Chapter 850: Jiangzhou, Are You Leaving It Untended?

Cai Tong thought for a moment: "You all can go to the pier of Taiyuan Port, find a place called Chen's Tea Shed; the owner Chen is a distant relative of mine."

"Just tell him, 'Mr. Cai asked me to deliver the tea leaves,' and I'll come see you the next day."

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "Owner Chen, I've noted it."

Cai Tong added: "At the Taiyuan Port pier there's a foreman surnamed Ma, with dozens of brothers who carry cargo."

"I've known him for years; when we return I'll greet him properly, and if any of you run into trouble, you can go to him."

Xiao Ningyuan nodded: "Foreman Ma, understood."

Cai Tong hesitated a moment: "There are a few more people; you all should consider whether they can be used."

His tone grew a bit heavier: "Besides the Red‑haired Barbarians on the island, there are several other factions; once you arrive, you'll inevitably have to deal with them."

Xiao Ze said: "Please go on, Mr. Cai."

"The indigenous tribes of Taiyuan are called 'Fan Society' by the Red‑haired Barbarians, and their leaders are appointed as 'Elders' by the Barbarians."

"The Red‑haired Barbarians have always practiced a 'rule the tribes by the tribes' system, having these Elders collect deer hides and manage their people."

"Among them, the head of the Madu Society, Ma Li An, fought the Red‑haired Barbarians in his youth, was later subdued by firearms, but has harbored resentment ever since."

"If we can persuade him, it would greatly aid His Highness in subduing the indigenous tribes."

Ma Li An, who has clashed with the Red‑haired Barbarians, was silently noted by Xiao Ningchen.

"As for the Han people," Cai Tong continued, "the Red‑haired Barbarians enforce a 'Jia system,' appointing a Jia Chief for each Jia to collect taxes and assign duties for them."

"In the sugarcane region, the Jia Chief is Lin Jiang; last year he was publicly whipped by the Red‑haired Barbarians after villagers begged for tax relief."

"Lin Jiang enjoys great prestige among the Han; if he can lend a hand, the results will be twice the effect with half the effort."

He paused: "Only that these people have been frightened by the Red‑haired Barbarians and may not dare to act lightly."

Xiao Ze said: "Understood, thank you for the information, Mr. Cai; now after we land on the island we'll know what to do."

Cai Tong gave him a glance and nodded slightly.

"As for the Red‑haired Barbarians, there's a commercial officer, subordinate only to Kui Yi, named Fan De Mei Er, who has always been at odds with Kui Yi."

"Kui Yi, to squeeze the populace, has constantly sought to build more forts, mobilize more troops, and expand the garrison."

"Fan De Mei Er, however, thinks the military expenses are too high and wishes to cut them by half."

Xiao Ningyuan's eyes lit up: "Now that's good news; this Van fellow is a businessman!"

"Eldest son," Cai Tong's expression turned odd, "he's not surnamed Van."

Xiao Ningyuan was taken aback: "Isn't he called Van der Mei Er? If not Van, what else could his surname be?"

Cai Tong suppressed a laugh: "His full name is Johannes Wilhelm Van der Meel Van Utrecht."

The listeners' eyes widened involuntarily as they heard.

"This…" Xiao Ningyuan said, bewildered, "so long! Who could remember it!"

"Red‑haired Barbarians' names are often like that; their surnames are opposite ours—some placed at the end, some in the middle. This Van der Mei Er's surname is Mei Er."

"The world is indeed vast and full of oddities," Xiao Ningxun laughed, "Interesting."

Cai Tong smiled: "If any of you meet him, you might focus more on the word 'business'; he only respects money, nothing else."

"But how will you land on the island?" he frowned, "Taiyuan Island isn't a place anyone can enter at will."

"All personnel and vessels must obtain Red‑haired Barbarian permission; otherwise they're not even allowed to approach the shore."

Xiao Ningyuan's eyes flickered: "That's easy to handle; Mr. Cai need not worry."

Cai Tong gave him a glance and said no more.

He stood, straightened his collar, and clasped his fists toward the group: "Bon voyage; I await you at Taiyuan."

