Protect Our Chief

Chapter 1049 - 65: Grand Strategy! The True Foundation of the Wang Family’s Strength

Upon hearing this, Jiaang Yusong’s expression turned solemn. He put down his teacup and said earnestly, "Brother Yong, rest assured, everything is being executed according to plan. This time, we’ll make sure they lose everything, trying to steal the chicken only to end up losing the rice used as bait, and suffer even greater losses."...

Changning Ferry.

As night fell, the ferry remained bustling. Hanging Fluorescent Stone Spirit Lamps illuminated the entire Changning Ferry as if it were daytime.

There’s no helping it; the throughput of this ferry is immense, and places like Xin’an Town and Ping’an Town consume resources excessively.

The tax officers, young and old, this time returned with more than nothing. At least they purchased a cart full of Wang Family’s local specialties, some medium to low-grade glass products, ordinary Wang Family paper, and even some ordinary-grade Grain Seeds, as well as various inexpensive but decent-quality farming tools.

These, taken to the "sinking markets" that the Qiaan Family can’t touch, can fetch substantial profits. Aside from the hard work, there are no drawbacks. If they didn’t take away some goods, it would be suspicious.

No traveling merchant would dislike Wang Family’s affordable goods aimed at sinking markets.

The master and apprentice passed the checkpoint smoothly, entering the area of Changning Guard. Although there are cement roads in Changning Guard, they are ultimately inferior to those in Ping’an Town, with some potholes and untimely repairs.

Furthermore, the "street lights" on the road became fewer and dimmer.

"Make way, make way~"

Just as the master and apprentice were slowly advancing with their carriage, from another direction, several carriages pulled by Northern Draft Horses suddenly emerged from storage not far from the ferry, crossing the intersection, and heading west towards the Changning Guard.

The tax officer duo hurriedly halted their carriage, nearly colliding at the intersection.

After those Northern Draft Horse carriages went far away, the young tax officer spat, "Who are these people, rushing so fast in the middle of the night? What if they hit someone?"

"Something’s not right," the old tax officer said, frowning.

"Teacher, what’s not right?"

"Don’t forget, your teacher is known as the ’Tax Inspection God Eye.’ I’ve worked at the border for decades, and I can spot any issues with carriage cargo at a glance," the old tax officer said. "Those carriages seemed lightly loaded, yet the cargo was extremely heavy, and the carriage axles and frames were specially reinforced."

"So they are carrying iron ingots, copper ingots, or other metals," the young tax officer said. "Teacher, this is Changning Guard, there must be a high demand for metal ingots, hauling cargo at night is not surprising. Also, your Tax Inspection God Eye failed at Ping’an Town."

The old tax officer shot a glance at his apprentice for interrupting, but still sharply pointed out the crux of the problem: "The demand for metal ingots is mostly concentrated in Ping’an Town, and newly developed places like Xin’an Town. What sense does it make to carry these goods from the storage in Changning to the west of Changning?"

"Maybe there’s a new workshop on that side, or some project needing metals..." the young tax officer yawned and argued, "Teacher, I’m tired, let’s get to the inn to rest early."

"Look at this foreign cement road, already damaged in multiple places, the ruts have caused cracks and breakages." The old tax officer jumped off the carriage, checking at the roadside, "Judging by the mixture of soil and cement fragments, this road is frequently damaged and repaired shortly after, only to be damaged again. Obviously, it’s not just overloaded, but consistently overloaded."

"Teacher, what are you trying to say?" The young tax officer’s eyes were going in circles.

"There are definitely problems," the old tax officer’s old eyes squinted slightly, keenly sensing something unusual. "The Wang Family’s demand for metals is extraordinarily large, practically insatiable. Previously, when we secretly checked with the government office’s total accounts, there were no discrepancies in the ledgers; every metal usage had a clear destination. Supposedly, it’s used in roads, houses, and various checkpoints. In short, you couldn’t fault it."

