Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1159: Infiltrating Xiangyang
The soldier laughed and said, "Okay, okay, our Xiangyang City is much larger than their Jianye City. As expected of a Chamber of Commerce from Taiyuan, it shows that they have some foresight. However, routine inspections still need to be done. Please forgive me, Young Master."

Qin Lie smiled apologetically: "No, no, thank you for your hard work, General."

The soldier called a few of his men, walked to the side of the carriage, and slit open a few bags with very quick movements.

"Oh? Good stuff." Several soldiers' eyes gleamed.

These bags were filled with fine cloth, furs, and some farm tools made of top-quality iron, all of which were the most sought-after and scarce items in the Jingyang area.

"Yes, yes. Our brothers can use good weapons and armor. It is all thanks to you merchants. In fact, we should thank you."

The soldier said this, but his eyes were fixed on a piece of leather, and his hands kept stroking it gently. Perhaps he had never been so gentle to his wife even when he went home.

Seeing this, Qin Lie hurried forward and took out the fur.

"You are really too kind. Speaking of which, our company usually deals in ironware, cloth, salt, spices, and jewelry, but this is the first time I have dealt with furs. I don't know what the quality of these goods is. You have been around a lot, so you must have a lot of experience. I hope you can help me appreciate them."

The soldier was overjoyed when he heard this. He took the fur and looked it over carefully. It was unclear whether he really knew the value of the fur or was just pretending. In any case, he frowned slightly, seeming a little dissatisfied.

"Oh, you've been cheated. I don't know about other furs, but this one is really not in good condition. I see that the fur is rather dull, so I think the hunter must have been slow to act and waited until the prey was dead before skinning it. It won't sell for a good price."

Qin Lie was shocked and angry: "Oh my, there is such a thing. I will definitely settle accounts with those hunters later. They dared to cheat our Wangjin Chamber of Commerce. They really don't know how to live or die."

Then he put on a smile again and said, "Thanks to you for your knowledge of the goods, I have avoided a reputation of being a dishonest businessman in the future. I have always known that the military in Jingzhou is strict, and I would not pollute your eyes with vulgar things like gold and silver. However, although this fur is inferior, I would not sell it anymore. I will give it to you as a gift. Please accept it."

The soldier waved his hands and stuffed the furs into Qin Lie's arms: "Hey, how can we do this? If the general knows about this, it will harm our family. Take it back quickly."

Qin Lie said righteously: "General, please don't refuse. If I am allowed to keep such inferior products in the caravan, wouldn't it ruin the reputation of our Chamber of Commerce? This is not a bribe, but a request for the general to help me solve my problem. General, please be merciful and help me with this."

The soldier looked embarrassed, then gritted his teeth and put away the furs: "Well, seeing that you have come from afar and are familiar with General Zhengnan, I will help you with this simple task."

Qin Lie was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

The soldier stopped checking and waved to the other soldiers around him: "Okay, let them pass."

After the caravan successfully entered the city, the soldier took out the furs again, full of joy. Another soldier beside him came over, looking puzzled.

"Brother Li, you and my brothers all come from rough families, and I haven't heard that you are proficient in identifying furs."

Brother Li glanced at him and said, "You know nothing, you're just a new soldier. You should learn well. Being a garrison soldier in Xiangyang City is a lucrative job. The gains from this trip are enough for you to marry two wives. These chambers of commerce from the north are really rich. By the way, tell the brothers, Brother Li will treat you tonight. Go back to Jianglou. There will be girls, hehe."

The recruit was so surprised when he heard this that his saliva was almost flowing.

"What a good thing! But why are they so generous? I thought they would just give a few big bucks, but I didn't expect them to be so generous."

Brother Li rolled his eyes at him again: "You are such a blockhead. Do you really think they sell cloth, furs and farm tools?" "What else? These things are all very valuable, and the iron tools used in the farm tools are not ordinary items. I think General Zhengnan is planning to melt them into weapons, right? What a good idea."

But Brother Li just sneered a few times.

"Hey, Brother Li will teach you today. Let me tell you, these things are certainly valuable, but a round trip from Taiyuan to Xiangyang, and then to Lingnan, plus the spices and jewelry shipped back from Lingnan, minus the expenses of the thousands of miles of travel, there is not much profit. Their biggest business is the horses used for driving."

When the recruit heard this, he was stunned at first, and then seemed to understand something.

"Oh, I see. Those horses are tall and strong. They are obviously war horses. The horses our general rides are probably of this quality at best."

Brother Li grinned, "Neither Jingzhou nor Yangzhou produce war horses, but the army still has many war horses, all of which are obtained through trade. They use war horses as pack horses to transport goods. After coming from the north to the south, they unload the goods and then replace them with local short pack horses to transport new goods back. Hehe, that's what we call doing it without anyone noticing."

"The general has said long ago that although these merchants are hateful and profit-seeking, they are great people to us. Otherwise, knowing that the lord is now in such a stalemate in the fierce battle with the north, why would the general let us be so lenient to the caravans entering and leaving the city? I heard that behind this business, many of our Jingzhou's big families are involved in sharing the profits..."

After Zhu Ye and others successfully entered the city, they looked around as they walked, and then Zhu Ye curled his lips.

"I thought Xiangyang was such a prosperous city, but now it seems just so-so. Not to mention compared with Luoyang and Chang'an, I think even Pengcheng in Xuzhou has developed much better than here."

Qin Lie replied: "Since your majesty ascended the throne, you have worked hard to govern the country and encourage agriculture and commerce. The southern prefectures and counties have not yet been governed by the king, so they are incomparable."

As they were walking, a few people who looked like merchants suddenly came towards them.

"Manager Zhu, Manager Qin, you two are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhu Ye looked at the person who came. Although he didn't know him, since the other party said so, he must be the person arranged by the Chamber of Commerce in the city to pick him up.

The identities of Zhu Ye and others were not announced to the Chamber of Commerce, so these people naturally regarded them as business travelers from Taiyuan.

Nowadays, whether it is the official chamber of commerce of the court or the chambers of commerce of several large families such as Su, Zhang, and Zhen, they have all opened offices in various states of the Han Dynasty. In addition, the three major money houses, Yongxing, Anmin, and Huatai, also opened branches in Xiangyang City not long ago. With the increasing frequency of business exchanges between various places, the services of the chamber of commerce have naturally become more and more complete.

These people looked at the convoy behind Zhu Ye and their eyes became very eager.

According to convention, at least a large portion of the goods in the convoy will be put up for sale in the city's Chamber of Commerce. Such a large amount of goods will definitely be sold for a good price in the end, and the few of them who are accompanying and serving will naturally be able to get a generous commission.

Therefore, several people enthusiastically took Zhu Ye and others to complete a series of subsequent procedures. After successfully listing the goods at the Chamber of Commerce, they led them to the inn under the name of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Taiyuan Wangjin Trading Company that Zhu Ye and others borrowed this time was considered an old member with considerable seniority in the Chamber of Commerce, so the treatment was naturally extremely high. At Zhu Ye's initiative, he was given a room with a window overlooking the "Imperial Palace" in the inner city.

Late at night, with a bright moon in the sky, Zhu Ye was wiping his sword while gazing at the palace, muttering, "Marquis Qiang Yin, I haven't seen you for many years. I wonder what kind of humiliation you have endured over the years..."

(End of this chapter)