Chapter 270: Laying It Bare

The smile on Zhao Jin's face deepened as he continued, "So this liquor can fetch a good price out there, can't it? The Mongol tribes love drinking it most of all!"

"Isn't that the truth — those Tartars usually drink nothing but that kumiss, sourer than vinegar..." Wang Ziyang chimed in, following the thread, then suddenly sensed something wrong. He stared at Zhao Jin, his face instantly full of shock, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Ordinary sorghum liquor from within the passes already sells at a high price on the grasslands, let alone this liquor of mine — isn't that right?" Zhao Jin asked with a smile.

At that moment, Wang Ziyang looked as though he had seen a spirit or a demon, his face full of terror. The other merchants wore much the same expression. Only that merchant surnamed Man spoke out boldly and carelessly: "Master Jin has also been beyond the passes. This liquor can be sold right into the great tents, into the golden tents — one catty..."

"Damn you, shut your mouth! That broken trap of yours can't keep anything in!" Wang Ziyang had finally had enough and snapped in exasperation.

Zhao Jin's tone was unhurried as he continued, "A hundred jars a month, two hundred jars — hauled out through the passes on big carts and sold on the grasslands. That's enormous profit, isn't it?"

Only then did the companions realize what was going on, thinking to themselves, no wonder these merchants had suddenly come to buy liquor. Wang Ziyang looked up, wanting to explain something, but when he saw Zhao Jin's knowing smile, he hesitated, then said dejectedly, "There'll definitely be losses along the road, and you've got to put up capital to get past the border passes. Nothing can be hidden from Master Jin. If this Hanjing Famous Liquor isn't watered down, one catty can sell for one tael of silver. Those Tartars, the moment they see strong liquor like this, they don't even care about their lives anymore. That worthless fool was actually showing restraint already."

One tael per catty? Even if Zhao Jin's companions had guessed it could sell for a high price, they'd never imagined a price like this. Right now, a few dozen cash per catty was already incredible profit. This was practically over a thousand cash per catty — what kind of way to earn money was this?

"My second uncle also fought in the border passes. How could something like this be hidden from me?" Zhao Jin said with a smile. His second uncle Zhao Zhenxing had never actually mentioned this matter; saying this was a way to give the cattle and horse merchants an explanation, and also to give his own brothers an explanation. Otherwise, separated by a thousand li, how could he possibly know?

From trading cattle and horses, his thoughts went to the grasslands; from the grasslands, to the cold; from the cold, to strong liquor. Zhao Jin recalled a saying — people in cold regions have an enormous demand for strong liquor. Strong liquor can also ward off the cold and dispel fatigue. In a certain sense, it was a necessity. Still, Zhao Jin hadn't expected the price could go this high.

"You didn't buy before because our output was low. Now you figure production has increased, and one more buyer like you won't make a difference, so you came — isn't that right?" Zhao Jin asked with a smile.

Wang Ziyang nodded, his face full of disappointment. They had thought they'd seized the secret trick to making a huge fortune; they'd never imagined Zhao Jin already knew as well. Given this young master's way of doing things, what chance was left for them?

"Master Jin, this humble one has traveled from South Zhili through Henan to Shanxi and out beyond the passes — been running this route for over twenty years. I know the people, know the connections. If you let this humble one help, everything will certainly be convenient," Wang Ziyang continued.

Merchants chase profit. Seeing he couldn't make the big money, earning a little advantage was still good. Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, then said, "The price I sell to others is the price I sell to you. But don't expect to get extra from me — my liquor still isn't enough to meet demand. You'll stockpile and take goods according to the rules."

When these words were spoken, not only were the merchants stunned, even the companions were stunned. Once Wang Ziyang recovered his wits, he directly called for the cattle and horse merchants to kneel. Thud, thud, thud — they knocked their heads on the ground several times, saying over and over, "Many thanks for Master Jin's generous reward! Many thanks for Master Jin's generous reward!"

This was tantamount to letting them go earn enormous profit — of course it was a generous reward. Zhao Jin said with a smile, "I want good horses. A hundred, two hundred, even more — I can take them all. When the time comes, you can use good horses to offset the liquor payment. Understood?"

"Master Jin, we humble ones go over in the autumn and drive the horses back around the first month. We only make this one trip a year. If you want horses, I'm afraid it'll have to be next year..." Wang Ziyang said cautiously.

"Next year is soon enough. For now, take good care of these horses for me," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

"Rest assured, Master Jin. We humble ones will put our hearts and strength into it. If there's the slightest mistake, we'll accept whatever punishment Master Jin decrees!" Wang Ziyang kowtowed and replied, beaming with delight.

The hour was already late. At dinner, the companions all wore puzzled expressions. Liu Yong spoke up and asked, "Big Brother, with profit this huge, why aren't we doing it ourselves? This is practically a hundredfold, a thousandfold?"

"From Xuzhou to the border passes — who among us is familiar with that road? The officials along the way, the border army checkpoints, the tribes on the grasslands — who among us is familiar with any of that?" Zhao Jin asked several questions in a row. Everyone shook their heads.

Zhao Jin set down his chopsticks and said, "Right now, we don't have much energy to spare to get familiar with all that. Besides, selling to the cattle and horse merchants isn't like we're not making money. Why obsess over the enormous profit we aren't earning?"

