In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

The annual share of the Dali Duan family was no less than one million gold coins.

It may seem that the Dali Duan family contributed manpower and effort but gained a smaller share, but where are the real benefits?

Previously, Dali's annual revenue from these things was only around 300,000 gold, but the Zhang family's 30% share promised 1 million gold, which is at least double the total revenue of Dali Kingdom before.

Moreover, this is merely the most basic share; if the Zhang family earns more, our Dali Duan family will also receive a larger share.

"How could this happen? Can't we do it ourselves?"

Hearing that the Duan family had only earned 300,000 gold coins when they ran their business themselves, but the Zhang family could earn 1 million gold coins with 30% of the profits, it was a tenfold increase.

Such a huge difference left Duan Yu somewhat dazed.

"It's not that simple. The Zhang family has the channels, the resources, and they know how to manage it."

Our Duan family can only sell ores, and the lion's share is taken by those merchants from the Central Plains. Even if our Dali Duan family were to run a gemstone business, we would inevitably be squeezed out by those merchants and wouldn't be able to make any money.

This is why the Duan family wanted to cooperate with the Zhang family.

The Zhang family is powerful and has an excellent reputation, so there's no need to worry about other variables.

Duan Yu was unwilling, but unfortunately, the Dali Duan family was not the only ones whose necks were being held hostage.

Ginseng from beyond the Great Wall, cashmere from the grasslands, rosewood from the South Seas, fox fur from the snowfields, rouge from the Yuezhi people of the Western Regions...

These items are sold at factory price outside the Great Wall, but in the Central Plains they are exorbitantly priced luxury goods.

As for Wang Yuyan, do they want the Wang family to take over?

But aside from the fact that the Wang family is too powerful to handle it, the Wang family is currently working under the Zhang family.

···

Swaying leisurely, Zhang Xiaoshan was not in a hurry to travel.

Besides enjoying the scenery along the way, Zhang Xiaoshan had another purpose this time—to survey the earth's veins!

The Duan family of Dali promised to give the Zhang family three mines, which were located on the border between Dali and Biao Kingdom and were also the most controversial mines.

First, the grand ideals need to be shirked; second, the surrounding area is covered by hundreds of miles of mountains and forests, making transportation difficult.

But the Zhang family is different. These three mines are not only close to each other, but also located near the river, making transportation convenient.

After all, they knew everything about the Zhang family's merchant ships in Southeast Asia.

Most importantly, according to the description of the Duan family of Dali, the river where these three mines are located is the most fertile jade river in later generations!

Why wouldn't Zhang Xiaoshan want such a mineral vein?

It's important to know that jadeite is graded, and the truly top-quality jadeite comes from this region.

However, it is clear that the Dali Duan family was completely unaware of this.

Due to its remote location, numerous disputes, and extreme difficulty in mining, the project was handed over to the Zhang family.

"Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Suddenly, a clattering sound of horses' hooves filled the air. Zhang Xiaoshan glanced to the side and saw a caravan of at least several hundred people slowly moving forward, each horse laden with goods.

"Give Way!"

This wasn't a main road to begin with, and besides, his carriage was made of extremely precious materials; Zhang Xiaoshan didn't want his precious horse to be used by a bicycle.

"Thank you, sir!"

The burly man leading the group bowed to Zhang Xiaoshan in gratitude.

"Just a little thing."

Huang Rong and Hong Xiao had already lifted the curtain, looking curiously at the caravan.

With so many horses or mules carrying the goods, and each of the guards being burly and imposing, they looked more like a group of ruthless men than merchants.

"Why do they use horses to transport goods instead of horse-drawn carts?"

"Because they were a caravan!"

caravan?

Huang Rong looked at Zhang Xiaoshan in confusion, as the caravan was not yet famous in later generations at this time.

“When Kumārajīva came to Dali from Tibet, he traveled along the tea-horse trade route used by these people.”

They would pack up and package Pu'er tea, a specialty of Dali, or some salt, everyday ironware... these are the goods they now carry on horseback, and transport them through Dali, Lijiang, Dihua... to Tibet in the upper reaches of the Lancang River, in exchange for their horses, medicinal herbs, furs and other goods.

During their journey, they would traverse dense, sunless rainforests, treacherous plank roads, the roaring, turbulent Canglan River, and climb towering, cloud-covered ravines...

Unfortunately, we don't have time this time, and it's not advisable for a carriage to go there.

Huang Rong was already filled with longing, never expecting that these seemingly rough men would have such a 'romantic' experience.

"Let's go check it out next time!"

"Okay, next time we'll only ride a few dragon-elephant steeds."

Huang Rong nodded in satisfaction. She knew that this mission could not be changed because of her willfulness.

As for when the next time will be? They have plenty of time anyway.

"Haha, this young master is truly learned and knowledgeable, with a wealth of experience."

"I am Qiu Long, the leader of the Horse Gang. May I ask if you, sir, are an honored guest from the Central Plains?"

The leader of the caravan was a large, seemingly kind-hearted man, but he was quite capable.

Similarly, Qiu Long looked at Zhang Xiaoshan's carriage and noticed that even the Dali royal family did not receive such treatment, judging solely from its external luxury.

Moreover, the four women beside him were all stunningly beautiful, dressed like girls from the Central Plains and Jiangnan region. Qiu Long understood that the visitors were not only distinguished guests from the Central Plains, but also from a wealthy and powerful family.

"Indeed, I am Zhang Ziyu from Jiangnan. Greetings, Chief Qiu!"

