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Chapter 1136: It Has Become Obsolete

Lu Xiangheng found himself a little disoriented. A subordinate beside him offered a pair of binoculars.

Lu Xiangheng had certainly seen such devices before; it seemed every key general serving Master Li possessed one.

He took the binoculars and observed the Mongol cavalry.

"Wait, what?" he murmured.

These Mongol horsemen weren't carrying bows and sabers. Their spare mounts weren't laden with strategic supplies, but rather with strange items.

For example... woolen blankets woven by Mongol women?

Combs crafted from ox bone.

Boots made from sheepskin.

...

Qitan replied, "Why, to trade for egg-yolk pastries, of course!"

Lu Xiangheng was speechless.

So, after all that, it was all a misunderstanding?

Lu Xiangheng still felt a little dizzy with disbelief.

But Qitan had also realized that this Han official wasn't here to ambush him. He had truly misunderstood, believing they were planning to raid the passes, burning and looting, which was why he had set up this formation. Since that was the case, what was there to worry about?

Qitan turned his head and shouted to his tribesmen, "The border market is open! Brothers, bring your best goods into the market and haggle with the Han merchants. Remember, Han people are cunning; when they do business, their minds are full of how to trick you out of a little more. Don't let yourselves be fooled; try to get as many good things as you can!"

Lu Xiangheng could only laugh wryly. "Our Han merchants aren't cunning! Merchants pursue profit; it's their nature. What's wrong with wanting to earn a little more? Didn't you just say to try and get as many good things as you can? Your people will also rack their brains to get a little extra."

"Alright, fair enough!"

The minority peoples always thought the Han enjoyed petty trickery and deceit.

And in truth, the Han often found the minority peoples to be unreasonable, making troublesome demands and forcing unfair trades.

In the end, they were all much of a muchness! Everyone was pursuing profit; no one was superior to the other.

"Let's leave business to the merchants," Lu Xiangheng suggested. "Chief Qitan, how about we sit down and talk for a bit? Discuss what comes next?"

"That's exactly what I intended," Qitan affirmed. "Master Lu, please."

So, the two leaders sat down, sipped tea, and engaged in some awkward small talk. They might not resolve any serious issues, but the mere act of these two leaders sharing tea signaled a significant shift in future border relations.

Meanwhile, beside them, the Mongols and Han merchants burst into a lively buzz.

A large group of Mongols surged into the horse market, rushing towards the goods that caught their eye.

The salt, tea, and large iron pots displayed at the market entrance were naturally the first to be snapped up, quickly selling out. However, many other Mongols showed little interest in these three essential goods. They circled the market frantically, searching desperately for something else.

After much effort, they finally found it: egg-yolk pastries! They were hidden in the market's innermost corner.

Egg-yolk pastries weren't necessities; they were luxuries.

But who said the poor didn't appreciate luxuries?

Even the poorest tribal people in Africa enjoyed collecting precious stones.

Though the impoverished Mongols appeared quite destitute, they were still willing to lead a horse out and exchange it for a large basket of salt, tea, a big iron pot, and some egg-yolk pastries to take back.

Lu Xiangheng's horse market was a resounding success. The border army suddenly gained several hundred warhorses, and in the coming days, that number was sure to grow.

The Mongols' eagerness to sell warhorses sparked a bit of curiosity in Lu Xiangheng's mind. Warhorses were crucial strategic assets for them; why weren't they showing any reluctance to part with them now?

He quickly dispatched his spies to mingle with the Mongols and discreetly gather information.

Before long, a spy returned with a report: "The Mongols say that warfare now mainly revolves around the grand display of the heavy armored cars. Warhorses can only stand on the sidelines, cheering them on. They're utterly useless now, so they're selling them off."

Lu Xiangheng stared, dumbfounded.

Warhorses weren't enjoying good market prospects lately, but they weren't the only animals suffering.

Another type of animal had recently fallen into a state of melancholy.

Its name was — poultry!

At noon, Gao Yiye was preparing her news script while eating. She would soon record today's Gaojia News, taping it in the afternoon for broadcast in the evening. This had become one of her crucial duties. However, she couldn't manage it alone; in recent days, the Heavenly Lord had selected a pair of male and female students from the News Department to take over her work.

Just as Gao Yiye finished organizing her news script, Third Aunt Gao squeezed in from outside, her face etched with an embarrassed expression. "Yiye, Yiye!"

"Aunt," Gao Yiye asked, "Is something wrong?"

Third Aunt Gao lowered her voice. "You know, I raise a lot of chickens, ducks, and geese, but in recent years, their feathers have become harder and harder to sell. No one wants them anymore."

"Huh? Is that so?" Gao Yiye exclaimed. "Haven't they always been easy to sell?"

Third Aunt Gao sighed. "Yes, they used to sell very well. Many people collected chicken, duck, and goose feathers, and even the government would buy large quantities. But in the last few years, no one in our area wants them at all."

It turned out that the long feathers of chickens, ducks, and geese had always been strategic resources.

They were used to make arrows.

During wartime, when arrows were scarce, the government would even assign quotas to the common people, demanding each household contribute a certain number of chicken and duck feathers as a crucial administrative requirement. This absurd decree would send villagers scrambling up mountains to catch pheasants, turning everything topsy-turvy.

When Gao Family Village first began forming its militia, the militia soldiers still relied heavily on hand crossbows, which also required a considerable number of chicken, duck, and goose feathers.

However, ever since Gao Family Village began arming its forces extensively with flintlock rifles, and as these firearms continuously underwent upgrades generation after generation, fewer and fewer militiamen used crossbows.

Now, even the factory militia had begun arming themselves with smoothbore muskets discarded by the regular militia. Hand crossbows hadn't been produced in a long time, so naturally, there was no longer a large demand for arrows.

Thus, chicken, duck, and goose feathers inevitably became unsellable.

Third Aunt Gao felt a little downcast. With no one else to turn to about this matter, she came to Gao Yiye. "Yiye, can you help your aunt think of a solution? See if we can make something else out of chicken, duck, and goose feathers to earn some money? Otherwise, it's such a waste to throw them away."

Gao Yiye clapped her hands with a sharp sound. "I've got it!" she declared.

Third Aunt Gao was overjoyed. "You thought of something so quickly?"

Gao Yiye suggested, "We can make feathered shuttlecocks! The children can kick them around. We should be able to sell some, right?"

Third Aunt Gao replied, "How many can you use for children's toys? That won't be enough, will it?"

"Oh, right!" Gao Yiye suddenly remembered. "I've got another idea! We could also make feathered dusters. Those should sell too."

"Oh, a single feathered duster does use a good many feathers," Third Aunt Gao conceded, "but the crucial question is, who would we sell them to after they're made?"

Gao Yiye smiled. "Don't worry, Aunt. I know plenty of merchants. I'll find one to help you sell your feathered dusters in the bazaar outside Xi'an city. They're sure to sell."

Third Aunt Gao's face finally brightened with a smile. "Yiye always has a solution."

As the two women spoke, another woman timidly entered, speaking cautiously. "Saintess, in our poultry farm, the chicken, duck, and goose feathers have piled up like mountains. We don't know what to do with them."