Chapter 929

“Mercenary companies? What is this?”

In the early morning, a prominent headline in the Qingzhou Daily caught the attention of merchants.

They hadn’t been this excited for a while, ever since Japan surrendered and Great Yu Empire industrial goods flooded Japan.

“Mercenaries, soldiers who fight for money. Trained mercenaries can be hired by anyone, even participating in wars for generous rewards. From today onwards, merchants will be able to hire these special soldiers to protect their overseas trade, and even hire them to participate in wars for commercial interests. The only taboo is that mercenaries and their employers must not harm the interests of the Great Yu Empire, otherwise they will be considered traitors…”

In a shop on Commercial Street, Dai Zixing read the newly delivered newspaper while supervising his subordinates cleaning bicycles purchased yesterday.

With the popularization of newspapers, Qingzhou Province’s newspaper offices now offered a subscription service. For twenty Silver Dragons a month, one could read the newspaper for a month.

This small sum was nothing to a prominent merchant like Dai Zixing. For him, spending just twenty Silver Dragons to learn about important events in the Great Yu Empire was very worthwhile.

“What a pity. I suppose we won’t get a chance to meddle with these mercenary companies.” After finishing the newspaper, Dai Zixing picked up a cup of tea and drank it.

Beside him was his nephew, Dai Hui. Ever since he made his fortune in Qingzhou Province, his old family members had flocked to Qingzhou Province to seek refuge with him, which quickly transformed him from an inconspicuous figure in the family to the one with the most say.

“Why? Now, besides the Ding family, aren’t we, the Dai family, the wealthiest in Qingzhou City? As for Zhu Wuliu, he’s still a bit lacking,” Dai Hui said, looking disdainfully at the world.

“Hui’er, don’t speak carelessly, otherwise outsiders will laugh at you. Neither the Ding family nor the Dai family are major players in Qingzhou Province. The truly wealthy are the imperial relatives who do business with the Chamber of Commerce. Ever since the Cao family incident, His Majesty has obviously relaxed his control over the imperial family, seemingly intending to balance the power of private merchants. So, this mercenary company will absolutely not be ours; it will only belong to some imperial relative.” Dai Zixing saw everything clearly.

Dai Hui sighed deeply. He said indignantly, “If the merchants’ council had won, wouldn’t our Great Yu Empire be a different kind of place?”

As his words fell, Dai Zixing’s face immediately tensed. After glancing left and right and finding no one nearby, he said angrily, “Hui’er, if you continue to be so reckless with your words, you’ll be sent back to Chang’an next time. Is that something you should say? Now that the Great Yu Empire is flourishing, there’s no room for such perverse heresies to run rampant. Today, I, your uncle, tell you: if the merchants’ council had won, the Great Yu Empire would be doomed forever.”

Dai Hui’s forehead beaded with sweat. He had spoken rashly for a moment. Coming to his senses, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

“Uncle, your son was wrong. Please don’t send me back to Chang’an. I won’t dare again,” Dai Hui said hastily.

Dai Zixing’s anger gradually subsided. He recalled leaving his hometown to seek a livelihood in Qingzhou Province. At that time, he was striving for the wisdom and might of the current Emperor.

In fact, it was his choice back then that laid the foundation for his current status in Qingzhou Province. He earned his first batch of silver from manufacturing cement pipes, and then received generous returns from supporting the northern expedition. Since then, he had the capital to build factories and do business everywhere.

It could be said that his glory was built upon the prosperity of Qingzhou Province.

“Merchants seek profit, but commerce also has its principles. Commerce has no borders, but merchants have their own monarch. If the nation is not strong, no matter how much silver we earn, it will ultimately become others’ possessions. Understand?” Dai Zixing lectured.

“Yes, Uncle, your nephew remembers,” Dai Hui said respectfully.

As the two were speaking, a voice suddenly came, “Brother Dai is absolutely right. His Majesty has his own plans for the mercenary company. Not entrusting it to us merchants is naturally for the long-term peace and stability of the Great Yu Empire. Some businesses can be done, some cannot. That is the way of commerce.”

Hearing this voice, Dai Zixing breathed a sigh of relief. He said, “You, Ding Wu, you were eavesdropping all along!”

The newcomer was indeed Ding Wu. He asked, “I just happened to be passing by. I just spoke out because I was inspired by Brother Dai’s profound words.”

Dai Zixing smiled. “It doesn’t matter if you listened or not. His Majesty has always understood my character, Dai, and he wouldn’t make arbitrary judgments.”

Ding Wu shook his head. He had indeed not heard Dai Hui’s rebellious words. He said, “I’m too lazy to listen to what you’re saying. I’m here this time for the business in Japan.”

Dai Zixing’s eyes lit up. He said, “Could it be that your business has also suffered a setback?”

“That’s right. Although Yamada Nobunaga has surrendered, Japan is not peaceful now. The unrest has not subsided. Only a few ports are safe. So, the mercenary company’s emergence is very timely. I want to hire a team of mercenaries with Brother Dai to protect our merchant fleet in Japan.”

“That is feasible.” Dai Zixing nodded slightly. As the saying goes, risk and profit go hand in hand. To seize the Japanese market now, some extraordinary measures were necessary.

…

While Qingzhou Province was in a frenzy over mercenaries, Zhu Sansi was not idle. In the vast snowfield, he and two Daur men traveled for a day and arrived at a tribe located in the mountains and forests.

This tribe had only about a thousand people, living in tents made of animal furs. Men, women, and children all wore fur clothes, their faces dark and gaunt.

Upon arriving, Zhu Sansi had learned that this middle-aged Daur man was named Guda. The tribe he led them to was precisely the one where the Daur chief resided.

“General, they’re here.”

Upon reaching the outskirts of the tribe, Daur soldiers in the tribe, armed with bows and spears, blocked their way outside the tribe. They had been waiting for Guda and the chief to communicate.

If all went well, the Daur people would officially submit to the Great Yu Empire and become border people of the Great Yu Empire. They would also acquire a supply line.

“Division Commander Zhu, this is our chief, Puji. He says that only if you swear a blood oath with us will we trust you,” Guda said seriously.

Gao Yingfeng pursed his lips. He was about to express his disdain for this tribe when Zhu Sansi stopped him.

Although the Daur people were few in number, they were very familiar with this place. They needed someone to provide stable assistance here.

So, he said, “Of course. Then let the enemy’s blood be our witness.”

With that, he had Vasily brought over.

Seeing Vasily, the Daur chief showed a satisfied expression. He drew a short knife and suddenly slashed Vasily’s arm.

Then he had his tribesmen bring two bowls of wine and dripped Vasily’s blood into the wine.

Zhu Sansi took the other bowl, and the two simultaneously drank the wine.