Chapter 376 Establishing Authority

Two days after sending out the message, Ye Tao and his group set off towards the southwest of Xiling. Along the way, members of the Special Operations Camp and other troops responsible for protecting Ye Tao gradually rejoined them. By the time they arrived safely in Beiyi, almost everyone had reported to Ye Tao, except for a few individuals. Naturally, Ye Tao couldn't conveniently take the elite of the Zongmo Troupe out to sea, nor could he transfer intelligence bureau experts from Xiling again. After these two forces returned to their respective posts, Ye Tao and his group, along with the Special Operations Camp and those martial artists, stepped into Yizhou.

The soldiers of the Special Operations Camp performed exceptionally well along the way. In terms of combat, they hadn't had any direct clashes with the Xiling army since the night they disguised themselves as bandits to attack the palace. Most of the time, they circled at a distance that made the Xiling army's teeth itch but couldn't catch up. If they occasionally encountered small groups of troops, they wouldn't be polite. However, even against small groups, they rarely used frontal assaults. Instead, they quickly devised combat plans, ambushing and killing from several directions. On the night of the palace raid, nine people from their side were killed, but along the way, they killed far more enemies piecemeal, while the Special Operations Camp maintained zero casualties, with only a few minor injuries. Although even those in the Special Operations Camp who originally came from the Jianghu (martial world) didn't pay much attention to Jianghu rules, and they would never fight one-on-one if they could outnumber their opponents, the combat efficiency of the Special Operations Camp was truly astonishing. In addition, the Special Operations Camp demonstrated remarkable skill in leading everyone on their way after breaking contact with the pursuing troops. A crucial part of their daily training was climbing and mountain warfare, as Ye Tao had originally hoped that the Special Operations Camp would play an important role in future battles against Xiling. Now, it all came in handy. Relying on a bunch of ropes, they easily traversed the mountains, leaving the pursuers behind. Although most of the Xiling army also had simple mountain training, they didn't dare to easily track and attack in this environment… one slip-up, and they would probably be ambushed by the Special Operations Camp.

After the Special Operations Camp helped the martial artists cross the mountains, they disguised themselves slightly, split up, and then gradually reunited with Ye Tao and his group, disguising themselves as a fairly large merchant caravan, with all kinds of personnel and equipment complete. They even prepared the goods along the way. With Ye Tao and Tan Weixin's understanding of the market, they naturally knew what goods would sell well in Yanan Port. Along the way, they directly bought goods from those apprehensive small merchants as long as the quality and price were right, and even bought horses and carriages at a price. But all in all, they still had a lot of profit to make by selling the things they had accumulated in Yanan. This kind of incidental buying and selling, although mainly to cover their tracks, made Liu Yong, Jin Ze and others smile wryly. They were bodyguards, and it gave them a headache to be saddled with these two playful masters.

Beiyi was a typical commercial city. Those merchants who didn't have the courage to venture into Yinan traded here with those who often traveled the Yanan Port to Beiyi trade route. Although the profits were much lower, at least it was safe. However, this time, Ye Tao's caravan, which arrived in Beiyi, made those merchants who specialized in this route feel a bit of a crisis.

The caravan, which numbered more than three hundred people in total, had prepared nearly four hundred horses and one hundred and seventy carriages. After a little investigation, the merchants discovered that the trucks were full of popular items. Whether it was medicinal herbs, spices, dyes, silk, or paper and ink, there was nothing that wasn't in high demand in Yanan. This showed that the caravan's information was extremely well-informed. And in terms of strength, looking at the bodyguards of this newly arrived caravan, each one was full of energy and extraordinary skill. Moreover, the bodyguards and the general laborers in the caravan were very tacit, and there was none of the disdain that bodyguards in some caravans had for the laborers. After a merchant accidentally witnessed a caravan laborer carrying a mountain of goods onto a truck, rumors began to circulate in Beiyi that everyone in this caravan was skilled. Of course, this was actually just the truth, and couldn't be considered a rumor. Just as Ye Tao and Tan Weixin could always make everything boring and dull fun, this caravan was actually a lot of fun. Although it was an entire caravan, they were divided into several groups internally, each group with its own system and budget. They would see in Yanan which group had a higher profit margin and lower losses… The soldiers of the Special Operations Camp weren't very good at doing business, but on the one hand, Ye Tao and Tan Weixin had provided them with ample information, and on the other hand, there were those old Jianghu experts who traveled around all year round and were very good at dealing with people. The two sides put their heads together, and they turned out to be a very good team. As for things like counting, loading, unloading, and transporting, these were the specialties of the Special Operations Camp guys who had received logistics training. It was just that the managers and workers of this caravan didn't seem to be very distinct, which made many interested people roll their eyes.

