How profitable are slave caravans? Putting aside the money of eating horses and selling one's life, one can earn at least twice as much profit from a slave hunting trip, and if one is lucky, one can easily make four or five times as much.
Therefore, the price offered by Youfu was actually sincere from the beginning. Shen Hao didn't need to worry about anything. As long as he helped get the permission documents from the Ministry of War, he would be waiting for money in vain. Moreover, Youfu also made it clear that if Xuan Qingwei needs anything, he can fully cooperate.
If you think 10% is less, then 15%! Still think it’s less? That’s 20%!
When Youfu left the Black Flag Camp's Yamen with satisfaction, he got the promise given to him by Shen Hao: In addition to the slave caravan that Zhu Shou was forming, Yahang also had three places for permission documents, which meant that Youfu could Find three more slave merchants to join in the upcoming slave hunting business.
As for how these three quotas are sold or given away by Youfu, Shen Hao doesn't care. He only wants to keep 25% of the profits from these three slave hunting teams. That's right, Shen Hao finally took half of it out of Youfu's hand.
The three slave caravans, plus Zhu Shou's one, a total of 25% of the harvest of the four slave caravans each time they leave the customs, this amount of money is definitely a huge sum of money, even as long as this agreement can be fulfilled If you go down, it will be an endless stream of money.
Of course, Shen Hao just sighed, not that he really cared about money.
Shen Hao will not keep any of this money and will keep it in a separate account. Later, this money will be used to offset Blackwater's expenses on the barbarian lands and expenses when it is necessary to support the barbarian forces.
Iron, food, and cloth were hard currencies in the barbarian lands and could not be refused by all barbarian forces. They were also the "dry firewood" used by Shen Hao to leverage the barbarians' self-consumption in the plan drawn up by Shen Hao. The four slave caravans that have been temporarily created are tongs to add firewood to the fire.
The barbarians' own population was sold as slaves, and the money obtained was used to purchase supplies and confuse the already chaotic barbarian territory.
This transaction is definitely not a loss if you look at it horizontally or vertically. As long as the accounts are done in detail, it will be like the slave caravan adding an extra tax to the country. In this way, there will be no fear of anyone investigating, and it will avoid being labeled as an "enemy capital". This is an excellent insurance policy for upcoming projects.
Naturally, Shen Hao cannot just know about this "money" thing. He has to report it to the superiors. He needs to form a tacit understanding through the senior officials of Xuanqing Guard and the Ministry of War.
Pang Ban was very satisfied after getting this supplementary strategy, and he put the word "official" on Shen Hao's head without hesitation.
There are not many people who can do things and do them properly. At least Pang Ban didn't think that someone else could do this better than Shen Hao.
The Ministry of War is now very harmonious with Xuan Qingwei. The relationship was okay before. After experiencing the incident where the supervisory envoy restricted the supervision of the army, the relationship got closer. Then the new emperor ascended the throne. Wen Mingju, Minister of the Ministry of War, was a member of the old emperor. Moreover, Tieshi's emperor-type heel is basically similar to Xuanqingwei, so there is a natural basis for cooperation between the two sides.
However, Pang Ban's attitude was very tough this time. The task was assigned by His Majesty the Emperor when he was still the Crown Prince. It was not assigned to Xuanqing Guard alone, but to Xuanqing Guard and the Ministry of War at the same time.
There is no need for the Ministry of War to pay for it, nor does it occupy the Ministry of War's equipment and supplies. Everything is done through the channel of slave caravans. It only requires certain convenience and necessary force assistance from the garrison in the future. In addition, if necessary, the "partial money" from the slave caravan on the account needs to be obtained from the channels of the Ministry of War, especially iron tools.
The channel of the Material Distribution Department is also to avoid suspicion. In this way, every transaction is traceable and there is no fear of anyone confusing right and wrong. It is also an extra supervision.
To be honest, Wen Mingju was also surprised that Xuan Qingwei actually came up with such a way to cut the flesh from the slave caravan, and the plan that originally required huge expenses was digested directly on the barbarian territory. This is why Wen Mingju expressed his appreciation for this plan. After all, the plan is very suitable, does not cost money, and prevents the aspects that are prone to problems. Overall, it is perfect.
"But are these four slave caravans missing?" Wen Mingju felt that since he could fundamentally cover the two lucrative places of Yaxing and slave caravans, he could still draw out oil flowers. Then we should cast a wide net. If we eat four, wouldn’t we also eat forty? There will be no shortage of troops stationed in the south, so are you afraid that these killings will turn the world upside down?
There was no change in the expression on Pang Ban's face, but in his heart he was very dismissive of Wen Mingju's statement. He secretly thought that there was a reason why this person was often looked down upon by others. His vision and ability were quite different. He could be the Minister of the Ministry of War. The position depends entirely on the relationship with the royal family.
"Master Wen, this strategy is only temporary. It is enough for the initial four slave caravans. Although the barbarians are extremely fertile, they are not just made by mud people. It takes more than ten years for a human to grow up. So. It is not appropriate to harvest too much in the early stage. Four slave caravans will slow down the recovery speed of the barbarians, but will not let them go backwards. Leave some time to let them see some hope, and then adjust the harvest according to the actual situation later. Scraping intensity.
If the population is large, a few more slave caravans will be approved. If the population is small, the number will be reduced. The quota will be determined by the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War will decide on the specific details.
In this way, His Majesty's request for the situation of the barbarians can be satisfied: let the barbarians hang half-dead. "
"That's fine. When the time comes, I will take care of Shimen Military Village and Wuhu Military Village and help these four slave caravans."
Wen Mingju nodded. Although he was not very capable, his advantage was that he had a good temper and a clear mind. He followed the emperor wholeheartedly. Loyalty was his best asset. Therefore, Pang Ban's explanation did not make Wen Mingju feel uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, he learned a few words from it. If someone asked him the same question in the future, he would use these words to deal with it.
The Xuanqing Guards have eyes and ears on the front lines of the army, and the supervisors are their eyes and ears. All movements in the army will go through the Xuanqing Guards, so many confidential documents will not be tabooed by Pang Ban.
For example, the Wuhu and Shimen garrisons mentioned by Wen Mingju just now. This is the barbarian garrison point decided upon by the Ministry of War and the border army after repeated discussions.
Wuhu can cover the southwest of the barbarians, and Shimen can cover the northeast. These two garrisons can basically effectively control the main artery of the barbarians.
The relative number of garrison troops was also determined after careful consideration. Zuo Yuliang meant that 30,000 troops were stationed in Wuhu and 30,000 troops were stationed in Shimen. The Ministry of War was worried and increased the troops in these two places to 40,000 each.
Zuo Yuliang is currently withdrawing his troops in an orderly manner. In the end, only 80,000 main troops will be left on the Baektou Gorge line to target the Hongtu clan in Huzhuyuan. The other four major front armies will retreat to Wuhu and then return to the pass.
