I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 350 Ma Chao's Fury!
Huaili, Guanzhong.

After Liu Miao withdrew his troops from Guanzhong, Ma Chao stationed his troops here, becoming independent of Ma Teng and Han Sui, and began to try the business methods that Liu Miao had mentioned.

Because Guanzhong was in ruins and had little wealth, Ma Chao had no choice but to grit his teeth and send over a hundred of his finest warhorses to Xiangyang, where he would exchange them for white porcelain, knee-shaped ornaments, silk, Shu brocade, tea, and other goods.

Ma Chao was also unsure about his first trade, so he bought a variety of goods to see if there was any profit to be made.

The journey from Guanzhong to Xiangyang was relatively easy. Neither Zhong Yao and Xiahou Dun, who were temporarily in control of Guanzhong, nor the current officials of the Han Dynasty made things difficult for Ma Chao. It was only the commercial taxes levied at the checkpoints along the way that annoyed Ma Chao.

"So it turns out I'm not the only one making money from this?"

Having lived among the Qiang people for a long time, Ma Chao had long developed the habit of the winner taking all.

But a recent trade deal has gradually changed Ma Chao's mindset, and he has begun to slowly consider the possibility of win-win cooperation.

Transporting the goods to Huaili was far from the main point; the real challenge was how to transport them to the Western Regions!
Today, the Hexi Corridor is mostly occupied by the Qiang people, and the Han system has basically become a skeleton. Only some Han aristocratic families in Wuwei and Zhangye can prove that this is indeed Han territory, and not some place outside the pass.

Fortunately, Ma Chao's grandmother and mother were both Qiang people, and both Ma Teng and Ma Chao were highly respected among the Qiang people, which gave Ma Chao confidence.

Ma Chao searched for all the Qiang tribes along the way, showed them his flag, and demanded that they not attack his caravan. The Qiang leaders naturally agreed.

Just as Ma Chao's caravan passed through Jincheng, Qiang cavalry attacked the caravan. If the Jincheng garrison had not sent troops in time, Ma Chao's first trade would have been a complete loss of both people and money!

Ma Chao was furious! He went to confront the local Qiang leader, who looked helpless and said, "How can I possibly control all the people under my command?"

Ultimately, the Qiang people were still a nomadic tribe with a loose system of governance.

So the Qiang leader wasn't lying; they really couldn't control their people, which is why Ma Chao was turned away.

But Ma Chao was not one to tolerate such things. The more he thought about it after returning home, the angrier he became. He wondered if he should lead his troops to open up a direct route to the Western Regions, so that no one along the way, whether Qiang or Han, would dare to lay a finger on his caravan!
It was Fu Gan, a strategist under Ma Teng, who came to visit Ma Chao after hearing that he was in trouble.

Hearing that Ma Chao wanted to use force to intimidate, he was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"The only thing the General and the Young General can rely on is the support of these Qiang people. The value of these Qiang people to the General and the Young General far outweighs the benefits brought by a little wealth. How can the Young General lose the greater good for a small gain?"

"Moreover, the young general is also aware of the Qiang people's customs. If the situation changes, they will either flee to the snow-capped mountains and black waters to the south or to the desolate Gobi Desert to the north. They cannot be completely eradicated. Even the Han Dynasty, which exhausted the entire nation's strength, could not pacify the Qiang people. Why is the young general so confident that he can do it?"

Fu Gan didn't just come to dissuade Ma Chao; he also brought him corresponding strategies.

"Although the Qiang leaders promised the young general not to attack the caravan, they didn't take it to heart. They only said they would restrain their men from hijacking the caravan, but they didn't say they would do their best to protect the young general's caravan."

"Young General, why not offer some concessions to these Qiang leaders? For example, you could ask them for protection along a section of the route and give them some goods as a reward. This way, the trade route can proceed smoothly!"

Although Ma Chao was heartbroken that he had lost some of his benefits, he knew that Fu Gan's plan was sound, so he had no choice but to go and negotiate with the Qiang leaders in person again.

When these Qiang leaders heard that they could get rich simply by escorting someone, their eyes lit up!

"Why are you saying all this, young general? Your father and I are sworn brothers! Hahahaha!"

"Young General, you're too kind! Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have protected your caravan! By the way, I've heard of a divine weapon in the Central Plains called the Iron Blade of the Desolate Realm. I wonder if you've heard of it..."

"Young General, you can rest assured that this matter is entrusted to our White Horse Clan!"

"..."

Ma Chao specifically sought out several powerful Qiang tribes and entrusted them with the task of escorting the caravan. Although this added a huge expense, it did ensure the smooth progress of the caravan, and at least when they arrived in Zhangye County, they were safe all the way.

Just as Ma Chao was fantasizing that this caravan could reach the Western Regions and bring back many treasures from the Western Regions, making him rich, Ma Chao couldn't stop smiling in his dreams.

However, just one month later, the caravan sent a letter saying that they wanted to return to Guanzhong.

Ma Chao was startled: "Could it be that the road to the Western Regions is blocked?"

Thankfully, this time it's finally good news, not some kind of disaster!

