Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 762 Snow Paths Can Be Found

North of the capital city, on Yongchun Street, is the Duan Family Grain Shop.

It snowed heavily all night, and the rooftops of houses on both sides of the street were covered in white snow, like a white-clad wonderland.

The biting wind raged through the streets, making the grain shop signs sway incessantly.

Yongchun Street is a bustling street with a large number of pedestrians and vehicles. The thick snow on the road, after half a day of trampling, left behind a chaotic mess of vehicle and footprints.

The pure white, soft snowflakes were trampled into a muddy mess, then blown by the cold north wind, they froze into hard, multicolored thin ice that radiated a somber glow in the sunlight.

As the year draws to a close in the twelfth lunar month, most households have already stored grain for the winter, and business at grain stores is much quieter than last month.

With the heavy snow today and the bitterly cold outside, even fewer customers are entering the store.

Inside the shop, two waiters huddled by the stove, looking rather bored.

There was no one on the counter, but there was an abacus and a small dish next to it containing dark red, dry baked sheep intestines.

One of the waiters, somewhat curious, got up and went to the counter, picked up a piece of sheep intestine, and put it in his mouth to chew.

After chewing a few bites, he frowned and said, "The shopkeeper has really strange tastes. Why does he like to eat this kind of thing? It's bland and has a fishy smell."

Another waiter glanced at the backyard and chuckled in a low voice, "The shopkeeper is from Datong, which is right next to the Northeast. It's not surprising that he likes to eat this kind of food."

……

The shop's backyard was cold and quiet, with a few icicles hanging under the eaves, gleaming sharply and monotonously in the sunlight.

The doors and windows of the back room were tightly closed. Inside, a map was spread out on a table. Duan Chunjiang and his old customer, Boss Sun, were discussing something in hushed tones, pointing at the map.

The map had three places circled in red, marked as Baotunli, Yaoshanyi, and Hongshuji respectively.

The three red circles are connected by a red line, forming a northwest-bound trajectory on the map.

Sun Dali said, "Last time, Boss Duan found out that Chen Ruichang had passed through Hongshuji on his way north, so I sent someone to deliver a message to the north by fast horse."

Before leaving the country, my family left secret agents in various places to facilitate the salt and iron business. I received a reply yesterday.

Hongshuji is a town that covers a considerable area. There is a military post station in the town. Although the post station is not large, there is a flat area between mountains to the north of the town.

The place was so large that it could house thousands of troops. It was said that in recent months, large numbers of carriages and horses had been staying there overnight with fires lit.

Moreover, if such a situation were to occur, a large contingent of soldiers would be stationed near the valley, and no unauthorized personnel would be allowed to approach.

Duan Chunjiang asked, "Could it be that Hongshuji was the place where the Zhou people stored their military provisions?"

Sun Dali said, "Hongshuji is about 400 li away from Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou, which is a very convenient location."

However, this place, as a storage and distribution point for military rations, is located somewhat far from the border town.

I served in the Datong border army for many years. Although I was not involved in the logistics department, I knew a little about the distribution of military rations in the border city.

In order to save on the cost of transporting military rations, the imperial court would use the same grain route to supply military rations to neighboring border cities.

Military rations were delivered to a certain market town for centralized storage, and each border city, based on the documents issued by the Ministry of War, dispatched its own troops to escort and collect the rations.

Therefore, the location for storing military rations must be at a suitable distance from the border city where they are delivered.

Hongshuji is about 400 li away from Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou, which is too far away.

The most suitable place to store military provisions is one that is more than two hundred li away from each border town, allowing troops to travel back and forth within three days.

Duan Chunjiang said, "Brother Sun means that the military rations are not stored in Hongshuji, but somewhere along the way to the north."

Sun Dali said, "It was already very difficult for Boss Duan to find out three outposts along the grain route in Shenjing."

Now that Chen Ruichang has gone north, and you have no other connections to gather information, it will be extremely difficult to find the location where the military rations are stored.

Furthermore, north of Hongshuji, towns and cities are densely packed, and the grain routes of the Great Zhou Dynasty are not static but are frequently relocated.

The most appropriate approach is to send people to investigate and find out the truth on-site.

The area east of Datong is now heavily guarded, and it would take too long to send messages out of the pass and wait for a reply.

Tomorrow I will lead men north to investigate the grain routes. With the manpower left by the Sun family in the north, I think we should be able to do it.

The Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are now investigating everywhere, and it is said that they have also mobilized a lot of people from the government offices to patrol the streets and alleys. These people are very well-informed and should be guarded against.

