The head of the Zhang Clan replied gravely.
“Yes, clan head!”
Zhang Jian was delighted.
…
In the Wang Family Residence, Wang Chong was seated in his study, and placed on the table before him was a deed. Under his instructions, Meng Long had led a team to search the mountains around the spirit vein and dug at the potential locations of an ore deposit. Eventually, after spending a huge amount of manpower, resources, and time, they finally found the ore deposit in Wang Chong’s memory at twenty li northwest of the spirit vein.
(~10km)
He then spent another eighty thousand gold taels to buy the entire mountain of the ore deposit at the Court of Judicial Review.
And thus, Wang Chong earned himself another huge fortune.
However, accruing money wasn’t Wang Chong’s motive. Wang Chong didn’t intend to use this mine to earn money.
A war was a battle of resources as much as it was a battle of manpower!
Every single war machine counted in a battle!
And Wang Chong intended to use this massive mine to build himself gigantic war machines.
Under the circumstances that both armies were equal in terms of strength, the one that was better armed would possess a huge advantage.
This could be clearly seen by the might of the Abbasid Caliphate army equipped with Wootz steel in his previous life.
‘Those who analyze more in advance tend to be the winner whereas those who analyze less tend to lose. Since that is the case, lest needs to be said about those who don’t analyze at all.’ This is one of the adages on Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
A battle has already begun long before it is fought.
No one knew more clearly than Wang Chong how many huge wars there would be in the future. Regardless of whether it was the Hyderabad ores of the massive ore deposit, to Wang Chong, they were all in preparation for the wars to come.
Only by preparing from the very start would he be able to deal with the catastrophe of the future!
——Even if no one knew about it except for him.
However, a very practical dilemma laid itself before him:
Despite sitting atop a huge fortune and a massive superior ore mine, Wang Chong didn’t possess the capability to even develop it, needless to say, utilize it to create an abundance of war machines!
Wang Chong was capable of forging the astounding Wootz steel saber, Death’s Abyss, which was worth three hundred thousand gold taels, but the construction of war machine required massive manpower.
And Wang Chong wasn’t skilled in this aspect.
“Perhaps it’s time for me to approach a swordsmithing clan!”
Wang Chong thought.
In the capital, there were no better swordsmithing clans than the Zhang, Cheng, Huang, and Lu Clan. In terms of scale, manpower, and resources, they far surpassed Wang Chong’s capability as an individual.
“Young master, the Zhang Clan’s Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian request to meet you!”
Just as Wang Chong was deep in thought, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear. Turning around to take a look, he saw Shen Hai walking into the room.
“Hahaha, great! Truly, speak of the devil! Hurry up and invite them in!”
Wang Chong’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly stood up from his seat.
…
Wang Chong met Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian at the lounge.
Wang Chong didn’t change much in the past few months, but on the other hand, Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian subconsciously started acting a little restrained before him.
The same people, yet under different conditions.
Right now, Wang Chong no longer needed them. It was them who needed Wang Chong!
“Wang gongzi, we are here for the Hyderabad mine. We would like to ask if Wang gongzi is interested in working with us…”
Zhang Jian pondered for a moment, and eventually, he decided to dive straight into the topic.
Even though he was the one who brought up the idea, he knew how implausible it was. There was a high possibility that Wang Chong would refuse them outright.
Yet, reality caught the duo off guard.
“Alright!”
That single word caused the duo to suddenly freeze. The large lounge suddenly fell deathly silent.
“Alright?”
Zhang Jian’s mind turned blank in shock, and Zhang Jian instinctively repeated Wang Chong’s reply doubtfully.
“Alright!”
Wang Chong repeated his answer calmly.
“Alright?”
Zhang Cong was stunned as well. He couldn’t believe his own ears.
This time, they came here with the future of the entire clan weighing on their back.
In truth, they were already prepared for failure. Yet, Wang Chong’s simple answer caught them by surprise.
Alright!
Even when hearing it with their own ears, they couldn’t help but doubt if they were dreaming!
Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian stared at each other, and they could see the delight and astonishment in the other’s eyes. Happiness came too unexpectedly.
Hu!
Zhang Jian took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. Contained within the Wootz steel trade were massive profits and opportunities. No rational man would agree to this matter so easily.
Zhang Jian knew that there had to be conditions to Wang Chong’s agreement.
“Then, may I know what gongzi‘s request is?”
Zhang Jian asked carefully.
Appreciation flashed across Wang Chong’s face. Indeed, it was much easier to communicate with smart people.
“I wish to become a stakeholder of the Zhang Clan!”
Wang Chong revealed his motive.
“Stakeholder?”
Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian stared at the youngster before them with a frown on their face. In their entire life, perhaps due to their ignorance, they had never heard of the term ‘stakeholder’.
“What does that mean?”
Zhang Cong asked in bewilderment.
Chapter 51: Charax Spasinu Merchant, Mosaide
“Wang Chong, Wang Chong… You’re finally here! I would be at a loss if you didn’t arrive soon!”
The moment Wang Chong stepped into the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wei Hao immediately rushed out, drenched in sweat.