Everyone fell silent. They ate with heads lowered for a while, then Chen Sheng looked up and asked solemnly, "Zhao Jin, what exactly are we doing this for? We've raised so many men, earned so much money, yet when there's a chance to make huge profit, you don't seem to care that much. What are we trying to do? What are we going to do in the future?"

At this question, everyone looked at Zhao Jin. When no one asked, they never thought about it, but the moment someone brought it up, they all cared.

Zhao Jin was silent for a moment, then spoke solemnly: "We're living better than before now, aren't we?"

Everyone nodded. Back when they gathered at the goods yard to compete in martial arts for the sheer joy of it — those from well-off families were fine, but those from poor families pinned their hopes on winning the prize snacks, and even then they couldn't bear to eat them, saving them instead for younger brothers and sisters, even for the elders at home. Now, they could freely use thousands of taels of silver, and their families all lived the kind of life only wealthy gentry had.

"If we didn't have the blades and spears of the Zhao Camp, what good would making a fortune be? It would just be taken from us!" Zhao Jin continued. Naturally, no one disagreed — every clash of arms they'd been through had been for exactly this.

"Everything we're doing now is for self-protection — to protect ourselves and our families, to protect our family property." Zhao Jin seemed to be reaching a conclusion.

Everyone nodded, ready to go about their own business. They hadn't expected Zhao Jin's words weren't finished: "We need to make ourselves stronger. Right now, we can only protect ourselves. Once we advance a step further, we'll be able to do more. Growing stronger has no limit — with every step upward, what we can do increases. In the end, we can leave our names in this world. Decades from now, centuries from now, people will still remember us."

Zhao Jin's words weren't entirely direct or thoroughly clear. Everyone wore expressions of partial understanding. After a quiet moment, Shi Manqiang said in his gruff voice, "Whatever Big Brother says to do, that's what we'll do. Following you, things will definitely keep getting better!"

The moment Shi Manqiang spoke these words, a look of sudden clarity appeared on everyone's faces. From the time they'd all come together until now, one thing had been proven: following Zhao Jin's arrangements meant things kept getting better and better.

On the afternoon of the second day after the liquor tasting, He Village began to grow lively. Many liquor merchants arrived with large carts. Wherever there were no walls around the He Family Distillery, high walls were being built. Armed household troops of the Zhao Camp were stationed there, patrolling.

He Village was not Xuzhou City, after all. If one didn't ride a horse, coming here to pick up liquor and then returning to the city or heading elsewhere would inevitably mean losing a night on the road. The several inns and cart-driver lodges in He Village were all packed full. Some people even went to the village households to seek lodging. Men and horses alike had to eat, and that cost money — all these food and lodging expenses were earned by the villagers of He Village. The whole of He Village, from top to bottom, was already profiting from this distillery.

Merchants chase profit. When they came to He Village, their large carts might not be fully loaded with liquor, so they inevitably brought some goods along and took some goods away with them. This made the several market towns around He Village flourish considerably as well.

After a full day, the whole of He Village was brimming with joy. Everyone could see the good times that lay ahead.

The deadline Zhao Jin had set had already passed. Ruhui of Cloud Mountain Temple still hadn't come, but he had sent someone with a letter. The letter did bear Ruhui's secret cipher mark. What it said was very simple: not sending word to Zhao Jin these days had indeed been discourteous, but things over there were a tangled mess, and he asked Zhao Jin to wait four more days.

Since this letter had come, Zhao Jin would wait four more days. There was no rush anyway.

The letter had arrived early in the morning. Zhao Jin had just finished reading it and hadn't yet discussed it with his companions when he heard a clamor outside. The noise was quite lively and festive — the sound of blowing and drumming could be heard, much like when they'd announced Zhao Jin's appointment to the tithing chief post.

"Master, people from Tian Village have come," a household trooper reported from outside the door.

Tian Village — this village had over two hundred households, all surnamed Tian. It was located about ten li west of He Village.

"What have they come for?"

"This humble one doesn't know. I saw they have a gong-and-drum troupe in front, and behind them they're carrying pigs and sheep. The one leading them says he's the Tian Big Household from Tian Village."

This Tian Big Household was named Tian Ying, the richest and largest household in Tian Village. In practice, he was the head of Tian Village, something like a village chief. Liu Yong had mentioned this before.

Zhao Jin's eyes narrowed slightly. Before he could speak, someone outside said in a rough voice, "Master Jin, a group has come from Little Stone Village five li away — beating gongs and drums, carrying pigs, sheep, and gifts."

Little Stone Village was about fifteen li from He Village, with over a hundred households. There was no dominant surname there; the so-called big household was merely a middling landlord at best.

The one speaking in that rough voice was Qi San. He had been out riding patrol today. Before Zhao Jin could respond, the clamor outside grew louder. They could hear someone coming over, panting for breath, who said from outside the door, "Master, people have also come from the Liu Family Mine to the northwest. The one leading them is the Liu Family mine owner. He says he requests an audience with the Master."

The Liu Family Mine was a coal mine. Part of its output was sold into the city and to various places for heating; part was sold to iron mines for smelting iron. This mine had been operating for about four years. The miners and their families lived clustered there — over a hundred households, yet there were more than four hundred able-bodied men. It was about twelve li from Zhao Jin's place. Liu Yong paid close attention to this place, because those able-bodied miners there were a considerable force.