Night fell.
In the camp, where blood had not yet dried on the ground, bonfires crackled, sending up plumes of smoke. The rich aroma of roasting meat, along with the sizzling of beef and mutton, reached every corner.
At the center of the camp, Jia Yu was gnawing on a large leg of lamb.
With each bite, a large chunk disappeared, leaving behind only the bone.
Piles of bones, stripped bare, lay beside him.
He savored every mouthful, washing it down with a swig of wine, his joy doubled.
"You know, this secret seasoning of yours makes the roasted meat unbelievably delicious," Jia Yu praised generously.
"I've already written down the recipe, you have it with you," the beautiful woman said, meticulously using a knife to slice open the lamb leg in front of her, making it easier to tear apart. "All the spices are available in the Xue family's store, just mix them according to the proportions."
"Thank you then," Jia Yu took the wine bag and said to the dim-witted boy, "Come, have a drink."
"Okay," the boy, his face beaming with happiness, grabbed the wine bag and took a large gulp, his face turning red. "Brother Jia, when you return victorious, I must learn martial arts from you."
After experiencing a near-death situation, the boy suddenly realized that there were many things that money couldn't solve.
Status was only useful in certain places.
In this world, the only thing you could rely on was strength.
And, this wine in the bag was better than any he had tasted in Jinling.
"No problem," Jia Yu agreed, "But you have to be prepared, my training is harsh. Once you enter the military camp, unless you die, you will have to train with me for at least six months before you can return home."
"I will never give up halfway!" the boy asserted.
The beautiful woman by the firepit was blushing furiously.
Earlier today, she assumed this general would be at least in his twenties or thirties.
But upon arriving at the camp and learning his age, she realized he was only seventeen.
Not much older than her own son and daughter.
Shame overwhelmed her, yet she found herself falling for his handsome face.
There were many such "mother and son" teams in the camp.
The city of Laishui was in chaos. Jia Yu entrusted the city's affairs to the county magistrate.
All he could do was to protect those who were unable to defend themselves.
...
The following day at noon, all of Jia Yu's troops arrived. Four thousand heavily armed Xuanjia Qibing, a vast sea of black armor, filled the camp.
The camp's supplies amounted to over a hundred carriages.
This was after discarding most of the items that were of little value to Jia Yu.
While they were of no significant value to Jia Yu, those items were extremely valuable to the people of Laishui county.
The merchants in Laishui county actively approached Jia Yu for trade. These goods were estimated to be worth 80,000 taels of silver.
The remaining items on the carriages were too much for the merchants to handle.
Jia Yu had no choice but to seal up the contents of the carriages and temporarily leave them in the care of the county magistrate.
There were also 30,000 horses left behind by the Mongols. Of these, about 5,000 were suitable for battle.
In the afternoon, Jia Yu led his 4,000 Xuanjia Tieqi, with 16,000 horses, towards the Zijin Pass in a mighty procession.
They had wasted a significant amount of time and found no sign of the main Mongol force within a 50-kilometer radius.
At most, they encountered small groups of three to five men.
So, they went straight to Zijin Pass.
It was the inevitable route for the Mongols to retreat.
Upon Jia Yu's departure, a large area in Laishui County was cleared to store the goods he left behind.
Laishui County.
"Sister-in-law, it's great you're all right." A middle-aged man, with tears in his eyes, greeted the mother and her children as they returned to the city. "At the inn, I saw the bodies of Xue Da and the others, I thought you had met with misfortune.
It's a good thing you're safe, otherwise, I wouldn't know how to face your brother in the afterlife."
"Uncle, don't blame yourself, it's just that our lives were spared because we met General Jia." The beautiful woman noticed the pile of goods behind the middle-aged man. "Uncle, did you take General Jia's goods?"
The middle-aged man replied, "These goods are quite valuable. After the war around the capital, industries are in need of revival, and these goods are the most sought-after.
I was planning to buy the rest of the goods, but unfortunately, the general wouldn't sell them."
What the middle-aged man desired most were the horses.
Ordinary horses could be sold for a profit of at least 20 taels of silver.
Battle horses were even more profitable.
A war horse could bring in a profit of at least 50 taels of silver.
These were rare and valuable, and even with money, there was no guarantee of finding them.
As long as there were goods, they could be sold immediately, with no shortage of buyers.
"It's best to avoid a business like horses," the beautiful woman advised, "Times have changed now."
"I know, but I can't help but feel a pang of regret," the middle-aged man sighed. Seeing the weary expressions of the boy and girl, he said, "Pan'er, Baocai, must you be tired? Second Uncle will have someone prepare a place for you to rest."
"No need to trouble Second Uncle," the beautiful woman declined. "Fu Bo and Xue Liu have already prepared a place. They happened to see Second Uncle and came over to report that we're safe."
"Baocai, Pan'er, say goodbye to your Second Uncle."
The beautiful woman left with her son and daughter, her face clouded with gloom.
Her personal bodyguards had suffered heavy casualties, while Second Uncle's men remained mostly intact.
Thinking back to their previous predicament, she couldn't help but be suspicious.
They had been brought to Laishui County by this uncle.
The middle-aged man watched his sister-in-law leave, his expression shifting.
"Master, should we...?"
A burly man beside the middle-aged man asked softly.
The middle-aged man shook his head, "Fu Bo is still alive, and so are Xue Liu and the others.
Her family is not easy to mess with either. It's fine if we haven't been found out, but if we are..."
He shook his head again and turned to look at the goods behind him. "These goods are enough for us to make a small fortune."
These goods could bring a profit of about 10% in the capital region.
In the Northeast, they would generate a profit of at least 50%.
"These are all good things."
He thought about the goods in the Northeast. With a round trip, they would make even more money.
"War is good!"
He muttered to himself.
It's a pity that if only he could get his hands on those war horses and weapons, he would make a lot more money.