Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 292: Chapter 283 The Surprise Brought by Luo Shang

“You’ve spent quite a bit of time in Jiangnan these past few years, do you have any understanding of the sea merchants there?” Yang Zhenshan suddenly asked.

Luo Shang looked up in surprise and said, “My lord is interested in sea merchants?”

“I do have some ideas, but I know little about sea merchants, so I’d like to understand more before proceeding!” Yang Zhenshan said.

Luo Shang thought for a moment and said, “Becoming a sea merchant is difficult!”

“Difficult? What aspects are difficult?”

“Firstly, to set out to sea, the investment is substantial—a small merchant ship alone costs upwards of a thousand taels of silver, while larger ones could require tens of thousands!”

“Secondly, the dangers at sea are numerous—natural disasters and human calamities can strike at any time. Natural disasters aside, the most troublesome are the human calamities!”

“My lord may not know that many of the southern sea merchants are both traders and robbers. Once they are out at sea, they can turn into pirates at any moment, robbing and killing any merchant ships they encounter!”

How could Yang Zhenshan be unaware of this—with figures like Li Dan and Zheng Zhilong, he had made in-depth investigations in his previous life.

It was precisely because of this understanding that he was interested in sea merchants.

Maritime trade could bring immense profit, and the only advantage Tenglong Guard had was its proximity to the sea.

Although the maritime trade business was relatively backward in Liaodong, there was at least the possibility to set sail from there.

Yang Zhenshan had the idea to build a pier near the coast, construct a few merchant ships, and engage in maritime trade. However, in order to put this plan into action, careful preparations were needed.

Luo Shang continued, “Third, the taxation on goods by the Market Shipping Department is extremely high, prompting most Jiangnan sea merchants to try every means to circumvent the Market Shipping Department!”

Da Rong allowed maritime trade, but there was strict control over it. The standard procedure was that the Market Shipping Department would issue official permits before ships could set sail. When ships returned to port, the department would tax imports and exports by sorting the goods into coarse and fine categories and the government would take a proportion of the goods as an in-kind import tax.

What Luo Shang referred to as circumventing the Market Shipping Department was smuggling.

Smuggling could avoid the market shipping tax, but it entailed the risk of being seized by the Market Shipping Department.

Da Rong also had a number of navies, and even though their combat capability was fairly mediocre, they were skilled at seizing merchant ships.

After listening to Luo Shang’s explanation, Yang Zhenshan fell into deep thought.

The three issues were high investment, high risk, and high taxation by the court.

High investment was an easy problem to solve; Yang Zhenshan was not short of silver now, neither the Yang family nor the Guardian Department was lacking in silver, and investing a hundred thousand taels was easily done.

As for the high risk, if Yang Zhenshan personally went to sea, there shouldn’t be much risk.

He could foresee natural disasters, so avoiding them wouldn’t be difficult.

As for human calamities, there wouldn’t be many with the strength to rob at sea.

But then the question arose, was he able to go to sea?

And as for the court’s high taxes, that was the main issue. To take on such great risks only to earn a small profit in the end would be a losing business.

Yang Zhenshan thought it over and felt that he needed to consider this matter carefully. Fortunately, he was not in a hurry at the moment. He could take his time to learn and understand the situation.

The two chatted for a while longer when Luo Shang changed the topic with a smile, “My lord, I have brought a gift for you this time!”

“What gift?”

Yang Zhenshan was slightly taken aback.

Luo Shang had brought quite a few things—cotton fabrics, furs, medicinal herbs, etc.—all of which were materials the Tenglong Guard lacked.

“My lord, please wait, let me keep you in suspense a little longer!” Luo Shang stood up and dashed out of the tea room, while Yang Zhenshan watched his back with a face full of bewilderment.

“This guy is already up in years, yet he’s still playing the surprise game with me!”

Luo Shang’s actions did indeed make Yang Zhenshan more eager to see his gift.

After about fifteen minutes, Luo Shang returned with two people carrying a long, wooden case, but he didn’t come in. Instead, he stood outside the door, “My lord, come take a look at this!”

