Tie Niao Fei greeted Xie Hong Lang with a cupped fist: "Big Boss Xie, it's finally good to see you. Looks like you've brought quite a lot this time."
His gaze shifted toward the three ships.
On all three ships, the crew was unloading. The ship with oil barrels had a group of salt peddlers disembarking, while the warship was unloading soldiers—many soldiers, some in armor, some carrying spears, others with waist knives, crossbows, and even several holding fire guns. The equipment on these soldiers was even better than that of the official army.
The third flat-bottomed ship was unloading horses!
As the horses disembarked, soldiers swiftly mounted them, their actions fluid and practiced, clearly well-trained cavalry.
Tie Niao Fei was secretly stunned. What kind of extravagant setup is this? Is this how a salt smuggler should operate?
He then saw Gao Chuwu shuffle over, his head down. Xie Hong Lang immediately grabbed him and pulled him into the group, smiling as she said, "This is my husband, known in the Jianghu as 'Big Fool.' He's a famous hero from Shanxi."
Tie Niao Fei thought to himself, Famous? I've never heard of him. I've heard of Wang Jiaying, Zijin Liang, Bai Yuzhu, Chuang Wang, Bu Zhan Ni, Wang Zuo Gua… but who the hell is this Big Fool?
Xie Hong Lang gave him a sharp look, "What, you look down on my husband?"
Tie Niao Fei quickly corrected himself, "Not at all, not at all. This Big Fool, he certainly looks like a real hero."
Gao Chuwu grinned and said, "You're a good guy, you know how to flatter."
Tie Niao Fei thought to himself, No wonder he's called Big Fool. This guy doesn't even understand basic flattery.
He leaned closer to Xie Hong Lang, speaking in a low voice, "Big Boss Xie, this… what's going on here?"
Xie Hong Lang whispered back, "Like you see, I've rebelled! My husband has several hundred brothers under him, and they're here to help me. Now, I've got ships, soldiers, and grain. Heh, I'm here to deal with those who've been bullying my hometown folks."
As soon as she finished speaking, applause broke out from the people gathered at the dock.
"Alright!"
"Big Boss Xie is here to back us up!"
"Those bastards who've been raiding us are finished!"
"Big Boss Xie, I'm starving!"
Hearing these cheers, Xie Hong Lang didn't waste any time. She waved her hand, "Start unloading the goods!"
The tarp covering the cargo ship was lifted, revealing sacks of flour. Large sacks upon large sacks filled the ship, stacked to the brim. A salt peddler carried a bag of flour to the shore and opened it, allowing everyone to take a look.
Even though they had already guessed the cargo would be grain, seeing it in person still shocked them.
"All bags are full of grain?"
"This whole ship is full of grain?"
"My God, how many pounds of grain are on this ship?"
"Good heavens, this one ship could feed an entire town for months!"
Tie Niao Fei was left in a daze, "Big Boss Xie, where did you get all this grain?"
Xie Hong Lang chuckled, "It's a blessing from heaven."
Tie Niao Fei wasn't buying her answer. Blessing from heaven? Please, don't try to fool me. You're hiding your sources. With this kind of supply channel, I wouldn't say a word either if I were in your shoes. The more I monopolize the supply, the more I make.
"Big Boss Xie, enough with the pleasantries. Let's talk about the price for this grain," Tie Niao Fei asked, getting to the point.
This was the same question on everyone's mind. They all weighed their thin purses and thought, Last time, Big Boss Xie sold grain at 400 wen per dou. This time, surely it won't rise, right?
Before they could finish thinking, Xie Hong Lang's voice rang out loudly, "This time, it's 200 wen per dou!"
"Wow!"
The crowd erupted in joy.
At this point, the grain prices in Shanxi had skyrocketed to 800 wen per dou, and even then, it was hard to get a hold of. But now, Xie Hong Lang had slashed the price by more than half. This wasn't just business—it was practically charity.
The people rushed forward in excitement.
"I'll take two dou!"
"I need five jin!"
"Twenty jin."
The crowd was in an uproar.
Tie Niao Fei, however, didn't rush. Unlike the small players, when he made a move, he took several carts' worth. "Heh," he chuckled, "Big Boss Xie, with this price, if I buy from you, I'll be too embarrassed to sell it for a higher price."
Xie Hong Lang gave a mischievous smile, "Of course you can't sell it high. Look at my ships behind me. I don't just have this one, I've got a second ship, a third ship, a fourth… How much grain do you need? I've got it all."
She grinned again, "This time I'm back in Shanxi specifically to crush the grain prices. Anyone who dares hoard grain and raise prices, I'll make sure they go bankrupt and end up selling their pants!"
Tie Niao Fei gasped, "So much? What about when the next ship comes? Will the price drop even further?"
Xie Hong Lang smiled, "Exactly! My ultimate goal is to bring the price of grain back to the normal price from the usual years."
Tie Niao Fei thought to himself, Normal price? You mean seven wen per jin?
This…
In that instant, Tie Niao Fei switched his thinking. He decided he'd better not sell the grain after all. It wasn't his line of business, and he knew too well that if he kept selling it, Xie Hong Lang might target him as the next one to bring down.
"I'll stick to selling salt," he said with a smile. "Last time, Big Boss Xie asked for salt, and I was happy to oblige. I've got quite a bit for you this time."
He led Xie Hong Lang toward the thatched hut and opened the door, pointing inside.
Xie Hong Lang glanced inside, where several dozen sacks of salt were piled up. These sacks might be enough to supply an entire town for a year or more, but for the industrial-scale saltworks in Gaojia village, this wasn't even close to enough.
She pointed to the ships behind her, "See these ships? Bringing this little bit of salt over won't look too good, don't you think? You can't even fill one of my ships with it. Can't you bring something more substantial to fill up my ships?"
Tie Niao Fei was stunned, "What? These giant ships—how much salt do you want? How many people would need to eat that much salt in a lifetime?"
Xie Hong Lang shrugged, "Don't worry about how many people will eat it. I just want more salt. This won't cut it. I'll have to personally go to Xiechi."
Tie Niao Fei looked at her army of soldiers and lowered his voice, "Big Boss Xie, are you planning to march all the way to Xiechi? The Imperial Army is stationed in the north of Xiechi. If you go and take the salt by force, things could get very ugly."
"I'm not stupid," Xie Hong Lang replied. "The Imperial Army is to the north of Xiechi. I plan to circle around the southern side and contact the salt workers there. It's been a few years since I last dealt in salt, and I'm not familiar with the route. You'll guide me and help me sort the salt supply lines. Of course, you'll be generously rewarded."
Tie Niao Fei chuckled, "I'm quite familiar with the southern side of Xiechi. But… for the route guide… Big Boss Xie, how about we discuss the price?"