Chapter 409: Adopt My Banner
As soon as Lao Nanfeng arrived at the main keep of Gao Family Fortress, he was immediately ushered into the council chamber.
Upon entering, he saw a gathering of important figures, all deep in solemn discussion. He recognized only the Saintess, San Shier, and Cheng Xu. Unfamiliar with the others, he dared not cause a stir, so he quietly took a seat behind Cheng Xu, ears perked, ready to absorb everything.
San Shier began, "We need to produce alkali, and alkali production requires large quantities of salt. Since Puzhou, Shanxi, is a major salt-producing region, acquiring salt from there is an inevitable step for us. Otherwise, even if we build the chemical plant, we'll lack the salt to operate it."
Chun Hong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the Heavenly Lord bestow much salt upon us before? Could we not ask again...?"
San Shier interrupted her, "We shouldn't always rely on the Heavenly Lord for everything. We should only seek the Heavenly Lord's help when we cannot solve something ourselves. Salt was something we couldn't handle before, which is why the Heavenly Lord granted it to us. But now that we have the capability, we must resolve it ourselves."
Cheng Xu chimed in, "Exactly! If we still lacked ships and couldn't reach the Gudu Ferry, asking the Heavenly Lord for salt would be reasonable. But now that we can reach Puzhou, to still ask the Heavenly Lord for salt would be utterly ungrateful."
San Shier turned to Xing Honglang, "Madam Xing, you're quite familiar with the situation in Shanxi. Could you please explain the process for acquiring salt from that region?"
Xing Honglang, her hair now styled in a married woman's bun after her wedding, radiated happiness, as if nothing in the world could displease her. She was beaming. "Actually, the salt isn't produced *in* Puzhou itself. It comes from the Hedong Circuit, which is also the home of Tie Niaofei of Hedong."
Xing Honglang continued, "In ancient times, when the Huang Emperor battled Chiyou, the place where Chiyou's body was dismembered formed a large lake called Xie Lake, which is rich in Xie Lake salt. People settled by Xie Lake to produce salt, forming a large city, which is now the Hedong Circuit."
Li Daoxuan, in the sky, also nodded: *I, an unlearned individual, have once again gained new knowledge.*
Xing Honglang said, "The authorities have always strictly controlled salt. Thus, heavy troops are stationed in Hedong Circuit to guard Xie Lake, and the government manages the production and sale of Xie Lake salt."
At this, a grin spread across her face. "But Xie Lake is enormous, over forty *li* long. How could the meager troops stationed there possibly guard such a vast area? The salt artisans live incredibly hard lives; the salt they produce is all confiscated by the government, leaving them with just a pittance for wages, barely enough to survive. So, the salt artisans always find ways to secretly sell their salt..."
San Shier said, "I see. So Puzhou's salt smugglers travel to Xie Lake to buy salt directly from the artisans? This then fostered the rise of the renowned Puzhou salt smugglers."
Xing Honglang confirmed, "Precisely! Because Puzhou is not far west of Hedong Circuit, extremely close to Xie Lake, it became the transit point for the salt artisans. Salt smugglers gathered there in large numbers, seeking opportunities to discreetly contact artisans at Xie Lake, buy the salt, and immediately return to the Gudu Ferry to transport it far and wide by boat."
At this, Xing Honglang grinned. "In our little Yongji, nine out of ten villagers have engaged in salt smuggling."
Everyone chuckled and shook their heads, "Better not let Fang Wushang visit your village, or everyone will end up in Labor Reform."
Indeed, they hadn't dared to let Fang Wushang know about the day's discussion.
San Shier said, "Madam Xing... *cough*... Madam Xing has made it clear. If we want to acquire large quantities of salt for alkali production, we need at least a team to establish a foothold in Puzhou to ensure a continuous supply. Of course, ideally, we'd establish a presence at Xie Lake itself, but... as Madam Xing said, Xie Lake is heavily guarded by government troops, so seizing it now might be imprudent."
Cheng Xu nodded, "If we dispatch troops to seize Xie Lake now, it would be equivalent to cutting off the imperial court's salt supply. That's no different from openly declaring rebellion, as foolish as Wang Jiayin proclaiming himself king. 'Stockpile provisions and delay claiming kingship' is the true path to power."
Bai Yuan interjected, "Therefore, it's not appropriate for us to openly seize Xie Lake right now. However, sending a small team to Xie Lake to establish contact with the salt artisans, arranging for them to sell their smuggled salt to us in the future, is entirely feasible."
Xing Honglang grinned, "That's my specialty."
San Shier, "Good, we'll rely on you, Madam Xing, to lead this. You'll go to Xie Lake and contact the artisans. However, your team alone is sufficient for small-scale salt transport, but not for large quantities. Shanxi is currently restless, with roving bandits everywhere. While small shipments can flexibly evade both bandits and officials, a long convoy of dozens of salt carts won't always manage to do so."
Xing Honglang nodded, "That is a problem."
San Shier turned to Cheng Xu and Zao Ying, "This is where Instructor He and Instructor Zao come in."
Zao Ying frowned, "If we act, won't the name of the Gao Family Village Militia be exposed? The court will see Gao Family Village sending cavalry and musketeers to protect smuggled salt, which would clearly be an act of rebellion."
Cheng Xu chuckled, "Instructor Zao, you're mistaken. How could Gao Family Village be involved in this? We know nothing! This, of course, will be the work of roving bandits. Shanxi is swarming with them right now. It wouldn't be strange for a new group of bandits, with cavalry and musketeers, to suddenly emerge and engage in large-scale salt smuggling, would it?"
Everyone fell silent, absorbing his words.
Xing Honglang smiled, "That method works perfectly. Let's just use my banner. After all, I, Xing Honglang of Yongji, am already a notorious salt smuggler in Shanxi, and I have no clan to be implicated. Just say I've rebelled, openly smuggling salt with a large force of cavalry and musketeers. The court won't suspect Gao Family Village. At most, they'll just see me as one more fierce marauder among Wang Jiayin's hundred-plus rebel leaders." She chuckled. "Perhaps Wang Jiayin might even consider me one of his own and leave our salt carts alone."
Li Daoxuan gave a thumbs-up: "That's not a bad way to handle it!"
San Shier, "Disguising as bandits is acceptable, but... Madam Xing, you must remember, we are only *pretending* to be bandits. We are not real ones. Don't actually engage in looting, killing, and pillaging."
Xing Honglang laughed heartily, "Don't worry! I could never do such a thing."
Zao Ying chuckled, "Heh heh, then I'll go have some fun in Shanxi with my good sister."
Cheng Xu turned to Zao Ying and asked, "Militia Commander Zao, your cavalry battalion isn't fully staffed, is it? How many unassigned horses do you have left?"
Zao Ying, "Three hundred empty horses."
Cheng Xu nodded, "Then I'll send three hundred of my men with you. They can ride with your forces and dismount to form a battle line when needed."
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