The situation is quite tense right now. After I head north, Boss Duan can relax for a while, remain inactive, and avoid revealing any weaknesses.

……

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front hall.

The waiter said, "It's Master Xue. He's a regular customer and he's talking business with the manager in the inner courtyard."

The shopkeeper instructed us not to disturb them unnecessarily; if guests arrive, we should inform them first.

Then another voice rang out, loud and arrogant, saying, "Since we're here to discuss business, I'll wait here. You should go in and announce our arrival."

I haven't seen Brother Duan for several days. I was just about to ask how business is going. I still have some connections; maybe I can close a few deals before the end of the year."

Inside the side room, Sun Dali's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Is this person Xue Pan?"

Duan Chunjiang said, "That's right."

Sun Dali said, "Now that the matter of the grain supply route along the nine borders has made progress, Xue Pan can no longer rely on him in this matter."

This person is shallow and crude, and a complete novice; he will be of little use to us in the future.

Last time we tried to use this man to get in touch with Marquis Jia Cong of Weiyuan. Has there been any progress on that?

Duan Chunjiang said with a wry smile, "I have tried to probe this matter many times, but to no avail. Perhaps Jia Cong simply doesn't think much of this relative."

Or perhaps Jia Cong is cunning and resourceful, with a strong sense of self-preservation; he wouldn't easily provoke anyone unrelated to him. In any case, this matter is hopeless.

Sun Dali said coldly, "According to this, Xue Pan is useless now, and people outside know that he is closely involved with you."

Your grain shop is of great use. If it can remain stable in Shenjing for a long time, it will be of great help to the Great Khan.

Xue Pan's relationship with the Rongguo Mansion is special and easily attracts attention. If outsiders notice something amiss and follow the clues, things will inevitably go wrong.

We are doing things that could cause huge upheavals, and the safety of our entire family and people is our top priority. We need to plan ahead and take precautions in advance.

Keep this man calm for now, and wait for my message from the north. If things go well, or if something unexpected happens, then this Xue Pan…”

As Sun Dali finished speaking, his expression turned fierce, and he swiftly swung his right hand, making a slashing motion.

Duan Chunjiang's face was gloomy as he said, "I understand what Brother Sun means. I will handle this matter properly when the time comes."

Xue Pan is a dissolute young master, arrogant and domineering, spending his days and nights in debauchery and offending many people. There are many ways to bring him down, and it will surely be done without anyone noticing.

……

The Honglu Temple's reception hall, the Mongolian Tuman tribe's post station.

The chieftain of the Tuman tribe, Altan, was reviewing documents. The documents were in duplicate, one written in Chinese and the other in Mongolian.

These documents and records detail the resumption of the tea-horse trade next spring, and the border trade between the Great Zhou and the Mongol Empire.

The record shows the quantities of grain, cloth, salt, tea, iron pots, horses, furs, and animal sinews traded between the two parties over a period of one year.

This is the result of the recent peace talks between the Great Zhou and the Mongol Remnants, but these results are far from what the Mongol Remnant delegation intended to achieve.

At the beginning of winter, the three major tribes of the Mongol tribes were in short supply of various winter supplies, so they naturally wanted as much as possible from the Great Zhou.

Although Anda Khan had over 100,000 elite armored soldiers, the Great Zhou had deployed hundreds of thousands of troops along the nine borders, waiting in ambush to defend the passes and repel the enemy, thus gaining the upper hand.

Having no advantage in a direct confrontation, the military was naturally at a disadvantage in peace negotiations.

Wang Shilun, Gu Yankui, and others from the Great Zhou, who were in charge of the peace negotiations, would inevitably make drastic cuts to the border trade demands put forward by the Mongol delegation.

The final approved trade quota was merely enough to keep the Mongols barely surviving; it was certainly not enough to satisfy their hunger.

This outcome was within Aletang's expectations. If they had switched roles, he would have done the same thing, and perhaps even more ruthlessly.

So this result did not discourage Altan. Since he was entrusted with the important task of negotiating peace and the delegation was still in Shenjing, he naturally had to argue his case.

The question is, to what extent should the back-and-forth between the two sides be increased or decreased to be appropriate and acceptable to both sides?

This requires both sides to constantly ponder and test each other. The demands made by the Canmeng are too high, while the bottom line of the Dazhou's suppression is too low, regardless of which tendency emerges.

All of these would make peace negotiations protracted, or even a pointless waste of time.

……

Aletang carefully studied the documents, formed a general outline in his mind, and marked the additional amounts for each type of material.

Once he had made up his mind, he went to invite Ge Ertai of the Yongxielun tribe and Noyan Taiji of the Ordos tribe to the guesthouse for discussion.

