radicalducati Page 702
Page 702
Zhang Xiaoshan left the Great Snow Mountain, and amidst the awe of the crowd, rode away gracefully on his poisonous dragon.
This trip to discuss the Dao not only achieved the goal of forming an alliance with the Great Snow Mountain, but also yielded a wealth of valuable insights.
With the sale of the ten sets of Sacred Flame Tokens and the trade agreements with various countries, the Zhang family will undoubtedly have smooth sailing in Central Asia and the Persian Empire, instead of relying on existing relationships based on interests.
After all, with Zhang Xiaoshan's strength, plus the Poison Dragon and the three bronze-armored warriors, no nobleman would be unafraid of death if they directly stormed the capital of the Persian Empire.
Moreover, the Zhang family and their interests are intertwined, and cooperation is mutually beneficial.
Chapter 850 Tiannan Caravan
Dali, Yunnan!
After descending from the Daxue Mountain, Zhang Xiaoshan went directly down the Nujiang River and headed south to Dali along the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
As for the Dali Kingdom at this time, it had already been crushed by Zhao Tuo and his men under the iron cavalry of the empire and was placed under the jurisdiction of the Southern Commandery of the empire.
By having Duan Yu and others become monks, at least the Duan family of Dali was able to die peacefully.
After all, the few direct descendants of the Dali Duan family were all Buddhist believers, and their martial arts skills were mostly at the highest level.
The empire's preferential treatment of nobles from various countries, at most, involved relocating them to Xianyang.
Therefore, eliminating the Duan family of Dali was the worst possible course of action.
Moreover, destroying the Dali Duan family is not an easy task. After all, this is their territory, and the Dali Duan family has a very high reputation in Yunnan. In the end, it would only leave trouble for the empire.
Therefore, Ren Xiao, the governor of Nan Commandery, and Zhao Tuo, a general of the empire, did not exterminate them.
Even in terms of treatment, Tianlong Temple maintained its high status as always, following the "797" rule; the branch of the Dali Duan family also became a powerful clan in the local area and received considerable preferential treatment.
Use barbarians to control barbarians!
Dali is mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities such as the Baiyue, Miao, and Yi, and therefore their customs and governance methods differ.
The Duan family of Dali were kept alive, partly to suppress unrest.
With the Dali Duan family and Tianlong Temple still around, those ethnic minorities with potential for rebellion dared not act rashly.
Historically, after the fall of the Dali Kingdom, the Dali Duan family continued to serve as the Grand Administrator of Yunnan until the Ming Dynasty unified the country, which ended their control over Yunnan.
As for the Zhang family's business, it continued as usual.
Zhang Xiaoshan's status was so high that even the Dragon Emperor dared not touch him, let alone a mere prefect of Nanjun.
Moreover, the Zhang family's power in Baiyue was not weak. As their caravans grew stronger, they had become a dominant force in the south, radiating influence across the three counties of the South China Sea, making them an absolute hegemon.
Apart from the Dali Duan family, no force in Tiannan can rival the Zhang family, after all, they have two peerless masters, two guardians at the peak of their cultivation, and four leaders at the peak of their cultivation.
Over the years, through favorable conditions and recruitment efforts, many top experts from Tiannan have joined the Zhang family.
First, the Zhang family has a great reputation; even though they live in Dali, they are well-known far and wide.
Secondly, the Zhang family provides excellent treatment. Not to mention martial arts resources and various secret manuals, the annual tribute of gold and silver jewelry alone is no less than 100,000 taels of gold.
Especially for top masters, the offering fee starts at a minimum of a thousand gold coins, and goes up to ten thousand gold coins for those at the peerless level.
Moreover, the various benefits offered by the Zhang family have made all the top experts extremely interested.
Therefore, in twenty years, the caravans grew and became a behemoth that dominated the southern region.
Originally, the gang leader was only a third-rate expert at the top level, and now even the top experts are only the leaders of a branch, stationed in Yunnan and the twelve cities of Baiyue.
"Gu Yang (Qiu Long) greets you, young master!"
The former gang leader, Gu Yang, is now an old man in his eighties.
