Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

The candlelight danced in front of Qin Ming.

The words "Zhu's Iron Smelting" cast a swaying shadow on the secret report.

His fingertips slid across the rough paper, as if he could touch the cold ores buried deep underground that controlled countless destinies.

"Elder Song."

Qin Ming's voice broke the silence in the camp tent, carrying with it a certainty that he was in control of the chess game.

"The Zhu family occupies the heart of the Hexi Corridor and is renowned for its Xiliang iron. Seventy percent of their iron ore is shipped to the Shenmu Kingdom for armor casting, while thirty percent is melted through secret channels into swords and spears for the Red Blood Alliance rebels."

"Cutting off their financial resources would cause them greater pain than simply chopping off Old Master Zhu's head."

Elder Song frowned:

"Your Majesty, we understand. However, the Zhu family has been operating the mines for generations, and their roots are deep. They are deeply intertwined with the tribes of the Western Regions, the powerful in Shenmu, and even certain forces within the Great Wall. A direct military action could lead to a ripple effect."

"You're talking about ore prices...where do you start?"

The cold curve at the corner of Qin Ming's mouth deepened.

He pushed open the map and pointed to several inconspicuous marks deep in the Hexi Corridor.

"The Zhu family may seem to have a monopoly, but in reality, it's not a monopoly. Firstly, not all nobles in Shenmu are willing to tolerate the Zhu family's increasingly greedy pricing. This is especially true for some newly rising military lords, who have a huge demand for armor but struggle with the high cost."

"Secondly, the Zhu family's mines aren't the only ones in the Western Regions. It's just that the Zhu family, relying on their geographical advantages and years of operation, have squeezed out other small miners. They can only sell their ore to the Zhu family at low prices, who then resell it at higher prices."

He picked up a black chess piece representing the caravan and tapped it lightly on several marks.

"I have ordered people to do three things."

"Contact the powerful generals in Shenmu Kingdom who are dissatisfied with the Zhu family's prices and offer them more favorable long-term contracts. Of course, the supplier for the time being will not be us, but the alliance of small miners exploited by the Zhu family. My secret envoys are traveling across the Shenmu border with sincerity and access."

“It’s so fast.”

When Elder Song heard what Qin Ming said, a look of shock suddenly appeared on his face.

He knew that Qin Ming had been paying attention to the situation inside the Shenmu Kingdom, but he didn't expect that Qin Ming had already started a big game.

He even arranged all his people to go there early on.

You know, the arrangements they had made for Changbaishan and Liuyueli have not yet been completed.

But Qin Ming trusted them very much, and before they finished, he had already started laying the groundwork for what they needed to do after their victory.

It seems that Qin Ming is very confident in his arrangements.

This is what surprised Elder Song very much.

You have to know that the weapons and armor that the people have are actually not that many.

The chances of winning when encountering a regular army are very slim, but Qin Ming has such great confidence in Liu Yueli and Chang Baishan.

It is even very courageous to be able to invest resources and pave the way for their future victory.

Qin Ming didn't notice the turbulent waves in Elder Song's heart, and just continued speaking.

"There's a second one."

Qin Ming picked up another white chess piece.

"My imperial merchants have quietly arrived at the small mining areas that were oppressed by the Zhu family. They have signed exclusive purchase contracts with prices 30% higher than the Zhu family's. Cash payment is required, and there is no deception."

When Qin Ming and his colleagues do business, they always settle the payment and goods.

As long as he could make a deal with them, Qin Ming would pay all the money to the other party as he wished in the end.

Compared to many other businesses.

This is much better, because some people like to hold back goods or money when buying things in business, so as to increase their trust.

But now, Qin Ming has directly overcome these suspicions by relying on the huge size and strong reputation of Tongbao Pavilion, which naturally makes many people very willing to cooperate with him.

A gleam of light flashed in Elder Song's eyes.

I immediately understood what Qin Ming meant.

"Your Majesty, are you... cutting off the source of the trouble? You're taking away the raw materials at exorbitant prices, leaving the Zhu family with no more mines to mine! At the same time, are you secretly supporting a coalition of smaller miners to bypass the Zhu family and supply directly to Shenmu buyers?"

"good."

Qin Ming nodded.

The reason why the matter has to be handed over to Elder Song is because he can quickly guess what I am thinking, which makes things much easier.

"The Zhu family's massive smelting workshops and transportation network consume millions daily. If the source of raw materials is cut off, or costs skyrocket, they will either halt production or incur massive losses to maintain operations. Either option will be their Achilles' heel."

"I see. Is this the entire plan? Your Majesty truly foresees everything so well and plans every step carefully."

The chief elder immediately praised him. In his opinion, this was already the extreme.

They can quickly curb the other party's actions.

The Zhu family is likely to suffer a major blow in a short period of time, and all the methods Qin Ming mentioned are easy to implement.

"it's not finished yet."

Seeing him so anxious, Qin Ming immediately waved his hand and spoke to him.

"What!?"

Elder Song looked at Qin Ming in disbelief. He didn't expect that things had not yet ended at this point. Did Qin Ming have any plans for the next step?

Qin Ming's tone turned cold, as hard as iron.

"Order the border troops and Rusted Knife to closely monitor all secret trade routes leading to the Red Blood Alliance's controlled areas. Any caravan carrying Zhu family-marked iron ingots or ore, regardless of size, will be treated as aiding the enemy and treasonous. The goods will be confiscated and the personnel will be detained! I want not a single piece of Zhu family iron to reach the Red Blood Alliance's pockets!"

Elder Song took a deep breath, as if he saw an invisible but deadly giant net.

It is slowly tightening the Zhu family's throat at the economic lifeline.

"This is a brilliant plan! However, the Zhu family has been operating for many years and has a keen sense of smell. If they realize that their raw materials have been intercepted and their sales channels are blocked, they will definitely launch a fierce counterattack. They have close ties with the Western Region horse bandits, sand bandits, and even certain tribal chiefs. I'm afraid..."

"Then let them move!"

Qin Ming stood up suddenly, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, penetrating the tent and looking towards the northwest direction of Zhujiabao.

"I'm waiting for them to make a move! The Liu family in the county city is openly rebelling. I will strike them with thunder. If the Zhu family dares to use force to plunder the mines and kill the caravans, it will be an opportunity for me to use! Then, I will be able to crush the rebellion with a legitimate reason, and the tribes in the Western Regions will have nothing to say!"

With Daqian's strength, he is fully qualified to say this.

Qin Ming was not afraid of them at all, as well as Changbaishan and Liu Yueli who were located in the Shenmu Kingdom.

With the help of both insiders and outsiders, they can easily deal with these guys.

He walked to the edge of the tent and opened the curtain. The cold night wind from the Western Regions blew in, bringing with it dust and the chill of the distant snow-capped mountains.

"The dispatch of information to Changbai Mountain, the aftermath of the county city, and the pacification of Wei Zhong are all under the sole authority of Military Advisor Liu and you. Rest for ten days, deploy elite troops with minimal equipment, and secretly move west. Deploy troops at the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor and await your orders! The death knell for the Zhu family has sounded!"