Just as he was about to order someone to deliver the message, he saw a trusted servant enter the room, looking serious and urgent, holding a letter in his hand.

He said, “Lord Aletang, today Sun Dali sent someone to secretly deliver a message. I met with him at the teahouse in the north of the city. He said he had urgent business and would be leaving the city before the city gates closed at sunset. The details are written in a secret letter, and he asked me to forward it to you immediately.”

Upon hearing this, Aletang's expression shifted. He quickly took the letter, checked that the sealant was intact, and then opened it to read.

Although he was a true Mongol, he was one of the few talented men under Anda Khan, not only speaking fluent Chinese but also being able to read and write Chinese characters accurately.

He quickly glanced at the letter, his expression shifting slightly, then lit it over a candle, and it was reduced to ashes in an instant.

He paced back and forth in the room a few more times before returning to his desk. He then added the amounts to the various supplies he had just marked, increasing them by another 20%.

He said, "You've been keeping an eye on Sun Dali's movements lately. He must have left people in Shenjing. Once he sends any news back, report back to me immediately."

In addition, be extra careful when going out recently, and do not alert the Dali Temple and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Immediately summon Ge'ertai of the Yongxielun tribe and Noyan Taiji of the Ordos tribe to the guesthouse for business."

……

The servant, having received the order, hurriedly went out to deliver the message. Not long after, Gertai and Noyan Taiji entered the room.

Aletang said, "A few days ago we discussed the trade volume with the Zhou people, but they kept the quantity extremely low, far from meeting the needs of the various Mongol tribes."

I invited you two here to discuss this matter. Regarding the increase in the quantity of trade between the two sides, I have already drafted the corresponding amount.

He then handed the annotated document to Gertai, who, seeing that it was written in Chinese, casually passed it to Noyan Taiji.

Noyan Taiji read through the document, frowned slightly, and said, "Lord Altan, there is an old saying among the Han people: 'Ask the sky's the limit, but negotiate the price when it's too low.'"

It is only natural that both sides would engage in negotiations and tug-of-war for their own interests.

With the harsh winter approaching on the grasslands, various tribes are facing shortages of supplies for the winter. The Mongol delegation's visit to the capital to seek peace is a sign of their subservience, putting them at a disadvantage in the negotiations.

It is not surprising that the Great Zhou made such a significant reduction in the amount of trade we proposed.

The so-called "repayment upon arrival" means they've pushed the exchange rate down to the bare minimum, and they've been planning this all along, just waiting for us to raise the price.

In my opinion, if we increase the amount by 10%, we will definitely gain the approval of the Zhou people, but it would be unlikely to increase it by 20%.

Now that Lord Altan has been promoted by forty percent, Noyan believes the Zhou people would never accept it.

Aletang smiled calmly and said, "Noyan Taiji just said that he asks for the moon but will negotiate the price down."

The Zhou people are treacherous and cunning, always wantonly oppressing the Mongol tribes. Now that both sides are locked in a stalemate and negotiating peace, if we don't raise our demands, we'll have even less leverage to bargain.”

Noyan Taiji said, "But according to Lord Altan's price, Noyan is worried that this peace negotiation will be a long and drawn-out struggle."

Aletang smiled slightly and said, "The reason we have traveled thousands of miles to the capital is to negotiate peace between the two sides."

As long as we get what we want through this peace negotiation, spending a little more time is nothing; I have the patience.

Upon hearing this, Noyan Taiji felt a strange sensation. Although he was young, he was wise and astute, and he had never held any illusions about the peace talks.

No matter how much Aleppo raises his demands, the final outcome of the peace negotiations will not change.

This is determined by the current situation of the Great Zhou and the Mongols, and it cannot be changed by a few people spreading rumors.

If he can see through such a simple truth, how could someone as profound as Aletang not see through it?
Why then did he go to such lengths, stirring up trouble in the peace negotiations, knowing full well that it was impossible?

It didn't seem like they were trying to accomplish anything; it seemed more like they were deliberately killing time and leading Zhou people in circles.

What could be the reason he's stalling for time in such a roundabout way...?

Noyan Taiji's mind raced, but after a moment's thought, he had no clue what to do, so he put it aside for the time being.

Of the three major Mongol tribes, the Tuman tribe was the most powerful, and Anda Khan, being a direct descendant of the Golden Family, was already the uncrowned king of the steppe.

The Mongol delegation's visit to Beijing to negotiate peace was also in line with the Tuman tribe's wishes. Since Altan wanted to cause trouble, Noyan Taiji would not deliberately try to stop him.

