Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 308 Trade Preparation
Because of the establishment of Yingshe, Xu Xiancheng, who had originally planned to leave Nanjing, had no choice but to stay in Nanjing for some time. It was not until March that Xu Xiancheng set out north and took a boat via the Grand Canal to Yangzhou.

Just when Xu Xiancheng set out for Yangzhou, Zhu Shencui in Shanxi also set out for the grassland. With the arrival of spring, border trade in Weiyuanwei was about to begin, and Zhu Shencui had to rush to the grassland as soon as possible to make preparations to ensure the smooth progress of the border trade.

When Zhu Shenzhui arrived at the grassland, he was surprised to find that Tana was also pregnant, and her belly was already quite big.

This result surprised and delighted him. It seemed that Tana and Xu Jingqiu had discussed it beforehand. Not long after one of them became pregnant, the other also became pregnant. Although one was in the grassland and the other in Ming Dynasty, they were still holding a grudge against each other and comparing with each other was really laughable.

But no matter what, it is a good thing that Tana and Xu Jingqiu both have a second child. Although it is not the first time that Zhu Shenzhui has become a father, the more children he has, the more offspring he will have. Isn't it good? Looking at Tana's already bulging belly, Zhu Shenzhui felt very emotional. He didn't know whether they were pregnant with a boy or a girl this time. A boy is good, but a girl is also good. He already has two sons, and it would be even better if he had a daughter.

"Why didn't you ask someone to bring me a letter now that you're pregnant?" Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but blame Tana while hugging her.

Tana smiled and told Zhu Shenzhui that she was the one who didn't let anyone tell. In fact, a few days after Zhu Shenzhui left the grassland, Tana found out that she was pregnant. But she knew that Zhu Shenzhui had a lot of things to do when he returned to Ming Dynasty. Moreover, winter was coming on the grassland and the roads were difficult to travel. Once Zhu Shenzhui knew about this, he might rush back in the wind and snow. For his safety, Tana did not pass the news back to Ming Dynasty.

Besides, it's not her first child. Isn't it normal for women to have children? It's not a big deal. Listening to Tana's explanation, Zhu Shenzhui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He put on a serious face and scolded her for acting on her own. She must not hide such things from him in the future. She must tell him as soon as possible. It's not reasonable for him to know about it until his wife's belly is so big.

Tana giggled, admitted her mistake, and snuggled in her husband's arms, full of happiness.

The couple talked for a long time, and suddenly Tana said something in Zhu Shenzhui's ear. Zhu Shenzhui was stunned and didn't react for a while.

"What's wrong? Don't worry, I picked this person for you myself. She is only fifteen years old, with skin as white as milk and more beautiful than flowers. You will definitely like her when you see her." Seeing Zhu Shenzhui stunned, Tana explained.

His old face turned red, and Zhu Shenzhu didn't know how to answer for a moment. He never thought that Tana had found a woman for him before he came, and she was a carefully selected beauty. According to Tana, she had a child and couldn't accompany Zhu Shenzhu, so she made this arrangement for fear that Zhu Shenzhu would feel uncomfortable.

Zhu Shenzhui had never thought about this happening, and he didn't react when Tana said that. After he understood, Zhu Shenzhui quickly shook his head and told Tana seriously that he didn't need this, and it was enough to have Tana accompany him.

Zhu Shenzhui's answer made Tana even more delighted. She told Zhu Shenzhui that her husband was an eagle on the grassland, a fearless warrior, and the true master of the tribe. What was wrong with such a man sleeping with a few more women? And they were beauties that she had helped her husband choose.

Tana told Zhu Shencui that this was a small matter. Didn't her Abu have four wives? Zhu Shencui was now more powerful than Ashe Temur, but he only had two wives, Tana and Xu Jingqiu, and one was in the grassland and the other in Ming Dynasty.

How could two women be enough for such a hero and such a man? Besides, it was not convenient for her to accompany him since she was pregnant, so it was reasonable to find a woman for him. This matter was settled, they would sleep in separate tents tonight, and she would make arrangements to send the girl to Zhu Shenzhui.

After hearing this, Zhu Shenzhui didn't know what to say. He wanted to refuse but he also had some expectations. He was hesitant and felt a little embarrassed. Finally, he made up his mind to pretend to be stupid. After all, Tana's arrangement had nothing to do with him, so he just had to bear some grievances...that was all.

After a night's rest, Zhu Shenzui felt refreshed and relaxed all over. After breakfast, he called someone to discuss matters.

As the chieftain of the tribe, Tenger naturally had to participate, even though he was still a child. Tana was the chieftain of the tribe, holding Tenger and sitting on Zhu Shenzhui's left hand. In front of them, on the left and right sides were the elders, leaders, thousand households, and hundred households of the tribe.

