Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

After all, the Miao language has a limited vocabulary, making it difficult to describe with precise language.

The leader frowned and urged them on.

Magistrate Yu then launched into a long speech, seemingly describing the immense power of Chi Junlin.

Upon hearing this, the chief muttered a few words, seemingly somewhat displeased.

However, he still casually cupped his hands in respect to Chi Junlin.

He is bowing to you in an official salute.

Magistrate Yu then quickly translated for Chi Junlin.

Chi Junlin found this leader quite interesting.

Out of politeness, I straightened up and returned the other person's greeting with a gentlemanly bow.

Chapter 293 Insect Tea

Chi Junlin was handsome and tall. Putting aside the overly obvious feminine side of his appearance, his demeanor and speech were truly outstanding.

Returning the greeting to the chief at this moment greatly satisfies the other party's vanity.

However, just as Chi Junlin was exchanging official pleasantries with the Miao chieftain...

Another white-bearded old man standing nearby was already getting impatient.

He immediately interrupted the two of them, pointed at Chi Junlin, and said a few words loudly.

The chieftain was slightly displeased by this, but did not say anything more.

Magistrate Yu immediately translated to Chi Junlin, "He asked why your camp near the Miao village hasn't been moved yet. That land belongs to the local Miao people. As outsiders, you've occupied their land without paying them, and he's very unhappy about it."

Chi Junlin was slightly surprised upon hearing this, and then asked Feng Lingqiu, "Master, did you not pay any lodging fees to the locals when you set up camp here?"

Feng Lingqiu immediately replied, "Given it."

Chi Junlin turned his head and looked at Magistrate Yu again.

He then explained in a low voice, "They did give it, and quite a lot of it. But the county government didn't take a single penny of it; the big boss took the lion's share, and the white-bearded leader didn't get much."

He's resentful, so he's just trying to get something from you again.

Upon hearing this, Chi Junlin understood and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

They're treating us like easy prey.

However, at this moment, Chi Junlin did not show much emotion on his face.

Instead, he pointed to the white-bearded leader and asked the chief, "Is the land our army is using for encampment this chief's land?"

Magistrate Yu immediately translated for them.

So the people at the table nodded and said something, and the white-bearded leader looked at Chi Junlin and the others with a smug look on his face.

"They said that you have to pay whoever's land you use, that's a matter of course."

Magistrate Yu immediately translated.

Chi Junlin nodded, then revealed a sharp expression as he looked at the white-bearded leader and said, "So, you're going to poison us just because we didn't give you money?"

"You Miao people, are you provoking my great dynasty? Do you want to start a war with the court?"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Yu paused, seemingly hesitant to speak.

Chi Junlin immediately shouted sternly, "Translate it for him!"

Hearing Chi Junlin's sudden shout, the Miao people, though they didn't understand, immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Many people stood up, drew their weapons, and stared at Chi Junlin and his group with dangerous eyes.

Magistrate Yu inwardly groaned, but he could only translate the original words to the white-bearded leader.

The white-bearded leader was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately stood up and explained to the chief in Miao language.

After listening for a while, the chief nodded and gestured for everyone in the hall to put down their weapons.

He then explained a few more words to Chi Junlin.

Magistrate Yu hurriedly said, "The chieftain said that they have heard about the poisoning in your camp, but they did not do it. The Miao people are upright and honest, and would not do such a thing as harming others behind their backs. They also have no intention of provoking the Great Zheng Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Chi Junlin nodded slightly.

The chieftain gave the white-bearded chieftain a warning look, and this time the white-bearded chieftain never mentioned any land-borrowing fees again.

Then, Chi Junlin said to Magistrate Yu, "Tell him that on behalf of the imperial court, I thank the Miao village here for their help in our demon-slaying efforts. But we are currently facing trouble, and I would like to ask if they can help us."

Magistrate Yu then showed the words to the chieftain, but he couldn't find a corresponding Miao word for "suppressing demons," so he could only translate it as "suppressing bandits."

Upon hearing this, the chieftain showed a slightly thoughtful expression.

At this moment, before the leaders could speak, the lively Miao girl next to them grabbed the leader's arm and said a few words to him.

She seemed to be flirting with him.

Upon seeing this, Chi Junlin asked Magistrate Yu, "Who is that girl next to the Miao leader?"

Magistrate Yu then explained in a low voice, "That's the chieftain's most beloved youngest daughter, named Qiaonu. She seems to be pleading for you."

Chi Junlin was slightly surprised to hear Magistrate Yu's words.

Then the chieftain showed a helpless expression, nodded to Chi Junlin, and said a few more words.

Magistrate Yu then translated, "He said he could help you, but what benefits would the Miao people gain?"

Ask them what they want.

The Red Emperor approached the side road.

Magistrate Yu turned to translate.

The leader casually mentioned a few things.

Magistrate Yu then translated in turn, "Salt, tea, silk, silver... what can you offer in exchange?"

Chi Junlin seemed to have anticipated this response, so he nodded and replied with a smile, "These are all yours."

Magistrate Yu was slightly surprised and whispered a reminder, "These Miao people have enormous appetites; they don't know when to stop... Your Excellency, please don't agree to everything..."

Chi Junlin smiled and said, "It's alright, just translate it."

Magistrate Yu had no choice but to repeat what Chi Junlin had said to the chief and the others.

Upon hearing Chi Junlin's words, all the leaders, including the chief, showed excited expressions.