The group rose and returned the salute: "Take care, Mr. Cai."

Cai Tong turned and walked out.

Xiao Ningyuan stood at the doorway, watching his silhouette fade at the far end of the courtyard, while the sky had already turned a pale dawn.

He let out a soft sigh: "Alright, let's get to work."

He shook the three sheets of paper in his hand: "We're going to cut off the Red‑haired Barbarians' money routes!"

Xiao Ningxun laughed: "Big brother, you seem eager to drive the Red‑haired Barbarians away and do that European business, right?"

Xiao Ningyuan scratched the back of his head: "This should have been our business from the start; they've held it so long, it should have been returned long ago."

Xiao Ningchen nodded: "Eldest brother, you're absolutely right; these Red‑haired Barbarians have seized our lands, mistreated our people, and profit from such unscrupulous money."

"After hearing Cai Tong tonight, I want to go kill them outright."

Xiao Ningyuan's expression turned sly: "No rush, second brother; in trade, haste is the worst enemy—who rushes falls at a disadvantage."

Xiao Ningxun laughed: "Not rushed? Then why, big brother, do you feel you can't even sleep before we leave?"

"Severing someone's money flow must be swift; once it's done, there's no need to hurry."

"After we finish these matters in the next few days," Xiao Ningyuan said with a relaxed smile, "we'll take Tuan Tuan to Jiangzhou for a pleasant stay, fulfilling her wish."

"No matter where Tuan Tuan goes, each time it's a hurried come‑and‑go, never enough time to truly enjoy a proper visit."

Xiao Ze frowned: "But we still have to go to Quanzhou to meet Prince Ning, and we also need to figure out how to land on the island."

Xiao Ningchen frowned: "If we sneak over, we'd be like street rats, having to move covertly everywhere."

"But openly we can't get through; I think we should just force our way—didn't we already beat Goryeo and Japan?"

"Fighting more is a waste of effort!" Xiao Ningyuan roared with laughter: "That's the best part!"

"When we've had enough fun, we'll load a ship with goods and leisurely head to Quanzhou to reunite with father for a few days; he'll surely miss Tuan Tuan."

"When the Red‑haired Barbarians are panicking, we'll swagger onto a cargo ship and set foot on Taiyuan Island."

"Guess what Kui Yi will do?"

Xiao Ze smiled and nodded: "He'll treat us as a lifeline."

Xiao Ningchen's brow remained furrowed: "Taiyuan Island is still Red‑haired Barbarian territory; big brother, aren't you afraid they'll seize our cargo ship outright?"

"I'm not scared at all!" Xiao Ningyuan said nonchalantly: "Detain it, anyway there's only this one ship; they simply aren't enough."

"If we detain this ship, there won't be any more afterward; they're not stupid, they can tell what's important."

"Don't worry, the goods are in my hands; I hold their lifeline—see if they dare to detain it when the time comes!"

Xiao Ningxun looked at her older brother, full of admiration: "You really are a born businessman!"

"That's right!" Xiao Ningyuan shook his head proudly.

In just three days, Xiao Ningyuan swept clean all the goods on Cai Tong's list.

Over the next few days, Luo Zhenjiang and Luo Hongli led everyone to have fun and eat their way through Jiangzhou City.

Luo Zhenjiang wished he could stuff all the delicious food into Tuan Tuan's little belly, making Xiao Tuanzi grow even rounder.

Ten days later, a cargo ship quietly docked at Jiangzhou Dock.

The Bridgehead Gang brothers, shirtless and chanting work songs, steadily loaded crate after crate of porcelain, silk, and tea into the hold with a steady thud.

Everyone stood on the shore, Luo Zhenjiang watching as the last crate was moved onto the ship.

He strode up the gangplank holding Tuan Tuan: "Come on, Uncle Luo will give you a ride on the ship!"

Tuan Tuan happily clapped her hands: "Great!"

Luo Hongli stood on the dock, laughing and shouting: "Brother! Are you also going with them? Aren't you going to look after Jiangzhou?"