The Great Ming in the Box

Chapter 409: Raising My Banner

Old Nan Feng arrived at the main fortress of Gaojia Fortress and was promptly ushered into the conference hall.

As soon as he entered, he saw a group of important figures engaged in a serious discussion.

He only recognized the Saint Lady, Thirty-Two, and Cheng Xu. The others were all strangers to him, so he dared not act rashly. Obediently, he sat down behind Cheng Xu and quietly pricked up his ears to listen.

Thirty-Two spoke first: “We need alkali production, which requires a large amount of salt. Since Puzhou, Shanxi is a major salt-producing region, procuring salt from there has become an inevitable step. Otherwise, even if we build the chemical factory, we’ll lack the salt to start operations.”

Chunhong couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t the Deity grant us plenty of salt before? Couldn’t we just request—”

Thirty-Two interrupted her: “We shouldn’t rely on begging the Deity for every little thing. We only ask for help when we’re truly unable to solve a problem ourselves. Salt was a problem we previously couldn’t resolve, so the Deity provided it. But now that we’re capable, we must handle it ourselves.”

Cheng Xu chimed in: “Exactly! If we had no ships and couldn’t reach the ancient ferry dock, begging the Deity for salt would be understandable. But now that we can reach Puzhou, it would be downright shameless to ask for divine help with salt.”

Thirty-Two turned to Xing Honglang: “Miss Xing—ahem—Mrs. Xing, you’re familiar with the situation in Shanxi. Could you explain the process involved in obtaining salt from there?”

Xing Honglang, now wearing her hair in a married woman’s bun after her recent wedding, was present and seemed radiantly happy—as if nothing in the world could dampen her spirits—bubbling with vitality: “Actually, the salt isn’t produced in Puzhou. It comes from Hedong Road—the hometown of that fellow ‘Iron Bird Flies’ from Hedong.”

Xing Honglang continued: “In ancient times, where the Yellow Emperor battled Chiyou and dismembered his body, a large pond formed called Jie Pond. This pond abounds with Jie salt. People settled beside it to produce salt and built a large city—present-day Hedong Road.”Everyone in the room acknowledged learning something new.

Li Daoxuan also nodded from up in the sky: This uneducated person just gained some new knowledge.

Xing Honglang stated: “Since antiquity, the government has strictly controlled salt. Thus, heavily troops have been garrisoned in Hedong Road to protect Jie Pond. The government manages both the production and sale of Jie salt.”

At this point, she grinned: “But Jie Pond is massive—over forty li long and four li wide. How could their garrison possibly patrol such a huge area? The government’s salt craftsmen live miserable lives. The salt they make is all seized by the government, leaving them only meager pay that’s barely enough to survive. So, the craftsmen often secretly sell salt…”

Thirty-Two concluded: “I see. So salt smugglers from Puzhou head to Jie Pond to buy salt directly from the craftsmen? That’s how the famed Puzhou salt smugglers emerged.”

Xing Honglang: “Exactly! Since Puzhou lies just west of Hedong Road—very close to Jie Pond—it became the transit point. Smugglers gather here in droves to find opportunities, sneak to Jie Pond, contact the craftsmen, buy the salt, hurry back to the ancient ferry dock, and ship it across the realm.”

She grinned again: “In my little hometown of Yongji, nine out of ten villagers have sold smuggled salt.”

Everyone laughed shaking their heads: “Just don’t let Fang Wushang visit your village, or he’ll haul everyone back for re-education labor.”

The topics discussed today were definitely things they dared not let Fang Wushang know.

Thirty-Two declared: “Mrs. Xing has clarified it all. If we want large quantities of salt for alkali production, we need at least one team stationed in Puzhou. They’ll solidify their foothold there to keep sending salt back continuously. Ideally, we should position ourselves in Jie Pond, but… Mrs. Xing mentioned it has heavy government troops. Moving against Jie Pond now would be ill-advised.”

Cheng Xu nodded: “If we send troops now to seize it, we’d cut off the entire Central Plains’ salt supply. That’s no different from openly rebelling—as foolish as Wang Jiayin declaring himself emperor! Hoarding provisions discreetly and biding our time is the true path to kingship.”

Bai Yuan interjected: “So overtly seizing Jie Pond now is unwise. But sending a small team to make contact with the salt craftsmen and secure their smuggled salt for us—that’s entirely feasible.”

Xing Honglang chuckled: “This is where I excel.”

Thirty-Two said: “Indeed, Mrs. Xing must spearhead this operation—reach Jie Pond and negotiate with the craftsmen. However, relying solely on your team can only handle small-scale salt trafficking. We can’t manage bulk quantities like this. Shanxi is unstable now, overrun with bandits scattering every which way. Moving small amounts of salt lets you stay nimble, avoiding both bandits and officials. But dozens of salt carts moving in a long line? You couldn’t guarantee avoiding them every time.”

Xing Honglang agreed: “That is a problem.”

Thirty-Two turned to Cheng Xu and Zao Ying: “That’s when Instructor He and Instructor Zao come in.”

Zao Ying frowned: “Surely involving us means exposing Gaojia Militia? The court would see us sending a cavalry unit and firearm soldiers to guard smuggled salt. That is tantamount to declaring rebellion.”

Cheng Xu chuckled: “Instructor Zao, you’re mistaken. Why would Gaojia Village get involved? We had no idea about any of this! This was purely bandit work. Shanxi teems with them—why would adding one more gang with cavalry and firearms focusing on heavy salt smuggling be unusual?”

Everyone paused in silence.

Xing Honglang laughed: “Perfect idea. Let it fly under my banner. After all, ‘Yongji Xing Honglang’ is a notorious salt lord across Shanxi—I don’t have any kinsmen left for them to execute anyway. Just say I rebelled, openly moving massive cavalry and firearm units to handle smuggled salt. The court won’t suspect Gaojia Village—just consider me one more fierce bandit chief among Wang Jiayin’s many captains.”

She added with a chuckle: “Wang Jiayin might even mistake me for an ally and spare our salt carts.”

Li Daoxuan mentally approved: Not a bad approach!

Thirty-Two stated: “Disguised as bandits—that could work. But… Mrs. Xing, remember we’re just pretending to be rebels, not actual ones. Don’t get carried away burning, plundering, or killing.”

Xing Honglang roared with laughter: “Don’t worry! I could never do such things.”

Zao Ying grinned: “Heh, guess I’ll tag along with my good sis for some fun in Shanxi.”

Cheng Xu turned to Zao Ying and asked: “Commander Zao, your cavalry camp never reached full strength, right? How many spare warhorses do you still have?”

Zao Ying replied: “Three hundred extras.”

Cheng Xu nodded: “Then I’ll send three hundred of my men along. They’ll ride horses for the journey but dismount to form ranks when combat demands.”