Chapter 245 Wushuang City (Last day, begging for monthly tickets!)
Spring goes and winter comes, the four seasons go round and round, endlessly.

"Brothers, work harder. We are only thirty miles away from Wushuang City."

"It's finally almost here."

"I've been very tired during this period. I must have a good rest when we get to Wushuang City!"

……

A caravan traveling between the Central Plains and the Western Regions walked on an official road paved with bricks and cement, with endless fatigue on every face. A middle-aged man, the leader, shielded his eyes with his hands, looked into the distance, and spoke to his companions behind him. Hearing the leader's words, all the merchants spoke with ecstasy and excitement.

Thirty miles is not a very long distance.

The caravan hurried and finally arrived at the magnificent city named Wushuang City when the Golden Crow began to set in the west.

The city wall was ten feet high and majestic. The surface was not uneven, but was smeared with cement made from lime and mixed with gravel. When the cement dried, the surface of the city wall was smooth and even a knife could not penetrate it. The city gate was five feet high and three feet wide.

The entire city, just as the name Tianxuan gave it, is unparalleled within a thousand miles.

The soldiers of Wushuang City, clad in pitch-black armor, guarded the city gates and checked each team.

"Fifty gems, one thousand stones of walnuts, and three hundred stones of pepper."

According to the rules set by Wushuang City Lord, Wushuang Jun Tianxuanzi, all caravans from the Central Plains to the Western Regions or from the Western Regions back to the Central Plains must pay a tax rate of one-tenth. When it was the turn of this caravan, Liu Ji, who had already reached the position of captain and happened to be on duty today, finished counting the goods and raised his mouth meaningfully.

"General Liu, we are old friends, don't go too far!"

The leader of the caravan looked at Liu Ji, who had a half-smile on his face, took out a wallet from his arms, handed it to Liu Ji, and said with a wry smile.

"Don't worry!" As soon as Liu Ji took the wallet, he knew that there was seven or eight taels of gold in it. He smiled and said, "Brother, your team is under the command of Boss Wu. According to the agreement between the Lord and Boss Wu, you only need to pay one twentieth of the tax."

"Thank you."

Following Liu Ji's words, his soldiers took only the equivalent of one twentieth of the value of the goods after counting them. He bribed Liu Ji with several taels of gold to ask him not to hold him back. After the tax was collected, the leader of the caravan bowed to Liu Ji and led the team to the city.

"Next!"

After a small extortion, he felt that he had enough money for tonight's drinks. Liu Ji raised his dark and thick eyebrows and shouted.

"One hundred stones of carrots, one thousand stones of onions!"

"One hundred stones of garlic and fifty stones of cucumbers!"

"what is this?"

"Sir, this is called alfalfa!"

……

The trade route between the Western Regions and the Central Plains has been initially opened up with the establishment of Wushuang City, a city located between the Central Plains and the Western Regions with complete facilities and abundant water resources. Caravans travel between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, selling goods between the two places.

The grain, wine, silk, ceramics and other goods from the Central Plains were sold to the Western Regions, and the crops, fruits, gems and other goods produced in the Western Regions were sold to the Central Plains. No caravan could travel between the two places alone, and they all had to pass through Wushuang City, a key point, to replenish food and water, and even relax.

Creak!
As the sun set, the gate of Wushuang City, which was made of fine iron, made a harsh sound and slowly closed. "Brothers, I invite you to drink wine."

Liu Ji, who had earned dozens of taels of gold today, got off duty and shouted to the hundreds of soldiers under his command.

"Thank you, Brother Liu."

"Brother Liu is generous!"

"Let's go!"

……

There are more than a dozen brothels in Wushuang City. The girls there include wolf girls from the grassland, girls from the Western Regions, and women from the Central Plains. When the soldiers under Liu Ji heard what Liu Ji said, they were all excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Amidst the cheerful conversation, the group headed towards the brothel in the city.

[By the way, it wouldn't be bad if life could go on like this forever! ]

When Liu Ji was about to step into a brothel called 'Yingchun Garden', he thought of his daily life since the founding of Wushuang City, and this thought arose.

…………

At night, the City Lord’s Mansion.

Tianxuan's City Lord's Mansion, like his residence in Xianyang, still hung a plaque with the words "Tianxuan Temple" to highlight his identity as a Taoist disciple.

"Your Majesty, this month Wushuang City has earned 5,700 taels of gold and 39,800 taels of silver. After deducting expenses, the net profit is 3,500 taels of gold and 24,572 taels of silver. In addition, we have 50,000 dan of corn and 10,000 dan of rice in stock!"

Night fell, but Wushuang City was like a city that never sleeps. Obscene sounds and words echoed everywhere in the city. In gambling houses, brothels, pubs, inns and other service places, countless merchants with tense hearts were caught up in a revelry. The only place that could barely keep quiet was Tianxuan's Tianxuan Temple.

The lights in most buildings of Tianxuan Temple were turned off, with the only exception being the study.

In the study, Xiao He held an account book filled with densely written words and reported to Tianxuan who was sitting on a throne.

"Xiao He, if I remember correctly, it has only been three months since Wushuang City was opened!" After Xiao He finished speaking, Tianxuan, who held his chin with both hands, raised his sword eyes and asked knowingly.

Xiao He nodded and said, "Your Majesty, you remember correctly. It took us five months to build this Wushuang City, even with the help of Mr. Zheng Guo's exploration of the water veins and the help of Gong Shujia's mechanical creations. After that, it took two months to perfect the settings in the city, and it took three months in total to sweep away the surrounding beasts, bandits, and repel several wolf tribes."

"It is true that the city will only be officially open for three months."

"Three months after the city was officially opened, the monthly net profit has been increasing." Tian Xuan's eyes were full of pride. "By the end of the year, the monthly net profit should not be less than 10,000 taels of gold. Next year, the monthly net profit will increase to 30,000 to 50,000 taels! By then, we can build a few more cities and gradually advance to completely incorporate this area into the territory of our Great Qin!"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right."

Although Xiao He was born as a minor official, he was indeed a rare genius in logistics support. He witnessed the development of Wushuang City from scratch to today. For Xiao He, it was like watching a child grow up. After listening to Tianxuan's words, he agreed with them.

“At the end of the year, send 30,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver to Xianyang, and take the crops with you.” After being satisfied with the growth of Wushuang City, Tianxuan said to Xiao He.

It has been nearly two years since Tianxuan was ordered to open up the trade route in the Western Regions. In the first year, everything was in preparation. Now, it is the second year of Zhengge's reign. If there is no achievement, it will be difficult to explain to Zhengge. There are still seven or eight months to the New Year. According to the current trend, sending 30,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels of silver can only be regarded as about half of the harvest!
(End of this chapter)