He quickly asked Chi Junlin a question.

How much can you come up with?

"As much as you want."

Chi Junlin then replied.

However, the leader now looked suspicious.

Because Chi Junlin agreed too easily.

So I immediately asked a question.

"What does it mean?"

Chi Junlin paused for a moment, then looked down at himself.

The chieftain immediately realized what was happening and sternly reprimanded the servants beside him.

So the servants brought chairs for Chi Junlin and the others and invited them to sit down.

He then had a woman bring him fragrant hot tea and serve him tea.

Seeing this, Chi Junlin couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Who says the Miao people don't understand Han Chinese etiquette? They clearly do!

However, since there was no profit to be made from it, they didn't show much respect.

But now that they saw a profit to be made, they immediately became friendly towards Chi Junlin.

When the hot tea was served, Chi Junlin picked it up, smelled it, and said with some surprise, "What kind of tea is this? The aroma is so uniquely strong?"

Magistrate Yu then explained, "This tea is called insect tea. It is made from the dried excrement left by the larvae of a local insect called the rice leaf moth after they have eaten tea leaves. It has a unique flavor and is said to have the effects of moisturizing the throat, benefiting the internal organs, and promoting blood circulation and vitality."

However, due to its scarcity, it was only used by the Miao village leaders to entertain distinguished guests.

After Magistrate Yu finished explaining, Feng Lingqiu and the others, who had originally been very interested in the tea, immediately put down their teacups, their expressions showing a desire to avoid it at all costs.

Chi Junlin didn't think much of it; instead, he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

I found that this tea indeed had a unique flavor, with a pleasant and refreshing aroma.

She also noticed that the teacup used for brewing the tea was a porcelain piece produced in the Central Plains.

It seems that the Miao people in this area have indeed become quite Sinicized.

Chapter 294 The Han people, so cunning!

After drinking tea for a while, the leader spoke to Chi Junlin with an impatient expression.

"Sir, he asked you what you meant by what you just said. Are you really willing to give them so many benefits?"

Chi Junlin put down his teacup and said with a smile, "I heard before I came here that Hunan is a place with scarce resources and a lack of currency. The salt, tea, silk and other goods needed here are obtained by tea and salt merchants from Nandu through barter with the local ethnic minorities. I wonder if this is true?"

Magistrate Yu translated the words verbatim, and the chieftain and others nodded, indicating that what Chi Junlin said was correct.

Then Chi Junlin continued, "Furthermore, the Miao people here like to make ornaments with silver, but silver mines are scarce in southern Hunan. Therefore, the Miao people not only cannot afford to buy goods, but they also have to exchange goods for silver. Is that right?"

The leader did not deny it either, because it was a well-known fact.

What he was curious about was what Chi Junlin was trying to express through this.

Chi Jun then said to Magistrate Yu, "What I'm about to say involves taxation and is quite complicated, so please try to translate it as accurately as possible."

Magistrate Yu nodded in agreement.

Chi Junlin continued, "The chief may not know that tea and salt merchants from the Central Plains conduct transactions here, which do not involve money, so the taxes collected at the border are in kind."

The tax levied on goods was higher than the tax levied on silver. Since there were numerous checkpoints from Nandu to southern Hunan, the final tax amount usually accounted for more than 30% of the value of the goods.

Even so, the caravans still made a profit.

However, the additional taxes will have to be borne by the local Hmong people themselves.

After Magistrate Yu finished speaking, all the leaders showed indignant expressions, as if they were complaining about why the Great Zheng Dynasty was levying such high commercial taxes.

However, the chieftain was a discerning man, and he did not say much at this moment, but instead gestured for Chi Junlin to continue.

Then Chi Junlin continued, "However, I can give you a travel permit so that you can transport the goods to Nandu on your own and be exempt from taxes throughout the entire process of purchasing goods and returning to the Miao village!"

"You do the math, how much would the Miao village benefit from doing this?"

After Magistrate Yu finished translating, the group of leaders immediately did some calculations and then showed expressions of surprise.

If the Miao people here could form their own caravan and trade with salt and tea merchants, it would be many times more cost-effective than buying from merchants!

The returns were so high that the leaders immediately became excited and urged the chief leader to agree to Chi Junlin's demands.

However, the chieftain appeared quite rational at this moment, because he knew the cunning of the Han people.

So he asked Magistrate Yu another question.

"So what are your requirements?"

Chi Junlin felt that this chieftain was indeed very clever, so he smiled and said, "My request is also very simple."

As she spoke, she took out a silver note from her bosom and placed it in front of the chieftain.

He then explained, "This is a universally accepted silver note issued by the Lou Family Money Shop in the Southern Kingdom. You can exchange this silver note for an equivalent amount of silver at the Lou Family Money Shop."

My requirement is that you will use travel permits for business, whether selling goods or buying supplies. Large transactions can no longer be conducted through barter; instead, you must use Lou's banknotes.

Upon hearing this, the leaders were curious and couldn't help but want to see how this small piece of paper could be exchanged for a lot of silver, so they reached out to take it.

The leader slapped away the claw in front of him and glanced to the left and right.

Then he picked up the silver note and examined it closely.

Magistrate Yu then kindly explained the anti-counterfeiting measures on the silver notes and the use of silver notes for transactions by merchants in the Central Plains.

The chieftain listened for a long time before he truly understood, then returned the silver notes to Chi Junlin, indicating that he could agree.