Chapter 43: Trade Route

  The sky was dark, and Geng Guang walked out of Di Zhe's house, with anger and fear intertwined.

  "Brother Geng!" Wang Yi stood three or four zhang away, greeting him with a hint of concern in his eyes. He had already known the purpose for which Zhai Zhe was looking for Geng Guang.

  Geng Guang was startled awake and asked: "Wang Yi, what are you doing here?"

  "I'm waiting for Brother Geng here. The sky is already late today, you don't have to go back to Hei Shan, rest in the camp instead! I also have some things to tell you."

  Geng Guang raised his head and gazed into the distance. The mountains in the distance were only visible as a vague outline. He replied, "Alright!"

  The food in the mountain stronghold was not abundant, and the rations for Lao Ya Shan were allocated by An Ren Tou. After Wang Yi finished arranging his chores, he brought back a two-catty piece of cooked beef.

  Geng Guang took the beef over, pulled out a dagger from his waist, and cut it into small pieces with a calm and composed manner. He asked with some self-mockery: "How's your life been here? Is it much better than when you were in Black Mountain?"

  "The big boss trusts me very much!"

  "Haha!" Geng Guang suddenly felt a little loss of appetite.

  "Brother Geng, things must always look forward!" Wang Yi said with a stutter, "Since we have already joined the Han army, our status will depend on our own efforts."

  "Status? I just want you all to survive!" Geng Guang fiercely inserted the dagger in his hand into the table.

  "It's a chaotic world, Brother Geng. This is a chaotic world! I'd rather be a peaceful dog than a person in a chaotic world. The grasslands are even more so - without power and status, how can one protect oneself? Are we really going to become slaves to the Mongols?"

  "It's only been a few days and you're already so obedient!" Geng Guang seethed with anger. Zhai Zhe's tactics had left him like a fly caught in a spider's web, completely unable to resist.

  Following the young master, at least I can see hope. Moreover, it's beneficial for the young master to stay by the side of the young master, recently the young master is letting me and Che Feng help him select his personal guards, among those young people, they will all become the young master's trusted followers in the future! Wang Yi carefully persuaded.

  "You know everything?" Geng Guang's ox eyes stared at Wang Yi.

  Wang Yi nodded and said: "The master of the house asked me to persuade you to be at ease, saying that only by working together in harmony can we survive on the grasslands."

  "In the mountain stronghold, it's all up to you now, old brother!" Geng Guang pulled out his dagger. Things had come to this, what else could he do?

  As night deepened, Wang Yi entered a thatched cottage at the center of Lao Crow Mountain under the guidance of his personal guards.

  Under the dim oil lamp, Di Zhe was reading a book, which he had just brought out from the killing of Hu Kou. It was his leisure time, and if there were no books to accompany him, would he go find Xiao Zhiyan to drink with?

  "It's all right, Master Geng is fine!" Wang Yi said in a low voice.

  Di Zhe stood up and put down the book, saying: "This is very good, you can rest assured that Geng Guang has made a name for himself. I won't let him down. Now we're all on the same boat, and stubbornly defending the grasslands is a dead end."

  "Yes!" Wang Yi carefully backed out.

  Di Zhe wasn't worried about Geng Guang not making a move, he just wanted to make him feel more comfortable.

  From the moment Geng Guang chose to surrender to Di Zhe in Heishan, it was clear that this person knew how to compromise. Once a person learns to compromise, there will be a second time after the first, and since Geng Guang had his own persistence in his heart, he felt at ease letting him go. Geng Guang still hasn't realized how important Ping Kui's position as the leader of the guards is; it's Di Zhe's knife placed within the borders of Da Ming, and he can't choose to unconditionally trust Geng Guang.

  Geng Guang's entry into the pass was not urgent, and Di Zhe let him carefully select twenty people to enter the pass in these days. The others had to recruit themselves within the territory of the Great Ming, as long as Ping Kui had silver, hiring guards was naturally not a problem.

  In winter, everyone's heart is as idle as a field of long grass, except for those busy young people.

  After joining Zhai Zhe's camp, the horse thieves still felt that life was not bad. The new master had no airs and would not arbitrarily lose his temper and beat people. Except for restricting everyone from leaving the mountain stronghold at will and prohibiting private fights, everything else remained unchanged.

  Finally having some free time, Di Zhe brought Wang Yi and Che Feng to patrol the Old Crow Mountain. Seeing the bandits gathering in groups all over the mountain, he couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion - what could he accomplish with these people? With the reputation of the Jurchen people being brave and skilled in battle, even a thousand bandits might not be able to defeat two hundred of them.

