A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

The salt smuggler stopped and slowly turned around, only to find that the person who had called out to him was Chen Mo, whom he had met yesterday.

His eyes lit up, and he quickly went over, saying, "Brother, you've finally come out! Didn't you say there were eighty households wanting to buy salt? You weren't lying to me, were you?"

"How much salt did you bring today?"

Chen Mo walked up to him and asked calmly.

"Not much, just ten jin. I was hoping to sell as much as I could, but I didn't expect..."

The vendor then shut his mouth, showing only a hint of disappointment.

"Ten pounds is quite a lot, let me see." Chen Mo nodded.

The young vendor put down what he was holding and showed the salt in the basket.

Upon seeing these vital supplies, the villagers all stopped what they were doing.

"I'll take all of this salt."

Chen Mo suddenly spoke up.

"real?"

The young vendor's eyes widened in surprise, thinking he had misheard.

The surrounding villagers also gathered around in surprise, all looking at Chen Mo.

"Brother Mo, why did you buy so much salt?"

"Yes, those ten catties are worth a thousand coins!"

These villagers work themselves to the bone for months and still can't earn that much money.

"You all do manual labor every day, and what you lack most is salt. I'm buying this salt, so you can work hard and come here to exchange it for salt. I'll distribute it according to the amount and make sure everyone has enough to eat."

Chen Mo smiled faintly.

"Brother Mo is so kind!"

The villagers were overjoyed and began excitedly discussing it.

Before, following Chen Mo meant having plenty to eat, and now they don't even have to worry about salt. What more could they want?

Seeing everyone's excited reaction, Chen Mo actually had other plans in mind.

He wasn't just giving away the salt for nothing; this was a way to motivate everyone to work harder and also to win over the hearts of the people.

"Brother, are you really going to take it all? Let's exchange money for goods right now."

The salt smuggler was overjoyed and immediately asked questions.

"No rush, come here."

Chen Mo waved his hand, signaling the vendor to follow him to a tree nearby.

"I want all ten pounds of salt, but on one condition."

Chen Mo continued.

Upon hearing this, the young vendor's smile froze, and he looked at Chen Mo with a puzzled expression.

"Brother, what exactly are you trying to do?" he asked suspiciously.

"I just want to know, did you sun-dry this salt yourself, or did you get it from somewhere else?"

Chen Mo asked in a low voice.

The salt smuggler's eyes darted away slightly, and he hesitated before answering.

The source of smuggled salt is a secret and cannot be disclosed to outsiders.

"Don't worry, I'm not a government official, and I have no interest in ruining your business. I'm just curious how you manage to have so much salt in a place like this, and besides, maybe we can have a long-term partnership in the future."

Chen Mo could see through his inner concerns.

The young vendor hesitated upon hearing this.

However, having secured this deal, he won't have to worry about food for now.

Moreover, long-term business is much better than him traveling around.

The villagers in front of me don't seem like bad people. They can buy all the salt so easily, so they must have some strength.

"To be honest, this salt I have comes from the Xiangcheng Salt Gang. I'm just a deliveryman, responsible for distributing it around Shannan Town."

The young vendor replied in a low voice.

"The Xiangcheng Salt Gang?"

Chen Mo was slightly taken aback.

Although he wasn't familiar with the name, a gang that could engage in the smuggling of salt must be quite powerful.

"How much money are you expected to make on this trip?"

Chen Mo asked again.

"Not much. Like I said, I'm just a deliveryman. I earn ten coins for a pound of salt. Sometimes I sell less, and I have to do it for just a few coins. The salt gang has very strict rules. I'm just trying to make a living."

The young vendor said helplessly.

"Only ten coins?"

Chen Mo was also slightly surprised.

The illegal salt trade is extremely profitable, with very little cost.

He only gets a 10% commission for his distribution work.

If that's the case, it's hard to imagine how much manpower would be needed if Chen Mo's salt well could be mined.

Do you know how to make salt?

Chen Mo asked.

"Salt making? Of course I know. I've been with the salt gang for several years, from salt mining to salt production, I've come all the way through it."

The vendor replied.

Within the salt gang, the brothers responsible for harvesting salt actually earned the least.

He was in charge of distribution, and getting even 10% was already a huge amount.

"That's fine then. My name is Chen Mo."

Chen Mo suddenly reached out his hand.

The vendor looked slightly puzzled, but he also reached out and shook hands, smiling kindly, "Brother Chen Mo, my name is Su Hao. I didn't expect Brother Mo to be so generous. Please take care of me in the future."

"Sure," Chen Mo smiled and said, "Su Hao, do you want to do it yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Su Hao was stunned, his eyes filled with even more confusion.

"Brother Chen, what do you mean by this?"

"Think about it, you only earn a few coins a day running errands. Don't you want to earn more?"

Chen Mo looked at him calmly and said, "Following the Salt Gang, you'll always be a errand boy. When will you ever get ahead?"

These words struck a chord with Su Hao.

His face showed a hint of struggle.

Of course he wanted to make more money, but the Salt Gang's power was such that he had no other way to make a living except by working for them.

"Brother Chen, you're not suggesting I run away with the salt, are you?"

Su Hao asked cautiously, as he dared not betray the Salt Gang so easily.

"Of course not," Chen Mo shook his head and said, "I mean, if you can leave the Salt Gang, I can take you with me, and we'll make ten or a hundred times more money than you are now."

"Want to work together?"

Su Hao's heart stirred upon hearing this, but he didn't know how to respond.

"Let me tell you a secret, I know of a salt well that hasn't been mined yet. If we can make our own salt and sell it ourselves, we won't have to put up with the salt gangs, and we can split the profits equally. How about it?"

Chen Mo asked in a low voice.

"What?"

Su Hao looked surprised.

To mine salt wells on your own is a huge business opportunity.

He knew better than anyone how profitable smuggled salt was; if it really worked, he would never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of his life.

However, Su Hao quickly calmed down, and a look of struggle appeared on his face.

Although he was all alone, leaving the Salt Gang rashly would be no small matter.

Moreover, mining salt wells requires capital and is not that easy.

"Brother Chen, are you serious?"

Su Hao remained hesitant.

"Of course I'm serious. You can see that I don't have much money right now, but if you can join me, we can work together and split the profits equally."

Chen Mo continued.

Hearing these words, Su Hao fell into deep thought.

Chen Mo didn't urge him. He took out one or two taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to Su Hao.

"Here's the money for ten catties of salt. Take it back and hand it in first. If you've thought it through, you can come to the village to find me. If there's any inconvenience, that's okay too."

"Alright, I'll go back and think about it. Thanks, Brother Chen!"

Su Hao picked up the basket, turned and left...