Some of these people are old people from the original tribe, and there are also newcomers who were promoted after taking control of the tribe. Among them, Wang Hai and Burigude have the highest status. One is actually a hundred households in the tribe and is in charge of a thousand households, and the other is a thousand households in the tribe except Zhu Shencui. In addition, there are Hatulige, Wang Jinwu, Li You and others. Although the latter two are Ming people, they are different in the Tenger tribe. Because of Zhu Shencui, although they do not have the positions of hundred households and thousand households in the tribe, their actual power is not small. After all, the Tenger tribe is not the former Ashi Timur tribe. As the biological father of the tribal Taiji, everyone knows that Zhu Shencui is the real master of the tribe. As the civil strife in the tribe was quelled, most of the previous tribal elders and leaders had been purged by Galiba, and the few who were lucky enough to survive also lost their actual power and became the decoration of the tribe.

The Mongols worship the strong. Zhu Shenzui proved his status in the tribe with his strength. In addition, Tenger has the blood of Ashitemur and has the support of Tana, so there is no opposition in the tribe.

Zhu Shenzui swept his eyes across the crowd, feeling the expressions of flattery and fear on the faces of several Mongolians, and smiled slightly.

He spoke softly, "The border trade on the Ming side is ready. When can the tribe set off?"

"Your Excellency, you can set off at any time." Burigude stood up and replied. He saluted respectfully to Zhu Shencui. Although he and Zhu Shencui had always had a close relationship and he was awarded the position of a thousand households because of Zhu Shencui, tribal meetings were meetings and the necessary etiquette had to be followed. Moreover, he was Zhu Shencui's subordinate now and their identities were no longer the same as before.

After Burigude returned to the tribe, Zhu Shencui gave him the post of a thousand households and dispelled his concerns, which made Burigude very grateful. In return, Burigude also showed enough loyalty to Zhu Shencui and his wife, including Tengger.

But no matter what, Zhu Shencui still had a trick up his sleeve for using Burigude. After all, he was the only one who could legitimately compete with Tengger for the position of Taiji based on blood. Although he was his friend and withdrew from the competition for the position of Taiji and was willing to be a subject, Zhu Shencui still had the necessary precautions. In terms of status, he could give Burigude the necessary respect to appease the people of the tribe, but Zhu Shencui would not relax at all on the military power. Apart from giving him dozens of guards, he, as a nominal thousand households, had no right to command the tribal army, and this right was in Zhu Shencui's hands.

Now the trade between the tribe and the Ming Dynasty is under the charge of Burigude. This is because his status in the tribe is high enough and he is qualified to engage in trade with the Ming Dynasty as a representative of the tribe.

After all, it was impossible for Zhu Shenzhui to represent the tribe and contact the Ming Dynasty. Not only him, but also Tana and Tengger were not suitable. As for Wang Jinwu, Li You and others, it was even more impossible. Their identities were kept secret. Wang Hai was the person in charge of the military force on behalf of Zhu Shenzhui in the tribe. Wang Hai had already proved his loyalty with practical actions. He was also a Mongolian. It was most appropriate for him to take over the post of Qianhu and control the military force of the tribe when Zhu Shenzhui was away. It was also because of this that Wang Hai could not leave the tribe without permission.

All this being said, Burigude was the most suitable person. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui had known Burigude when he first came to the grassland to trade, and it was Burigude who later brokered the trade with the Ashitemur tribe. So Burigude was no stranger to trade.

In addition, Burigude was in charge of this matter and had people from the trading company to assist him. With these arrangements, he was able to do the job, so the task was handed over to him.

While Burigude stated that the tribe could set out at any time, he also reported the tribe's preparations to Zhu Shenzhui. This included not only his own tribe's preparations for exchange of materials, but also the preparations to win over other close Tumed tribes for cooperation as Zhu Shenzhui had previously instructed.

This border trade with the Ming Dynasty is very important. Once the border trade is stabilized in the next few years, it will bring huge benefits to the tribe.

Zhu Shenzhui selected the materials for the first trade with the Ming Dynasty. They were all materials that were urgently needed in the grassland, including some high-profit items. Of course, behind the normal trade, Zhu Shenzhui did not let go of the smuggling channels. After all, official trade had restrictions on the types of goods, and ironware was not allowed to be exported by the Ming Dynasty. In fact, in the process of smuggling to the grassland, ironware accounted for a large part of Zhu Shenzhui's smuggled goods, because the Mongols did not know how to smelt iron, but ironware was needed in daily life and war, and the demand was huge.

In addition to ironware, there are also grain, cloth, salt, tea, etc., which are all goods needed on the grassland. On the other hand, there are not many things that can be taken out from the grassland. Generally, there are only cattle and sheep skins including cattle tendons, as well as whole cattle, sheep, horses, etc.

Apart from these grassland specialties, there is gold and silver itself. Although the Mongolians are very poor, there is actually no shortage of gold and silver in the Mongolian grasslands. Many Mongolian tribes, especially Mongolian nobles, hold a large amount of gold and silver, but they cannot spend it, and the value generated is far less than that in the Ming Dynasty.

Exchanging goods for gold and silver was also an important part of the trade between Ming and Mongolia. In fact, it was not only Mongolia, but also the Liaodong Later Jin Jiannu. Because of the blockade of Ming Dynasty materials, the gold and silver in their hands were of little use. In addition, Liaodong also had special products such as ginseng, which could be transported to Ming Dynasty and often had a profit of dozens of times, which also led to the prosperity of bilateral smuggling.

(End of this chapter)