“What’s wrong?”
Wang Chong frowned. He stared at Wei Hao with a bizarre look.
Wei Hao was a straightforward person, and there was rarely anything he could worry him. This was the first time that he had seen him get so anxious.
“Something happened! Something big has happened! The ones who want to ruin your business came!”
Panicking, Wei Hao stuttered.
“Calm down, speak slowly. Even if the sky falls, I’ll be there to shoulder it! What do you mean by ruin my business?”
Wang Chong said as he did a calming gesture.
Perhaps it was due to Wang Chong’s tranquil attitude, Wei Hao gradually calmed down. Then, he recounted the matter to Wang Chong. It turns out that yesterday evening, when Wei Hao was about to return, a Charax Spasinu merchant named Mosaide suddenly arrived.
That fellow kept speaking inarticulate Chinese. From the very start, he kept speaking all kinds of praises for the swords in the Central Plains, something about how it was unthinkable, and how the swords were like compared to the Western Regions.
Wei Hao was delighted of the thought that he had finally met someone he could leech off. However, in the blink of an eye, the other party suddenly took out a saber and requested to challenge Wang Chong.
Only then did Wei Hao realize that ‘Bastard, that fellow is here to ruin the business!’.
Given Wei Hao’s nature, he immediately demanded the other party to leave. Yet, at that moment, the fellow started to feign that he was unable to understand what Wei Hao was speaking, saying words like ‘My Chinese is not good, I don’t understand what you are saying!’.
All in all,
he stubbornly sat in the Bluebottle Pavilion, resolute to face-off against the sword that Wang Chong had hung on the pavilion. Wei Hao had argued with him for a long time, and the ruckus they had caused had attracted the attention of quite a few people. In fact, the business of Bluebottle Pavilion had been impacted as well.
Wei Hao wanted to throw him out, but this fellow seemed to be a weapon trader. In addition to the fact, he was loaded with money. As long as he didn’t break the rules, Wei Hao wasn’t in a good position to evict him.
“Wang Chong, if you were any later, I might have collapsed from the pressure! The fellow kept prattling on how he wanted to hang his weapon on the Bluebottle Pavilion to display it before everyone else, and that since you were able to do so, why can’t he do the same? Then, the argument started to escalate to the relationship between Central Plains and Charax Spasinu! I really can’t deal with him.”
Wei Hao spoke everything which he had bore in his stomach out. He thought that selling Wang Chong’s sword would be simple, and that it would just involve passing over the product and taking the other party’s money. He didn’t expect for it to get so complicated.
“Where’s that Charax Spasinu merchant?”
Wang Chong asked.
“He’s inside. I’ve stalled him for now, saying that we’ll chat after you arrive.”
The moment Wang Chong appeared, Wei Hao seemed to have found his pillar of support and calmed down.
“Let’s go, bring me to him!”
Wang Chong had someone prepare a room for the two Sinhi monks before following behind Wei Hao.
…
In one of the rooms inside the Bluebottle Pavilion, Wang Chong finally met with the Charax Spasinu merchant that Wei Hao spoke of.
“You are Mosaide?”
Wang Chong stared at the bearded man before him.
“You’re the owner of the sword?”
Mosaide stared at Wang Chong in shock. He didn’t expect the owner of the sword to be just a teenager.
However, upon seeing Wang Chong nod his head in response to his question, he dumped all of his thoughts to the back of his head. His passion for swords had allowed him to disregard everything else. Age or whatsoever weren’t in his list of concerns.
“Great! I like your sword a lot. You must be an incredible swordmaster! This is a top-notch saber from Charax Spasinu, as well as a sword that I value greatly. I want to face-off with you!”
Mosaide stood up from his rattan chair with a passionate expression.
“Didn’t I say it already? It’s not allowed!”
Wei Hao lashed out. Why wouldn’t this fellow listen to anything he said? If not for Chamberlain of Dependencies’s order to treat all foreign guests and merchants with respect, and one was strictly forbidden from laying their hands on them, he would have thrown him out long ago.
“Sure!”
Wang Chong replied.
That simple word of his seemed to contain endless magical strength. The entire room suddenly turned completely silent and still.
Wei Hao stared at Wang Chong in shock with his mouth was wide opened, unable to believe his ears.
The reason why he had rushed down to find Wang Chong and stalled for time was so that Wang Chong could reject his offer. Otherwise, he could have just accepted his request yesterday.
However, despite all of the efforts he had put into rejecting the other party, Wang Chong immediately accepted the other party’s request without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Mosaide was also surprised.
He had been to the other weapon shops, and when he first entered, the other party would be extremely passionate. However, when he brought up such a request, they would all reject him and urge him out of their shops.
Before this, the gongzi (Wei Hao) had tried all means to reject his request. Mosaide had also prepared a long speech to convince the swordsmith to cross blows with him. Yet, despite it, the other party accepted his request readily.
This caused Mosaide to be stunned.
“Wang Chong, you’re insane!”
Wei Hao finally recovered from his shock, and disregarding Mosaide’s presence, he grabbed Wang Chong’s arm and dragged him to the room beside.
