Chapter 1899: A Thousand Threads, Ten Thousand Strands

"Change the approach?" Qingyang asked him. "Send a merchant over, don't say the buyer is you, General Bai. Would that not work?"

"Finding new channels isn't that easy." Bai Tan smiled bitterly. "Bai Mao Tingtong oil is a niche product with very low output. Even if we find someone to go back to the Piguo countryside to purchase, without two months' time we can't produce several hundred catties!"

To put it exaggeratedly, the situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. Letting Chen Chuihua roam free for another two months, that guy has a damn high chance of turning the tables!

Qingyang nodded slowly: "So, you just let the people from the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's Qianmen Branch go on your own authority?"

This old witch really knows!

On the third day after the Qianmen Branch was sealed, which was also before Bai Tan went out to handle military affairs, he released the person in charge of the Qianmen Branch who had been imprisoned in the dungeon.

But the dungeon is his, Tianshui City is also his, the army is still his, yet the old woman says he acted "on his own authority" — truly unreasonable!

Bai Tan coughed lightly, still having to be careful and apologetic: "You should also know by now, the person in charge of the Qianmen Branch is the eldest son of Prime Minister Li."

Originally she didn't know, but Qingyang found out after investigating afterward, so she didn't send anyone to arrest him again.

After You Rongzhi and several ministers died, the most prestigious person in the Wang Ting was Prime Minister Li. He surrendered to Bai Tan, and quite a few officials in various places also surrendered upon hearing the wind.

On the day of the mutiny, Bai Tan raised his butcher's knife and killed indiscriminately, but by the next morning he had made a pact with the ministers: the sun rises, the killing stops, henceforth please continue to govern, my lords.

Such a large Tianshui City, there must be someone to do the work, otherwise everything would fall into chaos.

Several months passed. Although Tianshui City was still ruled by Bai Tan's word, internally a delicate balance had already been rebuilt. After all, Bai Tan still had powerful enemies outside, and could not yet cover the sky with one hand over the entire Yaodi.

The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's Qianmen Branch had just been pried open when Prime Minister Li went to Bai Tan to weep and complain, wanting to fish back his arrested son.

Bai Tan listened in silence, and could only quietly release the man.

Qingyang asked him: "Why was the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's branch controlled by Prime Minister Li?"

"He Xiao, for the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's local business to go smoothly, recruited high officials and wealthy nobles of Tianshui City to take shares. In his words, 'buy in.' You also know he was proud and successful at the time; those officials and nobles scrambled to buy in, honored to be associated. After our uprising succeeded, those officials were also killed, and the shares in their hands were taken over by Prime Minister Li and four or five other officials. After all, Yangshan's business is still very profitable."

These are all historical legacy problems.

"The Qianmen Branch trouble is just one example." Bai Tan weighed his words. "The other branches Yangshan Chamber of Commerce opened in the Former Yao basically all use similar methods to the Qianmen Branch — mostly local participation, and high profit sharing. These past few days—"

He reached up to stroke his mouth and nose, relieving his facial fatigue: "Ever since the Yangshan branches in various places were banned, these past few days my doorstep has almost been trampled flat by the prominent clans of those places. They're either here to plead for mercy or to complain of suffering. Take Yangshan's Shan'an Branch for example — in seven or eight days it's supposed to send a batch of grain to Tianshui City, but now both its branch shopkeeper and the Shan'an County Commandant's brother-in-law have been arrested. The County Commandant's brother-in-law had gone to the branch that day to collect dividends; because he jumped out a window to escape, he was even beaten by your Qingwei until both legs were broken. This..."

The Qingwei arrest people on the orders of the Tiangong Protector — they don't care about the details, they don't care about local face, they just slap on the cuffs and take the target away.

Qingyang listened, and didn't make a sound.

"Among these sealed branches, there actually aren't many Yangshan people or Shanjin people. The hired hands are basically all local Yao people. The seized goods were also purchased with money advanced by the capital contributions of local powerful clans."

Since they're called "branches," the workers are naturally mostly locals.

Bai Tan's meaning was very clear. Qingyang wants to sanction He Lingchuan, wants to seal Yangshan branches, but the stick falls on the Yao people.

Hitting Yao commoners would be one thing, but those hit most painfully are actually the local gentry and nobles.

They not only lose money and goods, but also suffer physical pain and prison disasters!

Qingyang cleans them up, so they can only come to Bai Tan here to appeal their grievances.

Bai Tan's face was full of distress: "I'm still fighting a war, I still need local money, grain, and intelligence cooperation. Palace Master, you see..."

From Tianshui City to the localities, there is naturally a set of bureaucratic operating systems. Still that old saying — the localities must have someone to govern them.

If you anger all the localities, they might just throw down the burden and stop working, or obey in public but defy in private. Then can he still win against Chen Chuihua? Can he still take the entire Yaodi?

"The people are Yao people, the money and goods are all from local gentry?" Qingyang's face also darkened. "Then what relationship does He Xiao actually have with the Yangshan branches in Yaodi? Don't tell me he only provides a Yangshan signboard!"

"Not just the signboard, but also the channels." Before coming to Youhu Mountain Villa, Bai Tan had also figured this out. "What resources to transport, how to enter and exit Yaodi, how to allocate, what sources — that is what He Xiao's Yangshan Chamber of Commerce truly handles. The localities just need to provide money and people to cooperate with the plan, and it's done."

Qingyang took a long breath, suppressing her anger: "In other words, He Xiao actually left no tangible assets in Yaodi?"

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This "channel" thing, you fundamentally can't touch or see it. From what angle do you sanction it!

But you also can't say it's not valuable!

People, money, goods are all provided by Yaodi. He Xiao's Yangshan Chamber of Commerce left no real entity here. Or rather, the real Yangshan Chamber of Commerce is hiding behind these Yaodi gentry and officials. For Qingyang to truly strike at it, she must first pierce through this protective hard shell of unified official-political-capital!

"List the names for me." She was pragmatic, taking a step back. "The people can be released. You make them immediately cut ties with the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, and forbid any further dealings! The Heavenly God has already abandoned He Lingchuan. Anyone who gets involved with him, with Yangshan, will bring fire upon themselves."

The Heavenly God's wrath is something mortals fundamentally cannot bear.

But Bai Tan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.

Qingyang frowned: "What other excuses are there?"

"It's like this..." Bai Tan coughed lightly. "The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's branches still have a bit of use right now. I'm afraid, I'm afraid they can't be shut down immediately."

Qingyang gazed at him, her gaze meaningful: "Bai Tan, even you are entangled with Yangshan?"

This Bai Tan is two-faced and treacherous; she knows that. Formerly he was one of the Yaowang's most valued instruments among high officials, a hereditary high-ranking clan. On the surface loyal to the monarch and patriotic, at the critical moment he backstabbed the Yaowang — and it was a fatal blow!

For this kind of person, Qingyang absolutely does not trust.

"No no, absolutely not!" Bai Tan hurriedly waved his hands. "He Xiao's actions are indeed hateful. I also wish nothing more than to eliminate this person and be done with it. But the Yangshan branches are still connected to military supply transport. Right now they can't be shut down immediately."

Qingyang glanced sideways: "Your military supplies — you dare entrust Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's channels to transport them?"