The last time I wanted to go to Jiangnan to make money, I ended up stopping in Shandong and it caused a huge commotion. I can’t go any further south for now. If I go further south, I guess the south will be in a state of panic.
So this time Zhu Youxiao planned to change direction and head directly north.
Where can we go in the North?
It can only be Zhangjiakou. Go to Zhangjiakou to catch those smuggling merchants.
The eight imperial merchants who were later established and canonized by the Qing Dynasty can show how rampant smuggling was in this era.
The Jiannu were not that powerful yet, so not all the smuggling by merchants was for them.
In Zhu Youxiao's view, it is nothing more than doing business with whoever makes the decision.
In fact, the smuggling business has never stopped. How big was it then? How big is it now?
I believe that this time Zhu Youxiao will have a good harvest and make a lot of money. At the same time, he can establish official trade and maybe make a fortune.
To use the words of Qin Shi Huang, "It's Russian, it's Russian, it's all Russian!"
As an emperor, how could he not have such thoughts?
So Zhu Youxiao set off.
This huge caravan was organized by Zhu Youxiao. Among them were caravans from the Imperial Household Department as well as caravans from other merchants. Most of them were cooperative merchants of the Imperial Household Department. It can be said to be extremely grand and large.
Of course, there were also many of Zhu Youxiao's guards hidden inside. Some of those carriages were carrying weapons, such as flintlock rifles, rocket carts, and rotary machine gun carts.
The carriages covered with oilcloth were filled with boxes of bullets. It can be said that Zhu Youxiao was armed to the teeth this time.
This time, the main purpose was to make money. Of course, I brought weapons just as a precaution, but also for experimentation.
If there is a battle, take out these weapons and try them out to see what effect they will have. Maybe they can make the people on the grassland become friendly and hospitable, and good at singing and dancing.
Zhu Youxiao thought it would be a good thing if that day really came. At that time, everyone loved each other, the Ming Dynasty poured wine and cooked meat, and the people on the grassland sang and danced. How wonderful would that be?
The convoy moved slowly, and everyone in the convoy was chatting and laughing, revealing a sense of joy.
Everyone was imagining how much money they could make from this sale. After all, it was the first big sale since the beginning of spring, so it was bound to be a good business.
The roads are too difficult to travel in winter, the transportation costs are too high, and last year's snow was too heavy, so we didn't do much business all winter.
Winter on the grasslands must be very difficult to endure. The grassland nomads who have been cooped up all winter must have a hard time at this time. Everyone agrees that these things will definitely sell for a high price.
Everyone was very happy this time and hoped to make a fortune.
Sitting in the carriage, Zhu Youxiao listened to them talking about this matter with an expressionless face, and his heart was unmoved.
For Zhu Youxiao, this time he was indeed going to make a fortune, but the way of making money was different.
You know, Zhangjiakou is not too far from the capital, and we traveled very quickly along the way, and arrived in Zhangjiakou in no time.
A convoy arriving in Zhangjiakou naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Although Zhangjiakou is a city with a strong commercial atmosphere, there are actually not many such large-scale caravans; although smuggling trade is rampant, it is not visible on the surface.
The people of Zhangjiakou were somewhat surprised by the arrival of such a high-profile group. However, judging by the appearance of these caravans, they were no ordinary people. Besides those who were interested, no one in Zhangjiakou wanted to make a fortune. These people were truly difficult to mess with.
This was Zhu Youxiao's first visit to Zhangjiakou.
Looking at the city wall in front of him, Zhu Youxiao had an unknown expression on his face.
In this place, the Ming Dynasty once drove out the Tartars and fought against the Mongols countless times. Later, it gradually became a commercial city and began to trade with each other.
Among the rising group was the Shanxi merchants, who played a very disgraceful role.
These Shanxi merchants sold ironware here. After all, Shanxi and Shaanxi had a lot of iron, and all the iron they refined was sold to the grasslands. In addition, these Shanxi merchants also sold intelligence to the court and even acted as guides. They truly lived up to the saying that merchants have no country and can be regarded as a model.
Like the merchants in Jiangnan who colluded with Japanese pirates, these Shanxi merchants are also a microcosm of this era.
However, Zhu Youxiao felt that these Shanxi merchants were now his fat sheep, and it was time to eat mutton hotpot.
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