Chapter 32: A Keen Eye for Pearls and a Good Way with People
In ancient times, being praised by one's ancestors was the greatest honor. Zheng Yanbei saw Zhu Yongxing not belittling his identity as a merchant, and instead sincerely admired his ancestor, couldn't help but feel moved to tears, and his son Zheng Zhaoda standing behind him also showed an excited expression, while another thin and dry middle-aged man flashed his eyes, seemingly thoughtful, gazed at Zhu Yongxing.
"Your Highness - you so highly praise the humble ancestors of the common people, the common people..." Zheng Yanbei was almost in tears, wanting to say something like "dedicate one's life to repay your kindness", but was interrupted by Zhu Yongxing. Zhu Yongxing smiled and asked more detailed questions, Zheng Yanbei composed himself and answered one by one.
It's not that Zhu Yongxing is trying to buy people's hearts, but he really admires the strugglers on the Tea-Horse Road, and their adventurous spirit is also something he possesses.
When it comes to the Tea-Horse Road, one must mention the horse teams that traveled along it. Their adventurous spirit is renowned among people. Even today, the feats of professional explorers pale in comparison to the experiences of the horse teams on the ancient Tea-Horse Road.
In order to survive and gain profit from trade, horse caravans almost risked their lives. And this risk often manifested in three aspects:
One is the adventure of business. Most horse teams were active in a period when modern commercial society was far from mature, and laws not only imperfect but also virtually non-existent in many areas. Every deal made by the horse team had great risks, and the extremely unstable political situation added to this risk. Some people became rich through horse team trade, but more people worked for a lifetime or even several lifetimes without gaining anything.
Second, it is the adventure of facing the harsh nature. The natural environment of each route of the Tea-Horse Road where the horse teams run is mostly very dangerous and arduous, with wind, frost, rain, snow, big mountains, big rivers, poisonous grass, poisonous water, wild beasts, poisonous insects, plagues and diseases, which can put the horse team in a life-threatening situation at any time. The outdoor life for most of the time is a severe test for any horse driver and horse head. Many horse drivers and horse heads abandoned their bodies in the wilderness, died in foreign lands, sometimes there were not even people to collect the bodies.
Three is the threat of bandits and robbers. Although the horse teams were all armed, they still suffered from bandit attacks, with deaths and losses occurring from time to time.
This kind of special survival situation determined and created the adventurous spirit of Ma Bang, and this adventurous spirit was well represented in Feng Zhenbei. When there was almost no hope, he helped Zhu Yongxing, wasn't that a great adventure?
"You Zheng family mainly sells Pu'er tea—" Zhu Yongxing nodded slightly with a thoughtful expression.
Pu-erh tea is mainly produced in Simao and Banna, due to the constraints of transportation conditions, transportation tools and other factors, a large amount of tea leaves have been waiting for sale in the mountains. The intervention of Yunnan horse teams provided transportation tools for the large-scale external transport of Pu-erh tea. In addition to sales within the province, the main markets are Sichuan, Kang, Tibet, Annam, Siam, Burma and coastal provinces along the Yangtze River in China.
"The Tea-Horse Road has a long history, and we have been in contact with each other all along." Zheng Yanbei was afraid that Zhu Yongxing would underestimate the power of the Zheng family, so he quickly added: "The descendants of the Yi people, Pu Shi, the Hani people Wang Shi, Bai Shi, Li Shi, the Han people Kunming Yang Shi, Yuxi Chen Shi, Qujing Huang Shi and others, we are all native to Yunnan, our ancestors were either horse teams or tea merchants on the Tea-Horse Road, and they all looked up to the great Ming dynasty, which can be contacted through the Zheng family."
"This is really a hidden force among the people, but its strength is not trivial! Zhu Yongxing was overjoyed in his heart and exclaimed "Heaven blesses". Is this what they call 'when the time comes, heaven and earth will be in harmony', or 'when one sleeps, a pillow arrives'."
It cannot be denied that the rise and operation of the Ma's caravan were for profit, but unlike unscrupulous merchants, they were filled with a laudable spirit of diligence, tolerance, integrity, patriotism and resistance.
