Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

Originally, Wangshu wanted to bring the raisins, cotton, and her braised meat over, thinking that she could eat them herself or sell them on the way. It was more than 2,000 kilometers, and she would have to eat a lot of food along the way.

Later, Qin Xiuyuan sent a message saying that the general had begun to recruit merchant caravans, and at the same time, he had 300 carriages for goods and another 300 for food and fodder, but there was not much food and fodder.

After reporting that the Third Young Master wanted to bring two cargo carriages with him, Qin Shuang was very satisfied with his suggestion and promised that he could transport anything!

Wangshu was first annoyed that he had delivered the message too late, but then he thought seriously about this concession and immediately ordered Zhang San to go to the butcher shop to place an order for the skin, meat and offal of six pigs in the next two days.

Then she asked Qin Xiuyuan to ask the third young master for permission to purchase two stones of salt, because salt was heavily taxed and salt permits were paid with real money.

Qin Xiuyuan still remembers the Third Young Master's surprise. He stared with wide eyes, as if it were a far-fetched story. "You want to transport salt from our northwest to southern Yunnan?! ! ! Did you know that even the caravans don't have the guts to do that?"

To get to southern Yunnan from the northwest, one has to pass through the border between Sichuan and Jingzhou. Jingzhou is in chaos, Sichuan has heavy rain and steep terrain, and it is famous for the fact that "there is no three-day clear sky and no three-point flat land". Watching the salt turn into water due to moisture is as ridiculous as carrying water in a bamboo basket.

Seeing that he was stubborn and willing to throw the silver away, Qin Shuang was too lazy to bother talking and asked his father for two stones of salt permit. The general stipulated that these two stones of salt could only be consumed on the road and sold in southern Yunnan.

In two months, the two carriages accompanying the team actually delivered two stones of salt and a large amount of braised meat to southern Yunnan intact.

When he heard it was salt, he skipped over the rest of the braised meat, Persian vegetable seeds, and spice seeds. The translator couldn't hear anything and was shocked: "...What...salt? You...you pulled over salt?!...The kind of salt that can be eaten?..."

Sure enough, this is a miracle that ordinary people cannot believe.

When they heard that there was salt and two-month-old braised meat, the store owners all said it was impossible, absolutely impossible.

On the west side of the Diancheng military camp, Wangcai was running wildly.

Li Xin was picking his teeth with a piece of grass while lying on his back on the hillside. The sky was blue and the breeze was blowing gently. Two unloaded horses, tall and short, were eating leisurely. Li Fugui, who was guarding the tent, was taking a nap against a small tree beside the tent.

It was a day of rest. Aside from the eldest and third sons, who were entertaining guests, everyone else was at their posts. The adjutant had a dedicated translator to take him for a ride, while the ordinary elite soldiers could choose a translator to familiarize themselves with the camp, or they could go out and join in the fun.

On the first day, after two months of long journey without a good night’s sleep, most people now choose to sleep soundly.

The happy Wangcai rushed out to the path of the tent first. Li Xin immediately stood up and ran to the hillside to stand high and look into the distance. Wow, there were a lot of people, and in the middle was Qin Xiuyuan, who stood out from the crowd in appearance and height.

Damn, just because he’s handsome means he deserves a beating!

Li Xin kicked Li Fugui angrily, "Get up, the buyers are here!"

Rubbing his thigh, Li Fugui woke up and saw Li Xin's expression as if he had just eaten feces. He was speechless, but he couldn't beat him!

He was more low-key and tactful: "Others gave me money, and you are so gnashing your teeth because you have a grudge against money!"

The wealthy merchants couldn't help but eagerly witness the salt from the northwest. Li Fugui, receiving his gaze, immediately opened the carriage's doors, revealing two layers of cans neatly arranged inside. Each can was bound together with thick cotton padding, the gaps filled with straw—no, finely chopped dry straw. The bottom and sides were covered with thick straw and linen for shock absorption. Pry marks revealed that the original carriage door had been sealed slightly higher up.

