Chapter 211 Becoming a Tribute
The Ming Dynasty did not have as developed transportation and communications as later generations, so as long as corresponding rules were formulated, it could play a good supervisory role.

But in the Ming Dynasty, you have no idea what the shopkeeper who is thousands of miles away is doing.

Even when other people have emptied out your storefront, Wang An is still foolishly shipping goods to them.

So after much thought, it is best for other stores to adopt the franchise model, except for the flagship stores in local capitals.

If necessary, even the operating rights of the flagship store can be outsourced.

Of course, this is based on the premise that the place is really remote, Wang An has no interest, and the franchise fee offered by the other party is high enough.

Seeing Wang An in a trance, Dong Lingju was not surprised. He just picked up the teacup and drank slowly. When Wang An came back to his senses, he apologized repeatedly in embarrassment: "Sorry, sorry, I was distracted by something just now. Please forgive me, Master Dong."

Dong Lingju waved his hand to indicate that it was all right, and then said, "This time, I asked Shopkeeper Wang to come here not only to discuss the purchase of soap and moisturizing glycerin."

"The main thing is that somehow your soap has reached the ears of Ligdan Khan. The Mandarin of Datong Prefecture has just submitted a memorial to Your Majesty, saying that Ligdan Khan is going to pay tribute again, and only specifically requested that Your Majesty reward him with some soap and moisturizing glycerin, so I specially called Manager Wang to see if you are willing to go to the grassland again?"

Wang An's eyes rolled, and he vaguely guessed why the reputation of soap had reached Lin Danhan's ears.

I vaguely remember that when we left the grassland, the leader of the gang said that he wanted to give some soap to the Second Lady.

It was probably through the so-called Second Lady that the reputation of soap reached the ears of Ligdan Khan.

It seems that these barbarians also realized the benefits of soap, which is why they asked for it specifically.

Wang An couldn't help but feel proud. His soap had conquered the overseas market before it was officially put into production. He really was very awesome!
So he told her about some soap he had brought to the grassland.

Dong Lingju also suddenly realized that it seemed that the reason why Lin Danhan heard about the benefits of soap was through the leader named Dalulu.

During this period, Dong Lingju had also heard of the reputation of soap and moisturizing glycerin. His wife at home was even eager to buy them and wanted to ask the servants to buy them.

However, Dong Lingju worked in the Honglu Temple, a low-paying government office, and normally didn't make much money. When he heard that a piece of soap cost five cents of silver, he immediately refused out of concern.

As a result, his wife wouldn't let him go to bed for the past two days, so he had to go to his concubine's room to rest.

However, the concubine also asked for soap, and said that all the sisters in Yingchun Pavilion had used soap and all of them thought it was good.

She was lucky enough to marry Dong Lingju and escape from the sea of ​​suffering.

I used to be the envy of my sisters, but now I am not even as good as my former sisters in terms of food, clothing and other expenses. This really makes me feel unfair.

Dong Lingju was being harassed and had no choice but to go to Wang An's Wangji Chemical Flagship Store to buy two bars to deal with the problem after work in the next two days. But then he received an imperial edict from the palace to purchase soap.

So he took this opportunity to say, "Now that the emperor and Lin Danhan know the name of Wang's soap, it's no wonder that the two women I worked overtime with are clamoring to buy soap every day. It seems that this soap is really effective. I'm just ashamed that my salary is meager..."

Wang An immediately understood that he had tried to bribe Dong Lingju before, but was rejected by Dong Lingju. Now that the naked opportunity was in front of him, how could he let it go?
So he immediately said, "Nalindan Khan specifically asked for soap, so we must deliver it to him, no matter whether it is good or bad."

"But His Majesty wants to make a purchase, and Lord Dong is reluctant to check for the Emperor!"

"I will ask the shopkeeper of the branch to send some samples to Lord Dong's house in a while. Lord Dong, please don't refuse and make a coffin for His Majesty!"

Dong Lingju couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this. He hesitated for a few words, but was persuaded by Wang An in the name of national justice.

I had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

After leaving the Honglu Temple, Wang An immediately found Ergou and prepared to purchase the 20,000 taels of military funds that Mangui had given him last time, as well as to take back the items that had been given to Ligdan Khan.

Of course, a large amount of soap and moisturizing glycerin are also indispensable. However, what were given to Dalulu last time were ordinary soap and moisturizing dry oil. The Chahar tribe has never heard of soap and fragrance-enhancing moisturizing glycerin. Wang An also plans to bring some over this time and open up sales at the same time.

Ergou and Yunzhao were very happy for Wang An when they heard that their soap was not only favored by Ligdan Khan, but also included in the regular purchasing list of the Honglu Temple.

However, when they heard that Wang An was going to the grassland again, not only would he have to sleep in the open air but he might also encounter danger, they became worried.

In response to this, Tian Erlangzi immediately jumped out and patted his chest to promise that he would bring his brothers to protect Wang An's safety.

Everyone was relieved at this.

So, everyone immediately split into two groups. Wang An took Yun Zhao and Er Gou to buy supplies, while Tian Erlengzi immediately returned to the chemical plant to select relatively healthy veterans. They were fully armed, wearing mandarin duck battle jackets, carrying swords, shields and longbows, and riding on the only dozen or so war horses, ready to set off at any time.

This time, with the participation of veterans, Wang An no longer had to hire carriage and horse companies or pilgrims, thus saving some expenses.

In terms of the purchase of materials, because of the previous contact, the corresponding shopkeepers were very enthusiastic. And because Wang An bought a larger quantity this time, everyone realized that Wang An's business was a long-term one, so they gave up the idea of ​​​​deceiving Wang An. They all behaved honestly. There were even two or three companies whose products overlapped, and they started a price war.

Because Dong Lingju urged him to do so, Wang An only took three days to prepare everything and embarked on his second journey to Mongolia south of the desert.

However, this time Wang An also brought the old shopkeeper Zhao Dekui with him. On the one hand, Zhao Dekui had experience in border trade and could guide Wang An to avoid many pitfalls along the way.

Secondly, this time, Wang An did not intend to simply send the supplies to Mongolia.

In addition to taking supplies for Mangui and Ligdan Khan, Wang An also used the salt and tea permits he had obtained last time to exchange for an extra batch of salt and tea, as well as some other miscellaneous supplies, intending to do some small business with the Mongolian tribes he met along the way.

By the way, he would exchange their furs and the animal fats that Wang An cared about most from them.

There are only a limited number of butchers in the capital, and the pig offal and lard they can provide are also limited. However, on the grasslands, there are much more offal and scraps from all kinds of cattle, sheep and horses.

(End of this chapter)