Chapter 414: You Lead the Way
Tie Niaofei hurried to greet Xing Honglang, cupping his fists in a respectful salute. "Boss Xing," he declared, a broad grin spreading across his face, "we've been eagerly awaiting you! Though, it appears you've brought quite a substantial cargo this trip."
His eyes, however, quickly darted towards the three vessels moored at the dock.
He observed a flurry of activity as people disembarked from all three ships. From the vessel laden with oil carts, a mere handful of salt smugglers stepped ashore. But it was the warship that truly captivated him: soldiers, an impressive number of them, streamed forth, armed with gleaming armor, long spears, sharp waist sabers, hand crossbows, and numerous firelocks. Their gear, he realized with a start, was unequivocally a cut above anything the official Ming troops possessed.
And from the third ship, a flat-bottomed transport, warhorses were being led off!
Each horse was swiftly mounted by a soldier the moment it touched solid ground, their movements fluid and practiced, clearly the mark of highly trained cavalry.
A tremor of astonishment ran through Tie Niaofei. *What kind of lavish deployment is this?* he wondered, *Is this truly the contingent of a mere salt smuggler?*
Just then, Gao Chuwu shuffled forward, his head bowed somewhat sheepishly. Xing Honglang, with an affectionate yet firm hand, drew him to her side. "This is my husband," she announced with a faint smile, "known across the land as 'Big Simpleton,' a famed hero from Shaanxi."
Tie Niaofei mentally scoffed. *Famed?* he mused. *I've certainly never encountered his name. I'm familiar with Wang Jiayin, Zijing Liang, Bai Yuzhu, Chuǎng Wang, Bu Zhan Ni, Wang Zuogua—but this 'Big Simpleton'? Where did he suddenly emerge from?*
Xing Honglang let out a sharp, challenging huff. "What is it?" she demanded, a glint in her eyes. "Are you looking down on my husband?"
Gao Chuwu, still beaming, flashed him a wide, guileless grin. "You're a surprisingly good fellow," he declared. "Your words are truly pleasant."
Tie Niaofei sighed inwardly. *No wonder they call him 'Big Simpleton',* he reflected. *The man can't even discern a polite platitude from genuine praise.*
He edged closer to Xing Honglang, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Boss Xing," he began, "what exactly is the meaning of all this...?"
Xing Honglang straightened up. "As you can plainly see," she retorted, "I've gone rogue myself! My husband, as it happens, commands a few hundred brave men, and they've come to assist me. Now I possess ships, seasoned troops, and plenty of provisions." She let out a dry chuckle. "I've returned this time for one purpose: to crush those scoundrels who dared to torment my hometown folk."
The moment these words left her lips, a roar of approval erupted from the docks.
"Hear, hear!"
"Boss Xing has come to stand by us!"
"Those cursed vagrants have ravaged us! Boss Xing, please deliver justice for us!"
"Boss Xing, I'm starving!"
Amidst the cacophony of pleas and cheers, Xing Honglang wasted no time. With a decisive wave of her hand, she commanded, "Begin unloading the cargo!"
The heavy tarpaulins covering the cargo ship were pulled back, revealing an astounding sight: stacks upon stacks of flour sacks, massive and bursting, filled the enormous vessel from bow to stern. A salt smuggler, grunting with effort, hoisted a single bag down to the shore and tore open its mouth. Everyone present craned their necks, peering inside in unison.
While most had speculated about grain, the sheer volume, witnessed firsthand, still sent a shockwave of awe through the crowd.
"Are those bags *all* filled with grain?"
"Every single bag on this ship??"
"Merciful Heavens, how many thousands of pounds are aboard this vessel?"
"By the heavens, the provisions on this single ship could easily sustain several towns!"
Tie Niaofei stared, utterly flummoxed. "Boss Xing," he finally managed, "where in the world did you procure such an enormous quantity of grain?"
Xing Honglang merely chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "A gift from the heavens," she declared.
Tie Niaofei, however, scoffed inwardly at any talk of divine providence. *A gift from the heavens, indeed!* he thought. *No, it's hardly surprising Xing Honglang keeps her mouth shut. With a supply channel this exceptional, I wouldn't breathe a word either. Monopolizing the source is the only way to truly rake in the profits.*
"Boss Xing," he pressed, cutting straight to the chase, "enough with the pleasantries. For this grain... name your price."