Moreover, after practicing the Absorption Technique, although his power was unparalleled, he was old and thin, like a centenarian.
If it weren't for the guidance of Grandmaster Gui Yanluo of the Zhang family and his years of self-cultivation, Gu Yang would have already been overwhelmed by the multiple internal energies he absorbed in his early years and died from his body exploding.
In order to increase his power, Gu Yang carried out a massacre against his opponents in Tiannan.
At the same time, his power surged, reaching an unparalleled level.
The backlash erupted in his seventies.
The current gang leader, Qiu Long, will be a robust and imposing figure.
Although he is over sixty years old and approaching seventy, he has only experienced graying temples.
Besides the thick wedding gown brimming with true qi, Qiu Long's martial arts were mainly based on the Lesser Yang Divine Fist, focusing on cultivating qi. As a result, his complexion was excellent, with the vitality of someone in their prime, much like Gu Yang, who was like a lion in his prime.
As for the two protectors behind him, they are Min Cang, the number one swordsman in the country, whose swift swordsmanship is unparalleled in the south.
The Vajra deity Monara, who came from India, possessed the Vajra Divine Skill and Yoga techniques that Zhang Xiaoshan had just witnessed, and was also proficient in traditional Chinese medicine.
As for the four guardians behind him, only one of them was a familiar figure from back then—Zhang Shun, the one who wielded the Nujiang spear.
Clearly, even if others are veterans, they cannot become the new leader of the caravan unless they have reached the pinnacle of their abilities.
"Everyone, please get up!"
As the people behind the caravan, the Zhang family naturally gained more goodwill from everyone.
Not only did they receive offerings from the Zhang family, but their families also received care from the Zhang family.
Although the rise of the caravan was domineering and powerful, it also brought many benefits. The purchase price of Pu'er tea and redwood alone was more than 30% higher than that of other merchants.
Even the top-grade rosewood is sold at the same price, with gold as the unit of settlement.
After all, the Zhang family bought it to use as raw material, but sold it at the price of an artwork, making almost ten times the profit.
A set of top-quality rosewood furniture starts at least at 100 gold coins, and is extremely rare and expensive in the Jiangnan region.
After all, truly good materials are extremely rare.
Not to mention those tea leaves, nuts, coffee...
The various seedlings that the Zhang family obtained from who-knows-where made the Zhang family and the caravan the gods of wealth for the entire Tiannan region.
Furthermore, the Zhang family built numerous workshops and private schools; the workshops were where women worked, and the private schools were where children studied…
For the entire Tiannan region, and even the entire Biao Kingdom, the Zhang family are absolutely benevolent saints.
And the families of these high-ranking members of the caravan, without exception, became the first beneficiaries.
Even ordinary caravan apprentices had family members who were the first choice for workers in the handicraft workshops, and their children could attend private schools for free.
Therefore, everyone felt both awe and gratitude towards the Zhang family.
···
"Please be seated, everyone!"
The newly built headquarters for the caravan!
It is as magnificent as a castle, covering an area of over a thousand acres.
Moreover, its towers, lined up one after another, are heavily guarded, but it also has all kinds of entertainment facilities for eating, drinking, gambling, and prostitution.
In terms of defense, in addition to the towers, there was an outer wall that was three zhang high and an inner wall that was five zhang high, as a means of repelling enemies.
"Thank you, sir!"
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoshan sat on the tiger-skin chair at the head of the main hall, with Gu Yang and Qiu Long as the leaders of the caravan.
Faced with this behind-the-scenes financier, a legendary figure in the Central Plains, the hall was eerily silent; you could hear a pin drop.
"This is the first time Zhang has set foot here since he left Tiannan twenty years ago."
The prosperity of the caravan and the Zhang family today is inseparable from everyone's hard work. I, Zhang, would like to express my gratitude to everyone!
"I can't wait!"
Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's compliment, everyone quickly returned the gesture with clasped hands.
After all, the Che Gang's achievements today are mostly due to the support of the Zhang family. Without the two unparalleled masters, the Che Gang would at most be a powerful local force.
Moreover, the Zhang family was directing things from behind the scenes, which led to the current situation.