With that, he opened the wooden case outside the door.

Yang Zhenshan got up and approached, looking into the wooden case, his eyes suddenly brightening.

The case was particularly long, over seven feet, and inside it was a long spear.

A hook and sickle spear, seven feet and two inches long. The spear tip was eight inches long, sharp at its end, and had reverse hooks protruding sideways with inward-curving tips below. The shaft was six feet long, with a diameter of three inches, and had an Iron Muzzle at the end that was four inches long.

The spear tip and reverse hooks were silver-white, sharp and fierce. The spear shaft was a mysterious black color, with engraved silver-white scroll patterns.

Yang Zhenshan grasped the spear shaft which had a good anti-slip effect.

He gave a light pull and unexpectedly couldn’t lift it.

“How heavy is this spear?”

“One hundred thirty-eight pounds!” Luo Shang grinned.

No wonder it needed two people to carry it over!

Yang Zhenshan exerted a little force and immediately lifted the long spear, then proceeded to perform a couple of spear moves right in front of the door.

And as he circulated his Kui Niu Skill within his body, the long spear also began to resonate with rumbling thunder.

Yang Zhenshan became even more excited and couldn’t help but continuously wield the long spear in the open space in front of the tea room.

The booming thunder and the piercing sound of cutting through the air intertwined, creating a powerful and sharp aura that burst forth.

The spear cut through the air, each strike with the might of ten thousand jun, as if it could pierce the heavens.

Yang Zhenshan continued practicing excitedly for nearly half an hour before stopping.

“Fantastic spear, hahaha, fantastic spear!”

“What is this spear called?”

Ever since the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear was damaged, he hadn’t found a suitable weapon and had only been able to use the standard issue iron spear of the military.

The sudden acquisition of a handy long spear filled him with unmistakable excitement.

This spear was even better suited for him than the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear.

The Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear was too light for him; weighing a bit over thirty pounds, it always felt too insubstantial.

But this spear weighed a good one hundred and thirty-eight pounds, which to him was not heavy at all and took no effort to wield.

“Sir, this spear is forged from Hundred-refined Mystical Iron, hailing from the Shen family of Xiangyuan Prefecture. However, it is yet unnamed, and you may bestow upon it as you wish!” Luo Shang said.

Yang Zhenshan pondered briefly; the Shen family of Xiangyuan Prefecture was a renowned family of master blacksmiths in Da Rong.

Indeed, blacksmiths could also be esteemed as prestigious families.

Although blacksmiths were not highly regarded in Da Rong’s social hierarchy, this did not mean that exceptional blacksmiths lacked status.

Martial Artists cannot be without weapons, and a blacksmith capable of creating Divine weapons would be sought after by countless Martial Artists.

And the Shen family of Xiangyuan Prefecture wasn’t merely a family of blacksmiths; they were also a Martial Arts Family with formidable strength, and throughout generations, members had served as officials in court. Many craftsmen in the Weapons Bureau of the Imperial City and the Ministry of Industry hailed from the Shen family.

Just like the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear that Yang Zhenshan had used before, it was likely made by a member of the Shen family.

However, the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear was a standard-issue weapon, specially crafted by the Royal family as a reward for accomplished soldiers and military generals.

There were different patterns like python, flying fish, and fighting bull, with the python pattern being the finest. If it were a spear, then it would be a Gold-plated Python Dragon Spear.

Yang Zhenshan had the privilege of using the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear only because of Zhou Lan’s favor.

This time, acquiring a Hundred-refined Mystical Iron Spear was thanks to Luo Shang’s generosity.

“Since it’s forged from Hundred-refined Mystical Iron, let’s call it the Mystical Iron Spear!” Yang Zhenshan, not one for clever names, simply dubbed it after its material.

A great sword is edgeless, and sublime skill looks effortless.

Yang Guo has his Heavy Iron Sword, and I have my Mystical Iron Spear!

Except this Mystical Iron is not the same as that Mystical Iron.