If things continue like this, he'll probably have to stay in the capital for a while longer, which is actually a good thing for him.

As he thought of this, he subconsciously reached for the leather pouch at his waist, his hand touching the smooth telescope, and his lips pursed slightly.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

As the sun rose in the east at dawn, the air was crisp and clear. Although the wind was still biting, it was slightly milder and warmer than the heavy snow of yesterday.

The eaves, flowers, trees, window frames, and corridors in the courtyard are still covered with snow.

Only the icicles under the eaves began to melt, releasing glistening snow water that dripped onto the bluestone slabs.

On the veranda, Xue Pan walked unsteadily, his eyes red, yawning incessantly, as he entered the main hall.

Aunt Xue was having breakfast in the main room when she saw her son come in looking listless, and she frowned slightly.

He scolded, "Where did you go gallivanting again last night? You reek of alcohol. You're always out drinking and getting into trouble. You're never a peace of mind."

Xue Pan picked up the rice porridge on the table, slurped down two mouthfuls, and said, "My son didn't fool around. He went to the Duan family's grain shop to discuss business yesterday."

Later, Duan Chunjiang invited me out for drinks again. My son came home before midnight, but he didn't stay out all night.

Aunt Xue said, "You're usually home most of the time, but when it comes to discussing important matters, we can't find you anywhere."

Xue Pan asked, "What is it that Mother wants to discuss with her son?"

Aunt Xue told Xue Pan everything that Baochai had said the day before, about her idea to select several prime shops in Jinling for the Xue family and rent them out to Xinchunhao at full price.

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed with delight, "My sister really knows how to do business; this method is excellent!"

Mom, I travel around a lot and have made many friends who are merchants from both the north and south. They have been talking about Nanjing a lot lately.

It is said that since the Zhen family of Jinling was raided and fell into ruin, Jinling Xinchunhao has taken over the gap left by the Zhen family and its business is booming.

Not only did they do extremely well in their local business, but they also dumped entire ships of goods overseas, making a fortune.

Rumors are circulating in Jinling that Zhen Bancheng has fallen and Qu Bancheng will soon follow.

Given the current situation, Jinling Xinchunhao is bound to expand its business and speed up its expansion.

Renting our prime shop to them at this time is just the right thing to do; my sister's idea is truly brilliant.

Not only does the son not need to use his brain at all, but the family can earn money without even lifting a finger.

Moreover, by doing this, our family has gained access to Cong-ge'er's influence without leaving a trace, and the two families are even closer than before.

Moreover, my sister gave Cong-ge a favor, and the two became closer and more affectionate than before, which was a win-win situation.

"Mom, let me put this in perspective: once this is done, over time, Cong-ge will inevitably become your son-in-law."

……

As her son's words became increasingly nonsensical, Aunt Xue's anger flared. Just as she was about to reprimand him, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and Baochai entered, her face flushed.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Brother, what nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning? How can you be so disrespectful to your own sister?"

I was wholeheartedly concerned about my brother's family business, but he never said a kind word to me and even fabricated accusations against his own sister.

If this gets out, how can I face people in both prefectures? This matter is over, and I will not mention it to Brother Cong.

"Mom, please don't bring this up again. I won't interfere anymore. Let my brother squander the family fortune."

Upon hearing Baochai's anger, Xue Pan immediately put on a mournful face.

He said, "Good sister, it's all my fault. I drank a few too many cups of wine and started talking without thinking."

Sister, please don't take this seriously. It's just that your brother has a foul mouth. You can hit or scold him as you please.

"My sister's method is excellent, please don't be stubborn and refuse to do it. I'll bow to you, okay?"

Baochai, still feeling ashamed and annoyed, turned away and ignored Xue Pan's bow.

Xue Pan smiled apologetically and said, "My sister is always generous and tolerant. Please forgive your brother this time. I don't want to be slapped in the face."

In my opinion, renting just a few shops is far from enough for my sister; it would be best to rent out several more.

Those old guys in the shop always put on airs whenever they see me, and they're always saying some sarcastic things. I've disliked them for a long time.

The best solution would be to tear down all their stalls and let these old guys go home and take care of their kids; that would be truly satisfying.

Aunt Xue noticed that her son was talking nonsense and worried that he would anger her daughter again and ruin this excellent idea.

So he scolded his son a few times, telling him to go back to his room and rest, and to stop talking nonsense.

Aunt Xue was about to say a few words to coax her daughter when she saw the housekeeper come in.

She was also carrying a box filled with colorful palace flowers...

(End of this chapter)