  Early February.

  Ning Sheng sent a letter, killing Hu Kou's inner mouth, the Liu and Li families are willing to complete the horse-grain transaction peacefully, but the price of rice and millet must be five taels of silver per stone.

  In the past two years, with Shaanxi's severe drought and barren land stretching for thousands of miles, the grain price in the northern border of the Ming Dynasty has risen repeatedly, from one or two silver coins per stone during the Tianqi period to three silver coins per stone now. All the prohibitions of the Ming court have a price tag. At this time, transporting grains out of the pass, both merchant families had to grease palms up and down, plus their own profit margins, causing prices to skyrocket.

  "Five taels? Six taels must be bought too!" Zhai Zhe shook his head helplessly. Three thousand shi of millet and sorghum required more than six hundred fine grassland horses, but it was enough for half a year's food for the people in the mountain stronghold, solving the immediate crisis.

  To put the merchant at ease, Di Zhe moved the location of the transaction to a valley outside of Kill Hawk's Mouth.

  The Liu and Li families separately sent people to inspect the horses outside the pass, and after confirming that everything was in order, they first led the horses into the pass, and then had the grain transported out. In order to avoid detection, the grain carts left the pass at night, and Che Feng had the large carts carrying grain pulled back to Lao Ya Mountain under the cover of darkness, whereupon those idle horse thieves carried the sacks of grain up to the mountaintop.

  After completing the transaction, Geng Guang brought twenty clever and capable confidants into Sai, leaving his son Geng Zhu with Di Zhe.

  A fifteen-year-old boy who had always been under his father's wing suddenly became someone else's personal attendant. Geng Zhu was evasive and elusive from the moment he met Di Zhe, fortunately, Wang Yi in the mountain stronghold taught him how to conduct himself.

  The grain market has ended, and Di Zhe finally found time to visit Wulan Princess at Maotian Ridge, on the one hand to express his gratitude, and on the other hand he had some things to figure out.

  The snow on the sunny side of the mountain top has almost melted, and you can see the bare big rocks on the sky ridge from a distance.

  The Mongolian cavalry led by Zhai Zhe climbed up the mountain, and Princess Wulan welcomed him at the entrance of the stronghold. Not having seen her for a month, Zhai Zhe felt that she seemed to have lost some weight.

  After paying respects, Di Zhe saw that the mountain stronghold was quiet and deserted, and asked: "Isn't Ge Rile Tu here?"

  "Kerulie went to the Hetao Grassland with his troops, where there were also many people."

  Two people enter the village side by side.

  After sitting down, Di Zhe casually asked: "How many Tumet troops are left behind?"

  Wulan's expression changed slightly, and she asked: "Why are you asking this?"

  "I want to know the scale of business operations."

  In the past, there were nearly a hundred thousand people in the Tumote tribe. The market in Guihua City could attract nomadic tribes from Mowusu Mongolia, Mobei Mongolia and Xiyu, which is why it was so prosperous. Now that there are Chahar people here, no one dares to venture out with merchant caravans, relying tightly on the remaining capacity of the Tumote tribe. To what extent can the business of the caravan be expanded? Zhai Zhe must have a clear idea in his mind.

  "I won't tell you!" Princess Ulan said with her right hand supporting her chin.

  "Both parties must cooperate sincerely."

  "Don't force me! I don't know either." Princess Ulan lowered her head, her voice low and tired.

  Over the past month, after learning about the plight of the surviving tribes, she gradually became somewhat disheartened, feeling both painful and disappointed in her heart, with a bleak outlook for the Tumet tribe.

  A moment later, Princess Ulan suddenly fell forward onto the table, her shoulders slightly trembling. This was her first time in charge, and after leaving the Khan's tent, she had been troubled with no one to confide in; the Khan's cavalry would only follow orders, and in front of Di Zhe, the emotions she had been suppressing finally burst out.

  But she's just a young girl, yet she has to bear the heavy responsibility of reviving her tribe. Zhai Zhe secretly glanced at Wulan, who was sobbing, and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her.

  After a long while, Princess Ulan stood up, turned her back, wiped away the tears on her face with her hand, and then turned around with a smile all over her face, saying: "I've made you see me in such a state!"

  "The Han people will help the Tumet people!" Di Zhe slowed down his tone, trying to make his words sound more convincing, but in fact he didn't believe this sentence himself.

  Wulan nodded and said, "The livestock of Tumet are often stolen by the Chahar people. This year, there may be only three or four thousand horses that can be sold, and there won't be many furs either."

  Di Zhe's heart sank a little, and this year's days on the grassland might not be so easy.