The Mystical Iron of the Heavy Iron Sword came from a meteor, a celestial rock.

The Mystical Iron in this world, however, is a kind of ore; it’s tougher and denser, which is why it’s called Mystical Iron.

“You must have spent quite an amount of Silver?” Yang Zhenshan caressed the spear’s scrollwork pattern, speaking with great affection.

“Haha, as long as Sir likes it, what does a little Silver Coin matter?” Luo Shang said nonchalantly.

Yang Zhenshan understood “a little Silver” was not a trifling sum for Luo Shang; it was tens of thousands, perhaps even as much as several tens of thousands of taels.

The precious Mystical Iron combined with the Shen family’s craftsmanship was worth tens of thousands of taels without a doubt.

Nevertheless, he didn’t bother to argue about financial contribution with Luo Shang. The Yang family and the Luo family had already been tied together, bound by shared interests, making it impossible to separate who provided what.

“You’ve been considerate!”

Yang Zhenshan put away the Mystical Iron Spear and returned to the teahouse.

After brewing a fresh pot of tea, Yang Zhenshan shifted the conversation to the reason he called upon Luo Shang to Guard City.

“There might be many matters here that would require your cooperation next year!”

Luo Shang raised his cup for a light sip and replied with a smile, “When the time comes, just give your orders, Sir. Even if I am not present, Luo Zhen can act on your behalf as well.”

“Hmm!” Yang Zhenshan savored the aroma of the tea.

“Recently, take some time to familiarize yourself with the situation of the salt merchants!”

“Salt merchants!” Luo Shang exclaimed, raising his head sharply.

Yang Zhenshan tapped the table lightly, speaking, “Salt and Iron are lucrative trades. As a military general, I must not touch Iron, but Salt is something we may attempt.”

Luo Shang’s expression grew serious, “Sir, meddling with the salt industry is not so simple!”

Yang Zhenshan stroked his beard and chuckled, “I’m well aware of that. However, we are indeed qualified to dip our fingers into it.”

The trade of salt wasn’t something just anyone could engage in; whether it be official or private salt, one needed a powerful backing.

Official salt goes without saying; without strong backing, one simply cannot be a salt merchant.

For private salt, the competition is even fiercer; not just requiring backing but also strength.

Da Rong’s salt policy was primarily based on the salt certificate system, where the court issued permits to salt merchants allowing the distribution and sale of salt.

Merchants paid for salt certificates, then used them to buy salt from designated salterns and sold it within specified areas.

In theory, anyone with enough money could buy a salt certificate, but here lies the problem – possessing a salt certificate doesn’t guarantee access to salt, and even if one could buy salt, selling it within the designated area or making any sales at all wasn’t assured.

This salt certificate system had many loopholes, such as the over-issuance of salt certificates or salterns refusing to sell salt under the guise of production shortages, as well as numerous government checkpoints during salt transportation.

This allowed officials to exploit various aspects of the salt industry for personal gain.

Those with powerful backgrounds could avoid much trouble and guarantee their profits, but those without such standing had no chance to transport the salt to designated areas successfully.

Thus, Da Rong’s salt trade saw the emergence of monopolistic salt merchants, making it difficult for outsiders to intervene in the official salt business.

As for private salt, its trade didn’t just involve official matters; it also implicated Jianghu forces. Many such forces acquired wealth through selling private salt.

Salt smuggling was a capital offense, yet many Jianghu forces, operating in the underworld, were willing to take the risk if it meant earning Silver – even when it could mean losing their heads.

When private salt traders encroached upon the interests of major salt merchants, they joined hands with officials to suppress them, leading to frequent conflicts between officials and private salt traders.

In summary, the official salt trade was monopolized by major merchants, and private salt trade encountered suppression from both the government and the major merchants.

Yang Zhenshan naturally would not engage in private salt trade; he aimed for the official salt business.

But venturing into the official salt industry, he inevitably had to contend with major salt merchants.

This was tantamount to taking food from the mouths of major salt merchants. Without a powerful background and strength, why would they let go of their profits easily?