The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 452: Changes on all sides
Bali City, City Lord's Mansion.

A servant rushed in to report:
“Awule (Chief), Awule (Chief) of Pegasus City, Silvermoon City, and Windwhisper City has come to visit you.”

Upon hearing this, Awule (the leader) of Balicheng hurriedly went to greet him.

Tianma City, Yinyue City, and Fengyu City are all upper cities that are much stronger than Bali City.

Unexpectedly, the three leaders of the upper city were unusually enthusiastic towards him, the youngest of the three.

Before the person arrives, the sound has already arrived.

“Buhe (the name of the leader of Bali City), you have really made a name for yourself now! Our people have been praising your Bali City for your competence lately.”

The leader of Tianma City immediately started praising him.

The praise made the leader of Balicheng smile with a hint of salt.

How is he going to respond to this wave of praise?

The capable one is the merchant himself!
No one knows what methods this merchant used to gain the favor of the steward of that noble family.

What's even more frustrating is that the tribes under his jurisdiction were able to trade directly with the Han people.

Anyway, none of this has anything to do with his abilities as the leader of a city.

Before he could answer, the three urged him on:

"Tell us quickly, how did you manage to get in touch with the important people in Kansai? Did you or Bu give them beautiful women or fine horses?"

"I heard that your Hesa ​​tribe has sold out all the cattle and sheep they had raised for several years! And at high prices! We all drink the water of the Ili River and eat livestock raised on pastures at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, Buhe, why can't you think of your brothers?"

“Buhe, the herders are struggling to make ends meet. They can barely afford salt because they can’t sell their livestock. It’s getting hotter and hotter, and without enough salt, how are they going to cure meat? You should at least have some pity for them, even if you don’t pity your brothers!”

Got it.

This was because they were driven to desperation by the herders under their jurisdiction.

There is nothing we can do.

Bulls raised for meat will experience a significant slowdown in weight gain after they reach two years of age.

Sheep older than two years will become thinner and thinner.

If we don't raise them soon, they'll be stuck with us!
The leader of Bali City, Changshengtian, knew how much he wanted to get in touch with that Steward Zhu.

He ignored them back then.

Now it's vaguely clear that it's beyond our reach.

Ask him to act as a go-between for the three older brothers?
Don't make things difficult for him!

I can't tell the truth.

Even if I told them, no one would believe me.

I could only make things up while entertaining guests.

The leader of Bali City was unaware of this.

His stammering, vague, and ambiguous attitude made the leaders of Tianma City, Yinyue City, and Fengyu City even more certain that Buhe wanted to keep the spoils to himself behind their backs.

That same day, the three leaders found them at the ranch.

The three leaders arrived with great fanfare.

The translation, both in terms of meaning and implications, conveys the same message:
We and Balicheng are both brothers who herd sheep in the Yili River Valley. Steward, how can you show favoritism?

Manager Zhu was not intimidated by the three big shots' imposing manner at all, and spoke eloquently:
"We cooperated with the various tribes of the Hesa ​​because Bali City gifted our young master this private ranch. Do your Tianma City, Yinyue City, and Fengyu City also have ranches as gifts?"

Translation: Only a factual account can be relayed.

The three leaders went from feigning anger to genuine rage.

Who is this kind-hearted person who asks for a 100,000-mu ranch right off the bat?

Sending it is out of the question.

But with the Kansai army as their backing, they're not so easy to deal with!
Hard ones won't work. Then let's use soft ones!

If they don't take action soon, all the herders under their jurisdiction will pack up their yurts and run away.

When it comes to conscription for war, these grassroots herders are the only ones who can be recruited!
The leader of Tianma City forced a smile and had the translator relay a message:

"Steward, the territory of our three cities is about the same as that of Bali City, but we have more herdsmen than Bali City. Not to mention 100,000 mu of grassland, it is difficult to find even 300 to 500 mu of unclaimed grassland."

Fortunately, our Tianma City is much larger than Bali City! The shops within the city are also very bustling. If the head steward is willing to open a shop in our Tianma City, our leader is willing to give you a large shop for free.

The leaders of Silvermoon City and Windwhisper City quickly expressed their willingness to give away not only shops but also houses.

Steward Zhu: "."

Okay, you guys offered to send it to me voluntarily.

It’s hard to refuse such hospitality.

After acquiring one shop and one residence from each of the three cities, the relationship between the three cities and the head steward was established.

People from the grasslands are all impatient.

Since you're willing to accept benefits, can we fulfill the requests we made earlier?

Manager Zhu indicated that he also had his own difficulties:
“We have purchased tens of thousands of sheep and more than 10,000 cattle from dozens of tribes in Hesa. There are also pastures around the Nine Guards of Guansi. We really can’t digest too many livestock in a short time.”

After listening to the translator's words, the three leaders argued for a full quarter of an hour.

The translator spoke on behalf of the three bigwigs.

Tianma City: "We are willing to reduce the price by 20% compared to the price offered by the Hesa ​​tribe!"

Silvermoon City: "We're offering a 20% price reduction, plus ten free sheep for every 100 cows we purchase."

Fengyucheng: "If the head steward is to clear out all the livestock in our tribe's pens, I am willing to offer my precious daughter to the Great General!"

Manager Zhu: "But even with all the money I have on hand, I can only buy a maximum of 20,000 cattle! If you would allow me to buy on credit..."

The translation only goes this far; the three leaders then began waving their hands frantically.

Subsequently, the translator, representing the leader of Pegasus City, expressed his opinion:
"Being able to clear out 20,000 bulls at once is already a huge help to us. The herders in the Ili River Valley are all stubborn as mules; they only understand the principle of cash on delivery."

If you can't buy on credit, then there's nothing to discuss.

Let's finalize the sale of 20,000 bulls first!

Buyer, Manager Zhu: Good! Good! Good! Twenty thousand adult bulls are being transported back to Kansai; this will surely bring honor to the head of the household.

Seller. Three Chiefs: Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! Even with a 20% discount from the price of the Hesa ​​tribe, a large bull can still be sold for around ten taels of silver.

But even at this price, it was enough to make the herders extremely grateful.

The translator, urged on by the leader of Pegasus City, made another request:

"I heard that the herdsmen of the Hesa ​​tribe have bought large iron pots that have been under the control of the Central Plains. The chief steward is a good friend of ours. It can't be that Tianma City has them but we three cities don't, right? Why don't we just exchange these 20,000 cattle for 20,000 iron pots?"

Manager Zhu: You really dare to think this way. Where did this talent come from?

Acquiring these five thousand thin iron pots is already the limit of what Marquis Xiong Zhen could possibly manage.

Salt and iron have always been controlled by various dynasties.

The time left for their Kansai army to conduct private procurement is running out.

As long as the imperial court has the ability to pay military salaries, the iron, gold, and coal mines currently discovered in Kansai will largely be nationalized.

Manager Zhu firmly stated: There will be no more ironware trade this year!

Translation: "Can we book for next year?"

"How could I, a mere steward, know what will happen next year! Didn't you each send a shop to our young master?"

Let's wait and see.

(End of this chapter)