, not reliance on security.

  Sunzi Cai looked at the back of the guards and muttered in a low voice, "This year's business is getting harder to do!"

  The apprentice Li Fu, who was following closely behind, asked: "Why?"

  Sunzi's hand holding the whip gently tapped his head and said, "We haven't even met a single merchant group on the road. At this time of year, this mountain path is usually the busiest time of the year."

  At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the wheat and millet in the Central Plains are ripe, and the cattle on the grasslands are fat and strong. This is the time when Shanxi merchants collect goods and enter the grasslands. In previous years, the road from Xuanfu to Zhangjiakou was crowded with cargo teams, but since the outbreak of the grassland war last year, everything has changed. No merchant dares to blindly enter the grasslands anymore, and the number of people coming to Zhangjiakou to purchase goods has become extremely rare.

  "Is the master also going to lay off people?" Li Fu asked his master in a low voice. In Shanxi, where there are many mountains and poor land, many people rely on border trade with Mongolia for a living. This year's bad business has been a fatal blow to many merchants, and some have already started firing their employees. Rumors spread among fellow workers that Jie Xiu Di's family had not yet reached this point, but they were also worried.

  "Shut your mouth and get back to work!" Sunzi Cai didn't hold back this time, striking Li Fu's head with a loud crack. He couldn't fathom the master's intentions, but if his apprentice continued to spread nonsense like this, he would eventually bring trouble upon himself.

  On the flat and broad road, the merchant caravan walked quickly. The official road leading to the capital was not as desolate as the mountain roads, and occasionally people could be seen coming and going. Di Zhe led his guards in a small run before slowing down their pace, carefully walking behind the pack horse cargo team. There wouldn't be any danger here, but Jin merchants had always been cautious when doing business outside, and Xuan Town was not a place where merchant caravans could act wildly.

  As they approached the Xuanzhen Pass, there were more and more pedestrians on the road. This place leads directly to Bianji Zhangjiakou, with many troops stationed here, making it a rare prosperous area along the border. In the distance, the steep Xuanfu Great Wall can be seen winding its way up to the mountain pass, and shops began to appear in twos and threes on both sides of the main road. Di Zhe and the others all dismounted their horses and walked.

  "Hey fellow villager, come in and finish your tea! You'll definitely get rich after leaving the pass." The quick-witted waiter at the tea house had already spotted this large group and came out to the middle of the road to solicit customers.

  "Go away! Go away!" Sunzi Cai waved his hand in annoyance and scolded: "Don't drink tea!"

  The team's pace slowed down, and Zhai Zhe waved his hand. The guards quietly surrounded the pack horse team in the middle, isolating them from contact with passersby.

  About two miles away from the city wall, there was a noodle shop by the roadside with a flag hanging outside, on which were written three characters "晋一碗". The waiter at the entrance looked out and saw Sunzi Cai and others, immediately came forward and said intimately: "Sun boss, going out of the pass? Come in and have a bowl of noodles!" It was clear that they were familiar with each other.

  Sunzi Cai scolded: "I'm not some shopkeeper." Then he turned his head and looked at Zhai Zhe with an inquiring gaze.

  Di Zhe had no opinion and nodded lightly.

  Sunzi Ca Nu Nu mouth, lowering his voice to the waiter said: "That is our second young master, be careful to serve him."

  The shopkeeper shouted loudly: "Guests have arrived!"

  This store is quite famous, the interior is not as desolate as the previous few stores I've seen. Several waiters quickly set up tables and chairs. There are more than 50 people in this group, which is a considerable-sized merchant team. The kitchen is steaming with hot water for cooking noodles. Under the guidance of the shopkeeper, the merchant team settles down their horses and leaves someone to watch them.

  Di Zhe sat down at a clean table, and the partner hinted by Sunzi Cai immediately brought up a plate of cooked beef, a plate of peanuts, and carefully asked: "Sir, do you want wine?"

  Dai Zhe shook his head, looking somewhat absent-minded. He had a nagging doubt in his mind all along the way. Under the current bleak business situation on the grasslands, why did Big Brother want to mobilize so many people to Zhangjiakou? This was already their third batch, and Big Brother had almost assembled seventy percent of the Dai family's forces in Zhangjiakou. Was he planning to take a risk and make a bold move? Everything would have to wait until they arrived at Zhangjiakou to be revealed.

  Knife-cut noodles with aged vinegar are always the favorite of Shanxi people. Wherever Shanxi people do business, they will bring these two things there, and their partners and guards all eat them steaming hot.

  Just as he was eating, a commotion was heard on the main road outside. Di Zhe raised his head without getting up.

  "Wow, which business can take in so much goods! This business is finally picking up again!" The partner standing at the door was sighing in admiration. Their livelihoods were closely tied to the prosperity of Zhangjiakou, and with many merchants coming and going, they had a thriving business.

  Sunzi Cai, who was near the gate, also looked around for a while, with a happy expression on his face. He ran to Zhai Zhe's table and said: "Second Master, I didn't know anything about such a large cargo team. It seems that business is really getting better."

  Di Zhe put down the bowl in his hand and said, "When we arrive at Zhangjiakou, after meeting with Big Brother, everything will be clear. We'll also get up and closely follow them out of the pass."