Shockproof cotton, straw, and linen are densely packed. All contact surfaces are separated by thick cotton and fixed to each other in pairs to reduce the risk of collision. The straw can fill every gap and alleviate the impact force to a certain extent. The linen and cotton are fixed all around. In case of being broken or damp, these thick linens can also reduce the loss. As a second choice, they can be sold as salt cloth.

A wealthy merchant passing by noticed the wheel and exclaimed, "It's made of iron, covered with double leather!"

Everyone was amazed.

"Such an ingenious method!"

"The skill of the man driving this carriage is quite remarkable!"

"That's a brilliant idea, and you're a great driver, but it started raining along the way? How can we avoid the rain?"

Qin Xiuyuan smiled but said nothing.

Seeing that he didn't answer, she became a little uncertain, "Could the salt have gotten damp?"

"Impossible. The straw is dry and there is no salty or damp smell in the carriage."

But everyone wants to see what’s actually happening after opening the can.

Under the expectant gazes of those around him, Li Fugui opened a can, used a knife to cut the hemp rope-sealed can mouth, took out a ball of sealed cotton, and reached out to scoop up a handful. The slightly yellow coarse salt fell from his fingertips back into the can. The color was right and there was no sign of moisture.

It was actually in granular form! Everyone rushed over, crushing it with their fingers, sniffing it closely, observing it under the sun, and finally tasting it with their mouths.

"It's definitely salt!"

"Sir, how much does this salt cost?"

Salt is extremely rare in southern Yunnan, with the saying "three dan of rice for one jin of salt" being the common saying. Traditionally, there were two sources for salt: foreign horsemen, who had to traverse towering snow-capped mountains, enduring untold hardships and facing the high risk of casualties from avalanches or falls. Second, the horsemen from Sichuan and Jingzhou. However, with Jingzhou in recent years plagued by turmoil and trade, Sichuan, taking advantage of its proximity, has driven up salt prices.

"The owner of the salt asked me to explain to you that the reason this salt doesn't look like salt is because they've painstakingly used a secret method to remove all the moisture. The salt is two dan, and the finished product weighs at least two dou. But it's highly salty, high quality, and can be stored for a long time. Of course, it's also sealed to prevent moisture; a huge investment."

What kind of secret method?

"What's the price? Just tell me!"

Impatient people shout anxiously.

"It's 10% more expensive than other places. This firewood, these guys have been working for two days and two nights, their eight arms are almost broken, and their faces are like braised pork baked by the fire... It has to be more expensive! Name your price!"

With his fiancée's words still ringing in his ears, Qin Xiuyuan asked the translator and the supervisor of the palace about the price of salt, and on the way back he also asked the wealthy businessmen for a general idea.

"This salt is sold at fifty coins per pound. It's based on the weight of this pole in Yaocheng."

He raised the price by ten wen from the forty wen offered by the foreigners. Well, if it really can't be sold, we can lower it further. And there's also what she taught us, "After you bid, keep your price steady, calm, and confident. If we're really being unrealistic, you can offer a discount for buying more! If that doesn't work, we can just ask them for the goods I want and do business with them..."

The wealthy businessmen exchanged glances, tilted their heads, and walked aside, mumbling in their local dialect, "Jili Gugu, Jili Gugu..."

They didn't understand a word I said.

Not to mention the wealthy businessmen, even Tang Bo, Zhang San, Li Xin, and Li Fugui were all stunned! This is really a bold shout! The lion opened his mouth wide!

As they had agreed beforehand, they forced themselves to remain calm, went to lead the horses, amuse Wangcai, and joke with each other from time to time.

"...Well done, Uncle Tang! I was stunned when you pulled out this scale to sell braised meat on the street. Now Qin Xiuyuan has pulled out this scale to regulate weights. Your man is really smart!"

This brain is not that of an ordinary person!