Moreover, since the work of the horse team relies entirely on the division of labor and cooperation among the horsemen, each horseman must be a versatile person with many skills. For example, they need to understand the four seasons, weather changes, be able to identify directions and roads, be familiar with languages of various ethnic groups; they also need to know the temperament of mules and horses, be able to calculate accounts and recognize goods, use weapons for fighting, set up tents and cook meals, chop firewood and make fires, identify wild vegetables and fruits, load and unload cargo, nail and repair horseshoes, find grass and feed livestock, and even provide medical care for humans and animals.
A ready-made intelligence network, plus countless guides, messengers, spies, veterinarians, doctors, meteorologists, wilderness survival experts... Many names flashed through Zhu Yongxing's mind, his face grew more and more joyful, and his words became increasingly enthusiastic.
……
Zheng Yanbei stumbled into the bedroom, belched, pushed away Zheng Zhaoda who was supporting him, walked to the window and looked up at the sky, completely sober.
The moon, hidden by greyish-white clouds in the sky, is now prominent and exposed, revealing its bright jade face. The clouds are like defeated warriors, weakly dispersing in all directions, surrendering the vast blue sky to the moon, allowing it to unfold its victorious light and smile towards the earth.
"Father——" Zheng Zhaoda called out softly, shocked by the stark contrast between his father's past and present.
"The clouds are opening and the moon is coming out." Zheng Yanbei pointed with his hand, saying meaningfully: "A good omen indeed!" After finishing speaking, he turned to the thin middle-aged man, smiling: "Old Yi, what do you think?"
"Your Highness is indeed an extraordinary person, wise and profound in thought, and also good at winning people over." Yi Cheng hesitated for a moment before expressing his own feelings, "When the great hall is about to collapse, he can still remain calm and composed, which is rare."
"Is that all?" Zheng Yanbei shook his head in dissatisfaction and said slowly: "The Emperor's wisdom is to recognize the pearl, only a few words can know its importance, and can list out the great use of it, how can it be wise and profound enough to comment on? Being here, we can predict the arrival of the Ming army and let us send someone to contact them. The divine thing must indeed be true."
"This matter has not been proven, and it seems that we should not believe it too early." Yi Cheng still had some doubts, thought for a moment and said: "Let's observe it for the time being, and we will see in the long run."
Zheng Zhaoda did not hide it in his heart when facing his father, and said straightforwardly: "Does Father want to help the Lord with all his might? Our family's business..."
"Alas, a frog at the bottom of a well." Zheng Yanbei's words were tinged with reproach, but his face showed a smile. "Is there any bigger business in the world than what we're doing now?"
Zheng Zhaoda smiled wryly and stuttered: "Father has accepted the prince's wealth, so I know Father's mind is made up."
As they are not in a society governed by law, the operation of horse gangs almost entirely relies on reputation and credit, which is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. They have always been straightforward and decisive, saying what they mean and doing what they say, without any empty words. As long as a deposit is paid in advance, they will do their best to complete the work.
"The deposit has been received, now you can do your best!" Zheng Yanbei smiled, seemingly quite proud of this, without any sign of regret. His words sounded more like encouragement and expectation for his son. He himself was already old, the gains from investing in the young master would still depend on the young man's abilities!
"Father, please rest early, I'll go and make arrangements." Zheng Zhaoda knew that there was no room for change, although he still had some doubts in his heart, but with the blood of the Ma family's ancestors flowing through his body, he also had a resolute and decisive temperament.
"Mysterious Yunnan Tea-Horse Road, Pu'er's legacy tea-horse fragrance!" Zheng Yanbei sat on the bed, wide awake, repeatedly reciting these two sentences of praise. Finally, he muttered to himself: "When the time comes, I will pass it down to future generations, this is the honor and glory of the Zheng family for a hundred generations. Mengke's son is wise and decisive, not relying on his status, not fearing danger, not stingy with wealth, and thinking thoroughly, brave and resolute, truly having the aura of a king or overlord!"
……
