Autumn of the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Fuxi of the Qianlong Emperor.
While the south is still enjoying the gentle breezes of early autumn and the leaves are turning slightly yellow, autumn arrives in the north with a more sharp and decisive attitude.
The autumn wind is chilly and biting, as if it wants to quickly bring this vast land into the embrace of winter.
The setting sun, like blood, slanted across the earth, painting the entire northern land with a rich golden hue.
On the desolate plains outside Lizhou City, a group of travelers, weary from their journey, arrived from the distant northern border to participate in a perilous duel.
The Ming family army responsible for patrolling had spotted the arrival of this group long ago.
However, under the instructions of Wang Xiuxiu and Minglang, they did not expel or obstruct them, but instead chose to let them pass, allowing the team to enter the Dagan territory smoothly.
As the procession approached Lizhou City, a low, long horn sound gradually rose from the city walls.
The sudden sound threw the city's troops into a panic.
But soon, under the leader's hand gestures, everyone calmed down and restored the previous order.
"We are here at the invitation of Da Gan to trade!" the leader shouted, his voice loud and clear.
Immediately afterwards, everyone below the city shouted in unison: "We have been invited to trade with Da Gan!"
The slogan rose and fell, echoing through the sky, until the heavy city gates slowly opened.
As the city gates opened wide, Wang Xiuxiu was already waiting there, smiling as she personally welcomed the group that had come from afar.
The sunlight shone on her, outlining a beautiful silhouette that was truly captivating.
Wang Xiuxiu originally wanted to communicate with them in Da Gan dialect, but she didn't expect that the sentence she had just spoken was the only Da Gan dialect they knew.
However, this doesn't matter. In the past year, Wang Xiuxiu has already learned the Northern language from Wulin, and now she has no problem communicating with these people.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Xiuxiu ordered Wu Lin to lead the group to the freight yard, which was dozens of miles outside Lizhou City.
After returning from the northern border, Wang Xiuxiu began to build this cargo yard.
Although trade was agreed upon, the people of Lizhou had long harbored grudges against the northern border, and it would be difficult to completely reverse this situation in a short period of time.
If that's the case, then we should give the people a buffer period.
To give the local people enough time to adapt and adjust, Wang Xiuxiu specifically chose a location for the freight yard in a wasteland not too far from Lizhou City.
In this way, the entire cargo yard can be under the effective supervision of the Ming family army, ensuring its safety.
At the same time, it can avoid the people in Lizhou City to the greatest extent possible, avoiding unnecessary conflicts and troubles, which is the best of both worlds.
This massive freight yard is cleverly divided into three distinct areas, which are arranged in a circular pattern.
The outermost part is called the "goods workshop," which is mainly used for merchants and travelers to stay and rest.
A little further in, there is a bustling "goods market" where merchants and traders from all directions will gather to exchange all kinds of goods.
If you continue deeper into the cargo yard, you will see the crucial "Cargo Administration Office".
The "Cargo Administration Office" was responsible for handling all the complicated matters and various thorny issues related to the daily operation of the cargo yard.
Since the freight yard was built, Wang Xiuxiu has been here every day, constantly improving the freight yard's operation and management system.
As the first caravan to arrive at the warehouse, these people were also the first to be led into the warehouse to rest.
Inside the Department of Commerce, Wang Xiuxiu was waiting.
As soon as Wu Lin returned, he said angrily, "Sir, you don't know, those misers all refused to stay overnight at the store as soon as they heard that they would have to pay extra. They even took out their tents!"
Wang Xiuxiu poured him a cup of tea and comforted him, "Don't be angry. They came on behalf of the tribe and haven't started making money yet, so naturally they wouldn't dare to spend a single penny recklessly."
After hearing this, Wu Lin nodded slightly, but he was still somewhat indignant.
After a moment of silence, Wang Xiuxiu said, "Here's what we'll do: go tell them that they are the first caravan to enter our market, and our warehouse has specially granted them a free two-day trial stay."
"But……"
"Don't worry, how can you do business if you're not generous? If we don't let them experience the comfortable environment and excellent service of our shop firsthand, how can they willingly spend their money? Once word of our good reputation spreads, will we still have to worry about not having business?"
Wu Lin nodded and quickly accepted the order.
Inside the workshop on the other side, the group hurriedly packed up their tents and followed Wulin with some skepticism to their assigned lodgings.
After Wulin left, the group eagerly gathered in the room of the team leader named Renli.
"Team leader, are we really going to spend the night here?"
“Yeah, the place is so nice, how could it be free? Could it be a trap set by those big shots?” another person chimed in.
"That's right, I just went to check. Although they allow us to stay, apart from providing some hot water, everything else, from porridge to rice, has to be paid for separately!"
"Why don't we go stay outside? We brought tents with us anyway."
"No, the kid who brought us here said that caravans can only stay here."
...
For a time, the room was filled with various voices of doubt and worry.
Seeing this, Renli raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down.
"Since we've already checked in, we might as well make the best of it. Since they said the accommodation was free, even if they change their minds and want to charge us later, we'll have something to say. As for the food, since we have to pay for it, we'll just not eat it."
At this point, Renli suddenly raised his voice, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present, and warned, "Listen up, all of you! This is the territory of the Dagang Guoming Family Army. Everyone better be alert and behave yourselves! If anyone dares to cause trouble or disobey orders, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Upon hearing these stern words, everyone nodded in agreement and answered in unison, "Yes!"
After calming everyone down, Renli paced back and forth in the house for a while.
He was appointed to the mission in a time of crisis. Originally, it was planned that the clan chief's youngest son would lead the team here, but unexpectedly, he broke his leg just before setting off.
Thinking of this, Renli's lips curled into a disdainful smile.
When the people in the clan heard that a major operation was coming, and the Ming family army was mentioned, they were all terrified. However, he realized that this was an excellent opportunity and took the initiative to win the position of leader.
He was an orphan, and his current status in the clan was entirely earned through his own hard work, punch by punch.
He didn't have a strong foundation in the clan, and he was gambling that if this matter succeeded, he could establish his prestige and no longer be burdened by his status.
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