"Sir, someone from the Beiyi Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter, saying they want to see the person in charge here." After staying in Beiyi for two days, someone finally couldn't help but come forward. However, Jin Ze, who came to deliver the message, obviously didn't take this Beiyi Chamber of Commerce seriously. He was holding the thick gold-sprinkled invitation card and fanning himself as he came in to report the situation.

"I don't have time to deal with them. Aren't we leaving early tomorrow morning anyway?" Ye Tao shook his head, looking uninterested. Now, he and Tan Weixin were both at the core of the caravan, not seeing outsiders, so there was no need to rack their brains to think of an alias.

"Jin Ze, take a few people to the meeting." Tan Weixin, on the other hand, was very interested in this kind of chamber of commerce-like organization, and instructed softly.

"Yes. Then… what are we going to do?" Jin Ze was, after all, from the bodyguard captain's office, and was extremely experienced and tactful in dealing with people, but he wasn't very fond of this kind of chamber of commerce either.

"It doesn't matter, just don't lose face." Ye Tao understood what Tan Weixin meant. Most of these uninformative meetings were just formalities. The other party must have seen that they had plenty of manpower and wealth, and were afraid that they would forcibly intervene in this profitable trade route. That's why they came to test the waters. If they really had some background and couldn't be defeated, then they would naturally have methods of retreat and cooperation. If not, then they would be sorry… In Yinan, a place full of miasma and endless warfare, it was perfectly normal for something to happen. Merchants' pursuit of profit was indeed very careful sometimes, perhaps because the profit of this trade route was just high enough to allow merchants to ignore all laws.

Jin Ze smiled and agreed. After a little preparation, he took a few brothers to Qingfeng Tower, where the other party had set up a banquet. Qingfeng Tower was one of the best restaurants in Beiyi, extremely luxurious. In particular, the architecture of Central Plains was integrated with various Middle Eastern-style decorations in the decoration, which was refreshing. The reason why Qingfeng Tower got its name was that they had built two or three Middle Eastern-style wind towers without knowing their use. Qingfeng Tower was indeed very comfortable in the summer, but it was a bit superfluous at this time of year.

The person in charge of receiving guests from the Beiyi Chamber of Commerce was the vice president, Cen Lin. Cen Lin was originally smiling when he saw the flag of Ye Tao's caravan and saw the carriage slowly approaching, but when he saw Jin Ze, his smile began to stiffen a little. Jin Ze was naturally not the mysterious figure in charge of the caravan in his eyes, but someone who often represented the caravan in external contacts. Cen Lin naturally also knew that their chamber of commerce's invitation had been delivered to Jin Ze's hands. The way things were now, it was clear that the other party didn't take the Beiyi Chamber of Commerce too seriously.

"Mr. Jin, you've been quite eye-catching in Beiyi these past few days." Cen Lin cupped his hands and said, "I wonder what's keeping your master? Or is he unwell?"

Jin Ze deliberately acted nonchalant, waved his hand, and said, "It's not a big deal, why would our master come?"

"Oh?" Cen Lin said unhappily, "Your family is really bold. This time, you all look very unfamiliar, and there are no old people who are used to running this route. But this Yinan… is not something that everyone can get through. Originally, our Beiyi Chamber of Commerce saw that you were new here and hoped that everyone could have a good chat. We're all in the business world, and maybe we can reduce some trouble for your family and smooth out some routes. It seems that your family doesn't need it?"

Jin Ze nodded and said, "No need. Really no need. Isn't it just a little unstable along the way? We have some things that we're a little worried about, but you can't solve those problems. As for someone preparing to rob openly or hit us with a sap in the dark, that's not a problem. We're only afraid of that. If you have the ability, come on. Our master has never had a problem with what he's decided. If your family is prepared to provide any help in this regard, there's no need. We at least know a thing or two about the reputation of the Beiyi Chamber of Commerce."

Cen Lin snorted coldly and said, "Your family is really not afraid of the dangers of Yinan? Then please go ahead."

Jin Ze said nonchalantly, "Are we just going to finish chatting here at the door? You invited me here just to say these things? There's no food or drink? What did you call me to Qingfeng Tower for?"

"The person I want to see is your master!" Cen Lin said unhappily.

"Oh? No matter what the actual situation is, you're just a deputy. Please invite your boss behind the scenes out to speak. To be honest, let alone our master, even me coming to see you is giving you a lot of face." Jin Ze said. In fact, he really wasn't exaggerating. After all, he used to be the bodyguard captain of the princess's mansion.