The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 417 Extortion

"Besides grain, there were also things like salt and iron."

These items are extremely important, so the soldiers guarding the front are still hesitant about whether to give them them!

Upon hearing this, Chang Sheng smiled and said...

"Sigh, why not give it to them? Although these are scarce resources, and they might use them to attack us, why not do something that can bring us considerable benefits?"

"Not only should this be done, but it should also be publicized extensively. Let's see where Mahmud puts his face!"

A general standing nearby frowned upon hearing this.

"Although grain is a scarce resource, our Great Ming Dynasty is not short of grain at present. In fact, we have a lot of grain, especially potatoes and the like. It is not a problem to leave some of the ballast and useless things to them!"

"But salt and iron are extremely important things. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to hand them over to them?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Sheng laughed heartily and said...

"In the past, doing this would have been somewhat inappropriate, but now there's no problem!"

Everyone was very puzzled when they heard this, but then Chang Sheng smiled and said...

"Perhaps you don't understand the strength of my Great Ming. With the strength of my Great Ming now, we don't need to care about these things at all!"

"We have as much salt as we need!"

"In fact, various border areas have begun to strictly investigate smuggling. Those who smuggle are suffering huge losses. These goods cannot be transported to the north. Goods that can actually be transported to the north can only pass through our three northern cities!"

"We can give them salt, iron, and even tea, but that won't be easy to obtain. It's not something particularly important to us, but it can be a huge bargain!"

"Tell them to exchange cattle, sheep, and warhorses for light, and bring some wool to appease the beggars?"

"In addition to these things, we also exchanged the ordinary iron that we hadn't used before for theirs."

And this news should be relayed to the tribes to the east!

"At that time, these tribes will definitely be wary of each other over these resources, and may even fight each other, which will be very advantageous for us!"

Everyone nodded after hearing this, since Zhu Xiong Ying had built a large number of steel plants.

The steel produced in their area is not only abundant but also of excellent quality. The steel produced by the small workshops in the past could not compare with theirs in terms of quality.

For this very reason, these iron ores in the interior were mostly used by local officials to defend cities.

Because the Ming Dynasty's weapons have improved significantly, the mountain bandits in these prefectures and counties are extremely distressed.

They could have lived a peaceful and carefree life by robbing and looting with their weapons, but after acquiring these new items, they realized that relying solely on their previous weapons was not enough to inflict much damage on the enemy.

Moreover, if they cause too much trouble, they will be crushed by the musketeers who are brought in.

That will be the real tragedy.

Therefore, the security situation in the entire Ming Dynasty has improved considerably. The airport's influence has permeated all parts of the Ming Dynasty, giving Zhu Xiong Ying a very strong ability to obtain intelligence, knowing exactly where there are corrupt officials or those who are doing wrong.

The West Depot would point out any wrongdoings.

Even evidence and criminal records would appear directly on their desks.

This led to a climate of fear among these officials, and as for acts of corruption and bribery, very few dared to continue, which greatly improved the situation within the Ming Dynasty.

Everyone nodded in agreement; doing so wouldn't have too much of an impact.

At this time, the envoys sent by Mahmud gathered in a tent, and the envoys were very respectful to the person next to them.

Leader, what should we do next?

The person next to him was dressed plainly and stood out in the crowd, but it turned out to be Mahmud. Who would have thought that an ordinary Captain Zhang would make Mahmud come to this place in person?

Mahmud himself had no need to come to this place, but considering the current strength of the Ming Dynasty and the fact that these three northern cities were such a prosperous place with all the trade and economy in the north, he was determined to take over this place in the future. Therefore, he had to investigate this place carefully before he could do so, so he came here in person.

Upon arriving at this place, he couldn't help but gasp.

Building cities on the grasslands is a very costly endeavor. Materials like bricks, stones, and timber are difficult to transport, and the grasslands are vast, so even if one or two cities were built, they wouldn't be of much use. Spending so much money to build a city is hardly worthwhile. Therefore, most areas on their grasslands still rely on traditional yurts.

However, when he arrived at this place, he was extremely shocked to see these cities. It was hard to imagine what kind of ability the Ming Dynasty had used to build such a city; it was truly unbelievable.

At this moment, Mahmud sighed and said with a complicated expression.

"I never imagined that in such a short time, the Ming Dynasty's national strength would have grown to such a level that it could build such a sturdy city! It's truly unbelievable!"

The person next to him heard this and whispered something as well.

"Yes, that is indeed quite incredible. I heard that the method of building this city was devised by Zhu Xiong Ying, the grandson of the Ming Dynasty!"

Mahmud frowned. This Zhu Xiong Ying would likely be his lifelong enemy in the future. Thinking of this, he sighed.

Both of them were very young, and they might be able to meet in the future. However, Mahmud was thinking too much, and Zhu Xiong Ying didn't take him seriously at all.

Then they saw the soldiers patrolling back and forth.

These patrolling soldiers are extremely elite, and taking down such an army would be no easy task, especially considering the powerful muskets they carry.

Mahmud frowned.

"Such a powerful weapon exists, could we possibly create it?"

Upon hearing this, the envoy beside him looked troubled.

"I'm afraid we can't make this. Not only is the cost of manufacturing it extremely high, but the iron it requires is also something we can't train. The iron it needs is probably high-strength steel!"

(End of this chapter)