"So it's Young Master Zhang. I've heard that you've come to Dali, but I never expected to meet you here today."

Although the caravan consisted of merchants from Dali, they were also considered part of the martial arts world.

After all, traversing treacherous ancient roads spanning thousands of mountains and rivers, how could one not have self-defense techniques?

Moreover, they knew that Zhang Xiaoshan had come to Dali, but they didn't expect to run into him here. It seems he's planning to continue his travels south.

"Is the young master heading to Pu'er City?"

"Where are we passing by!"

"Even so, this is Qiu's token. If you take it to the caravan headquarters, the caravan will surely be honored!"

"Thank you!"

Zhang Xiaoshan didn't hold back when presented with a jade pendant that looked like it was made from ancient jade.

The less trouble, the better. After all, the caravan was local, and he wanted to buy some good tea. Locals were undoubtedly more familiar with the area.

"Farewell!"

"Farewell!"

After a few hurried words, Zhang Xiaoshan turned and left, having developed a certain fondness for the fat man.

"Let's go!"

After the caravan had passed, Zhang Xiaoshan slowly drove the carriage forward.

Meanwhile, the caravan was abuzz with discussion.

You have to understand that the token from that caravan was no ordinary item, yet it was sent out so easily, with just a few words.

"Steward Qiu, this man looks like a young master from the Central Plains. He might leave in a while. Is he worth trying to win over?"

"．‖ Winning them over? I'm trying to curry favor."

If he could come to visit my caravan, it would be a rare opportunity.

Qiu Long looked at the group of men and then explained:

"We are traveling the Tea Horse Road, while the Zhang family in Jiangnan is traveling the Golden Maritime Route."

Their cargo alone is equivalent to all our cargo in one trip. If we can establish a connection with the Zhang family, we can use sea freight to transport the tea from Pu'er City to Jiangnan.

Moreover, we have more than just tea here; redwood, medicinal herbs, and gemstones are also extremely popular in Jiangnan.

"Wouldn't we suffer a huge loss in that case?"

There's a saying in Central China: "Small profits, quick turnover."

Even if selling to the Zhang family only yields one-tenth of the previous profit, if we sell hundreds of times more goods, we'll make ten times the previous profit, at most just a bit busier.

Besides, this ancient road has claimed the lives of so many of our brothers. Less profit is fine, but safety and stability are paramount!

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood Qiu Long's good intentions.

Every time they travel this ancient road, if more than 95 out of 100 brothers return, it is a blessing from heaven.

Most of the time, there are around ninety people. If there is some natural disaster or man-made calamity, it would be fortunate if half of them came back.

In comparison, sea freight is undoubtedly safer.

As for transporting it there, Qiu Long knew the Zhang family's capabilities. As long as the Zhang family felt the benefits were right, they could send someone directly from within the borders of the country to make the handover. It was not a difficult matter at all.

Therefore, Qiu Long felt this was an opportunity.

"Master Qiu, can that young master make the decision?"

"You are all ignorant. This young master Zhang is no ordinary person. His status in the Zhang family is no less than that of the patriarch."

Once he makes a decision, there generally won't be any problems.

And do you know what business he had in coming to Dali this time?

Zhang Xiaoshan's arrival in Dali was no secret, but he was only a high-ranking official; the lower-ranking officials didn't care about such things.

Moreover, Dali is sparsely populated, so news spreads even more slowly.

"whats the matter?"

"It should be a matter of cooperation between the Zhang family and the Duan family of Dali."

This is the Zhang family's powerful store!

Even though Dali was a small border country, it was still far superior to a merchant from the Central Plains.

But the Zhang family is qualified to cooperate with the Duan family of Dali, and the people who came were only him and four charming maids. Do you think he can make decisions for Dali and the Zhang family, so how could he not make decisions for the caravan?

Hiss...

Their caravan was merely a merchant group within Dali, yet the Zhang family was on par with the Duan family of Dali?

Only when they reached this position did they realize that they had all missed a true Buddha.

Moreover, they had been narrow-minded and ignorant before.

Chapter 263 The Plan to Recapture the Caravan

Pu'er City!

At that time, Pu'er tea was not considered a top-grade product, and most of it was sold to remote border regions and Tibet.

Not many people in the Central Plains like this kind of tea, and the price is not high, but Zhang Xiaoshan is different. If he wants to open up the market, it is a very simple method.

If later generations were to manipulate the market and turn Pu'er tea into a tribute item, they would undoubtedly make a fortune.

After all, Pu'er tea has a rich history, and the aroma of its brick and cake teas is in no way inferior to the famous teas of Jiangnan.

But the stuff has to be good stuff!

After all, many techniques reached their peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties. If the processing techniques for Pu'er tea were not yet perfect at that time, its value would naturally be greatly reduced.

"Is this the Pu'er tea cake method you mentioned last time?"

Zhang Xiaoshan processed eight catties of ambergris tea, five catties of which were made into tea cakes, and Huang Rong immediately noted down the name.

"That's right. These caravans had to travel across mountains and rivers, so they made tea into tea cakes and tea bricks for easy transportation."

Moreover, much like the fermentation of ambergris, the longer these tea bricks are fermented, the higher the quality of the tea and the stronger its aroma.

"Can we please not mention ambergris? It's disgusting!"

Huang Rong glared at Zhang Xiaoshan, and immediately felt nauseous. The perfectly good thing had completely fallen apart after Zhang Xiaoshan's introduction.