It turns out that when the caravan arrived in Dunhuang, it encountered several other caravans from the Western Regions.

Shanshan, Kucha, Yanqi, Shule...

Many of the merchants from these small Western Regions countries still imagined the Han Dynasty as the Celestial Empire of decades ago, and transported goods to trade with the Han Dynasty.

So, as soon as Ma Chao's caravan arrived in Dunhuang, they didn't even need to travel to the Western Regions; they had already exchanged most of their goods and were ready to return. Ma Chao's heart finally settled, but it soon tightened again.

Because he was merely selling goods from the Han region.

However, whether the Han people are interested in these goods from the Western Regions, and whether they can sell them at a high price, is the key to whether they can make a profit!

Once the caravan returned, Ma Chao couldn't wait to order his trusted men to take the fully loaded wagons to Xiangyang and begin selling them tentatively.

But to Ma Chao's surprise, the final response far exceeded everyone's expectations!
Although Xiangyang has an industry like white porcelain and can import high-end goods like Shu brocade from Sichuan, the sales of these goods have become sluggish over time due to the lack of revolutionary technological innovation.

But the emergence of the Western Regions was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for this shaky market!

White porcelain, silk, and tea all found a huge market again, and the goods from the Western Regions were rare and valuable. Their gorgeous colors and mysterious symbols attracted the attention of Han scholars, who began to buy them in large quantities!
After the caravan returned to Guanzhong, Ma Chao did a rough calculation and immediately gasped in shock!
This single trade, converted to market price, earned Ma Chao the profit of seven hundred warhorses!
Three hundred horses were Ma Chao's initial start-up capital.

There are still two hundred horses to go, which are the remaining costs for Ma Chao.

In other words, Ma Chao's total cost was 500 warhorses, and he made a profit of 200 warhorses!
"Good heavens! General Liu... no, His Majesty really didn't lie to me!"

Trade can really make a lot of money!

If you calculate the time, only three months have passed in total.

Two hundred warhorses can be earned in just three months! If this isn't exorbitant profit, then what is?

Isn't this much better than digging for food in the ground?
Moreover, Ma Chao's confidant brought him another advantage—

"The officials from the Great Han said that tariffs on us will be halved from now on."

"Moreover, if the warhorses can be transported there, the Han government will purchase them at a fixed price, regardless of their market value. They will even subsidize the caravans that transport the warhorses, allowing the merchants to earn more money!"

"hiss--"

Ma Chao knew he was about to make a fortune!
The barren land of Xiliang is finally able to shine brightly once again!

Just as Ma Chao was brimming with confidence and planning to pull off a big heist, Liu Miao's letter was placed on Ma Chao's desk...

When Ma Chao heard that it was a letter from Liu Miao himself, he was initially filled with trepidation but his face was full of joy. He was already thinking about whether to buy two Ferghana horses to send to Liu Miao as a thank-you gift.

But when Ma Chao saw the contents of the letter, he slammed it heavily on the table as if he had suddenly fallen ill!
"Yuan the Traitor! Traitor! Villain! Scoundrel! Rebel!!!"

Fu Gan heard Ma Chao suddenly roar and came in to see that Ma Chao's eyes were bloodshot and his veins were throbbing. He immediately became nervous: "Young General, what happened? Could it be that Liu Miao made some unreasonable request?"

Fu Gan was also uneasy.

Because Ma Teng and Han Sui not only accepted Liu Miao's seal of office, but also Yuan Shao's offer of recruitment...

Just when Fu Gan thought that Liu Miao had discovered their duplicity, Ma Chao rebuked them, saying, "What does this have to do with His Majesty? It's clearly Yuan Shao who's gone too far!"

Fu Gan hurriedly went to look at the letter, and at the same time, his heart skipped a beat!
"Young General, Liu Miao is using you as a pawn!"

Fu Gan immediately saw through the letter's provocation and quickly advised, "Young General, do you really intend to follow Liu Miao's advice and fight Yuan Shao to the death?"

"Humph!"

Ma Chao certainly knew that Liu Miao was using him to block Yuan Shao!
But so what?
Ma Chao truly tasted the sweetness of trade!

Very sweet!

Very sweet!
This is almost the only hope that Xiliang can become prosperous again!
Could Yuan Shao offer the same terms?
Even if Yuan Shao could offer it, the benefits for Ma Chao would certainly be far less than those from trading with Liu Miao's Han Dynasty!

After all, the Han Dynasty is really short of horses right now!

The price of warhorses is completely different in Hebei and Xiangyang! What's more, the Han Dynasty is reducing tariffs and subsidizing warhorses. With this back and forth, Ma Chao will make a lot more money!

If Yuan Shao is now going to occupy Guanzhong, what else could it be but cutting off Ma Chao's source of wealth and extinguishing Xiliang's hopes?
Ma Chao gritted his teeth: "Command the troops!"

"If that traitor Yuan dares to come, I, Ma Mengqi, will surely slaughter him without leaving a single piece of armor! I will make sure he never dares to cross the river again and step into Guanzhong!"

(End of this chapter)