xymnovel Chapter 109 I can take on two
Chapter 109 I can take on two
Hearing Tong Meng's strange noises from inside the house, the people outside burst into laughter.
"What's wrong with my brother? His voice sounds so strange."
"Perhaps he's been abstinent from women for a long time and is getting impatient."
"Haha, perhaps you've had too much to drink and can't get things done?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Some people laughed along with them, and several people laughed together, but suddenly their smiles froze. When they turned around, they saw two more people behind them. Both of them were dressed as Taoist priests. One was handsome and had an extraordinary demeanor, while the other had the air of a highly accomplished Taoist master.
It was Wang Lun and Gongsun Sheng.
Before the men could react, Wang Lun had already struck, punching and kicking them until they were knocked to the ground. Then, rubbing his fist, he stepped on one of them and asked, "Is it Tong Wei or Tong Meng inside?"
The man quickly replied, "It's Tong Meng inside."
Wang Lun asked, "Where are Tong Wei and Li Jun?"
The man was taken aback, wondering who the other party was who knew the names of the three leaders of the Salt Gang. He dared not conceal anything and said, "Gang Leader Tong Wei has been very busy these past few days and probably hasn't rested yet. Gang Leader Li Jun is not in Luzhou; he's most likely in Jieyang Ridge right now."
"Alright. I'll let you go. Go and call Tong Wei here. Tell him that only he can come alone. If he brings anyone with him, be careful, Tong Meng's life will be in danger."
Wang Lun released his foot, and the man immediately scrambled to his feet and ran for his life.
Gongsun Sheng and Zhao Si, who were hiding at the door, tied up the people on the ground with ropes and threw them into the house.
Inside the house, Tong Meng was being tossed around like a plaything by Wu Song and Lu Zhishen, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He was finally thrown into a corner, his whole body aching.
He was already drunk, and he lay on the ground vomiting repeatedly until he had vomited up most of the alcohol in his stomach, and his dizziness gradually subsided.
By this time, Zhao Si had already lit the candles, and Tong Meng could finally see that there were four Taoist priests and a huge monk in the room. Judging from their figures, he had already identified the two who had tricked him earlier, and he began to think about how to take revenge in the future.
Wang Lun sat in the chair, exuding an extraordinary air. Tong Meng knew that this man was the leader and said, "Where did you heroes come from? Do you know who I am? You should know that if you provoke me, the consequences will be beyond your control."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "I know. Your name is Tong Meng, and you have an older brother named Tong Wei. You also have a Li Jun above you."
Tong Meng's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the other party knew so much about him, and that they were up to no good.
He paused, then asked, "What do you want to do? Money? The Salt Gang's business?"
They were involved in the illegal salt trade and had close ties with both the government and various local powers. He assumed they belonged to one of these powers, but he had never actually met them.
He sized up the four men and asked, "Are you from the Iron Palm Clan?"
Wang Lun shook his head and said, "We're not from any of the gangs. We don't want money or salt."
In his heart, he thought that the private salt business was extremely profitable in the Song Dynasty, and he wondered if he could make use of the Tong brothers' business in Luzhou this time.
If a salt smuggling route could be established from Lianghuai to Shandong, monopolizing this area, the profits would be enough to cover the expenses of Liangshan's army.
The private salt trade during the Northern Song Dynasty was very profitable, mainly because salt was a government-run business and monopolized by the government. However, due to the influence of corrupt officials, the price of government-mandated salt fluctuated greatly, causing great distress to the people.
The government purchased salt at different prices in different regions. In Lianghuai, the purchase price was 200 wen per shi, but when it was sold in Dongjing (Kaifeng), the price was nearly 2,000 wen per shi, a tenfold increase.
This is because Shandong and Lianghuai are salt-producing areas. If you go to Yan'an or Fengxiang Prefecture, the price difference is as much as twenty times.
Because it was profitable, even though the imperial court cracked down on salt smuggling severely and imposed heavy penalties, there were still many salt smugglers in Shandong and the Huaihe River region.
These private salt merchants only needed to cultivate relationships with government officials and pay a small "tribute" to avoid paying large amounts of taxes, resulting in huge profits.
The Zhu Family Village initially prospered by selling smuggled salt. After accumulating enough money, they built the village and became a powerful force in the region.
Wang Lun hadn't originally planned to do this, but after hearing what Tong Meng said, he suddenly remembered that since he had come to the largest salt-producing area in the Song Dynasty, he had to do something before he could go back.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, salt production areas were mainly concentrated in three regions. The largest was the Lianghuai area, mainly in Haizhou and Chuzhou. Smaller salt fields also existed in areas such as Luzhou and Jiangning.
Secondly, there was Chengdu Prefecture, which produced well salt with stable output; a single official salt well could produce at least 20,000 jin (10,000 catties) annually. Thirdly, there was the Hedong region, mainly Taiyuan Prefecture and Yuncheng, which was closer to the capital, Tokyo, and thus under stricter imperial control.
Wang Lun had made up his mind, but if he was going to do it, he wanted to do it big; he didn't care about the mere private salt business in Luzhou.
He suddenly felt somewhat fortunate. Zhang Shuye was originally going to Haizhou to serve as the prefect. If he were in Haizhou, the private salt business would not be easy to do. Now that he had gone to Yunzhou, Haizhou was naturally taken over by a different person.
In the late Northern Song Dynasty, there were very few good officials left, and whoever went to Haizhou could control the area.
In a short period of time, he had already thought of many things and had initially conceived of a network for the private salt business. He only needed to go back and discuss it with Shi Wenbin, Wu Yong, and other capable people, and the matter would be settled.
In that case, people with experience in the smuggling salt business, such as Li Jun, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng, are indispensable.
Work experience is really important.
Wang Lun asked, "How many people are in your Salt Gang?"
Tong Meng said smugly, "There are three hundred in Luzhou, and two or three hundred in the surrounding counties. Our Salt Gang brothers are very united. I'm warning you, you'd better release me as soon as possible. Don't be fooled by your martial arts skills; do you think you can defeat five hundred men?"
Wu Song said, "I can take on two hundred!"
Lu Zhishen said, "I can also take on two hundred!"
Gongsun Sheng said, "Then I'll take fifty."
Everyone looked at him with disdain.
Zhao Si stammered, "I... I'll take on two."
Wang Lun slammed his hand on the table and said, "The remaining forty-eight are mine, no problem."
Tong Meng opened his eyes wide, thinking to himself, "Are these people idiots?"
The group burst into laughter, laughing heartily, as if they were children joking.
After a long pause, Wang Lun asked, "Do you only do business in Luzhou?"
Tong Meng became increasingly convinced that the other party was only after the salt smuggling business. He decided to immediately follow Li Jun to rescue Song Jiang and give up his business. So he truthfully replied, "Of course not. Luzhou is our main territory. We also have a share in the business in nearby Shouzhou, Guangzhou, and Shuzhou, but these are all small places."
Wang Lun nodded. The largest city here is Jiangning Prefecture, which is Nanjing. Next to it are Yangzhou and Suzhou. These are all extremely prosperous cities in the Song Dynasty. If Li Jun can control the businesses in these prefectures, he will definitely not become an outlaw to save Song Jiang.
"How much profit do you make in a year?" Wang Lun asked, getting to the point.
Tong Meng hesitated slightly before saying, "My elder brother mainly manages the money; I only know that it's about 200,000 strings of cash."
Wang Lun gasped in shock. The Liangshan bandits had robbed Du Yuanwai of Jizhou and Ximen Qing of Yanggu last year, yet the income they received was less than that of a salt gang of five hundred men.