Tie Niaofei's query echoed the silent question in every single person's mind on the dock. The onlookers tentatively felt their meager, shriveled coin purses. *Last time, Boss Xing sold us grain at four hundred *wen* per *dou*," they mused, *Surely, she wouldn't raise the price this time, would she?*
No sooner had the thought crossed their minds than Xing Honglang's booming voice cut through the air. "Plenty of stock this time!" she bellowed. "Two hundred *wen* per *dou*!"
A wave of elation swept through the crowd.
Currently, grain prices in Shanxi had skyrocketed to a staggering eight hundred *wen* per *dou*, and in many areas, even at that exorbitant price, no grain could be found. For Xing Honglang to arrive and slash the price directly to two hundred *wen*—it wasn't merely business, it was an act of profound charity.
With a collective roar, the masses surged forward. "Two *dou* for me!"
"I need five *jin*!"
"Twenty *jin*!"
The dock was engulfed in a fervent, surging throng.
Tie Niaofei, however, held back, unhurried. Unlike the small-scale buyers, if *he* were to acquire stock, he'd be taking it by the cartload. He let out a wry chuckle. "Boss Xing," he remarked, "you've truly outdone yourself... if I were to take these goods from you, I'd be ashamed to sell them at a higher price."
Xing Honglang scoffed. "Nonsense!" she retorted. "Of course, you can't sell it high! Do you see that massive cargo ship behind me? This old woman doesn't just have one, there's a second, a third, a fourth... as much grain as anyone could possibly need."
She gave another mirthless chuckle. "This time, I've returned to Shanxi with one explicit goal: to drive down grain prices. Any bastard who dares to hoard grain and inflate its cost, I'll crush them until they're bankrupt and selling the clothes off their backs!"
Tie Niaofei gasped, drawing in a sharp, cold breath. "That much?" he stammered. "Then when the next ship arrives, the price will surely plummet even further, won't it?"
Xing Honglang simply smiled. "Precisely!" she affirmed. "My ultimate aim is to force grain prices back to what they were in years of plenty."
Tie Niaofei pondered this. *Normal year prices,* he calculated, *that would be about seven *wen* per *jin*.*
In a flash, Tie Niaofei's entire mindset shifted. Selling this grain was clearly out of the question. After all, he was a salt smuggler by trade; dabbling in grain sales wasn't his forte. There was no point in earning such ill-gotten gains, only to risk becoming the very target of Xing Honglang's fury.
"I'll stick to salt, then," Tie Niaofei said, a relieved chuckle escaping him. "Last time, Boss Xing mentioned needing salt, and I'm pleased to report I've managed to acquire a fair quantity for you."
He guided Xing Honglang towards a small thatched hut, pulling open the door and gesturing proudly within.
Xing Honglang cast a dismissive glance inside. Thirty or forty sacks, each as large as a man's head, were stacked against the walls. For ordinary villagers, this quantity of salt would be a considerable hoard, enough to last an entire town for well over a year. Yet, for Gao Family Village's burgeoning industrial alkali production, it was barely a pittance.
She gestured to the colossal vessel behind her. "Look at my ship," she challenged, a playful edge to her voice, "don't you think it's a bit... overkill, to use it to transport *your* paltry few sacks of salt? Is this truly the extent of your capabilities? Couldn't you have procured enough to fill this entire ship?"
Tie Niaofei's jaw dropped. "What?" he exclaimed. "A ship of this magnitude, filled entirely with salt? How many people would it take, and for how many years, to consume such a colossal amount?"
Xing Honglang waved a dismissive hand. "What concern is it of yours how long it lasts me?" she countered. "The point is, I require far more salt than this. It's simply not enough. It seems I'll have to make a personal trip to Xie Lake."
Tie Niaofei glanced nervously at the disciplined troops arrayed behind Xing Honglang, then leaned in, lowering his voice again. "Boss Xing," he whispered urgently, "are you truly contemplating fighting your way all the way to Xie Lake? The Hedong Circuit is garrisoned by regular imperial forces. If you attempt to seize salt by force, it will undoubtedly escalate into a major conflict."
"I'm not an idiot," she declared flatly. "Of course, I won't just charge in."
Xing Honglang clarified, "The imperial garrison is positioned to the north of Xie Lake. My intention is to circle around to the south side, where I'll connect with the local salt artisans and arrange for them to produce salt exclusively for me. I haven't run salt in years, so my contacts and routes there aren't as strong as they once were. You, Tie Niaofei, will guide me, help me re-establish the salt trade routes, and I assure you, you'll be amply rewarded."
Tie Niaofei rubbed his hands together, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Hehehe, the south side of Xie Lake, I know it like the back of my hand. But... as for this matter of leading the way, Boss Xing... perhaps you could suggest a price?"
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