Chapter 561: The people of the Northwest have fully resumed their normal lives.

Chapter 561: The people of the Northwest have fully resumed their normal lives.

Tang Mingrui's mind was buzzing with countless business ideas, and he even had a preliminary plan for the prices of these ingredients, especially the delicious and refreshing wine, which made him see unlimited business opportunities.

This unlimited business opportunity wasn't about volume, but about the high price.

After numerous collaborations, He Zhiran was quite pleased with the prices Tang Mingrui set, so this time she decided not to worry too much about it.

After all, her business with Tang Mingrui operated on a profit-sharing basis, and the price level not only concerned the Mo family's interests but also how much Tang Mingrui himself could earn.

The method of crafting the copper pot wasn't a secret; anyone who saw the pot could figure it out with a bit of research.

He Zhiran's confidence in the hotpot's exclusivity stemmed mainly from the dipping sauce and base seasoning.

These were the Mo family's unique methods, especially the raw materials, which others simply couldn't get their hands on.

So, she confidently told Tang Mingrui that the hotpot could remain an exclusive business for a long time, and even if someone copied it, it would be subpar.

Unfortunately, He Zhiran had only produced wine from the mountain grapes in the courtyard this year and hadn't reached mass production levels.

Plus, she noticed that both fathers were especially fond of this wine.

So, the small grape harvest was only enough for family use for now. When the mountain grape yield increases next year, she can produce on a larger scale, and by then, partnering with Tang Mingrui would likely bring in a significant income.

Tang Mingrui was quite disappointed that he couldn't jump into the wine business right away.

But he wasn't greedy; as long as he kept up his sincere cooperation with the Mo family, these businesses would eventually be his.

A single meal not only made Minister He appreciate his daughter's life even more, but He Zhiran also went ahead and signed a contract with Tang Mingrui to open a hotpot restaurant.

As always, the Mo family was in charge of providing ingredients and seasonings, while Tang Mingrui managed the shop, with the profits still divided equally.

In addition, the mature vegetables from the Mo family's greenhouses could also be supplied in large quantities to Tang Mingrui's restaurant.

Tang Mingrui was simply overjoyed by this.

This trip, he felt, was the most rewarding one he had ever made to the Mo family.

How could someone destined to become a great royal merchant not see the enormous profits of hotpot?

In short, Tang Mingrui returned fully loaded and immediately began preparing to open the shop.

Now that Mo Jiuya was guarding the western border, the people of the Northwest had fully resumed their normal lives.

His shop would not be affected by the war, and moreover, his shops had already expanded to other prefectures...

With the hotpot restaurant collaboration with Tang Mingrui concluded, He Zhiran continued to develop other industries.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth month.

On the village road leading to Xiling Village, Mo Jiuya led a team of people galloping home.

A month earlier, he had received instructions from Nan Yu to capture the barbarian royal family and nobles and escort them to the Imperial City.

The remaining citizens continued their lives as before.

At the same time, the vast territory of the barbarians also became part of Mo Jiuya's fiefdom.

He followed He Zhiran’s instructions and first distributed winter provisions to the barbarian populace to calm their hearts.

After a winter without anyone starving to death, the people would surely be grateful to Mo Jiuya and even consider Great Shun’s conquering of the barbarians as a great blessing for them.

Indeed, what do ordinary people think?

All they care about is their families having enough to eat and staying warm. Whoever provides them with such a life will earn their support.

As expected, upon receiving the grain distributed by Mo Jiuya’s men, the barbarians knelt on the ground, imitating the Great Shun people, and shouted, “Long live the Prince of the West.” Some even said they were willing to serve the Prince of the West as oxen and horses for life.

It was unclear if they would truly serve as oxen and horses, but Mo Jiuya was sure that their support for him was genuine.

When spring arrived, he would follow his wife’s plan and send a significant number of horses, cattle, and sheep to the barbarian region.

Though the barbarian lands were barren, they were not entirely devoid of resources; in fact, there were quite a lot.

However, the ordinary seeds held by the people yielded little when planted, and over time, much of the land was abandoned.

Before departing, Mo Jiuya left Liang Hao with a team and appointed him as the governor of the barbarian region.

The governor’s position was no ordinary role.

In the prefectures of Great Shun, the prefect was usually the head, and in some places, the court would dispatch a commander. That is to say, in most prefectures, there was one civil official and one military officer.

Naturally, the Northwest region was unique. Due to the presence of a large army guarding the western border, the prefectures there did not have a commander.

In Great Shun, the governor combined the roles of prefect and commander. That is to say, Liang Hao was both the prefect and the commander of the barbarian region, commanding a force of ten thousand men.

This ten-thousand-strong army was sent by the court to attack the western border. Mo Jiuya’s effective leadership and his arsenal of bombs led to minimal casualties for Great Shun.

After all, a prince with a fiefdom could sustain a certain number of troops. Moreover, it would be unreasonable not to station troops in the newly conquered barbarian region.

Mo Jiuya directly appealed to Nan Yu, requesting to leave a portion of the troops as guards.

When Nan Yu sent the army to the western border, he had expected twenty to thirty percent casualties. However, Mo Jiuya reported almost no casualties.

Given this, he decided to do a favor by leaving the portion of the army he had expected to be lost in the battle and withdrawing the rest.

This not only fulfilled Mo Jiuya’s needs but also made him feel he hadn’t suffered any loss.

After all, without Mo Jiuya’s leadership, the soldiers he dispatched might not have returned. He felt it was no loss at all.

Most importantly, it was his trust in the Mo family.

When he tasked Mo Jiuya with leading the battle, he believed in trusting those he chose and not using those he doubted. This remained his stance.

Mo Jiuya wasn’t greedy; he had his original troops as private soldiers and the ten thousand troops provided by Nan Yu.

After the New Year, he could gradually develop without worrying about the number of troops.

Having settled the barbarian region, he hurried home with his brothers at full speed.

In the past, when he went to battle, he had never felt such longing.

Now it was completely different; he missed his beloved wife and two adorable children immensely.

He had been away for several months, and Ran Ran must have worked hard for the family.

Would the two children still recognize him as their father?

Filled with anticipation, Mo Jiuya braved the cold and arrived at Xiling Village as quickly as possible.

After paying respects to his parents and briefly recounting the events of the western border battle, Mo Jiuya eagerly returned to his own home.