Linghu Chang's Suggestion

Linghu Chang smiled and said, "That would be for the best. I will have someone escort you to the military camp shortly."

Seeing that Lin Shan's appointment as a garrison captain was now settled, Xiao Qiang spoke up slowly, "Lord Linghu, this time Lin Shan and I are here to discuss another matter with you as well."

Linghu Chang looked at Lin Shan curiously and asked, "I wonder what matter that might be?"

With an open and poised manner, Lin Shan produced several weapons he had placed behind him, removed the wrapping cloth, and laid them upon the table. A flicker of doubt crossed Linghu Chang's eyes, but he refrained from asking immediately, waiting for Lin Shan to speak.

Lin Shan said, "My lord, these weapons were forged by my subordinates. I would actually like to conduct this business with the official government."

Hearing this, Linghu Chang was quite astonished.

*When did he acquire such subordinates?*

Since Linghu Chang intended to appoint Lin Shan as a garrison captain, he had naturally investigated Lin Shan's background. He knew that Lin Shan had arrived abruptly in Sanwen County, posing outwardly as a traveling merchant.

Linghu Chang picked up the weapons one by one to inspect them. Upon closer examination, he found that the quality of the weaponry was exceptionally fine—far superior, at least, to the equipment used by the county soldiers under his own command.

Squinting at Lin Shan, Linghu Chang said, "I never expected Brother Lin to have such subordinates at his disposal. I have always been curious—what is your true origin, Brother Lin?"

Lin Shan sighed and replied, "My lord, my hometown was long ago reduced to ashes in the flames of war. I can scarcely recall what it looked like anymore. Ever since those days, I have simply been a businessman."

Linghu Chang did not press the matter further. Instead, he asked, "Brother, how much do these weapons cost?"

Lin Shan gestured toward the sabers and swords and said, "Swords and sabers are one silver coin each, and the spears are seven hundred copper cash."

"That price is certainly fair. Moreover, judging by the quality of these weapons, they far surpass those of my county garrison. Brother Lin, let me ask you—if one were to produce one thousand such spears, how long would it take?"

Linghu Chang picked up a spear and gently stroked its shaft.

In ancient military forces, spears were indeed the most widely utilized weapon among frontline infantry. They were relatively simple to manufacture; when arranged in formation with the spear points projecting forward, even the most mediocre soldiers could be trained in a short period to form an effective fighting force.

Meanwhile, swords and sabers were instruments reserved strictly for close-quarters melee combat.

After making a quick mental calculation, Lin Shan replied, "For one thousand spears, it would take a month."

A month in this other world equated to just over a day in the prime world.

In Geng Hao's workshop, he was not working alone. With a group of people putting in a combined effort, a month in the prime world was more than enough time.

"A month?!"

Linghu Chang was even more surprised. With a meaningful look, he remarked, "It seems the business Brother Lin runs is of no small scale..."

Lowering his gaze to the spear once more, Linghu Chang felt a genuine sense of temptation.

The times were growing increasingly turbulent, and the repercussions were spreading ever wider.

The region they currently inhabited was Gaotang Prefecture in the State of Wu. In Xinnyi Prefecture, which bordered Gaotang, a large-scale rebel army had already emerged. The imperial court appeared inept at suppressing the rebellion, and there was a strong possibility that these rebels might push into Gaotang Prefecture. Should that happen, lacking a capable and reliable military force of his own would leave him in an extremely vulnerable position.

Linghu Chang slowly said, "I would very much like to enter into this business with you, brother, but to be completely honest, the imperial court is currently stretched rather thin. Even upon delivery, I fear we would have to wait quite some time for the payment to be settled."

Xiao Qiang had already warned Lin Shan about this beforehand. It was the same in this foreign realm just as it was with municipal engineering projects in the prime world—funding essentially had to be advanced upfront.

Lin Shan replied, "That is only to be expected; I understand. However, I do have one request: when the balance is settled, I hope to receive payment in gold. I accept neither silver nor copper coinage."

Linghu Chang nodded. "That should not pose too much of a problem. However, Lin Shan, the procurement of weapons for the Sanwen County garrison is not something our county yamen can handle independently. We must defer to the prefectural government on this matter. The quality of your weapons is truly impressive; if you are interested, I can take you to the prefectural city to speak with the Prefect about it. Be aware, however, that there are certain undercurrents at play that you must understand."

With a slightly graver expression, Linghu Chang continued, "The business of weapon trading within the prefecture has actually been controlled all along by the Ancient Spirit Mountain."

*Ancient Spirit Mountain?*

Lin Shan had never heard of this name before, but judging by its sound, it appeared to be a martial sect.

Xiao Qiang let out an "oh" of realization nearby and murmured, "So it is they who hold this business..."

Noticing Lin Shan's inquiring gaze, Xiao Qiang explained, "This Ancient Spirit Mountain is considered a major local sect within Gaotang Prefecture. Their sect leader is an Xiantian-realm master. Together with the Profound Sword Sect, they are the two most powerful sects in Gaotang Prefecture."

Linghu Chang added, "Indeed. It is precisely because of the existence of Ancient Spirit Mountain that others have been unable to muscle in on this trade. Brother Lin, since your workshop wishes to pursue this venture, my advice is this: if you are going to do it, do it big rather than small. You will offend Ancient Spirit Mountain either way. Given that you currently share a very favorable relationship with the Profound Sword Sect—and since the Profound Sword Sect and Ancient Spirit Mountain have long been at odds while also casting greedy eyes upon this trade—you ought to go and have a talk with the Profound Sword Sect."

Even Xiao Qiang had been unaware of these intricate stakes. True to form for someone in officialdom, Linghu Chang's information channels were simply different from theirs.

Lin Shan expressed his sincere gratitude: "Many thanks for your guidance, my lord."

Linghu Chang waved a hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. If such fine goods can be supplied throughout the entirety of Gaotang Prefecture, it would be a stroke of good fortune for everyone here. As a local official whose duty is to care for the people, recommending you is only right."

Although this visit to Linghu Chang had not resulted in an immediate, final decision, it had at least provided Lin Shan and his companion with several crucial pieces of information.

Lin Shan and Xiao Qiang exchanged glances. Initially, they had intended to allocate a twenty percent profit share to Linghu Chang. However, seeing that Linghu Chang's influence was not as decisive as they had imagined, that share naturally needed to be adjusted. Lin Shan spoke up, "My lord, since this matter will require you to exert yourself on our behalf, I am willing to allocate a ten percent share of the weapon-trading profits to you."

Hearing this, Linghu Chang hastily shook his head. "There is no need for that. In this matter, I cannot actually offer much substantive help—at most, I can put in a word with the Prefect. If you go directly to the Profound Sword Sect, they can also speak on your behalf. I appreciate the sentiment, but it is better to leave this profit margin for the Profound Sword Sect instead."

With a faint, enigmatic smile, Linghu Chang added, "Though the appetite of the Profound Sword Sect is likely to be rather large."

Lin Shan replied with a helpless shrug, "Since they possess an Xiantian-realm master, it cannot be helped if they take the lion's share."

The profits from selling weapons were massive; ceding a bit more was acceptable to Lin Shan.

Shortly thereafter, Linghu Chang had someone escort Lin Shan to the military camp. Lin Shan merely went through the motions, as Xiao Qiang had already arranged for men to assist in handling Lin Shan's other affairs.

Departing from the city of Sanwen County, the two returned to the Xiao estate. Without delay, they sought out Xiao Xiao to explain their objective: Lin Shan wished to pay a visit to the Profound Sword Sect.