"Let’s go take a look, maybe we’ll make a significant contribution this time." The old tax officer excitedly drove the carriage, swaying as they pursued further investigation.

As they investigated, they reached the west of Changning, to a very remote Lishui Manor hidden deep within the woods.

The old tax officer, relying on his Celestial Human Realm cultivation, led the young tax officer in, finally uncovering a shocking truth.

Behind Lishui Manor, within the mountain itself, there was a highly secretive port.

The goods were all transported through this hidden port onto river boats which had long been waiting in the port, then followed Anjiang all the way westward.

The cargo was quite ordinary, mainly consisting of metal ingots like iron ingots, refined salt, and various Wang Family Grain Seeds.

The Grain Seeds were understandable given that the Wang Family sold these for profit, which is one of their primary businesses.

But the Wang Family doesn’t produce refined salt and yet had a voracious appetite for metal ingots, as if never satisfied.

But now, they were being shipped out of Changning Guard?

The sensitive string in the old tax officer’s heart immediately vibrated.

He had a premonition that this time, he might really catch a big fish.

Using his reasonably good skills and years of infiltration experience, he secretly captured a person at the port. The person wasn’t a tough nut to crack and confessed obediently after some interrogation.

However, he didn’t know who the head was, only that these boats traveled southwest along Anjiang, supposedly reaching far destinations.

Southwest? Far?

In just a moment, a complex mix of outrage, joy, and disbelief appeared on the old tax officer’s face.

Truly, something major has happened!

It also explained the Wang Family’s excessive and abnormal demand for iron ingots and other metals.

As it turns out, it was all for smuggling, to achieve enormous profit margins! Moreover, this wasn’t just smuggling, it was aiding the enemy and committing treason!

Because southwest of Anjiang is only one country, one of Daqian’s arch-enemies—Southern Qin.

Salt, iron, and Grain Seeds are prohibited from being exported to Southern Qin. Since they are banned, it’s naturally because the demand for such goods in Southern Qin is quite high. Once a trade route is opened, how high would the profit be?

No wonder the Wang Family developed so quickly in a short time, with an unbelievably excessive resource demand!

"Pah!" The young tax officer trembled with rage. "I thought the Wang Family was genuinely clean, but who would’ve thought they’d do such, such things... Sigh~~"

The young tax officer’s beliefs felt as if they had suffered a huge blow, leaving him dispirited.

"Kid, I told you long ago, there’s no cat that doesn’t sneak a bite. The Wang Family, heh... this wave, you’re doomed."

...

Meanwhile, setting aside the changes at Changning Guard, elsewhere, in the Daqian Imperial Palace, Emperor Longchang finally remembered Wang Shouzhe again.

"By the way, where is Wang Shouzhe?" Emperor Longchang complained, then frowned, "What’s he been busy with lately, why hasn’t he come to see Me?"

"Just drinking tea every day, exchanging pointers with Wang Yuchang, Wang Zhouhui, and others." Old Yao said helplessly, "Your Majesty, I feel that Shouzhe doesn’t like to move. Once he settles in a place, he doesn’t budge. Otherwise, shall this old servant go fetch him for Your Majesty?"

Emperor Longchang’s mouth twitched: "No, at this time, we must remain patient. Whoever loses patience first will end up at a disadvantage. By the way, I heard someone accused the Changning Wang Family of tax evasion? Have the Three Talents Department already started moving?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. It’s said to be a joint action by the Three Ministries, authorized by the Inner Pavilion, with the mission to avoid raising any alarms and verify evidence first." Old Yao frowned, "Your Majesty, there isn’t a single noble family in taxation that doesn’t have lapses. This matter, I fear someone is covertly targeting the Wang Family."

"Targeting? Isn’t that great?" Emperor Longchang laughed, "Once that Wang Shouzhe is down on his luck, and I lend him a hand, won’t he be grateful to Me? From then on, won’t he sincerely submit under My rule?"

"Uh... Your Majesty, could it be that you..."

"Nonsense, am I that kind of person?"

...