Di Ming

Chapter 26 The Way of Espionage
Ning Caiwei, who previously managed the Ning Group with trillions of assets, now had her eyes light up at the sight of this gold and pearls.

During this period, we didn't even have a single copper coin.

Now, I finally have some money.

What pleased her even more was Zhu Yin's attitude.

Is it simply a matter of trust that someone would entrust you with managing their money without hesitation?
Ning Caiwei received the gold, and the sense of security that had been stolen from her wealth returned a tiny bit.

Her smile revealed her shallow dimples, and her voice conveyed a beautiful anticipation for the future:

"Once we return to the Central Plains, we'll use this as capital. With that capital, we can become rich."

Zhu Yin said, "Shouldn't we build houses first? For displaced people to settle down, they also need to give money to the county government's household registration office to bribe officials, otherwise they will be sent back to their original place of residence."

Ning Caiwei gently shook her head, "It's unavoidable to bribe the county government; there's no way to save that money. But buying land and building houses is really unnecessary for now."

"Based on your understanding of prices in the Ming Dynasty, how much would it cost to build a slightly larger courtyard?"

Zhu Yin thought for a moment, "It depends on the location. If it's in a wealthy area, the cost of land, building materials, and labor will easily amount to several hundred or even a thousand taels."

Ning Caiwei clapped her hands, "So that's why! Our precious start-up capital is all tied up in fixed assets that can't be traded or appreciate in value. It's such a bad deal."

"Wasn't the commodity economy and world trade in the late Ming Dynasty already quite developed?"

"Of course, the more initial capital the better, but a certain amount of cash flow reserves are also needed. Therefore, money should be spent wisely."

As the little girl spoke of these things, her eyes sparkled, and her powerful confidence was hard to conceal.

Zhu Yin understood this simple principle, of course.

"Then we'll have to rent a place to live."

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "No pain, no gain. My grandfather started his business early on and slept on the floor for three years to save up money to buy machinery."

"There are only three of us and one dog. We don't have any belongings to move. We'll just rent a place and move again if necessary."

"Once we become rich and have a lot of money, we will choose a place that is most conducive to our business strategy, buy land and build houses."

"If we're going to build this, it will be a huge project, a manor house that integrates residential, commercial, entertainment, and warehousing functions, all in one go!"

"That way, we won't need to build any more houses for decades."

Zhu Yin readily agreed, "You're right, let's do it that way."

He suddenly burst into laughter.

The person is still outside the pass, and the household registration problem hasn't been solved yet. They have so much to think about with just this little bit of gold!
Indeed, hope really does have wings.

The February winds, though fierce and unpredictable, can still be as sharp as a knife.

The two huddled together, hands in their sleeves, stamping their feet as they leaned against a dead old pine tree, chatting and laughing softly.

There was a pair of magpies in the tree, chirping away.

"Mrs. Shurhaci is breastfeeding my sister. Will she mistreat her?"

"Probably not. She's a straightforward woman, a bit feisty, but she doesn't seem like she'd abuse a child. Aren't we rich now? We can hire a Jurchen wet nurse."

"Is Nurhaci being so polite because he believes the shaman's words and thinks we are auspicious people from afar?"

"Yes. Also, I persuaded Li Rubai to resolve this matter for him, and I also killed Kang Jia, who was opposing him."

"Then I'm relieved. That means he'll treat us like guests and won't disregard us just because we're young. Is that letter still useful?"

"Of course it's useful. I not only want him to be grateful to us, but also to establish a relationship so that I can use him in the future. He's still young and far from being a ruthless leader, so he's not difficult to deal with."

"Befriend him? Utilize him? How do you plan to utilize him?"

"Hehe, that's a bit mysterious. Often, the most dangerous people are your friends. To get rid of the Jianzhou Jurchen threat, befriending Nurhaci is the key."

"You mean a bad friend like Lao Liu, right? You want to trick him?"

“If Nurhaci were my friend, I would definitely use him to betray me. But for the sake of the Central Plains, I will not break my promise.”

"Alright, let's not talk about wild boar hide anymore. Zhu Yin, how long are we going to stay here?"

"Three months, I suppose. Three months is enough time for me to build a relationship with Nurhaci and to plant some spies and agents within Jianzhou."

Ning Caiwei looked at Zhu Yin with great surprise, her eyes reflecting Zhu Yin's deep and mysterious face.

"You're going to start using espionage tactics against Jianzhou now? You're a spy at heart, always getting into the habit of gathering intelligence wherever you go."

As she spoke, she reached out her little hand and plucked a feather from Zhu Yin's head.

