Protect Our Clan Leader

Chapter 718: Chapter 92 Offend Shou Zhe! Serious Consequences_3

Moreover, the penalty for breach of contract isn’t the most troubling part. The biggest issue is that the owner of Tiangong Workshop is from the Gongye Clan, one of the Third-Class Aristocratic Families. The Qian Family can’t afford to offend them.

If the shopkeeper of the Tiangong Workshop bears a grudge against the Qian Family due to the breach, and secretly defames the Qian Family to the owner, any progress that the Qian Family has painstakingly made in the Daqian Capital could be reverted to zero.

The mere thought of this gave Qian Zhong a headache. After considering for a while, he ordered his assistants, “Let everyone rest for a moment. I’ll scout the situation ahead and try to persuade the military officers to let us pass.”

With that said, he took the horse reins from the assistant and rode onward.

Soon, he saw the towering rows of roadside obstacles.

The Qingbei Corridor follows the direction of the stream. A mile south lies the Suo Chun Jiang, and to the north, a sparse forest occasionally visited by fierce beasts. The roadblocks were made from solid hardwood that could withstand the beasts, very sturdy.

At that moment, the row of roadblocks almost completely blocked the road, with only glimpses of uniformed soldiers passing through the gaps.

Qian Zhong handed his saber to the head of the household. Then he rode forward and shouted, “May I ask if the soldiers at the front are from the Qing An Prefecture? I am Qian Zhong of the Qian family trading business. Could kindly let me through? I need to speak with your commander.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a helmeted head protruded from the top of the roadblock, glanced at him, then tossed out an “Wait here” before jumping off the block to notify someone.

Soon after, one of the roadblocks was removed and a middle-aged military officer in a commander’s uniform emerged.

“Hey, if it isn’t Shopkeeper Qian?” The commander greeted with a smile as soon as he saw Qian Zhong. “It’s been a while since we last met.”

“Commander Zhao?” Qian Zhong hesitated before quickly stepping forward to greet him. “It’s been over a decade. Are you promoted now? Judging by your uniform… You’ve become a Colonel? Congratulations.”

Qian Zhong had dealings with Zhao Zhibang when he worked as a shopkeeper in Qingbei Guard. Zhao seemed amiable on the surface, but was cunning and shrewd when handling affairs, a difficult person to negotiate with.

“I haven’t been at Qingbei Guard in a long time. I am now a Guerrilla Colonel in Qing An Prefecture, in charge of northern defense along with a few other Colonels.” As Zhao Zhibang spoke, he patted the roadblock behind him. “Just today, I was assigned to assist in road construction.”

After some small talk, Qian Zhong pulled Zhao Zhibang aside and whispered, “Colonel Zhao, I don’t know when this road construction will end. I have a shipment for a client who is in a rush. Can you let us pass?”

As he spoke, he took out a gold note from his pocket, attempting to slip it into Zhao’s.

However, the seemingly accommodating Zhao Zhibang didn’t accept the gold note. Instead, he firmly refused Qian Zhong’s request on the pretense that accidents often happened during road repairs and the blockage was for the safety of the convoy.

No matter how persuasive Qian Zhong was, Zhao Zhibang remained unwavering, and firmly kept the convoy of the Qian Family behind the roadblocks.

Qian Zhong felt both frustrated and angry, yet utterly helpless.

Seeing that Zhao Zhibang was about to leave, he quickly grabbed him. Suppressing his anger, he pleaded desperately, “Colonel, if I have to die, at least let me do so knowing why. Previously in Qing An County Town, they detained my goods for several days. Now they’re stopping us from proceeding. What’s the reason behind it? I didn’t do anything to offend you, did I?”

As he spoke, he forced the gold note into Zhao Zhibang’s hand, grabbing it tightly to prevent Zhao from giving it back.

“Shopkeeper Qian, you’ve been in this business for many years. How can you not understand such a simple thing?”

With an expression of helplessness, Zhao Zhibang glanced at the gold note in his hand. After some contemplation, he finally pocketed it, then whispered in Qian Zhong’s ear, “Today’s problem was arranged from above. There’s no possibility for leniency. You better tell the Family Head to think about who he might have offended recently.”

With that said, he shook off Qian Zhong’s hand and walked back behind the roadblock, gold note in hand.

The towering roadblock was once again sealed off.

Staring at the dark blockade, Qian Zhong felt a profound sense of gloom.

It appears that his premonition was right.

There indeed were forces in Qing An Prefecture secretly working against the Qian Family. This situation was far more serious than failing to deliver goods on time.

If this situation continues, today it’s appealing the contract with the Tiangong Workshop, offending the Tiangong Workshop. God knows how many more will be offended in the future.

Can the Qian Family still continue with their business in the long run?

One must remember, the transport routes are one of Qian Family’s lifeline.

The route between Qing An Prefecture and the national capital accounted for nearly 30% of the Qian Family’s transport business. If something went wrong, the losses to the Qian Family would be catastrophic.

Although the Qian Family is substantial, the managers who handle the specific operations, like him who is at the Spirit Platform Realm level, can’t handle the problems if Qing An Prefecture is determined to trouble the Qian Family. Thus, he dare not fight back.

He needs to convey this situation to the Family Head promptly, who then needs to figure out a solution quickly.

With that thought, he wore a sour face and hurried back to the carriage.

Soon, two whitebirds flew out of the carriage window. They flapped their wings and flew high into the sky, heading towards Longzuo County Town.

However, this was not an isolated incident. Similar problems emerged in the caravans of the Qian Trading Company at various places.