Otherwise, if a group of brutes were to grow too powerful, they would at most become a group of bullies.
"Young master, please don't shiver at our expense."
The caravan was once a small gang in southern China. Its current glory would not have been possible without the support of the Zhang family.
"I wonder if your visit, sir, is concerned with matters in Miao territory?"
Chapter 851 Tiannan Treasure Trove Ecological Base
"Chief Qiu's guess is correct."
Zhang came from the snowy mountains, and his next stop was an ancient Miao village to discuss an alliance.
Zhang Xiaoshan did not hide anything; from the moment he stepped onto the plateau, his whereabouts were no secret to those with ulterior motives.
Traveling along the Ancient Tea Horse Road to Dali, I deliberately detoured past the caravans to check on their situation.
Only by maintaining a sense of awe from time to time can the caravan operate more efficiently, recognize its own position, and avoid becoming arrogant and conceited.
Otherwise, as time goes on, with the emperor far away and the world in the distance, people will inevitably think that the Zhang family is easy to bully.
Keep in mind that the venomous dragon was still hunting in Dianchi Lake at that time.
If Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't been afraid of scaring ordinary people, he would have already used it to intimidate the caravan's experts.
"Did the young master fight with the holy monk?"
Everyone looked at Zhang Xiaoshan expectantly.
Everyone knows Zhang Xiaoshan's purpose in coming to the Great Snow Mountain, and naturally, there is a distinction between primary and secondary roles in the alliance.
Whoever is stronger reigns supreme!
Even knowing the outcome, everyone was still full of anticipation.
"No, it was just that I spent three days discussing the Dao with several grandmasters atop the snow-capped mountain."
However, Zhang's armored warriors, who accompanied him, sparred with the third disciple of the holy monk, Venerable Tashimolaka, and the 19th Indian holy monk, the Great Master Longxiang, and were somewhat intimidated.
"Pity!"
Upon hearing Zhang Xiaoshan's explanation, everyone sighed.
After all, of the five Celestial Realm experts, the Zhang family possesses two. Even though one of them is at sea, Zhang Xiaoshan is still the strongest among them.
Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan had three bronze-armored warriors assisting him.
Just like the former leader of the Bad Guys, he ultimately fell to the Zhang family.
However, Tianzhu Shen Tuo was shaken. Compared to the other experts from Tiannan, Tianzhu Shen Tuo knew the status of the Dragon Elephant Grand Master. Zhang Xiaoshan's slight intimidation clearly showed that the Dragon Elephant Grand Master had suffered a considerable loss.
"By the way, how long until the merchant ship bound for Persia departs?"
"Your Excellency, in about half a month, the nuts, coffee, and tea will be ready and can be shipped to Persia!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoshan realized that the timing was about what he had anticipated.
Basically, merchant ships here would transport tea, coffee, and nuts to Persia and the Holy Roman Empire once a quarter.
"On this trip to Persia, prepare two portions of five catties of top-grade black tea, ten catties of musk coffee, and one hundred catties of the best quality nuts. Give them to the Ever-Victorious Treasure Tree King of the Zoroastrian Church and say that they were given to him by Zhang. Do the same every year thereafter."
In addition, every year we prepare 100 catties of black tea, 100 catties of agarwood, and 1,000 catties of high-quality refined salt. The rest you need to prepare yourselves and send them to Daxueshan via the Tea Horse Road.
As for India, you should also send some to the Garan Temple, at least to show the Zhang family's sincerity!
"Rest assured, young master, we will definitely handle it well!"
Upon hearing this, how could anyone not understand what these gifts represented?
Great master!
Only a Grandmaster could command such attention from Zhang Xiaoshan.
For a moment, Qiu Long and the others were extremely solemn, knowing that these gifts could not be taken lightly.
As for the Garan Temple, it can only be left to the Indian deity.
Since the other party came from India, they naturally knew what the Garan Temple needed. Given the similar geographical environment, what Garan Temple had, India basically had as well.
"In addition, we are preparing a batch of sea salt, fine silk, and some quinine..."
"Prepare as much as possible while ensuring normal supply and demand. Sea salt should ideally be in large blocks, which the Miao village can then process themselves."