Zhu Yin smiled. His expression was filled with a gloomy disposition that seemed out of place for an innocent young boy. Why should he hide anything from Ning Caiwei?

"A life of espionage? Perhaps." "We need to start making preparations now. We should use our time in Jianzhou to establish an intelligence channel and set up some backup plans."

"Wild Boar Skin is a cunning fox who is good at hiding his true intentions. He engages in strategic deception against the Ming Dynasty and has a growing understanding of the Ming Dynasty's internal strengths and weaknesses, but the Ming Dynasty's understanding of him is flawed."

"What do you call this? This is called intelligence asymmetry, information imbalance."

Ning Caiwei said, "You made arrangements in advance to change the future information asymmetry."

“Yes.” Zhu Yin sighed. “The world is drunk, but we alone are sober. As people of later generations, we have a historical responsibility.”

"If anyone had any sense, they couldn't just stand by and watch the Manchus enter the pass, could they? According to history, the Jia Shen Incident would have happened a few decades later."

"Even if we don't become emperors, we can't let foreign tribes occupy the Central Plains, and let hundreds of millions of Han people shave their heads and wear queues, going against the tide for three hundred years."

“If we don’t do these things, who will? I’m in Jianzhou, and if I don’t take this opportunity to make arrangements, I won’t have the chance to do so after I leave.”

As the two were talking, they saw the Wild Boar Skin Brothers walking towards them from the bustling construction site in Ala City.

"Say Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will be here."

Zhu Yin's expression immediately changed when he saw the Wild Boar Skin Brothers.

Although he still possessed a refined and elegant demeanor, his expression no longer resembled that of an adult.

More or less, there is a childlike innocence in their eyes?
"Young Master Zhu." Nurhaci was kind and approachable, which was very deceptive.

In reality, he had just turned twenty-seven. In later generations, he would still be a young lad.

Shurhaci, with his square face and fair complexion, was only twenty-three years old.

When the Wild Boar Skin Brothers saw Zhu Yin and Li Rubai arrive together, but did not follow Li Rubai, they were both pleased and puzzled.

They hoped that Jixiang would stay for the time being. But why would Jixiang want to stay? Jixiang must have his reasons, right?

Perhaps... this young nobleman from the Central Plains would like the harsh and desolate Jianzhou?
cant!
“Young master is a distinguished guest and auspicious person of the Tong family. I, Tong, am very pleased to welcome him.”

In front of the Han people he valued, Ye Zhupi always referred to himself as Tong and spoke Han language.

His voice was deep and resonant, yet his tone was very low:
"However, our Jianzhou is harsh and simple. I wonder if the young master has come here to hunt and play, or to visit relatives and friends?"

He was always very cautious. He needed to know why Zhu Yin had come here.

What is the purpose?

It can't be that they came here on purpose to bring me good fortune.

Zhu Yin replied without hesitation, "I was betrayed by the evil slaves, who abducted me to a ship and sold me to the border region."

"We were able to get rid of the human traffickers after we met an acquaintance named Li Rubai."

“This time, Li Rubai wanted to send me back, but I don’t want to leave for the time being.”

"Because... I want to learn horseback riding, archery, and hunting, and relax in Jianzhou."

Upon hearing this, Nurhaci immediately believed it.

Because this is a reasonable explanation.

Zhu Yin was, after all, a child. Even if he was a precocious prodigy, it was impossible for him not to have a playful heart.

He wants to spend some time traveling, learning horseback riding, archery, and hunting, and that's perfect.

In the prosperous Central Plains, such good opportunities are not available.

Zhu Yin wasn't entirely lying; he genuinely wanted to use these few months to hone his horsemanship and archery skills as a hunter-gatherer people.

Even just getting to know each other a little would be helpful.

In the era of cold weapons, is there any need to elaborate on the importance of individual combat strength?
"Hahaha!" Nurhaci laughed. "Then I will send someone to teach the young master riding, archery, and hunting. The young master is so smart, he will definitely learn it quickly and become proficient in no time."

"Young master, please settle in and don't be shy!"

He was so polite not only because Zhu Yin was auspicious.

Also because Zhu Yin was very familiar with the Li family, because Zhu Yin was suspected to be a member of the imperial clan, and because Zhu Yin was precocious and not an ordinary child.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhu Yin finally showed a childlike expression of emotion, took out the birch bark letter from his pocket, and said:
"General Tong, this is a confidential letter about you. Please take a look."

"Hmm?" Nurhaci took the letter with suspicion and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

This is a letter of denunciation sent to Li Chengliang by the lord of Balda City of the Zhechen tribe!
P.S.: I'm begging for support! Please help me stabilize the readership data, thank you!

(End of this chapter)