Chapter 132 Please enter the urn
Three days later, a caravan carrying logs slowly sailed out of Jinzhou.

Captain Wang, who had become Captain Zhang's confidant, walked in front of the team with a knife in hand, and said in confusion: "Our Liang family was the last team to arrive at Jinzhou City, so why did we get out first?"

Captain Zhang pulled at the hideous scar on his face and sneered, "Haha, this is the cooperation of the other seven shopkeepers. They let our Liang family lead the way!"

Captain Wang pretended to be surprised and said, "We are used to doing business on the grassland. Why do we need to open a new road?"

"Besides, it's just a delivery. Could it be possible that we could encounter any danger..."

Captain Zhang looked at Captain Wang meaningfully and said with a smile, "Brother Wang is a smart man. He has been following us in transporting goods for some time. He must know what we have in our convoy. Haha..."

"Can those things be sold to the Tartars? If anyone finds out, they will be beheaded! Although the shopkeepers were able to enter Jinzhou City, they must have bribed the Jinzhou garrison commander, or even the so-called Ji-Liao Commander Yuan Chonghuan. Who knows, they may have accepted money from our eight families."

"But the shopkeepers are always careful when doing things. They don't want to come out all at once. They will only go out after they are sure it is safe. Doesn't this mean they need someone to lead the way?"

Captain Wang sneered in his heart, these Shanxi merchants were indeed very careful in doing things.

However, he pretended to be surprised and indignant, "Isn't this just using us as scapegoats? If something goes wrong, the other seven shopkeepers will be safe, but only our Liang family will suffer!"

Captain Zhang sneered again, "Who told us that our Liang family joined last among the eight families? We have few friends!"

As he said that, Captain Zhang turned his head and glanced at the big men on horseback in the middle of the team and said, "But you don't have to worry too much. If our shopkeeper foolishly goes out without any protection, we, Old Zhang, will not follow him out."

"See?" Captain Zhang pointed at the men and said, "Those people on horseback are from Liaodong's border army. One of them is the son of Wu Xiang, the general of Liaodong Town. I heard that he passed the military examination before he was 20 years old. His maternal uncle is Zu Dashou, who is stationed in Jinzhou."

Captain Wang didn't know Wu Sangui, so he was shocked when he heard this. "If he is a son of a military family, why is he following our caravan?"

"In this case, how can we do business under their noses?"

Captain Zhang laughed instead and said, "Brother Wang is not always smart. It is because of people like him that we are able to pass through the territory of the Dorot tribe!"

Captain Wang also vaguely guessed the role of Wu Sangui, but he did not expect that the Eight Major Shanxi Merchants were so powerful that they could even bribe Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou.

Wu Xiang even sent his own son to protect the Shanxi merchants from collaborating with the enemy and selling out their country.

However, Captain Wang did not know that Zu Dashou had already received Chongzhen's order, and he took advantage of the situation to let the eight Shanxi merchants go out of the customs so that he could catch them red-handed.

As for Wu Xiang, he was really tempted by money, but he just thought that the Eight Major Shanxi Merchants were secretly smuggling some salt, cloth and the like to the surrounding tribes.

If they knew that the Shanxi merchants were smuggling armor and weapons to the Jiannu, they would probably never dare to cover it up.

Although we cannot say that generals are as lowly as dogs these days, they are almost everywhere in the Ming Dynasty.

The current Ming Dynasty court still possessed a certain deterrent power. Even though Wu Xiang had a certain amount of power in Liaodong, he did not dare to shield Shanxi merchants from smuggling military supplies and gunpowder to the Later Jin.

This is something only Mao Wenlong would dare to do openly.

In fact, Wu Xiang and Wu Sangui both thought that the Eight Shanxi Merchants just wanted to smuggle some grain and cloth to other Mongolian tribes, and maybe smuggle some to Huang Taiji.

Although it was also prohibited, it was not a big deal. And to a certain extent, it could also ease the military pressure from Huang Taiji in Liaodong.

Because if the Jiannu had no food to eat, they would inevitably launch a looting war against the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Wu Xiang not only did not think that he was committing treason, he even comforted himself that he was helping the Ming Dynasty stabilize its border threats.

The Liang family's caravan only walked on the grassland for one day before arriving at Aomulun, the grazing place of the Dorote tribe.

From a distance, everyone could see a large number of people dressed as Mongolian nobles, leading many Tatars to line the streets to welcome them.

In the middle of the convoy, Wu Sangui rode on his horse and laughed, "It seems that these Mongolians attach great importance to Manager Liang's wood! So many people have come to welcome us."

Liang Jiabin, one of the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants, had been riding with Wu Sangui. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "They are not coming to welcome us. They are clearly coming out to welcome us because they know that Lord Wu is accompanying us."

"We can see this scene, all thanks to Lord Wu!"

At this time, Wu Sangui was only 1612 years old (some say 1608, this article takes as the th year of Wanli's reign), full of vigor and vitality. He had just passed the military examination not long ago, and was quite arrogant.

Hearing this, he could not help but feel a little proud of himself as a young man, and said, "After all, this is the first time that our Ming Dynasty has granted permission to trade with Dorlot. It is the only one in Mongolia, so it is normal for these Tartars to attach more importance to it."

"It's still for the sake of the border merchants like you, Shopkeeper Liang!"

After some business flattery from the two men, the caravan had arrived in front of Dorot's welcoming team.

Wu Sangui and Liang Jiabin hurried to the front of the team. Several people from Dorote's side also came out, led by Bai Baturu Dorjihatan.

Wu Sangui was not wearing armor, but Dorjihatan still judged from Wu Sangui's age: "This must be General Zu's nephew, General Wu Sangui!"

Wu Sangui immediately dismounted, saluted and said, "It is me, but I am only a garrison commander and do not dare to call myself a general!"

After Dorjihatan confirmed Wu Sangui's identity, he put a white Hada on him without saying a word, and then enthusiastically took Wu Sangui's arm and walked towards the camp.

"He is indeed General Zu's nephew. He looks very impressive!"

Wu Sangui felt somewhat annoyed. No matter where he went, people would only think of Zu Dashou when they saw him, as if his father Wu Xiang was already dead.

Alas... After all, my father is a general, why is he so unwelcome?

However, although he was feeling disgusted in his heart, Wu Sangui was very polite on the surface, without any arrogance at all.

Watching Dorjihatan pulling Wu Sangui farther and farther away, Liang Jiabin, the owner of the caravan, stood there somewhat awkwardly.

But after a while, Liang Jiabin suppressed his anger, turned around and called the caravan into the camp.

At this time, a grand banquet had already been prepared in the camp of the Dorote tribe, and Taiji Gulu, Qing Baturu Seleng and others were present.

(End of this chapter)