Tie Niaofei laughed heartily and slid forward a small lacquered tray.
Silver gleamed.
The Salt Inspector's eyes swept over it once—and his breath caught.
Fifty taels. At least.
Pure silver.
A fine opening salute, he thought. This one isn't here to chat.
His face immediately softened into something resembling kindness. "Master Tie," he said pleasantly, "you're always so… sincere. Speak. What business brings you today?"
Tie Niaofei replied calmly, "I hope the esteemed inspector might once again allocate to me the output of an entire salt village."
The Salt Inspector's smile vanished as if wiped away by a sleeve.
"An entire village again?" he barked. "Last time I did that, look what happened! You spoiled those salt artisans rotten. Once silver touched their hands, they stopped listening to me altogether! They vanished overnight, leaving the village empty and my output in shambles!"
Tie Niaofei nearly laughed.
Vanished?
Brother, they didn't flee—they were escorted away with drums and banners to make private salt for us.
And now I'm here to repeat the trick—and you're still none the wiser.
But outwardly, Tie Niaofei sighed gravely. "Esteemed sir, that cannot be blamed on me. Your wages are simply too low. Two wen per jin? I hear you charge me twenty wen per jin! If you raised their pay even slightly, they'd never dream of running."
The Salt Inspector snorted. "You think I'm some benevolent merchant? They're dogs. Give them a bone and they should wag their tails. Meat? Hah. Know your place."
Tie Niaofei cursed inwardly.
You piece of—
He forced a smile. "Very well. The artisans are a minor matter. But I truly need salt. Please, just one more village."
The Salt Inspector shook his head decisively. "Impossible. That salt is already reserved."
"For whom?" Tie Niaofei asked.
"For a court-authorized supplier," the inspector said smugly. "A holder of salt warrants. Border army business. Absolute priority."
Tie Niaofei's heart sank.
Jin merchants.
Of course.
Since the founding of the dynasty, the frontier armies had devoured supplies like a bottomless pit. The court, lacking logistical muscle, created the Kai Zhong system—let merchants deliver grain and goods to the border in exchange for salt warrants.
Thus were born the Jin merchants.
Salt, tea, iron, cloth.
Legal monopoly.
Imperial endorsement.
Wealth vast enough to drown counties.
Compared to them, Tie Niaofei—a salt smuggler skulking in shadows—was barely dust.
One Jin merchant could crush his entire operation with a casual wave of the hand.
Damn it all.
Why now?
If I fail Dao Xuan Tianzun's decree, I'll offend a god—and gods don't negotiate prices.
Before he could press further, footsteps approached.
A man entered, dressed in impeccable merchant silks, posture straight, presence heavy. He didn't need to speak. Commerce itself seemed to follow him.
The Salt Inspector didn't bother with introductions.
He didn't need to.
Tie Niaofei recognized him instantly.
Huang Yunfa.
One of Shanxi's Eight Great Jin Merchants.
Salt. Tea. Ironware. Textiles. Caravans stretching beyond the horizon.
And rumors—always rumors—of goods flowing north of the Wall into Manchu hands.
Unproven, of course.
Always unproven.
Tie Niaofei knew better than to linger. He clasped his fists to the Salt Inspector, turned, and left without another word.
Outside, a lieutenant frowned. "Boss… what now?"
Tie Niaofei exhaled heavily. "What else? Back to Gudu Ferry. We beg the Dao Xuan Tianzun for help. Against Huang Yunfa's silver mountains, only divine cheating might work."
They had barely taken two steps—
CLANG—CLANG—CLANG!
Alarm bells screamed from the eastern wall.
A lone horseman burst through the gates, voice shredded raw.
"REBELS! The rebels are here! They've come for the salt!"
Tie Niaofei froze.
Run?
No.
If he ran now, he'd lose all intelligence.
He turned and climbed the city wall.
Eastward—blackness.
A sea of heads surged forward, banners snapping like thunder. At the center, one enormous character flapped violently in the wind:
"CHUǍNG."
Tie Niaofei's blood ran cold.
"Chuǎng Wang…" he whispered. "Third-ranked general under Wang Jiayin. This man fights like a butcher with an army for a cleaver."
Before the rebel vanguard, officials and salt artisans fled in chaos, pouring toward Hedong Circuit. Entire lakeside settlements were being abandoned in minutes.
Panic rolled like a wave.
The Salt Inspector came scrambling up, helmet crooked, face pale. "Rebels? Here? Hedong Circuit isn't some dirt county! How dare they—"
Then he saw the army.
His legs nearly gave out.
At that moment, Huang Yunfa arrived—unhurried, unafraid. He glanced once at the rebel mass and sneered.
"Disorganized rabble," he said. "Inspector, no need to panic. Let my guards strike first. You follow with a flank. This will end quickly."
The Salt Inspector stared.
Huang Yunfa turned calmly. "Deploy the guard."
At once, gates thundered open.
His personal guards surged out.
Cavalry.
Disciplined. Armored. Moving like a blade drawn clean from its sheath.
Among them, a small unit stood out—taller, broader, faces sharp and foreign.
Tie Niaofei's heart thumped.
"That squad…" he muttered. "They look like Manchus."
His subordinate whispered, "If accused, he'll say they're northern herdsmen."
The charge thundered.
Spears pierced. Sabers flashed.
The rebels broke.
Chuǎng Wang's vanguard collapsed into chaos.
The Salt Inspector gaped.
These… these are merchant guards?!
He roared, finding courage where fear had been. "Charge!"
Hedong Circuit's forces poured out.
And Chuǎng Wang's army—moments ago unstoppable—was driven back in humiliating disorder.
Tie Niaofei stared at the battlefield.
Silver.
Salt.
Armies.
And somewhere far away—
A wooden god was quietly rearranging fate.
Trivia:
Jin Merchants, the Manchus, and the Fall of Ming
1. Who were the Jin merchants—really?
The Jin merchants (晋商) were not just rich traders. They were a proto-financial class that emerged from Shanxi during the Ming Dynasty.
Their core advantages:
State-sanctioned salt monopolies (via the Kai Zhong system)
Control of long-distance logistics (grain, tea, iron, horses)
Early forms of banking and credit (piaohao / draft banks)
Close ties to border garrisons and military supply chains
By the late Ming, some Jin merchant families possessed capital rivaling provincial treasuries.
They weren't merchants serving the state anymore.
They were merchants the state depended on.
2. Did Jin merchants really trade with the Manchus?
Yes—but not officially, and not all of them.
Historical records and Qing-era accounts indicate:
Many Jin merchants engaged in gray-zone trade with Jurchen/Manchu tribes
Goods included:
Salt
Iron tools
Cloth
Tea
Horses
Sometimes weapons or metal indirectly
Why?
Northern trade routes were dangerous and under-policed
Manchu leaders paid reliably
The Ming state often couldn't pay on time
Merchants follow silver, not loyalty.
3. Was this treason?
From a legal standpoint: often yes.
From a practical standpoint: the Ming court frequently looked away.
Why the court tolerated it:
Border armies relied on merchant logistics
Officials themselves were bribed or indebted
Enforcement risked collapsing frontier supply lines
In short:
They did not light the fire—
but they sold oil to whoever held the torch.