“That fellow is obviously here to ruin your business. You know that he’s up to no good, so why did you agree to his request?”
Wei Hao said flustered in a suppressed voice.
Wang Chong’s decision caught him off-guard. As the situation was too far off from what he had expected initially, he was unable to accept it all of a sudden.
“Calm down!”
Wang Chong smiled as he waved his hand, gesturing for Wei Hao to calm down.
Honestly speaking, Wang Chong had been aiming for the Imperial Army from the very start, and the merchants from the Western Regions weren’t within his consideration.
However, Mosaide’s appearance was an opportunity to Wang Chong. As long as he made full use of it, it would be nothing but beneficial to him.
“That Mosaide doesn’t have any ill intentions! Contrary to your expectations, he isn’t here to ruin my business.”
Wang Chong explained with a smile.
Wei Hao may not know much about Mosaide, but Wang Chong, who possessed decades of memories behind him, knew clearly that Mosaide’s actions bore no ill intentions.
This could mainly be attributed to the different habits and culture between Charax Spasinu, Abbasid Caliphate and Central Plains.
In Charax Spasinu and Abbasid Caliphate, most people had a habit that when purchasing swords, they would test their own sword against the other.
If the other party’s sword was of higher quality than theirs, such that it was able to shatter their own sword, they would happily buy the better sword. But if it was the opposite, they would ignore it.
This was the usual custom in Charax Spasinu and Abbasid Caliphate, and such actions were silently approved by the entire industry.
Through such actions, the poor quality swords were eliminated. As such, all of the swords remaining were mainly high quality ones, and the difference in quality wasn’t too great.
Thus, the weapon industry in the Charax Spasinu and Abbasid Caliphate kept improving, and the quality of weapons produced in the Western Regions was continuously being brought to greater heights, resulting in the prosperity of the industry.
This kind of top tier swords was often able to receive a price worthy of its quality. Along with such a custom, the social standing of the master swordsmiths was heightened and they were respected figures in the west.
With the passing of time, the prosperity of the weapon industry in the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu far exceeded that of the Central Plains.
And everyone in the two countries benefitted from such a custom.
Based on Wang Chong’s memory, a few years later, the weapon traders from these two countries would start to venture into the Central Plains, bringing such a custom along with them here.
The weapons of the east and west would clash together; the forging techniques and aesthetics would clash together; the customs and behaviors would clash together…
Based on Wang Chong’s recollection, it was after the weapon merchants of the Central Plains started to accept such a custom that the price in the Central Plains started to soar rapidly.
Only with competition will there be prosperity!
When the Central Plains started to accept and get used to competition, the weapon industry in the Central Plains also began to improve by leaps and bounds, and ushered in an era of prosperity for weapons.
When master swordsmiths started to spend more effort and time on their weapons, when master swordsmiths started to have higher expectations of the weapon they created… A qualitative change in the weapon industry of the Central Plains was induced.
When the high-quality weapons created by the blacksmiths were able to be sold for even higher prices, and they had seen the rewards of their efforts for themselves, they would go ahead and forge more t
op-notch weapons.
This worked in a virtuous cycle, and everyone within the process benefitted.
Knowing the future of the Central Plains, Wang Chong was not resistant to the idea of the Charax Spasinu merchant. On the contrary, he intended to make full use of the matter, and it was highly possible that it may prove to be extremely beneficial to his plan.
“Even so, you shouldn’t have agreed to that request!”
Even after hearing Wang Chong explain the sales custom in Charax Spasinu, Wei Hao’s expression didn’t calm down in the least. His face was still marked with worry:
“You don’t know how sharp those weapons from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu are. Those swords are capable of cutting through floating hair. A Western Region trader had once gifted my father a scimitar, and it easily broke the other sword which my father had treasured for numerous years. I’ve seen it for myself. It was because I know how incredible those fellows are that I kept rejecting his request!”
Wei Hao was still extremely worried. In the Central Plains, the blades of the Western Region still weren’t famous yet. However, due to his father, Duke of Wei, Wei Hao understood how powerful the weapons of the Charax Spasinu and Abbasid Caliphate were.
“You are worried that I would lose to him?”
Wang Chong chuckled.
“This…”
Wei Hao was at a loss for words.
“Rest assured, I know how powerful the sword I crafted is. I won’t lose to him.”
Wang Chong smiled.
Wang Chong knew of how powerful the swords from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu were. He had seen many of them in his previous life. However, Wang Chong was even more confident in his own weapons.
In this era, it was impossible for a weapon that was stronger than one forged from Wootz steel to exist.
…
After placating Wei Hao, Wang Chong walked back into Mosaide’s room.
“Master! You’ve agreed to it!”
After Wang Chong walked in, Mosaide eyes immediately lit up as he said:
“Don’t worry, I understand the difference in the rules between the Central Plains and Charax Spasinu. If your weapon was damaged in the midst of doing so, I will compensate you. On the other hand, it would be even better if you can break my saber. ——If so, I am willing to purchase your weapon at a much higher price!”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 84
